Chapter 129

(Raphtalia)

The people of the 'new capital' were... She wasn't sure really. Some were cheering, others were running away, still more were just... too tired to care? From her place atop the quirky filolial (who was walking forward, while its head was twisted all the way around so it could look at Raphtalia and maybe get a headpat?), she was having a hard time getting a read of the people.

After Shildina had been possessed, they (her army) had taken about an hour to sort themselves out and finish the march to the walls of the new capital. When they got there, the city had been put into so much of a panic that the impressive, heavy, metal bound, imperially decorated door, was all that stopped them from entering.

No guards on the wall, no soldiers in the way... Just a big impressive door.

Raphtalia had to calm Tetsu down to stop her from running at the door. And it took about two minutes to send someone over the wall to pull the (also impressive, she was told later) giant metal and wood locking mechanism open.

Now, she, three of the four heroes, their parties, the Q'ten Lo resistance army and three small columns of house soldiers from Siltvelt were marching towards what was left of new Imperial Palace.

"Ma'am!" The lack of 'heavenly whatever' told her it was one of the Siltvelt soldiers without even looking, "We have started rounding up the enemy soldiers. Their resistance is minimal, and the task should be done within the hour."

The man's armour and colours marked him as someone from the Gemnu, "Continue, be as gentle as is reasonable, please."

"Ma'am!" And he dashed off again.

"Heavenly Empress!" Another soldier ran up from a near right angle to the marching line. "Our water mages have suppressed the few fires that spread. The local population had things under control before we got here, but they were only concerned with their homes, not the manors where the fires started."

"Make at least some effort to find survivors. Discourage looting, but have our supporters set up medical tents for any and everyone with so much as a sniffle or scraped knee." Raphtalia replied, not looking at the scout (as was proper for 'her station'...sigh...), "Organize fishing and hunting teams to get ahead on food demands."

"Empress!" And that one dashed away as well.

Kuro, in her full Filolial Queen Candidate form, stomped up beside Raphtalia (prompting her neurotic 'common' filolial to lean its head against Kuro's side like a cat). "Paperwork before you even get there, huh?"

She tried to glare at him, but she might have managed to avoid looking like she was suffering, "I could send you off to do something. And stop that you." She tried, and failed, to get her mount to stop bothering Kuro.

"We're friends." Motoyasu said easily, "Say the word, we do the work."

The 'long suffering' look warmed up to something closer to a smile, "Any idea how she did this?" She motioned to a slowly collapsing formerly very nice pagoda styled manor. "It wasn't magic, so Raluva's mages say..." As if to punctuate her question, there was an ominous 'snap' from inside the wreckage and some concerned voices behind the wall (who's outer face wasn't even dirty, despite the fire).

"I..." Motoyasu rubbed his chin a little, "Maybe? Has she taught you anything about Alchemy?"

"I can mix the healing potions she hands out without the Katana's crafting system."

"If I had to guess, it's like that part where you boil the mixture half way through the process. Except in reverse. The stuff she used settled down, and caught fire someplace inside the walls. And I'm sure you noticed that just about all the inside walls are made of paper." He scratched the back of his head, "Remind me later, and I can draw a picture or something."

"Sure, I'd like that." She sighed as someone else skidded to a halt, but waited, since the Hero outranked him, "Make the paper useful for something other than bureaucracy." Then to the scout, "Report."

(Motoyasu)

Having been dismissed, he nudged Kuro with his knee (something she preferred to a tug at the reins or the handle of the combat saddle) back toward the other two heroes. "What a mess." He said, "But wow, she does not faff about."

The other two nodded, Rishia shivered a little, and poor Solitaire was trying not to breath. "Did she have to make it smell so bad?" The wolf/panther under Ren growled, "Master? Can I walk? Please?"

"Of course." Ren hopped off the saddle, "Doesn't the water breathing amulet keep the smell out?"

There was a shimmer and puff of smoke from around Solitaire, and when it cleared the (im)perfect cat/wolf butler emerged, "Only when I'm like this. I know I can't smell it now, but it lingers in my mind."

