Tuesday July 31, 2018: 8:00 PM

  This morning, I woke up with Bright-Eyes back on my chest again. I guess the other cot room was booked with a new person, so it was only to be expected that the mother cat and her kittens would be back here. I got up, stretched, and walked out of the tent, and out onto the balcony with the high wall around it. I noticed one of those helicopters in the distance, and retreated back inside, noting that I would have to develop the spell to make stone transparent to make this less of a patio and more of a green house or sun room. When I made my way back inside, I checked to see if Rex or anyone else was awake.

  That was when I belatedly remembered that the stars outside, in this pre-dawn air, were different, and I was back in the armor that I had worn when I first got here. I went back outside of the tent and the tower, and stood tall, as the landscape changed. It was awash with devils, demons, and other extraplanar monstrosities. I looked down to the lower courtyard, and there were Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., identifiable by their armor, even if the armor was enchanted and the patch was altered to have a spear in the center, instead of the stylized eagle. The nether entities didn't worry me, it was the… things… from the far realm that were more unsettling. The Agents were shooting with magically enhanced weapons, using fighting styles that looked similar to the ones that I knew, and they were inflicting damage on the evils, slowly thinning out their numbers even as the assorted evils approached.

  I was watching from that upper level and when I turned, I saw Amber in armor similar to my new armor, belting out a song and making all of the weapons that the Agents were using glow with silvery holy power. They were raining down fire upon these evil entities, and a Shadow covered the field of battle. I looked up and saw that the Black Butterfly was coming to aid us, and I got a message from her directly that I needed to prepare the world for this coming. I swore that I would, and the dream faded as I woke. Bright-Eyes was indeed on my chest, and I sighed as I realized that this might not have been just a dream, but a premonition, a future to prepare for.

  I got up, much to Bright-Eye’s consternation, and went out of the tent, into the thick Granite room, and close to the door that leads to the outside deck. I briefly looked at the outside before checking my phone. I noted that there was not a horde of undead or demons or devils outside, and that it was still pre-dawn. I took a look at my phone, and noted that there was a text waiting for me. It was from Pepper Potts, telling me that Wong had noted something in the aether and that he needed to contact me today.

  I sent back that she should have Wong go to the baseball diamond that the two of them had first arrived at, that we had a lot of things to discuss. I also asked her to get the set of four pairs of boxes of the similar dimensions to the last two, and each pair had to be resistance to a different energy, that I can talk to Wong about him letting Stark Industries get access to the stones quicker, so we can get Tony working on the integration, but that I felt that the timeline would need to be moved up. I then asked her specifically for the first box being one that can withstand the coldest temperatures on the planet, continually. The reply came almost immediately from Pepper, which worried me, and she said that Wong would be at that Baseball diamond shortly. I asked her to have him give me five minutes, as I just woke up. She texted back that she would relay that, and I thanked her.

  I quickly got dressed and sent a mental “WAKE UP” to Rex. Rex snapped awake with an undignified Squawk, and harshly asked me, in Draconic, if that was strictly necessary. I told him that the Sorcerer Supreme was coming here, and that it would be good if he could be awake and aware when Cal wakes up, to pass along the message. Rex noted that Cal didn’t exactly speak Draconic, and I sighed, wrote out a few words and handed him the sheet. I went out from the tent, out to the courtyard, activated my Running Hunter’s Stance, and cast Vanish as I activated my armor’s airwalking ability.

  I started running at a forty-five degree angle up towards the baseball field, for a solid forty-eight seconds. Then I set myself to just gliding. I reactivated my Vanish effect, hoping that no one noticed me for the eighteen seconds I was visible. I landed at the baseball diamond almost exactly as Wong was appearing from the marvelous sparkle circle. Just enough time to get out of my stance and relax. I bowed in respect and he answered it in kind.

