Rise of The Runelords - David Drake's Saga

by Raulfur

This is the Rise of the Runelords series as told by of David Drake, an American pagan who got tricked into the adventure. This series shows how he comes to understand the world and his journeys through it. The first three posts detail his companions, Faunra: a time displaced elven Magus, Dame Rebekah: a child of crusaders, and Jonathan: a skinwalker monk/kineticist. Still ongoing.

146. Day 142 or the Council of Science

(A/N: There are two people introduced in this chapter that are an homage to fallen military members. This is not an insult or derogatory, and if it comes across that way, it is extremely unintended. I tried to honor them as best I could)

Day 142: Oathday the 7th, Calistril, 4708

I woke up to a knock at the door to the passenger compartment. I got up, got equipped as needed, and opened the door carefully. It was Faunra, who looked around carefully and told me that there was no current scrying units currently focused on her. I nodded and relaxed a bit before asking her if it was wise for me to even visit the rest of the group until we come up with a solution. Faunra shook her head regretfully and thoughtfully she noted that it would probably be best if I would just sequestered myself to the cockpit until we landed in Kaer Maga.

I thought about it and agreed with her logic. I asked her to pass along my farewells to everyone we were leaving here, and went to check on the unseen repair crews. Faunra promised that she would, and apologized for the fact that I needed to be obscured. I told her that it really was for the best, and that we needed every advantage we could scrap together to defeat this foe. If that means that I have to behave like a construct for a few days, so be it. I made my way to the cockpit after visiting the engines and checking up on the Unseen Craftsmen. I checked their written logs and saw that not much had been found since I went to sleep, so I took a picture of the logs to reference later and headed to the cockpit.

Inside the cockpit, I got myself ready and started the preflight preparations. After a half-an-hour, I got a radio chime. It was Faunra and she had some information for me. First was that there had just been an attempt to scry on each of them (which was rebuffed by all of them). I was happy about this but said nothing and waited for her to continue. The second was that everyone was onboard and ready to start. I responded back flatly that we were ready to go, and that she should tell everyone should get seated, and that she respond back to me when everyone is buckled up.

After a few minutes, she came back with a message that they were all ready, and that I could take off. I ramped up the engines after getting them started. We rocketed off as quickly as the engines would take us and were on our way to Kaer Maga. I had the plane lined up with the cliff face that was the edge of the Storval Plateau. Following the ridge was better than trying to set up a compass setting.

After a few minutes, there was a knock at the cockpit door and I released the interior lock and let Faunra in. She was in her stewardess outfit again, but she seemed a bit more relaxed. She sat down in the co-pilot seat and asked how the flight was going. I laughed a bit and told her that for this being the very few times I had every piloted a plane, we were doing fine. Faunra stared at me and asked me if I was lying.

I told her that no, I was not. I added that I had designed this to work as close as I could to driving a car, and with the magical safeties I wasn't as worried as I would have been if I was flying an actual plane. Faunra asked what I meant by that and I told her that this plane is kept up aloft by her enchantments to keep it buoyant and the magical engine that had been installed by her, that the engines that I had installed were only to move this faster, so all in all I'm just required to direct speed and angle, rather than worry about maintaining altitude. Faunra looked a bit more relaxed at that.

As we flew along the Storval Plateau ridge, I looked out my window and noticed a small herd of fourteen aurochs grazing without a care in the world. I pointed them out to to her and noted that it must have been safe enough if they were just minding their own business here. Faunra nodded and agreed with me. She added that she had something to give me, and proffered a heavy bag. She explained that the mercenaries had been told to give this to us upon successful delivery at Fort Rannick. I nodded and told her that it should just be added to the group's treasury, that maybe we can find something in Kaer Maga that we can buy with it. Faunra nodded and got up to leave.

Before she shut the door, she offered up that we were good from scrying right now, as she knew of no scrying that could really keep up with the plane at this speed. I thanked her for that information, and she followed it up with asking for some music. I smiled and loaded up today's playlist. A bit heavier than the previous day's playlist, but not severe enough to upset anyone onboard. More 80's hairband ballads than the fifties stuff, but still enough to keep me focused on the journey.

After almost an hour, we were getting close to Kaer Maga. There was another knock on the door and I unlocked it again. It was one of the Desnan priestesses. She introduced herself as Thelema, and asked if they could sit down, indicating the co-pilot seat. I told her yes flatly and she sat down. Thelema told me that she had been asked to give me a place to land in Kaer Maga by Faunra, since she had grown up there. I thanked her and asked if she'd be stopping off here. She shook her head, saying that she'd be going on to Janderhoff, but that she had been here recently enough that she knew that if I landed on the top of the wall in the Bottoms section, we should be fine.

I looked at her and told her that I'd follow her suggestions. Still a few minutes out, I told her that the plane was flying at over one-hundred and thirty miles an hour, so it would be good to get a heads up early on if I needed to stop. She nodded and told me that it would be good to slow down if possible. I nodded and dropped down to just over ninety miles an hour. I told her that this was the slowest I could go before really dropping to the taxiing speeds.

Thelema thought for a minute and asked me what taxiing speed was, and I told her that it was completely stopping the engines that I had installed and relying on the magical ones that Faunra had put in. She asked what that was, and I thought about it for a minute before saying that it was less than thirty miles an hour. She nodded and asked if we'd be able to drop straight down. I told her that we can, and that we can roughly stop and lower without much issue except prevailing winds.

The priestess perked up substantially when the massively walled city came into view over the horizon. It was at least eighty feet of wall. This was extremely impractical in any world, and could only be figured as magical. The priestess pointed me to an area that looked like it was being used for flying kites. There wasn't a lot of wind out this early in the morning, or people were elsewhere, so the area was empty except for one gnome.

The gnome reeled in his kite and stared as the plane lowered onto the flat portion of the wall. When we landed, Thelema got up and noted that she'd go smooth things out. I kept in my seat and kept ready to take off if needed. I saw Thelema go to the gnome and talk a bit. The gnome looked excited, for a gnome! Thelema came back and talk to the rest of the group in the passenger compartment.

I waited until I heard a knock on the cockpit door again. I unlocked it and Faunra came in. She was decked out in her regular gear, and indicated that the gnome would like to check out the plane, if I was okay with it. I told her that I wouldn't be against it, but that he might not get that much from it. Faunra shrugged and said that this was on him, no us.

I stood up and asked if I'd be the one giving the tour. Faunra shook her head, and said that it would be best if I took up the mantle of a construct until we get away from other people. I nodded and said that I'd stay in here for a minute and try to upgrade my disguise. Faunra nodded and offered up some suggestions. I took them to heart and started making minor modifications to the gear that I had.

My helmet was mostly full face, but with a bit of work with some left over kit and superglue, it became full-face. I ensured that there was no amount of human skin that could be seen from the outside, and parked my non-essential gear in the pilot's locker. I decided to add runes all around the seams of the armor's hard plates and used the glowing ink to ensure that they were impressive enough. There was enough of a magical aura about me that I can probably pass. The chain-sword in non-powered form would at least be a bit of flair, but explainable.

I stood up and attempted to maintain the rigid discipline that I assumed would best represent a construct. I kept my boots in booming mode and stalked towards the passenger compartment of the plane. Faunra and the crew were there and the little gnome was talking readily. Faunra spared me a glance as she informed the gnome that I was a Shield Guardian who was protecting her, but that the gnome would be safe.

Uri, the gnome, asked her multitudes of questions. Whenever she had a question that she couldn't answer, I whispered a message to her through the radio and she repeated it to the gnome. Whenever it was something about the technological components, she reflexively answered magic. After about twenty minutes, Uri seemed satisfied, and asked if she would be taking off today. Faunra shook her head and noted that we'd be leaving tomorrow morning.

Uri thought for a minute and thanked her before asking her if he could be here on the plane to watch the take-off. Faunra said that we didn't really have time to take off and land again tomorrow morning before we made our way to Janderhoff. Uri noted that he would have a man-kite with him and that he could just fly back to Kaer Maga, if that was the concern. Faunra looked my way a little and I told her quietly his safety would be on him, but that if he wanted to jump from the plane at height, it would be on him.

Faunra relayed a truncated form of that to Uri and he accepted that. Uri shook her hand and went to head off of the plane. He turned around and told Faunra that she was a good sort, not like some of the mages of the Tarheel Promenade. Faunra asked if magical items can be purchased there and Uri told her that they can, but that we would do well to find a guide to find the best places. Faunra thanked him and he cheerfully headed back out. Our passengers all filed out of their chambers and came to see everyone.

The Calistrians all declared that they would be getting off here, to deal with their individual missions. They thanked Jonathan for his role in getting them here and told him that they would get word back to Ayamyra that he had completed this task admirably, with a sufficient amount of entertainment. Jonathan nodded and escorted them off the plane. The Desnans all approached Faunra and told her that they and their charge would find a place to stay for the night, and be back in the morning. That left Vachedi and us.

Vachedi had been content enough to leave me alone for most of this trip, with the understanding that I would be busy. When we got here, and everyone else left, he approached us and asked us if we could help him further. He offered up his assistance in getting us a guide, but noted that his contacts in this city were over a decade old. Everyone agreed and we left the plane on shutdown. Jonathan left Cytheria on guard inside the plane and Dame Rebekah released Bucepherous to be inside the plane and guard it. We locked up the plane and walked down the back of the ramp.

As we touched foot on the walls of Kaer Maga, we were welcomed by a man who introduced himself as Halman Wright, the leader of the Freemen, and the elected leader of this area of the city of Kaer Maga. Faunra said that we were from the town of Sandpoint, with a former resident of Kaer Maga. Vachedi stepped forward and removed his helmet. It looked like the two of them had some kind of recognition of each other. Halman asked him how long it had been, and Vachedi said that it had been almost ten years. They shook hands and Vachedi asked if Halman knew of his sons' fate.

