The family stood outside of the Bouchard compound. There was a post sticking out of the pavement of the cul-de-sac with a big red button on it.
"Do we push it?" Cass asked.
Zavier looked at them and shrugged. "Is there ever a big red button you don't push?" and he did exactly that.
Moments passed before straight lines appeared in the wall and a door slid outward smoothly. With another shrug Zavier led them inside.
What had previously looked like a miscellaneous collection of scattered supplies and workshops had been transformed into something straight out of a renaissance faire. Huge sheets of metal and reinforced wood planks created long eaves that cast the entire front half of the property in shadows, while the back half that was open to the sun was an explosion of colors from Chloe's labyrinth of raised gardens.
Jason's sawhorses had been replaced by heavy duty machinery pulled out of the garage and fitted with seemingly-random steampunk attachments. Saws, drill presses, lathes, and machinery that Zavier couldn't even guess at was laid out in neat squares, one piece feeding the next. Stacks of reinforced materials were stacked in piles, none of them looking like just wood anymore. Some cast gentle reflections, others radiated deep light, while others looked to have taken on a metallic hue.
Where Jason's was an exercise in organization, Madison's looked like a mad person's workshop. Long, deep tables bordered half of her workspace, covered in a multitude of devices that seemed to be getting power directly from the tables themselves. Knowing what to look for, Zavier was able to trace the power cables to the array of metal spikes evenly spaced in the earth around her space. The other half of her workshop was a massive slab of concrete that held larger gadgets straight out of a steampunk dream. Small carts whirred, a Frankensteinian Roomba bumped around the space, and Zavier could even see the beginnings of an exoskeleton standing like a silent sentinel in one corner.
Those sites all paled in comparison to the gardens. Dozens of beds could be seen from where they stood with more behind them, obscured by distance and the ones in front of them. Pots and pitchers rested under many of them to catch odd liquids, while others had nets surrounding them. One even had a chain link fence surrounding the entire bed, the garden itself obscured by an odd mist that filled the space but didn't seem able to work past the openings in the fence.
Owen stepped up beside them, handing he and Tess beers.
Zavier sipped without looking, not able to take his eyes off the space. "You've been busy," was all he could say.
"Ayup," was the response.
Zavier and Tess sat with Owen and Chloe, the comfortable silence a welcome reprieve from the stress and activity of the last few weeks. Tess didn't realize how much she'd needed this. The constant activity had kept her focused and distracted, but she could feel the well inside her opening up beneath her feet. Human connection outside of her family was something she'd never been very good at but had desperately needed. Zavier always seemed to be able to make friends with a casual ease that left her feeling discouraged and envious. She often wondered what her life would be like if she had a lot of friends and if she could just hang out like every other woman seemed able to do. She shook away the thoughts and focused on the conversation Zavier and Owen had started.
"The point?" Owen asked, obviously repeating something Zavier had asked. He looked around the compound, considering the question. "I guess the point is just to survive all this. Things seem like they going to get worse before it all gets better. Chloe may as well be prepared."
"But what if you need to leave? How are you going to take this with you?"
"Don't see much point in leavin'. Everywhere else is probably just as bad as here. May as well make a stand where all my stuff is. Other places ain't got my stuff," he said with an amused chuckle.
"True, true," Zavier smiled and took another sip of the beer.
"What happens when the beer runs out though?"
Owen looked aghast. "I thought you knew me, man."
The conversation continued for another hour, the light banter releasing tension that none of them had realized they had been holding. Zavier leaned forward, his tone growing serious.
"If things get bad the rest of the neighborhood is going to come to you for help."
Owen and Chloe shared a look. "Yup, figure that'll happen."
"What are you going to do then?"
He shrugged. "Don't know. We can take in a few, help some out, but we can't save everyone. Don't know how we can even start figuring out who gets help and who doesn't. Figure I'll burn those bridges when I get to them."
Zavier turned to Chloe . "Speaking of help, I have a big ask. We don't have anything for healing. You had something that healed me before, do you have anything like that?"
Owen and Chloe shared another look and Zavier felt the answer coming before she gave it. "I do," she said hesitantly, "but we're saving those. I doubt we'll be able to keep everything away forever, at some point we're going to have to fight these things face-to-face and I want to have as many healing supplies as I can for when that happens."
Zavier leaned back and rubbed his face with his hands. "I get that Chloe , I really do - I'd do the same thing myself. But is there anything you can spare?"
