Trapped in Another World With No Magic

Chapter 106: Chosen Sides

Heralesse rides with her knights for the Grand Duchy of Stalvaltan. Her Royal Thoroughbred buckrokh is of the fastest bloodline ever born into the Kingdom of Mornistae, a legacy of Heralesse’s own family. That said, her knights are on lower pedigree mounts, so she has to be mindful not to get too far ahead.

The reason she is riding for the Grand Duchy is fairly simple. Rikuto has been operating completely outside of normal royal duties, and he sent a weapon to destroy Fort Twilight, which is unthinkable. But, one of her maids overheard some of the returned soldiers talking about it. It’s believed that Daniel and the other members of the ‘Fievegal’ were slain at Fort Twilight after meeting with Sundenelle.

The only one that can make sense of everything and remain in control is Aramellianna, at least that Heralesse can trust to see everything objectively. Her own parents are supporting Rikuto, even though no one knows what weapon he is supposedly so afraid of.

The new Stalvaltan estate becomes visible near the beach of the gulf as the group emerges from a forest pass. It’s not what she expected to see, though. The training grounds for the Stalvaltan Grand Duchy have always been close to the estate, and it’s common for thousands of troops to be either in refresher or new recruit training.

Instead, it seems that the Stalvaltan Grand Duchy is preparing for defense. The Stalvaltan mansion is modest and elegant in appearance, but is in fact well defended like a castle. It’s the new location of the seat of the Grand Duchy, since Aramellianna confessed to liking the beachfront estate, and the old estate can still remain functional, since it’s closer to the Royal Capital. It’s likely one of Aramellianna’s governors or son in laws would reside at the old estate and manage affairs too far to manage from the new main house.

Heralesse slows her entourage as they near the perimeter gate, manned and guarded by a dozen Stalvaltan Guards, and the battalion nearby watches the riders approach. The soldiers seem on guard, and the guards at the gate also move like they’re surprised.

One of the senior guards steps forward, bowing as he keeps his hand on his spear. “Y-Your Majesty, Queen Heralesse. It is our honor to see you.”

“Thank you.” Heralesse brings her buckrokh to a stop nearby, and it pants gently as it catches its breath, along with the others as her knights do the same.

“If I may, your Majesty; what brings you out here with such a modest escort? Should you not remain in the safety of the Royal Capital?”

“Your advice is noted, but I must speak to the Grand Duchess at once. I tried sending her a message, but I haven’t received a reply.”

“I’m… afraid that’s not possible at the moment, your Majesty. It’s best if you return to the Royal Capital, and we shall inform her Grace to respond to you at once.”

“What? No! I need to see her now. I… need her advice. Rikuto… he’s… I don’t know what he’s thinking. And… I don’t know the right answer.”

The guards glance at each other, unsure of what to do.

Their concern is not specifically because of Heralesse’s presence, as it turns out. The young queen can’t help but feel a little suspicious, but she’s not sure what it is. Something feels wrong about their environment.

“Your Majesty,” whispers Qualler, her senior knight. “Something is off about the Stalvaltan Guards.”

She looks around briefly. “Will you not provide your Queen hospitality, good sir guard?”

The guards again glance at each other, even more disturbed by this idea.

“Or… is something…”

“Flare! Flare! Flare!” calls out one of the soldiers in the battalion. They point, and coming from slightly south of the estate are lookout flares.

“Damn!” curses the senior guard at the gate. He looks at Heralesse. He is pondering his options in frustration. “Soldiers! Form a defensive perimeter around her Majesty!”

“Commander?” asks another of the gate guards.

“You heard me!” He approaches Heralesse, offering her his hand. “Your Majesty, the enemy is approaching. I highly recommend you and your men dismount.”

“Enemy!?” yells Heralesse in shock. “How can that be!? The demons don’t…” She halts herself. She instantly knows Daniel is involved.

“One rider, ride for the nearest fortress, Fort Umentar, and send reinforcements! Guards, open the gates! We shall defend…”

As the messenger takes off, the Stalvaltan soldiers collectively make a silent decision. A crossbowman snaps his weapon up and fires on the messenger’s buckrokh, incapacitating it and throwing the rider to the ground, who is quickly swarmed by Stalvaltan soldiers.

