75 Wind Down
The instant the call was over I was flooded with a barrage of inquiries from Survey. She had respected the importance of my privacy during the call, but was wasting absolutely no time with queries and requests for clarification. I ran through the key points as quickly as I could while sorting my thoughts for how to bring the rest of the team up to speed. Setting aside the concern and then elation Survey expressed at finding out Tattletale had access to her watch's sensor, and then finding out she would have access to all the data from said sensor, I focused on the principles of Dark Slayer and teleported to the Library.
Previously I had been a little conservative with the use of that power. It seemed like the kind of thing that could easily result in you losing touch with the limitations of space and movement. The teleportation afforded by that ability was as easy as breathing, something essential when you considered the speed of the combat it was intended to be used in. It would be a simple matter to default to nothing but flickering through space, leaving the practicalities of physical movement behind.
Getting shadow affinity helped temper those concerns. The connections endemic to that style of magic, and the understanding it granted about spatial effects, served to reassure me. Teleportation wasn't separating me from the world, it was just another way of experiencing it.
There was a slight start from Aisha as I appeared in the middle of the Library's reading room, but no significant reaction from anyone else. They up from their individual books and tasks, with even Survey shifting her apparent attention while actually extending it through the workshop and towards a dozen different tasks.
"Hey." Aisha said, doing her best to conceal her surprise at my sudden appearance. "That was pretty fast. Did the call go okay?"
I nodded. Was able to get through the main points." I assured her. And in less time than I had been concerned about. I doubted anyone had been able to really dig into any material in the Library since the last time they had been called out, but it seemed the place had quickly turned into something of a common area, or at least more of one than the other attempts that had been made to set one up.
The computer core was close to common space, but it had been seeing constant work and experimentation with respect to the spiritron upgrades, so it wasn't exactly a point of relaxation. There was the overlook at the Skyforge and the lounge near the Super Sea Snail aquarium, but neither of those really had enough of a reason for people to really congregate. Also, the Skyforge was technically a place of work, and one the Matrix had taken to after getting their divine abilities from the crafted omega nanite. Meanwhile, the aquarium was nice, but Garment's near predatory attention towards the snails, or specifically the shells that could enhance clothing, prevented it from being a truly relaxing space.
Despite Survey having effectively claimed the Library, she seemed perfectly happy acting as host for the rest of the team, even if she was moderately frantic with respect to the handling of the collection. With the effect of the Library's Digital Database there wasn't really anything that could be lost if a physical volume was misplaced or damaged, but she seemed to be taking her role as Librarian seriously.
Part of that role had involved stocking the library with additional material. The Library's storage was as large as it needed to be, expanding to hold any number of volumes that could be added. The Matrix had been assisting in the fabrication of new books, but the two standouts were the addition of my copies of The Secret of Steel and Bigger On the Inside.
Both books were capable of imparting skills that exceeded what should be physically possible, and both were tied to one of the worlds of my powers. Secret of Steel was a traditional Japanese manuscript, while Bigger on the Inside was a modern technical manual, though written from a distinctly foreign perspective, though less foreign now, thanks to the benefit of Library Services.
Even as I spoke with Aisha, Survey was excitedly transmitting her assessment of the appendices that had been generated thanks to Library Services. It included explanations of cultural and historic references, word usage, and explanations of the author's background. All together fascinating stuff, but not something I could really split my focus on at the moment.
"So, what's the plan?" She asked, then glanced at where Survey's physical body was standing. "And is Survey bugging you about those appendixes as well?"
The stream of data from Survey immediately cut off and I saw her shuffle the books in question under her arm with a slightly indignant movement. I had to smile at that.
"I take it she's been telling you about it?" I asked.
"Extensively." Fleet said, without looking up from his automotive magazine.
Aisha rolled her eyes. "She's more excited over the notes about the guy who wrote the book than the fact that it teaches you how to fold a car up into a soda can."
"It provides unprecedented insight into the nature of an unknown alternate universe and foundational framework for the nature of future abilities." Survey protests, holding both books tightly.
I nodded to her. "I'm sure it does, and I promise you we'll go through everything you've been able to learn." Survey's analysis was fantastic, but she was specifically reaching out to me for the insight that that could be provided by abilities like Touched by the Protoculture.
Tetra looked up from the table where she had been flicking through a biology textbook. "She also wanted to bring the letters in here. Fleet wouldn't let her until she spoke with you." Tetra seemed to take a certain satisfaction in being able to tell on her. Looking back at Survey, I could tell she had pieced together what Tetra had said, despite the silent speech not being mirrored over the Infrared links, like she usually did.
"Survey…" I began.
"The transcription process of the Digital Database has removed the dangerous or damaging elements inherent to the text. Additionally, sufficient letters are available to provide a bound collection which may be suitable to provide an appendix under through the effect of Library services." She protested, making a point of not looking at either Fleet or Survey.
"Oh, the letters from the room of impossible colors, right?" Aisha asked.
"Yeah, about that…" I started, but she cut me off.
"Nope." She said, looking back to her book. "The whole 'impossible color' thing is enough of a stretch for me. Hearing the back and forth over these 'letters' has convinced me I want no part of this."
"You aren't upset that I'm keeping it from you?" I asked.
She let out a short laugh. "Considering the last thing you kept from me was a room full of overly friendly cybernetic skulls, who, by the way, keep bugging me about the maintenance rituals for my armor, I'm pretty sure that whatever this is, I don't want to know. I mean, sure, if it's relevant or you need my help for something, then sure, but until then I'm not going to ask why you have a collection of letters that need some superpowered library magic to be safe to read."
Survey turned towards her. "The letters in question were delivered from-"
"Nope!" Aisha said, burying her head in her book. "Not listening. Do not want to know."
The very idea seemed somehow offensive to Survey and she appeared to be struggling with how to respond to it. The conflicted expression on her face had nothing on the storm of processing that was happening behind the scenes. Fleet looked up with a slightly concerned expression as his own program went to work addressing the runaway processes that battled with her social convention algorithms.
"Survey, I was going to check out the Laboratory in more detail. It's safe now that I've got Mental Fortress working, so I can look at some of the applications with Garment later." The statement was enough for Garment to pry her attention away from the stacks of fashion magazines and start bubbling with excitement. "I'll look at the letters and see if they can be put into some volume for the Library, but we still need to be careful."
"Yeah, see, stuff like 'I'm totally immune to all mental effects, so it's safe for me to actually look at what's in that room now.' is exactly the kind of thing that's going to convince me I want no part of it at all." Between Fleet's actions and my own link to Survey's program she relented on her objections, instead proceeding to model potential responses based on expanded use of the Prismatic Laboratory's resources.
I elected to not share that detail with Aisha.
"So, what's happening with the Undersiders?" She asked in a casual tone, but I could tell she was concealing some level of tension around the subject.
"For the moment? Nothing." I replied.
"Nothing?" She asked.
"Apeiron has agreed to a period of evaluation before any action is taken against the Coil." Survey relayed.
"He has a contingency." I explained. "Something bad enough to scare Tattletale to the point where she doesn't want any of us near it."
"Seriously?" Aisha asked before looking around at the group. "What could be on that level?"
I took a breath. "It's probably not that strong, at least not directly. It's either something that's going to kick off exponential growth if you poke it wrong, or some kind of trump effect that you need to keep isolated to have a prayer against." I paused as I reviewed the reaction of my passenger. "Or both. Fuck."
"That bad?" Aisha asked as Survey began spinning off new analysis from the brief flash of insight. "And we're alright leaving it alone?"
"Tattletale was less worried about what it might do on its own, so we're probably fine taking the time to prepare." I said. "She's agreed to daily check-ins for progress updates while we deal with other matters. Keeping on top of things, it shouldn't drag out more than a week and the very worst."
