Day 70

  Thursday August 9th, 2018: 9:30 PM

  I started out the day, fresh from my apparently nightly d?????????r???????????????????e????????????a???????????????????????m???????????????? where I finally learned to combine the initiation of a style and a stance into one fluid motion. Right now, all I can use it with is my Stance of Piercing Rays and my Solar Wind Style, but I might end up learning more as time goes on. Maybe I’ll just learn something to supplement the Body of Night Stance, as I don’t know how useful my Running Hunter’s Stance would be without having more maneuvers to back it up. I didn’t have much feedback from the Lady in between the Stars, so either I am doing right, or I am so off base that I have been written off. I guess I will keep it in mind either way.

  I woke up with Rex and Bright-Eyes flanking me on either side, and the same number of kittens on me as yesterday morning, so I didn’t lose anymore to errant training. I got up, stretched, and focused on getting ready for the day. I got more normal morning things done, and then spent some time meditating on regaining my arcana reserves. I felt even stronger physically after the night’s rest. I stepped out of the Campaigner’s Tent with the idea that I would get Rex set to do some flights around the city, after I set up some instant communication capability for us.

  To do that, I needed to enhance my already existing earcuffs, to enable open ended transmission for both myself and Amber, coincidentally. I gathered up my Mini-Avengers to work on that hidden earring pair that I had one of, while Amber had the other. We worked together and enhanced the enchantment to be stronger and even add the feature of picture sharing. It took an hour, but we busted through any block and flared up the power to what was needed. I cast an Ears of the City to check for any ongoing plans of attacks, which there were none.

  Just to make sure, I tried it for a few more things, and while I got rumors of bake sales and the like, and some about the Honey Spuds, there was NOTHING about the Grape Street Crips or anything involving any organized crime. I was very confused as I walked down to the electronics lab with the Mini-Avengers. We grabbed up four of the cell phones and enchanted them all in two and a half hours. Master Grem would need one, as would Gefjon, and whoever is the next person to join up. I made my way down to the Mess Hall and arrived in the middle of an argument that literally dropped the temperature of the room down thirty degrees.

  Master Grem was standing with his staff, not exactly in an offensive stance, but only a fraction of a second from being one. Donald Gill was flaring with cryonic energy, with a rime of frost coating the floor and surfaces in his vicinity. Donald was yelling about how he didn’t care about his past, as he wasn’t that person anymore. Master Grem asked calmly where Donald would be without his past. I sighed and quickly told them both to stop.

  They both looked at me, and I asked them both to give me two minutes to get some caffeine in me and some breakfast, and the three of us could eat breakfast and discuss the issues. They both watched me, incredulously, as I walked to the Nutrient Cube, pronounced what I wanted, grabbed my meal, and went to the farthest table in the mess hall. Both Master Grem and Donald Gill came over, begrudgingly, and sat down, albeit with some distance between them. As I ate my steak and eggs, I asked them politely why the floor was now a slip hazard. Donald tried to say something about Master Grem offending him.

  Master Grem, for his part, merely said that Offence is never given, it’s taken. I looked at him with a dry kind of look and told him that he was right that it is on the person to control their reactions, it is also dickitry to try to instigate emotion control testing within hours of meeting someone. Master Grem looked at me with a kind of confusion, like why was I chastising him, and I told them both that while I did not expect everyone here to be friendly, that they should at least look to not actively harm the others here. I asked Master Grem directly if he knew why the Sorcerer Supreme had greenlit this new school. Master Grem told me that he had just been informed of the opportunity that this place represented to the Masters of the Mystic Arts, and that I had been picked for who might be the best fit for the school.

  I sighed, and told them both that after we finished our breakfast, I had something to show the both of them, and that it was WHY it was important for us all to be on the same page. I added, between bites, that I had been hoping to provide this to all of the staff at one time, but maybe it was better for ones and twos. I asked them to please, in their own terms, explain exactly what preceded the verbal confrontation, Master Grem first, if you please. Donald looked taken aback, but I hoped he’d see that I was giving him the chance to refute anything that Master Grem tried to smooth out or play down. Master Grem, for his part, tried to relay things as close to accurate as possible.

  After five minutes, Master Grem had finished his side of the conflict. I repeated what Master Grem had placed as his record, and then asked Donald Gill to do the same. He went through a bit of the same, with more of his emotions breaking through the topic. I asked them both if they could think about a different way to have this conversation instead of in front of the students and Agents who had been in the Mess Hall as well. Donald looked a bit sheepish, whereas Master Grem was more stoic. I had finished my meal, so I set the tray and everyone on the place for it to be cleaned, and summoned up an Unseen Servant to clean all dishes for the day, since I figured that we might be having more guests.

  I led the two of them up to the balcony outside of my office, and produced the “transparencies” of what I had made from the vision. I showed them both, with explanations of what they meant. Master Grem picked up that there was a gap of missing creatures and asked why. I told him that I wasn’t permitted to give information about that type of creature yet. I told them that I was permitted to tell them as much as I could about the other groups of entities, and that they would be learning about those types of entities themselves in the Combat Simulation Room, but that the last group was not knowledge that was allowed to be spread yet.

