Day 140: Toilday the 5th, Calistril, 4708
Savah woke me up today, or at least she was staring at me when I woke up. I asked her if there was anything wrong, and she told me just one word, now. When we finally got up, she offered to help me get dressed in my travelling clothes, rather than me utilizing the spell. I offered up that I didn't think that it would be a waste, but she insisted on helping me get dressed, so she did. We got a quick breakfast after that and headed to the cockpit where all of my gear had already been stashed. Maybe I'll actually be flying in my armor after all.
When we got to the school dining hall, everyone who would be heading out with us was already there and getting ready. My three associates, Dame Rebekah, Faunra, and Jonathan, were all getting their kit finalized. Ambassador Silia and Viskalai were dressed and getting whatever they were bringing along as well. Viskalai had a lot more luggage than Ambassador Silia, but the good Ambassador did have a small bag of things that she had acquired from her time here in Sandpoint. Savah and I went to the cockpit of the plane and she helped me get my armor on, one piece at a time.
When we were done, I was fully kitted out and Savah was looking pleased with herself. She told me that now I was ready to go, and that she would miss me. I told her that I was leaving the tablet with her. I had transferred as much information as I needed from the tablet to my phone, and I even had an inkling that I might be able to request files form the Tablet to the phone using the enchanted radios. Magical Wi-fi, of a sort anyway.
When Savah and I were done, the five other members of this trip boarded the plane. They stowed their packed gear in one of the overhead extra-dimensional storage bins and took their seats. Savah gave me a kiss before I brought the faceplate for the armor down, and she headed over to the controls for the hangar exit door. I went back to give the engines one further check over, and headed back to sit back down in the cockpit.
I gave everyone the warnings about takeoff and everything, and started up the engines and controls. The plane roared to life, as if it was just waiting for this. I got the plane lined up and headed towards the ramp. Savah controlled the mechanisms for the hangar door proficiently, and the plane shot out like a rocket. A rocket going roughly one hundred miles-an-hour, but none-the-less, a rocket for this place.
We shot out and I made the course corrections to be heading directly to Magnimar. Once we made cruising altitude (by which I mean one thousand feet. I felt the need to be out of most bow range), I informed everyone that our flight would get to Magnimar in about twenty minutes or so, and that they were free to walk about the cabin, but that they should stick to their seats whenever possible in case of inflight turbulence or dragon attacks. I joked and told them all that I would have to develop a new variant of the Unseen Servant spell to be Unseen Flight attendant, but that they were free to get their own refreshments at the moment. I then thanked them all for flying Varisia Airlines, and that I hoped that their flight would be a smooth one.
We had an uneventful flight from Sandpoint to Magnimar. No one even asked for ideas on strategies or anything like that. Just a pleasant ride to the city of Magnimar. I landed the plane on the Kaijitsu Manor's Air Dock that we had created last time. Everyone departed to check in with their respective agents or guilds.
Dame Rebekah went to get in contact with the Chapel of Iomedae, to let them know about what might be happening. Faunra went to talk to the Cynosure to pass along information to high priestess of Desna. Jonathan went to go check in with the Dome of the Savored Sting, and let Ayamyra know what we were going to face. That left me to go talk to the Lord-Mayor. Instead of walking, I got my bike out of storage and got ready to get on my way. Ambassador Silia and Viskalai were together at the edge of the property as I rode up.
Ambassador Silia stopped me and asked if I would be available to come get Viskalai from the Andoran Embassy, as they were going to walk and talk about the various issues he had brought up on the flight. I told her that I would be glad to and asked her what time I would need to be there. Ambassador Silia shrugged and said that she was not sure but definitely before this afternoon. I forgot that we were just an hour or so after dawn. I told her that this was fine. I wished them both well and gave them one of my spare radios. I told them that they just needed to push the button and talk to get ahold of one of us. I told them that I'd pick up the radio when I got there.
