“Well, that’s not threatening at all…” I trailed off when Mors had told me what had happened. It had been several hours since the fireblood wolf had been killed, and while I had waited for Mors to return, I had fabricated myself a new semi-liquid body.
“I’m glad she said yes to my deal. It would be bad if I had killed her prey without her consent.”
“[Maybe you should have thought of that beforehand.]”
“Eh, all's well that ends well.”
“When do you plan to leave, master?” Mors asked me.
“As soon as possible. I know that Venari gave me a week, but I really don’t feel like testing her.”
“A prudent choice. Shall I accompany you to Ocaephis?”
“No, not this time. I think I can make it there on my own. I’d like you to stay here and take care of the elves and Aurea. Plus, she still needs to work on her swordsmanship.”
“Very well. Please exercise caution while you are gone. There are many hidden forces in the city that may wish to take advantage of you.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on doing anything too crazy.”
“Eve, get two of the transport trucks ready to go. I want to bring 10 of the Predators along with me for protection. Also, pause the current fabrication queue and make some monitors, surgical instruments, syringes, bandages, defibrillators, mobile x-ray machines, and whatever basic medications you can make. I have no idea what kind of condition we are going to be treating, so I want to have all our bases covered.”
“Understood. I would also suggest fabricating gloves and other items for sterilization and cleanliness.”
“Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that. Please get that started too.”
The next couple of hours were a flurry of activity. The Predators that would be my bodyguards for the journey were loaded onto one of the transport trucks and placed into standby mode.
While all my equipment was being fabricated, I visited Vulre, Aleathra, and their children. Aurea happened to be there as well, which gave me a good opportunity to explain where I was going and what I would be doing for the next few days. Aurea tried to convince me to let her go too instead of leaving her behind, but acquiesced when I pointed out how much she still had to do here. By the time I exited the cabin, I was completely drained.
“I swear to god, trying to convince Aurea to do something is like pulling teeth.”
“[She is a very stubborn person.]”
“Glad to hear I’m not the only one who feels that way…”
Before I left, I grabbed the books regarding the other races that lived on the continent. If on the small chance the person I was treating wasn’t human, I would need all the information I could get.
“Is everything ready to go yet?”
“[Yes. All the equipment has been loaded into the transport vehicles. We can leave whenever you are prepared.]”
I looked around the mineshaft to double check I wasn’t leaving anything I needed. After almost 6 months of me staying there, the mine had changed quite a bit. While the entranceway still looked the same, the deeper parts of the mine had been transformed into areas for storage, rooms, testing facilities, and areas for the fabrication of my robots and tools. Even still, the entranceway was cluttered and disorganized, with random pieces of scrap, tattered books, and strange substances haphazardly strewn about.
“If my dad were here, I am 100% sure he’d call this place a pigsty, and then yell at me to clean it up.”
“[I believe such a response is warranted.]”
“Oh shush. Think you can have someone sort and store all this stuff?”
“[Yes. I will assign the custodial robots to this task.]”
“Man, I love having robots to do stuff for me.”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
After that was done, I left the mine and hopped onto one of the transport trucks. “Roll out!” I yelled, slapping the side of the truck. The two vehicles roared to life, and started moving through the small path that had been made over the last few months.
“Hehe, I’ve always wanted to do that,” I chuckled to myself.
“[Is this what others refer to as ‘dorky behavior’?]”
“...Why do you have to hurt me like that…”
“[I don’t understand.]”
I sighed mentally. “Nevermind.”
The rumbling of the truck engines scared off the forest’s wildlife as we passed. With Eve calculating the most efficient path, we were making excellent time. Plus, since I didn’t need to eat, rest, or sleep, we made it to Ocaephis in half the time it took when I went with Mors and Aurea. I stopped the trucks about two kilometers from the city walls in an area with tall and dense grass and hopped out. The Predators exited in orderly lines, each one landing with a heavy thud and leaving deep imprints on the dry ground.
