Rain Harlow
patreon
(Vol 6) Chapter 13: Mad Magic
🕑 Added 2024-08-04 15:27:40 +0000 UTCAfter a few ‘odds and ends’ in her realm below and her Heaven above (announced and unannounced as suited the rascality level of the project), Sammy was just considering her next target of focus when she got some System quest notifications and Orswyth contacted her, nearly simultaneously.
The quest “The Unlucky & Lucky Firsts” is complete. 50 FE gained, 6(5) exp gained in [Goddess].
New quest unlocked “Utilizing the Dead” — Acquire 33 total active/stimulated members of the City of Tomorrow and 3 Specialized FE from their contributions.
Rewards: +50 FE, 5 exp in [Goddess], Heavenly Inspiration unlocked.
“I provided comfort and clarity to a venerated man on his deathbed,” Orswyth sent soberly via the prayer vector. “One last day of sagacity with his family at the end, after years of fog and dementia. Some small reward for his daughter’s sacrifices in caring for him. I believe your afterlife will renew him, as suits it and him. I hope you don’t mind another oldie.
“He was once a renowned carpenter. I know much of his memory will never return, but if he could work with his hands again it would enrich more lives than his. I believe it is what he wants rather than reincarnation.”
Sammy was stunned. She flashed to peek in on him immediately. He was standing on the winding gold road that went up to heaven, at that point just a vague gleam in the sky. He was not so venerated anymore, with long, white hair in a ponytail, caught up in bewildered amazement as he spun around looking at the sky, tears in his eyes. An angel was smiling and attempting to gently coax him to continue walking up to the city.
“That’s incredible, Orswyth,” Sammy replied mentally, switching away from the scene before she got teary-eyed herself. “Thank you for making the seventh joining one with a good note. I was expecting something far worse.”
“I know. I suppose I should say ‘we know,’ as it is the Brain Trust that brought it up. Part of our ‘Samanthian Angst and Guilt Reduction Operation,’ a sub-project of the ‘Goddess Liability and Obligation Mitigation Project’ that is ever ongoing.”
“Seriously? I refuse to think about the acronyms.”
“That will worm its way in despite your protestations.”
It happened immediately. “Damn it! GLOMP. Heh. The project names, this is your doing, isn’t it?”
Coy amusement came through. “Maybe. I actually prefer not to bend acronyms too much to be cute — just enough for some vowels or otherwise easy reference — but others have their preferences.”
“It’s totally you, Orsy! Anyway, feel free to snag the worthy on their deathbeds any day, whatever their age.”
“Duly noted, Your Majesty. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to my personal project, Transforming Attitudes and Inspiring New Tomorrows.”
“Wait, wait, wait… Tee, Ay… En T-TAINT?! You’re joking, right?!”
“Yes.” He disconnected.
Sammy just laughed and shook her head. The sort of thing I’ve been asking for from my people, I suppose.
When she checked on the developments with Bikrit, she saw they were ongoing, including Tashome working on it directly at his isolated workshop. She decided to stop by.
It was shunted away in relative wilderness, from the outside not looking like much more than a shack. That was if anyone even happened upon it at all, considering all the protections arranged for it, and if they did so happen into the area, they’d also have to see through illusions. But it wasn’t a fate to hope for, as close observation would very likely bring a quick, violent response from spiritual sentinels.
The inside of the workshop was something of a mad Frankenstein’s Monster combination of smithy, apothecary, and wizard’s lab. Books and scrolls were strewn everywhere. Blacksmithing was obviously accommodated, but so was alchemy. Jars full of various substances, solid or liquid, stacked the walls, sometimes with obvious labels like ‘Berevontian Viper Venom,’ sometimes vague like ‘TRO-09,’ and sometimes without labels at all. There was a large, cleared-out ritual runic circle area.
A smaller circle next to this was where all the activity was. Bikrit’s remains were propped up by a steel frame studded with a network of mana stones, and around it was a glowing ‘containment bubble’ of energy. His head had a steel contraption almost totally obscuring it, while from this extended inner torso flesh she didn’t immediately recognize but understood enclosed primitive smaller organs. Two little nubby arms jutted from it all, entirely enclosed in the frame. It was very bloody from recent surgery.
Separately, on another risen, pole-like frame, was a large heart obviously cut from the rest. Tashome and Uriel were nearby, wearing big, green-splattered coats, gloves, and boots, and wearing goggles and face masks. The heart didn’t seem to be pumping anymore. Tashome was weaving some sort of spellcraft through his strange black wand, which Sammy deduced to be adlib experimentation. Meanwhile, Uriel was poking at the heart with two little rods, apparently studying its details.
Ash was there, hands clasped behind her back, alternating between watching and reading some manuscript floating in the air in front of her.
Despite the gore, Sammy was strangely not as grossed out as she once would’ve been. That particular girl was just an echo of protest within her, overpowered by fascination. In truth, even Earth Sammy had entertained being a doctor since youth. Susceptibility to mad biological science came from two angles — that and the influence of the things Ozra gave her.
This was the first prototype attempt! Okay, it may have failed, but we learn from it and build on it. That’s Science!
“Welcome,” Uriel said when he noticed her. “What an opportune time to show up! Sorry for the mess.”