  He started by asking me why I had not just had him go to the tent, and I told him that the tent had been relocated, and that there was someone else in the tent as well. Wong looked at me with anticipation and I told him that I had taken an apprentice, and the individual was only in their first days. Wong nodded and said that it would still be better to talk in the security of the tent. I agreed, I just didn’t know if changing the cardinal location of the access point meant that it was technically a different location for his magic. I added that I had changed the interior of the tent dramatically, so it might not allow him to translocate if it required visualization of a distinct area that he has seen before.

  To that end, I told him that I am prepared to offer faster travel than walking if desired, or it is a twenty minute walk. I left the decision up to him, and he decided that a walk was fine, as he could see the effects of my stewardship of the city and the mystical resonance. As we walked, he seemed to be paying more and more attention to the state of the city, and he noted that it seemed to be bouncing back better than others. I noted that it was likely due to the hard work of the real heroes, the paramedics, firefighters, and the police, and even the community stepping up to be the everyday heroes that they deserve to be.

  As we got closer, and the day started to break, Wong seemed to become more and more aware of the tower, until he stopped when it came into view. I had no delusions that this illusion would fool him, but he did note that this was a very well cast mirage and he asked me how long it would last. I told him that it would last until the magical item that is creating the effect is destroyed or disrupted, and that this item is now protected by a foot of cement or granite on either side. He looked up at the tower and noted that there were no windows in it. I told him that part of the enchantment is that it can obscure buildings, but not people, unless the people are inside the building entirely.

  I added that there are courtyards with a four foot battlement, and a higher level that has a full eight foot wall, but that I need to cover those if I want people to be outside of the building in those areas, and that I need to create a spell based item to make windows transparent, at least from the inside. Wong took in the information as we walked up and I showed him how to enter into it from the garage portion of the building. We walked up through all of the dark levels to the second from the top level, where my tent was currently and he took in all of them details of the levels as we ascended. When we got to the tent Cal was standing, tall and cautious outside of the tent. Rex was with him, and Master Wong asked what I had taught him and I told him that he had only started yesterday, but had learned how to use the magic items that were used in the creation of the tower.

  Wong nodded and asked if he would be involved in this meeting. I told him that I was going to ask Rex to teach him some Draconic, for a little while, so that they can have a common language while he learns. Wong nodded, and I asked Rex to do just that in his language, and the two of them walked off to an area where they could see easily. Wong and I walked into the tent and we sat down at the table. Wong told me that it was impressive that we could hide this tower as easily as we did, and the size of the building itself.

  Then we got to the important topics, my premonition and the need to increase the rate at which the world is prepared for such an event. We talked about the distinct aspects of the premonition and how we could tell that it was in the future, but that we could not specifically tell how far. That led into Wong requesting that we speed up the integration of the rest of the stones, the Gelid Hearts, the Blight Stones, the Sonus Chords, and the Galvanic Sparks, with Tony Stark, to get the world ready. I nodded and said that I would generate a second set immediately, and that I had asked Pepper to get the needed boxes so that we can pass them on to you for inspection. Wong nodded and said that it was a smart step, and asked how long it would take to get the stones

  I told him that he could walk the tower and the basement with the secured combat testing areas, and provide any concerns that he had, and that by the time he got done, the four would be ready. Wong lifted an eyebrow, but continued down the path. I immediately went to my still unreplenished reserves or jade, quartz, obsidian, and amber, and the pile of granite that I now had, and started casting the five needed spells. I immediately created another full set and set my mind to thinking about what we needed to really make this place more functional. Light was the first thing that came to mind.

  I had unintentionally made this whole building an above ground dungeon with NO way to make sure that people could see, let alone airflow or accommodations. Sure, the restroom plumbing was in place, but actual items, nothing was there. I can make items out of granite, especially if we use other colored granite so that it doesn’t look like it is all one piece, no matter if it is, but that way we can have sinks, fountains, walls, and doors inside the restrooms. I decided to request some technical blueprints for “modern” plumbing systems. I’d prefer to not have to create a massive cistern, but it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to have to make/install.