Heraless screams, “Wh-What is this!?” She looks at the senior guard, who just then slices the billet strap of her saddle, yanking her from the buckrokh. “Forgive me, your Majesty.” He grapples her, ordering, “Don’t let any of them escape! Capture them alive!”
“This is treachery!” screams one of the knights, but the buckrokhs begin to panic as the Stalvaltan soldiers use various spells and weapon attacks to quickly incapacitate the knights. A couple of the riders try to break ranks and flee to get the message out, but they are quickly ensnared by trap spells.

Heralesse starts to chant a spell, but the Commander covers her mouth with his gloved hand, and he shifts his other arm to keep hooked under her right arm to prevent her from drawing her sword, but he also grips her neck with his right hand. He whispers harshly in her ear, “Your Majesty, don’t resist. I swear to you, the only way you come out of this unharmed is if you surrender.”

She growls through his hand, still trying to chant, but she can’t form words. The Commander sighs in disgust. “Listen, I don’t want to see you hurt, but… You’ve already lost. Make this easy, or they’ll kill you.”

She cocks her head, doing her best to look at him. He nods his head towards the south where soldiers are arriving.

But, these soldiers look like nothing Heralesse recognizes. There are beings of various sizes, from a little over half Heralesse’s height to the size of giant beasts, marching in formation. In addition, they are armored in uniform armor with a coat of arms depicting a female humanoid silhouette with large, triangular ears or horns and a big tail.

What’s more curious are the apparent weapons of the soldiers; strangely shaped staves that they carry across their chests, but not in a posture resembling any sword art or spear form.

The commander uses the hand he was holding Heralesse’s neck with, making a few quick swatting hand gestures.

The guards in the upper floor of the gate station nod from the window, and soon after, they fly strange flags that Heralesse doesn’t know; simple blue with a trio of white circles.

The soldiers march closer, but the Stalvaltan Guard soldiers don’t make a move, other than to corral the royal knights and Heralesse into one location.

Three individuals from the invading force approach the group including Heralesse and the commander. 

The Commander whispers, “Stay quiet and listen, your Majesty. If you don’t trust me, you will die.”

She glowers at him, but he holds her for a moment longer, saying to the newcomers, “Commander Yaphino of the Grand Duchy of Stalvaltan’s Stalvaltan Guard. I am the commanding officer on the field at this location.”

“Ucahote. Acting General of the Fievegal. This is Keln, Division Commander over the dattakoriens, Chi'rinnis, and goblins. And, this is Hyoulutch, Division Commander over the ogres, Scout Recon Integrated Unit, and the Fievegal Ranger Corps.”

“Corps?” murmurs one of the guards.

Ucahote appears to be armored in a dull-grey armor, though something is off about his posture and movements. His helmet also appears similar to the head of the emblem on their coat of arms.

And, on his left, Keln is a mature dattakorien man with a scar running across his left eye, down across his feline nose and to his upper lip, making his right canine tooth peek out from his closed mouth. He would likely terrify children, but he has a rather calm and refined expression that seems reliable.

Similarly, on Ucahote’s right is Hyoulutch, an ogre, judging by his large size towering over all of the others immediately present. His head is covered in a full-face helmet with a shoulder pauldron that seems to be made out of the horn of some great beast, similar to one of the ones behind the rest of the invading battalion. Heralesse finally feels sick to her stomach when the adrenaline starts to fade and she realizes what that humongous beast actually is.

It’s a class ‘B’ drake, a veritable monster residing on the western side of the continent. It’s one such beast that Daniel is said to have slain while defending Fort Peony, and now it bears the coat of arms of the Fievegal, by all appearances.

Yaphino, the human Commander of the Stalvaltan Guard, relaxes his hold on Heralesse, but he keeps her sword arm in his grip. “General Ucahote, this is her Majesty, Queen Heralesse of the Kingdom of Mornistae.”

