"So, now that you're back, Varos, we'll need your help to find supplies." Diedre said.

"Supplies from where?" Annabelle asked. "As far as I can tell, these caves are barren."

"It's not quite a cave network," Varos explained. "The Shaderealm is a demi-plane, carved out of a higher-dimensional space between worlds. The Shades have devices that can manipulate the shape of the caverns, and I can replicate those to a lesser degree."

That potentially explained that oddity Annabelle noticed in the cave earlier. "Still doesn't explain how we'd find supplies. Do they just materialize out of thin air or something?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yes, in fact. It’s a key part of the Shades’ game. They drop food and water at various locations in the Shaderealm, and then we have to send teams to collect if it we don't want to starve."

"Normally, we choose who goes by lottery," Diedre added. "I'd let you volunteer, but you'd try something dumb and probably get captured."

So, they were using food as a strategic resource to force conflict.

"I've got a better idea," Annabelle interjected. "We use healing magic to create a renewable food source."

"Food conjuring doesn't work," Varos said. "Since the Shades wouldn't have a game if we could make the food out of thin air, they've made sure that any food we attempt to conjure is rendered inedible."

"What about water?" Annabelle asked.

"Water, on the other hand, is something we can create. It's simple enough that the Shades couldn't eliminate the nutrient value from it. They tried poisoning, but that just made us purify the water before consuming it."

That meant that they really only needed food. And Annabelle had a plan for food. "Healing is unaffected, right?"

Varos nodded, even though Annabelle could already see that Lorso and Silence were back to normal.

"Flesh is edible. We can harvest it from someone's body, consume it, then use healing to heal the resulting injury."

"You're proposing cannibalism to solve this issue?" Diedre, as well as several others nearby, were outraged at the very concept.

"It’s a better idea than putting yourselves at risk," Annabelle countered.

They still didn’t seem to be considering the idea.

"Frankly, I'm surprised this group even got this far. Most people, when faced with this horror show, would have offed themselves the moment they arrived. So, given that you're clearly the sort to fight to survive, I'm not sure why you haven't thought of this strategy sooner."

"Suicide wouldn't help," Varos countered. "The afterlife here is almost as bad as the Shades' own torture. If you're lucky, they might resurrect you, just to throw you back into the Shaderealm to get hunted again. Otherwise, the only thing you can hope for is that your soul disintegrates quickly."

Annabelle was fairly certain that there was no such thing as an afterlife. She was about to call out Varos on this, but hesitated.

On one hand, if she disproved an afterlife, these survivors would be much more willing to commit suicide, and much less willing to fight alongside her. But on the other hand, it would be sparing them from a horrible fate.

Was it better for someone to live at risk of torture, or die before it could happen? Annabelle would personally fight to survive no matter what the cost, but she was an exception, someone hardened enough to be mostly unaffected by the pain and torment, and powerful enough to turn the tables on any torturer in close quarters.

"So you're also going to Hell no matter what happens here, " Annabelle finally declared. "Unless we fight our way out of here, in which case any god will treat you better in the next life than what the Shades have planned, no matter what sins you have to do to escape."

"Most of us would rather take our chances with the Shades," Diedre said. Even though she said that, Annabelle suspected she knew her point was valid.

"More importantly, I'm not sure it'll work out," Lorso said. "There's a reason why livestock are slaughtered instead of having bits cut out of them and then healed."

"Primarily because they have access to a much more efficient method of doing so," Annabelle claimed. After all, in that case they could just conjure the food directly.

But, Annabelle then realized something. Meat was predominantly muscle tissue. Harvesting it would require cutting deep enough to rip out a muscle, and would result in severe injuries that would take a prolonged effort to heal. It was horribly inefficient at best, as well as incredibly dangerous and painful (to the point where Annabelle suspected she would be the only one capable of holding still long enough for the procedure to work). Although it was still a loophole, it wasn't much of one.

"It would be more practical to use healing magic on the victims of starvation directly to keep them functional," Lorso said. "And not as disgusting."

"We tried that, once." Diedre said. "It does delay starvation and reduce the need for food, but it doesn't work forever."

"Or, we can take a third option." Darius interjected. "I've got a magical item that should solve our food crisis without resorting to cannibalism."

"As I had explained earlier," Varos repeated, "the Shades disrupt food conjuration."

"I have a knack for making magical items work when they shouldn't." Darius pulled out a strange item, a spoon made from some sort of exotic metal. "And, there’s a decent chance that the ‘food’ this thing makes isn’t actually classified as food."

