by Han Yang
All in all, everything was going well.
But something still felt off.
“Duke, what did you want to say about the readiness checker?” I pulled out the device in question and set it against my own port on my leg.
And, just like that, it showed every single statistic as I had fully expected.
Duke glanced back at the slumbering Ginli for a moment before he answered. “There have been no documented cases of a checker failing to show one person’s statistics. Some failed or became faulty through misuse, but this unit is in perfect working order.”
“None at all?” I looked up from the display screen as I heard Duke’s confident assertions. “Are you sure about that? Maybe one didn’t work, and the owner didn’t report it?”
“Baron Lord, please remember that I used to be an officer Gearnix bot. I still have enough memories of that time, especially in regards to equipment failure and -” Duke cut himself off with a click. He stayed silent for a few seconds before his whole form twitched, and he turned to face me again. “Believe me, if it had happened, I would know of it.”
I knew his past didn’t hold the best of recollections. How his head had ended up in a discarded junk scrap pile would likely be an epic tale, but I wasn’t planning to ask him about it, lest it dredged up terrible memories.
But his confidence did worry me a little. As an experiment, I passed Duke the controls for the Moonlit Goddess and went back to Ginli’s cot to test her again with the checker.
No dice.
“Damn.” I looked down at her face, which for one of the first time actually seemed absolutely at peace as she lay on the uncomfortable, fold out bed.
The rest of our journey passed without any incident, other than the occasional flock of bird like creatures passing far below. Even if they’d wanted to come up to assault our vessel, they would likely freeze up long before they managed to deal any significant damage.
It was then that Duke decided to mention the larger flying monsters present in Gearnix. He got through several species of drakes and wyrms before I managed to persuade him to put a sock in it, at least until we had firm land beneath our feet once more.
Thankfully, our return trip through the cave system didn’t need the same explosive speed as the first. I half wanted to say that Duke had done so merely to show off his piloting skills, but the very real chance that we could have clipped a random wall or outcropping and died made that possibility extremely unlikely.
Pretty unlikely.
Well, fifty-fifty, at least.
The venturebots welcomed us back with open arms, or at least that’s how it seemed at first. It quickly became clear they were clamoring to take the salvage we’d gained from the Moonlit Goddess’ hold, and that we were just in the way of their work.
Not that they’d ever say that. Thanks to Duke following my suggestions to allow them the time to work on what they wanted, it seemed like the majority of the bots under my command saw me as some sort of glorious saint, a shining example of a master that all should dream to follow.
Awkward, to say the least, but at least it allowed me to leave the area without any difficulties or worries about spies in the ranks.
Humans were well and good, and I trusted a good number of them. Unfortunately, the sheer number of cities angling to take Norn down from both the inside and outside was beyond belief, and those were only the ones I KNEW about.
There might be more out there with a vested interest in the downfall of my humble home, and I might not find out about them until they made their move from the shadows.
But first, I had to take care of Ginli. We didn’t run into anyone else during our trip up to the upper bedrooms other than a few steam-bot workers, and those few merely gave us a curt bow as we passed before they turned back to their tasks.
Duke muttered to himself about installing an elevator, and my mind exploded with the thoughts of secret buttons and hidden codes to access my new underground cavern of gadgets and gizmos. Those ideas could wait, however.
I kicked open the door to Ginli’s room and crossed over to the bed. She didn’t seem warm or cold to the touch, but after carefully laying her down atop the well-furnished mattress, I checked each window to make sure they were all fully bolted and secure.
Each of them also had a security grate which came down in case of emergencies. Given what had just occurred, I decided to override their usual programming and keep them down permanently.
It might not stop some omnipotent and omnipresent being, but at least it made me feel a little better about leaving Ginli alone.
Only after Duke had called one of the city’s trusted medical professionals did I let myself calm down enough to leave the room and take a long, deep breath.
I’d saved her. Ginli was alive, and she was safe.
For the time being.
I waited for a squad of venturebots to move into guard mode outside of Ginli’s room before I moved back to my study, not too far down the corridor. Only once we were securely closeted within my soundproofed office did I turn to my robotic advisor.
“Duke, how secure is Norn?”
“It depends on what you mean by ‘secure’, my lord.” Duke moved to my desk and pulled out a large folder marked ‘Norn Defensive Projects’. “Out of my suggestions, we are currently working on six enhancements to the city.”
He paused for a moment as he leafed through the documents before picking out two sheets. “First, the sniper towers. Half are completed, and the other half are awaiting materials. Skilled marksmen are set on a rotation, so each has at least two active soldiers at any one time.”
“And what about these pieces of land you requested?” I pulled out the second sheet and tapped on the map drawn on its surface. “Pretty big spaces, so large it might irritate our citizens toward the waste. And all we’ve built are warehouses without any storage capacity?”
“Well, those are yet to be completed. I can’t speak on that project until it is finished.”
It wasn’t like Duke was keeping a secret, per se, but it annoyed me just the same. Still, I decided to ignore the odd, blocky structures as I turned my attention to another file on my desk.
