With the decision to move, Elric and the adventuring group took several minecarts to the surface. They made sure not to overpack each one to make the process smoother once they finished using the railroad system the cyborg and his army constructed. Under Android 02's guidance, the coordination of their efforts made it smooth and efficient like a well-oiled machine. While most of them were delegated to simple tasks, Android 01 & Priest Engel were frequently deployed to repair robots caught by the leftover ankheg colonies or general accidents.
Many drillbots, which turned out to be the name dubbed by Elric himself, were reprogrammed to go ahead and deposit whatever material they'd need to reach the cold iron mines and begin the construction of additional rails. The plan was to get at least a quarter of their forces upon the surface before beginning the ambush on the Idil camps. Christopher confidently assessed the forces that Idil possessed were inferior to them in both quantity and quality.
Chester and Elric were partnered up on one minecart, while Christopher and Damien were on the one behind them. According to the cyborg's estimate, they were on pace to reach the elevated surface within a couple of hours.
"I'm kind of excited, honestly," Elric said, getting comfortable as he finished powering the minecarts to push themselves at a slight uphill. "Tell me, what type of food do they have up there? Do they have crabs? They're my favorite."
"No, but I did have crabs once. I got it from a public restroom."
"...I meant the ones you...eat?"
"Well of course you eat them, how else would you get rid of them?"
The man looked sick as Chester went into detail about how he got rid of the crabs. Woefully unaware of the implications, Damien eavesdropped and asked the priest beside him who was also listening in. His brow was raised slightly, looking between the perturbed faces of the priest and cyborg.
"I'm not understanding. What does he mean by getting rid of crabs? They're a delicacy, especially when cooked properly. Why would he never need to get rid of them?"
Christopher coughed into his fist. "Although I am not certain, I believe he may be talking about the otherworld's version of Dire Pubic Lice."
The vampire noble's face was questioning at first, but realization sunk in and his expression turned into a mix of horror and disgust. He turned to see Chester wildly gesticulating a chewing motion along with a hand near his crotch area. Elric was bemused and repulsed.
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"Hey, you said you're Japanese, right?" Chester jogged up to catch up with his fellow otherworlder. They returned to the mines while the others were helping unload and build the railway system to make the move to the surface quicker. Most of the ankheg corpses, along with the destruction they caused were being processed and cleaned by the majority of their forces. The Queen's valuable carapace, or whatever remained of it, was cleaned and put in storage as a trophy.
"Yeah, what of it?"
"So that means you know a lot about anime and stuff?"
"Not necessarily because I'm Asian, but yes. I was a consumer."
"Haha, yeah that's what I was thinking. IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAND! Am I right?" Chester did the finger-guns and winked at the cyborg. Elric's expression was similar to how another would look at pure garbage. He realized how out of touch the older man was and Elric truly felt the generational gap between them.
"...Go help out the Scrap Bots with loading up the conveyor belts." He returned his attention to his office, collecting whatever goods and collectibles he wanted to bring with him to the surface. There wasn't much aside from what looked to be previous versions of his current helmet, each one made of worse material and with inferior craftsmanship; The man took them with him regardless. Whether it was a sentimental piece or up for repurposing, Chester didn't know.
"Come on! This is the first time I get the chance to talk to anybody about anything from Earth. Nobody gets my references here. Are you sure you don't want to join us traveling? You could probably share the bed with Damien. He's a midget."
Chester spent the next thirty minutes making outdated references to a variety of Japanese animation, each one making Elric cringe worse and worse. He was trying his best to ignore the man, but it appears the illusionist had experience keeping up a conversation with brick walls. The cyborg had him forcefully dragged away after making an especially lame Naruto reference.
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"Illusionist. Do you have. A moment?"
The illusionist was in the middle of lifting a particularly large set of equipment onto a minecart with the help of the foot soldiers and Scrap Bots. He turned his head to see Android 02 beckoning him over. It held the phallic-shaped translator beside him in a metal claw. He immediately stopped working and the group of machines buckled under the weight they were holding, trying their best to stabilize the load after Chester stopped supporting one side.
"Um, yeah. What do you want?"
"Elric requested the. Use of your spells. We noticed your. Minor Illusion skill. Can mimic sounds. Correct?"
Chester nodded his head slowly. "That's right...Why?" He seemed apprehensive and warily regarded the translator in his claw that the bulky robot waved around. Its face was set in default, neutral expression as it talked with him.
"He would like. A recording of. Your music. Through the spell. It will be. Recorded through this."
The man's eyes widened at the idea. "Wait, you're right! I can play some music with my skills. I never thought of using the sound portion of it like that. Genius."