"Here." Itsuki said, pulling something from the Bow, "Eat this." And offered him a leaf.

"I do not eat food that my food eats." Solitaire frowned.

"It will help with the smell." He assured, "It's... well kind of like mint. Miss Rishia convinced me to take up a little herb lore."

Ren gave his new friend a nod, "Gr fine!" And he took the leaf.

"So, what do we do from here?" Motoyasu asked, though it was more of a 'thought spoken aloud' than a direct question. "We've saved Q'ten Lo, we've got the waves under control, we've got reliable parties, and... Yeah..."

"We wait, and continue?" Ren suggested, "I mean... we still have catching up to do."

They knew it was 'who' they were catching up to, and didn't mention her. "There is always time to help people." Itsuki said, "This place is a good one for monster hunting, since the edict let them overpopulate, and they are pretty strong as well."

"You know, maybe we can try that thing old lady Ragnarok tried to teach us?" Motoyasu looked to Rishia, "I mean, she told you that you were really good at it! And we have little Atla and brother Fohl around someplace..."

"They do call them 'spirit implements'." Ren nodded, touching his hand to the Sword at his side, "Could you try and teach us, Miss Rishia?"

Put on the spot, she did shy away a little. But nodded, "I can try... Lady Ragnarok did say those made it a little harder to learn, because they... make it easy to use, but don't actually help you learn."

The three looked at each other, nodded, and Motoyasu grinned back at Rishia, "We've come around to thinking skill takes time. Once we're done with this... march... we'll try and find time."

"I wonder what happened to the former Emperor?" Ren asked.

They all looked to the once grand castle, but its four floors had burned out and settled to something closer to the height of an over-achieving single story of rubble.

(S'yne)

She and the Water Dragon left Ruftmila (the former emperor) in bed, and with a word she told the nearest mercenary (Meep the Kobold) to keep an ear out in case he woke up screaming or something. She also told him to be nice, since he was just a kid.

Meep's reply was, "Meep promises!" With all the indications of a happy dog. S'yne didn't know it, but the little kobold was like a golden retriever in mannerisms (as well as fur colour and even had the 'flag furred tail going on!), save for his near obsession with making alcohol.

Then, with the Water Dragon wrapped around her middle, head over her shoulder, she started navigating the Hearth's many teleport 'doors', to make her way to the Lab. While she walked, her hands began idly making the (hopefully) last thing she'd ever make with Sakura Pink.

They paused a couple of times, once to fight a stray Kappa, and once to do a little foraging. S'yne fished, the Water Dragon hovered around for a bit of fruit, and the two traded what they had found/caught before continuing.

And then they arrived at the ground floor of the wizard's tower.

"Here we are." S'yne said to the Water dragon (who was now wearing a Sakura Pink sock in an effort to keep both of them warm). "Sorry about the walk, the place is kind of small, but makes up for it with complexity."

Unable to reply with more than a click or two of noise, the Water Dragon rubbed his face against her cheek.

She walked up the stairs towards the 'bank vault door' of the lab, motioning towards the elaborate 'cat tower' and super fluffy 'dog bed' that had bits of shiny stuff peeking out from under it, "When she's here, this is Kotetsu's little home."

With the suddenness of a whirlwind, SITA came around the edge of the partially open vault door. "Oh wow!" The dragonfly winged 'tool' started to orbit them, "So this is the Water Dragon? Is that the exact shade of Sakura Lumina dye? Have you gotten any sleep? Did you need another blanket, your core temp-"

S'yne reached out and poked SITA's little button nose in mid-orbit, "Slow down a little. Ah, she's busy?" She admonished as SITA stopped moving.

The Water Dragon had little spirals in his eyes with how rapid SITA had been moving, but shook his head to clear it and focused on SITA. "Sorry. I am SITA-twelve. Part of the Legendary Toolbox." SITA bowed deeply, "SITA Prime is... thinking super hard on something, so I'll be your guide for the moment. New orders?" Pause, "Oh right! If you're here, that means..."

