"You had best watch your words, boy."
The old woman scowled at him while letting the anger he directed towards her flow past as if it were a breeze. His master stood in the doorway further in while holding a plate of food in each hand and a look of confusion and curiosity on his face. That the old foxkin was blowing him off as she was only irked him more at the moment.
"I have taught and trained more people in my life than you have, boy. You may not like my way of teaching but that does not give you the right to be angry at mine. Step back and breathe. Your way is not always the right way and my way has been proven to work. As many pupils as I have had and yet there has never been a major incident. You are merely starting on the road to teaching so perhaps you should learn from my methods."
"You! No incident?! Look here, you decrepit old fox, I don't care how long it's been since you had the cobwebs cleaned from your crotch or if you can even remember such a time, but having the girls you're raising demanding sex at the age of thirteen is definitely not successful teaching!"
"Wait, what? WHAT?!"
"Giving half-assed sex education to pubescent adolescent girls right before throwing them into the woods to be alone with a boy is a sure way to achieve anything BUT 'no incidents'. If this weren't my second time around you might be facing the rather severe incident of having to help care for yet another generation of children!"
"Hold on, boy! What in the gods domains are you talking about? I thought you three went off to train and that you had come in so angrily because you found some fault with some thing or way I had taught them."
"Me finding fault in how a true master of the arts has taught their craft to another? Not likely. Finding fault in how an old woman, who has clearly forgotten what youth and desire is like, raises a couple of young girls without teaching them some VERY important things that they should have been taught a long time ago? Most definitely."
"Although I do agree somewhat with your point, boy. I feel your anger may be slightly misplaced."
"Oh? That's mighty strange. They were quite adamant in letting me know that you were the one who taught them that it was time to have sex with me."
"What? I never taught them such things. If nothing else, I've been trying to redirect their previous experience with sex in a more appropriate direction."
"Previous experience?"
"Before you get angry at me, boy, you should know it involves how they came into my care and not something I made them experience. The village they lived in before was attacked by a group of humans who committed to rape, plunder, and murder before their eyes. Luckily they were saved by yet another human group before such things applied to them personally but the experience of what they witnessed remains. That both they, themselves, and their own mother blamed them for the whole incident only made things worse and shattered their minds. I spent much time in trying to repair what fragments I could and cleaning the bit of memories that I deemed possible without completely destroying their minds but no matter how careful I am or how many fragmented memories I clean up, that kind of experience wears on the deepest parts the soul and mind and even body."
"Huh. That's...pretty tragic. I admit I calmed down a bit after hearing about that. However, that doesn't mean you've taught them correctly. Not in this regard, at least. I can believe you've held back from saying some things out of concern for their mental health instead of just stupid embarrassment, like some guardians do, but I think you made a slight miscalculation when you forgot an important detail that most miss about dealing with them."
"Oh? Do enlighten me, boy."
"Sarcasm doesn't fit you. You forgot that they're just crazy, not stupid. In fact I'm almost certain that Sai could be a genius. Leaving things half explained is fine for general things where figuring out what isn't explained helps in understanding what was taught. I'm doing that to the both of them as well. Leaving things half understood when it comes to things they need to know and just hoping they understand before a mistake occurs is just not okay. I can't go and explain to them about the different forms of sex, the different kinds of love, and what all that entails or what risks and results come from it because I'm having enough trouble with my own hormones right now and I doubt they would be able to listen to me clearly through their own thoughts about me being right next to them."
"Hormones?"
"Ya, hormones. They're...actually, you know what? I'll try and get some magic candy to help you and Kiara understand about hormones whenever I get the chance."
"Why Kiara?"
"Because it also falls into medical knowledge that she could use. Plus, as long as at least one of them can understand things from a different perspective then they can help the other."
"Interesting. Very well. Perhaps you're right on this point, boy. I admit I sometimes forget that neither are you truly as young as appearance suggests nor are the girls particularly thoughtless. I will continue to teach and train them my way, though."
"That point I haven't had any contention with, yet."
"Good. Now go bring the girls in so that we can eat. Perhaps it would be better to not let you three alone this time around."
"Agreed."
Marik had a lot to do. Sure, it was spread out over time and he didn't have to do all of it at once, but there was still a lot and much of it was time consuming. He had his eight current arcanistries to master, mercenary training with D and Mer, regular nightly studies about the various things in the world, studies to be fluent in all three aspects (reading, writing, speaking) of three different languages, two types of body and combat training, creation and research for new spells with is master, body and face control with the mirror, maintaining what little crafting abilities he had, practice with stealth and hunting techniques and trying to make them be used subconsciously, and voice training for both voices. Since he could now transform it doubled the amount work of several of the things he was working on since his wolfish form was faster, stronger, had better reflexes, and had better senses, and therefore changed how some things like arcanistries or even his voice operated.
