Futuristic The Infinity Between (Closed for Tarmagon and _Sargotha_)

[_Sargotha_]

"I apologize that I was not clear at the start, it's not often that our people's history is in need to be explained.", as he explains further that their world was akin to a past version of his own and he hoped that he would not be around for what he believed to be the forthcoming future, she frowns a little. While she did not expect the human to help in assuring that her people stayed in control of the planet's resources, she had hoped that perhaps his world would give them an advantage in maintaining their dominance. Although, perhaps the fusing of different worlds was an unwise decision to start with and while she had not intended to bring him here, she could not deny that she was enjoying the encounter with him...for most part.

As he asks to the cause of the war, that she felt more at ease to answering and so nods her head, "It began to when there was a drought of a few years ago and there was conflict to whose lands held the remaining water sources. Fear of the residing people coming to perish because of allowing other nations to take from it fueled resentment and even hate towards neighboring people." There was a pause before she continues on, "In turn, food became in short for all to obtain and to when one nation saw a surplus that could be shared, it was asked but when denied and desperation grew...fights began." Her head turns slightly away from him as she remembers to when her father had been called to war, "Fights grew and so did those that perished, until war was declared and only one side could be victorious. Species joined others, fur with fur and scales with scales."

Her head tilts as Ryan seems to be rambling off to himself again and when he apologized for doing so, she shakes her head. "Don't worry, I sometimes get lost in my own trail of thoughts as well.", a small smile comes to her face to further add reassurance that she did not mind his rambling.

"So, what do you humans enjoy eating?", it was time to change the subject so that they could learn more about each other's kind.

Tarmagon [Perhaps his people find a means to make travelling forth and back stable, maybe he could make a change, so her world doesn't suffer to what his already has?]

 

[Tarmagon]

"Pfft," Ryan snorted as Deicinta explained the cause of their war. "Typical. I wish I could say that our own history wasn't rife with such conflicts before our recent history, but I can't. Before fusion power, off-planet mining, sustainable farming practices, and vastly improved animal husbandry, not to mention factory grown protein, battles over resources, both strategic and consumable, were common. I do find it interesting that while everyone was concerned with having enough food and water, you still found enough resources to field armies. That amount of resources, properly rationed and utilized, could have sustained a civilian population several times the size of a field army. I presume that you have taken the lesson of the drought to heart and begun to store resources appropriately?"

Ryan looked around the interior of the small hut again, but his initial assessment had been correct. No chairs. Removing his rifle from its sling, he clipped it into the holder on the side of his pack, then removed the mask and air bottle, setting them against the foot of the 'bed'. His pack followed, but he reached into the pack and removed a fist sized, grey lump. He wasn't certain that the security mesh would work, but was gratified when the lump writhed in his hand, expanding and unfolding into a mesh of fine wires that he placed over his gear. In moments the mesh contracted around his gear and the frame of the bed, locking his belongings in place.

"I don't recommend that anyone attempt to mess with my gear," Ryan said matter-of-factly. "I'm not engaging the more aggressive defensive functions, but those wires are a lot stronger than they look, and will actively resist attempts to cut them. As for what we eat, that varies by region, background, and obviously individual tastes. We farm grains, vegetables, fruits, and supplement that with various animal proteins. Unless it is certain types of fish, we generally cook most of what we consume. I have food stores from my world, but they are for survival, not enjoyment, and I can only carry so many ration bars. I can last a month on my own supplies, but would rather discover if the food on this world can sustain me."

_Sargotha_ One has to wonder what humanoid reptiles consider 'food'.

 

[_Sargotha_]

She looks to the human as he expresses a lack of surprise to the cause of their war's start and then continues to explain a lot of things that did not make sense to her from his own world. When he asks if their people had learned from the drought's difficulties and to be prepared for such a thing to happen again, she nods her head before responding. "Yes, we have dried foods that will remain as good as to the day they were prepared for a long time and continue to rotate the old to the front with the new at the back of our storage buildings.", she gestures to the lake that is not far from them, "As we have collected water from the plentiful lake and stored it underground so it will not evaporate from the sun's heat."

"We have also ground grain and poured it into airtight containers made of clay to store them out of the sun.", she smiles upon feeling pleased of her explanation before she watched Ryan unpack his gear. Her head tilts in response as he begins taking out some strange grey thing and it was almost like magic to what she witnessed before her, was the human able to cast spells to? She kneels down to look at the device more closely and is curious but takes his advice to not touch it, "How does this work? Do you require special materials?", she cannot see any runes that could channel magic and did not feel any sort of magic from it either.

The sorceress smiles as Ryan expresses that he wished to try their cuisine as to save his special food, "Oh gladly, I'll bring you the best that we can offer.", she stands to her feet before nodding her head at him. "I shouldn't be long.", she responded before leaving the hut and aimed to gather what she particularly enjoyed with hope that he would share the same tastes.

Tarmagon [Ryan is about to find out.]

 

[Tarmagon]

Ryan watched the serpentess go with a promise to return with what she considered edible and the 'best'. He hoped it was something that wouldn't poison him, and that it could be cooked. Poison wasn't really an issue unless he was careless. While his most sophisticated gear seemed inert, his nano suite was fully operational. The most complicated item that seemed to still be functioning normally was his stunner. Reaching through the security mesh, he extracted several small object and began to experiment. In short order he determined that his recon drones were useless, the links breaking the moment they left his palm. The most comprehensive sensor suite was likewise compromised, only the visible and near visible light sensors seeming operational. The bio-suite wasn't working, nor were the electromagnetics beyond the ultraviolet range. Oddly, his inertial navigation unit worked. There didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to what worked and what did not, save that the items which were working were the ones he had carried with him the longest. Like the security mesh, his mal-metal tools worked perfectly.

"So," he mused aloud as he replaced the non-functional items in his pack and allowed the mesh to flow closed again. "Basic functions seem unaffected by this environment. It's the remote sensors or the extremely fine detail analyzers that don't work. I suppose that my nanos are still working because they're inside me, and not exposed to whatever strange disruption this world generates. I wonder if I can figure out what the effect is, and how to shield against it?"

