Chương 437: AF Chapter 436 – He who Fights and Runs Away, lives to Loot another Day

"Aye, that's smart," Lord Mick spoke up quickly at my odd request that was confusing the others.

"Used t' be, if a Scroll held a spell ye didnae know, just reading it would destroy the Scroll an' teach the spell to ye. Good sense, lass."

"Thanks." I eyed the diagrams and glyphs inscribed on the thing.

"This definitely has Empyrean principles that are not covered in basic Isparian Magic. No wonder they were lost in the Fall and couldn't be replicated. The principles are very different in some aspects, and the Diamond Scarabs required are only the start of them."

"Aye, what why ye had t' get it translated by Harlune himself first t' gain it," the Mick nodded.

"Summat ye can work with?" he inquired. I tapped three of the sigils on the sheet.

"These are the key markers. I think they are referring to three-space coordinates relative to the Henges, using them as reference points to a place of power here. There must be a major ley line running under the volcano, and its junction is the actual target of the spell." I eyed the Scroll carefully, then slowly tilted my head.

With a hint of exasperation, I turned it sideways, stared at it, rubbed my eyes a moment, then turned it fully upside-down as everyone watched curiously, completing the circle with two more turns.

"The spell is different depending what angle you read it from. No wonder everyone lost it from memory, it has fourth-dimensional components to it!" I snorted, rolling the thing back up and depositing both copies back into my Masspack, Kris dropping her Null thereafter.

"Waters o' Lethe useful?" the Mick asked, contemplating our haul.

"Not directly to Empyrean Magic, but Matrix Magic could do some rather nasty stuff with it, yes," I confirmed, glancing over at the big Shaped stone barrel riding the Mick's Disk.

"It also offers some interesting possibilities, as where the River Lethe flows, it means the River Mnemosyne exists." The Mick blinked.

"Yes, the name of those memory-tokens of the undead is not an accident. They likely made them using the water of Lethe's opposite number… or, if you use the principle of opposition, the Waters of Lethe itself." I paused, thinking about that.

"Yes, that sounds logical, pulling out the memories and holding it inside a devoted container. It also would explain the intense undead affinity down in the mines."

"Both Earthfire and Firestone Obsidian behind the pyreal veins," Kris murmured, looking at the geyser of lava in the distance.

"Will the lava ruin that, Ryin?"

"It might upgrade the Fire aspect of both of them more. If it's hot enough to melt them, we may get more Blackfire Obsidian in there." Zeks pulled the hunks of rock out of my Masspack, and sent them over to Kris promptly. We all waited patiently as she flicked up Gold-Rainbow soulclaws over her black nails and started to carving them with great speed.

The magical energies in each of them would thwart Shaping Stone, which didn't work on truly magical materials, and what existed at the heart of those rocks was truly magical. The surrounding rock fell away, and the gleaming ebon-and-crystalline white glow of a Minor Blackfire Stone glittered in her hand.

"Are we going to have to THANK the bastard when we run inta him again?" the Mick offered up as Kris set the Stone aside and started on the next lump of rock.

"If those machines made to condense mana are still under the lava and working, probably," I answered him, much to his surprise.

"They are the things making this possible. The Caulcano is much, much bigger than what is going on here, and could condense the gemstones naturally… although we haven't gone back to see if more have formed, and I somehow doubt there's a mechanism in place to do so."

"Wait a moment," the Mick said, waving his hand dramatically.

"The Behemoth in Tenkarrdun coughs up multiple Black Boulders, what spit out the Minor Blackfire Stones when given to a Stone Collector… shortcutting what Her Highness be doing, aye?" he asked me.

"Correct…" I nodded.

"The Behemoth were a guaranteed drop o' the things, a Boss-type creature, not a random Summons. So, it were made as much as Summoned inta being, an' had ten o' those things inside it," the Mick pointed out.

"Was it really ten Blackfire Stones more dangerous?" I had to ask, wondering. His mouth opened and closed, working a moment as he considered that odd power ranking.

"No?" he finally asked hesitantly.

"Make a note that such is probably not the case anymore." He winced at that call from me.

"So noted. Aye, that could be a wicked surprise if not pointed out. Er, two points." He waggled his fingers again.

"There be Major Stones in Aerefalle's Trove, down in her personal chambers. Assuming they weren't created out o' nothing, wouldnae that imply that the Forges o' Tenkarrdun made them as a side effect o' firing up an' working?" I tilted my head in thought.

"There weren't a lot of notes on what exactly firing up the volcano actually DID, especially since it soon overloaded and the material changes to the environment went away so quickly. What exactly did they forge and make there? Just pyreal items? Nobody knows what the golums are actually programmed to make, nor the default machines." If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Except the Control Bar an' the Bellows, p'raps," the Mick nodded, referring to the devices need to temporarily fire up the Tenkarrdun machinery again.

"Point two, if Scold duplicated that, how did he learn how t' do so? I can't believe a random golum, however bright, duplicated the effects o' one o' the grandest Empyrean magical devices around so easily." We all looked at one another.

"That," Mizaya pointed out, "is drawing an uncomfortable line to the fact Scold may have visited Aerlinthe Island and seen the machinery there?" she hazarded. I put a hand to my forehead.

