*Later that same day*
Aside from making sure that the girls weren’t getting in over their heads, Joram mostly let his thoughts wander.
Myra, Asami, Avi, Arise, Fyrellia, Qyress, and Shae’ra had accompanied him and Erys to clear out the troll dungeon. It wasn’t a bad group, even though he would have wanted an extra tank in there. But Avi was doing pretty well with the Soulknife variant, Armoured Blade. A variant that allowed one to create armour in the same way that a Soulknife could create various weapons.
Even Myra and Asami were doing well as “Dodge-Tanks”, annoying the trolls with their hit-and-run tactics when they weren’t just dancing around the attacks of the trolls, that is. And given just how sneaky Arise was, she was incredibly lethal for the distracted trolls.
That left Fyrellia, Qyress, and Shae’ra to have fun making ranged attacks from a safe distance away.
So, with everyone being in the Network, it was easy enough for them all to coordinate their attacks with the use of [Battlemind]A, a Power that gave something akin to a video game-like interface as a HUD- a Head’s Up Display- for them. But not just that, he could also stack in some buffs for them to enjoy, like a targeting system, a speed boost, or even a defensive boost.
Well, there were a few more options, but those were the best ones for the situation.
At any rate, he was having a bit more fun watching as Cyd made his way through the [Cryolisk Nest]. Not just that, but he was pretty happy with the loot that was piling up. Sure, the Cores and the liquid currency were great, but getting various Skill Books was where it was at for him.
Getting [Gaze: Flash Freeze] and [Aura of Cold] were expected gains given just how easy it seemed to be for him to get Skill Books as loot. But also getting more [Cryokinesis] Books was good, along with [Hibernate], something he hadn’t expected a bunch of lizards- especially cold-based lizards- to have. It would also be nice to get his hands on his first naturally-occurring SS-Ranked Dungeon Core. More of a novelty, really. But still something nice to have. Especially since he wouldn’t have to pay to make one.
Then his attention shifted to Bob as something interesting popped up.
‘* * *
Bob sighed as he left things to Doug at the main construction site.
Since Doug had joined him, he’d had enough time to start working on making a “natural” bay/harbour for the island. It was there that he flew over to, using [Flight]A. The augments that came with it weren’t anything that he’d seen in his gaming books, so he assumed that Altaea had altered it at some point before including it in the repository she’d left him.
Which meant that he was now flying really fast, with less effort spent on concentrating on it than he would have needed if he’d used [Telekinesis]. Which was how he arrived long before the ship could arrive at the small dock he’d made.
Well, “small” when compared to what he planned to build when he was done expanding the harbour. He was now certain that this island hadn’t been occupied due to the lack of natural harbours on the island. In fact, the surrounding waters were basically a nautical nightmare consisting of high reefs and barely submerged rocky spires that could easily smash a ship to kindling or grind its bottom out from under it.
Now, most people might just take smaller vessels to the island from further out, but the natural hazards of the island extended almost eight kilometres out from the island, and a bit further in some cases. Again, that wouldn’t be so bad for some people, but the waters were also home to some rather large aquatic fauna, and even flora.
There were fish that resembled sharks. Well, he just called them sharks, for they were basically big fish with big mouths filled with very large and very sharp teeth. Anyways, those things ranged from just a metre long to over thirteen metres long. That said, the largest of them tended to keep to the deeper waters outside of the reef where it was easy to get around. Which would just so happen to be where the larger ships would have to weigh anchor.
Then there were the various crustaceans, specifically the arthropod-like ones that liked the reefs. They were larger than king crabs back home, and somewhat feisty. Now, aside from those, the smaller fish weren’t anything particularly dangerous, even though there were various eels and barracuda-like fish around. But, the various corals were… crazy.
