Trapped in Another World With No Magic

Chapter 36: The Treasure of Doom

Daniel changes the color of his armor to match his outfit; a deep reddish brown for the top, dark gray pants, and black boots, and he carries his new rifle with him, as well as the sword.

Xyreko asks as they walk to the prison cell containing the blue dragon, “Master, did you attempt to draw the sword?”

“I thought you could see everything in the castle.”

“I can, but… Would you… for me now?”

He had no reason to object, so he drew the sword and showed it to her. “Why? Should I not have been able to?”

Xyreko suddenly looks ahead. She says nothing as she walks alongside him.

“Wait… You didn't expect me to be able to draw it?”

She glanced at him, and then looked ahead again. “Master, I am happy to have met you.”

“What is this sword? Is it cursed?”

“No! Of course not, Master! It's a very special sword.”

Ryuogriar is waiting outside of the cell as she sees Daniel casually swinging the sword. “It feels normal.”

The white dragon in humanoid form commented in shock, “That sword… Isn't that… Nemaisol?” She looks at Xyreko, and then back at Daniel, who frowns. He glares at Xyreko. “Xyreko?”

The golem says in a deflective tone, “Master, we have arrived.”

“Xyreko, answer me. What is this sword?”

Ryuogriar answers when Xyreko remains silent. “That sword… is said to be a legendary sword. No one in the world now could wield it, but its original wielder defeated an out of control Uhl'tall dictator thousands of years ago…” She gingerly touched the sword, recoil when it shocked her. She gasped, and Daniel inspected the sword. “Sorry! Are you okay, Ryuo?”

She nods, nursing her hand. “It wasn't bad, but… It truly is Nemaisol.”

Daniel looks at Xyreko, who finally states, “I wasn’t alive when it was forged, of course, but it has remained a mystery. Many legends linger about the sword, but no one could hold it. No one but you, Master.” She adds tenderly, “You are this generation’s god-chosen hero.”

Daniel cocks his head. It’s a concept from fictional stories of his world, but usually, that requires actually being spoken to by some divine being and told all of this. He finally retorts, “I doubt it. You’re a scientist, Xyreko. I think you know what I suspect.”

“And, what is that?” asks Xyreko with amusement in her voice.

“That this sword somehow reacts negatively to magic.”

Ryuogriar cocks her head in surprise. She, too, looks at Xyreko for answers.

The golem replies, “I had suspicions that, if anyone would get a different reaction from the sword, it would be you, Master. Though, I have yet to figure out the exact mechanism as to why.”

Daniel sighs. “I believe you. Why not tell me, though?”

“I was curious, and this was more fun. I also didn’t expect you to figure it out so quickly.”

Daniel smirks at her. “I see. Fair enough.” He then looks at Ryuogriar, sheathing the sword, “Any indications that Lady Blue will object?”

She shakes her head. “No. I am confident she will agree to your terms. She might be afraid of you, though.”

Daniel can’t argue that. “Try to convince her to stay calm. She doesn’t have to trust us, but she needs to stay calm.”

Ryuogriar agrees confidently. “I shall ensure it, Daniel.” She looks around, asking, “Will… Lady Hekate be joining us?”

This time, Daniel goes quiet, and Xyreko teases, “She’s conflicted about being present when Daniel is ‘seduced’ by her as well.”

“Ah… Apologies. Then, I am ready, Daniel.”

He confirms with a nod, cradling his rifle across his chest. He then nods his head at Xyreko, and Xyreko opens the door. He walks in calmly, followed by Ryuogriar and Xyreko, each of whom stop alongside him.

Like Ryuogriar when they met formally, the cobalt blue dragon is in her humongous true form, curled in a defensive position as her eyes stay locked on Daniel.

Daniel says gently, “Good evening. My name is Daniel. You probably know me better as the ‘Feldrok Sorcerer’ or the ‘Harbinger of Calamity’. Please just call me Daniel, though.”

The dragon is startled by the revelation of who he is, but then she sees Ryuogriar.

Suddenly, as if spoken to by the blue dragon, Ryuogriar states, “I now go by Ryuogriar, and I am now Daniel’s ally. Though, I am forbidden from referring to him with proper deference.” She smiles at Daniel, petting her belly briefly. “Daniel is here to make you an offer that I suggest you take. All alternatives are worse, and Daniel is a man of his word. You will speak in the eastern language in his presence, or I will ignore you.”

