Engineered Magic

Grandmother

“I guess I just never realized how close Chicago was to Londontown,” Todd said as they approached the outskirts.

“You’ve seen it on the maps,” Sarah observed.

“I have,” Todd admitted. “The whole time I was growing up it was always described to me as being ‘far to the north’. I guess some of that stuck with me. They are so close I find it hard to believe they turned out so differently from each other that they went to war.”

“The war was more than just Chicago and Londontown,” Grandmother commented. “The closeness was part of the problem. It seemed like they were very far apart in the beginning. As the size of the structure began to become apparent and everyone’s children got older, both settlements wanted to expand the area they hunted and salvaged. The first thing they did was hit each other.”

“You never talk about the war,” Alex commented.

“No,” Grandmother responded. “I don’t.” Her voice was hard. They all fell into an uneasy silence. They were close to the west entrance of Chicago, it was only their second day of travel out of Londontown. It took Grandmother four days to make the trip the first time she traveled this way. She was a much lower tier and unused to traveling in the halls. She was pretty certain Todd and her could run the distance in four hours or less.

“I made mistakes I still regret,” Grandmother confessed. “I trusted people I shouldn’t have. I thought reason would win when it was all about emotion.”

“You didn’t start the war,” Alex said with certainty.

“No, I didn’t,” Grandmother replied. “I didn’t stop it either. I’ve always thought I could have done more. Whether it is true or not, it is still how I feel.”

“Only a true god can fix everything,” Todd commented. “Your failures are just as much proof of your humanity as your successes are. As a son of Londontown, I do not hold you at fault.” Alex, Ellen and Sarah gave their own reassurances. The silence that followed was a little less tense.

“It is just around this corner,” Grandmother announced. “Sarah, drop all your cloaking spells. I don’t want to surprise them. Companion, stay in the center. There are both red and blue healers here, so stay in your pairs and don’t drink any poisoned beer. Remember thievery is considered an honorable profession, so watch your belongings.”

“Yes, Grandmother,” Sarah said in her best little girl voice. Grandmother snorted. The group shifted around, choosing their final positions. Walking into the last three squares in the north went surprisingly well. The occupants already heard rumors from adjacent settlements of Grandmother’s group and the selkie.

Grandmother was uncertain of their reception here in Chicago. Sometimes Chicago with their sprawling moving suburbs seemed more connected than the fixed squares, but most of the time they seemed more isolated. There were no integrated vendors here and no structure rent. Thinking about how to deal with Chicago was what gave Grandmother the idea of paying in scrap. In this settlement she planned to pay in scrap, fiber, hides, meat, claws, tusks and tools. The tools she brought to offer were not the starter tools that could be found in wildspace. These people lived in wildspace and those tools were common. Grandmother’s group carried the larger tools, only available from the vendor. These were the tools designed to equip a workshop. Ellen made custom bags with large mouths to carry them. Sarah enchanted those bags to make them lighter. Grandmother stuffed the tools in.

They turned the corner. A set of guards were set up about halfway down the next long stretch of hall, in front of a side corridor. The guards seemed strangely apathetic. They were staring at the blank wall across from them. They didn’t even twitch when Grandmother’s party rounded the corner. Alex closed to within fifty feet before the first guard turned to look at them. The second guard only reacted when the entire group stopped at the entrance.

They were both men in their late twenties or early thirties. They were wearing leathers with no color. They were armed with black iron tipped spears. The one on the left carried a small round shield made of wood and bound in black iron on his back.

“What is the purpose of your visit?” the first guard asked.

“Trade,” Grandmother responded.

“Where are you coming from?” the guard asked.

“The Heights,” Grandmother answered.

“The Heights has dissolved,” the second guard commented.

“We reformed,” Grandmother countered.

“Your leader must report to the steward,” The guard ordered.

“He died,” Grandmother reported. The guard’s eyes looked strangely blank, as if he ran out of script. In the silence the first guard spoke again.

“You can stay in any open room for a single night. If you stay longer, register with the steward at the eastern gate. Welcome to Chicago,” the first guard recited. Grandmother tilted her head in acknowledgement. The group entered the side corridor and started toward Chicago downtown. The guards never once showed any surprise or interest in Companion’s presence.

“What was that?” Alex said, clearly confused by the guards' behavior. This was the group's first trip to Chicago. Grandmother avoided it for years now.

“I hoped it wouldn’t still work,” Grandmother responded. “I think it is a bug.”

“A bug?” Companion asked.

“A mistake, a flaw,” Grandmother expanded. “If we are not from a registered suburb, we have to pay an entry tax. Suburbs pay a standard tax that covers entrance for their traders. Materials coming in from the suburbs are the lifeblood of Chicago. The Heights was a registered suburb, but it dissolved twenty or thirty years ago. Suburbs often move, join and split, so it is easy enough to confuse its actual status.”

“Why did you tell him our leader was dead?” Todd asked.

