Chapter 18: Best Laid Plans
“So, how are we looking?” Josh asked Lucy.
“Terra, the guild, the quests we have going on, or the plans for this portal raid?” Lucy leaned back in her chair and looked at Josh with a raised eyebrow.
“Portal?” Josh said, as if he wasn’t sure it was the right answer.
“The Aleph have agreed to send scouts. You need to talk to the Devil’s Crater ambassador. He wants to send some of the DCA with you. Get them to experience a raid and get some insights of how to fight mobs. Also, shows that they’re a fighting force and not just training all the time,” Lucy said.
“Okay, I can do that.” Josh nodded.
“Good. Then when you get that done, the Aleph will check out the place in three days with automaton scouts, then take say a week or two for you and the raiding party to get there. Once you secure it, put down a drop plate and we’ll send in an ono,” Lucy said.
“Why not put the ono down before?” Josh asked.
“We don’t want to put the ono down right in front of a portal we don’t know that we can get to or not. Be a waste of resources. Also, with the DCA helping you out, you can ensure their aerial forces move supplies to and from your front lines.”
“See, I knew you were the right person to plan this out!” Josh smiled.
“Go, talk to the Devil’s Crater ambassador!”
“Fine!” Josh left her office. “Thanks, Lucy!” he said, already halfway to the elevator.
“Having a few weeks without you will be a vacation!” Lucy yelled back, smiling as she heard Josh’s chuckles.
***
“Where you off to?” Dave asked Steve as he twirled his axe around in his hands. The blade made whirring noises as it cut through the air. It landed in Steve’s palm.
“Hunting! Josh and Dwayne decided to check out a new untouched portal; we’re going to go and check it out, see the sights, clear out some creatures, you know—same old.” Steve grinned. “You wanna come?”
Dave wanted to, but he had work to do.
“Come on, you won’t even need to use magic. You can fight at the front with Lox, Gurren, and me,” Steve said. “When we come back, I’ll even help you figure out that coding you’re working on.”
“I thought that you were spending all your time on your project,” Dave said.
“It’s nearly done. I’ve got some time to spare and when we take this portal, you can test out that wonder device that you and Ela-Dorn came up with…you know, that portal controller thingy.” Steve waggled his eyebrows.
Dave took a deep breath and looked at everything in front of him. The summoning hall worked; Ela-Dorn’s people had the plans and were already working to make another. His armor project was all under the oversight of the Dwarves. Bob and Shard were working on the whole ship dilemma.
“Look, if you agree to go on this portal excursion, I’ll tell you how to make that spatial holding bag interaction with the physical world work,” Steve said.
“I’ve been working on it for weeks! Why can’t you tell me now?” Dave complained.
“Well, I haven’t totally figured it out, but if I put it through some of the old cycles, I think that I can come up with the answer,” Steve said.
“Give me the answer first, then I’ll agree.” Dave crossed his arms.
Steve groaned like a child being denied candy by its parents. He made to complain, but seeing Dave’s raised eyebrow, he let his shoulders slump, a look of “why did this happen to me” on his face.
“Fine! It’s only the Aleph scouts going out right now. We’ve got some time before they find anything, though you’ve got to help me in roping in the rest of Party Zero! Oh, Anna and Deia will also be coming with a group of their aerial and ground forces, simply to observe and see how we fight and teach their people,” Steve said, seeing Dave start to stand up.
Dave let out an angry breath and sat back down.
“I only know because Josh was talking to the representative from Devil’s Crater,” Steve said.
“You overheard them?” Dave asked.
“In a manner.”
“Steve, you’re not to use Terra’s information tech to spy on people,” Dave stated.
“But Shard does it!” Steve pointed out.
“Yeah, but he has rules and guidelines, you’ve…well, you’re you!” Dave held out both of his open hands and gestured at Steve.
“Thanks, dude,” Steve said dryly. He held up a finger, his eyes moving from side to side as if reading something. “Okay, so, you want the good news or the bad news?”
“Bad news,” Dave said.
“I figured out how things inside a spatial item can interact with the physical world. Though, it means I’m going to have to code my damn core out because I can do it by weight, but to have those weight changes I’m going to need to make a gravity or weight thingy that will increase and decrease weight to create controls for the ship,” Steve said.
“Huh?”
“Okay, so, as there’s more weight in a spatial space, it is greatly reduced but it is still an increase. What I am proposing is a system that when someone’s in a spatial space…damn, say that ten times fast! Well, anyways, someone’s in there, if they do actions, then I create a machine that their actions will increase the weight of the spatial item of holding, thus sending a signal through another machine on the other side, acting as an interface. Think of it as using Morse code, but with weight increasing and decreasing and then using that to pilot armor stuffed with magical coding!” Steve sighed and sat on a laboratory desk heavily.
Dave was happy that he got Malsour to build this place from metal and stone, or else Steve’s metallic ass would’ve broken most of the tables in the laboratory.
“Though the good news is that the Aleph scouts have reached where the portal is supposed to be and are entering it. Want to watch?” Steve’s excitement had already returned, forgetting about the large project that he would have to complete.
