Aside from regular manifestations of the other woman’s insecurities, Isa's two weeks on station weren’t bad. She didn’t bother trying to smooth things over with Karena – there was no point.
The former goddess had experienced a life where she had acted similar to Karena – more than one, if she was being honest with herself – so she knew no amount of friendliness would change things. If anything, it would make the other woman suspicious of her. While things might seem better on the surface, it would be a superficial peace.
In truth, Isa just didn’t care enough to bother.
She didn’t need or want to be friends with the other woman. Someone who instantly disliked another person because they were younger/ prettier/ smarter/ [insert adjective here] was not someone worth bothering with. Things could have been different if she’d kept her insecurities to herself instead of lashing out with snarky comments.
But she’d voiced them and then proceeded to go around the office spreading the ‘rumors’ she’d ‘heard’ about the new girl. Isa had no sympathy for the woman.
At the end of her two-week orientation, Isa discussed the issue with Danny. She even provided recordings taken by security cameras and her AI – something most AIs could not do since it required special programming.
Isa didn’t bother waiting around for a resolution. The Security Manager would either handle it or not. Either way, it wasn’t like the other woman was a threat to her.
“So, you’ll be back in two weeks?” Zach asked as he followed her to the shuttle bay.
“No, it’ll be closer to a month since I need time to get settled,” Isa said before glancing around and lowering her voice. “Honestly, I just want time to check out the dungeon I found on Sumar.”
“It worked?” the young man gasped.
He’d been aware of her modifications to the sensor arrays covering Sumar and Gentrius, but he hadn’t expected anything to come of her covert modifications. She hadn’t told him about the numerous dungeons that had already appeared on Gentrius, but he’d know soon enough. She planned to share it with the Station Commander once she had time to review the scans… after she arrived on Sumar.
The former goddess preferred to avoid unnecessary death when possible, so she hoped the Station Commander would warn the Senators below of the threat. They might ignore the warning, but at least they would have gotten it. Maybe the civilians would even have a chance to prepare.
Isa smiled conspiratorially and said, “Of course it did! How could you doubt me?”
“I’m so jealous!” Zach groaned dramatically. His friendliness had undoubtedly added to Karena’s insecurity, but Isa didn’t care. The excitable Electrotech Specialist was amusing.
“Don’t spend too much time feeling jealous. Sumar might need another network specialist or two once the atmosphere is established,” Isa commented. “I can put your name on the list if you want?”
“Heck yeah!” Zach said enthusiastically. “I’d love to get the chance to explore a dungeon or two.” As they reached the shuttle bay, Zach slowed his steps. “I’m sorry about the way Karena has been acting. She’s normally not like that.”
Isa shrugged. “It’s not your fault. Danny will decide what to do about her. I gave him recordings of her spreading rumors and making rude comments.”
The youthful-looking man grimaced. “That probably won’t work out well for her.”
Isa could tell he wasn’t happy to hear how she’d handled the situation, but he didn’t criticize her decision. The other woman had created the issue herself. Even after being told she was wrong by those who’d worked with her before, she hadn’t stopped commenting about the younger woman.
She was lucky Isa wasn’t particularly vindictive. The former goddess had many ways to make her life miserable… or end it without drawing any suspicion. Reporting Karena’s behavior was one of the mildest of Isa’s potential responses.
“Maybe I’ll see you on Sumar soon?” Isa said lightly, not caring to continue the previous topic. “I plan to start work on the atmosphere as soon as I arrive, so hopefully, it won’t take too long.”
With a few more exchanges and a friendly goodbye, Isa boarded the small shuttle. It was only about half the size of the one she’d used to travel from Gentrius to the station, and the seats were not nearly as comfortable. But it was fine, given how short the trip would be.
The station’s orbit brought it within easy range of the larger moon once every twenty hours, so it only took Isa about an hour to reach her new home.
