Chapter 0103 - Crystalline Entities
"Imagine that, a gift to us all... the things that break our hearts are the ones we hold dear." Rachael watched her twin daughters ride through the pastures and down the mountainside.
Their Mother had been spending a lot more time with them and having been apart from Lei Lei, the Twin Daughters of Zao Zhan and Rachael had an abundance of energy. Those around the pair spoiled them to their best ability, the charm on the girls was more than enough to worry about when they finally grew up.
Both of them were interested in studying flight magic, they were inseparable. The Girls had seen the how the Princes were able to use abilities and while it was fine at first, things quickly became a competition.
The rosy cheeks of the Twins made everyone happy when they were around. Rachael was sure they would eventually be used as vassals of the Sect. Tradition might not be a huge thing in the sect, but it was a big world. Sometimes the only ties you could build with a rival were blood ties, and that meant marriage. The entire process was a bit burdensome for them to understand. Eventually, both of them would be forced down differing paths.
Rachael wondered if it was a life they would enjoy. She had chosen the man who saved her life, saved her village and even shown her the only kindness she's ever known. The story wouldn't be the same for her children. Rachael knew very well that her daughters had an endless support chain. The Zao Sect had been the safest home she'd ever lived in, the same could be said about a lot of the people who were currently residing within the City Walls.
The Beastkin, The Humans, The Espers.. All of them felt life was easier on the Mountain.
The Mountain Paths were sometimes curved, it left a few blind spots for the girls to disappear into. Occasionally they would be out of sight for a long enough time that Rachael would get up and come to look for them. Most of the time, they were playing in the grasses or chasing silkies.
When fumbling around in the dirt, Xue and Xi would come back filthy. This time was no different.
On her arrival, Rachael saw the two drenched in mud. Their hair was matted. The only clean spots on them were their eyes and teeth.
"What are you two doing?" Scolding the pair made Rachael feel awful.
"NOTHING!!" The girls smiled, their white teeth clenched together with sincerity.
Lifting her food, Xue noticed something shiny under her foot. It was a piece of broken armor.
Xi knelt down with her sister and helped dig it out, the suns were both fairly high in the sky and they were both dirty to begin with. Rachael couldn't help but sign inwardly as she watched her delicate flowers pushing through the dirt.
"You two better clean yourselves up when we get home, I told you last time that that was the last time I would clean mud out of your hair" Rachael had to put some authority down, the Twins were not disobedient but very free spirited.
"M-MOM!?" Xue called out, she had found something else under the Armor.
Rachael walked up and asked, "What is it?"
When Rachael saw what Xue was holding, she started to freak out. Xue was holding the tail of a Foiled Viper.
With a quiet voice, Rachael urged Xue to set it down and back away.
Xi was curious and picked up another one that had been under the partially buried breastplate.
Rachael passed out.
... ... ...
Zhan had some ideas he wanted to run by the Patriarch. There had been a few instances were the Earthlings would try to gain additional abilities by eating more crystals. The effects were very strange, some lost their power, some turned to ailments that couldn't be healed. All of them started to turn into Golems. To the others, the people who had eaten additional crystals all resembled Golems. Their power would run rampant, the power they did retain would dwarf their rational thoughts and actions. The Golems would act on impulse, and the personalities broken or fragmented into shadows of their former selves.
"How many people have tried this?" The Patriarch was fairly concerned about the well-being of their citizens.
"Power is important for our continuance, but if it came to something like this.. " Patriarch Ooran thought quietly to himself after his response.
Prince Zhan stood patiently and waited for his Father.
"Gather the Council and find Wu Hai. We have some things to discuss." Giving out an order, Patriarch Ooran watched Zao Zhan leave the Castle.
Eating Crystals was how the Clan was obtaining magical abilities. Qu had never mentioned a problem with eating multiple crystals, the Elders had considered eating a second crystal when they gained more power themselves. It was not likely to have happened for some time, and now the Patriarch had some disturbing news about the prospect.
The Western Mountain had been under a constant mining operation since Wu Hai had left for his travels with Mike. There were now stockpiles of crystals and dust. Isolating the dust into particulates that matched was difficult, but not impossible. The additional crystals produced through recombination seemed almost pointless if there was a problem with consumption. The Patriarch was concerned over the future of the Sect.