From ones that had very thin, fin-like structures that could slice an unwary shark in half, to ones that actually stung! Those ones were interesting to watch, as anything stunned by their stings had a chance of bumping into it again, which then caused the coral to extend some very thin filaments that would attach to whatever had been stung. Then once the creature was drawn in, the coral would slowly tear away small bits of the creature with its hundreds of filaments until the creature’s skeleton was picked clean, leaving only a small cloud of blood behind.
Crazy stuff.
Anyways, the ship that was slowly navigating its way along the narrow channel that he’d made was pretty interesting. It looked like an older galleon, but with a few improvements.
For one, it only had three masts, one main and two secondary ones. Another point was that its sails were much larger than the Earth-equivalent ship. In fact, it only had one sail per mast. Another difference was that the entire ship’s hull seemed to be made of metal. Even the masts looked to have been banded in metal. It looked somewhat… steampunk, without the actual steam, though.
He idly wondered what enchantments it might have, then shrugged those thoughts away as he finally got a good look at the crew.
Now, he was by no means an expert when it came to identifying the various races and species that he’d come across since arriving on Iria. But to him, the crew very much looked to be what he’d have called “sahuagin”. Scales: check. Pointy fins: check. Big mouths with lots of long, pointy, teeth: check. Webbed claw-like hands with long claws: check.
Then he spotted what looked to be a sea elf, though her colouring wasn’t quite what he’d seen from the few that he’d rescued/bought. Maybe she was a mermaid? He shrugged.
It’s not like it matters, he thought. That it’s coming from that direction, let alone given the crew, they likely hail from the Demon Continent. The question is: what do they want?
Alas, his curiosity had to take a seat in the back, for it took another hour for the ship to reach the pier, and another ten minutes for it to properly dock. During that time, he watched the suspected captain watch him with an unreadable expression. Still, she was pretty cute with her tricorn hat and long coat that complimented her pale blue/green skin and light purple hair.
Once the gangplank had been fixed into place, the captain made her way to it and gave him a shock. Instead of a pair of legs, she had eight. Like, full-blown Ursula tentacles that appeared from under her long coat, moving in a very octopus-like way. Still, if you ignored the tentacles, it looked as though she was gliding across the deck, then the gangplank.
Then he noticed her noticing his surprise. Her smirk wasn’t… friendly. In fact, it looked more disdainful and condescending than anything else. Which, in turn, made him grin.
I guess she enjoys looking down on people who’re surprised by her appearance, he thought as her countenance darkened at seeing his grin.
He waited for her as some of her crew gathered round her before she made her way to him a minute later. Given the long pause, he wondered if she’d expected him to go to her instead. Well, given that she was the unannounced visitor here, he was more than happy to wait for her to move first. And given that he was quickly getting used to the tentacles, he was actually starting to enjoy watching her was she moved about.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“The Aethrian Empire greets you and asks what you intend to do on Midway Isle,” the captain said with an accent that reminded him of an Aussie accent, getting straight to the point as she used her ‘legs’ to make sure that she was standing just a bit taller than he stood.
“Hi,” he said, giving her his second-best smile that caused her to blink at him. “From where I’m from, it’s customary to introduce yourself before getting to business,” he finished by offering his hand to shake.
The captain gave him a blank look for a moment before stretching out her own hand and taking his in her own.
“I am Captain Daphitiax Iphnir of the Iron Tooth,” she said as she gave his hand a surprisingly firm squeeze.
“And I am Joram Smith,” he said, giving his actual name instead of the pseudonym he normally used. “Would you care for some refreshments as we discuss things?” he asked, causing her to blink at him again, drawing attention to her amethyst-purple eyes.
“Certainly,” Daphitiax said by reflex as they released the handshake.
“Please, follow me,” he said, then led the way to the ‘small’ building he’d made to use as a small house.
He kept an eye on Daphitiax and her… attendants? Her people. Anyways, he kept an eye on them through his sphere of perception as they walked, noting their swivelling heads and guarded postures. Which, really, was to be expected when meeting with an unknown entity in an unknown location. Good for them!
