Chapter 13
COME OVER TO MY PLACE
“You there, Abi?” He called.
“Master!” a happy sounding female voice answered.
Her voice brought more memories into focus. “It’s been far too long,” Devon replied. Abi was the housekeeper for Haven. She represented the caravan’s sentience and managed everything concerning his home for him.
“Yes, indeed, master. Your father made sure that I am back to full functionality with some significant upgrades, too. While I have been awaiting your return, I have been researching current technologies, materials, and fashions.”
Devon walked over to the mirror and tapped the surface. The reflections vanished, and the glass seemed to gain depth as swirling mist filled the view. The mist coalesced into a group of gently rotating cubes and a cog that span at the bottom. Each cube was labelled. They said: ‘Hub’, ‘Hospital’, ‘Training area’, ‘Workshop’, ‘Games/VR room’, ‘War room’, and ‘Prison’. The cog had the word ‘Other Stuff’ floating beside it. The ‘Games/VR room’ cube was greyed out presently, but he’d soon sort that out.
He reached into the mirror and touched the ‘Hub’ cube, which turned red, and a sliding noise came from behind the curtain. There was a clunk as something heavy settled into place. The ‘Hub’ cube turned green.
“Be my guest,” he said to Izzy, motioning to the curtain he was holding to one side. Izzy stepped through into an enormous, circular room. It was at least one-hundred yards in diameter and twenty yards high. Everything in this room was alien to her, and she felt as if she had stepped into a different world. She gazed around in amazement. A perfectly smooth, white compound covered the walls, floor, and ceiling. The material radiated a glow, making other light sources completely unnecessary. Fine channels made from a transparent material crisscrossed the ceiling. Now and then, different coloured globules of light would travel slowly through them and disappear somewhere else. The whole place smelled clean.
Haven’s cylindrical core rose from floor to ceiling in the hub’s centre. It was formed from a strange, semi-translucent black crystal and was nearly fifteen feet thick. Deep inside the column, Izzy saw thousands of bright little lights of every colour. Sometimes they flashed; other times, they stayed lit or just disappeared completely. The whole column emitted a thin, shadowy mist that dissipated mere inches from its source; it hummed faintly.
On the left side of the circular wall were two doorframes. The far doorframe had been constructed from dark steel with a pillar nearby, supporting another full-length mirror. A dark gold formed the other frame. Both were empty, and Devon gazed forlornly at them.
“The gold portal is for my realm,” Devon said, indicating the gold frame.
“All gods and goddesses have a personal realm. I read about it,” Izzy replied. “The Pantheon closed your realm’s access when they lost you. Is that right?”
“Sadly, yes; although once I kill the fairy queen, I’ll take hers too. I was preparing to liberate the fairy queen’s realm just before I was cursed and had built a huge city in my realm. If I could get my realm back, everyone’s housing problems would be over. The other portal I can use to select a waygate and use it from here. I can also set portals wherever I need to if I get Abi to make me a portal charm.”
“You should set one in this nexus, master. If the portal stays open, I can now pull magical energy through it and use that to maintain myself.”
“Is that one of your upgrades, Abi?”
“Indeed, master. It will allow me to continue functioning should we run out of points. I think your father wanted to avoid fixing me again.”
“Right you are, Abi.”
Izzy continued to gaze around at the wonders contained in this strange room. Her eyes fell upon a silvery square on the floor, near the far wall. It was about thirty feet across but was only about ten inches thick. Izzy noticed a narrow line travelling horizontally, all the way around the square, suggesting that the platform was two platforms, one on top of the other. Izzy walked over to it in curiosity. The construction consisted of thirty-six smaller squares, all tightly slotted together. “What does this platform do?” she asked.
“Abi? Is this a new design for my mana-forge? Why is it so much bigger and segmented?”
“Yes, master. It can create far bigger designs now. The old cylinder design was limiting the size of your creations. It is segmented to enable transportation to a larger area. You may now purchase more segments for it, thus allowing you to expand it further. It is as big as it can be in this room.”
“I have not heard of a mana-forge. What is it?” Izzy was surprised that there were things about the Wayfarer’s life that she did not know. She had tried to learn everything she could in readiness for meeting the god to which she had devoted her life.
