Lurona city [southern shores of Fuminao Legacy Kingdom], local time [1793.12.22]
After placing the last crate on the transport wagon, Zeph hurried to the carriage, leaving the workers to secure the cargo. Ghrughah was already waiting for him inside. The giant finished packing all of the parts into crates a few minutes before.
Today, an insidious snow powder storm befell the city. It was a different kind of powder snow than on Earth – the crystals were much smaller in size. Strong winds above ground the brittle snowflakes into a fine powder that now harassed the population below. The low temperature and Magicules stabilizing the water crystallization sucked up all of the humidity from the air, while strong winds, that were blowing in the direction of the sea, pushed the vapor away. As a result, the small ice crystals had no chance to grow back in size before reaching the ground.
And that very powder was getting everywhere. Literally. Zeph suspected that without a hermetic suit, there was no way of preventing it from infiltrating his garments. The chilling touch of ice on his neck wasn’t getting old no matter how much time have passed, and he had his fluffy hood on. He even had to cover the lower half of his face to block at least some of the ice crystals, as inhaling them was becoming painful quickly.
If he didn’t order protective goggles for the laboratory a few days ago, he wasn’t sure if coming outside would even be an option. With the strong winds tugging the ice crystals, some of them possessing razor-sharp edges, in random directions, the danger of damaging one’s eyes had become a real concern.
Plowing through knee-deep snow, he quickly reached the carriage’s door. He swiftly jumped inside, slamming the door shut as soon as his foot touched the warm floor.
It was Ghrughah’s personal vehicle, adapted to his size and heavily enchanted. The interior was spacious, paneled with decorative wood, and warm from the Heat enchantments inlaid in the metal frame of the cabin.
He quickly dusted himself off and discarded the heavy wear. His sweatshirt was soaked in places from the melted snow, but in the warm air, it didn’t bother him that much. He plopped down on a sofa in relief, closing his eyes.
“I told you to not bother,” the giant grunted. He was sitting on the other side of a thin table, reading and sorting out documents they have prepared.
“Shut up! I am not going to deal with damaged equipment during the talks,” Zeph argued weakly.
He never expected that the weather could become this bad on this stratum, so it was only natural that he wanted to see first-hand what all the fuss was about. And somebody had to oversee the workers, either way.
Kwan was already integrating the locals into her working force, so only a few of her people were present. Taking into account the recent events, someone had to keep an eye on the new guys. Their opponents were using underhanded methods to undermine the Guild’s efforts, so it wouldn’t be strange for a stray worker to sabotage the cargo. The information about the visit to the twin pilots’ abode wasn’t public, but anyone could see it wasn’t a standard transportation errand either.
The locals were bribed or threatened to work against the Guild or to collect information. The infrastructure and even the residential buildings were being damaged in the border areas if their population wasn’t cooperating. A lot of people fled from the port, fearing for their well-being in the light of the growing conflict. The property damage was only escalating the rumor mill.
The worst part? It was almost impossible to pin the guilt on the real culprits. They were using smaller groups as intermediaries, after all. And the situation wasn’t going to change until the Duel event. The reason for Duels actually solving such problems was culturally convoluted, but at its base, the case was quite clear for Zeph. It was also the reason the leaders were forced to take a part in them. People who Dueled were forming a strong ‘combative Bond’, as Aisha liked to call it. For many Soul-related reasons, it was the greatest deterrent against going against one’s word.
If Zeph’s theory was correct, it was the very same Bond that was responsible for the natural absorption of Soul fragments of a kill. A natural phenomenon; the one the System was just enhancing. After all, Aisha clearly explained that an indirect killing granted minimal, if any, amount of Soul fragments. People, or even animals, had to recognize an opponent as such, first and foremost.
The details eluded him still, but from what he understood of their culture – it would be much easier to prove the guilt during truth-reading on a person who broke their word after a Duel. Also, breaking one’s word was the first step to weakening one’s sanity, almost like in the case of torturing other people or forcing them to kill each other.
Those ‘common knowledge’ truths resonated nicely with his theory of malicious ‘positive Soul-wound’ Soul fragments. He suspected that after the betrayed party died, the traitor would receive a small present from the deceased. A package filled to the brim with a negative grade, that is.
In other words – it was the fastest way to lose one’s sanity long before reaching the end of one’s lifespan. And people here were thinking long-term. Zeph struggled to understand the bureaucratic and cultural nuances, but the pride of a winning warrior and the self-assurance that strengthened one’s Will, as well as the social position, explained enough for him.
Zeph now understood the most important truth. He was in the middle of the warriors’ civilization, where the code of conduct, or their codex, was hammered down long before technology took hold.
And there was no changing it, as the principles were rooted deeply in the physicality of this world.
