Day 71

  Friday August 10th, 2018: 11:30 PM

  My d?????????r???????????????????e????????????a???????????????????????m???????????????? didn’t have any focus on me learning another feat last night. Mainly, it was a check up between what I was doing for the faith and the possible future. I told her how I was working on things to make the Tower self-sufficient, but there were difficulties in certain fields. I went on to explain about all of the different issues that were dealing with, with regards to Wendell Levi. The words that I received from her said that there was a certain amount of power that he was being sent from the Far Realm, and that while I cannot Scry on him, there was nothing preventing me from scrying on others, when he was not around to brute-force attempt to cancel out my Scrying by interposing himself between my sensor and the subject.

  I mentally smacked myself in the head, because of course he didn’t hack my Scrying or anything. It was a violent purge, sure, but that was just feedback. Hell, I MIGHT even be able to Scry on him, if I get suitably prepared. With that worry slightly decreased, the Black Butterfly told me that she doesn’t have a grasp on what Vanessa Tan is being changed into, but she doubts it will stop at just becoming a Tiefling. I thanked her for her guidance, and she told me that I would have the opportunity to learn more soon.

  I woke up and got ready to start the day. I grabbed up the Mini-Avengers and went to the fourth floor and dimensionally expanded another two remaining classrooms. I saved the rest of my crafting capacity to deal with the boxes, and led them back up to the Bio-Alcogel Lab, in case Pepper has the boxes ready. In the Bio-Alcogel Lab, I cast a Tears to Wine, and refilled the hogshead, checked in on the finished goods, and saw another twenty five completed turnout gear sets. I grabbed them up and shoved them into various pockets and bags to get them to the disbursement room.

  I left the room and cast an Ears of the City spell to get an idea of what was going on. Surprisingly, there was an attack that was going to go on today, and it was going to be aimed at the P.B.C. Healthcare, with the intention of trying to steal some of the suits. It was some group known as “Advanced Idea Mechanics” or something like that, and they were known for using energy based weapons. I figured that I would deal with them myself, before I start passing them off to Cal. They were intending to strike not too long after the start of working hours.

  I figured that I would just get ready and be in the office area, for the “meeting” and be available to collect the “criminals” when they arrive. I went back downstairs and went all the way down to the disbursement room, to stack everything up on the shelves there, and noted that we had fifty of the five hundred that we needed. Another seven days of three shifts will get everything for the Fire Department’s orders. Then we can get cracking on the standard uniform for the school students and teachers. I resolved to work as best I can to make a more autonomous system.

  I walked back to the Mess Hall, and saw Sera smiling there with Agent Vance. They were the only two in the vast room, so I grabbed my breakfast and waited to see if they wanted privacy or to talk. Agent Vance subtly caught my attention with a slight movement of her head, indicating that it was a good time to stop by. I smiled as I sat down with them, and Sera looked at my meal and asked me why I always picked something odd. I smiled and said that there was no way I could have giant lizard egg omelets here, unless there was an island in some far off area of the world that had nine to twelve foot long monsters with toxic bites and are the apex predator on the island.

  Agent Vance looked at me oddly, and Sera said something about Komodo Dragons. I perked up and Agent Vance said that they weren’t actual dragons. I muttered under my breath, “Just like Rex.” I let that topic die, and asked her about how her meeting with the Bralani Azata went. Sera said that she had learned that she might not have something similar to Cal or I.

  In fact, she said that the Bralani said that she was much closer to Donald than us in how she would work with her gifts. I nodded and said that I could understand that, and that I would not be adverse to her learning how to focus her gifts similar to Donald’s method. Sera asked if it was hurtful that she wouldn’t be learning what I taught. I shrugged and told her that it was her life, and that I wanted her to be fulfilled. I asked her if she knew what elemental force she was most attuned to, and Agent Vance told me that the Bralani had said that well attuned to the sub-element of Electricity.