The entire colony was contained within a single, large enclosure that already showed signs of magical reinforcement. The exterior walls had been surrounded by a tall, monolithic dome of stone, making it obvious that someone had taken a class with the ability to use Earth magic.
It had probably taken them the entire two weeks to build the dome, given how little mana an F-Grade human Mage would have.
Jayne and Bren were there to welcome her as she exited the small shuttle once the access bay was repressurized. Another woman was also present – one she immediately recognized from her research as the Colony Leader, Amanda Scallard. Ms. Scallard was nearly as tall as Bren and exuded an aura of confidence and competence that had to be a magical effect.
“Miss Stone,” the Colony Leader said as she extended a hand. “I’m pleased you are interested in assisting with our project, even if your specialty lies elsewhere. We’ve already started testing the theory you shared about using magic to terraform the surface, and it’s showing promising results.”
“I’m glad,” Isa said with a smile. “My class relies heavily on enchanting, so I hoped to try a few things to see if they make a difference. If my theory works, we might be able to have a functioning atmosphere in just a few weeks.”
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That was a generous estimate, based on Isa being forced to do all the work herself. If they got a few more people with Air or even Water magic, that estimate could be significantly reduced.
“That would be amazing. Let’s go to my office and discuss your theories. I have a few people who are eager to talk to you after seeing the preliminary results of our testing.” The taller woman glanced at the bags in Isa’s hands. “I’ll have someone deliver your luggage to your room. We placed you next to your parents on their request.”
Her father immediately offered to take care of her bags, and after exchanging a few hugs, the former goddess followed the Colony Leader to a nearby office.
----------------------------------------
Several hours later, Isa loaded the last of the items she’d prepared for her test into the small explorer as her parents fussed over the swiftness of her departure.
“You haven’t even settled in yet!” Jayne complained. “Why don’t you wait until tomorrow to run your test? I know Ms. Scallard wouldn’t mind a small delay.”
“What do you mean? I’ve already been here for hours,” Isa replied. “We even had lunch earlier. I don’t see the point in waiting until tomorrow to go out. I want to do it now so I can use the station’s sensors to monitor the changes when it passes by next time.”
Isa didn’t need the station to be close by to monitor the changes, but neither of her parents knew that. While she could have waited, Isa was anxious to explore the new dungeon she’d discovered roughly fifty kilometers away. Though she could anchor spells to mundane items, the effects weren’t nearly as strong as they would be with mana-infused materials like what was available in dungeons.
“Besides, Graden is already waiting,” Isa added, motioning toward the muscular man leaning against the back of the small conveyance.
Sensing she wasn’t going to win the argument, Jayne nodded sullenly. “Fine. Just be careful. I’d hate for something to happen to you.”
“Keep her safe,” Bren warned the other man sternly, causing the mechanic’s lips to twitch.
Using a tablet connected to the local satellites she’d hacked into, Isa plotted their course, directing her driver/mechanic to stop intermittently so she could place the small, enchanted beads she’d prepared.
Eventually, Graden asked, “What’s with the beads? Are they special somehow?”
Isa nodded as she looked at the small, semi-precious stone beads she’d purchased while still on Gentrius. She’d enchanted each of them with an air spell she’d created, which would convert ambient mana into nitrogen, oxygen, and a few other compounds necessary for establishing an atmosphere.
Researchers and scientists had already strengthened the existing magnetosphere, so the biggest issue was bringing in enough air to create an atmosphere. The moon had enough gravity to make it work, if only barely.
“I’ve enchanted them. Right now, we’re arranging them in a formation so the effects will compound when activated.”
“And they’re supposed to create an atmosphere?”
“Not on their own,” the former goddess replied. “It’s more of a proof of concept.”
“How large is this formation supposed to be? We’re already more than thirty kilometers away from the colony,” the mechanic asked as he maneuvered the small explorer.
Isa focused on the tablet, though she didn’t need it to answer the man’s question. “Fifty kilometers in diameter. We’re a little over halfway done.”
