Magical Engineering [Progression Fantasy, LitRPG] (Book 3 Complete)

"So you're sure this is going to work?" I asked for somewhere around the tenth time. I somehow had actually lost count, but I was concerned we'd miss the opportunity to grab the information from my brain. Apparently, the only way Karlinovo could come up with to actually make sure it was done correctly was by capturing it at the moment I connected the gate.

"You saw and read the same plans I did, hell, you drew up half of them," Karlinovo replied.

"Well, more Corey told me how they think my mana channels run near where we need to connect, but yes, I get your point," I replied. In fact, I had done a bit more of the design work than I was implying, but I preferred to let Karlinovo get all the mad scientist credit.

For some reason, I was avoiding playing the science nerd more these days. It wasn't that I wasn't capable. I was learning a ton from Karlinovo every day. It was more a matter of not wanting to repeat my college experience. This was a second chance at life, and I didn't want to spend it all cooped up in the workshop.

Then again, the hours I had spent working on solar panel changes to work with our mana flow told a different story. Once we had the plant type properly infused into the panels, we were able to take the electrical generation and change it, albeit with some loss of potency, into solar mana. It was a big part of what was keeping the plants doing so well in the fields.

Those thoughts hammered home that I was still just as much the engineer as I had always been, new coat of paint or not. And when we got back from this party, it was time for another project. If we could easily make solar mana, why couldn't we start generating wind or lightning mana as well? Hell, would wave count as a unique type? There was a lot to try.

"I need to get back to the Antarctic dungeon project, so if you could press the button already, that would be nice," Karlinovo said, dripping sarcasm.

"Alright, fine. Timon looks eager anyway." I gestured to the mantis staring at me from the windshield of the bus as I said this, and then pressed the button before anyone else could add a response.

The gate shimmered to life. Similar to the others, there was a blue swirling vortex in the center, but unlike them, there appeared to be some sort of energy field in front of it. I assumed that was what stopped more than the allowed number of guests. Would the gate just die the moment we returned? What would happen if we rebuilt it?

"Got it. I think it's even complete. Try your best not to die," Karlinovo said, turning to climb down from the platform the gate had been built into.

"Thanks, I think," I replied, as I headed for the nearby bus and climbed aboard, giving a wave goodbye to Alex and William. Had the baby just managed to wave back? I wasn't sure, but at his age, that was damn impressive, even if it was just a coincidental arm raise in my direction.

"So what's the plan?" Timon asked as I took a seat next to Pryte.

"We drive and hope we aren't heading for an ambush. If we are, then I guess we send a message back here and Ivan and Quarilyn get to work getting us back," I replied, not overly confident that it was a good place. I just didn't have anything better at the moment.

I also didn't really think it was an ambush. The effort for something like that seemed far beyond anything they could gain from it. It seemed like this was just what it appeared to be, an invitation to one of many weird things being part of the Spiral had to offer.

"Can do," the mantis replied as Pryte just shook his head.

The now familiar sensation of the bus lurching forward told me we had started our journey. The moving scenery through the window confirmed it. Seconds later, we had passed through the gate and arrived at our destination.

"This is not what I expected," I said, looking through the windshield.

We had exited the gate into what looked like a giant parking lot, and in front of us was a building that could be at home in Las Vegas. It had neon lights covering it, and at first glance, I thought it was shaped like a boot. After another look, I realized that while I was mostly correct, it was more accurate to say it was designed after the kind of boot you drink out of. The top of the building had even been designed to resemble a head of foam. German beer boots were not something I had ever expected to be replicated within the Spiral.

"Yeah, a bit gaudy, but almost my kinda joint. I wonder if they have any dice games." There was an interest in Timon's voice I wasn't sure I had heard before. It matched up with a glint in his eye as he said the word dice.

"Let's not do any gambling, especially any rigged gambling. Even if we could use the money, I'd really rather we didn't have to talk our way out of anything right off the bat," Pryte added.

"You know, you're more fun when Mel is around," Timon said, sounding a bit deflated.

"Sadly, I do know. And the moment that grump of a cloud is back, I'm doing something fun." Pryte stood up as he replied, stretching in several places.

