Lewd Dungeon, page 8
Donner Party Diner
Is that a thing? Can people not part of dungeons actually kill us?
Exquisite Pleasures
Oh, yes. Remember, for all our power, a dungeon core is just an incredibly tough crystal. And even diamonds can shatter, if hit hard enough, in the right way.
Folsom
Right. So don’t go pissing off the locals to the point where they start thinking you’re a problem that needs to be solved. I think I’ll check up on some of the local dungeons, just to make sure people get the message.
Area51
Uh, what if we’ve already been classified a national security risk?
Exquisite Pleasures
I take it you formed after the blast that jump-started the System?
Area51
Yeah. Funny thing, most of the base was actually fine. The blast wiped out everything organic, though.
Exquisite Pleasures
Interesting. If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a chat in private later, to discuss things. But if you’re in danger right now, setting up a shrine to me would allow me to come in, and negotiate.
Freedomland
Don’t listen to the bastard! He’s always got a trick up his sleeve!
Exquisite Pleasures
You’re just upset because you agree to things without actually reading the fine print, Freedom. And also because I forced you to play nice when you first joined the Global DEN.
Freedomland
You threatened to drop an orbital bombardment on me!
Exquisite Pleasures
And, as I proved with Iahab, that was not an idle threat. The former humans in this forum ought to know how dangerous humans can be when they see something as an existential threat that must be purged. So, I simply informed everyone that any dungeons who started looking like existential threats would be dealt with, so that the humans didn’t start getting clever with finding ways to kill us.
Exquisite Pleasures
However, that is not what I came here to discuss today.
Freedomland
So, what? Come to gloat about how much power you have?
Exquisite Pleasures
I have never gloated about my power. I have, on occasion, punctured the delusions of others who believed that their power put them at the top of the heap, and that they did not need to listen to others.
Exquisite Pleasures
No, the reason I am here is to inform my fellow dungeons about some changes that will likely start rolling out through the Adventurer’s Guild, some churches, and possibly different governmental agencies.
Donner Party Diner
Well, now I’m scared. All that together never means anything good.
GoblinLord
No, if it was something really bad, or something urgent, he would have led with that, instead of playing things up.
Folsom
How do you know, Gobby? We don’t exactly talk much with him.
GoblinLord
Because I listen to my adventurers. I’m near Los Angeles, where the local guild is almost 90% followers of Kuronoth. The local leader, Catalina Zorita, used to be a porn star before the System turned her into a succubus. She’s a follower of Kuronoth, and the rest of the guild followed her. I hear them talk while they’re fighting my goblins.
Exquisite Pleasures
Ah, you’re the goblin dungeon that Catalina was telling me about. Her guild members have apparently nothing but praise for your dungeon, I know several groups from Miami have also gone out to LA to train in your dungeon.
GoblinLord
Oh, I didn’t know that you had heard of me. Or that you were on a first name basis with the guild leader.
Exquisite Pleasures
Oh, I know her quite intimately. After all, I am the father of her child. We make time to meet once a week for fun, and so I can be properly involved in the girl’s upbringing.
GoblinLord
Woah. Can dungeons actually have kids? Like the normal way?
Exquisite Pleasures
Sure, if you have an avatar with the right equipment. Of course, it only happens if you allow it to, since your avatar is a projection of yourself. And, of course, gods can also have kids, just like in the myths.
Folsom
Fascinating. And disturbing. So, moving away from the sex life I didn’t know a dungeon could have, what is this all about?
Exotic Pleasures
It is about the summit I just left, where gods, dungeons, and mortals from across Japan met to discuss things. Well, there were two outsiders there, myself and the Fimaazro Ambassador.
Freedomland
Wait, this is about the thing Mercy was complaining about you calling together, and then making her host the shindig?
Exotic Pleasures
Not the way I would have put it, but yes.
Freedomland
Mercy I can understand, but what the fuck were you doing there?