  I hemmed it over in my head for a few moments, and told her that electricity was a powerful weapon in an era where everything runs off of micro-electrical signals. Sera perked up a little, and I told her that we all have our gifts and our struggles. I told her that she is welcome to stay here and learn everything that she can from the professors. Not everything will be as useful for her, I offered, but there still exists the potential to gain a familiar, with extended training, even though it likely wouldn’t be the exact same thing. Sera asked if her armor would be the same as Cal’s, and I told that it would not, due to the requirements of working with her abilities, but that I would add making her something similar to either Donald’s, Cal’s, my own, or something new that works best for her.

  It was then that I realized that my eyes were bigger than my stomach, and asked if either of the two wanted to try something that was out of this world, literally. Agent Vance gave me a questioning look, and I told her that I was attuning to something, and it was taking away my hunger and thirst, and that I could force my way through this meal, or they could perhaps learn what an omelet made from a Giant Gecko Egg tastes like. Sera asked me if it was really from a Giant Gecko, and I told her that it was as real as the meals that they ate. I added that it was really just my memory of how an omelet made of a Giant Gecko Egg tasted like, but I hoped that I had remembered the taste well enough. Agent Vance took my plate and sliced off a section, before trying it.

  She chewed it around a bit, before noting that it had a distinct nutty flavor and it was kinda chewy. I nodded and said that I remembered it exactly like that. Agent Vance perked up, and asked me if I knew what this meant. I told her that it meant that ANY meal that any one wanted to share the experience of, they could share with someone by just picking it from the Nutrient Cube and passing it along to a friend. Agent Vance looked with surprise and asked me if I knew how big of a thing this was here.

  I shrugged, and said a nice meal is nice, but back where I was from, it wasn’t as big of a deal. I did tell her that I could produce different things that were from there, and Sera added that I had firepelt chops a few days ago, and that it was apparently cougar. I shrugged, saying that they were a menace back where I was from, always attacking people on the trade lines, and some people had a philosophy of not wasting anything. Agent Vance nodded and said that people ate weirder things here, and that tastes change over time. Sera started to say something, but then stopped.

  I smiled and told Sera that she could eventually use her powers to perfectly toast a marshmallow, inside and out, and if she ate that marshmallow, she could allow others to experience it as well. Sera’s eyes lit up and asked if that was really how it works. Agent Vance spoke up and said that the Chicken a la King MRE that she had, was every bit as noxious and terrible as she remembered. Sera smiled and said that she could travel the world and taste a little of everything, and I added for her, that she can add a little bit of many of the dishes onto a plate, and someone could sample them. I smiled and said that this was something that we could do for outreach.

  It wasn’t too long until Cal and others ended up filtering their way down. I asked Sera and Agent Vance quietly if they had approached Donald yet, to which they shook their heads. I asked them if they wanted me to approach Donald, and Sera kind of nodded. I stood up and smiled down at them and walked over to where Donald and Grem were sitting together, talking. I apologized for interrupting, and asked Donald if he had a minute.

  Donald looked confused and nodded, so we walked over to a corner and I told him that it seemed that Sera had a gift somewhat similar to his, except that she had an influence over electricity where his powers were over cold and ice. I told Donald that he had been getting a better and better grasp on his powers, and I would appreciate it if he could spare some time to help her learn to manifest her own powers, without burning through her stamina and hurting herself. Donald seemed to hem and haw a tiny bit before Donald asked me if I thought that Sera would be important for what we discussed yesterday. I told him that I would not think that we could possibly leave anything off the table. Donald nodded and said that he would do it.

  I thanked him and said that I would improve a room downstairs with some of my remaining crafting capability, and that they can use it for the training without having to be in the combat simulation room. Donald nodded and asked me if he should spend a few hours a day training her. I told him that they should work on it together to determine the best training schedule, especially since we don’t have a full staff or student body yet. Donald nodded and headed over to the table where Sera and Agent Vance were seated to discuss a training schedule. I saw that it was close to the start of the work day for the office staff, and headed over to the office area.

