Garus Horatius Rex frowned as he walked. His mind was spinning. Too many things at once. I wish I could automate some of this. Did what I could with the drones I made, but there's still too much. How did I miss that huge fucking spear of his? I need to go back and check more of the footage. I was so entertained by his attempts to get coffee in the mornings that I didn't even think…
He turned his hat in annoyance. Should have taken it. Shouldn't have gotten intimidated by some girl. After seeing Carl's magical spear, which was overtly a weapon of extreme power, he'd planned to take it from the idiot, asking questions as he could during their fishing contest to learn more about it, but his plan had been thwarted by his own caution.
Surely she couldn't beat me. Fighting in the arena is different than fighting for real. And I had my combat drones ready too. Garus Horatius Rex grimaced. Despite what he told himself now, he'd stopped for a reason. The woman he'd been looking for had arrived at the perfect time.
Too perfect.
It had been a mere instant before he was about to use the controller headband hidden in his hat to order his combat drones to attack so he could take the spear. Carl had been completely intent on catching his one last fish…
Garus Horatius Rex—though he wished he could just be Gary again—clenched his teeth. What was that? I've never caught a fish that big before, and I've been here for almost ten years! Seen them in the underwater drone feed plenty, but they never come up close enough to the surface!
He shook his head as he strode back through the gate to D-two. Get a hold of yourself. Can't be acting like that. Finally managed to talk to her now after she showed up with such suspicious timing, and it doesn't seem like she's going to oppose me, so it's clear sailing from here on out. I'll just finish my plan to become the new celebrity of the empire, convince people to join the church in my victory speech, and then Lucia will bring Zoe back to me like she promised once she gets all her new followers.
It was the thought that had had kept him going since he'd come to another world so many years ago. He'd had a short period of welcome in the pure whiteness of the spirit world, where Lucia had granted him a chance to be with Zoe once more. His long-passed wife had been unable to speak in the too-brief time they'd shared, but he could see by the emotion in her eyes how much she'd missed him. It had nearly broken his heart again when he'd been forced to leave her embrace.
He'd been sent down to this new world with a mission and a reward waiting for him when he succeeded. It had been a lonely time, but he'd persevered in his task despite his hardships, doing his best to accomplish his goal in a way that would help people, something he'd always tried to do despite his temper and social anxiety. He'd been aided by the abilities he'd been granted: the precise knowledge of how to create any non-magical, non-living thing he could imagine, the ability to effortlessly synthesize those creations provided he had the necessary components, and the sense of exactly where he could find any raw material he needed.
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He'd gotten a boost to his strength and longevity too, just to ensure he didn't die prematurely, but fighting like that wasn't his style. I'm not some stupid kid like that Norman idiot. Why would you ever fight up close on your own when you might die? This isn't some kind of game. At least Arlene agrees with me on that if nothing else.
His experience just prior to leaving the lake had soured his outlook on the day. Not in the mood to walk anymore. Garus Horatius Rex checked his watch. Should be here any—Ah, there it is.
One of the solar-powered buses he'd created drove up to the side of the street he was waiting at. He'd made an exception to his policy of not giving out advanced technology for these buses, the tracks, and some of the city's street lights when the empress had demanded that any public transit or spectacle he provided not be dependent on fuel logs or anything that might become unavailable. She was a shrewd one, and even despite his knowledge from a much more advanced society, he'd never managed to come out of one of their meetings feeling like he'd really held the advantage.
That wasn't a problem though. Garus Horatius Rex walked up the steps onto the bus and showed his badge of citizenship to the driver, who was yet another off-duty gladiator, before taking one of the empty seats. I have to admit it, she's a genius. Everyone in her empire decides to fight in the arena, so she lets them and then puts them to work all over the city as part of the price to compete. Like cogs in a machine.
He considered yet again the wayward cog he'd found a short ways outside his base the previous week. I'm sure if I was there in person talking to her I'd stop getting sidetracked so easily. At least long enough to get a name. She has to be from Earth if she's carrying around modern electronics like that. He folded one of his legs across the other and leaned back into his seat, crossing his arms. Still haven't been able to get a camera back into her room or talk to her since the feed cut off. I'll head back tomorrow after the race and see if I can make any progress. If not… Well, no sense in leaving any loose ends around for when Zoe comes back, even if the woman's been a good listener.
Loose ends… Still no idea what that thing was that grabbed one of the Theta Six models a few days ago. Flew off out of range so fast I had to put the Gamma Twos on auto to chase and couldn't even get close enough to get it back into the mesh long enough for a data sync. I should probably get more Theta Sixes online first thing when I get back. The spares I brought up remotely afterwards might not be enough if that wasn't a one-time occurrence…
As the bus continued through the city, his thoughts turned back to his brief talk with Volcatia Scipio. What an odd person. I expected her to demand that I stay out of her city after she recognized me, but it's like she doesn't even care. Well, I can't complain. Her time is over, and it's my city now. Has been for years. That sister of the annoying Charus princess won't be racing with her car after it exploded, so nobody else will be able to challenge me.
After tomorrow, this empire will have a new legend.