Chapter 132
Making Amends
While Erin had wanted to go and sell the Reaper Maggot’s claw as fast as she could, there was one problem that prevented her from doing so. With Lexton still unable to move around efficiently from the loss of his tail, the redhead was certain that even if she found a vendor willing to buy the claw, she wouldn’t be able to get a proper price for it. The kobold was much more experienced and skilled in matters like these, so she really needed his help in order to not get scammed yet again. It didn’t help that she had just been fooled by Brega for their trip to the pit and back, so she really wasn’t confident that she could sell the claw for a decent price.
During the time she waited for Lexton to get his new tail made, the kobold had tried to persuade Erin numerous times to reconsider her decision to sell the Reaper Maggot’s claw. The way he saw it, it would serve them better to make something out of it rather than simply sell it. However, despite his best efforts, the redhead was adamant in her decision. The claw would be sold and she would then use the money for something she wasn’t going to reveal just yet.
As she was waiting for Lexton’s new tail to get finished, Erin had expected to receive orders from Rayleen as to what they needed to do next in order to go after Golorath. This had worried her greatly, because she didn’t want her group to set out without making proper preparations. Luckily and surprisingly, they heard nothing. There were no messages nor anyone from the warlord’s group coming for a visit to tell them what to do. While she was a bit relieved by this, the redhead couldn’t help but feel like that this was due to Rayleen forgetting about them while having fun yet again.
Whatever the reason was, Erin was just glad that she and her friends were allowed to have some time to make preparations for their next trip. In the couple of days given to them, Lexton was able to complete his artificial tail and was now getting ready to put it in its place.
“Alright… You guys know what to do?” the kobold asked nervously as he was held down on the floor by Durge. He also had sweat dripping down his face while trying to keep his breathing steady.
“Yeah. I’ve looked at the instructions you gave me and I’m pretty sure that I’ve got this,” Erin said while holding the artificial tail in her hands.
“PRETTY SURE? Don’t give me that shit, Erin!” Lexton said angrily with his voice slightly trembling. “If you screw this up, you could completely ruing the whole thing while still putting me through some of the most horrific pain in the world! So you better make sure you’re absolutely certain you know what the hell you’re doing! Got that!?”
“Hey! Take it easy, Lex! I’m sure she didn’t mean it to be taken like that!” Durge said, hoping to calm down the panicking kobold. “You just have to trust her on this and I’m sure she’ll do just fine!”
There was a reason why Lexton was behaving the way he was. As an expert in mechanical constructions, he knew exactly just how delicate artificial limbs were and just how painful of an experience it was to have one connected into your body. The latter was something Erin was also familiar with. Because he might begin thrashing around from the pain, Lexton had instructed Durge to hold him down through the process. The kobold might have seen himself as a genius, but that didn’t mean he was arrogant enough to not realize how he would react to horrific pain. Erin would then insert the new tail into the spot Lexton had prepared, thus completing the process.
However, while Lexton had faith in Durge and Erin to do their parts, this didn’t mean that he had no reason to worry. Even if you made the most detailed and foolproof plans imaginable, something could always go wrong. And when you were dealing with constructions as intricate and detailed as the tail the kobold had built for himself, he wanted to be completely certain that the people he was working with knew what they were doing. If something went wrong, not only would Lexton still have to suffer through the pains of the connection, a lot of bigger problems could come from this. Some parts of the artificial tail could get damaged or broken, forcing him to repair it, if not build it again from scratch. In the worst case scenario, though, some of the mechanisms he had installed could cause a fire or even kill him. In other words, it was a delicate operation with no room for error.
“I want you to tell me that shit when our places are switched!” Lexton shouted at Durge. “This is NOT a fun place to be, okay!?”
“L-Look, Lex, if you have an issue with me doing this, how about you ask someone else!?” Erin asked, a bit shaken by the whole situation. “I’m sure any of the others would be more than willing to do this!”