The blue dragon looks at Daniel, and then back at the white dragon, and then back to Daniel again. Ryuogriar adds gently, “Daniel, please give me the following order; I order you to speak your true feelings and beliefs.’”

That makes enough sense for Daniel. “Ryuogriar, I order you to speak your true feelings and beliefs.”

She smiles. “I am serving Daniel of my own free will, Lyavvagstreom. I am under a slave contract, but one that only binds me to Daniel, a normal human. And, he has yet to give me any direct orders utilizing the enslavement. It is more of a contract to guarantee his safety. Yours will be the same as mine thanks to Daniel and Hekate, who you will meet later. I don’t like Hekate very much, but she has grown since her days as the slave that brought us to here.”

The blue dragon shot a look of betrayal at Ryuogriar as she spoke, indicating Lyavvagstreom is her true name as it is pronounced in the eastern language. Regardless, she heard Ryuogriar out, and she finally speaks softly, her voice still deep and filling the room with ease. “You would speak my true name before these beings, Zadarralomme?”

Ryuogriar takes the indignant response in stride. “Indeed.” She exposes her chest, revealing the contract brand with Daniel’s name on it. “I gave mine willingly when Daniel described the options and offered me what he did. He has been fully true to his word. I spoke of you being trustworthy, and Hekate defended you, too. I hope you will hear out what he has to say.”

Again, she looks at each of them a few times. She finally replies quietly, “Very well. I will hear the human’s offer.”

Daniel explains the stakes; she’ll be magically contracted to him, but he won’t flex his authority over her so long as she doesn’t provide any threat to him or his plans. She will forcibly have to protect her children, cannot harm Daniel, Hekate, Xyreko, or anyone else listed on the contract, and cannot raise her children to be hostile to anyone on the contract. Otherwise, she can defend herself and those she is not allowed to harm, and she can do anything else she wants. He then explains the reward; the cure to the curse that none of them can detect but is easy to convince them of its existence, and children as soon as she wants to try.

Ryuogriar then explains, “After the contract is formed, Daniel will ask you or choose for you if you allow it, a new name that isn’t your true name. It has been a long time since I felt so free and relaxed. The choice is yours, my dear sister, but I do encourage you to accept Daniel’s offer.”

After a moment of pondering, Daniel offers, “We can give you time to ponder. You don’t have to decide today. Her Majesty Vaergraes is returning in a couple days to negotiate, so I’d like an answer before then, but we won’t force you. Do you have any questions?”

The blue dragon pauses one last moment and she casts a simple spell -the same spell Zadarralomme cast during her meeting-. Within moments, Lyavvagstreom emerges from the light glow of the spell much smaller than she was, similarly human as Ryuogriar is now. Again, Daniel is left wondering how the humanoid form is chosen, as Lyavvagstreom looks different than Ryuogriar, including more youthful. If Ryuogriar looks like a particularly beautiful forty something human woman, Lyavvagstreom looks like she’s in her mid twenties. Her outfit consists of a fairly beautiful, but extremely modest shroud, tunic, and long dress that hides any significant details of her body shape. When she’s standing idle, she looks somewhat like a slender native american tipi with a human head peeking out of the top, her hair an iridescent blue that shifts shades depending on the angle, and her deep emerald-green horns emerge and curl softly at the sides of her head. She has a soft, but somewhat cold expression, like an introvert who does her best to keep to herself. She bows, revealing her metallic blue tail peeking from underneath at the back. “Master Daniel… I accept your offer. Please allow me to live as you have described.”

Daniel nods in agreement. He finally introduces Xyreko, “Thank you. In that case, my companion Xyreko will cure you and perform the contract. After that, we’ll choose a new name, and you’ll be free to leave if you wish.”

She complies, following Xyreko’s instructions as the Caretaker performs both procedures the same as she did with Ryuogriar. Afterwards, she states warmly, “There! All done. You’re ready to couple up and lay some eggs. Just be warned, Hekate doesn’t like you.”

Daniel replies, “She won’t hurt you. She’ll just express herself. Now, for the final test. Lyavvagstreom, I order you to, without hesitation, slap me as hard as you can.”

