“Oh hello little guy, you’re still functional and they tossed you out, eh?” a voice called out to me.

I looked over and saw a people sized purple dinosaur that sort of looked like a T-Rex with slightly longer arms, patches of wild, receding hair, and a lab coat.

“I still... Function...” I groaned, then inwardly groaned some more since I knew he wouldn’t get the joke.

“Don’t worry little guy,” the T-Rex called out as they stumbled over bits of junk. “I’ll— Whoa! — I’ll get ya.”

“No worries, I got it,” I called back.

I pulled Cyclone out of [Inventory] and fired him up.

The T-Rex scrambled backwards and took off running. Ah well. Cyclone looked around and any of the other scavengers were giving him cautious eyes and backing away. He carefully picked me up and opened up his hatch, holding me in the cavity for a moment before pulling me back out and closing up. Without my full body, I’d just rattle around inside of him like a single bean in a soup can.

First order of business was to get back into the castle. If nothing else, I wanted to at least say goodbye to Princess Relena and Prince Milliardo. I needed to find a way to get back to AutomaTown as well. It sounded like Jhaix not only knew about it, but had plans involving it. I didn’t know if I had managed to kill Jhaix or not, or what became of the dragon, but the guy was clearly starting a war and positioned to supply weapons to both sides. A case of creating both the virus and the cure.

Cyclone carefully climbed back up the pile of junk until he reached the city wall. He could easily toss me back up onto the rampart, but he didn’t see any means of getting himself back up. Unfortunately, Cyc wasn’t able to use [Blink] without me inside of him to provide the extra power.

“PRIME!!” a woman screamed from above me.

We both looked up to see Princess Relena leaning over the wall, shaking uncontrollably. I had never once, in the time since I’d been reborn, wished so much that I could smile. Instead I had to be satisfied with a weak little wave. Cyc pushed me up and the Princess, no... Lena, grabbed me and pulled me in; smashing me to her chest and collapsing to the ground. She just held me and shook over and over.

Around her, I could see confused soldiers as well as some other attendants or retainers that I didn’t recognise.

“Hey! Hey you! The botanica!” I heard a child-like, yet familiar, voice call out. “Can we get a hand for a sec?”

I couldn’t see much from the way that Lena was holding me, but via Cyclone I saw a massive tree branch swing out over the wall. The branch reached down and wrapped around Cyclone, lifting him up and pulling him back onto the rampart. It gently set him down on solid footing and Cyclone could now see what I’d thought was an ent passively observing him.

The botanica still reminded me a lot of Groot, and was a little bigger than Cyclone. In a way, it looked like an Automata made out of wood and vines and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were grown like this, if they were crafted, or if something completely different. Cyclone thanked the tree bot, who just nodded and turned around, heading back to the reconstruction zone.

He looked around and spotted Captain Sunni. I was so relieved to see that she was okay, though she looked absolutely exhausted and half the fur on her face had been burned off. I wanted to ask about the others in her company, but figured that then wasn’t the time. Once Lena calmed down enough, she stood up and headed back to her suites without bothering to wait for anyone else. She also refused to let anyone else carry me or to put me onto a cart or some other sort of device.

“Oh Prime,” she began. “I was so worried. You weren’t waking up. I knew you were still alive, I just knew somehow... but you weren’t waking up... I didn’t know what to do... I thought I’d lost you...”

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She was on the verge of breaking down again, I really didn’t know what to do for her. I reached up and gently touched the side of her face.

“I’m sorry...” I apologised.

I was sorry for worrying her, but also for doubting her and believing what Naina had said.

We got back to Lena’s apartment and she sat down on the couch, cradling me like a baby. I glanced around, there were clear signs of some violence in the room. I jolted a bit when I saw the maid Automata Laura embedded in the wall with half of her face crushed in.

“Um... Lena? Dear?” I asked, mimicking the way she questioned me at times. “What, praytell, happened to Laura there?”