Exotic Pleasures
As the organizer, I had the right to be there. Also, the first part of the meeting was directly about something one of my followers did, which caused a bit of a stir.
Folsom
I don’t want to know, but what was it?
Exotic Pleasures
They performed a ritual that created a new dungeon. Unfortunately, they used that ritual to get revenge on the people they felt wronged them, which meant that his entire school got caught up in it. Those who did not escape were either killed, or became part of the dungeon.
Freedomland
YOU FUCKING IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, GIVING OUT A RITUAL LIKE THAT?
Exotic Pleasures
I was thinking that I would test to see how reliable some of the materials I confiscated from the Pofmisian fleet were. It is hardly my fault that the boy was angry, and mentally unstable. I didn’t point the gun and pull the trigger, after all.
Freedomland
That is no excuse, and you know it! You were the one that let him get a hold of it!
Exotic Pleasures
That isn’t what you said when news of the latest mass shooting happened. In fact, I think your words on the Global DEN were rather the opposite.
Freedomland
Th-that isn’t the same thing!
Exotic Pleasures
Sure it isn’t. Now sit down and shut up.
Anyways, once I explained what happened, we moved to other events. Such as ways to prevent that ritual from being used in terrorist attacks, by turning the seat of government into a dungeon. This lead to the Ambassador offering to get the Japanese Adventurer Alliance in touch with guilds from elsewhere, so they could share best practices on how to deal with dungeons, especially new dungeons.
Chicagoland
Why only provide that now? They’ve been here two years, already, and its been three since the Apocalypse.
Exotic Pleasures
Well, you know how they took one look at our media, and saw that the Dogik, a race of spider-like aliens the size of SUVs, would result in humanity collectively going ‘kill it with fire’ until they got used to the idea and decided to put the catgirl as the main Ambassador instead? They also realized that aliens coming down and telling humans, “This is how everyone in the galaxy does things, so step in line,” would cause people to react… badly. And the Ambassador said that she was not fond of people throwing nukes at her, so she decided to wait a bit before offering suggestions.
Chicagoland
Well, can’t really fault her for that. I know that if anyone had come down to Chicago and tried that, people would have tore the city apart.
Exotic Pleasures
Yes, exactly. But now that things are moving ahead, you can expect those practices to filter out to the other guilds.
Area51
Did anything else happen at this summit?
Exotic Pleasures
Oh, just the news that Earth has about 37 years to get its shit together and get a functioning world government before the Ambassadors withdraw their protection, and leave Earth to fend for itself. So, expect to see people start pushing for changes, globally.
Freedomland
I didn’t bow to those damn Feds, and I’m not bowing to any global new world order!
Exotic Pleasures
As I said before, Freedom, nobody cares. Nobody cared what you thought when you were human, and they don’t care now. You are utterly insignificant in the global scheme of things. The only difference is that when you were human you had rights, and now, as a dungeon, those are all still being worked out. So don’t make yourself a problem that I’ll have to solve in order to keep the rest of dungeonkind from suffering from your stupidity.
Donner Party Diner
OK, now I see why so many of my adventurers like him. That was HOT!
Epilogue – Elsewhere
White House Chief of Staff Leon McGarry was an old hand at politics. He’d been Secretary of Labor for a previous administration, and had worked hard after the Apocalypse helping the new president get elected. Politics was in his blood.
That didn’t mean he couldn’t be surprised, though. For instance, even if the President had gotten that dungeon god from Miami to give his support to the Vertias Act, how he’d supported the act was a shock. The idea of going to different vocal opponents of the law and offering to sign a binding contract with them, often live and on air, to keep either of them from lying was inspired. And when they refused, he hit them relentlessly with the line of how could people trust them if they weren’t willing to be at least as honest as a demon, of all things. It was little surprise that the bill passed, after that.
He had thought that would be the ending of their dealings with the demon. After all, he didn’t try to meddle in politics unless they affected him, first, and the government had already decided on a hands-off approach to his dungeon. Most of that was because they didn’t see any way that they could enforce rulings, so it wasn’t worth the political cost to try, but still.