“Ah! My pride and joy and utterly unique. It utilises ancient creationist magic to pull matter from other dimensions and uses large amounts of mana to form that matter into designed objects. It can create anything if you have a design for it. Because it is a fundamental truth that you cannot make something from nothing, Haven acts like a giant recycling system. All waste is fed back into the forge to create new matter, and any shortfall is pulled in from elsewhere.
The construction is the easy bit, though. The hard work is all in here,” Devon said, tapping his head. “Designing requires a high amount of mental strength and good mana control. You create things in your mind and must mentally hold on to your creation throughout the design process. If you lose concentration, you lose all of your hard work.”
“Abi, where has my scanner gone?” Devon asked while looking around. “With all these new people and new technologies around, I’m going to need that soon.” He paused, and then a concerned look crossed his face. Another memory had popped into focus. “This isn’t about that last incident, is it?”
“No, master.” Abi tried to conceal the amusement in her voice. “The Pantheon chose to let that pass if you recall. The scanner is built into the mana-forge so you can scan much larger items.”
Izzy noticed that Devon looked relieved, but he didn’t elaborate, so she decided not to pry. Instead, she continued to gaze around the room. She spotted ten recliner benches arranged in an outwardly facing circle around the core. Izzy hadn’t noticed them earlier. Each seat had a white leather covering over plush upholstery. They looked exceptionally comfortable, and Izzy wondered why anyone might choose to relax in such a place. Ten someones relaxing was an even bigger mystery.
Devon saw her looking at the benches and smiled. He knew from experience that they were very comfortable and easy to fall asleep on. He’d done so many times. “They are the design benches, Izzy. You lie back and create things in your mind, using the designer and your imagination. Whatever your design, it can be constructed using the forge. They are right next to the core because Abi needs to interact with the creation in your mind. You need to be coated in a fine mist of mana for that to happen. Haven is one big magical energy conversion engine.”
Izzy nodded and stared again at the benches with a fresh look of awe.
Devon remembered why he had come in here. He held out his hand and reversed the soul summoning process. Shadowy souls billowed from his palm and formed into the shapes of their originators. Twenty-four humans and five boars. The shadows were drawn away toward the room’s core, where they were absorbed.
“Thank you, master. All souls accepted. No additional bounties from those. Would you like a points report?” Abi asked.
“I’ll look at that in the front room. Thanks, Abi. We’ll also need a room list.” He gestured to Izzy, and she led the way back into the front room. They both settled into their cosy chairs.
Just then, a familiar face poked its way through the bead curtains of the entrance.
“Hi, Finn, what’s up?”
“Uhm, well, we were wondering what is happening,” he replied.
“Oh yes, hah! Sorry, Finn, I was just settling back into my old life. I completely forgot that I have you all to think about now.”
“We imposed ourselves on you, Devon. Never feel guilty about being who you are.”
“Actually, can you organise some help and bring Gwen in with Madi and Beth? I have a hospital in here, and she can rest in there. We can discuss what happens next, too. Are Lorn and Grace awake yet?”
“Yes, they woke up a few minutes ago,” Finn said.
“Master, I would like to scan your new companions. They may have skills we can utilise, and I will need their sizes to make clothing. Also, I have added a farm upgrade to the room list so that I can supply fifty people with produce.”
Finn looked startled and glanced around.
“Don’t worry, Finn, that’s Abi. She oversees my home. Now, about Gwen?”
“Oh, yes, right. On my way.” His head disappeared back through the beads.
“Displaying your earnings report now, master.” Light swirled in front of them. Gradually the particles of light assembled into a floating list above the coffee table.
HAVEN POINTS EARNED: DEVON-001
Deed
Qty
Score
Total
Soul of Enemy: Level 1
10
250
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2500
Soul of Enemy: Level 2
9
300
2700
Soul of Enemy: Level 1: Elite
1
300
300
Soul of Enemy: Level 2: Elite
4
350
1400
Soul of animal; Boar
5
150
750
Nexus matrix repair (500x50)
500
50
25000
Assimilate mana-dragon
1
2500
2500
Residual points from previous occupancy
1
27550
27550
62700
“Woah! That’s a lot of points. It should be enough to get you fully updated, Abi, and have enough left to start building items for the new settlement,” Devon said, thrilled that Abi had managed to retain his previous points. That would help to achieve his plans that he had been working on. Abi would need to run through some significant technological upgrades too.
“Would you like the ‘Rooms and Upgrades’ list now, master?”