  I told them that from what Master Wong had been able to discern, we were looking at this happening within six years, and that we needed to be ready for an all out incursion from other realms, as the Blood War would spread from the evilly aligned realms to the prime material plane. I pointed out areas in the distance that could barely be seen, and told them that it looked like other cities were getting the same forces, so we needed a force to fight against this. I finished with telling them that this was why Wong was okay with this. They looked at each other, and I continued, by reiterating to them that I was NOT expecting everyone to get along. This wouldn’t be a place to teach, even adults, if it were.

  I finished by telling them that there is an old saying, that iron sharpens iron, and that they can have discussions, even heated ones, but that if they desired to take physical measures out, might I recommend that they pair up, or even, if more people show up, get four together, and start up attacking some of the devils or demons that ephemeral representations of can be summoned up in the Combat Simulation Room. Hell, we can even put up a tally board in a room where we can keep track of what kinds of demons or devils are killed in a single session. That seemed to interest them a bit, and I clarified, that while the Combat Simulation Room is enchanted so that the representations of monsters are only there for a limited period of time, if you have them for fighting, you need at least someone as backup so that we can ensure that no one dies from fights. They seemed to be more interested in that, and I smiled, saying that it wouldn’t be a bad thing for them to try their skills in the room, if they desired, to see what works. I told them that we are not officially training anyone yet, so they can spend some time trying out the facilities, including the Combat Simulation Room.

  Master Grem asked if students would be expected to try their luck in the room. I told him that I had no illusions that the vast bulk of people were not the kind to take up arms, but the ones who would be looking to do any kind of conflict training going forward, would be put through tests from weakest up to the strongest we can simulate here. I told Donald that even if he chooses to not use his powers against them, getting an understanding of what laws of physics these things obey and which ones they actually obey, would still be vital. Donald nodded and I told them both that I would appreciate it if the students were not informed of this dire forecast, as I wouldn’t keep it from them once they graduate, but I wouldn’t burden them with this knowledge until they were ready for it. They both nodded and asked what the tower’s plans for the day were for today.

  I told them that we might be meeting the Agricultural Science and Resource Management teacher today, if she accepted the position, and I hoped to hear back from Pepper and Natasha to see if she had heard anything from the others. Donald asked if the Tidewater location was going to be ready for production anytime soon. I told him that it needed to be stripped, so I wasn’t going to focus on it today. On the contrary, I had my breakfast, so I was going to politely ask my familiar to do some tours around the city in disguise, so that we can keep an eye on any trouble, and hopefully have Cal do a patrol today, if he has gotten fully acquainted with Whisper-Claw.

  The two of them nodded and headed downstairs, talking fairly cordially between them as they went. I waited a minute before collecting the Mini-Avengers and heading to the fourth floor to the classrooms and labs there. I rationalized that I should prepare at least two of the pairs of rooms, so I chose to have the Dedicated Wrights work to dimensionally expand the Agricultural Science and Ballistics sets of rooms. It only took an hour, but the four rooms were expanded and we can continue to do more tomorrow. By the time I was done, I got a notice from Wong that he was arriving with Natasha, Gefjon, and one of the other prospective teachers expeditiously.

  I took notice of this and went to the Campaigner’s Tent. When I got in, I asked Rex to just sit and wait for a moment, because I was going to ask for him to resume his patrols and fishing since the kittens were apparently old enough to attach themselves to students now. Rex nodded and said that he could do that, as long as the kitten’s mother is okay with it. I spoke to Bright-Eyes and she nodded. Just as soon as that was cleared up, the Sling Ring portal opened up, allowing Wong, Natasha, and two other women, to walk out into the room.

  I introduced myself as Curtis Zine, and pointed to Rex, and introduced him as my familiar, Rex Pelor. Wong introduced the other two as Gefjon, and Bobbi Morse. I shook each of their hands, and offered up that both of them would be given a cellphone with limited service, with the ability to contact a small, but expanding, group of people, in a special way, and that we were working on ways to mitigate the issues, but that any contact with the outside world could not be digital. Bobbi asked what the issue was, and I told her that we had a person who had access to… special techniques… who had found a way to easily and readily hack S.H.I.E.L.D. Telecommunications, and we couldn’t risk them being able to access other information due to it. Gefjon asked what the leaving and returning policy was like.

  I told both of them that any teacher can leave whenever they want, but that I would appreciate a little heads up to try to find a replacement, if at all possible, but that I wasn’t their keeper or their captor. I did offer up that this place, the Chrysalis, was uniquely set up to be a safe place to stay. I apologized to both of them, but said that I didn’t want to keep Natasha from being able to either participate in a mixed combat, if she desired, in the Combat Simulation room, so I just had a favor to ask of her. Natasha looked at me , and I asked her if she could hunt down any information that she could get her hands on, about the person who fired this bullet, handing her the casing that I had picked up. Natasha smiled and asked what I meant about a mixed group.

