The Quantum Wanderer

Marcelo’s POV

The following days I spend in kind of a haze, a little numb. The girls are move attentive to me, and that helps a lot.

Some days I decide to spend some time on the beach in Drakonia, or just walking the city, having some alone time.

After a couple of days, school started again. The girls didn’t want to go, they wanted to stay close to me, but I made them go. Life has to go on. It was time to get off this mental place.

I had been dumped before, on Earth, but not from a marriage. I am romantic, I really thought that I would spend a lot more time with all of them. I loved her curiosity, the way she would arrange her hair behind her ear. I shake myself out of those memories.

I receive a call from Dávrin, in the Comm Gem. The dwarves are ready to start the work on the building. I portal myself to the palace, to the room we had been using. Dávrin is there already.

“Hello, friend! How are you?”

“I am ok. How have you been doing?”

“I could write a book on the good news! The new forge is already running. Brokkr is so happy with it that he ended up proposing to Ildra? Can you believe that?”

I giggle a little, even though it’s not my usual laugh.

“Poor woman…”

Dávrin laughs out loud, while hitting his leg.

“I know, right?” He laughs some more, and then continues. “I have also received several demands for thanking you for Stonehenge through Comm Gem. And the letters are still on their way, this is going to take a long time. I will store them somewhere, you will be able to check on them later.”

“Let’s go meet the team that is going to build the complex. This way, please.”

We start walking, getting out of the palace. Dávrin continues on.

“It was really hard to find the 50 dwarves to do the job, you know. We almost had a riot, I created a lot of enemies.”

“Are they being forced to go there or something?”

“Quite the opposite, really. I got complaints all over of dwarves and families that wanted in in the project.” He gave a heartfelt laugh.

We go to the main square, there is a line of people, with some carts being pulled by moles. I turn to Dávrin.

“Are you sure the moles are not going to have an issue going through the portal? The sudden change of environment may scare them.”

“Don’t worry, friend. These are very well trained beasts. But we are going to get them slowly through it. They are not supposed to stay there, though. They are just going to pull the carts, and then they will be brought back. The workers would like to stay there, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t, but I don’t have rooms for everyone.”

“We expected that, they are going to camp in the building area. Don’t worry about that. Your offer to provide food is beyond good enough.”

People around the carts see us, and do a salute. Some of them wave. I am guessing they are saluting Dávrin, so I feel awkward, I don’t know if I should salute back or not, so I try to do something mid term.

I open a portal back to my back yard, and they start going through. Some of the moles complain a little bit about the different land, but they quickly set calm by the dwarves guiding them. I go through the portal myself, to receive them on the other side.

I see the door to the kitchen open, and a very scared Rudolph standing at it with a spear. When he sees me, he relaxes. It is a good thing that the yard is so big, some of the carts are really big. The bring the carts to a position very close to the end of the property.

While they are arranging the carts and removing the moles from it, I go over to Rudolph.

“Rudolph, can you please get a hold of our people for a couple of minutes? Tell them all to come to the back yard.”

Rudolph was about to turn around and leave, but one of the dwarves takes the spear out of his hands, and starts sharpening it, with a rectangular rock. After a couple of minutes, he looks at the blade, shakes his head a little bit, and hands the spear back to Rudolph.

Rudolph goes inside, and while the dwarves start to put the animals back through the portal, people start to arrive. They stay around the back door. The dwarves move with the precision that is inherent to them, making a rectangle of five people wide, ten people deep.

Now the two groups are in front of each other. I look at the dwarves.

“Hi, welcome. These people behind me are the ones that are currently working for me. Should you need anything, food, materials, any kind of access, bathroom, please ask them, and they are going to provide it for you.”

I turned to my household people.

“Hi everyone. I visited the dwarves, and became friends with them. They are the best artisans in the planet! The results of their works are the heritage of kingdoms! They are here to build the complex that your families are going to be invited to live in! Treat them well!”

There was a cheer on the side of the house hold people, that was replied by the dwarves, with three stomps against the ground, and a single shout, “AHOO!”

I wait for people to get back to their tasks. The last one is Rudolph, that is standing by the door, watching as the dwarves start to unpack in a very organized way. While they are unpacking, a couple of them actually enter my home, and start taking a look around. In terms of collaboration, it is like a nest of ants, that are all collaborating towards a goal. Very few words are actually exchanged.

Rudolph is biting his lower lip, trying not to cry. I go inside the kitchen, inside the cold box and I bring in a huge chunk of dragon meat. We are going to have more people living with us for a couple of weeks.

The spirits are high in the kitchen. Roberta is one to get close.

“Lord, what are the rooms going to be like?”