Aisha gave me a flat look. "A week." She said, At my lack of reaction, she let out a heavy breath. "Right, because a week of Apeiron time is practically an eternity." I raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that for most people, dealing with something like this in a single week doesn't really count as a delay?"
"Yeah…" I said. "But we've got a lot to deal with, and this is one of the big ones. Would have been, even without the contingency. I'm not letting it slide more than I have to."
Aisha nodded. "I get that." She said with a slight smile. "So, what 'other matters' are we going to be working on?"
I could feel Survey's interest at the question, and the rest of the team rounded on me as well. For the first time, I actually felt the weight of leading a team. I was actually directing the efforts of other people, not just plotting my own course. The group had grown so organically that I never really gave much thought to the larger dynamics at work. Still, one way or another, those dynamics were in place, and I had to live up to them.
"A lot of that will depend on Survey." I said. She blinked the eyes of her physical body and I could feel her reaction through her code. "There are concerns in the city, some of which we can support and address, but she's been working on wider assessments. Especially now that I have precog and master protection, there are matters that we can deal with." I turned to Survey. "Assuming we can act covertly."
"I will compile a comprehensive list of actionable targets." She said quickly. I knew what she considered 'comprehensive'. We were probably looking at response plans for every villain in the country. "Additionally, I have been extending assessment towards active and potential A and S class threats, as both a predictive and preventative measure."
"What, like the Endbringers?" Aisha asked. "I thought nobody could predict them."
"The Endbringers have demonstrated consistent resistance to thinker powers, particularly precognitive abilities. Still, it is possible that sufficiently robust computational models may provide insight into their behavior." She turned towards me. "Particularly when aided by spiritron computing."
I nodded. "Which should be fully operational tomorrow." The rollout was taking exponentially longer than any of my other technology, but the rest of my technology had just been dumped into my head, not developed from first principles. I was actually fairly proud of the project, despite the time frame involved. It was proof that I could actually take my work beyond the limits of the technology provided to me. "It's also our best hope for cracking Bakuda's code, which will be a massive step forward."
"Right, then we just need to worry about actually finding her, whatever the Butcher and the Teeth are up to, the Dragonslayer's whole deal, the Undersiders' boss, and anyone else who decides to crash the party. Unless I missed anything?"
Tybalt uncurled slightly from his chair and responded with a series of brief meows. Aisha raised an eyebrow. "What, seriously?"
I nodded. "Yeah, the Elite will be assuming that Uppercrust will be on his way out. Plenty of them will already be gearing up. Change the dynamic, and it's going to get messy."
"But you're still going to help him?" She asked.
"Assuming he asked?" Which was a near certainty. "And depending on how he asks? What kind of deal he wants? Probably. At least enough to keep him going, if not a full cure."
It really said something that I wasn't even remotely worried about being able to cure the man. There were only a few conditions that could have created the symptoms I'd observed, most of which were fairly nasty and thoroughly hopeless by the standards of modern medicine. Modern medicine. I would be able to help if all I had was my Star Trek medical training. With the full range of abilities at my disposal it wasn't a matter of if I could cure him, it was how I would go about it.
"When do you think he'll…" Aisha trailed off as she saw my expression. In the privacy of my Workshop, I didn't even try to moderate my reaction, not when a power of this scale was in play.
I had felt my reach build through my conversation with Tattletale. That had been stressful enough without the added impact of another power throwing things into chaos. Tattletale's main concern was consistency of my actions, and spontaneously manifesting a serious power in front of her wouldn't do any good. I had managed to avoid that, but left the conversation teetering on the edge of a major connection.
That was an edge I was plummeting off as a blazing inferno of a mote from the Quality constellation descended upon me, flooding my mind with knowledge and experience from an unknown world.
An instrument of death can be the work of a lifetime. The work of a single master, a prodigy beyond measure, granted unlimited resources, all for the construction of a masterpiece. Not a masterpiece in the traditional sense, no proof of skill. No, a piece denoting true mastery, something only possible through a perfect alignment. The ideal combination of skill, tools, time, funding, support, research, and materials.
Materials first, before anything else. People could speak of their dream projects, but few could ever imagine putting those dreams into reality. In some distant world, that was what had happened. The unlimited ambition of a man of unimaginable power and influence had devoted all his resources to the creation of wonders. And he succeeded, forty-eight times.
Teigu. The imperial arms. Weapons of such power that they could preserve an empire beyond the ruin that befell all nations. Well, maybe. And by the strength of such items, it was a fair bet. Teigu were what happened when a master of his craft was allowed to bring his greatest ambition to life. Experts of unparalleled genius supplied with everything they could hope for, no matter how difficult or dangerous it was to acquire.
Dangerous. That was the true secret. The heart of the Teigu. Death was woven directly into the fabric of the relics from the moment of their creation, because the only materials powerful enough to carry the ambition of their creators were the most dangerous of beasts.
The hearts of monsters, woven into items of power. Bound through rare metals and masterful craftwork, but death rested at the core of them all. And death pervaded their use. These weren't items to build and strengthen a nation. They existed to crush and overwhelm the opposition. They drew strength directly from the spiritual energy of their users and drew them towards the most vicious ends. Assuming the burden of use didn't kill them, assuming the item was even compatible, then the violence inherent in their creation would be drawn forth, ensuring that a battle born from killing intent would only end in death.
It was a harrowing concept. The very concept of death, bound in physical form. At least it would have been, if I was actually able to do that. Teigu were relics of a forgotten age, masterworks that had no rival, the ultimate creation of the brightest minds of a generation. This power, it didn't make me one of them. I wasn't one of the legendary creators of the Teigu, I was just a scholar of their work.
Which wasn't to undersell what I was capable of; it just wasn't at that particular level of mastery. I understood a great deal about the nature of Teigu, the process of their construction, and the history of the art. I could even repair or modify them, just not perfectly recreate them.
Not perfectly. I could create things that were 'almost at their level'. Almost at the level of a terrifyingly potent instrument of death. Not true Teigu. Rather I could create Shingu. Retainer arms, rather than imperial arms. Items of diminished power, weaker, with a heavier cost, and lacking the full deadly potential of a Teigu. But just because they weren't married to death didn't mean they were incapable of courting it.
All the principles were still there, the masterful craftsmanship, the methods for channeling spiritual energy, and the art of drawing out the unique powers of a monster and binding them into an item. They just weren't perfected.
At least not yet.
All the principles were there, everything necessary to recreate the lost arts. If I had received this power in isolation, it would have been the work of a lifetime. The finesse, precision, and understanding necessary to bring the unique abilities of creatures of great power into a form that could be channeled by a compatible wielder was the kind of project that could consume your life. That had consumed the lives of any who attempted it before. My starting point, the creation of Shingu, was the closest anyone had come to recreating that achievement.
But I wasn't just anyone. I wasn't coming into this blind. Powers and knowledge of dozens of worlds fueled my understanding. I was close, closer than anyone could imagine. The full potential of this power was within my grasp. I just needed to reach out and seize it.
And then… what? The world that this power came from was a very different place. I didn't have any personal experience with the world itself, being limited to the principles of Teigu, but even that was enlightening. And even more enlightening with the benefit of powers like Touched by the Protoculture. I could draw conclusions about the kind of society that would have devoted itself to this kind of project, the way such works would have shaped its culture and relations with other societies, but most of all, I could draw conclusions about the world itself.
This was a planet of monsters. That was clear in both the origin and purpose of the Teigu. Dangerous beasts with unique abilities that could be harnessed, but also needed to be combatted. The Teigu were as much a way to defend against that power as a method of utilizing it. In the absence of monsters, you didn't just lack justification for Teigu, you lacked the components needed for their existence.
