Ugh, writer's block, I HATE it when that happens, the next two chapters will most likely be filler, so please just bare with me and I'll see if I can't shake a few idea bats out of the belfry. Although some of the steampunk tech mentioned in this chapter will play a role in the chapters to come. As always, filler or not, please rate and review.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE SPYRO UNIVERSE, I ONLY OWN MY OCs.
Chapter 10: Shadows of the Grimoire
Ever since the Blackguards had returned to Peninsula City three days ago, Dalon had spent every moment with his nose buried in the Grimoire; sure he'd been pissed when he learned they had suffered two casualties, one being shot with buckshot and blown into a grandfather clock, and the other, the leader, nearly bleeding out in the airship on the return trip.
However, the minute Gerald had turned over the Grimoire, Dalon forgot about them, snatched the book, and laughing maniacally, ran into his office and slammed the heavy double doors. He only allowed refreshments to be sent in, he had cancelled his meetings, turned away all sorts of people, and even stopped threatening his employees. Nothing but silence from the room until one day, during the storm, Dalon threw the doors open wide and shouted for Gerald and several mercenary leaders to enter the office. Gerald, recently promoted to third-in-command of the Blackguards, stood there in the room with the leaders of Dalon's closest mercenaries and officers.
Among the groups present, Gerald recognized the leaders of the biggest mercenary companies in the country: the Black Vipers, Sabaton Mercs, Blood Aces, Claimjumpers, Pickaxes, the Whiplashes, and of course the Blackguards, what surprised him however were the four men standing behind Dalon's desk. Gerald only recognized one of them, but that and the fact they were wearing the same uniforms, was all he needed; Dalon's personal bodyguards, the leaders of the infamous Titan Guard, the most expensive, ruthless, merciless, well-equipped, and fanatical mercenaries in the nation's history.
The TG, as they were known due to the fact that every member of their company had a large TG branded into his back and neck, were known as a 'last resort' type of mercenary, they had an acceptable losses policy and had a 'when in doubt, shoot the hostage' attitude. If you were not important enough to keep alive, you could kiss your ass goodbye. Dalon was the only person that still hired the TG, hell, he was the only client wealthy and crazy enough to hire them. A few minutes of sizing up the mercenaries in the room, the door opened and in came Dalon, Grimoire in hand, he walked past them, went to his chair and sat down. One of the soldiers next to him produced a cigar and lit it for him. Dalon nodded thoughtfully and then looked at people assembled in front.
"Gentlemen, I suppose you are curious about why I called all of you here today. Well wonder no more. For many years I knew that our dear old friend James de Launces was keeping his best inventions secret, but now I have here the book that has the blueprints for every weapon he classifies as 'too dangerous'. Well, by now I'm sure you've all read the headlines in the Syllian Tribune. He tossed that morning's copy of the paper onto his desk. The headlines were in bold and large font.
"Launces Mechanist Saves the Day with New Inventions".
The mercenaries all nodded, Dalon continued.
"Well, I can say that if he had developed some of these weapons, he would have won the battle with no casualties on our side. For instance, what uses could you think of for a gas that causes the enemy to suffocate on their own breath and, or a portable weapon that can incinerate a squad, or even better here, a chemical that once it hits an enemy, it cannot be washed off; it also sears the enemies' flesh, melting it, and is also highly flammable! What kind of fool would keep these weapons from our military; well, their loss is our gain. I had the Blackguards disguise themselves as Federation troops and steal the Grimoire, while James and his pet dragons are razing the Federation trying to get the book back, we'll be here supercharging our arsenals with these new weapons, and I already have a target in mind once we get the weapons made and distributed."
One of the Claimjumpers raised his hand.
"Where is the target sir?"
Dalon looked at the man, sighed and nodded to one of the TG by him. Gerald watched as the TG soldier drew a massive revolver and fired, killing the man. With a quick flourish, he holstered the weapon.
"Thank you Captain Percival, you gentlemen know how I hate to be interrupted, however, I cannot answer that question now; however, I will reveal it in due time. Now if there are no more questions, you are all dismissed."
The mercenaries all filed out, the two remaining Claimjumpers a bit quicker than the others. Gerald was the last and closed the door.
