The Power of Ten

Chapter 9-255: A Little Public Service +Gearporn II

Master Fred watched Traveler melt into existence over the Energized Seal, like a moonbeam passing over that had suddenly decided to take mortal form. He removed his foot from it, and she stepped off next to him smoothly.

All eighteen of the Clan Elders that had come to meet her were now at home with their families for the holiday, stupefying all of them. They had simply not expected anyone to be able to Teleport around the country like that, able to deliver them right to the doors of their own homes, or that anyone would even be willing to do such a thing.

The things she had talked about, of the changes coming to the world when the Shroud fell, meant their short-term plans looked terribly shortsighted indeed, and suddenly took on an immense and heavy gravity. Seeking profits under the old paradigm was just going to cost them immensely in the future with the changes that were coming.

But if they organized now, and plugged into the new networks that were starting to form first, they would have established ground and influence that could only build upon itself rapidly in the future.

Three of them had Blessings and were eagerly awaiting a chance to swear under the Jet and Silver.

Hank Blakhamar had already returned and reunited with his family to enjoy the festivities. Some of the spellcasters of the family were already looking in her direction hungrily, the light of potential secrets of power dancing in their eyes now that she was here.

Sama still had some Marks to pass out among her adoptive family, and was blas about Traveler passing out Blessings instead, as the interlink meant everyone ended up in the same space anyways. The two of them just shifted the easy chatrooms around to put all the family members together.

The effect such a thing could have on the future of the children could not be overestimated. A massive boost to a mental Stat with adults always around to help and teach and answer questions and get young minds involved in so many things so fast... it was going to change the world.

What did the Citybound want? Traveler asked him quietly.

-He wanted some advice on getting some multiple Pacts, it wasnt the City wanting a favor or two... although the City wants a favor or two.- He met her eyes, she rolled them knowingly, and he gave her what faint hint of a smile he could. -Master Quiffio doesnt like to travel, however. Hes been a Citybound so long that he hates leaving the city.-

Local spirits, then. He should go talk to some of the minor Spirits of the area. It will get him out of the city, help build harmony with the surrounding area, and make him even stronger in his home base, she followed his train of thought easily.

-That was my advice. Hes as strong as the city can make him, but it isnt strong enough to get him above third tier on his Wrath. Not sure if theres a city on the planet that can, actually.-

Ten million is a major threshold, but Detroit is getting pretty close; its just sprawled out so much its hard to consolidate properly. He remembered her saying that the population of Terra-Luna had been over seven billion at the time of the Fall, and there had been multiple cities of that size around that world... all now gone, of course, buried under the waves or populated only by beasts.

-Hes not the outdoor type, but the thing about it is, swearing to a local river or woods will make him one. He seemed to think that would be pretty cool. Hes very dependent on the city, and has realized he needs to be more if he wants to get to Seven.-

He didnt ask for a major Pact? She sounded kind of surprised.

-The last thing he wants is to get drawn into the Warlock conflicts and Divine rivalries. Hes got enough problems just protecting the people here and helping the city work.-

What problem did the City need help with?

-He said theres something in the river. Hes not Riverbound, so he doesnt dare go out and deal with it.-

Her brow furrowed ever so slightly. Sapient or bestial? she asked calmly.

-He thinks its a big fish or something.-

She reached up to his face, touching the eyes he closed automatically, and magic glimmered on them. Go do what you need to do. Her fingers teased his jaw open, and she touched the blackened tongue inside.

His mouth exploded with sudden awareness, as suddenly he could taste the sweetness of the air, the sweat on her fingertips, the cold salt on his own lips, and the textures in the air that always escaped him suddenly resolved into a world of scents, tastes, and odors of the cooking going on, and a dozen different kinds of exotic tobaccos and booze.

It brought tears to his eyes despite himself. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, savoring the magically-provided odor, bypassing nerves burned away long ago. The only thing he was ever able to smell was the last thing he had, the sickly-sweet odor of human flesh burning...

Hurry back.