Ryan sat on the edge of the bed, mind already working on the problem of available sensors, limitations, and possible sources of interference as he waited for his, guide? to return.

_Sargotha_ So, the highest of the high tech toys don't work, but the simpler ones do. Strange. But he's not helpless by a long shot.

 

[_Sargotha_]

It doesn't take her long to retrieve the sampler platter that they made for new visitors and the fellow reptilian that gave it to her gave a questioning gaze. Deicinta simply shakes her head and replies with certainty that something on the offering should appease his tastes, knowing what each sample was without a problem. There were fruits, smoked meats, baked goods and roasted potatoes as choices of starch, raw vegetables that would allow for a wide range to nutritional needs that humans may have. Lastly, she brings a pitcher of fresh water that had been gathered from the nearby river and has two glasses to accompany it, being careful to take the precious load to the visiting hut.

When she returns to the visiting hut, there are others of their village huddled around the entrance with curious and some weary looks of the human. She shuts the door behind her, or rather pulls the flap closed as to give the human some privacy to eat in peace. "My people are very curious about you, forgive them if their stares may make eating difficult.", slowly the sampler platter was lowered down to the table, and she kneels on the other side of it. One of her hands are extended out as she gestures to the platter with a smile, "Please, feel free to ask questions and enjoy whatever you like.", she pours a glass of cold water into one of the ceramic glasses and offers it to him, "It's just water from the river, figured it would be wise to start with something plain."

Tarmagon [I suppose that's what happens when natural magic and technology are mixed together. XD]

 

[Tarmagon]

Ryan managed not to snort as Deicinta returned with a laden platter, making certain to close the 'door' to the hut before apologizing for her people's curiosity. He rather doubted that anyone had understood any of what he had been doing, and it didn't really bother him.

"On my world I was both a scientist and a warrior," he said. "Both professions teach you to eat when you can, no matter the circumstances, and sleep when you must. As long as they restrict themselves to watching, I have no objections. I would imagine that there were at least a couple of agents of your own guards or warriors in that crowd trying to decide if I am a danger."

Ryan looked at the offerings on the platter curiously. Some of the items looked like they could have come from any farm table on his planet. A few looked rather odd, but that was only to be expected. Fortunately, water was water, and it was only the things living in it, or dissolved within that caused problems.

"I see that your guards bear steel weapons," Ryan commented as he studied the glaze on the ceramic cup. "Do your artisans use any metals in the glaze on your pottery?"

Reaching into a small pouch on his belt, Ryan pulled out a small cylinder of metal about four inches long. Tapping one end caused it to break into four pieces, one larger than the rest. Another tap on the end of each, and the memory in the alloy was activated, causing the featureless cylinders to shift, morphing into a small cup and a set of camp utensils. Ryan accepted the cup Deicinta offered him, but gave her an apologetic look as he poured the contents into his own cup. Another dip into his belt and a thick cover appeared, snapping onto the top of the cup.

"Your pardon," he said. "But I do not know what organisms or substances are present in your river. While my body is fully capable of fighting off most pathogens, it is still to be avoided as much as possible. This cup will filter out a wide range of materials and organisms that could cause me difficulty."

_Sargotha_ No offense, but even 'clean and clear' water can be home to a host of organisms and impurities. He's not taking any chances.

 

[_Sargotha_]

Deicinta listened as Ryan explained to what his role was upon his own world, and it sounded kind of like what their explorers were, having to be ready to fight and learn about new lands. She grew more interested of what exactly his people fought and thus needed warriors, even sorceresses like herself could get caught up in the thrill of combat. "What do your people fight? Other tribes, wild beasts that take the greatest of your people to slay or capture for taming?", she leaned forward slightly to further express interest of learning about his people.

When he mentioned that their guards had metal weaponry and did not express fear or concern, she nods her head in confirmation. The question as to whether their artisans, she presumes that this is a word his people used for artists and crafters, used metal in their works makes her look down to the cups. "Not all do, metal is a precious resource as it is difficult to get and if it is used in a craft then it is for ceremonial purposes or something very special.", these cups had a metal rim on the top of the cup and bottom, with ornate decorations on the sides. The pitcher was decorated in the same manner, so it was special but not for something of grand scale, victory in a battle, mourning of many losses or a 'coming of age' ceremony used more but not a crazy amount.

As Ryan took something out of his pouch and seemed to not worry of its breaking, she tilts her head with more curiosity of what he was going to do. She is about to ask him what it was for to when the answer is revealed, and she is tempted to touch his cup just to feel if it were the same texture as their metal but decides against it. When the look comes to his face, she somewhat recognizes it as there were 'markers' that she'd seen on others to give that same kind of face, and she wants to ask him if something is wrong, but he soon explains that the water could hold germs that his body was not conditioned to. Her head nods before smiling to him, "No, it's okay...I didn't think about how your body would not be used to what ours are."

Tarmagon [It's okay, Deicinta is quite understanding - part of the reasoning to why she had been chosen to make contact with new dimensions - as it's no different from their explorers boiling water from a new source to make sure that it is safe before drinking.]

 

[Tarmagon]

"No, we don't battle between nations anymore," Ryan said. "We have, I hope, learned from our past. Our last conflict was, traumatic for our entire race. Three in every four died, and the deaths were not restricted to the warriors. The weapon used was flawed, and did not distinguish between combatants, civilians, or... children. Our entire planet banded together to stop the weapon, and the weapon's creators."

Ryan shook himself, images of the archival footage that every human being watched when old enough to understand flashing through his brain. Humanity had survived by the skin of its teeth, and the lesson of bio-engineered weapons hadn't been lost on the survivors. Only the most insane fanatic would even contemplate using such a weapon, and with an entire planet watching over the resources required to produce such a weapon, the chances of someone recreating the Plague were miniscule. Add in the orbital habitats, the lunar bases, and Mars. Humanity would survive.