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Dalon quickly walked over to the bookshelf and saw the book labeled 'The Absolutes of Life' and pulled it. The bookshelf slid open and he walked down a narrow flight of stairs. No one knew of this room, it was his personal workshop and the room of his greatest discovery. He opened the steel door and walked in, his boots echoing off the stone floor, all around the room were machines and apparatuses that none but him knew what they were for.
Setting the Grimoire aside, he walked into another little room where, in the middle, a giant purple and black crystal was housed, Dalon had discovered the crystal five years ago and was enthralled by its beauty, however this crystal was special.
As Dalon rested his hand on the crystal, the aura within the gem pulsed, a deep, dark voice echoed from within.
"Well done General, I see these 'Blackguards' are more reliable than I had previously thought." Dalon smiled.
"I thank you for the compliment milord; however, I still berated the unit for losing soldiers on such a simple snatch and grab mission. They were sloppy, and in my opinion sloppy work is highly taboo, all missions must be carried out with precision and speed. Don't you agree?"
The aura pulsed again and a deep laughter was heard within.
"Indeed, perhaps when I regain my physical form I shall mete out retribution for the delay and the 'sloppiness', as you called it, of the mission. By the way, I heard your little speech up above. This 'Mechanical Count' James de Launces, he seems incredibly talented, maybe you should try talking him into joining us?"
Dalon shook his head.
"It wouldn't work milord; James is a straight arrow, he believes in honor, the greater good, and saving as many lives as possible, he does not know the meaning of 'collateral damage' and plus he is simply too good. He has talent, aye, but he does not use the talent for his own gain, he only wishes to benefit the nation. Besides, I found out that those Southland dragons you were speaking of, Spyro and Cynder are there, they would never allow James to consent to something he considers immoral and evil. He sees everything in black and white, either it is good or it's evil, he is not like me, I see the shades of grey and can accept lesser evils if the outcome is the same. As the old saying goes, you can't make an omelet without breaking an egg."
The aura pulsed again, this time the laughter was louder.
"Indeed, I know the type of person you speak of well. However, if he cannot be swayed, he will have to be destroyed eventually. Once I regain my body I may decide to do it personally." Dalon nodded.
"If you want something done right, do it yourself. I learned that the hard way during the war. By the way milord, I've been meaning to ask your name, if you don't mind." The aura pulsed darker.
"Before that wretched purple dragon and his mate trapped me in here, I was known as Malefor. Now that you have my name, do notutter it in public and especially not in front of any dragons here, there is a chance some of them know of me and I am especially vulnerable to attack in this crystal. If you can get me the army I need, I will keep finding materials for you to use. You don't have to pay a 'copper' for the materials you need, and I get my new army of loyal, dedicated soldiers."
Dalon nodded enthusiastically; however, he was unaware of a mysterious figure watching from the next room. The only mercenary who had snuck back in and followed him.
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Gerald was freaked out, he knew Dalon was mad, but this clenched it, he knew that if Dalon got this army things would go to shit real fast; however, he had worked in silence this long, all he had to do was keep up the cover until he had the chance to bolt.
True, he owed his life to the Blackguards for finding him on Callen's Hill near death, however, that debt was repaid in full when he turned his own gun on his father. He had mourned so much on the return trip, however, he knew that if they detected any weakness, they'd kill him. He had to keep his grief bottled up otherwise, his father's death would have been for nothing.
(Dammit Father, why'd you have to barge into that room and announce yourself like that?! If only I could have found him before hand and explained everything to him he might still be alive. If only the telegraph lines weren't wired to require Dalon's permission to send anything. I can only leave the city when I am part of a contract and the next one was the one I need to alert the government on. Wait a second, the airships have independent radios, the only risk is it's an open frequency and you don't know who else will be listening; I threw my past away when I joined these murderers, now it seems that fate wants me to live with my actions. I'm over thinking this, it'll take some time for Dalon to create the machines he needs, in the meantime, I'll throw out some old feelers and try to get a hold on one of those telegraphs. The problem with having so many of something, there's bound to be one that's unguarded at some point. I just need to find which one.)
