We make decent time over to Mount Verdimenn, it’s still evening, which, considering all that has happened since three forty five, seems insane. I’ll need to take a look over these cards later, but one of these books, and I think it’s one that contains a meteor spell, is the type that requires a solid fifty six hours of reading or so for it to transfer its knowledge into my head. The other one is more esoteric spells, and I still haven’t even finished learning dispellation, I’ve got quite a ways to go due to how little time I’ve had to practice runes in the last few days.
A private moment happens between Prinrin and myself, one that I’m trying to make sure is so heavily guarded beyond so many walls that hopefully even Lady Kinzul wasn’t paying enough attention to take note of. Needless to say, she’s simply delightful, and an utter sweetheart, and I’m happy to have her sharing affection with me knowing what I’m setting out to do.
I stroke Prinrin’s back as she continues to glom onto me, riding my hip with her legs spread around my waist. She’s enjoying herself against my warm torso, like a lizard on a basking rock, like she’d said that one time. She’s also doing her best to be here for me, because soon, I’m going to be cutting out a part of myself. Sighing, I think back to the words of the Sisters, that I wouldn’t know who or what I might become by the end of finding my cure. I’m already on the way there.
Apparently vampires are off in the western plains, here’s me trying to morph my evolutionary line. Me already having an Honoris Causa that makes me feel like an actual dragon. Now that my shadowy form can manifest physically similar to how the Sisters are ephemeral and ethereal except for where they wish to manifest, they could spread their tangibility around their bodies at will, like me. I’d prefer not to have to keep spreading out my awareness and circle of influence on what to keep track of, but at least my Honoris Causa is one that I can keep from spreading, or spread as much as I like when it’s activated.
Oh, right, I guess I hadn’t told everyone yet, blushing, I mumble to the assembled as we walk, “Oh, yeah, after defeating Tinth, and absorbing his dragonforce, just before the Damnation arrived, my Honoris Causa went into the second Caliber. It wound up granting me the ability to physically manifest this draconic aura around me similar to, well, one we’d seen. I also get a breath weapon, but because I know how to develop a breath-weapon organ from Can’Z’aas, I’m going to get Kinzul’s help when I re-evolve myself, to make it a default state of my biology, to access the multipliers from there, because it was pitiful the first time I’d used my new void-breath weapon. It only disoriented the Damnation.”
There’s some snorting and chuckling from those gathering, while Illy grumbles, “*Only* disoriented a Damnation smurf ass says. They haven’t been injured or stood up to in hundreds of years, *only* disorients them.”
There’s quite a bit more chuckling and giggling at Illy’s grumbling, and I rub the back of my head as I blush, feeling a tad abashed. Well, an over six times multiplier should make it at least six times as effective at disorienting. I can also tell that my Honoris Causa’s form and strength is based on my own, so having a default higher evolutionary state before manifesting it will provide me a bit of a boost there, though not by much, since I was in my adamantite body for most of the fight. Oh look there’s Deli!
I float over towards Deli, smiling and waving happily, standing back til she has a free moment. Before I can even say anything, she reaches around the corner of the forge, grabs three pouches and throws them towards me. I snag them out of the air with a T K grip and guide them into the dimensional pouch for now, which earns a bit of a mildly-shocked look, but I shrug helplessly while chuckling.
Still, grateful, I offer up, “Thanks so much Deli! I actually didn’t even think you’d have more, I just kind of wanted to stop by and say hi, and see how things were going for you, if you had any news or any needs.”
An almost rueful smile crosses her face as Deli shakes her head. She comments, “Schism, you’re some other kinda Hero altogether. Could do with some more of your legendary metals, since it’s mostly been hauled away, but some of the ones who like to do the hauling have been saying there’s *budding* happening, buds spreading out. Scuttlebutt is that’s what we’ve been hoping for. Izzat true? This is really working? We’re growing legendary metals?”
Atter’s eyes flash wide while I’m nodding excitedly at Deli before I ask, “If the metals are already budding, and the buds are spreading, does that mean the lumber is growing pretty quickly? The clay? What about the gem warren? Oh I’m sorry I’m asking you instead of going around and seeing them, I don’t mean to put it on you for news.”