Except this wasn't a world without monsters, both figurative and literal. The principle at the core of Teigu and Shingu was the integration of power-bearing components of creatures into physical items. Transferring the unique aspects of creatures beyond the scale of humanity and binding it to a physical form. And, as expected of a power of this scope, it laughed at the idea of limitations.
There was no point in dancing around the subject. As gristly as the concept was, I could build objects that carried expressions of parahuman abilities by using 'parts' of the parahuman in question. A power that had a distinct physical manifestation would be easier to work with, but it wasn't necessary, not with the strength of this ability. Enough work and resources could bind aspects of any parahuman power into a Shingu, or potentially even a Teigu.
"Uh…" Aisha stammered, looking around at the group. Garment and Tybalt had a direct line to my powers, so both of them understood exactly what I had received. My duplicates had been working at the computer core, and one had taken the liberty of connecting himself to the system to update the database, granting Fleet, Survey, and the Matrix an instant briefing on the new power. Tetra lagged behind slightly, but her body was flaring with infrared links to the workshop systems as she tore through the data and its implications. Meanwhile, Aisha was left completely out of the loop, and very aware that she was the only one out of the loop. "Somebody want to fill me in?" She asked.
I nodded. "Just got a new power."
"Yeah, I figured." She said, looking over at me. "Is that why your hair looks so good?"
I blinked and ran a hand through my hair. It didn't feel any different, but from the way Aisha watched the effect I could see the impact of the power at work.
"No, that was one of those secondary powers. Came bundled with the main one." I explained.
"Like that handshake power?" She asked. "What's that one called?"
"Perfect hair." I said with a slight smile. "It does exactly what you'd think."
Asha huffed and shook her head. "I swear, if you weren't bullshit enough already…" She looked back at me. "Okay, what's the 'real' power? I can tell everybody else is picking over the details. It's a big one, right?"
"Right." I said. "It's called Incredibly Craftsmanship."
Aisha blinked. "Seriously?"
I shrugged. "I don't name these things." I said in my defense.
She snorted. "Yeah, I can tell. So, what, it's another super-craft power? Can you make things triple perfect now?"
I shook my head. "Crafting power, yes, but not just a quality boost." I had plenty of those, to the point where the fact that I couldn't technically make a Teigu was mostly academic, considering the power of whatever kind of Shingu I could create. "It's from another world where monster parts were used to create these really powerful items called Teigu. Um, that translates to imperial arms."
"Right, but you could already do that, couldn't you? Like with bone steel and life fibers and that kind of stuff?" She asked.
"Not like this." I said, shaking my head. "It's about actually recreating the abilities of whatever you use to make the item. The powers the object has are directly connected to the source of its components."
Aisha nodded in understanding. "So, if you had, like, a dragon, or something, you could make a sword that shoots fire?"
"A sword that shoots fire, or armor that makes you as tough as the dragon's hide, or an item that manifests wings to let you fly, or bracers that boost your strength, or goggles for your senses." I explained. "Or possibly all of those, depending on what you were working with. Some Teigu are better than others."
Aisha blinked. "Wow. Okay, and you can make those?" She asked.
"Eh…" I wavered a hand. "Sort of? Proper Teigu are really complicated. There's a spiritual aspect to their creation, and significant weight to their existence. I can create Shingu, kind of Teigu knockoffs. Still enough to capture the powers of monsters, but not to the same level. limitation or drawbacks, and less power overall. Might be able to work up to Teigu, but that will take some time and research." I explained as the Alchemy constellation missed a connection.
Aisha smirked. "Right, so you 'might' be able to do it, which means it's going to take what, a couple of days of poking at it in your spare time?"
I grinned back. "Probably. Frankly, I'm already got a solid basis in the principles needed to take this to mastery. Just need to get some practice."
"Yeah, too bad you don't have any dragons lying around." She paused as she saw my expression. "What?" I could see her process things. "There's something else you can use?"
I nodded. "Okay, it's kind of messy, but parahumans can fill the same role as the danger beasts that were used as materials Teigu. Particularly if they have a physical expression of their powers, like a permanent alteration or changer effect."
Aisha nodded slowly. "Okay, that would be a lot scarier if I didn't know how careful you'd be around that kind of thing. I know you aren't going to go hunting just to outfit yourself with superweapons."
I shook my head. "Couldn't even if I wanted to." She gave me an inquiring look. "Teigu are fueled by a person's spiritual energy. There needs to be compatibility and a significant connection to be able to use them at even the most basic level, and even then most people wouldn't be able to handle it. Trying to outfit yourself with a set of them would be suicide."
"Right." She said slowly. "I guess if you can turn cape powers into items there'd have to be a drawback. So, you're going to make yourself one of these things?"
I smiled at that. "Don't need to." I said, lifting my watch. "The power came with a Teigu." She raised an eyebrow. "Well, it turned my shield into one."
With a pulse of Aura, I triggered the mechashift system, causing the watch to expand into the gauntlet and disc of my lantern shield. The way some items could be modified by additional powers raised a new set of questions connected with the origin of my powers. I knew that my lantern shield was a Teigu. I knew the origin and history of it. But I also knew that it was the weapon that had originated from the same world as my aura, designed specifically to my combat style and expression of those abilities. And it was the expression of my 'sword', an item intrinsic to my martial arts and bearing an enhanced version of the secret of steel.
Three items from different universes, combined to become something greater. I was certain that all of them had existed in their own form, but my power had somehow fused them into something that was both new and consistent with their history. It was the same effect I had seen with the Wishes, a clash of effects split between worlds creating something that hadn't existed before. It indicated that my power wasn't just drawing from other realities, that there were active effects beyond the obvious sources of the abilities.
But none of that changes the reality of the situation. My lantern shield, Trauma, was now one of the forty-eight Teigu. An item that had been created over a thousand years ago by a unique genius granted truly unlimited resources, containing components of a beast of unfathomable power and shaped with craftsmanship that had been impossible to replicate for a millennium.
"Okay, that looks… different." Aisha said cautiously.
I nodded and lifted my hand, slowly rotating the shield and gauntlet. The design was less of the collection of barbs and serrations that it had been. They were still there, but in a much more streamlined fashion, with most of the focus being on the almost carapace-like plating.
"It was built using parts from a Void Fisher, a Super Class Danger Beast that hunted with aether lines. The effect has been worked into the shield's grapnels." The multiple grapnels. The single harpoon had been replaced with an array of launchers spread around the radius of the shield. I was still new to using spiritual energy in this way, but I was perfectly attuned to my Teigu, making it essentially an extension of my body. With a pulse of will the disc of the shield spun and three of the launchers began to glow faintly.
"NO!" There was a burst of mass energy as Survey appeared directly in front of the readying launchers. It was a masterful use of the Biotic Charge ability. A precisely controlled collection of gravity and mass manipulation to effectively allow instant transport. It was a major accomplishment, but there was no chance to comment on it, given the stern expression on her face. "No demonstrations in the library. Not near the books." She said.
In her code I could feel her desire for fresh information warring with her desire to preserve potentially irreplaceable artifacts of another universe. Still, this was her space. She had effectively claimed the space, and she was looking after it. I wouldn't start firing harpoons inside Garment's workshop, so I should extend the same courtesy here. Even with the acknowledgement that I wasn't going to aim anywhere near the shelves, Survey still wasn't happy about the idea of an extradimensional composite superweapon knocking holes in the walls and ceiling of her library.
Which is how we quickly relocated to the training area, much to Aisha's amusement at my chastisement and how quickly I backed down. Still, the master crafted training room was about the best place for a demonstration possible.