Halman shook his head, noting that there was a wrinkle with that, and then he asked if Vachedi trusted us. Vachedi told him that we were some of the few people that could be trusted with this group's goals. Halman nodded and he led us down through the narrow staircases and across walkways. Halman noted that Faunra's Shield Guardian seemed to be very dexterous. When we got to a room in the bottom of the region, Halman knocked a specific pattern and we were all let in.

I noted by the dull grey metal that was cladding the walls that this was a scrying safe area. At least if Lead can block Superman's vision, it should be able to protect against scrying, right? The representative of Halman's group that had been in the room left and went to go protect the door. There were eight chairs around a table and Halman asked all of us, including me, to sit. I looked to Faunra and she shrugged before nodding.

I took off my helmet and sat down with everyone else. Halman started by saying that my disguise would have worked better if he didn't realize that I was using subtle movements that a construct wouldn't. I thanked him for the assessment and said that I'd work on it. Halman asked how he know that we were trustworthy. Vachedi told him that we had protected Sandpoint on multiple occasions, and that we had been working to get rid of negative aspects in the town.

Dame Rebekah offered up that she was a follower of Iomedae, and as such, she should be safe. Jonathan shrugged and said that he didn't like slavers of any kind. Faunra offered up that she was working with the Desnans and others to try to keep people safe. Halman looked to me and I shrugged, saying that I was just an assistant for everyone else. Vachedi stopped me, saying that I had personally worked to help improve the Town Guard of Sandpoint as well as Magnimar.

Halman seemed to relax a little before remembering something and tensing up a little. He offered up that Vachedi's sons had actually been purchased and freed a few years ago, and that they had been helping with the Freeman's efforts. This was until they had found that there was an enchantress who was buying up slaves and the slaves were not being heard from again, not even in Anker-Te. I looked at Vachedi and he looked down sadly and said that Anker-Te was the foreign district where zombies and other undead are common.

Dame Rebekah seemed pissed off at hearing that, but she kept her cool. Halman went on to say that Vachedi's sons had volunteered to do a mission where they would be "sold" and they would free the slaves from the inside. Vachedi asked how long it had been since they had started this mission. Halman responded that it was less than a week ago that the ownership had been officially transferred to the Enchantress' agents, but that they had been in the mission as a whole for over a month. Vachedi asked if Halman had any clue about where this enchantress might be.

Halman ran his hand through his greying hair and said that he did have a contact in the Tarheel Promenade, and that he'd be glad to pass the information along to Vachedi, but that he didn't want to see any harm come to them. Vachedi seemed to be okay with this, and I was surprised by the voice that came up and said that we'd go along and make sure that there was no hostility. The voice had come from me. I didn't think about it before I said it, but I still would have said it anyway. Halman nodded, got up, and walked over to the door. He knocked before opening the door and whispered something to the Freeman that was outside.

Halman shut the door again and told us that the contact was Gadka Burtannon, a small magical curio salesman. He added that he'd provide us a guide to get there, and wherever else we needed to go, that he only wished that we would be successful in our searches. We suited back up and waited for our guide. After a few moments, the door opened up again and there was a fairly young teen there, waiting for us. Vachedi stood up and we all followed behind him, me doing my best to be a construct again.

We followed the youth, who I learned was named Dart, as he led us to the magical shop. There was a fair amount of stares at us but nothing coming at us in the way of hostility, so we just stayed wary. When we got to the tin-roof stall, there was a group of four thugs attacking the Dwarven shopkeeper with lethal intent. Jonathan launched his Sith Lightning and the four attackers dropped. The dwarf looked a bit wary but Dart rushed forward and calmed the Dwarf down.

Honestly, it didn't take all that much for Dart to calm the Gadka down, as he had been roughed up and we had stopped them. The dwarf took us into his ramshackle shop and asked us why we had saved him. Vachedi started to tell him that we needed to find the enchantress but Dart stopped him. A brief discussion when back and forth and Gadka admitted that he had sold the gang some bunk amulets in the past, but that ever since they had gotten in with the enchantress Tirana, they were hounding him for more and more gold.

Gadka was so thankful that he told us that he'd offer up Tirana's hideout, and even offer us a discount if we wanted anything from his shop. After some parlay between Dame Rebekah, Jonathan, Faunra, and him, an arrangement was reached. He'd take care of the bodies of the thieves and their effects, and we'd be getting a few minor gimmicks that might help us out in the fight. I followed the back and forth while they were going on, but it ultimately came about that we'd use potions of disguise self and a wand of disguise weapon to appear as the four thugs that we had dispatched. Vachedi would be disguised as the dwarf, with the statement that he, as Gadka was refusing to pay and demanding to see Tirana.

Gadka noted that we'd have to take the bodies with us, and Faunra shunted them into the various bags of holding that we have. It took some moving around, but we got the four of them into all of the myriad extradimensional containers. Gadka gave Dart the directions to the enchantress' hideout. Gadka wished us all good luck, and told us that we'd get a discount from here on out if we can deal with this gang. Jonathan thanked him sarcastically and we headed out.

It was a half an hour walk, back across the Bottoms to the border of the Cavalcade. We didn't use the potions until we were a lot closer, but we just needed to get in. As we got closer, even I could tell that we were being observed by different gangs. Not the one that we were dealing with, but it was obvious that they knew something was up and wanted to be ready for whatever was going down. I had hoped that we would not end up decimating the population of young adult men and women, but if they attacked us, I didn't feel very sorry.

As we got within where we figured the optimum distance was, we ducked behind a corner and into a fairly empty storage area. I'm guessing that it was just a staging area for occasional illicit goods bartering, because there wasn't anyone there at the moment. We downed our potions and Faunra used the disguise weapon wand on all of our various weapons to look more appropriate. I didn't have my bolter, or any of the larger, more exotic weapons, so all I had was the chain-sword and my gauntlet. Faunra went ahead and "silenced" all of our weapons. I guessed these would have to make due.

Along the way, Dart told us that this place apparently used to belong to a group of something called Scientists who called themselves the "Council of Truth". This came to my attention immediately, but being that I was in "construct mode" I just filed it away. Faunra did her best to ask the follow-up questions that I'd want to hear, but Dart didn't know much. Just that they had laboratories and that they did experiments. That was enough for me to know that I needed to have the record function on to be able to get a full stock of what we were seeing, so when no one was noticing, I activated the camera on my phone.

We made our way to the entrance of the complex, which was a white marble building where the doors were bronze with glowing owl motifs. I cringed inwardly as we opened up the doors. Dart had left when we changed at the warehouse to go let Halman know that we are dealing with it now. We opened the doors and went down a short flight of marble stairs. I honestly don't understand how people with a focus on science can be so foolish as to have a set of stone stairs when they can cause accidents from just liquid on the stone. Jonathan nodded to a peephole in the wall as we walked down the stairs.

When we got to the bottom of stairs there was an elegant room, tiled with more white marble. Holy fucking shit these "scientists" were that kind. There was a large stone aquarium in the center of the room that was a few feet deep with large goldfish. I kid you not. Large goldfish. I don't know what they were thinking. There were also some rugs and reed mats on the side near the wall. A group of the thugs came out from an antechamber and asked us why we had brought Gadka here.

Jonathan noted that he had claimed that "Gadka" didn't want to pay, but that he had some kind of blackmail over Tirana that he wanted to discuss. The lead of the three thugs asked why we didn't just kill him there. "Gadka" laughed and said that he'd made sure that if he "disappears" the information goes to the people who could use it the most. The lead thug nodded but I could see a bit of confusion about him, like the disguises were not sufficient anymore.

I thought that I was going to be the first to jump, but Faunra had me on the drop. With a blur, six arrows slipped forth, killing two of the thugs and dropping the third. Jonathan mercied him with a dismissive launch of lightning. We piled all of the bodies into the antechamber that they came out of and got back together in the room. We briefly discussed what the solution was for the complex. I noted that I'd like to keep as much of it intact as possible for eventual study. Faunra nodded, saying that we'd do our best.

I asked if we should drop the charade, and Dame Rebekah just shrugged, saying that it would be best if we offered them the chance to repent, but in dangerous situations, all we can do is not kill them if they do not pose a threat. She delivered the last part while looking at Jonathan. I acknowledged that noting that we were not the law in this place. Vachedi spoke up, saying that the law in this town was corrupt as hell, and that was why he had to flee.

I looked at him with a knowing glance. I had heard this kind of story countless times before. I asked if Vachedi would help us by ensuring that we were not surprised by another group of thugs from behind. Vachedi told us that he was not afraid to fight. I told him that I was not worried that he was not afraid to fight, but that if he stayed in the antechamber where we had hidden the thugs, then he could tell us if there was another group coming in and we could get the jump on them from both sides.

Dame Rebekah echoed my statements, saying that we could not trust that these dishonest individuals wouldn't try to jump us from behind, and that we needed to ensure that we had someone that we could trust. Vachedi nodded, and I handed him the spare radio I had. I figured that it should work well enough, considering that there should be no interference within miles of here. We dumped the other four bodies in the far back of the antechamber and left Vachedi at the peephole.

When we made it into the next room, we saw a large amount of gold, furs, gems, and obviously magical swords. It was like the person had no imagination at all. It was an obvious illusion, but Jonathan noted that there was a trap associated with it. I looked to Dame Rebekah, and asked her if we wanted some other person to fall victim to this trap after we left. She shook her head and Jonathan and I went forward to look things over.

While I was looking over the trap, Jonathan whispered to me that we should set it off. I asked him why and he noted that he could smell a vicious monster behind the wall and that it will eventually be set free if we kill the enchantress, and we won't be here to stop it if it rushes out to become another "Scarecrow" of Magnimar, here in Kaer Maga. I sighed and acknowledged his common sense. We walked back over to Dame Rebekah and Faunra to let them know that we were going to have to actually trigger this trap for the good of the community. They both sighed and came forward to just outside of the trap's range in the middle of the room.