Knowing that they’d likely not enter before him if he held the door open for them, Bob just opened the door and went in. He did, however, hold it long enough for Daphitiax to enter half-way before letting it go. It didn’t move quickly, lacking one of those mechanisms that most public doors had that automatically closed doors for you. But it was balanced in such a way that it would slowly close on its own.
Daphi- as he was now calling her in his head- just reached out one of her tentacles to keep the door from moving as she entered the small room and looked around. He gave her a mental nod for keeping her hands free, though he wasn’t sure how effective her two short swords on her hips would be against him. Still, good instincts.
Since the little house hadn’t been designed for guests, it basically only had a bed in the corner and a six-seat table in the middle of the room. Due to his sense of aesthetics, he’d fully populated the table with chairs, even though he hadn’t thought he’d need them. A nice coincidence, that.
Now, given the distinct lack of a kitchen, he could see that her attendants had grown suspicious of his intents. He quickly cleared away the few papers littering the top of the table before motioning towards it.
“Please, sit where you’d like,” he said, then got a flat look from Daphi after she’d taken a look at the chairs. Ladder-backed chairs. “Ah, is there a design that would suite you better?” he asked with an apologetic expression.
“A stool would work,” she replied flatly, then made an exaggerated sweep of the room with her eyes before looking at him coolly.
“No worries,” he said with another grin as he used [Ectoplasmic Creation] to create a stool that was more a short, wide, column that he hoped would accommodate her morphology.
That caused her attendants to jump where they stood, drawing their weapons on the way back down to the ground, showing him that they were very well-trained fighters. For her part, Daphi’s hand merely twitched towards her sword before going still.
“That should do,” she said with a small nod to him before she nodded towards the closest attendant who then grabbed the stool-like thing as yet another one moved the chair at the end of the table out of the way. He was glad when their swords were re-sheathed, though. No need to make things difficult, after all.
Nodding to himself, Bob then used [True Creation] to make a tea set for eight; for him, Daphi, and the six attendants. Which got another round of glares from the attendants, but no swords this time. The tea he’d chosen was one of his favourites, peach green tea.
Now, he knew quite a few people who thought he was crazy for liking such a thing back on Earth, but he really hadn’t cared. He knew what he liked, and that was good enough for him.
Daphi watched as he picked up the ceramic container that held the tea mix. Watched as he scooped some of the tea mix into a large tea ball, closed it, then slid it into the large tea pot that contained enough hot water for them all to have two cups of tea each.
From there he just sat down, motioning for the others to follow his lead. After Daphi sat, with a pleasantly surprised look on her face, the others also sat down. He supposed that the “stool” was comfortable enough for her, so he let that slight worry go before another thought occurred to him.
Another use of [True Creation] later, and a large serving tray full of what he’d call tea cookies appeared in the middle of the table, once more causing a round to twitches from the attendants.
“If you’re hungry, I can also provide something more substantial,” he said with a polite smile.
“We’ve eaten, thank you,” Daphi replied politely, though not without a hint of impatience in her tone.
He nodded again, pretending not to hear her impatient tone as he just enjoyed her accent. He’d always loved an Aussie or even Kiwi accent…. Wait, was “Kiwi” politically correct these days…? He shrugged, dismissing the thought due to being in another universe entirely from the next-closest New Zealander. Who on Iria would give him crap for not knowing the correct term? No one, that’s who!
Now suppressing a smile, he got up and poured the first cup of tea, plated it, then placed it in front of Daphi before repeated the process, six more times. Though, those cups he just placed in the middle of the table, not wanting to offend anyone if he happened to serve someone before a more “important” person. He served himself last before sitting down.
Seeing that they hadn’t taken a sip yet, though the attendants had each taken a plated cup, he reached out and took three butter cookies and placed them on the side of his saucer before lifting the teacup and taking a long, slow, sniff of the aromatic tea. Pretending not to notice their impatience, and expectant looks, he slowly took a sip of the steaming tea, glad that he now had a resistance to heat.
