Chapter 8: What Lurks in the Shadows

We waited by the coastline as the sun continued to set.

By my side, Rel shifted nervously every few seconds. I paid him little mind.

A crisp, clean wind blew off the ocean, something that I’d never really got to experience in my last life. I think the cleanest air I’d ever breathed was at my secret base in Antarctica, and even then you could smell a trace of oil from the drilling platform a few miles away.

The air here was pure, and I breathed deep, before sighing. “What’s got you so jumpy?”

Rel jumped again, shrinking backwards some. “O-oh, nothing, ma’am.”

I rolled my eyes. This was why I didn’t do minions. They either professed needless obedience or annoying bullheadedness. “Tell me.” I didn’t move my gaze from the water. Case studies had shown that the gaze of a super villain was rarely a positive in the mind of the minion.

Questionable ethics aside, there was no reason to make the boy even more on edge.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him glance back and forth from me to the horizon several times. “The m-monsters’ll come out at night. Da always said we had to be back inside the walls before sundown, or they’d come ‘n gnaw our bones.”

Normally, I’d dismiss such talk as nothing more than a children’s fairytale, but in a world like this, with magic and status screens… well, who was to say there weren’t also monsters lurking in the night, waiting for some intrepid hero to come and slay them for loot?

I, of course, had a much more active way of gathering the materials I needed.

I hummed as my jellyfish demon resurfaced from the water. I’d netted the thing by offering an hour of freedom on this world, after it completed my tasks. A single slimy limb rose from the water, tossing another scrap of metal towards the shore.

I’d had it gathering bits of metal and electronics for the past hour. After a moment, I sighed, giving it the mental nudge that its duty was done. With a burble of water that sounded like sobs, it sank back beneath the waves.

Demons were weird.

“We’ll see what we have here, and then head back.”

Rel cast a glance towards the waves. “Can we just… let it go?”

I raised an eyebrow. “I already did, didn’t I? I’ll dismiss it in an hour.”

“R-right!”

Rel scampered in my wake as I made my way over to the pile of trash on the beach.

Most of it was just corroded iron or steel from ships, or perhaps armor from a noble or a knight who’d gone overboard half a century ago. But here and there I saw scraps of my own neo-titanium alloy. I quickly separated it from the rest of the trash. “Here.” I shoved the lot of it into Rel’s hands. “We’ll be needing these for later.”

I didn’t have the tools to work the metal yet, but then, I didn’t have the tools to make any more either.

Sometimes you had to run before you could crawl.

Beyond that, there were a few smaller components and a circuit board or two that didn’t look like a complete loss. I added those to stack.

I rose to turn from the rest of the debris when I caught sight of the last thing the demon had tossed upon the shore.

“… Now that’s interesting.”

I reached down, pulling the sword from the sand. It was a simple straight sword, long since rusted into its sheath. But what drew my eye was the ruby set in its handle. I turned it over in my hands, noticing how the setting hadn’t corroded through. Even the handle itself was in much better condition than sheath.

If nothing else, I could use the precious stone.

I slipped it into my belt with a smile.

“It’s not much, but it’s a start.” I turned towards Rel. “With this, I might even be able to make something worthwhile.”

Then Rel tilted under the weight and fell to the ground.

I blinked once as metal and electronics scattered everywhere, crashing against the sand and the rocks. I sighed. “So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh?”

“I-I’m sorry!” He snapped to his feet, scrambling for the parts, but I caught him by the scruff of his neck. Rel trembled in my grip.

“You, carry this.” I shoved the sword into his hands, not like I had a use for it or anything. “I’ll handle the… important bits.”

“Th-that’s, I can—”

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“Drop it all over the ground again?” I asked. “Step on something fragile a few times, maybe?” He hunched over and I sighed. “Just carry the sword. I should have known I’d have to feed you before I made you do any heavy lifting.”

Rel swallowed. “Y-yes, ma’am.”

“And stop calling me fucking ma’am.” I muttered. “It makes me feel old.”

“What should I… uh, call you?”

How about you just don’t. I bit back my instinctive response. I’d heard that line too many times in way too many bars. Oh, and my sign was “fuck off,” if you’re curious.

He wasn’t hitting on me though, and I had a bit of pity for the poor boy. He was so far out of his depth that he could see sharks, stuck making the best of a bad situation with no idea how to stay afloat.

