Maharg67's Den (shorter works, short stories, poetry, etc.)

[Maharg67]

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Ultimate Virtual Reality Struggles: Ten

One 7.1[10]{13}

Before it reached the island of Imperiasga, upon which was based Imperiarna at the very center of the great island, the train went across a big bridge with two railway lines; it also supported two roadways and two water canals for barges. Then the magical steam train was slowing to come into a large station with four grand platforms.

Around them stretched a great city of sharp contrasts as magical mechanical factories let forth streams of black smoke, as big elegant structures boasted of many imperial eras, as mostly more duller buildings dominated along with such as walls, streets, and guard towers. Imperial City Guards strolled along with both magical standard issue arms and armour. Sheriff's Constables had leather armour, reinforced with metal, and wooden quarterstaffs. Cyrodillins were the most common folks there, being white humans but there were redbrown RedGuards, dusky white Nords, and a few others. There were also lizardfolk, apefolk, catfolk, goblins, and a few other kinds of nonhumans.

From the train the group went to make their way along a quite crowded platform. There were small vendor stalls, porters, station guards, news-scroll sellers, small steam magical machines, a very few steam magical robots, and much else to see.

An arcane magical illusionist, an entertainer of sorts, created bright illusions of dancing animals, of women dancers in almost daring costumes, and other images in exchange for brass or even silver imperial coins. The sublieutenant gave the oddly angular man a couple of brass imperial five penny coins. There were 20 imperial pennies per shilling and 20 imperial shillings per imperial pound. The man smiled richly in thanks and gave an odd, graceful, bow.

They bought two copies of a city guide scrollbook, each being three attached pages rolled into a scroll and put into a cheap scroll tube. Magical printing machines were to be found across the empire but, like many such devices, mostly in such as the Imperial Cities and with the Imperial Military Forces.

Which was when the illusionist mage caught up with them and pleasantly offered to assist them to get what they wanted, in the city, while avoiding trickeries and threats.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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Ultimate Virtual Reality Struggles: Eleven

One 8.1[11]{14}

Dancewind turned out to be a low level mage, with little prospects of being more than such, highly gifted in basic illusion spells. He didn't care, being content to live off a moderate inheritance, that he used carefully, and what he could earn as a so called streetmage. Though not officially a member of the Imperial Arcane Mages' Guild, he was allowed to enter the Imperial Capital City Arcane Mages' Lodge sometimes and even sleep there now and then. He was not allowed entrance into the Grand Imperial Arcane University for reasons he refused to go into.

Dancewind smiled as he rented out part of his inherited big terrace house to the newcomers. The Thing found a big bathtub, designed for an tame troll servant, and was soon bathing there while a subtrooper scrubbed 'his' back. It had been decided that it would be a he for various practical reasons just as it had been decided that from then on he would wear a big hooded robe to help his true nature. The hooded robe would be dotted with hidden, small, spell emblems of illusion and distraction.

The troopers would also use hooded robes, of common kinds as used by Imperial Citizenry of different citizen ranks be they citizens, semicitizens, subcitizens and so on.

The Thing had a name change to that of a hopefully citizen like name of Truethingis.

Openly happy with gaining some extra coinage, the colourfully attired Dancewind ordered food, and drink, to be brought from the Feed Bag, a common diner known for its basic, but filling, feed. So they consumed sweetrolls, thin stew, thick slices of rough grain bread, hard yellow cheese, softer white cheese, apples, apple cider, coffee, and good quality water.

Dancewind paid the delivery person and gave change to the sublieutenant; after she threatened to hurt him badly, he gave up the rest of the change and was wise enough not to try to cheat the troopers again. There was something the troopers that meant they only had to threaten quietly and this was especially true of the sublieutenant. Oddly enough Dancewind seemed not to mind at all for this sort of thing had seemingly been a main pattern in his life and that it might have been a dangerous test of some kind.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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Ultimate Virtual Reality Struggles: Twelve

One 9.1[12]{15}

Empress Urielia Septim was experiencing her first year anniversary of being on the Imperial Dragon Throne and celebrations were being held through out the Cyrodillin Empire. This included its colonies and protectorates. The Imperial Capital City was having street parades, park festivals, concerts, magical displays, plays, and more.

Dancewind headed away from the house, eager to take advantage of the gather crowds to earn some good coinage, especially from the drunken.

