abraxaslogs | [open] march catchall

[Okay, the gun/sword/swordgun is going away. He’s still wary of a potential confrontation, but Thancred had seemed entirely reasonable, at their Summit meeting, so he relaxes his posture a little.]

Oh, she’s not a pet.

[Said like that’s supposed to explain, well. Anything. Even Viktor comes off as a little unsure, like he hasn’t quite decided what to make of any of this. Perhaps he’s still a little overwhelmed that he was able to create an ostensibly living being that acts independently of himself. There’s really no good way to explain any of this, so he just decides to act as if all of this is the most natural thing in the world.

Rio, for her part, has decided that Thancred is no longer a threat—she inches forward, and if Thancred doesn’t stop her, she is absolutely going to stick out horrible monster tongue into his personal space an apparent bid to figure out just who or what she’s dealing with (you know, by licking him). Viktor is only tacitly paying attention to this.]

Above? Yes, though I’m afraid you’ll find it’s fairly empty. A city is a lot of work.

[More a backdrop than anything. Everything important is contained within the wall, and below, in these caverns.]

[ While Thancred himself has not been one to befriend many animals (save for, during a brief period, a nutkin), he does not find this situation as odd as others might. Maybe this creature is like the amaro of the First, with enough intelligence to form bonds with humans even if not all of them are capable of speech. If it's the only one Viktor's seen, then that doesn't make it quite the same, but the closeness between them might be similar. Not a pet, but a companion?

He stares down at the salamander as it inches toward him, unsure if he should pet it or make contact at all. It opts to lick him, and he barely manages to avoid making a face. Still, if this is what he needs to endure to be vetted, he'll allow it. Once the licking has ceased, he shifts to one side, creating a fulm or so of space.

Much like with the loporrits, he seems more baffled than endeared. (Sorry, Rio.) ]

I would imagine. My own domain is more a spattering of different spaces, rather than something so ambitious. [ It fits, he must admit, given how much time he spends traveling from place to place rather than settling down in any one place.

But they're in Viktor's space now, and Thancred will admit he's quite curious. He steps forward, past the salamander creature and Viktor and deeper into the cave. ] What is the significance of this place? I'll admit I wouldn't have expected it to belong to you.

[Viktor makes no moves to stop this until it’s already too late—maybe he finds it amusing, now that the immediate tension has passed. Rio gets Thancred's hand good and covered in monster slime (hooray!) before deciding that this is satisfactory, retreating again into the darker recesses of the cave.]

I'd be interested in seeing it. I haven't had the chance to do much exploring, yet.]

[He's been pretty occupied, you see. It’s interesting, that given the near-limitless power of creation, that so many of them would simply recreate things from home. It doesn't surprise him, that people find this odd, given how he presents himself, so he offers the explanation with little complaint.]

I used to come here as a child. [Again, like this is the most normal thing in the entire world.]

Ah, that does make sense. This is the sort of place a young boy would be all too excited to explore.

[ Any child with a sense of adventure and a thirst for excitement would find this cave entrancing. What is also interesting is that Viktor chose a location from childhood to recreate, though it's possible he'd made portions of it while missing his memories.

Despite Thancred's words, he moves through the space with a surefootedness that belies his own interest in the space, examining the rock formations as he goes. Will it open up into a large cavern if they go deep enough? How long can he explore before he finds a dead end? ]

And I would suggest it, when you have the chance. Exploring, that is. It's quite interesting to see what everyone has come up with, and there are a variety of different takes.

[ He pauses then, pivoting around to be sure that Viktor can keep up. ]

[Yeah, something like that. He's not sure he likes that this is here, and he hasn't begun to explore how far down it goes and he isn't certain he wants to. The wood door that leads to some deeper part of the cave is shut and locked, the laboratory inside empty (he hopes), but he hasn't exactly investigated further than that.

So he seems caught off-guard, that Thancred would have an interest in venturing deeper, but he isn't sure how to stop this beyond following along and hoping he can turn his attention elsewhere.]

I'm not sure what's further down. It might not be safe.

I have plenty of experience exploring areas much like this. It should be fine. Though...

[ Thancred does know how to take a hint, and so he halts in his intrepid march forward, spinning around to face Viktor. He takes note of the cane, still present here even though Viktor's looking much better than he did at the summit. ]

Far be it from me to plumb the depths of your mind's creations, if you'd prefer I didn't.

[ He has his own securities in place within his domain, so he does understand that this sort of thing can become uncomfortable, even if Viktor is currently present to supervise. This is all close enough to home that he might not want to share, particularly with a relative stranger. ]

[He knows that in the real-world version of these caves, that there isn't anything particularly dangerous or unsavory about venturing deeper--he'd done so as a child, with less-than-optimal mobility, so if this truly is a one-to-one recreation, then logically there shouldn't be an issue.

