Icarus Awakens

Tak, do you know if monsters can get fat?

Hmm. No, I do not think so. But I have not seen every monster, so maybe?

Ok, but what if the monsters you have seen eat way too much?

Well, they Grow. Or reproduce.

Right. Daniel looked away from Tak, and his breakfast, then looked at Hunter. What about ones that advance instead of Growing?

Oh! They might get fat.

Stop. Hunter thought, half-pleading, to the other two. The entire conversation had been nonverbal and coincided at times with chewing. Telepathy did make for expediency sometimes.

Maybe your new bond powers is that you both get fat if one of you overeats. Something like ‘Caloric Link’.

Hunter made to growl lightly, but it came out as a sickly burp instead that no one enjoyed the experience of. Fortitude wasn’t putting a dent into the effect a gorging beyond all others had done on the ringcat. He’d gone into a restaurant serving patrons bigger than himself and eaten enough to make two of them queasy.

“Sorry I missed last night,” Thomas said, not acknowledging the gaffe. The Cleric looked better. Still slightly depressed, which could have been anything from still feeling down about how much he'd struggled when helping Khiat, to ill feminine fortune. Evalyn, yet to tell the group about her insight, had her own ideas. They were all wrong of course. “Any news on Threst?”

“Someone has a good reason to get out of town?” Evalyn smiled at Thomas who did his absolute best to remain straight-faced. “No. We still need to talk it over with Khiat, although judging by how Lograve’s night went there might be a delay.”

“Why?”

“He’s not back yet.”

Daniel, himself flagging on lack of sleep and trying to get a quick meal before completing the process of ruining his circadian rhythm, winced. “Damn. Do you know why it’s taking so long Thomas?”

“No idea Guy.” Thomas sighed, leaning his head back to stare at the distant ceiling. “I haven’t been home for years. Things changed. Like Tlara’s dad taking over half of a human faction. That’s crazy! Between that and the assassinations it’s throwing everything into chaos.”

“Huh.” Daniel took another sip, still marveling at how Tlara of all people could be this connected. “Why are they taking so long? You’d think there would be plenty of people wanting to take over.”

“That could be the problem,” Thomas reasoned, sounding as weary as Daniel felt. “I never liked how my family worked, but I saw them at it. Someone with enough influence could be playing them off each other, sending bribes, making deals. Doing that to keep all three vacant seats open though?” Fingers tapped across the table as Thomas thought. “An entire faction could do that this long, but they’d be bankrupting themselves in the process.”

“You’re talking about someone like Silver Eye?” Evalyn ventured.

“I could see it.”

“Why, though?” Daniel asked. “Tlara would do it, but from what you guys said her dad’s smart enough to not throw away his family’s future to delay getting the Council back together.” He glanced towards Tak and had a thought. “Could he be a Spiritualist? All the real ones in the Thormundz died with the Spoke, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any here.”

“Tlara’s dad? Nah, I don’t see it Guy.” The Cleric paused though and leaned forward, suddenly wary of anyone who could be listening. He whispered, “Ok, but there is something. It’s a secret they try not to let most people know about. There’s a rumor about a curse on the region the old Tyrant cast right before he died. He was level 6 and evolved from the Artificer class, so it’s possible something’s stuck around that long. All I know is there are a bunch of laws preventing any one person from controlling the Council. The only real exception is in times of war”

“We really need to get out of this region,” Evalyn stated, getting up and walking towards the stairs. “I’m going to get some sleep and then check on Khiat. Thomas, if we left in the next couple of days without Lograve, do you think you’d come with?”

Daniel stood up as well, feeling exhausted despite his endurance. He saw the conflict on Thomas’ face and knew it wouldn’t be an easy decision for him. The Cleric didn’t answer in time and he tried to give a sympathetic smile before moving up to his room. He closed a very stiff curtain and quickly fell asleep.

