Chapter 62

"King Marius." I greeted, looking into the Occulus labelled 'Rakia', "Getting in on the road work I see?"

"Every chance I get." He replied, scrubbing at his cheek with a forearm, and not making the smudge on his face any better, "Would you believe that there is still paperwork, when you're building a road through an empty field that doesn't belong to anyone?"

"Well, why wouldn't there be?" I asked, "And if you think you have it bad now, just wait until that 'profitable' paperwork starts happening. You're probably going to have to hire actual book keepers that you can trust."

He vanished from view as he flopped backwards with a sigh, the sound of a chair groaning under him. But, he popped back into 'frame' a moment later, "Suppose I'll just have to then. So, Ma'am, what news?"

"I've got a few things. First, I hear congratulations are in order?"

He looked a little embarrassed, but in his usual stoic way, "Ah well, she IS my queen, and it IS something kings and queens do."

"Still, congratulations." I smiled.

"Thank you."

"Next, the big project had taken its biggest and most important step. We are testing it now, to see how much it can carry, but aside from putting a roof on it, it's done." I grinned, "Next time I call, I'll show you what it looks like."

"I'll admit, I was was a little skeptical of a cart that could pull other carts. But it was you talking about it. I look forward to seeing this 'train'." His smile was more reserved, but his eyes were showing his eagerness.

"And lastly... I'm considering how to go about making a mountain pass. You know the place right?"

"Hard to forget, considering that's where I met you."

"Well, it's far too steep for the train, and could be a lot better for a road." I smiled, "Sadly, this is not a perfect world, so, there are really only two options. One is to go around, the other is through."

He thought for a moment, "Well, I'm no expert, but in the time frame you want, 'around' would save time. It would take a lot longer to tunnel, and there are the usual dangers that go along with that as well."

"Cave ins, monsters, accidents, yes." I nodded, "Going around, and yes, our cartographers here double checked... It would cost a lot in materials to go around. The distance to the next best place is... far. Though, you'd know that too, considering."

"Indeed. Is there anything useful in that mountain? Good stone? Metals?"

I hmm'ed, since I hadn't asked about that yet, "I'll find out. If there is anything useful, it might offset costs, and give us a reason to go through..." I smiled, "I know just the person to ask too. Something for tomorrow then. Speaking of roads though?"

"And all the paperwork involved in getting it through an otherwise barren and unowned field?" He sighed, "We're ahead of schedule, but not by much. We've never had a reason to dig a ditch out that way before, and we've found some interesting things along the way."

"Oh?"

"Well, remember on our trip back? You said it was just a big open field of nothing? Well, we found salt. M'lady Asfi said that would make the soil basically useless for growing anything but grass."

I hmm'ed, nodding, "Salt is very useful. You might have another bit of profitable paperwork added to the pile if you wanted to try and dig more of that up."

"Indeed. And that's already on the docket. There are a few other little things as well. We've dug through part of an old battlefield. Finding things like that is rarely pleasant, but we've recovered a few items that are still in good shape."

"Ah, that would mean good materials."

"Indeed. Master Welf's father and grandfather had already melted down a few things, and remade them into something much better than our local metal can manage."

"Well, when you do start on the salt, make very sure you take proper care. Mining salt is hard on a body, and the dust will rot the lungs." I warned.

"Truly? Hmm, I will inform the foreman, and ask M'lady about it." He nodded, "I look forward to our next chat."

"If she doesn't know, I'd be happy to help. And yes, me too. Get some sleep."

And we both covered up our Occulus, my Laboratory going quiet save for a quiet steady 'blup blup' of my alchemy kits making potions. Salt... Maybe that area was once part of the ocean? The top most layer of soil might have been what was left of sea life, or thrown over by volcanic ash. Still, that was quite the bit of luck. People needed salt to survive, and only being close to the ocean, and the port of Melen, allowed Orario to get enough salt for it to be 'affordable'.

I gave the alchemy sets another look, set a little alarm in my head, and went to see what the children were up to.