As they drew closer to the dungeon, Isa asked the man about his chosen class, encouraging him to talk about his interests in detail. Graden had gone with Tinker, which was about what she expected from someone who worked on fixing and maintaining equipment. The conversation flowed smoothly once Graden started talking, and soon, they found themselves at the last location on their map.
“What in the twin moons is that?” Graden asked, pointing toward an unnatural arch leading into a cave a few meters away from the edge of the planned formation.
“If the stories about magic and systems are any indication, it’s probably a dungeon,” Isa replied casually as she unclasped her safety harness. “We can check it out after I activate the formation. I want to give it time to activate and work for a bit so I can make any needed adjustments on our way back.”
“I’m not sure about exploring a hole in the ground. If it is a dungeon, wouldn’t that imply danger?” the mechanic asked, suddenly nervous. “There isn’t supposed to be anything to worry about beyond the environment out here. I’m not equipped to deal with anything else.”
Isa looked at her temporary companion with a hint of annoyance. She’d expected people to adapt and start breaking away from their trained risk-averse mentality now that Gentrius had ascended, but it seemed like the change had only reinforced the harmful outlook.
Sure, being risk-averse might keep you alive when you could avoid danger, but on a newly-ascended world (or moon), that was almost an impossibility. Only those living on the space station had a real shot at true safety and security since they wouldn’t have to worry about dungeons and monsters.
Eventually, they would have to worry about visitors, though.
“You have tools, right?” Isa asked the older mechanic/ Tinker asked with a friendly smile. “Can’t you use your magic to modify something? We should at least check it out.”
“I can’t create weapons. I just fix things,” Graden replied defensively. “My most offensive tool is a plasma cutter, and the plasma blade only extends a few inches.”
The former goddess had a few ideas on how she could use magic to modify such a tool but decided to only offer to enhance the item if the mechanic joined her in the dungeon. Otherwise, it would be a waste of mana and effort.
Also, technically, she should only have one Air spell available since that’s what she’d told those who asked. She’d claimed to have received Create Air from the system instead of Stun. It was a necessary lie to explain how her magic could help establish the atmosphere.
Utility spells were also much more accepted over potentially offensive magic, and showing too much magical diversity would invite questions she didn’t feel like answering.
With her helmet band already active – because safety was important – Isa got out of the vehicle and placed the last bead. She motioned for her companion to pull the vehicle closer to the dungeon’s entrance and out of the formation.
As soon as he cleared the space in front of her, Isa activated the formation, watching as threads of mana shot into the distance. It would be invisible to anyone without the ability to see mana. But that didn’t include Isa. Regaining Mana Sight was one of the first things she’d done after the ascension.
The surrounding mana responded, vibrating rhythmically.
“What’s happening?” Graden asked nervously as he stepped around the parked vehicle. Isa noticed he was holding the plasma cutter again, though he kept it at a distance.
“I just activated the formation. We should probably step back. The dungeon might be the best place for us right now. I’m not sure how strong the effect is going to be.”
“The explorer should be safe enough, right?”
Isa nodded and sighed with unconcealed disappointment. “The gravity controls are on. It should be fine.”
“Then I’m waiting in the vehicle. There is zero way you’re getting me to go inside that hole. The fancy arch only makes it look more dangerous.” He retreated to the driver’s door and grumbled, “You might have a death wish, but I don’t.”
The former goddess shrugged. “That’s fine. I’ll check it out myself. I’m sure the Colony Leader and Station Commander will want to know what’s inside. Just wait for me.”
“You’re not seriously going in there, are you?” he asked incredulously when she started walking toward the opening.
Isa paused outside the entryway. “I am. Our communicators should work, but if not, give me an hour. If I’m not back in an hour, you can leave. I doubt I’ll have any trouble, though.”
It was probably better this way, she thought. At least now she wouldn’t have to limit herself to casting spells using weak items.