Still, he knows some or all of this space was filled in by his own subconscious, and the fact that this cave is here at all makes him slightly unsure. Nothing good happened in the lab beyond the wood door--it follows that the trauma might be reflected in the space itself, the further they go.]

Surely there's something else I could interest you in.

[Books???]

[ Surely there is something else. Viktor strikes Thancred as quite an intriguing person thus far, and not simply because he has a cave system in his Horizon. He walks back over to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder before continuing back the way they came, out into the sunlight. ]

There is, or so I would wager. Are you in the mood for a tour?

[ Granted, the upper part of the domain is a decent hike above them, but the Horizon also doesn't have to follow any natural rules. Who's to say they can't simply be transported up there with a thought?

Thancred realizes that he's imposed on Viktor without much warning, and so he does follow up his suggestion, glancing back at him over his shoulder. ] I'll owe you one in return, assuming you have any interest.

I…could.

[It seems strange, to give tours, but maybe that’s just something people do here. It makes sense, especially if someone is proud of their particular creations. Viktor, for his part, is clearly still feeling out the whole concept of this place, but what’s the harm in showing off the places he intentionally created? It is, of course, tempting to get a little tour in return, as well, if only in the interest of getting to know Thancred a little better.]

Everything else is-- [He points vaguely upward, though if Thancred followed the path down here, it’s likely he realized there’s a route above, as well.] But I do have a lift.

[Because, obviously, Viktor doesn’t like excessive stairs. This time, Thancred is spared.]

Edited 2022-04-07 04:16 (UTC)

Oh, thank the gods.

[ That exclamation might seem a bit overblown, and Thancred realizes this even as he follows after Viktor toward the promised lift. ]

Not that I would have minded climbing! But there is another domain here that has an unreasonably tall staircase, which I climbed for some godsforsaken reason. [ Reflecting on it now, he knows how absurd it had been for himself, Geralt, and Jaskier to be so stubborn about the entire affair. To his credit, he'd more or less understood that in the moment as well. ] It's only after we reached the top that we realized we could have taken a lift the whole time.

[ The lesson to be learned here? Make sure there is well-marked signage in your domain, to do your fellow summoned a favor. As they reach the lift, Thancred reaches out to grab Viktor's shoulder and gives him what seems to be a deadly serious stare. ]

If you come across a very tall, singular building, I can tell you now it's not worth the effort.

[Well, that is. Quite the reaction. Viktor seems more than a little puzzled, even after the closes the door to the lift and it starts rising back up into the wall. Clearly there is some kind of stair trauma at play here.]

Noted. [It's not that he seeks out places with excessive amounts of stairs, really, but he does have one question.] Couldn't you simply have willed yourself to the top? Or was there something in place to prevent that?

[ That is quite the pointed question and Thancred crosses his arms tight over his chest, sending Viktor a knowing look before he speaks to defend himself. ]

For one thing, it was only my second time in the Horizon. [ In other words: his first time with his memories. He hadn't quite been accustomed to how the Horizon worked, back then. He's frankly still getting used to it. ] For another... have you never fallen prey to a stubborn sort of pride?

[ To his credit, Thancred doesn't seem at all disturbed by the lift jerking to life and quickly carrying them up, up, up. He's clearly ridden them before. He also isn't referring simply to pride in the face of some physical challenge, which based on what he knows of Viktor might be a sore spot (and hopefully it isn't taken the wrong way). People can be stubborn about all sorts of things, and in Thancred's experience, there is no one who hasn't pointlessly dug their heels in about one thing or another in their lives. ]

I think that, if I encountered that many stairs at once, I would simply...not.

[It isn't like there's a lack of things to explore, here. Or, you know, if he really wanted to see what was at the top, will himself there or otherwise conjure a lift or something. Truthfully, Viktor is still kind of sorting out how he feels about changing himself, while he's in here, beyond the obvious benefit of ridding himself of his illness. The fact that he seems to have built an elevator into his own domain is probably evidence enough of that.

There is no real way to make elevator rides less awkward, and he imagines that Thancred is probably finished being ridiculed for his stair adventure, so he moves on to the next thing. It occurs to him that he has no idea what Thancred might be interested in.]

I could...show you my lab?

Then you are a wiser man than I.

[ Thancred says it with a little smile. No harm is truly done and it's not as if Viktor is wrong to question these things. Mayhap Thancred would have thought better of the entire affair if he hadn't had Geralt and Jaskier there to egg him on, even if they did so unconsciously. Something about seeing Geralt ascend the stairs with little effort at all, however, had been the final nail in the coffin.