  While I was waiting for Wong to get back, I sketched out the needs for enchanting items in the next few days. I figured that I can set up a means to get illumination for the rooms, and then I can work on the cistern. Simple enchantments for everything, but the whole window aspect was going to be the most expensive thing, unless I can figure out a work around of some kind. I went from there to other aspects that I had not even considered, but were now focusing on, and jotted everything down on their own pages. It wasn’t another five minutes before Wong was back, thoughtfully maneuvering into the tent and across from where I was seated with my sketching book.

  Wong politely requested to read my notes, and I sheepishly admitted that I had written everything in the written form of Elvish, but the words were actually Draconic. Wong looked at it, looked at me, and told me that the characters were Ogham. I looked a bit incredulous, but he continued and said that the words were an archaic form of Latin. He read through everything, a bit slower for the need to convert letters into words that likely should never have been mixed, but the first thing he brought up was my idea for the lighting issue, a pellet gun that enchants pellets with both the Continual Flame spell and the Stick Cantrip. He read through the mechanics and laughed, asking why I didn’t just make a wand or something like that. I told him that it would be an extremely high investment on the start, and that would require physically touching the item to be lit up.

  Wong nodded and turned to the next page, to my thoughts on solving the air flow issues. A combination of utilization of the Galvanic Sparks’s natural ionization field and enchanting a mounting to perform a Prestidigitation cleaning and a Breeze cantrip to push the cleaned air out, creating the vacuum to pull more air in. Wong eyebrow lifted again, asking if I was really magically designing a forced convection cleaning system. I told him that I was going to need to do something to make sure that every floor was sufficiently comfortable for air flow. He flipped the page to my next big idea and stared at it for a minute before he read out loud “Trobriand’s Glassee?”

  I cleared my throat and told him that it was a spellcaster from a different realm, who had pioneered a spell to turn matter permanently translucent. I would be using it one way, to make one way windows for the different floors, and so that the students could look out, but one could not see in, and since the windows could not be opened, the illusion of the building not being there would not falter with people being seen midway up the building, since the illusion ONLY deals with terrain and structures, and not people seen outside of blocking terrain and structures. I told him that it would likely be MORE expensive to make than the Masonry Hammer of the Jade Emperor, and probably take most if not all of a day of enchanting for me AND my crew of Dedicated Wrights. I added that I will make the lighting features and start the Dedicated Wrights on making the air purification for each level before that, to maximize the utility.

  Wong nodded along sagely and told me that it would be good if we could discuss my vision more. I agreed and related everything to him from the start of the dream, right until the end. He listened to the details intently, and requested that we walk out onto the balcony, and that I use a transparent sheet of material to cast the illusion of the future landscape on, so that we can have a reference of what needs to be the conditions. In fact, he said, that I should make several of them, one just the landscape without ANY of the damage, or monsters, one of the landscape with all of the damage done, one with JUST the different types of monsters in the locations that they were in (except for the far realm monsters), and finally one where the final scene was indicated with everything the way it was. I told him that I had no such materials here, and he took a moment to scan the tent, and then used his marvelous sparkling circle to leave. He was back within a minute and a half, with some blank picture frames, grumbling that I owed him forty bucks.

  I told him that I would get the money out for him after our experiment was done. We walked out onto the balcony, and I cast a chain of Minor Lasting Illusions, dipping into my higher circle mana abilities to do so. The first was what I could extrapolate from the dream, assuming NO damage had been done to any of the structures. I off-tinted places where the damage was done to emphasize it. I then cast one that included the landscape WITH the damage, but no monsters.

  The next series of Minor Lasting Illusions were started including the ones that with the devil army, then one with the demon army, then one with the miscellaneous ones in the middle between the two, then a final one with all of the monsters as they were, excluding the Far Realms monsters of course. Then I made one showing the faces of the various Agents, as a collage, along with the patch on the newly enhanced armor. Wong held up a few of them to the landscape and was appreciative of how the landscape was a good outline that the illusions traced over. He went back and forth between the two first ones, and then told me that we can head back into the building and the tent. We did so and he announced that we had a few years, if the growth of the trees in the distance were consistent.