The next day, I visited Goibniu Familia. Of course, if I wanted to get an expert opinion on something, I'd ask an expert. And since I wanted to survey a mountain...

"So." Goibniu of course was the one asking the questions, since Stonebelter was busy making another statue (out of something that might have been left over from the Manor's reconstruction). "You want to take him over to the mountain pass between here and Rakia, to see if it's worth mining?"

"Yes." I replied, since Goibniu was one who didn't like wasting time with words or flowery language.

"Have you considered that we haven't mined it, because there isn't anything worth mining in it?"

"Yes." I repeated. Because yes, there had to be a reason they weren't mining from a the mountain that was a part of a day's 'panicked run' from Orario, while they mined from the 'over a week by carriage' range in the north.

"Then why are you even bothering to ask?"

"Because if there is nothing of real worth there, then I'm going to need a good spot to put a hole through it for the train. Or, spend a lot more time and resources going around it. The train won't do hills very well, so, around or through." I explained.

"Have you thought about the surrounding landscape?"

That surprised me, since 'environmental activism' wasn't due to be a thing until... well... Then again, different world... "We're going to need the gravel for roads, and if that isn't just shale, we'd have a new source for building materials." Because yes, I did think about it.

"When he's done then." We both looked at the block of marble he was working on, "Few days, a week maybe." He said with a grumble, "We expect to be paid as well."

"Obviously." I shrugged, "What did you think of the load testing?"

He gave me a serious squint eye, since this was probably getting into 'wasted words' territory, "You're going to have to build things faster, or it's going to sit in your 'train yard' long enough to get rusty."

I nodded, "Suppose I will then." and I saw myself out of the 'quiet workshop' to go chat with any of the smiths who were on break.

A few days later, a messenger from Goibniu Familia found me and Bell sparring on the city's outer wall. Even I could tell there was something really special about this stone. Even though this place was his favourite place to spar one on one, with me or Ais, and even the Amazon twins, there was never any evidence left over the next time we came up. Almost as if the walls healed and cleaned themselves when no one was looking.

Bell was still having trouble getting past the sound barrier. I knew it wasn't his stats, since mine and his were close to equal before I ended up in Kuoh. I didn't think it was psychological, since Ryuu had told me he'd done it on his own, and I'd seen him do it against Ais. But it was like... as soon as we were about to break through, when the edges of our clothes were snapping like gunshots around us, he would just stop speeding up.

It was around the third hour of us fighting, getting close to that breaking point where the normal eye just couldn't keep up, and the ears became almost useless as the lag between sound and motion started to happen, and that breathing without something over the mouth to regulate airflow became almost impossible... that I saw a splash of colour that wasn't there a moment ago out of the corner of my eye.

So with a flex of my legs I pushed myself away from Bell to disengage. THAT was fast enough to make the air crack, and I came to a halt nearly a dozen metres away, just a little past the splash of colour I'd seen.

Of course, adventurer or not, I'd be willing to be all he saw was a pair of blurs clashing in the middle of the walkway. So of course he had to pick his jaw up off the floor first, "Message for you, ma'am." He said after a moment.

I spotted the Goibniu crest on his vest, "Stonebelter is done then?"

"Yes'm."

"Excellent." I nodded, "I'll be by tomorrow. And tell Ironbeard he better not have a hangover tomorrow. Going to need him at the work site."

He nodded, but made no move to leave.

"Curious?" I asked, waving Bell over, "Just training my co-captain here."

"Ah well um..." It was still impolite to 'spy' on Familia. Even if we were out in the open like this.

"It's no trouble." Bell said, picking up a canteen and shaking it, "We're just trying to be faster, instead of stronger."

The messenger failed to say the first thing on his mind, and settled with, "With the sounds you're making... doesn't that hurt later?"

"A little, but we're tough, right?" Bell shrugged with a smile, "Ready to start again, Miss Kodori?"

"Give me a minute, then sure." I nodded, thinking about what the messenger had just said, "Though, maybe something a little different after we have a snack..."

