Jjhutto_Son of Flame
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B3. Ch. 38 Plan F
🕑 Added 2024-09-19 13:00:09 +0000 UTCTilly snatched up the Eye and looped it around his neck before tucking it below his armor. As the amulet made contact with his skin, he felt a brief flash of magic echo through the Mana Pathways in his neck for a moment. Then the sensation was gone and Tilly looked over at Mochizuki a question that should have come up much earlier in his time on Nephesh occurring to him. The lapin was motioning some guards through the door to come and gather up the Alliances’ items off the pallet,
“Hey Mochizuki… I don’t have much experience with enchanted items. Is there a limit to how many I can wear and where you can wear them?”
Talia stepped forward before Mochizuki could answer, “Allow me,” she said turning toward the lapin briefly before addressing Tilly, her voice taking on a tone that would have been at home in a lecture hall, “There is a limit, however, the boundaries of such things are more nuanced than stationary. Most items with repeatable uses create a bond with the Mana Pathways in their area of contact and are designed to function along with almost any kind of mana signature that would flow through those pathways. Notable exceptions to this are some of the more destructive kinds of mana, like chaos. However, Mr Tillman, I believe your flames are well within tolerance for most items… Although I would hazard a guess that any Corrupted item you tried to use at this point would not react well with your build.”
“This issue becomes even more complicated when multiple enchanted items share the same space in a user’s Mana Network, especially in the case of simultaneous activation. Such combinations can have dangerous and unpredictable effects with very rare instances of synergy. There is of course much more to say on teh topic, but in summary, be very cautious when attempting to use multiple magical items on the same part of your body simultaneously.”
During her explanation, the contingent of guards, who seemed to have already been waiting outside the Auction Chapter House came in and loaded the Alliances’ items into nondescript containers under Mochizuki’s careful supervision. She did however spare a glance in Tilly’s direction to nod in confirmation of Talia’s explanation and Tilly glanced back down at what he had purchased, cross-checking any possibilities of interaction.”
‘Hope you don't mind buddy’ sent down to his primitive leather armor as he picked up the intricate woven belt with five clips and attached it under the long flap of his jacket. Then he attached the second and third items he had purchased to the belt before finally picking up the fourth item gently, careful not to shake its volatile contents.
“Thank you for your help Talia, tell your boss that they won't regret the investment. I definitely plan to kick some fey ass.” Tilly quipped, masking his near exhaustion with some classic light humor.
The Assessor offered a light bow of farewell in response. Tilly would have liked to think she was holding back a chuckle, but it was hard to tell under all the layers of clothing. Whatever the case, he took it as her farewell and moved out along with the contingent of guards and Mochizuki into the crowded square. Mochizuki eyed Tilly’s very visible fourth item and raised an eyebrow at him, “Perhaps it would be prudent to cover that up? Now that we have sold the glass through the auction it is only a matter of time before our enemies locate us and the shadow war begins, if the Commerce Guild hasn’t already revealed us. It would be prudent to hold onto every secret we can.”
“Yeah, good point,“ Tilly winced and looked around for something to use. One of the nearby guards produced a simple linen sack, which Tilly slid the enchanted glass container into. Their group forged through the crowded square, many of the people making way for their procession as they headed straight for the manor and the inevitable council debrief, they probably had a thousand questions about what just transpired, and with his tight timeframe…
“Actually can I have one of you take this and find Cog? Once he sees it, he’ll know what to do, but tell him that whatever he makes, needs to be done by tomorrow morning.”
The guard that handed him the sack took a quick look around and found his compatriots all conveniently looking elsewhere, “Ugh, I’ll take it, sir. We are talking about the kid that keeps blowing things up, right?”
“That's the one!” Tilly said enthusiastically, shooting a finger gun at the satyr after passing along the enchanted glass container sloshing with volatile liquid. The guard frowned worriedly as he peeled out of formation and headed toward the parade grounds taking careful steps while the rest of the group continued to the oldest part of the city.
Soon enough they found themselves passing through the manor doors, now manned by Bations instead of Flame’ Watch guards.
“By my calculations, we can maintain this pace of growth… but barely. I still do not understand. Why the rush, are we not past the need for such emphasis on military logistics?” A voice Tilly did not recognize sounded through the courtyard as the manor doors opened.
“Your point is noted Livius, our representatives to the Auction House have returned, but we will pick back up on your thought after we debrief.” Linus’ voice replied with a long-suffering sigh.
The guard trope that had been accompanying them laid down their packages before the council, saluted, and turned to join the others at the doors, leaving Mochizuki and Tilly. The lapin moved to a nearby tea tray without pause, falling into her role as an unassuming servant like it was a suit of armor. Tilly had never seen the council in session and was interested to note that it was made up of Franklin’s aunt, the other honu elder, Hiro, Ichiro, Linus, Shuji, and the two delegates from the refugee camps. Each of whose attention focused on Tilly as Mochizuki abandoned him to get everyone tea.
“Well, how did I do?” He asked, trying for a light tone, but unable to keep the slight genuine question from creeping into his voice. Without the Draconic Aura coloring his thoughts, he was feeling like an empty balloon in the confidence department.
“Incredibly!” Shuji boomed before anyone else had time to answer the question, “You have identified our chief opponent in the coming initial engagement, or rather he identified you. Haha! We have made inroads with several important Factions, and invested our newly gained wealth into several avenues that will hopefully keep us from being destroyed in the near future!”