Jonathan backed up with them and I went to go set the trap off. I touched the "treasure" and jumped back in preparation. The wall crumbled and the creature known as a Gray Render shook off his paralysis. Dame Rebekah rushed forward and slashed at it with a vicious hit. Jonathan rushed forward at the same time, and landed the biggest uppercut I had ever seen.

The Gray Render's head went flying off. Completely beheaded from the telekinetic force of the Jonathan's punch. I looked at Faunra and she just shrugged. I'm almost certain that Jonathan's punch would have completely liquidated any normal person. I shrugged and noted that we'd have to move the body to the central fire that would be planned later.

We all got together and moved on into the next room. Or instead of a room, it was a piss-poor attempt at a maze of some sort. There was a dead goblin with some gold in its pocket, a prospective map of future defenses, and a dead mouse. At the top of the map I noticed an ACME brand at the top. I shook my head, I shrugged, and we went on to the next room.

Before we entered the next room, Jonathan complained about an acrid smell of brimstone. We got prepared for a devil or demon, and opened the door suddenly. There wasn't a demon or devil on the inside of the door but what I recognized as a prototypical Alchemical lab. When we went in, we saw a large, black, fire-scarred cauldron, and three bone pillars. There was a skull at the top of each pillar from which emanated a bubbling sound and a colored glow.

The glow lit up three oil paintings. The first one was a skeleton whose ribcage held a red apple, a blue jaybird, and a golden ring. The second one was a dark castle being shattered by a tidal wave with the highest tower being the shape of a rose. The last one was a demon drinking from a golden goblet while holding a heart. I took these in the same spirit as the stained glass from the former Foxglove Manor.

There was an alcove that held two pouches each of blue, red, and yellow powder, and six hunks of lead. There was also a hunk of amber with something inside of it. The skulls had bubbling liquid of similar colors. The rest of the group looked to me and I thought about it for a moment. I held up the amber in my gloved hand and the amber started melting away from the fire, resulting in a key. I quickly dropped the key to make sure that it was wasn't destroyed.

I guessed that we try Red Liquid and Blue Powder in the cauldron first. A portal opened up to the Negative Plane. I told everyone that it likely wouldn't disappear until it is utilized. Jonathan seemed to get an idea, and he rushed back the way that we came. He came back quickly with the bodies of the dead thugs. He dropped three of them in and the liquid evaporated.

I decided to try Blue Liquid and Red Powder. Jonathan claimed that he smelled acid form, and carefully dropped a fourth body into it, dissolving it fully before the liquid disappeared. I shrugged and asked what everyone else thought. Jonathan shrugged and Dame Rebekah said that we should try yellow and blue. I asked her what kinds and she said yellow liquid, since it reminded her of sunshine.

The Yellow Liquid and the Blue Powder were combined in the cauldron. It seemed to be a fairly placid liquid. Faunra detected magic on it and declared that it was a vat of healing potions. Jonathan lifted the liquid out telekinetically and we put it into a canteen. I told her that this was a great suggestion and asked her if she had another suggestion.

Dame Rebekah suggested that we try the Yellow Liquid and the Red Powder. As soon as I put the powder in the liquid, it started to ripple and suddenly a Babau popped out of the cauldron. Dame Rebekah, Jonathan, and Faunra all barraged the demon with merciless savagery. It didn't even have time to react before it was downed. I looked to Jonathan and Faunra to see what they would suggest next.

Jonathan shrugged and said that it seems like it is mainly random, so he suggested Red Liquid and Yellow Powder, since we didn't have any more of the Red or Blue Powder left. The liquid seemed placid, so Jonathan recommended that we try dipping something in it. I dropped the lead in it and the liquid evaporated, leaving just a half dozen gold chunks. I grabbed one of the leftover potion bottles and cleaned it out with prestidigitation and went over before filling it with the Red Liquid. Jonathan asked if we should just utilize the material.

I looked at him harshly and told him that people had searched for this on my world for millennia. I asked Jonathan if he could bring the cauldron with us. He shrugged and lifted it up. I put the last remaining dose of the Yellow Powder in another empty potion vial. I told him that we could do whatever we wanted with the gold after I figure out how this was done.

Jonathan looked at me and said that I could literally just tell stories to get gold. I stopped and Faunra added that my armor was easily worth more than the gold that I had just made. I nodded and Dame Rebekah asked what was so important about gold. I sighed and told them that my world had hunted this exact process for centuries and if I could figure it out, it would… Faunra asked me what it would do.

I sighed. I asked her if it was magic. She nodded. I sighed again. I asked if we had anything else that we wanted to have made of gold. Jonathan shrugged and asked how much could be changed. I shrugged and said that it looked like we could do another eight pounds.

Everyone looked around, shrugging. I told them that we could likely transmute just one more set of items before we run out of the material. Dame Rebekah produced a wooden holy symbol of Iomedae, Jonathan presented his wooden holy symbol of Calistria, Faunra presented her holy symbol of Pulura. I shrugged and pulled out a mylar blanket. I figured that it would change into gold foil.

When we were done, it worked as expected. Everyone got a golden holy symbol, and we got a hell of a lot of gold foil. Exactly five pounds worth. We left the alchemist lab and walked out to a four-way intersection. We walked to the north and then to the west. I was sad when I walked in to the next room and found that we were in an even greater treasure than what I had left. A library. I looked to Faunra and she nodded. Jonathan quickly shuffled all of the books into the various smaller extra-dimensional items. The room was barren when we left.

We left the room and checked into the next path, which was a definitive cave in and a set of double doors set into the east side of the hallway. Inside the room was a fairly pointless room. I mean it was about fifteen-foot-tall and there were a whole bunch of foot long spikes and such about the floor and ceiling. Faunra indicated that there was a whole bunch of magical auras in the room. It was full of traps.

I asked everyone else if they really thought that we needed to enter into this room. They all said no and I went to shut the door. I heard an unearthly scream from the room and something scream in frustration. I smiled and waited until the invisible thing came within striking distance to grab it with my glove. It was a small orb that held a skull inside. I grabbed it with force and crushed. It never saw it coming.

The skull disintegrated in my hand as the acid and flame dissolved it into nothingness. Faunra identified it as a Will-o'-Wisp. I sighed, noting that it was definitely something that could have given me pause in the past. We continued on to the second to last direction of the four-way intersection, a short hallway with a large double length door. As I stepped in front of it, it retracted up into the ceiling.

The room was bare except a ten-foot-wide chasm at the end of it, which dropped into a roaring fire, with a large cauldron filled with glowing molten stone. The air that came from the room was even hot. Jonathan pointed out that the floor had scrapes all pointing towards the trough, as though something slid. I nodded and he levitated up over the flor to check out the trough. As soon as he got within the room, the bubbling cauldron started shooting lava balls at him.

He lashed out with telekinetic force at the cauldron while Dame Rebekah and Faunra let loose with their adamantine tipped arrows. I did not have the luxury of having a ranged weapon at this point and Jonathan had made an excellent point that this would trip the trap. After the barrage, the cauldron stopped spitting fire and Jonathan noticed something. He telekinetically lifted up a spear and a horn from the trough before coming back. He told us that these were the last things that were not burnt to non-repair.

I shrugged and we stowed what we could. We went back to the corridor to follow to the next part of this complex. The doors opened up into a very complicated room. There were smells of sickly-sweet flowers, exotic smoke, and reptilian musk. Shadows and smoke were all over the room, and there was dirt and mold. I reflected back on the mold from the basement of the former Foxglove Manor.

There was a central platform in the room and on either side of it was a stone carving of demonic visages that held open maws with what looked to be portals to other worlds. The northern one showed a jungle of fungus that was spotlighting battles of enormous insects and reptiles. The southern one looked like a nuke went off. Jonathan whispered to the rest of us that there were two pairs of evil lizards with a goblin on each. I nodded and noted that we should make a break for the center of the room.

We rushed there and Faunra whispered to Jonathan to ask where. He told her the corner that they were in and she nodded, launching five arrows into that corner. I heard some grunts and nothing more from that corner. Jonathan launched off his Sith lightning in another corner of the room. I heard the Goblin squeal and the Raptor hiss. Jonathan said that the Raptor was still up and pointed me towards the corner. I started up the chainsword and rushed ahead.

As I ran through the room, I cleared the smoke and miasma to see a reject from an infernal Jurassic Park staring at me with obvious evil intent. I started up the blade and slashed across the thing's throat. The saw blade ripped through it and the Raptor dropped. I asked Jonathan if there were any other threats that he saw and he affirmed that there was nothing else. I relaxed a bit and dragged the bodies of the fallen back to the dais. Jonathan launched the dead bodies into the nuked area and they disappeared into it. He then launched the remaining thug corpses into it as well.

With the room's inhabitants deal with, we moved on to head out of the room's west door. Once we opened the door, there was a heavy breeze that blew into the room and banished a lot of the sooty smoke. We walked in to the hallway and followed the path to the area where the wind was coming in. There was a series of three turbines that were five feet across that were being used to push air throughout the facility. Faunra looked to me and asked if these were powered by technology or magic.

I looked them over carefully and told her that I thought that it might be either or both, but that I would be VERY glad to take them home and study them. Faunra nodded and asked Dame Rebekah if she could help with that. I stopped Dame Rebekah as she started forward, saying that we should look to see if we can find a way to power them down first. Then we can smash them. Dame Rebekah nodded and we moved on.

We made our way into the next room and it was almost everything I could have hoped for. It was a generator, and a actual reactor underneath it. I cautioned everyone that they needed to be careful about this in that it could cause radiation damage to them, but less to the people who were armed with my armors. Jonathan took a step back. I saw a section of controls and immediately ran up to them.

I immediately recognized it as a control panel for what would have fit right in a reactor compartment. It was at this point that I was really thinking more about these Council of Truth. I mean this could have just fit in back in Prototype, aside from the materials that were used for it and the lack of labels. It wasn't like I really needed them. It was like old hat at this point, an old memory coming back like riding a bike.