So, he was a little alarmed when he got a message from the demon, requesting a meeting ‘at his earliest convenience’ about a ‘newly emerged danger’. That was not a good thing for his heart. If a self-proclaimed god was talking like that, then it was something to take seriously. Especially since he never lied.
Just a few minutes ago, he’d gotten a call from the gate. A man in black just ‘appeared out of thin air’, and said he had an appointment. He had a staffer escort the god to his office in the West Wing. They had to walk a bit further than the door, since he was on foot, and not driving up to the building. Now, there was a knock on his door.
“Come in.”
“Your nine o’clock to see you, sir.”
Leon nodded to his secretary as she opened the door. “Thank you, Martha. Let him in, and leave us.”
The dark god entered, looking just as he always did in his public appearances. He smiled, and nodded as Leon offered him a chair. “Thank you, Mr. McGarry. I hope I didn’t cause too much consternation with my appearance, but I thought it more respectful to appear at the gate, rather than inside the grounds.”
“Meaning that you could have gotten through our security, but chose not to?”
If Kuronoth noticed the sharpness of his tone, he ignored it with a smile. “Yes, your wards are quite effective against monsters, but the building is within range of my shrine outside the Air and Space Museum. In such a situation, you would need far more powerful wards to actively block a deity from entering. But that is usually not worth the cost.”
Leon took a breath to settle himself. This wasn’t the time for such a discussion. Especially since the dark god had shown respect by stopping at the gate, instead of just popping in. Refocusing on the matter at hand, he said, “Well, Mr. Kuronoth, you asked for this meeting, and I know you aren’t one to waste time. So, what is this new danger you found?”
Kuronoth smiled, and said, “Well, I’m sure you have heard of the incident in Japan, about a school becoming a dungeon suddenly?”
Leon frowned. “Yeah, I heard about it, but only what was reported in the news. Last I heard, there wasn’t anything definitive known about what caused it. Are you saying you have a way to protect against something like that?”
“Yes, it turns out that the dungeon’s formation was the result of a magical ritual. The caster was a child being bullied by his classmates and ignored by the staff. Sad story, but all too common when dealing with high school kids.”
“So, this was the magical equivalent of a school shooting?”
“Basically, yes. There was a bit of a summit in Japan to discuss things. After all, a ritual done once can be done again, and somewhere a little more vital than a school.”
Leon’s blood froze. “You’re talking about terrorist attacks. If they could turn a school into a dungeon, then, with the right plans, they could turn any building into a dungeon. Even the White House, or the Capitol. The ramifications of something like that…”
“Yes, I’m glad to see you don’t need to be told of the dangers, or why I elected to have this conversation in person, rather than simply sending you an email. I am limited in what I can say, but the ritual itself was reliant on magical talismans that redirected the flows of mana. The full mechanics of the ritual are a bit more complex, but the key is that it took precisely placed talismans to force the mana into the proper orientation. That is the key to keeping the ritual from working.”
“Take out enough talismans, and the ritual just fails? But what happens to all that mana moving around? I’ve heard that it can be unstable when the flows are tampered with.”
“Yes, take out a talisman, and the ritual will fail to create a dungeon. As you guessed, though, sometimes that failure can be… explosive. The more talismans you take out, the better. So, the first line of defense is a building’s janitorial and maintenance staff, as well as having proper control of the keys to get into places.”
“Right, I get it. The talismans have to be either placed somewhere out of sight, or be something innocuous, so that they don’t get messed with. And the staff are the ones who go all over the building, even places most people don’t access. What about these talismans, though? Are they dangerous?”
“In and of themselves, no. They are magical, but inert, until the ritual begins. Think of it like an electrical circuit. The wires are there, waiting, but until someone flips the switch, and sends power through them, then you can touch the raw wire with your bare hands, no problem. Once active, well, that is when bad things happen.”