  I told her that Donald Gill and Master Grem were heading to the Combat Simulation Room, and that they might be trying out some things to see what works. I told her that she could pocket her widow’s stings in her clutch, until she got into the C.S.R., and that that room should be safe to put them back on. Natasha smiled and headed out of the Campaigner’s Tent, rolling the bullet casing in her gloved hand, smiling as she went. I turned back to Wong, and he spoke up and said that he was heading down to the mess hall. I bowed and he left via another Sling Ring Portal, and I looked at the others.

  I offered to take both of them on a tour of the facility, and they can decide whether they want to stay to teach the classes, or go home to whatever you were doing before this. Bobbi asked if we had a lot of issues with Ninjas here. I told her that Ninjas had not come up yet, but we have had exactly one person break in, and that was before we had installed the “door lock” on the ground floor. Bobbi nodded and asked what the local area was like. I told her that I had taken down three of the preexisting gangs in the first few weeks since I got here, and now there were some attempts at consolidation, but it has been quiet for a few days.

  Bobbi asked me which three gangs, and I told her the Pepsi Boys, the Painkillers, and the local branch of the Warlocks Outlaw Motorcycle Gang were the ones that I had dealt with. Bobbi nodded and asked if I had been the one that was making the criminals call the cops on themselves and admit their wrongdoings. I smiled and added that yes, I was Verdigris as well. I let my Power Suit’s illusion drop, to allow them both to see my combat gear. I then used it to regain my illusion of the Chrysalis uniform, to minimize that as a distraction.

  I led them up to the Observatory, and informed them that every external wall was one foot thick solid granite, no junctions or joints, just solid stone. The observatory, and every external window, is one-way transparent. I told them that the observatory is open to all, staff and students, but that at night, there is a stricture that silence is observed. Gefjon nodded and said that this was a nice thing to have. Bobbi said that it wasn’t exactly her speed, but that it sounded nice.

  I led them down to past my floor to the eighth floor, where the special labs were. I apologized to Bobbi, that there was one room that was off limits to everyone except the Sorcerer Supreme, myself, and Gefjon for now, as there was a project going on that would use her assistance, but that any more people would increase the chances of failure. I told her that I could show her the other two rooms, and the fourth one was currently empty. Bobbi nodded suspiciously, but accepted, for now. I told Gefjon that I would show her that process only after she accepted the role, as this was a very temperamental project, and she could still decline after, I just wouldn’t be endangering it before a possible yes.

  Gefjon nodded and I showed the two of them the electronic lab, where cellphone batteries were being reproduced, and the Bio-Alcogel lab, where the process was going down. Gefjon took a look at the fabric, and the pile of output, and asked what was going to happen with this. I told her that we were making this fabric for the firefighters, and that the other things were being used to increase food security in the region. I added that once this gets increased in size, we will be making both the fabric and the other outputs further afield. Gefjon nodded and said that we couldn’t be faulted for supporting our local area.

  I smiled and said that our local area was going to get a LOT larger soon, and that she shouldn’t think that we wouldn’t be reaching as far as New Asgard to help there too. Gefjon nodded and I led them down to the fourth floor, explaining that the rooms between the sixth floor and the fourth floor were not assigned yet, but were there for expansion. On the fourth floor, I showed the both of them their dimensionally expanded classrooms and personal quarters. I apologized that there would not be much in the way of social media access here, but that we can work on that after the digital geist is dealt with. Gefjon asked how many students they were intended to teach per class, and I told them that the school can hold up to sixty four students at a time, and each class might have up to eight students.

  Bobbi said that this was more of an academy than a school, and I nodded, saying that all of the teachers here are only responsible for teaching their fields, and that the adult students that came through here were being trained in their fields before they could be trained in a further field. I added that I wasn’t looking for experts to come from this, but I needed knowledgeable pupils to teach the further techniques after. I told them that they can rearrange their rooms however they desire, and if they want something modified or changed, I can work on that too. I added that they also had another set of personal rooms in their lab areas, just to consider. After they spent some time getting to know their new classrooms, I led them downstairs to the other classrooms, and showed them the setup.

  All of them were empty, but both Master Grem’s and Donald Gill’s showed signs of being arranged to their desires. I led them down to the second floor, and informed them that this was the dormitory floor, where the students would be bunked, and added that behind each of these doors, was berthing for eight students, with a common area. I opened up an empty room, and showed them the common area and how the four different chambers were set up. Bobbi nodded and said that I used a lot of the extradimensional technology here, and I told her that I needed to fit a lot of school into a sixty foot by forty foot footprint.

  We travelled down to the first floor, and I showed them where the first aid room would be, the Student Affairs office, the Mundra Practice, and where the portals would be located for transportation to and from New Asgard, Kamar-Taj, and the Avengers Compound. I showed them what was an initial testing area for potential personnel being brought in from other areas, and then to the mess hall. I asked either of them if there was anything in the world that they felt like eating at all. Bobbi said that she kind of missed New York Style pizza, and Gefjon said that she had an idea about what she might want to have again.