"Now I'm going to have to dig down into Mount Ingot and see if that was what he was making there. Thanks loads!" I muttered.

"Source o' Blackfire Stones be worth it?" the Mick asked, as the last dregs crumbled from another rock under Kris' ministrations and revealed another Minor Blackfire Stone.

"And the mechanisms might be duplicated and replicated," I reminded him, which pursed the lips of everyone.

"If you recall, I didn't get enough time to really examine the devices deeper in his original lair."

"And the ones here seemed significantly more advanced…" Selena recalled quickly.

"More, I don't know? Precise? Located properly?"

"If the devices survive, then that's a plus for us. If the golum has been to Aerlinthe Island, that's more worrisome," Briggs pointed out.

"Has anyone been in the Crater Forges since Mount Ingot blew to check on matters?" Everyone looked at Mick, who just made a face and lifted his hands.

"That would be a no, then. Is there an area with open lava in there?" Briggs asked grimly. The Mick blinked.

"Aye, back near the end o' the place, where ye had to retrieve the bellows from…" His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"Would Scold even know the bellows were important?" he had to wonder.

"Meaning that he's seen the machinery at Tenkarrdun, but he's never seen it in operation, especially since the Fall?" I asked for emphasis. The Mick nodded slowly.

"Damn bellows just sits there. No indication it's important."

"As I recall, the kick-up from activating the machinery at Tenkarrdun also causes a pyromana surge at Lethe and the Crater… but not at the Singularity Caul?" Briggs glanced at me.

"They might be on different ley lines, or the Caul is simply too far away. Don't forget Linvak Tukal and Mount Ingot should experience surges now, too."

"That is also true. Do you know the travel paths of the ley lines now? I presume Master Harlune is familiar with them." Everyone was curious about that detail.

"As you might imagine, that is very sensitive information, especially since the Fall. I will ask him. I'm guessing there's an outgoing flow from Aerlinthe that passes through the Crater and Lethe, and the Yalain tapped it at both other locations. The Singularity Caul might not be on the line… or it might well be on the line, but was too far away before. Aerbax may have used that to his benefit." I tapped the Blackfire Stones mounted on Crown.

"The Caulcano didn't cough up Blackfire Stones before, either."

"Very good point," Briggs conceded.

"Especially having a higher energy flow than expected that Aerbax could tap into…"

"Ley lines vent energy as well as give it, balancing the system out rapidly. This will cool off quickly, but it will give me time to investigate Mount Ingot. We've been holding off clearing the Caul because of the shades and virindi so active there, but we might need to go in there again soon."

"Let's hope they don't unite again against a common foe, namely us," Rogar pointed out with a sigh.

"We've been building for Moarsman Island, so a return trip will have to wait until after," Kris interposed.

"Any additional discoveries on that end?" I asked them.

"They have a way of pulling moarsman into the island via Portals, and so bypassing the Shoreward," Briggs said grimly.

"There's far too many of them shuffling around the place that aren't Summons, and the place was thick with Summons before."

"I trust they are coming out of the temple complex, then," I could only sigh.

"There's no way to take that temple unless the incoming Portals are shut down. We could end up fighting every moarsman in the ocean that bows to T'Thuun." Briggs did not look enthusiastic at the idea.

"Potentially a lot of moarsman," I groaned, looking from him to Kris.

"Stealth ops, or a raid?"

"Temple complexes in Matrix worlds have this habit of being selective about what they allow access in dimensionally," Briggs noted with a dangerous gleam in his eye." Forbiddance, with a key to the Wards, yes," I confirmed, everyone but Kris looking at me as if I'd taken away their favorite toy.

"Let's assume that an actual powerful temple complex has such an upgrade. That means no Teleporting in or out without access to the Ward," Briggs proposed.

"So, we need stealth ops, THEN a raid. As long as we recover at least one Ward key, I can transport however many are needed."

"There be four minor an' the main temple there," the Mick said carefully.

"I be assuming that forces could be brought in at any o' them?" Briggs could only nod.

"It's not confirmed, but it's what we believe."

"Method three. What if we brought down a whole section of the Shoreward?" I asked.

"Why would that be…" Briggs trailed off slowly.

"You'd be letting in The Deep…"

"Moarsmen do have a language and can be communicated with. They, in turn, could be passing word onto the sleeches and nefanes, and the other minions of the Deep. It could whelm the army for us, and it doesn't really care about the lives of its servants that much." Briggs considered that solemnly, and the Mick spoke up again.

"The Deep has never made a move t' secure any kind o' footing on the land. It actually be kind o' miffed at its servants who have wandered onto land an' been snared by the System. We dinnae have to worry about it taking an' holding any o' the lands, in me opinion. An' there be lots of evidence it loathes T'Thuun, especially its habit o' Blighting everything under the sun."

"Master Oswald has been leading the teams across the north to clear out any Blighted they see. We're hoping that if that island is cleared, it will break T'Thuun's grip on Dereth completely…" Briggs trailed off when he saw the Mick shaking his head.

"Are we missing something, Lord Mick?" he asked patiently.

"Be Blighted Pyreal Golems all over Aerlinthe Island, last time I were there. That be meaning Lady Aerefalle herself be using its services," the Mick informed him apologetically. Briggs reached up to massage his temples.

"I get more irritated with her all the time, it seems…"