Chapter 8-212: On the Road Again... er, the Waterways (1/2)

“Well, my first thought was that we only have enough crafters to process a thousand goldweight into crafted value per week.” Both of them winced. Crafting meant tripling the value! “So mostly, it was ‘Damn, should I even be doing this, because it’s such a bloody waste?’” I shrugged slightly, and then ducked over behind Sama as another wet wave, two, of hydromana blew past me, splattering over her Null. “Can you even feel that?” I had to ask.

“Yes. Hard to describe. Like a river smashing up against the steel wall that is me?” she tried winningly.

“I am going to sneeze on that fabulous hair!” I warned her, and it swirled away and out of reach of my achoo, just in case.

“Hey, now, no abusing the hair,” Briggs protested. Sama promptly clambered up him, gave him a big kiss and everything, and clambered back down while he was still enjoying his happy moment.

The way over a foot of tongue zipped back into her mouth probably had something to do with it, as she winked at me slyly.

“Heard you picked up a succubus back there?” She chin-pointed at my back, then looked tellingly at my somewhat lacking cleavage, clearly amused.

“Oh, that’s not why I did it. He didn’t tell you the reason why?”

“Am I going to need to remonstrate him?” she wondered, tapping her chin forcefully.

“No, it means he’s good at keeping his mouth shut, and compartmentalizing his obligations.” Sama inclined her head to acknowledge that point about The Mick.

“You’re going to hate it.”

“More Powered shenanigans?”

“Best to see it live.” The Wave out there had collapsed with a roar back into the surrounding waters, and despite the sheer massive volume of it, hadn’t affected the local waves at all. “He’s coming back, riding a water wave. Be here in a minute.”

“Oh, this has to do with Master Fred?” Sama considered that. “Succubus... his Hellpact? It lets you touch him?”

I lifted my eyebrows. “You know, I hadn’t even thought about that. Thank you!”

“You poor girl. Time to get your mind out of endless karmic grinds, saving the world, and other spiritually rewarding things.”

“Said the woman who is going along with me precisely for those reasons?”

Her fist whipped out, and clonked off of Briggs and his Crystal Shield loudly. “I have a Briggs around!” she announced shamelessly.

“And a very cute Briggs he is,” I agreed, to which he got all kinds of red. “Have you been properly instructing him in the Night Rose disciplines? They don’t come easily to him, as I recall...”

“Oh gods,” he muttered, as Sama’s eight canines gleamed.

Master Fred, zipping along speedily, was deposited on the shore in a smooth flow of water, and without any appreciable unsteadiness kept on walking right towards us.

That he was a Nine, and successful, was obvious by the way one eye was Aquamarine in hue, while the other was still Storm’s Blue.

“Show her your left tricep, Master Fred,” I instructed him.

He didn’t question, just glancing at me as he rolled up his short sleeve and showed off the silvery Tat gleaming there, obviously magical, obviously filled with Sacred energies.

Sama looked at it, blinked, and leaned in to look at it again. “Hey!” she blurted out. “That’s not fair!”

“You have no idea what an inspiration you have been to me,” I admitted to her. “And now you know why I’ve got a Bound and Sealed succubus on my back.”

She pointed at me. “Briiiiiggs,” she whined loudly. “It’s not fair! She’s stealing my shtick!”

Briggs shrugged philosophically. “Can you anoint a Forsaken with them?” he asked shrewdly.

“Can a succubus?” I answered promptly.

“Nope. Have to get past the Resistance, and if they do, it lasts all of ten minutes, no different from a Curse or a Casting Buff.” He crossed his massive arms, and beamed as Sama hugged him again, her position of power and abuse of Marks safe and secure once again. “Abusing the Powered/Forsaken divide for fun and profit,” he observed sagely.

“Can’t do multiple Blessings on one person, either,” I noted to her, nodding. That was definitely a Forsaken thing. “But, I can literally apply them with a kiss, so I’ve a speed advantage, and they don’t take massive Karma to get into force.” I pointed at the Tat hidden by the sleeve on my own left tricep. “And I can’t put a Blessing on myself, either.”

“Those things are so damn OP,” Briggs admitted to me, and I could only agree...

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There was a short discussion about the two of them potentially waiting here for me to travel all that distance, then Waterjump back here and fetch them. I noted that Sleipner was Named, and they were probably going to pour an unreasonable amount of goldweight into their Weapons so they could also pop around the globe, so they needed to expand their Lived-Lines, too.

It was moot, as they already had a Wagon ready to be towed around right there, and just broke out their bonecarving tools to work on Baneskulls for the trip.

Also, there was the simple fact he was a Source who wanted Karma when he was out and about, and here was this Warlock wandering here and there, and was there ANY chance we wouldn’t run into some entertainment on the way?

Nope. Warlocks attracted conflict, and Sources who wanted action got some action. In ALL the ways.

The Wagon was latched to the back of Sleipner, aerodynamic frame and gentle Disk-based hovering meaning it would stay in position well, even with the two new ramjets unfolding out of his sides.

And hey, someone with Fire Reserve was riding there in the second seat, so Master Fred didn’t have to split his attention.