Arc 6. A seemingly endless loss
Road to a Hero:
Three Chances in Another World
Chapter 20. Finally made it.
Standing together, Lance and Peter are frozen in fear, due to the angry Erin in front of them. Her aggravation is understandable after they had just broken a window and the door to her room.
Erin: “WHAT THE HELL!?”
Lance and Peter point at each other, trying to blame the problem on each other. Lance then pushes Peter, so Peter responds by pushing Lance. Erin watches as they start fighting each other, waiting for a second to break up, but once she does, it’s seen how much they don’t like each other.
Peter: “DON’T PUSH ME YOU DAMN SNAKE!”
Lance: “YEAH! POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK, YOU DAMN RABBIT!”
Erin: “SHUT UP! I don’t own this place, so Julius must pay for it. I don’t care, but did you go into my room?”
Erin’s question puts the fear back into the two, especially Peter, who’s trying not to connect the magic wand in her room to the one the thief had who attacked them at Meir.
Peter: “Ummmm…”
Lance: “What was with the wand?”
Peter punches Lance’s shoulder, about to cause another fight doing so.
Erin: “Oh that? I was practicing, so since I get paid a lot now, I bought an expensive one. Why do you ask?”
Peter: “Oh, nothing.”
Another knock on the door is heard by Julius.
Julius: “Alright, Edward along with everyone else has been gone for a few hours, and since both trains here as well as at Consol are about to arrive at both locations, I would like for you two to be on the train when it returns to Constal.”
Peter: “Really? Okay, we have to get our stuff though.”
Julius: “No need, I have already sent people to collect all of your things, you just need to wait in the carriage outside. Now, we must get going, embarrassingly I am running a bit late on things.”
Peter and Lance begin walking outside, looking at the same wondrous carriage they had ridden in a day earlier. Peter then looks at the Silver Chariot, watching as the soldiers struggle to put it onto a wagon. Julius, along with a few more guards, walks up to Peter and Lance, handing them their things. He then walks with them into the carriage, knocking on the wall to inform the driver to head off. So they begin riding back to the train station in silence. Peter takes out a modified rifle from within his large bag of gadgets. He then takes out some tools so he can work on it.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Lance: “What kinda musket is that? And how the hell do you have one!? Only the Dragon army soldiers can use thoughts!”
Peter: “I got them off the first group to ever start using them, y’know, the DAMN ANARCHISTS!”
Lance is surprised by this information, but he decides to sit in silence, watching Peter take out another gun, which looks similar to a trench gun, and then a flintlock.
Julius: “You have progressed your gadgets to a supreme degree. More than modifications, those are entirely new weapons. I know you made that explosive launcher, but this is an entire step up.”
Peter springs up with joy due to Julius’ surprisingly positive feedback, something he hasn’t had for months.
Peter: “Gray told me most of the stuff, I just made it. I didn’t do much.”
Julius: “Well the fact that you did it is great in itself.”
Lance: “Are you guys gonna kiss or can we just stop talking.”
They travel through the streets filled with people, all trying to get on the train for an experience entirely new to the people of Saga. After passing through town, they get to an area separated from normal people, with a train car open for just them.
Peter: “We’re in like an underground bunker? What the hell is this?”
Julius: “It is a pull-off area for nobles getting onto the train without struggle, let us enter this finally made a giant of a transportation system.”
Lance: “Yada Yada, it’s a big metal cage.”
They all get onto the train, and Peter is in awe of how nice it is. A quick-moving ball of metal, powered with the genius that is a steam engine. Then, the eureka moment.
Peter: “AHA! I GOT IT! A STEAM ENGINE, NOT MANA CRYSTALS!”
Lance: “What are you gawking about?”
As the train’s horn blows, the wheels begin to move, sending them off the constal. The sounds of people talking and cheering in the cars behind them overpower the booming sounds of the train.
Peter: “Gray and I have been stressing about this for MONTHS! AND THIS IS IT!”
Peter takes out a pen as well as some paper, jotting down all his ideas.
Lance: “What are you writing with?”
Peter: “Oh this, it’s a pen Gray helped me make.”
Peter tries to pay attention, but he’s far too concerned with the idea of a miniaturized steam engine. Peter sighs, going quiet to continue working on his tools. They spend a few hours in silence, Lance sleeps, Peter works on his things, and Julius remains still, quietly watching the world go by. After a while, late at night, they finally make it to the great city of Constal. The great walls protecting it, just like the walls protecting every great city, but these are different. They’re details, well throughout, as if each brick had its own story. The train rolls under the city, going into the train station. Hundreds of people get off to see hundreds of people watching, and then Peter, Lance, and Julius exit after the crowd clears out.
Peter: “So, we’re finally gonna be able to see it, Constal.”
They exit the train station, finally stepping foot in Constal, and it’s as glorious as it’s been built up to be. Wonderfully crafted buildings, keeping the gothic style, are filled with soul. People dressed in fabulous attire, the streets lined up perfectly, statues and paintings placed all about, it’s like a storybook within a storybook. Shops with lines of customers, street performers, enormous crowds, not a single sad person in sight. Unlike any Capitals, which just feel like places, this is a city filled with the wonder everything else should have. Peter is instantly overwhelmed, Julius remains calm as always, and Lance gets sucked into the lifestyle.
Julius: “It is nice, but we must go to your Cottage, which is located in the outer area of Constal. So you will get a bit of time to look around.”
And looking about is what they do, window shopping, women provocatively dancing on the streets, drawing Peter and Lance’s attention, carriages being pulled by beautiful drakes. Then, while walking, around eleven at night, the nightlife begins. Peter and Lance don’t know how to react, light crystals flying everywhere, and people dressed in animal masks, and dark clothes, drinking. Even when it’s so hectic, it’s still amazing. But, sadly, they make it out of the inner city, arriving at their Cottage. They make it inside their Cottage, a homey place to spend their time, but are shocked to find Gray, Edward, Rosemary, and Soku nowhere to be found. Peter begins to worry, but Julius remains calm, leading them to their rooms.
Peter: “HEY! What about Soku and the rest of them!?”
Julius: “Just sleep on it.”
Peter and Lance get pushed into their rooms, so Peter is forced to make himself go to sleep, thinking about his friend's safety all night, while Lance sleeps soundly.
End of Chapter Twenty