  I paused myself for a minute and then I looked back outside and focused on both the dream and the real, and then came back in, noting that I had missed that myself. I asked him if he could guess how long we might have, as he might know more about the growth patterns of trees in this world than I did. He had pointed out that the trees in the background next to the Wyndham Garden, what little remained of them, were over twenty feet tall in the vision, and in current day, they were barely eight feet tall. He asked if I had any inclination to make their growth faster, to which I told him I had no such intention. He had less of a serious face and asked me just what I could do with six years.

  Six Years? I laughed, in six years, I told him, I could remake the whole of the city into an arcane fortress, remaking every building to be almost as strong as this one, especially if I had a team that could be trusted to do this. Then he went back to the composite image with everything, and frowned. I asked him what was wrong. He told me that in the distance, he could see other portals, from my view, to see portals over Virginia Beach and out of the corner of the image, Chesapeake. Wong asked me if I could fortify the world in that amount of time. I asked him, with incredulity, saying that this wasn’t likely a localized thing at this point, if the picture was to be believed.

  I gulped, and admitted that I didn’t think I could reinforce the whole WORLD just by myself. He smiled and said that it didn’t have to be just me. He said that I should train my apprentice, and train others, and that he would work with the Masters of the Mystic Arts. I asked how much we should push the envelope, if we should eliminate the secrecy of magic. Wong said that he would ponder over it, but that he would consult the elders of the Masters of the Mystic Arts and that I should do whatever I can to evaluate proper choices. I asked him how much we should tell Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D.

  Wong pondered, and I reminded him how we had given Stark the means to slowly remove almost all need for fossil fuels for electricity, and that we had contemplated slow-rolling getting him the means to eliminate a large portion of the need for cooling use, and the other constant energy stones, that Wong had previously thought that we should wait a month between giving him access to each new form of energy, to give him time to accommodate it into his rollout. Should we expedite getting him the stones and the means to mass produce them? That would give me time to work on other issues, as long as Stark Industries can make or acquire boxes that can handle permanent exposure to the forces or chemicals in question, for me to enchant. Wong thought of his proscribed month period, and how he had made that proscription back before a looming invasion of extraplanar entities in the future. He added that he now advised that we make the enchanted boxes and get them on a two week schedule.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Wong turned to leave, and added that he would get the items from Pepper that I needed, and be back tomorrow morning. I thanked him, and told him that I would be working on making this place as ready as I could, and that I would need to make the building ready for students, and that this might take a week, but that I would work on every item that was needed, as they got to me. Wong said that he would immediately talk to Pepper, and let her know that this was even more crucial that the boxes get made. I asked him if I should just make three sets of each pair, to enable us to have three functioning sets, one for Stark Industries, one for the Masters of the Mystic Arts, and one for S.H.I.E.L.D. We can approach this from three different views and avenues of defense and implementation. Wong grumbled and asked what happened when someone evil gets ahold of the box. I smiled and told him that it would not work for those of evil bent, just like all of the items I create.

  I wished him a better morning, as we BOTH realized that the sun had not even fully crested the horizon yet. I pulled out a crumpled fifty dollar bill from my pocket and handed it to him as we shook hands. He looked at it, smiled, and then he left via his sling ring portal. I resigned myself to five minutes of planning everything that I could for what we needed to do. After fifteen minutes passed, I realized that I needed to let Cal know that this wasn’t just him learning fancy things now.

  I sent an emotion of desperately needing the sanctity and security of home, in a nest with everyone, to Rex, and waited for them both to come back. I continued writing out plans and schemes, before putting them into another extradimensional container, before bringing that into the tent, eliminating the accessibility to that information until it is removed again from the extradimensional space. A nice little trick, to eliminate access to knowledge that I keep close to the vest, that was taught to me by David. Maybe he knew something like this would happen? By the time that I was done, Rex and Cal were waiting to come into the tent, politely.

  I thanked Rex, and informed him in English that I was going to need him to be a tutor for Cal, and for more in the future, as an immersive Draconic language scholar. I added that he would be paid in fresh fish, at least, for every day that he has to spend teaching instead of fishing and pursuing his own favored activities. Rex nodded, and I told him that he could spend the rest of the day doing whatever he wanted. Rex nodded and waddled his way out of the tent. I looked at Cal, and told him to sit down, that I had something important to discuss with him.

