Chapter 57 – The Goliath Complication.

For someone who had grown up in the Outerlands, and seen more than their fair share of old world technology due to working with the son of a Channeller, to Fairweather Odinsphere was still very foreign. It was like the technology of the old world had decided to evolve while no one else was watching, coming to light again as something else, something well beyond what had been before. As something rather terrifying, and also entrancing, at the same time.

Mind you, Myne was also terrifying, her sheer presence and power able to put you on edge. Fairweather was still ill at ease around her, even with her aura dampened, though not as badly as when she’d first met her. She did her best to hide it though. Her rational thought knew that Myne meant them no harm, but the instinctual part still reacted, consistently giving her warning that should Myne wish it, she’d be dead in an instant.

Odinsphere expressed it in different ways though. She had glimpsed it before, on the few occasions that they had been in visual range of it, but by virtue of being so far away it hung in that space of disbelief. Real, but not, at the same time. The space of ignorance. She’d seen it sure, but there was no reason to even think about it. It was way over there, one of the wonders of the Outerlands that did, and had done for the last thousand years, absolutely nothing.

The hint was there of course when they’d first met Crystal, the cute little cat-fox that rode on her shoulder or ran around her feet. It wasn’t easy to notice, but once you knew it was there, there was no mistaking its presence. It was almost inconceivable, a complex fusion of delicate technology powered by mana. It gave off an aura that it was fragile, but she knew for certain that it was not. Something like that was not an accident. It was deliberate, immense power focused down on a small scale. Perhaps Kyla’s wolf would have cemented the impression of Odinsphere’s true nature earlier, but she hadn’t actually seen it, Fang absent the one time that she had met the Cat Feral. She’d just had the stories, things easily forgotten and put aside.

And now here they were, inside of the enigma itself, working with it and with a being that had been labelled as an Ancient by Rachael. Things of immense power. It was all rather surreal, like a dream. Walking on a knife edge, except you’re not actually sure where the edge actually is, and whether or not you’ve already cut yourself, your fate sealed.

When she wasn’t with Clocky she found it hard to relax. Both Arcane and the aspects of the Odinsphere were constantly watching them, aware of their every move. Just hopefully not their thoughts as well. What would happen if they made a mistake? Fairweather shuddered to even go down that route. The two defence bots in the hanger were the obvious warnings of it’s power, unnecessary given the existence of the Arkchildren, but not a real indication of what it was truly capable of. A weapon against the Demon King it had been labelled, and he was but a myth here now. They’d fought a lesser version of one, heard of Clocky’s previous experience with one, but it would be naive to think that Odinsphere didn’t learn from what had happened.

Then there was the open invitation to explore parts of the floating sphere, and part of her was actually quite keen. There was a lot to find and learn here, within whatever bounds it allowed. An opportunity that they may never get again, dependant on what it’s true plans were, what the future held for them all, and what their relationship with it ended up being like. But the shadow that hung overhead dampened that somewhat. It could well end up being a very long month.

Fairweather did suspect that Odinsphere feared Myne. She wasn’t quite sure why she felt that, but she had seen Myne in action, heard the tales of Velvet’s power, and while she had no idea who could bring to bear the greater power, she knew that irrespective the collateral damage would be massive. Damage that Odinsphere would be keen to avoid, at least at this stage. As to if that actually worked in the teams favour, she wasn’t sure. Myne worked to her own agenda, as she was right to do so, but right now for all intents and purposes, she was one of them. They would share her stigma, be it good or bad.

Fairweather’s thoughts were interrupted as Saylin stretched out on the sofa, yelling out to the room in general. “Hey Arcane, can you fix Abigail’s transformation?”

She knew that they’d discussed Arcane as a potential option, but even still she was surprised by the outburst. There was a time for everything. Mind you, Saylin was never one for protocol.