"Some of our people still hunt to this day, but that is by choice, not necessity. And the taking of game for 'sport' or trophy hunting has been frowned upon for centuries. Our hunters use primitive weapons as a test of skill, and eat what they harvest. And save for those animals which thrive alongside humans, like domestic felines, canines, and numerous small creatures that our children keep as companions, we do not attempt to tame the wild creatures. Some people prefer to follow the old ways, and keep some livestock to support their life choices, but they are not many, and their animals are well cared for."

Ryan paused to take a sip of the water from the filter-cup. It was, of course, tasteless thanks to the removal of nearly all dissolved materials, including minerals as well as organics.

"Today our warriors are primarily guards for hire," he said. "The treasure on our world is now ideas, inventions, processes. And there are, of course, those whose minds are, scattered. They tend to resort to, force in attempts to change others minds. If the regular police can't find and deal with those who are like that... well, that is where those like me come in."

_Sargotha_ Well, there it is. The Plague was a genetically engineered virus that killed 75% of humanity before it was stopped. It changed the world.

 

[_Sargotha_]

As Ryan explains that battling nations was not done anymore and he hoped that his people would not do so again, she wonders to why he would feel this way. Battle brought out the best of a fighters' skill and knowledge to their training, proved that they were hardy and ready for claiming victory. She soon gets her answer to why he felt this way and when he says that the weapon was flawed, that it slayed the innocent alongside to those that it was targeted to, she frowns heavily, "That sounds horrible." It was hard to imagine a weapon slaughtering young children with no discretion, of how the warriors could have been conditioned to thrust the spear without a second thought of where it was going. Or to how a caster could not word their spell with specific instruction as to ensure that the young lives were not claimed or at least was contained to a specific area.

When he starts to talk about of how food is gathered although hunting is not necessary, she gives an inquisitive look in response. There is relief as he says that sport hunting was frowned upon and had been for some time, a smile as he adds that only basic weapons were allowed. "Our hunters do the same, we take only what is needed and make the most use from the slain animal." She lifts a piece of meat that looks like it came from a fish of some sort before offering it to the human, "This is a Speckle, it's quite tasty when smoked like this and can be grilled or eaten raw if desired." When he adds that there were pets also and they were not treated the same as raised animals for food, she nods her head a little before replying, "Your people don't sound much different than our own...in some ways." Both of their people hunted, raised animals and had pets, even taught their children of how to learn from the past as well as look to the future.

"Warriors for hire? Do your warriors not enjoy the thrill of combat and relish the honor of victory?", it seemed odd for warriors to 'need' payment for fighting. It seemed that this is where their worlds were different from the other, as their treasures were not of the world around them but instead things. Concern comes to her face as he says that there are some of his kind that were not completely sane and that if they insisted on spreading their madness, then those like Ryan were sent to deal with the threat.

Tarmagon [Yikes, no wonder he said that he didn't want to be around if their world headed in that direction.]

 

[Tarmagon]

"It was," Ryan said simply to the serpentess' comment on the horror of the Plague.

He listened to her explanation of their own hunting practices, nodding to himself a little. He had to remind himself that though the serpentess seemed sophisticated, she was still part of a hunter/gatherer society as far as he could tell. This society was still in a primitive societal matrix, where person skill and willingness to put oneself in harms way for the good of the tribe were highly valued. Violence here, despite the war in their recent past, was most likely small scale and personal, warrior to warrior. He imagined that the warrior caste demanded deference from the common people, though he did have to wonder about the deference that the gate guards showed the serpentess. Then he thought of the transformation she had undergone, and frowned. Perhaps she was the equivalent of a shaman or a wise woman. Questions for another time.

"That sounds interesting," he said as she offered him some kind of smoked fish. He accepted the piece of fish, then carefully cut off a small piece, no larger than a fingernail, before looking back at Deicinta.

"This may seem odd, or even rude," he said, eyeing the bit of fish. "But I can detect possible toxic substances from a tiny bit of food. They will taste extremely foul to me, and if I do taste the taste of a toxin, I will spit it out before it can harm me. If I do so, please know that it is not a reflection upon your food or preparation, but upon a property of the substance that you have no control over."

Taking a deep breath, he popped the bit of fish into his mouth, letting it roll about in his mouth as his nanos began to pull it apart, looking for anything that could be detrimental to his body. Apparently this bit of food was acceptable, because all he tasted was the light smoky flavor of the fish. At least there was one thing he could eat, though he had no way to determine what actual nutrients he was getting from it.

"Apparently this fish will not harm me," he said, cutting a larger bite as his companion spoke about the 'thrill of combat'.

"There is nothing thrilling about combat on my world," Ryan said flatly, looking the serpentess straight in her odd eyes. "Those who wish a thrill of competition are our athletes, who compete at sports, or our martial artists who excel at unarmed and non-lethal bouts. When someone such as I is called to fight, there is but a single objective. Win. Period. It's not about 'honor' or battle, it's about winning. If you win, you survive."

_Sargotha_ Ah, the differences begin to show. The is no thrill of battle with modern weapons. It's win. Period. Don't involve civilians, but combatants are to be defeated. Surrender, or perish.

 

[_Sargotha_]

When Ryan seemed to hesitate in taking a piece of the fish that she had offered, she had to remind herself that what is safe for their people may not be the same for his. Her head nods as he explains to what she had already presumed as she does not want to offend and drive him away from a misunderstanding. "I understand, it is the same to why you had to filter our water with your cup...we are accustomed to the resources that we have, it is not the world you grew up in.", it was this moment that made her feel like she was getting a small 'sample' to what the furred children went through of when their lives changed from the victory of the Vipres.

There is relief as Ryan says the fish is not harmful to him and that at least made one thing he could eat, but she really hoped that there would be more. "You should try some of the other things as well, I enjoy a good Pesi but would not want it to be the only thing to eat.", she gestures to a small bunch of what looked like grapes from his world, "These are sweet berries.", her hand moves again to gesture to the cooled cubes of cooked potatoes, "These are ground spuds."