20 minutes later Zhan returned with Wu Hai. The Elders, which included Abi, Darkwing, William, Master Jiang, Genba and Khan Ni were following closely behind. Once they all gathered, the meeting commenced.
"We have a problem." Patriarch Ooran started talking and everyone's eyes directed themselves toward him.
"The process of giving powers to people through the Crystals has a flaw. Several of the Earthlings have taken it upon themselves to search out ways to increase their power. In doing so, they have eaten additional crystals. We all know that one crystal gives us power and we've all eaten one, except for Khan Ni." Patriarch Ooran needed to spell it out, and started with his opinion.
"I do not believe that eating a second crystal will ever give us more power. Those who've eaten a second crystal have had strange mutations. Doctor Dibali called it Hyper-Crystallization. After eating the second crystal, the power in their bodies went wild and they started to harden." The Patriarch had a sad look on his face, it seemed he too had a similar idea.
"The solution is to not allow it. Make sure to break it down among the clan, it is to be avoided. I will speak in front of the Sect tomorrow. Our new arrivals who haven't had a taste of power may make terrible mistakes. To become a statue-like husk was not a good way to go, the few people who had undergone a second crystal didn't even keep their appearances. In the end, they were horribly disfigured in comparison. Their faces were mangled from their own fingertips before they became soulless, forever frozen in grief with lifeless eyes!" Patriarch Ooran slammed his fist on the chair.
"Patriarch, it is as you have said." Master Jiang agreed.
"Abi, When will the Western Mountain be finished with its excavation?" Genba was more familiar with mining than most, but he had chosen to spend most of the time with his new family.
"Three months at our old rate, I don't know how long it will take with all the new recruits. A lot of them were unable to qualify for release from the slave contracts. I expected more qualified people but it was after all a procession of slaves and captured soldiers! Many of those who came into being a slave are violent hearted or former soldiers, it would be great if we could reform them. The problem is housing. We cannot allow a slum, and we cannot allow the security risks." Abi said with conviction, she knew the work would end sooner but didn't know how fast any of them would work.
"Hmm. That fits the time frame. I want to move the slaves to the Mountain, when the interior is complete we can release those who've contributed or if they want, we can re-evaluate them. We cannot allow the Sect to be overrun with slaves, It looks bad to have so many slaves and sends the wrong signal to visitors. This is not a request, for the Sect, we cannot allow the festering concept of superiority. We are merely the recipients of their hard work because of their unfortunate choices and outcomes in life." Calistown was surprisingly serious about her position on the matter.
There were no objections, her words were right.
If the Sect decided it was right, there would be a regular occurrence of slave trade. Slaves, was a dirty word for those who had come from earth. They knew it well. Many of the transmigrated were held in a scientific detention center where people experimented on them. Slave was proper definition of their position.
Their attitudes toward being confined were understandable and reasonable. The Sect did not make anyone stay against their will. Eventually, even the slaves would have to be released or killed.
Those that could adjust had done well, but there were a few who were not content with being within the City. The few who did choose to leave had done so under the cover of night. The scouting teams had been instructed to allow them to leave, the Patriarch had agreed to Wu Hai's wishes for the group of the transmigrated.
'Earthlings are resilient, they will cope and struggle. They know where to find us, and that is the only risk for now.' Patriarch Ooran could hear his son's words echoing in his mind when he thought about how many of those who had chosen to leave would choose to make the same mistakes.
The group of Earthlings who had been held captive were extremely grateful for being rescued, they could have chosen not to come to the Hotel. The Captives could have also chosen to disappear when they were freed, instead.. they came to the new world with a prospective no one on the planet had besides themselves. Understanding them was not something that could happen overnight. The Sect's secrets would probably be safe due to Wu Hai's rescue, but it left the Patriarch feeling unease from time to time. There were a great many dangers and The Zao Clan was protective of the people.
... ... ...