I’d been in the same situation myself, a year or two ago, hadn’t I? After Cypher’s identity…

I shook my head, gathering up the scraps of metal and electronics that I’d deemed salvageable. I sighed at one cathode induction array that had shattered against a rock. Easy come, easy go.

“You can call me Via, or ‘Lady Via’ if you have to.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a fan of titles.” I smirked to myself at the joke, settling the junk parts in my grip. I’d picked the name Empress for myself because I’d ruled nothing. A thumbing of my nose at the established hierarchy.

Of course, my enemies had just claimed it was a sign of megalomania.

“Let’s go.” I turned back towards Silverwall. “And… try not to drop the sword, at least.”

“Y-yes!”

I sighed. He was painfully earnest. It made me feel almost bad about exploiting him.

“And if you fall, don’t land on me!”

“Yes!”

It had been a short walk out to the coast. However, the sun cast long shadows as it dipped beneath the horizon, making the march back slower and more treacherous. Not to mention that I was carrying a stack of metal and could barely see where I was putting my feet in the first place.

For the second time since coming to this new world, I made a promise to myself.

No more skipping leg day.

I was tired of being dainty. And sure, maybe I’d never be able to go toe-to-toe with someone like Wonder Man—I’d settle for having a perfect record against him in tic-tac-toe thank you very much—but at the very least, I shouldn’t be struggling to carry twenty pounds a mile or two.

Okay, maybe I should. I wasn’t exactly a titan; I could admit that much.

But I didn’t want to!

Ugh, it was just, there was always so much to do! New designs to prototype, to test, to innovate. Schemes to plan, to refine, and then to execute.

Heroes to defeat.

Banks to rob.

People to see.

It had been a busy life.

There was a crack from the jungle. I stopped, head snapping to the side. “What was that?”

Rel trembled. “Uh… maybe nothing?”

There was a rustling of leaves, and I felt a chill creep down my neck. “Keep moving. We’re almost back to Silverwall.”

By now, the sun had almost fully set, leaving just the last few rays of sunlight that were quickly fading beneath the horizon. I quickened my pace, even as I started breathing more heavily.

“Never,” I muttered, “skip… leg day.”

“W-what’s leg day?”

“A giant fucking…” I took a breath. “Meme.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Rel blinking at me, confusion writ plain on his face.

Not, I noted, that it was anything new.

“If you have time to talk, you can move faster.”

“I’m…” He shot another fearful glance towards the jungle. “Going as fast as you?”

I glared.

“Eep!” Rel picked up his pace, and I did my best to follow.

Christ, why was everyone taller than me, even in fantasy land! Weren’t medieval people supposed to be short from inadequate nutrition or something? I swear I saw something like that on TV once, after the guy with the crazy hair.

I panted for breath as the chink in the walls came into sight.

It wasn’t fair! Why did mama have to be so short? Why couldn’t I have inherited any of my father’s tall genes?

There was a roar from the jungle. In front of me, Rel stumbled, casting a glance over his shoulder.

I just leaned forward. “Run!”

He didn’t need to be told twice. This time, anyway.

My feet pounded against the ground, even though it felt like I was barely moving faster than a walk. But we were almost there.

I heard thumps behind me, the sound of leaves and branches snapping aside.

Never look back. That was my motto.

I just… never thought I’d be applying it so literally.

“Go! Go! Go!”

My heart was pounding out of my chest when we made it to the dirt gate. We ran through the chink in the wall just as I heard shouts coming from the top. Something big crashed into the stone behind us. I collapsed to the ground to the sweet symphony of crossbows being unloaded into the thing outside.

There was another annoyed screech, then the creature turned and ran away from the walls. I forced myself to my hands and knees just in time to see a shadow slipping back into the jungle, something massive, a long-muscled tail, knocking over one last tree as it went.

I turned to look at Rel, who was staring back at me with wide eyes.

Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet. “Next time… we’ll go in the morning.”

Rel nodded fervently. I hauled him upright. “We’ll need some place to store all of this.”

He thought for a second. Well, if nothing else, today had shown that the boy wasn’t slow. Naïve, utterly lacking in confidence, and with little ability to plan, perhaps, but that’s what I was here for.

“There’re… a buncha abandoned buildings near the old docks. Warehouses ‘n the like.”

Despite my near brush with death, I found myself smiling. “Warehouses you say?”