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Sexy Steampunk Babes: Chapter Fifty Five
🕑 Added 2024-11-30 06:34:20 +0000 UTCThe conditions for dream-meetings between mages weren’t complex. Physical contact while both individuals slept was really all that was needed. Such meetings of minds had to have a host though.
It was a reasonably coveted position. Dreams in and of themselves weren’t usually pleasant places to be for conscious minds. The landscape was nebulous and ever shifting, while the objects and creatures within tended to be warped in ways that were both unsubtle and unsettling.
To be the host provided one some level of protection against that sensation. It was, after all, one’s own mind. And while the sensation of having an ‘invader’ in such a hallowed place could provide some level of discomfort for some, it was generally accepted that it was better to meet a stranger in a familiar place, than to be the wanderer in an alien and sometimes hostile landscape.
Fortunately, hostile, doesn’t necessarily mean dangerous, William thought as he sat at his ‘desk’.
Discomforting and sometimes frightening, yes, but at the end of the day this was still little more than a dream. The denizens within could do no real harm.
Well, with one notable exception, William thought as he very deliberately didn’t glance back at the thing hovering over his shoulder.
“Fuck me, would it have killed you to think up a hallway?” A familiar voice grunted as the woman it belonged to physically pulled herself through the doorway to his office.
“I thought I had?” he responded.
“Well, think a little harder on the subject next time. Because getting through the ‘estate’ was a bitch because most of the rooms don’t connect to the rooms they’re supposed to. I had to get in here through the kitchen. A kitchen with floors that my feet kept sinking into.”
“Noted,” William deadpanned as he fully took in the creature that had just stepped into his office.
And it was a creature, for all that it held Xela’s voice and carried her consciousness.
Looking not totally unlike a wendigo of myth, if lacking the usual skull-face, Xela’s dreamform was more than a little unsettling to look at as she walked over to his desk.
“Fuck me though, I know you’re supposed to be an old soul and shit, but I didn’t think you were being literal,” she continued, hot breath wafting over his face from her massive maw as she leaned down to examine him.
For his part, he knew he looked like George. Right down to the liver spots that had started to develop in his later years. Personally, he thought it was a better dreamform than most got.
Marline had more or less been herself, albeit with features so angular that she’d looked like some kind of… sword person in the most uncanny of ways. Piper had been herself - if someone had doused her with acid and set her on fire. And while the flames she’d given off had been quite pretty given the exotic colors involved, it still hadn’t been pleasant to see the flesh constantly melting off her.
By contrast, him appearing as an old man when he was barely twenty ‘in reality’ seemed positively mundane to his sensibilities.
“Yes, well there’s a reason for that,” he deadpanned. “One that’s slightly more complex than whatever kind of body-image issue you’ve got going on.”
“Body image issue?” Xela scoffed. “My dreamform’s great!”
“You’re drooibbling onto my carpet.” He deliberately didn’t look at the copious stream of… fluid running down the woman’s leg from her… oversized genitals.
Again, he had to remind himself that this was a dream - things tended to get Freudian even when the participants hadn’t just had sex. Indeed, said ‘stream’ was likely a dream-like manifestation of sensations Xela’s body was still experiencing in the ‘real world’.
Something Xela clearly knew as well as she eyed him. “I’d say that’s as much your fault as mine.”
Well, he couldn’t argue that. Fortunately, he wasn’t here to argue with her about who had stuffed whom with which fluids.
He was here to get a geass formed. As evidenced by the second creature that was hovering over Xela’s shoulder. One he was avoiding looking at as much as he was his own. Just as Xela wasn’t looking at his.
After all, it was considered good sense amongst mages not to look at the fae. In the same way it was generally considered good sense not to stare at the sun. It tended to have a deleterious effect on the viewer.
As a single glance at the spinning rotoscope behind Xela confirmed. Because it wasn’t a rotoscope. It was a dragon. Made of squares with seven sides that sounded like purple-
He tore his gaze away.
Yes, it was good dream etiquette not to look at the fae.
"Fair enough. Shall we move on to the real reason we’re here?" William asked as he rose from his desk, only to find himself standing in a field.
"Fuck me. I hate when that happens," Xela muttered.
William, however, barely registered the change. One of the perks of being the host—the transitions were smoother, less jarring. Especially since this shift hadn’t been deliberate. His mind had simply decided the new setting was more appropriate and he’d not consciously thought to stop it.
"If you hate it, close your eyes. This’ll be the last transition, I promise."
Xela didn’t argue. She simply shut her inhuman eyes with a mutter.
