Free Bridgeworlds: Rise of the Magi by Randy Blackwell Page A

“Well, Doc, most of them are wearing robes and carrying rolls of paper under their arms.”
    “That’s parchment, and judging from their appearance, I’d say they’re scholars. Now Myles, what do all three of them have in common?”
    “Hmm, let’s see... they have pointed ears, they have angular features, and they have wings just like you do.”
    “Good job, Myles. You really do have excellent observation skills. These shared features mean that as far as species go, they are cousins sharing common ancestors.”
    Myles realized it was like a poker game. He was looking for a “tell”, something that would give useful information. You could tell what kind of a poker player someone was before the game even started by the clothes they wore and the way they spoke. “You know what, Doc? This science stuff isn’t so bad.”
    “It really can be fun, Myles. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” Being the consummate scientist, Omar wrote in his journal:
    We have observed three smaller species. I have named them based on their physical appearance.
    1. Coprinus comatus - humanoids (all males have beards), who all wear a mushroom cap, have fur clothing, and stand about one foot in height.
    2. Anisoptera Compleo – humanoids with bright hair and eyes, who eat frequently, have large wings like a dragonfly, and only stand about 3 inches in height.
    3. Darklings – also humanoids, who stand about 3 inches in height, have jet black hair, and all wear dark clothing.
    In addition, we observed seven other species which were larger and closer in size to an Earthly human. These descriptions are only our early conclusions based on watching them from a significant distance. Further information will be collected after we’ve approached them and hopefully interacted with them.
    1. Sentio Bipedal Felis – talking sentient creatures that look and react like cats but who walk on two feet and wear clothing.
    2. Petra Compleo Minimus – 3-to-4-foot tall humanoids with rock-like growths dispersed throughout their bodies.
    3. Compleo Exilis – unusually thin humanoids, appearing to be poorly nourished.
    4. Compleo Profundus – unusually thick humanoids, bulky in structure.
    5. Compleo Creaturas – bestial creatures with humanoid forms but having multiple animal traits.
    6. Compleo pisci – humanoids with webbed digits and gills as though intended for living or laboring in the water.
    7. Angelus Compleo Lux – winged humanoids that give off light and have angular features.
    After jotting down those notes, Omar turned to Myles and laid out his strategy. “We must wait for the right opportunity to reveal our presence. If we surprise them at a bad time, we could spend years trying to win their trust, or we could even be killed. I believe this is paramount to whatever we do, especially for you.”
    “Yeah, Doc, I agree with you. Believe me, I don’t want to die now, just when it’s getting interesting. If we watch for the right moment, we could even get a hero’s welcome. I’m all about knowing your audience and then working the crowd for the best response possible. That’s why they call us 'con artists'.” His grin slowly widened until he was at his charming best, but Omar just waved him off in disgust. He didn’t want to con these beings. He genuinely wanted to win their trust so that he could learn from them.
    As Omar walked away, he realized that Myles might be right. There was probably no one more skilled at winning a crowd than Myles. He would probably find a creative way for them to introduce themselves when the time was right. For now, though, they’d wait and watch and see how things unfolded.
    Omar began to feel really tired so he turned back to Myles and said with a yawn, “It’s been another long day, Rags. Let’s get some shut-eye and we can work out the rest of our strategy when we’re thinking more clearly.” Myles nodded in agreement so they went back into the room and settled down to sleep.
    For the past two days