Sublieutenant Jazni010 sat on the floor of the bigger basement chamber, in a circle with the other IPCs. Truethingis was curled up, on the floor, sleeping with his back against a back of a subtrooper. A curled up, former stray, cat was curled up sleeping on top of him. Other cats were in trooper laps.

They had rented the two basement chambers along with others on the ground floor and first floor.

Cheap printed posters adorned the walls. There was a small alcove, with some statues of divine deities, in one wall close to a big wooden set of drawers, open shelves and small cupboards. Books, figurines, and other items filled the shelves almost to overflowing. An expensive tapestry was on one wall that showed a long dead Emperor sitting on the Imperial Dragon Throne. There was an old map, of Cyrodiil, on one wall with its five Imperial Provinces. Some loose items were heaped in a corner.

Jazni010 spoke. "We can not afford to trust Dancewind. There is something, behind the clever façade of an extroverted opportunist, that is more disciplined, more introverted, and dangerous than the everyday Dancewind."

Sergeant Afrin121 frowned. "You can read people in an amazing fashion, sublieutenant. Do you want us to do an intensive search of the building's interior?"

She nodded. "Thank you! We must be careful in detecting tricks from the simple ones like the placing of a hair to more sophisticated ones such as magical spell-emblems. We do not want Dancewind to have certain evidence, that we have done such a search, even if he is suspicious. Neither do we want anything important destroyed before we can get to it. I want six troopers doing the search at any one time, in three pairs, while other troopers are carrying out other work or taking care of needs. Apart from needing to do the latter, we want evidence that we have been busy other than searching the place."

The first six searchers were chosen, one being the sublieutenant herself, and the search began.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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Have, hopefully, fixed up numbering system for Ultimate Virtual Reality Struggles which was badly messed up.

[Maharg67]

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Ultimate Virtual Reality Struggles: Thirteen

Zero 5.1[5]{16}

Core Director Prime: "Despite strong indications of current stability through out the sectors, I continue to suspect that the threat continues to exist. A message, short and precise, was received by the Liaison Director Prime from the Gamelords confirming a high level breach of security and promising new resources that are yet to be received. The Sixth Sectors are stable but continue to contain longer term contortions. IPCs are trapped in a distortion hybrid offshoot of more than one standard game realm. Attempts to contact them have so far proven to be futile."

Security Director Prime. "I confirm your findings on the IPC team that consists of 11 survivors, two of the IPCs having suffered tempdeath and return to the IPC SuperComplex. TrueIA units continue security actions."

Work continued but was mainly focused on directing, coordinating, supervising and otherwise tending to the expanding, evolving, gaming networks, sectors, and other aspects.

[Maharg67]

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Ultimate Virtual Reality Struggles: Fourteen

One 10.1[14]{17}

The beautiful, powerful, young (for a lesser immortal) Empress Urielia Septim sat comfortably in a secondary throne, not in the massive Imperial Dragon Throne. The Empress's Heart lay at her cleavage, the two power rings each on the middle finger of each hand. Elite Imperial Bodyguards, and Bladeguards of the SeptimBlades, openly protected the monarch along with elite battlemages from the Imperial Battlemages Guild and its academy. Some of the Bladeguards held magically augmented musket rifles. There were many more safeguards hidden than there were obvious.

Dancewind was far more magically powerful, skilled and experienced than he pretended generally. His name was not really Dancewind but he had come to like it more than his real title and name as Duke Augustino Septim of Cyrodiil. That is of the big extended imperial family but with no direct link to the throne; he preferred it to be that way since he had no desire for the throne.

Urielia showed of her long, smooth, legs beneath her knees. Some considered the young Empress to be frivolous and perhaps a bit 'loose'. They were very wrong as the young monarch played a devious longer term game to make certain enemies over confident and more like to trip up, to expose themselves to imperial justice. Not that she would even think of dressing in such a fashion in various state events. There she would wear magical armour or robes down to her ankles. Anyway she was on her secondary throne.

"Right at this moment the strangers are taking turns to search my terrace house in the Market District." Dancewind smiled. "Thankfully none of them thought to examine the 'set of drawers' through which I have been carefully monitoring them. Not only are they lethal fighters unlike anything that I have ever encountered, despite my many missions into strange territories, they are also amazingly good as infiltrators. That the strange entity, named now as Truethingis, trusts them is another odd aspect of their nature. Their devices are another one. Yet, something tells me that they are not a threat to yourself or the empire."