“Yeah! I can put that thing where it belongs!” Ryle said enthusiastically. “Just give the robo-tail to me and I’ll just-”
“YOU are NOT touching my goddamn tail! GOT IT!?” Lexton angrily shouted at the blonde, who simply backed away in response. “And as much as I hate this mess I’m in, I’m afraid the two of you are the only ones for this job. Arnie is way too nervous to handle this and I doubt Ryle knows how to handle delicate equipment like this other than smashing it with a rock.”
“HEY!” Ryle yelled angrily.
“Fair enough,” Erin said, ignoring Ryle’s angry protests. “But what about Zeldana? I mean, she’s literally the medic of our team, so I’m sure she would-”
“THAT sociopath is NOT touching ME!” Lexton said.
“Your loss,” Zeldana said while reading a book, not paying attention to what was going on.
“So as you can see, my options are kind of limited here,” the kobold said more calmly this time. “It has to be the two of you. No one else here can do this.”
“While I appreciate that you keep us in such high regard, I do have to ask one thing, which might be a stupid question,” Erin said. “Why don’t we just take you to a local hospital to handle this? I’m sure that they have medical professionals who can easily handle this.”
“...Wow. You were not joking. That is a stupid question,” Lexton said bluntly. “For starters, people that specialize in cybernetics and artificial body parts often have their own businesses that charge very high prices for their services. Even something as simple as this would most likely destroy us financially! The only people with the necessary skills needed for this that work in hospitals are amateurs with no real experience and I refuse to have one of those touch me or my tail!”
“Okay, I see your point,” the redhead said awkwardly in response. “Any other reasons, though?”
“Sure! Remember how we are currently being targeted by assassins?” the kobold asked. “What do you think would be the perfect place for a sudden “accident” to happen that would kill at least one of us?”
“...Fair enough,” Erin said with a sigh as she got ready to connect Lexton’s new tail. “Are you ready?”
The kobold gave a simple nod in response as he steeled himself for what was about to happen. As soon as she had been given permission, the redhead inserted the cybernetic tail into the socket where it would connect with Lexton’s body.
As soon as the connection was made, the kobold felt a surge of pain running through his whole body, starting from the place the new tail was attached from. This spread into every inch of his body, causing him to scream hysterically and attempt to fight back. However, thanks to both Durge and Erin holding him down, Lexton was unable to move all that much and therefore harm himself with his reaction.
After a moment of hysterical screaming, Lexton seemed to finally calm down. His breathing was heavy and sweat was dripping down his face, but he seemed to be doing fine overall. Everybody else had their eyes on the kobold, waiting to see if he was completely fine or not.
“Lex?” Erin called out to the kobold. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine… Just… Give me a moment, okay?” Lexton replied as he slowly steadied his breathing. Once he was breathing normally, he slowly got back to his feet and turned to look at his new tail, gently moving it around in order to test it out. “Everything seems to be working just fine. I think it’s safe to say that this has been a success.”
If one were to look at the kobold’s new tail, they wouldn’t be able to tell it was an artificial one with just their eyes. In order to hide its true nature, Lexton had prepared a cover over it that was made to look and feel like his scales. This would allow him to fool people, in case it would be necessary in the future.
“It looks like it’s working perfectly,” Erin remarked as she watched the tail move around. “I have to say, though, it seems a bit more simple than I thought it would be. I was expecting you to put all sorts of hidden weapons into it.”
“As tempting as something like that sounds, it’s better not to go too wild with such things,” Lexton said. “Adding far too many hidden mechanisms will often just mess up the programming and can cause some of them to activate unintentionally. Not only that, but they will add more weight and can make the whole thing a lot easier to explode or electrocute you. It’s all about balance in the end and keeping things more simple often accomplishes that.”
“I see. I guess that makes sense,” the redhead said, thinking about it. “So this thing is just going to operate like a normal tail then?”
“Of course it isn’t! What do you take me for!?” the kobold said in a boasting tone with a grin on his face. “I obviously inserted something into it that makes it more than just your average tail! Observe!”
The others watched as Lexton’s new tail moved. Suddenly, the tip of the tail split open, revealing what looked like the barrel of a small gun. The kobold activated this new mechanism of his, causing an extremely bright light to shine from it. He only did this for a very short moment, as the brightness could hurt the eyes of those watching.