Saylin’s hand was freshly bandaged, Abigail sitting against her Grazeye and sipping from the glass of blood that Saylin had given her. Myne had been right that Saylin’s blood would work for her, it’s side effects considerably less than what Myne’s had caused. Fairweather did wonder why that hadn’t been suggested in the first place, but she suspected it was because Myne’s blood had been needed to stabilize or change her in some way first so that her lovers blood would then work. It was a nice theory at least.

There was an uneasy stretch of silence, before the Ancient deigned Saylin with a response.

“She was created with another’s power. They will have to be involved.”

It didn’t take much to read the rest of what Arcane didn’t say.

“Bah.” Saylin rolled over, a sour look on her face. Fairweather could understand how she felt. Abigail’s life was on the line, and waiting was like torture for Saylin. She really did love Abigail. Fairweather could see that as plain as day, and she was pretty certain that it was mutual. Fortune had smiled on her at last, even if it was in a rather strange way.

Clocky strolled into the common room, sinking into the sofa beside her. Fairweather snuggled up to him, and gave him a hug. He needed it, the stress easy to see, his body relaxing a bit under her embrace.

“Took long enough,” Saylin moaned, rolling back over.

“Did it help?” Fairweather asked, ignoring Saylin. “Your mind any clearer?”

“Not really,” Clocky answered with a half smile. “Just got harassed by the birds. They’ve realised that their home is moving and that they’ll need a new one. The other side of the sphere isn’t really a better option, and I’m not sure if the aspect’s would appreciate a colony of them making their home in the hanger. Not that it is our job to prevent that.”

Fairweather chuckled at that thought. And also at the image of a defence bot trying to clear them out. They were certainly not built for that kind of delicacy. But given that Ashling and Light were coming and going from there as well the moment she couldn’t see them taking the chance.

“Irrespective, we’ve got to do something about The Watch.” he said, massaging his temples and sighing.

“Could Odinsphere go around the village?” Vorsce asked. “Like what the girls are doing at the moment, but on this leyline instead? Create some anchor points, and redirect the flow around the outside?”

“--According to our data, their current method only takes part of the leylines power, the remaining staying within its usual confines. So any circumvent would only be a portion of the power, not enough to be travelled upon, and could also result in the main flow becoming too weak. There is also the potential that the anchor points would not hold with the added strain if we did travel along them, which would have inconvenient consequences.--”

“So in other words a bad idea.” Clocky looked thoughtful. “Even with the additional flow from the other leyline?”

“--Yes. It is inferior to this one. Not all leylines were created equal.--”

“If there are more lines around, is it possible for them to feed multiple ones in?”

“--Of course. All that we are limited by is the range that the Maidens can pull the leylines across. Finding them will also require additional scouting with reconnaissance models.--”

“A task perhaps for another time.”

“Is the sudden surge of power and increase in density going to have an effect on the residents of the town?” Fairweather asked, voicing her worry. They’d been unable to enter the Nexus Temple itself due to the density, and while their cities were often built on leylines, especially with channellers around, their exposure to the leylines themselves was usually rather limited. However here the citizens would be in the thick of it.

“--Unknown. We do not have that kind of data.--”

“Unattuned mortals are not compatible with high mana density.”

“Hmm. They may well already be feeling the changes. There will already be more flowing through the village than normal. How long do we have before Crystal and Rachael complete the next merger?” Clocky queried.

“They left a few hours ago,” Fairweather mused. “Last time it took them most of a day, but this time it’s a bit more involved, and I believe the distance is greater? I don’t think they’ll continue through the night. Perhaps place the anchor points, return and resume tomorrow? It’ll leave them in a better shape too.”

“--Spectre confirms that analysis. Estimates put it between 3pm to 6pm tomorrow, based on their previous performance, subject to change with the effect of the anchor points.--”

That was a rather precise measurement of time, and while Fairweather was aware of the measurements, most people didn’t keep track of it in that way any more. Clocky had explained it to her at one point, along with the various methods of working it out outside of resurrected tech, but the relevance was long gone, along with the necessity, outside of certain circles of people. Late afternoon would suffice fine for her.