The Empress smiled. "I trust your judgement, greatly, but we need to take precautions. SeptimBlades will be placed in the house, next to your home, and with them various forms of assistance. What other precautions did you leave in your house?"

"A small secret chamber for them to find that has useful information in the form of proper academic writings, charts and other forms; that is with out giving away anything of greater security." I sighed. "I have successfully used such items before, with other special visitors, but have been extra cautious this time because of the leader of the group."

The Empress arched her eyebrows. "How is she different from the others?"

Dancewind sighed. "All of my secret tests have only indicated that she is an unknown of great potential power and in that I mean way beyond mere mortal potential. Perhaps we should hold a meeting with her, and her comrades."

The monarch frowned softly. "I will consult with my high advisers, along with a few select others. I suggest that you be seen out in the streets, to show your other self working the crowds, before we meet in greater privacy for further consultations. Be careful, husband, and do your duty well."

The meeting was over!

Edited May 17, 2016 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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Ultimate Virtual Reality Struggles: Fifteen

Zero 6.1[6]{18}

The small group, of hacker-infiltrators, managed well to mingle with the flowing crowds in the Imperial Capital Theatre District. Horse drawn taxicabs were common but so were horse drawn omnibuses. Theatres, from the most elite to the most common, were to be found in the statue festooned district. The group passed the Imperial Capital City Bards Lodge, that was but one of the tall elegant structures of guild lodges in the area; all were of entertainment professionals be they bards, songmages, illusionists, and a few others. Ironically the group of hacker-infiltrators passed quite close to Dancewind, as he came out of the Illusionists Guild Lodge, only being slightly distracted by Dancewind's colourful outfit for it competed with much else of the same.

They paused, in their mildly colourful outfits as a small mercantile family group, to buy a map plus current events scroll. They bought a scandal scroll, from the same lizardfolk man, that dared to speak of the Empress' daring use of knee length dresses. As per normal, the scroll had no identification to who was behind it.

They were soon entering the unused, lightly fitted-furnished, shop building with apartment rooms above the ground floor. It had running water, gas piping, and a magical mechanical printer down in the basement chamber. It was the second, deeper, hidden, basement level that had the dangerous secrets in it. They were of the kind that could easily have gotten the hacker-infiltrators executed by the empire.

The newcomers were pleased, relieved to be in a more secure location, and were soon resting before the real work began.

[Maharg67]

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Edited May 25, 2016 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

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Ultimate Virtual Reality Struggles: Sixteen

One 11.1[15]{19}

Three, of the eleven IPCs, ventured out into the streets and acted like gawking newbies to the grand city; this was not difficult to do as it was the truth. They went along walkways, down laneways, and through squares to always encounter new wonders. Guilds, nobility, the imperials, and others were generous in making the celebrations wonderful; the common folks added to the festivities as much as they could. Even the beggars seemed to be enriched by the experience.

Yet, at the same time, the three were also scoping out the situation in Imperiarna.

Magical steam airships flew slowly overhead, being festooned with great murals and many banners. The three noted them, and other things, taking recordings with well concealed devices.

They passed statues of the 13 Divines, along with relatively smaller statues of Demidivines and other divine entities. The great stone Divines were massive while the others were still very large such as the Demidivine Talos, a former mortal ascended to demigodhood by the Three Divines; that is those just 'below' the Great Divinity and 'above' the 9 Divines.

Divine Order priests, and priestesses, had temporary alters and other sites in the Imperial Capital City Temple District. The three paid coinage for small votives, honey candies, prayer scrolls, donations for the poor, and for a blessing for one of the three.

They returned, to their new home, knowing that they were being followed by those very skilled in such matters; the sublieutenant had turned out to be correct in her suspicions of the 'set of drawers', in something 'odd' that she had sensed about the harmless looking piece of furniture.

Edited May 25, 2016 by Maharg67

[Deleted54170User]

 

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The childlike reasoning I live with has made it possible for me to make a comical observation that other children might have if they were still posing their own mystical questions. I had the realization that the dinosaur deaths and extinction may be the reason for several pockets of oil that have been refined to support that devised device the couple of people are standing by. Because you gave the image a ghostly effect. Gray scale to cloudy white car and people I wondered what thought you had which inspired the position and color.

 

 

:blink: Possibly a gaseous emission from the large creature? :laugh: