Chapter Four
The Crows
Of all the things he had thought about upon his arrival to this new world, being able to understand the people speaking but not being able to read anything written was an odd thought for Android 17. It brought back memories of his past with his sister being taught how to read and write at school. The crazy part was that it wasn't that long ago compared to how long he might live.
That's right. His sister. Lazuli.
He couldn't help the frown that came across his face as he thought about her.
They were close enough as to not attack each other, but she wasn't precisely the loving sister she had been when they were quite young. Dr. Gero had made sure of that. Whatever he had done to them had amplified their aggression, desire to fight, and removed their inhibitions. He wasn't entirely sure just how the madman actually did this to him and his sister, though he had memories of pain. Memories of agony. Over the years that passed, the young boy and girl that had been kidnapped and tortured slowly lost that innocence. That spark of kindness that they once had.
Lapis who was once the young troublemaker that liked to read just as much as he did play pranks had been utterly warped, twisted, and turned into a machine of ultimate death with only one purpose.
To kill Son Goku.
The thing was, Gero was dead, and the remote was destroyed.
Yet that twisted desire to fight, to destroy, to engage in combat remained.
Now, he hardly had a problem with ending the lives of those ruffians who had tried to set up an ambush.
Unfortunately for them, his senses were amplified far beyond that of a human. He had heard their deliberate steps following him, and the commands the big man had been quietly giving every so often. Still, he didn't enjoy killing. Part of him still considered himself human and was disgusted by the deaths he caused.
Still, that disgust was far smaller than the indignancy of the ambush, and the fact that someone was out to get him for some reason he didn't know. Now that their ambush failed, there were a few outcomes in the possible future.
The first, and most likely would be that they would soon try again.
Persistence was something he was very familiar with, being one of the modified humans of Dr. Gero. There it was again. After killing Gero the man still haunted his mind, and likely would for the rest of his life. This was something that could only be overcame with time.
The second would be that he would be tailed, but not assaulted in an attempt to gain information upon before another move was made.
Third was that he might be framed for some other crime in retaliation for not only stopping the assault, but for killing hired goons, meaning that he was now on the radar of some bad people. More trouble. Thankfully he didn't need to eat or sleep, though eating was something he liked, and sleeping did make him feel human.
Though there was a very strong chance that someone might try to poison him in some way or other.
Walking up a long street that he had just turned onto that was wide and covered in shiny cobblestone while being overlooked by various shops, houses, and even a wood and stone stable long enough to hold dozens of horses at the end of the street.
Various men and women walked up and down the street, whilst a cart led by two dappled horses was driven by an impatient handler that shouted obscenities at a fat gray dog that had decided to stop and lie down right in the middle of the street.
With his new outfit and his confident steps, Android 17 found himself blending in somewhat better in the crowd, as there were quite a few commoners, shop owners, and Adventurers going to and fro. He wasn't a sore thumb at first glance.
Sure, he didn't have the lace tie that many gentlemen wore, nor a brooch, hat, and cloak, but that could be chocked up to him being eccentric or odd in the case someone cared enough to ask him about it.
Besides, it was obvious that he was not an aristocrat, as the nobles rarely came to this district, and that was to say nothing of the royals that rarely ever left their districts outside of official business or some call to action. These were the deductions he came to in his brief time above and in the city.
What he needed to do right now was find something to do. Learning to read took time, and he didn't want to sit down and start studying. Not for a while at least.
Right, he needed to find something to do, but what did he even want to do? On top of that, what could this world offer him?
Perhaps he could begin to build some connections amongst the higher rungs of the commoners or perhaps find some form of information guild. Maybe even if there was some sort of Royal Library that might be accessible to commoners. Though it seemed that the last one was a stretch.
Looking up into the sky that was beginning to fade a little as afternoon began to give way to evening, Android 17 did the only thing he thought would give him immediate answers. He took to the sky, appearing to simply disappear from where he was, followed shortly by a subdued crack as a small shockwave pushed a nearby man several inches back.
Now high above the city with a birds eye view, Android 17 looked for whatever he thought might be a library or some hall of governance.
A city like this couldn't operate without a strict and sturdy governing body, despite the rampant crime.
Brushing a strand of black hair from his face, Android 17 flew across the city skies several times. However, due to the completely different type of architecture here than the ones he was used to on Earth, he wasn't sure what the library would look like, or where a hall would be.