The statement of being no 'thrill of combat' to be had from his world sounded so alien, how did their warriors stay fit? As it is explained that competitions of athletes are held by those that wanted something like that feeling, she can't imagine it is the same as being in actual combat. However, she thinks back to when they have their annual harvest celebration and the children take turns to who can carry the most, to the farthest distance...she remembers their smiling faces. "I suppose the closest I can think of is when the children play their games at the annual harvest."

Tarmagon

 

[Tarmagon]

Ryan was happy that Deicinta understood his need for caution with unknown foodstuffs. Even more so when he took one of the 'sweet berries'. As soon as it touched his tongue a foul taste erupted in his mouth. He immediately spat the berry out then rinsed his mouth with filtered water. He had to repeat the process twice before the taste cleared.

"Well, those are certainly off the menu," Ryan said wryly. "While I doubt they would kill me, they would certainly incapacitate me while my body repaired itself. What are those called so I can avoid them?"

The item that looked like nothing more than potatoes from his world proved acceptable after a cautious taste. Ryan worked his way through the various items on the tray, most being acceptable to his nanos. Nothing elicited quite the response the berries had, though one of the vegetables was very unpleasant. Ryan made a note to avoid that item as well.

"Perhaps," he said in reply to the mention of games. "We actually call our competitions games."

Ryan decided that he needed to try and understand the culture here a bit better. He tried to come up with a way to ask his question that wouldn't sound offensive, then gave up with a shrug. Best to just ask.

"Tell me Deicinta," he said, his tone curious to try and remove any sting his question might cause. "What do you find 'honorable' about the taking of life? And why shouldn't a warrior be paid to fight? It has been proven over and over again in the history of my world that those who fight for a 'cause' or 'belief' are far, far more likely to commit atrocities in battle than those who fight for pay."

_Sargotha_ And here come the hard questions.

 

[_Sargotha_]

As it became clear that Ryan could not indulge in all that their planet had to offer, she is a little disappointed, but she wonders if what they could not have would be fine with his species? The question to what the berries were called make her shoulders shrug as she had given their name already, "We call them 'sweet berries', just as I told you.", perhaps the 'poison' from the dark fruit had affected his memory and that was part to why he had forgotten already. She delicately picks up one of the dark fruits and slips it into her mouth without hesitation or a problem of swallowing it per the nature of her species. Patiently, she watches the human select from the platter and makes mental notes for herself to remember which the human could not have, since this list seemed shorter than to what he could have. When he tried the carrot looking vegetable and it did not agree with him, she points to the item before calling it by name, "Dark spine, is the name of that one."

The sorceress shifts her position as to be actually sitting on the cushion now and retains her curious expression, "So, your games are called competitions...when it is warrior against warrior...what do you call them when it is children involved?"

Ryan's question to their way of embracing the glory of combat is not one she had expected but it was bound to happen sooner or later, this was part of learning about each other's world. "The honor is not from taking a life, Ryan, it is to when a warrior does not die as a coward and fights for their beliefs. Honor is lost to when one betrays those beliefs or slays an undefended opponent or slaughters an innocent child with intention of doing so." She sits upright before closing her eyes and making a circling motion with her fingers, over the open palm of her other hand, to where a swirling energy of white light comes to be seen. Her eyes open before she looks at him again and holds her hand out, her fingers summoning the form of an anthro crocodile that stands at the ready to fight, "When a warrior dies with honor...", the crocodile falls to its back from a mortal wound, "...it is believed that they ascend to the heavens....", the warrior turns more translucent and seems to join two others who had died before him, "...and guide those left behind with messages."

"When that warrior dies without honor...", the crocodile begins again dying of a mortal wound, but this time turns darker in color, "...his spirit is pulled to the depths of the darkest eternity and tormented by the sins of his past.", the crocodile is dragged by disfigured hands and then the show ends with nothing to show beyond that. It was a simple imagery spell and thus did not require the use of her staff for a concentration of magic. It is with hope that this display would help Ryan to understand their culture better and when he asks of pay, she does not think of material things but responds to what she feels is the most appropriate. "The 'pay' is living another day, to feel the warm sun and earth...to enjoy the food, drink and company of your fellow kin.", she pauses a moment before adding, "If the 'pay' is to be of material value then it is given in resources or whatever we ask, if it is something specific that we need. If, our requested 'pay' is not able to be met then we find other needs to be filled."

Tarmagon [Indeed.]

 

[Tarmagon]

Ryan suppressed a snort with effort as Deicinta reiterated the name of the fruit as 'sweet berries'. There were obviously going to be serious communication issues.

"Pardon me," he said once he had his emotions under control. "On my world we have many different kinds of 'sweet berries' and each type has a unique name to distinguish it from other 'sweet berries'. I did not realize that this was a singular title."

Ryan cocked his head to one side as the question about competitions and games. He thought he had been clear. Then again, English was a bit of a difficult language, even for native speakers.

"I suppose that you could say we play games for fun or inconsequential prizes. Competitions are more serious, usually more difficult and requiring a higher level of skill with a certain prestige gained from victory."

His words chopped off as the serpentess began to twirl the fingers of one hand over the open palm of the other. A ball of milky luminescence coalesced over her palm before firming into the image of what looked like a bipedal crocodilian. It was as though she had a holo-projector built into her hand that responded to her desires as the figure went through pantomimes of death with quite different results.

"Fascinating," Ryan breathed, his attention less on the content of the images and more on the images themselves. "Photonic manipulation through a biological agency. It must be quantum manipulation via visualization. That implies a neurological network capable of sensing and manipulating energies at the boson level, possibly the quark... no, not quark. That level is too unstable. It must be at the formed boson level. A mutation allowing the instinctual detection of the underlying quantum structure? But the energy requirements.... no. That would have to be external. The amount of energy required would be fatal to any living nervous system. Hmm. Direction of external forces through applied internal... that might be possible. Inherent limitations... methods of manipulation... rarity of mutation.... transmissibility of the currier gene. I'd give my right arm for a fully function bio-scan suite with neuron mapping right now."

