[ Istredd is a very straight to business person. ]
We would appreciate it. I don't want to get anyone in any trouble, this is purely an information request. I suppose one of my questions is if they're serious in terms of coming up with plans or if it's just something they say and not a real priority. Since the Singularity is of major concern on this end, the latter would be a relief.
Thorne prioritizes the Singularity. While it's not great they want to use it, they at least don't want to harm it. I just wanted to check in and see if it's under an active threat.
You're one of the only people I know there and I trust you.
Yeah, I see what you're getting at. If the Free Cities is more focused on gaining and maintaining their territory rather than targeting the Singularity, then that's probably a good thing, but if they have some potential plans cooking under the surface, then that's something we should try to figure out.
We won't dig anywhere too dangerous at first, though, don't worry.
[ Because Steve can truly be trusted on these matters, yep. But no, he will do some careful planning with Sam before making any moves. ]
Yes, I'm wondering if their stance about the Singularity is purely to counter Thorne's support of it. Symbolic, rather than actionable. That's what I'm hoping for.
[ Then they can continue their plans to deal with Thorne. One of the reasons they are hesitant to weaken it is due to protecting the Singularity. A priority. As long as Thorne feels the same way, he's playing along. ]
I know. I'm not actually a very social person. Or I didn't used to be, it's something I'm working on. So it's not personal against the Free Cities, I just haven't really stepped outside of my comfort zone much.
Yeah, it's possible that it's more about opposing Thorne's stance than anything else, but I also don't want to necessarily assume that's the case.
[ Thorne's been the most aggressive power overall, Libertas attests to that. But the Free Cities' military might is not to be underestimated. ]
It's strange to think that if it weren't for both of us getting abducted, we probably never would have met.
[ After all, other than the Natasha and Strange, Steve doesn't know many people in Thorne. There's Istredd, Wilhelm and Mat (sort of), and that's about it. ]
I'm the same way, we're the exception. But I made my domain public on purpose, I thought a group library of a kind would be nice. I have some books on Academic Magic that aren't easy to find outside of Thorne there.
Yeah, and the material it's made of back home, vibranium, allows it to ricochet off of targets and return to me sort of like a boomerang. If you're familiar.
No, I don't know the word boomerang, but I think I understand the concept. Telekinesis would be very helpful in that case. I use it myself daily. You should experiment and test it out in the Horizon. Magic flows more naturally there, you can perfect your skills faster.
Yeah, Wanda told me I should practice in the Horizon, so I've been making more frequent trips to my domain. The learning is slow-going but I have a good teacher, so I'm sure I'll get there.
Oh it's just second nature at this point. Why walk across a room to grab something when I can make it come to me. I never noticed before how constantly I use magic until we were in the pit and I couldn't use it at all. I always thought I was less dependent on it than the others in my class.
If Wanda is your teacher, you'll be better than fine. She has an extraordinary talent.
You may have a point. I guess I'm a little old-fashioned, so I'd probably still walk to get it. You're right, though, being without my enhancements in there definitely made me realize how often I make use of them.
Yeah, between Wanda and Strange I think I'm pretty much set. But if you have any tips, it'd be silly of me not to ask.
I would recommend an earth or metal identifying spell on top of telekinesis. Line the shield with it. Sometimes with telekinesis you have to be very specific about what you want to pull toward you, if you're in the middle of a battle the exact object is not the simplest to take hold of.
Basically, if you can put a particular type of metal or dirt into it, you can use manipulating elements so you for certain are always reaching for your shield and know where it is. You can identify it if it's surrounded by other items you could accidentally pull toward you. It'll make it much easier.
I wouldn't have thought of that, but that makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the advice, I'll try to look into how to do that specific kind of magic.
[ There's so little he understands about the different branches of magic and how they all work, but Steve is a good student when he puts his mind to it, so he's willing to put the work in. ]
The only reason the shield can function the way it does back home is because it's made of a special type of metal, something that doesn't exist here. So I'll probably line it with something lightweight that I can latch onto magically.
[ Like that special compound Viktor and Jayce have, maybe? ]
It's definitely what I would do in your position. I was fairly resistant to learning combat or weapons when I first came here, but my partner insisted early on, and he was right to do so. Too much potential in our situation for trouble.
[ Like if the Free Cities does try to destroy the Singularity. Unlikely that talking them down will help. Istredd assumes some day he will really have to use what he's learned. He would have tried in the Pit, but everyone was in a bad way there. ]
A shield suits you though. Your instincts are protective.
Yeah, I've just started putting a friend of mine here through some self defense training. She's not thrilled about it, but I think she'll thank me in the end.
[ Or not. Steve will take on the task either way. ]
I guess so, yeah. Even during the War, I preferred not to use a gun unless I had to. I know how to fire one, the shield just always felt right.
War is inevitable, we all have to be ready. It would probably be impossible for all of us to flee to Nocwich intentionally.
[ To avoid the conflict between the other three factions. And he promised Lucifer they wouldn't go there.]
My personal leaning in magic is toward mental and protection spells, so I understand. You aren't an inherently violent person, that is clear. But we don't always get to choose.
