Keeping in Touch

Chp 49

[42! They REALLY liked the fountain thingy!]

That was the entirety of Mina's message. I didn't mind a bit. My plans took a giant leap forward. I had actual magic resources in hand.

Woot!

"This will work!" I exclaimed happily. Henry nodded, looking confused, but pleased on my behalf. Magic was not his thing, even though his class utilized it to a degree. Despite still feeling like garbage, I started working immediately.

I proceeded with caution. I was dealing with a hereunto rare and precious resource. I made sure to make duplicates of the scrolls first. I wasn't going to so much as look at the crafting and magic interfaces before that.

Spells had twelve possible levels, and the highest level scrolls I had were third level. Like crafting items, I could enhance them if they had progressive versions.

If the more advanced versions counted as a separate spell, I was out of luck. Of the nine scrolls, I had three that could be upgraded. That wasn't a lot, but they were detection spells, so I felt lucky all the same.

"D-did y-you get-get everything y-you needed?" Henry asked. I shook my head at first, distracted by my work. I realized I was getting too wrapped up, though, and forced myself to stop for a moment.

"No, but enough for a major first step," I started. Saying I had a plan would have been an overstatement. I had some ideas I hoped would lead to a plan if they worked out.

"If things go well, I'll craft magic items to detect what kind of affliction a person has and how severe it is," I explained. Elim had indicated the divine healers he knew didn't have a formal process of diagnosis. They applied what they thought was the relevant healing type.

If the first try didn't work, they increased the potency until it did. That or the patient ran out of money. Or died. That was also a common occurrence, according to him.

The items would improve medical treatment without needing to overhaul medicine itself. If I could pull it off. The scrolls I could upgrade were for detecting poison, disease, and curses.

Looking through the breakdown, I had third level versions. They could be upgraded to the sixth level all at once or in stages. They didn't cover the full range of conditions I wanted, but they would work for now. At the very least, they cut down on research time.

"W-will th-that stop b-b-bloody ma-mana?" Henry asked, looking perplexed. A reasonable question, since that had been my focus.

"No. I don't have a real solution for getting rid of it right now," I admitted. I didn't like to be honest about that, even with myself. Henry was easy to talk to, though.

"I've barely started experimenting with magic… I'm going to text the Bone Brigade's mages. They might have some ideas I haven't thought of," I said as inspiration struck. It was such an obvious idea. Ask the mages and the clerics. It was something I should have thought of much sooner.

"Are y-you f-feeling a-a bit b-better?" Henry asked.

"No- actually, a little," I said, surprised. It wasn't a huge change, so I hadn't noticed it until he asked.

"I th-thought so," Henry said simply. Now it was my turn to be confused as I couldn't think of what had tipped him off before me. I didn't have time to think about it before a new message came in.

[Mistress,

We're ready to proceed with the test, as per your instructions.

-Elim]

I didn't send a message back, opting to video call him instead. Elim picked up immediately. I was sitting up on the couch properly, and belatedly realized I needed to turn on a light. The skeletons could see in darkness like I could, so I'd never bothered adding any.

I imagined talking to a pair of eye-like fireballs wouldn't be entirely pleasant. I couldn't change it much but put a light stone behind me. It would cause me to pop out as a silhouette. I hoped that made the conversation a little easier.

"Hi, leave the call open, and I can see and hear what's going on," I explained. Elim nodded subtly in reply rather than answering aloud. To my surprise, he also changed the viewing angle so I could see the teleport pad.

It made me wonder how much he'd been talking with his mother to become so adept at its use. That was a question that could wait. From what I could see, they had piled a person's worth of equipment on the teleporter pad, but nothing happened.

I sighed in frustration, expanding the view panel on my end so Henry could see as well. The general description of the item was useless in this situation.

I'd already put the thing through the magic interface when I created the item but to no avail. I'd gotten its structure but didn't know enough to glean anything useful from it. It was ranked as a level twelve spell and horrifically complicated to my eyes.

"I'm not getting any prompts on my end. Looks like a person has to accompany cargo," I said unhappily.

"Put a hold on the next step. I'm going to try and get some more information and will call you back," I said. Elim nodded subtly in reply.

I cut the call and started composing a text to Mira and the Bone Brigade's mages. It was a misstep on my part to have not consulted them before. One I felt had to be artificial, like my continuing ache to visit my core.