  He did so, and I explained to him just how much the scenario had changed since he had decided to become my apprentice. I didn’t use any specific names or terms, and I kept the details as generic as I could, but I kept the gravitas as high as I could so that he can understand just how important and threatening this actually is. He asked me, when I was done, if this event would still be coming to pass if he didn’t learn. I told him that it would, and that it was even more likely that if he chose to proceed, he would end up being at a different location, because I did not see him among the troops that were here. Cal smiled and asked if that meant that he would be having his own tower, and I told him that it was a distinct possibility, but that he should focus on understanding and capability over land acquisition.

  He laughed and said that since this was a few years off, he had time to become the very best that he could. He added that since this was going to happen no matter what, it only made sense to get as strong as he could, to defend those who can’t. I told him that this was a good reason to want to get stronger. I added that today, he would be learning about the actual creation of magical items, and helping in the process. Cal seemed excited, and said that it sounded like an interesting day.

  I finished with telling him that if he did continue and succeed, and had the capability of making magical items, I would be helping him with making his own Dedicated Wright crew, but that would take a while. Cal said that he’d have to figure out who he would make them look like and I told him that this was an important decision, but that he had the time to figure it out. I told him that I had to make a call, and told him to get the ritual space ready for the dedicated wrights. I stepped out of the tent and immediately called, not texted, Agent Smith. He answered almost immediately, maybe because I rarely call, but I could hear that he was VERY awake.

  I heard Agent Cross and Agent Peterson talking in the background and shutting up quickly. Agent Smith asked me what was wrong. I told him that I needed him, and the rest of the crew that was with him, here as quickly as possible. I added that I needed him to pick up a few things, including a pellet rifle of the highest quality he can get, six sets of high voltage gloves, the extra lots of stone if they have arrived, the copper wiring, and piping that would be needed for the office rooms. I added that there was going to be something big revealed, so we needed to have an immediate meeting in the tent, so they might as well come right up, instead of going to the office.

  Agent Smith asked if I needed the pellet gun to take care of some varmint, and I told him that I would explain everything when they got here. Agent Smith acknowledged the needs and said that they would be there within a half hour. I thanked him, and said that we would be having a brief discussion before anything else, and then we would be training everyone on the actual process of enchantment today. Agent Smith acknowledged and we said our goodbyes. I looked over at Cal and told him that today was going to be busy, and that I hoped that he can learn from doing as well as me teaching him.

  I spent the time we had waiting expending ALL of the remaining spell mana that I had on getting more of the Galvanic Sparks ready. I had had more of the amber than the rest of the stones, due to the natural density of amber being so much less than quartz or jade, so I managed to get the eight fist sized pieces of amber for the castings. Then I used the Chisel of the Exquisite Craftsman to reshape each piece to be a better air purification system, similar to the design that I had drawn out. I would have the Agents work with the Mini-Avengers on the enchantments placed on these, and then I could finish off my day with working on the S.P.A.R.K. gun with Cal, and assistance when the rest were done with their projects. A good head start on what we needed to get done, honestly, and make the rooms slightly more livable.

  With the stones reshaped, and the Dedicated Wrights prepositioned, Cal and I waited for the crew to get here. After a few minutes, Cal asked me what made me want to help this city, when I could possibly research a way out of this place. I told him that I felt that I had been sent here, and that if I left, I would be betraying those who needed help the most. I added that someone else had already been sent to possibly take my place in my old world, so I felt that they were in good hands. I told him that I was from a world of adventurers with magical powers, so the fact that this man was doing so well means that he was a good choice to replace me.

  Cal nodded, and that was when the S.H.I.E.L.D. crew took the opportunity to arrive. They had a large box with them, and it said Gamo Swarm or something similar to that, and Agent Smith set it down and produced a bag with the gloves in it, and the supplies for the pellet gun. Agent Smith asked me what was so crucial to call just at sunrise. I told him that he didn’t sound that tired for someone who was having a meeting before coming to be trained. Agent Smith was stonefaced, and I told him that I overheard Agents Cross and Peterson in the background when he answered the call.

