LCD Mother of Learning

Red Robe is not aware about their own team/action. But the identity of Red Robe is not clear. So Zorian/Zach would need to check the leads with Veyers Boranova ASAP to know the identity. (There's both buffed up Silverlake and RedRobe to find/slow down and there should be a non-ware copies as well).

Silverlake knows all the people in their anti-conspiracy. So the best first action is to secure family/hostages vs silverlake. For that the best course of action is securing imperial orb and then shoving everybody inside of the orb.

To cancel invasion/summon is very easy - just get rid of (steal/move/destroy) the gate QI uses to move army/collect souls whatever and the invasion won't happen. Anyways, the best course of action should be plotted by everybody involved already, so Zach/Zorian should just implement a plan which they came up with to solve the problem. We should learn what the current plan is.

 

Wouldn't silverlake have told him?

 

I dont think someone like Silver Lake will cooperate or care about Reb Robe.

 

Uh why not? She literally is bound to make sure that the primordial is released from it's prison or else she dies. And she also knows that at least Zach, who is a super powerful archmage/battlemage, is going to be trying to stop it. I think she is going to do everything in her power to make sure she survives the next month and so work with whoever she needs to.

Getting the imperial orb is actually something that it's not really smart to do. He needs to work on protection immediately, not wait around while slowing making his way to Koth. Remember, he doesn't really have any way of getting there particularly quickly or easily. While the orb is certainly useful, it's definitely not the immediate priority.

 

They all just started. I also think that SG version of RR and Silverlake will have different bodies. (like ideal man/woman or whatever). So RR already exited and even if Pan put Silverlake in her new fancy body besides him, it will take a considerable amount of time to prove who she is. They both dabble in mind magic, so the first action would make sure it's not magic. And it would take some time to assert each other as allies and that does not mean they wouldn't work separately - they are not totally aware of capabilities. She could do a info dump on him, but why would you go after random dump of information when you have your own plans set up?

I'm pretty sure the Zorian will have like 6 simulacrums running straight away. One to procure some crude bodies for simulacrums, one would go to relatively safe place and would open gates with others simularcrums / herd allies/their familie into one place. I'm sure everyone is very concerned about families it is the top priority. Possibly some random protected dump in Nevada estate.

While there is no immediate access to the Koth, Zorian carries the passphrases to the many (all) Bakura gates they've recovered during SG time. So a little bit of convincing Arranea (all he has to do provide a passphrase and updated version of ritual opening) and he'd be able to teleport to Koth and retrieve orb.

I'm also positive the next action after rounding up allies will be making orb a huge ass time dilation chamber so the allies can sort out through their notes they've passed to themselves via Zorian memory packets, do some training/ whatever. Again, orb is very crucial in getting everything up-to-speed. If 5 months is too complicated, they could do a test/reduced run of a month or 3 or whatever black room ration they are able to set up.

Getting allies up-to-speed is crucial and I think orb is a very good item for both security and up-to-date things.

 

Not really... This is NOT a case of trying to prove to someone time travel is real.
But a case where the person is question knows about time travel and the primordial, and she just has to convince him she serves the same master.
Besides which, both her and redrobe are in bodies created by the primordial with a kill switch, they can just look at each other's kill switch to verify identity. If "hey, the same primordial you serve ordered me to help you release him" is somehow not enough (because how would she even know?)

 

Both RR and Silverlake (SL) participate in huge conspiracy. SL is paranoid as they can get - she survived for a long time. And you don't live long if you trust anyone easy. And they, as I wrote before, both dabble with mind magic. While acknowledging that they are both on the same side is doable (kill switch is of course should be not very apparent. If you can easily see it, you can spend a month trying to disable it yourself).
So Pan may have told some details to SL about RR. However RR left when there was a very little time for SG left. All SL had was 5 measly runs. Her skillset is not necessary compatible with RR.

They both have different roles. RR is coordinating attack (selecting best targets, trying to do best damage, etc). SL would most likely be in charge of breaking primordial from the cage.

From what we've seen it is very easy to get invasion aborted. Just break the gates QI set up in Cyoria's hole and that threat is covered. Kidnap head of dragon order performing the summons (Zorian knows all of them anyway) and the ritual is interrupted. And SL is an alternative means to break the cage/release primordial.

