So, what I imagine causing the hole in the Worldstorm is likely one of Terrorzin’s dragon archmages. He’s said to have conscripted, or killed, all archmages over the last few centuries. If Teuila absorbs an archmage dragonforce, while being imbued with an elemental focus, she should be able to, once she has enough dragonforces, utilize a dragonforce-tether, similar to our old energy tethers, to allow Lil to advance to new, higher stages of evolution, specifically different elemental evolutions, based on what Teuila has available. I’m assuming it’ll be lightning though. If the— what is—.
I find Teuila playing around in our mindscape as she spars with an elemental she’s conjured, telepathically anyway. Querying her, I ask, “Te, where’d you get the idea for that particular elemental?”
Te shrugs as she responds, “It’s the one that comes when I use that swanky power you gave me the other day. Monstrous mana constructywhatsit level eight.”
Shaking my head, I correct, “Te, no, you supposedly construct an eighth tier wind elemental.”
Grumping, Teuila pouts and points at the elemental and states, “Uh, Earth to Air, that is a wind elemental,” as I shake my head at Teuila’s statement, she asks, “If not that, then what do you call it then, huh?”
Smiling at Te, trying not to be too much of a jerk about it, I answer, “That my dear, is a storm elemental. Wind *and* lightning. Combined elementals are rarer, and more powerful, like my buddy the FFS. Snirk, you goober, I’m talking about Frostfire Salamanderian. Seriously Te, you have no idea how impressive that is. You’re positive that’s the one that you conjure when using your ability?”
Nodding almost shyly, Teuila starts to beam with pride when she realizes I’m excited for her, and proud of, her. What’s more, her monstrous mana construct being able to manifest a greater-elemental, dual-elemental, greater elemental—. I facepalm for my own mental redundancy momentarily, heaving a sigh at my own brain. Anyway, the fact that Te can manifest her construct as something of essentially a rarer, higher tier of power, and maintain it for the same duration, means that her natural affinity and power over storms is so strong, that she bends the rules of the spell-like ability we’d gotten. It’s just a construct of our own, and ambient mana, that takes a subconscious shape, with some abilities inherent to that shape, but it’s still dictated by certain limitations of the powers of tiers of magic, and Teuila just straight up ignores one of those limitations.
For example, the hellcats can breathe and walk through fire, and even phase through, or around, certain solid matter, like enemies, as if they were a fire washing over them. The radiant and umbral dinosaurs actually have breath weapons, funnily enough. Kagired’s enormous eight-legger, can spin miraculous silk out of mana. Lucky’s, and Kinzul’s summons can actually *cast their own spells.*
To say I’m impressed with Lucky or Kinzul, and their manifestations is incredibly underselling my response. Having Teuila also be able to manifest something that’s beyond the usual scope of a mana construct is similarly amazing. It also increases the odds that my plan to provide her with an elemental focus as she imbibes the dragonforce of an ancient dragon archmage will work, and grant her the ability I’d want it to. She’d still need to hit second Caliber before being able to create and share the tether, but I’m almost positive she’ll be able to do it.
Snapping my focus back to reality and the present, and those gathered around me, the strategists do have valuable information on tactics, and more of what to expect from Terrorzin’s forces. That is more helpful to me than the idea of having them work out who to send where, when. Like Kinzul had said the other day, for now, Terrorzin is clustering like forces together, to reduce friendly fire. Soon though, he might give up worrying about friendly fire, in order to make more use of elements to catch the weaknesses of his foes, when he realizes that we’re his foes, to punish our hubris in challenging such an overwhelming number of foes, with such a variety of abilities, relying on our immunities to small subsections of that group of foes.
Hm, if I could learn the meteor spell, and we could pretend to siege fortresses, we could decimate entire forces without ever needing to risk one of our allies, our assets, actually stepping into a bad matchup. Sadly that’s going to have to be a last resort. Nine hundred ninety runes, and I’d need the legendary gem quickening-spell metamagic enhancement enchantment to be able to quicken it to less than two hours without paying additional S P to empower the runes. Even then, I’d be within inches of knocking myself out for the day on S P usage. Let’s see, what were the multipliers again now that I’ve gotten several more layers of the quickening enchantment?