  I showed them the Nutrient Cube, and showed them how to use it. Gefjon volunteered to do it first, and followed my lead. I got a lighter than usual lunch, with the ring having more of an effect today than last night. Gefjon got some kind of meal that I couldn’t quite identify, but she claimed it was roasted boar. I’ve never seen golden boar meat, but what have you. Bobbi tentatively tried hers and got her New York Pizza. We sat down and I told them that the secret behind the nutrient cube is that it provides all the nutrition that you need, but that it takes the form of whatever you are visualizing when you activate it.

  Bobbi asked if she could have chosen brownies and ice cream and gotten the same nutrition. I smiled and told her that one of the prospective initial students was doing just that, last time I checked. Bobbi brightened up and said that this was a perk. Gefjon asked me how many people a day this could serve. I told her that one of these Nutrient Cubes, when set up, can feed up to four thousand people, if they move through it a ten people a minute. Gefjon asked what it would take to set one of these up in New Asgard.

  I told her that would not stop New Asgard from getting one of them, or move them up from where they were. I already had some plans to help them out, but the schedule was a little tight right now. Bobbi asked if me getting the teaching staff would make things easier, and I answered that eventually, much easier. Bobbi said that this was the story of all training, you take time to train others, but eventually they can take up some of the slack. Gefjon agreed and we had our lunch.

  After we ate, I walked them to the “front door” and told them that the wall would allow them to pass through as if it was not there. Bobbi asked, “What kind of Diagon Alley shit is this? Magic isn’t real.” I told her that I didn’t know what she was talking about, but that she needed to think of the word, “Amicus” and then just push against the wall. Gefjon followed me through the wall, and then back through. Bobbi saw us and shrugged, before she did the same.

  When we were all through a few times, I showed them the basement with the Health and Wellness center, and then the Combat Simulation Room. Natasha, Grem, Wong, and Donald were all working together to fight a pack of four dretches, using teamwork that is what I hoped for when they turn to. I noticed that there was a tally board drawn up on the side of the wall, with different numbers for Donald, Grem, and then a category for the team. Gefjon asked what we were doing fighting something like these dretches. I applauded her for knowing the name, and told them that they were fairly weak and good fodder for team building.

  After we watched the combat where Wong got the finishing blow on the last dretch, I asked both Gefjon and Bobbi to follow me up to my office, and we could discuss either individually or together, whether they would like the position or not. We walked up and I saw Cal in the stairs walking down as we went. I briefly pulled him aside and asked if it wouldn’t be too much trouble for him to patrol as Cinnebar for a bit today. Cal’s eyes lit up and asked if I was certain. I told him that we needed two heroes to be seen, for when we had more, it would be a shell game against the villains.

  Bobbi overheard and said that a three card monte is usually played with three cards, not just two. I smiled and said that it was intended to be that way eventually, but that none of the cards are actually the hero that is patrolling, as if we get two more people for patrolling, we can have three heroes fulfilling the roles, and then have people just move between the identities with illusions, and they will never know who exactly they are facing. Bobbi said that we needed villains to have an idea of someone’s baseline abilities for that to really work. I told her that I had to assume that Wendell Levi had access to everything that was available to S.H.I.E.L.D. at the time that we disconnected from the network, so that he had a good grasp on my abilities, but that, assuming Cal grows in a different path, he would present different abilities and confound them. Bobbi thought about that and I wished Cal well, saying that he should use his own E-Bike, and we would work on enhancing it as well.

  The three of us walked the rest of the way up to my office, and I asked them which way they would like to discuss the positions they were offered. Gefjon replied back that there wasn’t much to discuss, as she felt that she would be doing her people a disservice if she didn’t help here. I clarified that her being a teacher here did not prohibit Asgardians from learning here, nor did it prevent us from helping New Asgard. Gefjon smiled and said that she knows a bit about what I am working on in that classroom, without me even letting her see it. I told her that I still felt that we could use her input on it, but that is later.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  I turned to Bobbi, who said that since Hunter was taken by the Decimation, that she was still hopping between jobs and missions, and she couldn’t think of a more interesting mission than learning what all of this is. I smiled at the both of them and told them welcome, and that we would be getting them new uniforms as soon as we can get ahold of more potatoes. They both looked at me oddly, and I told them that this was what the fabric was made from. I asked them if they could follow me out to the balcony, as I needed to show them something quick, before I would take their answers as final. They followed me out skeptically, to the balcony and I pulled out of the transparencies.

  I showed them how the thing that they were fighting was the weakest of the monsters that showed up on the transparency, and how there were agents who were firing at the devils and demons and not being afraid. Bobbi asked me if this is what I was hoping to prepare people for. I told them that we had less than six years to be able to deal with this, not just in Norfolk, but likely around the world. I finished off by telling them both that the Blood war is coming to the Prime plane. Gefjon recognized the term, but I could tell that Bobbi didn’t.