Lena looked over at the embedded robot in the wall and blushed.

“Well... I may have lost my temper a bit when Naina told me what she’d done with you. I was about to slap my cousin into next summer but, fortunately, her maid got in the way. After that Naina ran off screaming and I’m going to have to get someone to clean the carpets.”

“A bit?” I asked.

“Just a bit,” she giggled.

Lena told me that after the attack, her brother had been in constant meetings with various nobles while the Emperor was refusing to see anyone. The dragon was bearing the colors and shield of Yliasi so this was being viewed as an unprovoked declaration of war.

I had been out for two days this time, but as yet there had still been no messengers received from Yliasi or Kokoli, the kingdom they had allied with. The Emperor wasn’t sending out any envoys either, so Prince Milliardo had dispatched his fastest squad of WyverRiders to gather information and try to determine what was going on in Yliasi.

The imperial army had yet to be recalled and were still chasing rumors to the west, but apparently a company of ten Titans and a battalion of mage corps were expected to move out in the coming days.

“His Highness, the Prince to see you, your highness,” one of the castle maids announced as Prince Milliardo entered the apartment.

He looked tired and worn down. He threw himself onto the couch near Lena and was about to flop into her lap when he spotted me and stopped. His face scrunched up and he looked annoyed.

“Good to see that you’re back with us Master Prime,” he grumbled. “I shall relinquish my resting place, only in recognition of your heroism and because you are clearly under the weather.”

Lena gave him a side glance. “My lap is not yours to bestow, Milli. Though I do like the idea of granting Prime a reward for his bravery in fighting that horrible dragon.”

Milliardo folded his arms and huffed. “Yes. Well, I may have something in mind for that.”

Behind him, and standing back a bit, I could see Captain Sunni. Beyond tired, she looked ready to pass out in her armor. She probably hadn’t had any sleep at all since the boat ride from Knigwick.

“Captain Sunni!” I called. “Oh, your highness, do you mind if she sits? She looks ready to collapse.”

“What?” Milliardo asked, surprised, “yes, of course. Sit Sunni, sit.”

She nodded gratefully and managed to not simply fall into the chez opposite the couch.

“Captain,” I began. “I’m so very sorry... you and your troops were hurt... if I hadn’t fallen...”

Her eyes widened in surprise and she looked taken aback.

“Sorry?” she asked. She gently reached up and touched the burns on her face, then smiled warmly. “I just got a little burned, I’ll be okay. I dare say that I’m looking a bit better than you are at the moment, Master Prime.”

“Well... I can’t argue that point... Um... what happened to Corporal Marshoo?” I mumbled.

Her expression turned somber and she looked away. “Four of our mages were killed instantly when IronHide fell, along with six of the shield bearers. Two more succumbed to their wounds after the fight... The remaining four mages and two shield bearers are recovering in hospital... she was in the front line, but on the end. Marshoo was partially crushed under IronHide. She lost both of her legs and her upper body was severely burned but she will survive. If not for you though... we all would have been wiped out in an instant and who knows how much more damage the castle would have sustained.”

“Those Titans showed up, right? Did they finish it off?” I asked.

“No,” she sighed, shaking her head. “They showed up and pelted the dragon with some flashy attacks and it flew off. Where I was at, it didn’t look like any of their attacks were doing any damage to it though. From what I could tell, you and IronHide were the only ones to get through its defenses.”

Prince Milliardo sighed and got off the couch, kneeling on the floor so that he was on my level.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I fear you may be our best asset right now Prime. You’re clearly in no shape to get around, much less fight, but I’m going to need you back to fighting shape. I told you that you’d be well compensated for your work on the Princess, and my little sister is correct, you are due a reward. You’ve done exemplary, though I have further need of your services now and I will demand yet more of you. I’m afraid we’re well beyond the point where you may refuse. You will become my sword, and I will have you become the sharpest and most terrible dragon slaying sword in all the land.”