With that, Gerald threw his cloak over his head and walked into the rain, making a beeline for the 'Drunken Grouse Inn', and hopefully, his old comrade was not too drunk to get him the info he needed.
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Spyro stood well from the center platform in the middle of the castle, he saw a vein standing out on James' head, clearly showing he was livid at the accusation that he had been with withholding military machines for his own personal use.
The little sneak who had brought forth the accusation stood near the human James had said was General Nathaniel Reed, the commander of the Syllian Royal Marines, however, there were people he recognized as friends.
Sky Lord Voltaris had his seat on the far left side of the room, Lord Admiral Greagor was seated next to Reed, all the while with a sour expression on his face; Lord General Williams was seated on Reed's other side watching the traitorous man with disdain.
James had never seen this coming, just three hours after Bertram's funeral, he received a summons to appear in Royalis to answer charges brought forth by a warehouse employee who had thought he would be rewarded for bringing certain information to light. Looking around he saw a council of civilian merchants on the right side, while the military council sat on the left. The biggest mystery was the man who sat in the center; he sat in a large throne and wore a blue Syllian uniform with a red cape behind him. He appeared to be no older than James' daughter, yet he carried himself with an air of someone much older. The military council, with the exception of Reed, all bore venomous expressions; the civilian council were all smug and silent. James had explained it to him and Cynder before they arrived.
"They want my blueprints is all." James had said.
"With me out of the way and deposed as Syllia's sole mechanist, they will take my blueprints and charge the military what they want for them. That fool Reed doesn't get it, once those designs get into the hands of those vipers," he had all but spat the word, "they will short the military valuable designs and charge outlandish prices to create the next invention or update the current machine, in a time of war delays cost lives."
Spyro didn't understand much, but he did understand what he was saying. These merchants were some of James' biggest competitors for the military's contracts; James wasn't in charge of a monopoly, he simply believed in giving the military the best he could build at the cheapest price; these leeches only cared for their own pockets. James was a veteran, he understood that a military buys its weapons and equipment at the lowest possible cost in order to keep its numbers up and its troops equipped.
As a noble he didn't need money, he could give the military his best and charge rock bottom prices; the only reason he charged anything was because he needed to pay his employees; these people were wealthy and wanted the money and would line their own pockets with it. The little sneak was probably promised some outlandish sum in exchange for James' secrets. Watching the man speak lie after lie made him sick; James looked about ready to throttle the man.
"Furthermore, Your Graces," said the man in his oiled voice, "the inventions I have learned of that are being postponed until they are supposedly needed to be built are as such, the lists I provided to you as evidence are the inventions that I know of; who knows how many more are still hidden. One in particular I've only heard the name of is the 'Juggernaut'."
Admiral Greagor looked at his list and went red-faced; he leapt up from his chair with a shout.
"Now see here you little wretch; the Arkibus-class carrier is a design that has been proven in battle; what can you, a civilian, know about refitting a ship that is just as long as our most powerful battleships; according to Count de Launces' financial reports, you were kicked off the refit before she was even cleaned. Every sailor knows a when you refit a ship, you scrape the old paint and grime off the hull. I request the council dismiss these lists due to the fact that this man has never finished the project to which he was assigned, again, the financial records show that the longest he has ever been on a project was one week, and that one week was on the Skuass Naval Gun, he only had time to measure the fastening bolts and the barrel diameter before he was kicked off, literally, I might add, for being intoxicated on the job."
A merchant council member stood up next.
"Be that as it may Admiral, the informant's soberness holds no meaning in this trial, we simply wish that if Lord James will not rush those designs, he turn the unfinished designs over to us for our personal factories to complete them. It could be there is no wrong doing, it could simply be that his factories are tasked to capacity. If that is so, would it not be wise to share the load?"
James turned to the man.
"You left out sharing the profit, you arrogant ass! What you're saying is that if I let you have my blueprints, you'll drop your charges is that it?! For a machine I would charge five coppers for, you bloodsuckers would charge anywhere from one to ten silvers if not a full sovreign!" Spyro swore he heard one of the men growl.
(Aha! So that is the reason for this farce!) Spyro thought, he leaned and whispered it to James who nodded grimly. The man who growled noticed this and stood.