“He was about to ask us our leader’s name. From there it would have snowballed into us owing twenty to thirty years of back taxes. I was way down that path once, when in frustration I admitted the man I named leader was dead. He died three years earlier. I got the same blank response as we got now, then a skip to the end of the entry script. In the years after that I realized the sooner you told them he is dead, the faster you get to the final statement,” Grandmother explained.

“You're describing those men like they are computer code,” Alex said, aghast.

“It is that kind of odd behavior that makes me worried about humans' status as players. If you meet those two off duty they might seem fine, or they might continue to behave oddly. It is hard to predict,” Grandmother commented.

It was exactly this behavior that drove Grandmother south, trying to prove that humans weren’t animals. This was why the idea of Sarah hearing a voice frightened her. It was also why her own nanobots being active beyond the boundary terrified her. She couldn’t come up with an explanation for it. Although perhaps Sarah’s voice was part of it, maybe coupled with a drug that made people highly suggestable? She suspected the pleasure response of heal addiction was caused by a drug of some kind. She didn’t notice this controlled behavior happening in the landing generation, only those born inside the structure were susceptible. Most of the time Grandmother tried not to think about it while she stayed away from Chicago.

“Chicago is the worst affected. Control just does not understand why humans would settle in wildspace. It keeps getting confused on whether they are players or not. I was hoping our progress in the game would have helped their status here. All the northern squares were much improved.”

“What happens to selkie that live in wildspace?” Alex asked Companion.

“They get dim,” Companion responded. “The only exceptions are thieves and outlaws. They get crafty and skilled.”

Which was a surprising revelation for Grandmother. For years she tried to deal fairly with the residents of Chicago in an effort to show them a better way. Perhaps she was going about it the wrong way this entire time.

“Hold up,” Grandmother said. The group came to a smooth and sudden stop, weapons up and ready to fight. They were now blocking one of the main halls. They were near a door that was marked danger. It was an indication that the room was not occupied. “Let’s clear this room and step out of the way.”

The room was absolutely full of rats. Grandmother was quite certain she had never seen so many in a single room. Considering her age, that was a bold statement. Her group waded through them like they didn’t even notice. They charged in so fast Grandmother was limited in the use of her lightning spells since it was possible for lightning to jump to a party member if they were too close. Instead she cast ice based spells to slow the animals.

Companion was using the flat of his ax to clear large swaths of animals, while Ellen was taking aimed shots with her crossbow. The bolts were imbued with lightning that jumped to two other animals. This more controlled method kept the lightning from jumping to Companion or Alex. Alex was using group shield to crush the rats against walls. Grandmother was impressed.

Todd and Sarah held the door. Sarah kept an eye out for anyone approaching from the hall, her hand on her knife. Todd casually bashed the skulls in with the end of his spear on any rats that tried to exit the room to the hall.

“That was fun,” Alex commented when the room finally stopped moving.

“Keep an eye out,” Todd said from the door. “There must be an open access point.”

“That or it is a trap,” Grandmother commented. “Cast cloaking spells and grab anyone who seems like they are coming to gather their bounty. I want to talk to them.” Sarah cast camouflage and infrared on herself and Todd. The two of them faded into the wall.

Alex inspected one corner of the room. Grandmother was amused when he threw a couple intact component pieces out of the area. When he was satisfied the corner didn’t contain any open vents, everyone started tossing the dead rats into it. The pile was impressive.

The room was actually a suite, with two additional rooms behind two doorless openings. To Grandmother’s surprise there was an inventory access in one of the back rooms. There was an open floor vent in the inventory access room with no grate. That might explain why no one was using these rooms and the number of rats, but Grandmother doubted it. An inventory access inside Chicago was a valuable asset. She rather thought the number of rats somehow spawned the inventory access.

“Alex, see if you can put together a cover from the components to cover this hole,” she said. Alex, with Companion’s help, started gathering up the rest of the intact components in the room.

“Should I pin the vents?” Ellen asked.

“Yes,” Grandmother said. “I didn’t intend to stay here, but the inventory access is too good to leave behind.”

There was a blur of motion at the door. Todd appeared as the camouflage spell on him broke. He held his large knife on the neck of a stranger. Todd pressed down on the young man’s shoulder until his knees buckled. That was fast, Grandmother thought. She straightened herself up and gathered her thoughts. She calmly walked to the center of the room. She swung her pack down and freed her portable stool where it was tied to the pack. She set it up and settled her weight onto it.

“So-La-Do,” Grandmother said, singing the pure notes of Companion’s name. “Please take Todd’s position on the watch.” Grandmother watched the man’s eyes widened as the selkie passed them. The selkie vanished under Sarah’s camouflage spell moments later.

Grandmother pulled her own knife. The room lighting was dim. Looking up, Grandmother noted for the first time that only about half the light panels were on. She tossed a few light spells. In the increased illumination she studied the edge of her knife.

“Tell me why I should let you live,” she said.

“I didn’t do nothing,” the man declared.

“You creeped up on my man with obvious ill intentions in your heart. You covet my bountiful harvest, well you will get none of it. A man who does nothing is worthless to me.” Grandmother said, in her best imitation of a crime boss out of an ancient Earth entertainment, “Your death will be a warning to others.” She raised her knife like she was going to signal Todd to kill the man.

