Chapter 310: The Mechanic Keeps Building

Sundenelle’s face appears in the small crystalline panel held in the hands of what looks to be Sundenelle herself. Themihk naturally needs to know how to get hold of the Empress, since he’s acting in her place up to everything but the direct governance of the vassals and retainers, which Duke Walliskah oversees.

The Duke is naturally seated next to Themihk as the two bow to greet the young albino woman.

“We greet the Guiding Light of the Empire, your Imperial Grace.” The two men speak softly, since it would only take one person overhearing for the ruse to be completely given away.

“Thank you, your Highness, my Lord. I assume now is a suitable time?”

“Of course, your Majesty,” replies Themihk. “I apologize for disturbing you while you are busy elsewhere.”

“Actually, I find this a great deal more functional than the time wasted in a carriage,” replies Sundenelle warmly. “Now, dispense with the pleasantries, and please let me know what is going on.”

“Yes, understood. So…” Themihk glances at Walliskah, and the Duke leans forward.

“King Rikuto has been looking into an active spike in trade prices in the north, where Mornistae is. Mattarglos is obviously focused on refugee support and relief efforts, but the shortages of supplies are apparently being driven into a more severe state. He believes there is what he calls ‘scalping’ occurring.”

“Price gouging, right? That’s to be expected… State-run stockpiles are usually the best way to offset this in emergencies… So that probably means it is someone who knows the exact state of Mornistae’s stockpiles.”

Both men nod in agreement. “That is the conclusion we came to as well. Several countries are offering to take on the trade hub role that Urflasdat had traditionally filled, but we wanted to consult with you before we make any moves.”

“I see…” replies Sundenelle as she thinks. The problem is the trade agreements that the Empire had with Urflasdat and Ahmpur. The contract is still in effect, since Urflasdat is still technically habitable, with people moving back in. However, the mana fire did indeed reach the main road that heads further east from Urflasdat towards the other nations further away from the mountains. The Empire can still do trade with those nations via other routes, but Urflasdat has essentially been cut off from about a third of its original trade volume.

Sundenelle states, “Make sure we’re carefully controlling all approvals for stockpile access. Prices will go up, but I don’t want us to be bought out by other nations using this turmoil and have our actual footing slip away. I have it on good authority that the Fievegal has put their best teams on a project that will upset the balance of trade again within the year, if they are successful, so whatever happens, we just have to endure that amount of time.”

Themihk replies, “I know not what you know, of course, Sundenelle, but unless the Fievegal intends to start selling their steedless carriages or flying ships, enticing merchants and aristocrats to engage with this final project may be more challenging than the Fievegal might expect.”

“I intend to advise them, alongside the Phenglegorn matriarch. But… if I understand the overview description I received well…” She scoffs as she covers her face with her right hand, falling into a short chuckle as she shakes her head. She smiles a little wickedly, adding with a sort of self-deprecating amusement. “I think the Fievegal will be fighting off complaints instead of soldiers going forward.”

This confuses Walliskah and Themihk, who share a quiet glance. Sundenelle adds, “I know. I wish I could tell you, but if it works as described, I believe merchants will be fighting each other to do business with the Fievegal. That’s all I can say right now.”

The two men smile, and Themihk replies, “I’m sure your judgment is still sound.” He then smirks, asking, “So, how is your fiancee?”

It was a quick and well-placed jab. Sundenelle’s cheeks brighten in color, which is all the more obvious with her true albinism on display. Much more color, and they’d match her ruby-red eyes.

The young Empress clears her throat as both Walliskah and Themihk chuckle, and she replies seriously, “Daniel is a frustratingly effective innovator, but he… ahem. I believe he’ll benefit from marrying me in terms of leading a country.” She takes a breath and sighs, trying to put Daniel out of her mind for the moment, since she’s still smiling with admiration. “Is there any other news?”

“We’ve received a formal letter of gratitude from Ahmpur regarding the mine. Though, it was far shorter and more terse than the request for emergency aid.”

Sundenelle sighs. “Yes… That. We will need to be cautious with further dealings regarding Ahmpur. King Harnavock was quite…” She takes a breath and sighs. “He was more disrespectful not only to Daniel, but to myself as well. Daniel…” She smiles softly, adding with a wistful sort of touch to her voice. “... handled it. But, he didn’t make a new friend by doing so.”

The two men nod in understanding. “It’s not too late to cancel the engagement…” teases Themihk. “From the sounds of it, the Fievegal won’t make a particular fuss about it.”

