Days later, appearing in the village in Clodor, a nearby human cyborg jerked to attention at Stephen’s arrival.
“Welcome, Master Crawford,” she said in perfect English. “Captain Blackthorne has relocated to the manor. I’m to guide you there.” She turned and began walking down the street towards the manor. Stephen considered briefly, then fell into step alongside her.
Glancing at the cyborg, he saw that her implants had a rough, gruesome quality to them. Pus from an infection surrounded the ragged surgical work that had been performed. With a sigh, he began talking to the cyborg and verbally getting an update on the current situation. In his backpack, the HAL seed synchronized with her A.I.
***
Sitting in the dining room of the inn where they’d been drugged before, a tremor went through Stephen. Periodically, he’d sniff the air, smelling for any hint of the poison that had previously incapacitated him. Although hungry, he passed on the food and drink that the cyborg offered.
After a few hours of waiting, Emilia showed up.
“Sorry it took me so long to get here, I was surveying the surrounding lands in the airship,” she said. “Since we got the cybernetic equipment, we’ve been able to expand our workforce and made far more progress than we had previously.”
“That’s good to hear,” said Stephen. He briefly considered bringing up the sloppy surgical work, then decided it wasn’t a priority.
“After enmeshing the townspeople, along with the flesh golem, we were able to work out new techniques that let us do the same to the various creatures that remained in the manor,” the pirate captain said. “We’ve taken control of multiple flesh golems, some werewolves, and vampires. Our HAL copy is confident that they’ll be able to help you capture any of these that you want.”
She continued, “Maggard has fled, and there’s no indication that he has been here since shortly after your escape. He certainly took what he could with him when he took off, but what was left behind has been useful to us. He took all his notes and records with him, but his minions whom we’ve enmeshed into the network have memories about many of his experiments and activities. We’ve gotten a number of samples of the airborne poison that affected you. There are rough laboratory facilities here, but our HAL copy thinks Adam will be able to get a better understanding if they’re delivered to him. We’ve found a number of dimensional traveler library artifacts in different states of construction, which similarly we think will be useful to Adam.”
“Somewhat more gruesome, we’ve found the remains of what we think are dozens of dimensional travelers. We’ve kept that quiet so far, so you can decide how you want to handle them.”
“Shouldn’t we report who we’ve found?” asked Stephen in confusion.
“Our HAL copy had the idea that they might be useful for Adam to study,” the ‘Iron Wraith’ said, with a shrug. “The morality of it doesn’t bother me either way, but the HAL copy seemed to think you should decide.”
Stephen thought for a few minutes, then said, “Pack them up, I’ll take them to Adam along with everything else.”
***
Back at the workshop, weeks later, Adam said, “Stephen, I have a concern.”
“What’s the problem, Adam?” asked Stephen.
“Since your losses on Earth, your personality seems to have shifted,” said the statue. “You’re taking actions that you would have disdained in the past. I’ve interacted with a range of people over the centuries, and they certainly weren’t all saints. Avin wasn’t the worst. But hiding and studying the corpses of slain dimensional travelers doesn’t fit with past interactions I’ve had with you.”
“Eventually we’re going to figure out how to send me back in time,” explained the former graduate student tersely. “That will undo everything, so it doesn’t matter what actions we take to get there.”
“There are two problems I see with this,” said the statue carefully. “First, you might be unsuccessful in traveling back in time. It’s never been accomplished before, so I don’t understand your confidence that it’s the inevitable outcome. Beyond that, doing these things affects you, and will continue to be part of your character even if you travel back in time.”
“I’m doing good things as well,” said Stephen, petulantly. “We’re saving the ecosystems of Earth and Mecond. We’re working on making you a body.”
“Morality isn’t a simple addition and subtraction sequence of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ actions,” said the statue. “And are the magnitude of these deeds equivalent? I appreciate your goal of making me a body, but not at the cost of enslaving and subjugating the populations of Earth, Mecond, Riowiver, and Clodor.”
“And they’ll all be free and unharmed when I travel back in time,” said Stephen. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. What progress have you made studying the items we found in Maggard’s manor?”
“Quite a bit, actually,” said the statue. “Maggard clearly intended to cover his tracks. Between the items that were found in his workshops and subverting his minions through their cybernetic implants, we’re getting a better understanding of what he was doing. We’ve been examining the poison he used to suppress your dimensional traveler abilities. We’re close to understanding how it works. The library artifacts in various states of construction were helpful in understanding how he was building them.”
“Might we be able to start making them ourselves?” asked Stephen.
The statue replied, “That’s the challenge. One part of the process involves ‘moral concessions’ that I’m not comfortable with.”
