“I see I like it.” Kaarthen sobbed quietly, and turned away. Internally the Goddess was weeping over his story. It seemed mostly sad for taking so long to come to him, and it was greatly conflicted over admitting its presence.
“I’m really glad you like it. I feel it is for you. I thought you would perhaps enjoy it.” Marcos said looking on the painting and smiling.
A pregnant pause hung and Kaarthen froze suddenly, with every sense on full alert. Her mind replayed every time he looked at her or she felt his gaze, every word shared or its tone.
“Does he know?” They both thought together.
“Come on, this place isn’t a temple. I want to show you a few other pieces.” Marcos said internalizing the tension. The Goddess had never had an aspect for guile or subterfuge. Giving him a companion who was identical to her aspect was more than sheer vanity. The Goddess likely wanted a reminder nearby.
The repository of statues and paintings ended with two short stairs leading down. A flat area with metal carriages that looked heavy and solid arrayed in neat rows. They seemed ready to pour out some door and have free reign on the countryside.
As they walked in an old man was sitting on a bulky metal carriage smoking a pipe.
“Welcome back. I see you found a woman.” Said the obviously blind man. He hoped off the carriage.
“Yes, it was a long trip or a short one depending on things. You have kept the place well in shape.” Marcos said looking thing over. He seemed to take pride in the metal carriages. “We’ll be going upstairs and returning shortly. I’ll need my Title box if you please.” He added after rubbing a carriage.
The old man had perked at the mention of ‘upstairs’, but went wordlessly to the shadows and returned silently with a black footlocker three and a half feet wide and two deep. He placed it before them and backed away to the metal carriage to resume his smoking.
Marcos opened it. Inside was a gleaming gauntlet. It lay at the bottom edge it was an open frame with three struts coming down the upper forearm to the articulated wrist, hand, and finger sections. The fingers had tiny sharp claws and all joints were spun out of the way to not be visible or covered in flaps. The underside had three buttonholes across the wrist; behind the holes, the forearm was plated to the elbow. Just past the elbow, a framed semicircle plate had a silver crown on the seat of a throne with sun-like rays along the edge of the semicircle.
“Wow! Is that gold?” Kaarthen asked wide-eyed.
“Yes, but it’s only plated in certain parts. You’ll soon see all army officers have one of these. The Royal family has gold. I am among other things the chief patron of the Royal family. This country was founded by me but I don’t waste all my energy running it.”
“So the king just does what he wants and you wear this?” Kaarthen asked
“Kind of like that. First, you must know there are a king and queen. The King is the Immortal Crown of Menthino. He is also the lead general and I am the chief. He is required on the field for any campaign. I raise and train all eligible men for the crown. I also crown them. And, despite clear instructions I have eight times so far had to kill them.” Said Marcos. He placed the gauntlet on, pulled out individual straightened wires, and bound parts that came together along the bottom. He pulled out another robe and a behind the back crossed sword holster
“The Queen is the Noble Sister of the Eternal throne of Casspil. Despite what that sounds like, she really just does ceremonies to the Goddess. In state affairs, she usually handles trade and diplomatic functions. In war, her powers are nearly nullified. The King handles the Court and tasks military preparedness but cannot invade until that happens. Technically, the Queen is sovereign of the eastern portion of Menthino into Alcanton. That land was part of Casspil, but Alcanton was never developed. It is an entangling mess every time it’s attacked. Since it cannot be held, I integrated the two royals. The Queen is by now, not even remotely related to the King. They are however, intentionally raised as if they are brother and sister. Upon the coming of age of the future Queen, I take the girl on a secret journey through the lands of Alcanton. It’s one of the last times usually they ever leave the capital until they are crowned in Dar Delis. After that, most queens never get to leave Menthino.”
Marcos had finished dressing. He wore a traditional hooded black robe that ended below his knees, and was split in the back up the middle. Two blades were crossed behind him and poke out slits below his elbow. Both were single edged and full-length. One was a Menthino straight sword of black steel. The other was a slightly curved specialty sword.
The robe tucked into the elbow subtly accentuating the gauntlet. The swords, when drawn, slid cleanly and the sheaths tipped up through the split in his robe.
