Amazon Apocalypse 4: Chapter 55

We arrived on Themyscira as soon as my companions were done dressing up Gobgob. Reluna seemed sad she wouldn’t be able to go with us since Glacia and the Mucaria pocket realm were her old stomping grounds. But bringing her off-world and back would have to wait until the golem shard was defeated and this stage of the integration was completed.

At that point, C-Grades like Reluna and Cyra would be much more free in being able to come and go, especially when we proved to the System that they had tight ties to my faction.

On the streets of Crownhill, I’d heard many people wondering how many more stages there were to Earth’s integration. Things were slowing down now, and with the next stage, we were likely to wind up with a shard somewhere around the size of Australia. And yet, we’d only encountered small pockets of humanity and a large chunk of San Antonio’s suburbs. Just how big was this integrated planet going to be?

“I can’t wait to visit a world that’s not Themyscira!” Sakura rubbed her hands together in delight, shaking me out of my thoughts.

Myrina put her hands on her hips. “What’s wrong with Themyscira?”

“Oh, seeing a bunch of badass warrior women is nice and all, but I’m a city girl at heart. I prefer sprawling storefronts and safe city streets to dirt floors and tavern brawls. Themyscira is just a bit too medieval for my tastes.” Sakura shrugged.

Myrina looked genuinely hurt, eyes wide and sad. “How could anyone dislike tavern brawls?”

I waved to Thulga as we appeared, tossed her a bag of gold. Gobgob’s eyes went wide at the sight of the orc woman. Gobgob, as a hobgoblin, was much bigger than a regular goblin. But somebody like Thulga was that much larger than her in turn. I could easily see somebody like Gobgob evolving into an orc with her next racial evolution, assuming she was presented with the option.

I had hoped the two might chat, but Gobgob had never met anyone other than me and my companions before, so she was too nervous to speak. Hopefully, spending a few days running a small shop would change that.

“Hey there!” Thulga waved at Gobgob.

She hid behind me, eying Thulga nervously.

“Maybe next time,” I chuckled. “For now, I have a trip to Glacia in mind. Care to take us?”

“For what you pay me? Anytime,” Thulga laughed. She soon got us turned around and teleported us onward to our destination.

While Myrina and Sakura continued their earlier argument, Bridget nudged me in the side. “I’m sorry I tried to get myself pregnant using you.”

“I know it was the effects of my new magic dick. Don’t sweat it, Bridget.”

Bridget’s eyes bored a hole into the ground. “I’m not so sure.”

I ruffled her hair. “Well, all’s well that ends well, right? You’re not pregnant?”

“Mhm...” Bridget shook her head.

“Good. Things are slowly settling down. Soon, it’ll feel less like an apocalypse and more like a new normal. Just wait and see.”

We arrived in Glacia a short while later.

“Into the line to check in and have your goods searched and paperwork confirmed,” a bored guard waved.

“Not so fast! I’m a member of the revered Samhain family!” Myrina smugly proclaimed. Then she wrapped an arm around my waist. “And this is my husband. Also, his concubines.”

“This again?” Sakura rolled up her sleeves and held up a fist.

“If we were in a tavern, I’m sure you’d be ready to brawl, wouldn’t you?” Myrina teased.

I shook my head at the girls’ antics, and since Myrina was already showing off, I flashed my jade token from the Dragon Lodge. That got us moved from the short line to the really short line. A high C-Grade official showed up, looked us over and, confirmed Myrina and my identities, then waved us through. They did not even check Sakura and Bridget’s paperwork, which was a good thing since I didn’t have anything for Gobgob. I was hoping to bribe someone to let her through, but it ended up not being necessary.

In the end, only Sakura and Gobgob had their bags searched. It was a much smoother entrance than my first time with Cyra.

“I feel like we were just racially profiled there...” Sakura huffed.

“You were, if you consider being poor a race!” Myrina teased.

“Why didn’t they poke through Bridget’s bags then?” Sakura complained.

“Because she actually looks like our concubine. Look at how cute she is clinging to Carter’s side like she’s afraid of losing him!” Myrina gestured to Bridget and me.

“I can be cute!” Sakura huffed and grabbed my other arm, which put Gobgob in an odd position, hanging onto my wrist from behind.

“Hey, don’t forget about me!” Myrina pouted.

Not to be left out, Myrina looked me over for something to grab. Since both my arms were taken, she climbed up my back and planted her butt right on my shoulders, one hand grabbing my hair and the other pointed forward.