Coordinating attack helps to perform the ritual. Until those particular chess pieces/summoning ritual is not impacted, there's no need for them to cooperate.

I'm positive that SL has no means to get RR to do anything on her behalf for now. When the summoning mages will be kidnapped, only then they will start cooperating/pool on resources trying break out Pan out of cage. Not sooner.

 

Your scenario is simply ridiculous. You are assuming extreme incompetence on their part.

Yes they are paranoid, but paranoid is not the same as incompetent. Red robe has spent a LOT of time optimizing the invasion, SL knows that. She has spent zero time optimizing the invasion. But her life depends on it succeeding. Her contacting and coordinating with redrobe is literally the only sane and competent thing she could do, and she is very competent and sane.

Look at her interaction with zorian and co. Once convincing the loop is real she was very quick to join them and even play nice, even if she didn't approve of their methods as being too soft.

 

If anything, you are assuming even more. We don't know anything what Pan told SL about his other agent. He may have not told anything. All SL might know about RR is the info she gleamed from Z&Z. Pan may want to exit the prison, but that doesn't mean he wants to micro manage anything. Would cooperation increase the chances of success? Would actually interfere? It is not that simple

We know very little about invading forces coordination and the group action to prevent invasion. Silverlake was participating as dimensionalism expert - she knew where the exit in the cage is to the real world. That does not mean she is privy to every secret Z&Z uncovered. While Panaxeth may know/understand something, it does not mean that he would tell everything/anything to Silverlake. If her body/soul double wants to live, she needs to work for it. Since it was not stated anywhere, all of this is speculative (yours or mine). We stick to what we like.

She had shown her competence and was recruited into team for that. There were no other experts in radar (and QI as expert is bordering the insanity). Arguably the most conversational choice and it rear the ugly head.

There is no incentive for Red Robe to join Silverlake at the initial stage at all. They have their own already existing plans/plots which they will stick to. After they break, they will be forced to join forces, but not sooner. It is not that easy to scrap everything one has planned for a long time just because someone says it may fail to work. I wouldn't, not before proof. Safeguards need to start failing to abandon original plan. Silverlake is not aware of what happened during last cycle and she should think that only Zach made out, Zorian is still a wild card. The only usable intel for RedRobe is that Zach had left the loop.

 

I don't get why you think the imperial orb is necessary.

 

It would be a very easy to protect families - jut put them into orb and carry the orb everywhere. One could maybe put somewhere far away (like Koth, future family of Damien). I guess the orb seems like the great gathering place and it is impossible to enter it for unwanted 3rd party. If family would hide in warded apartment, there's always a risk of someone finding them and capturing as hostages.

 

Actually, Zorian might have issues with using the orb. He was solely able to access it due to his marker inside the loop and there's no saying if it would still work for him outside of it. It's another factor that honestly is why the orb while important is certainly not such anumber one priority. For example, how is Zorian going to fetch his parents into the orb when they are on a boat in the ocean? Or how is he going to convince any of these peoples to listen to him? Remember, they are no longer in the time loop. The world is different and persuading people will be much more difficult without some of the easier to verify signs, like the heavenly planes being cut off.

 

completely forgot about that tbh.

Also don't think he's going to risk fighting a hydra with his real body. That shit would succk.

 

The marker helped. However I'm sure the markers were more helpful in locating key parts. Ring still gives soul sight for wearer out of the loop. QI is able to use crown as mana battery. The dragonoid mage was able to teleport with a help of staff. The deploying/packing up the orb should be possible - the orb wouldn't be in the deployed mode found in the jungle otherwise.

Princess is a little problem. But at worst one can ask for Balkora gate to Blantyrre and leave Princess wandering in jungle until Zach picks it up.

The gathering of family/hostages/people is a short term protection action. Yes, some of them are mages, but most of them should be indisposed out with a little telepathic attack on knock on head. This is to make sure they are not used as hostages by Silverlake.
Just kidnap family/members of conspiracy in short term (put some supplies into orb, the platform is destroyed - it is impossible to leave the orb) and after all the forces are gathered, decide on longer term solution where to put people one wants to protect (most likely far away place like Koth). The persuading/starting on the plan can be done via black room in the orb data. Plenty of time to persuade everyone for a 5 (or at lease single) month(s).
As for Zorian's parents - they left via ship after a couple days in the loop to reach for Damien.

