Jump Chain Gothic 5 - Merlin
Part 8
Isle of the Blessed. Albion.
While I didn't think that I'd ever get used to having Nimueh summoning me to her island by appearing in my dreams, it was at least a secure means of communication between us, and I was willing to put up with her intrusions as she was still useful to me.
Also it helped that as of yet she hadn't asked me do anything for her that could be corrupting or harm Camelot in anyway. I was sure that one day soon she would, and then I would have to re-evaluate this relationship. But for now I had much to learn.
"Those gifted with magic have the ability to change the world around them" the High Priestess told me.
Similar to the powers of the near-ascended, magic was neither good or evil, any morality these powers have comes from those who use them not the power itself. So while there were those who used magic for selfish reasons, there are benevolent users of magic who wished to use it for good.
I did sometimes use my powers for personal gain, but very rarely for my own gratification. I always had larger objectives in mind and those benefited others often more than myself. I also had a moral code of my own which prevented me from using my powers for evil. While I was emotionally distant from most people I still cared about others and wanted them to be happy.
Since I always kept my larger goals in mind while holding myself to a certain standard of behaviour I'd never been seduced by the darkside, or whatever it was you wanted to call the thing that drew people to evil. I might not be the smartest person around despite the vast amounts of knowledge I'd collect, however I had some wisdom. I knew that the dark path never led anywhere you wanted to be.
Nimueh was now telling me that magic could be evoked voluntarily through spells, though I knew from watching the show that at times it also appeared to manifest itself in uncontrolled ways such as Morgana's prophetic dreams. Magic wasn't just a exotic energy source certain people were able to call upon, it had a will of its own, and might even be sentient to some extent.
This was further supported by the fact that magic also has its own set of laws, specifically when dealing with power over life and death. Most magic is tied to the Old Religion so the High Priestesses like Nimueh had a greater understanding of magic, which was why I wished to learn from Nimueh rather than someone like Gaius.
However given that magical races weren't always bound by the rules human magic users were, this suggested that magic itself didn't enforce the rules, rather it was the system of magic used that enforced rules. Perhaps it was people that made magic somewhat sentient. This would explain how I'd be able to use magic in other realities were magic worked differently. The magic itself was a source of limitless power not bound by anything, and it was people that somehow placed limits on it.
Humans were also limited by their ability to call upon magic as they weren't magical creatures. There were some exceptions of course, such as Merlin, who could use magic intuitively and required little or no training to be able to manipulate reality.
For others, such as Gaius and myself who weren't born magical in anyway, magical power had be developed through years of study, but it was ultimately limited if they weren't born with the talent. Which was why I'd selected a magical ring when setting up this Jump as it was a magic battery and with it I'd be able to perform spells beyond those of a sorcerer of my level.
A staff could be used to act as an amplifier of sorts. I had one that boosted my near-ascended abilities, and if i could learn how magical staffs worked perhaps I could combine the two kinds of staffs in order to provide extra juice for both my near-ascended abilities and my magical powers.
However even without help I should be somewhat more talented than Gaius as he didn't magical sensitivity, which was why he couldn't talk into people's heads or hear them, druids who were somewhat born to magic, could do that as they had magically sensitive.
But since I had limited knowledge of magic I would have to rely on my near-ascended powers if I got into magical combat with another sorcerer. It would take many years of study before I cast anything more than the most simple of spells. Thankfully I had the time.
My tutor was now explaining that the wielding of magic, particularly for those without innate magic, generally requires incantations, which were spoken words of power of the Old Religion. Which meant I would have to actually learn a new language rather than just let my universal translator or one of perks handle it for me.
For the majority of magical acts there was physical sign accompanying its use. In the case of human sorcerers, hand gestures were often used either by themselves or along with words, as an aid to focus, and the irises of the user glow briefly gold as the magic does its job.
Which suggested that the magic was not totally an external force, and that even if people like me didn't have magical energy within them, then it could pass through us. This was supported by the fact that using a magic spell seemed to be physically taxing.
Some spells required the use of specific objects such as magical crystals, poppets, potions, herbs, or runes, a few might even require a staff. From what I learned so far the complexity of a spell's preparation relies entirely on the difficulty of the spell cast and the power of the sorcerer. As such the more skilled I became the less I would depend on the aid such things.
