Alchimia Rex

The moment Rick got far enough from Embla's hut, he let out a long and exhausted sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head to clear out his thoughts and center himself. Had he seriously thrown the 'date' idea like some conversational smoke bomb?

Everything that had transpired within that "cell" had reeked of Kiara throwing herself on top of a bomb before it caught him in the blast. Trying to figure out where he'd messed up only led him to dead ends. Perhaps it was something the Succubus had picked up through her empathy, or maybe it was some cultural thing, or maybe she'd caught wind of how he'd been attacked last time around.

At this point, he was mostly glad to have removed himself from the situation. The more people called him "Lord" this or "Father" that, the more his mind turned to his world's history. Embla as a whole presented some questions that he'd rather not get pushed into answering. Because he knew it would not be pretty.

"Kiara being allowed control of these negotiations is a risk, my Lord," his shadow spoke with Eva's voice, the maiden hidden within. "She clearly came with some plan in mind."

"That makes one of us," he grumbled under his breath. "Of course she has some goals of her own," he said. "Our concern is getting the Pinielf put down before some other infected feral rush comes our way. If Kiara gets something for herself out of it, then good for her."

Eva emerged from the darkness. She wore a black dress with a calf-length skirt, the cloth weaved with white and purple to highlight the way it moved with every step. The Vampire looked like she had been plucked from a fantasy role-playing magazine cover. The clothes were clearly meant to be daring compared to the locals, yet remained conservative by every measure Rick was accustomed to at the same time. There was something amusing in seeing the Vampire fidget and preen, nervous and embarrassed and proud as if she were wearing some scandalous thing. The centerpiece was the necktie, that purple cloth with the golden symbol for Hydrogen on display.

Sensing his gaze, Eva shifted to aim the necktie at him, raising her chin and caressing the cloth as if to make a statement out of the gesture itself. Her ruby gaze twinkled with approval.

"Kiara having any plan at all should be concerning," Dia coughed loudly, her hip bumping into Rick's. "The more influence she gains, the more maidens follow her, the easier it would be for her to undermine us."

Recovering from the slight imbalance, there was an unspoken conversation going on between the two maidens. Dia's gaze swept over Eva with a mix between analytical and dismissive. While Eva had switched to a mask of cool and collected detachment, a look that would've seemed snobbish on anyone else but that she made it look regal. Watching the two maidens left him with an odd impression, but the conversation was currently more important.

"I don't mind her being a major player in the city." Since they were in public, he also needed to be wary of the wording in his response. No one could ever be sure who was listening in from three streets over. "Just as I don't mind you being in charge of the only organized group of healers here."

Dia drew breath, ready to rebuff him, but a quick look was all she needed to be reminded that "but it's different since it's me" wasn't a valid argument. She bashfully turned away, cutely scratching at her cheek.

“What would you have us do, my Lord?” Eva asked, smoothly keeping pace even though she needed to take three steps for his every two.

Though they were moving as a group, there was something about how Eva moved that just begged all attention to gravitate to her. Rick had a hard time identifying it; in a sense, he felt like she was putting on a performance, stalking her way down the cobblestone like a dancing wolf. It made everyone else look like they were penguins waddling all over. If not for Dia pinching his arm, he wouldn’t have noticed that he was staring again.

"You’re leaking. Again,” the healer pointedly glared at Eva.

Rick blinked a little, surprised as much as Eva. He reached out to caress the Vampire's skin, and his hand began to tingle upon contact. "Yeah, she's right," he confirmed.

Eva's cheeks took a hint of red, even when her face kept a stoic edge to it. "Oh." was all that came out, the maiden pulling out of his grasp and glancing down at her hands.

After a few seconds of concentration, that regal and almost domineering "je ne sais quoi" that had permeated everything Eva was doing began to shift away. In its place Eva's confidence remained, but there was a giddy and anxious edge that hadn't been there before. Her gaze lowered to her hands, which were now twitching and shifting color between flushed and pale in rapid succession.

“What are you doing?” Rick asked, watching as Eva curled and extended her fingers in short spasms.

“Focus exercise. I’m moving my blood around,” her answer came strained, the air about her slowly losing some of that intangible feeling she’d been exuding a moment prior.

“What you were doing before... it wasn't an aura, at least not like Kiara's or Monica's,” he cocked his head. “I can usually sense those from a distance.”

“Probably your body’s extremely low tolerance for elemental energy,” Dia provided. “What Eva was doing is different, though I’m not entirely sure that it wasn't an aura, just that it was far weaker.” She rolled her eyes. “Monica does it all the time.”

