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Crystallization
Chapter forty-five

Chapter forty-five

“Thank you again for all your help,” Ronin said to Leo, once Staz had departed with the recorded messages, and the dryad, oakkin couple. Ronin couldn’t help but wonder how well Owl two would fair with the strong willed oni around. Somehow, he didn’t think the giant would be so easy to manipulate.

“Don’t thank me,” Leo said. He’d made his way to the door of Ronin’s hotel room, but he stopped and looked back at Ronin intently. “Listen kid… despite what happened… I’ve got a good feeling about you. So, what do you say we team up for the competition?” Ronin stared at the man’s intense gaze, for a moment he was unsure of what the older man meant.

“We weren’t going to be working together as a father son team?” He asked at last, figuring it would be best to get clarification, than be wrong later.

“Of course, we pretty much have to it seems. But I was referring to a real partnership, not just me forcing your compliance. I think you’ll have more to offer as a volunteer than as a conscript.” Having said this, he reached out to shake Ronin’s hand.

“Of course,” Ronin said accepting the hand with his own. “Knowing what’s at stake, I can’t see myself giving any less than my all anyway.” He said honestly, though he had a feeling Leo was after something else. A feeling that was confirmed after Leo left, simply adding that they’d meet up on the outside.

“You know he plans to use you for everything you have and then throw you away, right?” Elyria asked from where she sat in his chair. Her feet were propped up on the desk and she was fiddling with a butterknife of her own. What was it with his escorts and stealing cutlery?

“There you are.” Ronin said with a smirk, stopping at the mini fridge to grab out three clear glass bottles that were labeled as ‘craft soda.’ Ronin wasn’t sure what that was, but the liquid inside was a bright orange color. He shrugged, tossing one to each girl and opening his. He hadn’t really read the menu, just picking something at random. “I was beginning to worry about you. You haven’t been yourself since we left the caves.”

“What do you want me to say?” She asked, twisting the cap off her drink. “I thought I was the world wise, star traveling adviser, to the foolish ruler who had good intensions, but no moral compass, or common sense… then we ended up here and I realized your world was a lot bigger than mine could ever be… but, thankfully… I’ve finally realized despite that. Your still a good intentioned fool with no common sense or moral compass.” She smirked right back at him as she took a swig of her craft soda. “Ach, lady Luna… what is this?” Elyria asked, making a face like she’d just sucked on a lemon.

“I think that’s a little uncalled for,” Ronin said taking a drink of his own soda and wincing at its strong sugary flavor. “I might not have as much experience with people as others, but there’s nothing wrong with my moral compass.”

“Uh-huh?” Elyria asked, setting her drink down, an arm’s length away, on the desk. “So, it must have been somebody else, who I saw then. Wild eyed, covered in blood, and cackling like a storybook villain, as he slowly pushed a knife into the brain of a man who stared into his eyes and begged for mercy?” Ronin felt an uncomfortable twinge inside at those words. He knew he’d lost himself for a while, due to pain, and realized he couldn’t get out of the situation. Still, to hear his actions described like that made him feel sick.

“I wasn’t cackling,” he said lamely.

“Sorry boss,” Owl five said as she polished off her soda. “You were cackling. Looked totally crazy, bet that asshole’s dad has nightmares tonight teehee.” Ronin blinked in surprised wonder as the goblin began drinking a second soda. He had to check to be sure, but yes, the bottle Elyria had just sat down on the table… a table ten feet away from Owl five, was nowhere to be seen. “This stuff is really good… stupid elf has bad taste,” Owl five added. Her cheeks had darkened a shade, after the first bottle, and after the second the flush was creeping up her ears as well.

Ronin and Elyria exchanged a glance as Owl five polished off the second bottle. She hickuped cutely, before raising both bottles to shoulder height and letting them go. Ronin winced when they hit the floor, but thankfully they didn’t break.

“Why did it disappear for that jerk, but it won’t do it for me?” She muttered, before moving fluidly over to Ronin. She had his bottle in her hands before he’d even realized what she was doing.

“Um… Owl five?” He asked tentatively, reaching out for the bottle. She smacked his hand away but moved closer to him.

“Don’t call me that anymore.” She said, looking up into his eyes from inches away. “You haven’t gone by Owl one since the first day we got here. Owl Three and Owl Four died the first week. Even Owl two. All that’s required to change his designation is for you to give him a name. The Owl team is dead, and I don’t want you to call me that anymore… can you, call me by my name instead?” She asked, her voice going husky as she inched closer.

“Sure, Brie. I can do…” He began, getting more flustered as the distance between them shrank.

“No.” the goblin interrupted him before he could even finish agreeing to her request. “That just sounds too personal… call me by my last name instead, ok? It’s Gunner. Brie Gunner.”