"One of the more powerful types of spells allow the control of the four elements" Nimueh was saying "Fire magic for example is a series incantation used to magically conjure flames, to control fire or to make a flames grow. These are very powerful, for they control the most important of the four elements: fire, yet for all this power, magical fire is controllable by even those not born to magic".
The High Priestess moved her hand in a circle, her palm facing away from us so that I could not fully see what happened, however I was able to see and sense enough to know that was gathering magical energies for a singular purpose.
A moment later a fire ball, it couldn't be called anything else, went flying into a small pile of stones, and they pretty much exploded. Clearly this was meant to impress me, however I could have done much the same with my near-ascended powers, or with an energy weapon.
"Stand back" the sorceress instructed.
Once I had done so she went on to cast another spell.
"Forbærne yfel"
A ring of fire now surrounded Nimueh, but again this failed to impress as it also something a near-ascended human could do. If she was disappointed by my lack of a reaction then she hid it well.
"Fire magic like what I just showed you are the more advanced kinds of that sort of magic, and the most dangerous" Nimueh informed me "You must not use such spells until you have mastered the more simple fire spells".
She turned to an unlit fire, and lazyly waved her hand over it.
"Forbearnan"
The fire was now lit, but didn't remain so for long as the woman made another jester which snuffed out the flames.
"This lesson ends when you lit the fire" Nimueh told me.
Since I'd never cast a spell before I had a feeling that this could take a while.
(Line Break)
Camelot. Albion.
As a knight of the realm one of my duties was to protect the royal family, either directly like I was doing today, or by removing threats. While I was sure that in the future I'd be sent out to battle some enemies of the crown, right now I was guarding a member of the royal family.
To be precise, I would be escorting the Lady Morgana, and her maidservant, to a spot not far from the citadel so that her ladyship could enjoy a picnic. This wasn't the sort of thing that made it into the epic sagas, however I didn't mind as spending time with Morgana could be a good thing.
I still intended to recruit her as a companion, but there was no rush, and on the day when I exposed to the truth of who and what I really was, thing would go much easier for me if she was deeply in love with me, or at the very least had strong positive feelings towards me.
Manipulating people's feelings wasn't something I normally did. Alas for Morgana her future was a not a good one, so unless I altered her fate and her changed her loyalties she would meet a bad end, and this was not something I desire for her. So it made sense to recruit her so that she knew that there was an escape from this world. I could even put her into stasis in order to protect her from her fate.
Currently there was no reason to worry about Morgana's welfare, she was a young, healthy woman, in both mind and body. Emotionally speaking she was happy, despite her nightmares, and aside from those her biggest problem seemed to be boredom.
I didn't need any fancy empathic powers, only a basic understanding of human beings, to realise that Morgana was not content to waft around the castle while looking pretty, which seemed to be the purpose of most the woman nobles in this kingdom.
This was also a good thing for me as Morgana was adventurous, and she wanted more from life than to marry some prince or noble lord, she wanted adventure, some thrills and to be able to help people on a large scale, all of which Jump Chan could provide.
Morgana had value to me, as not only did she have the potential to become a powerful spellcaster in the future, she was also a Seer of sorts, which meant she could see the future. Some humans who approached Ascension could also have visions of what was to come.
While I'd gained many of what some people would call 'super powers' I'd never developed the talent of seeing the future, and I was glad of that as having the powers of a Seer seemed like a great burden to me. I much preferred the powers I had.
Also it helped that she was very beautiful. Her dark hair and pale skin contrasted nicely, and didn't end up making her look sickly. I desired for her to become my companion for her looks as well as her power, and so far she seemed to be good company as well.
Right now I couldn't trust her with knowledge of who I really was or what I had to offer as Morgana was still very loyal to the king, and he would not understand that a Jumper was not someone you wanted to mess with. He would label me as a magic user and have me hunted, which would not go well for anyone involved.
"I trust you'll behave yourself with Lady Morgana, keep her safe" Arthur was now saying to me "and have her back before dark".
With some effort I was able to hide my laugher. He was playing the role of older brother so well without knowing that Morgana was in fact his sister. Although I didn't actually know if Morgana was the younger sister or not as I didn't know her age, and it would be rude to ask.
Not that it should matter to me. Heck I didn't even know how old I was, and since I'd been deaged several times over the past few decades, I wasn't even sure if I should count the years. I wasn't actually immortal in strictest sense, however I couldn't actually die while on Jump Chain so I could be considered a kind of immortal as long as Jump Chain lasted.