The snow-haired Empress smirks at him. “I would think you should be hoping for this marriage to conclude, Themihk. I have no doubt you have been increasing your own influence once again in my absence.”

“Believe it or not, dear Si-, er, uh, dear Cousin, I would, in fact, like to get married as well. I am not so foolish as to jeopardize everything I have for a crown where I have to deal with Grand Prince Yaulander.”

Walliskah and Sundenelle chuckle dryly, since it’s a private conversation, and a point they all agree on.

“Speaking of,” starts the Empress. “Has there been any word from him? He has been strangely quiet recently.”

“Nothing as of yet,” replies Walliskah. “Has there been an issue?”

Sundenelle pauses in thought for a moment. She is frustrated that they’re stuck in limbo at present, waiting for Yaulander to make his move. She realizes that she’s not supposed to know, though, and she says, “Oh! No, not particularly. But, given his opposition to my engagement to Daniel, I don’t particularly like it when he’s this quiet.”

It’s the truth, but the problem is she knows why he’s being quiet right now. He’s preparing a political offensive to get more of the nobles on his side.

“I’ll see if I can test the waters and find out what’s going on, Sundenelle,” replies Walliskah. “It is odd that he hasn’t made any efforts to show his face at least during the crisis.

Sundenelle nods in agreement. “Very good. Keep me informed. Is there anything else?”

“Nothing else requiring your immediate attention,” replies the Duke.

Themihk nods, but he replies, “I agree, but I did want to ask… a personal question.”

“Of course, please go ahead.”

“How… is Lady Byleathea doing?”

In a lot of ways, Themihk was raised as Sundenelle’s brother not just because they allegedly had the same father, the Emperor, but also because Byleathea would always treat him like her own son, so he came to spend a great amount of time with Sundenelle and Byleathea on picnics, study sessions, games, and even shopping trips. He certainly loves his actual mother and his brother, but it’s no secret that he does carry a fondness for Byleathea as well.

“She’s doing well, Themihk. Thank you for asking. The Fievegal’s climate is a bit warmer than the Imperial Palace, so I think it agrees with her.”

“Good…” replies Themihk with a soft smile. It’s clear he would like to see and talk to her again, but he understands the double meaning of ‘climate’. It’s true that it’s physically warmer than the Imperial palace, but more importantly, Byleathea is the mother of the sitting Empress, whose popularity has waned in her efforts to unite the Empire with the Fievegal. She looks weak, but only because she knows the Empire can’t fall behind the Fievegal any further than they already are.

And, the Citadel becoming a safe-haven for Byleathea was honestly a boon. Any sane person would treat it like she’s a hostage there, but Daniel and Hekate have so little interest in conquering the continent, the Citadel might as well be considered a resort location for royal ‘hostages’. Heralesse has been ‘held’ at the Citadel more than once, as has Erimaya, and both were freed without any fuss. The first time, they were used as ‘hostages’ to strong-arm the Peace Deal, essentially, but even so, Mornistae came out better than they were with the treasures the Mornistae heiresses returned with.

The debacle with Yaulander actually shows that Daniel does give some consideration to the fact that he can’t just wipe out every enemy of his, even if he could successfully fight back a war, because in his mind, all he would be Emperor of in the end is the pile of ashes. But, he is a bit soft in general, since Fort Twilight alone was enough for the Empire to be forgiven for its attack at the heart of the Fievegal, when other nations would have rallied and attempted to push through to the enemy capital out of retaliation.

Daniel could not only bypass every other nation in between, but destroy the capital in a single strike.

At some point, he’s going to make a demonstration of that power, and… I hope we’re on the right side of that fight.

Sundenelle returns to the point. “I’ll arrange a visit as soon as time permits, Themihk. Thank you both for all of your hard work.”

The two men bow their heads, saying politely, “We serve at your pleasure, your Grace.”

Sundenelle nods, and she turns off the panel, deep in thought.

Damn it, Yaulander… What are you waiting for? It’s Archmagus Baelok. Part of me wants to condemn the Fievegal myself, were it not for their plan…

She asks aloud, “Xyreko?”

The golem appears after only a couple of seconds. “Your Grace,” replies the machine-like being with an elegant politeness.

“I know I need to be as surprised as possible… And, I’ll do my best. But, can you tell me Baelok’s current state? If his body decays too far…”

The golem puts her hand over where her heart would be, indicating she’s ready to speak but doesn’t want to interrupt. Sundenelle stops herself, and she nods.