The mismatched pair walked off and started a discussion in the early morning air. I shrugged, and got on my way. Apparently, I was stupid as all hell, because I didn't realize that the Lord-Mayor would not be up this early in the morning. Valanni, however, was. I parked my bike and got it validated, and headed up to meet the Lord-Mayor's Personal Assistant and Secretary. Valanni was there, having just made a pot of coffee. Or what passes for coffee here. He greeted me and asked if there was an important reason for why I was gracing the halls of the Pediment Building at this early hour.
I sighed and told him that we had just flown into town and that I had wanted to update the Lord-Mayor as to what we were getting in to this time. I added that it would be just as well to inform him, as whatever I told him would make its way to the Lord-Mayor in the best possible way. Valanni bade me to sit and he secured the room. He took a long drink of his coffee, looked like he was focusing all of his attention on me, and asked me to begin with my long explanation. The VERY long explanation about what we were going to do.
By the time that I was done, the morning was done and we were working on noon. Valanni had asked a lot of very in-depth and thoughtful questions, which worked to advance my explanation very well. When everything was all said and done, Valanni told me that he was worried about there being an issue with the recently recovered Fort Rannick if this was to go bad. I asked what he would have us do, and he told me that he would really appreciate us acting as a transport for a contingent of mercenaries that the town kept on retainer for just such a minor circumstance.
Without even getting my approval, he told me that he'd have a batch of mercenaries available by tomorrow morning, at dawn, and that they would be waiting at the Kaijitsu Manor gates. I nodded slowly and asked him how many he would be sending with us. He told me that there would be at least four, but maybe as many as six. I noted that we were not set up for carrying steeds. Valanni told me that this would be taken care of, and that we were just required to drop them off at Fort Rannick. He added that he'd give us a stipend for getting them there, with a small advance. He handed over a bag of platinum coins, and asked how long it would take to get them there.
I thought for a minute and estimated that they would be there before lunch. Valanni smiled and noted that we were getting better and better at this speedy travel. I noted that it would be quicker to get a mage to teleport them. Valanni nodded, but added that it was cheaper by half to get them there in four hours, rather than the teleporting. Valanni smiled and added that if the was the same kind of turn-around time that my vehicles could offer, that he'd guarantee that the Lord-Mayor would be happy to greenlight the purchase and training of the aircraft that I had quoted them.
I thanked him for his assurances and told him that we would be glad to work with him on getting everything ironed out when we got back from our mission. Valanni accepted that and said that he'd be glad to entertain me further today, but that he was going to be busy getting everything arranged. I took the hint and took my leave of the Pediment Building. I was getting kind of hungry, so I shook the bag and figured out what a four way split would be. Ten platinum coins apiece. I could get a meal for that.
I got on my bike and rode around until I found a tavern that looked like it catered to crafty sorts of people. I found a tavern that looked like it would suffice. I got off of my bike and walked into the establishment. Armored up as always. There were quite a few dwarves and what I expected to be mages. There were even a few dwarf mages. I walked over to a table, took up a seat, and took off my helmet.
The wait-staff, a young woman who looked to have dealt with it all before, came up and asked what I'd like. I asked her for a tankard of whatever whiskey that they had on site, and then asked what they were serving today. The waitress told me that they had a stew cooking in the back, along with some capons from a late hatch and some salted pork. I told her that all of that sounded fine, and whatever they had for bread and cheese. The waitress went off to get what I'd ordered and I disengaged my glove to more safely use my phone's screen.
A pair of dwarves ended up walking up to me, one of which wore robes and the other wore an apron. The robed one asked me if what I was wearing golem armor. I told him that no, I was not, but that I would definitely consider upgrading the armor to be that eventually. The mage seemed confused and asked if this was the new "technology" that he had heard of. I told him that it was indeed, and that I was one of the people who were building a school for it in Sandpoint.
The waitress came back with my drink and my stew and bread, and the dwarves asked if they could join me. I waved them to the seats and they sat down. They got the waitress to bring them some bread and stew as well. I asked them if they had questions regarding this new science and the mason asked if it was a new type of magic. I shook my head as I took a deep drink. When I finished I told him that it was the study of the laws of reality and working to further understand the universe from that.