Runic Costs/SP Costs when quickening casts:
* Cast in 1-10 seconds, 1.5 spells up to 33
* Cast in 10-30 seconds, 1.5x up to 66
* Cast in 30-50 seconds, 1.5x up to 99
* Cast in 50-70 seconds, 1.5x up to 132
* Cast in 70-90 seconds, 1.5x up to 165
* Cast in 90-110 seconds, 1.5x up to 198
* Cast in 110-130 seconds, 1.5x up to 231
* Cast in 130-150 seconds, 1.5x up to 264
* Cast in 150-170 seconds, 1.5x up to 297
* Cast in 170-190 seconds, 1.5x up to 330
* Cast in 190-210 seconds, 1.5x up to 363
* Cast in 210-230 seconds, 1.5x up to 396
* Cast in 230-250 seconds, 1.5x up to 429
* Cast in 250-270 seconds, 1.5x up to 462
* Cast in 270-290 seconds, 1.5x up to 495
* Cast in 290-310 seconds, 1.5x up to 528
* Cast in 310-330 seconds, 1.5x up to 561
* Cast in 330-350 seconds, 1.5x up to 594
* Cast in 350-370 seconds, 1.5x up to 627
* Cast in 370-390 seconds, 1.5x up to 660
* Cast in 390-410 seconds, 1.5x up to 693
* Cast in 410-430 seconds, 1.5x up to 726
* Cast in 430-450 seconds, 1.5x up to 759
* Cast in 450-470 seconds, 1.5x up to 792
* Cast in 470-490 seconds, 1.5x up to 825
* Cast in 490-510 seconds, 1.5x up to 858
* Cast in 510-530 seconds, 1.5x up to 891
* Cast in 530-550 seconds, 1.5x up to 924
* Cast in 550-570 seconds, 1.5x up to 957
* Cast in 570-590 seconds, 1.5x up to 990
Hm, if I purchase enough of the correct legendary gems to be able to absorb the final enchantment to bring that quickening down to free, I could theoretically cast the meteor spell in ten minutes. I don’t even need to lay a fake siege if it’s that short of a casting time. Hell, I’ve had plans to stall for eight minutes to call out to Can’Z’aas before, mid-battle. Stalling for ten minutes isn’t that much different, and the range on it is something like a mile, so there’s a chance I might not even get spotted before finishing casting the spell.
Everyone else was surprised that Te and I survived a meteor spell, because their health values, if transferred to Can’Z’aas, would only be in the several hundred, instead of the thousands that Te and I are rocking. There’s also some sort of inverse resistance thing going on. Larger, denser attacks bypass more resistance, or something, because even with the amount of power at Te’s disposal, or at mine, we still have a bit of a hard time felling our draconic foes, despite their low health values.
I’m getting distracted again, planning as if everything is going to fall into my lap. Planning as if I’ll be solely responsible, with perhaps the help of my inner circle, for ending this war. At least, if I don’t want to see precious allies, loved ones, family members dying to newer, more varied tactics.
Shaking me from my reverie, I hear myself addressed, “What say you to that, Schism?”
Well crap. Blushing, I ask, “Uh, what say I to what? Sorry, I’d been lost in thought, trying to determine efficient uses of time and power.”
Aaront chuckles while Geskae reiterates, “We were speaking of a rotation, notation method, and a reporting pattern, to keep you and our Lady apprised of security within Mount Solace, if your magical scrying sensors work out.”
Oh, whew. Smiling and nodding, I respond, “Oh that sounds fantastic, yes, I’m certain you’ll all handle the details splendidly. I don’t know your personal habits well enough to truly comment on any engagements or uses of your time, though your efforts are appreciated.”
Addressing me somewhat hostilely, Gilmeshtu “The Gold,” of the Paradox Vivant, states, “Your words are as empty as your head. Dragonkind ill needs a savior such as you. Vivant, come, our time here is wasted.”
My face contorts as Gilmeshtu spins on his heel to begin marching away. I can sense Lady Kinzul wanting me to address this issue, so I bark an order, “Paradox Vivant! Take a seat. All of you. Everyone in fact. While I may be distractible and distracted, and I certainly don’t care whether or not you respect me, you will respect the time investment of everyone else who has chosen to attend.”
Heaving a sigh, I close my eyes momentarily. I don’t like authority, or authority figures, much less being one, but here goes nothing. Mustering myself, I start, “You’re right, my words of praise for the strategists-eight’s proposed rotation method were technically empty, because I hadn’t actually heard what was proffered. What I allow myself to be distracted by, at least currently, is for the good of all. Let’s start over, shall we? Aktixas, you first. As someone with a warrior’s mindset and mentality, how does my proposed security center feel to you? How does it affect how you approach life in Mount Solace during this time of war?”
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In his accent that replaces several vowel sounds with hard ‘o’ sounds similar to the ‘ah’ sound, Aktixas responds, “I have no qualms of course. I see only benefits overall, but it does not affect the warrior, the infantry. I still gladly pledge my time to viewing, early mornings, each day, with Shrulniz.”