“Well let’s see what changed upstairs.” Marcos said now fully dressed. Turning to the back, he opened an armoire, walked into it, and gestured for Kaarthen to follow. Incredulous, she got in too and was surprised by a jolt and the armoire started to elevate. A few moments later, they stepped out into a mostly empty interior of the building above.
“So this is the mine?”
“Yes the city boils the rock dust and it releases stuff that can be burned which then boils more water. All that comes from another much larger mine, this is a tunnel. Here? Could you sit here please?” Marcos said, indicating to Kaarthen a contraption with a chair seat and a bar for her feet to rest. She was confused looking at it even the wheels had spindly lines going everywhere.
“This is interesting, those crafts outside were a lot louder,” Kaarthen said, noting the ride was smooth and quiet.
“That’s because this one uses a lubricated chain, and has tires softened for durability.”
“So what’s up ahead?” Kaarthen said trying to take her mind off the weird flying sensation. She felt kind of sick with the odd sensation and could feel herself getting dizzy.
“A weapons storage and recovery vault holding some of the most powerful weapons of the last six cycles. Some were forbidden even then.” Marcos said pulling up to the end of the giant tunnel.
A steel door stood at the end next to a mammoth set of double doors. Marcos opened it with a key from his gauntlet.
“I’m showing you this in hope that if the Goddess knows something I don’t or something happens to me you can get here and fight it out.”
“What could happen?”
“Whatever happens?” Marcos answered cryptically.
Marcos opened the door. Inside a vast workshop was laid out with various weapons and oddities in various states of assembly. The room had a hundred foot ceiling and extended for almost half a mile back into the mountain.
A man came up wearing goggles that magnified his eyes making his pupils take up the whole lens. He stopped a few feet away and addressed them.
“Hello sir! Back already I see! We have done marvelous things since your last visit and we’re ready for the test!”
Quickly he hurried them to another room and set about bustling and clearing a spot on the floor for them to stand. The room was not wide but long and narrow. On the far wall, a platform like a bed stuck out and tarp covered a large round cylinder underneath. To either side of the platform holes were cut into the walls large enough for the bed sized platform to side through. The cylinder continued through the holes, but was exposed at either end.
“I thought this room would be perfect for the test. Let me just take the tarp off…Now as you can see this is a large cylinder dart. Its full length is twenty-six feet but as you instructed sir, we removed what you called the ‘warhead’. We analyzed and studied the propulsion end and found that this was made to go to only one place when it was made. We figured political tensions must have been high to create and keep a weapon facing one city. We also recovered from the ‘silo’ as you called it, references to Astrokos, with world maps of incredible detail. Two computers were recovered and we are using a decryption computer to understand the language.” The man finished proudly.
“I see, Ham this is my Companion Kaarthen. From now on, if you see her or she needs help be sure to do what she asks.” Marcos said gesturing. “I’m glad things are going well, I was down stairs and saw everything was clean tidy and nothing had rust. I know it’s hard to keep things out their ready.” Marcos clapped him on the back.
“Be sure to enjoy your companions too once in a while.” Marcos said turning to leave.
“Sir! You don’t want to test it?” Ham implored.
“We can’t test it in here Ham”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes Ham, it will get very hot and likely suffocate us. Please return it, and concentrate on the ‘warhead'”
Marcos left Ham in the room and Kaarthen followed him back into the large workshop. They walked past dozens of men and women busily staring and attending to the parts and pieces before them.
Walking to the far end of the cavernous room he finally reached another door. He walked in and Kaarthen found that there were several buildings inside the cavernous room. They had a lived in look with clothes hanging on strings. Several women wearing colorful robes were working gathering water, or in fields of green under bright lights. The front building was a grey stone though it was smooth and seamless. It was five stories and was forty yards wide with double doors in the center. It had several balconies along the front with tapestries hanging. Several more structures that were similar were behind it in lengthwise rows.
Marcos walked into the open doors at the center of the building in front. Kaarthen realized that the center area was open all the way up like a small internal courtyard. Four floors of apartments had open areas to look down on them. They went through a sturdy gate and took tight zigzagging stairs to the third floor. Marcos opened the gate and inside was a large open square area. It had a square hole going down to the entranceway with railings around the sides. At every corner were doors and directly opposite the stairway was a balcony.
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