I come to with a slight pain in my side and a massive headache.

My thoughts are disjointed, and for a moment I’m lost. I try to piece together what happened, but every time it slips away.

Instinctively, I know what my next actions should be. I connect to my friend and let go of all else. I lay there for an unknown amount of time.

With my state closer to being asleep than awake, my brain has plenty of room and time to reorganize itself. Slowly, the pain and confusion start to fade, but I still take things easily. Instead of immediately trying to figure out what happened, I fully enjoy the increase in all my Regenerations from the meditation. Especially mana, and Health. The dull pain to my side goes away, and as Mana fills me not only does some of the mental fog fades, my strained mind starts to crave stimulation again.

Probably an hour later, I open my eyes and get up. A quick look at my Mana bar tells me I have been regenerating mana for about an hour. I’m pretty sure that I had nothing in the tank before.

Looking outside at the fading light. So about 4 and half hours knocked out. It could be worse.

Geeting in a comfortable position and closing my eyes, I continue looking within myself. I attempt to withdraw Aether from my well, and although I succeed it feels sluggish. My dexterity and responsiveness are all gone. No matter how hard I try to shake it off, it’s like my ‘mental fingers’ are buttered, stiff, and numb.

I can’t even use it as well as when I got on the instance. It has been years since my control was so bad. My headache is mostly gone and a quick look over my body and control of my other resources, like Stamina, Health, and Mana shows me whatever is affecting my Aether does not translate to the other resources. Everything else is working as it should.

With my focus on what happened. I finally start to put things together.

I feel what happened, and trace the source of pain remembering each of my steps.

The only ‘significant” thing that happened was my contact with the robot’s Aether. I feel as if I could have dragged even a little less, but without better control, my frustration got the better of me. Even if I was doing everything right at first, I ended up absorbing double of what I intended. But even that was dangerous, just 2 percent of a very small pool of Aether was enough to cause all this.

I’m extremely grateful I bothered with the precaution. I’m not sure I would have survived absorbing the whole Aether thread.

The feeling can only be described in one word, overwhelming.

It felt every singe though I usually have in a day was condensed in a single instant. Even trying to multitask half a dozen things is not supposed to be very good for the human brain. Let alone thousands of thought streams. That was simply way beyond what I could do.

Vaguely recalling videos I watched when younger about memory techniques for improving recall, and how to remember stuff, I start to rummage around in my head. I taste, smell, and process the feelings the singular moment brought me. Not the overriding tone, but the more subtle tones it carries.

There is an orderly and organized impression to it. Somehow, I seem to have incorporated a smidge of it within me. Like the story of the ‘robot’ also became mine. Still, it’s not just because he was a computer that any of his thoughts were like anything close to the current tech we had on Earth. Even the so-called ‘AI’s had nothing on proper human though. That is why I could interpret what came to me as thoughts.

I still can’t separate each of them from the others. Like a thousand people talking simultaneously at a similar volume and distance. You can’t make out what they are individually saying, but you can still distinguish that the sounds are not noise.

From the experience, I learned ‘nothing’ directly, but now not only I had a good idea of how to go about training my Aether. Eventually, I would unlock these memories.

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Automaton’s POV

Ohh, a smidge of the Aether is back? Did he actually try to absorb it? Well, let’s hope he didn’t die, otherwise, this will get boring fast. At least I got the temporal chamber if he does get himself killed.

I taste a smidge of the Aether that came back to me, but the Aetehrs interaction with the boy was too brief. I try to peek at the happenings of the village, but even as the administrator, my access to specific information is restricted. It tended to the realm of data you find in spreadsheets, not visual observation.

Regardless, this is no common source of Aether, Nash would do well to be very careful. I’m not a middling talent from a random organic race. Integrating my Aether on his own is nearly impossible without the proper knowledge and much more skill than he has at the moment. Especially with such a wide gap in our respective skill levels.

After seeing that I can do nothing else for the moment, I begin work on an addition to my temporal chamber. This time, the work is even more intricate and time-consuming. I am trying to peek into the tutorial with it. Even considering my administrative access, it would be hard work. Luckily, most of the engravings for the time chamber could be reused for this scrying tool. The hard part for the time chamber is to make sure the system doesn’t interfere. Scrying has to be a lot more circumspect given it affects the instance, even if only by the observer’s effect.

Even if it turns out to be a complete waste of my effort this time, all of this would still be available next time I was sent to ‘prison’. I will try to avoid it, but I wasn’t friendly with the council and had a long life ahead of me. Pushing right to the edge of what was allowed was in my blood.

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Night comes around, and I leave my house feeling more like my old self. The city is bustling, and after a minute going around, I discover why.

“So you really haven’t heard?” Says the random passerby I question. “Tomorrow we are going to Lord Max’s Village.”

Turning around, he doesn’t say anything else and continues on his way not waiting for my response, he is concerned with other things. I, however, am a little stunned. I didn’t expect things to move so quickly.

I eat another Health tomato, heading to the guildhall at the briskest pace I can sustain without wincing. After a few minutes, I enter the place where Charlie is talking to a couple of envoys from other villages. Seeing me, he gives me a meaningful glance. The dozens of people from other villages, sitting around the table, all look in my direction. After a few moments, he starts to speak:

“So, that is the man of the hour. The one and only Nash.” Those words are obviously for the dramatic effect. Nobody seems to take issue, and as he continues I understand what his glance was about. “Now, if we want him to come with us, there will need to be appropriate compensation. You will probably find he has capabilities that few can match. From what I know of him, he is amenable to a deal with us for the right price. So let’s get on with it.”