A spoonful of brown matter materialized on the spoon. It didn't look appetizing, and in fact it looked almost like poop.

"As I said, food conjuration doesn’t work." Varos said.

"No, this is the intended effect," Darius claimed. "It’s a ration spoon. It carries a weak enchantment, but it’s been optimized to supply necessary nutrients over anything else. Just a few spoonfuls of this substance is enough to feed and hydrate someone for an entire day."

"Are you sure it's edible?" Diedre asked.

"Yes, though it does taste exactly how you think it does. I'm used to the taste, though." He took a bite to prove it, and seemed unphased.

"I that’s true, then our food problem may be resolved," Diedre said.

"It solves the food problem, but doesn't eliminate the threat," Varos clarified. "The Shades are here to entertain themselves. If we stop playing the game by their rules, they'll get bored and start looking for our base."

"How long will it take them to get bored?" Annabelle asked. "I'd guess we have at least a day or two to plan, fortify, and set up for a fight."

"I suppose you're right, " Varos admitted. "It would take them a few days to realize that we're not playing their game anymore. However, we're not going to be able to take them on with any amount of prep time, much less just a day."

"Plus, we would still need other supplies," Annabelle said. "Unless you’re just conjuring metals out of thin air."

"Actually…" Varos’ gauntlet glowed blue, and with a pop, a small piece of metal of materialized out of thin air.

"How in the-"

"They don’t care about conjuration of metals and raw materials."

"How much can you fabricate?" Annabelle asked.

"About fifty pounds of raw material per hour. The hard part's enchanting all of it."

That would be enough for their needs.

"Alright, I’d like you to give me a full rundown on the Shades and their capabilities."

"I suppose that would be wise," Varos said. "Let’s speak privately on this." He led Annabelle towards a side passage.

Can we come too? That was Lorso, using Silence’s telepathy. I believe I have pertinent information.

What sort of pertinent information? Annabelle was fairly certain that it would be a ‘divine conspiracy’ of some sort.

I’ve spoken to all of the other mages here, about a dozen of them. And according to them, healing magic is a normal part of their training and capabilities. So that’s even more evidence of Helios impairing the capabilities of arcane magic-users to make his healers seem more benevolent.

Well, it was supporting evidence for an existing conspiracy. Close enough.

Is that relevant to our current situation? Annabelle asked.

Possibly.

I doubt that. But, there's really no reason not to come.

Annabelle motioned to the rest of her group, and they followed her through the passageway and into Varos’ workshop. A small collection of implements and devices were laid out on a shelf, and there were bins full of scrap and crystals.

"So, the Shades' primary weapon is a stunning crossbow. It fires a pink bolt of energy that pierces almost any defense we can muster, and leaves anyone hit by it helpless for about an hour. I've never seen anyone resist it."

"I'd probably be the first, then," Annabelle replied.

"That's incredibly unlikely-" Varos tried to explain.

"As I told you, I turned a curse strong enough to incapacitate an entire city into a curse that did take out an entire city. A basic stunner will be useless by comparison."

"Even if you do somehow find a way to resist their standard ammunition," Varos explained, "They can fire lethal shots instead, causing instant death from even a graze. They normally won’t do it because the resulting deaths would be painless, but they have that capability if they’re desperate enough. If you see green bolts, you're probably already dead."

Lethal shots. That would pose a threat.

"Lethal in what way?" Lorso asked. "For a skilled healer, there's a period after a body's death but before the soul's departure where the body could be saved."

"I believe the lethal bolts rip the soul out of the body," Varos said. "There might still be such a window, but I doubt it. And once someone's soul enters their afterlife, Nyxl, will not release it."

"Are we talking about bolters, or repeating crossbows?" Darius asked. Varos didn't quite understand the question, so he clarified. "Can they fire multiple shots before reloading?"

"The only good news is that the Shade hunters need a few seconds to reload their crossbows in between shots. Although, that isn't true for some of their elites."

"So, would that mean they're weak in close combat," Darius theorized. "Wait for them to shoot, then rush them."

"And that's why they have a secondary weapon," Varos countered. "Their close combat weapon is an enchanted knife. When not in its sheath, it projects an aura that can cause immense pain to anyone inside it, enough to incapacitate."

That was particularly dirty. Though if there was one thing Annabelle knew she would be able to resist, it was raw pain.