Ryan broke off, looking back up to the strange face now looking down on his curiously.

"Sorry," he said. "We have similar images on my world, but produced by, devices. We haven't yet figured out how to give the ability to individuals."

_Sargotha_ Uh oh. Full blown scientist mode triggered.

 

[_Sargotha_]

"What do you call these other 'sweet berries' that you refer to?", she again picks up one of the black fruits and puts it into her mouth to suck against it a little. There were other fruits of their world, but none were available for him to see at the moment, "I could see if there are other fruits available for you to try, the sweet berries just happen to be ripe and ready to be eaten...and I did ask for the best of our food to be offered." She didn't want him to think that the sweet berries were their only source of fruit and thus he would have to go without any juicy treats from nature. The same with their vegetables came to mind and it made her more thoughtful of seeing about getting a different platter arranged to make seeing what was viable and what was not for the human.

When Ryan began to ramble off with nonsense as she started her visual explanation, she had continued with her words and thus was unaware he had not absorbed much...if any to the meaning of them. This started to become more apparent as he apologized for his clear lack of attention and gave his explanation of why he had not been keen to understand what was being said. She could repeat the spell easily enough but did not feel he would get the context any better than the first time and so she instead turns her attention to what he had said about her ability coming from devices on his world. "It is not an ability or skill that can be given, I was born with the ability to cast magic and learned how to control it to the finest tune I could.", she looks around the room before finding what she is looking for, a stone that was pure black in color but embedded with a gold flame made of metal at the center.

The stone is brought down from a shelf and shown to Ryan, "This is a magic detection stone, it guides us to potential new Casters and gives us the opportunity to teach them of control of their gift.", she smiles before adding, "It was used to find me when I was but a young Vipre and did not understand that my 'puppet shows' had more power than simple entertainment." She could remember the day of when a large cobra came to her parents' hut and the stone glowed brightly near to her, with a glowing snake encircling at her waist for a few moments. No harm came to her nor her parents, but great honor had, for she had been found and taught deeply of how magic was all around them...few could harness the power.

Tarmagon [Hehehehehe, who knows...if a way comes for him to get back home, maybe he could convince her to join him and really see his world in full. Although, like his more sophisticated equipment doesn't work in her world...it is unlikely that her magic would work in his. However, maybe at that point it wouldn't matter as she could find a new life instead of being a sorceress with great responsibilities among her people.]

 

[Tarmagon]

"On my world we have strawberries, blue berries, black berries, cranberries, dew berries," Ryan said. "And there are more that I can't think of off the top of my head. All are sweet to varying degrees, so could all be described as 'sweet berries'. So, we differentiate by name."

Ryan carefully considered the serpentess' next words, and looked curiously at the stone with the flame emblazoned on it. If her words were to be believed, and at this point he had no reason to doubt them, this was actually an artifact used to locate those with whatever gene permitted her quantum manipulations. Most likely it would, if powered up by another quantum user, interreact with the inherent quantum field generated by whatever organelle the mutation produced. Fascinating.

"So," he said excitedly. "This 'gift' that you speak of... what percentage of your population carry it? Is it exclusive to the reptilian species? Does it pass reliably from parent to progeny? Have you determined whether it is more prevalent in males or females? Do certain regions produce more gifted than others? Does it tend to appear based on the seasons? Are you limited to photonic manipulations, or can you influence the physical properties of your surroundings? Is it distance limited? How do you maintain your focus on the desired results?"

_Sargotha_ I could rattle him on and on and on, but thought it best to give her a chance to get a word in edgewise. Scientist mode fully triggered.

 

[_Sargotha_]

She could not imagine having more than one kind of sweet berry to choose from, they had always eaten the dark fruit since young and as far back as she could remember. A berry made from straw or coming out of one did not sound appetizing at all, the blue berries and black berries didn't sound much different to what she had offered him so they could be okay. However, the cranberries and dewberries she did not know what to make of them by their name alone other than the latter she imagined forming after a warm rain. "I wonder Ryan, if it would be possible for these other 'sweet berries' of your world to grow on ours?", she asked with genuine curiosity though there was concern that they may have natural poisons that her people could not take.

When the human rambled off a slew of questions about her people, or rather the gift of harvesting magic and making use of it, she is a little bit stunned. There were so many questions in a row that she found difficulty in remembering them all and much less in order but she could tell that he wanted to learn more so she would do her best to explain. "I do not know the percentage, as you call it, but I do know that there are not many that can perform magic and I do not believe it is only those with scales that can do it.", she had heard of a panda shaman, but he was getting in his elder years and there had been a wolf young one that showed potential of casting magic. In another region of the land there had been rumored of a centaur having some skill, but he did not have the training to really make use of his gift and thus to why one of their people were teaching him, with yet one more having great skill on her own.

His second question causes her shoulders to shrug a little before answering, "It does not seem to have a reason or rhyme, to whether it passes from parent to offspring and we believe it is the will of fate.", her head shakes as he asks if the gift is more in girls or boys, "The ability to cast magic does not seem to matter on gender, at least for the mammal species but for our own...it is a little more present in males.", deciding to include that there were other female shamans of the reptilian species. Again, her head shakes as it is asked if seasons made the determination of when or who is chosen to cast magic before tilting her head in response to the following question's first half. As for the second half of the question, that she can answer and nods her head a little bit, "If you mean by making the air cold or hot, then yes I can do that by casting ice or fire magic.", in case he meant change in height or a body of water even, she adds to it, "I can make the earth widen or make water rise from a lake...but this takes more concentration and magic, much more."

The last two questions require more thought and so she is silent for about a minute before answering, "The greater the distance of what I want to change, the harder it is to make that happen.", again her head nods before responding, "It is through willpower alone that maintains the focus." She gestures to the staff that she had held in a non-threatening manner upon first meeting him, "However, if a spell requires a great amount of focus, then that is where my staff comes into use and the purple gem atop of it is a point for the magic to be concentrated at but even then, it is only an assistance, not guaranteed." She turns the staff so he can see the runes carved within it, "This is an inscription that all Casters learn in their first sessions of training.", she trails along the length of it before translating for him, "It says, 'Caster and the Nature must be one, the balance of power and gift must be equal to the other.', there is meaning behind the inscription to be more than words."