The dwarves ended up introducing themselves as a pair of brothers, Bromlin, the mage, and Urist, the mason. They both were rather animated about their questions and their pattern of speech. Urist was a bit more acerbic in his discussions, and his hatred of what I figured out was elves.. He never called them by that word, using much more… interesting terms, like comparing certain parts of their anatomy to cutlery and such. When I assured him that what I was teaching was from human scholars he was all for it. I told them that if they were truly interested, they should reach out to Toth Bhreacher to see if he would be willing to sponsor them.
Urist lashed out, saying that they didn't need Toth Bhreacher to pay for their schooling, that they could afford it themselves just fine. I looked him dead in the eye and told him sponsor, not pay for. I added that I am requiring four different people to sponsor ten different students each for the first class, while I build out the property to accommodate further. I added that if they were indeed good fits, they might even gain a chance at being a teacher after they pass the required tests.
Urist calmed down a little and Bromlin said that they would talk with Toth. I thanked them and they took their leave. The rest of my meal came out and I dug in, before a gnome came over and asked if it was my bike outside. I politely told her that it was, and that I did build them for others, if she was interested. The gnome shook her head, and said that she could never ride something that big, but asked if I was also the one who had modified the Lord-Mayor's clockwork golem. I acknowledged that I had and asked if there was some issue with that, or if she was just curious.
The gnome introduced herself as Macy and that she was just interested in odd, interesting things and experiences. I asked her if she would be okay with me taking a picture of her, with me, and she was confused, but said that she would. I got my cellphone out of the forearm cradle and held it up to take a selfie Macy jumped up to be seated on the bicep of my left arm while I reached out and took the picture with my right hand. I showed her the picture when I was done, and Macy asked if she could try to make a copy of that. I shrugged and told her that she could.
She pulled out a book and cast a spell that I was unfamiliar with. The picture on my phone started to be reproduced in her book. It was in shades of grey but it was in decent enough detail. She thanked me for this opportunity and said that she'd tell all of her friends about the man and the steam-cycle. She laughed and ran off. I shrugged and finished my food.
When the waitress came back around, I gave her one of the ten platinum that I had picked out for my share of the passenger fee. The waitress said that this was far beyond what the cost of the meal was, even with the high end whiskey. I told her to subtract whatever was needed for the meal and the drink and if there was enough left, get a round of ale for everyone. As long as there'd be enough for her to get a decent tip. The waitress thanked me and I got up and left.
I got back to the bike and decided that I wouldn't ride it after drinking the heavy proof whiskey. It was a hold-over from my old days, but I never did much like drunk drivers. I walked my happy ass back to the Kaijitsu Manor, walking my steam-cycle besides me, and got back to the gate. Jonathan was just getting back as I got close enough to see him and I rushed the rest of the way to catch up with him. Jonathan greeted me and asked how things had gone with the Lord-Mayor and everything.
I pulled out the bag and grabbed ten of the platinum coins and pushed them into his hand. I told him that apparently we are now a taxi service, and this is his cut. Jonathan looked at me oddly, but nodded. We got the bike into the ship's hangar and went back into the foyer to relax. Jonathan and I sat down while he telekinetically lifted a plate of snacks for us. He asked me if there was anything specific about this "taxi service".
I told him that we have been tasked with dropping some "mercenaries" off at Fort Rannick by the Lord-Mayor. Jonathan laughed and noted that he had been asked if we could drop off a group of parishioners to Kaer Maga when we drop off Vachedi. I laughed and noted that the plane was going a little bit cramped. Jonathan noted that Faunra had spent some time expanding the holds in the plane. Apparently she had some kind of premonition that we would need to get some additional cargo capacity or something like that.
I nodded and noted that she was good like that. Jonathan laughed and said that he expected that the others were likely going to have similar missions in some way, at least from what he was expecting. I thanked him for that update. I asked Jonathan if he thought that the others might really be given these quests. Jonathan nodded, saying that there was always something like this when we just needed to get someplace.