  When I got there, Agent Smith was in his office. I knocked and he told me to come in, and I did and shut the door behind me. He asked me if I was here to discuss anything, and I told him that sometime today, that there was going to be an attack by members of a group called, “A.I.M”, and that I would be available to deal with it as soon as they arrive. I told him that I would wait in the break room until it was time, and then I would immediately rush to the reception area to take them down. Agent Smith asked what we would do with them when they were apprehended. I shrugged and said that I wasn’t looking to kill them, but the fact that they were looking to arrive in force and steal something should give us some leverage to have them jailed.

  Agent Smith thought about it for a minute and I used an Augury to determine if they would strike as soon as the business day starts, or if they would wait until later in the day. I asked it if I would be having an easier conflict if I cast Haste within the next thirty minutes. It came back as “Weal”, so I knew that we had less than a half an hour before a battle ensued. I cursed myself for not having Rex post up outside to monitor the office, so I sent Agent Peterson a mental Sending to that A.I.M. would be attacking and that she should Send me a mental message when they arrive, and try to stall them for at least six seconds. Agent Peterson acknowledged that she would in her response, while I cast Mirror Image.

  I waited in Director (Agent) Smith’s office, with him asking me if I thought that this was related to Wendell. I shrugged and said that it was easy to send breadcrumbs to other groups, to try to provoke a conflict or an attempt, especially if he has access to any information that was scavenged from what we had previously sent to S.H.I.E.L.D., or any records that the Agents had kept before we dropped out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Network. Agent Smith nodded and said that they were certain that Wendell had been kept in a cell someplace safe before the Decimation. I shrugged saying that there wasn’t anything that we could do about it now. Just then, I got the Sending from Agent Peterson that a group of people in a ludicrous outfit were rushing through the front door, and looking noticeably perplexed as they saw the interior.

  I smiled at Jonathan as I cast Vanish and used my Dimensional Stride Tabi Boots to appear in the Lobby. I smiled as Agent Peterson simultaneously attempted to be helpful and yet obstructive at the same time. The Agents were perplexed enough that she had their attention. I quickly cast Haste and dropped into my Solar Wind Style and my Stance of Piercing Rays simultaneously while drawing my pistol. The attacking crew was still enraptured by her attempts at looking flustered while completely ignoring the fact that they were armed and armored. Just as I could tell that Agent Peterson was running out of her gag, and the A.I.M. attackers were getting ready to strike, I sent her to Duck, and fired off three rounds from my pistol, using Searing Break to maximize my damage.

  I managed to drop the lead attacker with one critically aimed shot to the back, and a second attacker with my following two rounds, before they could even hope to react to my sudden arrival. Agent Peterson dropped as she yelled out that she hopes that their appointment with Verdigris goes as well as they would like. The three Remaining A.I.M. Members, all fired away at me, with five of their six of their shots striking and destroying Mirror Images, and one managed to get through and deliver a faint, glancing blow, doing little more than angering me. I redirected my focus to the one who had succeeded and delivered another three shots, this time with two striking that one who offended me the most (by actually striking me), and then peeling off the final shot to strike that person and wounding them greatly.

  I warned them that they wouldn’t enjoy the next six seconds if they didn't surrender. The two of them looked at me and they both readjusted to try to get better lines of fire against me, but only managed to dispel the remaining Mirror Images with three of their shots. With the final image gone, they WOULD have had a clear line to hit me, had I not used my Intercepting Shade, to throw their last shot, JUST off line enough to miss. I fired my next three shots, and dropped the two of them with the shots. I checked all of the fallen attackers, and verified that they were all alive. I removed their weapons, armor, and gear, much to my chagrin, I noted that there was that digital laughing coming from a tablet.

  I knew that there was no signal in here, so I guessed that Wendell had programmed some little spoiler in it after it detected weakened signals. Just in case, I sequestered the tablet in an extradimensional pocket. That, unfortunately, was the wrong action, because there was a sudden chain reaction that started destroying lasers, force fields, and other electronic equipment. I managed to grab a laser and two of the force field generators off of wrists and toss them into a separate extradimensional pocket, before they could blow. I looked at the remainder of what they had, and found a batch of ten bulky batteries that I recognized as almost identical to the ones from Numeria.