"I will, your highness" I told the prince as I finished attaching my bags to the saddle of my horse "No funny business and be back before sunset, understood".
Arthur was concerned, his facial expression gave that much away, and I was sure if it wasn't just the lack of physical protection that concerned him, I think it had to do with her going off almost alone with some guy she hardly knew. I figured it was more the later than the former. Sure Morgana's maid and Cameron were coming along, but I would be the only man.
"Tell you what, why I don't send Merlin with you" the prince offered.
While it was phrased as a suggestion, Arthur's look let me know that he would tolerate no debate on the matter. Not that this stopped Merlin.
"But... but..." the young warlock struggled to say.
As far as I knew Merlin hadn't detected that I was anything other than I appeared to me, which made some sense as he'd arrived after I did so he'd have no reason to question my backstory, but he was a creature of magic like the Great Dragon, as such he might be able to sense that I wasn't all that I appeared to be. Although if that was the case you'd think he'd want to keep an eye on me while I was alone with people that he cared about.
I didn't worry myself much about Merlin as I was no threat to Arthur, and even if he did figure out that I had some magical power, or what seemed to be magic, he didn't have any proof and I could easily escape should anything about my true nature come to light.
"This is a good chance for you to practice your riding" the prince said, trying to act as this was no big deal "You know the basics already. A leisurely ride to a picnic site and back is just what you need to get used to the saddle".
Arthur placed a hand on the warlock's shoulder. The gesture looked friendly, but I could see that Merlin was feeling some discomfort.
"Merlin you can go for a nice picnic out in the sunshine, or you can stay here and help with my training" the prince then said.
I'd never seen anyone ready a horse so quickly. He really, really must not like training.
(Line Break)
Field. Albion.
We didn't ride for long as a lot of the castle was surrounded by woods that didn't have the best reputation, however there were some pleasant meadows and from these spots the citadel could still be seen, if we'd intended to go any further than this I was sure that the prince would have insisted that we travel with a few guards, maybe even some more knights.
I was fairly certain that Morgana had intended to travel further from the citadel than this, as she could be reckless so it wouldn't surprise me if I later discovered that she'd not wanted any protection at all. Morgana didn't know me that well so I suspected that I was part of some sort of compromise between the prince and the king's ward.
Also I knew that Morgana wouldn't be above using me as a means of making Arthur jealous. Not because she was cruel, it was just that Morgana enjoyed teasing Arthur as siblings often did. However Arthur didn't know Morgana was his sister and therefore didn't understand his feelings towards her.
While Morgana was equally as ignorant of the truth, she seemed to have developed a sisterly affection for Arthur despite that lack of knowledge, no doubt helped by the fact that they would have been raised together once Uther took Morgana in as a ward.
Not many people knew the truth of Morgana's and Arthur's origins. In fact aside from the king no one knew more than me about them. I even knew that if the truth were to ever spill from my lips that the likely outcome would be either or both of his children trying to kill their father.
"Shall we stop here my lady, or keep riding for a little longer?" I asked the Seer.
Before she could speak, Merlin expressed his concerns.
"We don't want to get too far from the castle" he insisted "Maybe we should go back, just a little".
He and Arthur did indeed have a strong connection. I could hear the prince speaking through his servent.
"There are more than two directions to travel in" I reminded the young warlock "As long as we keep clear of the woods there's no reason we can't keep moving".
The Darkling Woods, which wasn't the most savoury of places, encircled the citadel, but that didn't mean there wasn't plenty to see between the walls of Camelot and the treeline.
"I'd like to ride for a little longer" Morgana said, looking at Merlin before turning to face me "I don't get out much, and it is a lovely day".
While it often rained in this part of the world, the British Isle were known for regular rainfall, the weather was otherwise rather pleasant. Summers rarely got too hot, the winters could be rather mild, and we didn't have many storms, at least when compared to other lands.
"As you wish my lady" I replied.
Of course I could ride a horse since that was part of the memories I had of knightly training, which while impersonal were ingrained so well into me that I didn't need to think about them. However I was surprised to see how comfortable Cameron looked on her steed.
She'd chosen a large beast for this ride, which made her seem smaller than normal, and this was because she wasn't human. She was made of metal, instead of flesh and blood, so the extra weight would have been noticeable if she'd taken a pony.
Aside from the weight issue, which I would never bring up in conversation as Cameron was still a female even if she wasn't strictly speaking a woman, there was the fact that my Terminator normally made animals skittish as to their senses she would seem wrong.
