Epilogue: All According to Plan

“As you can see, Duchess, this cannot be allowed to stand.”

Duchess Ivey of Silverwall looked up, Golden eyes blinking listlessly. I'm sorry, Seneschal.” Her gaze slipped back towards the window, silver pale hair glinting in the morning light. “I did not quite follow your report.”

“It is of no matter.” Seneschal Hawkwright dipped his head slightly. “Simply put, the criminal elements in the outer city have gotten out of hand. By your leave, I'll take a detachment of the guard to remind them of their place.”

“Hmm.” The Duchess raised a hand, fingers scratching at the suture marks in the hollow of her throat with trembling fingers. “Tonight.”

Hawkwright give a cough. “My lady?”

“Tonight would be best.” She kept scratching. “Don't, don't, don't you always say that criminals come out at night?”

He sighed. “It would be more dangerous.”

Duchess Ivey bobbed her head. “Take another detachment, or two.” The man turned his eyes heavenward.

“Very well.” the Duchess nodded again, distractedly. “Also, there is the matter of her Highness and—”

“Not this moon.”

Her voice turned sharp.

Seneschal Hawkwright paused. “Lady Ivey, you yourself are scarcely recovered from last month. Would it not be better if…”

“Not this moon.” Her fingers clenched, knuckles white at the hollow of her throat. “This alone is my decision, is it not, Seneschal?”

“I merely…” the man glanced to the side, “am concerned for your health.”

“How kind of you.”

Hawkwright bowed stiffly. “I shall see to the preparations.” The Duchess looked away, and the door shut sharply behind him a moment later. She let a minute pass in silence before she rang for her niece.

In a few short minutes, the princess, seventeenth in line to the throne of the Vecorvian Republic, arrived. “Auntie,” she said.

Royal blood ran true.

Princess Ishanti Melir was a mirror of her maternal aunt. The woman had yet to reach her twentieth year, but her silver-white hair was long, and Golden eyes still bright. Duchess Ivey scratched at her throat at the sight of her niece’s yet-blemished skin.

She took Ishanti’s hand, squeezing it gently. “Tonight.”

The young woman blinked once, trembling slightly. She opened her mouth to speak, but a knock came to the door.

“Duchess.” A robed physician came into the room, his assistant pushing a cart behind him. “It is time for your treatment.”

Ivey took back her hand. “Go.” Ishanti swallowed, looking at her aunt. “Go!”

The Princess sketched a brief curtsy and went.

She cast a glance over her shoulder as the assistant pushed the door to her aunt’s chamber shut. The last thing she saw was a small glass vessel, its contents pulsating with Golden light.

*~*~*~*

Guard Captain Marie marched through the old docks with a singular purpose.

To the west, the sun had just touched the top of the outer wall. She had already sent out her runners in squads of five to cordon off areas of interest. Tonight would be a night to remember.

She'd finally been given dispensation to clear the slums in force, and Maria intended to make use of it.

Three full detachments of her men marched down the dilapidated streets of the old docks in a silver cordon worthy of their city. Breastplates and burnished helmets gleamed in the fading light. The men and women of the guard were like a ship parting a sea of detritus. The waves knew better than to get in their way.

“Ey, if it isn't Marie, old girl!”

Of course, there were always breakers.

Guard Captain Marie held back a grimace. “Arlo.” She gave the old bartender a curt nod. “Tell your boss that we're coming for his balls.”

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The man gave a jaunty salute as the cavalcade marched past. Marie resisted the urge to spit at his feet. “I work for meself, ma’am, but I’ll pass it along.” He winked. Marie ignored him.

“Who's the ass?”

Guard Captain Marie reached back and slammed the armsman's helmet shut. “Who’s the ass, Captain.”

Maria's second in command held back a snort. “Arlo of Eastside.” The man shifted his grip on his sword. “Small-time drug pusher, but he knows to keep his hands to himself.”

“He's in with the gang,” Marie grumbled.

“You've been saying that for years.”

“Captain, the warehouse is just up ahead!”

Marie swallowed her retort. “Fan out, men!” After the riot in the merchant quarter, damn Duchess Ivey had finally gotten off her royal ass and ordered a retaliation. It wasn't hard to piece together who was responsible for the madness.

Fortunately, the Adventurers’ Guild had already gotten their collective asses handed to them. All that was left was the gang who’d instigated the whole mess in the first place.

Marie looked up at the massive warehouse, a smokestack belching soot into the air. “Not like Silverwall’s newest gang even tried to hide…”

Her second grinned. “All the better for us, eh captain?”

Marie just grunted, running a hand through her short, muddy hair. “Let's just get this over with.” At her command, a squad of ten men went up to the door, carrying an enchanted battering ram. The rest of her squads fanned out around the street. “We should be doing this as a raid.”