An oblong green potato-like figure with two arms appeared floating in front of the windshield. Before I could question what they were, they lifted an arm and started giving what looked like traffic directions. The bus lurched forward again as Timon started following the very odd hand gestures. I wasn't entirely sure what they meant other than some basic left and right pointing, but driving tended to work in three dimensions in the Spiral, so I had a feeling the extra directions were for a z-axis.

"I think I'm gonna stay with the bus in case we need a quick getaway, especially if I can't gamble," Timon said as we came to a stop between two larger, stranger vehicles. One was shaped like a large nose, the other was just a black rectangle.

"Might be for the best. This place has me on edge, and I'm not sure why," I replied as the door opened.

"Same. There's something off about where we are, but I'm not sure what. Is your chat working?" Pryte asked quietly as we stepped onto the ground.

"Let me check." I pulled up a chat window as I replied.

"Much higher drain, but still working. I doubt Ivan will be able to connect to it," I whispered to Pryte as Corey manifested next to us.

"Alright, I suppose nothing left other than to head inside," Pryte replied.

Timon

Timon waited until they were safely inside the building before leaving the bus. He wasn't sure exactly how the detection systems would work, and that meant if they had some sort of method to track deception, it was best neither Pryte or Dave knew he was going on his own spy run. It was, of course, possible that this was all overkill, but Mel would never shut up if he managed to lose Dave.

Silently, the mantis passed through the parking lot, carefully staying out of the view of any eyes he spotted. Though those weren't his primary worry, he had felt the detection field the moment he left the bus. Keeping that off his trail was considerably harder than dodging a random bystander.

He quickly activated imperceivable and felt his stealth, move silently, and trackless skills grow stronger.

The odd field just seemed to slide off him as he crept along, now nearing the side of the building. A few quick acrobatic moves later, and he was safely shimmying up the wall. His goal was to get to the top of the place and take a real good look around. He had his suspicions about where they may be, but first, he needed to confirm it with his own eyes.

Dave

"Ah, yes, David Imogen, Corey, and their guest?" a surprisingly human-looking man said from a table on the other side of the door.

"Hi, I have no idea what we're doing or where to go," I said, looking at the man. His smile killed the idea that he was actually human. The closer I studied his face, the more I got a feeling of an uncanny valley sensation from his features. His teeth were just slightly off, plus his nose seemed a bit wrong. Then there were his eyes. They seemed to look at me too strongly and were forcing me to hold down a shudder. I hoped this wasn't an experience that was going to repeat all night.

"Head down the hall and you will find the ballroom, you can't miss it. Opening ceremonies start in about ten minutes," they replied.

"Thanks," I said, wanting out of the talk as soon as possible.

Once we were a few steps from the table, I felt a greasy presence that I hadn't fully realized was there slide off my body. Had that been the cause of the weird feeling? How hadn't I even picked up on it when it started?

Next to me, Pryte shuddered as he spoke. "Well, I don't like that. I especially dislike that I don't know what kind of social effect that is. Never felt anything quite like it before."

"So you got that weird feeling of it leaving, too?" I asked, somewhat glad it wasn't just me.

"Not entirely. I know what you are talking about, though. I pushed it off as we reached the, well, not actually sure what they were, but the speaker at the table. It's probably better for you not to have seen through the visage," he answered.

"Great," I replied, more unnerved than before as we entered the ballroom. What had it actually looked like?

There were several hundred people of all different species around us. I spotted a multitude of them that resembled some animals I was familiar with. But there were far more that I had no frame of reference for. I assumed many of those were the dungeon cores expressing themselves, but considering there were also many cores just floating around the room, I couldn't be sure of that.

"Dave, there are more cores here than I have ever been in the presence of before. It feels odd. May I mingle?" Corey asked, interrupting my quick look around the room.

"Yeah, have fun, but be careful, though, considering how connected we are these days, I imagine it would be hard for me not to notice you in trouble." He could probably also just cancel his manifestation, since his actual form was part of my mana channels anyway.

"Thank you," Corey replied before vanishing into the crowd.