“The Grand Prince has had Baelok’s body put under constant preservation magic. Though, part of this is to emphasize the blood that will continue to bleed when he has the magic released. I believe he plans to force his way into the next Imperial Audience as dramatically as possible… on Firstday.” <A/N 1>

Sundenelle winces. That’s tomorrow… How should I handle it? He’s obviously trying to make the largest impact possible. But…

The young Empress smiles as a thought comes to her. She had to move quickly and weaponize the knowledge of the common people of the Empire to claim her throne, and she made a risky gamble of revealing massive Imperial secrets to do so. It wasn’t anything that could outright harm the Empire, but it was a black eye that she spent the years afterwards proving herself competent to overcome the rumors.

But, it worked. Public sentiment is the deadliest weapon against any Empire. Most people just want to live their lives, and don’t really care who sits in a chair a thousand miles away. If a ruler is incompetent enough that the commonfolk actually deign to rise up against them en masse, it is already far too late.

Two strategies let Sundenelle control the narrative during the succession. The first was to allow the town criers that the news outlets already use. Though few actually buy the papers, limited to educated merchants and aristocrats more often than not, and who can afford to buy something that loses relevance after a week or so, the town criers are paid to spread the news anyways, so they’re happy to find crowded areas and make sure the news gets out.

And, as a second layer, Sundenelle hired people who could read to actively read the whole newspaper for anyone that wished to know the whole document, particularly at restaurants and the garden parks of the Capital.

“Please ask Sir Larven and Sir Ecklevon to prepare to return to the Empire. We’ll need to go meet with Klommen.” <A/N 2>

“I’ll arrange everything right away. When do you need to depart?” asks Xyreko warmly. Sundenelle is one of the newest members of the Fievegal’s inner circle, and because she has obvious political motives, she’s one of the least trusted, even if she strives to be honest with Daniel and the other Empresses about her intentions and handling the union. Still, it does sometimes feel like Xyreko is happy to get rid of her.

“I need to be back in the Imperial capital well before clockset. Preferably one hour after dusk so I can reach Klommen’s printhouse before he leaves. Later, if we can get a message to him specifically before then.”

“Very well. Write the message, and I shall see it delivered at once,” replies the golem Minister. “If you intend to attend dinner this evening, it may extend well-past dusk.”

Sundenelle nods. “Please see to it. I need Klommen or his people to attend the Imperial audience tomorrow. I’ll tell him in person, though, so for now, I’ll just ask him to stay at the printhouse until later tonight. I’ll inform everyone else at dinner.”

Xyreko bows. “Very well, your Grace. Dinner will be served in about twenty minutes, so please finish any last minute work and make your way there at your leisure.”

“Thank you, Xyreko.” While the golem is accommodating, there’s always that slight ‘I’m watching you vibe’ in her behavior. But then, it does seem Xyreko has a great deal of affection for the Lawson family, so she’s probably just being protective.

As for Sundenelle, she’ll just have to prove where her loyalties lie; neither to the Fievegal nor the Empire separately, but to the goal of peace on the continent for all time to come. Even if that’s impossible, she can start by ensuring peace between their two nations as a bulwark against all other problems that stand in the way of progress.

I wonder if I really should try to seduce Daniel a little harder… It seems to have worked quite well for Doephluev, who Daniel trusts well beyond any reason to…

But, those will have to remain matters for after all of the residual political fires are put out from the aftermath of the mana fire.

***

The next morning after hearing Sundenelle’s plan, Daniel makes careful adjustments on the piece of metal pinched between a vice that would make kings weep if they knew what it was made out of. Of course, the entire device had to be made of national treasure-quality pieces that could each start a war, let alone draw the hungry eyes of thieves if they were ever being moved.

Several of the pieces can never be reworked again because of the material they are made of, just like the piece Daniel is putting into place with the vice. It has a fine-threaded positioning trolley, which will allow the mechanic to move the piece in small amounts each time he needs to move it.

After all, the piece, the vice, and the two solid frustum-shaped pieces are all made of the most indestructible material on Zenkon. That material is none-other than sharmelkolle.

And, the roughly knife-shaped slab of that very indestructible metal being held by the vice is about to prove whether or not that very belief about the unearthly alloy is true.

Daniel crawls out from under the two ‘floating anvils’ that flank the knife, and he cranks the hand wheel that closes the gap between the two anvils, which are the flat-topped cones of sharmelkolle suspended by mithril cables.