  Gefjon said that she would remain, and Bobbi said that she would as well. I thanked them both and asked Bobbi to go catch up with the others to see if Wong or Grem could give her a quick primer on the Blood War and the devils and demons. That left Gefjon and I, which I led her down to the eighth floor, and showed her the work that was being done on the splinter of Yggdrasil. Before I opened up the door, I cautioned her that I had only acquired this when a Frost Giant Scout came here, using it. When Natasha and I defeated the frost giant, we initially thought that it would be better for the Masters of the Mystic Arts to hold it.

  Then Wong and I came to an understanding that if I was going to work on this project, we should have it here, while he has the Codex of the Nine-fold Paths. I told her that what I am doing is making an alchemical solution known as a rooting compound. It is something that the botanists here have developed to induce root propagation from a cutting of a tree or plant. I told her that I was taking it up a notch, since this was more than just a plant.

  I opened the door and showed her the secret alchemical lab. There was a forearm length section of the World Tree, suspended with magical aura around it and emitting it. There was the faintest hint of a node near the top, and the smallest hints of rootlets at the base. I then showed her the Laboratory of Quadratic Alchemy, working away with a pair of Unseen Crafters, diligently distilling and incorporating the near mythic components that we had acquired. DNA from a forgotten Super Soldier representing Midgard, Blood from the Frost Giant Scout for Jotunheim, and the heated breath of a Fire Drake to represent Muspelheim.

  There were other ingredients that I was putting in there, but they would remain a secret for now. I told her that I was not done acquiring items from the other six realms, but that I needed to research what I might be able to have access to, to try to make it functional. Gefjon asked what my eventual goal was, and I told her that this would be planted on the Autumnal Solstice in New Asgard. It wasn’t a gift, so much as a return of something that was lost. I looked to Gefjon to gather her response and opinion.

  Gefjon was taking everything in, and I could see her wisdom was processing all of the different variables. She finally asked me a few questions. The first one was if I was planning on informing anyone of this before the Autumnal Equinox. I replied back that I wanted this circle to be as small as possible. As far as anyone knows, this was just a relic that allowed the Frost Giant Scout to shift between the planes to get here.

  I added that it still retains that magic, however weak, but we will hope that it is built upon when we finish the planting. I went on to tell her exactly what my plans were for New Asgard, how it would be a gleaming granite city to replace the tents and shipping containers that they have now. I confided in her that I would be pulling every string I could, and calling in every favor that I had accumulated, to give New Asgard the realm that it needs to start out in, all in one day, and that at the end of the day, at sunset, the hopefully rejuvenated Yggdrasil will be replanted. Gefjon looked at me and said that this was a consequential undertaking, that it would change everything for the Asgardian people if it succeeded. I told them that they deserved nothing less for being the guardians against the dark for so long.

  Gefjon nodded and said that she could appreciate it, and asked if the others felt the same. I told her that this school would be closing down for the Solstice, and every student and teacher would be offered the opportunity to be a part of the rebuilding efforts. We would do everything we could to make sure that the city can stand on its own for the day, with minimal supervision and heroic assistance, but that I would personally recognize those who stayed here. I told her that this portion of the ceremony, the World Ash’s renewal, must be secret even from those who we trust.

  Gefjon nodded and said that she would keep it, and help to make this a reality. I thanked her greatly, and renewed the Unseen Crafters with another pair, to ensure that we had another two weeks of continual operation with the Laboratory of Quadratic Alchemy. Gefjon smiled and said that she had a feeling that Frigga and I would have had wonderful conversations, should I have had the time to spend with her before she passed. I smiled and said that I felt I would probably gain a lot from her Wisdom, but I had next to none to share, most of the time. We shared a smile of remembrance of lost compatriots, and I thanked Gefjon for her decision to stay and help with this and the school.

  Gefjon took her leave and went to go look further at her new classrooms. I checked in on everything that I had been able to do today, and politely used my upgraded Sending aspect of my earring, which was linked to the Arcano-Telepathic Transmission network, to request that Master Grem please provide instruction on the new phones to both Gefjon and Bobbi Morse. I used another Sending to pass along to Agent Smith that I would be going out on patrol at the same time as Cinnebar, to cause further confusion among the ranks of the villainous. I got a response back from Master Grem acknowledging the request first, in a short, choppy, twenty-five word message. Agent Smith’s response was just after, but just as terse, acknowledging that this was occurring, and that we would need a discussion when I got back about P.B.C. and the plans going forward.

  I used the Sending function to reply back to him that I would, and that I was going to do some looking around for some more potatoes for additional staff gear. Agent Smith replied back wishing me good luck, and stated that I would have to ride fairly far afield to find any in any large amounts. Before leaving, I stocked the bike with a load of the Honey Spuds bars, and a few gallons of the Summer Sunrise Italian Ice. When I went to the garage the final time, I was fully loaded with a bunch of supplies for the populace. I picked my bike up, cast Vanish, and ran out of the building to get a distance away.