The blue dragon tries to object, but just as with Ryuogriar, who stands by passively now, Lyavvagstreom’s hand flies on its own. Just as with Ryuogriar, her momentum plummets as her hand reaches Daniel’s cheek, and it stops on his cheek. She is surprised, quickly apologizing. “I-I’m sorry, Master Human! I… Your order, I couldn’t… Please…”

“Relax. I did the same thing to Ryuogriar. The contract is in place.” He smiles, gently taking her hand off of his cheek. 

She whimpers softly, “Wh-... Why would you risk something so dangerous? I-... I could have… killed you…”

“Mm-hmm. And, I imagine it would be pretty quick. I wouldn’t have much to worry about after that, hmm?”

She stares at him, and then looks at his hand, still holding hers gently. She retreats under her outfit, breaking eye contact. “If… you don’t want to live… why did you fight back?”

“I don’t want to die. I just figure it’s a good way to be sure the contract worked. That’s how much I trust Xyreko. Now, I can trust you, too.”

She blushes, and the subtle movements of her shoulders and her dress suggest that she’s fidgeting underneath her body-hiding outfit.

Daniel doesn’t tease her, though. He instead asks, “So, now that we’re past all of that, do you have any ideas for a name?”

Lyavvagstreom looks at Ryuogriar, and then at Daniel. “Ryuogriar is not a name I’ve ever heard. Did… you choose it, Master?”

“I did,” confirms Daniel. “You’re welcome to choose your own, if you wish. I just don’t want to call you ‘Blue’. It’s too generic and feels impersonal.”

“Impersonal?”

He confirms with a nod. “You’re a person. And, I hope we can be friends in spite of our meeting and current circumstances.”

She breaks eye contact again, nodding subtly. But, she asks softly, “You feel that way… even though we were enemies?”

“It’s all the more important if I want to prove I don’t want to be your enemy. I know you just accepted a contract that binds you to me, but can we be friends with the goal of protecting the world, rather than conquering it?”
She agrees softly, “Y-Yes… And,... I’d like you to choose a name for me as well. I will trust you to choose something fitting.”

Daniel is surprised a little, but he agrees to do it. “Very well. Uh… Hmm… I guess, in keeping with the val-... well, nevermind that. How about… Reignleif? Shortened to Reina for casual conversation.”

She cocks her head. “Reignleif?”

Daniel smiles and nods. “It’s a slightly modified name of a, uh, sort of goddess from where I come from.”

“I see… You… compare me to a goddess?”

He smiles. “Why not? You’re far more powerful than me.”

Ryuogriar whispers, “Daniel is a magic summon from another world.”

This surprises the newly dubbed Reignleif, and she glances at Ryuogriar briefly, before staring at Daniel. “I-... Is that true, Master?”

“Yes. And, thank you. I almost forgot. Reina -sorry, do you accept your new name?” She nods sheepishly. “Yes… Thank you so much, Master Daniel…”
He sighs. “You’re welcome, and thank you. Now, I order you to refer to me as Daniel. No master or lord. Just Daniel.”

She gasps, glancing at Ryuogriar, who answers with a slightly disappointed nod, and Reignleif finally understands what she meant. “Why would you do that mm-... Daniel?”

“Why do you want to refer to me so reverently?”

“You’re giving us a second chance… likely when we don’t deserve it. And…” She peeks under her collar briefly at her own chest, her cheeks filling with color again. She clears her throat, adding softly, “I am yours, now… Am I not?”

“Not in that sense. You’re just a friend. That is just an insurance policy for me.”

She surprises him when she takes his hand, holding it sincerely in front of her close to her chest. “Please revoke your order, M-Ma… Ma… D-Daniel. I would like to express how I feel…”

“I… Why? You don’t have to.”

“I would like to. Please?”

Daniel sighs. “Fine. Reina, I grant you permission to address me however you please.”

She smiles, instantly saying, “Thank you, my cherished savior.”

This stuns him, but Ryuogriar quickly crowds closer. “Daniel! Me too, please! I feel the same way! I didn’t think you would accommodate if I asked…”

He sighs again, a little more exasperated this time. “Fine. Ryuo, you also have permission to address me however you like. Try not to embarrass me, please…”

“Cherished Master…”

“Oh come on…”

She smiles, taking his other hand. “I truly have come to cherish you, Daniel. I… I can feel it… You have given me, personally, a great many gifts in such a short time. I look forward to a long future with you. I am certain Reina will, too.”

Reina nods sheepishly, adding softly, “You’re kinder than I thought you would be when you walked in.”

Daniel extracts himself, clearing his throat. “Thank you for the praise. But, I’m no one special. Let’s all work together.”