That's all in the past, however, and Thancred is happy to change the subject to what it is he's about to see of Viktor's domain. At the mention of a lab, he cants his head in curiosity. ]

A lab, you say. Are you an engineer, then? Or some other manner of researcher? What is your area of study?

[ Thancred recalls his first conversation with Viktor and how he had insisted that his skills would be of better use in Cadens than Thorne. Yet he'd been interested in magick as well, there is no denying that. Then again, since he comes from a place where use of magick is more frowned upon, it could be an interest in the unknown, the less-understood. ]

Generally, I need to be realistic.

[Some things simply aren't worth the effort, and Viktor is acutely aware of his own physical limitations. If that means passing up an entire domain made of stairs, well. That's fine. His curiosity isn't that insatiable (usually).

Thancred asks if he's an engineer and he nods, the doors to the lift sliding closed behind them--the ride is short, but it's enough for him to present his resume, and, at least, a little context before they arrive at the lab.]

Broadly speaking, mechanical engineering, applied mathematics and theoretical physics. My current work involves research and development involving practical applications of arcane forces harnessed via technological means.

[You're trapped in here with him, Thancred.]

[ All it took was a question or two to get Viktor going, but Thancred knows better than most that this is the way with any scholar. While he may not be used to hearing talk of these particular subjects, he has heard Y'shtola and Urianger go on at length. Sometimes to him, sometimes to each other.

That being said, he does listen a bit more closely in this case. He hasn't yet had reason to tire of Viktor's lectures, and what he's researching is different from what Thancred's used to. To an extent, anyway. ]

Marrying magick with technology, in other words? Aye, I'm familiar enough with the concept, though I imagine it takes quite a different form than what I've seen.

[ Thancred pauses then, as the lift continues to carry them up, up, up to so-called greener pastures. ]

What is the ultimate goal of this research? What do you intend to do with such power? [ Based on the little he knows so far, he's hoping that Viktor is more of a Cid Garlond than a Nero Scaeva, but one can never be too sure. ]

[Oh yes. He's going. He'll continue to go, oblivious to anyone's potential lack of interest, until he is told to stop. Sometimes, not even then. The ride in the lift is short, at least, even if it doesn't interrupt their conversation. When the door slides open, he gestures for Thancred to make his way out first, assuming that he'll wait a few moments for Viktor to follow after and lead the way down the hallway.]

Where I'm from, it involves the use of a conduit and a rune-based system to provide instruction.

[Through a set of doors is the lab proper, which feels somewhat cavernous, but mostly as a result of Viktor not wanting to leave anything potentially dangerous lying around for anyone to experience. Or steal.]

Before arriving here, my research partner and I developed a stabilized source of this energy for use in portable devices.

[ Thancred exits out through the doors once they open, then turns back to hold his hand in front of them so that they don't attempt to slide close while Viktor exits. Simply common courtesy, that. From there on, he'll let him lead them on down an ornately decorated hallway to the main event of sorts, a workspace.

He has no idea what a rune-based system might look like, if he's honest. Would it be similar to the ley lines that black mages made use of, perhaps? There are so many potential possibilities that it would be hard to narrow it down. ]

Portable devices... [ Thancred assumes this energy source is somehow like ceruleum, but that is also the only point of reference he truly has. He's seen enough Garlean technology and consoles, which can be used to send remote instructions to other machines or constructs, that he's more or less following. ] And what would you use these for? To send instructions to automated machines?

[ He pauses then, taking a moment to study the space they've entered. There's chalkboards filled with equations that are set to slide around and a desk piled with papers. And... what is that device that's on display there? Thancred tilts his head, then begins to walk closer before he catches Viktor's gaze. ] May I? [ He isn't going to poke at anything, he simply wants to look. ]

Instructions, yes, but also a power source.

[Among other things, but he's still feeling out how much Thancred is interested in, or wants to know. Best not to scare him off, right away. The good news is that he can make anything that he wants for a physical demonstration--the gems themselves, the Hexclaw, and, of course, the core. He's not surprised that Thancred goes there, first.]

If you like. Just, ah. Don't touch.

[Mind realm or not, he isn't sure it's a good idea.]

Why not?

[ While Thancred is not foolish enough to simply ignore such a warning, he's naturally going to ask about it. The Horizon supposedly cannot kill them or do them any harm, but he isn't eager to test that theory either. Surely one of the other Summoned already has, but the point still stands. Not-dying might still be unpleasant, after all.