Zorian does not need to fight hydra. He just need it to get it off the orb and then teleport away.

For now I'm mostly confused by this BOMB hidden in the plain view:

Spoiler

See, that's where you're wrong," said Zach. "Zorian, do your thing."

Zorian nodded and started casting the gate spell. Quatach-Ichl was instantly on guard, but he only tensed imperceptibly and did not actual or protest things. He watched curiously as Zorian finished casting the spell and opened a miniature dimensional gate just above his palm.

If one looked closely, they could see a featureless patch of water by looking through the gate.

"Well… done?" Quatach-Ichl said dubiously. "You can cast the gate spell. Not something many people can brag about but–"

"Scan it," Zach told him. "See where it leads."

Frowning, Quatach-Ichl did just that, casting a bunch of divinations to determine the location of the other side of the portal. After a full two minutes of tinkering, he leaned back in his chair and gave Zach a strange look.

"It's just a random patch of the ocean, as far as I can see. Very far away from any land," he said.

"Precisely," Zach said, grinning from ear to ear. "Now… what do you think would happen if we just chucked this crown through that portal and closed it?"

Quatach-Ichl's eyes widened in shock and realization. The truth was that the deep sea was utterly unreachable from the perspective of humanity. Even the most powerful of mages would have no hopes of finding something that had been thrown away into the middle of the ocean. Even a lich like Quatach-Ichl, who had no need to breathe and potentially lived forever, would balk at the idea of searching through the ocean floor for a needle in a haystack.

If Zach and Zorian really did pick a random spot in the ocean, far away from any land, and threw the crown there… it would be scarcely different from destroying it utterly.

This is because:

Spoiler

Zorian cast a gate spell without person coordinating on the other end. If this is correct, he can open gate anywhere and no need have simulacrums on the other side. Such spell is too powerful, needs nerfing.

 

Only possibility I can think of.
He tied the gate spell to a rudimentary divination one that makes it lead to the middle of bum fuck nowhere. It's a small unstable gate, but that's all he really needs.

 

"Stopped by his shield, a faint honeycomb pattern momentarily becoming visible around him as it absorbed the attack"
Zorian magic shield get more advanced, few people take a notice that. I think it's combination full force shield Aegis and improved small hexagon shield.
Advantage
- Mana effecient, most Zorian combat spell always like that, well compared with Aegis.
- Invisible until it get attacked.
- Full force barrier around caster, not like small hexagon shield that only shield caster from one way.

 

Nah, it's the same honeycomb shield Zach taught Zorian ages ago. But Zorian applied the same technique he used for perfect magic missile (it became invisible). Perfect honeycomb shield is invisible until hit by spell.

 

well, the chapter is late, and the latest post from author in patreon:

 

Well what do we have here. A Mother of Learning LCD that i didn't know about!!!

GAHHHHHHHHHH Where has this been all my life!!!

I've been missing out

Anyways. So pumped for Wednesday.
What does everyone think is going to be the first thing Zorian does or what do you think he should do.

I think the first thing he is going to do is investigate that boy whom they suspected of being Red Robe. If he isn't where he is suppose to be i think that is going to be a huge giveaway and help in their fight. The time to strike is now before Red Robe and Silver lake meet up and he can be brought up to speed on exactly who Zorian is and how Capable he is.



Though i want Zorian to immediately travel to Pre-Loop Silver lake and completely clean out her mind. I think Silver Lake even without her 5 odd months of research is still an untapped well of information. Knowing her she only shared what information was absolutely necessary to getting her out of the Loop and kept everything else that could have helped them in the invasion to herself.
Her knowledge would surely be a great boon to Zorian himself and learning all that he can from her mind may even shed light on places she may go in her mission for Panaxeth.
Not to mention the whole immortality potion. I want Zorian to live forever lol.

 

The only problem with that is that Panaxeth's deal was that he would create brand new copies of their bodies which he would place their soul in, he wouldn't affect their original body/soul (in fact I think it quite likely that it would be impossible for him to do so). So he doesn't know where the new silverlake/red robe really are, since Panaxeth could have placed them anywhere.