Tarmagon [Their edible plants are as simple as their culture is and that could be changed if there is a way for a portal to his world to be opened again. Wow but can't blame him though. XD]

 

[Tarmagon]

"Fascinating," Ryan said thoughtfully. "A rare gene that does not pass reliably from parent to child in active expression. If two gifted were to have children, does the gift pass more often? It has to be a rare recessive that requires reinforcement from another, equally rare recessive. Since it is not species specific, it has to be a product of the environment. And despite the obvious advantages it confers, there must be a self-limiting factor... otherwise natural selection would be bringing it out more and more."

Ryan gazed curiously at the symbols carved on the staff while he digested the possible meaning behind them. It sounded like the quantum manipulations, hell, he might as well start calling it magic, it was less to think and to say, was far from reliable. He imagined that any disruption to the person using magic would result in nothing happening at the best, and unpredictable results at the worst. In fact...

"If you were to try and say, call my cup to your hand from across the room, would it even be possible?" Ryan asked. "And if you could, would you be more tired than if you had simply stood and walked across the room to retrieve the cup?"

There was an idea roaming around in the back of Ryan's brain, and it was, from all places, a game he had enjoyed as a youth. You entered into a VR environment to fight monsters, evil sorcerers, and generally save the world. If you chose to play a caster class, there were several things that influenced your ability. One was the ambient power of the location you were in, and the other was your internal ability to manipulate the power around you. For every 'mana' point you had, you could influence ten points worth of external energy, if available. In an emergency, you could convert health into mana, but it was easy to exhaust, or even kill, your character if you did it.

"Has anyone ever died from over-using their gift?" Ryan asked softly.

_Sargotha_ He's slowing down a bit while he thinks things through. But never fear, there will be QUESTIONS.

 

[_Sargotha_]

She gives his first question thought before looking back at him, "It seems that two gifted parents have more success in having offspring with the gift, but it does not always stay nor prove to be of any greater power.", a smile comes to her lips before continuing, "We pray to our Goddess of the Arcane Ways, Enchrea, as well as give her offerings at the temple but ultimately it is up to her will." A memory of a recent visit to the Goddess comes to her mind, herself giving thanks to the mighty deity for willing the gift to be transcended to herself from mother and even more gracious to give her such power, as well as skill. "Enchrea watches over all that is magical and swiftly punishes those that abuse her gifts with fitting justice, she also wisely takes gifts if the wielder is not ready nor is able to control it.", she remembered hearing about a powerful grizzly cub that had nearly killed his classmates by thinking of setting their pants on fire...literally.

When he asks if she could summon his cup to her side, if he allowed permission to do so, she nods her head to confirm this. "A simple levitation spell and then willing it to come to me.", she smiles before hearing the second part of his question. Her head shakes to disprove that standing and walking would have been more effective to get the desired object, "Neither task is harder than the other." There is silence for a few moments, and she can tell that he is thinking about something, perhaps an experience on his world that could somewhat match what she had said. As she is about to ask him if he was feeling okay, he asks yet another question about her gift and it was a little more serious than those before it.

It was rare that such a thing happened but it could and her head bows with a closing of her eyes, "God of the Underworld, Ananis, watches over those who have fallen both with and without honor.", she always paid respect to the deity and those he watched over, slowly looking to Ryan, "There have been losses of life from overusing their gifts, but their sacrifice is of the greatest honor and ultimate proof of selflessness will give them a safe passage to the afterlife." Use of magic was a serious matter and thus to why young ones were taught as soon as possible to control their gifts, not just from the danger that they could pose to others and the environment, but for the safety of others as well. Expense of life was always too high of a price but those willing to give everything, in the literal sense of the word, were celebrated in their passing through the Parade of Honor.

Tarmagon [Neat! I think pretty soon we can move forward to the morning and have him meet the Counsil.]

 

[Tarmagon]

The serpentess' answer to his questions were, unexpected. She seemed to believe that there was another entity involved in the use of 'magic' on this world. She also implied that the gift could and had been removed from some practitioners. Ryan wasn't much for organized religions, not caring for the power it gave the leaders over their flocks. He also noted a seeming discrepancy in her theological world view, but decided to save that question for another time, when he was more comfortable on this world.

"So, for mundane uses, it takes no more effort than to do a thing normally," Ryan said, musingly. "And it is quite possible to over-use the gift, possibly to the point of fatality. I wonder how the first of the gifted learned the limits of their abilities without doing themselves harm?"

Ryan's expression turned deadly serious as he continued to speak. He really didn't want to go into this so soon, but he had to know what kind of beings he was dealing with here.

"During the past drought, whose lands retained enough water for crops?" he asked. "And if things were so dire, why didn't the gifted of all the races work together to alleviate the worst of the drought? You obviously know about subterranean water. Did no one think to work together to call it to the surface? You manipulate light. Did no one think to shade the villages during the height of the day? If you cool the ground, dew will form, even in a desert. I am, disturbed that with the gift available, war and subjugation seemed to be the only solution. And, despite the kind picture you paint, you must know that you are subjugating the other races. They are dependent upon you for protection, you control their educations and their movements. You seem benevolent masters, but you are still the masters. That is unsustainable in the long term. Do you have any plans for the future?"

Ryan hated to put the serpentess on the spot in such a blunt fashion, and he knew the risks were high that he would offend her. With the gift she had, he wasn't certain he could leave the village without resorting to lethal force. If taken unaware, he wasn't certain he could overcome the gift. If he had the range or was ready, he was fairly certain he could disrupt any casters concentration before they could incapacitate him, but surprised... that could be problematic.