“I certainly would. Let’s get spending.”
Izzy looked at him in fascination. “You lead such a wonder-filled life. I cannot comprehend how much you could do with the resources you can control. I would dearly love it if you taught me to craft. Would you?”
“Yes, of course! It would be my pleasure. Crafting was always a passion of mine, and I think you would make an excellent crafter. The designer allows people to work together on creations as well, which might be fun. I need to make you some priestess’ garments and a suitable weapon. Maybe a magical staff?”
“You would do that for me?” Izzy said.
“Izzy, you act as if you are not part of my life now. Are you planning on leaving me?”
“No, my lord. I am bound to you as your priestess,” Izzy said.
“If you don’t want to stick around, then go, my priestess or not,” he said with a hint of testiness in his voice. “I don’t expect you to stay if you don’t want to be here.”
Izzy was shocked at how generous Devon could be and how coldly he could dismiss her if she did not want to stay. For her, that was strange, but she understood that his past was to blame. He had been hurt too many times and was cautious with those he was attracted to. Did that mean he wanted her in that way? Izzy usually acted out of obligation, rarely by choice. She had to admit that her feelings toward him had become intense, both physically and emotionally. He was her life now. Staying with him was all she wanted. However, her obligations to the resistance and her people were also essential commitments.
“Devon? Where shall we carry Gwen?” Finn shouted through the bead curtain.
“Bring her in here, Finn,” Devon replied. He jumped up and hurried over to the mirror. When it lit up, he selected the ‘Hospital’ option and waited until the cube went green. Finn and Beth struggled in through the entrance holding an inert Gwen between them. Devon pushed the curtain aside and guided everyone into Haven’s hospital. “Just rest her on one of the beds.”
Madi looked around in wonder. Sterile, white material that she didn’t recognise lined the floor, walls, and ceiling. It was a purified marble paste in resin that Devon had invented millennia ago, but Madi wasn’t to know that. Deep cupboards lined the walls and supported extensive work surfaces; glass-fronted cabinets were located higher up. They contained various bottles, assorted bandages, and other medical paraphernalia. Devon was no expert, but Abi knew what she was doing.
Devon had forgotten that Abi could communicate mentally too. With so many people around, that would come in handy. He had to smile at Abi’s resourcefulness. She worked for his benefit beyond anything else.
Madi started opening cupboards and rifling through the contents. Beth joined her moments later.
“Devon, this place is great. You badly need some robotic units in here, though,” Beth enthused.
“Master, I have added an item to the room list that includes such upgrades. I have included an upgrade in the hospital’s size too.”
Beth and Madi looked around in shock. “Who said that?”
“Devon has a housekeeper,” Finn said, proud that he knew something the women didn’t.
“I’ll have a cook too if I can persuade June to move in,” Devon smirked.
“You’ve already got her wrapped around your finger.” Beth laughed. “All we’ve heard is Devon this and Devon that. I don’t know what you said to Lorn, but she is suddenly your biggest advocate. She’s only nineteen, so watch her. I had some serious ambitions when I was her age.”
Devon felt pleased to hear that. He was contemplating taking Lorn and Grace under his wing, since they were also living with powerful mana-dragons and needed to learn how to harness that power. “Is Gwen comfortable? Can we leave her to sleep?”
“She’s dying, Devon,” Madi said sadly.
“The human part of her is dying,” Izzy said. “She is part faie, which are magical creatures and cannot live without magical energy. While there was no magic on Earth’s surface, the faie part of her was dormant. Devon has returned magic to Earth realm, and that part of her has woken up. In a day or so, the faie side will win the battle, and she will reawaken and be a stronger, healthier version of herself.”
Madi gawked at Izzy. “Devon, is there a way we can learn about all this? June said you mentioned building a school.”
“Yes, let’s retire to the front room. We have lots to discuss.”
****-****
Abi had set out another three armchairs, arranged in a semicircle around the roaring fire. A list of upgrades for Haven hovered above the coffee table in front of them.
