Chapter 23-2 That Which Lurks (I)

Chapter 23-2 That Which Lurks (I)

To successfully breed a dragon, you need two groupstwo populations: one to be placed in stasis as a party ignorant to the outer world, and the other to operate as their exposure.

This, more than anything, is the most reliable way to engender a zeitgeist.

To this end, most farms exist in a closed society children or ignorant people separated from other outside influences from birth or via mental adjustment. They must be in such conditions for at least five to seven years before the exposure group is introduced.

[SPECIAL NOTE: THE METHODS ONLY TAKE EFFECT WHEN ONE HAS PARTIAL ACCESS TO THE CHRONO-CURSED BIOLOGY OF THE SANG]

The members of the exposure group must always meet the criteria of being mentally stable and homogenous among themselves. If they offer too many contrasting influences or concepts, the stasis group might fragment in several directions, resulting in cultural dissolution rather than zeitgeist formation.

As such, it is also important to have a division of Necrojacks on duty at all times. Dreams and thoughts must be monitored. Wrong-think is to be corrected before it can spread.

When things are planned, the initial material can be harvested from existing dragons and seeded into the stasis group.

The foundation will condense after approximately a week, and the spinal tissue of the wyrm will spread into form between the carriers. After about a months time, the structure will be stable enough for further injections of material. During this process, cultural development and history made in these small communities will nourish the dragons and bring them to maturity

Only then can the desired symmetry be establishedcan a group come to a shared expression of culture, and the seeds of dragons embedded with them grow linked from points of past to present

-A Primer of Breeding Dragons, 01:35:55 (No-Dragons)

23-2

That Which Lurks (I)

[Kae]--

Attempt number nine, Kae said, speaking out loud for posteritys sake. Verbal notes were essential for review. Ghosts spilled out from the surrounding walls to embrace her, threading ethereal trails through her Metas accretion.

Information ran like a current from her mind, accelerating through all the haemokinetic arteries fused into the city of light as if they were copper. After the modifications Avo made, there was little she couldnt see or command inside the cityor in the lighthouses and installations beyond.

Seated within an enclosed watchtower rising from the enclave like a spire, phantoms formed a wall of screens around her, created from mem-data collected by Specters and Skimmers monitoring the world outside. A mere thought was all it would take for her to cast her perception across kilometers. The Sunderwilds surrounding the city was a cloudless, mist-wrought expanse. Creatures still writhed in the dark, held at bay by beams of light refracted via modifications Draus made to the lighthouses.

Three hundred meters above the ground and with the surrounding walls translucent, Kaes optics took the environment of the Sunderwild in manifold ways as she primed the next pair of missiles for launch. Lines of data spilled across her vision as her Neurodeck and Metamind worked in tandem.

Overview:->Missile Type: Universal; Non-Newtonian; Neumann-Capable

->Model: Teardrop-VI

->System Readiness: 100%

->Propulsion Online: Cosgrave-Interial

->Launch Readiness: Operational

->Navigation System: Online

->Ansible Link: Stable (No disruptions detected)

->Launcher Charging

OVERVIEW

->[HARVESTSEC RETRIBUTOR]

->BLOCK-BREAKER-PATTERN WARHEAD

->SYSTEM LOADING 55%... 100%->PROPULSORS ENGAGING: [MADACK-REACTIONLESS]

->GHOST-LINK ESTABLISHED

->METAMIND PAIRED

->JOCKEY INSERTED

Another two perspectives opened in her minds eye. One was a missile of the coldtech variety. Something Voidwatch used as a multifunction asset, capable of acting as a survey drone, missile, and a colony construction unit.

The other was its thaumaturgically made, but informationally simpler, counterpart created by Highflames HarvestSEC weapons manufacturing subsidiary. For the last nine or so times, the tests were singular launches, with each missile offering a baseline of mem-data to collate. Now, she wanted to do a comparison.

A weapon meant to operate in the so-called natural world against a rival forged by the fires of thaumaturgy.

Both missiles were positioned just below the enclave, planted upon panels of glass. There were innumerable others besides them, stored for now in Draus Paracosmos. Presently, they had over five hundred warheads and one Voidwatch ferro-fabricator in their possession. In time, their munitions were certain to multiply.

For now, however, Kae was more interested in putting knowledge into practice. Advanced physics was such a fascinating thing. The terrestrials had learned much during their timeprojectiles were a fundamental of war, after all, but Idheims interactions with the foundational laws left different cultures and scholars to differentand often incorrect conclusions.

{Thats not how things work,} Kant lamented. {Its just not.}

Calvino concurred. {We live in dark times. Its best not to devote too much processing power to this.}

The Teardrop itself climbed in speed at a staggering rate, but it lacked the raw reality-defying explosiveness infused into the Retributor. However, as they both ran beyond the cover of light, tunneling into the hunger black that lay beyond, another difference was revealed.