Zuzia approaches as Daniel fine-adjusts the anvils to be as close as possible to the point of impact that he wants. The knife-sized one will be the test run, since he expects to have failures well-before he has success.

“I’m here, Daniel. What is it you needed from me?”

Daniel looks over his right shoulder at first to speak gleefully, only to have forgotten that his entire right side is blind. He sighs as he turns to his left to look back at her, and he says, “I’m glad you asked. Once Neith gets here, I’ll explain in full, but the short version is; we’re going to work a knife made of indestructible metal.”

Zuzia narrows her eyes cautiously, and she asks, “With… this thing?”

It looks more like one of the desktop toys with the metal balls that transmit the impact instantly from one side to the other, such that the middle bearings don’t move, and only the outer two swing back and forth almost indefinitely, were it not for real world losses.

Additionally, resting next to each of the conical-shapes are a sledgehammer that, once more, would make an immediate declaration of war seem like a reasonable trade negotiation to obtain them. Their entire length slowly color-shifts like a living rainbow across a faintly blue silver metal, solidly attached to the actual sledge head.

Daniel replies eagerly as he continues making his adjustments, “What, did you think I’d ask you to hammer against something on the ground? You’d probably make a ‘Rod from God’ or Sayradarralouche look like a staple gun in comparison.

Zuzia narrows her eyes. She’s not sure if she’s being insulted yet, until she thinks about it.

She’s not a deep-dive sci-fi buff, but if she just takes the name simply literally, a ‘rod from god’ would be a heavenly nail sent upon the earth, particularly if he’s comparing it to a hammer strike from Zuzia. And, Sayrdarralouche was thrown by Zuzia, with only gravity bringing him back down. That impact formed a crater. If Zuzia’s strength was concentrated into the head of a sledgehammer…

“Wait… but… if there’s two of them…”

“I’m gonna need you and Neith to really sync your A-game,” replies Daniel, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “I’m ready to grovel at Amalaskae’s feet to get her to bless him again, if she can, but I’ll wait and see what his max strength matched with yours amounts to.”

Zuzia sighs as she approaches, plopping down to a seated position on his left. “That’s ridiculous. If we mis-time it by a slice of a second, we’re putting flex on your little knife-blade, aren’t we?”

Daniel pauses for a moment. It’s clear that he has thought of some of these things, but he’s genuinely hoping to simply bypass that with Zuzia’s and Neith’s willingness to overcome the challenge.

And, I hate that it’s working, thinks Zuzia to herself, since she is still curious.

“If you have a way to sync each other up, I’m all ears. Before you ask about a really big anvil to distribute the impact across the ground, we don’t have the mana in the Citadel to forge something that big. These pieces and the hammers alone cost the Citadel five percent of its current mana pool. That equates to about three years of mana donations from our entire population.”

“And, you wasted it to make an indestructible knife even more indestructible?” asks Zuzia, a little disgusted with the apparent waste.

Daniel sits down and faces her, replying sincerely, “It’s not just about curiosity. I have a plan for a weapon and armor set that will let me –me, specifically– stand at the vanguard against the titans we keep facing off against and stand a chance of winning. But, for both of them, I need to make use of force dampening –active force nullification, not just blocking it–, to be able to survive some of these hits. I got the idea from Yaulwembor. The problem is, her whole body works as a force sponge in tandem, and she’s durable enough to survive quite a bit as a result, as long as her scales aren’t penetrated. If Neith were to punch you, me, and her in the chest with his strongest attack, you’d go flying and probably have bruised ribs, she’d go flying at her current size and probably have broken ribs and maybe some internal bleeding, and I’d turn into a cloud pink mist, or if my armor holds, gooey paste in a can. If your body dampens force by 99.9%, Yaulwembor’s naturally dampens force by 90%, and mine,... well, mine would be zero.”

“I get all of that, but… Does such a thing actually exist? Like you said, the dragons and Yaulwembor are just automatically tougher than humans. Even Magnir could withstand a lot. No offense intended, of course.”

“Right, and yes, the magic does exist. I discovered it a while ago, but not even the sharmelkolle plate I’ve tried making of Yaulwembor’s shed scales can give enough physical damage resistance.”

Zuzia thinks for a moment, and she looks at Daniel’s convoluted double-anvil system. “So, if you can work sharkelle or whatever it’s called, it means there were imperfections in spite of how tough it is, so working them out like a regular steel sword will also give it better force distribution properties.”

