Capítulo 43: Chapter 43
Considering their state, it didn't actually take the twins that long to return from the mission of resource acquisition. Only about two hours. Enough time to name one golem, and to do some other stuff. Like stretching exercises.
"Here's some water." Mia mumbled as she handed him a bamboo canteen. Lock drank greedily from the liquid and thanked the girl. Mia then pressed a meat bun into his hand, which he also devoured, before turning his attention to more important things.
"You got the bandages?" He asked, receiving a nod and a fistful of the aforementioned article. He nodded his head and turned to the newly christened Lemmings.
"Alright Lemmings, lift up your left foot." Lock commanded as he made his way over to the golem, unfurling the bandages.
Out of his periphery he saw Mia mouth the word 'Lemmings', while he bent down to start meticulously covering his subordinate in bandages.
The reason for this was twosome. First, if the clothes covering Lemmings ever slipped, people would still be unable to discern that he was a golem. Second, the bandages would prevent him from permanently losing any earth if he was ever struck and some was blown off. This was important since Lock still didn't know how to replenish the golems reserves.
Done with making the construct look like a mummy, Lock stepped back to admire his work. While it was still something that wouldn't necessarily be mistaken for a human under closer scrutiny, the proportions were slightly wrong, it would have to be enough.
"Clothes." He extended his hand towards the twins, and got a sack slapped into it. Rummaging within it, he pulled out a white under-shirt, and a black hoodie. He put both on, pulling the hoodie over the golem's face.
Next was the underwear, which prompted an amused laugh, and the socks. Then came the pants, which seemed to closely resemble cargo pants from his last world, lots of pockets, and a pair of combat boots.
Instead of a mummy, Lemmings now looked like an edgy, seven foot tall teenager. Who'd suffered from third degree burns, and was thus covering up his face.
All in all it was a job well done.
"Can you pay us so we can we leave now? You've finished playing dress up." Tia muttered at him, before sneezing.
"Soon, soon. The last place that you have to accompany me too is the spot where Light buried the documents." Tia gave him a quizzical look. "Don't pretend you weren't listening." Lock said as he turned in the direction where he knew the beginner adventurer training grounds to be and started walking.
"I just need to bury that stuff out, we can part ways for the rest of eternity afterwards." He said.
The walk to the training ground was mostly silent, the party being entirely composed of stealth-Classes. The only sound that permeated the air was the occasional branch breaking, courtesy of Lemmings, and bird song.
Mia once tried to start a conversation. "So what are you doing after this?" She asked, but Lock brushed her off.
"Attending to personal matters."
-/-
The training grounds were blissfully empty of adventurer's once they'd arrived there. Odd considering that it was midday, the best time to break a sweat, but then Lock remembered.
"The news of what's happened in the dungeon must have broken. Only reason I can think of why this place is completely empty." Lock said as he ducked under the extended arm of a scarecrow on his way to the large oak tree.
Reaching there it wasn't overly hard to determine where the earth had been disturbed. Unwilling however, to dig up the documents himself, it being very much possible that Light had set up a trap, aiming at a sort of 'revenge from beyond the grave', he commanded Lemmings to do it for him.
After a bit of digging the golem revealed a capsule, about three feet wide and one foot tall, which, when opened, revealed several quite official looking documents, with a few intricately hand-written books.
Still paranoid about this being some sort of revenge-ploy, Lock told Lemmings to hold onto it. If a vengeful crusade of Vanguards suddenly came chasing him down they would hopefully focus entirely on the golem, leaving Lock to escape.
Before Tia could utter a word Lock spun towards her and held out a hand. "Parchment." He simply said.
She gladly handed it over, along with the charcoal and eagerly watched him scribble out a rather long set of instructions onto it.
Double-checking to make sure that the instructions were correct, he handed the parchment over to Tia, who seemed to be actually capable of receiving it, her sister simply standing there like she was trying to imitate the surrounding dummies.
"Try to keep the details of what happened on this mission on the down-low. I know that you'll report to your direct superior, whoever he may be. But more people than that really don't need to know the specifics." Lock said.
Tia simply nodded and turned to leave, she halted after a few steps however and turned her head towards Mia, who hadn't moved from her spot. "Are you coming?" She asked.
