"Alright, here's the plan. We're going to saddle up and head over there. Due to the landscape of the Asan, and the fact that it's still floating, it would be difficult to disembark from a ship. So, I've summoned these fellows here to give us a ride. It's only a short trip, and we don't need to worry about moving too quickly, so it should be a relatively easy process." Mike explained while indicating the trio of wyverns that were now casually perching on the deck of the ship.
After a great deal of trial and error, he'd determined that this particular variety of draconic creature was not only capable of carrying several passengers, but were fairly competent combatants in and of themselves, roughly on par with a high Tier 2. That they flew significantly slower than some of his other options, which turned out to be a positive aspect when trying to be considerate of his party members.
While a layman might mistake them for a type of dragon, owing to their shape as a large reptilian creature with wings, a careful observer would note the absence of forelegs and the stinger-tipped tail. Combined with their lack of elemental affinity, and by extension breath weapons, these features led to them being considered as a sort of dragonkin rather than a true member of the species.
Surprisingly, the crew didn't seem too concerned about the monstrous beings hanging out on their ship. He supposed they'd gotten used to it after spending so much time with the Sea Serpent.
"Are these...things...safe?" William asked, obviously a little reluctant to approach the creatures.
Mike gave his best reassuring smile. "Of course, I summoned them myself."
The butler looked unconvinced. "And you truly want me to attend whatever this event is? I am afraid I can not see what help I could possibly be."
"Well, I won't force you to go, I merely thought to extend an invitation to the whole party."
Sera gave a sniff of disdain as she tried to finagle her way onto the back of one of the wyverns next to Tal. Distracted as she was, she had little hope of recovering once her foot slipped on the scaly creature's leg, sending her sprawling onto the deck with an audible thump.
While the Oracle glared around as if challenging someone to comment, Mike continued, pretending to not have noticed. "You are welcome to remain here if that would be easier for you."
William gave a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Sir. I believe I shall do that." He leaned in a little closer and lowered his voice. "If I could ask a favor, please keep Miss Lily out of trouble. She's been behaving herself quite well over the course of the journey, but I fear that a new environment might lead her to taking reckless actions."
"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her." He replied while giving the butler a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Ready." Tal announced, letting him know that the rest of the party was prepared to leave.
"Looks like we're all set." He told Sahel, who'd been waiting patiently for them to make preparations.
"Very well, follow my lead." The Asani announced before taking to the skies and flying in the direction of the island.
Mike sent a mental command to his summoned creatures and lifted off the ship as well. The trip itself didn't take long, and they were soon standing before a large and intricately formed civil building that reminded him a bit of the neoclassical courthouses of his old world.
"This is the building we use to house visitors until they can be seen by an Elder." Sahel announced once they were ready.
"I thought you said that visitors were rare."
The Asani nodded. "I did, indeed, but buildings can have more than one purpose. When not being used to welcome land-bound guests, it doubles as a gathering place for those members of our race who have lost the ability to fly, whether due to injury or age. I'm told that there is also a rather large group that meets here for regular board game sessions."
"Speaking of which, where are all the other Asani? The surface of the island still looks pretty deserted."
Sahel motioned for them to follow before he answered, leading the group through the doors at the front of the building. "There are shelters built all over the island. During an Invader attack, our citizens are trained to evacuate and secure themselves while the Guards defend our home. These shelters were designed to withstand a crash landing onto the surface, so I have no doubt that they will be out and returning to their lives in the near future. The remnants of the Homeguard are most likely organizing the process."
They entered into a sort of foyer with multiple branching passages, including a few that would only be accessible if one could fly. Surveying his surroundings, Mike took note of a few things which stood out to him.
First and foremost, he could tell from the regularity of the construction materials and the presence of magical lights that the Asani evidently had some very sophisticated manufacturing techniques. Of course, considering the fact that the leaders of their race had been alive since the Second Age, it wasn't too much of a stretch.
Second was the almost complete lack of anything that could be described as decoration. It was something that he'd noticed during his flyovers earlier. While the Asani buildings were elegant and beautiful to look at, they had no ornamentation of any kind.
Sahel took them into a sort of large chamber that actually reminded Mike of a courtroom. There were several rows of benches, which took up the majority of the chamber, but the far side was dominated by three throne-like chairs. While they did not bear any decoration, something about the simple wooden frames seemed to emanate a sort of regal dignity. He assumed that this was where the Elders would be sitting once they arrived.
"I would have liked to show you around the city," The Asani man started once they were seated, "but there isn't much to see at the moment."
"That's alright. There will be time for that after we meet with the Elder. Speaking of which, do we have a timeline of when that might be?"
Scratching the side of his beak in what appeared to be a thoughtful manner, Sahel replied. "Truthfully, I cannot predict when one of them might arrive. Even under normal circumstances, they are not the most reliable when it comes to time. With the Loremaster helping, however, I think we can expect to see them within the next few hours at least."
