In the end, Teddy won the argument by simply arguing more calmly and longer than Ed had the patience for. They were going to Callie to break some laws and risk a war. It was hard to argue with Teddy for several reasons. First: Teddy was, in fact, more intelligent than everyone around him. Anyone smarter than him was also a Mechmian and would not likely socialize with a low-tiered knight from a C-ranked family. Secondly, he won because he'd already done the thing being discussed and was merely informing the other party. Finally —and perhaps most importantly —in this situation, Ed's father had given the command and authorization. It wasn't truly arguing with Teddy; it was arguing with the High King. Such a thing just wasn't done.
Take, for instance, the filled fuchi storerooms that arrived stored at Ed's amanofuchigoma at nearly the same time they did. Without even asking, Teddy had traded Ed's empty storeroom and water tank fuchi for full ones. It had needed to be done, but Ed rather liked doing it. It made him feel in control of his team. Still, they had saved some of the budget because Teddy could self-install the fuchi. Fuchi are small crystals that contain specialized rooms such as stables, kitchens, water tanks, and just about any other room one can think of.
While amanofuchigoma, sometimes called crystalline tents, are common in the Thirteen (except Callie and Atlan), they are relatively expensive, though infinitely expandable. Most knights have at least a cheaper basic amano. Amano comprises a codependent room pair (generally a bedroom and bathroom, though other designs are available). This allows knights to take their room with them wherever they are assigned. As knights progress through the ranks, they eventually earn enough to purchase better quality amano and perhaps a personal goma or some fuchi.
Amano and fuchi are useless without a goma base. A unit leader is expected to have a goma (and a group barracks type amano) to share with the team. A goma can shrink to a portable size or expand to act as a door into the crystal pocket dimension, but only from the outside. Multiple gomas can be connected, which is how large communities form. Ed was rather proud of his. He'd bought it with the royalties from his songs, along with several useful fuchi.
One caveat, amanofuchigoma were, like many other conveniences, illegal in Callie. They'd either have to leave it behind or disguise it when it was set as a door. Teddy was, unsurprisingly, a qualified amanofuchigoma mechanic. He was rambling about pocket dimensions as immediately set to work installing the new spaces. Beside him, Stone stretched the corners of a slate to play a game while he waited. Teddy's voice was white noise to Stone, but he nodded along as he played his gardening game.
Ignoring them, Ed walked straight into the crystal wall of the expanded goma. Much to his annoyance, Teddy had changed the entry door from the reception hall to the stables. He'd had great hope when he'd purchased the fuchi. It had space for twenty creatures, including places for roosting mounts like wyverns and cockatrices. The naivety he'd had when he'd purchased the tack storage, the farrier stations, the veterinary care clinic, and the double-sided paddock, corral, round pen, riding ring, jousting line, and two practice courses. His little pocket dimension felt overly large and useless for his little band.
While Ed preferred that the main reception hall serve as the entryway, he did enjoy seeing the mounts who greeted him with a whinny. He grabbed a carrot from one bin and a frozen mouse from another—the carrot he gave to his gorgeous gullfaxi palfrey, Steve. Steve was high-strung as most gullfaxi are, but his pale butter gold coat and rich golden mane and tail made him stand out, even among the other gullfaxi. Gullfaxi may look like fire horses, but they act as psychic power broadcast powers, amplifying and expanding psychic gifts. Steve was well-bred for this task, his sire having three blue ribbons in the sport and a young dam who had her first win before pregnancy. Nimble and fast, Steve didn't have the stamina Stone's mount did, but few beasts could match the sheer strength of breeds from Heimheim.
From her stall, the snowy mare trumpeted and stomped. Though enbarr are generally known for their sweet disposition, Stone's destier was the exception to the rule. Presenting the mouse with a flourish, Ed ventured to pet “Haizum, the Holy Lightning,” better known as Regalia. She had hooves the size of dinner plates and tended to bite or kick everyone but Ed. Even Teddy knew to avoid the ill-tempered mare, and he had little to no sense of self-preservation in most instances. She tossed her mane proudly as if to proclaim herself the best-looking mount in the stable.
Finally, gleaming in a double box sat a piece of mechnology that would be impossible to explain away in Calli – Teddy's steelhead, a power cruiser class vehicle for a single rider. Unlike Steve and Regalia, there was no life in the machine. The circular wheel-like apparatuses at the front and back manipulated gravity and friction coefficients, enabling smooth transportation. The twin engines and other parts gleamed in silver and chrome. Coverings and the magic fuel storage tank reflected light in its glossy poly-chromatic blue paint. Beside it sat an unattached sidecar Teddy had won in a card game. Though both were older models, they were well-maintained and heavily modified. Ed was 90% sure it was illegal in Callie, like everything else from modern machinery to books.
Sighing and allowing himself to show his exhaustion, Ed braided Regalia's thick tail prettily the way she liked as he thought about the mission. Breaking the law was a problem for him. Even if it wasn't technically breaking the law, it was still wrong.
They were knights, trained since childhood to judge and execute criminals. Laws and compliance were drilled into them. They swore oaths to the law and to the Thirteen. They'd all executed criminals on multiple occasions from before they were teenagers. It was what they'd been raised to do. How unfair was it that someone else could bring a book into Callie and be executed, but the rules didn't apply to them simply because some old man, as handsome and wise as he was, said so? Ed closed his eyes for a moment and chided himself. Even in his head, he couldn't keep up a good rant against his father. Such was the nature of their family gift.