“Not a room, I designed a unit for each of you. Each unit is going to have a master bedroom, an additional bedroom for kids, with 6 beds, a living room and a kitchen. Of course, nothing too big, but I am trusting them to make it cozy. Let’s see what we end up with.”

Her eyes are bulging.

“Lord, isn’t it going to be expensive?”

“Don’t worry about it, it is already paid. Just treat them well. If you need money to buy something, or any suggestion to improve on their stay, let me know. They are going to require lots of liquor and ale, though. Please see that we get enough. Let me know how much it costs, so that I can provide the coin.”

“Also be prepared for some inconvenience during the construction. Noise, dust, that kind of thing.”

“Of course, lord.”

I enter the house, and there is a dwarf that is looking at everything. He doesn’t touch anything, but he takes a look at everything. He is looking at the glass map, on the wall, but he is fixating at the holds, not on the map itself.

I get close to him, but he doesn’t really pay attention to me. He is examining the holes. Done to fix the clamps. He knocks lightly on the glass.

“Hi there.”

“Hello, master Marcelo. You should have the people that did this whipped! Crude sloppy morons!”

I giggle a little.

“I am sorry, but what is your name?”

“I am Varr, sir.”

He is talking to me, but I can feel his angst on spending time talking, as if he were late for something already.

“I see that you are looking on the practical side of things. Let me know if you want to hear about this thing.”

“Of course, master Marcelo.”

He turns around and keeps walking around the house. I see a worried Rudolph. I get close to him.

“Hi Rudolph.”

“Hi, lord.”

“You don’t seem to approve.”

“This one has been going all around the house, looking at everything, lord. Are you sure he has not ill intentions?”

I giggle a little. “I am pretty sure. You can relax about him, Rudolph. They were invited. Did he break anything?”

“No, but every once in a while he gets angry and curses.”

I giggle. “Don’t worry Rudolph, none of this is directed at you. This is probably the first time he sees something assembled by humans, or whatever other race worked in the construction of this house. He is probably appalled with the quality of work.”

“Are they that much better, lord?”

“You have no idea. I can’t disclose much, though.”

“Of course, lord.”

“Did you check what kind of drinks and food they like? Please treat them like guests.”

“Of course, lord. Roberta investigated that, and she sent a maid to acquire the stuff.”

“Do you guys need help carrying it?”

“Oh, lord, no! It is going to be delivered.”

“How much was it? Who do I pay.”

“Lord, we are forbidden by the duke and the emperor to ever use your money for something like this! They are covering it. Besides, a lot of the money would go into the meat for the meals, generally something like Fenrir, but here…”

“Ok, thank you.”

***

Edward’s POV

I am going down to the cell to ‘interrogate’ our little spy apprentice. It has been a long time since I think about ‘interrogation’ between quotes. Generally, I only participate on something like this if there is actual information I want to gather. Otherwise, I don’t enjoy causing pain.

I go down to the cells, and put him sitting down on a table, his fingers extended, his hand tied against the table. I order all the guards out, just my torturer stays. He is also a healer, something very useful in these situations.

I sit down across the table, he has a blind fold on. He is screaming.

“I am Lucius von Rackentoff! I demand justice! I am a noble! I have rights! You can’t “

I slap him across the face, hard.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, MORON!”

He gives a pained sound, and stops screaming a while. I take his blindfold off. I look at the piece of shit, and stab him in his left hand. He screams. I twist the knife. He screams some more. I take out the knife, and I have the torturer heal him. He now looks a little tired from the pain.

“Now, let’s start. I don’t know if you are the luckiest or the unluckiest person in the empire. You don’t have the smallest inkling on what you messed with, right?”

“WAIT! PLEASE! I will tell you everything. I can give you good intelligence.”

I laugh.

“Sure, go ahead.”

“There is an adventurer operating as a spy! I can give you his name.”

“Who, Richard? He is down the hall. Do you want to shout to him? Who do you think delivered you?”

“Wait! I have something way more important. I know of a demon among us! She is probably a spy.”

I laugh even harder. At least seeing the little shit squirm is being fun.

“How long have you known about her?”

“She has been in the Command school for a whole period, dean.”

I turn to the torturer.

“Trival, should I get Siratra in a cell as well?”

He shrugs. I look at him, and I remember how people that Marcelo brought in behaved. Lucius is now pale, he is seeing just how down in the barrel he is.

“Wait! There are things that she told me! And you can’t do this, I am a noble!”

“You are a third fucking son, and you are charged with high treason. Do you really think daddy dearest is going to risk his neck for you? The emperor might even use this to get the rest of the little land you guys have not sold away yet and give it to someone else. Dead nobles don’t complain.”

“Yes, but there are things about the demon empire that are happening right now.”

Now I am just shaking my head. He still didn’t understand the situation he is in. And I am trying. I turn to Trival.