Ucahote looks at Heralesse, and again, something feels off about the General, like he isn’t entirely present. “Queen? I was unaware there would be members of other factions present.”

“It… was a surprise to us as well, General.”

Heralesse yanks her arm free, snarling, “What exactly is going on here!? Who are these people!? What are demon kin doing in the Grand Duchy!?”

Yaphino looks down, and Ucahote looks at the human commander. After a moment, the enemy General replies, “Your Majesty, I’m afraid we cannot allow you to go free at this time. As such, I shall explain.”

“What!? You can’t hold me!”

“I can. As I said, I am Ucahote, loyal servant to Daniel and the Fievegal. In response to the ruthless attack on Fort Twilight by an asset directly commissioned by Tachibana Rikuto of the Otherworld, the Fievegal will be invading and claiming Mornistae territory and resources in reparations.”

“Wha-That’s… No!” She whirls. “D-Does the Grand Duchess know about this! How could you betray your Kingdom!?”

Yaphino is silent for a moment. He replies quietly, “King Rikuto attacked a faction that was not our enemy while we are still embroiled in war with the Demon Covenant, Your Majesty. The Grand Duchess attempted to dissuade his rash actions.”

Heralesse trembles. The Grand Duchess already warned Rikuto that he was on thin ice, and that she would go to any lengths to see to national security.

“This is the opposite of national security!”

“The Fievegal is after Rikuto and his advisors. Those who would lead a country to ruin are the enemy as much as an invading force. The difference is, the invading force has demonstrated restraint.”

“That’s… No! I won’t allow this! Knights! Use everything you-...” She tries to use a quick spell that doesn’t require chanting, but nothing happens. “Wh-What!?”

Ucahote gestures to the ogre standing next to him, who holds up a fairly simple-looking orb of yellow-ish metal. “You’ll find that to be quite difficult, your Majesty. The Fievegal has an advanced understanding of magic, thanks to our Lord and Emperor. He has authorized me to send you to the Citadel as his prisoner until the Kingdom of Mornistae is secure.”

“No! I won’t go down like this!”

Just as she tries to draw, Yaphino snatches her into a sleeper hold, restraining her until her consciousness fades, causing her guards to cry out. The Fievegal soldiers step up with different wands, much more like a simple rod of metal, touching it to the knights. Each one falls like a sack of bricks instantaneously, unconscious.

And, just like that, Heralesse is a prisoner of the Fievegal.

***

Daniel sits next to a campfire surrounded by forest as Treia leans against his chest, holding his hand on her abdomen as she lounges comfortably. She’s drifting off lazily as the two sit quietly together.

Daniel asks a little dryly, but softly, “Aren’t I supposed to be under ‘house arrest’?”

“This counts,” retorts Treia. “The requirement is that you’re not let out of anyone’s sight. And, good luck escaping me on this island.”

He scoffs, idly petting her belly as she snuggles against him. As she mentioned, they’re on one of the small islands resting in the giant lake whose shore the Citadel is perched on. And, Treia had Xyreko drop them off on a small boat, pulling the boat back specifically so Daniel can’t escape. 

He has no intention to at this point, since he knows he worries his companions every time he does. But, he was as much trying to distract himself as hide his anger and sadness. He has himself under control now, and he’s going along with each of his companions’ personal requests while they wait on the Science teams to finish brewing the revival potations so Choul and the other soldiers can be restored. The invasion should be just beginning, but it’s being handled by Ucahote and Xyreko to force Daniel to take a break.

And, Treia made him make good on his promise to go camping with her. It’s actually a welcome break from the bombardment of affection he was met with upon his, Doephluev’s, and Arachne’s return to the Citadel with the scarf Ryukana planted in the ruins near the border of Mornistae.

Daniel can feel a light rumbling in his chest before anything else, but when he listens, paying attention and doing his best to tune out the sounds of the campfire, he can hear a soft sound that is one of the most peaceful sounds he knows of between either Earth or Zenkon.

That sound is purring.

Treia is almost unconscious, having peacefully dozed off. She has become so relaxed, she can’t help but purr gently.

I wonder if she purrs when she’s alone. And, is it something she does while she’s awake or asleep?