Xyreko cuts in, ruining Daniel’s attempt to escape. “Master, before we finish, we should probably discuss Lady Reina’s restored ability to procreate.”

“Xyreko… You’re a terrorist.”

***

Daniel finally finds some alone time in a hidden work area of the Citadel that Xyreko prepared at his request. She left him a note to head there after he was able to extract himself from Hekate, Ryuogriar, and Reignleif.

There, Daniel finds a strange collection. There are several goblins and orcs eagerly receiving a reward from Xyreko’s golem as a handful of other golems stand nearby. Xyreko notices him enter, and she eagerly greets him. “Master! Welcome. I was just rewarding my henchmen. Please forgive these unsightly creatures.”

Daniel nods politely at them, saying a little sternly, “Xyreko, I don’t find them unsightly. If they’re willing and capable of working, they’re welcome here.”

“I see.”

“Besides, the few female goblins I’ve met are kinda cute. Don’t tell Hekate I said that.”

Xyreko chuckles, saying warmly, “Master, your secret is… probably safe with me.”

Daniel smirks at her, knowing she’s teasing him. Either way, Hekate won’t do anything severe… most likely. He asks, “So, what did they do to earn a reward?”

Xyreko gestures at the cart that was wheeled into the room. It’s rather large and contains a heavy-looking dark gray metal box. “They have graciously worked with tools I provided to obtain what you requested, Master. As you suggested, lead seems to contain its effects.”

“Ahhh! Yes, the mystery material in the mountains, correct? What did you find?”

Daniel approaches the case, but as he reaches for it, he notices the demon kin retreat. He asks, “What is it?”

Xyreko asks, and one of the orcs responds. “He says many of the workers fell ill, especially if handling it directly.”

“Ah… Well, that’s not ‘good’, but it might confirm one of my suspicions.”

“You think this is the weapon you need?”

“In its ore form, yes. I’m hoping so. You may dismiss them if you wish. I’m going to open the chest.”

She acknowledges with a nod, explaining to the orcs and goblins. They share a glance, but hesitantly remain. She says to Daniel, “Seems they are curious if they got the right material.”

Daniel slides the heavy lead lid open with a pry bar, and he holds a lantern over the opening. Almost immediately, the lantern goes out. “Right. Negates all magic. Xyreko, could I get a…?” Her golem form suddenly collapses, even across the room where she is. “Xyreko!” He quickly seals the case as the goblins and orcs groan and panic a little. He then runs to Xyreko’s golem body, but the pieces have fallen apart.

“Xyreko! Can you hear me? Wake up!”

A moment later, a new golem materializes in the room, and Xyreko’s voice states, “Apologies, Master. I should have expected this much.”

“Xyreko?”

“Yes. I told you, did I not? My soul is not housed in my golem, only a link. I will endure this much with no trouble.”

He sighs relief, setting her defunct body down. “You’re sure you’re alright?”

“Yes. I knew better, but I was curious. Indeed, this appears to have the same power as the mystery material in the mountains. If you wish to observe it, I too, will need to leave the room, it seems.”

“That’s probably for the best. I don’t really want anyone in this world to be capable of seeing me make the weapon itself. You’ll understand if I can make it work.”

She obeys, curious of Daniel’s mystery weapon. “As you wish, Master. I understand your caution.”

“Can you bring me some candles or torches? Anything with a traditional, non-magic flame. If it is what I think it is, I have to be a little careful with it, but it should be safe enough.”

She agrees with a nod. Another golem appears, this one being one of her servant golems, and it has several of each. “Use as many as you need, Master.” She sets a lit torch on the workbench so he can light the others, as well as the candles.

She suddenly asks softly, “Master?”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Are… you sure it’s safe for you?”

“Safe enough. The radiation emitted by the ore I want is actually blocked by skin and clothes. What effect it is having on magic is probably related, but not directly.”

She nods her head as she listens. “Very well… Be careful, Master. We shall retreat to the outside. If you do not signal me within ten minutes, I will have the orcs come and retrieve you.”

“Thank you. Ten minutes will be enough.”

She nods in agreement and ushers her golems and the orcs and goblins back out into the hall leading to the secluded lab.