The meeting had ended and a general assembly had taken place. The Sect was informed of the Patriarch, and ultimately the Matriarch's decision to finish the mines. The Rewards for their participation left many of the slaves from Yunnan with puzzled faces. They had been denied release before when they arrived at the sect, and now... they were being offered another chance at release. Manual labor was something most of them were forced into as slaves anyway. To be given their freedom for it made most of them feel ready to work. There was enthusiasm and a bit of chaos as they found out the final details. Those with remarkable service during the Mountains excavation over the next 3 months would be released. The sect even offered to re-evaluate anyone who gets released if they wanted to remain in the City.
The Reward was too hard to ignore.
That night, a dozen of the slaves had already approached Abi asking questions about when they could start. Genba stood by the side and watched, his days of mining were behind him but he knew the hardships and even missed the smell of the Bedrock.
"Abi, I will let the Patriarch know that I will be assisting you during this dig. The work will go faster if I'm available to coach the Miners. When we're done, we can finally go on that date-night you've been bugging me about." Genba was always doting on Abi, he couldn't just stand by for months while she toiled away at his old job.
"What about Wu Hai? When we were fighting the Dark Sun Sect he ate a lot of crystals. He probably consumed a few dozen at the final fight. Why didn't he mutate?" William asked.
The Patriarch had an idea, but allowed Wu Hai to answer himself.
"Its probably because of this little guy." Holding up his arm he revealed the Rainbow Spot.
"Its been eating crystals since I obtained it, Its likely that the Spot kept me from losing control." Wu Hai finished speaking and then apologized to the rest of the Clan.
"If I had known.." Wu Hai started to lament but his father decided to interrupt.
"We would not be able to get where we are today, there are many thinga in this world that even Qu doesn't know. How can you be expected to carry the weight of the decisions of others? Besides, its not likely that we were the first to discover such a thing. Since you were a child you've always been curious and shared your knowledge freely. It is who you are. We should not hinder it, but I do not think we should give out power so freely any longer. I do not believe we should give out power to everyone. The sect grew too fast. We need a solution, I have an idea but I want to hear your thoughts." Patriarch Ooran was doing his best to come up with the best solution while his council went over the choices available.
"You were able to use magic since you were a child. You hadn't eaten any crystals yet, Master Jiang tells me the first crystal you ate was the Silver Crystal." William was a pro-gamer youth when they had left Earth, his habits of frantically searching for power in games had led him to believe a lot of things were possible in this world.
"Yes. I got my power before I got the Crusher. The Darkflame Blade was stuck in the back of a corpse by the river. The Dark Sun Elder had said his name was Cassius. The shoulder saddle for the weapon hasn't been used since I was a child. I didn't have a storage ring or understand them at the time." Wu Hai pulled it out.
"The Crusher was heavy when it wasn't in my hands, but I couldn't just carry it everywhere like a Lollipop. When I finally obtained the Tower, Qu showed me how to put the weapon away. Its more or less a mystery just as when I found it. I've had Qu examine it multiple times when we've had new reference material but still nothing has changed." Wu Hai opened up a compartment on the bottom of the Scabbard and explained.
"When I was a child I was doing everything I could to understand the Crusher. This scabbard has a compartment on the bottom. When I put the Gygax into the compartment, the scabbard would react. I didn't even know what the Gygax did before that. The Gygax were neat decorations I kept in my pockets, when I found the compartment it felt like a safe place to put them. So I did." Wu Hai remembered Darkwing's formerly fat ass.
"Darkwing was able to fly because of them, my first adventure I actually got Darkwing from the guard stables near Herl. Zhan didn't think that duck would ever fly but sure enough we did. But the novelty wore off quickly once I met the Cheng Twins and Khan Ni. We found out that the Gygax changed power you already have. Even Darkwing changed rapidly. Thinking back on it, I didn't really have a dull moment as a kid." The Prince smiled while remembering the old days.
"I want everyone to look at this Scabbard. I would pull out the Crusher but I've left it with Gefest for study. Don't worry, I trust him." Passing it to the right, everyone started to examine the Weapon's Sheath.
... ... ...
It was after nightfall when the Girls returned. Rachael was passed out on the saddle. It had taken some coaxing for the girls to get the Dragoon to kneel down. They walked back with the foil vipers resting in their palms. The Guards who approached them on their way into the City were concerned and had them wait for their Father.
Prince Zhan was more or less busy with Sect affairs, he had been through the meeting earlier and was sitting at home going over some plans for the next day. When the guards came to his door, he was surprised and worried.