…

Earth-Daniel sighed in relief. Leaning back in his chair he yawned, then yawned again. Blinking at the screens, he confirmed Octyrrum-Daniel was as safe as he’d get. Nap time.

It had taken him a few weeks to realize his ability to see into the other world was getting better with time. The various views he was able to pan around with were based off of the other’s perception, though an interesting wrinkle had opened up when he’d unlocked the ability to swap perspectives. These screens only showed visuals from Daniel’s body and didn’t cross over when he did. But when Hunter possessed him?

The system here wasn’t entirely technology. Obviously, for it to cross worlds without ever having so much as a lag spike. Another clue? The sheer amount of information Hunter’s mind gathered from the surroundings would have overloaded anything below a supercomputer. Even without the beast’s natural nose, he could amplify Daniel’s senses and unlock options like sonar maps of the surrounding area. Earth-Daniel was curious about how exactly this was accomplished in a world that didn’t have magic, but taking apart the computers was explicitly banned in the list.

Still, very cool. He was also very tired. And very concerned. He was getting an ominous feeling about Aughal and hoped they did move on soon. Earth-Daniel had to watch everything. He also watched it alone. He tilted an empty mug with a grimace and added, Without coffee.

Supplies were running low. It was almost time to call Chris again, especially because of the lead in time required. Maybe he could send a letter this time? But no. Posted by Bridge Space was the list. Rules, not just for one, but both Daniels.

- Do not reveal anything that happened after you learned of the project, or its purpose.

- Monitor the other world at all times. Rest when able, you will be alerted if the Worldbridge bond is in danger.

- Your location should avoid the notice of most. If detected, run the ‘Lighthouse’ program and prepare to isolate for one month.

- Do not reveal the location of the city of Eido.

That wasn’t everything. The list spanned two pages and had been included included with the letter that had explained everything. Earth-Daniel had been telling the truth to his counterpart about not knowing all the facts. He’d gotten more context after the monitors started working, though only from seeing things play out.

However, the thing about Eido confused him. He hadn’t known what it was until the Upswell had come up, and even then, how would he know where it was? He’d been expecting another packet for weeks now, ever since Octyrrum-Daniel had contacted him, but Chris had only brought the regular supplies and hadn’t mentioned anything.

Something had gone wrong. He definitely had to call Chris again, if only to ask if he had heard anything. Daniel sent out the text, not waiting for a reply before getting into bed. It was hard keeping up with someone who had surpassed the limits of humanity. Especially when all you could do was sit… and watch…

And forget to set an alarm.

…

“Hey. Hey! I want to run something by you,” Daniel shouted into the dark void. Not even an echo returned to him. He wasn’t sure he was facing the right wall, but that shouldn’t matter. “Are you there, or… out?” He kicked at the ground impatiently, the contact feeling real but with no pain. “This is why I need a whiteboard on my side,” Daniel complained, before exiting Bridge Space.

The time just before or just after sleep was always the best for contacting Earth-Daniel, and he’d just woken up from his nap. It was also more convenient, considering he was leaving his body completely defenseless. “I need to make some kind of turret,” he muttered, before shelving that idea. There was something else occupying his creative energy, something along the lines of a bag of holding that would be far more useful.

So long as he could get it to work. I have all the pieces for a prototype. I just need a way to make it from cheaper material. Still, he shouldn’t complain. His unique approach to the Artificer class was practically cheating. Just throw together something basic that matches the intent of a better item, and then refine it through monster analysis. Easy. Although other versions of the class have to have some way of doing this. My way almost gets me killed.

There were no scars, of course. The worst injury he’d taken from the surprise Shank Stomper attack had healed fully. It was odd how used to pain he was getting, and that was considering he could recover from any injury. Is it because I’m improving my mental stats or just hardening myself? That brought up old thoughts about how far magic was changing him. Compared to the control group he’d been able to converse with, at least a bit.

Well, I’m getting something out of it. He’d gained a great deal of formulae and affixes from Aughal’s monsters, the ability to use monster parts for enchanting perhaps the best of them. Using the phone mid-fight was somewhat challenging, but worst-case the bodies were enough.