“It’s intent,” the Vampire’s face cracked to show the slightest hint of a smile. “Rick’s more talented at it than I am.”

He didn’t take much stock in her words, at least not until Dia's look of understanding and nodding. “She likely means that thing you do when you get that air of authority and danger about you,” she pointed out. Her gaze turned to Eva for a moment. “What’s the method?”

“I only know of it from some indirect references in books studying aural effects," Eva kept twitching her hand as she spoke. "It’s instinctive in some fashion, but I’ve yet to fully comprehend it. The effect seems to be on oneself, and that in turn alters perceptions from others. Like how you might make yourself angry by scowling, and that could make others irritated in turn." She shot Rick a thoughtful look. "What's impressive is that Rick managed to do it on his own."

“Yeah…” Dia nodded along. “Humans are less sensitive to these things. Rick especially.”

He was looking between either of them, now frowning. “I feel like I should be offended.”

Eva let out a short laugh, turning her attention away from her hand to focus on him. “Don’t be. Your ability to just walk up to the maiden pouring out the most aggression and engage them like nothing’s going on is impressive in every way.”

“It’s nerve-wracking,” Dia quickly corrected, reaching out to grasp his arm.

Rick’s face fell a little. “I didn’t think there was a specific term for it. Just body language?”

The response was a shrug from the other two. “It is exactly that.”

“Then the difference is…?”

“The difference is that it’s not just our body that reacts to emotions, but also our power,” Eva made a gesture at herself. “Little bits of it always leak out; minute flares or changes can betray someone’s mood or intentions.” She gave him the barest hint of a rueful smile. “What I suspect you do is that you flare what little you have in such a way that it mimics what would’ve seeped out of someone like Monica, who’s really good at controlling her power. To a maiden’s instincts, it’s as if we’re hearing ruffling leaves and thinking ‘predator’; it makes our bells go off.”

“Yet despite all the rustling, it’s just the Lord of Cheese,” Dia giggled, landing a surprise peck on his cheek.

He playfully shoved her off. The Rapha didn't miss a beat, twirling right back the same spot, this time holding his arm in a tight hug and leaning her head into his shoulder. Rick mocked trying to pry her off, but even the half-hearted attempt only got the feeling of steel from her locked arms. There would be no escape, so he resigned himself to his fate. With an exaggerated sigh, he began walking again, trying to ignore how Eva was staring at both of them with that look she had when she was taking notes.

Something about the determined half-nod both maidens shared gave him goosebumps. “In the end, Monica didn’t show up,” he said before anything else could be brought up.

“I haven’t seen her since the hunting trip,” Eva idly mused, keeping herself a step behind Rick and slightly to the left. “I think she’s testing me, though. I keep sensing her here and there from time to time.”

He thought back to the conversation he'd had with the Sabertooth. “I doubt you’d sense her at all if she were serious. I'd say go for it when the chance shows itself.”

Her face tightened slightly; her only response was a slight nod of acknowledgment that had all the stiffness of a soldier having been told to go to the frontlines. Rick couldn’t be sure of Monica's intentions, but he was certain that she wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to ‘play hunt’ with someone who could actually make an attempt. If nothing else, it might help them get closer. So far, Monica had only acknowledged Dia as a potential friendship? Rick wouldn’t call it exactly that; it felt more important in some ways. Regardless, it would do them both good to have someone else to properly share time with.

Having thought about Monica's emotional situation, Rick suspected some part of the problem was born out of loneliness. She'd been on her own most if not all her life, and then all of a sudden had spent nearly every waking hour alongside him. The hunting trips had probably helped her cope with the sudden shift, but now that they'd made a home base, Monica couldn't reach him as easily. Not for a lack of ability to do so, but because his work made him intolerable to her senses. That barrier was the most probable reason why she didn't just pop into his office to lounge around while he worked.

But it was all guesswork, in the end. He wasn't a psychologist, and God knew maidens had their own ways of thought.

Speaking of psychologists... “I should’ve written a letter to Alice and the others,” he muttered. “Shame whatever gets sent out will get intercepted and read by others if not straight up sabotaged.” He'd been meaning to prepare something, but it had always slipped by since there were so many things to do all the time. That, and he doubted anyone capable and willing to block Thorley from getting his hands on a radio tower wouldn’t also mess around with his mail if they had the chance. This lack of access to phones and emails made everything so much more needlessly complicated...

Eva was the first to answer, adjusting her neckerchief and smoothing it out. “I would recommend contacting the Earl first. You did mention your relationship with him was a positive one?”

She was right, in a sense.