  I continued by telling him that I didn’t really care if they were having meetings about me, they had their own organization to run, and integrate my future school with the best running for S.H.I.E.L.D.. What is of importance, is that I received information today that means we will have to step up the integration, and acquisition of students. Agents Peterson and Cross looked a bit shocked, and Agent Peterson said that they were all the way across the room when that call happened. Agent Vance glared at her, and I told them that I had VERY good senses at times, and it was only the fact that I heard their voices, not what they were specifically saying. I stopped my verbal exposition suddenly, and said that the four of them should just get comfortable around the table, because I was going to bring something out that was important.

  I stepped out of the tent, and pulled my haversack out with me. I then grabbed the small bag of holding out of it, and took the important sheets from there. I went back into the tent, and placed everything on the table, with the sheets face down, and the picture glass covered. I told them that they were going to need a drink, and pulled out the gallon jug of mead that I had remaining from a few days old casting of Tears to Wine. I changed the flavor however they would desire it with Prestidigitation, and then had Cal sit down on my side of the table.

  Agent Smith asked me to elaborate what was so important, and I told him that I needed him to just listen to what I would say first, and that they can ask questions after. I told him that last night, I got sent a premonition from my goddess, a vision of a possible future. I could see the confusion and disbelief begin to form in their eyes, so I told them that the first thing that I had done was discuss this with Master Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme. I continued with telling them that Master Wong had decided that we needed to take this as an actually valid future threat. I told them that Master Wong had determined that we were looking at the possibility that it was around six years in the future, but that it would NOT be localized to just this area. I added that the decision was made that we would increase the rate at which this “magi-tech” integration will be streamlined, to the extent that Stark Industries, The Masters of the Mystic Arts, and S.H.I.E.L.D. itself.

  I continued with telling them that we were going to be expediting the training aspects, so we were going to need S.H.I.E.L.D. to add resources to the talent search. Remember, we need those of good moral character AND high intellect. I don’t care as much if they are bookworms or extroverts, but they need to be able to handle advanced physics at least. I wanted to make sure that there were not any washouts that S.H.I.E.L.D. would have to deal with. That kind of thing will just take up time that we don’t have.

  I pulled out that first transparency, and showed them how this was what the landscape looks like in the event. I passed it to Agent Smith, who passed it to the others in turn. I told them that the discolored sections are the ones that look to be battle damage. I passed around the battle damage representing transparency for verification. Then I stopped and told them that I would not be giving them ALL of the information, as it was some specific things that were prohibited by the Sorcerer Supreme.

  I pulled out the picture with the Devils, the picture with the Demons, and the picture with the extraplanar monsters, all separately, and showed them all to the agents. I paused as I knew that Agent Smith had a question, and he asked how bad what else I had seen was, if this was what was allowed. I told him that the very images would cause the mind to babble and bray, as it is confronted with things that SHOULD NOT BE. Agent Smith looked at me like I was pontificating but saw that I was serious and stopped before saying anything. Then I presented him with the final transparency that I had made, of the enchanted armor, with the S.P.E.A.R. logo where the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo normally is, with the logo written out as “Strategic Paranormal Education in Arcane Resonance”.

  Agent Smith asked me where I thought that this S.P.E.A.R. organization fits in with S.H.I.E.L.D. I told him that everyone knows that if you are fighting with a Spear and a Shield, you are very well defended, but if you have just a Shield, attacking is more difficult, and having just a Spear endangers you from being attacked from the sides. Agent Smith asked me if I was proposing a separate organization that works WITH S.H.I.E.L.D. or UNDER S.H.I.E.L.D.. I told him that with the state of the world now, from what I can see, and the state of the future, from what is predicted, that the difference is mostly just positioning. I told him that I am never seeking to usurp S.H.I.E.L.D. 's position within the world, and governance matters so little in the long run, but if S.P.E.A.R. having a different name will give S.H.I.E.L.D. some cover, then I am all for it. I told him that this school is mainly to teach others to help get the needed items to the rest of the world, not to teach conquerors.

