Beyond All Expectations (Emerilia Book 8)

by Michael Chatfield

  “Hello, Admiral Adams. It is good to meet you,” Shard said with a kind smile.

  “You two—how is this possible?” Adams asked.

  “I am running through a Mirror of Communication so that Edwards and I can work on different projects without him having to visit me within the Mirror of Communication,” Shard said.

  “He’s been helping me out with the soul gem construct magical coding. That’s a mouthful, even for me!” Edwards chuckled.

  “The new class of ship that you are building is extremely complicated and the requirements needed for the ships are large. However, if we can complete this prototype, then we can start to grow these ships instead of making material and soul gem construction hybrids.” Shard looked to Edwards. “Though we will need to agree to share the plans once completed.”

  “What do you want these plans for?” Adams asked.

  “So we can build ships as well. By we, I mean the Aleph and Dave,” Shard said.

  “You want to build ships—how?” Adams asked.

  “Dave has taken over a moon. He’s got drills and other machinery hollowing it out and building a number of facilities. He also has built a shipyard for his different prototypes deep within Emerilia. He has plans to construct several more shipyards. We’re not planning on just letting the Jukal know that we know about their system and not have a way to fight back,” Shard said in an amused tone.

  “What kind of ships are you building?” Adams asked.

  “Arks and destroyers,” Shard said. Two holograms appeared in front of him, rotating slightly.

  Adams looked at the two vastly different ships. One was a purebred warship. It was sleek and orderly, with weapons emplacements and missile tubes. The other was massive with bands of weapons and armaments that rotated around it. Each ship was covered in glowing runic lettering. These ships were not borne of technology; they were vessels powered by magic and Mana.

  “I am translating all of the necessary requirements into magical coding, which is part of the reason that I needed to be physically here. I am limited in my processing ability. Being here, I can run thousands of times faster with all of these servers linked to me,” Shard said.

  Adams looked around at the different banks that were quietly humming in the room. “How long will it take for you to get the coding ready for our ships here?”

  “About a week—maybe two, depending on changes,” Shard said.

  “Tell her how long it will take for you to do the coding for the destroyer-class warships.” Edwards crossed his arms and looked at Adams.

  “Approximately two months, at least,” Shard said.

  Adams was once again left in a state of shock at his words.

  “A destroyer is seven hundred meters long and four hundred meters wide. Its systems are much more complicated and as I go, I will be running sub-processes to maximize the potential of the ship. You, however, already have a plan of different ships and I am simply changing it over and adding some modifications. I have a number of different, highly complicated, and specialized systems to combine together. Every project that Dave, the people in his class, and the people who work for him have come up with magical coding is stored within my mind. I can use these and put them together into something that I can’t predict the effectiveness of. As better and cleaner magical coding is found and added to my memory, I can push updates out to the different ships so that they are always at the best possible condition.” Shard smiled.

  A warship with internals that can be changed and updated as if it were software. This thought ran through Adams’s mind, her face blank. It was highly complicated but the possibilities… With time, these ships wouldn’t ever become obsolete but instead become stronger and stronger, no different from brand-new ships built even a dozen years later.

  “Holy shit,” Adams muttered to herself.

  ***

  Lucy smiled to the Stone Raiders and other traders and customers who flocked to Verlun’s Stone Raiders’ Guild Hall.

  Since the fight with Lord Esamael, Verlun had turned into a trading hub, with the Stone Raiders’ Guild Hall becoming a pillar for the city’s trade and commerce.

  Now, massive fifty-foot walls surrounded the growing complexes of stores of all kinds. The ono here was constantly in use, moving people to Terra. The teleport pad had been moved to Terra so that the city could connect to more onos. The network of onos and teleport pads was massive, connecting nearly all of Emerilia.

  Lucy’s pace picked up as she entered the guild hall. She quickly rushed up the stairs until she was within Florence’s office. As she entered, her calm face turned into a frown. “What was it that you wanted me to rush over here for?” Lucy asked Florence, who stood in her office.

  “Well, someone wanted to talk to you,” Florence said.

  “Who?” Lucy asked.

  “Me!” an excited voice said. A woman wearing airy white clothes appeared in Florence’s chair.

  “Lucy Vernia, I am Venfik, friend of the Lady of Air.” Venfik, an older, refined-looking elf with the vitality of a man much younger, smiled kindly as he waved to the child-like woman in Florence’s seat.

  “Lady of Air,” Lucy said, as if tasting the words, looking at the two people in front of her. She felt that they were strong, but they hid their strength well.

  “That’s me, but you can call me Air. I think we’re going to become great friends!” Air said.

  “Very well. For what did you wish to meet me for?” Lucy asked.

  “Most people get all frazzled about meeting me, bowing and that stuff.” Air waved her hand, as if dismissing it. “Seems you really are a cool cucumber.” Air winked and giggled a little bit.

  “Air,” Venfik said, in a tone of a man with endless patience.

  “What?” Air looked to Venfik.

  He gave her a look, turning his head to look at Lucy and then back.

