They both snorted in appreciation at the irony. “Yeah, they’ve a lot of magical knowledge, that’s true, especially in Light Magic. It’s the big reason why so many people hate them, as they really don’t share very often, but they’ll happily take if they can. You have to get the more liberal members of the culture to work with them easily, and they’ve made tons of useful contributions to everybody, which a lot of people ignore because of the image of the Orthodox Traditions. Orthodox Kabbalists really don’t even want to be working with us, and kind of regard us as a useful tool and necessary evil,” Sama huffed.

“Never once looking in the mirror,” I nodded along, making both of them smirk in agreement. “Nothing new, we’ll be doing some of the same, just not on grounds of birth.” I rippled my steepled fingertips on one another a few times. “Okay, I don’t need to know all your assets, intentions, and plans right away, although I would like to learn them as soon as possible, so I can work them into my own.”

“It’s not a small list,” Briggs managed to chuckle. “Although nothing as grand as what you put up.”

I inclined my head. “Yeah, Powered tend to think big, Forsaken to think low and broad. It’s fine, I have no issues with it.”

Sama lifted her hand. “Before you go on, I have to ask... where did you run into so many Shades? I’m not aware of a contested Zone on the planet with so many of them in sustained fighting. The Dark Realm Zones I’m aware of all center on the Undead.”

“There was a major Rift in the Beast Realm. I first materialized there, literally falling out of the sky.”

They both blinked at me. “The Beast Realm,” Briggs repeated, in only mild disbelief. “And... you weren’t killed immediately?” he had to ask.

“There are no Humans in the Beast Realm. As such, I was just one more strange Beast, who wasn’t a threat to any of them. Oh sure, they knew of Humans, there were multiple Beasts I met who had been Summoned here. But Humans have no influence over there whatsoever, we’re just a minor species of weak apelings to them.

“I introduced vivic fire to them and basically single-handedly turned around an Incursion which had been affecting the Realm for decades. I spread Vivic Torches around, made Baneskulls, contributed a tiny bit of fighting on my own, and Healed a bunch of them who needed it, especially on the spiritual level.

“In short, I made myself useful and appreciated. They call me Healer Fae over there. Not having to live in competition with them was nice, and I made a lot of Beast friends at the Commander and Ruler Class. The Emperor of the Silver Nine-Tail Foxes was basically my sponsor and protector.”

Sama glanced at Briggs. “I’ve heard of people scanning and watching the Beast Realm, but never anyone actually admitting they’ve been there, Briggs...”

“Me, either.” He squinted at me. “So, how are you here now?” he asked.

“Well, Humans actually don’t belong there. I was under magical pressure the entire time I was there, and couldn’t actually break out of the Novice Level. Had no effect on my Power of Ten advancement, however. So I advanced as high as I could, and just focused on the other side.

“I was running to address a Taint infection on an allied Wolf pack when Captain Mick of the KIA team blew a Hunting Horn, which reached out and grabbed most of the Wolf pack I happened to be running with. When the Portal opened, the pressure of the Beast Realm picked me up and shoved me right on through it with the Wolves, pushing me back to where I ‘belonged’.

“I fell out of the sky into the middle of a horde of hungry cow-sized blue-banded super-Tarantulas. Welcome to a new magical Earth!” I lifted my palms to the sky, and shrugged extravagantly as they grinned.

“Now that is quite the entrance,” Briggs had to admit, and Sama grinned enviously. “And from there, you started making your name almost instantly.” He inclined his head curiously. “Going from working with the Beasts to fighting them isn’t an issue?” he had to ask.

“Competition is what it is. It doesn’t mean I won’t try to find a better way. Also, the insectile species are extremely aggressive and need to be culled frequently, even in the Beast Realm. They are very single-minded about expansion and everything, you know.”

“True, true,” Sama agreed, nodding along. “Most of the Ruler Bugs live in Black Zones here, where I presume their neighbors keep their numbers down. America being what it is has a couple exceptions to that rule.”

“Where did you get most of your Karma, if I may ask?” I inquired, interested in the subject.

“Littoral Zones,” Briggs replied instantly, Sama nodding. I just shook my head blankly. “There are six nasty and constant conflict zones with the Aquatic species. Boston is the one closest to here. Britain and its isles are sort of like that, particularly Ireland and its western shores. Cape Horn and Cape Hope see constant pressure, basically stopping any easy shipping routes around the continents. Japan has one, and there’s another on the West Coast.” He tossed a thumb at Sama. “That’s where we found one another, meeting at Slaughter Sound, down on the Baja coast.”

“Bringing a Sword and a Hammer to a magic fight,” I half-smiled, and they both grinned nastily. “How much money did you make on bets you’d live through it all?”

“Almost seven figures,” Sama chortled happily. “Still, I’m not sure who disbelieved it more, the seafolk or the mages...”

“The Littoral Zones are basically used as a pressure vent for the populations of the Aquatic races. They are sent there to die or grow strong enough that they can return. So, every incoming tide is another new wave of various species from the oceans, and they are still running into new ones every now and then,” Briggs informed me. “They basically start at half-Warrior Level, and Commanders aren’t all that uncommon, either. You can stay there as long as you like, earn decent money, and of course you’re slaughtering the equals of Sixes and up until they flee.”

I nodded slowly. “I’ll need to make a Lived-Line to those Zones, and take the boys there to get their Levels. If you’ve some Vassals who need the Karma, I can take them along.”