[Good, then I'll have some time to experiment.]
He nodded in response and then looked over at Morris, planning on asking for him to be his first test subject. Surprisingly, the bard appeared to be on edge.
"Got a minute?" He said, nodding to one of the corners of the room to indicate that they should move away from the others.
Once they'd gotten clear, he fixed his friend with an evaluating look. "You alright?"
Morris cleared his throat before answering. "Fine. Fine. Why do you ask?"
Mike just raised an eyebrow at him.
"Haa...well, admittedly, I'm a little excited. This is the first time I've ever even heard about beings like the Elders. Just thinking about the knowledge they must, the wisdom they've acquired over thousands of years of life. How can I not get a bit anxious?...By the way, have you figured out what to do about us?"
"I already said I had a plan, didn't I?"
The bard grinned. "Come on, I've known you for a while now. You might have a few ideas, but I doubt you've concocted a fully formed plan by this point. You are much more of the spur-of-the-moment inspiration type, anyway."
Crossing his arms across his chest, Mike replied defensively, "I know exactly what I need to do...I just need to work out a few kinks. Which brings me to the real reason I brought you over here."
Morris gave him a curious look.
While slapping a hand down on his friend's shoulder, Mike gave a thumbs up and said. "Be my guinea pig for a bit."
There was a few seconds of silence as the bard looked at him blankly, and then his face fell.
-------------------
[Let's see. I'm guessing whatever the effect the Elders have on people is primarily mental or psychological, so it should be more a matter of Willpower than anything else. That being said, I can't really rule out the possibility of physical factors playing a role. Which means I need to improve their Endurance as well. If I could just pass on the enhancement effects of my Elemental Magic it would be enough…]
"Um, Mike? What are you doing?" Morris asked, sounding concerned.
"Shh, concentrating." Mike replied absently, concentrating on the hand he had placed against the middle of his friends back.
[I can't exactly push mana infused with Water Magic into someone else. That really only works with unchanneled mana and healing...I guess Life Magic is probably the key here. Maybe if I can just reorient the energy towards something more simple growth and repair…]
"Hng! I get that, but this feels really weird. Can you at least explain what's going on?"
"I'm trying something. Now hush. I need to focus."
"Yeah, but it feels like the skin all over my body is itching...on the inside. Also, I think some of my organs are...quivering? Is that supposed to happen?"
[I don't feel anywhere near confident enough to mess with his brain, so let's concentrate on Endurance...Now that I think about it, I'm not exactly sure what causes really influences someone's Endurance. It seems to be related to overall physical wellness and the ability to resist damage and fatigue, but I'm not sure how to artificially improve it. Unless I just need to use mana to enhance the durability of his tissues…]
"Haa! What was that?! And why can't I move my arm anymore?!"
[That was a bit too much. Let's dial it back a bit, and then spread the effect over the entire body.]
A soft light suffused the room as Morris's body glowed for a few seconds before fading. While Mike was finishing up the last touches of effect, he felt the sudden onset of the lethargy he'd come to associate with using a large amount of mana. Feeling slightly concerned, he checked his stores and noticed that more than half of his reserves had been depleted.
[What the hell? I figured it would be a bit more difficult to enhance someone else, especially since I was trying to do it manually, but this is kind of ridiculous. Could my efficiency be low because I'm doing it wrong?]
"He's been enhanced? It appears he now has the fortitude to withstand the presence of the Elders, albeit with some discomfort. What did you do?" Sahel asked curiously. At some point while Mike had been concentrating, he'd appeared next to the pair and was staring at Morris with evident interest.
[So it was more physical after all? I wonder why...Ah, hell. I'm sure the answer is 'mana does it' somehow.]
"I used a method I've developed to improve his Endurance."
"This is incredible." The bard muttered, not really paying attention to either of the others. "I feel like I could run for hours and not get tired. Hells, I think I might be able to go for days."
Mike grinned. "Well, I doubt it was quite that effective, and like I said, it should...be...temporary?"
[Wait, I'm not investing any mana at the moment, and anything infused into his tissues should have dissipated already. Why does he…]
Feeling a sudden rush of understanding, he grabbed onto his friend's shoulder again, and sent his awareness down into his body. Instantly, he could tell that his mana was still present, but instead of vanishing like he was used to, it had instead become embedded into the cells of Morris's body.
And there was no sign of it decreasing at all.
"Well...I'm not really sure how to say this, but it might be slightly less temporary than I originally thought."
The bard glanced over at him, his excited grin faltering slightly when he saw his friend's serious face. "What do you mean?"
"I think, and keep in mind I'm not really an expert or anything...I think the effect might be kinda...sorta...permanent?"
"...Huh?"