I gave each of them a heavy cloak and mask, similar to the ones I wore on my first trip here. Once each of them had donned their disguises, I assigned each of them their duties. Four of them picked my equipment and tools, and the rest I assigned to guard me. The walk to the city only took a few minutes, but it felt like it took a lot longer with the way the people waiting in line to enter the city gawking at the cloaked group carrying bizarre machines on their backs. I could feel their eyes boring into my back, even as I showed the guard at the side entrance the medallion.
I was surprised by how much the guard’s attitude changed when he saw the medallion. When I first approached, he asked me, “Do you have a pass?” in a bored voice, but as soon as I presented it, his eyes lit up. “Oh! You’re here to see Lady Venari? Please, go right ahead!”
When I thanked him, he only replied. “Of course! Tell Lady Venari that Lyco said hi!”
As soon as we got into the city, the six Predators that weren’t lugging the equipment went into bodyguard mode. Two acted as the vanguard, two as the rearguard, and two stayed right by my side. I saw similar reactions from the guards that guarded the entrances to the merchant ring and noble ring. Every one of them asked us to pass on their greetings to Lady Venari, as well as their well wishes upon her and her family.
“[It appears that Lady Venari is very popular among the guards.]”
“Yeah, fucking understatement of the century.”
When we arrived at the very heavily guarded entryway to the noble ring, one of the guards even offered to guide us to Lady Venari’s residence. In his words, “The noble ring can be pretty confusin, if I do say so myself. It would be an honor to guide you to your destination.”
I took the guard up on his offer, and he quickly led our procession through the finely cobbled streets. Unlike the merchant and commoner rings, there were very few shops, with most of the area inside of the noble ring taken up by vast estates and luxurious mansions. There was also much less foot traffic, with the majority being guards on patrol and servants scurrying around. The guards in the noble ring were noticeably better equipped than the ones guarding the merchant and commoner rings. Their armor was freshly shined, and reflected the sun's rays into the eyes of those that looked at them. Occasionally, I would see a noble in flamboyantly bright clothing with frills galore.
“Ugh, they look like demented cosplayers…”
“[I concur.]”
I made some light conversation with the guard as we walked. “So, what’s your name?”
“My name is Firmin,” the guard responded. While I couldn’t see his face because of the helmet he wore, I guessed from his slightly hoarse voice that he was a middle aged man, probably in his mid to late 30s.
“Have you been to Lady Venari’s home before?”
“Oh yes,” he said, nodding his head enthusiastically, “Lady Venari has held many a feast for us guards in her home.”
I raised my eyebrow in surprise. “I guess that explains why every guard I’ve met today seems like they would take a bullet for her.”
“Take a what, sir?” Firmin asked confusedly.
“Nevermind. So that’s why she’s so popular with the guards.”
“Well that’s only part of it. She always has our back, especially when it comes to those pompous nobles,” he snorted in contempt. “Same with Captain Sequor. Both of them have always helped us out, so us city guards do what we can to repay the favor.”
As if realizing what he had just said, he glanced around furtively and added, “Er, though I would appreciate it if you kept what I said between us, kay?”
I barked out a short laugh. “Don’t worry, I’ve dealt with pompous asses before.”
The guard seemed to relax, and we continued the rest of the trip in silence.
“Well, here we are,” Firmin said as we stopped in front of one of the mansions.
“Looks a little small, doesn’t it?”
“[Relative to the other residences, yes, it is small.]”
Lady Venari’s mansion wasn’t as large or opulent as many of the others that surrounded it, but it was still impressive. A large gate and tall fence surrounded the perimeter of the property, and inside, I saw a vast garden with many colorful flowers in full bloom. In the distance, I could even make out a small gazebo in a corner of the garden.
“Thanks for the help,” I said. Taking a silver coin from the pouch on my hip, I tossed it to him. “For your trouble.”
“Thank you kindly,” Firmin said, tucking the coin away somewhere on his person.
Turning back to the gate, I walked up to the two sentries standing watch.