William smiled, and a moment later, they stood in the midst of a familiar scene - a small outdoor café from George’s hometown. The hum of passing cars filled the previously unnoticed silence while the rich aroma of food from nearby kitchens mingled with the tang of exhaust fumes. His fingers brushed against the texture of the table he now sat at, only then noticing that the desk he’d been sat at before lacked it. Likewise, he could suddenly feel the pull of gravity anchoring him to the chair.
Details, thousands of them, suddenly came into focus - each one more vivid than the last due to their absence.
Xela noticed it too. Slowly, she opened her eyes, blinking at the unfamiliar yet tangible world around her. Her fingers reached out to touch the fabric of the café's closed table mounted umbrella.
"It feels... real," she murmured, taking in the vibrant colors and branding adorned to the fabric.
“Yep,” he agreed.
It wasn’t, but unlike the liminal space they’d occupied just moments ago, this place could be mistaken for the real thing.
He’d made that mistake a few times. When he was ‘young’. Never for long, fortunately, but there’d been a few moments in which he thought he had… returned.
Because this wasn’t just some rough imitation of the world cobbled together from imperfect human memory. Or at least, not just human memory alone.
The fae hung over his shoulder and he ignored it.
Even if it was the true architect of this scene. Earth - rendered in more depth and detail than any human mind could ever fully process. Albeit, with a catch. Said catch being the reason he’d never believed the lie of this place for long.
William’s eyes drifted to a nearby table, where a cup of coffee shifted slightly, as if moved by an invisible hand. He also knew that if he looked through the windows of a passing car, he wouldn’t see a driver behind the wheel.
This world was perfect in every detail - except for the lack of people. Or animals.
At least, any living ones, he thought as a tray floated over to deposit a plate full of bacon and eggs in front of him.
Morgues likewise had occupants as he’d discovered on one particularly morbid fact finding mission.
…Graveyards too.
"So, this is where your harrowed knowledge comes from," Xela finally said, taking in the scene around her.
Credit where it was due—she looked only mildly surprised. Which, under normal circumstances, might seem incredible, considering the sheer wonder surrounding her. But one had to remember the world she came from.
Back home, technology resembling this existed, though in far cruder forms. More importantly, she had grown up in a place where the existence of other worlds—some more advanced, others less so—was an accepted truth.
Harrowed knowledge often came from those other realms, extracted from different races and civilizations. And while those who returned with such knowledge were rarely left coherent enough to describe those worlds in any meaningful way beyond fragmented, maddened ramblings, the fact of their existence was never in question.
Many of those worlds were far stranger than this one.
That, at least partially, explained why William remained sane despite everything.
Still, there was a flicker of awe in her eyes as she watched a bus rumble by.
"You’re not wrong," William said, taking a sip of his coffee. Dream or not, it still tasted good.
"So, you’re just admitting it now?"
"You already suspected.” He placed the cup down. “You would’ve pieced it together even if I hadn’t shown you all this. Besides, this is actually more convenient. I can show you things in here without having to go through the hassle of dragging you all the way back to the estate."
As he spoke, a Vought F4U Corsair appeared across the street, materializing out of thin air. The cars on the road adjusted seamlessly to its appearance, navigating around the new obstacle without missing a beat.
"That’s…" Xela began.
"Remarkably similar to what I have your people practicing with?" William finished for her.
"Aye,” she said tentatively. “Does it have a core?” She eyed a passing car. “Do those... land-shards?"
"Nope. I’ll spare you the technical details, but suffice to say it runs on an alchemical process, somewhat like a lantern. Unlike aether, though, the fumes it produces aren’t lighter than air, so it can’t hover."
Once more, he was reminded of the fact that ‘primitive did not mean stupid’ as the elf quickly turned his words into actionable intelligence. "Which is why you’ve had your plebeians practicing take-offs and landings on solid ground."
"Exactly."
“…Do those cores require mages?”
“No.” He eyed her. “They do not.”
The elf sighed. “Fuck. That’s going to upset some people back home.”
He shrugged. “I imagine it will. The fact that plebeians might soon be able to lay claim to the title of pilot where it was once relegated to mages alone. I suppose they’ll have to content themselves with the ability to fly on command, heal with a touch and the ability to fling elemental death at anything that happens to annoy them.”
Xela snorted at his words, but it was clear she was thinking. William was content to let her, simply enjoying the ambience.
This wasn’t home. No matter how much it looked like it. But he’d be lying if he claimed he’d not spent many a proverbial ‘day’ here simply… indulging his nostalgia.
“How are you not insane?” Xela asked after a few minutes. “You’re harrowed. You should be either flinging shit at the walls or dribbling in a room somewhere.”
"That’s your question?" William asked, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You’re not curious about a vehicle that can fly without a mithril core?"
Xela waved a hand, dismissive but with a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. "Oh, I’m interested in it. Very interested. But at the end of the day, a tool is just that. A tool. It’s simply a new way of doing what we already do. What matters, in the here and now, is the intent of the person holding said tool.”