After a brief nap, she stirs and stretches against Daniel, sitting up. She rubs her eyes as she asks, “Daniel?”

“Yep. Still here.”

She smiles happily. “Obviously.” She turns on her knees to look at Daniel, saying gently, “I had a dream. It… worries me a little.”

“Was it a bad dream?”

She shakes her head. “Not exactly. It just… My family was… here. Living at the Citadel with us. My parents and siblings. I… feel like they had to come.” Her ears droop down sadly, and Daniel puts his hand on her lap to reassure her.

“Are you worried about it being a prophetic dream?”

She looks down, nodding as she stares distantly at the ground nearby. “Yes. I didn’t, but Gwen said she experienced the prophetic dream people were talking about before you were summoned. Prophetic dreams are usually the reason a Dawnsight will be performed.”

Daniel nods. “So I’ve heard. Do you want to send a message to your family?”

She nods. “I-I’d like to… if that’s alright. I just… I don’t know what to tell them.”

The human mechanic-turned-emperor smiles sympathetically. “I understand… It’s difficult to tell your family you’re dating a human.”

She scowls at him with disgust. Daniel saw various couples of the various fantasy races he has seen in his time in Mornistae, especially when he was working as a faux artificer, or rather, a magic mechanic.

Treia growls, “You better be joking, Daniel.”

He smiles and chuckles gently. “Yeah, sorry. You know me. I know you’re worried about us being enemies of the eastern allies, which includes your home country.”

She moves her head in very small nods, confirming his real answer.

“I don’t know what to tell you. Other than everyone already on my side, I have no one and nothing to lose here. Asking family members to join me in actions that could be seen as treason… I understand why it’s a dangerous thought.” Daniel thinks for a moment longer. “If… I was sure about where I was, though… If I knew I was on the winning side… I would try to convince them. That’s me personally, though. I… I don’t want to be the one to say we’re the winning side. We’re using more mana than we’re recovering, so I don’t know that we can sustain a long-term war until we’re net positive on mana recovery. Not that I want to, of course.”

She nods. “I know. And, I don’t even know that my parents would ever move.”

“Will… they be mad at you if you’re with child out of wedlock?”

She sighs. “Maybe… I… I think my mom will forgive me, but… Dad… Dad might… He might be upset. A-At you as much as me, most likely. Sorry.”

Daniel chuckles and takes her hand. “I honestly didn’t think too far ahead, but I’m along for the ride now.” He teases, “Will it help your case if we tell him you’re an empress in the Fievegal?”

She scoffs, shifting to lean against him again. “Maybe… And, m-maybe the Fievegal… can contract his services as a merchant. If the payment is good enough, he might be willing to overlook tradition. Especially because he’ll have grandchildren finally.”

Daniel chuckles. “I’m sensing a trend in this world.”

“Legacy is all anyone has after they’re gone. Tradition is part of it, but… Nothing is more sure than descendants.”

Daniel chuckles. “Yeah? I suppose that’s true.” Daniel thinks again. “Here’s… another option.”

She cocks her head cautiously, given his hesitant tone. “What is it?”

“You… could threaten them. Tell them that you’ve committed treason, and they’ll be killed by me if they don’t become my hostages. Something along those lines.”

She shakes her head. “No. No, that’s not… That’s unacceptable. I could tell them I’m a traitor, but… I can’t blackmail my family like that. I’d rather… C-Can’t you try to… establish diplomatic relations with Mattarglos? They’re allies to the Empire, but not a vassal territory. I-If… At least the domain lord where my…” She trails off.

Daniel squeezes her hand gently. “We can try. Would you like to be the Emissary?”

“M-Me?” squeaks Treia in surprise.

Daniel nods. “I don’t know anything about Mattarglos. What they trade, customs. I assume your domain is mostly gatonines, right?”

She nods. “Y-Yes. Gwenesphia and I come from the same domain, though different towns. Though, many races reside in Mattarglos.”

