EliteCommander

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet of Arcaeda

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Kareet, on her part, cocked her head to the side as she looked over Itxaro. “You…want me to scratch you?” She asked, somewhat misunderstanding Itxaro’s wording. “I can understand wanting to test the capabilities of Life magic for yourself, though with the size of my talons, I think they would deliver a fair bit more than just a ‘scratch.’”

Kareet looked down at her fresh hand, curling her fingers inward to look at her new talons. “I think I have sufficiently demonstrated my confidence in the reliability of Life magic. It has been a great boon to our world, and that can be shared with you. Just keep in mind that Kerchak, or any other Life mage, will need to study the Human body before they can give you this sort of healing. Though…Kerchak could allow you to experience shapeshifting right now, if you wanted. A Life mage can always transform someone into the previous form they held, even without knowing it themselves.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet of Arcaeda

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For a moment, Kareet rotated her wrist and articulated her fingers through their full range of motion. Now that feeling was returning to her arm, it felt like nothing at all had changed. Vigdis’ reaction had been predictable, so Kareet did not hesitate in replying. “Trust me, even without the pain, it is not a pleasant thing to see happen to yourself…but that is the point. Kerchak can shapeshift, so I know he can handle healing. I would not have done this if I were not completely confident in Life magic.”

As for Vigdis’ request, Kareet had little difficulty in complying. Being able to speak directly about the differences in their notation made it much easier to translate between their number systems. The first thing Kareet had done when copying the examples Vigdis had written was to create a key comparing the Human symbols to their own. Even between people, between worlds, the mathematics themselves were identical. She tore out a blank page and wrote out the same equations and expressions in S’toric notation using small, but neat, handwriting.

Once finished, Kareet slid the page across the table to Vigdis, though her gaze lingered for a moment on the severed, bloody hand still laying on it. There was a brief, somewhat awkward silence before Kareet gestured to it. “You can keep that too, if you need proof for your captain.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet of Arcaeda

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Kareet seemed to pay little mind to Kerchak’s objections. They needed to show their healing capabilities, and she felt this was the most expedient method of providing a clear demonstration. Regardless, Kerchak did as she had asked, so once she was appropriately numb, she reached out her other hand towards her bag and magnetized her knife into it. It had a weighty blade, and from a Human perspective, looked to be more like a machete.

While Kareet’s intentions were likely plain at this point, she did not give much time for objections. She laid her hand flat on the table, then delivered a single, heavy chop straight to her own wrist. She aimed well, and the cut was clean to sever the hand from her arm. Kareet looked up from the table at Vigdis, maintaining eye contact with a calm, collected expression. She had felt no pain, nor any other sensation from the act, and while there was blood, the bleeding was not nearly so severe as it should have been for such an injury. Without that, there was a fairly clear view of the torn muscles, bones, and severed tendons within her wrist, if one could stand to look for long enough.

“Now, Kerchak, regrow my hand, if you please.” Kareet said with a brief glance to the Life mage.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

General Kvarr

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There was a brief, friendly smile from Kvarr. “Indeed so. I was confident you would understand. Keep courteous, keep polite, but do not give any ground. Figuratively speaking. We will make it clear that this land is ours to give without having to argue about it. I think your confidence and conviction shall be a boon here. When you speak what you know, beyond any doubt, to be right, then you will make it true by the force of that conviction.”

After a moment, the General shifted his focus. While he was not especially stern to begin with, he still seemed to loosen up measurably. “But I know plenty of our Glen neighbors. I would like to know more of these Humans. From everything I have heard, our unexpected guests arrived in quite dramatic fashion, but probably not of their own accord. At least, I would hope it would not be normal for them to travel inside a fireball. I want to know them better than just the superficial details, though. Is it possible for me to speak with them, outside of a…formal meeting? Or are they reclusive inside this flying machine of theirs?”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet of Arcaeda

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Vigis’ description of their medical capabilities was interesting in a few ways. Kareet had never known a world without Life magic, and the idea of spending weeks or months to recover from the injuries she described felt like an eternity. Yet, Kareet knew her history, and she had read what the world was like before magic. Shattered bones and joints, burns and deep cuts, they may be trivial for Life magic now, but such injuries used to be crippling. It was, in its own way, impressive that the Humans were able to recover in such short times, or even at all, without the aid of magic. Nevertheless, that did not devalue the power of their magic.

The measurements that Vigdis took the time to explain, Kareet dutifully copied into her notes. Mathematics and geometry were all something she worked with regularly, so she was well-positioned to try to understand all of these new units the Humans used. It would take some getting used to, without a doubt, but it would be necessary to understand the conversions if she wanted to learn what they could teach. With it written down, Kareet could study it on her own time, but the subject of Life magic was a bit more pressing.

