The following lessons for the mage apprentices were done in the more traditional manner. Their first day had jump started them to be able to do simple mana manipulation and helped them start to be able to perceive mana. Alternating between the two should get both benefits of easier learning and a strong foundation, or so Taramo believed. The goal today was to lift a rock to their shoulder height without touching it. They could use whatever method they could think of.

  They were in one of the soldiers halls, being the empty rooms that kept minimal furnishing on an upper level. Few people wanted to live with a long stairwell while space was freely available so most kept to the lower levels. When more people arrived they would temporarily live in these large rooms while the village worked to expand.

  Nikalia spent the time working through the different permutations of Taramo's golem ideas. Many of the ideas were far fetched or would need the treasury of a king to test until they would certainly work so she assessed which might actually be able to be tested in the near future.

  When the other three left early, Carina and Arno being needed in the kitchen and Tarn being worn out by the meditation, Taramo noticed one of Ariwyn's pots was resting near the window that was left open.

  "Need something?" Taramo gathered the handful of rocks and returned them to the crate.

  "Yes. I'll need both of you. As soon as is reasonable."

  "Let's go then." Taramo left the crate where it was, he would use it next time as well. Then he walked to the window and pitched himself out of it. The featherfall ward he'd made noticed the rapidly approaching ground, as well as the dozen playing children, so it ate some of his momentum and pulled him away from the youths.

  "Cool." One of them called. Taramo, however, had landed in a mud puddle. He managed to keep his shoes, but gave up pulling the mud off his feet after a sharp pain in his mind. He could feel the discontent from Ariwyn. From the window he'd exited, a small vine on the roof, and the 'main body' that was on his desk. Still with the hand in the pot.

  Nikalia took the 'proper' way, meaning that Taramo stood for a few minutes while she took the stairs. It would be improper for her to walk down the outside of the building with the dress she was wearing. It was a simple cream thing, given it was made from two bedsheets joined, but it made the Pitarav people less agitated when she was around. After centuries under the arachne arachnophobia was not uncommon.

  They both walked to the 'sanctum' and Taramo scraped his sandals before entering.

  "You take too many risks with your condition" Ariwyn chided.

  "Condition?" Nikalia asked, "What's wrong with him?"

  "Were you practicing your alchemy and medicine while I was gone, Niki?"

  "Yes."

  "Good. I will need your help with this. If you have any healing potions bring them." Nikalia waved her hand and a minute and a half later the intrepid mask walked in with a small box that had four bottles in it with the rest of the space being padded with straw.

  "That's good for a start. We'll need a lot more before we're done with this but for today I think it's enough."

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  "One of these should be more than enough for anything that can be survived." She drew one of the potions out of the box and prepared a medical scrying ward, "What am I working on?"

  Taramo removed his shirt to allow for easier examination. He also sat down because if this was anything like last time he would need it soon.

  "Let's start here." Ariwyn poked at Taramo's right shoulder. Ariwyn had a vine ready to catch the dropped potion when Nikalia stumbled back.

  "This is a joke, right?" She looked to Ariwyn first, then Taramo. "It's impossible for someone to survive with growths like that. I've only seen the like in Manapox and people who suffered from that couldn't lift a spoon to their mouths."

  "If you believe it this was after Ariwyn worked on it." Taramo gave a small quip that nobody found amusing.

  "He doesn't understand the impossibility of his skill. It's what happens when he's been dead for millennia." Ariwyn said dryly.

  "He really is an Archmage." Nikalia muttered into trembling hands.

  "Yes. And what he's facing is not catching. I have another master potioneer who should be arriving in a week to make a more complete cure. We'll just remove the tumors and douse him in as much healing potion as is available. Hopefully he's able to last longer than a week for the next treatment."

  "Okay. I'll get ready. Just. Give me a minute" Nikalia sat on a nice rug that was newly added to the floor two days ago. A donation from the priest when Ariwyn had given four sprouts for him to tend.

  "Now Taramo lie down and I'll put you under." A vine was coaxing him to his bed. he decided now was the best time to ask a question.

  "Why did you," he waved his hand absent an explanation, "last time?"

  "Because if you didn't understand the gravity of your situation you would either order me to stop or hide yourself conscious while I worked. Both ways would be disastrous for you. You might also try something dangerous and run out of capability to use mana because you were used to your previous levels."

  "That was an existing ward." Taramo tried to defend himself but since he was going to be unconscious he would lose by lack of a response.

  Ariwyn flicked some mud off his feet before he laid down on the bed

  "Sweet dre-" and he was out.

  "So how did you mess yourself up like that?"

  "I used vitality draught that was a few millennia beyond it's best use date." Nikalia had slept in the same room after the surgery was finished, leaning her humanoid half against the wall while some pillows Mask had acquired were laid underneath.

  "So you were frozen, cursed, what happened?" she asked around her silver spoon. She had her own set that she used in favor of the pewter or wooden ones the Pitarav had available.

  "Died. I was in the council putting something forwards. Most people didn't like it. As far back as I remember I was torn in half by something I couldn't see. Then I woke up in the chamber under Tarnox, which wasn't there when I dug it."

  Ariwyn reiterated the explanation "Taramo cracked the ability to survive true death, though these days the cost would be above even the Empire to facilitate. The amount of vitality draught that would be necessary would take all a kingdom's gold or all their people." Both Taramo and Nikalia shuddered at the thought of sacrifices being used for spells on that high a level. Lifeforce could make spells and potions more effective or permanent but they often warped the end result, needing many glyphs and wards in place to avoid that. Few who had the skills to make those wards and glyphs were willing to share them for blood magic was a deadly thing.

  "So," Nikalia began, "How's immortality?"

  "Not that great." Taramo admitted, "Everything I remember is probably gone. And it's not like I can come back again if someone takes me out. Not without a lot of potion that is now a lot more expensive."

  "Well. What if you were to remove the impurities from the potion that you have? I've had some issues with failed potions and I was able to recover them to a reasonable state. Even if it fails it's worth a try."

  "That," Taramo had a middling understanding of potioneering, most of which was unhelpful due to the lack of the detailed instruments he would normally use. The cauldron in his vault existed only to hold the draught stable and instigate the revivification process once prompted. In short he could follow a recipe with the right instruments and might be able to muddle his way through a simpler potion with the current instruments.

  "I think it could work."