Dave smiled and shook his head. It made sense. When you put stuff in a bag of holding, its weight increased, if only at a percentage of the original item’s weight. “Fine, but you’re helping me out with this damned coded armor!” Dave said.
“Sure, just add it to my to-do list.” Steve rolled his eyes and sent Dave a link on his interface.
***
Deia looked up from the message she had just received from Alkao as well as the forum posts by the Stone Raiders.
“Well, looks like we’re going to watch a portal raid.” Deia felt excitement well up in her, but then it was tempered by the knowledge that she would be there as an advisor, making sure that the DCA ground forces learned something out of it all and to make sure that they came back with new experiences instead of dying.
Meanwhile, the fighting would fall on the Stone Raiders for the most part. They would clear the way and then clear out the portal forces so that they could take it and claim it for their own. Then a private chat request appeared from Dave; she accepted it.
“Are you going on this portal raid as well?” Deia asked.
“Who told you? Was it Steve? He just said that it was going ahead!” Dave said defensively.
“Woman’s intuition.” Deia smiled to herself.
“Well, yes, I think I am. I’ve just been cooped up here and working on projects for the longest time. Think it’s about time I got back out there and worked on my fighting skills again. I haven’t really been able to see how strong I am with these new stats.”
“And you’re a show-off at heart,” Deia teased.
“I heard that the DCA will be sending some people out to go and watch us and get to know the area better,” Dave diverted.
“Yes, I will be watching over them and we’ll be shadowing the Stone Raiders so that they get some experience in the field. Better than just training them all the time or having them on guard or assisting the Devil’s Crater Guard.”
“I think that we can convince the rest of Party Zero to go. E
veryone’s a bit restless,” Dave admitted.
“Be good to blow off some steam,” Deia agreed.
“Well, seeing as we might be heading out in a few days, I was wondering if you would give me the pleasure of going on a date—say, tonight?” Dave asked.
Deia smiled. Even with all of his work, he occasionally pushed it off to show romantic gestures. It made her feel butterflies all over again. “Okay, but I want to see if Quindar, Anna, and their other halfs want to come, too,” Deia said.
“Okay, but I get you afterward,” Dave said.
Deia knew that he would just want to sit together, the two of them talking and cuddling until they fell asleep. To her, it sounded like bliss. “I can agree to that deal.” Deia’s worries and fears seemed to fall away as she smiled.
“Good! I’ll be over in an hour or so!” Dave said. “I love you!”
“I love you too,” Deia said as the chat ended.
She felt as if everything was a little bit brighter as she moved outside of her office and floated up into the air, headed for where she could sense Quindar and Anna training their forces.
***
Dave settled back down on the ground as Deia continued to study him with her arcane sight.
“What questions are rattling around in your head?” Dave smiled.
“You’re using magic to move, but I’ve never seen anything like it except with teleport pads and portals,” Deia said.
“With my high gravity skill, I learned a bit about gravity manipulation.” An orb appeared out of nowhere and landed in his hand. “I use these to manipulate the gravity around me, allowing me to fly. Better than cumbersome wings and the like. Also programmed some other things into these orbs.”
“So, you have those orbs around all the time?” Deia asked.
“Yeah, they’re much easier to use than trying to sort out a gravity spell formation all by myself,” Dave said.
Deia smiled and shook her head as the door inset to the mountain opened. Quindar opened the glass door with a wide smile and a baby on her hip.
“Deia, Dave, please come in!” Quindar waved them in.
“Thanks for having us, Quindar.” Deia hugged her.
“No problem!” Quindar smiled.
“How are you doing?” Dave held out his hand, only to get pulled into a hug.
“Much better than I was, thanks to you lot.” Quindar grinned. “Now, get in here, the both of you. Fornau is making up dinner, Yoalin is putting the little ones down to sleep, but this mischievous little lady already had a sneaky little nap so she’s full of energy.” Quindar looked at the excited little Human toddler in her hands who looked up at them with wide eyes, pawing at her.
She had a happy expression on her face from the attention and her mother’s tone.
There was the sound of flapping wings behind Dave and Deia. They turned to see Alkao’s massive wings working to bring his mass to a halt while Anna touched down easily, walking to Quindar.
“Hey, Quindar, who’s this little tyke?” Anna smiled at the baby in Quindar’s arms.
“Viloa—she’s going to be a downright troublemaker,” Quindar said with a proud smile. “Come on inside. No good just sitting around outside all day!” They were ushered into Quindar’s home.
It was built into the cliffs that ringed Devil’s Crater. There was a hidden ridge that would allow a fully grown Dragon to fly out, then this more hidden entrance that one couldn’t see if they didn’t have the right magical artifact: a simple engraved piece of metal that Malsour had made.
The house was made like a modern open plan apartment with two floors. To the right of the entrance was an office; the back right was the kitchen; back left a dining room; to the left was a living room that connected directly to the dining room. Upstairs were bedrooms and living spaces.
Yoalin was just coming down the open staircase. She smiled and waved at everyone, coming down to greet them. She had the same sharp chin and features of the Dracul clan. It made her look noble, but there was a softness to her eyes and smile that made people want to become closer to her. In her current state, she looked tired but happy.