  That gave me pause to think, but I shunted them into a (literal) pocket dimension, and told Agent Peterson that I would get her some defensive gear if she was going to be our first line of contact. Agent Peterson thanked me, and I hogtied the A.I.M. team while I waited for Agent Smith to get here. I asked Agent Peterson if she had sent a message to Director Smith, just as he walked into the lobby. I sighed dramatically, and asked him if there was any idea what we should do with these miscreants. He shrugged and said that he would contact the police to have them taken into custody.

  I nodded and said that I would consider working on that extra dimensional prison for criminals so that we had a means to hold them. At least then, we can have a place to hold them where they cannot escape. Agent Smith nodded and I told him that it would be added to the eventual list, once I figured out the best way to do it. I told him that I was going to be taking a look at the spoils of the fight right after this. Just then, I got a message from Wong, saying that Pepper had a few boxes for the Blight Stone system, and that he would be heading here immediately.

  I sighed, and told Jonathan that it might be a little while before I can take a look at the spoils and prevent them from being damaged, as I had a pressing matter that I had forgotten about. I shook his hand and headed to the Chrysalis, and then to the Campaigner’s Tent. While I was walking, I rationalized that if I managed to get the tower built and enchanted completely fairly quickly, I could work on other things. By the time I had gotten up there, Wong had already arrived, and told me that Pepper would be available for the “viewing” after the work day ends, and asked if I would be able to get them enchanted by then. I smiled and told Wong that I could get them done fairly readily, especially with over six hours of time to enchant them.

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  Wong nodded and then gave me a bit of good news. Apparently, due to the loss of any kind of governmental backing, Dr. Abdallah El-Faouly has agreed to spend at least a semester here, with the intention of seeing how things pan out after the first course of students. I thanked him, and Wong told me that it was mainly Pepper who had reached out and managed to convince him with the back and forth. Wong added that he would be bringing him here at four PM, so I wouldn’t have much time before we started the Scrying. I told him that I would ask Master Grem to give him a good explanation of everything and what everything was like.

  Wong said that he would handle it, while I dealt with the enchanting. I grabbed up the boxes and went to collect the Mini-Avengers, to go to a spare room to work on the enchanting. With three pairs of boxes, I started with the enchantment for this set of “Tony’s Petro Printer”, and got every working on the three different sets. After a little after an hour and a half, all three of the new Tony’s Petro Printers were completed. I got the next three items, the newest series of boxes designed to make Blight Stones.

  This new box would be the “Tony’s Biting Wit”, and I chose to have the set that was being sent to Tony, have a command phrase similar to Tony’s Cold Shoulder, the requirement of activation being that the user, Tony, would have to think of a new insult, directed at me (an unknown creator to Tony), to generate the required bile to infuse the obsidian into being new Blight Stones. With some time remaining, I decided to work on something to help this facility out with its grand undertaking. It needed an Arcane Network, similar to the “Internet” that this world has. I gathered up my cohort and headed to the electronics lab, where I cast a series of Constant Heat Stones (specifically Gelid Heart, Sonus Chord, Galvanic Spark, and Blight Stone), and interwove them into a pulsating nodule that was melded directly to the floor and ceiling. I had the Mini-Avengers there, the whole time, carving in the needed runes.

  As it slowly took shape, over five hours, during which I skipped lunch, the obsidian, amber, jade, and quartz wafers were interspersed within a granite framework. The enchantment was layered and deep with purpose, bringing all manner of options to the table. It was purposefully linked to the Arcano-Telepathic and Transmission network, to extend capabilities to them, and anchor it so that no one phone or device is the anchoring point. The hum of the jade, the sharp bite of the obsidian, the ionizing tingle of the amber, and the crispness of the quartz, all lent a purifying aura in the room, but that was the least of the effects that this… arcane creation would do. What the device would do, through the enchantment, is just amazing.

  The Centralized Omnipresent Research and Verification Investigation Device, or C.O.R.V.I.D. will perform a LOT of activities for this school. Not the least of which is to act as a pseudo-Internet for all of the linked devices. Listing what all it can do might take more time than listing what it cannot, in that aspect. Suffice to say, as soon as it came online, I saw a world of options open up from my “earring”, and started getting a flurry of Sendings from others in the network, asking if something happened to the phones, because they all received a “ping” and an image of a Raven flew across the screen, before leaving a series of tiny images that they could touch and activate.