Having said that, there was a clock on the wall of the living area that did proudly state what the time was in large bold numbers.

“Any idea of the range of the effect? How far we’d have to move the residents away from the village to keep them safe.”

“--Leyline 73402 has a minimum width of 0.5237km at our current position, with a bleed of 0.6244km, at a 60% depreciation. Current boost to density is 24% at a 60% daily decay. Anticipating an additional boost of 42% at a 35% decay due to anchors.--”

“In simpler terms?” Fairweather asked.

“Get them about half a kilometre away from the edge of the village and they should be fine,” Saylin stated as she rolled over again. “The density will be around normal by that point. They’ll only need to stay out of it till Odinsphere is overhead, due to its consumption.”

“--Yes, she has it correct.--”

That on the other hand did surprise her. Not the result, but Saylin’s understanding of what Odinsphere had said.

“Will the increase in mana density have any impact of the village itself? Like the buildings etc.”

“--Unknown. We do not have that kind of data.--”

“Time we had a look at the Skimmers then,” Clocky declared, straightening up.

Fairweather smiled, standing up. She couldn’t deny that she was curious about them.

---

Fairweather was actually surprised that they’d taken so long to look at them. They’d been given permission, but being wary and all, and with Myne and the dragons around, there hadn’t been a good reason to do so. However Myne was with Crystal and Rachael, all of the dragons in tow, so without the use of the skimmers they were stranded here. Vorsce was with them, Saylin and Abigail having stayed behind in the living quarters. Saylin had stated that there was no way that she was going to get into a devil machine, but if the need arose she was sure that they’d be able to get her aboard one. Abigail would make a convincing argument.

“So, which one are you going to have a look at?” Vorsce queried as they stood at the end of the hanger, the two rows stretching out on either side.

Fairweather’s ears twitched as she looked them over. “We’re going to need to make an impression...”

“Aye, they’ll all do that. As would Light or Ashling,” Vorsce commented.

“Without terrifying them first,” Clocky said as they started walking along the hanger.

They were certainly spoilt for choice. Each of the skimmers looked to be unique, their styles wild and different. Which had it’s own problems. If she chose one based purely on looks, and then they managed to significantly damage it, they’d have lost the nicest of the lot. Ignoring what Odinsphere’s reaction would be. But if they were picking purely on practicality, then she really had no clue. Fairweather sighed, stopping in front of one.

“This one?” Clocky asked.

It looked to be about the size of the van that they had acquired from Bowser’s hit squad, but with smooth curves instead of sharp angles. Tinted glass covered a good portion of the front of it, and it had two pairs of short stubby wings on either side, set at different heights for whatever reasons. A large engine like device was set on the top of it at the back, and the entirety of the underbody looked to be translucent blue plates. The outer body of the skimmer was coloured an ocean blue, with the designation CV122-4 printed on the doors.

Fairweather nodded. “It looks as good as any.”

Unlike the vehicles of Brightswater, the skimmer did not appear to have any door handles or way to open the door. There was however a small panel beside the door, not unlike the one at the hanger door, though without any showing lights. After giving it a quick look over, Clocky placed his hand on the panel.

“Let’s see if I can work this out,” he stated, a look of concentration on his face.

After a few moments the panel lit up, the door to the skimmer opening with a swoosh. “Hmm. Myne made it look so easy,” Clocky said as he stepped back.

The interior of the skimmer was not what she’d had expected. Given that it was a vehicle, she had expected to see a steering wheel and pedals, but in front of the pilot’s seat was just a dashboard like screen, its glossy surface blank and dark. On the ends of the arms of the pilot’s seat were two small blank panels. Six more seats were spaced in pairs behind the cockpit, and then the back of the skimmer was an open space, probably for cargo, which would also imply that it had a rear door.

Clocky sat down in the pilot’s seat, stretching his arms experimentally, and making himself comfortable. Fairweather stood beside him, watching with interest, Vorsce on his other side. Putting his hands on the seat’s panels, his face took on the look of concentration again.