William chuckled softly, a little taken aback by the display of insight from the normally brusque woman.
"Fair enough,” he murmured as he leaned back, the chair creaking under him as if acknowledging the shift in mood. "As for how I’m not insane… well, I’ve never not been harrowed. I imagine that helped with the transition. That, and luck, I suppose."
A brief thought crossed his mind as he considered how lucky he’d been, and for a moment he found himself wondering if, in this world, sudden infant death syndrome was just a side effect of kids harrowing in their dreams without realizing it.
Because that was… grim.
Mentally shaking said thought off, he instead gestured around them, his hand sweeping over the bustling street and the sound of engines rumbling in the distance. "This is a human world. I’m a human. The technology is human. The vector by which it was implanted in my mind was also human."
Xela’s eyes followed his hand, lingering on the seamless flow of traffic, the hum of the city blending with the faint clatter of cups in the café.
After a pause, she said, "You could win the civil war easily. Hold off the Lunites and Solites indefinitely."
Ah, now they were shifting to a topic he was more comfortable with, and the corner of his mouth curled into a knowing smile. "True. But I’m aiming a little higher than that."
She raised an eyebrow, worried. "Higher? How much higher?"
"Ending slavery is just the start," William said, his voice low but steady. "At this point? I want the only way I can see the human/orc conflict ending is through the orcs having their own homeland. They've been fighting over that same stretch of land for so long now that neither side will ever know peace until it’s settled once and for all."
Either with one side dead, or one side gone.
And while there was plenty of space for humans in the rest of Lindholm, the same wasn’t true of orcs. Or at least, not the Northern tribes.
…With that said, it definitely rankled that his plan called for the creation of what was essentially an ethno-state. Creating an orc homeland sounded a lot nicer than societal segregation.
Still, that was the best solution his engineer brain could come up with. Neither side would back down – and one side had nowhere else to go.
Xela’s expression darkened. "The Blackstones will never give their home up."
Her tone was sharp, certain.
"Exactly," William said, his gaze heavy with a mix of resignation and calculation. "Which is why it’s convenient they’ve positioned themselves to be crushed as a House. Once they’re gone and done, a new power will need to step into the vacuum.”
And he intended to be that power. Temporarily at least.
Xela leaned back slightly, arms crossed, considering. "Still… as far as I can see, all of this keeps you in line with the Queen’s interests."
William barked out a short laugh. "Not really. Freeing the orcs means carving off a piece of her kingdom. A not insignificant chunk at that. The Queen would never agree to it."
Oh, she was in favor of ending the slave trade, but only because it served to free up more manpower for her. His plan would do the same, but it would also lose her a large chunk of territory.
"Even if you handed her solution to all her problems on a silver platter?" Xela asked, her brow furrowing in challenge.
"Coming from someone harrowed, any help I offer wouldn’t be seen as aid - it’d just be a resource being exploited. Something to drain me of before I inevitably expire, lost in my own delusions." His voice turned cold for a moment, a bitterness surfacing before he pushed it down. "And the amount of tech I’d need to give her to win this war could only come from a harrowed person.”
He thought of his new territory. “Which is why I’m building myself up instead. Making my own powerbase. So when it becomes obvious to everyone that I’m harrowed, I’ll be in a position where I can’t be ignored or dismissed as just another madman with a few tricks up his sleeve.”
And that time wouldn’t be long in coming now. A single aircraft carrier and forty planes would have been insignificant back on Earth – here though? It was a force multiplier beyond compare. Not enough to decide any fleet engagement by itself, but the Jellyfish would provide any fleet it was part of a significant advantage.
Indeed, in his mind’s eye, despite the Queen’s doom and gloom on the subject, he considered the civil war practically won already now that the Jellyfish and his Corsair fleet was near completion. Between that and giving Yelena access to his gunpowder recipe, new mithril cores, and radio, the Royal Fleet would have a clear technological edge in any fleet engagement.
The Blackstones and New Haven? They were already finished. They just didn’t know it yet.
The real game wasn’t about winning the war—it was about what came after. Which was why his focus was on positioning himself to profit from the peace that followed, not propping up a monarch who might one day stand in his way.
Xela didn’t need to know all of that. Not yet. Not until she was committed to his side, locked in so tightly she couldn’t back out.
As he watched, the woman tilted her head, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Alright," she said at last. "I don’t love any of this. I spent plenty of time fighting orcs myself back when I was in the navy, and the thought of just… handing over a chunk of the kingdom to them sits ill with me. But I’m sworn to you.” She shrugged, a resigned sort of acceptance. "Mostly at this point I’m just glad to know I’ve not been wasting my time teaching plebs to fly.”