Daniel opens the trunk again, using one of the torches to light up the inside. Sure enough, he finds an ore marked with a distinct and crisp yellow coloring, though not shimmering in the same way gold does. It would be easy, especially under torch light, to mistake this metal for gold or silver, but he’s fairly certain. His last test is the extremely simple radiation detecting film he asked Xyreko to make for him, with half of it shielded in lead and the other half exposed. He exposes the film for only a moment using tongs, and then withdraws it. He closes up the trunk and waits a moment for the lights to grow back to normal brightness, indicating the effects of the field have faded. He opens the door, smiling, and Xyreko and the others return to the inside. Daniel carefully extracts the film, showing it to Xyreko. She studies it for a moment, remarking, “The two halves are very different…”

Daniel confirms with a bit of triumph in his voice. “Yes. That means it reacted.”

“Then…?”

Daniel nods in confirmation. “It is radioactive; one of the closest things my world had to magic. I can’t confirm what specific element it is for certain, but I’m fairly confident it is the one I want.”

“I see. Then, I shall have my henchmen continue to gather as much as possible.”

“Thank you. Which leads me to the next question.”

Xyreko dismisses the orcs and goblins first, and they cheer, confirming vigorously whatever she said. She likely offered them an even bigger reward for gathering more and more. Knowing Xyreko, she likely convinced them to recruit their allies, in spite of the danger. However, now that they know that lead helps, they’ll ensure to carefully collect it with lead containers, quickly removing themselves before they get sick.

Daniel adds, “If it’s alright, offer them potations if they get sick or injured by the stones. I want as much as possible, but they need to be careful.”

She nods in acknowledgment of Daniel’s instructions, explaining to the workers. They nod vigorously, laughing and eagerly accepting their mission. She explains, “They accept. I’ll notify you as we collect additional material.”

“Good.”

“What was your question, Master?” She dismisses the goblins and orcs, having them escorted out by the servant golems.

“You said you can magically summon material, right?”

“Indeed.”

“So, if I ask for pure iron, you can summon pure iron?”

“Of course!”

“Can you tell me how you specifically summon iron?”

She pauses. “Ah… Huh… Well, I can show you the spell and the changes made between materials that you can choose. I suspect you hope to change it to the one you want, yes?”

“Yes,” confirms Daniel confidently.

“Very well. Let us head to the manufacturing floor.” She teleports them both, which Daniel is thankful works. He and Xyreko suspect that he exists in this world akin to inanimate objects that are devoid of magic. He can’t benefit from magic or suffer from curses designed around living beings, but as proven when he can be burned by fire spells or teleported by Xyreko’s influence over the Citadel, he is not truly immune to magic. 

In the manufacturing facility, Daniel sees golems operating spell circles, altering and creating repair materials to continue the ongoing repairs to the interior of the massive fortress, as well as the village within the outer wall. Xyreko leads him to a specific circle that is quite large, about the size of the summoning circle Daniel found himself in when he and Rikuto arrived in this world.

To his surprise, it’s actually projected onto the floor by a crystal device in the ceiling, and Xyreko operates a panel similar to the one at the top floor access panel where he and Hekate claimed control of the Citadel.

“As you can see, by defining certain quantities listed in this reference table, materials can be selected.”

Daniel asks, “May I?”

“Of course, Master. All the Citadel is yours to do with as you will.”

“Right. But, I like to ask.” She approves of his courtesy with a thankful bow of her head, stepping out of his way so he can use the panel to inspect the table. It seems to have been translated into Imperial Common for Daniel’s sake, and he states, “Thank you for translating, Xyreko.”

“It is my pleasure to serve you, Master.”

“Thank you. From what I see here, these values in this column are the mana consumption, correct?”

“Correct. It will adjust accordingly if we place materials to be changed from one material into the chosen material. Some changes use less magic, and some use more.”

“Is the only way for the Citadel to replenish magic through deaths within the walls?”

“As it stands, yes. That, or to have magic users make donations of their own magical energy to the Citadel’s charging stations, though this is relatively inefficient. In fact, my original masters built the village at the outskirts and asked for magic energy as tribute from the citizens. Since it was an easy payment for everyone to make, everyone was happy to do so. Shall I begin recruiting for the village, Master?”

“Do so at a controlled pace. I don’t want to overwhelm production nor attract attention of those fearing us making an army. In fact, it may be wise to bring it up with Vaergraes when she returns, as a courtesy.”

“I see. You are probably right, Master.”

Daniel studies the other information in the table. “Is there anywhere to see the unique properties of the material?”