Chloe shared a pained look with Owen and he looked at Zavier. "Not saying we don't want to help. You and me, we've been like brothers for as long as I can remember. Of course we'll help if shit hits the fan and you and yours need it, but I don't want to spare what you don't need yet."
Zavier opened his mouth to argue and Tess could see that this was going to go bad fast. The last thing they needed was to make enemies of the Bouchards. Plus, Tess didn't want to see him ruin his longest friendship. She put her hand on his gently and the furious look in his eyes ebbed some. He took a deep breath then nodded, leaning back in his chair.
Looking at Chloe she reached out to put her other hand on hers. "I don't blame you. You two are making the smart decision. The RIGHT decision. What you're doing isn't selfish, it's necessary."
Owen and Chloe both relaxed at that and Chloe's face filled with gratitude.
"But I'm asking it anyway. From one mother to another, will you help? I don't know how much you can spare but we'd be willing to pay for it."
Owen sat up in his chair, his smile back. "Pay for it? Well that's all ya had to say then. Why didn't you lead with that?"
Half an hour later they were walking back to their house, Tess holding the bag of pill bottles tightly to her chest as if they'd disappear. It turned out that Chloe had a huge stockpile of small gelatin capsules that looked like jelly beans, each one enough to heal about 25% of any injury they could take at their current levels. They'd stockpiled enough for a year of fights, huge sections of Chloe's gardens dedicated to different types of healing plants. She had four oversized pill bottles, each with 50 of the healing pills and four injectors that should be able to restore someone to full health from even 1%.
Tess had broken down in tears when Chloe had handed her those and the two women had hugged, sharing the relief of mothers who could save their children if something terrible happened. Chloe had explained that the pills didn't work instantly but that they did massively boost their natural healing ability. A wound that would normally take weeks to heal would be gone in a few minutes, and something minor, like a slash to the arm, would heal in seconds. If any of them took 25% damage they could be restored to full in minutes, and the pills even allowed them to stack. The first pill would take someone from 50% to 75% and they could immediately take another to get to full health.
They weren't sure of the effects of the injections, none of the Bouchards had been willing to go down to 1% to test them, but Chloe was confident it would pull someone from the brink of death and stabilize them enough for the healing to occur. They were much more potent so Chloe warned that there may be physical side effects or a backlash to injecting that much potent healing magic in one go, but if it saved their lives Tess wasn't worried about that.
Cass and Luna were babbling about their upgrades. Madison had improved Luna's gauntlet and Cass was gently touching the new surface of his shields. Tess identified them as they walked.
Item Name: Enhanced Dust Devil Rattler Scale Buckler
Description: This shield is crafted from the tough scales of the Dust Devil Rattler, providing excellent protection while retaining remarkable flexibility. Its sleek design enhances the wearer's speed and agility in combat. It has been enhanced by Jason Bouchard.
Stats:
Defense: +3 Agility: +1
Special Abilities:
Special Ability - Swift Defense: When wielded in combat, the Dust Devil Rattler Scale Buckler enhances the wearer's speed and agility, allowing for swift movements and quick reactions. This provides advantage on Dexterity-based checks and saving throws to evade incoming attacks. Enhanced Ability - Knockback: This shield has been enhanced by a talented craftsman. A sophisticated layer of kinetic-absorbing material has been bonded to the front of the shield, allowing it to reflect kinetic energy back to the source without the energy being transferred to the holder. Excess force beyond the shield's absorption limit results in standard knockback for the user. Enhanced Ability - Razor's Edge: Upgraded with sharp, durable metal strips along the edges, this shield can now be used as a cutting weapon. The Razor's Edge enhancement allows for swift slashes and effective counterattacks, adding offensive capability to its defensive use.
Item Name: Cogslinger Gauntlet (Upgraded)
Type (crafted): Combat Gadget
Origin: Crafted by Madison Bouchard, Gadgeteer
Description: An enhanced version of the original Cogslinger Gauntlet, now featuring additional modifications for increased versatility and combat effectiveness. The gauntlet can now store and release arcane energy, providing various elemental effects to the projectiles based on the abilities of the creature it last absorbed energy from.
Special Abilities:
Elemental Infusion Mode: The gauntlet adapts its projectiles to mimic the abilities of the creature it last absorbed energy from. For instance, absorbing energy from an Arcane Scamperer allows it to fire lightning-infused bolts or create illusory decoys.
Note: User cannot choose how the effects manifest. Effects may change even after absorbing energy from the same creatures but will always take on elements from the creature's ability set.