He craned his neck out of the window, lifting the stiff curtain to do so, and saw it was around mid-afternoon. Daniel reached out with his mind. Tak? Hunter? Do you know if anyone else is awake yet, or if Khiat’s come back?

Rather than answer, outlines suddenly lit up in Daniel’s vision. Though Hunter had adopted certain privacy policies in his use of the power, Identify Creature was still one of the defaults shared with him. Hunter and Tak were on the roof? He didn’t know this inn had a flat one, but they’d found a way up. Evalyn was in a room one door down, still in bed. Lograve as well for that matter, but he’d gotten back later than they had. No Khiat and no Thomas.

The inn was on the border of the dusker section of the city, even with all of the crowds Hunter should have been able to pick Khiat out. If she was above ground. She’s probably fine, Daniel thought, although part of him still regretted leaving her behind. If it had been him he’d have had a rough time, but the other patrons had been idolizing her. As far as Thomas? Daniel had no idea.

I'm here, Hunter replied eventually.

Are you feeling better? Daniel asked honestly, keeping his mental tone serious.

Stomach hurts. But I’m able to move. The outline of Hunter’s tail swished. You?

I’m going to try and make this a short day. Not staying up all night again, unless Evalyn drags us on another celebration for whatever’s going on with Thomas. He started pulling items out of the bag of holding, using the bed as a makeshift desk. I might try and see Arpan soon. I’ve got a few more questions about Artificer stuff and I could bribe him if this works.

If what works?

Right, I haven’t told any of you guys. I’m making something for Evalyn. Well, just a prototype for now. Fiddling with straps, Daniel reached for one of the ornithopters. I’ll make a better version later for all of us. Honestly I’d have done one for Khiat first, but she’s too heavy. The main ‘harness’ now fixed around the delicate creation of wood and cloth, Daniel attached what he’d used the last of the heliorite to make, enchanted loops fixing it tightly to the main body.

There were two constructions in total, each as long as the ornithopter originally but now half again as wide. It could have ended there, but Daniel kept adding small bits and pieces to each. Here’s where the real cheating begins.

What?

Nothing. Daniel shook his head, standing to observe the two creations. They weren’t exact duplicates, rather they were roughly mirrored. And… done? Strangely, though his phone didn’t vibrate, he felt he’d accomplished something. It was accompanied by the surety that he could put together more pairs of these like an assembly line, assuming he had the raw materials. He didn’t, so he’d need to refine the formulae to make more. Daniel stared at his phone for a minute, but still no notification came even though he could find the formulae now in his Encyclopedia. This had never happened before. Was Earth-Daniel AFK?

Hmm. About the name.

Tak, You have an idea? Daniel put the now finished boots back into the bag of holding.

Wild Wing.

Huh. You do like the wing part.

Yes.

Daniel thought about joining them on the roof for a second but decided against it. He’d probably have to Jump and didn’t have the mana to spend frivolously. What do you think Hunter?

I don’t care.

But it’s the team name! Everyone will know us by it first and if you just let someone else choose, they’ll name us ‘Snobbish Arm’ or something. It has to sound good and be meaningful. Daniel didn’t put his foot down on much, but damn it if he wouldn’t be particular about the party name of the adventuring group he was in.

Yes. Which is why Wild Wing is good. Tak sounded pleased with himself. Preening might be a better word.

It kind of is? Daniel frowned. For you two at least. And maybe Khare. The rest of us aren’t really wild. It might give people the wrong impression about us, socially I mean. Like we’re all Berserkers or something.

The outline of Tak crossed his arms. I think it is good. The voice sounded a little annoyed. It was the best we could think of.

We? I thought Hunter said he didn’t care.

We still talked about it.

It just doesn’t feel right, Daniel thought in his defense.

You are overthinking this.

