Chapter 205: Space
Elizabeth appeared rather reluctant to talk about whoever was on the other end of the call, not even relenting after a minute of Emma staring disapprovingly at her. That was when Emma remembered two things: firstly, that the effectiveness of this strategy was probably diminished when she had a helmet instead of a face, and secondly, that there were alternative sources of information available.
What have you got for me? Emma thought, deciding to take advantage of Edithâs long standing antipathy towards her Mother.
[Since the first part of the defensive skill activated by not the second, we can infer that whoever was communicating on the other end had anti-detection measures of their own in place. Neither were able to overcome the other to provide one-sided protection, so the magical compromise ensued: both sides could no longer see each other, and the connection fizzled. Thereâs only a handful of individuals who maintain regular contact with Elizabeth, are in possession of such measures, and are paranoid enough to activate them for what they believed would be a routine conversation.
Of the three candidates who fit this mould, the first is also a magical girl, and would thus prefer the innate telepathy available between two of them. The second is Overmind, who would have easily overpowered your protection to keep the call going. Ruling both of them out, the most likely culprit is one Alice Amdusias, heiress to the House of Amdusias, one of the few Warlock families that retain their home in Europe, rather than migrating west across the Atlantic.]
âAmdusias?â Emma asked aloud, drawing a minute flinch from Elizabeth. âWhy would she be talking to you? Unless itâs to apologise for her hired goons shooting at me, that one time I went on a patrol back home.â
âThat did come up,â Elizabeth winced, having decided not to try to hide it, after Emma got the answer elsewhere. âAlice will be coming here on the final day before the Solstice, alongside her mother, the Matriarch Amdusias. Theyâll be looking to apologise, if youâre willing to hear them out?â
âOnly if they bring gifts,â Emma demanded, because even if she was never truly at risk from such paltry opposition, certain formalities had to be observed.
[Only fifteen years old, and already extorting your would-be assassins. Wonderful!]
âIâll make that clear to her,â Elizabeth agreed immediately, happy to grasp at Emmaâs olive branch. âAs soon as the mirror starts working again, at any rate.â
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Emma took the hint, and moved to the opposite seat next to Noah, leaving the field of view and allowing the call to resume. As Elizabeth resumed her staring match with the mirror, Emma turned her attention to her Dad, only to find him still engrossed in whatever was going on with his System. Emma settled in to wait, reasoning that it couldnât possibly take him that long to be done with his work.
â
One hour laterâ¦
Noah was still staring off into space, and Emma was reminded of why it was great to have multiple sources of entertainment in a modern household. Without any conversation to be had, Emma decided to head outside, and maybe get a head start on figuring out the dynamics at Stonehenge. Edith didnât say anything in protest as she slipped out the front door, so Emma figured it would be alright, or at least not in breach of any major rules. As an afterthought, Emma summoned the Monitor Lizard, and had it sit by the front flap of her tent. Out of all of her summons, this was the one with the least combat potential, so she didnât feel bad leaving it behind. She did make sure to position it far enough off to the side to not be a roadblock, while also visible enough for Emma to pick out, because she really didnât trust herself to find her way back by retracing her steps, not amidst a sea of entirely identical tents.
With her return route now secured, Emma summoned her Epitaph in flight form, and hopped on for a morning flight around the campsite. A few heads rose as she flew around, keeping to a lazy ten miles an hour, but when it became apparent that she wasnât about to launch an attack, those same heads turned away and returned to their duties.
âThey really didnât even take a second look,â Emma mused, keeping Epitaph just a few metres above the ground, as she looked for familiar faces.
[Everyone here is at minimum a trusted servant of a magical family. Even if they arenât familiar with the inner workings of magic, theyâll have seen enough throughout their career to not care about a little flight. Granted, it didnât usually happen in recent decades, but seeing as the apocalypse destroyed any semblance of technological flight, we wonât have to worry about air traffic control for a long time, I should think.]
It didnât take long for Emma to complete a circle around the campsite, admiring the neat rows of tents. She kept away from Stonehenge itself, as even attempting to approach made her hackles rise, suggesting some truly potent magic at work within the ruin, but other than that, she had free rein of the sky. As for the question of numbers, a bit of napkin maths suggested the presence of maybe a thousand tents, plus or minus a few dozen.
âMost people are pooling tents, I take it?.â
[Magic is hereditary to a large degree. Whilst there will inevitably be a few loners, who have dedicated all their time to the craft and have no patience for family, most tents will be shared by three at minimum, and sometimes many more. Spatial magic is very good, these days, even a mansion in a tent that fits dozens of rooms isnât out of the question, if youâre willing to spend big. On that note, look at your nine oâclock.]
Emmaâs head turned as advised, to pick out a face in the crowd. It wasnât particularly difficult, given her bubblegum pink hair and a pair of glasses that wouldnât have looked out of place on an Elvis Presley imitator. Descending to draw level with her, Emma was able to ask for a name when the System beat her to it.
[Crystal Lynn - Level 67 Space Mage]