“This is what I added to my tail. It’s small plasma tool that I can use to cut things apart and weld them together,” Lexton explained. “This will allow my hands to be free for other tasks when I’m working and something needs this tool specifically.”
“And just like with my hand, it can be used as a means to surprise people and use it in difficult situations! Like opening locked doors and such!” Erin said excitedly as she looked at the kobold’s new tool in amazement. “That’s really clever of you, Lex! Good job!”
“Yeah, that’s pretty neat!” Ryle said with a grin. “Plus, now you don’t need to worry about having those reptilian issues, similarly to guys who have-”
“Finish that sentence and I swear I’ll weld your mouth shut!” Lexton said angrily as he pointed his tail towards the blonde.
“...I was just saying,” Ryle said meekly.
“Bad jokes aside, does this mean that we are ready to move out?” Durge asked. “One of the things holding us from moving was that a couple of our members were unable to move properly. Now that Ryle and I have recovered, and Lex has his new tail ready, should we begin making plans for our next move?”
“I’m afraid we can’t. Remember that we are basically working for Rayleen now,” Erin replied. “She told us to stay here and wait for her further orders. Considering the type of person we’re dealing with, I’d say it’s best for us to not make any hasty movements.”
“But didn’t you say yourself that the last time you met her, she was completely drunk and had forgotten about us?” Ryle asked. “Wouldn’t it be safe to assume that it has happened again and that we might as well get going? Just staying around here isn’t going to get us anywhere.”
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“Look, she might be as irresponsible as an unruly teenager, but do you really think it’s a smart idea to risk angering her?” the redhead asked with a sigh. “You especially should realize how bad of an idea that is. After all, you were there with me and Arnie, when we got beaten by her. Not only that, but I’m certain her goons are no joke either. Add to that the fact that as a warlord she must have insane resources at her disposal and we are dealing with an enemy that is not to be taken lightly.”
“...The only reason she beat me was because she caught me off guard,” the blonde muttered unhappily.
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that. I’m sure it makes you feel better,” Erin said as she rolled her eye. “Anyways, I think it’s still best to play it safe for now. Not only that, but we have to remember our ultimate goal, which is to take down Golorath. Having someone who is so close to him provide us with information is going to be useful for certain.”
“T-That might be true, but… what if she doesn’t want us to just go after Golorath?” Arkay asked nervously. “What if she wants us to start killing some other people? Like her rivals in the military or people who are resisting her rule?”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that. It’s not Rayleen’s style,” Zeldana suddenly said. “Out of the Western warlords, she was the only one I had any level of respect towards. While brutal towards anyone who picked up a weapon to go against her, she doesn’t harm the regular population. From what I can tell, she has a certain code of honor that keeps her from doing certain things, unlike the other warlords, who would abuse their power however they liked.”
“So you’re saying that we can trust her?” Lexton asked.
“I’m saying that she’s a simpleminded idiot that is easy to understand and even predict at times,” the elf replied bluntly.
“...I’m not sure if that is something we can fully count on,” the kobold muttered.
“Whatever the case is when it comes to Rayleen, the fact is that we are still stuck here. So instead of simply wondering about it uselessly, we might as well use the time we have to our advantage,” Erin declared. “So, Lex, now that your new tail is working, mind accompanying me on my trip to the market?”
“Of course I can. Just… Are you sure about this?” Lexton asked, knowing fully well what the redhead was planning to do. “I mean… the things I could-”
“Lex, I know fully well about what you could do with the Reaper Maggot’s claw. However, there is something much more important that needs to be done,” the redhead said cutting off the kobold, as she went to pick up the piece of the monster they had slain. “And in order for me to do that, I’m going to need your help in selling this.”
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With the help of Lexton, Erin was able to find a good store, where she was able to sell the Reaper Maggot’s claw for a really good price. The money that they received would have allowed them to travel for a few months in actual luxury. To be honest, the redhead was very surprised by the amount of money they received.
“I gotta say, Lex, I knew that we would get a good amount of cash, but I never expected it to be this much!” Erin said while counting the money they had gotten for the third time, unable to believe the amount she was holding. “I’m actually starting to wonder why you wanted to keep that thing, when this was an option!”