The Goibniu man might have given me a hint as to why Bell was stopping just shy of where I was trying to push him. Pain. Yes, we were tough, really tough. I mean, after getting hit with something about the size of a train car with a fist on the front, twice, all I'd suffered was some bruising and sand where no sand should be. Bell had been smashed THROUGH the first floor of the tower, and part way into the floor of the dungeon below. And that was before I'd been spirited away.

But breaking the sound barrier... My first actual success felt like I'd just been hit with a full body power wash. My first successful 'slap the wave' had broken all my fingers and most of the small bones of my hand. For Bell, he'd suffered from a mangled hand, and wrecked his legs in the middle of a battle. The potential for a crippling injury would make anyone think twice, even if it was just training...

So, I'd have to come up with a way to make some 'training wheels' for my little brother.

The mountain survey was... well, not disappointing but not what I'd hoped. In a perfect scenario, the mountain pass would be mostly granite or some other useful stone, and rich with some kind of metal that Orario (or the railway) could actually use, like iron, copper, nickle or maybe even silver...

Instead, it was made of a crumbly aggregate of what everyone was calling 'junk rock'. The only metals to be found that -they- knew of, was lead, and maybe a little silver. But in such small quantities that no one had bothered giving the range a second glance. The Northern mines were so much better, and lead was basically useless in Orario, that this little mountain was left alone.

Now, there -were- other metals there. But no one in this world knew what they were, or how to do anything with them. I myself only kind of knew. The one 'shiny rock!' that Stonebelter found was actually a small chunk of 'galena'. Mostly lead, maybe a little silver, and if you were lucky, copper, gold and zinc.

But it would have been far too costly to bother with the little bits of metal you -might- be able to pull from the lead, and Zinc actually needed something special to extract (but that was where my knowledge ended). So, our luck ended with 'has metal, is 'soft' rock.

Well, at least we'd have someplace to get gravel. Now to come up with a plan to actually dig it out...

A few days later, after much hmm'ing, working on other little projects and pacing back and forth, I came up with an idea. This of course led me to the one guy I knew, who knew about -serious- mining.

Gareth made a show of sticking his finger in his ear, wiggling it about, and checking to see if his ear was clogged, "You what now?"

"Master Landrock, I require a team of expert miners, to tunnel through a mountain to make a pass to the other side." I repeated myself, diplomatically ignoring his ear cleaning.

"And what makes you think I have a team of experts just... hiding around here someplace?" He asked, "You know I'm getting ready for another dive, so you can't mean -me-, right?"

"You are an expert, and strong enough to be, and move, a mountain all your own." I nodded, "But you mentioned you knew your way around a pickax, and just like dungeon diving, it's not a solo job."

"Ahh, you want a reference." He nodded.

"No, I want a team of people who know how to tear down a mountain, safely, and in good time. If anything, I'm giving -you- the reference. This will be a well paying job after all. Now, if you wanted to tell whomever you knew who -also- knew their way around a pickax that I was worth listening to, then you would be giving me an endorsement."

He pondered that a moment, then shrugged, "Fine, before I leave, I'll send word to where I last saw my old crew. Best I can do, since we moved around a lot."

I nodded, smiled, then reached into my coat and took out a pouch. "While you're down there. I need you to test something for me."

He gave me his best raised eyebrow, but took the pouch and opened it, "Potions? We have our own you know."

"They're a new formula. More resistant to heat and cold. My last batch went a bit off after my trip through the lava zone, and even worse when the Balor sneezed on me. Since you're the one who's probably going to get in the way of monsters the most..." I trailed off.

"Fine fine. They better not taste like crap though."

"Mint for the mind potions, and cinnamon for the healing potions. Since they're for testing, don't use them in combat."

I'd done some testing at home of course, but that was under controlled conditions. I'll also note here, that I'd used some of the extracted mana from the ice phoenix, to try and counter the heat from the deep floors.

"Of course not." He grumbled, since that was obvious, "Keep the city from burning down while we're away."

"Of course. You did the same for me." We both chuckled, and went our separate ways.

"This is perfect." I said with a pleased nod-nod of my head. "Odds, you've surpassed my expectations."

"i helped too."