Heavenbound served. She understood that searingly well, and never made demands of him that would compromise that. She also understood that he could certainly handle it without her... and he knew he was the person least likely to be missed from this gathering.

He nodded, light flowed across him, and he was gone, Sleipners Alicorn in his hand.

-------

His fifth Pact slot was active, but like his Fourth, it was a Floating Pact, tertiary and impermanent. Technically, so was his Third Pact, but giving up the Stormbound Pact from the Windgraf was not something he would do easily, even for a short time.

His Citybound Pact was tertiary, so he didnt really have the empathy with the cities and towns he passed through that true Citybound did. Indeed, unless they actually had an opening for a Warlock, hed receive little more than mutual acknowledgement from a settlements Spirit.

He probably should open a Landbound Pact, simply because the world was a lot bigger than cities, and he wasnt going to spending all his time around water. Landbound just seemed to get so full of themselves, and yet were always jumpy, considering who they represented. Talking for the entity whose skin you were living on was always a strange thing to be aware of, but did they think serving Heaven did not also show a true Warlock their place in the universe?

The smell of river water, damp, and decay filled his nostrils, and despite it being pungent, he welcomed it. It was such a small thing, but living in a world tasteless and odorless...

Her lips tasted pretty sweet, too.

He Rode the Light over out on top of the Missouri, and reached out with his Water Pact.

The California Gulf had been a bit irked when he didnt want a Local Pact with it, and the Elemental Pact instead. It had been a bit cowed by his two Alignment Pacts, however, and in the end, he was asking humbly, not proudly, although he could certainly have done so. There were no other Heaven-and-Hellbound on the planet, after all.

The Missouri and Mississippi were proud rivers, and there were a lot of Riverbound working both of them. Still, they always kept one or two floating Pacts, having found it was massively useful for getting favors out of passing Wavebound or dual-Pacted Heavenbound like himself, a large number of whom came out of the Great Lakes where they trained.

The Spirit of the river was naturally suppressed by the Shroud, given its size, but it still retained its awareness of foreign elements, given the agitation it was bringing the city along its shores here.

There was indeed something moving through the depths of the river that didnt belong there. It was big, powerful, fairly fast, and it was undead.

It was sticking close to the bottom of the river, instead of up near the surface, and wasnt getting too close to the shore... but he could sense that a boat that belonged to a fisherman of the city wasnt going to be getting back to the shore, and that event had alerted the city that something was wrong.

It was about a mile upriver, past the large ships and barges that frequented the commercial area, and closer to the personal docks and small craft of the residential areas.

---

It took him less than a minute to run and Ride the Light that distance, his eyes fixed below him and the view the Watersight hed been Buffed with gave him. He could see all the fish flying through the water below him, frogs, turtles, and of course endless amounts of junk deposited into the waters and slowly being eroded away.

The river didnt really care about just junk, of course, although pollutants would get a very quick reaction from it, which might well be terminal for the polluter if the Riverbound responding was fast and aggressive. Not many businesses dared pollute now, and the magitech for cleaning up wastewater, coolant discharges, and sewage was expensive but extremely effective now. Too many men who thought they could abuse the Waters and get away with it were dead for it not to be. It was one of the reasons that being on the board of trustees and speaking for the shareholders meant you could be taking your life into your hands... and those who you were representing, too. Nature Spirits didnt care about the legal separation of liability corporations were supposed to give people.

The water was muddy, of course, but that was just like looking through a dusty cloud, not really that thick unless you were trying to see things in the middle of the river.

He flicked up the Eyes of Heaven, just in case, and immediately got a ping towards the shore. He turned at the familiar cold, somewhat slimy feeling of necroic power and negative energy, and saw an old man sitting at the edge of a low dock, flicking his fishing rod out and looking back at the man standing out there in the middle of the water curiously.

GET AWAY FROM THE WATER NOW!

The Wrath of Heaven burned bright and golden as he swept Idiot out, the letters five feet high as they burned. The man blinked at him in shock as Fred swept a hundred and ten paces forwards, and now he could see the tail of the thing swaying as it moved forward.