I started the safe shutdown of the power plant and found that I had an option to shunt the excess electrical energy into the pool. I didn't know why, but it was an option, so I figured that there had to be a reason for it, so I used it. There was a bit more thrashing in the pool and a tentacle came lashing out at me. Jonathan fried it, promptly, and then lifted the body out of the pool.

I looked into the pool and noted how it was thirty feet deep and that the Reactor was at the bottom of the pool. I asked the others to come over for a brief discussion. I told them that we can't move this right now, and this is WAY too dangerous to be left alone. I told them that we'd need to leave someone trusted in custody of this until we get back. Faunra said that she'd trust my judgement on this, and I added that I knew that we couldn't just stop to check this out, but that this is MASSIVELY important.

Dame Rebekah asked me if this was safe enough right now. I told her that I had shut down the reactor, and that we should rush to get through the rest of this complex. We moved into the next room and found that there was a LOT of electricity arcing around the room previously. There was an Air mephit who was imperiously claiming that he was the lord of the boiling sky and the baron of the blistering winds. He demanded that we drop our metal items and flee.

I looked at everyone else, and Jonathan again acted first, launching a metal caltrop at the mephit, dropping it. We continued on and found that we were back at the front area. We went back to the front doors and locked them shut. Vachedi came out of his hidden area and asked us what was up. I told him that we had found an area that was too dangerous to let the public deal with, and we would be sealing this facility before we left for good.

Vachedi asked if we had found any sign of his sons yet. Dame Rebekah shook her head, and noted that we did have a lower level that we were going to head to next. Vachedi nodded and we asked him to continue to keep an eye out while we went on. Vachedi said that he would and we rushed back to the stupid room with the stairs in the back. Jonathan offered up floating each of us across the room to bypass the floor traps in the tiles. We all made it through okay with no issues.

We walked down a flight of stairs to the next floor down. The stairs were slightly more cramped than the hallways we had dealt with and then it opened out to a larger set of hallways. We saw that there was a door up ahead of us. We went into the door and saw a vicious mockery of a machine. I made out the instructions and apparently it was a way to convert dead bodies to healing potions.

I told the rest of the group that we didn't need to deal with this at all right now and we went out of the room to check the next one. When we opened the door it looked like an old Victorian operating theater. There was even an insane individual in the room and they was a dissected Hound Archon. Faunra told everyone that this was what it was and Jonathan asked if the man was viable for redemption. Dame Rebekah was sullen but said no.

Jonathan then launched a bearing at the man. It exploded his head. The ioun stone that had been orbiting the man's head went skittering off as there was no more head to orbit. We grabbed the bodies of the hound archon and the man and took them over to the other room. I put the vivisectionist's body into the machine and set it to run.

The others asked what was up, and I just shrugged, saying we would be getting rid of this guy so that he couldn't come back so easily. Dame Rebekah nodded and we went on to the next room that we had access to. We went through the operating theater into the next room, and saw that there was a bunch of creatures in the cages in various states. There were three creatures left alive, a very wounded grick, a girallon that looked emaciated, and a blinded basilisk.

I asked Faunra if she could speak to any of them. She looked to the grick and asked it something in a language that I associated with demons. The grick couldn't respond but seemed to understand that we were not here to hurt it. Jonathan had a brainstorm and ran out of the room. While we waited, I asked the others what we should do for these creatures. Faunra suggested that if we could get them all back to Magnimar, that the Lord's Menagerie might take them in.

Jonathan came running back with a large tentacle of the giant squid for the girallon. The girallon took the squid tentacle from Jonathan and started tearing into it. I noted that we'd come back for them to get them all dealt with somehow. We went on to the next room, and we found the next room full of flora. We walked in and Jonathan again alerted us to the monsters in the corner.

Faunra identified them as Shambling Mounds, and offered up that they didn't seem hostile at the moment. I nodded and Jonathan offered to levitate us over the plants. Faunra spoke to them in Sylvan and indicated that we had no issue with them and that we would just be floating through, not disturbing the foliage. The two Shambling Mounds seemed to stay back in their corners and we floated over to the next door.

We made our way into the next room and found that it was had a sarcophagus in it. Jonathan lifted up the lid and a flood of scarabs came out, accompanied by a mummy. Faunra peppered it with arrows and dropped it before it could even move. Jonathan lifted up the sarcophagus as the scarabs retreated back inside it. We piled on it and he floated us back through the garden room. We made our way back to the stairs and then dropped off the sarcophagus.

We walked across the hallway and found another chamber. We went inside and found that the doors had a heavy wind that was pushing down. I noted to the others that this was probably designed to keep something small in. Jonathan nodded, noting that there were two things in this room, a cloud of small constructs and a thug that had an odd smell about him, similar to the constructs. I swore to myself that they were nanites and that we needed to get rid of them.

Jonathan lashed out with his chain lightning and fried both the swarm and the guy that was already infested. I went over and got a sample of the constructs, noting that this would help me in the future. Faunra had went over the body of the victim and said that it looked like he was one of the gang members. There was a further door that we walked in to. The door blew heavy winds over us as we walked into the next room.

There was a large pool that Faunra identified as a scrying pool, that worked with the key that we had found earlier. We didn't want to take time to experiment with it right now, so we just noted that it would work and went on to the next area that we needed to check. As we walked out from the scrying room to the clean room, we were blown off again. We made our way to a large pool and found that there was only one room left on this side of the pool.

Dame Rebekah said that she was drawn to the room and we went with her. When we opened the door, we saw that there was a large amount of longswords falling through the air into slots in the ground before reappearing from above to start the procedure again. There was an entity in the back who looked up and smiled at us. It was obvious that the person was undead. His fanged teeth showed he was a vampire when he muttered the word "Welcome" and we all were pulled in.

I reacted as quickly as I could and threw up a section of created stone walls on the floor to prevent the repeated process of the longsword rain. The blades stopped falling again as they clattered against the new floor and came to a rest. The Vampire looked somewhat perturbed as he strode forward to us, enchanted bastard sword in hand. Dame Rebekah stood strong and rushed forward to engage the vicious nosferatu. It was a great fight, with feints and counters. I mean, she was the only one of us still standing.

Who am I kidding? She took a few strides towards the overconfident mother-fucker and called upon Iomedae to make her sword holy. She took one of her focused whacks at it and the thing crumpled under the force of the blow, and turned into mist. It looked like it was trying to head to a certain point in the floor, but that place was now covered by two inches thick of solid stone. It was continuing to search around the room to entrances when Jonathan shot forth lighting at it and the mist coalesced into the body, Faunra walked over to the body and cut off the head and splashed it with holy water.

The body dissolved into ash after that. I shrugged and looked around the room. All of the swords that had fallen from the roof had started to dissolve to rust. We rushed out of the room before there could be any other surprises and were left with the next challenge in our path. The large underground pond. I could see that there was a current there in the water that didn't look to be natural. I brought this up to everyone else and Jonathan noted that there was a tinge of acid in the air.

Faunra looked at everyone and after a few seconds said that there was both an extraplanar entity and a dragon in the water. I asked if we'd just like to walk along the wall and skip this. Jonathan asked why not just float over. Faunra indicated that the breath weapon could still strike us. Jonathan nodded and I grabbed the two metamagic rods of widening and invisible spell from Faunra's backpack and created a graceful ledge that sloped up a decent distance from the shore, up and over the pond and landing on the other side.

As an afterthought, I whispered something to Dame Rebekah, who cast the spell herself, using only the invisible rod, to provide a safety rail about five feet high. I smiled and shoved the two metamagic rods back into Faunra's haversack. She mockingly moaned a little at the action and I just sighed in response. I used prestidigitation to make our feet all have clouds around them and Dame Rebekah led the way as we walked on an invisible walkway over the pond with the dragon and the water elemental. There was a fury as the dragon breached the water line and expelled its breath weapon at us.

Its breath weapon was a high strength gout of acid. It also splashed ineffectively against the walkway and the guard rail. Jonathan lashed out with a telekinetic blast almost immediately. Faunra followed it up with a set of five arrows. The young adult black dragon was dead from the fourth. I asked if we should get the dragon out of the water and Jonathan nodded, and started lifting the body out of the water.

Faunra asked if we needed to deal with the Water Elemental. Faunra yelled out in the sounds of waves crashing and ice breaking. A large wave erupted from the surface of the water and sounds of whirlpools and tsunamis came from it. Faunra looked to us and said that it had been bound here by the enchantress and that it cannot leave. Dame Rebekah asked Faunra if her longsword would help.

Faunra's eyes lit up and said something back to the water elemental in its native tongue. There was some form of communication back and forth. We ended up walking back to the shore while the discussion happened. When we made it to the shore Faunra declared that an agreement had been reached. To fulfill the words of the binding forced the water elemental fight, but that only meant that it needed to wound an enemy if possible before someone attacked it.

Jonathan offered up that he would stand tall for the attack, as long as Dame Rebekah could attack without opposition and that the elemental would not resist the dismissal. As an offering, the water elemental brought up what the dragon had of a hoard. I watched as Jonathan stood tall as the water elemental slammed him twice. The force of the blows almost shattered the force field around Jonathan. The water elemental followed the agreement and Dame Rebekah's blade swung true, causing the water elemental to dissipate.

I sighed with the thought that we had done something decent, where we could have just destroyed it. We made our way back across the invisible bridge to the other side of the pond. We walked over to a section of the hallway to find a very fetid section of mist, fungus, and dark water. It was obvious that this is runoff from the reactor. I cautioned everyone that they needed to not get into this water.

We cautiously made our way over the water via a bit of fabricated bridge (the faulty rowboat from the pond). While we made our way across, a pair of lobstermen surged out of the water to attack Jonathan. The lobstermen managed to get the drop on us and dragged Jonathan underneath the water with them. There was lightning in the water and after a few seconds Jonathan floated back up. We all helped Jonathan into the rowboat and it damn near fell apart.