"That's right." S'yne said, "Is she aware enough to say hello?"

"The nice thing about math, is you can put it down and pick it up again. But... This is a priority one task..." SITA poked her index fingers together.

"Kodori promised. And the host should always greet the guests, right?"

"This is true. Promises and duty are important! As well as hygiene, regular meals and sleep!" SITA declared.

So the two (plus a slightly baffled water-dragon-noodle) went around the vault door and onto into the Workshop proper. Once again, the place had changed since S'yne had been away. Now there were even more strange machines doing all kinds of things. Most of them stuff with moving parts (what did Kodori call it? A 'water jet CNC cutter?) or outright dangerous things (like the always warmed up and working glass furnace and crucible chamber) were now behind barriers of glass or something similar. There was even a new... well, she wasn't sure what it was, but it looked like it was using a very bright beam of light to draw on a sheet of metal.

Thankfully however, even with other SITA 'tools' working at them, those barriers reduced the noise.

"Okay, so we go through this one..." SITA-12 said, leading them to a glowing portal.

And with a little swish of colour, they were standing under a massive telescope dome, the sound of bees and the scent of flowers filling the air. But they didn't pause there. Instead, they walked up another little spiral of stairs and out onto parapet wall. This led to 'the great tree' of this world with its many long roots curling down and over just about every surface.

"Don't mind the bees." S'yne said to the Water-dragon-noodle. "They're friendly, unless you try and eat one." One of the bees in question, a hand sized specimen of black and silver, was investigating the tip of the dragon's nose, bzz-poking at him a couple times, before flying off. The dragon's reaction to this, aside from tightly closing its mouth, was to sneeze.

"There she is." SITA-12 said, walking a little ahead of them.

At the end of the parapet wall, engulfed by a fold of the thick tree trunk, was another SITA. This one was just a little different, with the 'fox eye' gem, similar to all the Weapon gems. SITA-12 however, kept walking, and with a weird wobble of motion, 'walked into' the other SITA, vanishing.

SITA Prime opened her eyes, took a moment, then 'focused' on them. "Aha! You must be the Water Dragon of Q'ten Lo." Pause, "And the Boss has a promise to keep. S'yne."

"SITA." S'yne nodded back to the pixie. She always got along better with the Toolbox herself. The various fragments always seemed a little... incomplete in some way. She would never say it out loud, but as they got further from 'Prime' SITA became less... Human?

"Well... I do have to warn you. The deep lab might... disturb you a little." SITA warned.

"Oh, and if our new friend agrees, a slave mark to give him a voice?" S'yne added, getting a nod from her passenger. "Just that."

"I can do that now if you want? Might need a few days for the change to settle in, and no guarantees about being able to sing!" SITA waggled a finger at the dragon-noodle, then did a little spin in place, her hands suddenly holding a little paintbrush, sake dish and ink pot. "Oh... Hmm, I don't have blood so..."

"No problem." S'yne said, poking her finger with a pin.

Ritual done, S'yne adjusted the one and only thing she needed to to start growing a 'voice' in their brave little dragon friend. "Once you have your voice, I can cancel the contract. Aside from that, I have changed nothing, and no rules are on you." She gave the dragon a scratch under the chin, "But please continue to be a good guest."

"kweh." Replied the dragon, before curling up around S'yne again.

"Now to the lab?"

"The deep lab." SITA corrected, "If anything, it's even more secure than the workshop. Lemme just..."

And with a wave of her hand, SITA created a doorway by pulling random seeming bricks from the palms of her hands, much how she just had tools appear in them. It took about a minute, but she made a little archway right there, and gave it a tap. "After you." And it lit up like any of the other active teleport doors.

With a shrug, S'yne walked through.

And instantly had an error message pop up on her Status screen.

Error! Local Function Only!

This was followed by a half dozen other errors. No world travel, no hourglass recall, the 'chat window' went red...

But as SITA stepped through the portal, and she pulled her eyes away from the Status screen, she understood why. There were a dozen big glass tubes, each filled with liquid. And almost all of them had something... growing in them.