Daniel nods as he thinks. “I’d like to ask you and Gwenesphia to take control of this endeavor. Speak with Vaergraes and Aramellianna for advice, and ask for anything you need. I won’t trade firearms until flintlocks or something similar start appearing.”

“Flint… locks?”

“Older style firearms on Earth. A lot less efficient and accurate than what I’ve been using.”

She nods, trying to picture it. “Think you can handle it?” asks Daniel.

She fidgets. “Y-Yes. I… I’ll… It’s…” She sighs. “If it’s for my family, I’ll do it.”

Daniel nods. “When the day comes that we have a trade agreement with Mattarglos, we’ll arrange to move your family to a townhome or farm. Whatever they want.”

She smiles and lifts his hand up to her face, kissing his fingers. “Thank you, Daniel. I… I truly appreciate it…”

“Of course. We don’t know what the future holds, and if your family being close makes you feel safe, all the better. Plus, we can pawn off babysitting onto them.”

She stares at him with a smirk, and he chuckles and grins.

***

“Hekate?” asks Wenlianna as she finds the young Feldrok trying to help the three dragon empresses figure out the ingredients for something Daniel made that he calls ‘peanut butter cookies’. He apparently determined the ingredients that are similar enough to those he used on Earth, but the fluffy baked confections are a mystery to the four, as well as Aoloan and Kera’tai, who are bickering nearby.

Hekate’s ears perk up at hearing Wenlianna’s voice, and she turns, while Ryuogriar asks, “Where does Mukori keep getting sweet things? Is it a stockpile?”

“Maybe the sweetness comes from the milk?” asks Geirahoel softly.

“He said peanuts aren’t actual nuts… I think…” adds Reignleif as she nibbles on one of the cookies. “But… It smells and tastes like a nut…”

“What is it, Wenlianna?”

“A-Am I interrupting?”

Hekate shakes her head with a smile. “Nah. Geira asked me to help try to identify Daniel’s secret ingredient in cookies.”

Wenlianna looks at the baked goods. Daniel makes them as a special treat, and for him, it’s simple. He made some for Wenlianna’s family once to celebrate the completion of the diamond machine, and they’re quite good. 

“I think he uses a spice extracted from flowers… He called it a tiny bit of vanilla.”

Hekate looks at Geirahoel specifically. 

Geirahoel seems like she immediately fell deep into thought. “He… He does… nibble on some of the flowers… I…” She darts away without warning.

Ryuogriar remarks, “Hmm… Sweet Geira certainly does seem to be the furthest ahead no matter what we do, Reina.”

“Speak for yourself,” retorts Reignleif with her usual soft and gentle tone. This still earns her a light glare from her senior.

Hekate asks, “So… how about you, Wenlianna? Did you need something from me?”

“Permission for a special activity, perhaps?” teases Ryuogriar.

“Leave my cute descendants alone.”

“Wha-!? Me!?”

As Reignleif and Ryuogriar begin to bicker lightly, mostly teasing each other, Wenlianna finally answers Hekate. “Um… I would like your permission to employ workers of the Fievegal in harvesting lumber. I need the lumber to turn into diamonds. A-And, also… I’d like to teach workers to help me make the machines for it.”

Hekate nods in agreement. “I see. Yes. Your deference is noted and much appreciated, Wenlianna.”

Both Ryuogriar and Reignleif snicker at Hekate, and her tail puffs up, but she doesn’t acknowledge them yet. The little feldrok empress continues, “Permission granted, Wenlianna. I’ll tell Shek and Skloe to find workers for you. How many do you need?”

“As many as you can give me, especially those capable of magic. We’ll need to dry the lumber more quickly, if we can.”

“Sounds good. Most of the Uhl’tall are helping rebuild the villages, but the oni, imps, and goblins should easily be able to give you manpower. Oh, and there should be some ogres willing to help.”

Wenlianna nods. “Also, I’ve been thinking on an idea, but I don’t know quite how to make it work.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, I was thinking of making a mobile teleportation circle for Daniel. Something he can carry, which can…”

“Sold!” exclaims Ryuogriar as she immediately darts close to Hekate and Wenlianna. Reignleif hobbles close as well, nodding in agreement. “Name the assistance you require, Wenlianna.”