We made it to the other side with Jonathan's telekinetic mastery. When we got to the other side I just kicked the rowboat once and it fell apart. I looked at the former bow of the boat and it had a nameplate. After I cleaned off all of the corrosion, it read the "Girlyman". I didn't know what the hell was up but figured that it could be repaired and brought back to use later.

We moved on after this nonsense and into the next room. It was a series of floating steps that would require jumping from each one to the next. Or, we could just jump down and float. We all just jumped down, entrusting our upgraded magical rings to help us. Surprise, surprise it wasn't that easy. As soon as I noticed the invisible thing hovering underneath one of the steps, I got slammed up against the wall. It wasn't the hardest that I had ever been hit, but it did suck.

I returned the favor by using my flashlight's laser pointer to point out exactly where it was. Jonathan lashed out with his telekinetic might. It struck true and the form dissipated. There was a tiny clink as the ring fell to the ground faster than we did. We all landed and collected the ring. They handed it to me since I was the one who was damaged by it. I put it into one of my pockets and we continued on.

At the bottom of this stupid room, we found a set of steel double doors set with rivets in the shapes of owls. Ugh. I hope to keep this entry in my log on the top just to remind myself that I need to not be that way. I need to maintain some measure of humility. That and decent design sense. We opened the double doors and saw a T shaped room ahead of us.

The floor, walls, and ceiling were all steel. There were three pedestals in the room. While inspecting the pedestals we found that there were switches on each. Jonathan seemed to be on edge about all of this, and we attempted to just leave. Both of the doors just locked when we touched them. Jonathan growled that this was all a trap. I asked him if he knew what kind, and he just shook his head.

I did some searching and found some scorch marks next to each one of the pedestals and in a T shape that would break up the room into three different parts. Apparently the trap was fire based. I did some searching to see how I could disable the trap, and noted that it would reset in an hour. I asked if we just wanted to wait, but the rest asked what would happen the next time we tried to open the door. I shrugged and said that since the trap would reset, it would likely just happen again.

That wasn't an option, so I went to work checking out each of the switches. I eventually found that I actually had the tools required to work on this. Not from my enchanted items, but from the tools I still had in my bag from when I first got here. They used Allen head bolts to put this thing together. I started dismantling the pedestals and the switches and got to work rigging the switches to a single pull cord. Each one would pull their switch at the same time.

I got everything lined up and we all gathered together in one of the sections. With a single yank, all of the switches were thrown simultaneously. The careful investigation of the switches had shown that there was a rune on each switch throw that would summon the fire and a fire elemental. These were worn away carefully and there was no such result when the switches were thrown. We all heard the door lock click open.

The next room was even worse. Jonathan's wolf senses were tingling as soon as he got in. The whole room was nothing but traps and pits. And monsters in pits. And doors that slammed down to lock you in the room. I spent almost twenty minutes marking and disarming all of the traps in the room. Jonathan spent his time launching cold blasts down into the pit to destroy two ochre jellies down there.

I explained to everyone the nature of the traps and Faunra indicated that the people who had set these up knew quite a lot about the jellies that they had used. I nodded and told her that it showed a lot of research and scientific intent. Faunra agreed and when the room was safe, we figured out which way we should go next. It was decided that we would go through the west door.

We opened up the west door and it opened into a room with a large chasm. The chasm had yellow smoke billowing from it and black flame licking up from the sides. There was a balcony on the far side of the chamber with six cultists performing some profane litanies. They were also staring at the yellow smoke, where a Vrock took form. We rushed in and started the fracas.

Faunra warned us that the demon was protected by the cultists, and that it was proof against lighting and resistant against cold and fire. She also let loose a barrage against the cultists, killing or dropping them instantly. Dame Rebekah yelled out that the demon would taste her blade, and rushed forward. Rushing forward is kind of an understatement. She advanced and leapt to strike the demon. She leapt over the crevice and decapitated the demon in one fluid movement.

Faunra indicated that this crevice was a physical tear to the Abyss. I decided to utilize my last wall of stone spell and took the metamagic rod from Faunra's backpack again. This was a useful cause if ever I had heard of one. I conjured the wall about ten feet down to get the maximum effect. The crevice did slope sharply, but the slope did help for reducing the amount of area that would be needed. All in all, I'm pretty sure that I managed to get it about two solid feet of conjured stone. Jonathan started shattering the balcony to provide more material, and Dame Rebekah utilized the last use of the rod to provide a solid flush cap to the yawning portal.

With that nonsense dealt with, we were again confronted with two doors, one to the north, and one to the south. We went north, figuring that it would be the least likely to continue further. When we entered the room, we were confronted by a chained (barely) fire giant. The giant did not have a very good grasp on reality anymore after apparently having been tortured. With ice cold iron. I had tried to get the giant into a talkative state by asking how a giant had even gotten into this complex. It did not like the quip.

It looked at me and grinned a wide, insane grin, and strained against his chains. This caused the masonry to collapse all around us. Jonathan, of course, in all of his gifted abilities, was not even touched. I took a few hits from rocks, as did Dame Rebekah. Jonathan must have sapped Faunra's luck, because she got hit by a large amount of debris. She was stuck underneath the rubble as it looked to damage bits of her armor.

I was furious at this point. I leapt at the giant who was now swinging his chain around like a cave troll. Jonathan, was of course, quicker. He ducked underneath the swinging chain and landed several blows against the battered giant. I followed him at my own speed and revved my chainsword as I did. I ducked the swinging chain as well and gave the giant a vicious slash to the neck at the first opening. I sliced through the thick skin, muscle, and veins to drop the giant. Jonathan gave me a nod.

Dame Rebekah pulled Faunra out of the rubble and helped her get the various bits of masonry out of her gear. The damage to the armor was already starting to repair itself, but I decided that I should help it along. I went over and started to utilize my mending power. After the armor was repaired, Faunra made a jest about me just 'needing' to touch her breast… plate. Jonathan started snickering at that.

I blushed and pulled back, asking if we could just get back to the task at hand. We left the room and went back into the former chasm room. There was the door that we had come through first and a door to the south. We rushed across the room to the other room, and busted down the door. It was an apparent bedroom. Faunra coyly asked if I was really so hurried to just jump into a bed. Jonathan busted out laughing. Even Dame Rebekah was laughing at that.

I looked around and rushed over to desk. There was a whole bunch of papers, scrolls, and such. I just grabbed everything I could from the desk and the drawers and shoved them into my bag. I tried my best to just ignore the jests and jabs. Honestly, it meant that everyone was feeling relatively safe if we were cracking jokes in the middle of an assault.

Jonathan asked if I wanted to collect this four poster bed as well, since I had grabbed the last one from a villain. I shrugged, asking if he thought that we could get something from it. Jonathan said that he was certain that Savah could get something from it. Faunra pipped up that it would certainly make longer trips in the plane… easier. I sighed and told him that it was fine to bring along, and that we can even store more gear and stuff on it. Dame Rebekah added that we can use it to get across dangers. Faunra snickered and added the snippet, "all together".

I rolled my eyes and suggested that we just roll this room and move on. Jonathan telekinetically lifted up our treasure train as we went back to the trap room. We set the bed down in a safe place, and checked out the next door. Jonathan listened to it carefully and noted that he could hear a large amount of wind in the next room. I asked if we had any thoughts about getting ready. Everyone nodded, and Jonathan prepared all of us by giving us a life shield. Faunra gave herself the Mirror Image effect, Dame Rebekah gave us all a benediction against evil, and I invoked a haste effect for everyone.

I busted open the door for everyone and they all flowed in. There was another portal in the center of this room that had a scene of blood red clouds and a barren landscape. The wind came from the portal and sent clouds of dust spiraling upward. In the four corners were statues of our armed humanoids bearing weapons and bone spikes. Faunra, the first in the room, fired off three arrows in one direction, yelling Xill, and three (and a conjured snowball) in the other direction, yelling Destrachen.

Jonathan ran in saying that he didn't know what that meant, but ran towards the area that she claimed said Xill. Dame Rebekah rushed in and went in the direction of Destrachen. Jonathan apparently only had to strike the thing once, same with Dame Rebekah. I made my way into the room and saw the carnage. Jonathan tried to say something but his voice made no sound. Faunra pointed to an amulet and Jonathan put it into an extradimensional space, returning his voice.

Faunra smiled, noting that this was VERY useful for us for the future. Jonathan went to listen again, but noted that all he heard was more wind. I got ready and asked quietly if we wanted to use the amulet. Faunra shook her head and I got ready to open up the door. Everyone stacked up and I opened the door quickly. Jonathan warned that there were petrified victims in here. Faunra explained that there were a pair of cockatrice here. Something perked in my mind, of something read long ago.

I asked her if she meant a creature that was from an egg that was birthed by a cock and incubated by a toad, that petrifies people by bite? Faunra looked at me sideways and asked me how I could be so wrong but so right at the same time. I told her that I remembered hearing something about one of those things in myths back where I was from. Faunra shook it off and said that, yes, yes this was that. And that we needed to deal with them.

Jonathan lashed out with some Sith Lightning and they were basically fried chicken. Whirlwinds got closer and Faunra started to talk to them in the sounds of rushing winds and gusts. They responded back that they speak draconic just fine, something that I actually understood. Apparently these had been bound outsiders and had been tasked with guarding the cockatrice. I asked them in draconic if that was all they had been bound to do.

They looked at each other and noted that all of their instructions had been in regards to keeping the cockatrices alive and looking after them. I asked them if their specific wording had included anything about avenging the cockatrices or anything in regards to the disposition of the cockatrices post mortem. The Azata, Bralani, shifted to elvish form and noted that it would be dishonorable for them to not hold up their end of the bargain. I nodded, but asked what remained of their bargain, as the cockatrice that they had been bound to protect and take care of were gone.

One of them looked to the other and said that they were supposed to also keep people from going further into the complex. I nodded and said that this was likely, while the cockatrices were alive. The one who had not spoken, smiled and said that their binding indeed did reference that the cockatrices were alive. They started to fade, as their bindings were completed. The one who had spoken smiled at us while he went home.