Mia shook her head, "I have some things I want to say to Lock." She said, and elaborated further once Tia apparently took these words as her cue to stay there. "Alone." She finished. At which Tia huffed, and left.
"See you at home." Were her parting words.
Mia awkwardly ran a hand down her left shoulder as she stared at Lock, who was looking at her expectantly.
"Do you think I can join you on more missions?" Mia eventually asked with a grimace, as if that wasn't exactly what she'd wanted to say.
Lock tilted his head at her. "Honestly, no." He said, thinking about all the lies he'd told or propagated on this mission. That he enjoyed killing, that there was a moral compass involved when he chose his victims. That he was indeed an old man simply possessing his current body.
"Why?" Mia asked quietly, almost a whisper.
"Because you're a part of the Underground and if my assumptions are correct, related to one of their leaders." The small flinch she gave confirmed his hunch. After all, the Underground would have been forced to send their most loyal on this mission due to the potential harm that could have come their way due to Lock's actions. "I simply can't trust you to hold the goals of the party that we'd form as your primary affiliations, and trust is one of the things that cannot be missing from such a partnership."
"What if I gave my word?" Mia asked.
"Words are wind."
"Let me prove myself then." She insisted.
Lock considered the offer, but... he was going to be doing some quite horrible things for the future. Not out of necessity, but out of simple gain. Mia, for all that her Class should have indicated otherwise, was naïve, and a good person at heart. Probably. His future actions would break her. With bad enough timing, the breaking could compromise everything.
"Why are you so insistent upon this?" He eventually asked.
She seemed at a loss for words at the question. Likely not knowing the answer herself. She blushed.
"Because." A pause. "Because the last two days, have been the first time that I've felt like an actual Ninja, instead of just a girl playing at it under the supervision of her parent." She suddenly said. A surprisingly articulate answer.
Lock tilted his head, to really take in her appearance. Dishevelled, but there was a subtle glow coming from under her skin.
"What is a Ninja to you?" He queried further, seeking to gain a better understanding of the woman standing before him.
"A sword in the darkness, a tool at the disposal of someone who knows how to use it." She answered promptly, one might say feverishly.
"You're empty aren't you." Lock suddenly realised. "You don't have your own aspirations, expect perhaps in being a Ninja. You simply want to attach yourself to someone who actually exists, and become their shadow, seeking to validate yourself through their light."
Mia's lips quivered. "Yes."
Thoughts were firing in Lock's brain.
He'd apparently forgotten to consider one important piece of information when considering what the Classes of his subordinates were. They were Ninjas, an occupation that in his old world, meant being an assassin/spy for hire, or someone serving some sort of feudal lord. Naturally ninjas had to be quite loyal to be kept as retainers, they did after all have the power to completely ruin the person they were serving. It wouldn't be too odd if the ninjas of this world also considered it a high honour to work under a sort of pseudo-lord, and that their families raised them accordingly.
People dreamed of good governance to such an extent that they'd created entire religions based around there being an invisible magic man in the sky with a plan for them.
Was it that odd that ninja, someone probably raised to serve, or at least to be an honourable mercenary, would attempt to bind herself to a man whom she thought could provide good governance?
He didn't want to toot his own horn, but from an outside perspective, the mission went quite well. This would naturally be seen through by anyone with access to his inner thoughts, but Mia certainly did not.
A subordinate like that would be useful, and if what she said was true, she wouldn't overly mind some of the things he'd be doing in the future. The only problem was, as previously stated, that words were wind. He didn't feel like she was lying. The opposite rather, but beliefs, even the most fervent ones, had the habit of splintering into nothing once the rough sea smashed them into the cliffs of reality.
"I think you trust me." Mia suddenly said. Taking his silence as a prelude to a complete rejection. "You gave me the knob and told us to go the entrance, while you dealt with the boss. We could ha-"
She halted as Lock held up a hand.
"Words are wind, but yours have convinced me to at least give you a chance at backing them up with actions." He started, considering how testing her would fit into his future plans. "Firstly, I want you to make sure that you actually believe what you just said by thinking about it for three weeks. After the three weeks, seek me out, I will be participating in the beginner tournament. Or at least spectating it. If you still want to be my tool by then, I will have devised a mission where you can prove it."