Once more, the shield and gauntlet unfolded from its collapsed form of my watch. The disc of the shield rotated slightly, bringing the launchers on target. With a pulse of spiritual energy, the grapnels shot out, trailing lines of slightly glowing razor wire behind them. Adding slack and precisely twisting the shield entangled the lines into a cat's cradle, turning the trip lines into a web, one that carried my awareness with it.
That was part of the true strength of my Teigu. It was technically an object-class Teigu, despite being built into an armament. It didn't have the range or utility of something like Cross Tail, but it carried awareness perfectly. The Void Fisher had been an ambush beast, hunting through aether lines that were an extension of its own spiritual presence. The entangled lines that my shield sent out carried my senses, and not just my mundane ones. I could hear and feel through them, but I could also sense heat, energy, technology, and even the Dragon's Pulse.
It wasn't an overwhelmingly powerful ability, but it was a useful one, and at this point utility was of more value to me than additional strength. Currently, that utility was limited. I needed to stay connected to the lines to feel through them and had restricted mobility when the web was set, but those were things I could address. Incredibly Craftsmanship was powerful enough to modify and augment Teigu, even without considering the rest of my abilities.
Plus, there was also the second ability.
I retracted the aether lines, tearing the grapnels out of the surfaces they had embedded themselves in. As the lines whipped back towards my shield I felt Survey convey her analysis of the damage that had been done and her projections of what would have resulted from my impulsive near-decision to carry out this display in her library. I relayed my apologies as I leapt into the air, allowing the lines to whip freely around me as they finished retracting.
Aisha looked up at me, blinked, looked at the rest of the team, then back to me, blinking again. "Are you fucking flying?"
I grinned down at her from my position in mid-air. "The Void Fisher was an arachnid-type Danger Beast that could interact with the dimensional fabric of spacetime to hunt in three dimensions." I reoriented slightly, using my spiritual energy to slide along the invisible network or aether lines that existed just outside of conventional dimensions. "The components integrated into my Teigu let me do the same."
"And I was the only one who didn't know about this." She looked around at the rest of the team who were all looking conspicuously innocent. Even the Matrix, which was a real accomplishment, considering their armored form. "And fine, it's cool, but you had like a dozen ways to fly already. Hell, I've got a way to fly. What's special about this?"
"It's not just flight." I explained. "I'm anchored in three-dimensional space. I can actually brace and use leverage, and it's a lot more precise than anything I could achieve with thrusters or gravity effects."
It was also a drain on my spiritual energy. Not a drastic one, but all Teigu abilities had to be fueled from somewhere. Fortunately, I had already developed my spiritual reserves through my work with Elven Enchantment and Belmont Alchemy. Furthermore, Incredibly Craftsmanship came with another supporting power, General Level Potential.
That was general as in the military rank, not as a descriptor of a wide-ranging characteristic. It was the potential to reach the rank of general within the society that produced Teigu. That included certain physical and spiritual thresholds that would have to be met. I wasn't there yet, but the ability had come with a moderate boost to my abilities. The physical boost was mostly a rounding error at this point, but the improvement in spiritual energy was significant for a wide range of applications, and would only get more powerful with training.
It was almost weird thinking back to when Naming something during Elven Enchantment would wipe me out.
Additionally, the power granted me enhanced skill with my shield. Not to any drastic degree, but enough to handle it better, and I was able to display with the grapnels. Considering none of the combat styles I'd received were specific to my lantern shield, I was grateful for the foundation the skills provided.
As a final item, the power had included a basic weapon. It was just a sturdy short sword, but that sturdiness was enough to not be instantly destroyed by a weapon-type Teigu, which was actually fairly significant.
While the supporting items and abilities were nice, they weren't what I was currently focusing on. To be fair, the primary ability wasn't what I was focusing on either. I could build another type of terrifyingly powerful weapon, though with a decidedly unique, if unpleasant, application. That was significant, and something that I would give due weight in time, but not now.
Because right now, I could fly.
I wonder if every flying cape had moments like this when they first got their powers. Moments where they just cut loose and took to the air, testing exactly how far their ability could be pushed. How precise was it? How fast could they corner? How quickly could they accelerate? There was a kind of pure elation with flight that came unquestionably from your own abilities, one that couldn't be matched even with the most advanced thrusters or force manipulation effects.
Concerning the actual mechanics behind my flight, it was like treating the framework of reality as an active circuit and using your spiritual energy to short it out. I was basically using my metaphysical presence to force the fabric of reality to function as an active railgun. Even though I could lock myself in place or move with incredible precision, if I wanted to go fast, I unquestionably could.
It was just a massively inefficient use of spiritual energy. Not enough for me to need to ration my flight, but I wouldn't be flying cross country with this effect, even if I could technically reach the kind of speeds that would make that kind of thing practical.
Well, maybe if I broke the atmosphere, eliminated wind resistance and just coasted in low orbit on a single pulse of power…
Something to consider later. For now, I was just enjoying the feeling of being able to take to the sky within the adaptive training room as the Time constellation missed a connection. Being able to ride currents of aether to my heart's content. Shifting from being locked in space to blindingly fast launches in a heartbeat. The power of a Super Class Danger Beast, at my disposal.
The Void Fisher was an ambush predator, designed to lay in wait until something disturbed its lines, then launch into an immediate, unstoppable frenzy. A terrifying prospect even if the creature wasn't a kaiju sized crawling nightmare. The fact that they had managed to put down a creature like that was a testament to the resources devoted to the creation of Teigu.
That creation process was of particular interest to Tetra. She wasn't wired into the Workshop's systems like Fleet or Survey, but she had her own way of linking to the network, and had been chewing through data at a prodigious rate, with a clear purpose in mind. One I could determine without even needing to hear it, just from the research she was conducting and the case she was putting together.
Teigu could take a variety of forms, each with their own advantages and drawbacks. Generally, Teigu were divided into melee weapons, ranged weapons, armor, objects, extracts, and organisms, with a select few showing properties of multiple categories. The attributes of weapons and armor were fairly straight forward, with abilities that enhanced and supplemented their combat potential. Objects carried more esoteric abilities, able to utilize powers that would be difficult to express through direct attacks, or needed additional versatility. Extracts took that a step further, distilling the essence of an ability down to a consumable substance. More difficult to use and hell to recover, but providing greater control of the effect than even the most elaborate of object Teigu.
Then you had organisms. Organism Teigu were in a class of their own. There was a symmetry to them that was either elegant or perverse, depending on how you looked at it. Take the components of a monstrous creature, and use it to create another creature. It was either a poetic cycle or the worst form of desecration, but the effects were unquestionable. Organism Teigu were independent beings, able to think and act on their own. They still partnered with a wielder who acted as a source of spiritual energy, but even without a partner they were still functional, if in a diminished form.
The creation of Teigu required components from a powerful creature. The more powerful the source, the more powerful the Teigu. It was even possible for the creature to survive the process, persisting on with its mind and lifeforce intact, particularly in the case of creatures with strong regenerative abilities.
There was no creature with stronger regenerative abilities than a life fiber entity. There may well have been no individual creature truly stronger than a life fiber entity, and I was already planning to use those fibers in the construction of a new form.
Tetra's request was simple if viewed from a surface level, but became insanely complex when considered more deeply. It was technically possible for something to exist as both a Teigu and a Kamui, even without my hybridization abilities, but the implications were staggering. Both a Kamui and a Teigu put incredible strain on the body, if in entirely different ways. If not for my more than divine physique and the fact that I would be able to ensure perfect compatibility during construction, I would never consider it.