Well, that was good to know. Even if it wasn’t quite the resounding cry of support he’d been hoping for.
He nearly said as much, before he saw the wood elf’s lips curl into a sly smile as she leaned forward. "Now come on. Enough heavy stuff. Think you can conjure us some skies to fly that beast through without melting your brain? You can tell me all about how this engine of yours works while we do."
William grinned, standing as the world around them shifted. The café dissolved, replaced by the familiar sight of a long, sunlit runway stretching into the horizon, the scent of jet fuel sharp in the air.
"I think I can manage that," he said, his eyes glinting with anticipation.
—------------------
Xela was in a good mood as she stepped out of the carriage.
She found as the morning wore on, that she’d gone from feeling tepid about William’s plebeian pilot plan, to almost excited. Her concerns with his schemes aside, she couldn’t deny that she was excited to be part of something so… groundbreaking.
With that said, as she felt something akin to an itch between her legs, she found she did have a question.
“So, all the other stuff aside, now that I’m ‘one of your women’,” she said casually. “I suppose we should get around to getting us all together to divide shit up?”
The boy paused, frozen on the doorstep of his home.
“‘Us?’ Divide ‘shit’ up?” he asked, obviously completely clueless as to what - or rather who - they were talking about.
The wood elf smiled. “Who gets which days? Birthing order? How many other women we’re going to allow in? Actually, do you think I could argue that the twins, as a pair, should have to share a day?”
It was amusing, the way the color drained from his face at her words.
Clearly, despite being very familiar with a woman’s body, he’d not much experience with actual relationships.
It was actually nice to know in a way. Under all that Imperial scheming, there was still a flesh and blood mortal. Because, possible harrowing induced insanity aside, she found to her surprise that she did want to stick around for a while.
Before, her duties to the boy had mostly just been a job and residual loyalty to a community that she’d called home for years.
Now?
Now she wanted to see what happened going forward. Whether this mad scheme worked out or whether it all ended in tears.
In which case, she fully intended to shield Redwater as best she could.
…And maybe get a few more ‘dates’ before it all goes to shit.
After all, everyone knows the crazy ones are the best in the sack, she thought as she sashayed through the door - leaving her speechless employer behind.
Comments
Blue Fishcake
Beta readers have it :D
Drunk Pop-Tart
Can't wait, love your stuff.
Trevayne
I have this image of the twins saying "That was just a tactic, we each deserve a full day."
Blue Fishcake
Saturday :D
Blue Fishcake
'Saturday', 'Fierce negotiations over genital time' and 'A salty reach-around'.
Trevayne
The Queen might suspect, however she has lots of work for her spies and figuring out if William is building a new type of shard is probably low on her priority list. Her spies have to worry more about the upcoming civil war and keeping somebody from kidnapping William. After all, she has already got what she thinks of as his big secret, the details of the krakenslayer.
The Fire Piper
It's hype time! Its hype time! All aboard the hype train! Just one more day! *Holds breath in excited antici...........pation*
Conrad34xdsa
So, just one more day til the next chapter. Can we get a hint for what is coming?
Conrad34xdsa
I second that. It would be nice to know how far everything is in relation to each other
MaybeASquid
From what hints have been dropped in the story, I suspect George was a black American than served in either Korea or WW2 and lived through the civil rights movement. He stated he didn't rock the boat in his previous life and it was implied he regretted not being more active in those changes
Business Casual
But they already have reason to believe this may be different by virtue of it coming from Will. The queen knows damn well that Will can and will invent absurd shit. They may not suspect just HOW different it is, but they should know it will be something previously unseen.
Lurkemancer
Don't forget that the military does have engineers of it's own. In fact, there are militaries that send in engineers with the ground-pounders, because having people with mechanical inclinations means that there are people to quickly figure the new toys out for deployment. The cogbrain reads the manual, the cogbrain understands the manual and the cogbrain explains the operation of the new toy to the jarhead. It's also possible that George, after his service, simply became an engineer. Finally, there have been plenty of cases where a military commander that has seen combat vastly underestimated the difficulties with achieving victory. Though in George's case, he does have a point; The tactical and technological advantages he holds genuinely puts him head and shoulders above any potential opponents in the civil war (which I'm now half hoping never actually happens due to William's moves throwing too many wrenches into the works too quickly, making peace the only reasonable option).
Hunter
I keep having to back out because my iPhone resets the page, then my phones “reader” feature seems to picks up the previous stories at the bottom of the page and displays that entire story instead of the one I currently have open. It’s really annoying but atleast I know what’s breaking on my end instead of wrongly assuming I lost my place or opened the wrong story like I used to.
Trevayne
Pretty sure by that standard this book has already had multiple climaxes. Just ask Griffith.