Deli holds up a hand, chuckling and continuing to shake her head. She answers, “Think naught of it Schism. Pleased as punch to be of service. Wood, yes, clay, yes, gems, possibly, but there’ve been a few too many hungry gazes eyeing them, so there’s fewer volunteers allowed to go in, and they’re not quite sure. Also some of your weird ones have started. You might want to see to those before next week. Any projects you need doing with the little bit we’ve got left before we can start up a new cycle when harvesting begins?”
Gnawing on my lip, I glance around my group who all look a bit helpless at me, this having been my series of projects to begin with. Ah, I’ve got it. I request, “Could you tell me what sort of things you and some of the volunteer kobolds or volunteer Draconiacs would like to see around here? Mount Solace or Mount Verdimenn. Any personal desires of yours or any friends of yours too.”
There’s a bit of a stunned, appreciative look from Deli before she responds, “There’s definitely room for some legendary forging equipment, gets a bit old reforging our stuff after breaking it, working on the powerful stuff. Wasn’t sure we’d be allowed to just commandeer any or anything. Half the time any anvil we’ve got is just a pile of slag we’ve shaped and cooled off to have something to strike against. A friend of mine fancies himself a fighter, would like to train some others in fencing, so could do with foils or rapiers that won’t break easy. Honestly, every last one of us has been thinking of snagging some snippets to munch, like those filings and shavings we’ve been saving for you. Licking our chops.”
Nodding along, I go ahead and approve everything, “Absolutely, yes, I’m so sorry I didn’t make it explicitly clear that your working conditions and tools were as high of priority as everything else. Please forgive me. Definitely forge yourselves tools. The rapiers, yes as well for sure. I’m unsure if these metals would be suited for foils, don’t foils need to bend? Or if you know how to work the metals to make them flexible, then by all means. Or if I’m just dumb and don’t know anything about fencing weapons, well, you get the point. As far as hungry eyes on the metals, well—. Spread the love, make sure everybody gets a little bit of the shavings and filings from tomorrow’s work or projects that anyone works on.”
As something strikes me as possibly almost catastrophic, I grimace a moment before explaining, “We can’t afford a feast or a frenzy yet until we’ve got more than budding. We need the whole warren to fill, so that we can harvest daily. Thank you so, so much for bringing all this to my attention. I’m so glad to have met you. I’ve got to go hit up other projects, but I hope to see you around, and I’ll see what I can do about getting the liquor and spirits supply lines started in the next week or so, okay?”
Deli smiles and waves off my parting statements as she aims a swat my way, nearly striking Prinrin’s tush. Her parting is simpler, “Alright then, off with ye Schism, good working with ya. Thanks for all this.”
Smiling happily I pull a Teuila and rock my head side to side with a closed-eyed mile-wide smile, pleased as punch. Te grins and copies me copying her, and we look like a couple of goonish bobbleheads that only go partway from shoulder to shoulder. Floating continuously onwards in towards Mount Verdimenn, it’s easy to see that the volunteering for the hauling effort has slowed quite a bit, as our initial resources we’d been able to invest are almost entirely tied up in the warrens by this point. We should be able to start harvesting lumber, clay, and possibly lower tier metals and minerals daily, relatively soon, if not already tonight or tomorrow morning.
Okay, anyway, let’s get going. I want to check Atter’s shop inventory potential, just in case. We have no idea who’s going to be the final link in the chain. I continue nuzzling Prinny as she remains seated on my hip, wrapped about my waist and torso, while holding Luni to my left as Teuila gloms onto Illy as Lil talks her ear off. Atter and Kinzul are speaking quietly about duty, and caring for large populaces, and practical matters. I think that heartens me most of all for my beloved Lady Kinzul to be experiencing right now. Someone else who takes a motherly approach to caring for her people.
Luni begins to salaciously waggle her eyebrows in thinkspace, intimating really, truly, incredibly awkward things. I fluster, blush, and half frown at Lu, but I can’t stay mad at her, I love that she’s feeling playful again. I love her so absolutely much. My Anchor, our Muse, our Bard. I’m half tempted to turn the teasing around on her like I do with Illy, but I’m not quite sure where to start. It doesn’t flow as naturally. It’s not the type of relationship we have. The teasing is always from her end. Usually it’s just trying to fluster me with her own affection or body. Things have been different since we got to Mount Solace. I—. I worry. I hope that Lu and I are in the right place for each other, going in the right directions. More than most any other thing in the world, I want reality to be going in a way that ends in her utmost happiness.