“Look, I get that we got a lot of money and normally I’d be the first person to go for the money when given the chance! I’m a merchant! Do you really think anyone would ever be more interested in money than me!?” Lexton said in response. “However, I’m also a craftsman and getting to work with rare materials like that is something that only happens through sheer luck! Just imagine the stuff I could make! The craftsman within me is burning just from the thought alone…”
“I get you… But the reason I wanted to do this was for a very specific reason,” the redhead said with a sigh. “What I need is a lot of money. Just money. That’s why I had to do this.”
“Well, if that’s how it is then fine. You win,” the kobold said. “So anyways, what is this project of yours that you need so much cash for? You haven’t told any of us what that is.”
“...You’ll see when we get there,” Erin replied.
With Erin at the lead, the two of them ended up at the lift operators place, where they had gone with Brega. One of the operators, the same one the redhead had talked to after getting back up from the pit, immediately recognized her and walked up to her.
“Oh, miss! I didn’t expect to see you here so soon! And no Brega with you this time, so that’s definitely an improvement!” the operator said happily. “What brought you and your friend here this time? Were you planning another trip to the pit? If so, I could give you a fair price for it!”
“Not this time. We already concluded our business down there,” Erin replied with a friendly smile. “Our business is of a bit more… serious matter this time.”
“Really? What might that be then?” the lift operator asked.
“I believe I heard that there was a group of hunters who lost their lives in the pit at the same time we were down there,” the redhead said in a serious and slightly saddened tone. “Would you happen to know more about them?”
“Oh… Those poor souls,” the lift operator said in a somber tone, realizing who she was referring to. “They didn’t travel me, but with another lift. Some of their close people are apparently heading here to find out more details as to what happened back then. May I ask, though, why are you asking about them?”
“I wished to give this to the families of the hunters, so that their futures might be a little easier,” Erin replied, handing the money they had earned from selling the Reaper Maggot’s claw and surprising both the lift operator and Lexton. “I know it isn’t much, but I feel like I should do something to help them.”
“I-I see. That’s… quite generous of you, miss. You can definitely donate your money to them. In fact, due to the frequent deaths that occur here, there is an office nearby where you can make your donation. While they mostly deal with recovering the belongings of victims and returning them to those that they legally belong to, they can also handle things like this,” the lift operator explained, having managed to get past his surprise. “However, may I ask why you’re doing this? Were you perhaps acquainted with those hunters in some manner?”
“...In a way, I suppose you could say that. But I’m mostly doing this for my own sake,” the redhead answered. “Now, could you point us in the direction of that office you just mentioned?”
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After receiving the necessary directions, Erin and Lexton went to the office they had been told about and handed the money to the people working there. They were promised that it would reach the people they were hoping to help, so there was nothing to worry about. Once their business was done, the two of them started to head back to where the rest of their friends were.
As the two were walking, there was an awkward silence looming over them. Erin couldn’t help but fear that Lexton was silent because he disapproved of what she had done with the money they had gotten, as he was much more logical and business-minded in his thinking. Despite this, the redhead was certain she had done the right thing, even if it had been just to ease her own conscience. She still needed to discuss this with the kobold and the rest of the group, as her actions would affect them all.
“Umm… Lex?” Erin called out to the kobold, getting his attention. “Look, I know that you most likely don’t approve of what I just did, but I feel like it was the right thing to do. I know that it doesn’t make up for what we did, but it was still a step in the right direction, right? I get that the decision was made only by me and was ultimately kind of selfish, yet I-”
“What the hell are you saying? You know if I had disapproved of what you did, I would have said something already, right?” Lexton suddenly asked, surprising the redhead. “I get why you would get the image of me being more cold or whatever, but even I have some decency and a sympathetic side to me, okay!? In fact, I’m more pissed off that you apparently didn’t trust me enough to support your decision! So from now on, you better be completely honest with me, when it comes to anything like this! Break that and you might end up on the wrong end of me testing one of my creations next time! Got it!?”
“...Yeah, I understand,” Erin said with a small smile, happy that her friend was supporting her. “Thank you.”