Creatures of tooth and shadow tore into the Retributor immediately as passed into the darkness. Its rail-launcher fired again, but a tsunami of hunger monsters blunted its speed and swallowed it from existence. The ghosts fragmented as the missiles locus was lost.

Meanwhile, the Teardrop splashed into the fog of black and immediately began shifting on its sides. Jets of propulsive force allowed it to twist and weave in awkward directions. For one secondtwoand three it lasted, threading gaps between the creatures. Then, the light grew too dim and it was taken as well.

Signal Lost

Ghost-Link Lost

Very interesting, Kae said. I will be interested in seeing if exposing voidtech to thaumaturgy can change its inherent properties. Is it re-creation that allows such naked defiance of physics? Hmmm discrepancies in gradual acceleration. Fixed air friction for the Retributor.

There was so much she had to go over.

+So+ Marlowe interrupted. +The Highflame missile won the race?+

What? No. Its not supposed to be a race. I was trying to see how certain factors in our physical environment can affect the speed of a projectile. That, and Aegis wont let have any of their relativistic weapons.

{The answer continues to be no, Agnos,} Kant said. {The last thing we need is you people launching mountains or continents at near-c speeds. Youre too young to be trying the Lensmen special.}

Kae didnt quite understand the last part. Probably just some other law named after a dead ancestor. A pity. She would have made a Heaven capable of much more than just slamming two masses together. Fine. But I already have an idea; Avo, I require a Heaven of Speed.This incurred the ghouls approval as he let out a hiss of pleasure. +Whats the concept.+

Two concepts. The first is an intertial-inverter. If I can properly narrow down relations between two bodies in motion, I think I can create a canon that allows a Heaven to tear the speed from all entities traveling in its vicinity. A simpler concept is affixing. Something we can even do with a golem. A Heaven sets a speed limit. All others caught in its wake must follow. Perfect for paradoxing rival Godclads with Domains of Speed.

+Like Shotin,+ Avo said.

+What? That can fuck over Kazahara?+ Marlowe snorted a laugh. +Fuck yeah. Do it.+ A beat followed. +He was screwing my mom. And dad. At the same time. They got divorced.+

The Agnos sympathy toward the other FATED suddenly spiked. Oh. Oh.

+Yeah,+ Marlowe said. That was all she needed to say. +Anyway. Cancan I get an interview with you or something?+

+Signing on already?+ Avo asked, sounding bemused.

+Oh, fuck you, fang-face. You dont whisk a girl away with your bullshit mind-powers, show her your hidden enclave, evil genius Agnos, and humanitarian counter-Guild op, and expect her to stay out. W-what do you even call this place, anyway? The base? The city unseen? Outer haven.+

+Outer haven,+ Avo said, considering the title. That did sound interesting

+Avo.+ Draus voice interrupted all of them. Across the splinters, the Regular cast her near-term memories. Currently, she was holding a dead worm-snake hybrid that was somehow fused to her right eye. +Might have eyes on somethin interesting here.+

He grunted in reply. +Be with you in a moment.+ His attention turned back to Kae as he paused in consideration. +Done for the day? Or more to do?+

Always more, Kae replied. But I was planning on taking a break and getting some water and food

+Good. Can show Marlowe the city while I convene with Draus.+

+What?+ Marlowe said, sounding almost offend. +I want to see more of the Sunderwilds.+

+No. Seeing is part of the reason why Draus lost her eyes. I dont have a sheath right now. No eyes to lose. You do. Going to be birthing bioforms from sockets if I take you.+

+...You know what, I like Kae more than you anyway.+

Avo laughed.

Agnos to tour guide in record time, Kae muttered.

+No. Host. Just show her the city. The dragon farm mainly. What were trying to do with the people. Rest is up to you.+

Any reason why your subminds cant take over?

+Ones busy with Rab. Reva has issues. Another is with Kare. Shes heading to meet her uncle. Going to see if we can get more than one recruit today.+

+What? What are you+ Marlowe began. Avos cognitive presence in Kaes mind lightened. +Doing. Fuck. Rude. Does he always just up and leave like that?+

Dont mind him. Hes easily distracted by new and interesting things. You had your time.

+Fucking double ow. First I get dumped by a ghoul and now the supposedly mind-fried Agnos is launching trauma patterns at me. I think I might change my mind. Hells, I might even cry.+

Kaes lip twitched. Despite her misgivings about the woman, there was one thing she had to admit: Cala Marlowe had a certain easy-going charm to her. That, she most definitely couldnt deny.