I nodded and asked if he'd like a drink or something. Jonathan nodded and told me that he'd grab them and brought a pair of bottles from the other room. They were cooled off, so I guess that the modification to the continual heat spell has reached this far. We sat and Jonathan asked if I could pull up some music. I went through my phone and found a mellow playlist and started it up.
Jonathan thanked me and went over to the corner to levitate and meditate. I pulled up a book and started reading. After an hour, Faunra got back. She was smiling and came in to the foyer. She started to say something but stopped when the music changed to the "Safety Dance". She found herself unable to stop herself and she started dancing. Even Jonathan was slightly tapping his foot in time.
After the song was over Faunra came over and told me that she had a surprise for us. I asked if she had a troupe of Desnan followers that were asking for transport to some city. Faunra smiled and told me that this wasn't all, that there was also a Dwarven merchant that we were familiar with, that had wanted a trip back to Janderhoff with the Desnans. I sighed and told her that this should go well with group that we are taking to Kaer Maga and the other group that we are taking to Fort Rannick.
Faunra smiled and said that she had expected this. I told her that I hoped that the plane had enough room for all of the expected passengers. I asked if Faunra had gotten anything out of the Desnans or the Dwarf. Faunra smiled and presented a small box. I asked her what it was, and she told me that it was a secret, but that it would be extremely useful when we got to dealing with Special K.
I shrugged and said that it was something. I tossed her the ten platinum that was her cut. She smiled and said that this would buy a fair amount of snacks and drinks for the trip. I smacked myself in the head. I asked if she thought that there would be time to pick up said snacks and such.
Jonathan snapped out of his trance and asked me for however much I was willing to pay for snacks for the passengers. I shrugged and asked him if he thought that four platinum coins would cover it. He said that it would and took the four coins from me. He rushed out and shut the door behind him. I shrugged to Faunra and she plopped down on the bench beside me. I asked her what was up and she told me that she was thinking that this task that had been set to us was looking to be coming to a close here soon.
I thought about it and asked whatever she would do when this was all over. Faunra smiled and said that there was always another quest. She added that once this was dealt with, we might be needed to help out with the Drow problem that Shalelu was negotiating about, or Dame Rebekah's familial quest to prove herself to her family, I added not that she needed to. Faunra nodded and said that Jonathan's quest for his history and revenge might come up, and she might even want to take a trip to where I was from, if only to see more about it.
I thought about that. I really didn't know if I wanted these two worlds to interact more than they already had. I mean I was happy to help them out here, and I wasn't thinking that I would be able to go back ever, but my main worry was that there was no way for that world to defend itself against this world. I told Faunra that I didn't know if it would be the best idea, but that we could all talk about it later. Faunra asked if I was worried at all about my family back home.
That hit a spot. I told her that I was, and that this was why I was hesitant. I added that I knew that she was fine to be on my world, that I didn't worry about her causing issues, but that the people on my world were very skittish around new things like all of this. But I offered that I MIGHT have a solution for a way to visit and NOT cause a stir, but she might find it a bit ridiculous. I added that we could talk about it later.
Faunra harrumphed and said that it would be nice to get access to more of the technology that I had access to. I told her that we can work on that later. She finally agreed to hold off on the conversation until after the whole ordeal was done. It was about that time that Dame Rebekah and Jonathan came back in. He himself had a huge selection of bags, boxes, and jars floating around him as he rushed off into the kitchen.
Dame Rebekah announced that she had something to tell us. I pressed two fingers to my temple and said that she had just gotten done speaking with Chaplain Tira of the Chapel of Iomedae and that they were politely requesting us to take some reinforcements somewhere since we could travel so fast. Dame Rebekah stared at me slack-jawed while Faunra started up. Faunra mimicked my actions and said that Chaplain Tira had offered us some kind of benefit or help in exchange for us doing this. I tossed the bag of ten platinum coins over to Dame Rebekah and told her to join the club.