  I sent a mass Sending to all of the connected devices that had contacted me that they should all try to get to the Tower, for education on the new features of their S.P.E.A.R. Phones. I left the room and sealed it up, focusing on the bind rune that formed on an image that looked like a simple stylized book. I grabbed the five brand rods that I had made for S.P.E.A.R., and walked down to the Mess Hall. It was five o’clock, and I was glad that Wong had gotten Master Grem to fulfill the tour. Everyone was down in the Mess Hall, with Pepper and Natasha arriving via one of Wong’s Sling Ring portals.

  There was another Master of the Mystic Arts, that I recognized by the robes, and another man that I did not recognize, that I assumed was Dr. Abdallah El-Faouly, there talking with Master Grem. He had the last spare phone, which I was thankful for Master Grem explaining it to him, and getting him to connect to it. I cleared my throat and apologized to all of them that I had not given them advanced notice about the upgrades with the Arcano Telepathic and Transmission Network. I went into the explanation of EVERYTHING that the new network did, and the security features of it. I finished my explanation while I waited for any questions that they might have.

  After a little while, I used the mental Sending to get a message to Wong, Pepper, and Natasha, that the boxes were ready and that I would head up to my Campaigner Tent to set up to Scry on Tony and Bruce, for when the boxes are delivered. I got affirmations from all three, and made my excuse to leave. I went up to the top floor and started the spellcasting for the Scrying. After about fifty-five minutes of casting, the trio came up to the Campaigner’s Tent with their own set of snacks and drinks. I had already set up all of the instructions on a sheet of paper, so everything was ready to go.

  Wong got ready for his part, and the other two got comfy on the Levitating Pillow Seats. As the image on the mirror cleared from the cloudiness, Tony Stark, and hence the Mexico Gamma lab, appeared in the reflection. Almost immediately, a digital voice spoke out, telling Tony that the energy he was waiting for was back. Tony asked the voice if they could identify where the energy was, and the voice declared that it did not have enough calibrated sensors to locate where it was. Wong quickly started his Sling Ring Portal, and dropped off the set marked, “To Tony, with Love.”

  Tony looked at the stack of two boxes, a new stone, and a rolled up paper note. We watched Tony grab the paper, and look around before pulling the string that was tied in a bow around it. He unfurled the sheet in dramatic posture, and started to read it. He looked away and yelled out to Bruce to get in here. Bruce quickly rushed in and looked at Tony, and asked him what was wrong when he saw that there were no wounds or dangers about.

  Tony handed Bruce the letter and calmly said that this was a step too far. Bruce read the note, aloud, possibly for emphasis or realizing that he was being watched and playing along. When he got to the name of the item, he stopped and repeated, “Tony’s Biting Wit”. He read a bit further and stifled a laugh when he read the bit about Tony having to insult the creator, a person who he has never met, to create this new stone. He then read about the properties of the Blight Stone, and noted that there were ten fist sized chunks of obsidian for his testing.

  Our motley group of observers watched as Tony was furious for about two minutes while Bruce tried to calm him down. Then Tony picked up a hunk of obsidian, put it in “Tony’s Biting Wit”, closed the lid, and immediately proclaimed out that I was a sad excuse of a hero who wasn’t bothered to help out when it was actually needed when Thanos got here. The enchanted box glowed with a deep purple light emanating from the under the lid for a few seconds, before the light died. Simultaneously, I could see the shock on Pepper’s face from the vitriol that Tony just uttered. She muttered about how I wasn’t even here on this world when the fight with Thanos happened, and I told her that it was fine, that he didn’t know, and that this was just a way for him to excise his pain.

  With the success of that first stone, Tony went on to say more vitriolic and acerbic things about me, my lineage, my sartorial sense, and even my grooming habits and his believed size of my genitalia. Each time was another Blight Stone being brought into existence. Pepper heard all of this, and said that she didn’t know how much Tony was hurting. Natasha told her that Tony was not the kind that actually let people know he was hurting, except for a few times when he couldn’t hold it in. Wong nodded contemplatively as he listened to Natasha break down Tony’s personality.