The three weeks until the beginner tournament started, would harden her resolve in becoming his tool if she truly had that wish. On the other hand if a mere three weeks cooled her 'passion' enough for her to not wish to work under him anymore. Then he didn't want her anyway.
"That's all really, you can leave now." Lock eventually said.
Mia hesitated for a few moments, before suddenly jumping forward in a move that almost made him draw his sword and skewer her, to envelop Lock in an awkward hug. She quickly let go, blushingly turned around, and stiffly walked off.
Lock watched her go, gaze attracted to her posterior.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have her working 'under' him. He shook his head.
That was a decision that was to be made with rationality, not with horniness. That was what whores were for.
Lock was beginning to see clear advantages to his promiscuous lifestyle. Being unbothered by a pretty face being chief amongst them.
He eventually gave a laugh and started making his way towards where he knew to be a stream, it was time to wash his clothes and armour in lavender essence.
-/-
That was the task that Harald found him, an hour or so after he'd begun, doing. "Lock?" The man asked, clearly surprised at finding him here.
Lock turned his head to glance at the unassuming man, whose acquaintance he'd made back in the dungeon, and who had taken the blame for the bandits that Lock had killed, before returning to his task. "Hey, long time no see." He said.
Harald chuckled, "it does actually feel that way doesn't it. The entire process of being taken to court for killing those bastards was quite intense. Thankfully short though. Only got slapped with a two-week suspension at the end, clear self-defence they said. I think they handled it pretty quickly and unprofessionally. Probably stirred up because of the events in the dungeon."
"What happened in the dungeon?" Lock asked as he scrubbed down the last article of clothing that needed it. "I've been out of town."
"Anything to do with that big guy?" Harald asked, presumably nodding in Lemmings' direction. Lock couldn't rightfully see, being focused on washing his clothes in the babbling stream.
"Yeah, a permanent recruit for my adventuring party you could say. He's mute." Lock replied.
"Ah, that's a bummer. Sorry for that man." Harald said, seeming to actually mean it.
"So about the dungeon?" Lock asked.
"Ah yeah, apparently some nobles snuck into it at night, trying to kill the boss. Only to be killed by a guard that the guild leader had recently decided needed to be stationed within the dungeon, not just before the entrance. One of them was a Vídd, that's how they must have gotten in." Harald explained.
"I imagine the reaction of the common folk wasn't very enthused." Lock mused, finished with his clothes. He laid them out to dry and turned to his conversation partner, who nodded.
"There was a riot. Some of the civilians and adventurer's, spurned on by the guild leader, tried to storm the Vídd estate. The city guard smashed them, somehow. They shouldn't have actually had the strength to do so, some of the adventurer's were no slouches. I'll be honest with you. It's bad."
"The strength of the city guard was probably enhanced by the military outpost where they've been quietly training new soldiers." Lock mused.
"Soldiers?" Harald asked, confused.
"Well, humanity is at peace, and finally powerful enough to stop being every other race's whipping boy. We're also dealing with a bit of an overpopulation problem. Only one solution to that."
"Oh."
"So what will you do with your two weeks of suspension?" Lock asked.
"Train for the tournament."
"Interesting, it's what I was planning to do as well."
"Isn't the level cap for the tournament level ten? Ever since last year, where someone way to high level just shortly registered themselves as an adventurer for the easy money?"
"I hadn't heard of that." Lock admitted, new plan already forming. "You actually interested in magic?" He asked.
Harald shook his head.
"So you're planning to sell the writ admitting you to the academy at the auction a week after the tournament." Lock stated, receiving a nod.
"Alright, I have a proposition for you then. I help you with your training, and you give me the writ. You get the recognition, the monetary reward, the rank up, and I get the admission to the magic academy. Simple." Lock said.
Harald laughed. "I owe you one for the debacle in the dungeon. You know what, sure, but if I find that your training is sub-par, I will only sell the writ to you at a discount, not give it for free."
Lock stood up, still clad in only underwear, and held out a hand for Harald to shake. Which he did.
"Deal. Where are you planning to go?" He asked.
"Trydan." Harald answered.
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