Noruma bustled with dawn activity. Families huddled around the village square, voting with passionate voices over whether to leave for Otherrealm. Some argued they'd be "abandoning heritage." Others hissed back that staying was "asking for trouble." After a few tense hours, and about sixty attempts at compromise, they reached a final verdict: they'd all move, but insisted on two conditions. First, that Roy's new fortress city give them a walled district labeled "New Noruma" that they have some sovereignty over. Second, that said district be on some sort of beach or lagoon, so they could keep fishing traditions.
Roy, wide-eyed with relief, agreed at once. "Absolutely," he said, maybe a little too quickly. "You can fish or boat or… I don't know, kayak in the lagoon all you want. We'll build you a mini fortress right inside the fourth wall. The Triplets can't possibly mind."
Nearby, Maelara—tall, muscled, exuding stoic calm—nodded approval. "We'll hold you to that promise," she said, though the tension in her eyes eased. Roy's chest felt lighter, as if a giant fisher's net had finally slipped off his shoulders.
The next three days were a blur. Roy assigned dozens of Presidroids to assist each household. The Aunties teased him nonstop every time he popped in to help load crates or bedding.
"Tsk, tsk," Auntie Hana said, wagging a finger as Roy lifted a wicker basket of fishing rods. "Now you fancy yourself a fisher, do you?"
Roy smirked. "I can't even thread a hook, Auntie, but at least I can carry gear. Let me do this."
She cackled. "Finally you see the value in fish baskets! Where was this enthusiasm last month?"
"Running from slavers, building a fortress, the usual," he quipped, struggling to balance the lopsided basket in his arms.
Over in another alley, Eryndra supervised while Warrex, wearing a scowl as usual, toted entire cabinets on his shoulders. The villagers gawked at his half-bearfolk ears and towering physique, but Warrex didn't seem to notice. He politely accepted each new load, occasionally nodding to confirm the correct house.
In the afternoons, Roy found a chance to practice mana control with Lutrian. They set up behind the old harbor, where a patch of trampled earth offered privacy. Lutrian stood poised, arms folded.
"Your mana's huge," Lutrian said patiently, "like a mountain in a kiddie pool. But it can be controlled with the right focus."
Roy inhaled, exhaled, and let a faint swirl of shimmering aura form around his arms. "Focus… right…" He closed his eyes, trying to imagine a calm tide, only for his aura to spike unexpectedly. A miniature gust whipped the sand around them, nearly toppling a smaller Presidroid who was carting boxes. Lutrian dove forward, steadying the poor droid before it toppled.
Roy grimaced. "Gah, sorry."
"You're improving," Lutrian assured him with an encouraging nod. "At least your aura only scattered a bit of dust this time."
Takara, leaning nearby with her still-bandaged arm, piped up. "You'd do better if you thought about something happy, Roy. Or maybe imagine a puppy—"
At that moment, she slid closer to him, obviously intending some subtle flirt. "Roy," she said softly, "you remember when—"
Warrex chose that exact second to stride over and, with zero ceremony, scoop Takara up and haul her away. "You're in the way," he said.
"What the—! Warrex, put me down, jerk!" Takara's face flamed.
"You're distracting him," Warrex grunted, ignoring her flailing.
Roy, baffled, blinked after them. "Uh… was she about to say something?"
Lutrian coughed, smothering a laugh. "Maybe ask her later. Focus, Captain."
By the third morning, they were almost done. Noruma looked half-emptied: entire families loaded possessions onto the Nightshatter's cargo hold. Most shops were shuttered. Roy felt a pang of nostalgia, recalling the lively chaos that once filled these streets. But better they rebuild safely behind Otherrealm's walls than remain in harm's way.
Then, while Roy was double-checking a final cart, Eryndra stiffened at his side. "Company," she muttered, pointing to the horizon.
A contingent of roughly twenty knights marched up the coastal road. Four adventurers rode at the forefront, and behind them clattered a wagon bearing a rickety iron cage. Warrex narrowed his eyes. "Armored trouble, I'd say."
Roy's adrenaline spiked. "Serenity," he said, voice low, "send a drone overhead. If these folks come in peace, great. If not, we blast them."
Within minutes, a small drone buzzed out, broadcasting a warning from Roy. The knights didn't stop, but changed formation. Finally, they reached the battered gates of Noruma. One knight in gleaming black armor dismounted. He removed his helmet and walked forward, dropping to one knee about thirty paces from Roy.