“I was his guest for a few weeks.” But back then, things had been different. For one, he’d only been bonded to Monica and Dia. At the time, Eva had likely also been human. It felt too much like a lifetime ago despite it not having been a full six months. “He was friendly, even went out of his way to try and work around Monica. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite work out.”

“Yes, it resulted in her mounting stress until she had a slip-up and attacked Royal Knight Captain Deneva," Dia's voice was freezing cold as she spoke. "Fortunately, Rick stopped an escalation from happening by putting himself between the two. While they fought." She delivered the statement with a tone that was exactly neutral, yet somehow full of disappointment and anger all wrapped up into a singular verbal lashing.

Rick hastily looked away when Eva's eyes began widening like plates. He could feel both of them boring holes into the back of his skull.

"Only Monica got a bit hurt, so everything ended on friendly terms." It was the only real answer he could provide.

There was also the matter that, at the time, he'd been heavily influenced by Monica's frustration and anger through the bond. But that was only a conclusion he'd reached in hindsight.

“Yes. That was after you turned down his offers and chose to move into the city’s feralborn district, and after we were attacked by a Vampire and a Sabertooth.” Dia proclaimed.

"You didn't say anything about this," Eva added with a gasp. “I knew you were attacked while in Balet, but what I hadn’t known was that you’d openly refused hospitality.” Her breath caught; lips drawing thin. “Not just refuse, but go so far as to follow it with moving into the slum of the very city he rules.” Her tone carried a mix of awe, offense, and reprimand.

“I couldn’t just hit the road, and Monica couldn’t stand living under the same roof as a maiden she saw as an active threat to her position of dominance.” Rick rubbed at his temples. “It was a delicate time. She was still acclimating to civilization, and I’d pushed too hard.”

Dia’s grip on his arm loosened a little, becoming a gentle touch. She didn’t say anything, but the look in her eyes was apologetic. It was easy to see why she’d want to throw an apology into the mix, but he’d rebuffed her before, and she knew he’d do it again. The mistake had been his own; at the time, he’d been the only one who could understand something was wrong.

He’d just lacked the knowledge on how to help Monica. He still wasn’t sure he’d done the right thing back then.

“If your goal is to contact your friends, doing so through the Earl might be the best way,” Eva hurried to move the subject back on track. “Earl Vittchat is well known for having mediated between families to avoid bloodshed. I’m not certain of his relationship with the Thorleys, but they should be under his authority to some degree.”

“Yeah… I guess I’ll start sending letters his way,” Rick nodded. “If the Thorleys intercept and block them, though…”

“It would be seen as an insult to the Earl,” Dia assured.

“But if they win the fight, the consequences would only amount to some loss of face,” Eva warned. “It’s not the sort of thing a noble family would fear. Especially if it’s after a fight they won. The king himself would need to step in at that point, and he wouldn’t make such a move without good reason.”

It was probably because a lot of the nobility alive right now had been born around the rebellion or shortly after it. If anything, it was odd the kingdom had managed to retain peace for this long afterward. With how many battle-hardened nobles and combatants there were all over the place, it felt like it would’ve taken considerable effort to keep them reined in until their graying years.

“Great,” Rick rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Having Aubria as the middle-point toward Balet is a pain. But whatever, we’ll send something that might not warrant tampering, just to get a line set up. Maybe Rollo has some method to sneak stuff through.”

The man was shrewd. The merchant’s lack of open shenanigans only made Rick concerned that he might be up to something, though Yasir had insisted he was keeping an eye on the man. He’d check up on the man once the terror of having Monica drop by for a surprise visit wore off.

As they moved past the city gates, Rick turned toward the farms, though his true goal was past them. His approach wasn’t exactly inconspicuous, and the Mousegirls tending the fields spotted him and hastily stopped what they were doing. A dozen or so in total, the maidens moved to stand in a row.

One of them stepped forward, marking herself off as the 'voice' of the group.

“Anything to report?” He kept his tone casual, noting the way the maidens chittered with each other in that odd, indecipherable language of theirs.

“The fertilizer the Lord has provided is very effective. Experimental output has increased by half, though the Elf in charge claimed the plants had a weird feeling to them.”

“Weird how?”

The girl shook her head, her floppy round ears waving around. “She couldn’t explain it.”

“Try to get a full report down on paper and send it to the…” The sigh was inward. “And send it to the experimentation Cog.”

With a quick nod, they got back to work. Rick’s journey continued past the farms, his mind bouncing between the different possible formulas. The nitrate that could be used to blow up a building was also usable in a farm, and his goal was to be thorough in his approach.

“It’s weird how you guys farm,” Rick muttered to his two companions. “It’s hard to imagine having a full harvest every other week. Even if it’s a plant that’s not meant for this weather.”

