Not (Just) A Mage Lord Isekai-Chapter 97 - Breaking Anchor

There was the desire to offload the teaching of the dance to someone else, but when Tamrie explained how excited Tanis had been…

Well, I didn’t want to disappoint the big guy.

Which is how I ended up holding an hour long class directing Myris and Tanis through a simple four step dance that Perth had known as ‘the Vinto’. It tickled something familiar in me, a sort of motion I associated with people sort of shuffling around ballrooms on TV.

A dance from Earth I’d never done.

Both of Tanis and Myris picked it up well enough they felt confident in teaching others. Which would’ve scarred Perth. There were all sorts of things they were doing wrong.

I couldn’t bring myself to voice those observations though. Not with how much fun Tanis was having, despite the constant criticisms of his dance partner. Seeing Myris dancing was… disconcerting. The Tethered had a tendency to sway somewhat whenever they were standing on solid ground. And she’d translated that into her dancing, even as she stepped on Tanis’s toes repeatedly.

Retreating with as much poise as I could muster, I found Tamrie waiting just outside. She’d stepped out a few minutes earlier, when one of the sentries had stopped by. Whatever it’d been about hadn’t been important enough for her to interrupt the lessons, but I still found myself wondering what was going on.

When I asked, Tamrie waved it off, explaining it was just logistics before gesturing upward. “Them stone-ladies are waiting for ya at the Clanker’s workshop.”

Sure enough, when I got topside, Soap Bottle and Banya were standing to the side, watching Inertia work. At some point they'd found clothing, both wearing tunics and a pair of thick trousers. Surprisingly heavy, considering neither needed any help staying warm.

"There he is," Soap Bottle said, elbowing Banya and waving in my general direction. "Told you he'd come around eventually."

Banya blinked, staring at Soap Bottle, playing with a lock of her stone hair as she did so. The sound of grinding stone underlaid her words as she said, "But… didn't his assistant tell us he’d-"

"Bah, you're no fun," Soap Bottle cut Banya off, emphasizing it with a chop of her hand. Only then did she look towards where Tamrie and I had emerged. "At least I'm getting the last of my strings cut."

"I'll do my best," I said, nodding in her direction. "Though, maybe inside the workshop," I suggested, glancing up at the swirling clouds. It wasn't a full on storm, but there were a few scattered drops falling.

"Whatever toots your horn," Soap Bottle said, earning herself a furrowed brow from Banya as she marched off.

"She seems like the full ball of scrum," Tamrie said, patting Banya on the shoulder. "You handling her well enough?"

"I… think so," Banya replied, flicking that lock of hair, producing a solid thunk as it clapped back. "She's very confusing."

"Pretty sure she does that on purpose," I said, tilting my chin in the direction of the workshop. "You ready to get rid of the rest of those runes?"

"Ah, right," Banya said, falling in at my side, a finger tracing along one of the few visible runes. Most had been covered by the thick tunic. The fine stitching and rough fabric made me suspect it'd come from one of the Tethered.

When we got inside, we found Soap Bottle waiting next to one of the empty workbenches. She was eying it like she was considering whether she should climb atop the heavy duty wooden surface. Then she turned back, waving at Banya, "Come on, let's get you up here."

"Uh… me?" Banya asked, glancing between us.

I just shrugged. It didn't make a difference to me which one of them I cleaned up first.

"Yep. Pretty boy said you'd be easy to finish up. No reason for you to get stuck waiting for him to fix this mess," she said, gesturing at her own chest, where exactly none of the runes were visible under the heavy tunic.

"I wanted to watch him… okay," Banya trailed off at a glance from Soap Bottle, moving to stand beside the workbench. She hesitated, as if also wondering how to climb up.

"You can just lay down on the floor, if you'd prefer," I offered, gesturing to the open space next to the workbench. "First fixed you up on my knees anyway."

For some reason, this drew a snort out of Tamrie. When I glanced back at her, she simply smiled, not offering an explanation.

"That… it's fine," Banya replied, holding her hand out towards Soap Bottle, who helped her climb on the workbench. There was a small groan from the sturdy wooden bench, but once she was settled in place, laid down across its length, it seemed fine.

"Uh… I need to be able to see the runes," I said, fighting down a surge of embarrassment. It hadn't seemed important when I'd first been working on them, but the runes weren't exactly in convenient spots. I had no clue if he'd needed to put the control runes on the breasts, or if he was just a pervert, but either way, it had just been stone when I'd first been working on them.

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Now, with the control runes disabled, they all felt so much more… alive. Combined with the fact they clearly cared about their modesty, it was… awkward. At least for me. Banya barely seemed to hesitate as she flipped the tunic upward.

Taking a breath, I stepped forward. And as soon as I saw the runes, my professionalism kicked in, putting the awkwardness in the box where it belonged. If that box wasn’t perfectly sealed, well, at least it did the job. Once more, I set to work drawing mana out of the remaining control runes. It proved to be challenging in a new way, with Banya letting out the occasional gasp or giggle.

"Sorry, it tickles," Banya said after a particularly loud yelp. One where the workbench had let out an ominous crack after she’d bounced on it.

"Not sure I can do anything about that," I said, rotating my wrist while I leaned back trying not to stare at her chest now that I wasn’t working. "Maybe if I go slower?"

"I… uhm… I think that might make it worse," Banya said uncertainly, glancing towards Soap Bottle.

The other woman-turned-golem offered a quick shrug. "Didn't tickle when he was doing me."

Once more, Tamrie snorted, chuckling loudly. We all glanced in her direction, but other than her giant grin, she didn't offer us any explanation.