“So, we need some way to detect the magic talismans before they become active. Preferably catching them before they are even placed.”
“There’s two ways to go about that. First would be to have some passive scanners as part of the staff’s kit. Scanner goes off when it detects magic. Really only useful in areas where there isn’t high magic use, and will take time to adjust the scanners to the wards on a building, so that the wards don’t set them off. But once they’re set up? You just have it be SOP that when something sets it off, the staff summons someone trained to check it out, like you would with other systems.
“Second way is to keep them from being placed, as you said. For that, you’d want a magical equivalent to a metal detector at the access points. Could even fold it in with normal security measures. While you would get some issues with highly magical beings, like myself, it would allow you to catch people trying to smuggle talismans, or other objects, inside.”
“I’ll have a talk with the Secret Service after this. They’ll know best how to protect the White House from something like this, and will also want to develop procedures for when the President travels. I’ll also get in touch with Homeland Security, so they can start working on something for other government buildings. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Kuronoth. A ‘lone gunman’ attack on a school is bad enough, but, a terrorist attack on the White House would have been devastating.”
“Happy to help. Oh, there is just one more thing, before I go. The Fimaazro Ambassador was at that little summit I mentioned. You may find different faiths and the adventurer’s guilds pushing for more unity, on an international level, moving forward. At least promoting the creation of something like a federal world government.”
Now Leon frowned. The remark had been tossed aside like an afterthought, but something in the way Kuronoth spoke made him think this was the real reason he came today. “Is that so? Might I know why?”
“The Galactic Federation deals with polities on a planetary basis. They’re cutting Earth some slack, since we’ve been without the System for so long, but there is a time limit on how long they can keep the wolves at bay. Specifically, forty years from the local activation of the System. By that point, Earth needs to have its shit together. What was it Ben Franklin said? ‘We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.’ Just something to think about, moving forward.”
And then, the god disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
Book XXX – Visitors
Prologue – Trade Chat
Is that a thing? Can people not part of dungeons actually kill us?
Exquisite Pleasures
Oh, yes. Remember, for all our power, a dungeon core is just an incredibly tough crystal. And even diamonds can shatter, if hit hard enough, in the right way.
Folsom
Right. So don’t go pissing off the locals to the point where they start thinking you’re a problem that needs to be solved. I think I’ll check up on some of the local dungeons, just to make sure people get the message.
Area51
Uh, what if we’ve already been classified a national security risk?
Exquisite Pleasures
I take it you formed after the blast that jump-started the System?
Area51
Yeah. Funny thing, most of the base was actually fine. The blast wiped out everything organic, though.
Exquisite Pleasures
Interesting. If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a chat in private later, to discuss things. But if you’re in danger right now, setting up a shrine to me would allow me to come in, and negotiate.
Freedomland
Don’t listen to the bastard! He’s always got a trick up his sleeve!
Exquisite Pleasures
You’re just upset because you agree to things without actually reading the fine print, Freedom. And also because I forced you to play nice when you first joined the Global DEN.
Freedomland
You threatened to drop an orbital bombardment on me!
Exquisite Pleasures
And, as I proved with Iahab, that was not an idle threat. The former humans in this forum ought to know how dangerous humans can be when they see something as an existential threat that must be purged. So, I simply informed everyone that any dungeons who started looking like existential threats would be dealt with, so that the humans didn’t start getting clever with finding ways to kill us.
Exquisite Pleasures
However, that is not what I came here to discuss today.
Freedomland
So, what? Come to gloat about how much power you have?
Exquisite Pleasures
I have never gloated about my power. I have, on occasion, punctured the delusions of others who believed that their power put them at the top of the heap, and that they did not need to listen to others.
Exquisite Pleasures
No, the reason I am here is to inform my fellow dungeons about some changes that will likely start rolling out through the Adventurer’s Guild, some churches, and possibly different governmental agencies.