It explained why "off-season" fruits were available year-round, and how the local cuisine was mostly vegetarian but with a vast array of selections to pick from. Fish was a supplement, while meat was far rarer to obtain than Rick had thought. Having Monica around meant there was always something dead waiting to be cooked, though he suspected the same would have been the case due to his rank.

“What is the goal of using fertilizer?” Eva asked. “I’d imagine greater food production would be valuable. But it’s not like we’re wanting for it right now. Our stockpiles are filling out nicely.”

“It’ll be useful in a pinch. If things go south, it’s better to have half-time over the production. That would let us make better use out of the same space, out of the same effort,” he scratched his chin. “Hopefully, it can reveal something else though. I’m curious about how it reacts with that whole ‘tree-death’ thing.”

“Tree… death?”

“You know, that thing where if an Elf grows a tree in a span of a month, the tree and its wood will be rotten by the end of the year,” he waved it off.

“That’s elemental poisoning,” Dia stated. “It’s why poorly grown crops can be hazardous to humans. Elves need to be able to ensure the edible parts have a low concentration.”

“My hope is that fertilizers might help lower the energy needed to grow the plant while keeping the speed. Maybe it’ll allow Elf-grown wood to not rot away so quickly,” Rick nodded. “It’s in the testing phase. As is testing out what happens if you infuse the nitrate with different elemental energies.”

Eva visibly perked up. “Anything of note?”

He chuckled. “Only insight so far is that Fire energy makes it explode. The question would be whether it’s because the energy itself reacted with it, or if it’s just the heat it creates.”

“Heatless flames are very hard to create without a spell’s structure to assist in the process,” Eva mused out loud. “Even with a spell, it’s not easy. You’d need to… hm…”

Apparently submerged in the conceptual challenge, Rick left her to her own devices as he turned his attention toward the construction efforts past the farms. The massive stretch of land was strewn with labyrinthine trenchworks. It was amazing to consider just how quickly the network was growing. Orcs weren’t considered expert diggers, but they were several times stronger than any human athlete and couldn't grow tired without massive amounts of work.

A singular Orc could dig a three-meter-deep and eight-meter-long trench in a day. Twice that if it was sunny. The main issue was getting them to do so in the first place. Rick had only managed to convince a handful of Orcs into it. Everyone else lending a hand was from the Cog-Horde and the militia.

Dia’s attention followed his gaze. “Is it meant to disrupt a charge?”

Rick came to a stop near the edge of the nearest trench. It was like standing at the edge of a web dug out of the earth, the area it currently covered being large enough to cover at least a dozen city blocks. “Urtha was explaining to me the other day about how frustrating it is to fight against someone smart.” He glanced at the exposed dirt, knowing it would eventually have its walls covered in planks of wood. “And something sort of caught my attention, about how smart fighters always try to set things up so that you are put into a dilemma. One where neither option would be good for you, just different kinds of bad.” He scratched at his chin. “It got me thinking about warfare in this world. You guys just don’t do sieges.”

“It hasn’t occurred much over the past three centuries, at least as far as I remember reading,” Eva acknowledged. “Sieging a modern city is useless if you cannot properly destroy their food production. And ferals only make the endeavor more taxing as they will invariably harass you from the other side. It is simply easier to focus down a weak point to create a breach.”

Rick laughed.

“Yeah, Urtha said the same thing.” Shaking his head, he glanced at Sinco’s walls. “It’s just so… weird. Back in my world, castle defenses were so effective that many times it was just easier to starve a city out even if it took months. Here, if the enemy has some earth-controlling Champion, the whole thing would be barely an obstacle.”

“It would be if the city didn’t enchant its walls against it,” Eva’s eyes followed his gesture and back to the city. “And Aubria has the most powerful enchanters in the kingdom. Attacking them would be complicated without finding a way around their protections.”

That was a startling thought.

“Why in the world would I want to attack them?” He blinked at her in surprise. “Just shattering whatever they send our way should be enough to make the message clear.”

Both of his companions shared a look.

Eva cleared her throat, stepping closer, keeping her tone polite if gentle. "You would be in a stronger position to cease aggressions," she pointed out. "Taking over Aubria would give you ample room to negotiate since you could hand it back with stipulations. It would also allow you to take desperately needed resources for Sinco." She gestured at the city. "There is exactly one maiden under your control who knows enchanting, and she is busy building some project she refuses to divulge. If there are any others, they are under Sir Rollo."

