***Tirnanog, Hochberg***
***Astra***
“Oh, come on, Astra!” Magnus begged.
I only drew the blanket further up to my chin. My naked body was perfectly comfortable within the bed’s soft fabric and I knew just imagining it would drive Magnus crazy.
He tried to pull the blanket away, but thanks to my filaments there was no removing it without ripping the fabric.
I had waited patiently until we were safely back at our quarters and in bed so we wouldn't be disturbed.
For complete privacy, I could have waited for our shared dream with Gaia, but I didn't feel comfortable working through this issue with the avatar peering over our shoulders. It was not something to talk about in the presence of others, so I ignored his complaint.
“No!” I replied curtly. “Not before you have explained yourself! If you keep pestering me, you can sleep on the couch in the living room.”
“Are you seriously doing this?” Magnus gestured wildly with his hands. “Women only do this in bad movies! Withholding sex is not a thing among married couples! And did you just threaten me with the couch? Have we reached this point in our relationship?”
He tugged at the blanket, but I stayed adamant.
“It's not my fault that you are a horny zipper!”
Magnus grumbled. “It's supposed to be: 'a horny bunny'! We seriously need a screen and a library with old movies.”
“There are no bunnies in this world,” I muttered, reminded of the pet I cherished as a child.
He held up his hands, tabling that part of the argument. “And it's not my fault that I feel like a healthy guy at the peak of my youth! Forget that, I am a healthy guy at the peak! Astra, you can't do this to us! I know you want it too.”
“Not before you tell me what is going on in that thick head of yours!” I used a filament to poke him in his bare chest. “You have a problem, Magnus. We have to talk about it. Throwing yourself into that duel was against any sense. You could have at least tried to check out the other side's abilities before you went 'all in'. I have known you for long enough to tell this isn't normal behaviour for you. Normally, you think things through before you act. Admittedly, some of your plans are stupid – childish even – but you do plan.”
He huffed and scratched at the spot I just poked. “For your information, the thing with the magic cards wasn't stupid or childish. Taking his cards was the same as stealing your music player would have been...”
I gasped at the audacity of the suggestion. Would he really consider committing such a blasphemous act? “If you ever dare to touch my music box you will be sleeping on the couch for a year! There will also be no more sexy dancing for you!”
His expression changed, showing horror, and I took note. So his sexy dance was where he drew the line.
“... which I would never do! Haven't even considered it!” he added quickly, then sighed. “Look, we have already talked about this. It's a coping mechanism.”
“Getting yourself into the situation in the first place isn't a coping mechanism, Magnus. Tell me what is going on.” I shook my head. “I haven't mentioned this before because I thought the situation would solve itself once I made you aware of the problem, but you are building a reputation, Magnus. And not a good one. People have already asked me to ensure this isn't some instinct you got from your mutations.”
“Well, if you aren't feeling it-” he started, but I interrupted him by holding up a hand.
“We've been through this before. Such behavioural impulses can affect only one gender. You are getting really into it when you are fighting. Think about it. Is it the blood? Playing with your prey?”
He sighed and thought for a few seconds before he said, “It's not that. I think it's the adrenaline. The action, if you will. I don't have to necessarily fight and I am not lying when I say I am actually afraid in those situations. Who wouldn't be? I can run away too if I deem it necessary. I feel fear and think rationally when I get like that.”
Magnus paused, before he admitted, “But I can't hold back the euphoria. In the heat of the moment, I just have to laugh. I know it makes me look like a maniac, but I can't control the feeling. It's almost as good as-”
I narrowed my eyes.
He coughed. “As ice cream!”
I rolled my eyes. “You wanted to say sex!”
“But I didn't,” he clarified with a deadpan expression. “I can be serious if I must. Do I still have to sleep on the couch?”
“No.” I huffed. “But we have to find a way to deal with this. Promise?”
“I swear it on the Black Lotus,” Magnus promised solemnly.
Both of us smiled.
“I'll still get a vault for my music box.”
“Oh, come on!”
“And the next time you pull a maniac I will tie you up in my filaments!”
“Then people will start a different rumour! I would rather be known as a loose cannon.”
“Then avoid throwing yourself into dangerous situations.”
***Tirnanog, Hochberg***
***Magnus***
The next day brought our third official meeting with Tianna and Vanya. The hall where we had met yesterday had been restored to pristine condition, leaving no sign of our fight with the Thich.
The table had been replaced and I noted they had even polished out the marks on the floor that our lightning discharge had left behind.
In addition to our delegation and the Hochberg leadership, everyone with rank and name from among the Caravaners was invited.
Last but not least, Vanya had also decided to host a group of the clergy who were in a deep discussion with our priestess Maria.
Vanya was sitting at the head of the U-shaped table on an elevated pedestal with Tianna standing next to her. Their guards were keeping the invited crowd at a respectful distance.