"Since we've got some time, I'm going to do a bit of wandering too. I'll meet you back here once the speech starts," Pryte said.

"Works for me," I replied as Pryte disappeared the same as Corey had.

"Hey there, never seen you at one of these before. We don't get a lot of new people," a large red-skinned, hulking figure said as I turned toward a table I had spotted with snacks.

"Oh yeah, hey, I'm Dave. First time here, had no idea this place existed," I answered, honestly. It may not have been the best idea to give out the information, but the people who invited me obviously knew.

"Well, glad to have you. You picked a good time to join up. I hear they are going to read out the prophecy in full this time. Should be interesting," they replied, stepping to the side and giving me access to the snacks.

As they moved, I spotted a long tail that split into two large spikes at the end of it. I had also realized the person speaking to me had a third leg. They weren't the first people I had seen with three legs, but it continued to be the extreme minority as far as species went. I knew there were some evolution theories about that, but the details weren't coming to me at the moment.

Instead, my stomach was focused on the food I had seen. The table had an assortment of things that reminded me of donuts, as well as a bright blue punch bowl. I grabbed a cup and a small plate to take a sample of each. Wait, had the person said something about a prophecy?

"I'm sorry, did you say prophecy?" I asked, almost dropping one of the odd donuts.

"Yep, but hey, I won't spoil it if you're a newbie. It's fun to hear it for the first time," they said before turning their head and yelling across the crowd. "Blimboop, is that you? You old dog!" and charging off in the direction they had called.

I looked down at the food on my plate and decided I was better off eating it than making another attempt at socializing. Parties full of strangers had never been my thing, and that wasn't something that had changed yet. I could fake it better with friends around, but with Corey and Pryte lost to the crowd, that meant it was time to hide in the corner and try the pastries.

Flavor-wise, it reminded me of a cheese danish, but there was a hint of something fruity that I couldn't fully identify. I liked it. I'd have to get the name of it if I could before we left. The drink, on the other hand, tasted like burning mouthwash. I only took a sip of it before deciding never to have it again.

I checked my own health just to make sure I hadn't poisoned myself with it. And while the drink hadn't, something in the pasty actually had. The fruity taste I had identified had either been antifreeze or close enough to it that my body was treating it as the same type of poisoning. I triggered regeneration and saw the effects instantly reverse.

Knowing I was apparently safe from the dangers, I took another bite. It seemed too good to waste on a little poisoning that my life orb could patch up. I grabbed another one and headed for a table on the other side of the room. It looked like it had water, and I would prefer something to drink.

The problem with resurrection magic is how difficult it is to properly learn the specialty. It isn't something so simple as casting a spell and bringing someone back from the dead. I am aware that there are certain healers who peddle that idea, but you must understand that it is complete snailshit.

In the moments after death, before the soul has had a chance to move on, there exists a period called the near-death state. This is where those charlatans operate, claiming to have ripped a soul back from the far-death. They do not possess the skill needed to do that, let alone do they have the surgical skill required to stitch it back in once it has been retrieved.

When you return a soul from a resting place, it doesn't always come peacefully, and that is just the soul itself. There are those who would much prefer to remain in their quiet slumber of death lest they be pulled back to the turmoil of this existence. At least that is the belief for why they struggle.

The resurrected are generally unable to fully remember the time they spent dead. Some have a hazy feeling of rest, and others dream of shadowy realms in brief glimpses, but none I have ever spoken to have been able to recall details. There are many theories on what this means, but their relevance to the reality of the situation is zilch.

Real resurrection magic comes with a group of armed guards to fight the creatures that often come chasing the souls. The more powerful the soul being drawn back to life, the worse the fight. That is the real reason for the rarity of resurrection magic. Just because you have the means to resurrect someone doesn't mean you have the army needed to keep it that way.

Never forget the war that came after the Path of the Grey Gander tried to resurrect their recently fallen monarch. Just how many worlds were burned by the time that crusade was truly ended? Death may not be final, but often the power to overcome the hurdle is outside our reach.

Medicine, Healing, Life by Gerald by Grall Skreel