Helena helped Camila sit, while the others took their places around the small table. Kseniya spread out paper for everyone, while Aoi placed a brush and ink in the center of the table.
“So, like, I failed calligraphy in school. I probably won’t be able to help out with the project,” Camila joked as they settled in.
“It’s okay,” Kseniya replied. “You’re here because you get veto power over anything you don’t like. It’s your life after all.”
Lyudmila folded her hands, “Which brings us back to the problem. A jiang-shi can’t create lifeforce. They can steal it from the outside world, or from another human. Without taking energy in your body will shut down and you’ll go into torpor.”
Camila looked at Helena. “You said I could get energy from eating real food, right?”
“That counts as stealing from the outside world. Unfortunately it’s not a lot of energy,” Helena said. “You could eat a whole cow in the morning and you wouldn’t make it through the night. If the cow was alive at the time you might get enough chi. But cows are expensive.”
“Eating a cow alive seems kinda messed up too,” Camila said. She hummed in thought. “What about an engine or battery or something?”
“So a magical generator,” Kseniya said. “What kind of generator would it need to be?”
Aoi grabbed the brush and scribbled out a few characters. “Earth and yin are required. We have to design the spell to our strengths, but earth and yin are the core elements. Those are keys to a jiang-shi’s existence.”
Lyudmila shrugged. “Raw magic would work, but that’s always less efficient. And efficiency is our biggest problem. Still I don’t see how we can make an earth generator.”
Helena looked down at the paper and sighed. “You’re right. Metal or fire would be easy. Water or wind I think I could have but something together. But earth is beyond me.” Earth was a stationary element in many respects. Turning it into energy was hard. Turning it into stable constant energy was even more difficult. The energy of the earth was landslides and quakes, not forges and mills. Helena was an accomplished elementalist twice over, but this was beyond her skills.
“Metal is different from earth?” Camila asked.
“Wu Xing,” Kseniya said. “The eastern elements. Fire, Water, Earth, Metal, Wood.”
Helena nodded. “That’s why I used lightning against you when we fought. Lightning is wood aligned. And wood destroys earth.”
“That’s weird. But, hey! I finally get why Sailor Jupiter threw around flower petals,” Camila said. Helena didn’t get the reference but it sounded correct so she didn’t interrupt. “Anyway what’s all that mean for us?”
“It means without a magician supplying you, you’re going to run out of energy. Unless you’re willing to murder people,” Lyudmila said. “I know you don’t like it Helena, but that’s the truth.”
Helena shifted uncomfortably. That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Camila looked over at her. “So what’s the deal with this connection? There’s no range limit on it right? We can just walk away and not worry about it, no?”
“Range isn’t an issue,” Helena said. “But if I shut off the connection that would be it. Unlike Long Jiao Han you can’t magic up your own chi supply. I decide whether you get chi or not. And I don’t like having that much control over people who aren’t sworn enemies.”
“Oh.” Camila frowned. “Yeah that seems kinda bad for me.”
Lyudmila shook her head. “You’d also have a problem if Helena died. That isn’t a problem for most witches, but with the number of enemies Helena it might be an issue.”
“You’ll just have to take over if someone manages to finish me off,” Helena said with a smirk. Lyudmila twitched and glared at Helena. It wasn’t fair to put her friend on the hook like that, but she knew Lyudmila wouldn’t refuse. For all that Lyudmila complained about Helena’s hero complex, the woman was just as bad about meddling.
“Well, let’s see what we can figure out,” Aoi said. “If nothing else it might help us find a spell to help Camila in other ways.”
Camila picked up a brush. “I guess I’ll just have to wait then. Maybe relearn how to write. You don’t know how useful elbows are until you lose them.”
Aoi, Lyudmila and Helena worked together, sketching out power diagrams and theoretical reactors. As they toiled Camila tried scribbling just anything on paper for a bit before Kseniya started showing off her mechanical bird constructs.
Under normal circumstances this would be a fun time. Discussing minute magical details with her friends was something she missed, and Aoi’s addition to the group only made things more interesting. But Camila’s rapid fire questions and occasional laugh only reminded her of the stakes involved.
Finally she flopped on the table. “Nothing. And I have to meet that damn Triad magician in an hour to see what he wants.”
“You’re going to what?” Lyudmila asked as she rubbed her temples.
“Maybe the Living Dragon and his brother have angered the Triads and you can let them handle it,” Aoi said.
Helena shook her head. “My luck isn’t that good. But since the Triads are my biggest handicap, I should at least listen to what he has to say.”
“I don’t like it, but if he gave his word…” Lyudmila sighed. “I guess we’ll just have to wait on a solution. It’s too bad none of us are any good at creating magical generators that won’t just fry undead. I can’t bargain up one, and a curse reactor seems like a terrible idea.”
“Bargaining…” Helena had a flash of insight. She looked up at Lyudmila. “You could set up a bargain between Camila and me!”
“Bargain?” Camila looked over. “Don’t we already have this contract thingy?” She shook her head causing the magic talisman to flutter.
Lyudmila slowly shook her head. “Bargaining is a magical technique practiced mostly in Irish and Slavic realms. It’s designed so magicians can offer fragments of their power to mystic creatures in exchange for unique magical abilities. Gaining a rusalka’s voice for example. Helena would still be the source of your magic, but she wouldn’t be able to blackmail you. However!” The other witch pointed a finger at Helena. “It has to be a legitimate bargain. You’ll have to ask for something in return.”