Turning my attention to Shrulniz, they simply silently nod, but my expectant gaze draws forth a comment, “Right, yes Schism, the needs of those we’re protecting, the strategies that can be utilized to keep the greater populace safe are very much my purview. This answers needs I’ve long since thought may never be addressed. Security concerns and the like. Not to mention disaster response efforts. I can’t offer much in the way of comment on your plans to engage in aerial combat, and the luring of Terrorzin’s generals and the like, but this, this plan for Solace’s solace and security, it’s extraordinary.”
Not having been fishing for praise, I try to hide my blush as I flick my gaze from Shrulniz to Aktixas and back, indicating I’d meant more of what Aktixas had said. Shrulniz catches on quickly enough to add, “Oh, yes, of course, I give my time freely, and mornings with Aktixas are perfectly within my schedule to adhere to. You can rely on us.”
Casting my gaze to Aaront and Geskae, Geskae answers for the two of them, “In an overarching scheme, being able to send you and our Tenith about, destroying the enemy’s leadership core, is like taking a queen behind the enemy’s pawns in chess. It’s a gambit that could pay off quite heavily, if you take out their most mobile, most powerful pieces. Our worry is that the Damnations might capitalize on your mobility, and your possible absence. They are in essence, Terrorzin’s queen, or fleet of queens on the board. Are there no other deployment methods that—.”
Grinning, I offer up, “You’re right. Teuila *should* stay here,” before Te can look too heartbroken, I continue, “After we deal with our deployments tomorrow, and we take care of what I assume to be causing the disturbance in the Worldstorm at least. After those, Teuila and Lil can be in charge of defense against the Damnations. They’ll have a combined power that should rival the entire pack of Damnations at that point, or relatively soon after, as soon as we can get Teuila far enough along in her Honoris Causa. This leaves me with a partial mobility issue. I’ve never been as fast at deploying myself long distances as the rest of my family, without some sort of aid.”
Glad that I can see understanding cross the faces of several of the gathered, for what I’m about to suggest, I explain, “To that end, I suggest a rotation of flights of the various groups and cliques within the Order. None should be translocating me to multiple offensives in a row. There are enough groupings, that I trust well enough to handle themselves, that they can take turns, without needing to engage the ground troops wastefully. This ends up simultaneously leaving us with a nearly fully membered Order present back at Solace in case of siege. Thank you Geskae, Aaront. Elshon, Prent, the security features? Deployment concerns?”
Elshon, despite being boisterous and flamboyant, mulls over my calling him out, tapping his chin while resting his face on his thumb. Prent however responds, “Only a few practical concerns. The likelihood of your success at providing these heretofore unmentioned trinkets, baubles, or hell, even artifacts, within your own time constraints. Are you truly so confident that your own, or our Curator’s inventiveness, and prowess, is so great, that you rest assured that you’ll have such made available to us? Nevermind the deployment, or sending three of our most valuable defenders into the ‘Neath.”
There’s a bit of gasping as Prent essentially calls me out, but I simply find myself grinning at him. Smiling, I respond, “It’s fantastic of you to doubt me, and to express your concerns. You’re right that sending Gresog, Revvinth, and Shaylon into the ‘Neath is a gamble that we won’t be besieged before they’re back, depending on the severity of the problem in the lands below. Look at it this way though. What if the current problem in the ‘Neath *is* a horde of Terrorzin’s forces intending to lay siege to Mount Solace? Relying on them is suddenly what we’d have done anyway. Even if not, if there is a problem that takes more than a few moments to solve, for the likes of those three, then it’s equivalent to sending them on assignment on an offensive against Terrorzin’s forces anyway.”
Letting it sink in, that I’ve put consideration into my assignments before doling them out, I take a breath before returning to the practical concern, to address it, “As far as my confidence? Well, while I’m confident that I can rely on Nala’s *ability*, I’m less confident that I can rely on her *availability* or desire to help. I’m sure she wouldn’t outright refuse, but I don’t know if I’ve done enough to earn her trust and faith to be able to request that she prioritize certain things. I’ll work to make my case to Curator after we’re done here. Without Nala, I’ll still succeed, but I’ll have less work to show for tonight’s effort than I would with her. Plus, if you want proof of concept, I can do that while we chat. Hell, I have been working on it quietly for a while now. In a few minutes, I’ll be finished with the paired scrying sensor, and you’ll be able to see how they operate.”
There are a few surprised looks that I’d been busying myself enchanting while we’ve been talking, especially since I appeared to be more or less not even present at the meeting at all, let alone enough to be crafting. Hey. I’m Reggie Shellcracker. Multitasking is just a state of being for me. I’m distractible as hell, sure, but I tend to chase multiple trains of thought in the time it takes for most—. Well now I’m bragging. Yuck. Bleugh.
