11-06-2015, 06:52 PM
The crow on Tom's shoulder let out a short huff and ruffled its feathers slightly. Honestly, it felt good to be able to express emotions in a more natural way. Though Nealaphh had become accustomed to living in the humanoid body it normally possessed, having a form of actual flesh and blood rekindled old feelings in the god-mind. As always, however, it had to remain wary that the animal's reduced brain capacity was not causing it to follow ill-advised thought patterns. Regardless, Tom had prompted the shadow with questions.
New Babylon is a faction in the Omniverse of several notable Primes, though they all serve a single king named Gilgamesh. My limited understanding of King Gilgamesh's background indicates that he was a hero of some renown within the ancient kingdom of Babylon, and sees the Omniverse as an ideal place to start a new version.
Nealapph clicked its beak in a habitual manner as Tom digested the information and spoke again.
For now, I would say that New Babylon and the Institute are tenuous allies, though my visit there will be the first real attempt at diplomacy that has been made. It's funny you should ask, the primary reason I am traveling there is actually to speak with a Prime named Demetri Malius. He is a member of the Unity branch, and is actually Vice Dean.
Tom rose his eyebrows in an amused manner, as he considered the implications. So he already had direct subordinates? Things were rapidly turning out in the wizard's favor, having met this enigmatic shape-shifter.
"And why is Mr. Malius in New Babylon?"
Apparently Demetri decided to aid some irrelevant Secondary get revenge on a Prime named Victor Wolfe. This was, of course, not a sanctioned Institute mission, and the fool has gotten himself thrown in jail as a result. I intend to have a stern talking to him, and perhaps, you might too.
Tom chuckled softly. It was the only mirthful sound to be heard for miles as the pair continued to trudge down the seemingly endless, dusty road.
"Who is Victor Wolfe?" the wizard asked, adjusting the Sorting Hat and wiping his brow with an emerald kerchief.
Ironically, Victor Wolfe is also a member of the Institute. I still have yet to hear from either of them on the situation, but it is clear that there need to be better lines of communication between our component Prime assets.
Tom made a disapproving noise with his lips and shook his head slightly. If it was going to be his job to be hearding cats such as these fellows, the Institute would definitely have to pay out handsomely. It wasn't as if he didn't like the idea of being a part of Nealaphh's organization, for now, but business was business.
"So it would seem. If these two are to be my adjutants, I should like to know more about them."
The crow nodded slightly, which did not convey a natural appearance.
Victor is somewhat infamous in the Omniverse. We did rather well in a free-for-all survival death competition. In addition, he shares fealty between New Babylon and the Institute, so he will be less at your beck and call than others in the Unity branch. Victor is sly, cunning, and ruthless, and not at all one to be trifled with.
"I suppose Demetri learned that first hand. What of Mr. Malius?"
Demetri is a far more mysterious character, and relatively new to the Omniverse. I met him when he had first been summoned, along with another new Prime. The other one disappeared under ambiguous circumstances, and I fear she may have shared the same fate as that creature in the Nexus. Regardless, Demetri is, above all else, a spy. He excels at stealing and learning information, but is otherwise subtle and withdrawn. I had initially though of him as someone reliable, but this most recent outburst throws that assumption into question.
Tom rose his eyebrows and nodded in empathy. It was never enjoyable when one's underlings turned out to be less than advertised. Then again, neither of them had the full scope of the story, so Tom decided not to be too quick to judge.
"What exactly was Demetri's job?"
Heretofore, he had been assigned to locate and secure several key pieces of equipment needed to fabricate the weapon I mentioned earlier. Demetri does have a Secondary in his employ. I'm hoping I can have her complete the task.
Tom hummed softly. Technology. The wizard couldn't conceive of how muggles or their simian instruments figured into the creation of a weapon with such potency as Nealaphh desired.
"Machinery? I have a hard time conceiving of anything the clunking automatons of the..." Tom trailed off, trying to find a suitable idiom for 'muggle'. After all, there was no sense in assuming that the enigma knew everything of his old world. "...magically ungifted that precision sorcery and arcane research cannot produce." Tom said, with nothing but absolute certainty in his voice.
Technology and Magic are really one in the same to me. Both disciplines manipulate inherent forces of reality to achieve specific results. Still, if you have a better option, I'm willing to hear it.