"You wouldn't need to force anyone into the work either," Dia stepped up before Rick could make a comment. "Unless the intent is to eradicate the Thorleys entirely, then having them concede enchanters shouldn't be unreasonable. I myself came into possession of Seledo's medicine for a time from negotiations between them and Balet. I volunteered to be sent to Astunes in the convoy transporting the pieces for their radio tower when the possibility presented itself."

"Trading people like it's some card collection. Awesome," he grumbled, acid dripping from his words as he gave the trenches one last look-over.

Much to his surprise, Eva reached out to grab his arm firmly. "The Lord protects their land and the people therein. It is through this contract that we, the people and the land, belong to our Lord," her gaze was stone cold. "In this way, it is the Lord who defines how the land might better be served, by whom, and in what way. One important method is to have friendly relationships with neighboring nobility." Her grip tightened. "To send a maiden so that she may form part of another noble's seraglio is not trading of goods. It is the most direct way to ensure a representative of your interests occupies a position near a noble's ear, one that allows the maiden, and by extension you, to be heard. These are the foundations of the relationships between nobility; the only tighter bonds would be those of blood and marriage."

"I don't know about nobles, but I do know Kiara being your wife means she's not going anywhere," Dia's words held a calm sternness to them. She clearly wanted to say much more about the subject, but it wasn't something that could be talked about in the open.

What was mildly surprising was that the emotions she was projecting had a touch of sympathy to them. She was avoiding his gaze as she spoke, focused more on her boot pressing down some dirt clump.

The reaction from Eva was distinctly more aggressive, a flare of anger and irritation, but one that she didn't express in any visible way. The only reason why Rick had picked it up at all was thanks to the bond being there.

Seeing the two side by side was a rather peculiar contrast.

"Well, whatever the case, I'm not sending anyone off," he broke the silence, glancing off down to the slope leading into the trenches. Every now and then he'd spot a Mousegirl running down the ramp carrying empty boxes roughly large enough to double as a coffin. "If the time comes to it, then I'll look for volunteers and go from there."

"I might be the most useful asset you have if you desire to gain support from the Bavtha household," Eva declared with a steely gaze that hid well a wavering emotion within. "Their imperial role in manufacturing the bond collars gives them great influence beyond this kingdom's borders."

“Imperial? From the Northern Empire?”

“Just so,” she nodded solemnly.

“Why would the Empire send an entire noble household to this place?”

“There are thirty sworn families that hold the secrets to the bond collars. Due to how dangerous travel is, the Northern Empire deemed it a better option to have production spread out across its member and allied nations,” she grimaced. “It is hard to believe some individuals of these households haven’t been subverted by now. But if it has been the case, it’s been kept secret.”

Since the Vampire standing before him was a member of one such household, Rick guessed this wasn’t the first time either. It probably also meant the empire had measures in place, but he had no plans to find out about them.

“I imagine it’s a very powerful tool to keep members in check. If they get too rowdy, threaten to cut off their supply of bond collars,” he guessed. “Well, whatever the case, it’s none of our concern. I don’t want to get on bad terms with the big players.”

Eva looked away. “And the Bavthas?”

“If the time ever comes when they learn of you and ask of you, then I’ll just tell them no,” he waved off her concerns.

“It’s not like anyone would be insane enough to keep a Vampire near them anyway,” Dia added with a smirk. “If some noble house took you in, you’d be a glorified prisoner, not a representative.”

Rick shot a mock glare at the healer; she stuck her tongue out at him. The tone eased Eva a little, and she nodded ever so slightly, shoulders relaxing as she stepped closer to the ramp and turned to Rick.

“Why did you bring us here?”

His response was to gesture at the trenches. “I’ve tried leading this project, but it’s been chewing into my time a lot more than I thought. There’s too much I don’t know to be able to effectively implement what I want without a blind spot popping up somewhere. I need someone who has a better grasp on what to expect if Aubria ever comes knocking,” his eyes locked on to her. “I was hoping that person would be you.”

Eva hesitated, glancing at the trenches for a moment, then back at him. “Wouldn’t Sir Whitney be best for this? Or Urtha?”

“Whitney’s up to his fantastical mustache with the militia. Urtha’s similarly busy with the tribe. Even if they were free, the Cog Horde listens to you,” he answered without missing a beat. “If you think you can’t do it, then I’ll see what I can find.”

The maiden kept looking at the Mousegirls as they marched into the trenches with the empty boxes. “I’d need to understand what your plans are, my Lord. I don’t think I’d be able to be effective otherwise.”

With a nod, he reached out to grab her hand. “Sure. I think we can squeeze that in while Kiara does her own thing. Let’s take the tour,” he led the trio of them down the ramp. “Now, to understand where this idea is coming from, I’ll have to go over what little I know about warfare in my world…”