Our meeting evolves into an exciting planning session as Bones reveals the plans for our portal town. The Anvileers are open to working together, even living together. Gavin even thinks a few would want to join the dungeon if possible. All four of them are excited about having a town of portals connecting different parts of the island. Though the idea has been done before, none of them got to be a part of the town building or even lived in such a town.
Becky is the most excited about the prospects. She adds her ideas and input to the town layout, and Bones updates his rough sketch of the concept on the board. Gene, Gavin, and Scotty occasionally leave to check on their people. Annette sends a few mental probes to check on things, and Cru also takes a moment to check with his spiders. Becky and Bones keep planning and drawing up mocks for the town the whole time.
"I must say," Becky finally steps back from the board and puts the quill down. She took on a more active role in mapping halfway through the session. At least, I think that's when she did. My passive focus got jealous of my other minds and did a little wandering. "I think your plan is near perfect. Creating an academy for the kids will shift the focus from them to scholarly pursuits. If you keep the entrance fee as cheap as you planned, you will win loyalty from many people. On top of that, using the adventure guild to facilitate the dungeon in the shadow caverns will attract the rest of the unwanted attention. If you are successful in setting this up, if we are successful, people will fight the horde for us.
I didn't think our plan was that great. Hearing Becky's words and seeing the other humans nod in agreement fills me with all sorts of confidence and excitement. Maybe this can work after all. Perhaps peace isn't so far off for us here. "Do you think people will come?" I find myself asking.
"Build the portals, and they will come," Gavin says. The gruff leader of the humans has allowed his posture to become worse than mine. His eyes are sagging, and in the last thirty minutes, I've noticed him violently stir occasionally. However, I never witnessed his eyes actually closing. He must be one of those paranoid types who sleeps with his eyes open.
"On behalf of the adventure guild, I can offer up two runes for portals. One is for the academy, and one is for the dungeon. Academies don't normally qualify for portal access. Since this will also open up the island's entrance, I'm sure I can justify the expenditure." Scotty is still lounging in his chair. Surrounding him are the discarded plates and cups he used to carry him through the planning session.
"That leaves us shy of four portals…" says Becky with what might be a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"We've got two of our own and enough cores that we should be able to create two more. Though I do not have a ritual for it, perhaps we can buy some plans from a major city."
"If you have the cores, I can create the portal runes, though it is a heavy expenditure in terms of energy and cores." Every head in the room turns to the storm warden. Admittedly, my head only turns because I don't want to be left out. I'm assuming Bones did the same.
"Air mana isn't usually associated with runes," Annette says skeptically.
"You are right," Becky responds with a deep exhale and, with the same breath, mutters to herself. "Princess, forgive me, I want this… Portal Town to work. Hell, if possible, I think I might even like to join the dungeon myself. That said, I don't feel like I can hold my cards from all of you when you have shared so much with me. Trust goes both ways. Right now, you know me as Becky. In the past, I've been known as Flint and Clip, and, well... I don't know much beyond Clip. I am a light mirror wizard."
Becky's form changes with each of her two names. Flint is a bulky man as thick as the largest tree with a sizable gut. Across his chest are several leather bands that hold an assortment of knives and metal rods attached to a curved handle. On his back is a massive club, and in his hand, he holds a wooden staff much thicker and longer than Bo. His thick, reddish face is covered by an even redder beard and dirty locks of hair drape down his back. Unlike the storm that surrounds Becky, Flint feels raw, like nature.
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Alternatively, Clip is as slender as Scotty, though not quite as tall. Like Flint, he wears bandoliers across his chest, which hold similar weapons, just more elegantly. Clip looks regal and fancy, including the thin sword he wears at his hip. Most notably, Clip is an elf with short hair and long ears. Light radiates from him intensely as it does Lana.
"Everyone is shocked… I'm shocked," Bones says as he claps Clip on the shoulder in a gesture of support. "So, which one is the original?"
"I don't know," It's Becky's voice, and the wizard is returning to the storm warden form. "I remember being a light wizard as a child and learning the mirror technique. However, all my memories before that time are a dark haze.” The storm warden stutters and tries to hide her wince. It’s as if the thought of diving into her childhood memories brought her pain. “I only remember shifting in this form. As I got older, I mirrored new forms that felt equally as comfortable as this one."
"Can you access your other mana in this form?" Asks Annette.
"The mana only works when I'm in the form I'm mirroring."
"Thank you for your trust, Becky," Gene says. Out of everyone, she is the least surprised. Scotty has the most shocked expression. If Gavin wasn't half asleep, he'd be a contender. Lana jolted from the information but didn't seem surprised. "We will keep what you shared to ourselves. It's up to you to share with anyone outside of this meeting. Likewise, we have a few more things we should share with you.
****
I'm sorry to intrude on your thoughts, princess. Annette's voice flows through Lana's mind, catching her a bit off guard. I didn't intend to read your thoughts, but I had already created this link between us when you were about to speak. I am sorry. I am glad you also want to be open, but I advise you to keep your information to yourself.
You want me to keep secrets from your people? Having the conversation through her mind is something she had never experienced. She's had soul conversations that were similar but nowhere near as intrusive.
I don't want you to reveal that you know Jim… or, in your case, Kip.
The man doesn't remember who he is, and you don't want me to tell him I can help him? Are you serious? Lana remembers Bones mentioning that Jim wasn't interested in gaining his memories. She figured that was a joke, like most of the things the skeleton said. How could someone not want to know about their past?
Exactly. Keep what you know private for now. Maybe there will be a time to share your information with Jim. It is not right now.
He should at least be given the choice. How can I trust that you have his best interests in mind? How can I trust that keeping this secret is the best for Jim? Lana had to keep herself calm. The last time she felt so much frustration was when she last saw Jim. Her mind flashes, and she finds herself in a desert, watching Jim wake up from a deep sleep. At her side, Annette appears.
"I know we don't have a foundation of trust yet. I promise I'm only looking out for Jim. I'm oath-bound to protect him, after all. I'd never share these memories without his permission. For you, I make an exception. After watching this, you can decide whether to share your information."
Lana watches Jim's life play before her in an instant. All of his victories, failures, frustrations, and heartbreaks. She feels the pain deep in her heart as she watches him suffer alone. Yet, Jim never felt the need to reconnect with his past. The natural urge to discover who he was and what was left behind was only a tiny idea for him. In this new life, Jim was free, and the past that haunted him before no longer weighed upon his shoulders.
"Jim is not a part of the dungeon?" Lana finds her world turning upside down once again.
"No. But everything depends on Jim. Whether he accepts it or not, we all depend on him. We fall if he falls."
"You are afraid I'll take him away… and betray him?"
"No, princess. In fact, the further Jim is from us, the safer we are. We do not want him to leave. I do not think he wants to leave —"
"I will agree to your secret on one condition. You search my memories of Kip, and if you still feel I should not tell him all I know, I will not."