I am watching the children. I have considered meditating. There are gains to consolidate for sure. Yet what does it matter now? I have done a double check.
Consequences for the inhabitants of the dissolution of this transformation zone?
Annihilation
When will the proposed ritual dissolve this zone?
At the halfway point of the fallback, 32.25 hours from the time of reintegration.
Consequences for the person triggering the ritual?
Reduction to a pure soul. Further consequences unpredictable.
--
Jan has rejoined me.
P: So they told you?
J: Yes. Technically it is fascinating.
P: The liquor cabinet is open, if you prefer that.
J: No thank you. I’d like to keep use of my faculties. I guess you fulfill the triggering conditions.
P: I do. Now I know why we got new equipment.
I show him the hard copy of my dialogue with the systems.
J: Yes. This is an unholy ritual, though we are not supposed to use that terminology in the Network.
P: That suggests that these machines are unholy objects.
J: Indeed.
P: Will you perform the ritual?
J: Sure.
P: Do you think that they tricked you into coming here to be sure that a fully trained ritualist will do the ritual?
He scratches his head.
J: No. The other zones produced the same irregularities, just to a much smaller extent. An unintended, though from their perspective welcome, side effect.
P: Do you mind if I meditate a bit? It may be stupid, but I feel I should be as calm as practical when I do the teleport.
J: Good idea. Do you mind me checking your device for unholy properties?
P: No, not all. We ought to know for sure. By the way, I have looted this object which should activate one of your essence abilities.
Gun: [Tools of the Magister] Special Ability Iron 2 (44%) [Joy of Sustained Fire] Blood Special Attack Iron 2 (1%) [This is my Gun] Myriad Special Attack/Conjuration
Iron 2 (40%)
[Chemical Warfare] Defiance Special Attack/Conjuration
Iron 1 (5%)
[Hyperkinetic Cannon] Gun Special Attack/Conjuration Iron 1 (11%) Vast: [Giant Form of the Ancestors] Special Ability Iron 1 (47%) [Immortality] Tree Special Ability Iron 2 (36%) [Nebelwerfer 42] Focus Special Attack/Conjuration Iron 1 (4%) [Arsenal of the Mad Scientist] Magotech Special Ability Iron 2 (10%) [Eldritch Eyes] Water Special Ability & Attack Iron 0 (87%) Dimension: [Teleport] Special Ability Iron 2 (1%) [Dance by my Will] Dance Aura Ability Iron 3 (6%) [Eternal Moment] Reach Special Ability Iron 1 (61%) [Path in Time] Hunt Perception Ability Iron 2 (50%) [Wrath of the Magister] Corruption Special Attack/Spell Iron 1 (70%) Battlefield: [Equip the Army] Special Ability Iron 3 (14%) [Robotic Servant of War] Magotech Special Attack/Conjuration
Iron 2 (8%)
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[Pipes of War] Unity Special Ability Iron 1 (35%) [Cornucopia] Feast Special Ability Iron 0 (33%) [Feast of Decontamination] Light Special Ability Iron 0 (47%)
--
I am making the unusual experience of carrying children who have fallen asleep without intervention off to bed. I am hitting the sack, too. There is no point in frantically clinging to every minute. My ancestors may be waiting for me. And dreams may be sweeter than reality.
That turns out not to be true. Lidija knocks on the door.
L: Now or never.
P: Now.
--
We are listening to the sounds of breakfast. The children are hungry. I chuckle.
L: What?
P: We are acting like people in a movie.
L: Well, then some hero would arrive and hilarity would ensue when we realize that we did something we would never have done under regular circumstances.
P: I regret nothing.
L: Nothing?
P: At least not about last night. In general …
L: Now are you telling me that you never swam in the southern oceans?
P: I did actually. And I cannot complain about a lack of travel to exotic destinations.
She laughed.
P: Envy?
L: Actually yes. Why can’t you teleport with me?
P: Iron rank teleport is strictly personal only. I can take things with me, in my storage space and on my person. Well, some living things with very much reduced animation like seeds are possible and stay viable …
We look at each other.
L: Your venom!
--
We barely take the time to dress.
The discussion is lively but we decided to risk it. What do we have to lose? Under these circumstances we really have to hurry a bit.
P: We have very few health potions left. I think our medic better have an essence power for healing. I have looted a Life essence.
KN: I concur. How do we do this?
J: I’ll do the ritual. I’ve unlocked my essence abiliy [Enact Ritual]. This will be much faster than you suspect.
Z: Sting the children first, our medic last, Lidija second to last, as she has healing powers.
PN: How to do this in detail?
KN: Intramuscular injection. Into the largest muscle.
She slaps her backside.
I look at Zora.
Z: My scutes.
I nod.
She clenches her fists.
Z: I see. Yes, you may do it that way. But if you ever mention this anywhere else …
--
I stand in the middle of a circle glowing with golden light. I feel lonely and cold. The sun being gone temperature has started dropping. I was wearing heavy conjured clothing, but I cannot risk it interfering. So I am nacked having cast it out of the circle at the 1 minute mark. The machines are counting down. I wave at Maria’s grave. The crack in reality over me is growing brighter and brighter.
I teleport at the zero mark.