A wako, a crocodile over sixty feet long, killed and reanimated by who knew what. Immune to the chill of the northern waters, it had swum north with the limitless endurance of the undead, and something had triggered it to make a stop here.

RUN!

This time the letters were ten feet high, and the man jerked at the sight of the burning sword, perhaps a ripple in the water, the way Freds eyes were staring down, not at him...

He almost fell backwards onto the dock, dropping his pole, and his skinny legs pounded down the dock as fast as they could take him.

The water began to foam, and as he ran up his walk towards the back door of his house, he looked back as something very big and heavy burst out of the water, massive jaws agape, surging after him-

Naturally he stumbled, tripped, and went down with a cry, missing the flaming arc that came up from behind the creature as the short dock exploded under its mass, landing on the land beyond in a surge of muddy water.

Idiot slammed down, taking all of Freds over half a ton of weight, adamantine punching through negatively-reinforced scales and bone and into the ground beneath.

Wrath lit up inside the massive skull as he drove Sleipners Alicorn with his other hand into its gaping and empty eye socket, and the unicorn politely unleashed Alicorn Lances with Wrath kickers once, twice...

The wakos mass and strength drove it forward even against the Sword driven into the ground, plowing a path of dirt and grass towards its victim. The massive jaws were gaping open to snap shut on the old man when Light shone within the creature, and the dripping jaws, the thick head beyond, and most of its stout neck blew apart in Wrath and ruin.

Master Fred breathed a sigh of relief. Little bits of river stuff were burning clean on the old fisherman, who was gaping at the headless carcass like a small hill, its tail extending out into the water over the ruins of his dock.

Holy shit! the old fellow managed to say, blinking at Master Fred, and, Fred knew, his nonesuch eyes.

ILL BURN IT AWAY AND FILE THE REPORT, he reassured the man. WHY DONT YOU GO ENJOY YOUR THANKSGIVING, SIR?

The old fellow sighed and breathed deep a few times, closing his eyes to calm himself. Thank you for saving me, sir! Youre still at work even on Thanksgiving... could we treat you to dinner, perhaps?

Fred recharged Sleipners Alicorn before starting the process of a full vivic burn, but replied with a sense of pleasure he hadnt had in some time, THANK YOU, BUT IVE ALREADY GOT RESERVATIONS FOR DINNER.

It had been many years since hed been able to say that...

=========================

It's time for Gearporn 2!... although I suppose Sleipner counts as Gear, NPC, Henchman, and Natural Companion all rolled into one...

SLEIPNER

Description: Sleipner is the spirit of a former unicorn herd stallion, slaughtered by an Illuminati necromancer and his spirit bound to his own Alicorn. His Alicorn is approximately eighteen inches long, and looks like polished black mithral with silver highlights. Five golden rings are affixed about it, enchanted to hold charges of Wrath. A sixth true Ring of Sustenance for his special existence has joined them recently.

Sleipner is not his True Name, but as the name of the mount of the king of the Norse Gods, he happily uses it for his own. As Master Fred noted, when hes going full out on his cycle, Sleipner has more legs than any unicorn, so it was the only reasonable thing to call him.

History: Sleipner does not know when he was murdered in human years. His skeleton was animated to serve as his corrupted body, and his noble spirit infected and enslaved to serve the necromancer for many years in torment and madness.

Master Fred ended up destroying that necromancer and Sleipners body in a knock-down, drag-out endurance fight that destroyed several buildings, a great deal more undead, and got Master Fred to Seven.

The first thing Fred did was take the inky, stained Alicorn and pour Wrath into it for twenty hours a day for a solid week, never letting go, even when the maddened unicorns Ego damage tore at him.

Bit by bit, day by day, the Wrath of Heaven burned away the negative energy of undeath, and restored the valor and power of the unicorns pure spirit. After a month, the unicorn was no longer in torment. After a full season, he could manifest smoothly, and displayed the ability to Possess and guide Master Freds motorcycle.