Oh, right. Jarrah did sort of warn me that most mages who’d reached my tier of power, or beyond, gave up their emotions, at least the positive ones, like humility, happiness, and so on, along the way to doing so. I facepalm, recalling how I nearly burned away my emotions on the carriage-ride towards the Sisters Hidden in the Mist compound. Heaving a sigh, I roll my eyes at myself. There’s a bit of uneasy laughter, so I might as well explain the segue from one thought to the next. Jarrah was telepathic, and read my thoughts about my distaste for braggarts, and bragging. He muttered and mumbled things, and then clued me in to what I’d just covered mentally.
Returning my awareness to those around me, I begin to address Burshis, but she beats me to the punch, “When you’d clued me in to the airship metaphor, it immediately brought to mind records of ancient battles. Not only that, I immediately saw the benefit with the Worldstorm, equating it akin to a nearly impenetrable jungle, or forest, in which guerrilla fighters took on overwhelmingly larger forces. As far as your security measures at home, my dea—, ahem. Nietru has utmost faith that we can rely on you, so I do as well, we’re happy to serve in a security capacity in the evenings, after Prent and Elshon in the noontimes.”
Blushing, coughing for my attention, Nietru adds, “Yes, um, what my Burshee—, koff, Burshis said. Moreover, I can get word, or small objects, to Spymaster for you, should you finish your prototype, and wish for her to be one of the recipients of these mobile scrying sensors. I tend to handle most of Spymaster’s scout network, its provisions, and other needs, as sort of a combination quartermaster, and head intelligence gatherer and interpreter. So long as you’d not be averse to taking guidance as to which fortresses contain priority targets, your deployment tactics sound good as gold to me Schism. Erm, pardon the turn of phrase Gil."
There’s a smirk that crosses Gilmeshtu’s face, and a bit of good-natured laughter shared by several of those in attendance. I guess his little dramatic stunt earlier was simply another of those testing-social-dynamics power-plays. I roll my eyes at the stupidity of it. Anyway, more importantly, I haven’t gotten around to the biggest part of the deployment plan yet though. Consent. If no one consents to transporting me deep into enemy territory, and hanging around above the Worldstorm as we bait foes to us, then half of that part of my plan is for naught. It might be worth figuring out a way to fake as if I’m casting the meteor spell to really bait out the best and strongest at each fortress, or how to actually cast it.
Perhaps Veril or Farzhis told Iylynila what was on my mind, because, almost surprisingly, Illy steps up, addressing that particular concern, “As far as getting you to those priority targets, and drawing them out, you can always count on the Dormir, Schism. Anything you need to end this war, the sooner, the better. Mother, will it work? Allowing our foes above the storm, to face them?”
All eyes turn towards Lady Kinzul, and I must admit, I am worried that I perhaps hadn’t foreseen that she might not be willing to act in such a way as to let our foes above the Worldstorm anywhere outside their own aeries. Not every domain-holder of Terrorzin’s has access to a route above the Worldstorm. Several have domains that aren’t even in mountains, but rather, old ground fortresses, long-since abandoned castles built by humans or other humanoids, and the like. Even the ones whose domains are in mountains, don’t always dwell in a mountain tall enough to have an aerie above the clouds.
I wasn’t actually entirely relying on Kinzul acting upon that though. I was perhaps thinking of traversing beneath the Worldstorm, at cloud level. A greater expenditure of energy for our poor dragons, instead of being able to glide at high speeds, for sure, but one that I’m sure most of them are capable of. The rub would be in navigating mountainous terrain beneath the Worldstorm, in some cases, adding dozens or hundreds of miles to our flight plan.
Thankfully, Kinzul nods to me and Iylynila, unwilling to divulge exactly what she might be able to do, to the entirety of those gathered. Kinzul comments to me, deeply privately telepathically, “I can rescind some of my effort to keep in-place the Worldstorm above priority targets my love. It would be much like parting the clouds for our descent and ascent in order to quite literally get the drop on our foes. Only, it would let me recall some infinitesimal fraction of my dragonforce, leaving those areas of the Worldstorm bare, as we would no longer have to fear our foes rising from those domains and dwellings. Even should there be some foes that remain capable of such flights above the storm, they can not set down anywhere beneath the Worldstorm across the rest of Rayileklia.”
That’s exactly what I was hoping for. I want to alleviate stress from Kinzul and Farzee. I want to reduce the reliance on the Worldstorm, and micromanagement of it. I want to break the tides of fate that—. Sighing, I keep my thought to myself, since not everyone here is privy to that information. Even though my telepathic walls are up for Kinzul’s private admission, I don’t want to risk alerting others to the portent. Oh, hey, look, one of the pairs of scrying sensors is done. I’m glad I can still rely on my multitasking mind. I’m also glad that the enchantment which gave me the ability to make the scrying sensors, basically taught me all the runes I’d need to emplace with various qualities of gem-paste, to make permanent pairs of sensors and the like.