“What is it?” the man from Earth asked.
“Each library has the essence, or soul if you prefer, of a dimensional traveler in it,” said Adam. “This is what allows it to hold cards, the same way you do. For every library you want to make, you’ll need to kill another dimensional traveler.”
***
Days later, Stephen was in another duel.
The young woman, Lorienna, across the dueling field looked like a girl, but her pointed ears hinted at a non-human background. During the A.I.’s briefing before the duel, HAL had told Stephen that she was an elf variant. An array of nature symbols decorated her side of the field.
Throughout the duel, she hadn’t played any cards and just kept watching Stephen expectantly as she played batteries. Stephen likewise kept drawing cards and playing batteries, but also hadn’t played anything yet.
“I had heard you were good at researching your opponents’ decks,” Lorienna said. “I haven’t had many opponents successfully prepare for this deck. If you’ve found a good defense, I’ll be interested in figuring out how to overcome it. End turn.”
“Before the end of your turn, I’d like to play some fast cast incantations,” Stephen said, halting the end of the elf’s turn. “Most opponents don’t take such a rational view on deck building. They get annoyed if they lose. I’m playing ‘Magic Missile’.”
image [https://i.imgur.com/05HmMnZ.png]
Lorienna said, “Hold,” which paused the play of Stephen’s ‘Magic Missile’. She thought and considered the cards in her hand, then played ‘Counterspell’.
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image [https://i.imgur.com/7rnxn4O.png]
“That’s short-sighted of them,” she mused. “They won’t end up with a very strong deck if they don’t think of ways to improve it. Any other cards you want to play?”
“Yes,” said Stephen. “‘Instant Army’”
image [https://i.imgur.com/lk5b1Xy.png]
“I will pay the two power,” the elf said. All her batteries except one were depleted.
“Who told you I’m good at researching opponents’ decks?” Stephen asked.
“Feyrith,” she said. Seeing Stephen’s shocked expression, she continued, “You didn’t think you were their only friend, did you?”
“I didn’t think they’d be providing my opponents with intelligence against me,” Stephen said. “Should I be referring to you as ‘they’, like Feyrith?”
“I’m a different type of elf,” the elf said. “She is fine. And us elves have to stick together. End turn, unless you have anything else to cast.”
Stephen thought about it, then cast another low damage, fast cast incantation, which she didn’t counter this time. Stephen’s turn started and all of his batteries were restored. He played an ‘Awakening The Lands’ blessing.
image [https://i.imgur.com/Yx0wnx2.png]
Lorienna studied the blessing and her single available power. “That’s not ideal,” she admitted. “But not the end of the world.” Stephen played a second ‘Awakening The Lands’ blessing.
“Ahh,” she said, glanced at the cards in her hand, then sighed. “You are good. You’re going to start having trouble finding opponents soon. I concede.”
“You’re sure you don’t want to play it out,” offered Stephen. “You might get lucky.”
“I can’t do anything about the second blessing,” she admitted. “You’ve won.”
***
Sitting cross-legged in the shrine to Sylvoria the next day, Stephen studied the complex bonsai tree in front of him.
“You know, a country on Earth grew trees like this, they called them bonsai,” Stephen said to Orlenis, the cleric to Sylvoria.
“Don’t intellectualize it,” suggested the cleric, seated on the other side. “Study the tree. This, in small, is the entirety of the natural world.”
“Well,” said Stephen. “Obviously it isn’t the entirety. It may be representative of the whole, but that can’t literally be true.”
“Yes, it can and it is,” insisted Orlenis. “No metaphor, symbolism, or representation. The entirety of the natural world grows between us, and through that the sum of our goddess Sylvoria. Understand this and you’ll understand her.”
Stephen pursed his lips and studied the tiny tree.
***
Rurth, Blargh, Gorg, and Shomos sat with Stephen at a table in the Wizards' Guild’s dining room the next week.
“This feels like old times,” said Stephen.
Gorg glared at the traveler darkly. “You took control of me. No one controls Gorg.”
“You were being unreasonable,” said Stephen, absently. “I helped you focus.”
“No warlock controls Gorg,” the barbarian yelled and started to spring towards Stephen.
Stephen held his hands up, “I yield, I yield. We’ll do whatever you want.”
Gorg gave the former graduate student a look of disdain, then cuffed him lightly on the head. “You’re right, we will,” the barbarian said gruffly. "Gorg will lead now."
“I’m going to freshen up,” said Stephen, excusing himself. “Be right back.”
The three champions chatted for a few minutes, then Gorg suddenly vanished. A few minutes later, Stephen returned.