"Your Graces, why are we allowing this foreigner into one of our sessions; to be honest, this is a matter amongst men not dragons."
Voltarus harrumphed loudly and caught the attention of the man, who abruptly shut up and sat back down, eliciting a few snickers from the military council. A quick glance from the man in the center silenced them also. James took the chance to speak.
"Your Graces, it is true that the factories are working around the clock to make machines for this possible war against the Federation, however, this is hardly the time to worry about a bill of sale. The enemy is on our doorstep, and the Grimoire, the book I'm certain you jackals are after, was stolen by the Federation." The civilian council looked stunned, they probably had wanted the Grimoire in the first place; it was no secret the Grimoire held the most powerful and as such probably the most expensive of his machines.
Spyro saw many of them in glare in rage, others in worry. The military council, on the other hand, started with shock and perhaps a touch of fear. James then did something shocking, he stepped out of the center platform and approached the man on the throne. Spyro heard many council members on both sides gasp and saw the man's guards tighten their grips on their weapons. He stopped next to the sneak and, much to Spyro's shock, took a knee.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to see past their conniving plots. To profit during a time of war is immoral is it not? Instead, allow me to pose a solution, General Reed of Your Majesty's Royal Marines is my accuser is he not? Well, allow him to send someone of Your Majesty's choosing to Launces and become my apprentice, this way, my designs stay in the military circle and the Marines get a liaison with me. It's a solution that can't backfire. In the end, the question this trial posed is answered, and the military will still get the machines they need at low cost. As always, I only request payment so that I can pay my employees, nothing more."
The man, who Spyro now realized was the King of Syllia, looked thoughtfully at James, then at the merchant council which to a man was absolutely seething with anger. The military council held their collective breath. The King at last let out a breath, the first sound he'd made during this entire 'trial', and stood up.
"James de Launces, Count of Launces, I can find no reason to doubt you in your motivations or convictions, you have always tried to do the best you could and have stood fast and firm against the enemies of our nation during both times of war and peace. You were a loyal supporter of my father and you were my mentor years ago, you are the man who modernized our armed forces and are considered by many to be a hero for your actions years ago. I have read several reports about your machines role in turning the tide of battle. However, there is one thing I'm curious about; why build a machine that can fly, surely the Dracocorps are enough?"
Spyro saw James brace himself and glance cautiously at Voltarus before taking a deep breath.
"Your Majesty, the reason for the aeroplane is a simple yet harsh reality. As you know I am one of the few humans the dragon's ruler Titanus trusts with touring the dragon settlements, the aeroplanes are not meant to replace the Dracocorps, it is meant solely to take pressure off the dragons. According to the last records of births and deaths due to either battle or natural causes, the overall population has dropped by ten percent."
James saw a look of confusion on the face of the King and on the faces of several members of the military council. James explained.
"The dragons of Syllia are dying out, the Dracocorps barely has one third the number of dragons they used to. If we don't give the dragons time to rest and uh, do what must be done to increase their numbers, we may a soon have Dracocorps without dragons."
Voltarus was shocked, he of course had known about the dwindling numbers of recruits, but not even he had known it was this bad. Indeed, the military council regarded the news with startled expressions. However, the sneak, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up.
"Your Majesty, why should we care about some giant glorified lizards? Theirpopulation is notwhy we're here, why I'mhere!"
The merchant council chuckled lightly at the remark. The King and his men sat horrified by the man's statement; a sound started echoing throughout the chamber. The man turned to see Spyro growling lowly and Voltarus sparking electricity between his teeth. The man realizing his mistake stepped back and bumped against someone, turning sharply, he found himself coming face to fist with James de Launces.
Spyro stopped growling when James gave the sneak a right cross and knocked him flat and out cold on the marble floor. Indeed, as soon as the man hit the floor, Voltarus and several military officers started laughing, the merchant council, on the other hand was shrieking for James to be placed under arrest.
