The virtual Jaldo informed him that the next three masters that you meet have been scheduled somewhat faster than expected, as word has arrived that signs of magical collapse are already appearing within some different high magic worlds. Masters from a different eru are already at work with mitigation there, but there is only so much they can do in a barrier collapse situation. Those whose lives are supported by medical magic will be quickly forfeit, unless a technological equivalent for their circumstances can be found and provided for them in time. Transportation is minimal, natural disasters return, and many other terrible things. Societal collapse where many or most are unable to stop using magic and so perish.

The best we can do is mitigate and lessen the impact. Hopefully those masters of non-magic and their students may be able save entire worlds from despair. But it is also why we have invested so much in you, and your guidance of Lur. It may take you 10,000 or 100,000 Urte, and you may succeed or fail, and we will never know of it, anything more than we know now, before our short lives are over. Yet as vital as all of this is, events are rushing past us, so we must hurry so that you can be on your way.

The first of these last three masters is Anye Stop. Her expertise is in the extremely small, sub-visual lifeforms of Lur. While most worlds only have a few hundred thousand types of these, because of the competitive harshness of Lur, there isn't even a rough estimate, perhaps hundreds or thousands of times as many. Their density is extreme everywhere and they are very predatory. So unless your body has been modified to protect yourself from them, they will kill you in a short number of days. When you are in magical transport there, before the last leg, of mechanical transport, you will have a huge number of different kinds of these sub-visuals introduced into your body, then magically normalized so they will not harm you, but familiarize and develop your body to them. The specialized healers for this are top notch, and master Stop's mental sub-visual analyst will continually monitor for and adjust to new ones for 100,000 Urte, as long as needed. This may take a minimum of 20 star cycles during which you will be in magical sleep, to replicate hundreds of millions of Urte of development of these things in your body. The masters will keep your mind very busy during that time, training you with non-magical knowledge and theory.

If you ever need to leave Lur, this process with the sub-visuals will need to be reversed, or your body would be a walking world killer.

Bizdoatl didn't actually meet Stop. However, her mental analyst went on at length about all the incredible, world changing things that sub-visuals could and did carry out. To a great extent, the future supply of food and life on Lur is dependent on it, cut off from the rest of the empire.

Doable and Chielena then escorted Bizdoatl to meet Twell Miergo, a Reference Archivist mechanica that was the brain of the eru. It existed as a whole at the same time as a living being type mechanica, a local reference facility, and a giant storehouse of knowledge within the empire. Its purpose is to hold the sum of the references of the eru, and all of its research as well. Created with both technology and magic, it had long ago achieved self awareness as a mechanica, and no longer had any magic within it. With far too much knowledge to be put into Bizdoatl, instead he was to have a very small but powerful transceiver implanted in his neck. It would communicate with a satellite above Lur, that in turn would talk with a more powerful one outside the star system non-magical area. All Bizdoatl felt was a slight pinch on the back of his neck, before getting a visual representation of the transceiver for a few seconds and instructions in its use.

Miergo had long ago created a protected network of clones at all three levels both inside and outside of the empire, so it would continue to tap into new knowledge outside of a space sector disaster that could wipe them all out at once. Other than its current operations for the eru, its long term goal was to provide knowledge continuity for empires, to speed up the development of the new, replacement empires. During the transition it would provide extensive knowledge support and information analysis of the activities on Lur. Over time it said, with your permission of course, I will provide your mechanica upgrades so that they also eventually become fully self-aware living beings as well.

Emotional maturity is the most difficult part of this, as they will have to learn it by doing. I'm particularly interested in how Doable will do, with her upgrade and all. She and the others are already very close to total self-awareness. When they achieve it, they will cease to be mechanica and become something more.