Jacob
Great chapter. No notes :-)
Trevayne
I don't think the twins are part of his group yet. I think Xela was messing with him and used them to fluster him. I expect she has heard of them in passing in previous discussions with William. He is a Count and she is both aware that he needs to marry and who the potential candidates are.
Dancingrage
{facepalm} Didn't the climax just happen? Ba-Dum-Tiss!
Dancingrage
Well, she suspected the moment she spoke with him, and flat out asked him if he had Harrowed himself. His reply was rather carefully worded, but basically was 'I have never sought out to Harrow myself', and it's true, apparently. He's been Harrowed almost his entire existence as William. Meaning Wil accidentally Harrowed himself when he was still a baby, and George, along with the engineering information of a late 20th century military superpower. Wil's aware that, if Marline, Yelena, Piper, and Xela suss it out just from being around him, it'll eventually get out. Right now? He's currently just controlling flow of information, knowing someone's going to have loose lips and let the cat out of the bag. While that's still on the down low, so to speak what he is doing, however, is getting himself a cabal of trusted souls, who he can let in on some of the schematics and plans, who he can trust to keep his secrets (albeit by geis, but what he's got is more than important enough to warrant it!), who understand some of the larger scope. Yelena wants that, and has obviously considered every possible way to put him directly under her, all the way up to having herself and ALL HER DAUGHTERS that weren't attached become the man's harem. And Griffith, because she's got eyes and it was that obvious. The problem is can each trust the other's motivations? They don't know each other well enough yet for that, and Will's got a habit of bucking off in random directions from her point of view. I'd picture Yelena in that dreamscape would be a very strange and humbling experience for her.
Dancingrage
If it's likely he fought in World War II and lived through the craziness that followed, he should know far better than to tempt Murphy, because that is the time period where Murphy's name (alongside Finnegan's) became synonymous with bizarre and unfortunate events crashing through the well-thought plans of mice and men. That he did so in spite of that understanding tells me it's the Harrowing tweaking his mindset, because he wanted to be strong, and as we all know, strength invites challenge.
Trevayne
True, but until they are seen (or heard) in action, why look inside? There are lots of House-specific shard designs. Until they have reason to believe that these are different, why look inside? I agree that once they are heard or are seen to be faster, then they will definitely merit a closer look.
Conrad34xdsa
Unless they look inside and find out there isn’t anywhere to place a shard core.
Conrad34xdsa
Considering William repeatedly quoted Moltke “no plan survives contact with the enemy” I am Surprised that he is forgetting that fact. I wonder that due to the greater stakes and limitations that he was operating on in book one, he had a lot more focus and contingency plans. Bigger point, Has William forgotten that when the Summerfield Scuffle and the Civil war as a whole kicks off, the other empires will gang up on them while the the respective fleets are busy pummeling each other? He has had discussions with the Queen about that eventually happening. William speaks of peace, however he will be stuck with fighting a drawn out war unless he prepares with modern munitions (shape charged rockets, modern explosives, WMD if all else fails) and he would need to stockpile. Also, how long has it been since between meeting the twins and now? Seems a bit abrupt that they are already part of his retinue. Great chapter. Can’t wait to see the Blackstones stealing the secrets of the radio and gunpowder.
Moonlightwind
Hey Blue, I wanted you to know that it makes my day whenever I see a new chapter get posted. There have definitely been quite a few shit days vastly improved by getting to read something from you, so thank you. Anyway, about the chapter, really enjoying getting to know more about Xela. She seems like a smart lady, if more reckless than she first seemed, and her maturity definitely gives her the edge up on William quite a lot. Also since you brought up chopped off a piece of territory by giving it to the Orcs, I looked back at the old map you had posted before. Definitely had the map of Lindholm wrong in my head, but would it be possible to get maybe a more updated map for Lindholm sometime? I definitely thought the Orcs were fighting over a totally separate territory to Lindholm, and I’m realizing that maybe I don’t even know where the capital is on the continent. That and I noticed there is stuff I’m not even really sure what it is? Have you talked about that big island off the coast? Also what is that 4th/5th country you labeled on the old continent, Orich?
Gjim
Is it officially harem o'clock? With William: The Cougar conqueror. Once again another lovely chapter.
Trevayne
Err, no. He can't field modern jets with all the electronics, but something like a 1940s Gloster Meteor or a 1950s F-86 doesn't use much electronics and could be done. The problem with them is they would be difficult to impossible to use from an airship. As for bombers, they certainly do have a context since that is how airships attack ground targets. They understand bombing quite well, although they have to use incendiaries rather than high explosives because they do not have conventional explosives, just ammo enchanted with fireballs and lightning bursts. I agree that B-17s would impress them, but it is because of the combination of size and speed. An airship could carry a much larger bombload, but I doubt an airship can do more than 60-100 mph. A B-17 could carry a bigger bombload than any existing shard, but at much higher speeds than an airship.