It took several moments for the bailiff to restore order. However, James was not in the wrong; it was a known fact that soldiers in the Dracocorps, in particular the Dragoons, were known to be less diplomatic when someone badmouthed their unit, or the dragons they served with. James, being a former Brigadier General in the Dragoons, was apparently no exception. The civilian council clamored for James to be restrained, however, an aide came up to Admiral Greagor and gave him a letter; the Admiral read it and stood.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, but I have some information that just came to light that may shed some light on the man's willingness to throw Lord James under the bus. This man's name as you know is Albert Mahgut; his brother, Francis Mahgut, is the man we arrested for attempting to sabotage the Arkibus' pumps during its sea trials when we were attacked."
James then remembered something else.
"You said Mahgut, right; I remember him, I fired him personally for carelessness on the job and for attempting to strike a baby dragon who'd wondered into a warehouse looking for his mother; this man was a disgrace."
The merchant council started to speak amongst themselves, obviously aware that their attempt to steal James' designs went out the window with this bit of information. Indeed, a few moments later, the King ordered Mahgut to be taken away and delivered the verdict.
"I, Edward von Royalis, King of Syllia, do declare the charges against Count James de Launces dropped. The court is hereby dismissed."
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With a deep and relieved sigh, James turned and left with Spyro behind him. As he stepped through the door, he heard a voice behind them; Spyro turned to see the Syllian King running towards them, two of his servants trailing behind him. James turned and looked questioningly.
"Your Majesty, what is wrong?" The young man smiled broadly.
"You know you can call me Eddy when we're not at anything formal, we're still family are we not cousin?"
James nodded, all the rigidity of the court proceedings fading into nothingness, he relaxed into his old self. Then, much to Spyro's surprise, he started laughing.
"Eddy, you are nothing if not calm, so may I ask what's going on?" Then Eddy started laughing as well.
"You see through me as always. I guess now I know why Father had you tutor me all those years ago, but that's beside the point." Eddy took a serious tone.
"First off, let me say I'm sorry for having you rush out here so soon after Bertram's death; I tried to delay it as long as possible, but those damned bloodsuckers wanted to catch you in a moment of weakness, they probably thought you would capitulate to their demands while you were still reeling from his loss, again you have my condolences. Second, I heard about the assassination attempt, I also heard one of the foreign dragons is acting like Thera's bodyguard?" James nodded.
"How would you like to meet him? Thera and Ignitus are back at the manor house. Eddy smiled and nodded, then he snapped his fingers.
"I know; let's all go to the Circuit I'm sure you and your guests could use some relaxation after all that's happened, I hear that tomorrow is one of the most anticipated races of the season, apparently, Thomas Rolf is supposed to be returning to the track. Everyone in Royalis has been awaiting his return since that accident of his three years ago."
James nodded, then saw Spyro's curious glance.
"Oh, that's right; You've never heard of Circuit Racing before have you Spyro?"
Spyro shook his head.
"No, never have, is it something special?"
James and Eddy both laughed.
"You could say that, you see, after I created the steam car, Lysa, back when she was my assistant, came up with an idea for a two wheeled machine that ran on steam. She called it a 'Steam Runner', first prototypes were slow and prone to accidents, however, that all changed with the discovery of three things. During my expeditions into Northumbria, I discovered a natural water source that was extremely rich in minerals and had a low boiling point for water, then, I discovered huge reserves of titanium, a super strong, yet lightweight metal buried deep in the mountains, finally, I was touring one of the dragon cities, Ignious, I believe, where I found a remarkable structure made entirely of crystal. I'd heard about crystals such as these but never thought of trying to adapt them, there were only two that seemed to work for the runner, a fire crystal and an ice crystal. The fire crystal proved an easier solution to using coal or wood furnaces to make steam and was the gentler of the two. The ice crystal however, proved to be quite volatile."
"Volatile? How was it proven volatile, whatever that means?"