At this point, Miergo interrupted to note that a raiding party, of mages, fighters and mechanica had been intercepted, trying to violently attack Miergo's section. Ell Redoubt had been damaged during the fight, and Bizdoatl noted what sounded like anger in Twell's voice. It is a grave violation to attack an eru's knowledge base, so the interrogation of these assassins will not be gentle. Bizdoatl saw what just for a moment looked like Chielena shuddering. Rest easy, said Miergo, I will personally see to Ell Redoubt's repairs and upgrades to make up for this affront. The best around, at least level seven.

But why are they doing this, said Bizdoatl. Many reasons, said Twell. Many think that by replacing the current leaders with new ones the collapse will stop; others hope for rule over what is left. Some want to reestablish parts of the empire as independent empires. Some hope to profit in any way they can. And some want to destroy for the sake of destroying. Other empires also have deep investments, of a complicated but opaque nature. Some know of Lur and wish to capture or destroy it. All that limits any of them is their wealth and who will agree to work for them, and successful interdiction by our efforts.

This being said, I wish you well, and unlike the other masters, I hope that in some form we may meet again, in that we both might live so long. This being said, what with all this intrigue and violence, I imagine you will still be surprised by the next master. His name is Dake, and he is inviting you to join him for a high star meal in a commons area.

Won't that be extremely dangerous, asked Bizdoatl. Not at all, said Twell. In fact, for a time, it will likely be the safest place in the world.

En route, Doable mentioned to Bizdoatl that Chielena and Ell Redoubt share a common affection, which sometimes happens with mechanica. They can't be a couple unless they have a full self-awareness upgrade, a rare thing indeed, and affection may or may not survive through it. However, they are both very disciplined, and manage many other mechanica, which keeps them busy, so they do not suffer terribly for the distance between themselves. Doable then said as a Scubausuc upgrade, she was already expecting a flood of powerful emotions. With a Miergo self-awareness upgrade multiplying this, I might feel like a goddess. Ell Redoubt might feel just as overwhelmed. So it is probably best that we encourage Chielena's affections with him. Bizdoatl noted her subtle omission, which made him wonder.

The meal with Dake was so unusual, so normal, compared to the other meals he had eaten here that Bizdoatl was surprised. The commons at high star was very crowded and noisy, yet they and his mechanica had a private table off to the side in a quiet area. By appearances, Dake looked like a youthful male of his kind, more comfortable in a commons or lounge than a classroom. But he quickly brought up his skill. Dake explained that he was the master of an extremely powerful form of non-magic, yet one so essential to life that everyone, including Bizdoatl, must constantly practice it just to live at a normal pace. Yet almost no one knows of its existence. I call it gesturing, but some others call it beckoning.

At its simplest, it is either pulling towards you things that you want in your area of influence, and pushing away things you do not want there, just by a gentle thought. Most need to pull and push to get by, or else their lives would be terribly dull, but some individuals are gifted pullers or pushers. You can manipulate events, people, objects, and many other things. However, there is a cool down time between gestures, as a safety. The more of it you intentionally do, they better you get at it. At the lowest, most fundamental level, it can even be said that everything that exists is either a pull or a push. So gesturing is a simple way for individuals, groups, and even entire worlds to manipulate reality itself. Yet almost no one knows of this. Amazing.

Today, right here and now, I am going to teach you its process, and you will try it out. Imagine something that could be here with us, at this table. You can be familiar with it or not. Once you do so, tell me what it is, which typically there is no need to do, but just so that I can check it out. Then we will spend the next fractions talking about anything else, so you don't overthink it and inhibit yourself. And if it is a legitimate gesture, it should show up at our table.

On impulse, Bizdoatl decided to keep it simple, so he first imagined one of the unusual looking cups, half filled with drink, they used for some drinks in the commons, though they had none of those at their table. He then caught himself and said this is too simple, it might happen randomly. How about I beckon Anye Stop? I've only seen her mental analyst, but I know what she looks like, a young, attractive woman, so I would easily recognize her. After telling him, Dake was amused by his efforts, and said, okay, let's see what happens. Then he changed the subject to allow the non-magic to work.