“Don’t know what you’re thanking me for, but you’re welcome, I suppose,” the kobold said with a shrug. “Now let’s just get back to our hotel. I feel like I need to take a nap after a long day.”
As the two of them were walking out of the lift operating area, they encountered two figures that were familiar to Erin. They were the two subordinates of Rayleen that she had met, Izra and Wargas. The two soldiers were walking with a group of people who seemed to be carrying specialized equipment of some sorts, although the redhead had no idea what it was.
“What the-? You!?” Izra said, surprised to see Erin before her. “What the hell are you doing here!? Aren’t you supposed to be out of the city already!?”
“How could I leave this place? Your boss told us to stay here, until we received instructions from her!” the redhead said. “Isn’t the concept of following orders that should be very familiar to people like you!?”
“Why you lying no good piece of-!”
“Izra, calm down. You look ridiculous,” Wargas suddenly said with a sigh. “Do you really think she or any of her companions would be dumb enough to defy Lady Rayleen? Even if they were, staying here would be the absolute worst decision they could ever make, as we would quickly find them. Not only that, they didn’t even try to run or hide when they faced us. Don’t you think that tells you clearly enough what actually happened?”
“And what would that be!?” Izra asked angrily.
“Lady Rayleen forgot to send out her instructions to these guys,” the wolfman replied bluntly. “AGAIN.”
“...Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” the dragon woman groaned. “And she kept telling me how she was going to get it done! Numerous times! What the hell could possibly be there to keep her occupied so much that she can’t even accomplish a simple task!?”
“Well, the new Shadowy Spirits game was just released,” Wargas said. “I’m sure that explains it more than enough.”
“Are you serious?” Erin asked. “You mean to tell me that the reason your boss failed to provide us with instructions was simply because of a video game? You’re joking, right?”
“Hey, she might have been distracted by her passions, but you are not someone who is allowed to criticize her!” Izra angrily yelled at the redhead. “As a matter of fact, having you be part of our operations in any manner is like a sickening joke that-!”
“IZRA!” Wargas shouted, silencing the dragon woman instantly. “Would you mind and at least try to control your behavior!? You’re bringing shame to our whole unit with your immature antics!”
“...I apologize, sir,” the dragon woman replied meekly as she looked down in shame.
“Honestly… When are you going to grow up finally?” the wolfman mumbled as he turned his attention back to Erin. “Forgive my colleagues behavior. She has a tendency to let her emotions get the best of her at times. However, I did anticipate that this would happen in regards to your instructions, so I luckily prepared a copy of them in advance.”
“I see… Thank you,” the redhead said, as Wargas took out a piece of paper and handed it to her. “She seems to be very loyal to Rayleen. I mean, any hint of negativity towards her seems to set her off.”
“Uhh… While there is certainly a level of truth to that, I fear that it’s not the only thing that is affecting her,” the wolfman began to explain awkwardly. “You see, while she would get upset and angry at people for actions you just described, there is an additional factor that makes her really dislike you of all people.”
“Huh? What could that be?” Erin asked, surprised by this revelation.
“Well, it’s-”
“HEY! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!?”
Erin, Wargas and Izra all turned to where the sudden angry scream had come from and saw one of the people who had accompanied the two subordinates of Rayleen getting angry at Lexton.
“What’s going on here?” Izra asked, as she walked up to see what the commotion was about.
“This little bastard was trying to take a look at our equipment, madam!” one of the workers said. “He is obviously trying to spy on us!”
“Nothing of the sort, I assure you!” Lexton said calmly in a fake apologetic tone. “As a man of machinery and craftsmanship, I was just a bit curious as to what you were carrying with you. I have no intention of sabotaging your work in any manner. I do apologize for giving the wrong impression, though. Hope we can move past this.”
Erin, realizing the trouble her friend was in, was about to rush to his aid, only to be stopped by Wargas.
“Don’t worry. No harm will come to him,” the wolfman said. “Trust me.”
Back with Lexton and Izra, the people serving under the dragon woman were still convinced that the kobold was a spy of some sorts and were arguing for it.
“Lady Izra, you cannot be fooled by him!” the person that the dragon woman had talked to kept arguing. “Why else would someone try to look at what we have brought here!?”