“Exactly,” replies Daniel with a grin. “That’s the hope, anyways. It’s like looking for imperfections in metal with ultrasonics. I think it’s ultrasonics. Not important. Point is, if the force acts like the pulse,...”

“And finds an imperfection to ‘scatter’ off of, that’s one percent loss to damage mitigation. Just, throwing a number in there.” She cups her chin and nods, while Daniel nods eagerly as well.

“Yes. I wish I was a blacksmith, but if we can even prove that sharmelkolle can be warped in an industrial capacity, then I can figure out ways to try to perfect the process. Heck, who knows. Maybe we’ll be able to fold and work it that way for even more strength.”

Zuzia laughs. “You sound like you’re trying to make a sword to cleave a sun in half.”

Daniel laughs as well. “With some of the crap we’ve fought already, I want to be better prepared. Who knows? The next world-threatening calamity might just be a rogue star that’s hurtling towards this solar system right now. Or worse, a black hole.”

Zuzia keeps laughing, and she sprawls out on the ground for a moment as she enjoys the thought of fighting celestial entities with a sword.

After enjoying herself, she asks, “So, what about Sundenelle, then? It sounded like she’s got some pretty heavy stuff to deal with as it is.”

“I did offer to accompany her as well, but she and Aramellianna both insisted that the Empire cannot so easily call on the Fievegal’s leadership for every little thing, and it’s supposed to be a regular Imperial Audience, to which the Empire has no real reason to summon us to. Something like that. Power balance, politics,... Crap I’m not interested in.”

“Amen to that,” retorts Zuzia in understanding as she lays on her back. “Wait, so how will Neith and I work this thing if he already left?”

“Well… I did plan to have Magnir or Jeavana test it with you, though you’ll have to hold back a lot more and go off of their strength.”

“But, that’ll defeat the purpose of practicing to get in sync, won’t it?”

Daniel chuckles, knowing she’s right. “Yeah. But, if there’s a spell to just link your brains together automatically, I haven’t had time to find it yet. It took me quite a while to find the force dampening thing in the first place, since it was one of my early concerns with armor. I can be bulletproof and fireproof now, but I’m still far from dragon- and feldrok-proof.

Zuzia giggles. “You’ve had sex with dragons, and you’re still alive.”

The mechanic smirks as he gives her a sarcastic scowl, but he certainly doesn’t refute it. However, it does give her an idea.

“Wait! What about Serrentuk? And, I assume Yuna, too.”

Daniel pauses his thought, his face returning to his thoughtful expression. “Yeah… If anyone can, it might be those two. I hadn’t actually asked anyone about the mind-syncing method yet, but… it’s essentially what happens when we dream share… I think.”

Zuzia sits up on her elbows and scowls at him skeptically. “There’s dream sharing, and you haven’t asked our two resident sages who are literally thousands of years old whether or not there’s a way to mind-link while awake?”

Daniel sighs dramatically as he leans back. “Yes! Okay? I’m not perfect! I have plenty of things I’m dumb about. Hell, I still haven’t figured out if we’re in the southern or northern hemisphere, yet. I haven’t admittedly given it much effort, but…”

“Are you serious?” asks Zuzia, even more confused now.

“Yeah. I never had to give it any real thought on Earth, since my carrier only crossed the equator once, and I wasn’t doing the navigating obviously. I could figure it out with the compasses we have, but I haven’t sat down to make an electromagnet so I can use the right hand rule to confirm which pole is which…”

“Just look at your shadow,” retorts the honey-haired brunette. She points, and Daniel looks. It’s morning, though, so it’s naturally pointing to the west, if the simple convention for cardinal directions is used; sunrise and sunset.

Zuzia sighs, adding, “If your shadow is more southerly-pointing, then we’re in the southern hemisphere, and if your shadow is more northerly-facing, we’re in the northern hemisphere. We’re in the southern hemisphere. I figured that out by day three when I realized that the sun was just a bit north of me at around noon time.” She scoffs and chuckles. “I was so confused how I ended up in an entirely separate hemisphere, since I had amnesia for the first few days due to the power Amalaskae gave me.”

Daniel stares at his shadow, and she can tell that the gears are turning. Daniel grumbles, “God damn it…” He glances at her, adding, “Sorry. But, damn, am I stupid. I even grew up pretty far north in USA.”

Zuzia laughs warmly as she pats his bicep gently. “It’s alright, Daniel. You got pretty far not even knowing how to navigate.”