“Trival, sir Marcelo didn’t want to torture this one, he left him to us. Would you say he is lucky or unlucky?”

“I don’t know, my lord. But it is good to have someone normal I can practice a little. Last people you placed under my care were relieved on seeing me.”

He brings a bag over, and starts placing plires, needles, and some other horrid instruments on the table.

“My lord, I felt humbled after I saw the results of sir Marcelo’s work. The sheer fear in the eyes of the victims, it’s as if he tore their souls apart before sending them here. Do you remember the one that was relieved with the guillotine? And then started thrashing around when sir Marcelo got closer?”

I laugh again.

“So now you have a challenge. Do you think you can get this one to that level?”

“I don’t know, sir. I can try. Are there questions you want answered?”

The little shit starts sweating.

“This little shit could have cost your life, my life, the emperor’s life. If not for a strike of good luck, this city would have become ashes. I want him to feel the pain of death by fire of a thousand people.”

I stab his hand again, for good measure, and he screams some more. Again, the knife twisting. Now he starts crying. I take out the knife, and Trival heals him again. I clean the knife, and I hand it back to Trival.

“The only answers I want from him are screams.”

And I let Trival practice his master piece. I stand up, and after sometime hearing the cries, I go up. As I leave the stairs and close the door behind me, my butler handles me a summons, by the emperor. Fuck, Anthon is pissed off. He is using the official seal. It is the same when I call Brutus by his whole name, he knows he fucked up. Well, I better take the arrow out of the wound in one go, it will hurt less.

I go to my room, to get dressed. Some blood had spilt on my shirt. I meet Addrianna, and she notices my somber face.

“What happened, dear?”

I show her the summons. She looks at the very formal text, with Anthon’s signature.

“Is this serious?”

“Yes, very serious.”

“Are we going to be ok?”

“Probably. I am already dealing with the problem.”

I change my shirt, and I say nothing more. There is no objective way she can help right now. I kiss her forehead, and I leave towards my neighbor, the emperor.

When I arrive there, I am escorted by two high level guards, and I am made to wait two steps behind his study’s door. A maid then comes over and knocks gently. She is shaking, but she opens a little bit of the door, and puts her head inside.

“Your highness, the duke is here.”

“Good. Send him in.”

I have never seen his close help so scared of his reactions. And we have always been really close. I enter the room, and I see that there are some shards of glass around, where the drinking cabinet used to be. Papers are on the floor, chairs against the wall, some of then broken. Anthon’s frame is disheveled. There is a bottle of liquor near him on the table. He puts his hands together, and lays his chin on top of them.

“Good evening. Sit.” He barks to me.

I look around and get the closest chair, against the shelves, and bring it to the front of the table, and sit. I can understand why his servants were scared.

“How fucking bad is it?”

“We are handling the plebeian Ilisius ¹legendary prince that made the goddess of the red moon fall for him, and then abused her power in their mithology, he is charged with high treason. I am having my fun with him as we speak.”

“Do you think he leaked anything?”

“No. He would have leaked to Richard, but he never did.”

“How is Marcelo’s humor?”

“I have only observed from a distance, when he went out with his wives to walk around town. He seemed a little sad, the girls were pampering him.”

He pulls back in the chair, and looks out the window. There is a clear sky, with the three moons already in the sky. I start to relax a little as well. In a sudden movement, he turns around, and slams his hand on the table, with all his strength. The table cracks, but stays up.

“ONE FUCKING JOB! YOU HAD ONE FUCKING JOB, AND IT WAS TO PREVENT THE FUCKING SNEEZE. AND YOU LET MORONS STICK A FEATHER IN HIS FUCKING NOSE!”

I have never seen him like this. His anger is generally contained. This is not just anger, but probably something more as well. Nobody likes being scolded, but Anthon is right. And I keep my mouth shut, I look at the floor to avoid eye contact. He is my cousin, but he still is the emperor. He could have my head on a platter, but I have never been afraid that it could happen. Before now.

“There is a story, that a cat and a dog decide to wake up a dragon that was sleeping. Do you know how you tell them apart?”

I do know the story, but I don’t want to open my mouth, so I shake my head slowly.

“You don’t, piles of ashes are all the same. AND YOU FUCKING DID NOT PAY ATTENTION TO THEM!” He slaps the table again, that ends up broken in two.

I let Anthon lay down his frustration, letting it out is going to be better than trying to explain anything. I am thinking of visiting Lucius again, perhaps Trival’s work will sooth me a little bit.

***

Rajesh’s POV

I am waiting for Sidhu. I sent a very new recruit, one that didn’t know him much yet, to summon him. I tried finding some that would not be a follower of the Great Adventurer, but that was easier said than done. And I am on the clock here.