The carriage was moving for some time now. After another minute of silence and relaxation, he finally addressed his traveling companion. “How’s the population keeping up? I didn’t have a chance to speak with Kwan or Aisha…”
“Poorly,” the Blacksmith grumbled, looking up from the documents. “One-tenth already abandoned their homes. La-Gewong suspects that at least twice that have close connections to the unofficial groups that roam to place. Some of the gangs decided to work with us, for all it’s worth, but the security is at its bottom.”
Zeph grimaced. “That doesn’t sound good at all…”
“It should get better shortly. The Temple, at least Zora’s side of it, started to invest heavily in the area. After the orphans and families are taken care of, they will start the ‘convicted protection strategy’. It should weaken the intruding groups significantly.”
“It’s getting messy,” he scratched his head. “I am more concerned that most of the outlaws have backing from the wealthy. The whole situation looks like a ruse…”
The giant shrugged. “If you want to know how it works, spend some time on the streets,” he advised. “You actually should, in my opinion. If you are to be a good leader in the future, it’s important to understand the problems of people below.”
Zeph waved him away. “I will never become someone with so many people directly under my command. If I wanted to specialize in that direction, I wouldn’t have proposed to be the head of the SI Department.” But despite what he said, he mulled over the advice some more. “But… I will need to see it for myself for other reasons. Maybe when I will go for the hunting…”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Hmm, it’s always good to know the ground are standing on,” the Daitya said wisely, finishing with the last page of the document he was holding. He put it down on one of the stacks, and started to pack them all into something resembling an oversized, leather briefcase. “You outdid yourself with the explanations. Half of it can’t be presented to the pilots before they agree to become a part of the Guild,” he commented idly.
Zeph nodded. “Just as planned. Makani should be back soon. I won’t have the time to work with them… About that, how’s the progress with the alloy? You didn’t call for me yesterday?”
“Hmmm,” he rumbled in pride, nodding and crossing his arms. “With P’pfel’s expertise, I was able to limit the number of possibilities to just three. It’s a major breakthrough. If I knew that unbalancing one’s PE could have such effects earlier, I would be tempted to try it myself!” he laughed loudly. “Anyway, the samples should be available in two days. The initial results are very promising.”
Zeph nodded in satisfaction. He knew that his cooperation with the Gremling would be fruitful.
“We also managed to create the gre-na-de you spoke of,” the giant continued. “The structure you proposed isn’t the best for the materials we want to use, but we will optimize it in time. As for the high-explosives, shape-charges, and Mana-cumulation explosives, they are still under testing. Most of them don’t bode well, though.”
“Mana interference?”
“Yes, the results are too unpredictable for most of the material-based ones. It’s a product for higher strata, if anything. Advanced Mana manipulation is a must. We can use them to enhance the enchanted explosives, but that’s the limit for now. The Mana-cumulative variants showed more potential, but we cannot progress without an Alchemist.”
The lack of knowledge on the structure of Mana capacitors became a problem again. Zeph decided to increase the payment on his posting as soon as possible. Especially because the Guild would be able to support him in this endeavor now.
Maybe I should include some ciphered info on what I really want… I have a feeling the straight info is too suspicious for the people I am looking for. That kind of approach has its own limitations, though… maybe I should get more personal and really visit those places, like Ghrughah advised? Who knows what can I learn by roaming around? Our information network should be able to do the same, but… I don’t even know how they operate.
“On the bright side, the Timefold Tower agreed to trade with us for some of the enchanting manuals,” Ghrughah interrupted his musings. “The description you sent was specific enough for them to estimate the price.”
“Finally, some good news!” Zeph exclaimed. It was the highest time for his spear to be enchanted. The basic Spells wouldn’t help him much. Thankfully, P’pfel would be able to integrate even a Tier 2 spell inside his spear – he just needed to see the manual. The knowledge would cost them dearly if not for Zeph’s modified Spells that could also be exchanged. Mainly, the Shaman-derived ones.
“Anything else?” the giant asked innocently.
“Umm, no?”
“Good, then we can go back to planning the underground structure,” he declared, taking out a big file of papers.
Zeph groaned, but there was no escape.
~~~PS part~~~
Almost an hour later, they arrived at the mansion.
The place was dilapidated, for the lack of a better word, but the gigantic hangars all around were still intimidating. Especially because of the almost-Byzantium-like style of the buildings. It was a mix between metal frames and stone fillings, all very monumental but kept in simple shapes. Some people were overseeing the place, but it was a far cry even from the activity he saw around the aerostation back in the North Tarak.
The buildings were in the same economic ‘stratum’ as Aisha’s orphanage. So to say – the poor part of the city, near the center. By perusing the data from their IFF (Information and Fighting Force) Department, he knew that the pilots didn’t even buy the land, just rented the place.