  I was in an alley a decent distance away when I reappeared from the first Vanish, so I picked up the bike, cast it again, and rode off at a fast clip. While I was out riding, I activated a Sending to Natasha to see if she had figured anything out about the bullet casing. Natasha gave me a name, Vanessa Tan, Female, 34, “Neutral Evil”, took the bullet from a box, shot it. There wasn’t anything before that. I pulled off to the side and pulled out a blank book from my pocket.

  I cast Page Bound Epiphany on the subject of Vanessa Tan, and found out bits of information in different formats. A bit of document that looks like a utility bill, listing an address in Huntersville, a booking record for assaults as a teen, a few fights as an adult, some theft, and other charges. I found a cell phone bill with her name on it, with her number and some other numbers. Then I found some documentation that was hastily scrawled in poor penmanship about how she was authorizing some of her lower levels to try to steal the stuff at the fire department. Finally, I saw a contract where it was typed out in exacting font, where parts of it were corrupted, that indicated that she was working for a new person.

  No prizes for guessing who her new boss was. Then I let the ink on the paper fade away. I then followed up with a casting of Ears of the City, focusing on her, and there were a few rumors. She was a Grape Street Crip lieutenant, in charge of the remaining group in this area. The GSC had lost most of their remaining members, gunned down at that Fire Department test by me. Supposedly they were all dead, but I knew better.

  Then there were the more… worrying rumors. Supposedly, she had not been seen since the attempt. But, she had not turned up dead or anything, so no one knew where she was. That left some individual search options, but they would take a fair amount of time. I decided to hold off on anymore and that I would continue with my public outreach.

  I pulled to an area where there were people hanging around, and asked if anyone would like some food. I pulled out the Honey Spuds bars, and started to hand them out. It was easier to hand them out this time, presumably because word had spread. Some people were suspicious, and asked me what I wanted from them. I told them that I didn’t want any rumors, or information on any criminal elements or anything like that. I just wanted to know what was happening in the area that was making it harder to live.

  Some were still reluctant to share, but after a minute, someone mentioned how their phone screen was cracked and they couldn’t afford a repair. I asked to hold it, and cast Mending on it. After the screen was solid again, I handed it back to the person and they yelled that I had saved them two hundred and eighty bucks. I shrugged, saying that I was glad to help. Then others started bringing things to repair, from other cell phones, to jewelry, to treasured familial relics.

  I fixed every item that I could, and many were exceptionally happy that I had done so for them. After I had done this at a few more street corners and parking lots, I had emptied my storage of all of the Italian Ice and Honey Spud bars. I thanked everyone for letting me know about their troubles, and what I could do to fix them, and added that while I might not be an Avenger, or even in their league, that I’m just out to show that everyone can do something to help others in these trying times. One of the people spoke up and asked me who I had lost. I looked in their direction, and told them that I had lost everyone I knew in the Decimation.

  It wasn’t a lie, as everyone I knew was still in Magnimar and Sandpoint, but it certainly could be taken a specific way. One of the other teenagers asked me about Amber specifically, and I shook my head, and told them all that I had to leave. I rode off and went through a couple of different alleys and switchbacks before I felt comfortable enough to change to my “regular clothing” and adjust how my bike looked. I made my way to Walmart, and checked their produce to see if they had potatoes. The price had been marked up substantially, and I sighed internally.

  I purchased twelve, ten pound bags for a whopping one hundred and fifty dollars. I used my S.H.I.E.L.D. Phone card because it was food, and I hoped it was a blip on the radar for Wendell, if he did catch it. I loaded them into the different saddlebags of the bike, and headed back through the streets to make my way back to the Chrysalis. Eventually, I got back to the building with no issues. I made my way through the building after unloading everything, and took it up to the Bio-Alcogel lab.

  I set the potatoes to be peeled, and moved the completed turnout sets to the Storage and Disbursement Room. I got everything set up and walked to go talk to Agent Smith. The Agents were all in the break room and there was a chill in the air about them. I approached the Agents and asked what was the issue. Agent Smith brought up that he didn’t think that they would be able to do anything against those things. Agent Vance spoke up and said that everything that they could think of wouldn’t have an effect.

  I stopped for a minute and told them that if they felt that way, there were two choices, if they felt that way. Before they could interrupt, I told them that they can either give up, and go look to do something else, or, they could study and fight. I offered up a secret that might help, is that for many of these monsters, silver bullets would work, and for others, something called cold iron. Agent Vance looked at me, and said that didn’t make much sense. I told them that we can have a class tomorrow, about what different groups were susceptible to which metals and energies, but that we can look into that over time.

  I offered up that they can make a challenge of it. Summon up a Dretch with the mode of just staying stationary, and trying different energy and materials on it. Agent Vance perked up and said that they could do that. I added that I would even make them a set of spears or prods that they could use, with the different Energy Stones, to see which ones, if any, have any effect. Agent Vance replied back, a little hopeless, and noted that they didn’t have a Fitz-Simmons here, and I told them that they were free to take any of the courses with the staff of the tower, that would take them, and they could reach out to any of them that are willing, and able to help more.