Faunra nodded and Jonathan picked up a few shiny things from the piles of rocks and stone that were shattered people. Dame Rebekah and I looked to our left and saw a glowing red light from around the corner. We gathered up and rushed into the next room. The next room was a thirty-foot-tall chamber, with a jade green cistern in the center. A pair of red dragons were basking around the cistern that appeared to have lava bubbling and occasionally burping up lava goblets.

When we crossed the threshold of the room, we could feel the oppressive heat. It didn't hurt yet, but I would be soon, since the metal on us would be heating up too. Jonathan lashed out with a blast of cold at the one furthest from us. The cold blast went right through the illusion. In a fit of rage, he hit launched a bearing at the other dragon. This one was real. It was real. He had launched the bearing with so much rage that it went through the barely opening eye and into the thing's brain.

An Efreeti rose up from the pool of Lava with a rage and was about to attack, before looking at the dragon who was dead around the pool. The Efreeti smiled and said that we had freed it from its binding. It offered up a pair of wishes for us as long as the last wish was for him to be returned to his home. There was a glint in its eye that told me that it did not have our best interest in mind. I looked at everyone else and asked what we should do.

Dame Rebekah indicated that it would probably be best for us to just wish it away from here and be done with it. Jonathan said that he'd not be the best to make the wishes. I looked to Faunra and she said that she could phrase the wishes in Ignan if I preferred, but that whatever we decided it had better be quick. I told her that we needed a way to make this reactor safe. Faunra nodded and asked Dame Rebekah if she had wanted anything. She shook her head. Jonathan noted that he'd like to be able to be a bit more liked.

Faunra nodded and spoke some phrases in Ignan with the Efreeti. There was some back and forth between her and the Efreeti. Jonathan had a flaming aura descend upon him and then absorb into him. I smiled and then there were a lot more of discussions in Ignan. There was a shuddering in the complex and the Efreeti apparently told Faunra that the device was now safe. Faunra make a quick statement in common that she wished for the Efreeti by the name of Surnom would be banished from the Material Plane for as long as any of this group remained alive.

Surnom laughed and smiled, before claiming that he wanted a vacation back home anyway, and warned that it might not be that long after all. I sighed and asked what she had done to make the reactor safe. Faunra said that she wished for the liquid to be replaced with the material that I had told her would block the reaction, solid lead. I laughed and told her that it definitely would. We made our way out of the room and into the next one, just to get out of the heat.

We rushed into the next natural cavern that was composed of two different landings that had a stream running through it gently. The one we ran into was bare and flat, except for three outcroppings. They were several feet high and smooth. They looked like solidified liquid. There was an arch of stone of finely crafted stone stairs across the stream onto the second landing that was about five feet higher.

We saw a woman conducting an arcane ritual on a landing up in the far end of the that landing, where a circle of six swords were floating in the air, but that wasn't the beginning of our troubles. A kobold was across the stream and laughed as he thought that we couldn't reach him. He summoned three large earth elementals. I activated my boots to jump right next to the woman enchantress. I landed shakily and recovered but didn't have time to attack before what she did next.

She tried to take a step back, pulling out a metamagic rod. I followed up with her attempt at retreat, stepping right up next to her. She was flabbergasted by that. She tried to cast her spell anyway. I could tell that she was trying for her most powerful spell, and she flubbed it. She did manage to hit me with a lightning bolt somehow anyway. The lightning bolt tagged me a little, but not nearly as bad as I had ever felt before. I guess that I had managed to duck out of most of the way, revealing her to be opened up to my own reprisal.

I sliced at her with rapid aggression and surgical precision, hitting her three times with two slashes. My adamantine toothed chainsword first severed the muscles in her right bicep, causing her to drop the metamagic rod that she was holding. My slashes' arc continued down her right thigh and caused her to drop to her knees painfully. My return slash came at her now neck height and ripped through it like it was nothing, severing her head with grisly efficiency. For all of her magical protections, it fared little against the might of adamantine teeth and metal reinforced muscle.

I turned as my chainsword whirled to a stop to see the Earth Elementals that I had seen rising out of the stone, were all shattered. The group was converging around a kobold that looked to be exceptionally fearful. The group looked to be more than adequate to deal with the kobold, so my eyes were drawn back to the six swords that had been floating in the ritual, where they had clanged back to the ground. Faunra came up as I was starting to look over them. Her eyes went wide as she looked at them all, but then looked confused at the scimitar.

I asked her what the issue was and she told me that all of these swords were magical, and that the ritual would have failed anyway. I asked her why and she told me that one of the was a fake. I asked her which one, and she pointed to the scimitar. I asked her how she had known and she told me that the real one looked to be made of solid gold, not like a regular steel scimitar. I nodded and she noted that the rest of them did seem to be the real deal at least from how they looked.

I mulled this over and asked what she thought that we should do with the blades. Dame Rebekah brought up that the Church of Abadar might be able to hold them. I nodded and asked when we might have time to actually get them to a sufficient one. Faunra thought for a minute and Dame Rebekah suggested that we could ask some of our patron deities to just hold these on their planes. I thought that was the smartest idea that we could have come up with, and noted that we'd have to split these up so that no one got access to them immediately, but have a way to determine if they were stolen from those locations.

I offered up that if we can get the swords coated in lead, or in lead lined boxes, that we can ensure that they are harder to find. Eventually the plan was made that one of each sword would be used as the "price" for the planar binding spell, while storing the second would be the request that the entity would be summoned for. Dame Rebekah can easily summon an entity on her own, as can Faunra. Faunra remembered that there was a scroll that had a spell on it that could summon a planar entity that Jonathan could use for Calistria. It was decided that it would be best if we didn't involve my deity.

We made our way back up to the pond and across to the machine that I had deposited the mage in before. By now, there were four glowing green potions on the exit of it. We determined that they were healing potions of a strong variety. Faunra asked me to explain the process and I told her how the machine would recycle the bodies of those who were deceased into potions of healing. Faunra nodded but Dame Rebekah looked aghast. Jonathan was iffy.

I told Dame Rebekah that it just recycled the life force from the body, and that in my faith, the animating force of the body was separate from the soul, so, no harm, no foul. She repeated the phrase, and I offered up a second explanation. I asked her what would happen to a body after a person dies. She told me that it sits there unless it is buried or cremated, and then it might be animated. I offered up that we were just insuring that the bodies did not get reanimated, without dealing with the disposition of the soul or spirit.

Dame Rebekah seemed okay with this at that point, and we shoved the enchantress' remains into the machine. Jonathan spent his time getting the hearts and other palatable portions of the dragons carved up for his business. We were dragging the kobold along with us, but we spared it the sight of Jonathan performing butchery on the what might be considered kin. We got everything sorted and those items and creatures that we would not or could not put to the recycler, and put them into a magical pyre that we had gotten from the Shopkeeper.

While all of this was going on, Faunra used a map that we had gotten from the Shopkeeper to completely map the complex. Dame Rebekah spent her time figuring out the best way to get her deity to accept the request of sending one of their soldiers to this plane to help us in this manner. Faunra already knew what she was going to do. I went to go get in contact with Vachedi to break the bad news that we had found neither hide nor hair about his sons. I hated to be the bearer of bad news, but maybe he'd take it better coming from me, or hate just me to the exclusion of everyone else.

When I got up there, backtracking with the kobold (who only thought about escaping once before I convinced it of the error of its ways by crushing the spear that I had left it to carry with my fist), Vachedi was out of the room with two other thugs. I saw them fully armored and armed, grappling him, and him not able to respond, like he had been caught. I rushed towards them, tossing the kobold towards one of them as I ran. He was from Sandpoint dammit and I wasn't about to let him get hurt.

The thugs turned to see me charging and the kobold rocketing towards them. It was then that I noticed that they had facial tattoos similar to Vachedi. I realized what I had done and yelled, "Oh shit." The kobold, scared thing that it was, had been yeeted through the air like an awkward javelin. Luckily, the first of the thugs sidestepped and the second caught the kobold, asking it if it was okay by name. Vachedi looked at me and I told him, while breathing hard, that we had not found his sons down below but had cleared out the complex.

One of the sons asked if Tirana was dead. I shrugged, saying that there were two wizards down below who were deceased. One by my blade, and one by Jonathan's might. One of Vachedi's sons said that he was worried that the man would come back. I told him that we had completely destroyed the bodies of both of the wizards. The other of Vachedi's sons nodded to that.

After a bit of catching up, where the sons were impressing on Vachedi how much good he could do for the Freemen, with me and the kobold, just listened, the rest of the group came up. Faunra asked if I wanted the electro-arcane generator and the turbines. I shrugged, saying that the power source was the real treasure here, but knowing that there are others who likely know what I know means that I know how I must try to get them to join us. The kobold piped up and asked what I knew about the science. I told them that I'd teach them as long as they stay away from evil. The kobold nodded and introduced itself as Upar.

I mentioned to the sons that if they were staying here, that they'd need to find some people who could keep this place safe. They nodded and noted that this would make a good hideout. Dame Rebekah offered up that it would be great if the other thieves didn't try to move in. The two boys offered up to go get Halman and come back. Vachedi offered to go with them. We sent the kobold with them and had a brief bit of discussion after Faunra declared that we were free from scrying.

I found out that they had separated the swords thusly. Asheia, the longsword of lust and Baraket, the rapier of pride went with an Empusa to Calistria. I didn't ask what they had the Planar Ally do, but it was done very shortly. Since Calistria's domain was of love and lust, she should be able to handle the blade's tendencies, and if not, she would know how to deal with them. Since the halls of pride were so associated with the halls of lust in the Runeforge, it seemed like a good idea.