“I can navigate just fine! And, in my defense, knowing what hemisphere I’ve been in hasn’t affected me meaningfully in two years except for one instance where Magnir and I were accidentally teleported somewhere he didn’t know.”

“Ah, yes. Where you helped those five kobold ladies ‘keep warm’, am I right?” She grins at him deviously, and Daniel smirks at her again, rolling his eye.

But, Zuzia suddenly turns serious, asking, “Do… you ever miss it, though?’

“Miss what? That island? Hell no! Reminds me too much of the cold, snowy wasteland I grew up in. Well, when it was winter, at least.”

She giggles, but replies, “No, not that island. I mean… Earth. Do you… have anyone waiting for you that… won’t ever see you again?”

The American’s expression softens, and he makes eye contact with her. He replies softly, “The only remaining family member I had that I was, at all, close to is an aunt. But, we drifted apart after my family passed away in a car crash.”

“I’m so sorry…” replies Zuzia softly.

“It’s alright,” replies Daniel softly. “Actually, the hardest thing so far has been when the Fellmother threw my family members back in my face. It was years ago, so I’m mostly over the grief. But, to have it used against me…” Daniel’s hands noticeably ball into fists, and Zuzia instinctively reaches over to gently rest her hand on his.

He immediately relaxes and looks at her. He says softly, “I know… your closest family moved on as well, right? You don’t have to explain, I just… I’m sorry for your losses as well.”

She smiles gently. “Thank you. I’m the same way. Mom and Dad happened when I was young, and Grandpa was the last to go a few years ago. I kept hiking to ‘go see him’, if you know what I mean. I was mostly back to ‘normal’. And,... I feel like God has given me glimpses of him in my lowest points here, which actually helped me when I needed it. It was nice hearing Grandpa’s voice again… Even if it made me more spirited to fight Neith and Serrentuk seriously.” She smiles bashfully at the thought, since it kept her sane to take the fight seriously, even if she knew how desperate it was just to save her.

Daniel is quiet. The two don’t say anything as Zuzia’s hand rests on Daniel’s, sharing a peaceful moment for their families.

Daniel finally says, “If I did get to go back to Earth, I’d probably visit my aunt. But, I don’t really miss anything that hasn’t been replaced by everything I gained since coming here.”

Zuzia looks at her own left hand for a moment, saying, “Yeah. I don’t miss my job, but I had a fair number of friends… I feel a little bad that they must be worried for me. But, I also have had a lot of fun here. In spite of the bad times… And, I want to add up some more fun times.”

Daniel smiles and replies sincerely, “Making an impossible knife is a good place to start.”

She scoffs, retorting playfully, “I was already sold earlier, but you better let me have my own request made, too, if I’m doing all this work for your benefit.”

“You’ll be doing the hard work, so I have no objections. But, let me find a way to replenish our mana supply faster. If you want a gigantic anime bastard sword, it’ll take as much sharmelkolle as this whole machine.”

She grins, retorting, “I was actually thinking of asking for an obuch or a nadziak if you’re offering. Uh, warhammers of Polish design. Though, bigger, since I can probably handle it.” She points at the two sledgehammers, “A bit bigger than those should do.”

“Draw some designs, and we’ll make it happen. Though, I don’t know how to work a hammer head.”

“Eh, we’ll worry about that later.” Zuzia squeezes Daniel’s hand a little more, and she looks at it, which prompts him to look as well. She then grins at Daniel, asking facetiously, “So, is this the part where we bang?”

Daniel laughs and pulls his hand away. “Not a particularly Christian question, Zuzia.”

She looks aside, saying, “Aside from… Ryuo, I don’t try to do anything harmful. I’m not so blind to the reality of either world to believe divorce, same-sex love, pre-marital sex, and single motherhood can be so easily forgiven when the real problem stems from people just being cruel to each other, rather than kind. God wants us all to enter heaven, even you, Mister Lecher. Even if some make it a bit more challenging. A little fun along our journeys was a sin when people were dying daily because of inadequate development, and the survival of humanity… or, I guess, society, are at risk. Now, it’s just fun to enjoy the lives God gave us, right?”

“Well then, why didn’t you say so?” Daniel startles Zuzia a little when he pins her down onto her back, and she almost reacts reflexively, but Daniel is still the only person on Zenkon that she can’t harm, due to the contract on her that he commandeered from Yaulander’s slave collar.