  The four Agents seemed to be somewhat mollified by that, but Agent Smith did note that he would have to run this by Director Mackenzie. I told him that I can perfectly understand that, but that I would be conducting the training as normal today. If things needed to be changed after, then so be it. I took the information back from everyone, carefully took it out of the tent, put it into the Minor Bag of Holding, and then into the Handy Haversack, before putting it back into the tent. I told them all that I would be willing to brief Director Mackenzie to his heart’s content, but that I didn’t want the chance of this information to be found out by anyone else.

  I told them that they can all start by following me to where the stations were. I got all eight of the Mini-Avengers set up and had the Agents (after a five minute break where Agent Smith presumably contacted Director Mackenzie), I had the four of them watch (with my Apprentice watching more closely), me instruct the Dedicated Wrights on how to enchant each of the eight environmental units that would be set up for the different floors, basement through 6th floor, and one for the offices. After that hour, the Agents were left to assist and observe the process, while Cal and I worked on what we needed the pellet gun for. After two hours, everyone coordinated back at where Cal and I were working on the S.P.A.R.K. Gun, and me and the Dedicated Wrights worked together to finish up this project. After another two hours, we were finished on that, and I started them on a fused length of Quartz the size of a walking stick.

  This project would be for the transparency effect, but it would take the rest of their effort today. We left the Dedicated Wrights working on this, while I took the Agents and we went over the floorplans of the tower and where the units need to be installed and where the electrical lines would need to be installed. I had the Agents work together to put things where they needed to be, while Cal and I spent time going over more of the arcane science of being an Investigator. We would have plans for after the Agents were done with the Chisel of Exquisite Craftsmanship, so we went over every aspect of what the Investigator class actually entails. I have to say, he was taking up the information quickly.

  By the time that the end of the work day was coming, the Agents came back and handed back the enchanted tools. Agent Smith said that the lots of stone should be here tomorrow. I thanked him, and told him that I expected either a delivery from Stark Enterprises or Master Wong himself tomorrow morning, and that I would be working on something for the first few hours, and that I hoped that it did not interfere with any project work that needed to be done tomorrow. Agent Smith said that they needed to run some dry tests of being in the office, and having everything function like they are actually the front office that they say that they are. I agreed that this was important, and at least the four of them know what they are “selling”, and how it is made.

  Agent Smith noted that he would be having the peripheral and other furniture brought in tomorrow, and they would be responsible for setting up their office areas. I thanked them for their diligence, and noticing that we were NOT in the tent, asked them if a meeting time had been arranged with our important considerations. Agent Smith answered that the meeting would be held off until the second, as there were other more crucial meetings going on. I thanked him for the update, and told them that since they were all working on the office setup tomorrow, that they can just drop by whenever and start up their integrations. Agent Smith and the rest nodded and headed out for the day.

  I took Cal with me to the basement, with the S.P.A.R.K. Gun, the Masonry Hammer of the Jade Emperor, and the Chisel of the Exquisite Craftsman, to start putting up some of the finishing touches. With the air circulation in place, the lighting, restroom, and shelves or other items. We spent the next four hours filling the rooms with light and the different facilities needed for accommodation. We got the rooms filled with every bit of granite furniture that would be acceptable, from commodes to sinks to bookshelves to simple slat beds in the cells.

  Naturally, things were a lot more sparse in the areas that were going to have the extradimensional magic installed, and thus be useless. Specifically, we included the silver chased ritual circles that would form the combat rooms and summoning chambers. We worked our way up, and through the office, to give them a surprise with their new commodes and sinks, and even added some water fountains for drinking in some corners. Finally, we got to the second from the top levels, and I had to take a break. I told Cal that we were going to go out on a patrol, and gave him my old armor to suit up in.

