Varrid Telga both led the way through the town, walking at a brisk pace. Shawn hey were courteous enough that they didn’t fly, though he did see other Aveerans taking flight during the busy m. He stopped and stared at those broad, magnifit wings propelling them to incredible heights. Their strength was siderable, given their angle of ast, and they maneuvered with fwless grace, illuminated by the itent sunbeams filtering through the titan trees.

  “So…” he trailed off, a millioions buzzing. “You guys are quite capable of flight. I also see almost everyone wearing tunics or a button-backed shirt to allow uered motion of their wings.”

  “It’s our natural state. It does present to being a bit of a pain during the winter, but, there are always trade-offs,” Varrick shrugged. “Telga was telling me you two were…inquisitive and stific. What you tell me, at a gnce?”

  “Well, this town looks like the turn of the tweh-tury earth, roughly. But it’s also hard for me to map everything, one for one, and I ’t at for societal valuation of knowledge, or–”

  “Nerd bird, short version,” Cire sighed. He gred at her intensely.

  “Not cool, Cire.”

  “Hey, the crisis is still young. We’ve still got that other Etteria crystal. If I feel like growing wings, I might give it a try,” she added with an anxious ugh. "Too soon?"

  "Too soon," he answered ftly. "For all we know, it was a fluke.” He turo Varrick, trying to remain focused. Cire was still adjusting, and he couldn’t bme her for being a bit dejected. “Okay, so level with me, Varrick, and Telga. How many men does Revarik have?”

  “Only a few huhousand. More, if you t followers who aren’t trained in violence. He has the core world, and the deepest orbital yer under his trol, along with all its denizens,” Telga answered.

  “Right. The yers. This world is like…an onion. A holy onion,” he added quietly. Cire chuckled softly at that–it was a step in the right dire. “And, hoeople oppose him?”

  Varrick took the lead on the question. “A lot, but…everyone’s fragmented, literally, in this case, and tyrant gods aren’t the only problem we have to face. Valtiria is the biggest teic mass in orbit,” he expined, showing them the al dug as part of an offshoot from the stream at the edge of town. Shawn was a rather active water source, and there was a siderable gradient–it wouldn’t be a likely flood zone. Maybe he could use this for a plumbiup, eventually.

  “How big is the world, anyway?” he asked.

  “World sus is about…eh…three hundred million? Assuming we’ve ated for most of the teic masses. You dig deep enough anywhere, and you’ll find broken cities, failed settlements, magical gestalt users setting up cozy retreats, eldritightmares in their hidey-hole, and more.”

  “That seems low, for a poid of this size.” Shawn g Cire. “By the way, your p should. It defies physics.”

  “Hah! Listen to this hatg prattle on about physics! Like you didn’t just witness magid other crazy things already?!” Varrick offered with an apanying bout of ughter, which tapered to a few chuckles at the end. “Now, you talk the fancy talk, but just how skilled are you in walking the walk?”

  “Well, if bullets don’t work, then maybe several fireballs will suffice, since I seem to be able to make those.” He snapped his fingers, trying to replicate his fire ability–but to no avail. He frow that. “Okay, work in progress on the fire part. High-speed projectiles still solve a lot of problems.”

  “Or, you know, chemical deadliness.” Cire’s rea was disturbingly calm. “Wonder if that fiend would burn if I cooked up white phosphorus. Or maybe burn his lungs with chlorine gas.”

  “Uh, Cire? Using that shit is a crime against humanity,” Shawn stated uneasily.

  “Well, it’s a good thing he’s not human, then, is he?” she asked, teeth on edge.

  "Cire, we just got here. We don't need a relitigating of the horrors of trench warfare and chemical ons on our first week." She raised an eyebrow at that. "We need shields as much as we need swords, if I might borrohrase."

  “That said, I don’t think we have the chemicals or the means of st stuff that nasty right now. I need a proper chemist bench, and an iory of magical ingredients.”

  “Yes, let’s take iory, first, before we decide t chemical warfare to a brand new world, please.” What was terrifying was that he was sure Cire could make those deadly items, with the right equipment.

  Cire had an edge to her. He k, because he'd seen her get put down by family at every turn. It was like they were unwilling to let their daughter outshine her older brother with a gambling problem, and a minor league baseball career they were sure would lead to the big leagues. He'd seen her push her efforts in front of their face, just fnition.

  Sometimes, with words that became heated and angry. She'd shown off oime with a chemical solvent that turned anic matter to sludge in minutes, or other chemicals that could be used for metal cutting that transferred waste heat and sped up cutting time.

  All they'd been focused on, was that she was talking over her brother. That had not been a great Thanksgiving dinner.

  Shawn poio the trees surrounding them. "Varrick, let's start with some basics. We don't have trees this huge, ba Earth, except for very small segments of forests in specific locations."

