"Oh, there's a lot." He smiles.

He's not going to talk about all his spells, only the ones that he thinks could be useful. He also won't talk about buffs that don't apply to multiple people. He also won't talk about third-circle spells because he can't cast any more of them today. He also won't talk about his cantrips because none of them seem worth it to put on a second-circle slot in this situation.

"I can protect..." this language does not have words for Lawful or Chaotic that he likes. Okay, never mind then.

"Er, I can do the healing I did on you, but that's only for one person. I can put a bunch of people to sleep for several minutes, but it can fail. I can make a hologram," good, they have a word for that. "I can make horses for people to ride on. I can arrest people's falls and make them land softly. I can see invisible entities and objects. I can make someone a lot stupider for an hour if I touch them. I can make a hiding and resting place for us that will last six hours. I can transmit a message through the wind someplace less than six miles away."

He won't talk about Detect Thoughts.

"Duncan, do you trust this man?"

"GAH! Where did you come from?"

"No time. Answer me. Do you trust him?"

Is that a Sandworm coming? Fuck, they need to get out of the sand!

Does he trust Ferrer? Not really, but... "I owe him my life."

"See that ridge? Stay there and do not - for any reason - move until I tell you so."

"There is a Sandworm coming!"

"I know. I called Him."

He is also startled! He puts his hand on his dagger, but doesn't draw it.

Okay. One of Duncan's allies.

"What is a Sandworm?"

"What is says on the tin. Giant worm, burrows and moves under the sand. Attracted by any rhythmic sound, and by shields. The biggest can reach up to 400 meters in length, and their mouth can easily span more than 60 meters in diameter. If they hear you - and you can't get out of the sand - you're dead, they are faster than a running man and absolutely relentless in their pursuit. And apparently Dr Kynes just fucking summoned one. There is no use in running now, it's too close and this transport will not fly without repairs. Kynes seemed to know what they're doing, and it's not as if we have alternatives." He will move to where Kynes told him to, and gestures for Ferrer to follow.

Conrad was not taught this in bestiary class!!!

Right. Presumably, Dr Kynes has some way of controlling the beast.

Conrad will follow.

Is it faster than a horse? No, Duncan said that it would relentlessly pursue, so it didn't matter.

*Thump*

*Thump*

*Thu

As the worm emerges to swallow the thumper, Liet just jumps on it, and uses the hooks to lift two scales from the worm's armor, controlling it and preventing it from burrowing back.

"Get ready to jump, you two!"

...

Ok. Well. That explains a lot of things actually.

They're really doing this. He should have prepared Cat's Grace.

He makes sure all the items on his person are secure in preparation for jumping.

It doesn't look like Kynes is using magic to bind the beast? Not obviously, anyway. It's possible they have spells on them, or that the hooks are enchanted, or that the spell doesn't have visible effects – lots of spells don't. If they are...it would be a ninth-circle spell to cast Dominate Monster. Maybe there's an alternate form of it? Or, Kynes is a druid, not a wizard, and so has a more efficient spellform for it, or has a specific variation of Dominate Monster that only works on Sandworms, which stabilizes at a lower circle.

Whatever the case might be, it's clear that they are very powerful. If it wasn't magic, well, he can't imagine it being any easier to do it mundanely.

*Jump*

Jump!

"Glad you both made it. How many Sardaukars are left in the station?"

"About 40 or so. Of which none is alive, to be clear."

Conrad will be Very Quiet and not speak unless he's spoken to by the archmage or their ally.

"Good. I saw you down the thopters. The third one crashed when it got too close to the storm. Idiots. Your Duke just went right into it. I would call him an idiot too, but I don't think he is. I hope he'll make it to the Sietch. I'll send some people to do a discreet cleanup, but right now we should get going."

Your Duke. Not my or the or our Duke. Which implies that Kynes isn't beholden to or formally a vassal or subordinate of Duke Atreides. Which makes sense – they are an archmage. Or an archdruid. He doesn't know druid titles. Can he learn how to ride a Sandworm. He knows that some wizards take on familiars – he has never wanted a familiar more in his entire life. Can he have a Sandworm familiar. Can he ride a Sandworm into battle. Can he apprentice under Dr Kynes. What is a Sietch. Presumably a Sietch is good, because Paul is meant to go there...it could also mean that Paul just suicided himself and Jessica and the Sietch is what they call one of the afterlife planes, and Dr Kynes hopes he makes it there even though suicide is Evil. Maybe it's a Neutral afterlife and Jessica is Good, so even if she commits suicide, it will just drop her down to Neutral, whereas Paul is Neutral and risks Evil. It would explain why they said 'he'.

Conrad is being Very Quiet.