He moves his hands to rest behind him at his lower back and then leans in to examine the strange device, as if he were inspecting a painting in a museum. He's never seen these exact symbols before, though he would have been more surprised if he had recognized them. ]

A rune-based system, you said. How does it work? [ This is well outside his area of knowledge, but he's been forced to pick up the slack of his missing Scions. Besides, cataloguing the skillsets and interests of his fellow Summoned is always worth doing. ]

It has the potential to be...volatile.

[Truthfully, even Viktor is trying to unlock the mysteries of it, still. He's not about to say that it responds to organic matter, and that he doesn't want to introduce it to a new variable. Best to keep all the Hexcore touching to himself.

The good news is that Thancred seems to understand, and doesn't move to touch it (though the leaning in makes him slightly nervous--he tries not to show it).]

The runes dictate the function. This particular device is...configurable. Meant to serve a variety of uses.

[It might be clear that Viktor is testing the waters--starting broadly and then narrowing it down if Thancred seems to understand, or otherwise won't balk at the Hexcore's transformative abilities.]

[ Volatile. Thancred takes that to mean that this is a technology that Viktor doesn't quite understand, and maybe cannot control. Granted, this is his own domain, which means that in theory the device isn't going to do anything that's outside his realm of understanding. Or so Thancred would assume. There's much about the Horizon that's still mysterious.

He has noticed how Viktor continues to be rather vague with his answers. Surely he wouldn't have brought him here unless he was willing to field questions; it was the depths of that cave system that he hadn't wanted Thancred to see.

Picking up on some of that nervousness, Thancred takes a few steps away from the device and turns to Viktor with one hand on his hip. ]

That's all rather vague. Do you have an example?

[ A demonstration would be even better, but he knows when to not push his luck. ]

[Okay, so maybe Thancred is picking up on the fact that he's being vague and kind of shady. Maybe he knows more about this than he's letting on. Still, he willingly brought a guest up here, knowing full well what was in the lab, so he should, theoretically, be prepared for these kinds of questions.

Perhaps he's still weighing the dangers of being public about what he's working on, even if it only exists in the Horizon. The last thing he wants is for someone to misuse his research, but he reminds himself that the Hexcore is so esoteric that it will be difficult to utilize, to say nothing of replication.

So, maybe he can provide a little demonstration. That will be fine.]

I'm exploring environmental restoration applications, currently.

[He nods towards the device, and with a simple thought, recreates the experiment he's been doing with his houseplants--the rig above the Hexcore, a plant atop it. Viktor reaches toward the desk and pulls a lever, seemingly arranging the right combination of runes, and the plant blossoms, unfurling larger and larger, almost unnaturally.]

The device channels arcane energies through the plant--the runes providing the necessary instruction.

[Unlike the real world, he can stop it here. Thancred doesn't have to witness the point at which he gets stuck, when the plant inevitably reaches its limit and dies.]

As you can see, the transformative power of the device is...revolutionary.

[ Environmental restoration. It is not what Thancred was expecting to hear, but it is also to some extent a familiar concept. What he helped Ryne do to restore the Empty through the use of Eden could easily be called the same thing, though this device is a good deal smaller, and therefore likely also works on a smaller scale.

As the device begins to rotate around into different configurations, Thancred takes a few more steps back to watch as the plants overhead sprout and grow at an alarming rate. It's impressive and likely should be impossible, but with enough aether — or "arcane energy," as Viktor calls it — the impossible becomes possible.

Thancred's seen it himself. It's the only reason that he isn't completely awed by what has just taken place. ]

To say the least. [ Once the demonstration has ended, Thancred steps forward to take hold of a leaf off of a vine that's grown enough to fall within reach. It looks real and smells real, though given that this is the Horizon, that doesn't necessarily mean anything. This is still only theoretical.

He releases the leaf from between his fingertips and then turns back to Viktor. ] I was only assisting, but I've seen this sort of thing before. Not precisely the same, of course, but we were able to restore life to a land that had been made completely barren by an overabundance of light. Granted, the device we used to do so was much, much larger than this.

[Oh. Perhaps he does understand. This is something of a surprise, and Viktor isn’t necessarily good at hiding it on his face. He almost feels guilty, for forcibly halting the experiment before its natural conclusion, making Thancred think that he’s succeeded, or something, when that’s far from the truth.]

That’s—it’s exactly what I’m trying to do.

[Water purification systems. Air scrubbers. A boundless energy source that adapts to various tasks, without the need for constant instruction by an operator. He doubts that whatever Thancred used would be a one-to-one translation to his own work, but any information would be helpful to him.]

What sort of device?

[open] march catchall

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