“And what of internal threats? What are the chances of a slow and insidious invasion?” I pulled up the Norn statistics, just in case anything had happened since I last checked up on it-
Norn Statistics:
Citizens: 543 +5
Visitors: 13
City Debt: 0 cubes of hydrox.
Citizen behind on taxes: 0
Buildings behind on upkeep: 0
Buildings behind on taxes: 0
City projects slated for downgrade: 0
Upgrades in progress: 5
Complaints in progress: 8
Immigrants this month: 151
Emigrants this month: 9
Rating: 100
Walls: 3
Docks: 3
Taxes: 5% on residents
The number of citizens had jumped, along with the ‘plus’ column. Babies were meant to be rare, but it seemed as though Gearnix itself had given our city the golden touch when it came to the results of procreation.
“In regards to that, I have something to show you.” Duke stepped back and turned his attention to the doorway. “But I believe you have more important business to deal with before we move on to those matters.”
“Wha-”
“Bradley! What the hell have you been doing!?”
A storm of white fury blasted through the door and barreled into my chest. I caught the figure in my arms, barely able to keep myself upright as she barged me several steps back.
“Joanna.” I smiled as my heart warmed upon seeing the face of my lover after so long. “It’s good to see you too.”
Chapter 9
After she beat against my chest in impotent anger for a few seconds, Joanna quickly returned my hug with all her strength. It was only thanks to my own increase in attributes that I could receive her overwhelming affect
ion without my bones creaking in protest.
The time apart had made her even more beautiful to my eyes than before. Her glorious shining white hair reached down past her shoulders, and it rolled like a wave through my fingers as I pulled her close. Her travel clothing did little to detract from her allure, but I knew there were more important things to do than a makeup session, no matter how much I wanted to reconnect with her.
“Jo, listen.” I gently pulled myself from her embrace and led my tearful lover to the most comfortable chair in the office. “I found Ginli-”
“Ya did!? Where is she!?” Joanna tried to push herself up from the chair, but I managed to calm her down enough to listen to my words.
“She’s, well, she is -” I glanced at Duke, but he pointedly avoided my gaze.
It seemed like I would be alone on this one.
“What? What happened? Is she hurt?” My Baroness again got herself worked up as she looked back and forth between me and Duke. “Why did she leave? Did someone force her to go? How did she get back here?”
“One question at a time.” I dragged a chair over so I could sit opposite her, close enough that I could hold her hands in mine.
Well, the one hand I still had. Luckily, she hadn’t spotted the damage I had sustained during the Langshire incident-
“Wait, why are you hiding- What’s this!?” She ripped off the makeshift cloak, revealing the mess of an arm hidden beneath. “Who did this? Where are they!?”
Anger, worry, sadness, concern. Various emotions fought for dominance as Joanna stared into my eyes. It seriously hurt to think how I had made her feel, but at least I’d brought her friend back into the fold.
“First, Ginli. She’s safe. She was, well, she had arrived in… Langshire.”
“Langshire! How in tha- !?”
“Okay, let me explain.” I took Joanna’s hand as I led her through everything that had occurred since I left the survey site.
The trip home, finding signs of the Portin invasion forces, the message from Langshire, my- Our new underground lair, the journey to Langshire, my dashing invasion to save our friend, negotiating with the Tycoon, and finally the rescue of Ginli.
The ‘Moonlit Goddess’ got a blush from her as she heard the name of our new vessel, but all other thoughts vanished as I revealed Ginli’s location. She was so close that it only took a moment to lead Joanna down the corridor and into her room.
And then she saw her, lying on the bed, as still and unmoving as a corpse.
“Ginli!” Joanna rushed to her friend’s side. I watched on, my heart breaking a little more, as she shook Ginli’s shoulder, trying to wake the unconscious woman from her slumber.
But, as I had known would happen, there was no response to her calls.
“Jo, calm down.” I finally moved up to pull Joanna away from the bedside as a light knock echoed from the door. “The doctor is here now, we need to give them room to work.”
A wrinkled old lady tottered in the moment I pulled open the door, her eyes old and wizened as she glanced around the room before finally coming to rest upon her patient.
“How long?”
“Several weeks, as far as I’m aware.” I felt Joanna shudder in my arms as I told the old woman how long Ginli had been unconscious for. There was a chance she had still been awake when she arrived at Langshire, but somehow I couldn’t see Ginli as the type of person to quietly sit in her room without at least trying to escape, no matter what got in her way.
“Weeks? What about her intake?” The elderly doctor clicked her fingers as I struggled to respond to her question. “Food, water, Hydrox?”
“No, no, and no. She was locked away for the majority of the time since she disappeared.” I rubbed Joanna’s shoulder in an attempt to calm her a little. “Is there anything you can do to help? Whatever I try, she just doesn’t wake up.”
“I will do what I can, young man, but I am no miracle worker.” The lady slowly made her way to the edge of the bed and carefully picked up Ginli’s wrist. She seemed to have no difficulty finding a pulse, but the tut and shake of her head didn’t bode too well.