Tom smirked, happy to give his mind something to chew on for the untold miles that remained before they reached their destination.
"What exactly are you trying to accomplish?"
The crow sucked in a deep breath. Nealaphh wasn't used to being completely forward with its plots and plans, at least when it came to specific details. Still, if its time in the Omniverse had taught the God-Mind anything, it was that preconceived notions and assumptions regarding the flow of events should be constantly reevaluated.
The weapon I am trying to create is an improvement on a legendary hammer used to slay the monster, Volvagia, called the Megaton Hammer. A fanciful name, perhaps, but the principal is that it was a hammer capable of impacting with enough force to stun even a dragon, if only for a moment. I have reason to believe Volvagia has grown significantly in power since coming to the Omniverse, and as such, an improvement is required.
Nealaphh paused for a moment, allowing Tom to take in the large volume of information. It should have known better than to underestimate the demi-human's mental faculties, however.
"Go on."
The original hammer was made from enchanted iron. Effective in its own right, but there are certainly much more rare, naturally occurring metals that are much more dense than iron, namely-
"Osmium."
Nealaphh was only slightly taken aback by the wizard's knowledgeable interjection.
Indeed. I have a group of natives in Volvagia's home verse mining nickel and copper ore in great quantities. As I'm sure you know, Osmium is rare in the extreme, but does have a naturally higher occurrence in those two ores. I needed a machine that could extract the pure Osmium from the more mundane metals, so as to have sufficient quantities to fabricate the weapon.
"I see. What is this new hammer going to be called?"
The crow snorted in an expression of mixed amusement and derision.
The Gigaton Hammer.
"That's rather...droll, don't you think?"
Yes. It is important, however, for other Primes who would potentially desire to assist to be drawn wholesale into the mystique of this particular quest. I figured that giving such a needlessly fanciful title to the new weapon would serve to assist that endeavor.
Tom chuckled, a staccato two-step sound that indicated only the exact amount of levity required. Nealaphh was pleased that it had encountered someone so well suited to understanding its ways and methods. Maybe, alongside Okor, the three of them could achieve the Omniverse Institute's true goal. That, however, was something that the god-mind needed to play much closer to the chest for now.
So, Mr. Riddle. Have you any suggestions?
New Babylon is a faction in the Omniverse of several notable Primes, though they all serve a single king named Gilgamesh. My limited understanding of King Gilgamesh's background indicates that he was a hero of some renown within the ancient kingdom of Babylon, and sees the Omniverse as an ideal place to start a new version.
Nealapph clicked its beak in a habitual manner as Tom digested the information and spoke again.
For now, I would say that New Babylon and the Institute are tenuous allies, though my visit there will be the first real attempt at diplomacy that has been made. It's funny you should ask, the primary reason I am traveling there is actually to speak with a Prime named Demetri Malius. He is a member of the Unity branch, and is actually Vice Dean.
Tom rose his eyebrows in an amused manner, as he considered the implications. So he already had direct subordinates? Things were rapidly turning out in the wizard's favor, having met this enigmatic shape-shifter.
"And why is Mr. Malius in New Babylon?"
Apparently Demetri decided to aid some irrelevant Secondary get revenge on a Prime named Victor Wolfe. This was, of course, not a sanctioned Institute mission, and the fool has gotten himself thrown in jail as a result. I intend to have a stern talking to him, and perhaps, you might too.
Tom chuckled softly. It was the only mirthful sound to be heard for miles as the pair continued to trudge down the seemingly endless, dusty road.
"Who is Victor Wolfe?" the wizard asked, adjusting the Sorting Hat and wiping his brow with an emerald kerchief.
Ironically, Victor Wolfe is also a member of the Institute. I still have yet to hear from either of them on the situation, but it is clear that there need to be better lines of communication between our component Prime assets.
Tom made a disapproving noise with his lips and shook his head slightly. If it was going to be his job to be hearding cats such as these fellows, the Institute would definitely have to pay out handsomely. It wasn't as if he didn't like the idea of being a part of Nealaphh's organization, for now, but business was business.
"So it would seem. If these two are to be my adjutants, I should like to know more about them."
The crow nodded slightly, which did not convey a natural appearance.