Prinrin purrs on my chest while riding my thoughts, enjoying sensing my love for others. It’s, erm, incredibly, uh, intimate. I blush slightly, then Luni suddenly returns to form, pressing her torso up against my left arm as she leans her chin on my shoulder. As Lu whispers unintelligible things in my ear, a shiver runs down my spine as her breath and lips tickle my ear with each word. As she intentionally squishes against me with heavenly curves, my face goes so flush that I get lightheaded. The devious grin that settles on her face slowly morphs into one of pleased satisfaction, knowing she can still get the reaction she most enjoys out of me.
I’m really glad our prisoners aren’t in our psychic bond network. Yet. It would blow the whole, “Badass Hero worth surrendering to and accepting the mercy of,” picture to see me quivering and blushing my brains out from some of the random things that go on in our heads. Chuckles along my mental wavelengths seem to somewhat agree with me, some even include teasing me about being delusional that anyone would think of me that way. Those two are of course Te and Illy, and we end up in a Shellcracker Family Slap Fight in thinkspace.
Well, Illy’s forced to endure the wavelengths of the ideas that represent what’s going on in thinkspace for the most part. I can’t truly snag everyone and bring them into what Bud built for Teuila and me. I’m not fully sure how it worked yet. Sometimes they can view the thinkspace, sometimes not. As far as getting their own telepathic avatars into it, I don’t know.
I gnaw on my lip as my gaze drifts down to Prinrin. My deviant little old gal friend looses a very quiet series of squeaks, which I make certain to make note of only when my walls are completely up. I keep them up temporarily for a bit, thinking through some things. We’d agreed upon a signal on the way down, and she slowly, wobbly-ishly extricates herself from her perch upon my body by spreading her legs, and arms, letting me levitate her down. The effect her ride had on her muscles is one she’s trying to mask. Prinrin then skips towards Teuila, shaking out her limbs, before bombarding Te with a mile-a-minute dialogue, well, monologue.
I know Prinrin’s going to work in a request for Te to retrieve a certain object that Illy had spoken of during our reading session. An object that I told her I’d had Teuila store away for safety, but I try not to let my feelings about the knowledge betray me by expressing themselves in any way. Phew. Right, ignore all that silly stuff. Vylon and Vyela Seem to be taking turns remaining more alert in guardianship of the store bunker, for which I am eternally grateful. We might maybe need to make an entire small adamantite vault for the thing, so that they don’t need to keep watch twenty four seven. I won’t commission something that big for quite a while yet though. We ramped up our investments into the various warrens, and it’s seemingly paying off. We should be able to start harvesting at least wood, clay, granite, copper, and iron, daily.
I’ve got a theory about possibly having the clay warren double as a partial gem warren as well, which I’ll try out tonight. I might not be getting any sleep, if I try to do let’s see, at least twenty nodes in at least the three most important warrens— crap. That’s eight hours. Huff. Gorrammitall. I could maybe shave off eight minutes here or there, diving into unsafe S P spending, but I’d rather not do that. Okay, we haven’t even completed the full calcs for each of them yet anyway, and I’m in no state of mind to try to deal with that at the moment anyway. Maybe it just won’t happen tonight.
Asking my, um, wife, I turn to Kinzul, “My love, there are thousands of beings living in Mount Solace and the foothills, correct? I only know of a few dragons that aren’t Order members, such as Ixeyla and Zayzi, um, Xayla. Are there others at least their age? Would we be able to get message out, looking for volunteers over the course of tomorrow morning?”
Beloved Lady of our Order, Kinzul nods in her usual manner, and responds, “Yes, of course to each. What are you thinking my love? What message would you have relayed? Pawn could certainly disseminate it.”
Gnawing on my lip, I try to explain, so that Atter can overhear, “I’m thinking we ask for a relay network of dragons for at least the most daunting or difficult terrain on the journey from Atter’s domain to Mount Solace. I know you—. I believe we must fly under the worldstorm, unless Atter has a secret perch in a nearby mountain that leads down into her burrows. A land journey for over a thousand, across hundreds of miles of Rayileklia’s terrain is too noticeable if not done swiftly.”
Thankfully, Atter provides, “I do. Have a roost that is. Tunnels lead to seeming dead ends, one of which is false and leads down into the foothills where my people live. Would you truly grant us access to your ingress and egress, as well as the aid of your civilian dragons?”