Joanna stared down at her friend as tears streamed down her face. “Is she going to be okay?”
“Technically she already is.” The doctor’s fingers clicked as she backed away from the bed. “No dehydration, malnutrition, or Hydrox deficiency. In fact, she seems to have a little too much juice in the tank.”
“Maybe that’s the problem.” I felt a wave of hope rising as an obvious answer presented itself. “She might just need to sleep it off?”
“Good guess, but no, that does not seem to be the case.” The old lady’s gaze swung in my direction as she finally showed some emotion other than bored detachment. In fact she seemed… regretful. “Something is topping up her reserves, constantly. She’ll be fine as she is, but unless it’s brought down to a sustainable level, she will remain as she is… For the rest of her life.”
“So we need to vent off the Hydrox?” Duke finally spoke as he stepped away from his spot by the door. The doctor glanced in his direction for a moment before her old shoulders jerked upward in what could have been seen as a shrug. “Thank you for your diagnosis. We will ensure you are properly recompensed for your time.”
“I appreciate it, but I couldn’t actually help in the slightest.” I watched on as the doctor tottered back out into the corridor. “I must be getting old. Maybe it really is time to retire-”
The door closed, cutting off her last comments as Duke turned to face me and Joanna.
“I have an idea that may assist Lady Ginli, but I will need time to investigate. It may cause a delay in further projects, but…”
“Of course.” I waved Duke away as I turned back to Joanna. “Let me know as soon as we have any workable information.”
I barely heard Duke stomp out of the room and close the door behind himself. All of my attention remained squarely focused on Joanna as she stared down at Ginli’s calm, unmoving face.
“He said he can do something.” She spoke before I could summon the words. “If Duke says he has an idea, then it must be plausible, right? We can save her, can’t we?”
“We just need to give him time.” I smiled as a little hope returned to her expression. A venturebot stepped into the room and set itself against the wall to act as a watchman and guardian for Ginli as we moved toward the door. “Come on, I have something to show you.”
I tugged her away from the bedside and back out into the corridor. Staying by Ginli’s side wouldn’t help either of them, so I decided to try to distract my lovely Baroness with a few of the trinkets I had picked up in my travels.
More specifically, I wanted to show her the lair.
Our lair.
The trip down to the buried cavern didn’t take long at all. By the end of our journey, Joanna actually started to race me down the steps, laughing and calling back as we descended deeper and deeper.
The moment we cleared the last corner, however, she came to a sudden, dead stop.
“Told you so.” I strolled past her down the last few stairs. “And I won, by the way.”
“Wha- How?” Joanna reacted in a similar manner to my own response as she looked over the mass of venturebot work stations. “When did you start on this? Why didn’t you tell me anything about this?”
“Well, ask Duke. This was his little project.” I shrugged and offered my hand to Joanna. She gave me a wide smile as she stepped down into the cavern proper and twined her arm with mine.
“Is that the case, Baron Lord? Quite embarrassing for something of this magnitude to pop up under your feet, don’t ya think?”
I chuckled awkwardly as I turned and led her toward the mooring station for the Moonlit Goddess. Other work benches caught our attention as we drifted through the chaos like two leaves floating atop a calm lake, unaware of the turbulent waves rolling just below the surface.
The venturebots stopped and moved back a few steps as we approached their stations, so w
e could easily inspect their work. Some toiled away, repairing damaged items, while the rest worked on projects Duke had set up.
Not much could be gleaned without an idea of the overall aim. Each section worked on their own pieces of the puzzle, the answer to which would only become clear once they all fitted the results of the labors together.
But Joanna was enthralled. She had worked at a weapons shop for a large portion of her life, so it made sense that she held more of a fascination toward the inner workings of the steam powered gadgets and gizmos laid out before us.
She managed to correctly name a few of the pieces, which gained ecstatic beeps from the bots who had been working on those stations. It became a game where we stopped at each guess, and they would allow us time to figure out their functions and uses before we moved on to the next.
Sure, we lost more than we gained, but at least it kept Joanna distracted enough until we reached the Moonlit Goddess.
“And this is it, right?” Joanna looked up at the vessel which had ferried me to and from Langshire in a ridiculously short span of time. “It doesn’t look like much.”
“Hey, don’t let Duke hear you say that.” I hushed her quickly as I glanced around at the busy workers in our area. “It really is fantastic to fly. You should have seen how Duke took it out of the tunnel -”
“Don’t think you’re fully off the hook, mister.” Joanna jabbed an elbow into my side as I recalled the details of my first trip aboard the Moonlit Goddess. “I’m still mad that you left without even sending a message. What would I have done if something had happened to ya?”
“I- Well, I’m sorry.” I tried my best to look contrite as I stared down at my feet. “It won’t happen again.”
“We both know it will. Just tell me next time, yeah?”
I grabbed Joanna and pulled her into a rough embrace. My luck hadn’t been the highest, but I felt like I had used all of it and more to land such a gorgeous, loving lady to be my-