That I overlooked cooperating when it came to design work was one thing. I got wrapped up in my own head when it came to that and enjoyed the process. Magic, though, was outside my expertise. I'd bought a basic understanding of it from Mira, but it was limited.

How I'd tried to muddle my way through didn't make sense. Not when taken to such an extreme. Not when I had experts on staff, so to speak.

"P-problem?" Henry asked.

"The teleport spell is complex, and I don't have much information on how it works. I'm going to ask around before we go to trials with live participants since objects won't work," I explained.

"C-could one of-of us tr-try it?" Henry asked. I shook my head without needing to think about it.

"You're all sustained by the dungeon right now. I can't guarantee your seal wouldn't fail or that respawn would work if something happened," I explained. There was a workaround if I had to send a skeleton outside, but it wouldn't help with the teleport test.

Henry smiled and tipped his head, so his forehead touched mine for a moment before pulling back. He looked embarrassed, like he'd slipped up somehow. A reaction I found curious since we'd been cuddling for quite a while.

"What?" I asked, a little flustered too. The mixture of embarrassment and fondness in his expression sent a tingle down my spine. Being the object of such a gaze made me want to squirm. Looking away, I noticed my tail had uncurled from his lower calf at some point. Instead of behaving, it was now wrapped around his leg from ankle to knee instead.

My embarrassment grew a little at the sight. I'd been told I curled around things and knew it was true, but seeing it was another matter entirely.

"For-forgive me, b-but I heard what y-you said to C-Chris," Henry started. I looked back to him, surprised he'd been listening. The door hadn't been closed, though, so he hadn't had to take any pains to overhear us.

"I-its good th-that youth-think of y-your family's well-wellbeing too," He finished. If I could have blushed, I'd have turned bright green right then. Instead, I leaned against him, a mild acidic tingle spreading through me.

"Ehm," I muttered. He started to stroke my back and shoulders again. I was still in pain, so I made no effort to explain I was hiding my face because I was embarrassed.

It took two hours, but I got negatives back from everyone I had texted. That the spell was complex would typically have meant it would take a long time to analyze it.

What stumped them ultimately was how the symbols and layout method were both foreign. I half expected it from the Bone Brigade. Like Mina and I, they weren't all from the world we currently inhabited. Or even the same alternative source, for that matter.

It would make sense for them not to recognize something. That Mira didn't raised a different question.

[Mira,

Is teleport a spell you'd heard of before? Even as a myth or something in ancient ruins?]

She responded thankfully quick.

[42,

I've never heard of such a thing outside of the gods. It wasn't a spell. It was something they could do. Moving themselves and objects as they pleased.

In dungeons, it can happen sometimes, and it's considered the work of relics of an evil god.]

Mira replied, and I felt like that was a concrete answer. She'd been formally trained at the mage tower in spell theory. Even if it was bullshit, she'd likely have heard of ancient magics reputed to have existed. That she hadn't fed into a suspicion of mine.

I had no way to prove it now, but it seemed like some of the items I had weren't an extension of the world's magic. They might have been a lost branch of magic or from a different continent, but I didn't think so. Unless there was zero contact, at least stories should have survived.

That it only showed up in dungeons made me suspect they were foreign imports. That or they might be specific to the system rather than the world. It would explain why I had access to them but not local magicians and related magic associations. It was an interesting idea, but one I had to put away for the moment.

"Damn it," I muttered.

"S-something wrong?" Henry asked quietly.

"No luck finding out more about the spell. That leaves live testing," I said unhappily. Though I was reluctant, I turned around in Henry's grasp but didn't move away from him. I had work to do and needed to be facing out, but that didn't mean I couldn't be comfortable.

"C-can it we-wait?" Henry asked, his arms closing around my waist. He didn't seem to mind the new arrangement, and I felt a little relieved. I was about to do something unpleasant and could use a bit of spoiling.

I'd explained the risks in the letter detailing how I wanted to conduct the teleport pad's testing. Informed consent was an essential concept to me. That didn't mean I enjoyed the idea of putting lives at risk, even if they understood and chose to participate. It also wouldn't stop me from asking.

"It can, but it won't improve the situation. Right now, I can try and figure out how to fix it if something goes wrong. If I wait until there's an emergency, then I won't be able to. It will or won't work, and that's assuming anyone would be willing to test it under those conditions," I explained.

