Technomagica 48. Expedition plans (Patreon)

Having thoroughly examined the [Charisma-Persuasion] skill on Kliss, I memorized it down about ten levels in omnicode and then used my Infoscopes to scout the forests of Skyisle for an area in which a lot of [Charisma]-type radiance was present.

After a month of scouting, I found one, in a river delta at the edge of the magogenic fault.

On the general map of Skyisle hanging in the Office of the Overseer in the Church of Equality the area was labelled as the [Silent Glade].

“You want to go here?” Kliss asked me as I pointed at the Silent Glade.

“Yep,” I nodded.

“Why?”

“Because it’s an area with an absurd amount of [Charisma] in it,” I explained.

"What level of Charisma?" She sighed.

"The field varies between level 1 and 20," I said. "It should be manageable for you and me. It won't be anything like Giovashi's level 200 words."

Kliss sighed and rummaged through the small Skyisle data library that each Overseer has been adding their observations to.

“Silent glade,” she flipped through an old-looking journal bound in brown leather until she found the page with the info. “A swampy area located in a south-western inlet of the Cascadia river delta.”

I nodded, prompting her to go on.

“According to Overseer Ignatius who discovered it, the Silent Glade is a very dangerous place," Kliss said as she looked back into the book, reading the words within. "A tranquil, yet eerie landscape, featuring mist-shrouded marshes and dense vegetation. A small Basq glider crashed there a long time ago and was found by a local hunter...

In 8041, a twenty four year old hunter Klav Obrahix brought back a pouch filled with Basq coins from the swamp, spending it at the Fox and Fiddle on celebratory drinks, boasting that he was going to be rich once he retrieved more items from the swam.

The second time he went to the glade, he didn't return. Four more men vanished who tried to look for him. Overseer Ignatius forbade further exploration of the swamp, noting that it contained some unknown danger. Hunters are known to avoid it, because it is said to be cursed."

I nodded. "The danger is likely the result of the overwhelming presence of [Charisma] radiance in the area. Our primary goal will be to go there to capture a magical creature that resists mind-control. If we can locate this Basq glider along the way, all the better."

"Huh?" Kliss stared at me. “How are you so sure that you’ll be able to find a magic creature that resists mind control there?”

"Kliss," I began. "In the world I come from, there was a law called 'The Theory of Evolution'. It's the theory that life gradually adapts to its environment," I explained. "In a high [Charisma] environment, creatures would either succumb to the overwhelming influence and perish or adapt to resist it. Over time, these adaptations become more pronounced, leading to what we call evolution."

"And this... Evolution Theory makes you certain that there's creatures in the Silent Glade that are naturally, fully resistant to [LV 20 Charisma]?" Kliss asked.

"Yes," I replied. "And if we can capture one, I'll be able to figure out how to make Ogonek Charisma-proof."

"You want to make your sister's bee Charisma-proof? Why?" Kliss glanced at Delta who was leaning on a shelf. Ogonek was sitting on my sister's shoulder, her fiery stinger casting orange-tinted dancing patterns of shadows and light in the dim room.

“So that I can later make us Charisma-proof,” I said. “Our biggest priority is creating a shield against the magic of Giovashi and her priestesses.”

"But this place sounds dangerous," Kliss said, her brows furrowing in concern. "Are we really prepared for slugging through a swamp?”

"We won't go completely unprepared. We'll plan, strategize and adapt... just like evolution," I said.

“You can’t adapt a human body to a swamp,” Kliss said. “My magisteel armor suit won't keep me dry forever, would be more of hindrance in such a terrain. Even if we had a skyship, it wouldn’t be safe to go there. The Basq glider likely crashed because the area is too close to the magogenic fault which screws up navigational systems and dragonheart engines.”

“We’ll just have to figure out a way to move through a swamp using mostly... science,” I said.

"Science?" The Overseer echoed. "You mean you already have a plan?"

I grinned, nodding confidently. "Oh, I definitely have a plan," I said. "We're going to build a… hovercraft!"

"Yesss!" Delta declared from her corner of the Overseer's office.

Kliss stared at me and then at my sister, clearly confused by a word that didn't exist in Ishikarian or Imperial language.

"It's a type of vehicle that can travel over land and water," I explained. "It rides on a cushion of air, making it perfect for swampy terrains. We'll just need to gather the necessary materials and do a bit of engineering."

. . .

In the following days, we set to work. Kliss wielded her flickering sword projected from her armacus with precision in the forest behind our parents cottage, carving out planks of wood for the hovercraft's frame. Her movements were fluid and focused, the blade cutting through the trees like a hot knife through butter.

"Can't believe I'm using my mana sword weapon to chop wood," she quipped, sweat trickling down her forehead.

Meanwhile, Delta and I focused on designing the craft's propulsion system.

By reverse-engineering one of the local windmills, we found that the leaking Alanian battery could be utilized as an effective power source capable of continuously spinning a simple metal ring in a metal frame covered with the alternating [Repel] and [Attract] runes that a local blacksmith made for us for about seventy silver. By linking it to a set of wood propellers carved by our dad, we could generate enough lift to elevate the craft above the ground.

"Delta, help me connect the power conduit to the propeller assembly," I instructed, pointing to the battery.

Delta, carefully followed my directions.

We attached the metal cage with the spinning rings to the cracked Alanian battery and then I released the breaks on the rings. With a flicker of mana, the propellers began to spin, creating a gust of wind that blew our white hair back.