  “Well, I was going to get there eventually,” Air muttered as she pouted slightly. Her face quickly brightened as she smiled to Lucy. “Be my champion.”

  Those three words made Lucy’s eyes go dull but she didn’t move a muscle.

  Florence’s eyes went wide, looking around the room.

  “Why?” Lucy asked.

  “Huh, most just take the damn power-up. Well, why, why indeed? I like Emerilia, don’t really want to see it destroyed. If you become my champion then you’ll get access to information networks across nations, from the highest seats in power. This means you can find out where these spawn points are going to be faster, also access to a ton of information on the different kinds of creatures and the like. Though I bet Fire has all that stuff, so that’s not really all that big of a plus. Hmm, well, I kind of want you to convince Fire, Water, and Neuty to let me join in on the plans. I’ve already started to unite Ashal and I’m getting bored! I want to be a part of messing with Earth, Dark, and Light.” Air nodded with a proud smile on her face.

  It reminded Lucy of a child who had been praised for spelling out a word. Lucy’s gaze moved to Venfik. The old elf smiled kindly; he acted as if he was a fatherly figure to the childish Air.

  Increased access to more spies was a big bonus, but she had information networks already. Also, vouching for her to the other gods and goddess who were supporting the Stone Raiders and the people of Emerilia was asking a lot.

  “I barely know you, why would I put in a good word for you with the others?” Lucy crossed her arms.

  Some of the childishness seemed to fall away for a split second, morphing into a calculating look, and then her playful smile returned so fast that Lucy didn’t know whether she had really seen the expression on Air’s face.

  “Good, then we can work closely together and we can start to change the outcome of this event!” Air said.

  “What?” Venfik, Lucy, and Florence said at the same time.

  “There is little for me to do within Emerilia right now. All of the alliances and treaties that I have backed have been confirmed and they are becoming stronger wit
h time. My other champions are looking after all of the details now. I can help you in dealing with the different people who have allied themselves with the Stone Raiders to see that they do not let their support waver. If they are being attacked but there is a bigger threat, it will be hard to get them to move the forces that they hold in Terra to help rather than look to their own people. I can help to get past these stumbling blocks and others. Also, I know that there is some group behind Neuty. I want to find out more information on them and what they’re doing,” Air said.

  Lucy felt her eyebrow rise. Air might act childish, but behind it all she had a sharp mind that allowed her to influence Emerilia from the shadows.

  “Also, I think we should be able to find out where the other members of the Affinities Pantheon live in case we ever need to pay them a visit.”

  The offer was amazing, but still Lucy was hesitant. “I will need to talk to others before I can reach a decision.”

  “Fine, fine—just don’t take too long. I’m really bored.” Air stretched out the last word as Venfik sighed slightly, wrinkles appearing on his forehead.

  Lucy didn’t know whether to smile or frown as Air sent her contact details to Lucy.

  A champion of the Lady of Air. She might be a little odd, but she’s kind of fun. I hope that I can trust her in the future.

  BAE Chapter 9: Hope for the Future

  Dave closed the door behind Induca and Suzy. He felt drained with the events of the last couple of days. He moved through the apartment he and Deia lived in. He was about to make it into his and Deia’s room when little Koi started to cry.

  “I feel like this is going to be a common thing,” Dave muttered. The corners of his mouth pulled upward into a smile. He turned toward Koi’s crib. Dave and Deia had settled on the name before they left the hospital.

  “Hey there little one, what’s wrong?” Dave gently picked her up. He held her up and smelled her bottom. “Phew, okay, stinker!” Dave’s eyes watered a bit as he carried Koi over to the changing table.

  He got off the nasty diaper and replaced it. Dave found out that Emerilians were still using cloth wrappings for diapers. He’d taken patents off the Internet, got a factory working, and the Exdar’s Traders were now selling baby diapers by the ton across Emerilia.

  He’d also made baby wipes and all other kinds of items to look after Koi with.

  He quickly cleaned her up and placed on a new diaper.

  Koi’s cries had fallen away as she played with the rack of items above her head.

  Dave shook his head as he got her little one-piece sleeping clothes back on. He grabbed a bottle of prepared milk, checking it was the right temperature. He picked up Koi and held the bottle up to her lips. Her covered hands half-held the bottle while she clamped down on the end of the milk bottle and started to drink.

  Dave smiled as she finished off downing the milk. Dave put the milk away; gathering Koi up, he patted and burped her, bouncing her slightly.

  She burped, her movements slowing down as her eyes started to close. Dave cleaned up her face, humming slightly as Koi slowly fell asleep.

  He laid Koi down in her bed, wrapping her up like a small burrito so only her head was visible. She looked so peaceful as she laid there.

  Dave yawned, smiling as he left the room and headed to his own.

  Deia was passed out in bed. She’d had it even harder in the last couple of days. She’d been on Health potions and the like.

  In the space of just a few moments of Jules’s attention, it was as if she had never had a child.

  Dave threw off his clothes and got into bed.

  “How is she?” Deia asked faintly, not opening her eyes as her arms moved around Dave. Now without her belly, she once again could fully cuddle Dave.