[ War is inevitable, huh? Maybe Istredd is right. It always seems to be, no matter where in the universe Steve finds himself. ]
You're prepared to fight, then? Maybe you're right and we can't stay neutral forever, but I don't intend to take up arms for a cause I don't believe in.
Don't get me wrong, I've fought in my far share of wars before now. But at the end of the day it was always about protecting people.
I don't want to fight for Thorne. The people in charge are nefarious and corrupt and the only reason they'd push this war is to conquer the continent again. The history of Abraxas is filled with the ways in which Thorne has tried to destroy and conquer everyone else.
The thing I think we're all waiting for is if they were smart enough to have a way to make us. There is no proof as of now that they can, but I wouldn't put it past them.
Yeah, that's been weighing on my mind from the start of all this too. I don't know if they can do it either, but there were rumors here in the Cities about the potential of a draft. It's been a few months since then and a lot has changed, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.
I think our Conclave representatives might broach the subject with one of our motions eventually. It would give us an answer of how much they're going to force the issue, if nothing else.
I don't think Thorne is stupid and it would be stupid to kidnap people from other spheres with supernatural abilities and let them go loose without anything ready to stop them. I doubt any of our factions are that stupid.
They did get the Summoned to fight each other briefly over a year ago but that was when people barely knew each other. They would have to use something stronger to make us fight again.
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We would appreciate it. I don't want to get anyone in any trouble, this is purely an information request. I suppose one of my questions is if they're serious in terms of coming up with plans or if it's just something they say and not a real priority. Since the Singularity is of major concern on this end, the latter would be a relief.
Thorne prioritizes the Singularity. While it's not great they want to use it, they at least don't want to harm it. I just wanted to check in and see if it's under an active threat.
You're one of the only people I know there and I trust you.
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We won't dig anywhere too dangerous at first, though, don't worry.
[ Because Steve can truly be trusted on these matters, yep. But no, he will do some careful planning with Sam before making any moves. ]
Really? We're not such a bad bunch, you know.
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[ Then they can continue their plans to deal with Thorne. One of the reasons they are hesitant to weaken it is due to protecting the Singularity. A priority. As long as Thorne feels the same way, he's playing along. ]
I know. I'm not actually a very social person. Or I didn't used to be, it's something I'm working on. So it's not personal against the Free Cities, I just haven't really stepped outside of my comfort zone much.
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[ Thorne's been the most aggressive power overall, Libertas attests to that. But the Free Cities' military might is not to be underestimated. ]
It's strange to think that if it weren't for both of us getting abducted, we probably never would have met.
[ After all, other than the Natasha and Strange, Steve doesn't know many people in Thorne. There's Istredd, Wilhelm and Mat (sort of), and that's about it. ]
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It's true. I would say it's the only thing I don't regret about what we went through. We made friendships that matter.
But who knows, if you're a reader, you could've walked into my domain library at some point.
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I do like reading but I also don't make a point of wandering into other people's domains without an invitation.
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Yeah, Wanda told me I should practice in the Horizon, so I've been making more frequent trips to my domain. The learning is slow-going but I have a good teacher, so I'm sure I'll get there.
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If Wanda is your teacher, you'll be better than fine. She has an extraordinary talent.
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Yeah, between Wanda and Strange I think I'm pretty much set. But if you have any tips, it'd be silly of me not to ask.
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Basically, if you can put a particular type of metal or dirt into it, you can use manipulating elements so you for certain are always reaching for your shield and know where it is. You can identify it if it's surrounded by other items you could accidentally pull toward you. It'll make it much easier.
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[ There's so little he understands about the different branches of magic and how they all work, but Steve is a good student when he puts his mind to it, so he's willing to put the work in. ]
The only reason the shield can function the way it does back home is because it's made of a special type of metal, something that doesn't exist here. So I'll probably line it with something lightweight that I can latch onto magically.
[ Like that special compound Viktor and Jayce have, maybe? ]
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[ Like if the Free Cities does try to destroy the Singularity. Unlikely that talking them down will help. Istredd assumes some day he will really have to use what he's learned. He would have tried in the Pit, but everyone was in a bad way there. ]
A shield suits you though. Your instincts are protective.
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[ Or not. Steve will take on the task either way. ]
I guess so, yeah. Even during the War, I preferred not to use a gun unless I had to. I know how to fire one, the shield just always felt right.
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[ To avoid the conflict between the other three factions. And he promised Lucifer they wouldn't go there.]
My personal leaning in magic is toward mental and protection spells, so I understand. You aren't an inherently violent person, that is clear. But we don't always get to choose.
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You're prepared to fight, then? Maybe you're right and we can't stay neutral forever, but I don't intend to take up arms for a cause I don't believe in.
Don't get me wrong, I've fought in my far share of wars before now. But at the end of the day it was always about protecting people.
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The thing I think we're all waiting for is if they were smart enough to have a way to make us. There is no proof as of now that they can, but I wouldn't put it past them.
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I think our Conclave representatives might broach the subject with one of our motions eventually. It would give us an answer of how much they're going to force the issue, if nothing else.
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They did get the Summoned to fight each other briefly over a year ago but that was when people barely knew each other. They would have to use something stronger to make us fight again.
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