  “Well…” he poio the massive, gold-barked trees that towered a hundred meters into the air, with six-point leaves f the bulk of the vegetation. Each limb was as big as a car, further up. The trunk itself was almost as big as aeen-wheeler. “We’re in the Germina forest. Vea’nt is a froown, part of the Valtiriaates. We like our independence, and the folks in Valtiria Prime–the capital–-tend to leave us to our own devices. Except for taxes.” he let out an indignant hoot at that and rolled his eyes. “We produce lumber, lumber by-products, aypically farm enough crops for the town, and livestock, that we don’t o import much.”

  “How big is the town?”

  “About nine hundred people. It’s a mix of humans, Aveerans, some Vorhunde, a few vulpines, and a few ames--the furry fels with long tails. We’re pretty diverse here,” he added with a tented chuckle. He waved them over to the small river, where a sawmill was going at the early m hour. Shawn observed a crew of Aveerans and a few humans unloading rge logs from a cart. Except, instead of horses, they were using several rge creatures that looked like velociraptors, covered ihers.

  Um, okay, we have dinosaurs now. Or, something funally simir to them. He gnced down at his arm and pondered if there was a on species link. “So, you prepare timber? Any ce you guys have a the?”

  “We have a saw driven by a water wheel. We could hook up other maery, but that’s all we currently use it for.” Shawn for aime–hydropower could be helpful. But he needed a geor and a capacitor. Among other things. The tech here was petent enough, some of these things could be possible, and the disparate tech suggested he could find advauff…somewhere, in this fractured world.

  He also o get familiar with his powers. He pondered if he could melt metals down using his fire. It was certainly intense enough, temperature-wise. But, he also o know how much he could sustain a steady stream, or find other means of replig it, like a proper fe could. He focused on the mill, and Varrick shrugged, still sidering his query. “Alright, any other power setups for maing?”

  “We have some wo thes," he answered. This alpable progress.

  “And you run the smithy.”

  “I produce a buneical parts when needed. Nothing fancy though,” Varrick shrugged. “Why?”

  “I o see the thes. I’ve got some ideas.” Cire perked up at this and smiled.

  “Watch out. Once Shaws an idea, he doesn’t let go of it,” she warned Varrick, who clucked softly.

  “Huh. is this a good thing or a bad thing? I feel like it could go either way.”

  After a couple of moments, Shawn peered at the wo the. It was retively primitive. But it appeared to keep true to the ter and had some metal fixturing.

  Wonder how much etricity we get on this thing, or runout. If this is low accuracy, it won't help much--

  Based on your visual accuracy, the runout is .1 millimeters from the true axis of rotation. That's not bad for such a low-tech setup.

  He blinked in surprise. Halsey, how do you know that?

  I observed the surface based on your visual acuity. This may present difficulty in sg to more precise measurements. I could tell you that you would also maintain a perpendicurity of .05 millimeters, with the curreup. Again, with 95% fidehere are numerous variables in part fits, the bance of the fixturing, especially at higher speeds, and the cutter head's stability.

  Halsey...this could be very helpful. What about surface texture?

  I don't think your finger has the level of fidelity for me to gauge that. More precise instrumentation is required.

  He picked up a k of scrap wood, and noted a meical scale nearby. Give me aimate of the weight of what I'm holding.

  Five hundred and fifty grams. approximately.

  He put it on the scale. 545 grams. An error of less than one pert. Temperature of the ambient air?

  You'll need a gauge for that I think.

  Worth a shot. You're some kind of magical struct, alright. But with a personality and a broad swath of prior data. He gnced down at his chest, tapping it gently. A magical struside my body. This should be kinda horrifying, but...Halsey, this is incredible.

  It's just math and physics, where I infer suformation. I think the gestalts may break some of the normal rules of reality. I find it puzzling that I ihis. It es...naturally, to me.

  Either way, this is tangible help I don't need a gestalt to make use of. Measurements with a det degree of precision also seemed an unrealized, possibly immense advantage.

  With this discovery, he had some ideas to improve the the; it was hand-operated with a foot lever, but meical power would be a plus. “Cire, thoughts oing this thing motorized?”

  “Sure. But, Shawn, this pce looks agrarian. Where will we find mags, copper, and enough metal to create a g?” she pondered aloud. “Also, what’s our long-term goal here?”

  “Starting up the fires of industry, training people, and starting a means to out-tech Revarik. Cire, did you happen to examine my bag? Did the ptop survive?

  “Yeah I haven’t powered it up, and we have no means to produce power–yet. Why?” she asked.

  “There was also a copy of a maist’s handbook in there,” he replied with a grin. “You know how useful that’s going to be?”

  “A ptop with a survivalist guide to the apocalypse would be preferable, along with blueprints and instrus. But that’s a solid start. I left it in the apothecary, with what was left of your clothes. Your jacket got shredded when you grew wings." She wrinkled her face as she said that. "Sorry, wasn't trying to sound iive."

  He let out a sigh. “I know you weren't. I liked that jacket. Varrick, I think we make some improvements. Let’s go check out the smithy.”