  After Tony had created a bank of the Blight Stones, he picked up one with a set of tongs, and placed it inside the Teflon coated interior of this “Tony’s Petro Printer”. Tony brought forth the same pipe structure that he had perfected from my rudimentary design. He gripped the sides of the box and proclaimed, “Fac ut ita sit, numero uno.” The Blight Stone changed shape and molded into the honeycombed pipe. Bruce looked at it, and noted that it worked just like the original, but was made from obsidian.

  Bruce exclaimed that it works just as well as the original. Tony scoffed and replied, asking that if this wizard could make off of this, why had he not years ago. Bruce tried to defend me, without even knowing me, saying that it was possible that I wasn’t able to do this long ago, and that even now, it seems that each Item they are getting from me seems more refined than the last. Tony scoffed and said that he expected me to be making up for it somehow. The observation continued with the testing of different shapes and configurations for the Blight Stones, while Tony told someone named F.R.I.D.A.Y. to record everything.

  The Scrying ended and I looked at the others, to get their opinions. Pepper tried to apologize for him initially, but I stopped her, telling her that there was no need. I could have made the requirement for “Tony’s Biting Wit” be something like him having to repeat the “Mary had a Little Lamb” poem for the box to keep transmuting Blight Stones. I added that he would have engaged far less with something that had a consistent activation method. If I am the target of his caustic comments, then they are not directed at himself, or the allies that he, and the world, needs so much, and since I am but a specter to him, he is “insulting” someone who he has never even met.

  Wong nodded with the explanation of the redirecting of Tony’s pain onto someone who he has never met, and thus can only be a shadow to tilt against. Wong noted that this was perhaps an interesting means to allow Tony to vent his rage and frustration. I smiled and agreed, adding that even if only a little bit of the vitriol is absorbed by the stone, then it is not directed at someone who might absorb it into their psyche. I smiled at Pepper and told her that Tony can’t hurt me with comments when I don’t hear them and he doesn’t know me. I added that the fact that Tony might be able to exorcise some of his personal demons by letting loose the poison that has crept in, can only be a positive.

  The group was kind of quiet after that, and I told them all that they can now feel free to contact me via the phones or equipment, whenever they want, and we can transfer a LOT more information, if we have to do so. I thanked them all and asked them for updates whenever they thought that Tony was ready for the next stone, and to let me know whenever any of the other teachers will be here to join the staff. Pepper announced that Dr. Bill Foster was interested, and that he would want to visit on Sunday, and that Dr. Helen Cho had an interest, but that there were… issues with her having a child. I shrugged and said that I didn’t mind a student learning from the courses, if the teachers didn’t mind an extra, but that I would not accept a person below the age of majority to study the magical path under me. Wong nodded thoughtfully, and said that Kamar-Taj had similar rules.

  I told Pepper that I would not be specifically having a daycare, but that as long as the child could take care of themselves, and the parent was taking responsibility, I was fine with a teacher bringing whomever they wanted to live with them. Pepper nodded and said that she would pass this on to Helen, and she expected that there would be no resistance after learning that. Natasha spoke up and said that Ms. Hannigan was notoriously difficult to contact, but she was in communication with her. Natasha added that she would let me know if there were any updates. I thanked her and said that I was glad that there was even some positive feedback.

  I thanked the three of them, and noted that I was going to be retiring for the night to try to do some checks into the items that we had acquired from the group that had attacked us today, and I might have some extra things to pass along to Tony. Wong nodded and opened up a Sling Ring Portal for the three of them to leave. I sighed, and went to the spare room, and pulled out the tablet that had been the source of Wendell Levi’s digital cackling earlier. I sighed, and cast Recharge on it. The tablet couldn’t take the massive amount of charge that I was trying to force into it, and exploded on the spot.