“I… Is it possible?”

The two dragons and Hekate look at each other. None of them had given it real thought. Now, it’s baffling that they didn’t think of it sooner. Reignleif thinks out loud, “Those who have enough mana and can learn the spell can use it freely. Is there any reason it can’t be transcribed to an item?”

Ryuogriar nods, also pondering deeply. “I am certain it should be possible, but the spell we use here is too complex. I don’t know that we could transcribe it onto something small enough for Daniel to carry.”

“I thought I heard Morty mention something about a teleportation scroll once,” remarks Hekate.

Ryuogriar shakes her head. “Such a scroll can’t exist. Not with anything we dragons have ever learned. It won’t be able to sustain enough magic.”

Having a sudden idea, Wenlianna asks, “What if we could make a mana-conductive ink out of diamond? Couldn’t we make the ‘magic crystal’ the rune writing itself?”

This surprises Ryuogriar and Reignleif. The blue dragon woman pets her bulging belly, which holds an egg that should be nearly ready to lay. “It’s very possible… The power density of mana within diamonds is much higher than the traditional salt or other materials tried.”

“Still,” counters Ryuogriar as she thinks. “The number of glyphs and characters needed to form the spell for the magic circles he can use currently… I don’t know of any way to write them small enough.”

Hekate twitches, and her ears fold down as a thought hits her, now.

“Something wrong, your Greatness?” asks Ryuogriar gently.

The feldrok girl looks at her, releasing her frustration and relaxing her ears. “Sorry… Yes. I mean, no, but…” She sighs. “What about runes? L-Like… the archoneldwyn use.”

The other three are quiet. Wenlianna knows the least about magic of the group, which is a little ironic, because she is the most studied and educated individual in the Fievegal, most likely. 

Ryuogriar sighs as well. “So… We would need to ask… that woman.”

“Miss Doephluev?” asks Wenlianna gently.

Reignleif nods. “The kinds of runes she uses, according to Daniel, are a lot stronger than any of the spells we normally make use of. She even has a rune word that can revive her.”

“They’re closely guarded secrets of the archoneldwyn, though. Do you think she would be so willing to help us?”

Hekate stares at the ground for a moment. She has no way to discern lies or truth other than her life experience. She very much dislikes Doephluev, because, even if for no other reason, she is the one that nearly killed Daniel. Since then, though, she has become his supposedly obsessed lover and loyal follower, enduring abusive words from everyone else.

Regardless, Daniel has gotten gentler and friendlier with her -which could easily be attributed to him being seduced-. But,...

The young feldrok takes a deep breath and exhales just as deeply in exasperation. “She won’t help us. She’ll help Daniel. I’m sure of it.”

Geirahoel finally returns with a bunch of different flowers from her personal quarters, and she sets them out. “I have all of the flowers that smell like something in the cookies.” She notices everyone else’s focused expressions, and she asks, “What did I miss?”

Hekate explains, since she’s the most likely to get an honest response from the orange dragon. “We’re going to ask for Doephluev’s help.”
“F-For the cookies?” asks the youngest of the three dragon empresses.

“No. Wenlianna wants to try to make a portable teleportation circle for Daniel, so he can teleport himself home when he needs to.”

Geirahoel perks up, ready to rush the group the way Ryuogriar and Reignleif did earlier. But, she realizes why they were so deliberate about making that decision.

Doephluev was a very dangerous enemy not long ago. And, it’s obvious that she’s trying to steal Daniel’s attention at every chance she gets.

But, she also did help him on the mission to retrieve the magic gift from Ryukana. That she spent so much alone time with Daniel is just a result of her paying more attention to his shifty behavior than anyone else.

Geirahoel nods softly. “Let’s ask her. If… Mukori will be keeping her around,...” Geirahoel hugs her arms to her torso. “He is too kind sometimes…” murmurs the orange dragon, who can appreciate his kindness as much as anyone else, if not more so.

Hekate sighs. “I know, right? But… If she has given up being our enemy, then it’s a waste of time to pretend she’s not one of Daniel’s mistresses.” She shakes her fist. “How could he be so cruel?” The others chuckle softly.