Yet not only could she ride a horse, which must be something she'd learned during her latest software update, the animals seemed at ease around here. Thinking on it I realised that I'd not heard any dogs barking when she close by, and there were plenty of dogs in Camelot.
I could only conclude that Jump Chain must have done something to my bodyguard to help her blend in more with the setting. What that was I didn't have a clue, and I knew from experience that it was just best to accept these things.
"This looks good" I heard Merlin soon say "A nice spot for the picnic"
He was uncomfortable with us going to far, and since I knew that he had more than enough stress to put up with just dealing with Arthur I decided to agree with him. Besides the afternoon was dragging on and I had to take the ride back into account. Also while I did not fear the prince it would be best to have Morgana back a little earlier than commanded, as then he was more likely to trust me with her safety in the future. This would serve me in my plans for Morgana.
"Yes" I said, bringing my horse to a stop "We'll set up here".
No one had any differing opinions on the matter so we all began to dismount.
(Line Break)
Field. Albion.
"Sit down and stop fussing" I instructed Merlin "You don't need to wait on us, you're the prince's servant not ours".
He'd already insisted on feeding and watering the horses, and Cameron had laid out the picnic so there wasn't much for him to do, yet he seemed to be filled with a nervous energy. It was as if he expected to be yelled at and given more work if he tried to relax. Arthur was clearly working the poor boy too hard.
While his presence here was somewhat of a hindrance to me, as I couldn't risk using my near-ascended powers to make Morgana feel good with the young warlock around, he might be able to detect it, or at least become suspicious of me if Morgana acted a little strangely, I actually liked the lad.
"He's right" agreed Guinevere "come sit down, we can serve ourselves".
Perhaps Merlin didn't feel it was proper to sit and eat while members of the nobility did the same, however Morgana's maid did not seem to share that opinion. She was sitting on the blanket while taking lady like bites of her food.
I resisted the urge to eat my fill and remembered my manners. Dining with others hadn't been a common occurrence for me since I'd left Voyager. During my time in the Stargate verse I'd tended to grab bites to eat whenever I could, normally while travelling in hyperspace, because I was often rushing about from one place to the next for some important reason.
Of course I'd made an effort to stop and smell the roses, to see the sights such a universe had to offer, but those times had been few and far between. I'd spent more time in labs and workshops than I had enjoying the simple pleasures that came from the company of people as well as the more agreeable aspects of nature.
I figured that one of my newer Perks, that of magical sensitivity, might be making me more comfortable in the great outdoors, after all druids were magically sensitive as well even if they didn't go around casting any spells, and they seemed to like nature.
While I was enjoying nature right now I didn't let that distract me too much from the people around me. Cameron wasn't the talkative type, but Morgana seemed to be trying to engage her conversation, she wasn't one to let the class system prevent her from acting friendly.
Merlin wasn't very talkative either, and I didn't have anything to say to him really, so I just let the girls natter away as the afternoon passed us by.
(Line Break)
Camelot. Albion.
The five of us returned the Citadel after a pleasant afternoon of doing nothing at all important. Which had been very enjoyable and I'd gotten Morgana to the castle well before dark so the prince had no reason to complain, he wasn't even here to greet us upon on our return which told me that he hadn't been expecting me back so soon.
Morgana seemed happy, and that was what really mattered, I wanted to her to enjoy spending time with me, so that she would seek out my company in the future and even come to trust me. I also needed her maid to like me, because she might be queen one day and her opinion of me would also influence Morgana.
"I hope we can go out riding again soon" said the Seer once she had dismounted from her horse "Its rare that I get to leave the castle without a small army of escorts".
Uther was a protective father, and unlike most parents he actually had an army to protect his daughter with. Not that this made him a threat to me, but it could make courting Morgana somewhat of a tricky affair.
"I'm at your disposal, my lady" I told her.
Once Morgana and her serving girl were gone I left the handling of the horses to the servants. At some point I'd get used to having humans serving me. I was somewhat used to robot underlings, but human minions were still new to me despite me having run a government at one point.
"Any plans for the rest of the evening?" Cameron wondered.
I nodded.
"Think I'll put my feet up and do some studying before dinner" I told her "Then I'll do some causal reading before bed. Tales of knightly adventures seem to help me sleep".
Which didn't sound very thrilling, but this was Camelot. I should relax while I could before some monster or mischief maker turned up to unsettle matters.