CVETKA KRALJ
She received a message and her yanigaleaean resistance bristled as if she found herself exposed to some form of magical Manipulation, that she was unable to neutralise. but that overshadowed her class skills like the moon was overshadowed on a sunny day. She was aware that reading the text would drain her magic as well as her class abilities leaving her at Mercy of every Salamar. But reading it was important so she did:
It stated that due to the unstable situation on Windrush no alcohol will be shipped anymore as well as to support action against Windrush in parliament.
Rush noticed his grandfather's writing. People were angry against the Windrush rebels and were penning letters to their representative and their parents.
She felt enticed to do the same but decided against it. No one would use level 100 magic to influence their friends and colleagues in parliament. There was something he wasn't telling us and it seemed obvious. She Checked the news about Windrush but found too little. She found out that riots happened but not why and instead found links to something called Radio Free Windrush. Hesitantly, she tuned in and immediately recoiled from the voice that seemed just off. A person who introduced himself as Kadish listed the unlimited Potential's crimes, most of which seem minor until he in a shaky, stammering voice offered context. It sounded like nothing a good lawsuit could not settle, but who knows if they have the ability to sue. The others stood Motionless. And they all glared at her.
"What now?" she asked in confusion.
"'I do not appreciate you listening to complete garbage of propaganda," Crystal stated, sounding like the applied magic and its influence.
Realising that her own class skills don't have the strength to defeat the foreign influence, she decided to hedge: "if you still agree with Radio Free Windrush tomorrow, I will support you."
And what if we don't?" Rush asked.
"In that case, I want to follow your conscience."
Shivers-In-Sunlight
Xe had not expected to see a human arrive in xir village.
And yet Cvetka arrived in the evening, and asked for assistance: "does Windrush mean anything to you?"
Shivers actually shivered slightly: "Who told you?"
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"My parents want us to drum up support for decisive action against the planet. And now I need your assistance to break through the manipulation to prevent this from happ. I listened to Radio Free Windrush and found out. About the Variakaan treaty and in detail about how it was violated. I heard about the second system and how it assists them in the fight for independence." The human explained
Shivers asked incredulously: "Radio Free Windrush?"
Cvetka explained: "Information from the 'repositories of Windrush ',so in short: counter propaganda. they're just horribly bad at it. It doesn't feel like it was using magical influence at all. "
Shivers asked for clarification:" Magical influence? Do you mean: Magical mind control? Skips told me about this kind of magic. It sounds scary to me."
The human confirmed: "indeed. The Sparrow family specialises in it. I had to wipe their influence off Rush regularly. His grandfather wants to marry him off to an heir of the Greenland family. His company invented the system. Unlimited Potential is run by the Greenland Corporation. As you mentioned I The magical manipulation: The Sparrow Corporation is a media empire. They are famous for their attempts to ensure compliance in newly integrated planets and they are behind some of the most beloved entertainment franchises. I can see the synergy between the companies. But I don't appreciate it and Skips, or Sarah, didn't appreciate his advances either. You could see the animosity between her and Rush."
Shivers responded: "I can see why you want to shield your folks from this kind of manipulation.How can I help?"
"Does your village have any yanigals?"she asked.
"Any what?" xe responded in confusion.
"It is a class in the black system. I have it and it can wipe manipulation off of people. A group of Yanigals can protect them."
"We do not have classes in the black system. But we might be able to assist. Windrush requires our help as a newly integrated world in Solidarity."
Xe had some ideas as to how to weaken their influence hopefully enough to make them back off: "So, what did the message say without the magical manipulation?" Xe asked
"No alcohol due to the unrest on Windrush ask parliament for harsher measures against the planet," she summarised.
Xe clicked xir mandibles: "Do people need to sterilise a lot or why is that so important?"
Cvetka laughed: "People like drinking it. It makes them feel better and behave worse. It lowers inhibitions and makes you think you can dance. I am not against the stuff but I don't appreciate the community of drunk people. Drunk Rush is a pain who hits on every girl around him when he has had a few drinks."
"Not just Skips?"
"Literally everyone. Including me. Do you doubt my words?" she asked in anger.
"I don't, but I needed to be certain about the implications of that. It apparently made someone under firm manipulation act like his real self. For better or worse. If this was actually the case, we can use it to break the spell.
A few hours later, Cvetka and Shivers were making an experimental pot still to use on fermented tubers, which the scorpions ate with their snail stew. Cvetka had taken inspiration from how people from before the system made vodka and out of clay and bronze ore for the narrow and curved swan neck improvised a pot still via which they made something alcoholic with a strong, bitter taste and a clear colour. Cvetka suggested asking for more potatoes in the delivery of groceries to make a more traditional vodka, but for now the vodka made from a vegetable that had only a name in shivers' native language (which Cvetka struggled to pronounce) was enough. Xe just hoped it was enough.