Dake began criticizing their meal, saying that the eru went to lengths to bring in the common food of its student's home worlds, though they could easily afford much better. It helps the younger students adjust to their new lives here. At the same time, the better food is limited to the older classes of students, so eating it is a sign of academic advancement, so the younger students see eating it as a goal for their future. Yet when a student celebrates their educational achievement, they often want to do so with the common food of their world, a way of looking back at what they were compared to what they have become.

From there, the conversation meandered, something Bizdoatl hadn't experienced since his arrival, with the intense focus on him, when up to the table walked a cloaked servant, carrying a cup half filled with some liquid, which caught Bizdoatl's eye, as it was the kind of cup he had gestured. She pulled back her cloak to reveal that she was an elderly woman, and spoke casually to Dake that she was passing by and decided to have her favorite drink in the commons out of nostalgia, and was glad to see a friendly face. Dake then leaned toward Bizdoatl and introduced the woman as master Anye Stop.

Stop looked askance at Dake, and Dake continued on that she wore a cloak so she would not be pestered by students when going around campus, as she was very popular. And extremely busy right now, she said, almost angrily. Then, with no let up, he introduced her to Bizdoatl. Her surprise and change of mood was evident on her face. I assumed you were a visiting mechanica graduate, given those advanced mechanica with you. I never thought I would have a chance to meet you face to face. Mind if I join you at your table?

She truly loved the study of sub-visuals and said she could converse on the subject for days, but she knew that this was Dake's time, and wouldn't dare trespass on this mischief-making, grinning gesturer's time. She then complemented him on his pull, before he assured her that it was Bizdoatl's efforts alone. Your wanting to meet Bizdoatl as well made the pull much more powerful.

Then Dake went into an explanation that consciously using gestures initially feels kind of modestly unpleasant, or more a vacant feeling, as if cheating at a game when you do not need to, and feeling a little uncomfortable because of it. But with practice you just accept the naturalness of it. Dake said that Bizdoatl was more fortunate for having fairly balanced push and pull abilities. An adept at pulling will often drag unwanted things into their influence they do not want, then they cannot rid themselves of it. An adept at pushing will likely have a boring life, in which things enter their influence only with the help of others. Even if they are powerful enough to push away or at least mitigate an entire war or other disaster, they tend to live alone.

But, he said, this is why here, at this time and place, no one will attack us. I have pushed them, individuals and mechanica and events, far away from my influence to the point that they are unable to attack. Much like attacking Master Parkdeer, they would slip and fall and not advance a bit. The comparison is very valid, I'll add, it being like a long range version of his mastery. How better to win a fight then never be approached by an adversary, or even an unpleasant event? Most fighters want to fight, win or lose, so reach a mutual gesture with their enemy to meet, even if not consciously unaware of this agreement in the slightest.

Pausing a bit, he gave a nod to Anye Stop, who unexpectedly began to question Bizdoatl about his personal life on his home world. It was difficult and unpleasant to remember and after a short time he ran out of information, a bad taste in his mouth. At that moment an official looking male wearing the uniform of the commons staff approached the table, identified himself and proceeded to berate Master Dake for having a very long, unpaid bill for food and drink in the commons.

Then Stop put her cloak over her head again, and loudly blurted out at Bizdoatl, "Infigir! The life on your home world sounds crappy, like spoiled mud! It's awful!", a terribly gross and crude statement to make at an eru, before bursting out in rude laughter that drew annoyed glances from the other diners. Then Dake interjected to the official that there must be some mistake, and there was no such bill for him. The flustered and angry official then glanced at the bill, then stared at it, horrified. Oh no! I am terribly sorry, I apologize, before stomping away. Then Dake began to deeply grin, as did Anye Stop.