“SYSTEM 122 BOOTING...”

The panels flared to life, the ones under Clocky’s hands glowing a soft teal, while all manner of symbols images appeared faintly on the larger one, under the bright image of of a bar, the inside of it fluctuating rapidly between red and green and occupying anywhere been a third to all of it.

“ERROR. CORE BATTERY EXPIRED.”

“ERROR. POWER LEVELS UNSTABLE...”

“PLEASE CALIBRATE SECONDARY POWER SOURCE.”

Clocky pulled his hands back, the panels returning to their inert blank state.

“Was that you?” Fairweather asked.

Clocky nodded and sighed. “Yup. Supplying mana to an external source is completely different to using it internally or for reinforcement. It’s hard to keep it consistent and it requires quite a bit of concentration. I have no idea how I’ll power it and fly it at the same time.”

“Did Merianne have similar issues when channelling the leylines?” Fairweather asked, curious if it was the same.

“Yes and no, from what I recall. Like all channellers, she has tools to help her focus and control the amount of power used, but it is like second nature for her. Like me calling the magic for my sixth sense. Instinctual. She has had decades of experience though, like Myne will have with her magic. A few weeks is nothing in comparison.”

“We can but try,” Fairweather said with an encouraging smile.

They spent the better part of what remained of the day experimenting with the skimmer, trying to get a feel for the amount of power they feed into it and studying the controls. After a couple of hours Clocky had managed to get to a point where he could maintain a reasonably stable level of power to the vehicle, enough so that it declared that it was operating at 75% capacity, but the level of concentration required meant that he wasn’t able to put his focus anywhere else, for example, even attempting to understand the controls. Both Vorsce and Fairweather also had a go, not fairing any better, both only able to get it to about 60% power once they had managed to stabilize their feeds. Fairweather felt as though she was stuck deep under water as she supplied the mana, the pressure and drain on her body immense. While she could see the panels flare to life, she ended up just closing her eyes in order to focus on keeping the flow consistent. It gave her a new appreciation for the abilities of Channellers and what they were able to achieve, though she did guess that the process and side effects were probably quite different given that they were using the ambient mana rather than their own.

It was also a little disheartening, given that Odinsphere had said that they were all capable of using the skimmers, and yet here they were struggling. Mind you, it had probably just judged mana levels and not ability to use that mana nor competence with technology. As she had heard said, just because you have something, doesn’t mean that you have the ability to use it. She would learn how to use her magic fully though. She wasn’t going to let the gift go to waste.

That they all took turns did mean that they all got a chance to study the panels. By the time they had stumbled back into the living quarters Clocky was certain that he had a rough understanding of what some of it meant, but that of course did not translate into competence in actually flying a skimmer. Crystal, Rachael and Myne also returned around that time, the two girls looking exhausted, but not as shattered as the previous time.

“Success?” Fairweather asked as she collapsed onto one of the sofas, curling up like a cat, head on Clocky’s lap.

“Yup,” Crystal replied, fishing some food put of the fridge. “Anchors placed, and the flow seems stronger than last time. We’ll know for certain in the morning once it has stabilized somewhat.”

“Still a massive amount of work moving them,” Rachael added, taking the food that Crystal handed her. “We did wonder if it would be any easier with the assistance of a Channeller, but that would have its own complications. Your end?”

Clocky shook his head. “I think we’re going to need to sleep on it.”

“--Some unforeseen complications have arisen with respect to the Skimmers. The knowledge that they were designed under the assumption of has long gone, and part of their construction may be hindering more than helping. Your experiments have provided us with invaluable data however. In return, we shall provide what assistance we can with respect to them. Assuming that you are willing to accept it.--”

“We shall see what form it takes and take it from there,” Clocky answered.

“--Very well. As you said, sleep on it.--”

“Are we little more than lab rats to you all?” Saylin questioned, still lounging on the sofa, Abigail dozing against her. Fairweather did wonder if she’d actually moved at all in the time that they’d been away.