Probably, he admitted. Aw dang it. We should have asked Khare what they thought back at the Druid. But I didn’t know Evalyn was thinking about it back then. There wasn’t a response, almost as if to underline the point being made. Fine. I guess it’s not up to us since Evalyn’s in charge. Daniel’s thoughts again turned to the time of day, grimacing as a brief headache overcame him. Even with magic, it looks like you can’t stay up for a day and a half and expect to be fine after a few hours of sleep.

The bed called for him again, but there was enough energy within his body to brave the somewhat short walk he was thinking of. Daniel looked outside and saw people ambling around in the mid-evening hours. He debated silently with himself. I could just wait for tomorrow, but we know how difficult Arpan is to reach. What if he's open right now but would be closed the next three days? Might as well try. Sighing, Daniel mentally messaged the two on the roof. Alright, I’m going to go by Arpan’s real quick. Hopefully everyone will be here by the time I’m back.

Should I go with you? Hunter asked.

Daniel thought about it for a moment, but heard the reluctance and felt sympathetic for the current state of his friend. Nah. We'll be in telepathy range and it won’t take too long. Lograve's got a connection on me still and he's linked with the Commander too. Don’t worry, I’m not walking down any more alleyways.

Good.

…

Rait frowned at the half-empty cabinet before taking out one of the dwindling problems. There were, of course, jokes to be had about an alcoholic shavi. He didn’t feel like making any. After being held under suspicion of involvement in Lord Fredreick’s death his life had been upended. He hadn’t been held in the city cells, though he also hadn’t been free to leave. Silora had changed that with a simple request that turned into a trap of its own. Whatever she’d needed him for thankfully hadn’t come to pass.

Of course, some things were obvious. Like the rapidly depleting wine cabinet, or mood swings from crippling anxiety to exuberance poorly covered by blank looks. The young Cleric in robes who seemed to be waiting for when the two were alone. That was smart since Rait now told Lord Seliri everything that had happened to protect himself. Interestingly, he hadn’t received an order to stop anything that had happened, only observe. Unlike the Fate who couldn’t control her shaking at times, his hands were steady. Why trust me Silora? You should have known.

“Anything else?” he asked, placing the full bottle by the others. The guest had only had a sensible amount. Silora, well, she’d grown used to performing her duties while sloshed. “I can have something brought from a nearby kitchen if you-”

“No!” Silora blustered while lounging on her Focus. “No, I think I’m almost ready.” There’d been some kind of late night emergency request which was his top priority to follow up on. Following a late morning rise, she’d needed to rebind her Focus. At least half of the fine vintages sacrificed today were by his hand to push her into action.

Thomas looked at him and joked, “Does that chair recline back so she can work without falling over?”

Why does he have to be so friendly? Rait coughed rather than answer, allowing Silora to instead.

“It’s not a chair!” She spread her arms widely, which for her was a less impressive wingspan. “It’s a throne. I don’t have much, but I have this. My court.” She giggled.

“Right.” At least Thomas was also taken aback. “Look, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. But Silver Eye’s daughters? Shouldn’t you?”

“Fine.” Silora sighed as Rait grudgingly gave him an approving nod. “I c, can try. Stupid sand. All I saw last time before things got weird.” Somewhat jittering, the contraption in the center of the room leveled to put Silora on her back and above the view of anyone sitting. “But it’s for Lord Seliri isn’t it?”

“His, uh, daughters, Fate,” Rait clarified, pace quickening as he heard what all of this was about.

“Right. Fine. Fine. Oh!” Silora exclaimed as her wineglass, suspended by a metal ring fixed above the stem, poured a little too much onto her. “Damn. Waste. I shouldn’t be, no, no it’s fine. No more of that Rait.” The assistant frowned and tried to replace the cork he just removed. “West. If I’ve got, uh.” Silora wiped a hand on her forehead. “Gods, I may have overdone it a bit. You’ll tell them if I find something, Rait? I don’t think I can get out of this right now.”

