Things in Motion

Chapter 60

I was busy working on some layout details in my chamber of machinations when a call came in. I felt my orbs flicker and looked down at my hands before answering. It was my way of making sure I hadn’t spaced out as Deux.

There had nearly been an unfortunate incident during a checkers tournament when I laughed at a text from Chris at an inopportune moment. Since then I’d tried to be more careful about my surroundings and apparent appearance. Secret identities really were a pain.

“Hello Elim, how are you?” I asked cheerfully. After helping me with the Lepusan, he’d headed back toward his home village. I’d finally been ready to try and deal with the bloody mana fever contamination.

“Fine, mistress, I have some good news to report,” Elim replied, sounding a bit sleepy. Checking the time, it was just before sunrise. I really did tend to lose track of things like that, but he’d chosen to call me, so I didn’t bring it up. He likely had a reason.

“That ring you sent me worked great. It took some doing, but I think the town is clear now,” He continued happily. I did a bouncy little happy dance, glad it was a voice call instead of video.

The ring was one of my first experiments with the magic crafting system, so I’d been a little anxious. Using the scrolls Mina obtained it could detect disease. The plan had been for Elim to use it to to locate and treat the infected instead of blanket treating the village.

Able to cut down on the number of potions needed, I’d been able to save enough to treat the infected. That I’d raised my mana output since we initially made our deal had helped with that too. It stung a little to use it on non-dungeon matters even when they were worthy causes.

“Great, make sure to drop purification stones in the wells and more obvious water sources. The village should be in good shape for the foreseeable future now,” I said as I checked my inventory. Purification stones were inexpensive, so I’d stockpiled some for this experiment. With that done, the first thing I’d promised to help him with was finally complete. It felt good to have accomplished something.

“Were there any problems?” I asked as I shuffled through my notes. Having a formal chamber of machinations the hounds didn’t light on fire randomly was paying off. I could use paper products and felt a strong urge to design some dungeon master exclusive stationery.

I resisted. There were more important things going on, like Elim’s report. I could work on vanity projects later when I was done.

“No, it seemed to pick up on everything from minor ailments on up. I treated those as well since there were left over potions,” Elim replied. That wasn’t a problem, I’d told him to use them however he needed to. I didn’t have a need for a stockpile, fortunately.

“Hopefully I’ll have the next version ready soon,” I said offhandedly. My end goal was a diagnostic ring that could handle the majority of possible health problems. I hadn’t forgotten about how the healers hadn’t been able to diagnose his mother.

For now, I had to settle for making some single aliment ones after seeing the research time required on combining just two of them. The minimum had been a year, and that was for the lowest level of the base spell. When I’d asked Mira if she could do it faster than the system, she’d laughed at me. Not a little chortle either, tears in the eyes belly laughed. Aaron had looked at me like I flipped off his mother.

I had a basic understanding of magic, thanks to my deal with Mira, but it wasn’t the same as being trained. Until Aaron went off on me, I didn’t know new spells could take decades to create, and that was just the first step. Every spell I was looking at was the culmination of the efforts of generations of mages.

I’d seriously thought it would take a couple months at most. You’d do some research, maybe chant a bit , and poof, you had Fire II in your grimoire. Aaron had been pissed off enough to show me an array he was working on. The tangle of math equations had made me feel nauseous.

Real magic started with that, a complex series of calculations. If a mage got lucky, they figured out all the variables needed to achieve the desired effect. The initial stage would likely take years and end in a time-consuming and reagent-hungry ritual.

A mage would work on them for as long as possible before handing them down to a successor to refine. The cycle would repeat, each generation doing their best to refine it and reduce the casting requirements. That was how you went from spending three days and thousands of gold to call down lighting during a storm to summoning it instantly from the clear sky with a single drawing and a crystal.

I still felt embarrassed remembering that dressing down. Embarrassment tinged with relief that I hadn’t explained that the system could do it in a fraction of the time. I felt like Aaron would probably still be yelling at me if he knew that and how I’d been too ignorant to appreciate it.

“See any friends while you were working?” I asked when I realized my mind had wandered. Elim had tested about three hundred people in total as of his prior report. It stood to reason that he’d have seen a couple of friendly faces.

“I can’t say I did. I didn’t have much to do with the others growing up,” Elim replied with a shrug. I felt a little awkward but decided to just let it go.

“Didn’t stop them trying to hitch me to their daughters, though,” Elim added in a grumble.

“Your mother and I will want to meet any prospective brides first,” I joked. Elim just nodded solemnly with a distant look in his eyes.

“I was kidding. You don’t need my permission,” I clarified.

“If you could talk my mother round to that way of thinking, I’d be much obliged,” Elim countered with a grin. I would have rolled my orbs if I could have. Jessica seemed to like me quite a bit, especially after I re-homed Bessy’s snake, Mustard. Yet even if Elim weren’t joking, I wasn’t about to touch that powder keg.

“Oh, Mustard laid eggs yesterday. Bessy will be a grandmother in a few weeks,” I added. Elim immediately started laughing so hard tears were in his eyes.