Donner Party Diner
Well, now I’m scared. All that together never means anything good.
GoblinLord
No, if it was something really bad, or something urgent, he would have led with that, instead of playing things up.
Folsom
How do you know, Gobby? We don’t exactly talk much with him.
GoblinLord
Because I listen to my adventurers. I’m near Los Angeles, where the local guild is almost 90% followers of Kuronoth. The local leader, Catalina Zorita, used to be a porn star before the System turned her into a succubus. She’s a follower of Kuronoth, and the rest of the guild followed her. I hear them talk while they’re fighting my goblins.
Exquisite Pleasures
Ah, you’re the goblin dungeon that Catalina was telling me about. Her guild members have apparently nothing but praise for your dungeon, I know several groups from Miami have also gone out to LA to train in your dungeon.
GoblinLord
Oh, I didn’t know that you had heard of me. Or that you were on a first name basis with the guild leader.
Exquisite Pleasures
Oh, I know her quite intimately. After all, I am the father of her child. We make time to meet once a week for fun, and so I can be properly involved in the girl’s upbringing.
GoblinLord
Woah. Can dungeons actually have kids? Like the normal way?
Exquisite Pleasures
Sure, if you have an avatar with the right equipment. Of course, it only happens if you allow it to, since your avatar is a projection of yourself. And, of course, gods can also have kids, just like in the myths.
Folsom
Fascinating. And disturbing. So, moving away from the sex life I didn’t know a dungeon could have, what is this all about?
Exotic Pleasures
It is about the summit I just left, where gods, dungeons, and mortals from across Japan met to discuss things. Well, there were two outsiders there, myself and the Fimaazro Ambassador.
Freedomland
Wait, this is about the thing Mercy was complaining about you calling together, and then making her host the shindig?
Exotic Pleasures
Not the way I would have put it, but yes.
Freedomland
Mercy I can understand, but what the fuck were you doing there?
Exotic Pleasures
As the organizer, I had the right to be there. Also, the first part of the meeting was directly about something one of my followers did, which caused a bit of a stir.
Folsom
I don’t want to know, but what was it?
Exotic Pleasures
They performed a ritual that created a new dungeon. Unfortunately, they used that ritual to get revenge on the people they felt wronged them, which meant that his entire school got caught up in it. Those who did not escape were either killed, or became part of the dungeon.
Freedomland
YOU FUCKING IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, GIVING OUT A RITUAL LIKE THAT?
Exotic Pleasures
I was thinking that I would test to see how reliable some of the materials I confiscated from the Pofmisian fleet were. It is hardly my fault that the boy was angry, and mentally unstable. I didn’t point the gun and pull the trigger, after all.
Freedomland
That is no excuse, and you know it! You were the one that let him get a hold of it!
Exotic Pleasures
That isn’t what you said when news of the latest mass shooting happened. In fact, I think your words on the Global DEN were rather the opposite.
Freedomland
Th-that isn’t the same thing!
Exotic Pleasures
Sure it isn’t. Now sit down and shut up.
Anyways, once I explained what happened, we moved to other events. Such as ways to prevent that ritual from being used in terrorist attacks, by turning the seat of government into a dungeon. This lead to the Ambassador offering to get the Japanese Adventurer Alliance in touch with guilds from elsewhere, so they could share best practices on how to deal with dungeons, especially new dungeons.
Chicagoland
Why only provide that now? They’ve been here two years, already, and its been three since the Apocalypse.
Exotic Pleasures
Well, you know how they took one look at our media, and saw that the Dogik, a race of spider-like aliens the size of SUVs, would result in humanity collectively going ‘kill it with fire’ until they got used to the idea and decided to put the catgirl as the main Ambassador instead? They also realized that aliens coming down and telling humans, “This is how everyone in the galaxy does things, so step in line,” would cause people to react… badly. And the Ambassador said that she was not fond of people throwing nukes at her, so she decided to wait a bit before offering suggestions.