Luckily, Marik had a literal lifetime's worth of experience from which he could draw the wisdom from to organize and schedule his workload as much as possible. That said, he was technically young and wanted to have fun where he could. The more physical activities he somehow found fun just by themselves, but for the rest of the things he did he had begun a tendency to add or change little things here and there to add some much needed entertainment, such as starting a war of jokes with his master while training his expressions in the mirror.
It was this kind of life that Marik was continuing to live as four months passed since the awkwardness of the twins' last birthday. Marik was outside with his master working on some of the specifics of their latest iteration of an attempted radar spell when the sounds of a portal opening nearby drew their attention. It drew Marik's attention, anyway, as he was sure his master noticed it due some special sense or sight or something rather than sound. They left the area they were working in for safety reasons and headed back towards the house to greet their visitor. Upon arriving, they saw not just Granny Fox but her twin wards as well. Both twins pouted slightly in a cute manner upon seeing Marik, Kiara also turning red with her pout while Sai just looked dissatisfied. Granny Fox wore her usual friendly scowl.
Before anyone could really say anything, Granny Fox provided the explanations for the unexpected visit.
"I was thinking of teaching a new spell to the girls and thought the boy might be interested. After that, there are some matters between us masters that must be discussed and I thought the boy could take the time to help Sai take her next step and maybe teach Kiara a few things."
"I'm honestly surprised," Marik said. "I don't think I've ever heard you actually say their names before."
Granny Fox's scowl deepened but she didn't say anything. Marik and his master decided to stand off to the side to watch as the twins learned the new spell and Marik soon realized why they had come here, specifically, to learn it. It was a spell of moderate difficulty called Far Message that allowed one to send a simple message of only a few words to a willing recipient. The recipient in question had to not just be willing, though, but needed to have something connected to them in the possession of the caster. Blood, hair, and fur were considered the typical types of things to have for a connection but other choices were possible, too.
Marik was no craftsman but it wasn't because he didn't have any ideas, didn't understand how to do it, or didn't want to be one. He knew a good crafting opportunity when he saw one and even more than the spell itself, he thought the crafting ideas his mind kept forming and reforming were amazing, even if he did think so himself. As the girls continued to be taught, he headed inside to grab some parchment and a fountain pen before going back outside and sitting on the ground with his back against the wall of the house and his leg slightly up under the parchment so that he could try and draw up the gist of some of the things he had in mind.
He knew about the crystal that could supposedly hold a spell as well as some enchanting works that allowed the simple effects of a simple spell or sorcery to be attached to items, so he went with the idea that if this spell were to be put in such a crystal and then locked into it with enchanting techniques then all he would have to do was somehow attach the connection material to the crystal and make it wearable. Of course, he would have to check with his master after this to make sure the crystal idea worked but there were other options to go with if it didn't. For the type of jewelry piece that he was thinking about, he threw the idea of a ring away immediately. It wasn't that rings were treated as proof of engagement like it was in the other world, although that thought probably did influence his decision slightly, but he wanted something that could be worn regardless of form and a fox would not be able to wear a ring like that. An earring would have been the most likely candidate except that in the beast race's traditions earrings were a sign of engagement and marriage.
Since a bracelet was the only option that fit all his criteria he worked from there. A bangle was a good idea the would last longer and hold the crystal but a misanga was better if he wanted to use hair to tie into it. He worked on it for a while and came up with a few concepts that might work before steeling on one that hinged on some questions about the crystal. If none of his ideas about the crystal worked he could just try and shift to some of his other ideas until he found something that did. He waited until Granny Fox was taking a break from teaching to watch her students before catching her attention and motioning her over so that she could give some input while he talked to his master. He kept his voice as low and quiet as possible so that the twins wouldn't overhear the conversation.
"So. About Spell Crystal. I was thinking there might be a way to use enchanting with it to permanently put this spell in there so that it could be used over and over without needing to be cast, like a magic item."
"Hmm. An interesting thought, boy, but there are other things that would need to be considered as well."
"That's why I'm talking to you, Master. I came up with some ideas and designs but I need to know what's possible or what needs to be changed."
"I'd ask to look at what you drew up but I can never understand anything you draw."
"That's okay, Master. Neither can I. Stupid lack of talent..."