Six months after that, Master Fred took him to see his former blessing, the herd of unicorns he had once watched over and guided. Master Fred does not know what went down there, but Sleipner rode his motorcycle back out of that meeting, his full Alicorn powers restored, and has served as Master Freds friend, battle-partner, and mount ever since.

Stats: Sleipners Alicorn is effectively an object, and so has been Full-Tempered. Naturally bearing Hardness 15 and a +III Weapon, his Alicorn has been Hardened to 41, is Impervious (Hardness to 81, and Health to 160 or so). He cannot be made Indestructible without also fixing his power, and since he wants to keep growing, has not made that leap.

As an Alicorn, Sleipner does 1-12 damage if used as a stabbing hand weapon or mounted on a spear or lance, tripled if used when charging, and is considered a +III weapon above and beyond that. His Alicorn is considered a Good and Silver weapon for DR purposes, and since it is the focus of a true spirit, is effectively Ghost Touch and can harm incorporeal objects and enemies.

QL: Sleipners Alicorn has been refined repeatedly and is a legendary material, coming in at QL 40.

Invested Magical Powers: Sleipners powers have shifted slightly from when he was a unicorn, as his attunement to his Alicorn has made him a not-Natural being.

He constantly Detects Evil in a 240-foot radius, this range doubled in civilized/urban terrain. The Alicorn glows purple in the presence of poison, and holding it in hand grants a +4 bonus to saves against poison, Charms, and Hold spells.

He can call upon and Cast one non-Evil Cleric spell of his choice once a day, plus three Cure Lesser Wounds/Damage, three Cure Modest Wounds/Damage, and one Neutralize Poison spell a day by touch.

Once a day, he can also Dimension Door up to 360 yards, doubled if in an urban area, bringing someone along if he wishes to do so.

Sleipner can Possess and Animate to some extent any vehicle of the size of a sedan-sized car or smaller that he is attached to. He is unable to power it without fuel of some sort, however, although he can use a single dose of Wrath from his Rings to approximate a gallon of gasoline. His Drive Check is considered to be +27 for motorcycles, and +21 for other types of vehicles, making him one of the best drivers in the world.

He cannot Animate non-Vehicles, or objects that are not innately mobile.

The 5 Warlock Rings on him each hold one charge of Wrath from Master Fred, and can be recharged by simple contact, one Ring per round. Thus, they normally hold 5 11d6 shots of Wrath. They can also be expended to duplicate any Ward, Wrath, or Whim effects of the Heavenbound Pact, such as Angel Walking, if needed.

When Possessing a vehicle, Sleipners Stealth modifier applies to the vehicle. Furthermore, he is effectively Invisible at will while traveling on roads or in urban terrain, and makes no noise and leaves no trail.

Sleipner can Veilwalk, a mode of travel similar to Shadow-Walking, along roads, streets, and trails. While doing so, the effective amount of ground covered is multiplied by a factor of ten, meaning it is used to cover very long distances. He and any riders are effectively immaterial and invisible while Veil-walking.

Sleipner instantly knows where he is anywhere when traveling on an artificial road or when entering urban territory, cannot get lost in and can navigate such environments as easily as an open field. He can zip through a traffic jam, run stop lights, and flow through crowds and alleyways as easily as a Druid passes through natural terrain. Most City Spirits will instantly recognize and acknowledge him, and treat him as reverently as a forest does a Unicorn Herd Stallion.

His Visual Range is human standard, with darkvision to ninety feet. He cannot be surprised in urban terrain.

The Ring of Sustenance he wears now effectively provides unlimited fuel when he is attached to a vehicle, meaning he doesnt have to spend Wrath charges to power it, or rely on access to fuel or Master Fred riding him for standard operations.

Sleipners Alicorn can serve as a Warlock Scepter. If used that way with his permission, it is a +III Weapon, with the Good and Ghost Touch properties.

