Chapter: 276 - The Tour (Patreon)

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Tala chatted with Lyn and Rane, answering their basic questions while Mistress Ingrit handled the questions of all the other Archons.

Master Cazor looked to be torn between Mistress Ingrit’s answers and joining Tala, Lyn, and Rane, but he seemed to decide to not intrude on their clearly more private conversation.

Tala was grateful for that, and took the opportunity to smile and nod his way in thanks when he glanced toward her.

That seemed to solidify something for him, and he visibly relaxed, his attention moving more firmly to Mistress Ingrit.

-He would be able to help us test out quite a few things about our new… bond. We should arrange some time with him.-

Agreed.

There was a pause when dinner was delivered, and Mistress Ingrit answered the remaining questions while the meal was consumed. Once again, most were answered simply or with a statement that such questions should be asked as part of an official information request.

-We have a few hundred of those already, by the way. Mistress Ingrit has master access over those requests, but she’s allowed us to see how many there are.-

Tala was surprised. How can there possibly be that many already?

-I imagine that most people made more than one. A simple request is more likely to be answered quickly than a lengthy, multifaceted one, seeking many answers at the same time.-

That makes good sense, I suppose.

With everything pressing addressed, Mistress Ingrit dismissed nearly everyone below Refined, again with Master Rane and Mistress Lyn being exceptions.

Master Boma also seemed to have been granted permission to stay. He and Master Queue were the senior members of the Constructionists who had been invited to this meeting, and they seemed to have put in an explicit request to both be allowed to stay.

Mistress Ingrit had granted the request along with that of a few younger Librarians.

Master Cazor walked by them on his way out. “Welcome back, Mistress Tala. We’d love to have you back in the arena with us, or even just for a meal. Take your time, and let us know if we can do anything to assist.”

Tala smiled. “Thank you, Master Cazor. I’ll do that.” After a moment’s hesitation, she added, “I think I would like your help testing out a few things, if you are willing. I can explain in more detail later.”

He nodded. “I’ll happily hear you out, and help if I can.”

“Thank you.”

Soon enough, the room was mostly empty.

Mistress Ingrit glanced to Tala. “I believe at this point, the next logical thing would be to give them a tour of your sanctum.”

Masters Boma and Queue made identical expressions, eyes widening and mouths opening in smiles of undisguised glee. Several others had similar reactions, but no one seemed too surprised at the implied knowledge that Tala had a sanctum.

They probably assumed it, as I held the position of Eskau.

-And they’re right to have assumed so.-

Mistress Ingrit continued, “First, though. I think we need to confirm something.” Mistress Ingrit looked around with hard eyes. “Everyone is to keep their aura tightly controlled, well within their own body. We will not be inside for overlong, nor are there too many of us, but even so, we will be straining the integrity of the space. Don’t move around unnecessarily and dump power.”

The Constructionists were nodding along, and Master Boma made an addition, “We will happily help restabilize the space after we exit. What we will no doubt learn is well worth the expense.”

Mistress Ingrit smiled and dipped her head. “That is kind of you, and I accept on Mistress Tala’s behalf.” She then turned back to Tala. “I believe that the nature of your sanctum should now be revealed.”

That caught their collective attention and the few murmured side-conversations that had tentatively started up died down almost immediately.

Tala nodded to the Archivist, standing up. “So, thank you all for taking so much of your day to be here.”

A ripple of mildly surprised acknowledgement came back her way. They all seemed to have seen the time as well spent. That was gratifying at least.

She smiled and decided to just dive in, “My dimensional storage, now my sanctum, is something that we know of in theory, but have never properly identified before.” She pulled Kit from her belt and tossed it to form a door on the nearby wall. “Kit is a devouring dimension.”

Master Queue frowned. “That sounds like a dimensional storage version of the hostile artifacts we sometimes find in waning cities. We have procedures in place to prevent those from entering circulation.”

“Well, it was found near Alefast, Waning, and it is of that type, in a sense, though this one seems to be more advanced, or at least more… stealthy? Certainly more patient and discreet than most. It is a creature of the void, with its power specifically oriented around dimensional magics.”