He had narrowed it down to either the noble district, or in one of the cleaner parts of the second district which he now compartmentalized as the commoner and business district.
Narrowing it down further from there gave him a grand total of twelve buildings that could be libraries, and six that could be offices, or government posts. All he had to do now was check them.
Descending down from the sky slowly into a side street that only had one person in it that seemed to be a sleeping transient that was resting against a building's brick wall, Android 17 landed with a soft crunch of stone and dirt under his feet. He was beginning to realize that he couldn't just slam into the ground, as that would destroy his shoes, and who knew if he could find a new shoe store in this city quick enough.
Flying and moving at certain speeds would completely tear his shoes apart, or pull them off his feet altogether, so he resolved himself on tying them snugly, and limiting his speed outside of combat or any situation that required it.
Walking out of the side street, he found himself on a fairly busy cobblestone street where several men on horseback were going up and down the street, while well dressed men and women talked in cafes and lounges that dotted the street.
Seeing these clothes that these men and women wore, it really wasn't his favorite choice. He liked t-shirts and jeans far more than the opulent and well designed dresses and regal suits that these people wore so comfortably.
Still, he was pragmatic more than not, and he realized that fitting in enough as to not draw more attention to himself would be better than sticking out. Especially after his run in. There was a chance that someone had seen him from a faraway window, and the person who hired those thugs might strike again.
Speaking of that, he did want to find out who did it, but his battle drive and bloodlust had caused him to kill those thugs without questioning them. Dr. Gero really had done a number on him, changing his personality that much.
Then again, the mad doctor had rearranged him completely on a cellular level. He no longer could be considered completely human. The doctor had made sure to tell him that many times whilst he was dormant in his pod, unable to move, but hearing everything that doctor rambled about. This was no doubt intentional, and Dr. Gero was a spiteful, driven man who wanted to impress that hatred, that malice, and that destructive desire into him as his tool.
On the right side of the street nine buildings down was a large four story hall made of stone with a tightly shingled roof that sloped from a sharp top. Six guards in dull plate armor and red cloaks with insignias on their breasts, each holding pikes with sheathed swords at their waists stood in front of the open doors, inspecting any people who came and went from the building.
A large sign of wood painted white hung above the doors with the painted image of a black crow with black lettering in a language he couldn't understand.
Making his way over, Android 17 walked up to the guards, and spoke to the one closest to him, a tall, pale but healthy skinned man with blonde hair that poked out of his open faced helmet around his ears who turned to him as he approached.
"Can you tell me what building this is? I'm not from around here" Android 17 asked, not really putting much thought into his words.
The man looked him up and down with his ice blue eyes for a moment and seemed to come to the conclusion that he wasn't a beggar or vagrant, as he was far too clean and well dressed for a transient or beggar bum.
"This is one of the many branches of the Crow Merchant guild. Do you have business here? If so, I can call an attendant for you" The man said patiently, unsure of if this man was a returning customer or a potential customer.
Android 17 who did not have a prior appointment decided to say that he did have business there. A merchant guild could possibly have an information network, and judging by the size of the building, it didn't seem to be a small guild.
The guard straightened up and spoke with more respect seeing that this man had business in the guild.
"Follow me Sir" He spoke, motioning with his hand to the open double doors.
Android 17 nodded and followed him into a spacious marble floored lobby that had a high ceiling held aloft by strong marble polished pillars. Several couches of fine cloth with shiny polished wooden armrests lined the walls where men and women were speaking and trading leisurely over tables.
Further in was a long line of booths with glass barriers and comfortable chairs where people were talking through. Clean red carpets with golden fringes were seen commonly on the floor and the whole place was lit by both windows, oil lanterns, and chandeliers of crystal.
The guard stopped in front of an open booth and motioned for Android 17 to sit at the very comfortable looking cushioned chair across the glass from a receptionist.
"This woman will handle business with you. Do let her know what you need" The guard said with a soft bow and turned away back to walk out of the building.
Android 17 nodded and walked to the chair, pulling it to the side and sitting down, facing the clean, clear, glass.