"As for Spell Crystals holding a spell and being reusable: it's possible and has been done before but there are problems like activation of the spell or a Siphon Stone or in this case materials for the spell."
"Okay. What's a Siphon Stone?"
"Siphon Stone are small stones that are used to make a Spell Crystal that has been set up to use a spell like you've said reusable. Once the Spell Crystal is set to permanently hold that spell then each time the spell is used the crystal becomes unusable until it can draw from a Siphon Stone. Siphon Stones themselves are reusable and only take time before they can be used again."
"I see. I think I might have a few ideas. How do you use a Siphon Stone on a used Spell Crystal?"
"Usually you can just touch them to each other."
"Oh. Hmm. What was that thing about activation?"
"Well if you don't set up some kind of activation method for a Spell Crystal with a spell then the spell will activate by itself."
"Wait. If you have a Spell Crystal with a permanent spell in it that's been used but has no activation method attached, couldn't you just touch it to a Siphon Stone as the activation method?"
"That could work, yes. You would have to be careful about when exactly it activates still, though."
"What do you mean?"
"When that method was tried before, it took different amounts of time while touching the two together before various spells were used."
"Hmm. Out of curiosity, where the crystals and stones in question all round orbs? Also, is it even possible to make them shaped as desired?"
"I would have to say yes to both questions but there hasn't ever really been a need to so with Siphon Stones since it's easier to carry a bunch of them like small stones than it is to spend a bunch of time trying to shape them."
"Then I think we have an experiment we can do just to make sure but if it works and I'm right then I might have the designs available to make message bracelets. One last thing, though. Granny, with that spell in a Spell Crystal and multiple materials touching it, how would it work? For instance say Sai has both my hair and Kiara's hair, would it send a message to both of us, would it choose one of us randomly, or what?"
"Hm? I think I can see some of what you have in mind. In a Spell Crystal you would not be able to set a recipient so easily. If the crystal or Siphon Stone were too small it would likely not only choose randomly but you would be lucky to even send a full word."
"Got it. So we need a few Siphon Stones and Spell Crystals for experiments now. Also a way to shape them as we need, so a jeweler, I guess? Assuming this works right we'll also probably need someone who can not only make the bracelets but also the mechanism inside that I'm thinking of. Know anyone who can make a hollow bracelet, springs, and jewel or coin fittings?"
They soon finished their discussion and decided to work out the rest of their plans at a later date. The twins weren't particularly happy that Marik refused to give them some hair but relented when he said he was working on a special present for them to make up for it. After that he answered a few questions for Kiara about his limited medical knowledge and helped Sai in her training for a bit.
It took three months and a lot of work, especially while trying to explain things to the gnome craftsmen, before the bracelets had been completed. He wanted to make sure that the bracelets would last so he had measured D's wrist in both forms to get approximate measurements for his future self while letting Granny Fox help with the measurements for the twins' futures. He also had to have Granny Fox sneak some hair from each of the twins but she had actually done so without even adding some extra scowl.
The bracelets were a little over a centimeter thick, about two centimeters wide and were rounded in an oblong manner. They were made more like torques that had adjustable chains connecting the ends to help tighten or loosen them. They were probably still a bit big for the three young teens at the moment but within the next couple of years would likely become a better fit. On the underside, where it touched the wrist, were what looked like two small gems, which were actually Siphon Stones only slightly expose while hidden so they could recharge themselves. Inside the bands were the flattened faces of the Siphon Stones and Spell Crystals, held slightly apart by a strong spring that was attached to the bracelet itself and the fittings above. The fittings held the Spell Crystals and the hairs that wrapped around them. From the top of the bracelet you could see what looked, and acted, like two concave buttons barely surrounded by the smooth face of the whole bracelet itself with one of them marked in a simple manner to determine that there was a difference between the two.
Everyone's bracelet was made for them specifically. The twins each had a button that when pressed would allow them to send a message to each other and Marik at the same time and a button for their master. Marik's went to both twins for one and his master for the other. Each master would also get one that had a button for each other and a button for their respective wards. Each button could only be used approximately once every eight to nine hours and the message could only be as long as about two and a half seconds. The buttons were also hard to push but not impossible so that they could not accidentally send messages. Often. There was also a possibility of the strangest types of accidents happening but at least it was better than nothing. As soon as Marik had gone with is master to pick up the completed bracelets and gone home, both he and his master had gotten too excited and ended up using them in 'tests' at every opportunity, which went on for another month. Marik finally decided to give the bracelets to Granny Fox and the twins during his next visit and take his off until then so that he wouldn't accidentally use it and spoil the surprise.