"I'm sorry if my words are offensive," he said. "But to be blunt, I must determine if I am safe here. You seem nice enough, but your guards are not, and I would prefer not to have to resort to force if I asked to leave and someone said 'no'. Nor do I wish to be embroiled in a civil uprising because someone said 'enough'. Your ways are not mine, and it is not my place to try and change them, but I have seen where some actions lead from past experience, and do not wish to be a part of repeating my history."

_Sargotha_ Hard, hard question. And it should be not much later than noon. He came through in the morning and it was a short walk to the village. Here's hoping she makes him feel safe.

 

[_Sargotha_]

His question of how the first of gifted ones learned where their limits were for magic use without death makes her smile, "I would imagine it would be to when they were too tired to do anymore and had enough common sense to stop before death.", the smile fades though as the human's own expression turns to a much more different mood. She didn't understand to what had suddenly changed as they were having a pleasant conversation and coming to know each other better, learning more of the other's race. 'Did I not give him a satisfactory answer for him to understand?', she wondered and is about to ask him if she needed to explain something more to when his mouth opens to speak.

She soon learns to why his expression had suddenly shifted and was hit with a barrage of questions that she had not expected to come. Her head lowers down as she has to take a few minutes to try processing everything he asked and said, her large eyes turning to close slightly before responding in a soft voice, "The lands that survived for crop retaining from the last drought were mostly of the mammals own, scale-kind turned to the underground for resources, but it wasn't enough to do for forever." When he bluntly stated that Vipres were masters to while the mammals were the subjugated, she hisses in anger...but not to the human, "Not all of us want things to be as they are!" Enslavement was wrong, she knew that and so did her people, hence to why they had not forced anything to those that refused but only offered safe passage for anyone wanting to leave.

Naturally, a guard pulled the flap open as to see what had upset the sorceress and Deicinta turned her head to look at the fellow cobra with a forced smile. Her hand is put up as to stop the protective Vipre from coming in further, "No...no, it's okay...just, some tough questions to answer, I'm okay.", the guard gives a skeptical gaze towards her then to the human and then back to the sorceress. Deicinta nods her head before making the smile wider through willpower, "I promise. If I really need anything then I will call.", the guard shrugs his shoulders before leaving the hut and shutting the cloth flap.

Slowly, she takes a deep breath as to genuinely calm herself before looking to the human again, "If you want to leave then I will walk you out of the village unimpeded, but I do not advise it, you do not know the dangers in the jungle." She looks to her staff before speaking again, "There was a time when scales and mammals were without fear of resource shortage, no need for armor or weapons against more than the animals we hunted.", she could remember having bear cubs as friends when much younger, playing games with other reptiles and even swimming with the aquatic races from time to time. "That changed when the drought happened, no one saw it coming...even the Gods gave no warning...some say it is a test from them, while others believe it is their abandoning.", she did not believe in either way.

Tarmagon [It was bound to happen sooner or later, and it makes sense that he needs to know if he is safe within the village.]

 

[Tarmagon]

"I see," Ryan said quietly. "I thank you for the honesty of your answer."

Ryan would have commented on the serpentess' angry exclamation, but the flap of cloth that served as a door was thrust aside by an armed and armored serpent that seemed to be of the same race as Deicinta. Ryan's hand dropped to the butt of his stunner automatically, but noting the distance to the doorway, his hand shifted slightly, drawing a cylinder from a cargo pocket, nestling it into his palm. He wasn't a blade master by any stretch of the imagination, but he imagined that a mono-edge would more than even the playing field if things turned, unpleasant. Fortunately, his companion reassured the suspicious guard enough that he went on his way with a shrug. After visibly calming herself, Deicinta offered to walk Ryan out of the village unmolested, though she pointed out that there were dangers he was unaware of.

"I do not personally believe in a deity that tests its followers," Ryan said. "But if it was a test, would you say you passed? Someone made the choice for things to be the way they are. Someone makes that choice to this very day."

Ryan shrugged, then considered his next words. He needed both sides of the story here, but not on his first day. One thing that needed to happen though, was that the serpentess needed to see that while he carried nothing he expected she would recognize as a weapon, he wasn't helpless. He considered the cylinder still tucking in his hand, then nodded to himself. Holding his hand up so that Deicinta could see the cylinder, he made certain that his hand was pointed away from her, or anything breakable, and triggered the mono-blade. The metal of the cylinder shifted, a thin blade snapping out three feet in a fraction of a second. He gave Deicinta a moment to look at the blade, then retracted it back into the cylinder.

"There are certainly dangers I am unaware of," he said, putting the cylinder back into the cargo pocket of his pants. "But as you can see, despite my weapons not being immediately obvious, I am not unarmed. I believe I could survive outside your walls, however you have, despite my issues with some choices made, given me no reason to distrust you. I will stay. I would appreciate it if you would, in the best way you can, tell your guards that I am no threat to anyone who does not threaten me. I would also, at some future point, meet the mammalian species. I assume that you all speak a common tongue?"

_Sargotha_ He'll stay for now. Since it was unlikely she recognizes any of his weapons, he thought it best to let her know that he is, indeed, armed. I imagine his guns are just strangely shaped tools to her, at least for now.

 

[_Sargotha_]

When Ryan questioned as to her belief that she passed or failed the test from their believed Gods, she looks to him before answering in a softer voice. "I do not believe in either.", she pauses before continuing in explaining her answer, "I do believe there are Gods that govern our world by forces we do not know or understand but I do not think the drought was a test of our people and yet, I do not believe it was without a purpose." One of her hands raise to put a finger on her lips before giving thought on the matter, "To what that purpose was or is for, I do not know.", she picks up another sweet berry to snack on before looking to the human again as he speaks of their government being the way it is by choice. She looks to the flap of the hut before moving herself closer to the human and setting her staff aside for now, "I am only a member of the Council, though highly respected...we are more focused on the magic aspect of our people...", her head turns slightly to the side with a lowering of her eyes, "...I am bound by the laws set by our ruler, to speak against them or to suggest change...it could be seen as treason."