"Good day Sir, how may we help you today? Do you have membership or an appointment" The woman spoke from the other side of the glass. She was a young woman, barely past her mid twenties, with a thin but elegant light face. She had fiery red hair, thin golden hoop earrings, and her pale green eyes were full of life. Her thin lips had a fresh coat of red lipstick. She wore a black business jacket and a white woman's dress shirt with a black tie and a black crow brooch lined with silver trim rested upon her left breast.
That was all he could see from his side of the booth.
Android 17 shook his head.
"No, I don't have membership or an appointment, but I wouldn't be against joining" he said truthfully. This place was much nicer than the adventurer's guild, and cleaner. Also, it seemed like a reputable establishment.
"Excellent. Would you like to know our membership fees before making any decisions?", she smiled professionally to him and gave the usual sales pitch.
"Yes, though before that, does this guild have information about this city? I'm new here and am looking to stay for a while" Android 17 replied, thinking for a moment.
"Of course Sir. We have a network rivaling the royal's that stretches all across the Kingdom" The woman smiled a knowing smile as if she had figured him out somewhat.
Android 17 thought for a moment before asking his next question.
"How much is a membership for an adventurer? I've recently arrived in the city and will likely be an adventurer soon. Is there a discount?" He asked whilst narrowing his eyes in thought.
The woman responded by simply explaining that depending on your plate and rank, Adventurers would not only get a discount, but could take jobs on gathering information transporting goods, Protecting caravans, and gathering materials for the guild outside of their adventurer duties, and the guild would pay for monster and gathered materials at a significant premium depending on the difficulty and status of the orders at the time.
She stopped for a moment to take a short breath before continuing.
"For a bronze to iron plate Adventurer, the price of basic Adventurer membership would be two silvers a month and you could receive simple gathering bounties alongside monster part collection jobs, as well as access basic information at a small discount.
For steel to silver Adventurers or lower tier Adventurers who pay for a year in advance, your jobs would be significantly expanded and you can also go on information gathering missions for the guild as well as have a larger information network. This membership would also come with the boon of using the facilities of any Crow Merchant guild in the Kingdom free of charge. This included lodging, borrowing weapons, armor, scrolls, food, and access to the transportation network of the guild if there was space. This also included your own Crow brooch to identify your membership. This is the Silver Adventurer membership that costs six silvers a month, and is what most adventurers partnered with the guild own.
Finally, the Platinum Adventurer membership which you can only access from Gold Adventurer rank and above. This membership is the highest tier of membership and costs ten silver a month, but the fee is waived if you are an Orichalcum or Adamantine rank Adventurer. It had all the privileges of the previous ranks plus VIP services and priority in any business with the Guild or it's subsidiaries.
Also, it comes with the privilege of priority on any job offered alongside the ability to make orders and purchases directly from the guild's inventory and with any traders associated with the guild for free with no questions asked. You also would get access to the Crow guild hideouts, warehouses, lounges, Mansions, and clubs. On top of this the entire information network is open to you at top priority with steep discounts. Any other privileges you would wish for can be negotiated upon attaining membership" The woman finished her sales pitch with a soft huff and a pearly white smile.
Android 17 thought for a moment.
It did seem nice, and six silver a month wasn't hard for him to get from what he figured. In fact, with his power, he was sure he could beat just about any monster and return with the corpse mostly in tact. Though if there were monsters like Cell out there, it might be harder than he thought. Some level of caution was needed on his part. Getting too cocky was exactly what led to his defeat.
Should he bit the bullet and spend the seventy two silver for a year? The man at the clothing store said one gold was one hundred silver, and carrying around big denominations of money was not something he wanted to do, especially if they fell out of his pockets in a fight, or when he was flying. It was best to keep smaller to medium denominations in the case he lost them somewhere or somehow.
Taking the gold coin from his pocket, he twirled it in his fingers for a moment before handing it to the woman in a small square cut at the base of the glass.
"I'd like to buy a year of Silver membership" He said, feeling slightly reluctant as he watched the golden coin slide under the box and be received by the woman. She took the coin and placed it on a small silver scale to weigh it, then took a magnifying glass made of polished cherry with a crystal lens.
She looked at the coin through the glass, and a gentle golden glow emanated from the coin.
Satisfied with the results, the woman opened a carved metal box on the table next to her, placing the golden coin in a velvet compartment that had several other gold coins in it before taking two large silver coins, one slightly smaller silver coin and three of the smallest silver coins. Two tens, a five, and three singles respectively.