With a smile, he put his teacup back onto its saucer and looked at then expectantly.
Slowly, the attendant on Daphi’s left carefully raised the teacup in his (?) clawed hand and took a sniff. After a quick glance at Daphi, he took an experimental sip. It was quite the sight to behold, as a sahuagin really didn’t have lips that could move like a mammal’s could.
But after swishing the tea around its mouth for a moment, he gave a nod before setting his teacup down again. Which seemed to be the “there’s no poison or something” cue that Daphi had been waiting for. With surprising grace, she lifted her own teacup before delicately smelling the tea, appearing to be rather pleased with its aroma. A moment later, she took a small sip before nodding in appreciation at its taste.
“A wonderful tea. Thank you,” she said, not sounding the least bit sarcastic. Which was a pleasant surprise given just how abrupt she’d been up to that point.
“So, what do you wish to speak of?” he asked, then took another sip of his tea before taking a small bite of a butter cookie, enjoying the sensation of the cooking practically melting as it absorbed the tea.
Daphi took a moment to do as he had done, taking a sip of tea then a bite of one of the cookies. Her expressions were quite a treat to see. First came the thoughtful phase. Analyzing whether or not she liked what she was tasting and feeling. Then came the “pleasantly surprised” look after she’d decided that she liked the combination. Then came the happy look a foodie would get when they ate their new favourite food. After that came the “Oh, shit!” look that people got when they realized that someone might have seen something that they would have considered embarrassing. Then came the cool mask again.
“Our Emperor would know your intent with developing Midway Isle,” Daphi said after she’d composed herself, admirably professional in tone and posture after her little slip.
“Intent, eh?” he asked, pretending to mull over the question, but really just to give Daphi time to take another bite of her butter cookie. “Well, I’d love to develop the island into a trade port. Also, the tower that you’ve likely already seen will be a sort of… refuge, for people,” he said, nodding to himself at the end.
“To what end?” Daphi asked after another sip of tea.
“What do you mean, ‘to what end’?” he asked, playing a bit dumb, but also genuinely interested in hearing what the Demon Lord thought about his construction efforts.
Daphi, though, didn’t seem to like his question, probably thinking that he was being difficult.
“Do you intend to make this a forward military base?” she asked outright, pleasing him with how forward she was being.
“Yeah, no,” he said, getting a confused look in return.
He had to suppress another smile as he remembered just how many non-Canadians had been confused by that very same colloquialism in the past.
“To clarify. I’m not here because one leader or another sent me. I’m here for me. And anyone else who is willing to live here when I’m done,” he said with a shrug, getting a dubious look from Daphi.
“Why here, though?”
“I heard that it’s a no-man’s land,” he replied with another shrug. “Much easier to do something here than somewhere already claimed by another power.”
Daphi stared at him for a while, obviously trying to figure out if he was being truthful or stringing her along. Which, really, was to her credit. Critical thinking was important, after all.
“So, you wish to create a trade port. For what? Profit? Political gain?” she asked after a few moments’ thought.
“Well, I’m not someone who subscribes to the whole ‘our people need to fight those people!’ mentality. I, personally, couldn’t care less about where you’re from, nor your lineage.
“My standard of judging people is this: ‘Are you cool? Or are you an asshole?’,” he said, then blinked as Daphi burst out in laughter.
“Are you serious?” she asked a minute later once she’d regained her breath.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked blankly, sobering her up pretty quickly when she realized that he was being serious. “My exposure to the various cultures found on Iria is limited, but so far I’ve seen a variety of things that I would consider ‘monstrous’ from so-called civilized beings.
“On the other hand, I’ve seen great compassion and acts of benevolence from beings that others would consider ‘demons’. So, how would you go about judging people? By their lineage, or by their actions?”
Now taking his words more seriously, Daphitiax leaned back slightly as she seemed to really consider his words.