“Like I said, nothing but professional curiosity,” Lexton argued. “No need to be worried about what I’m going to do, alright?”
“...I think it’s okay,” Izra mumbled so quietly that it was almost impossible to hear. However, the people around her, including Erin and Wargas, did catch it. “I think it’s okay if it’s just for a bit of curiosity. No harm done through that.”
Erin had been so shocked by the sudden change in tone with the dragon woman that she was unable to believe that she had just heard it. She had to take a double take in order to confirm to herself that it was indeed the same person, who had just moments ago been raging at her, was now talking like a shy high school girl. To add to the redhead’s shock, Izra didn’t just sound like one, but was even acting the part as well. The dragon woman’s face had a slight blush and she was nervously looking down on the ground, like her crush was standing before her.
“See? Nothing to be worried about!” Lexton said with a smug grin at the person who had been yelling at him, before turning his attention to Izra. “Thank you for your understanding, madam.”
“...You can call me Izra,” the dragon woman said shyly.
“Huh? Well… Okay!” the kobold said, a bit confused. “Thank you, Izra.”
image [https://i.ibb.co/sQH72LK/Ch-132-Pic-1.jpg]
Hearing her name said out loud caused the dragon woman to let out a tiny squeal that went unnoticed only by Lexton. Her hair also seemed to stand up a bit and her body went stiff, before she relaxed with a dreamy look on her face.
“What the-!? Did she just-!? But… WHAT!?” Erin said, failing to find the right words.
“I see you’ve finally realized her little obsession,” Wargas said with a sigh. “Izra has taken a liking to your kobold friend over there. In fact, she even has a picture of him in her wallet.”
“So… The reason why she dislikes me so much, isn’t necessarily because of how I interact with Rayleen, but-” the redhead started.
“But because you’re traveling with him. Yes,” the wolfman finished for Erin. “It also doesn’t help that he lost his tail in your battle against the Reaper Maggot, which she has put the blame on you and your other friend.”
“...I don’t know how to process this,” the redhead said.
“Just do what I do. Go along with it and try to ignore it as much as you can,” Wargas said with a sympathetic look on his face.
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After their brief encounter with Rayleen’s aides, Erin and Lexton were back on their way to their hotel. Once they were certain that no one could hear them talking anymore, Erin decided to speak up.
“So what were you doing back there?” the redhead asked suddenly, getting Lexton’s attention. “And don’t try to act all innocent. It’s obvious to me that you had an ulterior motive. Why else would you try to inspect the equipment of people serving a warlord?”
“Dear me, have I become that obvious?” the kobold asked playfully. “Anyways, I was just trying to figure out what type of work they were doing by analyzing the tools they brought. However, I’m honestly more confused by what they had with them.”
“What do you mean?” Erin asked.
“The tools and machines they brought were all for geological work. Specifically to analyze the properties of rocks and other such things,” Lexton explained. “I could understand if they were hoping to either catch some creatures or find lost artifacts, but I cannot understand why a warlord of all people would be interested in the ground itself.”
“Maybe she’s hoping to find useful minerals or something?” the redhead suggested. “They could be in the need of materials for developing weapons or something.”
“Possibly, but why come here then? With Gotzmeyer gone, it opens up far better options for digging up minerals,” the kobold pointed out. “Just Grand Mine Central should give them all the minerals they could ever need. Instead of inspecting a place that is known for the dangers it holds, why not just go look through the recently opened up free real estate and get your fix from that? There has got to be a deeper meaning to this…”
“Well, whatever that is, I doubt it has much to do with us,” Erin said with a shrug. “The way I see it, we don’t really need to worry about their actions for now, so let’s just focus on what’s ahead of us for now.”
“Fair enough,” Lexton said with a shrug. “Still, I’m surprised by how that Izra lady didn’t get upset at me. I would have guessed that someone working directly under a warlord would be a much more cruel and violent person. Glad to see I was wrong!”
“...If you only knew,” the redhead grumbled. “By the way, from now on, you’re coming with me whenever I have to negotiate with Rayleen. Got it?”