Silence, how good are you at resisting unusual mental effects? Annabelle asked. If he couldn't even get in range without collapsing in agony, he would be useless in a fight.

We trained against them. Although I doubt I can resist anything near what Daraken used on you, I should be able to resist a pain-based attack. Against a stunning shot, I'm not so sure.

Wait, who is 'we'?

Don't go there. Silence broke mental contact.

"So, if we want to engage them close-up, we need to get in and out quickly?"

"Or wait for them to throw it," Varos added. "Though I think they only do that when they’re working in groups."

"Also, what do you mean by 'unblockable'?" Annabelle asked. "How exactly do they ignore defenses?"

"When the bolts impact something, they create a burst of magic that passes through almost any defenses. Armor, shields, and magical wards don't block the projectile far enough away from the body to stop its effects."

"How big is the burst?"

"About a quarter of a meter."

So, a telekinetic barrier half a meter away from her could block the shots if she couldn't resist them outright. It would probably be a good idea to use it anyways, in case she couldn't resist like she thought she could, or in case one of them fired a lethal shot that would catch her off guard.

"So, their offense is strong. What about their defense?"

"The Shades have light armor, at best. Most of the hunters have no physical armor at all. However, they have heavy magical defenses in the form of their Warding charms, projecting a magical barrier around them that deflects attacks."

"So, somewhat like this?" Annabelle took off the Agent’s Aegis to show it to Varos.

Varos’ gauntlets began to glow, and he levitated the amulet between both of his hands, analyzing it.

"Yes, though minus the shapeshifting effect. And much stronger."

He handed the amulet back.

"How strong are their defenses?" Annabelle asked.

"They’re strong enough to shrug off most conventional attacks. They’re not unbeatable, and I’ve seen a few mages hit hard enough to punch through them, but those are the exceptions, rather than the norms. They also protect them against their own weapons, though I’m not sure why."

"Wait, didn't you say that stunning bolts were impossible to block?"

Varos did a double take. "For us, they are. Their wards are designed to block stunners far enough away from the body to nullify their effects. Unfortunately, there’s a restriction on their gear. It can only be used by Shades that are in good standing with their leadership."

"That seems like a perfect job for me," Darius said. "If we manage to kill a Shade, bring their magic items to me. I might be able to break the limitations and reactivate them."

Varos didn't reply.

"That's just their hunters, right?" Annabelle asked.

"Yes."

"What about their other forces?"

Varos thought about that. "Unless they've inventing something new in the last decade, most of their soldiers are simply equipped with better equipment. Even tougher wards, repeating stunners, and "

"Do they have any magic-users?" Darius asked.

"The Shade Matriarchs have potent magic, but they're also the Shade leaders, and they wouldn't dare to step into the field. There are also a few illusionists in their ranks, but they're… used for other purposes."

Overall, the Shades seemed to be a threatening opponent. But she didn't see anything that could stop her plan.

"Alright, they seem like tough foes," Annabelle said. "How about I share my proposal to level the playing field?"

"I've mentioned all of that, and you still think we can beat them?"

Annabelle ignored that. "So, your specialty is electricity, right?"

"Yes. What does that have to do with-"

"Ever heard of railguns? Or electromagnetic weapons?" Annabelle already knew the answer.

"No. What are you talking about?"

Well, this was going to be a fun science lesson. At least for everyone on their side of the railgun.

"You do use electricity as a direct weapon, right? Shooting lightning bolts into enemies, blasting them with electricity, something like that?"

"Yes?"

"How, exactly, do you control the energy? An uncontrolled discharge of electricity just bursts out in all directions, yet a lightning bolt launched by a mage travels in a straight line. How?"

"Magic. To be precise, the electrical resistance between the caster and the target is reduced, and the electricity takes the path of least resistance to blast the target."

"That… might actually work for my weapon."

"Yes, electricity is fairly effective for overwhelming wards. But it still takes a massive amount of energy to cut through."

"Electricity is inefficient as a direct weapon. But if you've done the right research, you'll know that electricity also creates an electromagnetic field. With the right design, it's possible to use that electromagnetic field to launch metal projectiles at an incredible velocity."

"That doesn't seem very powerful."

"Lightning carries an incredible amount of energy in an ineffective delivery system. Use that same energy in a electromagnetic weapon however, and you have a weapon powerful enough to blow through even the toughest armor. Where I come from, these weapons were powerful enough to shoot through entire buildings to hit targets on the other side of them, and our heaviest variants were capable of bringing down massive beasts and levelling strongholds." Granted, their heaviest variants were mounted on highly advanced space-capable fighter jets, but the 'strongholds' they were aimed at were alien capital ships.