"Yeah, the big guy is like my notebook now. And I don't even need to write on him." Odds grinned.

"thank you for not writing on me."

"Well, you both did an amazing job." I looked down/up at them, then the rest of the crew surrounding us, "You ALL did great work here."

Why was I so excited? Well, it wasn't that the train was done. No, that was kind of a cart before the horse thing at this exact moment. No, what they'd all done, with Odds designing it, Puuf making sure all the measurements were good, and the Hephaestus/Goibniu work crews putting it all together and hammering it to shape...

Was the turn table.

Oh, it might not sound like much, but let me explain! They had, with limited explanation (my fault here), used the pit we'd dug in the middle of the train yard. In that pit, they'd lined the bottom with stone, the edges with metal, and built a platform across it. This platform not only had the rails on it, making it literally the first ever rails of 'the big project', but the platform rotated. Not just any kind of rotation either! Remember the 'bearing' I showed Odds? Yeah. Around that metal edge of the platform, under the actual platform, were cannonball sized 'ball bearings', in their own groove, so that the platform would rotate smoothly, and not need someone like Conan to push it along like some kind of slave pit. She not just upped the scale, but changed it enough to make it work for something like this.

This of course would allow the Engine to detach from the cargo cars, roll in, turn around, roll out, and attach to the other side so it could return to where ever it was going.

But no, that wasn't all. Oh no, that would only be 'sort of' impressive.

They had also gotten a big iron scaffolding over the turntable. Rigged with chains, pulleys, rails and other such things, this was as close to a 'modern' 'garage crane' rig as you could get with Orario's tech. They'd set up something that we could use to build multiple engines with. And apparently had already put the 'bare bones' of our current engine on it. The 'wheeled deck' of the engine sat there, waiting to be made into a proper housed engine car.

I looked at them, then the Engine, then to my right, out the big barn doors, to the mountain north of Orario.

"That." I pointed at the mountain, "Is where we are going to take this." I pointed at the Engine, "All that's needed now, is the rails." I looked to the Goibniu Familia man nearest me, "How fast do you think we can make them?" I asked, noting that one of our stockpiles (C) was already loaded with several dozen rails, all nice and straight, but it would hardly do the length of a couple of city blocks.

"As fast as we can melt the iron and pour it really." He shrugged, "We've gotten the hang of the rail mould, and haven't had to re-do a rail for most of the week, but the metal will be the real hitch to all this." He sighed, "I mean, I don't want to rain on your picnic-"

"i like rain."

"But we don't have enough sources of iron to keep the pace you want."

I had been hoping that this wouldn't happen. But, reality was waving at me again and telling me that it was still watching. Probably getting back at me for all the other reality warping things I'd done.

"You can only do your best. But, I do have an idea." I said after a moment.

"Not going to just make iron out of thin air, are you?" One asked, getting a few others to chuckle a little. "I know you seem to make a habit of doing the impossible, but..."

"Oh no, nothing like that. If we can't get the iron here in a timely manner -now- then we'll have to help get the iron we do have access to, get here faster." I looked to Odds, "We need to put our heads together for this one."

"Never a dull moment with you."

"or a day off. sadface."

After I talked with Odds, and Puuf, since his cloudy skinned face was looking a little sad, I went to find Demeter. It wasn't too difficult really, just follow the scent of sunflowers and soil.

Of course, I also found Mr. Meow. Who had exactly one thing to say about me wanting to chat with Demeter.

"Hissing at me won't work." I said to the scruffy cat, "And clawing at my leg won't help either." I swished at him with a tail, then another, until he'd abandoned trying to maul my adamant shin guard and Fenrir fur legging.

"Oh dear... He's usually not that protective of me..." Demeter said, watching her cat get devoured by my tails, "Please don't be too rough with him?"

I ignored the panicked meows of a cat that was not expecting a chew toy to have nine more friends and fight back, "He'll be fine. You wouldn't happen to have a plow, would you? It might vanish if I'm wrong though, so..."

"What a silly question, of course. Though... You will replace it if you break it, right?"