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It wasn't fair, and it wasn't just. How could they be asked to perform such disgraceful actions? Why was his white knight of all people accepting of such an arrangement? Why couldn't he refuse?
What if they messed up and caused another rebellion? Callie wasn't like Decio. Callie didn't allow slates, which meant there was no way for the mind-manipulation amplification to spread its web through the general populace. There would be more dangerous rebels.
Sighing, he crossed the next crystal door into the entry hall. It was grand by his design, with two sweeping staircases for grand entrances curling gracefully around a large ornate fountain. It echoed the timeless grandeur of the imperial palace, which floated majestically above Mount Isabella, the planet's tallest mountain. His ancestors had designed the castle not only to function as the center of governance but also as the High King's personal starship. It was old, but constant upgrades kept it in top form. Most importantly, it acted as a broadcast antenna for his family's unique gift. Without it, the empire would surely destabilize, if only from the thousands of cultures clashing without a centralized and agreed-upon core.
The grand reception chamber may not have required planetary-grade gravity, climate, or atmospheric control, but Ed was sure he wouldn't be embarrassed to greet important guests in it. He even used the adorable marble statue of himself that his father had gifted him for his sixth birthday as the centerpiece of the ornate fountain. The sight always made him feel cared for and loved. However, instead of greeting guests and newcomers from the upper balcony looking down upon them, he was being greeted at the same level. How was he supposed to make a grand walk down the stairs if he was on the bottom floor? This newcomer had ruined the aesthetic he so loved.
Before the fountain, a dark-skinned woman in a tan floor-length gown, the female cartographer, curtsied. Also, in the standard cartographer uniform, her hair was parted down the middle, and on each side of her head was a bun tied with a sea-foam green ribbon. The same sea-green accented her dress and the bow on her pristine, high white collar. All cartographers, more or less, wore this unofficial uniform, as the fabric color and fit were designed especially for magics that aided the science and art of cartography. She was young —perhaps 17 or 18 —and extremely nervous.
“Ah, welcome home? Your highness?” the curtsying girl stammered, her face red and hot. She trembled slightly, and everything she uttered sounded like a question.
“Thanks. You can rise and call me Ed. Where are you coming from?” Ed asked in his best benevolent ruler tone. He was trying to make conversation while Teddy and Stone went to pick up dinner from a place nearby.
They'd be leaving their base, one of the large floating city-sized platforms that hung in the air between Mt. Isabella and the Ring Mountains, which protectively surrounded the nation of High-Mountain. As such, his knights wanted to have food from as many of their favorite establishments as possible. Soon they'd be cooking their own meals or eating Callian dishes.
The girl blushed and bowed nervously, “Thank you? My family comes from the Crystal Cavern in Medio? I trained there? My father trained me from Sir Akitish Cero yellow knight of Atlan's amanofuchigoma, before and after? My mother was skilled in census magic and had minor psychic gifts? I've worked on six combat campaigns since beginning my official apprenticeship? I was a journeyman in both census magic and cartography in multiple spectrums until I won the tourney. They pronounced me a master tier cartographer? I'm pure Medion human? I can tune my own cartography fuchi? I minored in family gifts? I've never been outside of crystals? It's dangerous there,” this last sentence was the only thing the anxious cartographer seemed optimistic about. “I am thrilled to be working here? With you? Oh, I'm cartographer Susan Atlace of Medio? Sorry for rambling...”
Crystal denizens tended to be strange people with strange phobias about leaving their amanofuchigomas. Amanofuchigomas were naturally occurring in several parts of Medio. Discovered by humans hiding from orcs, ogres, dwarves, and undead, the peoples built entire cities in these crystalline hiding places over ten thousand years ago. As a result, their unique cultures and breeding had led to one thing in common – extreme, irrational fear of leaving a crystal community. Amanofuchigoma becoming more accessible had led them to travel more from the comfort of their homes.
“Never? Do you want to go to the restaurant? We can probably catch up to the others,” Ed began, despite knowing about crystal denizens before the panicked woman cut him off.
Her brown eyes were wide as she backed up and fell into the fountain behind her. Even the water soaking her petticoat didn't stop her from backing up as if he'd just threatened to kidnap her, “No! Outside? I can't go outside. Enemies are outside. Outside is dangerous. Please don't make me go outside! I was promised a crystal! I was promised!”
“No outside. Noted. Inside. Inside is good,” Ed soothed her, subconsciously using his gift to make her feel comfortable and happy, “You are safe.”
The girl's head cocked to one side as she fell prey to his control. Her voice became calm and almost dreamlike. Smiling, she stood and calmly declared, “I am safe. I am inside my new home.”
There was a short pause before the trance broke, and she grew almost angry, but not exactly agitated, “Look what outside does. It makes you all wet just mentioning it. Outside is the worst. I don't know why people don't stay in the safety of a nice amanofuchigoma community. I kid. It would be boring without brave people going outside to bring civilized people places. I'm excited to map Callie. I'll be the first one in 500 years! I know that's the average lifespan of a Callian, but I'm human, and it's a lot to us. What am I saying? You're human, too! This is going to be so much fun! Don't lose my crystal, ok?”
“Sure. Why don't you go get dried off before dinner?” Ed suggested opening his flask. He hadn't meant to brainwash the poor girl. It made him feel as dirty as she was wet. Her full skirts looked heavy as she struggled out of the fountain and towards the door to the private quarters. The floor cleaned itself, so the trail of water she left stretched only a foot behind her. At least he could always count on Teddy and Stone to remain free-willed. Well, at least as much as the coterie bond allowed.
