Chapter 28:
Mingling
Daniel:
Soft jazz music fills the ballroom. It is strange, how the Naga would have a ballroom. I mean, how do they even dance, without legs? Like how snakes dance during those performances of snake charmers, or...
“So, you are the human who proved the Dimensional Theory?” An older Naga asks me. His hair is silver, but he carries it well. Got the entire silver fox look down to the last detail. As most Naga, Constantine included, he has long hair.
“Yes, I was given a mana absorbent mirror,” I say, and look around. Constantine is off to the side, speaking with a group of potential investors. We decided to split, to cover more ground, when we came to the ballroom, and found it packed.
“And, are the realms above, how did you call it?” The older gentleman asks.
“Dimension Alpha. It consists of all the Cosmos. There is this theory that Constantine and I came up with recently, about the inhabitants of the dimension above our own,” Agafia made us test the waters with the investors. If the only thing they cared about was the minerals that can be mined from the dimensions, that didn’t have oxygen.
“Oh? Lisa, come over here. We will be given insider information,” the Naga says, and a woman, who looks about his age, slithers to us.
“It can go well with my journal entrance for Cosmos Explorers,” the woman says. My eyes go wide.
“You write for Cosmos Explorers?” I ask her. She blushes at that.
“It is really not that big of a deal,” she says, but I shake my head.
“Not that big of a deal? That magazine has been like a textbook for me. I mean, there is so much I have to catch up on, about the Ursula solar system alone, that...” I blush, when I realize that I am babbling. “Yes, the insider information. We believe, Constantine and I, that the dimension above our own is the Underworld.”
Silence followed my proclamation. The pair shares a look.
“We can’t mine the land of the dead. The ancestors will be furious,” the Naga gentleman says, and his wife, I presume, nods.
“We believe the same,” I tell them. This is the critical moment. I need to offer them something better than untapped resources. “But, on Earth, we believe that the dead hold many secrets. We have mediums, who contact them. Although, most of them are charlatans.”
“Don’t be so sure, young man,” Lisa says, as she takes a flute with something that looks like champagne, but smells strongly of blueberries. “Anti-magic shield here or there, if you can do magic while still on Earth, then what is to stop others from doing the same?”
I rub the back of my head.
“Oh, it is just that...” I say, and then close my mouth.
“What a shame, that there are such talented shamans on Earth, who go their whole lives, without their potential being tapped,” the older gentleman shakes his head. Lisa hands him the flute. He takes a sip, and closes his eyes briefly. “You should try this. It is actually magaza juice. Sort of like your blueberries, but leaning towards grapes, as well.”
The waiter with the flutes is next to me now. I take one, and he slithers away. Taking a sip, I try to buy time, to get myself out of the dead end I talked myself into. Then, the alcohol in the drink practically kicks my senses in overdrive. I only took a sip, but there is already a warmth spreading all over my body.
“Strong,” I murmur, as I place the flute on a nearby table. If I want to be able to deliver a fundraising speech, I can’t afford to finish that.
Lisa looks between the flute and me, and then her eyebrow rises.
“You think that magaza juice is too alcoholic? We give it to children, around here,” she says.
“Humans don’t have as strong metabolism as we, Lisa,” her husband says.
“Yes, but, Gregor,” she begins. We hear the microphone being tested, and this is my cue to get on stage.
“It was a pleasure, talking to you, but I have to get to the stage,” I say, bow my head to them both, and leave. The Naga part to let me through. I get on the stage before Nahndor, which is good. People are still moving to get a better view, so my late arrival is not noticed. I hope.
Constantine hands me a mirror, and I nod. This is it. Showtime. A part of me fears what we are going to show. Just how many times the inhabitants of the dimension above our own will tolerate being spied on? Still, I have a duty to prove the theory before everyone in this ballroom. This is why they are here, why Tine and I were hired.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Agafia begins, flying next to the microphone. “It is my pleasure to share the proof of the Dimensional Theory with you all. Our two shamans will show you different sights of what we call Dimension Beta. Enjoy.”
I take in a deep breath, and pour mana into the mirror. The screen appears. What we see are the same planes full of minerals. Yet, there are more of the dust people congregating around the mineral pillars.
I can see a couple of shadowy Naga, some humans, even a couple of pixies. As one, the shadows begin to look towards me. From the corner of my eyes, I see that Constantine is showing much the same.
“Keep it up,” Agafia says. I get an uneasy feeling in my stomach, when the figures start to move, almost as if towards me. Then, one of the figures presses its face to the screen, and reaches out a hand. The hand tries to grasp me, but I stop pouring mana into the mirror. I can see that Constantine has dispelled his own screen as well.
Silence reigns in the ballroom. Then, the murmuring explodes. People push at each other, to get closer to the stage. Those that are already seated below it, come up, and the demands begin.
“What were those things?”
“Just what did you show us?”
“The minerals? Are they the property of the creatures that tried to come in here?”
The last question doesn’t sit well with me. Still, I do my best to smile, and to answer the never-ending barrage of questions.