The three invited parties had formed distinct groups, but with the number of people, some intermingling was unavoidable.
The hall was quite packed compared to our previous meeting.
Seeing Maria with Hochberg’s clergy reminded me she had quietly disappeared again after no longer trying to avoid me. I thought about it for a moment and shrugged inwardly before handing the problem off to one of the many sub-identities I was constantly entertaining nowadays.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
She likely had been busy with contacting the church and buttering them up for our cause. It was why she had been sent here after all, so doing her job would only be sensible.
The presence of the church and the Caravaners opened my eyes to the fact that some organisations in this world wielded influence beyond a single Clan. Whether this was a boon or a bane – I wasn't sure, but I decided to discuss the matter with Peter later on.
Inviting Gaia's worshippers among the Caravaners implied the clergy had at least a similar status as them among the big clans.
“It looks like the Hochberg have decided to take sides,” Peter commented while rubbing his hands in anticipation.
“How so?” Astra asked. “We got a third invitation, which I found quite surprising after the fiasco at the second one.”
She shot me a meaningful look – which I did my best to ignore.
Peter was happy to explain while I moped in silent introspection.
“Just call it experience. It's the fact they invited the religious types and the Caravaners too! If you ask me, Vanya must have something big for us or she wouldn't have invited two independent parties to this gathering. I bet the folks from the church and the Caravaners are intended as witnesses for future interactions with the other big clans...”
Did I have a problem? Yes.
Was it a problem with a capital P? No, I didn't think so.
Although, I had to admit I had been a tiny bit overconfident when I answered the Thich's challenge.
But with Gaia teaching us new ways to use our abilities I had been itching to try out the improvements to our movement techniques! I had been certain something was going on with the zipper's ability to seemingly ignore air resistance.
With so many things going on in my life nowadays, I had tabled researching the phenomenon again and again. Astra had been the first to point out the fact way back at the Old Camp. Except for the crackling of an electrical discharge, zippers moved without any noticeable sound of air displacement. The noise caused by the electricity had distracted me from this quite curious abnormality until she mentioned it.
It turned out the zippers weren't violating the laws of physics but circumventing them. Their ability to create electromagnetic fields allowed them to partially shift their bodies into a higher dimension, leaving only an after-image of their passing in physical reality. This wasn't a forceful process but relied on hitting the right resonance frequencies to pass through the fabric of normal reality.
The principle was loosely based on the wormhole technology which humanity had used to reach Tirnanog.
Partially shifting dimensions allowed the object moving through the higher dimension to bypass a certain amount of mass! It wasn't enough to pass through solid material before running out of the built-up charge, but bypassing a few gas molecules was perfectly fine. There was no violent 'pop' of displaced air because it was a gradual process of displacement which already began upon setting the destination.
I had always wondered why our flash-step technique required knowing the destination and concentrating on it in advance.
In what amounted to two nights, the avatar had introduced me to an entirely new branch of physics! One largely unknown to the rest of humanity as far as I knew. The closest thing traditional mathematics could come up with was the Alcubierre drive.
I had never been able to understand the physics behind the wormhole technology, but if Gaia kept up her lessons, the Aerie might be able to build their own wormhole one day with my help.
“I wish they would get it over with,” Thalia complained noisily from next to me. “She is taking her sweet time.” Our friend crossed her arms and tapped the floor with her foot while eyeing the people around us nervously.
Astra placed a supporting hand on her shoulder. “I know you don't like big crowds. Just concentrate on me if it helps. It surely won't take much longer now that everyone is here.”
“By Gaia's wrinkled, sagging tits, I sure hope so!” Thalia cursed.
Both Astra and I involuntarily took a step away from her, not wanting to catch whatever form of retaliation was brought down from the heavens by the prickly entity.
Of course, the empath noticed our sudden distress. “What's wrong? Don't tell me you two got suddenly religious!”
“No. It isn't that!” Astra coughed, trying her best to formulate an answer without sounding weird. “Just don't swear on Gaia, please?”
I nodded vehemently. “I did curse her when… actually… it’s not important. Just don’t do it, okay? Bad things happen when you do. Like your wife popping out triplets with one try.”
Astra elbowed me in the side – which I endured stoically thanks to my armour.
Thalia only raised her eyebrows and shook her head. “Whatever. You two really believe that? Fine, I won't swear on 'her' anymore. Wouldn't have thought some good old swearing against the heavens would be the thing to put you off.”
I winced. The damage might already be done. Gaia worked in mysterious ways when it came to people disrespecting – or kicking – her.
Thankfully, Vanya interrupted the awkward moment by addressing the crowd.
“Thanks to all of you for coming. I am sure some of you are wondering what warrants such an official gathering. Let me start at the beginning...”