Kinzul nods, not even apprehensively, though she comments, “The aid of any not already members of our Order are of course entirely voluntary, so I can not say how many there might be. With only a handful, it could be a grueling day of back and forth for those that are willing, and I’ll have one of our Queens on hand to help coordinate intake, relocation. If there are perhaps more volunteers, it could be swifter. However, several other issues arise which I shall need to Administrate. I’d wanted my beloved spouse, my love, our dear Schism, to take a day of rest on the morrow, but I’m almost certain the Hero of our Order plans to provide themselves as a personal security detail to the evacuation effort.”
There’s a bit of nervous murmuring and some dropped jaws from nearby Draconiac and kobold volunteers as Kinzul simply drops the bomb in plain conversation that she considers me her spouse. Even those that have been traveling with me have a slight nervous chuckle at the reminder. Kinzul is right though. I want to make sure everyone gets here safely.
We’ll need to be incredibly coordinated, because it’d be foolish to just assume that every random person we drag over from Atter’s domain is as peace-loving and trustworthy as we’d like them to be. Worse, if we’re taking them in through the top of Mount Solace, instead of the foothills, they’ll basically be marched down the halls of the entire mountain. If I could find Lucky, I’d have him expand the tunnel that leads from Mount Solace to Mount Verdimenn off to one side, to begin creating a massive commons area, and hundreds of smaller quarters. I’m not sure I want Loud’s residents right next to our most precious resources though either.
Commenting to Loud, I offer, “I’d like to at first, just you, me, and Shiz go, pre-dawn, to secure the most precious, um, people. I’d want Shiz to fly me back, while you began accepting civilian dragon and Order members to start evacuation. I’m assuming you can come up with a suitably loud signal that can let them know it’s safe to approach, or if it suddenly becomes unsafe to approach. I’d have a bit of a line, so we don’t have a massive flight visible above the Worldstorm, and so that they don’t get stuck in the air in a traffic jam.”
Huff, this is challenging. Spying Lucky suddenly appearing in my mindscape, I rush to embrace him and exclaim, “Oh Lucky my wonderful son! There you are! Have you been guarding the shop with our Queens? You utter sweetheart. What do you say boy, are you up for expanding things? It might take all night and all day tomorrow. I don’t deserve someone as precious as you. I love you Lucky. If you’re sure that it won’t cause any cave-ins, do it under Mount Solace instead, from the resource area, towards the back of the prison from this side. Our Hound, Hunter, Lucky. I love you so so so very much.”
There’s a bit of chuckling at my affectionate display for those who read my inner narrative monologue, but warm smiles as well. Lucky trots on by, from the direction we’re heading. He whuffs happily as he continues to grow, making sure to almost bowl me over with his enormous tongue before continuing onwards to work on my request.
I sigh a bit sadly. I haven’t made enough time for him, and he’s still helping out, taking my requests. Does he understand how important everything is? What we’re facing? Does he know how close some of us have come to death? Huffing another sigh, I have to put it out of mind. I’m about to wave to, and speak with Vylon, but Kinzul steps up to speak with him quietly, about the necessity for the aerie being protected tomorrow.
I also catch Kinzul chiding Vylon, “The announcement of my joining Schism in bonds of love will be two days hence. I trust you to not make trouble for my spouse, my honorable Queen.”
The attempt to fight the shock that wants to cross Vylon’s face is a miniature war as a battlefield unfolds across his brow. He nods wordlessly while casting glances my way in what one might politely describe as dubiousness. I flash a nervous half-grin and a weak helpless shrug while nodding confirmation. Kinzul’s really going all in on spreading this around in the most impactful ways that are sure to generate rumors, as several Draconiacs drop heavy materials onto their feet at the not-so-quiet whispering of Kinzul’s admittance. They scuttle to pretend like they’d simply had simultaneous minor accidents, which causes several of us to chuckle.
Making sure that I’m walled off for a moment to think only privately to myself, I gaze down to my side where Prinny was stationed, and it’s still warm. Especially right on my hip bone, where there’s a glistening, ah, let’s just say a sheen of sweat from too much body heat trapped in one location between two bodies for too long. Phooph. Sweet little old devious lady. I absolutely adore the cuddlesome little rogue. She’s got so many positive traits that endear her to me, like her mile a minute whirlwind of speech, her ability to read body language and facial cues faster than most could even keep up with her, the fact that she knows how much love and hope and support I’m going to need for what I’ll be trying tonight with my powers, the adorably tight package of her almost petite, almost waifish muscular toned body, and more and more. Anyway, brain let’s stop obsessing, back open to the public.