Chicagoland
Well, can’t really fault her for that. I know that if anyone had come down to Chicago and tried that, people would have tore the city apart.
Exotic Pleasures
Yes, exactly. But now that things are moving ahead, you can expect those practices to filter out to the other guilds.
Area51
Did anything else happen at this summit?
Exotic Pleasures
Oh, just the news that Earth has about 37 years to get its shit together and get a functioning world government before the Ambassadors withdraw their protection, and leave Earth to fend for itself. So, expect to see people start pushing for changes, globally.
Freedomland
I didn’t bow to those damn Feds, and I’m not bowing to any global new world order!
Exotic Pleasures
As I said before, Freedom, nobody cares. Nobody cared what you thought when you were human, and they don’t care now. You are utterly insignificant in the global scheme of things. The only difference is that when you were human you had rights, and now, as a dungeon, those are all still being worked out. So don’t make yourself a problem that I’ll have to solve in order to keep the rest of dungeonkind from suffering from your stupidity.
Donner Party Diner
OK, now I see why so many of my adventurers like him. That was HOT!
Epilogue – Elsewhere
White House Chief of Staff Leon McGarry was an old hand at politics. He’d been Secretary of Labor for a previous administration, and had worked hard after the Apocalypse helping the new president get elected. Politics was in his blood.
That didn’t mean he couldn’t be surprised, though. For instance, even if the President had gotten that dungeon god from Miami to give his support to the Vertias Act, how he’d supported the act was a shock. The idea of going to different vocal opponents of the law and offering to sign a binding contract with them, often live and on air, to keep either of them from lying was inspired. And when they refused, he hit them relentlessly with the line of how could people trust them if they weren’t willing to be at least as honest as a demon, of all things. It was little surprise that the bill passed, after that.
He had thought that would be the ending of their dealings with the demon. After all, he didn’t try to meddle in politics unless they affected him, first, and the government had already decided on a hands-off approach to his dungeon. Most of that was because they didn’t see any way that they could enforce rulings, so it wasn’t worth the political cost to try, but still.
So, he was a little alarmed when he got a message from the demon, requesting a meeting ‘at his earliest convenience’ about a ‘newly emerged danger’. That was not a good thing for his heart. If a self-proclaimed god was talking like that, then it was something to take seriously. Especially since he never lied.
Just a few minutes ago, he’d gotten a call from the gate. A man in black just ‘appeared out of thin air’, and said he had an appointment. He had a staffer escort the god to his office in the West Wing. They had to walk a bit further than the door, since he was on foot, and not driving up to the building. Now, there was a knock on his door.
“Come in.”
“Your nine o’clock to see you, sir.”
Leon nodded to his secretary as she opened the door. “Thank you, Martha. Let him in, and leave us.”
The dark god entered, looking just as he always did in his public appearances. He smiled, and nodded as Leon offered him a chair. “Thank you, Mr. McGarry. I hope I didn’t cause too much consternation with my appearance, but I thought it more respectful to appear at the gate, rather than inside the grounds.”
“Meaning that you could have gotten through our security, but chose not to?”
If Kuronoth noticed the sharpness of his tone, he ignored it with a smile. “Yes, your wards are quite effective against monsters, but the building is within range of my shrine outside the Air and Space Museum. In such a situation, you would need far more powerful wards to actively block a deity from entering. But that is usually not worth the cost.”
Leon took a breath to settle himself. This wasn’t the time for such a discussion. Especially since the dark god had shown respect by stopping at the gate, instead of just popping in. Refocusing on the matter at hand, he said, “Well, Mr. Kuronoth, you asked for this meeting, and I know you aren’t one to waste time. So, what is this new danger you found?”
Kuronoth smiled, and said, “Well, I’m sure you have heard of the incident in Japan, about a school becoming a dungeon suddenly?”