Dame Rebekah came over and sat down on the bench on the other side of Faunra, asking if the same had happened to us. Faunra nodded, saying that she had expected that something like this would happen, and had expanded the extradimensional spaces in the plane back while we were getting ready. I looked at her and asked if it was her or one of her wax-homunculi that had done it. Faunra shrugged, saying she really didn't remember.
Dame Rebekah presented a small box, similar to Faunra's, but whereas Faunra's looked to something to throw, Dame Rebekah's looked to be something to cherish. Jonathan came in and dropped something down that looked to be something in constant flux. I told everyone that I felt like shit now, as all I got was cash. Faunra smiled and said that cash can pay for other things later, just that we were getting what we needed from who we needed to get it from. Dame Rebekah added that honestly, we've gotten quite a bit from the Lord-Mayor over the time that we have been doing this, and this stipend was only that, to get the people from point a to point b.
It made me feel a little bit better that we'd be getting some minor coinage when we got back, at least enough to make up for any minor inconvenience, of, you know, not having actual support. We all relaxed and decided to relax for the night. All of the passengers were instructed to be here at first light, so I set up a few Unseen Crafters to go about working over the ship's engines and directional struts. It wasn't really set up to be a good, quick, and easy landing site, and unless we landed on Storval Dam, it would be a little bit more difficult to take off, but we could figure something out, hopefully.
While we were relaxing and listening to music, Dame Rebekah asked why I wasn't playing music on the plane this time. I told her that the trip between Sandpoint and Magnimar was so short that I didn't see it as valid, but that I would set something up for tomorrow. Faunra thanked me and everyone went back to relaxing in their own unique way. Jonathan went back meditating, Faunra was studying another ritual, and Dame Rebekah was working on reinforcing the walls of Kaijitsu Manor and the plane's dock. She was even reinforcing the stone walls with the anti-incorporeal enhancement that we had been using everywhere else.
I spent the night pondering my future and what I would do. I fired off a quick text to Savah, who responded back almost immediately. It certainly wasn't all that much different from using a cell phone back on the ship, except there was a LOT less in the way of fees. Come to think of it, if magic works back on Terra, then we could get into quite the nice little business there. But then again, at close to fifty pounds of gold required for each phone set, it wasn't something that would come cheap, or to the masses.
Still, there were quite a few things that we could bring over from here to there that might be useful. Honestly, just a way to discern absolute guilt or innocence might be a bit scary. However, being able to quickly save people who might be injured at work with but six seconds of effort would be a fantastic way to decrease jobsite fatalities. If this "Constant Heat" spell could be utilized, we could get rid of all sorts of environmental issues. I'd even be glad with teaching the workers of Big Oil how to cast these spells, if it would help get everything promulgated.
I postulated this for a few more minutes before giving it up for now. I focused on studying up on my books and tomes and how this world's magic worked with what I knew from physics, chemistry, and the "rules" as I knew them. It was a little bit fruitful, as some of the "magical spells" from the vast majority of spellbooks that I had scanned in showed promise. Maybe a few more days of puzzling would give me more insight. Honestly, the best thing to come from it might be the explanation of why my bullets are all seeming to burst into flames when I fire them.
It was something to do with magic being a retarding force for many things in this world. This was why it had been difficult for vehicles to move faster than say thirty miles an hour without a lot of over-engineering. The actual force that magic seems to be agitates around them. On regular vehicles, it might ignite the wood or the sails, or even continually heat the stone or steel or other materials. This was of course mitigated by winds and other such things. With the B4C skin that my plane has, it probably reduces that enough to get the speeds that I can get, but obviously, it does provide for the excessive draw on the engines and what the fuel can provide.
It seems like this very force is what is making my bullets heat up. BUT that wasn't the only thing that this force could do, if what the magical books were saying. It was possible to convert that energy over into shocks or acidic burns, or maybe even frosting, if the runes are properly placed and utilized. I'd have to talk to Faunra about this tomorrow. Tonight was a night for relaxation and getting ready for the next leg of the trip.
Just before we retired for the night, Vachedi called over the radio, saying that he would make his way back on his own and apologized for making us wait. I had totally forgotten about him, and wished him luck on his trip back to the manor.