Castle Richmond by Anthony Trollope (best memoirs of all time txt) 📕

but by filling a mould with dust, Jeb was able to scrape every millimeter of possible size out of it. This was important, because the angle at which the rays met each other dictated the strength of the creature.

They solved the width/strength formula a couple weeks into experimenting, when they noticed that larger lenses would often create smaller creatures with an identical amount of Myst being fed into them by the same capacitor.

Relative to their size, though, they were much stronger and faster. It was effectively a higher concentration of power in a smaller space. They confirmed this by lowering the Myst input on the smaller lens to make both creatures identical in stature, then testing their strength and speed.

They repeated the lens-stamping process, and Jeb wound up with a large Stag lens, perfectly round and at the exact angle they wanted it, about the width of a baseball, with enough dust left over to make another, easily.

Then came Eddie’s contribution to the weapon. After experimenting for weeks, the old man had found the material with the highest reflective value of anything they’d found yet, which was an amalgam of silver and mercury.

This must have been what was on the inside of Xen’s Scrivener, Jeb thought to himself as Eddie coated and polished the inside of a dish with the shiny amalgam.

The frame of the dish was created by the 3D printer, and it was about the width of a soccer ball, its angle carefully calculated to mesh with the other lenses. Jeb briefly winced at the idea of carrying around something that big on top of his staff. On the other hand…super-summon.

They made a mirror by lining a flat plate with amalgam, fixed it in place above the dish, then began assembling the lenses into the shaft.

Right away, they noticed it was not going to be a wand. It would look like a Spaceman Spiff laser and be incredibly unwieldy, given its size. In the end, Jeb opted to fix the contraption to the top of a staff.

Just like the Beautiful Revenge, it was a three-part sandwich: Control/Animal/Annihilation. The parabolic dish of shiny amalgam on the top would, in theory, increase the effective width of the lenses far beyond what was possible with a single lens.

They attached the contraption to the top of a piece of hardwood that rested in the hand just right, and disguised the satellite-dish shape of the head with some of the staff’s gnarled roots.

Then they stood back and took in what they had created.

It looked…kinda goofy. The head was too big, as well as garish where the elegant wood gave way to resin and silver amalgam.

“Not winning any beauty pageants,” Eddie said, chewing his lower lip.

“Not supposed to,” Jeb said, hefting the staff in his hand. Sadly, the creation was too delicate to be smacking people over the head with it, but hopefully what it lacked in durability, it made up in power.

“Outside!” Eddie said, pointing to the staircase as soon as Jeb hefted the staff. “I don’t need a frightened death deer tearing up the shop.”

Jeb obliged, heading up to the surface, using the staff to assist his gait. It was a little strange using a walking stick with such a big top, but Jeb supposed he could get used to it.

Maybe if I shorten the entire thing so the dish isn’t moving around in my periphery.

Jeb made it to the backyard, confirmed no children were standing nearby and aimed the stick in front of him. Behind him, Eddie crossed his arms and waited.

Jeb fed a drop of Myst through the staff.

A majestic black and rust-colored stag with twelve points to its magnificent antlers came into being directly in front of Jeb. The antlers had a strange aura of black and purple that seemed to pulse and quiver with barely-restrained energy.

Sadly, it was about the size of his palm.

The teacup-sized buck let out a startled bleat as it dropped down into the grass, falling from a height of about four feet.

“Maybe give it a little more juice,” Eddie noted, his voice dry.

“I can see that,” Jeb said, dialing up the output internally severalfold.

The next summon was about two feet tall, and from there, Jeb was able to quickly zero in on the amount of Myst it took to make a stag-sized stag. Jeb pushed it a little further, creating one nearly the size of a horse.

“Try it out on the wall,” Eddie said, nodding toward the brick wall fencing in the back of the manor.

Jeb was tempted to have the big stag ram it, but he decided on the teacup-sized one, just to be safe. The tiny stag bounded through the grass while the humans watched, leaping five feet up into the air and goring the brick wall with its antlers, treating the stone like softened butter.

The little stag managed to chew a hole through the wall before Jeb stopped him a moment later.

Jeb glanced over at the oversized stag standing next to him, whose shoulders were on the same level as Jeb’s. Its antlers were longer than Jeb’s arm and practically hummed with Annihilation Myst.

It looked back at him with a curious look, seeming to ask: You want me to go next?

No, I do not. We’ve only got so much wall, and Pedro would probably kick my ass if I destroyed the wall…more.

“Hey Pops!” Colt said, rounding the corner.

“What?” Jeb asked, he and Eddie glancing over at the teen.

“Nancy’s awake…” he said, frowning as he thumbed over his shoulder, eyeing the man-sized stag. “What are you guys doing?”

“Science project,” Jeb said, facing him, resisting the impulse to hide the staff behind his back.

“Right… Well, Nancy woke up a few hours ago, and Mrs. Everett says you can talk to her now.”

“Not bad for a prototype.