“… sure, Gunner… I can… I mean, what are you...” the newly named Gunner was now running her hands up his arms. Her fingers were digging in just above his elbows and she’d lifted up on her toes when Elyria stepped forward.

“Ok, that’s enough Five.” The elf said, gently pulling her away from Ronin and shepherding her towards the bathroom. “Let’s go get you cleaned up, ok? It’s been a long day and we should be sharp when the next crisis hits.” Pushing the shorter woman into the bathroom, she stopped just long enough to glare daggers at Ronin before closing the door behind them.

“What did I do?” Ronin said, but he did so under his breath, not wanting to push his luck with the clearly angry elf. Shaking his head, he pulled another bottle of soda from the fridge, and looked at the lone desk chair in his hotel room.

It was fine for him, but he had two guests right now, and he didn’t fancy having to share the bed with one of them… yea, no. With a mental command he opened his interface. He couldn’t help but wince when he saw his credit balance. Owl Fi… Gunner, had done a number on it when she’d bid at the auction. Still, he had nearly a million credits left over. That wouldn’t buy him a spaceship or anything, but he could pick up a few chairs.

Following the ship given instincts he couldn’t really understand, or control, Ronin opened another tab and started searching for chairs. As he hovered over them on the list, a translucent copy of the item appeared in the room before him. It was a handy feature, and he played with it for a while. Still, he’d never bought furniture before, so eventually Ronin just picked three rather cheap options that looked comfortable and plopped down in one to drink his soda while he waited.

Less than an hour later, Gunner was curled up on his bed, fast asleep, and Elyria was reclining in one of his cheap chairs, sniffing the open top to another bottle of craft soda, this one a deep green.

“What’s in this anyway?” She asked, taking another tentative sip. Her face puckered but it wasn’t as bad this time around. “I can’t taste any alcohol at all, it’s just too sweet.”

“That’s because it’s nearly entirely made of sugar. It’s just carbonated sugar. Apparently, it was a popular drink pre fall with young kids…” he shrugged at her look, “I looked it up while you were busy.”

“Ah,” Elyria said with a nod. “Did you know goblin’s behaved that way when they consumed a lot of sugar?” She asked, almost too calmly. Ronin shot her a look from the corner of his eye, not liking the tone.

“Of course not,” he said flatly. “How would I even know; we haven’t exactly been overburdened with culinary options since we arrived in that world. And I doubt the goblins have ever been exposed to this much refined sugar before. Hell, when we found the first batch in the mine it looked like they’d been surviving by eating their own lice.”

“Ok, I believe you.” She said in a tone that suggested she still had doubts. “But I wasn’t kidding about Leo, you know.” She said, changing the subject before Ronin could defend himself any further. “He just wants to use you. I can’t imagine the man has as many enemies as he does without good reason.”

Ronin sighed as he sat back in the less comfortable-than-it-looked, chair and took a sip of his orange soda. He’d already suspected that Leo was looking out for his own best interests when the man had made his offer, but still.

“I know,” he said with a sigh. “But what’s changed? I already agreed to help him, even though I didn’t ki… regardless of the circumstances. And honestly, after hearing that we have more aliens coming to take what’s left of our planet away, I wouldn’t sit it out even if he’d let me… so for now at least, I’ve decided to just work with him. Besides, I have a feeling that beneath the cynical surface is a decent man.” Now it was Elyria’s turn to eye him skeptically.

“Alright,” she said at last with a nod. “It’s clear to anyone with eyes that you two aren’t… well acquainted, shall we say.” She said, thankfully changing whatever she’d been about to say at the last minute. “But I think you might have a point about his character. He did save your friend after all, even before the big reveal about the new threat… So, what comes next then? What all is involved with this ‘fitting’ we’re waiting for.”

“Honestly, I have no idea. I’ve only ever met one man with a ship made body, and he was too busy talking and shoving me into the pod to answer questions, even if my jaw hadn’t been broken at the time. But if it’s anything like how I made this body, they’ll just give you a list of options to choose from.” Ronin said with another shrug. Ignoring the look, she gave him when he said he made his current body. “But what I want to know is what should I do about Ow… Gunner? Do you think she will want me to keep calling her that once she wakes up? Aaahhh this is so confusing.” He said the last line into his hands, before he ran his fingers through his hair, feeling reassured somehow by how thick and soft it was. Quite different from the thin, frail strands that barely covered his head less than a year ago.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“We talked a little bit while I was cleaning her up,” Elyria said with a sigh. “That poor girl, yes, you’ll have to keep calling her Gunner. Regardless of what you too have going on, she really is tired of that code name after losing her team… Are you sure there’s nothing you can do to remove your influence on her sexual inhibitor?”

“Nothing that I could figure out, Owl two… guess I’ll have to get him a new name now too then, anyway, he said it couldn’t be helped because nothing could interfere with my people’s loyalty. Staz and the dryad, oakkin couple will be the same now too, after the registration process.”