"I will, yes. I just need to see if I can actually use one."

"My my, you're really good at that. It's a shame you're too busy to help during tilling and planting." She said, accepting a worn out Mr. Meow, who had spent an entire half hour being fluffed in my tails. "Poor dear... But you shouldn't be mean to visitors."

Once we found a plow, one that looked kind of like the front of an 'ice breaker' ship's prow, I gave the bored looking bull a pat on the nose and took its place in the harness. I'd then gotten set to plow part of a field, and started walking. My curse didn't activate (the one worry I had), and I had no trouble in the Bull's place in plowing.

"Why exactly are you doing this, Kodori?" Demeter asked.

"I need iron, and the road from here to the mountain is just packed dirt. So, I'm going to build a nice Rakia styled road to the mines, giving the wagons a nice easy time getting here with what I need." I gave the Goddess a pat on the shoulder, the cat (still dazed) a brush under the chin with my finger, then went back to the train yard.

"ODDS?" I yelled over the noise.

"YEAH?!"

"I NEED TWO!" I called back.

"damn... OKAY!"

"there there."

The Loki Familia had been gone a few days now, but, Gareth had made good on his promise, and to my surprise, I had a stout looking (yes, dwarves did come in other varieties aside from 'stout'. But this one wasn't one of them) Dwarf show up at the Manor gate.

By some bit of luck, I'd been working with Bell (making it some Bell's luck), so I was actually at home to greet him.

"That." The dwarf pointed at Bell, "Is the most ridiculous thing I've seen one of you adventurers wear."

Bell was wearing what amounted to a padded suit made of salamander wool. It was hot, itchy, and made him look a little like the Michelin Man (look that up if you don't know). But, its extra padding and most importantly, fireproof nature, also made him less prone to getting wind burn at high speeds. And yes, he was also wearing bits of his armour, and it looked really silly.

"We're doing something new, and catching fire is a real danger." I shrugged, "Go see if Welf has your mask done. Or the goggles." I gave Bell a pat on the shoulder.

"Yes Miss Kodori." Bell nodded, stripping off the extra padding as he walked.

"Eh, not my job." The dwarf shrugged, "Word is you needed a team of experts."

"I do, except... there's only one of you. I need expert-S-." I countered.

He grinned, "I'm the fastest runner, so I'm here first. Others are on their way back from up north. Brother Landrock warned me you had a sharp wit."

"Makes up for my inability to use swords." I shrugged, "Okay, I'll negotiate with you then. I need a mountain pass dug for a road..."

While I explained, we walked towards the... 'less wealthy' part of town. Not the Maze, but not the warehouse district, it was the best and worst, place to get a drink when you just wanted a drink. Welf knew the place better, and as we got closer to his destination I suspected I knew the bar too.

"So." We entered the bar, the people already there hardly glancing our way, though I did catch one or two people looking at me a second time, then shaking their head and going back to their drink. "Let me get this straight." He met eyes with the bar keeper, an absolute safe door of a man who kept an Oni sized club behind the bar, and nodded to him. "You want me and my clan, to go and carve out a wide chunk of mountain, break when ever isn't useful into gravel, throw what ever IS useful aside for later, and we aren't allowed to throw anything into the ravine."

"The river that runs through that ravine goes to a village. They rely on that water for almost everything." It was the same Village that Bell, Hestia and Ais had ended up in when Hestia was kidnapped, and while I'd never been there they took good care of my little brother and Goddess. Yes, they took care of Ais too, but she could take care of herself, and I didn't have to be thankful for that.

"Ah, so you just don't want us to dump anything in it that someone might end up drinking. Sure sure, we can do that." He gave a serving girl a slightly jagged looking smile as she dropped off a mug for him, "Do a survey?"

"Junk rock mostly. Mostly crystallized lead."

He set his mug down, "Sparkly silver stuff?" I nodded, "Ah, right. Well, if you're lucky, you might end up with something more useful than lead mixed in."

"That's a 'later' thing. Right now, we need a road, and Rakia is building towards us. They won't be here for at least two more seasons, but..."