The Vipers didn't even come into view, Rachael was passed out on her saddle. The Dragoon seemed very annoyed and was laying beside the girls while their mother rested on its back.
Zhan went up to his daughters and started questioning them about the situation.
"What happened?" Zhan didn't immediately lose his patience, the girls didn't seem too worried and Rachael was uninjured.
As if to always respond in unison the girls both said the same thing. "Nothing" "Nothing".
Xi was the first to show Zhan her new pet.
Opening her palm, the small Foil Viper wrapped its tiny wings close to its body and rested. Then Xue opened her palm as well. Zhan noticed the baby Foil Vipers and knew that if he tried to separate them from the girls that someone would be bitten. Foil Vipers were territorial and at this moment both of the vipers felt like the girls palm was home. The sight was strange and disconcerting but Zhan didn't want to frighten the girls.
"Sweethearts, that is so special. I bet you two are the only ones who could so easily find friends!" Zhan's face distorted as he tried to comfort his children.
Neither of them knew the danger. If the Vipers chose to bite, there was little that Zhan could do. Suddenly he realized why Rachael was passed out and he felt somewhat relieved. Khan Ni would know how to better deal with the matter, so Zhan sent a sound transmission and waited for her to arrive.
Khan Ni arrived with Jiao Jiao beside her. Jiao Jiao had been spending a lot of time in his humanoid form. Whenever he saw the girls, he would run up and they would play. It was a tremendous change from when they had first met. Wu Hai had been able to restore Jiao Jiao's health with some dragonkin blood. Jiao Jiao had wanted to kill the intruders but it was Khan Ni who finally calmed the beast into submission.
Now, She would try to do the same.
"Girls, Lets go for a walk. Bring your new friends." Khan Ni started walking outside of the gates with the Twins.
"You girls know that you have a special ability right? Your ability to be kind and charming is so great, you've even charmed these Foil Vipers. Its important to let nature be with nature but I want you two to be the ones to make the decision to let them return home. " Khan Ni did what she thought was right.
Foil Vipers were pretentious and would normally never create bonds with another. To Khan Ni, the young reptilians were a threat if left unchecked.
"But Auntie!" The girls set the Foil Vipers down and stepped back.
The Vipers seemed to understand what was happening and slithered back up to the arms of the girls. Each of them watched while an imprint formed. The bond between the Vipers and the Twins cemented itself at that moment, confusing Khan Ni thoroughly.
"Unique." Khan Ni spoke as she remembered.
"Qu mentioned something..." Her thoughts ran off in the distance for a moment but quickly returned.
"Very well, lets go speak with Elder Qu." Khan Ni went to grab the hands of the Twins and the Vipers hissed.
When the hissing stopped, Khan Ni felt weaker. She stumbled and caught her footing. "Lets head back then."
Khan Ni was an Elf. Elves were beloved by most species and it was very rare for any Elf to offend or threaten another being. The Viper's reactions earlier left Khan Ni with a lot of questions. Her weakened state didn't last too long, by the time they had arrived at the tower her dizzy spell was over.
The Doors were always open for Khan Ni, she was partied with Wu Hai when he had claimed the Tower's ownership. The Elven beauty was part of the family.
"QU!" Khan Ni called out and the sound echoed in the Lobby.
Moments later he arrived. "I was studying, its not often that I have more than half a day to read. What seems to be the problem?"
Qu was a tower spirit, not an omnipresent being that was all seeing. Khan Ni looked puzzled and then Qu spoke some more.
"What brings Khan Ni and the Princesses to Bent Tower?" The girls came out from behind Khan Ni and held out their arms.
The glow on their arms was still visible. "Soul Contract?"
Qu's eyes widened a bit. Soul Contracts were voluntary. The Tower Spirit watched and probed the senses of the Vipers. Neither of the fliers were apprehensive towards Qu, when the spiritual pressure from the Tower spirit collided with the spiritual presence of the Vipers there was an almost harmonious exchange.
"They will be fine additions to the Sect." Qu clasped his hands and bowed respectfully to the Foil Vipers.
Looking up at Khan Ni forced an explanation out of Qu, "The Soul Contract is always voluntary, for these young ones to make such a bond.. their ancestors should be proud."