Master Boma stepped forward. “Wait, is the thing’s magic void or dimensional?”

“Both. Like a Mage, creatures of the void can have mixes of magic. I call it ‘Kit.’”

That got a mixture of confused looks from some of those who didn’t know her very well.

She cleared her throat and continued. “With the addition of the syphon fascia, Kit now also has illusion and physical shape changing magics, among everything else.”

“That sounds… unsafe.” That was one of the Mage Hunters who had remained, one of three Refined. The fourth member of their group was a Paragon, equaling Grediv in advancement.

“Apparently, some arcanes specialize in taming these devouring dimensions, and they make the absolute best sanctums when so tamed, but the method of taming them is a closely guarded secret.”

“So… how do you have one?”

She shrugged, feeling a bit defensive. “I seem to have stumbled through the process. Kit and I work well together, and I have no concern about the safety of any within my sanctum. Even so, I agree with Mistress Ingrit; you deserved to know before you step inside.”

There was a collective, uncomfortable glance at Kit’s door.

Tala smiled and the door opened behind her, invitingly.

She heard an artificial intake of breath and realized her mistake.

Alat was slightly faster to articulate the issue, though not by much. -Right, Rob...-

Yeah, Rob is going to be a problem…

Rob did indeed choose that moment to call out. “KILL ME!!!!! Oh, great Mages of humanity, free me from this mortal coil. Let me pass into the world beyond!”

Mistress Ingrit rubbed her own temples, groaning slightly. “That is so much worse in person than in memory. That shouldn’t be possible…”

Tala’s shoulder’s slumped as she looked through the door.

She’d decided to bring them through into her room, as it was the most normal room in the sanctum. With a thought, Rob was moved elsewhere.

Master Boma cleared his throat. “Mistress Tala, please explain.”

Tala looked to Mistress Ingrit, but the Librarian gestured her way encouragingly. Great…

Tala pasted on a smile and did her best, “That was Rob. He is an artificial personality integrated into a casing around a fount.” Tala held up a finger for emphasis. “He is not the fount itself, nor a reflection of the same, though they are connected. The fount is capable of passing on at any time but chooses not to. Rob does not wish to exist. It is that misalignment in desire which causes the… issue.”

The Constructionist frowned. “We will want to examine… Rob.”

“That is acceptable.” I would love to make him someone else’s problem.

Mistress Ingrit took it from there. “Right through this door is the main bedroom of Mistress Tala’s sanctum.”

Reluctantly, the group passed through the door and into the spacious room.

Even as large as the bedroom was, it wasn’t intended for so many people, and so it quickly became crowded.

They were all looking around with curiosity, but Lyn and Rane kept glancing towards Tala. Lyn spoke first, whispering to reduce the noise from her statement, “This is incredibly fancy, Tala.”

Tala shrugged again. “It was a symbol of the House’s power and wealth. They didn’t skimp, that’s for sure, and this is the least of it.”

Rane opened his mouth to say something but seemed at a loss for words. After a moment, he just shook his head and refocused on his surroundings.

Tala turned and led the way out into the courtyard, beside her dais, and while most followed her, a few stayed, staring out her massive windows.

She heard them discussing how the illusion might have been created while hiding the magics involved and decided to interject, “That is a mundane window, Masters, Mistresses. The view is genuine.”

That got their attention, and they quickly followed her out of the room to look out in the direction that they had been, before, the window no longer obscuring the view.

“How big is this place?” Master Boma asked.

Tala tilted her head in thought. “Exactly? I’m not sure, but it’s in the range of three miles across, in the shape of a slightly flattened sphere.”

Master Boma’s eye twitched.

Now that she thought about it, Tala didn’t really have any idea how large Archon dimensional storages normally were, though Master Jevin had advised her to reach a minimum size before seeking certain alterations.

-His suggested minimum size was roughly one-forty-millionth of what we have now achieved.-

Tala felt her own eye twitch. That can’t possibly be correct.