But, she growls when it sinks in that Daniel is teasing her, “Daniel, I will give you to the count of three before I send you back to Earth the long way.”

Daniel chuckles, leaning over her as his hands hold her arms down just above her head. “Sorry… Bad joke.”

“A-heh-HEM!” They both twitch with a start as they look to the side that is conveniently Daniel’s left. There, they find Hekate, Jeavana, Wenlianna, Magnir, Wulfsten, Halkadon, and Verbert. The latter three, along with Wenlianna, can’t do much about the planned forging process, but the mercenaries are Zuzia’s friends, and they likely wandered into the small testing zone Daniel chose for this process, away from the farms and towns, but not exactly secret.

Hekate is the one who just dramatically cleared her throat to get their attention, and the two Earthlings stare at the newcomers for several seconds as they receive judging stares from Daniel’s many consorts, self-proclaimed or otherwise.

Daniel is faster to respond, saying dryly, “Hekate? If you don’t mind, I was just about to add Zuzia to my collection…”

“Get off me, idioto,” growls the Polish brunette as she shoves Daniel off to his right side, causing him to laugh. She then climbs to her feet to brush herself off, saying in the process, “I promise, Maleńka, that was all Daniel’s idea.” She immediately cups her own cheek, claiming, “He tried to seduce me right here in the open.”

“You asked first!” snaps Daniel as he climbs to his feet, though he’s still in good humor.

Zuzia points at him, retorting just as passionately, “If you want to be technical, I suggested, in jest, that we have a one night stand at most! You turned it into trying to make me an Empress!”

“Wha-!? Who said you’d be an Empress!? Now you’re promoting yourself as well?”

“If Jeavana gets to be an Empress, don’t I deserve at least that much!? You cheapskate!”

Hekate finally interrupts the two humans with a tone that could freeze nitrogen solid. “Zuzia, I can’t yet chew your face off, but I will find a way.” The Polish woman gasps as she twitches in fear, hiding behind Daniel, while Hekate turns her amber-eyed gaze of death upon her favorite person. “And, you, Daniel… You have a lot more things I can chew off. And, I’m really tempted to start chewing.”

The American fearlessly clears his throat, saying, “Ladies! Gentlemen, thank you for coming! Let me introduce you to the reason I invited you all here…” Daniel gestures at the suspended double-anvil rig, but Hekate doesn’t let him get away with it.

“Don’t think you can change the subject, Daniel. I’m a magnirimous Empress. I have tolerated a great many mistresses. So, I won’t kill you…”

This is when Zuzia asks with slight confusion, “‘Magnirimous’…?”, peeking over Daniel’s shoulder.

Daniel capitalizes, dashing around Zuzia to run away without any warning or exclamations. Zuzia whines, “Hey! You coward!”

Daniel gets about five yards away before Hekate appears from thin air directly above and behind him with a “Hyah!”, skillfully landing on Daniel as if she pounced the whole distance, tackling him successfully to the ground. She doesn’t hesitate to bite Daniel’s shoulder, and he cries out, “Ow! Ow! Uncle! Uncle! I surrender! Hekate! Stop!”

Jeavana laughs wholeheartedly, while the men share a more uneasy chuckle at Daniel’s plight. Wenlianna pouts a little as she approaches Zuzia, saying coldly, “Must be nice…”

“Wenlianna, I swear, we were only joking.”

“I know… But, I am a little envious all the same…” She looks at Zuzia with a studious gaze. By European and American standards, Wenlianna is rather short. Most humans of Zenkon average a fair amount smaller than Daniel and Zuzia, and Wenlianna is on the shorter side of that for women. But, she is fearless as she faces off against dragons, let alone Zuzia.

“I can do my best to share what I know of Earth, and the things we did for fun. Though, as you may know, our countries were separated by something like five thousand kilometers of ocean. Mmm… Something like four thousand miles.”

“The ‘internet’, yes? This is how you share so much, in spite of the distance?”

“Yes,” replies Zuzia. “The way the magic radios work just for voices, imagine being able to transmit entire books that way, without needing to teleport the whole book. What you’ve probably seen on Daniel’s phone is just a tiny fraction of everything on the internet, good and bad.”

Wenlianna replies sadly, “I wish I could visit Earth to see your world…”

Daniel is busy trying to wrestle Hekate off of himself, while her tail wags back and forth furiously, and she gnaws on his shirt, which is easily slicing apart because of her sharp teeth.