“It really makes me uncomfortable, when the people on this ship talk about natives as property… Oh, I know you don’t think that way,” she said before he could deny anything. “Still, it feels wrong. But regardless, if that’s not an option, just keep doing what you have been.” She shrugged, “it’s not easy, but until she comes to terms with this there really isn’t anything you can do.”

“I was afraid of tha…” Ronin trailed off as a screen appeared before his eyes. The slack jawed expression that he caught on Elyria’s face, let him know she had one of her own. “Looks like it’s time for our fitting.” He said, reaching out mentally to accept the prompt.

* * *

Lily

“What are we going to do?” Lily asked a very unperturbed Owl two, who was still busy sorting through the pile of technological gadgets Staz had brought back. “They are trying to get in here and using my people to do it. Can we change the thumb lock thing, so their thumbs won’t unlock it anymore? Or maybe…” She continued on in this manner for some time while the Metal armored man just kept right on tinkering with his junk. “Answer me will you,” she finally snapped, getting tired of being ignored.

“I told you already,” Owl two said his hands never ceasing their work. “It’s not time to act yet. The best thing we can do is to wait for the work to be finished. As unorganized as that bunch is, it will take them days to finally act. While they are preparing, our people will be finishing the project. I plan to finish cataloging all this equipment, collect the samples from Staz, begin breaking down the useless items for raw materials, and to fix the devices that still have life in them. Why don’t you use the time to familiarize yourself with the technology we have available? If you’ve devoted yourself to my lord the way I think you have, then the knowledge will be very useful for you indeed.”

Lily just stared at him as he continued to work. She had no interest at all in just waiting around in here while the camp fell a part outside, not when she might be able to do something about it. Still, she’d been spying on Eric and Andona through the tablet. She knew that if she was found outside the caves, she’d be imprisoned.

“I have a better idea, Lady Lily.” Staz said, walking over with surprisingly quiet steps. “Let me test your abilities with a friendly sparring match. It would serve me well to understand the strength of my lord’s council, as well as give you an outlet for your frustrations.” Lily wanted to snap that she wasn’t in the mood for a spar, but after thinking about it, she changed her mind.

“Very well Staz,” she said at last. “Just let me get my training sword, and we’ll…”

“No need,” Staz interrupted with a smile. “Use live steel, your blade isn’t large enough to damage me beyond surface cuts. Unless you buried the blade into my heart, and even then, I doubt it would kill me.” The giant said with a smirk, spinning his kanabo around slowly. “Don’t worry about my weapon either, I have excellent control.” Lily argued for a time, until Staz took her blade and ran it across his own bare chest. He bled, but the wound scabbed over within seconds and within a handful of minutes, only the drying blood proved he’d even been injured at all. After that, her resistance died.

“Very well,” she said with a nod. “I’ll hold nothing back then, let’s give Owl two some space.” The pair moved off until they found a relatively open spot and faced each other. Lily held her weapons; saber and dagger, one in each hand. She faced off against the giant oni, who was larger than any three of her put together, and her anxiety flared as he moved.

He whipped the club around with blinding speed in a horizontal swing, that her training told her to deflect away with her dagger as she counterattacked with her saber. Reality told her that if she tried to intercept that blow not only her blade, but her entire body would be destroyed. Lily jumped back, deciding to dodge the blow entirely, before stepping forward to counter. Sadly, the giant’s arms were longer than she was tall, and so was his club. His reach was beyond what she could deal with, and she retreated again.

“You’ll not win back there,” Staz said with a smirk. He took a step forward that ate up five feet of distance and swung again. Lily dodged again. Followed by another swing, and another dodge. Her stress melted away as she began to get a feel for her foe. Namely, the fact that he was toying with her. That realization sparked her competitive instincts, and she darted forward, trying to get inside his reach.

Upon reaching him, she discovered another problem. Her head wasn’t even at the level of his elbow. The only target she could easily reach where his well armored legs. She slashed with her saber, before she was forced to roll away as his free hand reached for her. The hand was as large as Ronin’s round shield.

Having successfully ducked away, Lily came back to her feet and spun around to see what she’d accomplished. Nothing. Her blade hadn’t left so much as a scratch on the metal scales that covered the thick leather. She frowned in consternation at the lack of effect, before a grin split her face. Her canines were on full display as she reveled in the challenge.

The battle continued for countless minutes, until she began to tire. When she raised her hand for a break, however, the giant just tossed her a canteen. She recognized it as one containing the nanites. Something her husband had called a ‘health potion.’ She tilted her head at Staz as she gasped for air.

“Owl two gave me a few of them,” he answered, not so much as winded from their exchange. “We are going to fight until you’ve drawn my blood.” There was so much confidence in those words that Lily couldn’t help but believe him, even though she was supposed to be in charge. A thought that was laughable, considering she was trapped inside the cave at the moment.