Tashome just grunted in between moving some sort of faint dark miasma over the heart, as directed from his wand. The heart twitched a little bit.
Ash turned and nodded to Sammy, but did not take her eyes off of the scene for long. “There will be another growth required,” the blonde wizard said as she squinted at the heart. “This is good information, though. Much to build on.”
“Yes,” Sammy agreed as she stepped up next to Ash and crossed her arms, continuing to watch.
“I will have thoughts to contribute, even if I must dedicate the bulk of my time elsewhere. I’m just trying to catch up on all that’s occurred and is known so far. Fortunately, Uriel keeps very studious notes.” A page flipped in the floating manuscript.
“Thanks!” Uriel exclaimed, his smile obvious even unseen behind the mask. Then he pointed a bloody rod at a floating mirror nearby. “I record, too! You don’t want to miss the timelapse growth! Well, it’s a little rough due to adjustment between, but incredible nonetheless. Raphael called it ‘a true work of art’ and he’s not one for empty compliments.”
Ash had a small grin as she nodded. “That sounds like a true treat, Uriel. I will certainly peruse it later, perhaps with a glass of wine.”
“Quiet, please,” Tashome muttered. Then he made a subtle motion at Uriel, who immediately backed away from the heart.
They all observed quietly as Tashome spun out what seemed like hundreds of little, faintly glowing threads from the wand, attaching a few at a time until they were distributed all around the heart. The threads adjusted a dozen times or more, disconnecting and reconnecting. From what Sammy could tell, there was a faint ‘pull’ that indicated information absorption and a mild drain of mana.
Once they were settled and stopped moving, a charge poured through suddenly, and all those threads lit up with both a natural and a magical glow, from mana and interlaced pneuma effects.
The heart began pumping, and a bit of blood squirted before it quickly died again. Tashome ended the effect and the threads all retracted and dissipated. He sagged a bit as he muttered to himself. He pulled off his mask and goggles as he stepped away slightly, then pulled his gloves off to drop them on the floor. He rubbed his forehead with a hand, staring off into the middle distance.
Finally, the Valuweian glanced at Sammy and dropped his hand. He cleared his throat. “We’re primarily missing an intermediary between a mana source and the flesh, to direct the current where it needs to go, essentially. Connect the dots. The brain is what does this in a troll. Replacing the function is no simple matter though it still appears feasible.
“I’ve gleaned that there is such a thing as ‘pollution’ of the troll’s inborn process by external agents. The purity of ‘troll regeneration,’ if you will, is necessary to produce a true, potent troll product. We may succeed but get a lesser product. Especially if we use merely, say, a persistent spell fueled and refreshed by magi. They would taint the process severely with their own auras. So, I do believe some sort of artifact is better, but I cannot guarantee the purity. In fact, I’m perhaps two-thirds sure it will be lesser.”
Sammy nodded slowly. “Do what you can. Brilliant work so far, you two.”
Ash interjected. “If I may, there are old legends you might not be aware of about trolls. As the story goes, once upon a time, they were not merely averse to sunlight — it turned them to stone. The Titans brokered their eternal allegiance with the eternal gift of resistance to this. Instead, their skin gradually gets tougher and tougher, and they eventually can control the mystical process to do it temporarily while still moving and functioning.”
Tashome blinked at her, his brows drawn down. “Okay. How is this useful for our purposes?”
“I forward that the best bet for success is to fashion a troll golem, yet with the living heart of Bikrit enshrouded within it, fueling it. Create something new that is alive in some fashion instead of simple dead meat. This can provide desirable affinity and significance. Power to the end result. Also, I could help quite effectively with such an effort, being akin to other acts I’ve been party to.”
Tashome’s eyebrows were raised quite high. “Hmm. Sounds rather necromantic. Not that I care. And we’re already elbow-deep in similar ambiguous morality.” He turned his head to Sammy. “Madam? Concerns?”
Sammy took a deep breath as she considered it. “So, just how evil is necromancy on Calrenazzod? I’ve never been clear on this.”
Ash looked a bit incredulous. “As evil as telekinetic magic, or fire, or ice. There is no difference innately. Some cultures frown on interfering with corpses and natural processes, that is the extent of it. A primitive outlook. Besides that, the golem portion of this idea is only tangentially necromancy. We are all familiar with sapience without a technical soul in the sense of reincarnation. Samantha has fashioned many herself, in her Servitors. A form of soulcraft itself, again a matter that could be done for good or evil.”
Sammy was nodding along. “I mean, you make good points… I guess it depends on the person whether they want Grandpappy Henry — er, his remains, that is — raised up as a sword-swinging soldier or something. Personally? I’m kinda torn.”
“The golem need not be a warrior. How about a helper? Here.” She gestured with a hand briefly at the workshop before returning it to clasp behind her. “One of you. One of us. Even better. Then, the act of blood-giving would be a matter of medicine or science, helping others. Would not any of us give our blood, if it saved the lives of our friends and compatriots?”
The whole rest of the room was nodding at that.
Sammy slapped her hands together. “Alright! You’ve convinced me! I’m pumped for this! Let’s get this fucking heart into a statue and make us a gentle giant!”
____________________________________________________________
« (Vol 6) Chapter 12 | Table of Contents | (Vol 6) Chapter 14: A Note of Contempt »
____________________________________________________________