“I will be your new arms, since those tree took your regular ones. And I'll start by pointing. That way!” Myrina shouted.

“That’s the wrong way, Myrina. We want to visit Galbatorix, drop off our stuff, then we’re going to the Mucaria pocket realm,” I corrected.

Without the use of my arms, I couldn’t point to correct her. Neither Bridget, nor Sakura and Gobgob planned to let me go long enough to point, so I corrected Myrina until she was pointing in the right direction. Once we had our heading, we made our way across the city in a very awkward but quite inseparable cluster. This was a pretty busy city, so I didn’t mind the hand-holding so nobody got lost. It even made it easier to pull everyone away from the interesting shops we passed.

“Ooh! Weapons! Let’s stop there,” Myrina said as she pointed to a nearby weapon's shop.

“There are weapons shops in Mucaria, and those will be better. Also, if you get off my shoulders to look at the weapons shop, I’m not letting you back on.”

“Aww...” Myrina grumbled.

***

Though it took a lot of herding, we arrived at Galbatorix’s shop eventually.

He was snoozing, as usual, but when I knocked on the door he quickly woke. I waited for my companion’s looks of surprise when they saw him here. After all, they knew he was always at his shop in Valkyrie’s Watch, so how could he be here all of a sudden?

“How are you here all of a sudden?” Bridget asked.

“Hmm. Huh?” Galbatorix yawned a little and combed his beard straight. “Ah, you all again. I didn’t expect the full bunch on this world again so soon! Here for a little shopping?”

“That, and more,” I replied.

“You’re not the real Galbatorix!” Myrina accused.

“Of course I am, Myrina. I look the same, don’t I?” Galbatorix replied.

Myrina frowned. “Damn. Maybe you are the real Galbatorix. But you never answered Bridget’s question! How are you here all of a sudden?”

I chuckled. “I ask him the same thing. All he’d say is that a wizard needs his secrets. Let him keep his tricks if he wants to be all mysterious.”

Myrina jumped down from off my shoulders and to the counter Galbatorix sat at. “Come on, you can tell me! I’m super trustworthy.”

"I can't do that, young lady.”

“Please?” Myrina pleaded with wide eyes as she pressed her hands together.

Galbatorix sighed. “Alright, alright, I’ll explain...”

Everyone leaned closer, including me. I hadn’t expected an actual answer. When he said it was a secret, I figured it wasn’t the sort of thing he’d be willing to tell anyone. Apparently, all it took was a little pleading from Myrina.

“I can be in multiple places at the same time... because I have a spell that lets me be in multiple places at the same time,” Galbatorix explained.

“That’s it?” I couldn’t help but feel disappointed at the obvious answer.

“That’s it!” Galbatorix confirmed.

“Lame,” Myrina groaned. “I thought you were going to say you had two hundred identical twin brothers or something.”

“Amusing, but no. It’s all me. Though new bodies aren’t exactly cheap or easy to make. Nor is it easy to control them all at once. But in my youth, I was quite the fearsome figure in the Dragon Lodge! The one-man army, they called me. But my warmage days are far behind me now...” Galbatorix chuckled, stroking his beard in fond reminiscence.

I remembered Morgathor had considered himself a rival to Galbatorix, once upon a time. Had he known the Galbatorix he considered a rival was just one of many versions of himself the wizard was using? If he had, he might have thought twice about declaring such a rivalry.

“I was under the impression you still had considerable influence in the Dragon Lodge?” I said.

“Oh, I can say something here or there. Mostly, it’s because I ask for forgiveness rather than permission.” Galbatorix gave us a shrug. “But enough about me. Carter, young man, I hear you’ve been making waves.”

“Me?” I frowned, wondering what he could be talking about.

“That armor, lad. Some very impressive armor showed up for sale in Mucaria. Some of the sets have wound up in the hands of old-timers from my generation, and they’re quite curious about it. I have something... ah, here it is!”

He pulled out a book for me, and I read it.

“An Introduction to Crafting Cursed Items?” I asked, eyebrow raised. “I’m not sure people will be too happy buying a cursed item from me.”

“While it will reduce the overall resale value, it will help keep you out of trouble. There are a lot of gray-haired old men and women with an excess of power and a scarcity of scruples who will take far too much interest if too many of these things go on the market without some sort of drawback. Adding a few drawbacks would help keep them from drawing too much attention.”