Unlike Kyo's lab, this place was well lit, clean, lined with faintly glimmering stone, and (while she didn't know it) built as close to modern specifications as was possible when it came to various health and engineering codes. But the lab itself was... alien to her.

Of course, she asked the obvious question. "What is this place for?"

Then SITA did something a little weird, and spoke in Kodori's voice. "S'yne." Pause, "Oh, sorry, begin recording? You did that? You're being very cheeky." Then a sigh, and she started again. "S'yne, if you're hearing this, you're in the deep Lab."

S'yne walked along the nice open walkway between the tubes, while 'Kodori' kept talking. "As you know, there is far too much evidence leaning towards this entire 'world' being artificial. And one of those things that has been bothering me to no end, is the 'Shikigami' system. Putting together 'random' objects and creating a living breathing fully functional creature. Yes, I'm talking about you."

Kodori's next words had a little hum of 'purring dragon' under them, "Unlike Kyo, who took living people, I'm creating things from scratch. It takes a little longer, but it far gentler, and is less likely to have people, heroes or otherwise, visit with torches and pitchforks."

S'yne stopped in front of a tube and looked up into it. Inside was a bee. Shaded in metallic colours it was about the size of a small cat. There was a label on the bottom of the tube, where it joined with a strange looking pillar of metal and stone. 'Matriarch, barren biome adapted'. "Pause?" S'yne said.

"Yes'm?" SITA spoke normally, "Ah, this one is for the area around 'Frost's Fortress'. To maybe change that giant barren patch of land to something less hostile. Oh, and much later add honey to the list of products that little town exports."

"Always thinking of how to fix things..." S'yne replied, but couldn't smile about it. This was very unnatural, but... "She's using what she's found for the next encounter."

"My hypothesis is that when she leaves, she wants to push the 'worlds'," Yes, SITA used air quotes, "into correcting themselves. Or just make sure people have something to sweeten their tea?"

"Hmm... resume?" S'yne continued walking, trying to examine everything and figure out what it all did.

Again in Kodori's voice. "On the topic of souls. My various encounters with people like Kyo, the 'soul eater' monster from Kizuna's territory, and other bits of research, have led me to conclude that this entire place 'runs' on souls. Metallic crystals that can 'create' matter from magic power? Monsters that eat 'SP', an entire race that needs a special accommodation in the 'Status Screen' because they only have 'soul power'. That same race being able to see living and spiritual things. These seem to be 'adapted' traits brought on by evolution."

S'yne stopped at the next tube, it was a tiny egg, maybe as large as her thumb. The label on this one was 'bee egg third generation stable foundation'.

"Whomever made this world, and the Waves, and the System... They are using 'soul energy' to artificially create problems." Kodori said, "Like the Balloon, or Boxes. Those monsters have absolutely no way to 'live' yet they do. But when a person, under the influence of the System 'magic', kills one, they get points, that help them 'grow'..." Kodori sighed, "It is set up like a game, because it is. I can't seem to find any evidence pointing away from this."

S'yne paused at the last one tube. It was empty, which made her wonder why she had. But then she spotted a little glimmer of glass, or something similar, inside. As it floated in the liquid, spinning slowly, it looked like a bit of glass clam shell, maybe as big as her thumbnail. 'Grand Water Dragon core flake.'

"I don't know how you'll react to this S'yne. But my goal is to undermine the artificial 'system'. It's clear that the 'creator' or 'creators' of this place imported creatures, natural ones, while filling the gaps with unnatural ones. Like Filolial, and dragons would be 'natural'. While the weird obsession with 'ball' and 'box' shaped monsters would be artificial."

"I think this is the start of your new friend." S'yne gave the wide eyed Water-dragon-noodle a chin scratch.

"So, I'm starting small, and using the 'system' against them. I dunno if it will work, but I'm not in the habit of doing sloppy work. I hope you understand. Or at least don't misunderstand." Pause, "Thank you SITA, end- oh wa-" Another pause, "Right, since you're in the lab. Work with the current Water Dragon, and make him or her a friend. We haven't met yet, so I dunno what they look like. So I'm trusting you to keep the promise I made to get us on to Q'ten Lo. Okay that's all."