Varos seemed a bit stunned.

"And the power sources for those weapons weren't strong enough to create focused lightning blasts." Then again, they hadn't actually tried, and they didn't have magic to guide the lightning along a single channel.

Varos briefly regained his composure, at least long enough to ask a question. "Okay, is that actually theory, or do you have blueprints or something for this weapon?"

At this point, Annabelle took a step back to consider her plan for building an electromagnetic weapon from scratch. She knew the general concept, and had looked over ACP's weapon blueprints several times when she was bored and waiting around at their base, but she didn't have the blueprints exactly memorized.

Further, the design that her team had used relied on an alien metamaterial known as Thermal Alloy, a unique material that converted the kinetic energy of any penetrating effect into thermal energy. It was primarily used to create armor that could not be pierced until the accumulated kinetic energy of the fired projectiles caused it to melt, but it was also used to convert most of the kinetic energy of the weapon's recoil into thermal energy, preventing a high-power railgun from blowing its user's shoulder out from recoil (though with the added complication of having to add heat sinks to the weapon's rear to control the heat buildup when the weapons were used for sustained fire).

"So, I have a general idea of what I'm trying to develop, but I haven't memorized the entire blueprint. And, I think there are components that require advanced alloys that might be difficult to replicate." Even on Earth, they didn't know how to create Thermal Alloy.

"If I can't conjure it, I'll replicate its properties with enchanting," Varos claimed.

That was good enough for Annabelle. "Let's get started."

Darius stayed to watch, but Lorso and Silence left the workshop. Either they realized that they weren't exactly contributing, or they were just bored.

Annabelle gave Varos some basic instructions and a description of the core design. Varos began to materialize the weapon's components, and Annabelle guided him through the process. After about an hour, Varos had created a simple railgun barrel, two meter-long silver rails connected at one end and surrounded by a non-conductive shell.

She could have chosen to have Varos construct a coilgun instead. Coilguns had the advantage of being shorter and lighter, relying on switching power on and off in a series of metal coils to create a dynamic electromagnetic field to launch the projectile, instead of a singular rail. However, without the aid of computers, determining the correct timings to launch a projectile would take too much time to be practical. So instead she based her design off of the anti-materiel railguns that were usually wielded by snipers.

Once the rails were finished, Varos began a quick test. He conjured a metal rod and slotted it into the weapon. Then, he drew his staff, channeled electricity at one end of it, and pressed it to the back of the weapon, where the two rails were connected. The rod shot out of the other end of the barrel at a moderate velocity, launching out ten meters before slamming into the demiplane wall. estimated that the projectile had about as much stopping power as a conventional sidearm, enough to take out an unarmored target, but likely not enough to penetrate the Shades' wards.

"Well, that's a bit underwhelming," Annabelle realized. "Maybe this won't work after all."

"I had my staff only discharge 10% of its potential output," Varos replied. "That's a terrifying result. Terrifying, but promising."

Annabelle considered asking for a test at 100% power, but that would likely result in the railgun barrel collapsing from stress, or some other malfunction. They should test incrementally. "Try 25% power."

Varos ran a second test at the higher power level, and the rod was launched at a significantly faster velocity, slamming into the demiplane wall hard enough to shake the whole cavern. The projectile exploded on impact with the indestructible demiplane walls, and Annabelle put up a kinetic barrier to protect herself and Varos from the resulting shrapnel. The blast still wasn't comparable to the power of some of Earth's electromagnetic weapons, but the power could be quadrupled by the time they were done.

"I think we'll need a new testing ground for the full power test," Varos said. "But even at a fraction of full power, we already have enough to break their wards in one or two shots."

Varos spent the next hour constructing a frame around the weapon. Once he constructed a significant portion of it, he grabbed several crystals and linked them together to form a power core.

"I'm going to spend the next few hours imbuing power into the weapon," Varos said. "You look tired, and this part doesn't require your involvement. You should get some rest, while I keep working on this."

"Don't you need sleep too?"

"Shades don't need sleep."

Varos appeared to enter some sort of meditative state. Annabelle observed him for a few minutes, but couldn't make sense of what he was doing, and decided to head back to the sleeping chamber to attempt to get some much-needed rest.

Or, more accurately, experience several consecutive nightmares.