There was also the issue of pairing. For a Teigu to achieve its full power, it needed a source of spiritual energy. Regrettably, Tetra couldn't provide this for herself, which meant the responsibility would fall to me. Unfortunately, I already had a Teigu. While it was theoretically possible for one person to use two Teigu, the strain would be immeasurable. A normal person would be killed instantly, and even an exceptional individual would likely suffer permanent damage. If I wasn't several steps away from human and getting further every day, it wouldn't even be worth considering.
Without a source of spiritual energy, Tetra, as an organism Teigu, would be limited to her dormant state. Of course, that dormant state would still be a fully empowered, master crafted Kamui life fiber hybrid, so it wasn't like she'd be helpless. The kind of abilities that could be drawn from life fibers when channeled into the construction of a Teigu were significant enough to stop me from dismissing the entire suggestion out of hand. There was just one final problem.
I didn't actually know how to make a Teigu. I could make Shingu, and I understood the principles of Teigu, but it would take time to actually perfect the process. Time we really didn't have. Between our other projects and the promise to complete construction tomorrow, there just wasn't enough time to drill down into a new area of research.
Or there wouldn't have been. Really I need to stop underestimating my duplicates.
'Don't worry Tetra, we see where you're going.' My first duplicate transferred over the network. 'We've got you covered. 20% time is going towards this until we have everything ready for you.'
I could feel Tetra elation through the Dragon's Pulse, but I had to broach a difficult question. 'That's fine for you, but this isn't being solved in a single iteration, even if we perfect the spiritron environment for testing.' I transmitted. 'Can you really speak for the next sets of duplicates?'
It was the second duplicate who responded. 'We're you. They're you. Are any of us going to leave Tetra in a lurch? We promised her, the best Kamui we could make, regardless of what that took.'
'We can strip the duplicates of our Kamui for study.' The first added. 'And we can do trial work with the parahuman components we have on hand.'
I felt my stomach sink in a way that had nothing to do with the sharp dive I had just pulled out of. 'You mean…"
'Weld's tissue sample and Lung's arms.' He responded. 'We'll start duplicating them with future iterations, keep the originals available for later work.'
'Also, medical scans.' The second transmitted. 'Date from the Undersiders and even Aisha. Not anything to act on, but it'll provide a theoretical groundwork.'
I swallowed. That was the most brutal and visceral part of this ability. It was easy to think of the creatures that provided components for Teigu as mindless beasts, and sometimes they were, but often enough they had a sapient, if monstrous, intelligence. Taking away the monstrous form and it became clear exactly what you were doing. A power like this, in the hands of someone more ruthless, could be a nightmare in the making.
I wasn't planning to take that route, but I could see the mechanics of it. Changers or monstrous capes could have altered body parts integrated directly into a Teigu. For 'normal' parahumans the options were more limited. The Corona Pollentia and related neural tissue could provide a link to the parahuman's power that could be integrated into an object type Teigu. Expansive reprocessing could lead to the creation of organism Teigu that would bear an expression of their parahuman abilities. That was so close to my original trigger the mere thought turned my stomach, and the following one wasn't much better.
Passengers used a number of methods to identify their hosts, with a principle one being genetics. It's the reason why you could see identical powers in twins, such as Fenja and Menja. Theoretically, sufficient quantities of genetic material could be used to tap into that connection. Given enough blood from a parahuman, and a good deal of experimentation, it might be possible to produce an extract type Teigu that would grant a facsimile of the original parahuman's abilities.
I knew there were already concerns about my ability to alter powers and potential as a trump or power tinker. I could only imagine what the PRT would think if they knew I could create elixirs that would cause anyone who drank them to…
Well, to be perfectly honest, in most cases it would cause them to go insane and die, possibly not in that order. Teigu were powerful, but they were definitely not safe. The issue of compatibility would always be a looming one, and it was particularly bad for extracts. If you weren't compatible with a sword you just needed to put it down before the drain became too much. You would only learn you were incompatible with an extract after it was infused into your body. I would essentially be handing out mystery vials that would either grant overwhelming power, or cause horrible side effects up to and including death.
Okay, what the hell was my passenger's reaction to that about?
I set those concerns aside and gave my consent for the work, such as it was needed. My duplicates were right, I wasn't going to leave Tetra in a lurch. Even if I was a temporary version of myself, I would still do what I could to help her, even if that meant devoting a significant portion of my limited existence towards it. Concerns over the temporary nature of my duplicates were still present, but dealing with at least some of my issues definitely helped me understand their mindsets.
I finished showing off my new flight and set down on the floor of the training room. As much as I might have wanted to remain stoic, I couldn't keep the smile off my face.
"You enjoyed that." Aisha said plainly.
I just shrugged. "Flying is awesome."
"Yeah, I know." She said, raising a hand to the amulet holding her collapsed armor. "And I didn't miss that I was the only one out of the loop on that."
I shrugged again. "Tybalt and Garment automatically know my powers. Fleet, Survey, and the Matrix are part of the system where the abilities get logged, and Tetra can link in through I.R. transmission. If you had your armor on, you'd have the same access."
"Alternatively, a dedicated neural link would provide the same level of cognitive integration to the Workshop system that Apeiron possesses, excluding esoteric senses and awareness powers." Survey said plainly. She lifted a hand and projected an image of one of the latest revisions of the design for my neural implant. Aisha looked at it for a moment, then shook her head.
"Okay, I know I must be spending too much time around you guys, because the offer of brain surgery was not nearly as horrifying as it should be." She quipped.
Frankly, I hadn't expected Survey to try to upsell anyone other than me on cybernetic enhancements. It could be seen as a red flag, but coming from her it was actually a quite sincere expression of concern.
"I'd advise holding off on the more invasive methods of enhancement until after we have the basics covered. We can talk genetic and cybernetic augmentation once you get aura, alchemy, chi, and tinkering sorted." I explained as the Forge missed a connection to the Resources and Durability constellation.
Frankly, I was still a bit mixed about going forward with those aspects at all. Realistically speaking, a computer interface implant was significantly less drastic than the change that would result from mastering aura use or chi control, but it felt more invasive. Despite everything Aisha had done and how far she had come, she was still thirteen. I wasn't trying to be patronizing. It was less that she couldn't make these kinds of decisions and more that nobody should be able to make life altering decisions at that age. Thinking back to myself at that age… well, I wouldn't want to end up living with the kinds of decisions that person would have made if he had the chance.
But still, there were some augmentations where the advantage was so overwhelming that it outweighed my concerns. Psionic Operative training could provide defense against environmental threats and mental effects. Not to the same degree as Mental Fortress, but a great deal more than even the most aggressive anti-master techniques. While EVO conversion was a drastic step recovery and support potential of a properly programmed nanite array was unparalleled. Finally, a 'simple' protein restructuring using the same kaiju mechanics that had been applied to my body could provide a final layer of defense, as well as personal enhancement.
Fortunately, I didn't need to deal with that now. Soon, but not now. Even if I just held things at the Psi training, that would still cover essential defenses without being overly invasive.
Or maybe not. As had been pointed out, my perspective had become kind of skewed in terms of both scale and schedule. The problem was the person I would normally turn to for moderation of this kind of thing was the thirteen-year-old girl being offered superpowers. I was fairly certain what her opinion would be on the matter, and it wasn't like I could issue a permission slip for her parents to sign.
Really, the whole dance was an attempt to insulate myself from responsibility for the process. Part of that was my own issues with those kinds of enhancements, but that wasn't the whole story. No matter how safe or justified a drastic change could be, you would always have someone who had a problem with it. At this point Aisha's safety should be the paramount concern, not the reaction of some undefined person at some point in the future.
"Hey, speaking of tinkering, we digging into that miniaturization book?" Aisha asked. Given the fact that most of the tinker principles I'd been teaching her came from Armsmaster's specialization, it was easy to see why she'd be excited about collapsible and multiform technology.