-His recommendation was at least the size of a small house. Need I say more?-

I… I didn’t actually consider that… huh.

Master Boma and Master Queue seemed to be having the hardest time accepting the numbers. Everyone else likely didn’t have the frame of reference to truly understand the significance.

Finally, Master Queue asked, “Is this a typically-sized sanctum or arcane hold?”

Tala shrugged. “It’s probably on the smaller size, though it is bigger than I’d have normally gotten so quickly, without a few special factors, Kit being the main one.”

He frowned. “Why does that factor in?”

“Devouring dimensions can consume other holds to incorporate their features, including volume, into themselves.”

That left the Constructionists speechless once more.

Mistress Ingrit clapped her hands and gestured towards the library. “Shall we continue?”

Over the next hour or so, Tala and Mistress Ingrit led the group around the interior of the sanctum, pointing out the various features.

Mistress Ingrit lingered in the library, though it might have just been to pull the other Librarians out with her when the group moved on.

The crops and animals specifically imbued with Tala’s magics for compatible consumption had Mistress Holly’s eyes practically glowing with interest and many others discussed some of the implications as they continued on.

The training facilities, weaponry, and books on advancement had the Mage Hunters drooling.

Masters Boma and Queue practically blinded themselves staring at the artificial sun at every opportunity, and they became almost as obsessed with the containment magics around her endingberry tree grove. They twisted themselves into awkward positions to examine the magics that were used to imbue her crops as well.

Lyn and Rane simply trailed along, awe clearly written across their features. They did ask Tala some quiet questions, but not nearly as many as she’d thought they would have. They’ll likely pester me later.

Finally, it was time to take them into the under-part of the sanctum.

Tala found the entrance hidden in the side of a hill and led the group down, down, down.

Purple light became visible ahead of them, and they entered the underground chamber that held all the automata-related materials, including Io floating inertly in her tank.

It was a mark of Master Boma’s control that he didn’t attempt to level the place as soon as he saw the large, glowing vessel.  “Mistress Ingrit? Please explain.”

Mistress Ingrit nodded. “This is an inactive automaton, recovered from the hold you watched Mistress Tala raid. She has all the materials, both construction and research related, from those experiments, and this was the final result of the arcanes’ work.”

“Why hasn’t it been destroyed?” His voice was hard.

Tala stepped forward. “Because it isn’t active. It’s a complex, articulated statue at the moment. There is nothing to run it. There is no consciousness or scripts in place. It is the perfect specimen for humanity to study, to learn more about the Black Legion.”

A vein was pulsing on the side of Master Boma’s face. “I think this is foolishness. Such things are dangerous and banned for a reason.”

Tala turned to regard Io, beginning to think of a way to respond, but there was someone standing beside the tank.

Master Xeel was looking down on the floating body of the automata as if he’d always been there. “There is no danger from this creation.”

Everyone but Mistresses Ingrit, Elnea, and Jenna and Master Grediv reacted with surprise to the presence of the Reforged.

He didn’t react to their surprise. “I agree with Mistress Tala. This is a prime opportunity to study these things in a controlled manner. I’ve killed no fewer than ten Honored-level automata in the last millennium, five of which were in the last hundred years. Something is stirring, and we would be wise to increase our knowledge and insight into this enemy.”

Without waiting for a response, the man vanished once more.

Tala focused her senses, but she couldn’t detect him at all. Even so, she knew he wasn’t gone. How many others are quietly along for the tour?

-Well, definitionally, we’ll never know.-

She flicked to her voidsight, pushing Flow into a void-knife form.

The world gained fractures around her to her sight, and she was able to see a nodule of reality… separate? Somehow, a bit of reality was there but not. Like it was shifted slightly to the side of what was around it.

Somehow, Tala felt that fragment regard her more closely than it had before, and she got the very definitive impression of Master Xeel.

He was watching her, curious.

The fragment vibrated slightly, and Tala felt the miniscule tether between her center and that fragment buzz.

She couldn’t hear words, but she got the impression, ‘We will talk, but not now.’

She was so startled that she let her voidsight vanish and refocused on the world around her.