He gladly obliged, recording several songs that he knew from memory. There was no duration limit on his spell, so he adjusted it accordingly and did a rendition of all his favorite songs. Chester's memory had improved significantly and he was able to recall the way every song sounded with a high degree of familiarity. It also helped him refine his technique and better understand the more subtle aspects of his favorite skill.
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The session only took fifteen minutes to complete. Chester breathed out slightly in exertion, as it took a decent amount of brainpower to recall the music and bring it to life.
"Many thanks. You may continue."
Chester returned to work, keeping his skill activated for the entirety of it and playing music. He noted how some of the robots seemed to be bopping their heads to the tunes, and it made his workload slightly more enjoyable with music. He wondered about the possibility of playing a theme song whenever he went into battle.
Meanwhile, Elric received the translator that recorded all the songs he produced. He quietly thanked Android 02 and turned it on, hoping to hear some good music while they strived to get all the major equipment loaded and ready to go before the second day.
"Party rockers in the house tonight!" The translator shouted in English, with a rhythmic, electronic beat. Elric froze for a brief moment, disappointed in the illusionist's music taste. He hoped that the other songs he recorded would be better. His expectations were low, and they were never met. For the remainder of the moving process, electronic party music was played. Christopher and Damien were subjected to a glimpse of Earth's music and culture along with the rest of the machines. Unlike their human counterparts, the bots seemed to enjoy Chester's archive of music.
'The sound grows on you after a while, like a fungus.' Damien thought to himself quietly after catching himself nodding his head back and forth to the music after several hours on repeat. It was better than dull silence, he figured. The music proved to be a satisfactory distraction during his efforts to unload equipment.
The illusionist recorded more songs under the demand and pleading of Elric. A wider variety which he conjured to the best of his memory. The rest of the time had wider varieties that consisted of personal favorites and radio hits. Even though the Aetherians couldn't understand the language, they enjoyed certain songs more than others.
Miners in Welton's Furnace would claim that they heard a strange noise deep in the ground. Some theorized it was the howling of the new, invasive species terrorizing their adamantium mines. Others believed it was caused by remnants of the draconic powers that remained after the attack five centuries ago. The rumors died down, dismissed as the drunken ramblings of the vertically-challenged laborers. No one could truly confirm the 'Humming Ghosts' below Welton's Furnace, and it fell into obscurity.
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Damien worked tirelessly. His motivation burned bright, and he saw the construction efforts as a chance to hone his strength and endurance, much like when he worked in the mines alongside the townspeople of Stillwater. Although most of the items weren't heavy enough to strain him as his regeneration proved to be too fast, he knew that the work would teach him something else; willpower and focus.
"Damien, are you not exhausted? You haven't stopped moving in the past twelve hours. Come here and rest, I brought rations." Christopher asked concernedly. His robes were spotless as he often took the chance to clean his clothes. He was resting away from the busy robots, with a canteen of water and food. The priest watched as Damien pulled a minecart full of miscellaneous items without any help, shirtless and exhausted.
"No thanks, Priest Engel." Damien declined politely in between breaths. Although his physique was naturally lean and small due to his age, the stat points he invested into physical abilities and his training regimen had a massive effect. His muscles were clearly defined, and his abs, and back were activated throughout the entire ordeal. There was a significant transformation from when they first met. "I'm doing this for training. I don't think I'll have much of a chance to do this while I'm on the path to Welton."
"But is there any need to push yourself so? Your drive has only increased since you got your class. It is concerning. Is there any particular reason why?"
That made the vampire pause. He wasn't sure how to interact with Priest Engel. As someone who knew his father, it made him feel somewhat closer to the man. Almost like a distant relative of some sort. He sighed and dropped the handle of the minecart, taking a seat beside the priest.
"When we lost to the Scrap Bot, I blamed myself. A lot." Damien said honestly. H wasn't used to voicing out his insecurities and concerns, but Christopher's supportive nature made him feel like he was a good person to confide in. "Seeing how all of us nearly died. I thought I was too weak. Trying to help people when I can't even help myself. It just keeps playing in my head and I don't want to fail like that ever again."
"Do not fret. I don't blame you. I doubt Chester does ei-"
"No. I fully blame him. Like, every single bit of this shit is his fault. How are you gonna pay me for my concussion, eh? Maybe some funds from your royal inheritance? A little peek into your family vault for compensation?"
The man snuck in carrying a load of rails, handing them to the foot soldiers as he neared the priest. Christopher gave him a stern glare. He was unhappy at the man's attempt at a joke. Chester squatted down and took some dried jerky and chewed on it absentmindedly.