Chapter 28:
Mingling
Daniel:
Soft jazz music fills the ballroom. It is strange, how the Naga would have a ballroom. I mean, how do they even dance, without legs? Like how snakes dance during those performances of snake charmers, or...
“So, you are the human who proved the Dimensional Theory?” An older Naga asks me. His hair is silver, but he carries it well. Got the entire silver fox look down to the last detail. As most Naga, Constantine included, he has long hair.
“Yes, I was given a mana absorbent mirror,” I say, and look around. Constantine is off to the side, speaking with a group of potential investors. We decided to split, to cover more ground, when we came to the ballroom, and found it packed.
“And, are the realms above, how did you call it?” The older gentleman asks.
“Dimension Alpha. It consists of all the Cosmos. There is this theory that Constantine and I came up with recently, about the inhabitants of the dimension above our own,” Agafia made us test the waters with the investors. If the only thing they cared about was the minerals that can be mined from the dimensions, that didn’t have oxygen.
“Oh? Lisa, come over here. We will be given insider information,” the Naga says, and a woman, who looks about his age, slithers to us.
“It can go well with my journal entrance for Cosmos Explorers,” the woman says. My eyes go wide.
“You write for Cosmos Explorers?” I ask her. She blushes at that.
“It is really not that big of a deal,” she says, but I shake my head.
“Not that big of a deal? That magazine has been like a textbook for me. I mean, there is so much I have to catch up on, about the Ursula solar system alone, that...” I blush, when I realize that I am babbling. “Yes, the insider information. We believe, Constantine and I, that the dimension above our own is the Underworld.”
Silence followed my proclamation. The pair shares a look.
“We can’t mine the land of the dead. The ancestors will be furious,” the Naga gentleman says, and his wife, I presume, nods.
“We believe the same,” I tell them. This is the critical moment. I need to offer them something better than untapped resources. “But, on Earth, we believe that the dead hold many secrets. We have mediums, who contact them. Although, most of them are charlatans.”
“Don’t be so sure, young man,” Lisa says, as she takes a flute with something that looks like champagne, but smells strongly of blueberries. “Anti-magic shield here or there, if you can do magic while still on Earth, then what is to stop others from doing the same?”
I rub the back of my head.
“Oh, it is just that...” I say, and then close my mouth.
“What a shame, that there are such talented shamans on Earth, who go their whole lives, without their potential being tapped,” the older gentleman shakes his head. Lisa hands him the flute. He takes a sip, and closes his eyes briefly. “You should try this. It is actually magaza juice. Sort of like your blueberries, but leaning towards grapes, as well.”
The waiter with the flutes is next to me now. I take one, and he slithers away. Taking a sip, I try to buy time, to get myself out of the dead end I talked myself into. Then, the alcohol in the drink practically kicks my senses in overdrive. I only took a sip, but there is already a warmth spreading all over my body.
“Strong,” I murmur, as I place the flute on a nearby table. If I want to be able to deliver a fundraising speech, I can’t afford to finish that.
Lisa looks between the flute and me, and then her eyebrow rises.
“You think that magaza juice is too alcoholic? We give it to children, around here,” she says.
“Humans don’t have as strong metabolism as we, Lisa,” her husband says.
“Yes, but, Gregor,” she begins. We hear the microphone being tested, and this is my cue to get on stage.
“It was a pleasure, talking to you, but I have to get to the stage,” I say, bow my head to them both, and leave. The Naga part to let me through. I get on the stage before Nahndor, which is good. People are still moving to get a better view, so my late arrival is not noticed. I hope.
Constantine hands me a mirror, and I nod. This is it. Showtime. A part of me fears what we are going to show. Just how many times the inhabitants of the dimension above our own will tolerate being spied on? Still, I have a duty to prove the theory before everyone in this ballroom. This is why they are here, why Tine and I were hired.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Agafia begins, flying next to the microphone. “It is my pleasure to share the proof of the Dimensional Theory with you all. Our two shamans will show you different sights of what we call Dimension Beta. Enjoy.”
I take in a deep breath, and pour mana into the mirror. The screen appears. What we see are the same planes full of minerals. Yet, there are more of the dust people congregating around the mineral pillars.
I can see a couple of shadowy Naga, some humans, even a couple of pixies. As one, the shadows begin to look towards me. From the corner of my eyes, I see that Constantine is showing much the same.
“Keep it up,” Agafia says. I get an uneasy feeling in my stomach, when the figures start to move, almost as if towards me. Then, one of the figures presses its face to the screen, and reaches out a hand. The hand tries to grasp me, but I stop pouring mana into the mirror. I can see that Constantine has dispelled his own screen as well.
Silence reigns in the ballroom. Then, the murmuring explodes. People push at each other, to get closer to the stage. Those that are already seated below it, come up, and the demands begin.
“What were those things?”
“Just what did you show us?”
“The minerals? Are they the property of the creatures that tried to come in here?”
The last question doesn’t sit well with me. Still, I do my best to smile, and to answer the never-ending barrage of questions.