Iomedae's hound archon got sent away with Garvok, the greatsword of wrath and Ungarato, the falchion of gluttony. The hound archon had been asked to relay the situation to Iomedae personally. The group had figured that Iomedae might just be able to restore the greatsword to the positive aspect of the sihedron value. And, hound archons used greatswords, so that would be a win right there. The reason for sending them on with the falchion of the undead, was that they figured that Iomedae would be able to keep the blade in the holy vaults and keep it from harm. She might even trade it off to Abadar for him to hold onto it for her.

Faunra had summoned another of Pulura's servants, a Gancanagh Azata. Apparently, this was a male dancer type. She asked it to show her a dance that was native to my world, it did so with a smile, and took the blades with it when it left. Pulura's host got Tanaris, the bastard sword of Envy, as her lights were among the most envious of the sky, and Shin-Tari, the shortsword of sloth, figuring that they could find a way to put restfulness in night sky, and failing that, send it to be buried in some kind of distant planet or star.

I smiled at those options, because keeping the things far, far away can only be a benefit to us in the long run, right? It's not like it is going to bite us in the ass when we need to get them back for some other reason in the future. With most of our issues dealt with, Faunra noted that we were still going to have to track down another magic item vendor. I sighed audibly and said that I hoped that we didn't have as much of a difficulty with the next store, as we did with the last one. Laughs ensued.

After a short period of time, Halman came back with the Vachedi family. The kobold had been left at the Freemen safe house. Halman asked what this was about and we filled him in on the details. All of them, especially about the recycler and the power plant. I mentioned that I was certain that the Efreeti was not on the level about his wish, but that it was in a safe condition currently. I told him to keep the kobold safe and that it apparently knew how to operate the machine. Halman took all of this in and thanked us for getting rid of this menace to their city.

We asked Halman for one favor, if he could provide it. Halman asked what we would need, and Faunra asked for an escort to the best magical item vendor and spellcaster that Halman trusted. Halman laughed and sent us with Dart to go with us through the city to the Tarheel Promenade to the Wheel Unbound. Apparently the Freemen had an associate in the Arcanist's Circle who could be trusted, and Dart was going to lead us to them.

Vachedi said that he'd stay behind with Halman and his sons, but that he would see us before tomorrow morning. I thanked him for all of his service, and told him that we hoped that him and his boys would come back to Sandpoint. Vachedi thanked me and said that he'd consider it. The five of us, Dame Rebekah, Faunra, Jonathan, Dart, and I, all went off to the Tarheel Promenade to get to the magic shop.

On our way to the Wheel Unbound, we walked down a street that had all sorts of different cults and religious sects. Many different groups from around this world, no matter how small or obscure had representations here. When we were half way through, I heard a distinct song behind me. From over the hustle and bustle of the crowd, I heard a voice say, "Anchors a-weigh my boy, Anchors a-weigh." I perked up and whisper-messaged to Faunra that I needed to hold back.

Faunra responded back to me that they would come back here for me when they were done, and told me to keep safe. I thanked her and went to find the source of the song. As I backtracked the source of the song, I found a small, secluded stall with a fouled anchor and a stylized eagle over a globe on the door. I knocked on the door and opened it up when the singing stopped and said come in. The interior of the small stall had various memorabilia from the American Armed Forces. The individual in the shop was an older person who looked to have been in the military long ago.

I approached them and asked them where they learned that song. The older man told me that he had learned it in the two-thousands when he enlisted. I asked him how he was so old if he had been joining the Navy to be a Seal then. The man told me that his team that had been given the task with going in on a mission to disrupt some activities in a place in Tangi Valley in Afghanistan. I stopped him, telling him that we were all told that the Sea Knight was downed in RPG fire. He looked at me with a bit of malice, and said that it was a Chinook, not a Sea Knight.

I popped the cover of my helm and told him that I had to test him, that it was the story that they were shot down by the Mujahedeen by several cross paths. The former Seal shook his head, saying that they landed just fine, and that they had made their way into the compound, but that they had found an odd, tall reddish man who spoke in an accented language, saying that getting rid of all of us would take all of the man's wishes. Their target just muttered, saying that he wished that all of us were gone.

The Seal told me that they had been sent to a place with hyena people and a thriving slave market. That they lost Bart, the interpreter, and the seven locals to slave pits of that place. He told me that the rest of his team escaped and kept heading away from the area to some place where they heard could send them back. As they went, he lost more and more of his people until it was just six of them left here, at Kaer Maga. They had heard, once they learned the languages, that this place was called the City of Strangers, and that if they were ever to find help, it would be here. The Seal told me that this had been thirty of this place's years ago.

They had stuck together as best they could, but over the years, they lost hope of ever heading home. After three of the remaining survivors had been captured by the "Council of Truth" for interrogation and experimentation, he and another survivor, a paramedic, had gone to into hiding, getting work as hired muscle. The paramedic was out getting them a meal right now, but that he'd be thrilled to know that there was another American here. He told me that he didn't know where the other survivor had gone to, but that he has been missing for several years. I asked him if he thought that they would both like to leave this place.

The Seal thought about it and asked why. I told him that I had been dropped off a long way away from here, and that I had while I didn't have a way to get back to America, I did have a somewhat decent setup and that I was willing to help them get set up in a relatively good position there. The Seal said that he'd think about it, and ask the paramedic. I told him that we'd be leaving in the morning, if they wanted to join us. I offered him up the spare radio that I had gotten back from Vachedi, and told him to call me on it before dawn if he wanted to get out of here.

He looked over the radio and asked what year it was when I got here. I told him that it was September, 2018, when I had left earth. He looked shocked, saying that he knew that he had been here at least two decades. I nodded, telling him that time works differently here. I asked him if he was okay with this revelation. He told me that he'd be in a bit of shock for a minute, but that a Seal could take it.

I nodded, and told him that I'd have to leave soon, but that if they decided not to leave, that they should contact the Freemen and get with them. The Seal said that he would, and bid me have a good day, that he was glad to be speaking English with someone other than the paramedic. I laughed a bit and he asked me what my rating was. I told him and I heard him mutter, "fucking nukes." I asked him why he never ended up getting associated with any of the other groups, and he told me that he just couldn't trust them.

I thanked him for his time, and told him that I had to get up to leave. He stood with me and I asked him how he knew that I was Navy. He told me that the pauldrons on my armor were clearly marked with chevrons and a crow. I sighed, remembering that Veronica had designed the armor off of some vague images in my head, based on some science fiction game that I had remembered playing once, and they had designations on the shoulder plates. I guess it was just filled in the rank insignia instead of whatever the armor originally had. I told him to keep the radio close, that there were groups that hunted technology in this world, aside from the "Council of Truth", and that they had already sent a set of assassins after me once.

The Seal nodded to me and told me that his name was Jared. I nodded and told him that the both of them would be welcome back in Sandpoint, and that they might even like was I was working on. I added that I could definitely use someone with a bit more medical skills than me there, and although I didn't have much in the way of higher end electronics, I was working on getting a phone system up and going. Jared stared at me like I was talking crazy. I told him that I had gotten in good with the locals in that town, and they were willing to, slowly, let me bump things up, technologically speaking.

Jared nodded slowly and said that he'd talk things over with Daniel. I thanked him again and told him to keep in touch no matter what. Jared said that he would, and I got my helmet back into place and he asked me if the military had provided me with this suit. I told him that they'd have to come to Sandpoint to get that answer, but that I'd also provide them with a movie night for Ironman or any of the other Marvel movies that I happened to have brought with me. Jared looked like he wanted to say something, but I told him to just consider it.

We shook hands and I headed back into the Street of Little Gods. I notified Faunra via radio that I was done with what I had to do, and she informed me quietly that they were still working on the finer points of the arrangements. I nodded and asked if there was anything that they needed from me for it. Dame Rebekah came back with no, but that they'd keep me apprised. I decided to continue to walk this street with all of the minor cults and deities.

I walked up to every approachable person and got their explanation of their deity or belief structure and what they did for the community. I had hoped that I might even find something else from Earth here, but I figured that it was less than likely, as it wasn't as though they were at a massive number of people who had transplanted to bring their beliefs back here. In spite of that, there were a lot of things that I thought were just a little different, close enough that they might had had some kind of parallel at least.

After a half an hour of doing this, I got a call over my radio from Faunra they were heading back. I let them know that I had received this and waited in a fairly conspicuous place. I decided to look over some of the basic jewelry that had been on display. A lot of them were what I would have charitably called faith crafts, where the design and even the materials were subject to the dictates of the faith. Still, there was a lot to enjoy. After a few minutes of this, I heard a voice asked me if I had Avengers recorded. I told them that I had everything up to and including Avengers 1, and a few after that as well.

I had not recognized the voice, but I did recognize the accent and the language. It was American English, with the speaker being from York, Pennsylvania. I told the speaker that he'd be more than welcome to get with Jared and make their decision. The voice told me that Jared had decided that he'd get in touch with us tomorrow morning. I replied back that we would be leaving tomorrow morning at dawn, and that if he wanted a lift, he'd have to be able to move before then. The voice introduced itself as Daniel, without me turning around, and walked around to shake my hand.

I complied with teh handshake, careful not to put too much force from the armor into it, and Daniel told me that Jared was worried that I was just another aspect of the "Council of Truth's" attempt to capture them both. I told him that I had just been in the Council of Truth's bunker, and it had been taken over by a wizard, temporarily at least. Daniel asked what I meant by temporary. I glanced down to the chainsword that was hanging off of my hip and I looked back at him. Daniel was just as old as Jared had been, so it was more evidence that was some kind of time dilation effect on this planet. Then again, I didn't know if this had also happened in regards to me.

Daniel told me that he'd go talk to Jared again. I offered up good food and safe sleeping conditions if they wanted tonight. Daniel said that he'd pass that along. I told him to find the Freemen and that they could direct them to us, before tomorrow morning, if it took longer than a half an hour to convince him. Daniel asked me why and I told him that I had a group of people who would be coming to head back to our location in a few minutes. Daniel said that he'd go talk to Jared.