“I have worth!” the man cried, as Todd jerked him back just a little. Grandmother realized their visitor was really very young. He was amazingly dirty. That kind of dirt took effort. Even without easy access to water or bathing pools, the nanobots in the structure scrubbed dirt off a person’s skin in a day or three. Grandmother thought this young man was using the dirt to hide the fact that he didn’t have a beard. “I am finder, I can find anything.”

“Anyone can claim anything,” Grandmother responded. “Prove it to me. Name your finder’s magic.” He was also too thin. His clothing was a strange combination of cloth and leather. It all showed heavy wear.

“I can disappear!” the young man declared. A series of threats and prideful boasts later and Grandmother got out of him that he knew muffle, don’t notice me and blur. He even demonstrated the casts for her. Todd released the boy and stepped back for the demonstration. A quick hand on the boy's shoulder when he tried to sneak off under blur brought him back into focus. A finder appeared to be a cross between a spy and a thief. He reminded Grandmother of the jeweler.

“What should I call you?” Grandmother asked.

“Alex,” the boy responded. Grandmother was slightly amused. She glanced over where ‘her’ Alex was standing against the back wall, having emerged earlier from the room with the inventory access.

“That name is too common. What were your parents' names?” Grandmother countered.

“I don’t know my father,” the boy muttered, “my mother was Rose.”

“Well Alex, child of Rose, I am not sure I need a finder. Have you no other skills? Can you craft arrows, spin threads, smelt scrap or cure leather?” Grandmother asked him.

“I ain't no crafter,” young Alex spit out.

“Hmm…” Grandmother said. “Maybe that is what I need you to find for me. I have borrowed a few choice items from an unnamed square’s crafter workshops. I intend to liquidate these holdings. Perhaps you could ‘find’ for me a few interested parties. I prefer coins, but I will consider other payments.”

“I can do that, mistress. Yes, yes, I can find the richest of buyers,” young Alex replied. Grandmother thought she saw a hint of tears behind his relief that he may escape this situation. Her heart squeezed as she thought she may have pushed him too hard. He was very young.

“Take a couple of those filthy rats with you and trade them for something to eat. You look way too thin. I don’t want you passing out someplace before completing the deal. Todd will find it tiresome to have to hunt you down,” she commented, pointing randomly at the rat pile.

The young man rushed over to the pile. He flicked through the pile as if looking for the best carcass. Grandmother gave him a minute or two, before calling “Hurry it up, I don’t have all day.”

“Yes, mistress,” he said, clutching the rats against his body in a strange manner. He turned to rush the door.

“Alex O’Rose,” Grandmother said when he almost reached the door. “One last thing.” Todd put a hand out stopping the boy’s progress. Young Alex turned to look at Grandmother, fear clearly visible under the dirt on his face. “Call me Grandmother,” she said with a smile. The boy shuddered just as convincingly as any selkie.

“Yes… Grandmother,” young Alex muttered. Grandmother nodded to Todd. Todd retracted his hand letting Alex escape.

“How many rats did he manage to grab?” Grandmother asked Todd.

“Three,” Todd responded.

“Crafty and skilled,” Grandmother commented.

“What was that?” Ellen asked, as she stepped from one of the back rooms. She still held vent forks in her hand.

“I think I have been dealing with Chicago the wrong way this entire time,” Grandmother commented. “I wanted to stop here to talk about it but that little demonstration said it all. In order to keep the humans here human, Chicago needs to be a thieves' city.”

“A what?” Ellen asked.

“A city of thieves. The thing is a city is mostly a city no matter what you call it. It is just a matter of vocabulary and posing. How much is a rat worth? If you sell all the parts; hide, claws, teeth, meat?”

“About ten iron,” Ellen responded.

“So we still owe that boy six iron. When he comes back with a buyer, we need to make sure he gets the opportunity to steal another rat. I thought about telling him to wash his face and letting him steal my water flask, but with the enchantment on it, it is worth far more than a silver,” Grandmother commented.

“I understand!” Companion sang from under the cover of the camouflage spell. “Three spells, six coins a spell is eighteen. We pay double if you demonstrate it! Thirty six iron is a single silver.”

“Yes,” Grandmother agreed. She had a distracted thought, “I wonder if Alex is actually Alexa. I noticed he didn’t have a beard. I wonder if all that dirt wasn’t to cover his youth, but her gender.” Grandmother wondered if that was why she called him Alex, child of Rose, not son of Rose, was her unconscious mind trying to tell her?

“Does that matter?” Alex asked.

“No,” Grandmother admitted, “but you got to admire her guts. Add it to the diary, Sarah,” Grandmother commented. “Alex O’Rose, muffle, don’t notice me and blur. Todd if you can take over the watch for Sarah. Let’s get this place cleaned up. I expect we will have visitors soon, both thieves to rob us and black marketeers looking for a sweet deal. We might have to stay a couple days to accommodate everyone.”