As soon as I left Aisha’s lap, I decided to follow her advise to the letter. She is right, it is best if Sidhu hears about the whole thing from me.

I finally see them coming, both running. The soldier, because I told him to hurry. And Sidhu, because I told the soldier to relay the information that it was urgent, and related to Marcelo. Sidhu is actually pushing the guard forward.

We start walking towards the cells. All guards salute, and more than half of them do a deep military salute to Sidhu. He salutes back. I can feel a drop of sweat in the back of my head. We go down the corridors, towards the holding cells. When we get to the ante-chamber, right before the cells themselves, I see the three guards there. There are two protection guards, and one that holds the keys. I turn to the one that holds the keys.

“YOU. ATTENTION!”

He immediately straightens up. I continue barking orders, to make sure he obeys.

“UNLOCK THE DOOR TO THE CELLS.”

He does that, and starts opening the door for us as well, when I hold it.

“GO TO THE ARENA! NOW!”

He is going to reach for his pocket, to take the keys out, but I slap on his face.

“GO TO THE FUCKING ARENA! NOW! OR I WILL HAVE YOUR FUCKING HEAD!”

He bulges his eyes, but starts running. The other two guards are looking at me.

“YOU TWO! OUT!”

They leave quickly, they realize that things are not looking good. Before opening the door, I turn to Sidhu.

“Please, try to keep a cool head. I myself had trouble doing that.”

We enter the room, and Sidhu sees Siratra in the cell. She is sitting on the floor, hugging her knees. She lifts her head and sees Sidhu and me. Her face is swollen from crying. Sidhu looks at me, with an inquisitive face.

“What do you think you’re doing? Release her at once!”

I sigh, and Siratra stands up, and holds the bars when she hears that.

“THANK YOU! I knew that someone would finally see things my way.”

Sidhu turns to Siratra.

“What happened, child?”

She starts crying.

“It wasn’t my intention to fall in love. But he gave me his attention. He listened. He asked me about my life, how I grew from a little girl to a researcher. He wanted to know everything about me! What stuff I had worked in before, what I talked about. He cared for me. He heard about my life, about my accomplishments. Even about my work, even about the details around me. He cared! He knew I am a demoness, and enjoyed my real appearance when we were alone! Marcelo promised me he would let me go if I asked!”

I can see the cogs turning inside Sidhu’s brain. The mana inside his body starts to rise. Siratra feels there is something wrong, and takes two steps back. The air around Sidhu gets thicker, he swallows a little bit as a whole. Next thing I know, I there is this big sound of something slamming against the mithril bars that we use for high level prisioners. Sidhu’s face is distorted with rage.

“YOUFUCKINGBITCH!!! I AM GOING TO GET SKIN YOU AND FEED PIGS!!!”

Siratra gets further back, and falls on her butt. I get a little worried, I see that two of the bars actually bend a little bit. Not nearly enough for Sidhu to go through, but right now Siratra would probably prefer being that distance from a Fenrir than Sidhu. Sidhu is shaking the bars, he is berserk trying to reach Siratra. He is roaring like an enraged beast. I think he is getting bigger.

Siratra passed out. I don’t know if Sidhu wanted to or not, but his growl now is a very strong war cry. The door to the antechamber is rattling with the banging and the mana powered shouts. I have never seen Sidhu like this. I don’t think that anyone alive has ever seen Sidhu like this. He spends his anger, while I get closer to the exit, just in case.

Sidhu starts to calm down, but I can still feel the hot air around him. He turns to me.

“Why is “ he gestures towards her, as if she were just something disgusting “ still alive?”

A drop of sweat falls from the side of my head. There is still mana in Sidhu’s voice. I know that even I should not poke him right now. I am going with the only thing that is not going to get me shredded to pieces right now.

“Marcelo asked.”

“What?”

I put my hands up, in a calming gesture.

“He arrived, he told me that she wanted her freedom, the court slaver is called, he fixes her slave mark, and them Marcelo tells me that he doesn’t want me enacting revenge on his behalf. He drops 3 gold coins, one to pay the slaver, and two to give her, so that she could re-start her life, and then he leaves.

“At least now she just confessed to leaking secrets to a foreign spy… And that’s why she is still alive.”

Sidhu set’s his hair back, as it was when he arrived, and sets his shirt back to straight.

“I have to digest this. Excuse me.”

He doesn’t wait for my answer, he turns around and leaves. I look at the results. Siratra is passed out, a couple bars a slightly bent to the sides. I haven’t lost arm or leg. I am very happy with the results. I should probably get a present to Aisha later.

I go to the ante-chamber, and I see the two guards standing there. They salute me.

“You two, toilet cleaning duty for six months, and pray I don’t change my mind. Now go to the arena, and call the key keeper.”