“Cal what do you mean magical battleships exactly?” Jen managed to find her voice first.
“Well, think about the armies we’ve seen. We aren’t anywhere near near able to fight on the level Ralth was and he didn’t even make a dent. If we want to have any real chance of saving the planet and probably the universe, we will need an army. I had already been considering just what we could construct in the space that we have in the spirit realms, and now we have what appears to be the foremost expert on mechs on our side, so I get to start testing this out.”
“Yes, but what does that have to do with magical battleships exactly? There seems to be a lot of holes there. How do we build them? Melissa may know how to build a mech, but building something of the size you are talking about it a very specialized field of engineering, and a ship like that takes thousands of people to crew it. Look, son, I’m not saying it’s a bad idea. I just don’t see how it’s feasible.” Stan said.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, this is totally impossible as our resources currently stand, barring we spend a few millennia at this, but that’s also the point. Theoretically, we have unlimited time to keep to solve this. The real problem is how do we get an army, train them, and at the same time keep the Gryalth ignorant on what is happening until the last moment. Oh, and at some point, we are also going to need a bard.” Cal laughed at their reactions. This one he had known since nearly the start of the loops and realized the scope of the war.
“Honestly, I agree with Cal. We will need an army if we want to win this, and I assume you want a bard to quickly bring everyone outside of the loop into the fight when the moment comes?” Instead of laughter Ethel had been nodding along with everything Cal had said.
“Exactly! See, Ethel gets it.” Cal was excited that someone else understood where his mind had gone with this. As for the army problem, well, Andrew is a master of mad science, so I wouldn’t count anything out just yet.”
“I want to know just how bad the Gryalth attack on Earth is that yos think the rest of the universe can’t handle it. There are a lot of powerful channelers hiding out there, and they’ve come together before when shit has gone real bad. I don’t really see a backwater like this truly producing a universe-ending threat.” Onelder interjected with his own brand of optimism.
“Well, at the end of this loop, you will get to see, and if you haven’t pissed me off enough, you may also get to remember for the next loop. The real issue isn’t so much as the initial attack on Earth, as I understand it, though. It’s just the staging point for the resources needed to bring their true armada into our universe. You’re probably even right here. Earth likely is nothing compared to some of the space-faring empires, but’s also likely why it was chosen as the initial target, a complete lack of resistance.” Cal hated that he had decided Onelder was more useful loop aware than locked away at the start of every loop.
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“How many times do I have to apologize for trying to kill ya?” The alien actually sounded earnest with the question, confusing Cal.
“Look, I get it. You are trying as much as you are capable of. Luckily for you, we have years, and time heals all wounds. Alright, everyone. I think you’ve heard enough of my crazy future schemes for now. Let’s go find the mana pool.” Cal quickly finished his own breakfast and started preparing to move on from this grove.
“Do we get a squirrel guide the whole way, or are we just doing our best to follow the map?” Stan asked as he, too, finished his meal.
“I’ve arranged for us to have a guide to the next grove. Once we get there, we will determine if someone is willing to escort us to the next. After that, we may not be able to find a guide as there is no grove between it and the pool, but as they were able to provide us the location it’s possible someone is willing to direct us.” Ethel whistled gently, and two gray squirrels climbed down from a tree. “Hello, little ones. As we discussed, would you be so kind as to lead us to the next grove over on this path here?” She pointed on the map to their first destination.
The squirrels chirped between themselves and then darted to the cavern entrance on the other side of the biggest copse of trees. “I suppose that means hurry up and get our shit packed before they leave without us?” Cal asked.
“Oh, they will wait, but I’m telling them it’s your fault if we take too long and to make sure to find an uncomfortable spot for your sleeping bag at the next stop.” Ethel glared at Cal as she answered his question. Cal, not willing to risk it, packed anything he had left at record speed and ran over to wait with the squirrels, offering them some of the breakfast scraps, hoping to gain their allegiance.
As they walked to the next underground grove Cal continued to consider his future plans for the Gryalth war. At some point he, and likely Melissa, would need to make contact with the Agency directly. There was still the matter of the other scientists they needed to solve as well. Then there were the harder-to-answer questions: what happens when they win and kick the Gryalth out of their universe? Christopher was still lost somewhere out there, and he needed to be found. What about all the other universes that had been devastated by the Gryalth, what happens to them? Hell, what happens when the time loop ends? Will it end?
Cal decided to stop with the existential questions for now and instead focus on the current mission.