It took a second to comprehend her question and that she shouldn’t know about it. Still clad in my personal cloud, I looked over to her, feeling my brows furrow.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, relatively sure I never told her about my connection. But I did tell quite a few natives about learning from the Grandmother, including a reasonably full tavern in Kolyug.
“There was a thread, about so town nad Kolyug being under siege, incredible stuff. And then, so woman appeared, single-handedly broke up the siege in a matter of seconds and apparently said sothing about her disciple being attacked. So people claid said disciple being you.” Dargira explained, her voice getting more excited with each word.
“No, I haven't seen the thread, things have been a little busy lately. If you would excuse , I think I need to take a look.” I told her, giving the others a short look before triggering the log-out process, returning to my ho-space.
Setting the ti-compression to a floating value, allowing to act as fast as my brain could process information, I took a second to look down upon the clouds, from the cliff-top temple I had built in my ho-space. It was a gorgeous view, making part of ache to fly for myself, to taste that limitless freedom. But after a few monts, I moved into the library, with the ancient-looking computer, including a cathode-ray monitor the size of a small car. It was a pure affectation, the computer was as simulated as everything else, but there was a part of that saw humour in using a computer that looked older than I was myself.
Logging into the forum, I started looking for a thread about Kolyung, quickly finding it. I had read an earlier thread by the opening poster and given my opinion on the events around Kolyug but this one was new. Watching the videos, I was impressed, whoever that Spellcaster was, he had so skill. Those fiery monsters were tough and seed to be controlled in so way, making assu that the bear we had fought was a failed experint, to be disposed. But maybe still monitored, if he had found my hair and used it to strike at . Or soone else had attacked , which was possible but I thought was less likely.
Not that it really mattered, the last video was an impressive one, the Grandmother demonstrating that she was one incomprehensible woman. I couldn’t even begin to guess how she had treated those small nuts to do what they did.
On the other hand, what the spellcaster did looked a lot simpler and gave a few ideas. To , it looked like he had implanted those monsters around him with Eternal Ember, giving them abilities similar to those of the bear we had fought. But at the sa ti, he was still able to draw upon that power for himself allowing him to use a lot more energy than he might be able to harness normally, similar to my Overflow but using outside energy, not just what you had within you. It hadn’t helped him against the Grandmother, making wonder why he had fought at all, but that was a question I couldn’t even begin to investigate.
After that video and a theory that I was the disciple, thanks to sothing I had told a caravan-guard, the thread exploded a little. Old theories about , being a plant for Pantheon-Entertainnt resurfaced and things devolved from there.
Stories about a being called the Grandmother were reported from various Travellers playing in the north, so simple tales of her helping a single person, others making her out to be a nearly mythical figure, akin to a force of nature. So stories made her out to be the kindly, helpful Grandmother that gives valuable advice, alongside tea and cookies, other stories had a darker the, speaking of a malevolent force that could only be avoided and hidden from. anwhile, the natives of Kolyug rembered the tale I had told in the inn, retelling and apparently embellishing it, especially my involvent with the Grandmother, and the few Travellers in town were lapping it up, adding fuel to the raging dumpster-fire that the thread had beco.
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For a mont, a brief, short mont, I considered involving myself but the prospect of the massive headache that would be made reconsider almost as fast. Nothing good would co from arguing with people on the internet.
Instead, I took the ti to take care of a few necessities in the real world, before logging back into Road to Purgatory. I had been gone for maybe an hour, their ti, most of which had been spent outside the capsule, in the shower. It was another interesting question, regarding the capsule’s ti compression and what it would do to society. If a person could work at a four tis accelerated ti-fra, thanks to the capsule, and was working all that ti, would they get paid at the accelerated ti, for the work done, or would they get paid the outside-world ti, regardless of their accomplishnts? I had a feeling that so companies would love to have employees that they could put into a capsule, no need for any real office-space, and get twice out of virtually every employee or even eight tis the hours out of soone like ? I felt a small headache at the idea of auditing so of the financial records, when suddenly a work-day of more than twenty-four hours was not clear and easy indication that sothing was fishy but could be legitimate.
On Mundus, nothing had really changed, the others had eaten so more from the picnic-basket the dwarves had made them, the sun had moved a little in the sky but that was it. Dargira was still there, trying to talk to Adra and Rai, who seed to be rather uninterested in the conversation. Their focus shifted to when I re-appeared and Dagira brightened a little.
“You are back! Please tell who the Grandmother is, you have to know, don’t you?!” she asked sounding excited again. Before I could even begin to answer, not that I really knew what to say, she looked over to Adra and, in an accusing voice, told that my companions had declined to tell tales.
“I am not sure I can adequately describe the Grandmother. Suffice to say, she is an elder Power of the region and taught quite a bit about magic. And that is all I’m willing to divulge, I really don’t want her mad at .” I admitted, feeling a shudder run down my spine at the idea. I had no illusions about distance being a shield from the Grandmother’s ire, especially not while I was carrying a gift from her with , a gift that had been penned by her own hand and enchanted by her magic. If hair was a good link, an active magical effect should be even more potent, at least in my understanding.
“And why did she help you?” Dagira pressed, causing one of my eyebrows to quirk up.
“Do you an why she taught ? Or do you an why she appeared in Kolyug?” I asked in return, causing Adra to fully focus on .
“What do you an, appeared in Kolyug?” she asked, her voice relaxed but curious. Before I could answer, Dagira piped up, maybe hoping that volunteering information to Adra would make Adra willing to divulge information in return, similar to the ga I had played with her a few nights ago.
“The Grandmother appeared in front of Kolyug and wasted so Firemage who was besieging the city with fire-monsters. Didn’t you fight one of them, Morgana ntioned sothing along those lines.” she explained, causing Adra to nod.
“Yes, we did fight one strange fire-bear for the Adventurer's Guild in Kolyug. Didn’t you ask the Grandmother for help, right after you’ve been attacked?” Adra asked, sounding very relaxed, as if the sun had put her almost to sleep. Dagira’s eyes, in contrast, got wide as dinner-plates, flickering between Adra and .
For a mont, I considered to play it off but decided against it. No reason to, really.
“Yes, I did, but I had no idea she would react like that.” I admitted, causing Dagira to fully focus on .
“You are saying that she went to Kolyug because you asked her to?” she asked, sounding almost incredulous. I could almost see the gears in her head turn, form conclusions, wondering if I had so sort of ultra-powerful backer that I could use to lay waste to any enemy I wanted. The idea that the Grandmother was obeying anyone but her own whim was ludicrous, causing to chuckle.
“Well, I told her about being attacked, yes. Why she reacted how she did, I have no idea. Might have been boredom, might have been that I asked on a Tuesday, might have been that the sunset was particularly pretty, no idea. I have no authority over her. I doubt that even the Gods of this world can claim such authority.” I admitted, rembering so of the exchanges I had with the Grandmother.
Dagira deflated a little at that and our talk switched to easier, simpler topics. Topics like our accommodations.
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