Sleipner has been enchanted to be able to unleash a Unicorn Lance attack as a ranged attack with a range of 40 yards. This attack does 1-12 damage, and outlines the foe in a Faerie Fire of silver hue for 1 round. It is typically added on to a ranged Wrath attack or Theurged together with another spell, or fires in conjunction with Freds Grit, adding to the force of the bullet, if he is mounted like a bayonet.

Sleipner can gain Karma and increase his own power if wielded while gaining the Karma, exactly like a Named Weapon. He can also oversee his own Investing as a magic item if supplied with proper magical fuel.

Ego: Int: 15 Wis: 18 Ch: 20 Ego score is base 23

Gold Value: As a magic item, approx. 90,000 gp.

Future Magical Powers: Sleipner wants to be able to move around and fight on his own. He is thus building himself up to acquire more powers.

Flying will enable him to fly on his own with a 90 movement rate, but it will not allow him to attack.

Dancing means that he can leave the hand of someone wielding him and fight within 5 of them independently, using his own base +20 to hit or theirs, whatever is higher (20 Dex, +12 AB, +III Weapon).

Ballistic means he can shoot himself at an enemy as a lance attack for triple damage, up to 120 yards, teleporting instantly back to the location he shot himself from if desired afterwards.

Increasing his Animate ability to beyond vehicles, to objects he can attach himself to. They must still be hinged or otherwise able to move, such as clockwork devices or automatons.

He also wants to add Blooding, Holy, and Enmity to Evil to his Weapon effects.

Ego: to 34.

Gold Value: +150,000, to 240,000.

Sleipners Cycle: Sleipners Cycle is a custom-made Hogler-Koch Gearworks Traveling Model, a motorcycle capable of limited adjustment of its wheels and axles, enabling it to shift from a sporty off-road form to a sedate touring form to a comfortable overland chopper style. The cycles normal top speed is approximately 300 mph, with an operating range of about five hundred miles on a full tank of high-octane fuel. Normally, it is fueled by Master Freds Wrath, or fed by Reserve magical power to the same effect, and has effectively unlimited range.

The bike has a gyro system that automatically corrects balance issues, and will automatically rebalance the cycle back to two wheels unless it is actively prevented from doing so. The shock system can take a fifty-foot fall without breaking the suspension (and Angel Walk typically nullifies such falls anyway).

The wheels are solid rubber, as the ghost of the unicorn basically smooths out the ride, and so air pressure is not needed. Within them are embedded cutting blades that double as lethal traction-grabbing blades. Getting rammed by what is effectively a spinning saw blade is base 4-24 18-20/x2 hit, with any damage from a charge, overrun, or trample added on top of it. Sleipner is totally capable of rearing his bike up and spinning around on one wheel to fight multiple opponents, too.

As an object, the cycle is considered Impervious while Sleipner is attached, so it is AC 23, Hardness 16, with 160 Health before it is unusable. He can heal the Cycle with his ability to Cure Damage.

The magical nature of its fuel tank can consume virtually any kind of combustible in an emergency. Sleipner has found himself with a fondness for really strong dwarven whiskey. Earthpower, burp!

The Cycle has an onboard Vaccine (cell phone), with all the computing power inherent to one, as well as a limited Holo projector. Sleipner usually communicates using the screen of his bike.

Later modifications included two ramjet engines, which require outside magical empowerment, but can send the motorcycle shooting up towards the speed of sound if there is a proper windbreak (like Master Freds Stormbound Aura).

As a Possessed Magical vehicle, as long as Sleipner stays within a foot of the ground, it counts as ground contact for leaving a Lived-Line for his riders.

Over very long distances on uneven surfaces with Master Fred, Sleipner tends to ride on a thin strip of a horizontal Ward Wall, effectively stretching it out infinitely beneath his tires. This actually consumes less energy than using Angel Walking to move through the air, and doesnt have the issue with waves when moving over water. He can also instantly turn the Ward Wall into ramps, curving walls to turn quickly, loop-de-loops, or whatever else is required.

Notes: Sleipner has both fallen far from his status as a lord of the forest, and risen up from a undead slave to a necromancer. While being a mount to something other than a holy virgin is generally considered below a herd stallion, being dead he is not bound by such restrictions.