Ichiro smiled, nodding along with the summary, but most of the rest of the council was flat-faced or outright frowning as they considered their own feeling about the day's events. Mochizuki eased some of the tension by walking around with a loaded tea tray and offering a fresh cup to each of the members.
“Oh thank you, my dear,” Shuji said, smacking his lips appreciatively at his first sip and patting the Codex she handed to him along with the tea.
“Excuse me for interrupting, but I still have some serious questions about how we are choosing to spend our now considerable assets. I understand the threat that we face is important, but many in the camps have yet to gain access to a second set of clothes, let alone any of the other necessities that should come with civilized life. We are spending almost 7000% more on military resources than we are on our civilians. Surely this should be slightly more balanced.” A wizened satire broke in, reading from several scattered sheaves of paper.
One of the honu elders waved her hand in agreement with the sentiment, “We understand… the short-term necessities… of our position… Lord Hiro, but our contribution point system… is woefully bent toward… military production. This is stagnating… our future growth as a Faction.”
Hiro quietly considered the two arguments, which were clearly not new concepts from his fellow councilors. He thoughtfully took a slow sip of his tea and gestured for Tilly to take one of the two open seats, “Your concerns are worthwhile, and I am hearing them, but if I may, I would like to ask Mr. Tillman a question,” He said, addressing them before turning to face Tilly, “Considering our Patron, and now, the direct animosity that ties both you and our sleeping guest to the Contested Lands… what do you think our chances are at surviving the next few months, let alone years if Corruption continues to expand at its current rate?” He asked, his gravelly voice grave with the weight of his question.
Tilly didn’t answer right away, taking time to consider the looks of all of those around the table who had been elected to lead their new Faction. He didn’t sense any outright hostility or reluctance, just genuine concern for the welfare of their people. None of them were trying to line their pockets or gain greater positions of authority. These were survivors who just wanted to build something better than the previous system of government that had failed them so utterly.
After a long pause searching for some way to qualify his words, Tilly sighed, giving in to the unavoidable reality of their current position, “Well, if what we saw at the auction is a true sampling of the Factions from around the plane, then we are almost out of time. I know what happened with Oberon means I have to get out of our Faction holdings as soon as possible, or else bring the wild hunt down on our doorstep. But whether I succeed in Origin’s quest or fail, it will not change the fact that the system itself has recognized a change in the fundamental power structure of the plane. Corruption’s forces are making their play, and if what I saw today was any indication, those who would oppose them are fractured at best and indifferent at worst. If we don't step forward with everything we have, I doubt there will be much of a resistance at all.”
The satyr woman in a baker's apron frowned tiredly, “Why us? Are there truly no others?”
“On that note, there is one final event I must report that occurred just before we left,” Mochizuki interrupted, adding their encounter with the Auctioneer to the report she had shared with Shuji through shorthand throughout the event.
Ichiro’s pale eyes lit up as the story progressed and by the time Tilly produced the seed to show the council, his gaze grew erratic as he traced the invisible passage of fate to and from the object.
“I cannot answer the why Octavia… but it is clear to me that we are far from alone in our task. Great Powers from afar find themselves bound up in the emerging pattern, and I have hope that as long as we stand, others will stand with us. There is a brighter future available to those of us willing to fight.” He said, awe coloring his tone as he beheld something only he could see. His robes began to glow along with his eyes as he spoke, and a strange ringing filled the air at the conclusion of his find sentence.
It was a bright sound, something that felt real and dreamlike at the same time, causing Tilly to marvel and doubt in equal measure. Then just fast enough to make him wonder if he had seen or heard anything at all, it was gone, but its mark remained on the room, in the slowly rising expressions of each of the council members. Dismay and resignation gave way to glimmers of hope, and the light of courage touched on the horizon of the council's dark hour.
Tilly bore his teeth in a fierce smile at the reminder of what they were fighting for and he couldn’t help but add, “I can’t say I fully understood everything that happened myself with some of the people I met today, but judging from my interaction with the Ancient Grove Faction and the Auctioneer, I think there is a lot more going on then we can see from our point of view. You guys will lead the Alliance however you see fit, but I know what I have to do. I am going to lead that piece of shit exactly where he wants to go, but it won’t be anything like he thinks it will. We have already fought, bled, and in some cases died to protect what we have here, even if it is just a beginning. Our next step demands nothing less.” His words, and perhaps more importantly, the conviction with which he said them, elicited a positive response from almost everyone at the table.
Looking around and noting a quorum over their future role in this conflict, Shuji capitalized on the momentum, “Perhaps now would be a good time to share the details of our secret military pact with the Church. Their forces are being pushed back across many Factions as Corruption’s influence grows, but we have been intervening through covert usage of their inter-temple teleportation net-”
“What have you done!?” A voice shouted as the doors to the manor slammed open and and unkempt Erash marched into the courtyard turned council chamber. Her normally immaculate appearance was disheveled and dark circles marked her eyes.
Comments
Zachary Koffink
I'm a cook. I also like to play with fire and sharp things for a living
Joshua Hutto
Its like you are in my mind.
Zachary Koffink
I cannot WAIT to see what fun Cog is gonna build for Tilly. Everyone knows the biggest booms are best