"Okay. Well, let's get you finished," I said, leaning forward. It only took a few more minutes to finish, and Banya only giggled twice more before I was done. When Soap Bottle helped her down, the bench let out another crack as Banya put her other hand through the top.

"Oh by the gods, I'm so sorry," Banya said, clapping her hands to her mouth. The smack of her hands hitting her face was far louder than the cracking of the table had been.

"It's fine. We can slap another one together in half an hour. Though…" I trailed off as I looked at the broken workbench, scratching my chin. "You could probably help the carpenters build one, if you wanted to help out."

"Of course," Banya said, pulling her tunic back into place, then using the hem to give a slight curtsy-like dip. Something in Perth's memories drew my attention to the way she only grasped the edge of her tunic with her middle and ring fingers. But I wasn't able to connect it with anything in particular. Might’ve been a hint to her past, but if I wanted to know more about that, I'd just ask.

Speaking of unknown pasts, Soap Bottle’s was far more interesting. She let go of Banya's hand as she tore free part of the now broken workbench. "I've seen sturdier knock-off purses."

The last word was uncommon in Elinder, though one I knew.

"Those must've been some purses," I said, testing the unfamiliar word. It had a bit more of a hiss to it than most Elinder words.

Soap Bottle's gaze grew distant. "I used to complain about them. All the time. What I wouldn't give to be able to run down to a… oh, this damn language doesn't have the right word for it. You know, the cheap markets where you bought knock-offs."

"Flea markets?" I asked in English.

"Yeah," Soap Bottle said, nodding, her gaze still distant. Then she blinked, her eyes going wide as she turned towards me. "I mean…"

I gave her a crooked smile. "It's fine. No big deal," I lied. I definitely wanted to know more. So much more. Instead, I motioned to the nearby floor. "You wanna lay down? Or take your chances with one of the other workbenches? We could always do what I did with Inertia and put you on the main hoist."

"I… the floor is fine," Soap Bottle said, kneeling down. She played with the hem of her tunic for a second before laying down properly. Unlike Banya, she hesitated to lift it.

I didn't push her. Figured I could spare a few minutes. Though every second that passed did make me feel more awkward. I was about to suggest finishing my work another day when she spoke.

"Uh. I know it's silly, but… could you ask your assistant to leave?" Soap Bottle finally mumbled.

I stared blankly at her before slowly rotating my head in Tamrie's direction. With a slight shrug, Tamrie turned and walked outside the workshop without me having to utter a word.

The moment she was gone, Soap Bottle started rolling up her shirt, then set it to the side. Even before she'd revealed the runes, she was talking, her words spilling out in a rush. "Sorry, I just… well, you've both seen me already, and she was… I don't want to be seen like this."

"Hey, no problem," I said, shaking my head. Could only guess why Tamrie of all people made her feel uncomfortable, but it wasn't my place to judge.

The work to remove the last of Soap Bottle's runes took a lot longer than I expected. She didn't get ticklish like Banya, but she had several bad spots that took far longer than the rest. Spots I was pretty sure I'd already dealt with the day before. Banya was also right at my side, asking questions once more. Somehow, it made the entire process far less awkward.

As I brushed the last of the black dust off Soap Bottle, the final rune in the control set finally gone, I said, "And that's all of it. All done."

Soap Bottle let out a long sigh as she looked down over her chest, now clear of runes. "Wow. That feels… so much better."

"Really?" I asked, glancing towards her face. "Didn't think they were even doing anything anymore."

"Not physically, but they still… the knowledge they were there was like an anchor around my neck," Soap Bottle said, rubbing at her stone throat for emphasis as she sat up.

"Ah. Yeah, that'd do it," I said. “Well, glad I was able to break your anchor.”

"So… now what do we do?" Banya asked.

"Well, first I'm gonna put my shirt back on," Soap Bottle said with a laugh, matching her words to action as she threaded her arms into the tunic.

"I mean… we're free, right?" Banya asked, looking towards me.

"Free as anyone. Probably more, since I don't think you need to eat or drink, or even worry about getting old… I think," I said with a shrug.

"Thank god we can eat if want to," Soap Bottle said, popping her head through the top of her tunic. "Not sure life would be worth it without the three F's."

Banya squinted at Soap Bottle again.

I didn't blame her. That saying made even less sense in Elinder than it did in English. Neither food or fighting actually started with the letter Soap Bottle had chosen.

With my job done, and Soap Bottle decent, I retrieved Tamrie, checking to see if anything had changed.

"Nothing urgent, but maybe we can talk to your new friends bout setting a couple things right as thanks for your time. After all, the Magus's time is precious." The last words weren't said to me, directed instead towards Banya and Soap Bottle.

"That's fine, I didn't help them to-"

"She's right," Soap Bottle said, cutting me off. "We owe you. And if we can put our new bods to use, helping out, least we can do."

Banya nodded, even as Tamrie's grin grew wide. "Excellent. If you gals'll come along, I've a buncha chores your 'new bods' will sort right quick. I'll see ya soon enough, Magus Perth. You go check on that bony hoarder of yours."

Even as I nodded in agreement, Tamrie was already leading Banya and Soap Bottle away. Tamrie glanced back in my direction, saying something to the others. All three of them started laughing, looking back.

An unfamiliar chill went down my spine. Then I shook my head. Whatever it was about, I doubted it was worth worrying about.

Besides… I rubbed my hands together as I moved to make my way down the nets. It was time to visit Keeper, and hopefully, find out exactly what those rings were hiding.