ChaosAndBunnies
There is no way he'd be able to field the logistics necessary to maintain jets without some serious advancements in production infrastructure. Given how long it would take to build up enough to maintain or produce a significant number, let alone being able to maintain them abroad, I think we can safely say jets won't be seeing the main continent for a good many years. On the other hand, considering all the arms they have available are bolt-bows, I think a fleet of B-17s doing bombing runs on Solites and Lunites cities is entirely viable within the relatively-near future, and very hard to counter at that. Doubly so if he knocks out some major airfields before they realize his strategy, since they have no context for bombers.
Trevayne
Thinking some more about harrowing, I expect we place a lot of the responsibility for William's actions on his harrowing. Part of that is justified. Without the harrowing, William Ashfield would have grown up as a normal male child and probably been reasonably content to marry Tala and go along with the rest of his family's plans. Unfortunately for the Countess of Ashfield, William somehow contacted the Fae and asked the wrong question. William gets overwritten by George, who takes William's name and body, but is a different person with an established identity who is much less willing to go along with his mother's directives. It is unclear just how much of "William's" personality and actions are continuing to be influenced by the Fae via the harrowing. It is just as easy to blame things on his upbringing, with a 78-year-old man with his own opinions and judgement having to go through childhood again as a second-class (male) person. We see that he seems to prefer getting his own way through planning and conflict. That could be due to harrowing, or IMHO more likely simply due to his not being able to get his own way any other way for the last 10-18 years of his life. To get more information and be better informed on this, it would be nice to see another harrowed individual in the story. We know from the discussion by the two Queen's agents that most harrowed people seem to be mentally ill. That is why they doubt that William is harrowed.
Trevayne
It could be harrowing. It could also be George's engineering background coming into play. Remember this line "Still, that was the best solution his engineer brain could come up with. Neither side would back down – and one side had nowhere else to go." He is thinking about a political problem in engineering terms because of his engineer brain. Is it because he is harrowed, or because his earthly background was as an engineer?
Trevayne
I think the actual production is just beginning. I also don't think the watchers realize just how different these shards are. The idea of a shard powered by a large, non-magical engine is just outside their experience. Until they see and hear them in operation, they will not know. I expect half the counts or high nobles in Lindholm have their own shard projects. That was why the nobility houses at the academy have their own designs.
Conrad34xdsa
Also, we know that the Queens spies are split between watching him and his family, but what about his projects? Where are they hiding the weapons, completed engines and proper aircraft that he is building? Unless they are hiding everything in a bunker or cave, how have the spies not figured out what he is building? Also, has William told Piper and everyone else that’s involved about the queen’s invisible watchers? Bit of a oversight if that is the case. Great story, would like to know more about a few of the particulars, about how big the island nation is and how far everything is relative to Williams county. Will we get a hint for what the next chapter will be about?
Conrad34xdsa
I have had a few questions regarding the Skyships, are they capable of reaching 20,000ft or more? If so, do they ever go that high with magical/mechanical equipment for the crews to breathe? If they don’t have the equipment to breathe then William could bring back the diving suit and a pressurized hull idea and make it impossible for anyone else to engage his carrier. I ask this as during all the flight training that we have seen so far, there hasn’t been any description of any oxygen masks being used by anyone.
Prometheus
It also might be part of the harrowing manifesting. His machines NEED to be used, and what better way to do that than ensure peace is never an option? "The war is already won" until it isn't, and then william now just happens to need to bring out BIGGER and DEADLIER weapons to keep his powerbase. All a coincidence...
BelligerentGnu
At last, the big events are on the horizon.
Trevayne
"... he considered the civil war practically won already ..." That's the most idiotic thought that William's had. War is never certain. As @Random Information pointed out, this is a really foolish statement. To me, this suggests that William never served in the military and only has an academic knowledge of war. Anybody who has served would realize the enemy always gets a vote. This looks a lot like George having been a defense engineer with some knowledge of history, but no practical experience of war.
Trevayne
The best information from the story is that he died at 78. The reference to 96 is his combined age, 18 years on Lindholm and presumably 78 years on Earth.
Trevayne
No problem. The 78 is from an earlier entry which mentioned that he had a combined age of 96, 18 years in this world, which implies 78 years in his previous life. Assuming he showed up in Lindholm just after he died on Earth in 2023-4, that would mean he was born in 1953-4, so too late to fly Corsairs operationally. Edit: Here is the line stating his combined age as 96. He’d lived a full life after all. Even with the heart attack, he was chronologically something like ninety-six when he combined both lives. We think he was a pilot because of references to memories of flying, but what kind of pilot is unclear. He could have been a fighter pilot, a commercial airlines pilot, or a general aviation pilot. For all we know, he could just have several thousand hours in Microsoft Flight Simulator and/or War Thunder.