Sleipner is intelligent, free-willed, and not bound or linked to anyone. That said, he and Master Fred have served together for many years, and know more about one another than anyone else living. Sleipner is painfully aware of the damage to his riders mind and soul, and actually serves as Master Freds sounding board for some of the things hes had to do, or must do, helping keep him on course and doing what he can for his riders nearly immovable heart.

Sleipner is cunning, intelligent, brave, and wise, and works very well with honorable people in teams and in tandem. He is aware that he doesnt have the full range of defensive and offensive abilities of a Senior Heavenbound, but he performs his support duties cheerfully and skillfully. The fact that he can roam all parts of the world now is something he greatly enjoys, and increasing his power like an intelligent Weapon has great possibilities for him. He has no ego as far as his role goes, knowing his job and performing it to the best of his ability.

Even without spending Wrath, Sleipner can be a terrifying opponent. A triple damage charge, razored wheels, overrun, and trample can be a disastrous opening move for any opponent. Even a lightfoot master isnt going to catch up with him when he goes full out, let alone when Veilwalking, and even airborne opponents are not out of his reach when Ward-riding... and definitely dont expect an airborne motorcycle to come charging them.

Master Fred, and Heavenbound Hall behind him, have promised Sleipner that they will release him from his binding to his Alicorn anytime he deems fit, and indeed, if he detonated all five of his Wrath Rings at once, he is assured of breaking it and sending himself off to his reward.

He has no desire to do so, especially with the Shroud out there.

He does not have the connection to nature that he did before, instead being drawn to places of science and technology, humming with the energy of mortal life instead of the quiet grandness of nature that he remembers. It is more frenetic and fast-paced, but that just means it is exciting, and there is more to see or do, especially as he travels the whole world, meets more and more City Spirits, and is recognized by them as he never was by the Land Spirits while living. The speed of his travel and the freedom it brings, and the ability to move about in public and see things he could not while living, also keeps him looking for more and living the life he has as best he can.

On Traveler: Sleipner could not be more familiar with the intersection of Good, Death, and Magic that Traveler is the Nexus of, and the dizzying speed of her improvement to a level hes never seen in mortals is dazzling. That she and Master Fred have grown so close is a cause of endless cheer for the unicorn, and her understanding, tolerance, and recognition of others only increases her esteem for her. If Master Fred were not around, he would happily serve as her ride.

On Sama: Sleipner can feel the incipient violence swirling around the hagblood, and the thick and heavy power of her bloodline building towards a truly supernatural level of might... as well as the stillness of the magic and the adamant strength of the Veil around her. Her very existence is a juxtaposition of the silence of magic and the savagery of physical violence, and Sleipner acknowledges that he is afraid of her, despite her definite goodwill, open-mindedness, and expansive mindset. She is just a bundle of raw violence ready to explode at any second, and the sheer fact she can control it so easily makes her all the more terrifying.

On Briggs: Purpose. It radiates out from the Ancient like a river, turning mortals and magic alike to his will. The Source walks the world as a burning king and a warlord, the Land trembling under his steps, heavy with grim determination, his path going forward, and that which stands in his way is going to be beat down so, so hard. The violet eyes are always plotting and planning, despite their steadiness, and when he moves into action, it is with energy and power completely belying his size and appearance. He is the first mortal that Sleipner has seen that he acknowledges as a King Among Men.

On The Mick: Ugh. The not-vampire is trying. He is moving away from the foul necromancy Sleipner loathes so much, and he cleaves to his friends and cleaves their mutual enemies without hesitation. He is entertaining in his own way, but Sleipner would truly hesitate to call him a friend. An ally, perhaps, but one still uncomfortably soaked in Blood, and by his heritage unable to escape it.

On Einz: Travelers intelligent Ring is a curiosity and not much more to the Unicorn, a young thing yet to see the world beyond the Eternal Conflict and Travelers endless Quest. It would be good for the Ring to see the Good that can come of life beyond triumph in violent battle, but it will doubtless not have time...