Which was good news, as far as he could say. Now, would they be prideful pricks or reasonable people? he wondered idly, looking at the vast, snow-covered lands around. Of course, it was no airport, but the distances between buildings were somewhat atypical for the city.
Their carriage turned to the right, the cargo wagon just behind, following the posts supporting the metal cables. The road wasn’t visible for some time now, covered in snow as it was, so the lampposts and cable lines were the only indicators the infrastructure even existed. The Mana-transferring pipes were probably placed underground, as he lost the sight of them long ago.
He could still see them on the buildings themselves, though.
Instead of driving to the mansion, set at the center of the land, they arrived before one of the hangars. After a short staring contest between the Blacksmith and a guard, done silently from behind the glassed windows, the other guy grudgingly exited his booth, the displeasure emanating from his whole posture alone.
The doors to the hangar were big enough that their cart was a good twenty meters away from his position, placed just before the opening. The poor guy had to force his way to their carriage before identifying them. Thankfully, the Blacksmith invited him inside when he was a few strides away.
Which, to Zeph’s amusement, immediately sobered his bad mood. It was one thing to see the carriage from the distance, it was another to stand right by it. Ghrughah was not only known in the city, he was also intimidating as hell because of his size.
“Y-yes, thank you,” the man said, visibly appalled. He closed the doors behind him before looking at them once more. “Umm, the procedures require you legitimate…” he started uncertainly when looking at the towering form of the Blacksmith.
“Not a problem,” the giant said, fishing out his amulet from under a tight shirt. “No need to be so reserved.”
“…sure…” the man quickly examined the amulet, then hesitated. “All in order… Umm, do you mind bringing me inside with you? I would rather not go outside in this weather.”
They looked at each other and shrugged. The man took out a black plate, this one without any cables for a change, and turned on one of the symbols on it. Zeph felt a Mana pulse spreading from the device and a moment later, they were driving through the slowly opening doors.
They slid back into place as soon as their vehicles passed the threshold, cutting off the cold air and snow powder invading the interior. The metal-leaned skis secured on the wagons’ wheels screeched horrendously on the stone pavement, but the horses managed to pull them all the way inside, even if neighing loudly in protest.
The trio exited the carriage while their coachmen took care of the distressed horses. Zeph looked around the vast interior of the hangar, illuminated brightly by enchanted lights.
He understood now why the pilots refused to meet at their place. The whole space was dedicated to the ships' construction and testing of the components. They weren’t playing around when it came to new technology available in the city. Predictably, most of the testing sides were empty, though. The twins were well-known, but not wealthy enough to buy every technological novelty available on the market. They wanted to be a part of the new trends and test them, not to own them.
Zeph stopped to look around after he noticed five people walking their way. Besides the four technicians, recognizable by the gear and clothing, a noble-like figure was marching in their direction. He wore an ornamental suit in black, rimmed with gold and dotted with fluorescent jades. The green light was reflecting from the metal surfaces, giving it a sickly, fluorescently yellowish coloration.
Zeph had to squint his eyes and observe the person for a few seconds before recognizing his race. He was definitely a Ljósálfar, the wood Elf equivalent of Earth’s fantasy. He had the characteristic olive-brown skin and ears almost two times bigger than they should be. Not pointy, though. The only problem was with his height.
From what he knew, the Youlasa should be much higher than humans. Yet, this guy was almost Zeph’s own height, if he estimated properly going by his human entourage. Not only that, but instead of having a twig-like bodily structure of the Youlasa, he seemed more like a wiry human.
Zeph never heard of a race combination that could result in such an appearance, so he suspected the guy just meddled with his genes or body upgrades too early. The Ljósálfar were known for prolonged juvenescence, after all.
That didn’t change the intimidating factor, though. Besides the fancy wear, something resembling a rapier was hanging by his waist and a disproportionately big tube with ornamental engravings was hanging from behind his shoulders. He also had the gait of a noble, walking slowly with his hands behind his back, and shooting condescending glances all around. His black, shoulder-length, silky hair swished in the air as he looked around. The golden eyes measured every person he passed.
Finally, he arrived before them and for the first time took a good look at his guests.
“Ghrughah,” he started quietly, looking up into the giant’s eyes. “It’s our pleasure to meet you. But…” his eyes moved to Zeph. “What is the meaning of this?” he said in a flat tone that should, supposedly, be disdainful.
Zeph and Gru both grimaced internally, as if tasting an especially sour lemon.
The guy was the worst actor they had ever met.
“What are you waiting for?” the Elf asked ‘incuriously’. “Explain yourself!” he demanded in his young, badly accentuated voice.
Yes, yes… Zeph thought. “For the record, I am not the Twerg, okay?”