We used to do gesturing as a team, said Dake, and had some pretty wild adventures with it, and Anye Stop couldn't resist throwing in one of her classic moves. Laughter is an effective tool for disrupting a gesture, and lots of other non-magic as well. That commons official genuinely saw my name on that unreal bill, and likely had me pointed out by others or something else which confirmed it beyond doubt in his mind. He was certain that I was the target. This was all Anye Stop's gesture. But then she busted it up with laughter, so it ceased to be as it was. When he looked at the bill again, it had physically changed into something else. Talking about your home world was the distraction after the fact, and you helped her out with that. But Bizdoatl then noted that beneath her cloak's hood, she was still deeply grinning.

"I still imagine your home world probably smells like spoiled mud," she said with some light sarcasm, before excusing herself with a snicker, to go back to work. Those were the best times, said Dake. Confused, Bizdoatl then asked him what the bill truly said, to which he responded whatever the unknown had used to patch the error in reality, so it doesn't really matter. Patch?, he asked.

Reality is actually full of gaps, errors, holes, and other things. When noticed, we unconsciously try to patch it, and the unknown helps us do so. If you could overcome this compulsion to patch and gazed through such a hole, it would teach you amazing things about non-magic. Dake continued, the solid reality that you are aware of is more like a patchwork of mostly stable parts that retain their appearance well, and little gaps covered in patches that just look stable on the surface but easily change with a gesture.

It all sounds rather far fetched, I know, but in practice I have put together teams of adepts, experts at pulling and pushing, that can and will be deployed to worlds suffering from magic collapse, that while they cannot stop the process, they can help reduce its cruelty and horror. In concert with other teams, they can save countless lives. They will use their gesturing and such gaps to maximum effect.

Though I have long campaigned against it, far too many worlds have used magic to contain disasters that would have otherwise made them uninhabitable. They will have no other choice but to evacuate, since the amount of energy required to gesture such things to contain them is prohibitive when there are other worlds that can be far more easily saved. Well, this concludes my part of the exercise, and the final masters should be easy for you. Their purpose is to fix any obvious problems and send you on your way, as well as to act in some way as a representative of the imperium.

Bizdoatl looked puzzled, so Dake explained that Twell Miergo is not a master, though he definitely has mastery, and is part of our master's group. He is of a different class than us. One of the final masters is Dame Kaede, who was a senior master here before her assignment as a knight of the imperial family. Only Jaldo is fully aware of her purpose. She is a serious one, I should add, on top of her haggard and harsh appearance, and can be mercilessly violent, so ask few questions and let her have her say. That, and she will be joining you at least partway on your journey. The other master is the Samiru leader.

After leaving the commons with Doable and Chielena they went by moving walkway to the student transport system, perhaps the most public of places at the busiest of times and entered a crowded vehicle. Doable told him that oddly enough, this would be the fastest and most secure means for them to get to the departure port. Any other route would be far more likely to have trouble. This made him nervous, so he started to examine the other passengers.

Most were typical looking students, with one group wearing what he guessed were team clothing and celebrating some event. Some were studying. There were a group of small children playing a game of some sort, chasing each other about around the other passengers. A middle aged man, wearing dowdy clothing seemed to be staring, he assumed at Doable in her Scubausuc form, which he could understand, but still saw as suspicious. Some domestic mechanica might also pose a risk. All told, including his disguise, still his group were clearly the most colorful lot in the vehicle.

Nearing the destination, one of the playing children, a little girl, ran over and seemed to try and hide behind Bizdoatl, so the other children couldn't see her, so they kept going into the next attached vehicle. The mechanica gave her little attention as they seemed focused on the rest of the passengers, especially the dowdy man. Then unexpectedly, the visage of Master Parkdeer appeared in Bizdoatl's field of view. It simply said, attack warning, Doable and Chielena being notified, before it vanished. He then felt a strong twinge in his lower abdomen he assumed was related to the notification. And then something else. The child behind him was tugging on his garment, then as he looked at her smiling face, she asked if he could move a step to his left.

Because there is about to be a big fight, and you are in my way.