  I sighed and gathered up the scraps, put them onto a plate, and then cast Scholar’s Touch on the pieces, to see if there was any remaining digital information left on it. It had been wiped, or was destroyed by the explosion, so I grabbed a piece of amber, and cast a Constant Heat (Electricity) on it, creating another high potential plate, that I then used Stoneshape on to make it a shallow plate, that I dumped the electronic components on. I watched as the components snapped, crackled, and popped as the digital components were destroyed by the electrical potential. I cast another Constant Heat, this time for the base element, to have the components melt and char on that plate. Taking a piece of jade, I cast a Constant Heat (Sonic) and made a plate that I placed the remaining components on, to have them destruct through vibration, until they became sand.

  I dumped the sand down in the toilet of my middle room, and left to go try each one of the items that I had recovered from the A.I.M. members. I pulled out the batteries, one at a time, and then multiples at a time. I waited for them to self-destruct, and nothing happened. I then put them away and pulled out the first force field generator. I cast Unseen Crafter to have it recondition and repair the force field generator, and disable any self destruct capability.

  I pulled out the second force field generator, and there was no reaction. I pulled out the laser rifle last, and there was no reaction. It is possible that it started with the tablet, and with the tablet’s destruction, that they are safe. I left all of the devices for the Unseen Crafter to work on and repair while I went down to the rest of the tower to check in with everyone. I stopped off at the Aerogel lab and recast the Tears to Wine, to refill the hogshead.

  I collected the suits that had been made, and stored them away, before I walked down every level doing a slow, deliberate inspection. I checked every room and level that wasn’t already dedicated to some purpose to reconfigure what will be the updated room configuration. As I made my way down, I checked on the room with the Quality Improvement Chamber, and saw that the Rifles were gone, indicating that Sera had worked hard on getting those improvements done. I continued on past other rooms, and down to the floor that would become the first floor of the teacher apartments. I resolved to convert the central area to something, either an art exhibit, or mural space, or even an indoor garden, if Gefjon would help.

  I continued down to the level below that, and viewed this floor the same way. I was going to have to get these rooms good to go sooner rather than later, but hopefully, I can get this going quickly, and be ready for whatever Wendell is planning next. It was getting late, so I made my way to the Amicus door, and cast Minor Lasting Image at a spot on the door, to put the Bind Rune that would work as one of C.O.R.V.I.D.’s s sensor nodes. Then I cast another Minor Lasting Image, just over the lines, to make it look like it wasn’t there. I wanted C.O.R.V.I.D. to be able to see out of it, without someone knowing that it is there.

  I decided that I was going to have to make an enchanted item for this, too, so that we have a decent amount of angle coverage for C.O.R.V.I.D. I don’t know if it is wise to make the system itself intelligent, so I will wait for that. Maybe I’ll make a construct just to work on retaining information and acting as a security guard in the other spare room on the eighth floor. I walked the first floor and went into the future portal area. I had the ability to generate three more Minor Lasting Images, so I did so at the entrance room for each of the different areas. Knowing all of the command words, it was easy enough to enter each area, but none of them were enchanted with portals yet, so this was all precautionary.

  I dropped off the suits that had been made at the Storage and Disbursement Center, increasing our total of turnout gear by another twenty-five. Then I made my way back to the ninth floor, slowly, deliberately, and watching for any issues. Teachers getting enchanted phones was an easy thing, but we wouldn’t be able to do that for the students. I’ll have to puzzle my mind on that. Maybe I can make something smaller and simpler, with less features, that will work for students while they are here.

  As I got back into the Campaigner’s Tent, I started the sending conversation with Amber, asking her if it was safe to distract her attention. She told me that we were safe right now. There was less pressure to get all of the right words out, in the fewest words possible, since the day limit was removed between us. I sent her an image of the outside of the tower, or at least how it looks for those who manage to bypass the illusion. Then, without waiting, I sent her an image of the skyline from the same spot, with the illusion as it is.

  Amber asked if she was imagining that I had sent her pictures, I smiled and replied that I was working on increasing the capabilities of not just our gear, but a lot of gear that was associated with us. I told her that the next time that she or the Cavalry needed specific information, to mentally think about something named "Corvid", and see what happens, but to make sure that she has a minute to wait. Amber said that she would, and then asked me if I had time to tell her more. I realized that I had, for the first time since she had left to get trained, had a good amount of time and ability to have a long conversation. I smiled to myself as we had a rather long conversation, including pictures, music, and even short videos.

