"Alright, I think I understand. The process by which the network was created was somewhat crude, but it's about what I would expect from uneducated hedge magicians."
"We can't all be heirs to Kor. Given what they were working from, I don't think they did too badly."
And often, those with less to work with are far craftier about how they use what they do have. Consider John Constantine's methods before his empowering, and those after.
He steps back, gesturing to me-. To the probes with his left hand while his right gestures to an illusion pedestal. Sort of an Atlantean computer monitor cum hologram projector. The result… Ah, it is managing to monitor the flows of magic energy through my body. That's pretty interesting, though Ahri'ahn has naturally gone for the high-information low-intelligibility display.
After all, the
subject doesn't need to know what's going on, does he? That arrogance...
"But where is it going?"
"Do you want me to tell you, or do you want to work it out?"
I have no idea which he'd prefer. Probably the latter, since he seems so sure of his skills and knowledge.
He gives me a sidelong glance and a small smile. "Of course I want to work it out. Do you understand how seldom I confront an interesting problem in magic that I can't solve instantly?"
"I'm sorry that we didn't manage more during your absence."
To be fair, Earth did suffer at least one cultural collapse (in the Bronze Age) that likely set the progress of magic back considerably, and then various religious crackdowns verging on purges of magic-users... Those that remained learned to be far more discreet.
"I wouldn't call mechanical and electronic technology nothing. But it is a little disappointing that nothing really radical has improved since I left."
"Nothing?"
I guess he's not counting schizotech amongst those improvements, since many such devices are near-magical in their effects.
"There has been refinement and expansion, but it's of a sort that I predicted would come eventually. I caught up swiftly. The only researcher who truly impressed me is Professor Sephtian. I believe that you know him?"
"We worked together, yes. Do you mind me asking where he ended up?"
Ah, good. I expect this is the only chance he's really had to press the matter with someone who might know.
"Of course not. I promoted him for his brilliant work. He should be in Tritonis overseeing their infrastructure upgrade, but with the Dolmen Gate network that's hardly any distance at all. Do you wish to speak to him?"
"Yes, actually. It's not urgent, but there are a number of projects he was-."
A surprisingly liberated decision. I half-expected him to have dismissed Sephtian as 'a talented dabbler' or something because of his piscine features. I guess our manta boy impressed him with his work.
"I meant in the interpersonal context, not the professional. I'm afraid that he's going to be fully occupied for at least the next year."
"Ah. Well, I would still like to speak to him. And… Do I talk to you about getting more ammunition created, or is that out of the question for the foreseeable future?"
Huh, that is a reasonable concern. While he hasn't been spamming them, his stocks would have to be dwindling a little, since he can't do all the crafting work himself...
"That would be your 'mage slayer' rounds, yes?"
"Yes. I.. realise that-."
"That the existence of such devices presents a strategic vulnerability to Atlantis that I would much rather did not exist?"
Think of it as a small concession to the world's concerns. They aren't exactly in common use (I expect Alan and all the Greens have a modest stock for special use.) especially amongst the surface world militaries.
"You're not the only people who use magic. And to the best of my recollection I haven't ever used them contrary to Atlantean interests."
"If it were simply a matter of handing them out for a particular mission I would have no issue with it, so long as any unused rounds were returned to us."
OL doesn't always have the luxury of swinging by, getting authorisation from some Atlantean quartermaster and then rushing back to whatever fight he needs them for, you know... Even with a greediport, that takes time.
"That's hardly practical. I don't even always know whether or not the thing I'll be fighting is magic or something else ahead of time."
"I'm not suggesting it for your ease. I'm informing you that it is the only way in which you will get more."
All right, then, he'll have to take other routes to deal with magic.
"Have you considered the other drawback of that approach?"
He sets the illusion scan output to rotate slowly. "What would that be?"
Ah, this should be entertaining.
