Ar'Kendrithyst

Three hours later, and Erick was on a roll.

The fidelity of the recorder was not the best, but it was able to reproduce intelligible spoken words through the power of [Control Machine]. With a little bit of magic, Erick empowered the device to turn as he wanted, keeping all the cutting parts in perfect motion and in perfect alignment, allowing the playback to be as best as it could be, all without motors or any actual electronic control. This, however, was about as good as it was going to get. Erick was likely going to need to figure out electricity and transistors and circuitry if he wanted better recording devices, and that was rather far above him, at the moment. Someone else can do that. Or maybe he’d tackle that problem later? He could certainly experiment with electricity if he wanted. He had made that [Battery] spell way back during his time on Oceanside for just that eventual purpose, after all.

For now, what he wanted to do was recreate another 1800’s technology: the camera! As long as it hadn’t been done before, that is.

He asked Poi and Kiri, “Can either of you two think of any machines that recreate pictures of objects? Or magics, if there are no machines.”

Kiri said, “[Telepathy] images. [Lightshape] control. [Watershape] with paints. There’s a [Paintshape] that some painters use to recreate what they see with their eyes, or other senses. Lightward paintings.”

Poi said, “There are lightboxes, but they only produce basic images that most painters will then turn into paintings using the methods Kiri has stated.”

“Those are little more than sketching assistants.” Kiri said, “Like using a microscope to help you see the yeast that you have to [Grow] to make [Fermentation Ward].”

“People who use lightboxes still have to use [Lightshape] to fry the image onto the backplate; this is correct.” Poi added, “But those lightboxes are rather close to what Erick is envisioning.”

“Oh?” Kiri said, “Then my mistake.”

“This is good!” Erick said, “Next question: Are there alchemical solutions that perhaps turn into the colors they’re exposed to, or something like that?”

Kiri said, “If there were, I do not know. Alchemists tend to be rather secretive about their work, but practically any first-year alchemy student would know how to make a mana or health potion. I think what you’re looking for is rather specific, though.” She added, “Someone has likely tried to invent a ‘color fastening potion’, though, for use in lightboxes.” She perked up. “Oh. That seems like a very logical step, now that I’m thinking about it.”

“… And now that I think about it,” Erick said, “I’m not sure I want an alchemical solution, anyway. I want something completely non-magical…” His voice trailed off, as he thought.

Kiri and Poi watched.

After a few moments, Poi offered, “We could go buy some lightboxes? Maybe you could make a contribution to portraiture simply by making a better lightbox?”

Kiri looked at Poi, and said, “I’m sure he could. All the best artists I’ve ever heard of make their own lightboxes. Only the richest people buy them.”

“Oh oh OH!” Erick teased, “Well then! As one of this world’s rich persons, I simply must go out and buy one of them ‘boxed lights’!”

All Erick got were blank looks.

Erick mumbled, “Maybe I’m funnier than I think I am.”

“Always a possibility,” Kiri teased.

Poi said, “I’ll go wake Teressa.”

Erick frowned. “We don’t have to, do we? They’re both exhausted.”

Poi leveled a look at Erick, and Erick backed off.

In twenty minutes, they were out the door with Teressa in tow. Erick tried to apologize, but Teressa was having none of that. Five hours of sleep was more than enough, and besides, it was past lunch time.

Teressa said, “We spotted this one place by Wyrmrest that we have to try. They should be open for dinner, though.”

“Oh?” Erick asked.

With a soft smile, Teressa said, “Yeah. My…” She stumbled on her words, but then she just came out and said what she needed to say, “I have a great-aunt who married into Wyrmrest when I was a kid. I had forgotten about her until I saw Wyrmrest and Jane and I walked that way as we came back last night. I think it’s her restaurant.”

“Then we have to go there!” Erick agreed, “Absolutely!”

Teressa let out a small laugh, then nodded. And then her eyes went wide. “If it’s not her place, then I don’t want to eat there. I do not miss my tribe’s cooking.”

Erick laughed.

Teressa continued, “It was ‘throw everything in a pot and boil it for 5 hours’ stew every night. Very boring.” She added, “But the portions were good for the price.”

- - - -

With the subject of money coming up, Erick remembered he owed a certain goddess a certain number of grand rads. A quick flap of Ophiel’s wings brought the [Familiar] into his house, in Spur. A quick stretch of light grabbed two grand rads out of a pile that Erick had stored in the room below Jane’s mage tower. With a quick prayer sent to Rozeta, two brilliant sharp-edged jewels, each the size of a head, vanished.

Erick got no receipt, but then again, he wasn’t expecting one—

A blue box appeared.