As the human reveals that he is not without weapons and thus could likely survive outside of their walls, there is some relief as it meant he could likely handle himself well enough. "It is good that you are not defenseless.", she smiles upon seeing that the human could hide his weapon as soon as he had deployed it and nods her head with a finger to her lips as to indicate the universal 'it's our secret' sign. She is glad that Ryan is choosing to stay with the village but made it clear that he was not happy with the choices made by her people, to which she had expressed that she was not completely okay with the way things were either. The request to meet the mammalian species that the reptilian people oversaw for their well-being was reasonable and she was willing to take him to the leader of the furry ones. As he asked if the mammals spoke the same language as herself and other reptilian individuals, she nods her head before replying, "It would make trading hard if we didn't, not to say that there are some that have their own language to use if secrets are to be kept."

Tarmagon [Good and yes, she would not recognize anything of his weapons beyond the blade being a sword. I'm thinking that we can make Ryan's arrival with the purpose of changing the people to where all are equal or maybe when things are about to hit the fan, a way for him to go home comes and he offers for her to come to his world. ]

 

[Tarmagon]

Ryan wondered how the serpentess managed her world view. Believing in an active, intervening god on one hand, but not believing that the same gods could choose to test their followers. Intriguing. However, his mood of introspection and curiosity vanished as her next words hit him like a bucket of cold water.

"Great," he thought, trying and most likely failing to school his features into a cool mask of indifference. "Primitive world. Check, I can deal. Talking, shape-shifting snakes. Check. Working magic. Check. Borderline slavery. Sorta check. But now it looks like I've fallen into a bloody dictatorship. Hell no."

Outwardly Ryan took a moment to sip from his cup before addressing Deicinta.

"I, see." he said slowly. "So, you have a council of sorts that oversees the gift, and then you have an overall ruler? One whose word is law? May I know how your ruler came to power?"

Ryan wasn't certain what he was hoping to hear, but he doubted that on this world, the ruled had much say in the choice of the ruler. Maybe a primitive monarchy? That wouldn't be the worst possible scenario, but it was far from the best. From her words, it seemed that the council Deicinta was a part of might command a measure of respect from the non-gifted, they actually had no political power whatsoever. The idea that merely suggesting any change in the status quo was most likely to be considered treason however, that smacked of dictatorship at its worst. Meanwhile, Deicinta seemed willing to take him to meet some of the other species. And he wouldn't have to learn a plethora of new languages either. That was good. For now, he'd just wait and see what her responses were to his question.

_Sargotha_ Uh oh. Ryan's 'aw shit-o-meter' has just pegged out. Here's hoping for an at least, palatable answer.

 

[_Sargotha_]

Deicinta could tell that Ryan was not pleased with her answer of one man ruling their people and she lifts her own drink as to take a sip from it, setting the cup down again as the human asks her another few questions. The serpentess looks to him with her large amber eyes before responding with a nod of her head to confirm that the King decided everything for the people, and he had been fair in doing so. When he questions of how their King came to power, she gives thought back to her history lessons since a small Vipre and having brief memories to sitting beside her classmates while the teacher was at the front of the hut. These lessons felt like a long time ago and although she had paid attention, unlike some of her peers, her studies had turned to the arcane arts about midway of her education as her gift had shown up at that point in time.

"From what I remember...", she pauses with a pointed claw put to her lips and a bow of her head as to concentrate a little better, "...from schooling, this feels like such a long time ago now." She takes a deep breath as to 'center herself', "We had started with a secret ballot method of voting decisions for the people and one trusted person would count the votes, if there was a tie then a sport would be set up to determine the winner. Something simple that could be done within a few minutes or so, like rock throwing into a basket...whichever side got all their rocks in won, if necessary then we did the best two out of three rounds." Little did her people know that this was the start of the forthcoming single ruler to come, and that one trusted person had their own agenda.

"As our people grew in numbers, the secret ballot didn't work as well and so they changed to having one person speak for a side to while the other side had a speaker. Both sides stated their cases to while an elder that was considered the wisest of the people made the final decision for everyone, but he was not above being approached by anyone if they felt strongly that the decision was unfair. The elder would try to balance everything out, but as I'm sure you can imagine, that was not always enough to satisfy everyone.", she lets a slow sigh out as she remembers overhearing talks of the people needing a single voice to lead while she had been on her way to the arcana center in the early morning of the day. She could not count the times that she had heard both men and women murmur about things she did not understand at the time, now knowing they were the signs of the forthcoming war.

"Things were good, for a while...", her hand falls down to her lap before she frowns, "...until the war.", it was not long before she had finished her education with the arcane arts and was in her second year to practicing the achieved Mastery, to when the shouts of invading mammals came to be heard. She had been trying to help anyone that she could without starving or droughting her own people, but it was very difficult to when resources were so little. Magic generated water and food was not of the same property as the real thing, she learned that lesson upon trying to keep a pet turtle as a companion. "After the war finally came to an end, the King...at the time a powerful Vipre that led warriors of the scaled...was revered and cheered, his battle experience and strategy allowed for our people's victory.", a faint smile comes to her lips at this point before she lifts her head to look at Ryan, "Majority of our people felt that his bravery and wisdom would be best fitted to lead the people, to which an elder at the time agreed."

"He has not been without mercy to those that were of our enemies but yet, he is not keen on relinquishing his power or sharing it.", she takes a tighter hold to her staff upon remembering when she had tried to convince the ruler of having mammals among his advisors as to try showing trust to their furred care. "I don't feel one person should have that much power and whenever I try to even suggest a change to the King, or even to one of his advisors when he is busy or out of the kingdom for something, I feel I am ignored.", she had been tempted to simply barge her way into his throne room and demand an audience with him, however that would not only earn her a forced apology to him and a reprimand from the Council, but as well as public embarrassment for doing such a foolish thing. "What would your people do?", she asked upon looking directly at Ryan's face with an expression that spoke of being unhappy of the way things were.

Tarmagon [She's not going to 'sugar coat' anything but she also knows when to not be completely cold and blunt about things. ]