Wenlianna doesn’t particularly like sharing Daniel, so she remains respectfully quiet. But, he also does treat her with immense respect as an individual, and he’s relying on her to press forward with magic technology; the field of study she chose long ago.

Hekate has Doephluev summoned by Xyreko to the dining hall where they are, and they wait patiently.

After a while, Doephluev enters the room, bowing politely. “Your Greatness Empress Hekate, your majestic Graces, Empresses Ryuogriar, Reignleif, and Geirahoel. My Lady Wenlianna.”

Hekate waves her hand dismissively as she urges the archoneldwyn over. “Enough of that for now, Doephluev. Come over here.”

Doephluev obeys, wearing a stone-like stoic expression as she carries herself with a surprising level of grace, even in her fairly simple single-piece dress. “How may I serve you, your Greatness?”

“Wenlianna, explain,” instructs Hekate.

Wenlianna flinches. She has only seen Doephluev a few times, and though they’re of similar height, the archoneldwyn carries herself with a cold predatory posture that could spring a lethal attack at any time. 

The human magic artisan takes a breath to calm herself. “Miss Doephluev, we were discussing a new magic device idea. But, the specific ability we would be hoping to replicate normally requires a magic circle too large to fit on something a person could carry around.”

“Could it not be carried in a large magic bag, my Lady?” asks Doephluev respectfully.

Hekate interjects, “Obviously it could. But, that’s impractical. And, he would have to leave it behind.”

Doephluev thinks for a moment. Her expression brightens a little for a moment, but she quickly restores her stoic composure. “F-For Master, then?” asks the archoneldwyn servant.

Wenlianna nods. “Yes. We were hoping it would be possible to find a way to condense the teleportation spell down into a small enough form that Daniel can carry it. With the communicators, we can definitely make use of certain glyphs, but… as I understand it… you have a sort of… runeword magic. Y-Yes?”

Doephluev doesn’t reply just yet, thinking idly. “Oh! Yes. I’m… not an expert, but I received a book recently from Master that may help.” She looks at her own arm, where scars remain from when she had subdermal mana amplifiers and other magic items to make her seem more powerful than she actually would be without it.

“If I can be analyzed, I think my runes can be seen. I just don’t know how. Also, I don’t know what happened to the hidden items I had.”

Hekate explains, “The items were removed. Daniel figured they would make it possible for you to do things, even under contract or as our prisoner. Are they useful without being… under your skin?”
Doephluev nods. “Yes. They also have rune magic combined with typical advanced enchantment methods. N-Now… that you ask and I’m thinking about it… It… almost seems like runes were made to condense spells… I think.”

This inspires the other four, who perk up. “So, you can give runes to Mukori?” asks Geirahoel.

Ryuogriar nods in agreement. “This would be a major boon to our beloved Mukori.”

Hekate defends Daniel. “We can’t go all crazy and tattoo him like she is.” She gestures at Doephluev. As she said, most of her runeword tattoos are hidden on her body somehow, either by making the ink match her skin tone, or some other method no one else knows. But, there is one on her abdomen that Hekate has seen, which glows a pretty pink-purple color, and she seems overly proud of it. It wasn't there before, meaning Daniel allowed her to add it to herself. But, they can't make the decision for Daniel.

“I live to serve my beloved Master, your Greatness. My knowledge and skills are at your disposal for this task.”

Hekate nods. “Will they work on a device of some kind? Maybe a…” She gestures with her hands as she tries to think.

“When tattooing, we use a lot of surface area of our bodies for each spell effect, your Greatness. If you wish to make an item, particularly for a magic spell that Daniel can activate without magic, it will require even more surface area. But, the advantage to runewords is that they can be connected together, so it doesn’t need to have a fixed shape like a normal magic circle used on magic scrolls or surfaces.”

Hekate cackles as she rubs her hands together. “Excellent. Then, let’s figure out how big the spell needs to be, and then make something.”

The others smile and agree, joining Hekate and Doephluev in following Wenlianna to her lab.

***