Lurkemancer
He definitely had to make it to the mid 2000s, as Wikipedia, especially amongst the older population, was hardly a big thing to use.
Templar9999
My mistake. Thanks.
Trevayne
No he wasn't in his 90s. He was 78.
Templar9999
William was in his 90's when he died. Given the timing and his stated nostalgia, he likely served in WW2. It also means there is a good chance that he knew people that were slaves in their youth when he was a child. At least the children of former slaves. And his own experiences in WW2, witnessing the things that the Nazis and/or Imperial Japan did would certainly cement his opinion on any similarly "dehumanizing" sentiment. For lack of a better word. Also internal harem politics. Lol.
Richard Anderson
Is George’s hatred of slavery just because he is an American or is something else going on, it also seems to me he was a corsair pilot in the war and he died in the 90’s as an old man since there has been some eighties pop references in previous chapters and he felt nostalgia for his chosen fighter plane. Still think he should go with a SBD to kill airships.
Trevayne
He nearly said as much, before he saw the wood elf’s lips curl into a sly smile as she leaned forward. "Now come on. Enough heavy stuff. Think you can conjure us some skies to fly that beast through without melting your brain? You can tell me all about how this engine of yours works while we do." William grinned, standing as the world around them shifted. The café dissolved, replaced by the familiar sight of a long, sunlit runway stretching into the horizon, the scent of jet fuel sharp in the air. "I think I can manage that," he said, his eyes glinting with anticipation. This raises another interesting question. If they can smell jet fuel, I wonder just what else William might show her. The Corsair may be impressive, but I suspect it doesn't perform that much better than a conventional shard. At a guess, it is 100 mph faster and can out-climb and out-dive normal shards. However, it can't hover or turn as tightly. On the other hand, if he shows her an F-4 or F-15 taking off, I think it would blow her mind. Especially if she can figure out how fast they can climb and fly. He probably can't do jets yet, but in 15-20 years he might well wind up making the Solites and Lunites nervous about being a potential target for Lindholm's expansion.
Business Casual
I wish the whole series could be animated.
Trevayne
The boy paused, frozen on the doorstep of his home. “‘Us?’ Divide ‘shit’ up?” he asked, obviously completely clueless as to what - or rather who - they were talking about. The wood elf smiled. “Who gets which days? Birthing order? How many other women we’re going to allow in? Actually, do you think I could argue that the twins, as a pair, should have to share a day?” It was amusing, the way the color drained from his face at her words. Clearly, despite being very familiar with a woman’s body, he’d not much experience with actual relationships. Further evidence that William had not really thought that much about relationships since his previous history in this world was focused on sex and avoiding a relationship/political marriage. This is a significant weakness. If he doesn't know what he wants, he will get maneuvred into other people's versions of what they want. He already knows he will need to get married at some point. He is now a noble in his own right and is one of the most eligible bachelors in LIndholm. Since this is a polygamous world, he can't even try to pit his suitors against each other because sharing is the expectation. At some point in the future, I wonder if we will see more reflection by Xela on what she has seen of William's world. I wonder if she picks up on the idea that monogamy is the norm where William came from.
aj0413
Lmfao And she’s not wrong! Will is definitely part of why the crazy-hot matrix exists, when ya consider genders flipped lmao
Trevayne
I suspect it is a combination of his own memories of modern day earth, combined with his upbringing. I think George was an American, although he could have been British, Australian, or really from any Western country. I expect he is American because of his gut-level attitude towards slavery. From his perspective, the really successful countries are democracies. Monarchies are either part of constitutional democracies, or are gone with the historical winds. The same with nobilities, which arguably have even less justification. This was compounded by William's childhood. He is raised with the clear intent that he is a tool for his family's benefit. He has no real freedom and no expectation that he will ever have any. All he has to look forward to is a life as a breeding tool in a gilded cage. Given these two things, I am not surprised that he wants to change the existing system. There is room for a whole prequel novel about George's childhood and adolescence in the Ashfield noble family.