The assistant unfroze. “Yes. I’m sure the guard will be quick to act. The Commander has also decided to personally intervene, or so I’ve heard.”

Thomas whistled. “The Ironrush Ravager’s on this? Damn. Might as well just make the guild part of the guard now. If there are people out there who can kidnap Tlara, well, we’re really in trouble.”

“It’s bad. I won’t lie.” Rait gave up on the cork, he’d accidentally sheared part of it off, and just poured himself some. Silora didn’t seem to be in a state to protest. “You’re in a house, right?” Rait tried not to be too specific. He knew exactly who Thomas was, but only because the Silver Eye had told him.

“Yeah. Kinda. I’ve been out of town for a bit.” Thomas glanced at something under his foot while Silora’s ‘throne’ rotated with her powers. “Still feels like I’m not home.”

Rait guessed off of the Focus hanging on Thomas’ waist. “Your family doesn’t like your class?”

“It’s not that. That’s why I left. I come back after nearly dying twice and Aughal’s basically on fire. Well, more than usual. I’ve got friends who want to leave and I don’t blame them but, this is my home. You know?”

More than you, Spireborn. Rait brushed the instinctual invective aside. All things considered he was in deeper with the houses than the very valuable black sheep. “If Silora can find whoever’s doing this, things may get better. All of this started because someone took out Lord Fredreick. That faction fractured, the guard got more and more on edge, another member of the Council was removed, things just keep getting worse. Can this be the Mirage?”

“I never thought they were dangerous. Not to the entire region.” Thomas’ voice was troubled. Rait was about to give his own opinion when he was interrupted.

“Rait! I found one! I had to try to slow down where I was going towards the end. Gods but I should have done this sooner. You need to tell the guard. They’re here. They’re…” The assistant walked around to where Silora was facing and saw she’d grown pale. “How?”

…

"Arpan?" Daniel asked, confused at the mouth of the short street which led only to the other Artificer's workshop. The front door was slightly open. The older Artificer did not seem the type to leave free and easy access for the discerning customer. Warning sirens were blaring in his mind, all of Daniel's past experiences and mistakes telling him to slow down and take in his environment. What at first had seemed inviting now yawned like the mouth of a monster. Something was wrong. Daniel turned, preparing to reach out to Hunter and say that yes, actually, he would like some backup.

He made it five steps before the Assassin struck.

…

A man sat in his shop, terrified. His hair was unruly and unwashed. His armored companion he wore at all times, for what little it would do. Making the second dagger had been the worst mistake of his life because of what it had given her. Surety others could be made.

The Mirage were bastards in the end. Oh, they’d paid him, right up until they didn’t have to. They hadn’t reclaimed the coin hidden in his shop when threats turned into action. Money wasn’t their concern. Neither, he guessed, was freeing the city from a Tyranny in all but name. The freedom fighters who supposedly defended outer towns in the rare hour of need, defying the rule of the Council, weren’t anything like anyone thought. Was it a cruel joke they were named so? Good people weren’t friendly with Assassins.

He saw that when, blade at his throat, he summoned his dimensional space and let out the one who’d taken shelter there. Having an Assassin force you to put them into a box they couldn’t get out of themselves seemed foolish on their part, until you realized that if you didn’t do what they said you’d either die or lock yourself out of a very useful power. At least until you gathered enough strong people that they could put him down before he put you down.

Arpan had never thought it would get this far. To do the kinds of things these people had went far beyond simple rebellion. Beyond expectation that there would be any sense of order on the other side of their plan. The harbinger of doom rolled his shoulders as he lazily stepped out of the mirror. “Who is that woman?” Mark asked. He looked around and saw the others in the room. “Oh. It’s later. Time, then. Good.”

The Arcanist didn’t dare speak. The Mirage leader had no such reservations. “You’ll still follow the arrangement?”

“Yeah, yeah. Tonight, right?”

“The sun is setting soon,” she said as if about to perform some heretical ritual. “Our armies are prepared.”