She placed them in a small velvet pouch and slid the pouch to him under the square in the glass. He picked up the pouch and looked at the coins. They coincided with what the shopkeeper had told him earlier, but he wouldn't be able to tell a real from a fake even if he tried, so he just accepted them and pocketed it.
"Your payment is received. Welcome to the Crow Merchant guild. Normally we would require your plate, but since you're new to the city and due to your payment, you have two months to return with your adventurer's plate for verification, or we will have to revoke your membership and ban you from the premises with a refund of course. Please wait for a moment while we set up your paperwork and prepare your brooch. Would you like a refreshment or beverage while you wait? We have quite good cooks here, and we have drinks from the finest wineries and breweries in the capital" The woman asked, giving Android 17 a kind smile.
"If you're looking for a meal I would recommend either a goat sandwich with potatoes and turnips, or beef stew. For drinks, we have a wide variety of Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic for when you don't want to feel the buzz" she finished. Not everyone wanted to be drunk all the time, and the Guild knew that.
Android 17 was quite thirsty, but he didn't want to get drunk at the moment, so he settled for a beef and cheese sandwich with a cup of fresh cider.
"Very well, come to the first door on your left and follow me to the Silver Member lounge while we prepare your food and paperwork. The lounge is a bit quiet today due to most of the members being out, but feel free to acquaint yourself with the other members" The woman spoke as she got up and walked over to a door nearby.
Android 17 made his way to the door she had specified and it opened almost as soon as he reached for it. He stepped inside into a brightly lit hallway with clean air and red wallpapered walls that had doors on each side going off into other rooms and halls.
Following her, Android 17 was led to a spacious lounge that had a softly burning fireplace, long comfortable looking red couches, six large tables in a line that were mostly empty, a kitchen with a bar, tended by a bartender that looked to be a healthy light skinned man in his late thirties, and three huge bookcases full of books, scrolls, and doohickeys.
"This is the Lounge. Feel free to use the facilities here and speak to the bartender Lyle. I'll take my leave for now, but I'll be back with your paperwork, badge, certificate, and everything else you ordered" She said, giving him a nod before leaving.
There were six other rooms that connected to the spacious lounge that had equipment for various professions including alchemical desks, and even a room in front of him across the lounge that had the sound of clattering gems and the tinkering of a ball-peen hammer coming from it.
There was a bathroom on the far end of the lounge to the right of the bar. The sign he could see as it was the symbol of a toilet. Thankfully, there did seem to be plumbing in a basic form here.
Sitting on one of the couches was a young woman in a soft yellow summer dress. Her blonde hair was in a half bob and her purple eyes were squinting trough wide round glasses towards a blue leather book in her hands.
She looked to be in her early twenties, perhaps twenty three or twenty four. A blue sapphire necklace in the shape of a leaf on a gold chain rested atop her firm breasts that were sizable for a woman her age in direct contrast to her slim physique.
She looked up at him for a moment and saw his casual but fairly expensive suit and gave him a warm smile with a gentle wave.
"Welcome. Come, sit and talk with me. It's quite quiet here with no one but the bartender here. I mean no disrespect to him of course. He's a kind man, but one of little words." She spoke in an airy singsong voice, and she seemed to be a kind woman from first glance.
Android 17 looked her over for any ill intent, but she seemed to be very much genuine.
Walking over to the couch and sitting next to her, he spoke first.
"I'm Lapis, Who are you?" He asked, deciding to give this pretty woman a moment of his time.
Author's Note: There won't be too much action and fighting in the next few chapters, as Android 17 is from what I know not the Goku type or the Vegeta type. Sure, with what Dr. Gero did he has an itchy trigger finger, but he's not chomping at the bit to go out fighting. Also, The new world is really cool in my opinion, so I wish to show that in the story as well.
Also to any BDO players, you've probably recognized something in this story. I do like my little easter eggs.
On to the reviews. If you left a review on an account. I have likely responded in your inbox or will soon. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with the story.
Guest Reviews:
Some1call4MR-E: Thank you for the history lesson. I did have to brush up on the specifics as well. I've picked up the novel sets as PDFs and am reading through them again to make sure I've not screwed the basics up. As for when he is, that will be revealed in story.