Victor is somewhat infamous in the Omniverse. We did rather well in a free-for-all survival death competition. In addition, he shares fealty between New Babylon and the Institute, so he will be less at your beck and call than others in the Unity branch. Victor is sly, cunning, and ruthless, and not at all one to be trifled with.
"I suppose Demetri learned that first hand. What of Mr. Malius?"
Demetri is a far more mysterious character, and relatively new to the Omniverse. I met him when he had first been summoned, along with another new Prime. The other one disappeared under ambiguous circumstances, and I fear she may have shared the same fate as that creature in the Nexus. Regardless, Demetri is, above all else, a spy. He excels at stealing and learning information, but is otherwise subtle and withdrawn. I had initially though of him as someone reliable, but this most recent outburst throws that assumption into question.
Tom rose his eyebrows and nodded in empathy. It was never enjoyable when one's underlings turned out to be less than advertised. Then again, neither of them had the full scope of the story, so Tom decided not to be too quick to judge.
"What exactly was Demetri's job?"
Heretofore, he had been assigned to locate and secure several key pieces of equipment needed to fabricate the weapon I mentioned earlier. Demetri does have a Secondary in his employ. I'm hoping I can have her complete the task.
Tom hummed softly. Technology. The wizard couldn't conceive of how muggles or their simian instruments figured into the creation of a weapon with such potency as Nealaphh desired.
"Machinery? I have a hard time conceiving of anything the clunking automatons of the..." Tom trailed off, trying to find a suitable idiom for 'muggle'. After all, there was no sense in assuming that the enigma knew everything of his old world. "...magically ungifted that precision sorcery and arcane research cannot produce." Tom said, with nothing but absolute certainty in his voice.
Technology and Magic are really one in the same to me. Both disciplines manipulate inherent forces of reality to achieve specific results. Still, if you have a better option, I'm willing to hear it.
Tom smirked, happy to give his mind something to chew on for the untold miles that remained before they reached their destination.
"What exactly are you trying to accomplish?"
The crow sucked in a deep breath. Nealaphh wasn't used to being completely forward with its plots and plans, at least when it came to specific details. Still, if its time in the Omniverse had taught the God-Mind anything, it was that preconceived notions and assumptions regarding the flow of events should be constantly reevaluated.
The weapon I am trying to create is an improvement on a legendary hammer used to slay the monster, Volvagia, called the Megaton Hammer. A fanciful name, perhaps, but the principal is that it was a hammer capable of impacting with enough force to stun even a dragon, if only for a moment. I have reason to believe Volvagia has grown significantly in power since coming to the Omniverse, and as such, an improvement is required.
Nealaphh paused for a moment, allowing Tom to take in the large volume of information. It should have known better than to underestimate the demi-human's mental faculties, however.
"Go on."
The original hammer was made from enchanted iron. Effective in its own right, but there are certainly much more rare, naturally occurring metals that are much more dense than iron, namely-
"Osmium."
Nealaphh was only slightly taken aback by the wizard's knowledgeable interjection.
Indeed. I have a group of natives in Volvagia's home verse mining nickel and copper ore in great quantities. As I'm sure you know, Osmium is rare in the extreme, but does have a naturally higher occurrence in those two ores. I needed a machine that could extract the pure Osmium from the more mundane metals, so as to have sufficient quantities to fabricate the weapon.
"I see. What is this new hammer going to be called?"
The crow snorted in an expression of mixed amusement and derision.
The Gigaton Hammer.
"That's rather...droll, don't you think?"
Yes. It is important, however, for other Primes who would potentially desire to assist to be drawn wholesale into the mystique of this particular quest. I figured that giving such a needlessly fanciful title to the new weapon would serve to assist that endeavor.
Tom chuckled, a staccato two-step sound that indicated only the exact amount of levity required. Nealaphh was pleased that it had encountered someone so well suited to understanding its ways and methods. Maybe, alongside Okor, the three of them could achieve the Omniverse Institute's true goal. That, however, was something that the god-mind needed to play much closer to the chest for now.
So, Mr. Riddle. Have you any suggestions?
And, we dream of home I dream of life out of here Their dreams are small My dreams don't know fear I got my heart full of hope I will change everything No matter what I'm told How impossible it seems We did it before And we'll do it again We're indestructible Even when we're tired And we've been here before Just you and I
Don't try to rescue me I don't need to be rescued
Don't try to rescue me I don't need to be rescued