Unsurprisingly neither Odinsphere nor Arcane answered Saylin.

“I have no doubt that there is a lot going on that we are not privy to,” Clocky said, leaning back into the sofa. “Trust however is earnt, and I don’t see our paths diverging anytime soon.”

---

Fairweather woke in the pitch darkness to find a faintly glowing pair of eyes staring at her from the bedside table. Startled, she hissed at it, the flames on her ears growing in intensity, the shadows of the creature dancing on the wall. It had somehow snuck into their room while they slept, even with the cat-foxes on watch over the sleeping area.

Which hopefully implied that it wasn’t hostile. She doubted that the Arkchildren hadn’t seen it, rather they had let it pass. Shifting herself into a seating position, and trying not to disturb Clocky who was still sleeping beside her, she took a better look at it. Just like a cat, her vision was actually fairly decent in low light, an aspect of her new race, her flames providing the necessary, albiet ghostly, light.

It was cute, triangular ears, pointed snout, and a sleek body that was made up of many tiny intricate interlocking scales. It sat on the top of the bedside table, it’s tail wrapped around in front of it. An Arkchild in the shape of an adult red fox. There was no way that this one would be riding on anyone's shoulders, as it was easily twice the size of Spectre.

“How did you get in here?” she asked, reaching out to give it a pat. “And who do you belong to you?”

‘I am the promised assistance, a gift for you.’ The voice was cheeky and mischievous, speaking directly into her mind. She had expected that though, from what Crystal and Rachael had said of the cat-foxes.

“In what way are you the assistance?” It did after all, look just like a fox.

‘I can interface with the Skimmers systems, and aid you in piloting it. Like Kitsune and Spectre I am a reconnaissance model, but with some bonuses. There is also something here for your lover as well, a tool and a symbol.’

“What do you require from me then?”

‘To bond with me, with your magic. Claim me as your own. I am at the moment just running off residual magic.’

“And tether myself to Odinsphere? Seems like there is more benefit to it than me.”

‘You would not be bound here, any more than the Maidens are. Arkchildren belong to those they are bonded with, such is the agreement brokered by Librarian. We provide and share data with Odinsphere, but you even have say in that. You are already aware no doubt that both Spectre and Kitsune have been largely refusing to data-sync for the last little while.’

“How is it that you know that?” Fairweather was well aware of that, as they had discussed it, but this little one seemed rather knowledgable.

‘It was deemed prudent that I was given all relevant data before being gifted to you.’

She couldn’t deny the appeal. It was cute, and there was something about having a bonded companion like what Crystal and Rachael had. It also presented a rather convenient solution to the issue of getting down to The Watch. Yet, it could well be them playing into Odinsphere’s hands, not to mention that the city sphere was the cause of the complications in the first place. Given that the leylines could be moved, would it not be possible to do some shuffling and make a temporary point with enough power for the ritual? Perhaps it wasn’t, but they were all certain that there was other agendas going on as well.

Trust was earnt though.

“You’re already bonded with me, aren’t you,” she then stated. It was very faint, almost non-existent, but she could feel it.

‘Yes, but only via a temporary connection, which will fade in a couple of hours. That was Arcane’s doing, so that we could talk.’

Fairweather sighed. “Can I make the decision in the morning?”

‘Yes. The choice is entirely yours.’

“Then I will sleep on it.” Fairweather shuffled back down into bed, covering herself in the blankets and snuggling up close to Clocky, arm over him and enjoying his warmth and scent. She then closed her eyes, trying to fall back to sleep.

---

Half an hour later she rolled back over, stretching out her arm to the fox, her fingers brushing over its scales, still warm to the touch. Concentrating, she sent some of her magic into it, the Arkchild eagerly taking the magic and making it its own, Fairweather feeling the bond between them instantly becoming stronger and permanent. It’s eyes lit up a fiery orange as it fully came to life.

‘Thank you,’ it said to her, its mental voice filled with gratitude.

“You’re welcome, Hope,” Fairweather murmured, as she rolled back into Clocky.