  The Agents all nodded, and I mentioned to Agent Smith that I had taken a batch of the turnout gear down to the Storage and Disbursement Room, that they can be packaged to be shipped to the different fire departments. Maybe we can start getting your capital processed and ready. Agent Smith nodded and I told him that I hoped to have more information tomorrow, and that I would be working on more of the goggles and other gear as soon as we get the tower finished. Agent Smith nodded and said that he would get the goggles, visors, and gloves ordered and delivered. I nodded and thanked him.

  I told them all that they were free to come talk to me or use the phones to Send to me whenever they needed. I told them all that we could not do this without them, as they were the ones who were keeping this place good with the city. Agent Smith nodded and said that we would need a longer meeting before next week. I told him that I would make time for it, and asked if they would join me for an early dinner. They all agreed and we headed there.

  When we got there, Sera was there, picking at the food. I sat with her, and asked her what the issue was. She told me that she still had not had a chance to talk to the Bralani that I had recommended. I started to say something, but Agent Vance said that she would head down there with her after dinner, and they would spend some time talking with them. I thanked her for stepping up like this, and told her that there was nothing that would be stopping them from asking for advice from the Bralani about how to fight against Devils and Demons.

  The Agents perked up and asked if they could get a slot in the room. I told them that after dinner, I would lead them down there directly, and whomever desired could take their turn down there, no matter how far the current streak was going. Just then, the crew that was down in the Combat Simulation Room came in, smiling and chatting among themselves. I watched as they congratulated each other on their different individual victories. Natasha and Bobbi were more quiet than the rest, and came over to the Agents table where Sera and I were seated.

  Bobbi started the conversation by asking me what I thought that Ballistics, as a class, would do against something that was immune to conventional bullets. I told her that we were just discussing the same thing with the Agents here, and offered up that what she might need to look into was different projectile materials. I offered up that she should work with the Agents to determine what are the best options. I told her that I fought things with the bullets of my guns, and while there were some instances of it providing me problems, I had found that there were usually solutions to whatever was needed. Sometimes you just need to hit something that much harder, for damage to make it through.

  I added that we had at least three years at a worst case estimate, to get ourselves ready, so I should be able to enchant some special things for you all to help. Bobbi asked if there was any hint, so she could factor it in, in her teaching. I told her that I could make it so that the magazine never ran out of ammunition. That was only one thing that I was looking at, and I would be limited in how many of them I can make a day, but if we look at the smaller, widespread, upgrades, we can outfit a lot of people much quicker. I added that, in any event, we needed to verify what we needed to get, to put it in the queue after I was done with the upgrades to the tower.

  I looked at both Sera and Agent Vance, and mentioned that the room should be clear now, and added to Sera that if she could not get sufficient information about her ability from the Bralani, that she should contact me directly. I added that even though our abilities are different, I might be able to piecemeal some degree of education for her to maximize the control of her gifts. I smiled and told them all good night, and that I would have something for them tomorrow morning for their attempts, and that I would start making more of whatever we had stock of, for the city, starting Monday. Sera spoke up and said that the rifles were done. I thanked her for helping so much, and asked her what she might want as a reward for helping so much with it.

  Sera said that she’d like a suit of armor similar to Cal’s, and I smiled and told her that she was getting ahead of herself, that I was already planning on making something similar for her, but that I wouldn’t do it until her powers were fully understood, as I didn’t want to make something that would interfere with her. Sera asked about a kitten familiar like Cal then, and I smiled sadly, and said that this would take at least a week to train her up, possibly longer, but as long as the kitten and her bond, I have no problem with it, but it isn’t mine to give. She then told me that she really couldn’t think of anything else, but that she wished she had a picture of her family. I smiled and asked her if she would share a picture that she had in her mind, to me. She thought about it, and composed a picture in her mind, and sent it to me using her phone.

  I pulled a granite plate out of the stack, cleaned it with Prestidigitation, burned a full Stoneshape on it to make it as beautifully carved as possible, and then cast Minor Lasting Image, to make a portrait of her and her family, before handing it to her. Sera looked at it, in the full definition of the way that she envisioned it, and held it close to her. I told her that she deserved more than that, but that she should keep it in mind and let me know of anything else that she can think of. I wished them all a good night, and to keep me informed. I had a spring in my step as I walked up to the Observatory, and took a mental picture of the city in the fading light of the day, so that I could surprise Amber with it when I replied to her Sending tonight.

  Then I decided to re-up the Tears to Wine in the Bio-Alcogel Lab, create another one each of the Phoenix Core, Gelid Heart, Galvanic Spark, Blight Stone, and Sonus Chord, for the testing, and used Stoneshape on each of them to give them rods to attach to so that they can be used as energy testers. I still had time, so I went up to my Campaigner’s Tent, and set it up to allow me to attempt to Scry on this Vanessa Tan. After an hour, I clicked my S.H.I.E.L.D. Phone to record, and then I saw something I wasn’t prepared for. Vanessa Tan wasn’t a human woman anymore. She had been changed into a tiefling. I know that I didn’t smell that on her before.