Trevayne
Great update with lots to think about. It may be the single most thought-provoking chapter so far. “And while there was plenty of space for humans in the rest of Lindholm, the same wasn’t true of orcs. Or at least, not the Northern tribes. …With that said, it definitely rankled that his plan called for the creation of what was essentially an ethno-state. Creating an orc homeland sounded a lot nicer than societal segregation. Still, that was the best solution his engineer brain could come up with. Neither side would back down – and one side had nowhere else to go.” Does William plan on living forever? Effectively what he is proposing is to carve an orcish Scotland out of the Lindholmian Great Britain. Given the OTL history, why does he think this will work? Or is it just the knowledge from the harrowing telling him with sufficient power I can do anything? The real question is how is this separation going to lead to peace? Given that they have hundreds of years of hostility, there are going to be cross-border raids and wars between them. Eventually, the Orcish territory is going to get crushed, unless William is immortal and can keep feeding them enough tech to make up for their smaller population and economy. IMHO the better solution would be to make Blackstone an orcish duchy inside Lindholm. End slavery, give the Orcs self-government in their own duchy, and keep them part of Lindholm so that the the rest of Lindholm doesn't see them as an external threat that needs to be crushed. Especially since I expect this will involve the ethnic cleansing of the Blackstone duchy. All the humans who left will be agitating to go back, especially once William the accursed is dead. Thinking some more about it, we know he had a background as an engineer and has an immense amount of technical knowledge from the Fae. I am very curious about how much history and political science he knows. I suspect not that much, just enough to let him think simple solutions are easily imposed.
MaybeASquid
Oh no Xela found George's biggest weakness: C. O M M I T M E N T
Morpheus
drooibbling?
Baron Von Mott
Of course, I never believed you were implying anything, I just found that funny 😂
Blue Fishcake
Yeah, it's a sticky line, that is (and I'm not being sarcastic here) most definitely *not* an allegory for any real world conflict. These are orcs. Just orcs.
jkbscopes
I think that's a hint of his harrowed nature peaking through
MarakEvans
Trippy. That dream sequence needs to be animated.
Baron Von Mott
"the only way I can see the human/orc conflict ending is through the orcs having their own homeland. They've been fighting over that same stretch of land for so long now that neither side will ever know peace until it’s settled once and for all." Hey, I've seen this one before! 😂 In all seriousness though, great chapter! Definitely one of the best-written in this series! 👍
DMR1
No plan survives contact with the enemy. But this is definitely top tier hilarity.
Random Information
"... he considered the civil war practically won already ..." That's the most idiotic thought that William's had. War is never certain.
Spintool
This episode really surprised me, I think this is the best one you’ve written so far
Spintool
Well, George is someone that lived in The modern western world and most people in the west really hate slavery. We’ve been conditioned to hate it since the moment we enter first grade and George has been conditioned to hate it for over 70 years. I think that is more than a good reason for him to want to end slavery. As for why he wants to suddenly be a leader I think it’s because he wants power and has the ability to take power. I know that if I was suddenly thrusted into a medieval society and had the ability to create firearms that my top priority would be taking over the world and that’s because I am normal
Andrew
Thank you!
Vlad Cold
Managing harem might be difficult... but worth it 😁
Marius Petrauskas
nice, thx.
Tim Speller
Made of squares with seven sides that sounded like purple Ow my brain
Oreo-belt25
I still don't understand George's motivations? Is he just a zealot? Like a violent vegan eco terrorist? Johenson's character was well developed. He started out as out for himself, sudden freedom from Corporate slavehood, poverty and gang membership, shaping his starting actions and beliefs. But by the end of the story, he learned how much he cared for his followers, and stepped up to the responsibility of leadership. George is starting with stepping up to the responsibility of leadership. Why? Johensons background of corporate upbringing and poverty, influenced his philosophies and methods at every step of his journey. He was written in a surprisingly complex way, where he didn't understand how dystopian his world was since he knew no alternatatives, and yet when given a chance to create his own civilization, he managed to be better without even knowing that the corporate or empire's ways were wrong. He had no zealous philosophy, he simply related to the downtrodden who followed him, and wanted to improve their lives and do right by them. And through that, he grew into a true leader. Why does George relate to/ or want to do right by the orcs? Why does he have problems with fuedalism? How has his background shaped his conspiratorial methods?
Kaywye
Awesome. Glad to hear you are continuing on.
Oreo-belt25
The dream scene reminds me of that new Oasis Ai. Where colors or patterns are continued but transformed into different things, all in a futile attempt to use pure pattern recognition to recreate a coherent experience.
Carlos Torres
He's being a little to smug for his own good regarding his enemies thinking he's already won. He's in need of a reality check for the people he keeps calling ignorant not stupid.
CW
I wonder how long the Queen has had a suspicion of William being Harrowed because there's no way it hasn't come up yet
Blue Fishcake
Part of the book.
The Fire Piper
Hah! Love the cheeky ending!
Kaywye
Final of this book, or final FINAL? Cause I really want to see what William will do once his plan comes to fruition.
Skonnchy
It always brightens my day when I see Blue Fishcake in my notifications
Szulczyn
Like then Read
Blue Fishcake
Officially marking the end of the inbetween we now move into the climax and final arc.