"Once the spiritron system is fully vetted we'll give it a try. So, tomorrow morning." You couldn't just review the material in the book. Mastering the principles took practice in a real environment. There were externalities to the work that couldn't be emulated by my current system, but spiritron computing would be up to the task.
It would also address the other problem. Mastery of the skills of that book would normally take three years. Even with the benefit of Do One Thing at a Time that was still a year and a half. That worked out to about six thousand 'working hours'. Fortunately, the power of spiritron computing had taken the cognitive acceleration from a factor of hundreds to thousands, mostly by dropping the 'cognitive' part as working entirely with your spiritual presence. While that had its own issues, it did mean that we could effectively schedule a complete review of the skill book over a couple of hours, real time, tomorrow morning.
It was looking to be a fairly big event. The entire Forge on hand for the chance to learn a technically impossible skill. Not everyone engaged directly in construction projects, but there would only be one chance to benefit from my direct instruction, halving the time and doubling the quality of the lessons. Given that it could only be mastered through direct experience even Survey was keen to pick up the ability, though I could only guess at the application she'd come up with for it.
Though there was also a chance she was signing on to obtain additional insight to what had been revealed from the appendix. The scattered details about the author, an engineer from a kingdom named Vacuo named Cobalt Race, painted a distinct picture of the world. Another world dealing with monsters with a society built around sustaining itself in the face of that threat. The particular combination of how dust, technology, and aura was used was fascinating and I would have loved to learn more about it. Unfortunately, there was only so much that could be learned from secondary sources, and almost nothing in the primary work. Still, I was grateful for what I had been able to glean from the book.
"Right." Aisha said, stretching. "So, what's next for tonight?"
"For the moment? I've got some more errands to run, Garment and Survey have prep for her charity event, and the Matrix and Fleet have their own projects." The Matrix's crafting and Fleet's work with the Ion titan, both of which I'd need to follow up on. "For now, you and Tetra can finish your training with Tybalt, seeing as you're already here." The Felyne smiled as he looked up at them.
"Sure." Aisha said. Given the nature of the training in question and the quality of the facilities, it wasn't exactly a trial. "But don't you need to tap in?"
"Later." I said, looking down at Tybalt. "We need to work on magic, as well as higher level combat work." Really, he was one of the few people I could spar with on an equal level, and the only one really able to train the kind of abilities I was trying to master.
"Shadow magic, so space stuff?" She asked.
"Among other things, but yeah, everything space related is a lot easier, no matter the magic system." I grinned at her. "No more worrying about getting splinched."
"You've got it down?" She asked.
"Yeah. That's part of the errands for later tonight." I reviewed the map in my head. "I can handle apparating to places I've been before, so I'm going to go set doors outside the city. Boston, New York, Washington. Places from vacations or class trips." Which was still mostly the north east, but still a lot better than being contained to one city. "Also, extension charms are dead easy. Check it out."
I called to my wand, expanding it from the simple wooden ring to its full length. It thrummed in my hand as I guided it through the now-obvious movements of the extension charm. The training room was already an impressive size, but at my movements the walls fell away and the ceiling rose until we were standing in a space that had expanded by more than triple its dimensions in each direction.
"Holy shit." Aisha whispered. The rest of the team's reactions were more subdued, but even they were impressed. Survey was carefully mapping out the new space, including how it interacted with the neighboring rooms and the way the divinely crafted facilities had adapted to the change. "You just…" She waved her hand vaguely. "No words or anything."
"Ability 207-J-17-Quad." Said Survey. "Efficiency."
I nodded. "Power allows me to do everything in the most efficient way possible. No wasted movements or lost energy. Silent casting is more efficient than spoken spells, so it's the default, rather than the exception."
Aisha whistled. "Damn. And it's really that easy?" I shrugged.
You're going to give Vista a run for her money."
I shook my head with a smile. "I doubt she'll care about that kind of thing."
"I don't know." She replied, looking around. "This has to be up there with her best work, and you don't have her Manton limit." She turned back to me. "Hey, how long does this last, anyway?"
I blinked. "Uh, yes?" She gave me a confused look. "Aisha, charms are basically a type of enchantment, and I was already really good at that kind of thing. It also counts as crafting to a certain extent, and then there's the fact that this is made of highly enchantable materials, but even if that wasn't the case, it's not wearing off on any kind of a meaningful timescale."
"What kind of timescale?" She prodded.
I let out a breath as I tried to work things out in my head. "The kind where continental drift will be a bigger problem than the deterioration of the enchantment." And that was a conservative estimate.
Something seemed to occur to her. "Wait, you didn't grow your animal ears!" She sounded genuinely disappointed, something mirrored by Garment and to a lesser extent Tetra.
"Didn't need them." I explained.
"Need?" Aisha teased.
I sighed. "Aisha, the extension charm is already plenty powerful. You could put a mansion in a briefcase if you were really serious about it." I looked around the expanded space. "I could use it to fold out every part of the workshop, but we aren't exactly hard for space at the moment, so there's not much point throwing it out randomly, or going for broke on the first demonstration." Not when Survey was already remapping the workshop with the potential effects of expanded rooms and containers.
"Yeah, but animal ears." She teased. Garment joining in and some additional prodding from my duplicates made it clear I wasn't getting out of this.
"Fine. I'll make something for you later." I promised.
That started Aisha out of her teasing attitude, potentially as she remembered the scope of the kinds of things I could create when I got serious. "Something like what?" She asked cautiously.
"An expanded bag?" I suggested. "I already made one for when I delivered Khepri's costume, so there's no harm in you having a proper one." Maybe one of those overly small backpacks like she wore to the gym, only actually practical thanks to abilities beyond the mortal ken. Then another idea occurred to me. "Or maybe something you could set up for yourself."
Aisha looked at me with an uncertain expression. "What do you mean?"
In response I called up a holographic screen and began assembling designs, drawing from my previous major power, Mega Bomb.
Magic is the strength of the heart, but the mind gives it shape. Power is bound through action and intent, deliberately channeled to turn raw energy into a meaningful result. Mega Bomb was the essence of that principle. It was about taking the shape of magic and binding it, not merely through the actions of the minds, but through the fruits of intelligence. Through it, the boundaries between magic and technology fell away.
Normally if I wanted to cast the extension charm I would need to be on hand to cast the spell. With Mega Bomb, well, I would still cast the spell, but the effect could be bound, stored and retained for when it was needed. With the right focus and technology, channeling properly cast magic, it would hold the power until it was needed, for whatever it was needed for. Until you wanted to turn a desk drawer into a warehouse. Or a closet into a stadium.
"Fuck." Aisha said as she followed along with my outline. "So, I could just, like, take it into my room, and then suddenly…" She made an expanding gesture with her hands.
"Your room, or closet, or under your bed, or wherever you want extra space." I explained. "Secondary concealment effects will deploy, so your father or brother shouldn't notice." I paused. "Haven't figured out muggle repelling charms yet, and that kind of magic is a bit concerning anyway, but the screen should be enough to keep it secure."
Aisha looked over the plans again, then shook her head. "Uh, I think I'm alright. I mean with JUST the bag. No need to start enchanting my bedroom."
And suddenly the offer sounded a lot more invasive than I intended. "Right, sorry."
"Yeah. Still, incredible to have something like that on tap." She said.
I nodded. "Still working on the limits. Eventually I should be able to get past the need to manually charge the spells, but that's a ways off."
There was also the possibility of using alternate sources of magic, namely parahuman abilities. Building a device that would let someone else use a cape's power, even for a short time, was another one for the list of game changers. It was just too bad that the only other parahuman I had access to was Aisha, and the world was obsessively monitoring for uses of her power. As useful as it would be to extend that to other members of the team, it was exactly the kind of thing to set off the type of panic I was trying to avoid.