"I meant un-until you feel better," Henry explained.

"There's no way to know when something will come up… but thank you," I said sincerely. Having him care about my wellbeing was more than touching. It was a relief.

"Do you mind being seen during the call?" I asked, having forgotten he'd be visible.

"I-its f-fine," Henry assured me. His light hold became snug.

Elim picked up on the first ring once again.

"Mistress," He said with a polite bow. I assumed he was alone based on that.

"Elim," I replied with a smile. He wasn't looking too worn out, but I hoped he'd be in the valley soon.

"I didn't have any luck, so live testing is next if the Lepusan are willing," I said with less enthusiasm. I'd written out my reasons, but he'd be the one who had to convince them if that wasn't enough.

"I'll let them know it's time," He replied, his demeanor shifting to a grim calm. He kept the call open, and I witnessed the brief conversation he had with the Lepusan. Since his side of the call wasn't in share mode, they weren't aware I was tagging along for the ride.

Watching, I could see they'd already discussed the matter beforehand. Once Elim was done, he left the group and headed over toward a stump near the teleport pad. A brown-furred Lepusan woman was sitting next to a grey one. Both had meditative expressions.

The mixture of human and rabbit traits made it a little difficult for me to pick up on ages usually. It was how the elder's cheeks drooped, and the grey peppered her coat that gave away her advanced age.

The younger one looked at the elder with concern and Elim with distrust. I couldn't blame her. Not after everything the group had been through. Not trusting a random human-made sense.

"Madam Gretchen, it's time if you're still willing," Elim said after bowing to the pair.

"Mh," Gretchen replied. She tried to get up, but a bad leg made it difficult. Seeing the problem, Elim knelt and offered Gretchen a steadying arm. Both Lepusan blinked at the gesture, but Gretchen accepted it, and he helped her to her feet.

Close up, I could see Gretchen's eyes were milky. Combined with her pronounced limp, she'd have slowed the group down or been left behind in an emergency. It made her a good candidate, but it didn't make it easier to watch her step on the teleport pad.

I was thankful when Henry took my hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm ready when you are," Gretchen said calmly as she stood on the pad. Nothing had happened as far as she could tell. A prompt had appeared on my end.

[Long Range Teleport Attempt, Allow?]

[Y/N]

[Cost: 50 mana]

I was stunned at the cost for a moment but recovered.

"I've got a prompt on my end. I'm going to initiate it now," I said to Elim. I approved the expenditure. A moment later, Gretchen was standing in the valley on the matching pad I'd placed in the temple.

Where to put it had taken me days to figure out, but the temple was the best option as far as I could tell. It would hopefully fall under the province of 'divine' and not be questioned closely.

I'd even added some dramatic elements to give a ready explanation. I'd created what would look like a sealed room that had been exposed after a wall collapsed. Inside was a pried-up section of floor where the teleport pad would have been. It wouldn't take a bright person too many nudges to get the idea.

"She's here. I'm checking her condition," I added. I started combing through what I could see of her data. Her health wasn't good, but nothing looked like it was a new development. I checked my event log in case, but it came up clean. The teleport was noted, but there was no sign something had gone wrong.

"Mistress?" Elim asked after a few moments.

"She's well, and I don't see anything amiss. The cost is a problem. I will only take three more people through today," I explained. I could take five, but I didn't want to use up that much of my mana for a non-emergency situation.

"Understood," Elim muttered, his expression turning thoughtful.

"I don't know if it's a fixed cost. If you get closer, it might be cheaper. If the Lepusan are comfortable with it, then it might be good to test with an adult and a child next," I added. It might be a straight unit cost per person, or it might be a function of weight.

I was curious if children would have the same mana cost. If it was lower, then the number who could come through would be more flexible. I made the suggestion in an even tone but didn't have much hope.

The process was safe but asking an adult to do something was different from suggesting a child do it. I wouldn't insist because of my curiosity.

"I'll see what they say and get back to you," Elim said quietly. He ended the call a moment later, and I didn't blame him. The Bone Brigade dealt with the varied forms of communication the interface offered.

Unlike Elim, they didn't have to worry about someone wondering why they were staring into space. Or noticing them respond to something no one else could hear.

"Well, that test went alright," I said, relieved as the call ended.

"It-think the-the locals would call it a mi-miracle," Henry replied dryly.