Zuzia replies, “I won’t make promises, but if I ever do find a way to go back and forth, I’d be happy to take you for a visit. I’m sure that dummy would, too.” Zuzia smiles contentedly at Daniel ‘suffering’ at the hands of Hekate. He’s not in any real danger, unless Hekate’s bites are venomous, so it’s amusing to watch.

The brunette magic artisan clears her throat. “So, do you know what this new creation of Daniel’s is? He asked me to focus on some other projects, since this is less about magic.”

“Well… This will probably mean more to you than to me, but apparently, we’re going to find out if we can ‘work’... sharkmelolle? Whatever it’s…”

“Sh-Sharmelkolle?” asks Wenlianna in disbelief. With her glasses, her wide-eyed gaze is rather cute. She’s physically older than Zuzia’s refreshed body from coming to Zenkon, but she looks to be around twenty-four to twenty-five at most, which is younger than Zuzia actually is at twenty-nine now.

“That’s the one!” replies Zuzia with warm, elder-sister energy. However, the confirmation only drains the color from Wenlianna’s face, and Zuzia laughs awkwardly, glancing at the others for help. But, unsurprisingly, the only Zenkon native not horrified by the notion of working that particular metal is Hekate, and probably for both of the reasons being that she’s distracted with Daniel at present, and the fact that she’s Hekate.

Zuzia scratches her cheek, saying, “Well… If it works as Daniel’s plan requires, it’s not like just anyone will be able to do it… Probably.”

The two dragons present, Magnir and Jeavana, glance at each other. Jeavana is the only one who didn’t get to use the mining jet cutter for the rescue, but she watched the whole process and the fact that it exhausted all three of the ones who did operate it. Even she knows that a ‘special project’ that Daniel creates seems to carry a weight with it that pushes against the definition of ‘impossible’ with the same kind of strength that Zuzia, Neith, and Magnir can wield at will.

If the rumors are to be believed, and there’s no reason not to, Daniel is the first person to solo a dragon without any magic, like a regular Skuba, while also accomplishing what even Serrentuk believed was impossible; slaying the thing called the ‘Devourer’.

Zuzia smiles softly. She adds confidently, “Hey, what’s that look for? You’ve got the Harbinger of Calamity and the Grand Odkrywcza working together. If you thought Daniel alone was good, I’m better.” Zuzia grins broadly as she points at herself proudly with her right thumb.

Wenlianna is stunned, and she looks at the strange device again, before looking at Daniel and Hekate. The American has successfully pinned down Hekate, not unlike how he had Zuzia ‘pinned down’ a moment ago, and she pants more heavily than her superhuman power would imply is ever needed.

“If you do to me what you were going to do to Zuzia, I’ll forgive you,” states Hekate sternly. She then closes her eyes and pulls her lips together, obviously making ready for a kiss.

But, Daniel brutally replies, “Deal.” He instantly climbs off of Hekate and to his feet, brushing himself off.

“Hey!” snaps Hekate furiously.

“The Hekate Game is undefeated,” retorts Daniel fearlessly, offering her a hand.

“Graaahhh! You butt!” Even as she says this, Hekate accepts his hand to pull her up, but she immediately latches to Daniel’s arm and walks with him back to the group.

He asks warmly, as if he didn’t just lose a portion of his shirt and get several bite marks that are bleeding lightly, “So, who’s ready to do the impossible?”

Everyone other than Zuzia stares at him, though Hekate is more because she’s just curious what he means.

The American grins, and although his right eye is forever-hidden behind an eyepatch now, she can tell it’s wink when his right eye matches her gaze, only to ‘blink’ once with the smile he has.

Zuzia rolls her eyes and returns the wink. She’s confident that, under the right conditions, they can make it work.

Or, they can prove that sharmelkolle is truly indestructible, at least.

***

A/N 1: “Firstday” is, unsurprisingly, the first day of the week on the Imperial Standard calendar, used by the majority of countries that share the Eastern Imperial Trade language. The Empire recognizes nine days in a week, and they are named accordingly.

A/N 2: Klommen is a minor, but fairly important character introduced in the Chapter 98.1-98.5 “Battle for the Imperial Crown” side-story arc. He is a shenwulf who quietly runs one of the Imperial Capital’s most trusted newspaper outlets. Though newspapers are still fairly new in the Empire in the scope that they’re used, Klommen’s company prides itself on keeping his reputation clean with the truth and generally avoiding scandals and gossip. I’ll add him to the character sheet for the next time I post it, and probably forget to remove this author’s note afterwards.

***