"What matters is that you aren't at fault for what happened. We are all adults. We are aware of the risks that go with these sorts of missions. You can't bear the entire weight of failure by yourself."
Damien still looked discouraged, eating away at Priest Engel's dried rations. He gave the man a determined look and a small smile.
"Thanks. I needed to hear that."
"Hey, when are you going to give me some of that gold you got huh? Am I going to have to take this up with your family or something?"
"Shut it!"
Chester and the vampire grappled with each other, with the illusionist on the losing end. The boy's STR had surpassed his in such a short time. The blonde priest could only laugh as the diminutive boy overwhelmed the taller criminal and forced him into a headlock. Christopher was happy to see that the vampire's expression was lighter than before.
'Gideon, your child is a special one. A kind-hearted young man, he is.'
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Far away, in the depths of Aetheria where the environment was inhospitable to all but the strongest of monsters. Barren land with no resources, but full of mysterious phenomena that even the most experienced adventurers found difficult to weather. It was rumored to be where a battle between Solomon and Arkosa took place. The very earth was charged with mana, creating mystical forces that changed the weather and surroundings even a thousand years later.
Underneath the wasteland, tunnels upon tunnels like a maze-like labyrinth were in full activity. The dungeon-like area was being used as a facility. A cloaked figure walked quietly through the underground complex with a purpose. They walked past rows upon rows of children being trained to the ground, whipped and beaten whenever their forms strayed from perfection. From elves, humans, dwarves, and even half-giants. The children looked like broken dolls with no expressions.
The mysterious figure passed by a second room. Massive cylindrical tubes containing the bodies of other prepubescents, unconscious. Over a dozen workers with cold expressions took notes, adding a variety of chemicals and liquids into the vat. Some of them awakened, trying to escape as though they were bathed in acid.
Despite all this, it was silent. Only the shuffling footsteps, muffled screams, quiet groans, could be heard. Nobody dared to utter a single word.
After some time, the cloaked figure reached a gate of massive proportions. Nobody noticed them up until this point. The gate itself was simple but thick. Signs of rust and age were visible along its surface.
WHAT DO YOU WANT? I AM BUSY.
A clear voice resounded in the figure's head, but they didn't react whatsoever. It was powerful. A voice that radiated authority and a hint of impatience.
"Our operations in Elway have been uprooted."
A SHAME. NO MATTER. CEREBELLA IS NOT THE LARGEST THREAT AT THE MOMENT.
"It is dangerous. Idil was involved, and it looks like the news may have spread to other major powers. It may affect our long-term plan with Welton."
Even though it was silent beforehand, it had reached an absence reminiscent of the void as the figure warned the voice about the risks. It was so overpowering that the mysterious figure found it hard to hear his own thoughts. There was no pressure, but a cold unease that spread through the body like a virulent disease. As though an eldritch being was rearing its head back and staring into the depths of their very soul.
DEPLOY THE CONTRACTORS. WE WILL HASTEN OUR OPERATIONS BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. ANSWER THIS QUESTION OF MINE.
"Of course, milord."
WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE COLLAPSE IN ELWAY?
"It began with one of our covert operatives being captured during his time in the Finamore Coliseum." It said, keeping their head bowed low. "Presumably they were defeated by Dracule's great-grandson and his aide."
THE UNFALLEN? CURIOUS, I HEARD HE STAYED LOW SINCE THE PEARL ISLAND INCIDENT. I HEARD NO REPORTS OF HIM ENTERING ELWAY.
"I'm afraid it wasn't Braham, milord. It is Damien Rose, the youngest of the bloodline. A secondary incident regarding the theft of Attainium made by an imposter disguised as our cult made the Archmage even more vigilant. I fear that Elway will have to wait an additional decade or so before we can truly dig into the kingdom again."
AS LONG AS OUR DEEP COVER OPERATIVES AREN'T DISCOVERED, ALL IS WELL. INFORM THEM TO STAY DOWN UNTIL MY COMMAND. IF DRACULE MOVES, WE INVADE WISPERIUM. OBSERVE THE CONTRACTORS AND ENSURE EVERYTHING GOES SMOOTHLY. DO NOT INTERVENE. YOU ARE AN ASSET TO OUR PLANS, POLYBIUS. YOU MUST NOT BE DISCOVERED AT ALL COSTS.
"I am your eternal servant, milord."
The cloaked figure dissipated, vanishing into thin air once more. With the voice left alone, silence consumed all.
And eventually, it will consume everything else.