“I think it would be helpful to show you firsthand what Life magic can do for you. It is true that I do not know Kerchak too well, but if anything, you should keep that in mind with what I would like to show you.” Kareet said before looking to Kerchak. “I’m sure you can heal a fellow Tekeri, yes? If so, I would like you to numb my hand and restrict blood flow to it, if you please.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei’s quarters had been untouched from the day they had first entered the Hunting Grounds. By appearances, it seemed she must have done some cleaning before they left, as there was little in the way of clutter. Meesei had not been a disorganized person by any means, but given how busy she could be, her belongings could sometimes end up being organized in ways that only made sense to her. At the moment, though, it was almost strangely neat and tidy. In fact, some of her belongings looked like they were already half way to being packed up to move. Her magic research notes, which she had asked in Fendros’ dream to be given to Sabine, were all stacked up together on her table. All of the records and notes she had written on their clans as Champion, she had even packed away into an open chest near her bed.

Given that Meesei had evidently already packed away some of its contents, her bookshelf was looking more bare than usual, but there were still some left on the shelves. Many were mundane, like books on history, foreign cultures, and even a few novels, though there were a few in one corner of decidedly different origin. Meesei had discarded the Black Book she had become so obsessed with years ago, and had never sought to find it again. However, there were some books she had brought back from Apocrypha that she had kept. Apart from their origin, there was nothing inherently magical or dangerous about any of them, but the title written on the spine of one stood out:

Godhunter

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet of Arcaeda

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Kareet had quite a bit of writing to do this time from Vigdis’ answer. Even just at a glance, there were multiple improvements the Humans were capable of making. Most of it seemed to be centered around the shape and manufacture of the gears themselves to improve efficiency and durability. Even just knowing that the potential improvements were there was valuable, and if they had the time to go through them, that would be even better. There was even apparently a way to improve their river boats, which were quite important to the Ascendancy’s trade.

Of course, it was not long before there were more interruptions. Shirik, shortly followed by Kerchack, this time. At least no one was trying to pull her away from her interview. She recognized the scent of the fish they brought to them. Soreltails were only regularly found in the rivers and lakes of the Ascendancy. Without hesitation, she ripped off a piece of the fish and swallowed it whole. Humming softly, she gave a curious look up and down the Iriad. “I do find myself curious how a being with no ability to taste learned to cook.”

Kerchack, on the other hand, was actually asking something from her directly. Fortunately, it was nothing particularly disruptive for her. In fact, what he wanted aligned quite nicely with her own goals. “It is funny you should mention that. I have already been speaking with Vigdis about the capabilities of Life magic. Being that they have never encountered magic before, I suppose it is understandable that the Captain is not convinced on your word alone.”

With just a moment of thought, Kareet turned her attention towards Vigdis. “Perhaps a demonstration of the healing capabilities of Life magic would be helpful? I imagine some of your people suffered physical trauma from the crash. On average, how long does it take your medicine to help someone recover from severe injuries?”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet of Arcaeda

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This time, Kareet had no trouble at all understanding Vigdis’ meaning. In their world as well as her own, it seemed, no one ever truly worked alone. Scholarship fundamentally built upon the work of their predecessors. To “stand on the shoulders of giants”, as Vigdis put it, was an apt phrase. Though, Kareet was coming to realize exactly how unique their situation was now. The Humans seemed to have centuries more progress in the pursuit of knowledge to build upon, so what would happen now if she were to have the chance to learn from them?

Kareet had to think a moment on how exactly she wanted to answer Vigdis’ question. How would be best to describe her invention, considering what she had learned of them so far? The first machine that had used her mechanism was a siege weapon, though it had found many more uses since then. Indeed, her siege weapons had not yet been used in battle, but barges operated by her mechanism traversed the Ascendancy’s rivers every day. “In my travels to Mythadia, I was inspired to create a new type of mechanism.” She answered. Turning aside for a moment, she reached into her backpack and pulled out another of her notebooks. She flipped through a few pages, then laid it out between them, beside Vigdis’ tablet. On the pages were a series of complex, finely-detailed blueprints of a variety of machines, all operated by a gear-driven mechanism. On the pages she could see now, there was what appeared to be a ballista, an elevator, as well as what looked like a paddlewheel boat’s propulsion mechanism. On a different page, there were mechanisms that were not attached to specific machines, but concepts, resembling a gearbox, that could be used for different purposes. On some of them, the gears were arranged to allow a user to change which parts of the mechanism were being powered by the motion of a single, central gear. The only thing that was not apparent from the diagrams was what was powering the drive gear.