Without that extra sight, she couldn’t see the Reforged at all.

-That seems like a secret and a deeper truth in one.-

That’s for sure. She wished she could have learned more right then, but she was in the middle of giving a tour.

With an internal grumble, Tala continued the walk-around, showing them the other automata-related materials and equipment, along with resources and information that she’d managed to secret away. I suppose I can move most of these books up to the library proper.

-Except for the Black Legion manual.-

Of course, not. That one stays locked away for sure.

After they left that part of the underground, she willed for just that to happen, and she somehow knew that it had been done.

Thanks, Kit.

Kit did not respond to her thoughts.

As she neared the surface, Tala decided it was time to deal with the issue she’d named ‘Rob.’ That decided, she summoned him to her hand just as they came back out of the underground near the endingberry grove once more.

The orb’s voice cracked out in obvious surprise, even though he seemed to orient quickly, “GAH! What? Oh! Honored Humans, kill me!!”

Tala glared down at the orb in her hands and growled out a not-so-subtle threat, “Quiet, or I’ll give you to Terry to play with.”

That silenced Rob immediately.

The Archons were looking at the orb with nervous curiosity.

Rane looked more curious than nervous, maybe even a mite amused at the threat of playtime with Terry, and Lyn just seemed baffled.

Master Queue was the first to speak this time, “So, you’re sure that the personality is distinct from the fount?”

Tala didn’t have a good summary, at least not one that was different than what she’d already stated. Might as well test his helpfulness. “Rob? Can you answer?”

“…I am not the soul housed within my casing.”

That was an unexpectedly frank answer. Tala was almost impressed. Hmmm… Maybe, we can—

Then, Rob continued, “I violate the sanctity of this soul. I am a false personality, a false consciousness, living off of the trapped soul. The only reasonable course of action is swift justice. This heinous act demands capital punishment.”

And there it is. Tala sighed. “I have a total of five founts, though Rob is the only one with an artificial consciousness built atop it. I am happy to turn them over to the appropriate parties.”

Tala looked to Mistress Ingrit, and the Librarian shrugged. “We don’t have a set procedure for such.”

Mistress Elnea stepped forward. “The Bandfast Archon Council is willing to take responsibility for the founts, and sponsor the effort to determine the best course of action to decide their fate.”

That got a round of nods from everyone present.

Master Boma was frowning, even as he nodded. “Mistress Tala?”

“Yes?”

“You threatened the orb with ‘Terry.’ Is that the terror bird that I remember being with you on occasion?”

“Yes, that’s Terry.”

The Fused tilted his head to one side. “But why would that beꟷ”

Terry flickered into being beside Tala, likely called by the repeated, rather loud, uses of his name.

He was the size of a large horse.

Magic spun up through the group of Archons, even as many of them stumbled back in shock.

Tala stepped between Terry and the Archons, holding up her hands. “Stop! This is Terry.”

Collectively, the Archons let their spellworkings die down.

One Archon had fallen to the ground, one of the librarians who wasn’t even quite Fused yet, and he was staring up at Tala and Terry. His eyes flicked to the endingberries, then back to Tala. “Devouring dimensions, endingberries, trapped souls, and now a terror bird? What other horrors do you have in here?”

The cat chose that moment to finish weaving through the crowd and hop onto the downed Archon’s lap.

The man squeaked in surprise, and Tala saw many of those around him tense.

To his credit, the librarian’s tone was mostly level, though his hands were trembling, while he tried not to move, “What manner of beast is this?”

Tala stifled her laugh. “That, master librarian, is a cat.”

There was a moment of silence before Master Boma glanced her way, obviously confused. “What?”

“That is a cat, Master Boma. Nothing more or less.”

A ripple of nervous chuckles passed through those gathered around, and the young man tentatively scratched the cat’s head.

The kitty purred, pressing into the hand.

Tala glanced toward Terry, cleared her throat, and tapped her shoulder meaningfully.

The terror bird flickered to rest on her shoulder, sized appropriately for the perch.

“Now, shall we finish the tour?”

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