He nudged the book in my direction. I flipped through it, nodding with interest. The idea behind the curses was simple enough. They could be anything from making the armor impossible to remove, to simply making it non-functional for anyone else. It would hurt to butcher my own handiwork, but if selling too much quality armor was going to get me in trouble, I might have to.

“Thank you for the warning. I’ll keep this in mind.”

***

I handed Galbatorix his usual bundle of goods, and then we were off to the Mucaria pocket realm. I always knew the old man knew more than he let on, but I was surprised to hear he knew exactly what I’d been selling and where. I really would need to be more careful going forward.

Meeting one of his shopkeeper bodies on Themyscira had really been a stroke of fortune for me, though as I understood it, he had some connections to the Samhain Clan himself. The Ancestors of the Samhain Clan didn’t seem like the type to have a secret spy satalite or extensive magical wards to tell them when they should intervene in their descendent’s affairs. They seemed more like the type to rely on boots on the ground, and Galbatorix’s spare body was probably one such set of boots.

I figured I’d have to do something nice for him sooner or later, especially when the Jade medallion he’d pointed me toward picking up turned out to be what let my companions into the Mucaria pocket realm without too much trouble.

As a jade medallion holder, you may bring up to fifty lovers and five hundred servants. We’ll issue guest passes for these four, but you’ll be responsible for them.”

The official in charge of entrances went into the back room and came out with something that looked suspiciously like ID badges, though these were made of sheets of enchanted iron. I had to hold my medallion up to each of them, leaving a faint imprint of the unique mana signature that would linger for a few weeks.

Seeing the process, I was reasonably sure I could do a bit of discreet, enchanting work that would make the temporary badges hold onto the energy permanently. Perhaps then Myrina, Sakura, and the others could stay a bit longer.

I held myself back though, despite the ever-present temptation to craft something magical. So far the Dragon Lodge had dealt with me in good faith. I wanted to do the same in return.

We arrived at the modest town where I’d taken my exam, much to the girl’s disappointment.

“This is it? I really thought the Dragon Lodge would be more impressive...” Sakura crossed her arms.

“Bet Themyscira’s not so unimpressive anymore, huh?” Myrina smirked.

“Withhold your judgment a little while longer, ladies. This is just the train station.” I walked them to the same train Cyra and I had taken, paid for our fare, and then waited for our ride.

I watched Myrina out of the corner of my eye while we waited, but when the train arrived she was nonplussed. The sight of an enormous machine of metal and magic hurtling at high speed in our direction didn’t phase her in the slightest. I should have guessed that’d be the case, considering she’d spent a considerable portion of her youth on Earth, back before her family pulled the plug on having her go through an integration for the rare and otherwise unobtainable titles.

I spent most of the ride going over the book Galbatorix gave me. The principles behind curses were simple enough. For an aethersmith like me, the easiest thing to do would be a soulbinding enchantment, which would meld the equipment with the soul of the wielder, making it nonfunctional in any other hands.

But given my ability to bend things across spatial dimensions, it might be just as easy to make equipment unequippable as well. This would be easiest with armor, since I could shape it so all the armor’s seams were hidden in a pocket space inaccessible to the wearer.

According to the book, creating such drawbacks was common for skilled magical craftsmen who wanted to craft the best weapons and armor possible for their grade without winding up with something heaven-defying that would draw unwanted attention. Besides, from what Galbatorix had said, some of the armor I’d sold had already wound up in the hands of powerful people. The last thing I wanted was for my customers to be robbed, so at the very least, I ought to add some magical security for their sake.

Eventually, the train came to a stop, and I closed the book as we all gathered our things and entered the Dragon Lodge’s graduate campus town.

“I had a shop rented downtown. There should be at least a week or two on the lease. We’ll get the shop set up, make some quick coin, then I’ll show you the city,” I announced.

Sakura was significantly more pleased with the scale of the city center we arrived in. It was more reminiscent of downtown Crownhill prior to the integration, and there were plenty of shops and magically illuminated streets that would still be full even late into the night.

And today at midday it was especially busy. Rows of people lined the streets, particularly in one run-down old corner near a dilapidated old shop.

“There it is! I don’t remember there being such a crowd outside though.” I said as I pointed to people standing around in front of the closed doors.

“Excuse me, pardon me, I need to get through here,” I said, realizing I’d have to elbow my way through the crowd. Unfortunately, there were quite a few C-Grades who weren’t too keen on me getting into my own shop.

“Mind your manners, young man! We were here first, we’re getting in first,” said a well tailored gentleman who looked suspiciously like a butler.