He gives a small pause and then starts to address me, this time without the meaningful glance given the attention of everyone is no longer directed at me. Though I keep that in mind. Do you want me to squeeze them? With so many, I guess that it might make sense. Just a little bit from each would be a decent fortune. I take the time to consider my options and explore what has been discussed, as I slow-roll my interaction with Charlie.

His next words play right into my hand, by answering what I would have had to ask and keeping to what I care quickly, but still letting other things that should be important for me to ask. This way I get most of the information I want quickly, and later I will stall for as long as I need.

“So Nash, what would the price be for you to help us against Lord Max’s army? We realize your help may not be quite at the level of what you provided for us in the village given you had previously been here and grown your root network, but I doubt you showed all your capabilities.”

With a smile and expansive movements, I start to speak.

“Well, any endeavor would need a significant amount of mana, especially if I have to forcefully grow the roots at a quick pace after our march. This means regardless, of anything else, I would need a good amount of mana. Even if it’s installments as I dip into my own reserves to get over the initial hurdle. What is of greater concern for the moment, is what would be expected of me, how the attack would proceed, and what exactly is the goal of the attack?”

Being the host, Charlie again takes the initiative to answer:

“Some of that is fluid, but in short we are hoping that a show of strength will be enough to force Lord Max’ to capitulate. As long as he signs a contract and pays reparations he will no longer be of any significant threat.”

I grimace at the implications, though it’s not as if I have any better solutions. After a brief pause to gauge my reaction, he continues.

“Yes, we agree that this is not a perfect solution. But it’s the one we, for reasons I won’t be getting into, will take. The only one we realistically can take. If he doesn’t capitulate, we will be forced to attack. But depending on how things turn out, only our presence might be enough.

“We will begin the march tomorrow at noon. From our village, the march should take about 24 hours without stopping. Every single soldier has over 25 points in endurance, and a high enough skill level to sustain the pace. We are however planning to stop about 30 miles from his village to sleep and rest for a couple of hours. Everything going according to plan, leaving tomorrow at noon we will get there on the next day around sunset.”

Thankful for the extra time his explanation gave me, and the context it provided, I continue.

“How long are you going to be in negotiations?” Hearing that everyone shifts and a couple of people throw exasperated looks, but nobody interrupts. With a grin, Charlie answers.

“That has been a hot topic of debate, but we don’t know. We will probably allow 12 hours, by then we will have a better idea of how things are going. Are they trying to stall, and we are just wasting our time, or are they genuinely negotiating? The thing is, we may get there and the attack could start in 5 minutes depending on their response. There are far too many things at play. Though a longer siege will stack things in our favor. It just requires our willingness of being stationed there, and the cost that entails.”

I think for a moment over what he has said, as a pudgy man, apparently the head of one of the other village’s envoys interrupts:

“So, what is it going to cost us to have your help? Especially with your injury, you are not even able to move around on your feet.” Underlying his question is a defiant attitude against the concept that a single person could be so essential. Though he isn’t totally disconnected from reality and restrains himself from taking it further.

I wonder what Charlie was driving at. What did he want me to ask for. I don’t think coins made sense, at least not any significant amounts. After a few seconds, I settle on my answer and leave the door open for more depending on their reaction.

“For starters, let me tell you what I bring to the table. I can at the moment, create, reinforce and shift any defenses they have, as you all know. What may not have occurred to you, is that within the estimated twelve hours of negotiation, I can easily prepare to quickly dismantle the enemy's defenses. Without active work on the part of their mages, I may even manage to knock down their walls. All without a single soldier having to step foot on the battlefield. If they send bodies to try and stop this by dragging the defenses back into place, I can just tangle them. If they try to attack us, then they will be throwing away their greatest advantage, their fixed defenses.”

A little confused, and slightly defensive he begins:

“But, all of your roots would have to be grown from scratch, you don’t have the home-field advantage.”

Not minding exposing this little tidbit of the specifics from my roots, given they will eventually find out, I say without compunction.

“Sure, it's going to be a challenge, but with those twelve hours and unlimited mana, I can do it. As the attackers, we have a couple of advantages like choosing the attack vector and concentrating efforts there. Defending is something altogether different.”

“And about the payment?”

With a genuine grin as an idea comes to me, I say:

“If you are concerned about straining your economy, don’t worry, I don’t want your coins.” A side glance to Charlie tells me that while it may not have been what he was expecting, he doesn’t mind. “The cost will be two-fold. Mana and a contract. Two million mana for the trip plus twice the mana I use while I’m there. About the contract, you may have heard of a coin I made a while ago, I never took the time but now, I want to give value to it. So I’m tying my work to it. Ten silver is enough for an hour of my time, is the current quote.”

They all look confused, and I withdraw the coin from my inner word. After showing it, they still don’t understand, but that is not a problem. They will, eventually. I will explain a little about my runic workings based on roots. It had its limitations, but most villages were dying to get runic devices from our village. And this way they will get access to much more than the villae could manufacture in the short term to sell.