“Couldn’t have given me a few hours prep time?” Ridiculously the Assassin looked put out. “Who do I need to kill, or did your ridiculous plan already work?”

Arpan watched in horror as the two talked like he wasn’t there. He was sure he was dead the moment they were reminded of his presence. “In parts,” the woman replied evenly. “Claret Sosa proved an early impediment alongside my husband. She’s on board now, at least. Maybe if you had given me the full formulae I would have known what to look for earlier, and we’d have more allies.”

“Figured it out, huh? Heh, Mavar’s going to be pissed.”

“You were paid your due. Are we still in accord?”

Mark flicked a dagger in his hands in a moment of annoyance before nodding. “Yeah. I’ll just…” he trailed off, frowning. “Did someone leave the damn door open?”

“We’re about to take this city. Who cares?” A cloaked man asked, only taking half a step back when Mark turned his gaze on him.

“I’ll deal with it.”

“The traps,” Arpan murmured. The Assassin didn’t bother addressing that concern. While he didn’t have the Mirage’s ability to completely ignore them, Mark had reached this sanctum unwelcome before. There was a tense minute as the Artificer pressed himself further into the couch. Their leader and the two subordinates traded glances but made no moves. The captive they brought in last night remained unconscious in his Mirror Space, which he’d kept active for the simple reason that no one had told him to close it.

Mark returned with someone on his shoulder, having left no trap sprung besides the extra weight. “Amateurs. Still, looks like the Prime’s on point as always. I’ll need you three to leave the Artificer alive.”

“Unacceptable.” The leader reached a hand out towards Arpan before a small burst of mana shot through the air. It was akin to one from a power above level 3, only quieted. The Assassin was glaring at the Mirage leader. “You can’t kill me.”

“I know how to.” Mark shrugged the vaguely familiar, unconscious man onto a couch with a measure of casualness. “And you can’t kill me either. Not fast enough to stop me from telling enough people what I know. Look, the old man told me to keep an eye out for this one before I left. He has to live, so I need a safe place to stash him. You’ve got someone you’re stashing too. Her again. Huh.”

“Wait. Was there a monster with him?” The leader’s objections were forgotten as she saw the intruder Mark was talking about. “Tell me you didn’t destroy its heart.”

“He travels with one of those? No, just him. Good to know one’s on the field.” Mark smiled and made to move Daniel into the mirror, but it winked out of existence. “Hey, don’t be like that. We’re friends here, aren’t we?” Killer’s eyes lingered on Arpan. “Aren’t we?”

“You were going to kill me this entire time,” Arpan said weakly. “You, you don’t have a reason not to after all of this. Why should I bring the mirror back?” He was smart enough to know it was his only card to play. And how bad a card it was.

Mark gave it a thought anyway. “Hmm. Spirit monster? That’s enough to go on. Casia, you agree to keep this guy alive and I’ll hunt that thing for you. Could be potential here. Sound good?” The leader of the Mirage paused to consider the offer from the best hunter-killer in the city as Mark crouched in front of a still terrified Arpan. She nodded eventually. “Hey, Artificer. Ever wonder if you could be more than your class?”

Arpan tried not to match the eyes of the killer, having no idea what he meant, while overhearing what the Mirage leader was saying to the others. “We must start the plan, now. I am commanding our fresh army to march. Mark, you need to capture my husband, alive, and bring him to the Eye before fulfilling the rest of our bargain. Fredreick, you will stay here and assure our captive remains undisturbed. Should a problem arise I will send you to deal with it. Ytaya, do whatever damage you can to the Hunter’s Guild before moving to our first primary target. I will strike the main guardhouse, and then deal with the Commander.”

His blood froze as there were no followup questions asked, even by the one who was supposedly Ytaya’s recently raised corpse. The three figures, covered in cloaks of sand, otherwise appeared as they would in life. A human, a dusker, and an avianoid, all prepared to destroy Aughal.