Chapter Nineteen: Where the Dogs of Society Howl
Fourth Tower Year 4771, 10.5.3
The Holy Kingdom of Zah’paht Dur
City of Threshis
The days passed quickly as Marc continued his preparations to leave. He filled his inventory with supplies for the long trip as well as gifts and items that were difficult to get outside of the Kingdom.
He also stocked up on spices and local ingredients as well as additional smithing materials. Since he could use his personal space to recreate the forge, he only needed raw materials to keep working on his blacksmithing from anywhere he happened to be.
In the end, he had to sell off a few hundred grams of Mythril to pay for everything he wanted to take. Even though he managed to sell it for a kingly sum, this brought a new wave of complaints from Kira. She seemed to look at their supply as her personal property and complained every time he tried to use any of it.
Marc knew this was because she was hoarding it for her homunculus project. She had already shown him several iterations, each more advanced than the last, but the power issue continued to be a problem.
Without a living core, Mana crystals would quickly discharge and could not recharge by themselves. Kira had explained to him that even if they had a Mana Core, it wouldn’t work. Once it was removed from the organism that had grown it, the core was inert and would no longer gather Mana without some external control.
The Catalyst that Isabella had created used a combination of rare Mana Cores and complex runes to circumvent that limitation, but it would be nearly impossible to gather such rare items even if Kira could figure out how to design a new control matrix. Kira continued to nag Marc about the problem constantly.
《Maybe we can find a natural Catalyst.》
“What’s a natural Catalyst?” Marc asked, his fatigue with this topic clear in his voice.
《Isabella only needed to make a Catalyst because she was born in this world. She learned about catalysts from other Travelers who had natural ones.》
“So other Travelers had them? You want to go looking for ones they may have left behind?”
《Exactly!》
“What do they look like? Where can we find one?” Marc felt like this conversation was like a theme park ride. Repeatedly going around in circles, but never able to get off the same well-worn track. Kira was so determined it was starting to get annoying.
《I DON’T KNOW! This is so frustrating. If I just had a clue.》
Marc couldn’t help but snicker. He was rewarded with a Mana blast smack to the back of his head.
“Ow!”
《You are such an idiot! How did I live without the power to hit you until now? 》
“So you have no information on what a Catalyst actually is?” Marc rubbed his head where Kira had thumped him.
《Nothing. The only thing I could find was a mention that it may have been something other Travelers brought with them.》
“Well, The only things I brought with me were my backpack and my clothes. I admit those items were special, but nothing that amazing. Besides we have already integrated the clothes into other items so I could keep the status boosts.”
Kira summoned the remaining items from his inventory. The backpack, a water bottle, a paperback novel, a flashlight, an ID badge, and his old iPod, appeared on the bed in his room.
Marc kept the two pork tacos in his storage. They were the only things he never took out. He imagined someday he would get so homesick that he would want to have some taste of home. After so many years, however, it would be strange to eat them, even if they were stuck in his inventory where time did not pass.
Each item was indestructible, if they were damaged, simply infusing them with Mana would return them to their current condition. It was similar to his recovery ability, but as they could not gather Mana, they could not recover without his help. Instead, he kept them in his storage, intending to someday use his Shaping skill to remake them into other objects that could take advantage of their indestructible property.
Regardless, it would appear that they lacked the power of the so-called natural catalyst. Marc looked over each item again and started to put them back into his inventory when he stopped.
He held the ID card in his hand, flipping it over so he could examine the photo and read the information on the card. Everything looked exactly as he remembered. But something was bothering him. Something that he knew, but hadn’t put together until this moment.
“Didn’t I return this?”
《What?》
“This badge. I could swear I gave it back to security when I was fired. How did it end up in my bag?”
His memory of past events was perfect. He could remember every detail of that last day. He had certainly handed in his badge to security before leaving the building. The next time he saw it was after he had arrived in the new world.
《Strange. You are correct. You should not have this, unless it was added to your bag later.》
“So this should not be here?”
On a whim, Marc pulled a small knife from his inventory.