  A few moments ter, Varrick swung the door open to the rustic smithy. The bottom floor had more of that stone sb–and rough-hewn timber that formed much of the structure, and more finely fitted wood fl that was well thought out. All around him were the tools of industry he’d need. Most of it was basic, but he could use it to build the steps of his pn to not die on this p. And maybe, make a lot of other people’s lives a lot easier.

  “Metal press. A stamp set. Some basic gages and calipers–these are very helpful,” he mused. It was a det maist shop–for now. “You have a fe that goes…how hot?”

  Varrick tapped it for emphasis. “Hot enough that I melt almost any damal I want. I also have a gestalt that helps with that,” he added coyly as he waved a small iron bar sto his hand, ner than a pencil. He tapped it, and the metal almost seemed to flow like a liquid, and he formed it into a small hoop.

  After a few seds, he bent it by hand aored it to the inal drical bar stock. “That’s easy with simple iron. More plicated alloys get tricky, bending it right. I have to feel it out by magical muscle memory. If you get my meaning.”

  "What does that do to the physical properties?"

  "Depending on my level of focus? I make the alloy reach states where I greatly improve the terength, and hardness." he flexed his haly, and spyed them out. "Dead steady hands. My gestalt takes some precision. small batches of metal I do pretty easily. Large batches, plicated geometry...that's tougher."

  “What estalts are there?” Shawn pondered as he tapped his beak–and flinched when it made a rather obnoxious hollow sound.

  “If you imagi, there’s a person who do it. Telga knows more about gestalts than me because she’s seen a lot,” Varriented and waved to the room. “I’m a simple guy, I build stuff that we need.”

  "You pn on utilizing the gestalts?" Telga echoed.

  "To make a stopgap for any crucial missing tech, yeah," Shawn answered. "I just he right people. This shop is...det, but you’re missing something crucial. Man, what I wouldn’t do for a Bridgepht now.”

  “A what, now?” Varrick added with a grunt.

  “A milling mae. A device capable of cutting plex shapes into various metal alloys or other materials. You use it to make fasteners, bolts, and all sorts of high-precision hardware. You produce parts at a rge scale, with a properly trained operator." Their i was on him, now, with the way they leaned in. "There are also some tools you make using an upgraded the, as well. The sky's the limit on what you make with both of them,” he added with an emergent smile. “I think if we use what we’ve got, a a metal supply, we build one, and start making some cool stuff. The thes could use an upgrade, too, to cut metal. That’s just a matter of more raw power, hooking them up to the hydropower, or building aric motor.”

  “What’s an eclectic motor?” Varrick posed casually. Shawn sighed softly at this notion. He would have to expin the electrical charge, what they could do with it, and the cept of eles...and Lorentz force. On sed thought, I o expin the bare bones minimum. I o see where the gaps in knowledge are--theirs, and my own.

  He chose to ahe short way. “A deviake a lot of on problems go away. If I build one, we could produce power for the town, and make this pce more livable, free up time to work other challenges. But, I admit, I o see some of the gestalts in a. Yours could be immensely helpful for what I have in mind. Other power sources to run a motor could be...helpful."

  “Mine? Haha. I use it thten pieces when I don’t hammer them true," Varrick said with a casual wave. "I didn't build orbital summer homes, let's say."

  Shawn smiled widely. “Well, those are a ways away, for now. I've got some ideas. The good kind. Now, as for your supplies. What do we have?”

  “We don’t have a lot of metal. There was a mi of here, a few hours' walk, but it's been abandoned for years.” Varrick let out a defting whistle. “Last I heard, it was abandoned due to some creepy crawlies taking up residehe first lesson you should learn is that your life end on Remaria, just like that.” He snapped his fingers for emphasis. “Know why?”

  “Regia said we aren’t oop of the food . Last night...proved that,” Cire chimed in while gng at the various fe tools, and the setup of the fe itself. “This is…not a bad setup. But get Shawn what he needs, I’m sure we work miracles. I help post-process some of the ores with the right chemicals. Some ores be broken down that way.”

  “Ah, you’re an alchemist by trade?” he mused.

  “No, chemist. Magieed not apply in our world. Or, so we were led to believe. Anyway, could you introduce us to who’s who around here?”

  “You met the healer, Chakra, already. I mean it’s not that big a town, but it’s bustling, for what it is," he added as he pointed a thumb over his wing.

  Shawn mulled the situation for a moment. Halsey, you take…notes?

  I’ve got a mind like a steel trap. What are you thinking?

  Once we’ve gotten the y of the nd, I want to get that mine running. He kept that thought to himself for now. They o start small. B

  He o replicate his powers in a trolled way, so he could make use of their full capabilities. “Varrick, let’s keep making the rounds. I’d like to meet the leads of the town. I’d also like to stop by the militia, and talk tia and Garrett, too.”

  AnnouMaking a magitech revolution isn't going to happen ht. But Shawn's got a chemist, determination, and magibsp;

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