"Rules for happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for."

― Immanuel Kant

"I'm back, you ungrateful cretins!"

Silence greeted Kalina's shout, an empty tavern that mocked her return. She stamped her foot in the air, a dissatisfied scowl on her face.

"Where is everyone, they've ruined my big entrance!"

"Well, it is the middle of the day," Syy soothed the angry goddess. "They're probably hard at work, we can just wait until someone shows up."

"No way," Kalina shook her head in fury. "I'm going to find them, and drag their sorry b..."

"How about we flip on it?" Syy gave an innocent smile, a coin held between her fingers. "Heads, we stay. Tails, we go hunt down your friends."

"You've got to be kidding," Kalina backed away from the golden disc like it was the devil. "You won't trick me again!"

"Oh come on, you might win this time," Syy offered Kalina the coin. "I'll even let you toss it!"

"Hmmmm..." Kalina squinted at the offered gold. "Ok, but we'll also use one of my coins!"

The small woman dived behind the bar. Her fingers picked their way into the locked cashbox and she rose with a silver in hand.

"You don't trust me? I'm hurt!"

"I don't trust your stupid coins, they're cheating!" Kalina shook her stolen goods under Syy's nose. "No one wins a thousand times in a row, NO ONE!"

"Fine, fine," Syy smirked. "Toss it then."

Silver spun, a dazzle of metal in the firelight. The coin fell, a clatter on the wooden bar. The face of the king stared up at them, a roguish grin on his cast face.

"I win!" Syy reached behind the bar and snagged a bottle. "We wait, it shouldn't be long now anyway."

"Impossible..." Kalina slumped to the ground. "How do you do it?"

Kalina had played the coin game almost every day for the past year, and she'd lost every time. Syy didn't even need to watch the toss. Once, she'd called it for a week straight and written them down. Her predictions never failed.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"I've told you before, I'm just lucky is all..."

Kalina found a drink of her own and settled onto the wooden bar. The idea that it was luck raised the bile in her throat. No one was that lucky, and it wasn't just coins. Syy won at everything, and events always went her way. It annoyed Kalina to no end.

"Liar..."

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"Where am I?"

A white void stared at Ven, a space that had no reference for size. A sharp pain found the back of his head, a complaint from his teacher.

"Where are WE, you ignorant buffoon!"

Cain stepped into sight from behind, a serious expression on his normally unflappable face.

"What kind of idiot finishes a runic spell without knowing its purpose?"

Ven's Master lifted him by the throat, his eyes locked in a scan of the surroundings. A thick, red aura billowed from him. It enveloped them both, a sphere of blood that shielded them from the white. Cain squinted, dagger pointed into the void.

"Come out, whoever you are!"

The shout went unanswered, but Cain didn't relent.

"I've watched universes die of old age, I know when I'm being watched!"

The stone dagger in his hand twitched. Cain drew it in a short line, a slash that carved a black chunk from the space before them.

"Come out, or I'll bring this place crumbling down on us all!"

"Noisy..."

The damaged space repaired, as if it had never been scarred.

"You're all so noisy... all of you, all the time..."

The whiteness compressed into a man, a featureless inverted shadow. The three of them stood in a room, empty and walled with black stone.

"Hmmmm..."

The figure leaned in, face an inch from Cain's blood orb. It reached out, a gentle poke that brought Ven's Master to his knees.

"You shouldn't be here... not yet." The entity raised a hand, middle finger pressed to its thumb. "Go away."

The fingers snapped, all things turned to grey.

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"It's finally finished..."

Mara stared out, over the wide, arched thoroughfare. It had taken them a year of work, and many miscommunications between them and the ants, but the infrastructure was now lain.

"It's amazing!" Lyra leaned over the rail, next to Brull. "And these tracks go all around the city?"

"There's a station at every major section," Mara nodded. "We've even begun construction on a line to the closest town."

This new transportation was slower than some magical methods, but the ant's technology was reliable and efficient. Even commoners would be able to afford these 'trains,' that was the point.

"All this, without the use of magic," Brull shook his head. "This kind of thing will change people's lives!"

"For the better," Mara smiled, a fire in her eyes. "We can create a network that connects us to the world, all within the reach of everyday people."

"Ven was right about these ants, they're an asset, not a burden." A graveled voice sounded from behind. "When he gets back, I'll have to apologize."

"I'm glad you could make the grand opening!" Mara turned her smile to the King. "Your support with these matters has been vital, we couldn't have gotten here without it."

"No," The King shook his head. "This victory is yours."

He turned his gaze to the shining metal train, ready for its first voyage around the town.

"It belongs to all of us," Mara waved a hand at the gathered beastfolk. "A result of our hard work."

"Bah, all I did was listen to a good idea when I heard it," The King was firm. "You drafted the designs alongside Speaker Ant, and delivered them to me and the Queen."

"Hey, I helped on those designs..." Brull whined. "And Lyra has been making the biggest impact."

"All I did was make friends..." Lyra blushed under the gaze of the King. "The ants are so cute, and they're all very nice."

"She's being modest," Mara ruffled the wolf-kin's head. "The ants didn't get fully on board until Lyra got involved, then it was smooth sailing."

"Well, regardless, it's a wonder." The King smiled at the humble cat-kin. "Now, let's sit back and watch!"