They shifted slightly, clearly interested. “Hadn’t even considered that,” Briggs said softly. “Buffed-up from a Ten Caster?” He met Sama’s sparkling blue eyes. “They’ll love it,” he admitted quietly. “Burn through Wands like nobody’s business, too...”

“Money won’t be the issue, even if they can’t make it back on the corpses.” I flicked my hand, and four Soul Crystals materialized between my fingers. I tossed them to Sama, who caught them effortlessly.

“These are?” she asked, bringing the smallest one up to inspect closely.

“What is left behind when you vivify a fresh kill. Basically, Soul Remnants.” They both looked at me in shock. “Yeah. If you don’t take possession of and preserve them, they’ll fall apart inside a day.”

“This...” Briggs breathed, leaning forward and accepting the smallest Core Sama handed to him. “From every kill?” he had to ask, a little wide-eyed.

“Yes. Consumes the whole body, of course. If they are powerful enough, it’ll also leave a raw crystal skull suitable for a Baneskull.”

“You... just slaughtered your way through a Beast Tide,” Sama said quietly, eyes on the sparkling Emperor’s Star Jewel winking there on the end of Noble.

“Made from a Shade Emperor,” I informed her. “And yes, we earned many, many Soul Crystals off the Bugs. All of the KIA boys now have Five-tiered Stars on both Elements, and they are working on Six Tiers for at least their Starter Sevens by combining lesser Crystals. It’s one of the things I am doing for them.

“I have enough Soul Eggs to guarantee them Five Tiers for all three Mage Elements, when they get there, and with some more killing, should be able to do the same for Archmage Level. If not, I’ll at the very least get them to Four Tiers.”

“What’s the exchange on a Novice-improving Soul Remnant, Sama?” Briggs asked softly, having accepted the Crystals from her and lifting them up to inspect carefully.

“Fifty to a hundred grand, give or take? It’s considered a major layout for something only going to affect seven Stars. Nobody without a lot of money to waste improves forty-nine Stars, although some will splurge for seven Warrior-levels at Five Tiers, just to have some potent throw-away magic.

“Warrior-tiers are half a million dollars, however, and in great demand for other uses, particularly stronger magical items. Using a Soul Remnant on your Stars instead of an Awakening Stone for making more mages is part of the attitude problem with these societies.”

“Making a note that more Awakening Stones with more power is another potential avenue of revenue,” I nodded to her. “I will note that a Mark powered up is the single best tool for most people to increase their magical ability, once Wizardry is on the table...”

Briggs held out his hand, and I waved the Soul Crystals back to my grasp, then dumped them back in my Pocket.

“Any chance you can replicate that magically?” Sama asked, pointing at the nowhere the Crystals had vanished into.

“A chance, yes,” I agreed. “The reason it works is because it accesses extra-dimensional space between here and the Beast Realm. I can feel that because I can also wield the Summoning Magic, and it’s no different from the Contracted Space for a mage’s Beasts. So, no gaming worries about things from Outside Creation creating an incident.” I noted both of them relaxed ever-so slightly in relief.

“The problem is that the Beast Realm doesn’t react to non-living empowerment very well. So, Soul Crystals would be needed to stabilize the space. It’s cheaper and faster just to use Compression, actually.”

“But it is possible for specific uses,” Briggs pressed.

“Yes,” I did not disagree.

He nodded once. “We, and everyone else, needs Energized Elements. As you probably realized, this world is absolutely full of them, and they form the basis of much of the economy and trade.” He paused significantly. “If we can Energize Elements, then it means we can trade for junk and turn it into diamonds, as it were. Rare Energized Elements can be traded for large volumes of common ones.”

“I can Energize Elements up to Valence V, with a starting Caster Level of 45ish, and a Widen Spell Infusion on Noble here means eight ounces per Caster Level starting. If it is lower Valence, it can naturally be Widened further.

“I have over one thousand Mana capacity. Subject to recharging, I can Energize a fairly large amount of Isotopic material, as Exotic as you like, although probably still not at a true industrial level. Custom needs I can probably keep up with.”

“Can you make a smelter capable of melting adamantine?” Sama asked quickly.

“A Topped Wall of Fire at 40 will rapidly melt adamantine, yes. I only need make it Permanent and pay the goldweight. I could make as many as you wish. You’d need to make a Fire-Resistant crucible, of course.”

“Mass use of durasteel, mithral, and adamantine, Fuzzy!” Sama hissed, reaching over to shake his hairy arm. “Not even Philly is going to have the like!”

“They can’t manage a sustained burn that hot?” I asked, somewhat surprised. It was a magical realm, after all.

“Not without at least an Archmage present with a Heavenly Seed to guide the flames, and it eats up some very expensive Fire Isotopes as fuel, some of which are remarkably unstable,” Briggs told me, a happy smile on his face.

“Not up to hammering up so many adamantine weapons?” I noted curiously.

“Ah, right, you probably don’t have a lot of information on vulnerabilities of magic Beasts, how they attack, and how things seem to work here,” Sama told me, sitting back herself.

I shook my head. “Let’s say my experience is colored by my time in the Beast World and Assay being enough to identify weaknesses, but not really getting into the mechanics behind everything.”

Both of them nodded. “The Rules are different here,” Briggs stated firmly.