  Something, or someone, had changed her. Now her outside was matching her inside. Crucially, there wasn’t much I could see around her, but I could see her sitting in a chair, with her features contorting. I heard a corrupted voice, the sound of tones and clicks pastiched together to make something approximating human speech, say, “Beautiful Change, isn’t it Verdigris. She is manifesting her interior. She will be more than enough for you. She isn’t quite done yet though. Soon.” Then something passed in between my Scrying sensor and and the Scrying shorted out.

  I snapped out of the viewing, and noticed that the mirror was cracked. I used Mending on it immediately, and then ran downstairs to the mess hall, where no one was. I remembered that it was an hour after everyone had left, and realized I was frazzled from having one of my spells violently negated like that. I put out a mass Sending, to all of the people in the network, EXCEPT for Amber, Pepper, and the Librarian of Kamar-Taj, that we needed to meet in the Mess Hall. I got a lot of responses back from people saying that they were on their way to the room.

  Wong was the first to arrive, and asked me curiously if I had given any idea about how loud that was. I was breathing hard from the running and I apologized, but this was crucial. I told him that there were serious issues with what I just witnessed, and that everyone in this area and associated with us NEEDED to know this information before they left the building at all. The next to arrive was Master Grem and Donald, who were apparently in Donald’s classroom discussing different methods of teaching and how each helps the students. Shortly thereafter, Natasha, Bobbi, the Agents, Cal, and Sera all showed up.

  I told them that I had just attempted to Scry on Vanessa Tan, and I was going to show them all the results. I told them that before I was going to show them this, that I had to warn them that it was disturbing. They all nodded, and I played them the short video of Vanessa being changed, and the statement that Wendell made, up until the Scrying cut out with my mirror breaking. Before any questions could start, I told them that I had done this in an extradimensional tent, so there was no possibility of a signal being sent, yet, but that I was going to have to be careful attempting to get any information about any of them through means like this. I added that I was prohibiting anyone from taking on Vanessa Tan if they encountered her, and that they should contact me, Wong, and Master Grem, that I didn’t know what kinds of powers she was going to develop from this, but that didn’t make me any more comfortable.

  Wong asked what I needed him for. I told him that I needed him to know what was going on, in case I failed in stopping this threat. Wong nods and says that he will be leaving shortly to return back to New York. I asked Natasha to go with him, and to let the other Avengers know that the Combat Simulation room will be available on a scheduled basis, to get everyone experienced in fighting every menace I can think of. Natasha nodded and said that she would. I asked Wong if he could get the updated boxes for the Blight Stone, Sonus Chord, and Galvanic Spark tools from Pepper sooner rather than later.

  Wong started to ask why, and I mentally used Sending to tell him that if I failed, I needed the world to be able to continue pulling itself up out of this, and be ready for the forecast incursion. Wong and Natasha both exited in a Sling Ring Portal. I addressed the others, telling them that I wanted everyone to be extra careful outside of the building. I told them that I was guessing by how far she had changed from where I had last seen her, we might have days, as permanently changing someone took time to set into the bones. I added that I would be tightening up security over the next few days, and I would likely work on some manner of panic button for everyone, once I figure it out.

  I verbally told Cal that he is not to appear as me outside of here, until I tell him otherwise. I told him that I didn’t want him to be targeted for being me. Cal nodded and said that he could understand that. I told them all that I would be working on making more options, including some automated ones, but it would take time. To the others, I told them that I was working figuring out some things for the future of this building and the process, but until I can figure everything out, no one should travel outside of here in anything outside of teams of two.

  Bobbi started to object, and I told her that while I apologized that she had been brought into this today, I wanted nothing to happen to anyone until I can ascertain how best to deal with everything. I told them all that the best thing to do is to at least go out in town in pairs or trios. Donald offered up that he would head out with anyone who wanted, because he was getting a touch of cabin fever being stuck in without any form of media. Agent Smith offered up that, if everyone was amenable, that they could all go to a theater and see something together, as a bonding event. There was a lot of agreement, even including Gefjon surprisingly enough, and they all left to go to have some fun.

  I headed back up to the Campaigner’s Tent, and checked everything that I could. I couldn’t see anything of danger, so I retreated back to my bedroom. I used the upgraded earring to Send Amber the view from the Observatory that I had mentally captured earlier. Amber Sent back that it was a beautiful sight. I told her that we had more than just twenty-five words to speak back and forth from here on, and we had a lengthy conversation of both words and pictures. After a half an hour, Amber let me head to bed. I finished off my Arcane Capability by adding more Unseen Crafters to the Alchemical Rooting Compound process. I hope that we can get this all to work together before anything happens to me.