"Wow," Kliss said, looking at the spinning wooden propellers with wide eyes, her own red hair fluttering. "That's… impressive. Will this really work? What happens if the rings fail to spin?"

"I've thought of that," I assured her, pointing to several large bags tied to the frame of the hovercraft. "I've had Cassandra and a local seamstresses sew these. These bags are very tough and filled with air and will act as buoyancy aids, reinforced by our local LV 20 Clothmancer Allica Incis to be completely waterproof. Even if the battery fails, the craft won't sink. We'll paddle our way out away."

"Why not just make a wooden boat to begin with?" Kliss asked.

"Because a hovercraft can glide over land as well," I explained. "Most of the delta is outside of the magogenic fault and the system of a spinning metal ring is incredibly simple, so the propulsion shouldn't fail. A hovercraft is far more versatile than a mere boat. I've scouted the exact terrain we'll be encountering with my Identification spells. The Cascadia river delta has varying depths and lots of flat sandbars. A boat cannot pass through those. We'd have to constantly get in and out and carry the boat over the shallow areas."

Kliss nodded, looking at our makeshift hovercraft with newfound respect. "You really do think of everything, don't you?"

"I try," I replied, a smile tugging at my lips.

"So.... did you ever build one of these back on Earth?" She asked.

"I've built all sorts of makeshift river craft from wooden logs when I was young to go over rivers," I said, "But nothing as complex as a hovercraft."

"Then how are you sure sure that this hover-cr-aft will work?" Kliss squinted at me.

"The nation I came from, USSR, built all sorts of things through collective labor and machines without magic," I said. "While a teenager born on Earth wouldn't be able to make a hovercraft alone, we had specialized factories filled with tools that helped make metal frames and sew fabric. These factories constructed hovercrafts in the thousands."

"In the thousands?" Kliss blinked.

"Yes," I nodded. "Each produced hovercraft was exactly the same as the next, featuring precisely identical parts. Unlike the magitek tools made by your empire, nothing in each hovercraft was unique or hand made. These hovercrafts were used by soldiers to defend our borders, by wildlife hunters and researchers and wilderness explorers called geologists that mapped out swampy terrains in search for minerals."

"Machines and collective human labor, huh," she looked at me.

"Yes," I nodded. "We had to rely on that alone. Our civilization didn't have magic, remember? The reason we've been able to build a hovercraft so quickly here on Novazem is because of three key things."

"One," I held up a finger, "your ability to chop the toughest moonwood trees with your mana sword. Two," I added another finger, "my dad's ability to carve out and reinforce wooden propeller blades with his carpentry skill that makes them as tough as metal. And three," I held up a third finger, "when a level 20 Clothmancer seamstress like Allica makes fabric, the results are astonishingly precise, leaving no gaps. It's easy to replicate Earth tools here on Novazem because the people of Skyisle are far more skilled, stronger, faster and dexterous than humans of Earth. I've been collecting lost coins from all over Skyisle so I could someday hire all of these talented people to help me, see?"

"If this contraption of yours sinks, and I have to haul you out of that swamp on foot, I'm going to be less than pleased," Kliss said, her tone light but her eyes serious.

"You won't have to, I promise," I responded.

. . .

For the next several days, we continued to work on our hovercraft, refining and testing its mechanisms until it was as reliable as we could make it. Delta, Kliss, and I would often find ourselves working late into the night, our dad’s workshop illuminated by the soft glow of the scattered [Green-Vitality] crystals to keep the air fresh.

Finally, the day came when we deemed our hovercraft ready. As our trio stood before it in the garden, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement, a thrill of anticipation for the journey. Our preparations were complete; the Silent Glade and its unknown perils awaited us.

"Wait," Delta said. "There's only food and room for two here. Are we not taking Kliss with us?"

"That's because you're staying home and working on infecting more bees," I said.

"What? No," she said. "Why would I want to miss out on an adventure with you? What if this lumbering idiot drowns you in a swamp accidentally?"

"I can swim well enough," I said. "Besides, Kliss is far from a 'lumbering idiot'," I defended. "We've got a long journey ahead and I need you to hold down the fort in case we get trapped in the swamp by the Charisma field."

"But..." she started, but I held up a hand to stop her.

"No buts, sis," I responded firmly. "You have your task, and we have ours."

"You think you can stop me?" Delta arched a silver eyebrow, staring me down with glacier-blue eyes.

"Two seats," I pointed out. "No room for supplies."

"Astral Phantoms don't need seats," she said in Russian. "I'll keep my body suspended with [Chrysalis] at home while I come with you as a Phantom... feeding on the cracked battery. Don't tell Kliss about me, in case she betrays you and I have to chomp on her soul."

I sighed, realizing the futility of arguing with her. "Fine," I conceded.

Delta nodded, looking smug.

"But promise me you won't do anything reckless," I demanded. "And don't bite Kliss's soul. We are on the same side. Are you sure you won't be more effected by [Charisma] as a Phantom without a body?

"Quite sure," Delta smirked, "While you studied the effects of [Charisma] with Kliss, I attempted to resist that specific magic by diving into the Astral. Turns out [Charisma] is less effective on someone without a human body and even less so when I'm halfway sunk into the Astral."

"Well, that's nice to know," I said, relaxing slightly.

"You worry too much, big brother," her eyes twinkling mischievously, "I'll behave.”