  Random encounter, Rolled magic or tech enhanced thugs, used GSC recently, Used Hydra before that (the drones), so decided that A.I.M. would get the chance to drop by. They didn’t show up just out of nowhere, Wendell Levi sent them breadcrumbs about the M.E.S.S.Y. Fabric that he had gotten from the Fire Department test, and gave them the location of P.B.C. Healthcare, who was the company associated with it in the Fire Department records.

  Magic Item:

  Tony’s Biting Wit: variant of Tony’s Hot Box: Following the Formula from the Pathfinder Magic Item creation schema, Constant Heat is a 1st Level spell for Druids, so it’s 1x1x1800 (for command word activation). We alter the energy that it creates to Acid, rather than Fire/Heat. Instead of warming up the area, it slightly acidifies the atmosphere around it to repel bugs, germs and such, maybe providing a +2 to saves vs mundane disease and makes sanitation a breeze.

  Phew Boy, here we go. First of all, I am treating the rules of Strongholdbuilder’s Guidebook so dirty here, I kinda feel like I should have taken it out for a movie, dinner, and drinking first.

  Centralized Omnipresent Research and Verification Investigation Device, or C.O.R.V.I.D.

  Aura strong (all schools); CL 10th

  Slot none (immobile); Price 38,875 gp; Weight 2,500 lbs.

  Description: This floor to ceiling column made of Black Granite has amber (Galvanic Spark), jade (Sonus Chord), obsidian (Blight Stone), and quartz (Gelid Heart) sheets in vertically aligned racks. There are red pinpoints that were tiny rubies, that now flicker and flash, with no true pattern. It has its own 24 kw Power Supply (Galvanic Spark) for anything attached to it, and it ionizes the area in the room with it. It keeps the room at a permanent 35 degrees Fahrenheit, reduces any noise generated by the functioning of it by 20 decibels, and the blight stone wafer repels vermin, kills microbes and destroys viruses of all kinds. This… device… has the following capabilities.

  When a device synchronized to the network (such as the Cat S61 Cell Phones) sends a command, the C.O.R.V.I.D. accesses the following integrated functions:

  Arcane Search Engine (Page-Bound Epiphany): The mainframe scours the world’s libraries for information. After one minute of study, the user may attempt a Knowledge check with a +10 circumstance bonus on the subject of inquiry.

  Neural Link (Share Memory): Users can activate a "Share Memory" protocol to transfer mental images, memories, or complex instructions directly between one another.

  Multimedia Stream (Major Image, Ghost Sound, Ventriloquism, Prestidigitation): The device produces high-fidelity video and audio. This data can be projected onto a device screen or fed directly into the user’s senses, including thermal and scent data.

  Surveillance Grid (Enter Image): The mainframe perceives through any instance of the C.O.R.V.I.D. Bind Rune logo within its structure or on connected equipment, allowing it to function as a security camera network.

  Tactical Hub (Status, Locate Object): Every user on the network has their health, condition, and distance tracked. The device itself and its connected units can be monitored via Locate Object.

  Input/Output (Amanuensis): Users can "scan" documents through their devices for instant digital transcription or print physical dossiers at any system-linked printer.

  Network Protocols (Sending, Whispering Wind): Local data is handled via Whispering Wind, while global and interplanar connectivity is maintained via Sending, eliminating roaming limitations.

  Universal Translation (Comprehend Languages): All documents and communications are automatically translated into the user’s native tongue.

  Core Security (Nondetection): A permanent Nondetection effect (DC 25) protects the Node and the entire network from external scrying or magical detection.

  Construction

  Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Page-Bound Epiphany, Sending, Major Image, Share Memory, Enter Image, Nondetection, Status, Locate Object, Comprehend Languages, Amanuensis, Whispering Wind, Ventriloquism, Ghost Sound, Prestidigitation; Cost 19,438 gp