"Right right, wouldn't want them to wait and sit there with their thumbs up their rears while they figured out how to get through." He chuckled, "Had an awful lot of them in the mines during the crisis. Decent people, more used to quarries than tunnels though."

It occurred to me that I never did ask where Marius got his iron from. Thinking on it, it was probably from strip mining, and not tunnel mining. Would explain why Rakia was so... flat.

"If you want, I'll go mark off the two end points, and you can sort things out from there." I offered.

He pondered this, then replied with, "Gonna need a few things aside from my clan. Extra hands, wagons, horses, extra tools..."

"Finish your drink, then make a list. I'll get you what you need."

I stood, and we shook on it, "I'll drop it off at your sparkly house then."

I returned home, and as soon as I set foot on past the gate, I 'felt' for the person I was looking for, then started walking towards them. I found them in the workshop, a little bit of wood in hand as they carved it into a nice child sized wood block.

"Lilly." I greeted, "I don't know what to think about you trying to teach my children to play dice."

She looked ashamed (for like... a half second) then recovered and said, "Lilly will teach them to count too!"

I gave her a half second 'raised eyebrow of doubt', then smiled, "Well, okay then. But, I have two serious questions for you."

"Lilly may or may not have a serious answers?"

"Do you have that map making kit around still?"

"Lilly does! Several actually, since we've been working ahead for our seasonal tasks!" She nodded, "It was... over here!" She went to a storage cabinet and took out a small box.

"Excellent. Come help me make a map."

Lilly and I told everyone who was home that we'd be gone until evening. Then, after giving the children a little attention, Haruhime a very small kiss on the cheek, and Bell a 'make sure the place doesn't burn down', Lilly and I headed out of the city.

It had been a while since just Lilly and I had been on a walk together. And I was sure this time I wouldn't get baited by insane Amazon and cut up for fun. It was fun and relaxing to just... chat with her again, outside of the Manor, without any of the silly mannerisms.

"So." I asked as we left the city, giving the Ganesha guards a wave, "have you ever ridden a horse before?"

She looked way up at me, "Most horses are too big. And getting their attention so they don't step on us is about the best we can hope for." She gave her (much much MUCH smaller pack a little shake, "It feels weird to have a normal pack on. Why did you want me to bring just this?"

"Just needed you to put it in something so it wouldn't get dropped." I smiled, looking back at the massive walls of the city, then around us, "Hmm, over here... Yes, this should be out of sight enough..."

I led her towards a newly built grainery, and knelt down as we got out of sight of the city. "Why are we hiding here?" She asked.

"Three guesses. And the first two don't count. It's a bit of a walk, and I want to be home before dinner." I unbuckled some of my Fenrir coat's straps, not taking it off, but loosening it so I could shake out of it.

"Wait... You're going to..."

"You're going to have to sit further down my back than a horse, and put your head between my shoulder blades." I did the pants next.

"But..."

I gave her a serious look, "You'll have a couple of tails holding you in place, so you won't fall, ever. But if you want my attention, poke me or something first, so you don't bite your tongue. Oh, and hold on to this." I handed her my wedding ring, then I took off my 'shirt' of Renard skin, my tiger sized fox form shaking itself out of my clothing after a moment, and giving Lilly an affectionate brush with my cheek, before nudging my equipment to her so she could put it in her pack.

Lilly... Well, I wasn't sure if she enjoyed the ride. She was as fearless as almost anyone else I'd ever met, and even though her combat potential was arguably the lowest of the Alliance she was always doing something to help keep everyone fighting in top form.

Apparently though, she wasn't a fan of holding onto my back for dear life as I ran towards the mountain where I'd met Marius. She didn't scream, or even poke me to ask me to slow down, but she also didn't keep her eyes open for most of the trip. Maybe I'd get Welf to make goggles for everyone and she could wear them next time.

As for me, aside from keeping my run as smooth as possible (no jumping, no sharp turns, just running), having Lilly on my back was... close to what it felt like when Akeno was there. Less a dear friend though, and more a loved family member. Yes, that's it. I felt no abrasion to that weird 'instinct' of having her on my back, like I did with Apollo.