《What are you doing?》
“Just a little test. I’ll fix it after,” Marc said as he cut, neatly bisecting the plastic card.
He placed the badge on the bed and watched it.
Nothing happened.
“Oh well, it was worth a try.” Marc sighed. He picked up the badge and started to channel Mana into it so it would start repairing itself.
[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED A CATALYST.]
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
《Are you kidding me? You had it the ENTIRE Time?》
“You are mad at me? How was I supposed to know? Shouldn’t you have been the one to tell me about it?” He countered.
《… I didn’t know.》
Marc watched as the badge started to change shape. It slowly melted, then congealed into a ball of goop. Finally, the form contracted into a sphere and hardened into what looked like a large pearl about the size of a marble.
[MANA CATALYST]
“Kira, what is it?”
《I had it the whole time. How did I miss it?》
“Kira?” Marc asked with concern.
《Finally! I can do it now!》
“Wait, do what?”
《You’ll see. This is going to be…》
“Kira?” She was definitely acting erratically. Each stage update made his interface more human-like, but that also included more erratic and unpredictable.
《Marc?》
“Are you… Okay? Like, you’re not broken are you?”
《I’m fine. But I need something.》
“What do you mean? What do you need?”
《Your things from the other world. The bottle, the tacos, the book, all of it.》
“What do you mean you need it? It’s all in my inventory.”
《I mean, I need that material. If it doesn’t work I can probably reform everything back to their original form, but I’m not entirely sure. It’s your stuff. I can’t just take it.》
“What are you talking about? What doesn’t work? Kira, you need to explain what is going on. What are you trying to do?”
《I can’t. Not yet. If it works… I promise you will be glad I did it. I just… I want to try this. I need your help.》
Marc was stumped. He was worried at how strange Kira had been acting lately, but it was not like he had much of a choice. He needed her to control most of his more powerful abilities. It was completely out of his hands. There was nothing else he could do except trust her.
Not only that, but the amount of help she had provided so far had kept him alive and helped him in uncountable other ways. She was rude, condescending, and outright a pain to deal with, but she had never done anything to cause him serious harm, excluding the occasional mana blast to the head.
Like it or not, they were tethered together, and he had to admit that he still held most of the control. She could advise him and nag him, but without him, she had no purpose or ability. If things were swapped he had to admit he would not be that fun to work with either.
“Whatever you are planning. It might permanently alter those things?”
《…I’m not sure. I think it’s reversible, but I can’t be sure until I do it.》
Marc thought about his possessions. Now that his old clothes had been integrated into his other clothing, they were the only things left from his old life. He still missed his old hoodie. He wondered how he would feel about losing that paperback. An indestructible water bottle was hard to come by. It was a tough decision.
《Please?》
Kira was serious. She could probably just take whatever she wanted from his inventory. She had done it before. But now she actually said “Please.”?
“Do you need it all?” He asked.
《Well, maybe not eve-》
“The iPod. Not the iPod.”
《I suppose I can try without it.》
“Okay.”
《Really?》
“Try not to completely destroy everything. Well, I guess the tacos would be okay. I don’t have the guts to try and eat indestructible food. But the rest of it. Just try and be careful. And leave me the iPod. Safan will never forgive either of us if we lose all that music.”
《Thankyouthankyouthankyou.》
Marc still wasn’t convinced that this wasn’t a huge mistake, but he decided to trust Kira once again. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but he had to admit he had benefited greatly from his faith in her so far.
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Marc had agreed to meet up with Hee-ssu and Hee-deh on the third day of the New Year’s Festival. The first two days were typically reserved for family, so he assumed there would be a lot of obligations the two would need to handle before they left the city.
Marc was uneasy about this meeting. If they were going to travel together, he would need to first pass this hurdle. Judging from how they reacted, this whole enterprise might collapse. For the hundredth time that day, Marc cursed Kira for putting him in this situation.