“Everyone, this is Yoalin, my aunt and the reason that I have any freedom!” Quindar said.
Everyone introduced themselves as Quindar looked after Viloa.
Fornau appeared from the kitchen. “Hi everyone! Sorry, just working on dinner!”
“Well, I’ll give a hand,” Dave said. He was rather proud of his cooking skills.
“Come on into the lair!” Fornau smiled and waved at everyone.
Quindar and Deia moved to the living room.
“You need anything, darling?” Dave asked Deia as she let out a content sigh, arranging cushions on the couch to support herself.
“Juice or something.” Deia smiled.
“Can do. Anyone else want anything?” Dave looked around. He got the order of drinks for everyone and headed off to the kitchen, where Anna and Alkao had already walked off to.
They were talking to Fornau about different things, holding hands as they stood close to each other.
If Anna wasn’t so stubborn, then they’d probably be well on their way to getting married. Well, saying that, I’m only engaged to Deia right now. Sure, we will get married sometime, but we already have a baby on the way. Dave shook his head and snorted.
“Something wrong?” Fornau asked.
“Nope, nothing. Just looking for where you keep the drinks. Need three juices,” Dave said.
“Just check them out over there.” Fornau pointed at a closet that had been magically coded to work as a fridge.
“Ah, modern magical coding. Nothing quite like it,” Dave said to himself, opening the fridge.
Fornau cooked up a feast with Dave’s help while teaching Alkao on the side. Anna, Dave, and Alkao talked about the upcoming portal raid. Anna would be running things from the aerial forces while Deia would be handling the ground forces.
Dinner was great, with everyone smiling and laughing. Viloa finally nodded off and Quindar put her to bed.
Yoalin, who was reserved at the beginning, quickly relaxed. To her, it was odd to be around people who weren’t Dragons. Though, looking past their differences, she was laughing and talking with the rest of them soon enough.
Dave checked the guild’s message boards. The Aleph’s aerial drones had already made it to the portal’s location. The automaton scouts would be there in two days.
They relaxed and celebrated. Melhoun, Akatol, and Khanundra might be out and about in the world, and there might be tens—if not hundreds—of thousands of creatures released out into Emerilia, being released in just three or four months, but in that night, they were just people sharing a meal and coming together.
Anna was roped in with Deia, Quindar, and Yoalin to look after the children as they woke up.
The men were happy to deal with the dishes instead of cleaning up the now awake and messy babies.
Once everything was cleaned up, they moved to the living room. Dave shared his interface with everyone; the Stone Raiders were live casting the drones’ feeds as they entered the cave system around the possible portal location.
“Damn, that is not a big opening,” Dave commented as the drone entered through a cave. Once inside, it quickly gained access to what looked like a temple of some kind.
“Damn, now that is one hell of a sight,” Fornau said.
The temple was in bad condition. In places, it had fallen apart, but in other locations it was stable. The drone panned around. There was a dome around the temple with dirt and ground that had been compacted above.
“Looks like there was a Mana barrier or shield active—must have been up for a few hundred years. Something buried the temple and the rest of the forest grew over it,” Fornau said.
“How do you know it was buried? Couldn’t it just have all of that dumped on it?” Dave asked.
“Look at the different layers along the walls. If I was a betting man, I would say that the ground un
derneath the temple was moved by some Earth mages, lowering the temple and then pouring all of that on top of it. They dispersed it well; the forest is holding the covering together well even without the shield. They spread it out so there’s only a small hill over the temple,” Fornau said.
Dave nodded. Fornau knew more about Earth mages and what they could do than anyone else Dave knew.
“What are those things moving on the ground?” Alkao asked.
A few drones moved around the temple, looking at the earth around it and the temple’s structure. Others were moving low.
The temple itself had stairs that stopped at three different landings. On either side of these landings, there were statues of the different Affinities.
The stairs reached a fourth and final landing, with three pillars on either side. They were faded, but they looked to be colored according to the six different Affinities with statues on top. Past the pillars, there was a singular walkway with six different pools that ran next to it. There was one filled with white raging wind, another with a flaming tornado, a third with golden light, a fourth with shadowy flames, a fifth with water that raged against the sides of the pool but never escaped it. The final one was a grand forest filled with rare plants.
Past these pools, there was an open gathering area that led to the domed central temple. It looked like a Roman or Greek temple. There was an overhanging roof with six pillars holding it up, connected to a domed building with wide doors leading inside.
It would have looked like a great marvel if it wasn’t for the shades that drifted around the place.
Shades were souls that had been unable to find rest. Their attacks had a corrupting poison effect and they couldn’t be hurt by normal steel weapons. They had to be either attacked by a magical blade or one made from silver or Mithril. Even magical effects on these creatures were only half effective. If left alone, they would drift by themselves. If someone or something walked into their territory, they would do everything they could to destroy it.
They weren’t the only creatures there, but the first ones that the Stone Raiders would have to deal with.
Time of Change (Emerilia Book 7) Page 19