However, she could ask next time. Keeping her eyes closed? Bah.

"Lilly feels a little dizzy." She said after I'd slowed down and stopped, lowering myself to my belly and letting her wobble off my back and shake herself out. "Is this... oh dear..." My tails had to help her keep standing, but Lilly was a favourite plaything for my tails and had no trouble keeping her steady.

Once she regained her composure and gave my tails a brush to let go, I changed back into my 'other' shirt, standing as a nine tailed Renard again, "This is basically the foot of the mountain." I said, pointing to a small stand of rock with a broken shard of stone leaning on another, "That's where I waited when I chased the Rakia army."

She looked uphill to where I was pointing, then nodded, then back towards Orario, "It seems like a much longer trip than it was..." She fished in her pack for the map making kit and got started.

"While you draw, I'm going to make a mark or two..."

'Making a mark' wasn't just 'mark a starting point'. I had a few things to consider first. So I looked back at Orario, spotted the train yard, then drew a line with my eyes towards where I was standing. It would be a little up hill, but if we could keep the incline gentle the train shouldn't have a problem, loaded or not. The other thing was where it would enter the pass. This was why I wanted to make a proper map, and the best way to make a map was from above.

"So, here's the second serious question." I said after I'd placed a few boulders as markers for potential starting points for the dwarves.

Lilly paused her initial sketches and said, "Does Lilly have to worry about another ride?"

I smiled, "Did you still want to go flying with me?"

Above me, great sheets of cloth made from my mana. Between me and the sky were light as air, strong as silk sheets of my mana and dozens of little foxfire balls. Between Lilly and I, there was nothing. She was wrapped up in my tails, secure so long as I lived. And between us and the ground?

A thousand meters or so? Maybe more maybe less?

Using my conjured cloth to make my own updraft, I'd made a sort of balloon. It was a little windy, but that just made -my- life interesting. For Lilly, after she'd stopped 'eep'ing' at every little thing as we got higher and higher, she actually relaxed a little. I had to make sure it was 'relaxed' and not 'passed out'. But she gave the hand I put on her shoulder a pat, and did her best to look back up at me with a smile.

After I'd figured out how to keep steady, letting out little bits of warm air to account for the wind, or adjusting how much heat I was making to keep our altitude, I made a second bit of 'cloth', except it was more like a small table that I held between my hands.

"I would have thought you were scared of heights." I commented as she put a fresh sheet of paper under each of my thumbs to hold it against the summoned bit of table.

She might not have been scared, but she also wasn't comfortable to keep up her usual childish mode of speech, "That's a common misconception." She said, "The only thing we are almost always scared of are large animals. But Palum villages usually keep big dogs to guard the livestock, so we outgrow that fear... usually."

"How did you outgrow yours?" I asked, since she didn't actually start in a Palum village.

"Most adventurers are just animals, easy to outsmart, like a dog." She said, giving me a sideways look, "So... umm..."

"You see where I put those stones, right?" Her head moved a little, and then I felt the back of her head rub between my breasts in a 'yes' motion. "Okay, from there to that place over there. See it? By that little overhang." The same overhang that I had taken cover with, from Hyakinthos's arrows after he'd shot down Asfi.

Lilly nodded again, "And is that where Master Bell and Lady Hestia fell?" She pointed to the ravine.

"Yeah. Down that way..." I tried to see anything important in that direction, and only saw more cliffs with little dots of scrubby mountainside. Oh, and what might have been a wild harpy or two. "You didn't bring your crossbow, did you?"

"After all the trouble in the city, I never leave home without it." She looked towards where I was looking, "Um..."

"Don't worry, I'll let you know if they get curious."

The harpy didn't actually get curious. Which was good, since I didn't want to be late for dinner, or have Lilly mess up the map. On the way home however, as we both floated towards the city on my now slightly altered balloon, she asked one of those questions that would make someone who didn't know her realize just how smart she was.