They met up in front of the smithy which was convenient for Marc. All the logistical planning for their journey to Clearwater had already been taken care of. Supplies were purchased and stored away in Marc’s inventory and Hee-Deh’s storage bag. They had contracted as escorts for a merchant caravan that would be heading as far as the border of the Republic. From there it should be easy to find another group heading to Clearwater.
Today was the last free day that they would be able to relax and simply enjoy the festival. It was also the day that Marc had decided to spring his surprise on the siblings and see if things worked out as Kira and he had planned.
The brother and sister arrived and Marc noticed they were wearing traditional Dwarven festival garb. He had never seen them wearing the colorful flowing robes before, but was more than familiar with the style having lived in the Kingdom for years. He had never picked up an outfit for himself, although human versions were commonly sold. He thought they were too flashy and worried that it might attract too much attention. Seeing the pair and the people on the street, he realized that on days like today, he was the one who stuck out.
Marc greeted them and complimented their dress as well as giving the standard New Year’s first greeting.
“Grace for our friendship and Trust in our bond.” He said.
“Grace, and Hope for the New Year.” They both gave the traditional reply. Even Hee-deh mumbled her response in a whisper.
“Shall we head to the festival grounds?” Hee-ssu asked, already turning to walk towards the park where entertainers and vendors would be gathered.
“Before that, I have something I need to show you both,” Marc spoke, an uncomfortable smile on his face.
“I’m sorry to add this at the last minute like this, but I have a request. There is someone else I would like to travel with us.”
Hee-ssu frowned. It was too late to make any changes to their travel plans. They would be departing the day after the festival ended and Guild offices would not be open in time to change any contract details. Additional supplies would also be a problem.
“It won’t cause any problems or delays. It’s just…” Marc was losing his confidence looking into Hee-ssu’s concerned face.
“This was a last-minute thing, but I think it could actually help us on the road.”
Hee-deh was the first of the pair to notice a movement in Marc’s shadow. She pulled on her brother’s arm and pointed at Marc’s feet.
From behind Marc’s leg, a small animal stepped out from behind him.
It looked somewhat like a mix between a large housecat and a fox. It had shocking red and white fur in a pattern like a raccoon, and stood on two legs, moving as naturally as a human.
“Kobold!” Hee-ssu inhaled sharply and stepped back. Then he saw the bright green collar around the beast’s neck.
“A tamed beast?” He asked incredulously.
“Since when were you a tamer?”
“That… That’s a long story.”
Tamed beasts were rare. Most, like the Wyvern and Nue, were used for commercial purposes, in agriculture or transportation. This world did not have a concept of house pets as it introduced danger into cities and domestication of beast breeds was difficult. Many children had begged for Vorpal rabbits or kobolds to care for, but those requests were never granted.
Should a beast become successfully tamed, they would need to be properly trained, and only once they could demonstrate that they presented no danger, could they wear the green collars of a tamed beast. Marc had to exert a great deal of effort to obtain this collar before the offices all closed for the New Year’s Festival.
“She’s well trained. I promise she will be an asset as we travel. I’m sorry I didn’t mention it before, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to get everything handled before the New Year. Now that it’s all approved, I hope it’s ok if I bring her with us.” Marc explained.
He knew that Hee-ssu was a practical and level-headed person, so he was sure he could convince the Dwarf to go along with it. The worry was…
Hee-deh dashed straight at him. Marc panicked and moved to block any attack she might make on the small beast, but she moved surprisingly fast.
In a flash, Hee-deh had scooped up the beast and in a blur of colors was back standing in front of her brother.
“Isn’t it so adorable?” She squealed as she held up the stunned animal to her brother who had a panic-struck expression to match Marc’s.
The two men stared at each other, not knowing what to say as the Hee-deh clutched the squirming kobold to her chest.
She turned to Marc and with a delighted expression he had never expected to see on the quiet and shy Dwarf’s face asked, “What’s its name?”
This was not an outcome Marc had prepared for, but it looked like it might work out after all. If there were any problems, it would not be something he would have to deal with directly. His partner would have to take care of it going forward. He allowed himself a moment to gloat internally before he answered.
“Her name is Kira.”
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End of Book Two, Part One