"And that's all." SITA said with a smile, "All that time playing chess made her a super forward thinker."

"So... What's involved?" S'yne asked, moving her hand away from the Water Dragon so SITA could have a turn at chin scratches.

"Well, we have the base. Now we just need a little more 'information', and power." SITA's nimble fingers found a couple of loose scales from the Water Dragon, "Like this. And..." one of her eyes wandered around in its socket for a moment, and a few other little items appeared in her hands, "And these. All dragon related, with a little 'sea life' flare. Now I put them here..."

S'yne and her passenger watched SITA open up a little box on the tube's stand and drop the items in. "Connecting..." Pause, "Processing..." Another pause, little wisps of... it almost looked like smoke coming up from the bottom of the liquid in the tube, "Connecting to Hourglass Power Supply."

Both the gem on SITA's chest and the contents of the tube started to glow brightly, and the contents inside started to sound like they were boiling.

Then it all stopped like a a switch had been thrown, and inside the tube was now... a Water Dragon. Smaller, a different shade of blue, and sleeping. "Phew... Okay..." SITA said, "When you can speak, or... can you read? Write? Or would you like me to guess on how to make your new friend your very best friend ever?"

The poor Water Dragon had no real idea how to reply, and defaulted to a 'head tilt'.

"You have time. Don't worry. Why not go check on our guest?" SITA assured the little dragon, then motioned towards the (currently not glowing) portal at the end of the room. "I'll just turn that back on and shoo you out."

Now out of the Lab, all of S'yne's error messages vanished. "Well... That was strange. But let's go back to your sleeping friend."

"kweh..."

"AHH!" Was the first thing S'yne heard as she returned to 'the dungeon dorm' of the Hearth.

But she didn't hurry. This area of the little 'one Weapon world' was safe from everything but stubbed toes. So it was probably the former Emperor waking up to an unfamiliar ceiling or something. Or maybe that nice lady who might be a serpent demi-human? In the wrong lighting, she was... alarming to look at, with skin that had a subtle glimmer in candle light. Or maybe it was Wolven? Nice guy, but with a presence (and size) that could fill a room.

"What do you think?" S'yne asked the current Water Dragon.

Coiled around her middle, with his head over her shoulder, the Water Dragon' looked at her with one eye and 'squeaked' something that might have been, "Dunno." Then, he uncoiled from around her and flew ahead of her down the stone hallway. It had only been an hour or so, but the Slave Mark had already started changing his physiology.

S'yne had very little opinion of the boy so far aside from 'adorable' and 'heavy sleeper'. But when she got around the corner of his cell/room, she added 'very friendly'. Ruftmila's cry of alarm had changed to sleepy giggles while the Water Dragon curled up around him happily. His other hand was on Meep's fluffy kobold head, while the little (smol) dog demi-human's tail was flailing around happily.

"Meep? Did you surprise our guest?" S'yne asked.

With his eyes closed (and his brain in ear scratching nirvana) he hadn't seen S'yne or the Water Dragon enter the room. Much like his name, he squeaked "Meep!" and retreated a step. "No no! Well maybe? Was tired, and you said watch him. So put head here."

He gave the bed a pat, and the former Emperor replied with a nod, "Please do not be harsh with him, Ma'am. I was simply surprised at the unfamiliar face, then couldn't help myself and gave his head a pat." S'yne had no idea how he managed with the little dragon wrapped around him, but the boy gave her a very formal sitting bow, "My name is Ruftmila. And if I am not in my chambers, I suppose I am your prisoner?"

For someone who had just been pulled out of a civil war with his head as a prize, he was very calm. But she had already intended to tell him the truth, "No. You are a guest here. Kodori, the current Shield Hero, removed you from the situation on Q'ten Lo. Unless something horrifically wrong has happened, your cousin, Raphtalia, has taken the city and found you, and Makina dead."

S'yne added 'smarter than he should be' to the list, "But if I am not there, who did you leave in my place?"