"When you withdrew Atlantean support for N.E.M.O. we were obliged to find an alternate source of magicians. We found it. Now, it's certainly more convenient for me to acquire reloads in Atlantis; there are already people here who know how to make them, and I spend most of my time on Earth. But I can tutor magicians from any sufficiently sophisticated magical culture in how to make them. It would take time that I don't want to spend and I'd have to accept a reduction in performance, but it would be a workable solution. The other drawback is that if I ran out then I would have to use the Ophidian more."
I expect the quality of the 'bootleg' versions may be a little reduced at first, until the folks he's contracting get used to it.
"The orange… Elemental."
"Yes. She's good at feeding on things, making them a part of her. I don't draw on her much for much the same reason that you don't beg magic from elementals, but-."
Well, when you're connected to it by the soul, as well as by his Rings... It gets a lot easier to do safely.
"Why would that bother me?"
"Do you really want me calling up an elemental that powerful, and getting her used to the taste of magic? I honestly don't know what the wider effects could be. I -a lowly Lantern- already have the ability to manipulate the desires of the people around me. She is far more powerful. Perhaps she can do it already… Perhaps she simply hasn't been motivated to."
After all, why impose her desires when their existing ones are much tastier?
"How do you contain her?"
"Strictly speaking, we don't. She likes us. We allow her to feel desires in ways she can't. And as long as she's getting what she wants, she's happy to stay in the Orange Central Power Battery and give us all a little boost."
I suspect that little discovery has made her the cock of the walk amongst the Embodiments. "My servants get me such tasty experiences! You lot should try it, maybe."
At least until Ion points out he's been doing it for millennia as it is.
"A desire elemental bound by her own desires. Fitting. You don't have a soul."
"I didn't have a soul. Might I ask you to explain your reasoning?"
It's a work in progress, but it does what he needs it to do, mostly.
"This system is designed to bind power to your 'self'. I had thought that perhaps you were funnelling power into your soul in order to fuel yourself in some way, but you seemed ignorant of the side effects that should follow such an action. And given the permanent nature of these marks… And your generally sound judgement-."
The age-old difficulties of 'eating an energy field bigger than his head', eh?
"Quite a few people would laugh at that statement."
"It makes me think that you had something else in mind." He shakes his head. "You made sure that your newly formed soul would be invisible to magic, that it would be indelibly linked to you. How did you know to do this?"
At least OL is self-aware about his quirks. And that's an
interesting question, considering OL's real sources of knowledge.
"I didn't, but I knew a man who could cut runes into souls and since a soul is basically a cheep form of immortality I knew that I wanted one."
"I genuinely didn't know that soulless life was possible. I.. can't actually create a theory for how it might have been done."
And that's got you
extra curious, doesn't it?
"Do you want me to tell-?"
His head jerks around. "Don't you dare."
Spoilers, sweetie. Though he may well be horrified when he works out the possible causes.
He looks away, taking a moment to steady himself.
"Was there anything else?"
Oh, there's a great many things, but one or two stand out more than any other.
"Well, you appearing from the pages of ancient history and King Orin disappearing looks pretty suspicious. This isn't a matter of another nation interfering in Atlantis's internal affairs; they're friends of his. If he could turn up for half an hour just to set their minds at ease that would be a big help. And because we've had a lot of trouble with mind control lately, I think they'd like it if I could speak to a few people without supervision, so that I could relay back to them that there's nothing amiss."
You know, talk, reassure them he's fine, let them discreetly check him for mystical mind-affecting control spells... Nothing to major.
"I suppose that's not unreasonable. Very well: you can have the run of the city for the rest of the day while I think about your ammunition."
"And try and work out how Hollow Men became real?"
"As much as I intend to try to avoid it." He looks at me closely. "You really are quite interesting."
Heh. OL has his diplomantic hooks in Ahri'ahn without doing anything more than stripping nude and standing there. Very nicely done.
Seriously, ow. Good thing you were high as hell on magic at that point. Weren't you, OL?