I offered up some assistance around the different groups of clergy, mainly just heavy lifting and such, while I waited to see which group would get back here first. Carry a table and other things here, lift up some goods to the second floor there, help put a heavy object back up on a display after it had fallen off. My last action in the street was to summon up a bunch of the Unseen Craftsmen and put them to work repairing whatever they can find. After ten minutes, I heard someone clearing their throat, and I looked to see two people carrying ramshackle version of sea-bags.

I nodded to them, and welcomed them both by name. They nodded in response and I asked them if they would like me to carry the bags, as this armor provides a lot of assistance in carrying and lifting. The pair seemed a bit unwilling at first, but eventually relented. Very shortly thereafter, I saw Jonathan, Faunra, and Dame Rebekah heading back towards me. I raised my hand to show them where I was and the approached. I introduced them to Jared and Daniel and vice versa.

We all started walking back towards the Bottoms District where the plane was. I asked Faunra if the job had been done. Faunra shook her head, but lifted up a scroll. I nodded and asked her if we were looking at doing this as soon as we got to it. Faunra nodded and added that she had gotten a whole bunch of additional things in trade from what we had acquired.

Jared and Daniel spared a look towards each other after that and my three companions asked polite questions to learn more about them. Jared seemed a bit more aloof at first, but relaxed a bit when Dame Rebekah and Jonathan did some work to make them feel a bit easier, removing fatigue and what not. When we got to the Freemen center, Halman approached us and thanked us again for not only the removal of the slaver, but also the recovery of a new base of operations. Faunra nodded and told him that we were glad to help.

Vachedi came up and told us that he had a lot of work to do in this city to undo running from the situation that had caused all of these problems. Dame Rebekah thanked him for all of the help that he provided, and told him that we would pass along this information to Sheriff Hemlock. The six of us went to the top of the wall, where the plane was waiting. When we made our way to the plane's rear entrance and the two vets looked absolutely shocked.

Faunra, Jonathan, and Dame Rebekah shunted their own gear into their specific lockers. Faunra and I went to go get the scroll work done while the rest of the group told Jared and Daniel about all of the things that we had dealt with and how we had gotten this plane. Faunra and I got the plane under the protection of a spell known as Mage's Private Sanctum. A spell that prevents scrying into the affected area and prevents communication in or out without sending spells, which we happened to have enchanted into our radios. Within the plane, it would not prevent us from seeing or talking to each other though.

A few other choice amenities were included in the buying frenzy, including a banner that would help to allow us to be restful when we sleep in the plane, a desk with a source of writing material, lighting, and comfort control, and two chests that can produce food for up to a total of thirty people a day. I guess we don't have to worry about feeding the passengers anymore. Apparently there was a lot of donations to various churches, and the acquisition of more diamonds for any possible loss of life or injury.

Jared and Daniel were standing around, waiting for what was going to happen next. I asked the group if they were up for watching the Avengers again. The three of them said that they would be fine with it, and I loaded up the video on my phone and set it on the projector. I told everyone to get comfy, and Daniel and Jared both seemed a bit off, so Faunra grabbed them some food and some ciders from Sandpoint and told them to relax while the movie started.

After the movie, I told the rest of everyone that I'd be retiring for the night. Faunra asked why I was going off alone and I remembered the wards we had up now. I nodded for remembering, and asked the two vets if they'd like to have a passenger compartment to themselves. They looked to each other and nodded back to me. I took them to the third passenger compartment and told them that if they needed anything to let me know. I showed them where I was going to be staying, and left them to their own devices.

Dame Rebekah and Jonathan were waiting outside the door and asked to go speak in the cockpit. When we got there, Faunra was already there. They asked me what the deal was with these two, and I told them that they were from my old world, who were also former military who happened to end up over here, due to an odd quirk of fate. They looked at me oddly and asked how I believed that. I told them that I had verified a few details that they couldn't have made up, and who they said they were tracked with my understanding of the events.

Dame Rebekah asked me if I trusted them, and I told her that as long as they didn't betray me, I had no reason not to. Jonathan asked if I had any plans for them, and I told him that if they wanted to work with me, I could easily include them in my plans for a school, but if not, I would wish them the best and get them as set up as best I could. Dame Rebekah asked me why. I told her that we had a shared bond of service, and that I thought it only right to honor that bond in whatever way I could. Faunra snickered and asked if I was sure that I wasn't good. I told her that I was what I was, and shrugged.

We split up and all went to different areas. I stayed in the cockpit, but got out of the armor and relaxed. Jonathan went back to some place to meditate for two hours and then work on something else. Faunra went to a passenger compartment and studied her books, and Dame Rebekah did much the same in another passenger compartment. Before I headed off to sleep, I passed word along to Savah about what had happened, and what to expect when I got back. She thanked me for the update, and told me that she was still hoping that I would get back sooner rather than later.

I got my hammock set up in the passenger compartment and was about to head to sleep before I realized I had not checked in with the "engine repair crew" for the day. I was out of my armor so I just took a quick jaunt over to where the log book was. Daniel was sitting on the edge of the plane's ramp, looking out over the city. I asked him what was up and he looked up at me and laughed. I asked him what was so funny.

Daniel told me that he had imagined that I was much more of a warrior looking person than the figure I cut. I laughed and told him that a lot of it was the armor and the weapons. Daniel nodded, and offered up that the armor that the other people of my group wore were remarkably similar in appearance to my armor. I nodded, and motioned a nonverbal question, asking if it was okay to sit down next to him. He nodded back and I sat down, relaxing a bit before I told him that I had help in the practical design, but the materials were a marriage of earth discovered materials and magical materials from here.

Daniel seemed to be thinking that over, and asked me why I was helping them and what I had in mind for the two of them. I decided that it would be best to break the news to him. I told him that I had learned that it wasn't safe to try to go back to earth, because the various entities in this world are expansionistic, and would look to follow me, or anyone else back. Daniel nodded, noting that he was fairly certain that he would have been declared deceased already. I looked at him and told him that the mission that they were on was already declared that everyone on board the Chinook died due to several RPG's.

Daniel was silent for a minute, and asked me if I was going to set them up to be screwed over. I shook my head, saying that with his background as a paramedic, I was going to try to set him up with assisting the doctor in the town that I had taken up residence in, that I figured that they could use his knowledge and assistance, and he could learn the local flora and such to help in his own skills, if he wanted. I also had a second option for him to be a teacher of such things at the school that I was setting up.

That sat still in the air for a minute before he turned to me and asked me a one word question. School? I nodded, while drinking a canteen of water that I had flavored, scented, cooled, and carbonated to be Dr. Pepper. I told him that I had been part of a mission that had saved a local noble and had parlayed that into setting up a school for science and technology, and part of that was medicine and such, and he could easily be there for that.

I sat there drinking my faux soft-drink and asked Daniel if he'd want one. Daniel asked me what it was. I told him Dr. Pepper, but that I could probably get him something else if he wanted. Daniel said that this would be fine, that it had been several decades since he had last had one, and I told him that I'd be right back. I walked into the other room and spent the thirty seconds modifying the drink for it to be ready. I walked back out and gave it to Daniel. He looked at me carefully and I told him that if I had wanted to poison him or anything, I would have done it already.

Daniel drank the Dr. Pepper, sipping at first, and then chugging it. I asked him if he'd like another and he told me that this was enough for him. I nodded and said that it wasn't like it was actually caffeinated or HFCS, or even carbonic acid. Daniel sighed, but said that it was everything that he remembered. I nodded, noting that one of the restaurants in the town even had gotten a pair of bards who could reproduce a lot of different earth drinks. Daniel asked me how, and I smiled before telling him that I had introduced the drinks to the bards.

We sat there, silently enjoying the night, when I got up and told him that I had to go check the engine crew logs. Daniel asked to go with me and I helped him up. The years certainly seemed to be kinder to me from my leaving the navy, than they had been to Daniel since getting here. We walked to the area where the log book had been kept and I opened it up, to see a lot of the same issues as every other day. A bit of wear here, a bit of damage there, nothing too serious.

Daniel asked who the engine crew were. I told him that they were invisible forces that were tasked with doing the maintenance and repairing any issues that they found. Daniel nodded and asked if I was really crazy. I shrugged, and asked him if he had heard of spells or magical items since he had gotten here. Daniel looked at me oddly, saying that of course he had. I told him that it was a spell effect that lasted for about two weeks or until the job is done. Daniel nodded and asked if we were heading to this town of Sandpoint next.

I told him that we had two stops, one of which in a city not too far from here by plane, and the other a bit further north, but that they would both be provided with safety in the event that anything happens on the ride. He nodded and asked if he'd be in line to get a set of the armor that I have. I told him that those who volunteer with the town guard get a set for free, and a free revolver, and possibly even a free bike. Daniel asked me what I meant by bike. I took him back to the hangar, to show him.

When he saw the bikes he was a bit floored and asked how we had made motorcycles here. I told him that they were specifically steam-cycles, not motor-cycles, and closer to dirt bikes than motorcycles at that. Daniel asked how I had made them. I told him that I had a few different e-books that I had on a tablet that I had ended up with here. Daniel nodded and asked if I had some medical texts. I nodded and said that he'd have access to the medical texts that I had documents of if he chose to either be an assistant to the town healer or a teacher.

We talked about it a bit more and Daniel sounded like he might be willing to do one, both, or even all three of the options. I told him that I'd make a similar offer to Jared based on his skills and experience, but that if he wanted to let Jared know about what I was doing, I'd be okay with it. I added that I'd also give them a stipend to get started in Sandpoint, even if they didn't want to work with me on this. Daniel nodded and asked if anyone was allowed in the co-pilot seat during the flight. I told him that it would be better when I was taking a more regular route.

We parted for the night and he went back where him and Jared were sleeping, and I went back to my room, after locking up the hangar, cockpit, and ramp. I went to my hammock and relaxed in some decent pajamas. Prestidigitation is still my favorite thing about this place. Not teleporting, not healing miraculous injuries, prestidigitation and mending. I cleaned up the entire passenger compartment and my stuff before drifting off to sleep.