“Getting in where?” I asked.

“Haven’t you heard? There was a shop here selling some truly exceptional artifacts of ancient power! As soon as the lease expires, we’re going to rent the place and divine the origin of these mysterious artifacts!” the butler explained.

“Ha! You aren’t going to get the chance! The Seaborn family is laying claim to this shop and everything in it,” said another C-Grade. This one looked rougher, with bare arms depicting the bloody and sinuous form of a naga wielding a trident.

More voices spoke up, voicing similar opinions. My Mark One truly had made an impression.

I ended up circling around back to the rear entrance. From there, I let us in and we started setting up shop.

Sakura took a look around. “This is the store you were selling your fancy armor in?”

I shrugged. “It served well enough last time. Is there something wrong with it?”

“Not wrong, exactly. Just...” she picked at the chipped paint, exposing the hastily repaired wooden beams beneath. “You make good stuff. I think your choice of location is giving the wrong impression. A lot of shopping is providing your customers with a good experience.”

“I sell good armor at low prices. What more could they want?”

Sakura put her hands on her hips and shook her head. “A lot. Why don’t you show me what you had planned, and I’ll do my best to fix things.”

I explained to Sakura how a shop worked, and though to me things seemed fairly obvious, apparently I’d been missing a lot of nuances. I’d just copied the other enchanters selling their wares down the street, but Sakura had a vision in mind.

“Do you have any of these contribution points left? Or is there somewhere I can trade gold from Themyscira for them?” Sakura asked.

“Sure.” I transferred what little contribution points I had left to her guest medallion, which was a simple iron circle on a ribbon. “I can make more contribution points pretty quick. The shops around here will buy any old junk if I add a dash of magic to it.”

“The funds would help. I’m going to hire a few people so we can do this right.”

I shrugged and promptly yielded command of the situation to Sakura. One thing I’d learned ever since becoming lord of Crownhill was that a good leader shamelessly delegates any task where someone else knows more than they do. Sakura had a business degree, and her family ran successful businesses bigger than the Limstave family’s. I trusted her to figure things out.

So when she needed more funds, I commandeered Gobgob’s help. We sold off some scraps in Morgathor’s satchel to a shop down the street, used that to buy a bunch of poorly enchanted shields and swords, then started fixing them for resale.

Gobgob turned out to be nearly as good at making some quick enchantments as I was, so long as I showed her what to do first. Her apprentice job let her follow the steps I showed her in exacting detail. She could even use a limited form of my ability to control the temperature or telekinetically manipulate objects. The only things that were truly hard for her were anything extra-dimensional or things that involved using other abilities like my Mana Bolt.

We stripped off old paint, reshaped the shields and swords into something a bit nicer shaped, etched some tiny enchantments into the metal, and then packaged them all up to be resold. We sold the newly enchanted gear to a different shop and then bought more shields and swords.

I left Gobgob to repeat the previous process while I switched to making magical wall lights. The enchanters here in Mucaria made their magical lights all look like lamps and torches, though there really was no need when most of those lights took the form of glowing gemstones. It was probably just a cultural bias. Artificial light comes from lamps, so they make their magical lights look like a lamp.

When Gobgob and I had drummed up a quick three hundred contribution points, Sakura declared herself satisfied.

“I hired on a few people to touch the place up quick. I’m still not satisfied with our location, but when we open tomorrow, we won’t look like a shady operation selling cursed artifacts only to vanish a few days later.

“Huh. Now that you mention it, my shop probably seemed pretty suspicious before...” I rubbed my chin in thought.

“Anyway, do you have a place here to stay?”

I shrugged. “The floor was comfortable enough last time.”

After that suggestion, Sakura and Myrina voted Bridget in charge of securing living quarters for us, and I remembered enough from my tour with Cyra to point her in the direction of a nice tavern with rooms overhead. She got our things settled. Meanwhile, Sakura’s contractors came through for some hasty overnight work.

With the help of some D-Grade professionals, walls, paint, and floors were repaired in just a few hours. As proud as I was of my do-it-yourself job, I had to admit things looked a little nicer in Sakura’s way.

It was late when we closed up, though people would still be coming and going late into the night. At some point, Sakura had called the local guard and convinced them to clear out the people lingering in front of the store, and she’d also had a talk with the landlord about our contract. I wasn’t sure what she said, but from then on, everything seemed to run a little smoother.

<Note>
Hopefully Carter remembers Galbatorix's multiple body trick next book!

Marvin's to self: This is version B.