Stepping into the dugout bunker for the shop, I sigh sadly as I try not to let previous events inside here affect me too heavily. I feel the horrible weight of guilt pressing in on Luni and Teuila as they feel my mind drifting to the hurts of only the last few days. I mean, their teasing wasn’t exactly off base. Sort of. Kinzul and I have never done anything romantically passionately affectionate, but—.
Mm, apparently that needed rectifying. I feel lighter than air after that kiss. Which, to be fair, I am levitating myself. I completely lost my train of thought, but I think that was the point of our kiss. My eyes are swimming about in their heads, their heads? My heads. My head. My sockets, their sockets. Brain is addled. Was not expecting that. Ever. Was thinking it was going to be like a marriage of convenience, possibly “loveless” in the romantic sense, while we loved each other in a different way. There’s a lot of avoiding gazes and scratching backs of heads going on right now. I think Illy’s face is prepared to ignite the forgeworks to melt down adamantite.
Blushing only slightly, I mutter, “Thank you. Kinzul my love. I—. Thank you. For saving me from myself just now.”
Coughing, clearing my throat to sort of divert our minds and draw attention, though I don’t particularly enjoy attention in this manner, I ask, “Loud, would you mind stepping to the other side of the shop stall? Please be careful and gentle with it. When there, greet me like a traveler as if you were a shop owner, if you please.”
Though she raises a brow in curiosity, Atter complies, greeting me, “Sublime day for a business transaction isn’t it Reggie, Hero?”
Chuckling and nodding, I agree while I place a few hundred dollars on the countertop and respond, “Indeed it is. I’d like something that can help me, Reggie Shellcracker, to determine available shop catalogues.”
When a form begins to digitize, or rez-in, that looks to be a conventional electronics box, and the back plate of a cell phone manifests atop that, I know my offer of mercy was the correct choice. Her shop catalogue’s quality is pretty decent too, medium to medium high. We can complete the smartphone. This is a USB hub, with charging ports, that can be plugged in. I’m pretty sure it was Teuila whose purchase yielded a ton of cables, including plenty of USB cables. I fish out the smartphone, rush out to the battery-banks where we’ve got the solar equipment and batteries stored, snag the battery, so that I’ll be able to slide it in.
Before the battery goes in, of course I make sure we’ve got the SIM, though I don’t recall whose shop that was in, and a memory card, which I know was from Lil’s shop. Once I’m sure all three are in, I slap the back plate on the smartphone. One of the volunteer Draconiacs apparently had a hyper-protective rubber phone case in their shop inventories, so I slide its parts together on over the phone, and plug the USB charger into the solar array, then plug the phone into the USB bank. Now we just need the power of the sun, our Sun.
We still need some sort of register, or personal computer, or wireless communication device for the phone to connect to. Unless it just has all the possible shop catalogues in spreadsheets in the memory card from Lil. Speaking of, looking to Lil, pleading with my eyes, I beg him to carefully charge the solar panels. We might only get one shot at this, so I didn’t want to risk having the solar array and all its batteries charged up and just leaking power. We had Lil charge up one solar battery bank I think, which is the one I’ve plugged into, but now we might actually have a use for keeping them charged. I had no idea how long it might be before we started seeing all the pieces come together.
I know this sort of thing can take a couple of hours, especially in a completely drained battery, especially since it’s from my shop, one of the low quality shops. Ugh, I’m hungry with anticipation, and anxious with worry, there’s so much that could go wrong if we can’t get a way to repair or create new shops. The whole resource structure relies on this thing’s aura of Can’Z’aasian digital nature, and it might not be enough to reach all the way into all the warrens. I think it only covers like a hundred foot radius at max. Okay, okay, patience. We have other things to accomplish too.
Deep breath, exhale slowly, okay, address Loud, “Loud, as you can see, we can conjure things, and I’m assuming you heard what I asked of the shop. I don’t want to seem to talk down to you if you don’t need it explained. Do you have any questions?”
Grinning and shaking her head, Atter jokes, “Where can I get one, and does it do meat?”
Chuckling, I motion back into the dugout, asking her to to stand back behind the shop again, and I ask the shop, “I’d like enough food for about fifty people, heavy on meat-based dishes please.”
I don’t think I was quite prepared for what’s beginning to digitize in front of my eyes, and I really don’t like the implications.