  “She’s fine, put her to bed.” Dave’s arm curled around Deia, his fingers drawing over her lower back.

  Deia let out a happy noise, moving slightly to kiss Dave before settling her head on his shoulder.

  Dave quickly fell asleep, cuddling his woman to him as his daughter peacefully slept in the other room.

  ***

  Malsour looked at the laboratory that Steve, Dave, Bob, and he worked in most of the time.

  He looked at the fusion reactor, the Mana wells, the teleportation array, different machines and coding plates laid across the room, from parts that could make up a surface-to-space missile, to dwarven artillery cannons and plans of the plasma cannons that Deia and Induca wielded. There were locked and secured orbs that Dave had made.

  Here was where they made the weapons and devices that could save Emerilia in the future.

  He moved to a new area at the back of Pandora’s box. He passed through a nondescript doorway and entered a room with two different portals, and three onos. The onos connected to the seeder buried under Cliff-Hill, shipyard one, and shipyard two, which had just been started. There were automated carts moving materials that had been mined from shipyard two to one in order to be refined down.

  The portals connected to moonbase one and the Datskun.

  Pandora’s box acted as a hub between all the various secret locations within and beyond Emerilia.

  Malsour passed through the portal connected to the moonbase. The open area from before had changed greatly.

  Along one wall, there were all manner of automated industrial machines that looked to growing the moonbase and increasing the number of automatons within it. There were also growing areas and storage tanks that created solutions that Bob would need to grow the players’ bodies and store them.

  The middle of the room was filled with pods cocooned in all manner of machines and tubes. The opposite wall looked bare, with simple empty racks and connection ports. The middle area was supposed to grow the bodies of the players while the left side was supposed to hold all of the grown bodies.

  Malsour’s senses spread out as he dropped his Mana shield. Bob had finally got the mix of air within the area to a breathable state.

  Everything was lit with a soft light that came from parts of the soul gem constructs that made up nearly everything within the moonbase.

  The moonbase had grown to three times its original size since they had first arrived and it was still increasing in size. Missile stocks had been brought up from shipyard one and launchers were being made, waiting to be installed.

  The miners and repair bots were happily excavating all that they could; given enough time, they would hollow the entire moon.

  Malsour looked to where Bob was working at a desk with all manner of interfaces around him and a pod in front of him with connections and ports that looked identical to the ones that were within the middle area of the base.

  Malsour walked over to where Bob was.

  Bob pressed a button as a sudden light filled the pod next to him.

  “How is everything going?” Malsour asked.

  “Slowly. It takes a lot of time to synthesize the information from the player’s DNA. It sounds easy to just grow a body from someone’s DNA map, but it isn’t. I’m able to make organs, muscles, tendons and all the rest, but putting it all together is complicated as hell.” Bob sighed.

  “What about linking the minds together and imprinting the player’s brain into their body?” Malsour asked.

  “Well, that’s actually kind of easy, seeing as I was the one to come up with that tech,” Bob said with a little pride.

  “You built the process of taking the memories and thoughts from one brain to another?” Malsour asked.

  “Yes, I was one of the chief engineers on the animation machine, what is called the Altars of Rebirth. So I know how to do the imprinting. Growing the body—that’s just a pain in the ass. Trying out different layering methods but I keep on making bodies that have odd and different dimensions. I’ve got to refine down the growing chambers’ coding ever further to get the kind of in-depth and controlled results that I want.” Bob said the last part more to himself than to Malsour.

  “Well, hope it goes well. I’m
going to check on some of the other projects,” Malsour said. He wasn’t a biologist; if someone needed to make a mechanical system, he could create it from plans or even an idea of what it was supposed to do. However, machines that were supposed to make bodies were way out of his league. Also, Bob had his own AI to translate his plans into magical coding.

  “Thanks. Good luck with the launchers,” Bob said.

  Malsour pulled out a silver surfboard and threw it down. Pillars grew underneath as he stepped onto it. He surged forward, as the pillars formed a moving base under the surfboard. He quickly left the developed areas of the base.

  There were refineries constantly working; a single massive refinery was being built as well. A second fusion reactor was also being assembled.

  Factories were constantly making more machines or other components.

  There was a storage area where automated carts were dropping off finished products and unrefined materials from the mining drills. Others were picking up parts and automatons, shipping them to the expanding areas of the base while still others were taking the refined materials and heading to the portals.

  Automated miners spread out in all directions, mining out ore-rich areas within the moon and expanding the facilities. Already, a third shipyard was being built, as well as massive factories. The moonbase was meant to be a fallback position if they ever needed it. As such, it was also making all the kinds of machines and things that they would need to fight anyone who came looking for them.

  Resources were at a premium. Thankfully, with Dave, Shard, Steve, and Jeeves all working on coding up a soul gem construct for the destroyer-class warships, they were going to be able to save a lot of resources. The battleships that were in shipyard one were still under development, but shipyard two and three would hopefully be growing their ships by the time that they were done.

  Malsour passed rollers that were smoothing out armor plates and engravers that placed magical code within the metal sheets, then silver that was injected into these carved runes.