“You see, for a Lightning mage, or any mage really, performing a complex task is more difficult than a simple task. That…probably sounds obvious, but what I mean are that power and complexity are two different things that contribute to overall difficulty. Let’s say you have two boulders, one half as heavy as the other. If a Force mage had to simply lift both of them in the air, then it would be easier to lift the lighter one. But if the Force mage had to start focusing on maneuvering the lighter one between obstacles, or something of the sort, it might start to become just as difficult, just as taxing, as lifting the larger one. My mechanisms use gears to perform different types of tasks, all from the singular motion of a lightning mage rotating a central steel gear. It lets one mage do the work of many.” Kareet explained.

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General Kvarr

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General Kvarr’s expression betrayed some mild amusement. “You are getting close to it, Castigator. With all he has done, Silbermine would be quite a poor guest. But you have to understand, Mythadians are mired in quite a bit more formality and tradition than ourselves. The formality they inherited from Kolodon, but in their culture, it builds off of even older traditions. Trace the Glen to their roots, and you will find a nomadic culture, with certain expectations for hosts and guests alike, when they come upon another’s land. Other Glen would not judge Silbermine harshly for trespassing on our land. What they would judge him for would be as a disrespectful guest. When Silbermine’s allies arrive, should we treat them with honor and respect, then it will be quite shameful for him to do anything less than to reciprocate. It will very much set the tone for negotiations.”

The S’tor straightened up and gave an understanding nod. “Your concerns are understandable, but I would also point out that treating them as guests upon our land does still insist upon it being our land.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet of Arcaeda

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This time, the subjects that Vigdis described were something that Kareet could wrap her head around more readily. They built upon topics about which she already had knowledge, or at least seemed closer to her own knowledge. They knew air was needed for fire, but the Humans knew what part of the air it was, and according to her, it was also needed to breathe at all. “So…oxygen is a part of the air, and it is what we need when we breathe in? And since we have more of it, that’s why Itxaro warned me that book would burn, and why your Captain is prioritizing getting fabrics from us.” Certainly, that information did make some of their stranger actions so far make more sense to her. “I have noticed that you all wear clothes all the time, like the S’tor. Is that what you do on Earth too, or is it just because you are here on Kanth-Aremek?”

The explanation Vigdis gave for seeing oxygen all the way from Earth was more difficult to grasp, though not hopelessly so. She knew what a rainbow was, and the idea that they were made from light being split into different colors was not so outlandish. She did not understand how light was being split to make a rainbow, but that was not important for what Vigdis was explaining. From what she was saying, it seemed like oxygen left an impression on light when it passed through the air, which their “spectrometer” could see. Even if the details were all far beyond her understanding, the idea itself was not. “I do not know how you could possibly see the air of a world so far away, but I have no reason to doubt you. How long did it take your scholars to make all of these discoveries?” She asked as another thought came to mind. “I wonder if your knowledge would be able to make improvements to my own inventions?”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

General Kvarr

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Among the Ascendancy’s military, much like the Ascendancy itself, there was a certain culture of individual prowess and ambition. For a commander to debate their superior and make their own contributions to strategy was not unexpected. For Kvarr, to be challenged was even encouraged, as long as they could follow orders in the end. However, Kvarr was a man who had joined the Ascendancy when it was still young, and his pedigree up to that point had included decades of warfare between the S’tor splinter states that formed after the collapse of the Kolodon Empire. There was not a hint of uncertainty in his reply. “I do suggest that you learn from my experience in this, Castigator, because I will say that I most certainly do understand the tendencies of the S’tor better than yourself. I know how they will respond.”

“Make no mistake, if any army, of any origin, were to breach our borders and threaten our sovereignty, they would find themselves having to fight for every hill and valley. However, it is most unwise to give in to the provocations of a grown noble child. His insults, his aggression, it is intended to pull a particular response out of us. Silbermine cannot will the forces of Mythadia and Acanata to follow him in a war all on his own. He has to give them a reason to be willing to fight, and I intend to deprive him of the justification he requires. Mythadians, on the whole, are not an aggressive people, and they are not our enemies. We will hold firm, but remain courteous. We will show, and expect, the appropriate amount of respect for guests upon our land. Their own traditions demand that they treat with us with a certain amount of honor and respect.” Kvarr explained. The Castigator demonstrated her passions clearly, and he expected little else but disappointment from her that he was opposed to giving the same show of force she seemed to desire.

“You are stepping onto a larger stage than what you are accustomed to. Rest assured, Castigator, one does not have to be bold and boisterous to show strength. Only those who are insecure in their strength feel the need to make a constant show of it. Let our reputation walk ahead of us, and we will not need to threaten them.” Kvarr added.