Helena rolled her eyes. “Come on Lyudmila, I-“
“This isn’t me being a worrywart. The spell requires it,” Lyudmila said. “Something of value must be exchanged.”
Camila laughed uneasily. “I, like, lost my wallet when I died, so all I’ve got is me. Which kinda is what we’re trying to fix, right?”
Another dead end. Helena rubbed her forehead in annoyance. She’d thought this might at least work.
“Actually,” Aoi said hesitantly. “You do have something else you can offer. It’s useless for us, but it’s a tangible benefit. You could give Helena the ability to drink chi.”
Kseniya laughed. “Ah! And a jiang-shi’s ability to drink chi is limitless. Helena would gain the power, but Camila wouldn’t lose it.”
Camila blinked. “Is that the breath drinking thing that makes me the worst kisser in the world? Because, like, that isn’t a good thing.”
“Still, it’s a magical power so it works!” Helena smiled. “That will solve one of our problems!”
Lyudmila’s frown slowly faded. “I suppose. I’ll just have to trust you to keep Helena alive, Camila.” She stood. “I don’t need to prepare anything for the ritual, so we might as well do it now. If that’s okay with everyone of course.”
Helena nodded. “It was my idea.”
“That ritual seems fine for shrine grounds. I have no objections,” said Aoi.
Everyone turned to Camila, who hesitated. “Hey Helena. How much magic is this eating up?”
“Hm? Why do you ask?” Helena said.
The jiang-shi tapped her fingers on the tabletop. “Like… I just wanted to know how much power I was taking. Like is this a big deal? Or is it just like buying an extra cup of coffee every day?”
Helena hesitated judging the connection strength as well as her own. “It’s the magical equivalent of having lost a pint of blood the day before. Safe but noticeable in times of stress.”
“Except it’s constant. It won’t ever ‘heal’,” Lyudmila muttered. “Still Helena is very strong, and she has an affinity to undeath. It won’t slow her down much, except in a fight. It’s a good thing she doesn’t get into a death duel every three months!”
“That’s only happened once,” Helena said. “And I will get stronger. It won’t be this bad forever.”
“Oh.” Camila seemed pensive. Then she chuckled. “Well, guess I’ll just have to back you up! Let’s do this.” She shifted a hand in front of Helena.
Helena shook. “Great.” She turned to Lyudmila. “Now what do we need to do for the spell?”
“One thing. You have to agree to it.” Lyudmila stood and pulled out a sheet of parchment. She then laid it out between Camila and Helena and drew a knife from her pouch. “I, Lyudmila Doroshenko, by my name and blood, by my power and lineage, stand witness to a bargain. Do either of the parties have issue with this?”
“No,” Helena said simply. Camila repeated the sentiment.
Lyudmila stabbed the knife into the parchment and it began to glow. A circle of light bearing hard edged Slavic runes poured out of the parchment, surrounding the three women. “Camila Correia Barbosa, you are offering the ability to drain chi. Should you somehow lose this power, the bargain will be dissolved. Until then you can not deny Helena this power, even if she uses it to commit the most horrid of crimes. Do you understand?”
Camila frowned at Lyudmila’s harsh explanation. But after a moment she nodded. “Yeah, I understand.”
“Very well.” Lyudmila looked over at Helena. “Curse Gunner Helena Aoede. You are offering enough magic for Camila to survive as a jiang-shi. Should your magic be stolen, the bargain will be dissolved. Until then that magic is lost to you, no matter how badly you desire it, or how badly you feel Camila misuses it.” Lyudmila’s voice softened. “Do you understand?”
Helena nodded. She understood her friend’s worries. It was a terrible deal. But she was willing to make this sacrifice to stay true to herself.
It helped that it really wasn’t that much magic at stake. She had her own tricks.
“Very well.” The parchment flared at Lyudmila’s declaration, and writing appeared on it. Helena knew if she read the words it would be a full legal contact of their bargain. “If you wish to complete the bargain, swear to it now.”
Helena went first. “I, Curse Gunner Helena Aoede, swear by the power in my blood to abide by this agreement.”
Camila looked a little bewildered by the formality but she said, “I, Camila Correia Barbosa, give my word I will keep this oath.”
The light went out, and Helena blinked as her eyes adjusted. The parchment lingered, then vanished as Lyudmila pulled out the knife. “It’s done.”
“That was a lot more flashy than the stuff Helena’s been throwing around,” Camila said as she hopped back. “Longer too.”
“Longer rituals allow more powerful and complex spells,” Lyudmila said.
“You’ve seen my combat spells,” Helena said, “Those have to be faster than the person trying to kill me.”
Camila nodded cheerfully. “So is someone gonna try to kill us during the meeting?”
“I’m curious about that as well,” Lyudmila said.
“Probably not. The meeting place is right between the Masjid Gibrael and the Cathedral of Saint Alban,” Helena said.
Aoi raised an eyebrow. “Well, that is safe. I can’t imagine anyone being foolish enough to fight there.” She looked over to Lyudmila and Kseniya. “An angel lives in Masjid Gibrael.”
Kseniya nodded in understanding. “I’ll still have my birds keep a watch. Just in case,”
“Thanks,” Helena replied. She preferred relying on her friends anyway. Angels were troublesome.