"Volatile means that something is prone to exploding or releasing a huge amount of energy in a short period of time. A fellow mechanist named Rhys Arctis, began experimenting with the ice crystals, a young Franklin Stein was his assistant. Originally the tests went well, it was discovered that if an ice crystal is exposed to any source of heat or moisture it flash steams, however, normal steam is hot and can burn you, steam from an ice crystal is super cold. Poor Rhys found that out the hard way. He was flushing the pipes when a careless technician turned on the machine and the crystal flash steamed. The pressure release was so great it shattered the pipes, something going from cold to hot and back again caused the pipes to rupture enveloping Rhys in super cold steam, Stein reached into the cloud and pulled Rhys out but the damage had been done. Rhys had been frozen solid by his exposure, Stein got out of it only losing his arms and his left foot to frostbite. I was able to create a few prosthetic limbs for him but he still suffers phantom pains in what's left in his arms. After the incident, I discovered titanium was the only metal accessible to Syllia that could contain cold steam. Just after I married Lysa, I discovered the answer."
Spyro looked at James awkwardly, he'd never heard him talk this much in depth about any one invention, he went on to describe a titanium 'ball' he made with an ice crystal fixed inside, simply flood the 'cell' with the rare mineral water and you had instant steam. A few enterprising individuals retrofitted their steam runners with these 'steam cells' and noticed their speed improved.
A steam runner without the cell barely made thirty miles per hour, with the cell and a specially made condenser 'coil', speeds rocketed past one-hundred. It didn't take long for people to make dirt, brick, and in some cases, cross-country circuits in which heats or groups of fifteen to forty racers would ride their runners and try to come in first place. When Spyro asked about Thomas Rolf, Eddy smiled.
"Thomas Rolf is a hero in the world of Steam Circuit Racing, he was one of the original runners and he won the first national race called the 'Shiner's Run', he has won over thirty races and suffered several crashes. However three years ago, someone tampered with his runner while betting on the races. When Rolf crashed, he broke his legs, his back and both shoulders. Many thought he was done for, however, he underwent a surgery pioneered by Bertram during the war and two weeks ago announced his comeback. He's going to race in the Royalis Grand Prix as his comeback. This was the first race he won during his career and he wants it to be the first victory of his comeback. In fact James, you still have your old runner don't you? That would be incredible, the both of you going at it again, it would be a hearkening to your days with Team Broadsword or Team Typhoon, don't you think?" James looked skeptical at first then shrugged.
"I don't know if I'd be any good at it seeing it's been several years, still, you don't know what you can do until you try, at least, that's what Father and Bertram always told me. Heh, maybe I will race." Spyro looked at James questioningly.
"James, if the race is so dangerous won't Lysa object?" James stopped for a moment, placed his hand on his chin for a second and then waved it.
"Nah, she won't care, besides she always liked seeing the Circuit Races when she had a chance. I highly doubt that anything's changed."
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"James de Launces, I absolutely, positively, forbid you to enter that race," Lysa ranted as James tried to get a word in, however, she was cutting him off every chance she got.
"This is not the same kind of Circuit Racing we used to watch and enjoy when I was pregnant with Thera, it's so much more dangerous and violent and people are always betting, fighting, or drinking. I know that you're going to say it's not that dangerous, still, you just finished saving Launces from the Federation. I'd say you earned a rest, but if you go into this race you may just rest in peace. Bottom line, we may go and watch the race, but you are getting nowhere near that track or a steam runner and that is my final word!"
She turned on her heel and stalked off leaving James gaping like a fish out of water.
Spyro and Eddy looked up from where they were sitting. Eddy smiled a broad smile.
"So she won't care if you decide to race, eh? Sounds to me she's had a change of heart over the years." James shook his head.
"Still, I know I left my old runner here in the manor garage, all I need to do is dust it off and enter before she knows it; besides, it'll be good for the kids to see what I used to do before becoming a father and mechanist." Eddy looked at where Lysa had walked off to and sighed.
"Whatever cousin, it's you're funeral, just don't try hiding behind me when Lysa finds out, I'm in no rush to try my luck wrestling a dragoness. You go through with this, you're on your own." James smiled and proceeded to walk outside and head for the manor's old garage.
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There we are, Chapter 10, sorry it took so long, my old internet browser shut off for some reason so I had to go to a new one. Well, it seems that Malefor is back, Gerald is actually a 'good' guy, and a Circuit race is about to start, will James go against his dragoness wife's wishes and enter the race? laughing maliciously Oh, don't worry, I know what is going to happen; but I'm not telling, you'll just have to keep reading.
Chapter 11 speeding your way. And as always, please rate and review!