The man shrugged. “Seneschal said the Duchess wanted a statement.”

“Damn Duchess Ivey.” The captain sighed. “Alright, boys, bring down the house!”

The squad at the doors hefted up the battering ram and slammed it against the wooden doors. They splintered on impact, flying into the interior of the building.

Marie’s jaw dropped.

Inside was not a group of surprised workers, or a batch of criminals ready for their desperate last stand. Hells, she would have even taken a hastily abandoned building.

Because the warehouse was abandoned, alright. But not hastily.

The back wall had been torn down, and everything within the building itself had already been consumed by a raging inferno. This wasn't the work of a few hours. It would have taken a day, or more even, to set it all up. Then, the moment her men had been spotted in Eastside, this Empire had sent word back, and struck a match.

As she watched, the remains of the roof caved in, burying the ashes in yet more rubble.

Ashy black smoke continued to rise up into the air.

Marie’s second nodded to himself. “Leastwise we know where the smoke's coming from.”

She reached over and slammed his visor shut.

*~*~*~*

I closed the messaging mirror with a satisfied click.

The case itself hadn't been hard to put together with a bit of scrap metal, and it added such a wonderful note of finality to the whole affair.

Electra raised an eyebrow. “Well?” She was leaning against the back of the wagon, her slightly longer hair swaying as we trundled down the road, far away from Silverwall. “How’d it go?”

“Flawlessly.” I smirked. “I couldn't have timed it better with the Navy Master Clock.”

She snorted. “You'd know, Em.”

“It was one time.” I rolled my eyes. “I even gave it back after.”

“Broken!”

I waved a hand. “This is this and that was that.” I glanced over my shoulder. “Any trouble with the rest of the clasp, Rel?”

Electra huffed.

“Almost… got it!” With a grunt, Rel snapped the last connector into place on my lower back. With a soft hiss, my armor’s auto seal activated.

“I can't believe you found this.” I stroked the glossy neosteel armguard. “Thought I'd have to burn down the whole city to get it back.”

“The Enchanters’ Guild had it, Mistress.” Relia straightened up, brushing off her slacks. “They were trying to unravel the durability enchantments.”

“Please.” I waved a hand. “As if I needed magic to create this suit.”

She smirked. “I'm sure it looked magical to them.”

I cast another glance over my shoulder. “You've gotten snarky.” Rel started to reply, but then I gave her a pat on the cheek. “It looks good on you.”

I affected not to notice as the woman sputtered quietly. With a flick of my wrist, I popped my armor’s power unit open on my chest. “It's been a minute,” I murmured.

I didn't have a new reactor. The one inside General Tock, who was currently in standby mode in the corner of the wagon, didn't have the output to power my suit without shorting out. I could build a new one, but not until I had the tools to build the tools, you know how the saying goes.

Of course, I always had a Plan B.

“Well.” I spread my arms out, turning towards Electra. “Gonna top me off?”

Electra stood. “I'd get fired if Aegis ever caught me doing this.”

I grinned. “How excellent. I know an enterprising villain that could use a… partner in crime.”

“Thought you’d go for a minion, Em.”

“I already have the perfect minion, Eleanor.” I chuckled. “But don't tell me you haven't wondered what we could accomplish together… what we will accomplish together.”

Electra stared at me for a long moment, but then sighed. “I guess I already made my choice, huh?”

She reached out, touching the socket in my chest plate. With a sharp crack, she unloaded a massive burst of current into my suit. I sighed as the system whirred to life, feeling whole once more. “It’s good to be back.”

The wagon trundled to a stop, and Dum stuck his head inside from the driver's seat. “We made it, Boss.”

“Perfect timing.” I snapped the power socket shut, leaving behind only the glossy expanse of armor that configured flawlessly to my form. “Shall we, ladies?”

Electra shoved her hands into her pockets. “Let's get this over with.”

Rel just nodded, sliding into her place at my side.

The three of us stepped out of our cart, Dee and Dum falling in step behind me just like they’d never left.

Around us, nearly a dozen different carts and wagons had rolled to a stop. Rel had purchased them all with the funds from my business, including the last sale to the Adventurers’ Guild itself. And in those carts were my people, my advancements, my innovations, and even a small kiln for Coaline and Mr. Burns.

I’d taken my empire with me.

Behind us lay a city that I no longer had any use for. In front of us, however, lay a small farming village. It was worn and run down, with fallow fields and not enough men to deal with the monsters plaguing it from the countryside. Even now, the people of the village eyed us warily, too frightened to step forward.

Luckily, the chief owed Electra favor.

“So, what are we doing this time, Boss?” the electric blonde asked.

“The same thing I do every time, El’.” I smiled. “Trying to take over the world.”