“Yes. The spell updates as appropriate.” She selects iron, and as she indicated, certain glyphs on the magic circle projected onto the creation area change to indicate new glyphs.

Daniel asks, “Those glyphs; what do they mean?”

“They are ancient feldrok characters for numbers.”

“Reeeeeallllyyyy?” asks Daniel eagerly.

“Yes.”

He chuckles. “That was amusement, Xyreko. I’m pleased with that answer. Can you transcribe what numbers are depicted in the changed glyphs for me please?”

He offers his notebook after writing the word ‘iron’ out. She nods, writing the numbers in order by each glyph. While Daniel knows it won’t be the values from the periodic table he knows, it’s information he can work with.

He then selects another known material; carbon. He selects diamond first, having Xyreko write the new numbers out. He then chooses coal and does the same again. Unsurprisingly, most of the numbers don’t change, but a few do.

He remarks as he scrolls materials that are already ‘known’ by the Citadel, “I would love to see the reference table the feldroks created for these glyphs.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know, Master. Apologies.”

“Not your fault. They may have it secretly locked away somewhere. We’ll see if we can outsmart this, though.”

“I have some idea of your goal, but how do you intend to select an unknown material, Master?”

“In my world, humans had found ways to define elements like iron and carbon as unique and simple building blocks. Sharmelkolle is likely a compound.” He chooses it, and several other glyphs change this time. He nods as his hypothesis comes to fruition, “I’m fairly confident that these new numbers indicate how the compound is formed.”

“A compound is formed of multiple elements?”

“Yes. Like an alloy. Do you know what goes into sharmelkolle if it’s forged normally?”

“It is a long list of individual materials, Master.”

Daniel studies the information as he listens. “How about iron?”

She answers intelligently. “Only iron, strengthened if purified.”

“And even stronger if you alloy it with certain other metals. For now, though, we’ll try to narrow down what these numbers tell us.”

Daniel cycles through materials that he can identify definitively as elements, including tungsten, copper, calcium, silver, and gold. Xyreko records the numerical values in the positions that change, and they head to the desk to begin comparing.

Xyreko expresses as Daniel makes cards of each one to be able to move around and sort, “Master, I do have a concern.”

“What’cha got?”

She cocks her head, but has become quite used to Daniel’s casual speaking, which he uses in the new language just as he did most of the time in English. “If the… treasure of doom negates magic…”

“I have a theory, which I hope you will be willing to attempt, but I agree. That could dampen what I hope to accomplish.”

“What is your theory, Master?”

“The magic negation is directly related to the radiation being produced by the material. If you can convert something like iron into the uranium I want, it shouldn’t negate the magic of the conversion until the very moment the spell completes, perhaps shortly after.”

“I see… Yes, that could be true.”

“We’ll try with a small piece. Look here… These values seem to be the most unique to each material, and I think I have a suspicion on how.”

“This one is a factor by which the desired amount is generated. Ten pounds of iron is not the same volume as ten pounds of coal.”

Daniel grins, nodding. “You don’t say…”

She stares at him a moment, fairly certain it’s just one of his phrases. He adds, “Let me do some math from my world… The setting for amount was the same for all of these, right? Ten pounds?”

She confirms politely, “Yes, Master.”

“Excellent…” Daniel scribbles some notes recalling his wisdom of the periodic table and Avogadro’s number, which uses a fixed number of atoms in a calculation with an element’s atomic weight to convert it into grams. From there, he can do some math to figure out how many moles of each element is in the ‘ten pounds’ of this world’s weight system. 

It takes some time, and he has to make several corrections, but he’s able to confirm which of the numbers that came from the spell is the equivalent of the atomic number from Earth’s periodic table. It seems to be using the full atomic weight of stable isotopes, and one of the other numbers that has been consistently zero may be a factor to determining isotopes.

Daniel does some calculations and adjusts the values, asking Xyreko, “Can you make this value?”

She looks at a negative value replacing one of the zeroes. “Yes,” confirms the golem Caretaker. “There is an equivalent set of digits for negative values.”

“Please set these parameters, and we’ll test it.”

Xyreko begins adjusting input parameters on the control console, keeping the desired weight at ten pounds. 

She then explains how to use the panel and activate the spell, and then she retreats so Daniel can activate it.

The moment of truth is upon him; whether or not he’ll be able to accomplish the impossible in this world he could never imagine being in.

***