With a little of her old gladiator flare, she took the Vassal Sewing Kit from her shoulder, changed it into the giant pair of scissors, then a pair of knitting needles. "My name is S'yne Lokk. And I am the owner of the Vassal Sewing Kit of the Hearth."

Then in a flash of inventory manipulation, lightning quick motions of her hands, and a tiny pair of scissors, she created a little yarn doll of Ruftmila himself. Complete with little raccoon tail. Then, with a bow, she put the pincushion back on her shoulder, and offered the little stuffed Ruftmila to him.

She had to wait until he (and Meep) stopped clapping at the show of near sonic knitting, but he took it and sparkled at it for a moment. He then noticed the Water Dragon and his new pink 'sweater' as well. "Ohhhh, this is really amazing Lady S'yne!" There was a pause as he sat the little yarn doppelganger of himself down in his lap with fuzzy imperiousness, "So you made a doll of me and left it there?"

"We filled it with animal bones as well." She paused, "I know you placed the edict of no monster slaying..."

S'yne then had to add 'devious' to the list...

"Oh... While it's true, I do love animals... When Miss Makina thought she was using my kindness against me, I let her convince me to enact the 'no resident of Q'ten Lo shall kill a monster'." He sounded a little sad, but he said it with a smile, "I care far more for the people of Q'ten Lo, so instead of trying to convince her it was a bad idea, I let her."

"Then..." S'yne went wide eyed.

"Yes. I hoped the people would take the power back from her, since I was powerless where I was." It was here where he started to show his age, and hugged the Water Dragon. "I had no idea how to escape, so I tried to leave it to the people."

In short? He had let Makina hang herself. It was only a matter of time.

S'yne had very little experience with children. But even she couldn't resist the urge to comfort a crying child. "Meep feels left out now." Meep said when S'yne sat on the bed to gather Ruftmila up in a hug. "Oh okay... sorry paws on bed..." And gathered up Meep too.

"ha-el-p-ed." The Water Dragon managed to say.

Ruftmila pushed everyone away in surprise, "You can speak?!" He exclaimed while holding the (surprised) dragon-noodle at arms length... before remembering his friend was also an important figure, and letting go so he could scrub a sleeve over his eyes.

"The Shield Hero, and the Legendary Toolbox, have put a temporary slave mark on your friend. It may take a day or two, but it will allow him to speak." S'yne explained. The little dragon nodded up and down in agreement.

"Oh! That's... wait... what of the Water Dragon Miko? She and I were..."

"Again, barring something tragic, Shildina was travelling with Raphtalia. And was reunited with the former Miko as well." S'yne smiled.

Still a tiny bit red eyed, the boy hugged the Water Dragon super close for a moment, "This is excellent news! I must thank the ancestors for this stroke of luck!" A pause, his manner slipping back into 'formal' mode, "But... I am not a prisoner? I am not so naive to not know what a dungeon looks like."

He motioned to the stone walls and the bars of the former prison cell.

"Ah! Well... This is a strange place. Very old, and for a long time abandoned. But!" She smiled, standing up and taking Meep's hand/paw to get him off the bed, "As you can see, there is no door. Are you hungry? Thirsty? We have to wait a little while before you can return to your world, so you aren't recognized..."

The former emperor of Q'ten Lo had a most undignified moment of stomach grumbles. "Yes please." He mumbled.

"Meep? Go find a couple of the others, so we can give him a better idea of what's going on? Maybe check the garden for something sweet?" S'yne said to the little kobold, "Oh, and maybe cold storage for that juice?"

"Ohhh! Special breakfast time!" And he dashed away, tail flailing around behind him.

"If you'll come with me? I can show you around." She smiled, turning around to offer her hand to him, "And please, just S'yne."

It took him a moment to shift over, slide, and untangle himself from the fluffy bed, but he took her hand and followed her, "Ah, Miss Shildina called me Ruft. Please do the same?"

NOTES!

And a little heartwarming interaction to cap off this episode of 'Kodori is looking for the deep end'. See you next time. :)

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