Haven: Rooms and Upgrades: Devon-001
Cost
Hub upgrade 1: Capacity upgrades: Higher Capabilities
410
Hub upgrade 2: Modern Processing, Interfacing, surveillance
435
Hub upgrade 3: Digital infiltration, Information acquisition and compilation
550
Hospital upgrade: Robotics and tech enhancements plus extended capabilities
370
Hospital upgrade: Size upgrade. Treatment facilities for up to 20 people
550
Portal - Fixed gate - 20’ Diameter
200
Portal - Fixed gate - 40’ Diameter
450
Waygate Installation Kit
750
Mana-forge upgrade - Segment. Can expand or create new mana-forge
250
Design area: Mana-forge Upgrade - Laboratory + raw-mana sculpting
250
Design area: Mana-forge Upgrade - Masterwork Alchemical Laboratory
300
Design area: Mana-forge Upgrade - Artisan weapons factory
500
Design area: Mana-forge Upgrade - Artisan vehicle factory
500
Design area: Mana-forge Upgrade - Artisan munitions factory
500
Mana-forge Update - Modern Earth realm materials, compounds & templates
1250
War-room upgrade: Scanners (Long range)
120
War-room upgrade: Aerial downfacing scanner relay, transponder
279
Haven upgrade: External communications 2-way
200
Games room / VR Units for up to 25 persons
400
Games Room: Size upgrade. Capabilities for additional 25 people
450
Additional 30 permanent bedrooms: Includes luxury bed, facilities & storage
1150
Dormitory / Barracks - Sleeps 50: Includes luxury bunks, facilities & storage
3150
Self Sufficiency Farm Upgrade +50 persons
750
Medical Pod - Automated Emergency care for up to 50 people
1950
Training Room / Gymnasium Pod - 100 people
1875
Library and study rooms pod - 50 people
3750
Mana-forge output pod - 25 segments
4500
Farm Pod - Quality produce for 1000 people
7450
Expanded Catering Pod - Communal cooking facilities for up to 1000 people
3950
School Pod. Educational & VR facilities for 100 students.
4750
Finn and the three ladies stared at the list with rapt attention.
“That’s incredible. Can this little caravan do all that?” Beth asked. Her eyes were wide, and her face radiated fascination. “Do you want me to run your war-room? I could do that if you think it would be useful.”
“Yes, please, Beth. I don’t know what’s coming, but that would be very helpful. I’ll have to get you into the library and put you through a course on how to use the room.”
Beth started looking around the room. “He’s talking to someone again. Izzy is here, and Gwen is out of it. Who can he be talking to?”
“Abi, the housekeeper,” Devon said. “I’ve asked her to build everything on that list. She tells me that there is enough fresh food to feed us all for ten days. By then, I will have the larger food production facility working, as well as some other interesting projects Abi has just started work on.”
“Can you afford to build everything?” Madi asked in concern.
“It’s costly, but I think you might be worth the expense,” Devon said. He swept his fringe back with his hand and gave Madi a small smile. Now that he had achieved his first objectives, the next step was to get back at the fairy queen and her entourage. There would be a lot of deaths on the way to that. Points for the settlement were the least of his worries.
“Devon, you’re doing so much for us. How can we ever repay you for this?” Finn asked.
“There’s still plenty of work for you all to do, Finn,” Devon responded. “I will not be running this settlement. I want that absolutely clear. That is for you all to sort out between you. I’m just helping in the ways that I can. My role means I must travel often. However, I would like to share this place with you and make it my home, too.”
“Of course, we promised that we would take care of all that,” Madi said. She stuck her jaw out in the same way that Finn did when he was determined about something.
“It won’t just be for the forty-seven of you, Madi. There will likely be thousands of other refugees from at least two different worlds. I haven’t worked everything out just yet,” Devon said.
Everyone but Izzy looked at him in shock. This was the first they knew of his ambitions for the settlement.
“Relax, these are just my thoughts, and they still need work. Besides, I happen to have grown quite fond of you all, so I’m simply helping my new friends, even that ginger one there,” he laughed, pointing at Beth. “Now, I’ve got plenty of food stashed away, and we all need to eat tonight. Does June do all the cooking?”
“June is our main cook, and Dawn helps out. She’s the lady with the two daughters,” Beth answered. “I think I can speak for everyone when I say we’ve grown to find you quite tolerable too. Most of the time. Although you can be an insufferable show-off sometimes.” She gave him a wicked grin.
Devon chuckled and shook his head. “Can we get the cooks in here and get them busy with the meal then?”
“On that?” Madi asked, her voice incredulous. She pointed to the small spit assembly above the fire.
“He’s probably got a massive kitchen stashed in here somewhere,” Beth said.