"I'll draw up some plans for the bag, get something ready before you head home tonight." I assure her before turning to Tybalt and Tetra. "You good to get back to training?" Tybalt meowed his assurance and I left the three of them to their elemental weapon and chi practice as I went to see to my 'errands'.
First off was closing out my work for Doug. It was something I had to employ the Matrix for, since I couldn't even attempt a repair without at minimum triggering Stylish Mechanic, to say nothing of the effects if I actually built something. Instead, I exited the workshop through the access door I'd set in the yard and proceeded to the three appliances I had deemed repairable with the time and materials available to me. Two kitchen ranges and a rather old refrigerator. I concealed myself using an elven cloak while manually guiding the Matrix through the work that was needed, just a series of bypasses and simple repairs.
They weren't thrilled about the limits I was placing on the work, but pushing further would definitely raise suspicion. I set the working appliances aside before posted a note listing the ones that were beyond saving, the ones than needed serious replacements, the ones that could be salvaged with a few spare parts, the ones that I might be able to do something about later, and the larger pool of ones that I hadn't been able to check yet.
I'd actually been able to check everything, but this was at least somewhat reasonable in terms of work. I sent Doug a text letting him know I was done for the night and had managed to salvage a few of the larger appliances, then acknowledging the Matrix's objections to leaving the work half finished before returning to the Workshop.
I wasn't sure how much good that would do on the grand scale of things, but Doug or Mrs. Gartenberg could probably find homes for what I had fixed. The real benefit would come from Garment's charity event on Wednesday. I reached out to Survey to check the details as the Knowledge constellation missed a connection.
"All legal and administrative matters that were able to be resolved without external action have been addressed." She transferred. "The remaining matters are unlikely to pose any substantial obstacle, despite requiring the collaboration of external parties." There was a slight pause of contemplation before she continued. "In fact, external parties are generally well disposed towards my civilian identity, proving excessively accommodating at times. I believe this is evidence of an advantageous choice of physical characteristics."
Well, that was one way of putting things. I continued through the workshop, taking to the air as I entered the open area around the computer core. I knew from experience it was an amazing space for parkour, and apparently an even better one for flight.
"You are alright to handle the guest list and invitations?" I asked. Survey was currently with Garment in her workshop assisting with preparations for the event, meaning she was acting as a combination of model, translator, PR agent, and personal assistant. I would feel bad about the amount of work being out on her, but I knew how freely she could split her focus. Besides, she was literally built for this. It was seriously the role she was most comfortable with, and actually tended to gravitate towards Garment whenever she wasn't directly assisting me.
"There is ample precedent from previous charity events for both high profile guests, and significant donors. I have compiled an assessment that should provide the optimum mix, though Garment has suggested several revisions." She stated.
In this city 'high profile' would mean capes. Given the state of things, I had to wonder how many would even be able to show up to something like this, and that was before you got into who would actually want to attend. This was going to be good publicity all around, Survey was seeing to that, but the local teams had other priorities, particularly in the case of New Wave.
"As long as you have things in hand." I said. "Let me know if there's anything that I can help with."
"Your duplicates have provided ample assistance in terms of logistics and coordination, but I will prepare a full review of active measures and deployment plans." She relayed through the network as I flew in a tight loop around the active worksite of the partially upgraded computer core.
"That's good." It was a relief that they could handle things like that, but it was important to stay on top of any measures put in place. "What about other matters in the city?"
"Fleet and the Matrix are reviewing the plans for prototype stealth drones. To minimize potential response, a launch in the early morning hours was suggested, approximately 2:30am. If preliminary sweeps are successful additional drones can be deployed at more active times." She proudly stated, while transferring the proposed plans and preliminary work that had already been completed.
Large portions of the plans were essentially blank, containing references to whatever power would be used to facilitate an effect, but the design itself drew from the archived technical knowledge that had been slowly transferred to the computer core. I was actually quite proud of the work. It showed how much they could accomplish without the direct intervention of me or one of my duplicates. Even without our help, they would still have been able to launch an enhanced and enchanted stealth drone, it just would have been significantly more conventional that what could be produced by my powers.
"That's excellent, but we should still maintain a light touch. Focus on the Teeth and ABB remnants, as well as anything of particular note from the other gangs. Give Coil his space until Tattletale gets back to us." I explained.
"Acknowledged." She replied. "As for other matters, assessment of concerns external to the city is ongoing, but it can be confirmed that at least seventeen Case 53s are either currently en route to the city, or are making arrangements for travel. This is in addition to the ongoing presence of Weld and Gully."
I nodded, splitting my focus between a personal evaluation of the computer upgrades and my conversation with Survey. "That was expected. I'm sure the Protectorate tried to keep things quiet, or we would have seen this much earlier."
Weld was also due a follow up. As much as I hated to admit it, knowledge of Teigu actually helped in this matter, at least as much as my accumulated Magitech knowledge. I didn't like the kinds of things that knowledge would let me do to someone, but it definitely had the potential for non-horrific applications. I mean, it was a completely novel way of rebuilding a living creature. That had to count for something.
"On the subject of Case 53s, Gregor the Snail had a brief conversation with Fleet prior to departing Somer's Rock. The details of the conversation fall under the guidelines you have presented regarding private discussions, but Fleet has granted me permission to share the fact that Gregor had contacted through our entry site with a neutral greeting and an invitation to the nightclub known as Palanquin."
"Really?" I said. It was surprisingly forward, but then again, Gregor was probably accustomed to a certain disregard of social conventions.
Survey replied with a copy of the message. It was directed to Fleet, but extended to anyone he wished to bring. "Given the significant emphasis placed on your public appearances, Fleet was considering attending tomorrow night, with Tybalt accompanying him, providing there are no objections."
"No." I replied firmly. "As long as it's safe and they're careful about any commitments, then no problem at all. It's good for them to take some action on their own." Plus, the two of them would be more than capable of withdrawing if things got away from them.
I had to wonder how the other gangs who were probably circling around with strategies and counter strategies would react when they found out all they had to was ask if they wanted to go out drinking. Honestly, it was probably a shot in the dark on Gregor's part, but Faultline's crew was definitely amongst the least contentious of the groups we had made contact with, so it was a good place to start when branching out.
"Pursuant to other matters you have requested to be kept apprised of, Amy Dallon remains confined to offsite isolation under reduced master/stranger protocols. Records indicate it is related to an ongoing assessment of the potential impact of Victoria Dallon's emotional aura, though the investigation process has stalled following Thursday's confrontation." Ah, the advantage of working with someone who could directly access data from computer systems. Honestly, it was pretty much what I expected and, to a certain extent, feared, but it was good to at least have confirmation.
"Do you know what has caused the delay?" I asked.
"That is unclear." She admitted. "Victoria Dallon had remained in PRT custody since Thursday night, though records of medical treatment do not indicate any substantial injury. Details of the case are being isolated from common networks. I have endeavored to locate the isolated systems, but more information on the PRT's infrastructure is required. It is a potential application for future stealth drone deployments."
Survey was excited about the potential of gaining even more access to information, but the level of security being extended to this case was concerning. My passenger was silent on the matter, but it could possibly have something to do with the aftermath of that breached call gem. Dimensional fissures like that were always the highest priority, but just witnessing one shouldn't have been enough to justify this kind of isolation.
There was also the matter of my own access through the fissure. Survey was completing her transfer through the QEC link to Fleet's Passenger Space carrier, but the entire group had learned to refrain from commenting on the size of the transfer or the length of time it was taking. Just 'slimming down' her program enough to make the transfer practical has been a colossal endeavor for Survey, and it wasn't something that she was keen to talk about, at least not while the transfer was ongoing.
