Luca DR
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Edge of apocalypse 67
🕑 Added 2023-06-18 14:39:14 +0000 UTCThe car ride seemed to stretch on forever. The bland, flat fields devoid of any natural life after the strange freezes of the last few weeks were brown and barren. The road was bumpy and the asphalt uneven, not yet fixed by the slow machine of bureaucracy in charge of maintaining the roads.
“You need to, Albert. And I sincerely hope that you learned your lesson.” Lloyd said.
He was talking about erasing Marc’s memory of magic, and all that happened after Albert showed it to him. Of course, Albert knew that he needed to, but could he really do it? He expressed his doubts to his grandpa.
“It’s hard.” The man said. “Doing it to a friend. But you need to do it precisely because you care.”
There was something else left unspoken there. Some faint note of worry, perhaps, but Albert couldn’t be too sure. He had heard a similar undertone in his mother’s voice a couple of times already, after she realized that she couldn’t be harsh with him like she was being at the beginning. It had never been quite alright, in his opinion. There was always something unsaid.
“You’re worried.” Albert said in the end. “About me?”
Lloyd cocked his head and shrugged. “A bit.”
“My mother is too, isn’t she?”
“More than I am. But I have to agree with her that you are a bit soft, boy. Too soft for your own good.”
“If you are referring to the rocket launcher—”
“Among other things, yes.” Lloyd said. “You are young, and you are not used to this life. But you are living this life now.” He paused, shaking his head. “What am I even saying… I won’t ask you to do something that will make you feel like shit. I could never. We’ll just… have your mother do it. Can’t you just cram the skill into an item or something? I remember you mentioning it.”
“I might be able to, yeah.” Albert said. He was already feeling much better. “I can certainly try.”
“That’s good, lad. That’s good.” He paused again.
There it was, the unspoken.
“Please, say it.” Albert said. “I know there is more.”
“I just hope that when you will find yourself in a situation where you need to act, and you will, trust me on that… I hope you won’t hesitate. For your own good. Even if it makes you a monster, Albert. It would make you an alive monster, and not a dead good and ethical man.”
Albert exhaled. If this was the sugar-coated version from his grandpa, then he couldn’t even imagine what his mother’s version would be like. But they were right, weren’t they?
***
Albert sat on the cold, hard floor of the warehouse that was the ground level of the Lair. He had asked not to be disturbed, and thus the whole place had been emptied out of all things and people there to let him work. All that was left was the lump of 25kg of elemental iron still sealed in their crates at one end of the room.
A day had passed, and another use of Analysis Mode was available.
The plan was simple, in theory. First he needed to upgrade [Magical Item Creation] to be able to store a single skill use or activation within an object. There would be constraints to the nature of the item, for sure, but he was confident that the process was at least theoretically possible.
Then, once that was done, he needed to figure out how to use the unstable Psionic Suggestion skill on someone. Preferably without having to test it on live subjects.
The plan, once Analysis Mode was activated, proceeded well. After a few hours Albert was finally able to bind a simple spell to an item, creating a wand that could cast fireballs. It still drew from his mana pool, though, but he could pre-charge one use on it before it needed to be recharged.
The other problem was that the item the skill was bound to broke down after only one use. Granted, he had chosen to use a stick that immediately combusted and was reduced to a pile of ash in a matter of moments, but he had never thought magic would have such an impact on the catalyst he used to conduct it through.
At least the skill was there.
Magical Item Creation Skill level up!
· I: You can create magically enhanced items. The resulting item will be slightly improved, with the possibility of unexpected emergent properties.
· II: You can bind skills to an item. The number of uses and the efficiency of the skill depend on the affinity of the item.
Next step: using Psionic Suggestion to erase the memory of magic, put safeguards in place in case Marc ever sees any proof of magic ever again without Albert wanting him to, and restore his original behavior.
What Albert feared would be a monumental task was actually easier than he imagined. This was because he learned the skills while under the effect of Analysis Mode, which allowed him to perfectly recall them as he learned them. Additionally, as a side effect of being used on a brain, the skill Usurp also granted Albert the same level of proficiency and control over the psionic skills that PsyOps originally had.
Which meant that, once he found a suitable item, it would be a piece of cake.
And as the effect of Analysis Mode waned, Albert emerged from a morning spent in isolation with the design for a Psy-Neuralizer. All he needed to do now was feed the materials to the Lair, manufacture it and put the spell in it.
***
“We are not calling it a Psy-Neuralizer.” Samantha said, talking to her son on the phone. “And I want to be there when you do it. You know it will be dangerous.”
After agreeing to be the one to brainwash Albert’s friend, Samantha had been warned about the possibility of side effects that the psionic skill had. In fact, she even told him that while he was waiting for her, Albert should make a single-use skill-binding item for Healing Touch in case he needed to be healed and couldn’t do so himself.
Fortunately her son agreed, and when she arrived at the Lair with the materials he requested to make the two items, she found him and her father chatting in the Open Office.
“Ready?” She asked, wasting no time after she teleported in. A benefit of the Lair was that she could teleport anywhere within its domain for free.
“Ready.” Albert said, and the three teleported downstairs.
Making the healing skill-binding item went off without a hitch. Samantha studied the process as best she could, making sure to commit every last detail to memory, and making a mental note to ask her son for an Analysis Mode single-use item as soon as possible. She could really use the boost.
It was when it was finally time to build the… neuralizer… that it all went wrong.
Albert sat cross-legged on the floor with the inert item between his legs, just like before. She and her father watched, just like before, standing a few feet away.
But then, instead of opening his eyes with a grin like last time, Albert cried out in pain. He spasmed, blood oozing from his nose and eyes, clutching his head and screaming as he convulsed on the floor.
Samantha Cromwell did not hesitate even a single moment to act. She grabbed the newly made healing device and ran to him, delivering the dose of healing magic directly to his brain. In a matter of seconds the convulsions stopped, and Albert’s breathing returned to normal.
Only then did she allow herself to breathe.
“Talk about some side effects.” Lloyd said.
She glared at him.
“Come on!” He complained. “He’s fine.”
He pointed at Albert, who was groaning and cursing like Samantha remembered her own father always does as he got up. Then he teleported away and returned soon after, all cleaned up.
“I guess there are certain kinds of pain I can still feel.” Albert said, massaging his head. “What a headache. Damn. Day ruined.”
“Don’t joke about this stuff!” Samantha said, eliciting a laugh from her father.
“This was the backlash, then.” Lloyd said. “How much charge did the healing consume from the wand?”
“Wand?” She shook her head. The name was going to stick. “Half. But we can’t know what sort of damage the device healed, can we?”
“No.” Albert said, his voice still weak. “I would assume brain damage, but unless I am the one using the skill there is no way to know.”
Okay, Samantha’s mind thought. He should be able to make a reusable mind control… wand once he figures out how not to wreck the vessels for his magic.
The thought made her almost hate herself even for thinking it, but she knew how invaluable such a technology would be.