Leon frowned. “Yeah, I heard about it, but only what was reported in the news. Last I heard, there wasn’t anything definitive known about what caused it. Are you saying you have a way to protect against something like that?”
“Yes, it turns out that the dungeon’s formation was the result of a magical ritual. The caster was a child being bullied by his classmates and ignored by the staff. Sad story, but all too common when dealing with high school kids.”
“So, this was the magical equivalent of a school shooting?”
“Basically, yes. There was a bit of a summit in Japan to discuss things. After all, a ritual done once can be done again, and somewhere a little more vital than a school.”
Leon’s blood froze. “You’re talking about terrorist attacks. If they could turn a school into a dungeon, then, with the right plans, they could turn any building into a dungeon. Even the White House, or the Capitol. The ramifications of something like that…”
“Yes, I’m glad to see you don’t need to be told of the dangers, or why I elected to have this conversation in person, rather than simply sending you an email. I am limited in what I can say, but the ritual itself was reliant on magical talismans that redirected the flows of mana. The full mechanics of the ritual are a bit more complex, but the key is that it took precisely placed talismans to force the mana into the proper orientation. That is the key to keeping the ritual from working.”
“Take out enough talismans, and the ritual just fails? But what happens to all that mana moving around? I’ve heard that it can be unstable when the flows are tampered with.”
“Yes, take out a talisman, and the ritual will fail to create a dungeon. As you guessed, though, sometimes that failure can be… explosive. The more talismans you take out, the better. So, the first line of defense is a building’s janitorial and maintenance staff, as well as having proper control of the keys to get into places.”
“Right, I get it. The talismans have to be either placed somewhere out of sight, or be something innocuous, so that they don’t get messed with. And the staff are the ones who go all over the building, even places most people don’t access. What about these talismans, though? Are they dangerous?”
“In and of themselves, no. They are magical, but inert, until the ritual begins. Think of it like an electrical circuit. The wires are there, waiting, but until someone flips the switch, and sends power through them, then you can touch the raw wire with your bare hands, no problem. Once active, well, that is when bad things happen.”
“So, we need some way to detect the magic talismans before they become active. Preferably catching them before they are even placed.”
“There’s two ways to go about that. First would be to have some passive scanners as part of the staff’s kit. Scanner goes off when it detects magic. Really only useful in areas where there isn’t high magic use, and will take time to adjust the scanners to the wards on a building, so that the wards don’t set them off. But once they’re set up? You just have it be SOP that when something sets it off, the staff summons someone trained to check it out, like you would with other systems.
“Second way is to keep them from being placed, as you said. For that, you’d want a magical equivalent to a metal detector at the access points. Could even fold it in with normal security measures. While you would get some issues with highly magical beings, like myself, it would allow you to catch people trying to smuggle talismans, or other objects, inside.”
“I’ll have a talk with the Secret Service after this. They’ll know best how to protect the White House from something like this, and will also want to develop procedures for when the President travels. I’ll also get in touch with Homeland Security, so they can start working on something for other government buildings. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Kuronoth. A ‘lone gunman’ attack on a school is bad enough, but, a terrorist attack on the White House would have been devastating.”
“Happy to help. Oh, there is just one more thing, before I go. The Fimaazro Ambassador was at that little summit I mentioned. You may find different faiths and the adventurer’s guilds pushing for more unity, on an international level, moving forward. At least promoting the creation of something like a federal world government.”
Now Leon frowned. The remark had been tossed aside like an afterthought, but something in the way Kuronoth spoke made him think this was the real reason he came today. “Is that so? Might I know why?”
“The Galactic Federation deals with polities on a planetary basis. They’re cutting Earth some slack, since we’ve been without the System for so long, but there is a time limit on how long they can keep the wolves at bay. Specifically, forty years from the local activation of the System. By that point, Earth needs to have its shit together. What was it Ben Franklin said? ‘We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.’ Just something to think about, moving forward.”
And then, the god disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
Book XXX – Visitors
Prologue – Trade Chat