  He did so, and asked what weapons or tools he might get. I told him that the first night is just working on him learning the basics and interactions. I changed my armor to look like standardized clothing, and helped him get disguised as well. He didn’t have magic to help him, so it was a lot of ditching the more pronounced items and lighter layers. We locked up the building as we left, and started walking about the city.

  We walked around and I quizzed him on what he had learned and what he could see as we walked around. He really was picking up on things quickly. We eventually ended up coming up on that same girl who had tried pickpocketing me before, and I used this as a learning scenario for Cal. We watched the girl until we had seen her successfully lift a wallet, and all the while talking about what it would be wise for Cal to do. He stood up and dropped his disguise, before calling out to the man who had just been pickpocketed, and they went to the thief and confronted her. After a minute or two, she handed back the wallet and backed away.

  The man thanked Cal, and Cal came back to talk to me about his success. We went over everything that went right, and wrong, and we watched as the pickpocket left to go elsewhere. I told Cal that not every criminal needs to be punished with force, but that he should never confuse mercy with weakness. Also, I told him that although it was more of my own self imposed proscriptions, that charity isn’t a bad thing to keep in mind. Cal seemed to absorb every detail as I spoke. We made our way back to the tower and I told Cal that he could come and go as he desired, just to remember to keep things safe and to stay secretive. I added that we would begin combat training as soon as the summoning chambers were enchanted.

  Cal offered up that he was going to go see a movie, and I asked him if he needed money. Cal smiled and said that he still had a S.H.I.E.L.D. stipend, and he walked off to go check something out, outside of the building. I reflected that it was early enough that I could use my enchanted bedroll to regain another usage of my magic, but that I wouldn’t need to tonight, and that I might tomorrow. I spent the rest of the night studying plans and further fortifying the tower with more granite structures, until I got my goodnight Sending from Amber. “May's training is tough, but I'm getting stronger. I feel close to another breakthrough, and I haven’t even truly mastered spells yet. I miss you.” I sent back to her that “I am SO proud of you. Things are changing here, for the good and bad. I can’t wait for you to get home. Love you!.” One more night done, one less day until she returns and everything is better.

  Author’s Notes: I let Cal get the experience for the Pickpocket. It is probably something that will continue going on.

  S.P.A.R.K. Gun

  Aura weak evocation; CL 3rd

  Slot none; Price 12,000 gp; Weight 8 lbs

  Description

  This high end pellet gun has a dual enchantment on it. One of them requires a command word and a material component sacrifice, while the other merely requires use activation. The pellet gun, a high end rifle, has been modified to have three reservoirs instead of two. The first two are normal, that being the air reservoir and the pellet reservoir. The third reservoir is a simple hollow that was put into the stock that can hold several small stones, ? carat rubies in this instance. These stones are expended at a rate of once every three times the command word is spoken, and the hollow can hold up to ten of the stones. Saying the Command Word invokes a Continual Flame on the next pellet in the magazine. Reloading this hollow is a one minute action. The other reloading rules are as per the normal requirements for this pellet gun. It, itself, is a masterwork pellet gun that has a typical maximum range of 300 feet, with range increments of 30 feet. Damage is 1d6 Non-Lethal out to 150’. This drops off to 1d3 Non-Lethal at above 150 feet.

  The Use Activated function is that for every trigger pull, the pellet gets the Stick cantrip cast on it.

  Construction

  Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Continual Flame, Stick; Cost 6000 gp

  Harmonic Voltaic Aero-purifying Contraption Units

  Ionizing Sloughing Spade:

  Aura Faint transmutation; CL 1st

  Slot none; Price 2,000 gp; Weight 2

  Description

  This item is a cylinder of expanded amber filaments encased in a thin shell of Granite. The filaments area is one cubic foot, and are all electrically charged to a high potential. The Amber filaments are the result of a Stoneshape spell cast on a Galvanic Spark to generate this specific effect. The granite shell has a dual enchantment on the inside of Prestidigitation (for cleaning the area, and heating or cooling the air that passes through), then a Breeze cantrip to push the cleaned air out, and flowing from the area.

  This is a continually in operation item.

  Construction

  Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Prestidigitation, Breeze; Cost 1,000 gp