The matriarch gave a relatively detailed recollection of what we told her about our suspicions and conflict with Clan Thich. Then she continued to paint a very vibrant picture of yesterday's altercation when we called the Thich out on their machinations.
“... which is why I have spent this entire morning with the incarcerated Thich delegation. My findings are as disturbing as they could be. Because all of the Thich truly believe they are in the right and that Clan Aerie is the aggressor in their conflict. As far as I can tell, none of the Thich can confirm Aerie's suspicions in any way. Neither the attack on their recruitment mission, nor the breeding program, or them actively preparing for a future conflict.”
The silence ended when people started talking over each other.
I frowned and exchanged a confused look with the others, wondering what new game was being played here.
It was seeker Luka from the Caravaners who ended the discussion before addressing Vanya. “Shut up if you don't have any answers! Vanya, does this mean the Aerie are lying? Or that there is some kind of misunderstanding? The Aerie presented us with their witnesses back at the mountain and their testimony was undeniable. It is the only reason why we even considered changing our travel route.”
Vanya shook her head. “The Thich delegation knows nothing of the claims brought against them. They can't because their memories are essentially non-existent from the point in time at which they left clan Thich. Someone wiped them so thoroughly that even I can't get anything of worth out of them. I invite any psychic to try their best after this meeting.”
“How is this possible? Shouldn't they realize themselves that something is wrong?” One of the priests asked. “I have never heard of such a thing. Even the Forgotten's conditioning isn't capable of such a feat.”
Vanya shook her head. “Their core personality and basic knowledge are still there, but everything regarding clan Thich is gone. All they know are some basic imperatives, like assuring Clan Hochberg everything is fine and throwing a wrench in the relations between Hochberg and Aerie. The reason why their leader freaked out was that she could no longer uphold her orders. Apart from that, they are firm in their belief that Thich will seize Tirnanog in the end. Whoever worked on them managed to twist their minds into loops to the point that they see nothing wrong with the irregularities, even if they are pointed out to them.”
Thalia raised a hand. “Can you do something like this? I know you probably want to hide your psychic strength, Vanya, but only Thich having this capability is concerning. I couldn’t do such a thing and have it last outside my influence.”
Vanya hesitated before she slowly admitted, “I probably could, given a few weeks of constant interaction with the subject. However, I wouldn't do this to an entire delegation of people for the faint hope of sowing some discontent among two rival clans. I concur with you. Clan Thich having a psychic capable of such a thing is concerning. Having the entire Thich delegation in this state implies it can be done with comparable ease to what I see within my capability if I would ever stoop to doing such a thing. A positive point is that there seem to be limits, or they would do it to everyone who leaves Thich. For example, the recruitment party which attacked the Aerie apparently wasn’t worth the effort.”
“Or they simply thought it unlikely for the recruiters to run into a capable psychic,” Tianna pointed out a little gloomily. “A reasonable assumption, given the visitation limits placed on the Old Camp.”
Vanya waved a hand and one of her guards brought forth a box which was placed on the ground in front of the crowd.
“There's more. We have searched the Thich's quarters and their belongings and we have found this. It is a communication tool, but one unlike we've ever seen.”
I joined the crowd as everyone tried to get a good look.
What the box revealed was... strange. Inside it on a velvet cushion was what looked like a bio-mechanical version of a walkie-talkie or one of the first satellite phones which heralded the age of telecommunication.
The body of the device was kidney-shaped and a single, long antenna sprouted from the upper end. What looked like a row of buttons covered the outside curve of the tool. Some indentations on the side were supposedly intended to allow for a better grip.
It looked like someone cobbled the thing together from creature cores and ended up with one of H.R. Giger’s creations. The more I thought about it, the less this looked like something a human would come up with – unless they wanted to create some odd-looking prop for a sci-fi movie.
This thing wasn't shaped or intended for being used by a human hand.
“How do you know it's a communication device?” I asked. “It looks alien.”
I couldn’t help but drop a titbit of foreshadowing information. Thanks to Gaia, Astra and I had gotten some knowledge about our true enemy in advance. I wondered ever since how to approach the topic of godlike entities seeing Gaia and her humanity as bugs to be terminated.
This device was the perfect opportunity to guide the narrative in the right direction.
“One of the people who found it heard a voice coming out of it, asking for an update on the situation,” Vanya answered. “We've had the device under surveillance since then. I suppose the Thich will assume something happened since the Thich delegation missed their last call.”
Astra pointed at the device. “So the Thich also don't know what this thing is?”
Vanya nodded. “They think it is an old communication device they got from their clan. None of them sees anything wrong with its shape or makeup.”
“But they know how to use it?” I asked.
Once again, Vanya nodded. “They do, but nobody answered when we tried it. I assume the Thich cut their losses as soon as their people failed to answer at the appointed time.”