Shapeless Hero

26 - Spectrum of Problems

Clint pours his sling ammunition into the wooden tray, that Kella has set on the counter. "That's all of them." With the final and third pouch emptied, Kella poses a question to me. "So, which ones are magical? Don't touch them."

I glance at the filled tray. About a third of them emanate too much mana for ordinary objects. I start pointing out the ones that stand out. "This one, this one, this—"

"Hold on.", Kella interrupts. She puts a wooden bowl on the counter. "Let's go one by one."

We start again. We alternate between me pointing out a mana-charged projectile and her putting said projectile aside in the bowl. After two minutes, we sorted all of them, the bowl now filled to the brim.

"Is that your final answer?", Kella asks and I nod. She calls Rev over, who has been filing paperwork in the back all the while. He quickly makes his way to us. "Yes?"

"I need you to identify the magical contents in these.", Kella responds, pushing said bowl closer to Rev. As he examines it, he loses his usual insecure demeanor. His eyes gain a professional sternness which I haven't thought possible with his gentle face.

Rev brings one of the small chests from a shelf and puts it down on the counter top. With two thumbs, he works its lock mechanism and pushes the chest open, revealing an assortment of vials, containing powder of various colors. "Hmm, which ones to use..." The bottles inside the chest produce a gentle clinking from his fingers running over them, as he ponders his options.

"I guess, using all of them would eat away at your budget for tricks and tools?", Kella asks.

Rev nods. "This powder is meant for special investigation units and hunting down rogue mages, hence not for daily use. And the premium for non-governmental buyers is hefty, since it can be used as a base for plenty of hard drugs."

Kella groans. "And we're using it on some petty drama right now." She looks at me, rubbing her chin. "Might be worth it this time, though..."

I take a peek at the valuable powders. They have magical properties too, but each bottle's content has a different mana signature. "So this is a tool for arcane forensics.", I mumble.

Overhearing my words, Rev smiles. "Exactly! Each powder reacts only to a certain type of magic, but..." His voice trails off, his mind back on the powders.

"Would it help, if I point out the colors I can see in the bowl? There's less types than in the chest.", I offer.

I don't get an answer. Eventually I look up from the chest. All three of them, Clint, Kella and Rev stare at me. Oh gods, did I make myself look like some freak? Or a crazy mage with delusions of grandeur and years worth of weed in her pocket? Is the Alya-thing happening again? I feel cold sweat form on my back. "D-did I say something stupid?"

Clint grins after shaking his head clear of his mental stasis. "Hah! You're just making shit up now! It's too obviou-"

"Clint.", Kella says with a stern tone, making the lynx-kin take a step back. "It is me, who does the conjecture here.", she finishes. Clint merely nods, only his tail movement betraying some agitation of his.

But she then turns to me. "If it wasn't for your association with that imperial commander, I would have deemed you insane. An impulsive liar. A nut-case." She takes a deep breath. "But whatever your circumstances are, they must be very special. An imperial commander passing through with a person who can see magic as clearly as light with their eyes - that certainly would need secrecy."

I want to ask why exactly that is, but that might accidentally erase the advantageous image she has of me and the commander, so I choose to just nod slowly, feigning understanding.