"Why are you trying to make a train, when you could just do this?" She asked motioning upwards to my balloon of mana and foxfire, "Lilly saw that trick with the candle and paper balloon." Be cause yes, when I did go teach at the Ganesha daycare, I planned out my experiments at home.

"You want me to make an airship?" I asked.

"Would it work at all? Or is this more magic than science?"

"Well, I am using a lot of magic for the materials, but it's all science otherwise. It wouldn't be 'impossible' but it would take... well... hmm..."

"Don't let Lilly go while your tails think!" She hugged herself, and my tails tightly.

A few days later, with the new map handed to 'the experts' Gareth had sent my way, as well as various bits of paperwork that said they were to be 'put under my employment' for the big project (basically who was paying them and why, for tax purposes), I decided to take a little time for myself.

Of course, it wasn't just for myself. At least, not for very long. With seven children, a wife, all these projects to do, a big house full of hungry people, and my turn to make dinner, it was more of a 'stay inside and be as super domestic as I could'. Sure, it started with 'sleeping in for an extra hour' (I really just stayed in bed while the children played around/over/on my body) but it just sort of devolved from there into the usual chaos of what had become normal.

I was of course fine with that. And since Odds had sent Puuf (who was probably the first person to make friends with the Phoenix simply by existing near them) to tell me that my 'other' project would be done tomorrow, I would be back to work on 'the big project' again all too soon.

But then there was one last thing that happened that night. Akeno called.

"I hope you've finished dinner, Ko-san?"

With the Tarot in one hand, and Yuki in the other, I asked, "I dunno, did we finish dinner?"

The reply was a sleepy yawn from the child, and a giggle from Akeno, "Well, I knew it would be pasta night there." Akeno smiled, "And since this isn't really relevant to you, it could wait until you weren't busy."

"Ah, more news?" I asked, gently moving Yuki around so she could snooze on my shoulder.

"Yes. It seems that the pressure on the politicians from 'the public' has reached a sort of critical point, and there will be a small group of people crossing back with the JSDF, and holding a press conference." She explained, "Our sources can only guess at who will be coming, but one of the topics is the dragon incident, and what brought the refugees to Alnus Hill."

"Well well." I hmm'ed, then hmm'ed again as someone bit my ankle with tiny little teeth and a 'grr', "Just a moment..."

My tails swished around at the one grr'noming my ankle, and a small fox, Yumi, was placed on my lap, still grr'ing at my tails as they held her close to me, but out of little teeth range. "Oh my, are they all doing that?"

Yumi saw her sister, sleeping, and wiggled around until my tails put her next to her twin. She settled then, and suddenly changed back so she could cuddle properly, "Doing it more, actually... Usually they only change if I do, but every so often... Anyhow. This is a good opportunity for my Familia to learn about how other places deal with politics... I don't suppose you can... I dunno, record that meeting?"

"I could ask Sona to talk to someone, and maybe even have one your questions asked?" She gave me a mischievous smile.

"Oh yes, I could see that going over well... 'Kodori from another world entirely different from the world on the other side of the GATE asks..."

"No?"

"No."

She laughed, "Well, it won't be a problem. I'll make sure Gasper-chan records it, and gets the Occulus ready for a viewing. Aww, isn't that precious?"

Yuki and Yumi had fallen asleep on me, the naked one cuddled as close as possible to the one still wearing her little nightie. I added my own layer of 'cloth' to keep them warm and close, so I could stand and take them to the nursery, "I'll let everyone know as well. Thank you Akeno."

"Sleep well, Ko-san."

NOTES!

For those who have seen GATE, you know what's coming.

For those who have not, well, it's kinda funny.

Anyhow, if you are reading this, guess what?

KODORI HAS MORE ART! WOOOOO ART!

You can find it on my Ko-fi page, (Daeore on Ko-fi if you want to see art, or toss a coin at me).

See you in five days.

Oh! And for those who care... Anyone play the 'Tales of' games? (Tales of Xillia, graces, Berseria, etc etc.) Well, Tales of Arise is coming! It's going to be on Steam too! That's on... the 10 or 11 of September.

Anyhow. :)