“Very well,” she finally said, downing a mouthful of the flask’s potent contents. “I’ve been spending too much time in meetings lately. To the point the scouts almost did my team in the other day, I think its time to shake the dust off.” Having finished speaking, she tossed the canteen aside, and darted forward.

Lily didn’t know exactly what the giant was after with this sparring session. She was taking several lessons from it though. The first being just how powerful the man was. He swung the club almost lazily, and yet it whistled through the air like a thin stick. His control was superb. He never hit her with the kanabo, always stopping just shy of impact. The metal stick had to weigh several hundred pounds, but it was like he used a sparring foil.

She also realized that no matter how good she was compared to the rest of her old clan’s members, she was completely outclassed here. Not just her, but all of her people. As few as a handful of these oni could have taken the bugbear cities already, where the locusts were stuck at the walls. She also understood that Ronin, Owl five and the K brothers could have likely done the same if they’d snuck in.

Instead of feeling defeated at the revelations, however, she grinned even wider. She didn’t get to the top of her clan from giving up when things got difficult. This was just another obstacle for her to overcome. She was the former leader of Gilded Lily, the first wife of the White flame, leader of the syndicate in his absence. She would overcome this. Lily would surpass her old limitations and take the people of the syndicate with her. Every member who wished to better themselves would get that opportunity. They only needed to clear the mud clinging to their feet before they could start on that road.

She wasn’t able to cut Staz that night, or the next day. Still, she fought on. Only stopping to sleep and check the tablet feeds of her people. Vara and Syl had taken her charges to Benjamin, who’d refused to turn them over to Eric. The former pilot hadn’t been happy, but When Benjamin told him, he was free to come get them, he backed off. Apparently even he realized that no matter if he had a numbers advantage, Benjamin’s well-trained soldiers, armed with kaldarr inspired rifles, would have ended his bid for power.

Apart from that small display of defiance, Benjamin stayed out of politics. Letting Eric and Andona do as they pleased. Jewel had gone over to Andona willingly, Amber hadn’t, but after it was made clear her options were to fall in line or be put down, she complied. The Rage, from seeing the betrayals and her own powerlessness pushed Lily on even further to improve.

Owl two collected samples from Staz when she rested and worked at the fabricator while they fought. Lily hadn’t paid him much mind as the days slipped by, but she saw the metal skeleton slowly morphing into something that resembled an armored person, as the pile shrank.

“Do you think you will be able to land a hit today?” Staz asked her, tone neutral. Lily knew he wasn’t mocking her. He was too self-assured for that, genuinely wanting to know if she thought she could do it.

“Only one way to find out,” she said taking her stance in front of him. “I’d tell you not to hold back… but I’m not ready to die just yet.” She added with a smirk, that the giant man returned before they launched themselves forward into the fight. Well, Lily launched herself forward, Staz just took a single step.

“It’s time.” The monotone voice that blared through the cave was so far out of her expectation that Lily stumbled, and if it hadn’t been for Staz’s control she might have eaten his kanabo. Confused, she looked around, trying to understand what was going on.

“Come on, lady Lily.” Staz said gently, “it seems our enemies are making their move.” She paled, having completely lost track of time as she tried to defeat the demons in her mind, as much as the blue giant before her.

“Alright,” she said. voice coming out steadier than she felt. “Let’s go see what Owl two has for us then.” The pair turned together and walked back to the fabricator. “A shame though,” she said as they walked. “I never did get a hit on you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Staz said with a chuckle. “Your skill is outstanding, were I your size the battle would have gone differently, I have no doubt.”

“Yea, if only that was possible. I’d love to test myself against you on an even playing field.”

“Wait and see,” Staz said wryly. “You never know what the future holds.” Before she could even ask what, those cryptic words meant, they’d arrived at the fabricator. Owl two moved down into the workshop, where he was already watching the life-sized projection on the wall.

“You should hurry,” he said, sounding anything but in a rush. “The hands have been dealt, now we see whose cards are stronger.”

“A card metaphor?” Lily scoffed despite herself,” since when do…” she trailed off as she descended the stairs and took in the screen.

Eric sat in the cave tunnel that held Samantha. His back was resting against the wall, and Andona sat nearby. Though in her case she sat on a chair instead of the floor. Thomas was also present, but it wasn’t any of them that stole Lily’s words.

Samantha was a mess. Covered in blood, she was missing several teeth. The fingernails were missing from both her hands, and… Lily fought back the urge to throw up, at the sight of the woman. Worse yet, or at least equally as bad. Beside the battered woman was the bound body of another person. A much smaller woman, who was bound, gagged, and beaten almost as badly as Samantha.

“Song,” Lily breathed in horror.