I was jared from my thoughts by a priority message from Survey, accompanied by a message directly relayed from the website's entry field.
"Uppercrust has made contact through the provided entry field. I have verified the message's origin to his current accommodations in Brockton Bay. By every assessment, it appears to be legitimate." She communicated even as the message was unfolding in front of me.
'Apeiron,
It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance during our meeting at Somer's Rock. I regret not being able to extend our discussion, but public venues are hardly the place for such things. To elaborate, I am aware of the difficulty in locating the remaining forces of the ABB as well and the team of Uber and Leet. It is my understanding that they are effectively concealed from most forms of technological detection.
While this is highly inconvenient, I possess substantial contacts within the cape community, including a range of specialized thinkers. While I do not intend to disparage your own efforts towards this endeavor, such resources could simplify your search considerably.
It was my hope that we could meet tomorrow to discuss how such resources could be of assistance towards resolving the situation within your city, as well as other matters of importance. While I will, of course, be honoring my commitment towards the city, I have a vacancy in my schedule from 12:30 to 2:30pm. Should you wish to speak, you will find me at the penthouse of the Brockton Seasons Hotel. As I'm sure you value your privacy, no advance notice is required. Please arrive at your convenience, or feel free to suggest an alternate time or venue.
I look forward to the pleasure of your company,
Uppercrust
Director, NY Elite'
I read through the message a second time. It was definitely a tempting offer, and I'm sure he knew it. From my own experience, it was much easier to conceal something from direct detection than from the range of thinkers and precogs that existed in the world. Capes like that would be both extremely expensive to employ and highly selective in their clients, though I doubted Uppercrust would have any problem on either of those fronts.
It was definitely enough to get me in the door. The mention of 'other matters' made it clear there would be a follow up pitch, but I was expecting that. Honestly, I hadn't expected things to come to a head this quickly, but with the number of things on my plate, I couldn't say I was disappointed.
"Are you planning to attend?" Survey asked. Even through the digital medium, I could hear the concern in her voice. I could also feel her code begin to simulate a million nightmare scenarios as she projected every way this could go wrong.
"I am." I said calmly, "But I want you there." Her assessment of scenarios shifted drastically and took on a much less nightmarish bent.
"You are certain?" She asked.
"I am. Maybe not for the discussion, but definitely for the assessment of the location. I'll be trusting your analysis to ensure this is safe." I said.
Even if I didn't have an innate mantra affinity, I would probably have felt the pride that infused her being upon hearing those words. "You can be assured that I will enact every precaution in carrying out this task."
Meaning that penthouse would probably be the most extensively scanned piece of real-estate by the time she was done with it. And I was okay with that. There was almost nothing that could get by Survey's detection capabilities. If there were any unpleasant surprises waiting, she would know about them, and the rest of the Forge would be only a door away.
On the topic of the Forge, at least in its other sense, I felt the constellations shift as my power latched onto a cluster of Personal Reality motes. One of the motes was tiny, the other was decidedly not, as evidenced by the way the entire Workshop shook like it had been struck by a California earthquake the moment it arrived. If I hadn't been airborne I would have been thrown off my feet, something that happened to most of the Workshop's residents.
"What the hell was that?" Aisha cried through the network; her training clearly disrupted. Across the Workshop people were either attempting to collect themselves or figure out what just happened. For my part I was doing my best to hold back a bout of truly manic laughter.
"New Workshop addition." I explained over a public channel. "We have a dedicated power source." The amusement was clear in my voice, and I could see the confusion on Aisha's face through the link.
"Yeah, I saw the outlets. But you have fusion reactors and all that other stuff. What's the big deal with getting electrical systems installed?" She asked. Like before, other members of the team were already in the know or learning the details for themselves.
"The big deal is that we are now a level two Kardashev civilization." I explained.
A week ago, I doubt Aisha would have understood that reference. As of now I could see the dawning mix of wonder and horror on her face. "You mean…?" She trailed off without phrasing her question.
"That's right." I said with a wide smile. "We have a Dyson Sphere."
Jumpchain abilities this chapter:
Incredibly Craftsmanship (Akame ga Kill) 600:
While the method of creating Teigu is long lost you are able to create things almost at their level, with some research and a couple other skilled people you might even be able to recreate the lost arts that created the Teigu long ago. You also have all the skills to repair Teigu or other incredible items from near destruction.
General Level Potential (Akame ga Kill) Free:
You start with the potential to reach a level of physical and spiritual ability needed to become one of the generals of the empire. You also start out with a level of ability that many Captains would envy, and skill with one weapon type in particular. While this alone does not grant you the potential on par with the most powerful people in this world, it does bring you close enough that they can't instantly kill you
Perfect Hair (Akame ga Kill) Free:
Your hair is perfect, no matter how long, no matter what conditions, explosions constantly around you and getting beaten into the deck of a boat by water can do nothing to your perfect hair. It's never an impediment, nor will it every be damaged in a battle, even if someone shoots and hits your hair, there will be no evidence that your hair was shot. If your hairdo gets dramatically altered, it will only make you look better and take a comb and a moment to restore it.
Imperial Arms/Teigu (Akame ga Kill) Free:
You get one free and you may determine who it would be compatible with(besides yourself), or what qualities would make one compatible with it. First though you have to select a Teigu Type. The type of Teigu you chose will also govern what discounts you have in this section. You may also freely import an item of that type to apply the abilities of your Teigu to it(unless your Teigu is an Organism, or Extract type). Teigu options may be combine how you wish, unless noted. Discounts do not stack.
Object: as an object your Teigu is a relatively mundane thing on it's own, and instead grants it's power to the user. It could be a ring, a flute, a pair of gloves or even something like a makeup kit, but it can't be a practical weapon or armor. However this type of Teigu excels at special abilities, making them easier to utilize rapidly or continuously. If you import an item for this, the item may actually be of any type weapon or armor included, however it will not gain any new physical abilities(though it will be increased in durability if lacking).
Flight, Discount Object: Your Teigu holds the power of Flight, while you may be able to approximate this with other options, buying it this way will almost certainly be superior, due to it being far more natural and easier to use.
Awareness, Discount Object: Your Teigu gives you an awareness of it, this counts for things produced directly by your Teigu, and it's physical components. Such that you may know if something interacts with your Teigu directly even if that happens quite a distance from you, or that you will know the location and movement of any projectiles you produce. Not that this effect is that great without something else to enhance it, but it's enough to be aware of your traps.
Simple Sturdy Weapon (Akame ga Kill) Free:
This is a simple weapon that could withstand combat against Teigu, it's nowhere near as durable, but it isn't likely to break unless faced with active effects of a Teigu. This weapon can be of any type you like, from guns to swords, whips to spears, gun-clubs or rifle-glaive, it could even be a pair of swords or similarly paired weapon. If you pick a gun, bow, or other projectile weapon you get a sizable amount of ammo to go with it, certain to last you a while before you need to get more.
Who's Got the Powa (Personal Reality) 100:
This provides enough electricity to power a city the size of New York City or London, forever, with nary a brown out or power fluctuation ever. It also comes with all the basic wiring hookups, surge protectors, outlets, circuit-breakers, routers, etc you might need… but you'll probably want to get a qualified electrician in at some point… or pick up a companion who does that kind of thing. Purchase of this supplies all facilities inside your Personal Reality with electrical hookups.
POWER OVERWHELMING (Personal Reality) 400:
Not enough power? Okay, this Who's Got the Powa Upgrade means that your Personal Reality is now hooked up to the full power of a Sol-Class Star encased in a Dyson Sphere. Congratulations, you're now a Kardashev II civilization. If this isn't enough power, you need an intervention.