“Please, do tell my mom she’s a snake’s great-grandma,” Elim wheezed. I shook my head at him. That was a hard no.

“Oh, I’ve got to go. Looks like I’ve got a customer,” Elim said suddenly and cut the connection. My orbs flickered. I wasn’t aware he was running a business. Curious, I texted him to ask about it then wrapped up for the night. Or rather morning since the sun was rising.

Though I was in the dungeon, I’d spent two days in town as Deux just before, and it hadn’t disrupted my routine too much. I was trying to make a habit of going out at least once a day. I couldn’t be sure yet but I felt like I was a little less uncomfortable now. Hopefully I’d grow tolerant the more I did it.

With my serious work sorted out and good news to share I felt seriously unmotivated about doing anything productive. Instead of trying to power through it I texted Henry to catch him up on what had happened and ask him if he wanted to do anything.

As I finished my vision drifted a little, and I found myself looking at the mystery countdown. I’d been trying not to look at it more than I could help to keep from worrying about it. It was rightfully alarming but I couldn’t do anything about it and dwelling was non-productive in the extreme.

Henry texted me back, and we decided to spend some time in my apartment instead of in town after his work day ended. I liked how Deux looked, I’d come up with the design, but I preferred to be myself with him.

It was kind of funny really, I’d adapted to my current form without really thinking about it. I had to wonder if that was really me or if it was a gift from the system.

A gift from the system.

It had been a while since I’d thought in those terms. Not everything about my life here was terrible or anxiety-inducing. Still, little of it was something I felt like thanking someone over. I shook my head, trying to dispel the unpleasant thoughts.

With most of a day ahead of me I turned my attention to a personal project. With a few thoughts the floor of my chamber of machinations split and a scale 3D model of the valley rose up silently.

DUN DUN DUN~

I hummed to myself, supplying my own sound effects. After the war room meeting I’d gone on a bit of a crafting tear. I still needed to make a full model of the dungeon but that would have to wait until I finalize the design.

Not that I realistically needed either thing. The system let me look at things near or far in as much detail as I cared to no matter where I was. This was a lot more fun though.

If someone else saw it they’d probably find it a bit strange though since it didn’t seem to accurately reflect the valley as it currently was. Though it was hard to make alterations now that it was partly occupied what the model reflected was my long term plan.

Looking at it I felt pleased with myself and a little exasperated. It hadn’t been that long ago that I’d discussed entertainments to install with the bone brigade but I was seriously lagging on implementing them. I also now realized that while my aesthetics were nice that I’d left out a critical civic feature. Date spots.

The town didn’t want for charm or beauty as it was but if everything was more or less equally nice then nothing really felt special. At least not once you got past how different it likely was from other places to a local.

I still wasn’t fully up on all the local courtship costumes let alone the myriad ones the skeletons brought from their respective worlds but I need to get started. Particularly because I’d already mentioned the custom to Henry and really wanted to ask him out.

Not wanting to be completely selfish about it I belatedly sent out a group text on the subject. I included Henry because I knew there was no way it could be kept a secret no matter if I sent the text or not.

The bone brigade had more to do now that the town was in operation but not enough to keep beings that didn’t sleep or tire fully occupied. More than a few of them liked nothing better than to play tourist and hunt down all the changes I made.

Hiding anything would require cunning. Using the announcement as a smoke screen to keep their attention on the town would go a long way toward making it happen. I got a reply back almost immediately and opened it without checking who the sender was. I suspected it would Icarus.

He’d been asking me some seriously random things of late that I felt were wedding-ish related. Dawn had also brought the subject up to me in a more direct fashion, asking if I was really okay with interspecies couples.

I’d kind of wanted to laugh at the time since as skeletons they were both necromantic constructs which negated the issue of what kind of meat was originally on the bones.

“Were all just calcium underneath man,” I muttered to myself with a distorted stoner accent. That my flippant attitude would have gone over like a lead balloon I didn’t doubt and I kept it to myself. You didn’t ask that kind of question if discrimination wasn’t an issue you’d already faced.

[Mistress 42,

Your note gave me several ideas. There is a really nice open bit of land near the river that would be perfect for a garden park with an open air pavilion. Andrea particularly likes the idea and has mentioned having a small pleasure boat dock just above it so people can ride down to the lake for fun.

If you like the idea, I’d appreciate you reserving some land near it for my brothel. I feel like it would really fit your theme since it will be an establishment all about love.

Sincerely,

Chris]

I felt the area next to my orb twitch as I read the last two lines. I didn’t know who Chris had gotten to help him write the text but it seemed he’d found an eloquent partner in crime for a change. Normally he just buddied up with other rouges for shenanigans.

I wasn’t sure if I was more annoyed with how completely he’d trolled me or for the fact I actually liked every part of the idea but that. Brightly painted pleasure boats with lanterns really would be cute. I was already sketching a layout for the dock and pavilion in my head.

Either way, I needed to get back to my project while I plotted my vengeance on him. Sweet, sweet vengeance.