The others looked in surprise at where the barbarian had previously been.
“Where’d he go?” asked Blargh.
“I dimensionally traveled to Earth, put his card in my library artifact, then came back,” said Stephen. “He might be too volatile to have loose in the pocket dimension. Like the ghouls.”
“What did he mean about taking control of him?” asked Shomos.
“He was being a pain and refusing to follow through with plans,” said Stephen absently. “I gave him an order while he was exploring Riowiver.” The three champions stared at him.
“You gave him an order?” asked Rurth. “A 'forcing him to do your bidding' kind of order? I thought you’d never do that to us.”
“And I wouldn’t,” said Stephen. “You three are reasonable. He was being unreasonable. All I asked is he meet me at a set place and time, but he made me track him down every time I needed a status update. Honestly, he was more trouble than he was worth. Some druids are exploring Riowiver in his place.”
“And on Earth and Mecond too,” said Shomos.
“That’s right,” said the former grad student. “The three of you are more valuable here.”
“Well,” said Blargh. “That’s settled then. What are we drinking?”
“That’s not settled,” objected Rurth. Shomos had an angry look on her face. “You always said you’d never force your will on us like that, Stephen. You’re doing something you promised you never would.”
“Well, I’ve stopped doing it to him now, haven’t I?” Stephen asked, peevishly. “He’s in storage in the library artifact now.”
“These libraries are another thing,” Rurth said. “Each one represents a traveler that Maggard murdered. How are we keeping that to ourselves? Shouldn’t we be telling the community on Stredath what he’s done?”
“Maybe we will,” the man from Earth said. “Eventually. The time isn’t right yet. I want us to be the ones to catch Maggard and learn more about what he knows. Adam has figured out the composition of the poison Maggard used to rob me of my traveler powers. I want him, you, and me to work on a way to produce it. Perhaps we can even improve it, make a version that’s faster acting or can be delivered another way.”
“Why?” asked Shomos. “What are we going to do with it?”
“Catch travelers that cause us problems,” said Stephen. “Maggard to start with, maybe Avin after him.”
“Why?” asked Rurth. “What would we do with them if we caught them? You don’t need another library artifact. Even if you did, I hope you wouldn’t go through the ghoulish process of creating one. Why do we want to have a prison of travelers? Won’t that just be a new risk if they’re ever rescued or escape and word gets out that you’ve been kidnapping and imprisoning dimensional travelers.”
“Maggard got away with it, and I’d like to think I’m smarter than him,” Stephen said coldly. “We’re going to find out what else we can make with the essence of other dimensional travelers.”
***
Months later, Stephen and Rurth worked carefully and precisely on the body they were carving for Adam. The statue craned his head continually, watching what they were doing to the material below his neck and giving reminders. A team of cyborg golems, some clay and others made of stone which had had cybernetic components gracefully integrated, brought equipment and provided extra hands as needed.
“That’s right,” said Adam, looking at where Rurth was working. “Be aware of the feedback energy flow.”
“Yes,” said Rurth absently, focused on his work. “If we mess that up, you won’t have feeling in your left arm.”
“That’s right,” agreed Adam. “Keep those enchantments layered together tightly, Stephen. We don’t want to have to renew them every few decades.”
“I am,” said Stephen. “I am.”
***
Walking around the pocket dimension’s barrier two days later, Adam looked intently at everything they passed, while Stephen and Rurth kept asking him questions.
“When you’re walking,” said the statue, “do you ever worry that your attention will wander, and you’ll fall over?”
“Not usually,” said Rurth.
“Sometimes,” said Stephen. The journeyman wizard looked at him curiously and the former graduate student continued, “When you get out of bed first thing, you sometimes stumble. Or you have a head rush if you’ve been sitting for a long time. Or if you’ve been drinking.”
“Yes, certainly,” agreed Rurth. “If you’ve been drinking. Best you don’t fall over though, Adam.”
“No,” agreed the statue. “I had best not let my attention wander too much when I’m walking.”
“Probably wise,” said Stephen. “We have instincts, and we heal, although it isn’t great for us to fall over either. Babies do it, though. But they don’t have as far to fall, I suppose.”
The statue and the wizard nodded in agreement.
“You know,” said Rurth. “A project of this magnitude would usually be considered a masterwork for a journeyman wizard. At the Hopedale Wizards' Guild, I’d be considered a Master wizard after this.”
“Even after I did so much of the hard work,” Stephen said, winking at Adam. “Shall we travel to a dimension and take a look at your updated card?”
image [https://i.imgur.com/2yv02kG.png]