Khan Ni remembered the Black Fire-Wolf Pup that Lei Lei was given as a child. Despite Lei Lei going off to train with the Nepheles, the Black pup grew up and remained attached to Lei. Whenever Lei would whistle he would come running.
It was a bit sad for Khan Ni to watch the animals being left idle or ignored, but the Black Fire-Wolf grew to be a protector on the mountain.
The Vipers being of a similar bond would indeed be a great thing for the Sect. Khan Ni hoped that perhaps the bond between the girls and the Vipers would be something more than just a passing affection. Beast Tamer was not a job title that Zhan would likely approve of, but it fit the personalities of the Girls perfectly.
"We must inform your Father.. and you two should think about what you're going to say to your mother. You know she's afraid of Snakes." Shaking her head in disbelief, Khan Ni was impressed with the Twin's innocence.
"Thanks Qu! The Girls hugged the illusory bastet then rushed to their Aunts side.
Khan Ni was looking like she was ready to give birth in the coming months, Jiao Jiao tended to her every need. "Its okay Jiao Jiao, we're almost home."
... ... ...
The Project in the Western Mountain was a long one when they started, but by the third day into the process there was clear and marked difference. New hallways were excavated quickly. There were less things to worry about when clearing out space, the biggest issues were supporting walls. the support walls were all created by the metal users. The inside of the mountain was built using a fortress idea from the video games stored in the VRC helmet that Xuan Kim Li had brought along.
Bulkheads lined the corridors and like a maze they all seemingly connected together. In the enter, a large geothermal vent with a formation above it created an endless supply of heat. If forging was said to be ideal in the heart of the Earth itself, then this place was one made for the Era. A large stone slate sat at the center, one of the harder materials available in abundance adorned the great hall. The Vaulted ceilings crept into a pitch at the top like a Cathedral or house of worship.
Wu Hai had instructed Mike to draw up plans for several facilities while they were discussing plans to sell on the market. All of the plans were too good and they quickly changed their minds. If another force or kingdom got hold of the plans and specifications to some of the more modern facilities, it would cause a shift in power. There was little going around it, the People from Earth had technology and a monster free environment for a long time. It would have been a waste not to take advantage the advances that were translatable to the new world.
A lost Knowledge always causes problems when discovered. No matter the kingdom, recovered or lost knowledge would always shake the very foundations of a society regardless of the content. No one would give the an Atomic Bomb to cavemen.
The Magical forging facilities were coming along greatly, when Wu Hai returned he would be able to put the entire place to work. Mike was already eyeing an office and private workspace near the core of the formations.
Harris wanted to build a section for the Alchemy and Chemical departments of the Sect. He was a taskmaster and a very driven corporate organizer before his abduction by the Syndicate. The many enthusiastic alchemists in Zao City had created a number of disturbances, the mountain's interior was fortified enough to contain most experiments. Ventilation was simple enough to rig, the sturdy materials that lined the walls would keep the integrity of the caverns in tact.
If it were not for the Sect Leader and the Council of Elders, Harris would have already begun testing some of his theories. The majority of his work was yet to be tested and subjects for testing were surprisingly not easy to come by. When the abundance of slaves had made its way into the City the head Alchemist immediately had ideas of experimentation.
'Harris has a dark side' Abi was taking her job as oversight clearly, when she saw Harris' eyes she wondered if it was right to allow him to come into his current position.
"What's that look for?" Harris noticed Abi's glare.
"Testing has been forbidden by the sect. Lose such thoughts." Abi wasn't allowing anything to happen to the prisoners, she quickly chided the still defensive Harris.
"So I've been told." Harris broke loose the flask from his distiller and added more ingredients to the mixture.
He was testing some of reactions out in the open. To Abi it seemed like he wanted something to happen, but there were door hatches in case of gaseous releases. Still, the idea of doing it so casually seemed a bit inappropriate. "Could you please put your skills to use in the your lab space rather than in the hallways?" Knowing it was testing her patience, Harris could only listen to her response.
"...." Harris turned in a shrug to walked back in.
"AND GET YOUR EQUIPMENT.OUT.OF.THE.HALL!" Abi yelled out in frustration when Harris closed the door.