Roy stood there flanked by Eryndra, Warrex, Takara, Lutrian, and the six Super Elite Presidroids, each wearing crisp uniforms. Several villagers lingered behind, anxious.
The kneeling knight spoke in a measured tone. "Thunder Rider, we bring you a gift as an act of contrition."
He gestured for his men to wheel the cage forward. Inside it, Roy recognized that royal official who'd once spearheaded aggression toward Noruma. The man cowered, hair disheveled, wrists shackled, sweat dripping from a bruised forehead. "So that's their scapegoat," Roy muttered under his breath.
The black-armored knight cleared his throat. "It was never the king's official order to harass your… fishing village. This traitor acted on his own. So we deliver him unto you, hoping you'll see our sincerity."
Roy frowned, crossing his arms. "Hard to believe."
At that moment, one of the adventurers, a short figure with silver hair and an oddly ancient voice, stepped forward. "You are indeed the rumored Thunder Rider, yes? The one with cannons that flatten mountains?"
Roy's aura spiked a little. Lutrian jerked Roy's sleeve, whispering fiercely, "That's Arch Mage Adagres. S-class. Possibly the strongest living mage in the Umbral Consortium's history. Do not listen to his words."
Roy's eyes narrowed. "Serenity, aim the main battery at that mage," he hissed into a handheld mic. Then, out loud, he said to the group, "I'm not here for conversation with you, Arch Mage. Do not say another word."
Adagres smirked, stepping in front of the black-armored knight. "So haughty. Let's see if—"
"Now, Serenity," Roy snarled.
A thunderous cannon blast erupted from the Nightshatter. A shell streaked across the dusty road, but mid-flight it collided with a swirling rune that formed an instant shield around Adagres. The shell hung there, spinning harmlessly.
Adagres gave a polite nod. "Is this yours?"
He flicked his wrist, reversing the shell's momentum with a violent twist. Eryndra roared, vents snapping open as she leapt forward. She snatched the shell, mildly straining under the inertia, then whirled and hurled it back at Adagres. The ground shook under the shell's impact, nearly breaking his barrier. He gritted his teeth, chanting new runes.
Just before the shell broke through, Adagres yanked it upward, channeling it into a runic wormhole. The exit rune formed ominously behind Roy. Lutrian reacted in a flash, slicing the exit rune with a single radiant swipe, causing the shell to dissolve in subspace. The knights gawked at this dizzying exchange.
Adagres, sweat beading on his brow, forced a laugh. "Impressive. I see now why they call you the Goddess of the Iron Wrath." He started layering more runes, preparing a bigger spell.
The black-armored knight swore under his breath. "We are not here to pick fights with the entire warship. Focus on your mission, Adagres! You are not to fight, even in defense."
Ignoring him, Adagres lifted a sigil-laden staff he conjured. "I'm done playing small—"
Roy grit his teeth. "Eryndra, Warrex," he hissed, but before they could attack, the knight thrust out his sword, dropped it, and bellowed, "We only came for Prince Lutrian! The king sent us here not as the King of the Umbral Consortium, but as a father!"
A hush clamped down on the space. Even Adagres paused, blinking as though remembering some bigger plan. The caged official in the wagon gave a pathetic whimper, pressing himself against the bars.
Roy's blood chilled, he grinned in fake madness. "So that's it… they want Lutrian?
In the back, Warrex growled. "No one's taking the prince anywhere."
Roy felt an old anger swirl as he slowly raised his hand to point at the knights. "Then we have a problem. Serenity, shoot them do—"
"Wait, wait!" the knight in black armor cried. "We truly are not enemies. The empire only demands the prince's return, we do not wish to fight at all!"
Roy scowled. "If you want him, come take him." He turned, giving a subtle hand signal: index and middle finger tapped. The night erupted with tracer fire from the Nightshatter's CIWS. A hail of glowing rounds smashed into the knights' formation. Adagres flung up shimmering runes around each soldier, preventing lethal penetration. Even so, the impact battered them, sending several knights sprawling with battered armor. The adventurers scrambled for cover.
Amid the crackle of gunfire, Takara found herself itching to join the fight. She hovered near Roy's side, runic gauntlets humming with pent-up mana. Up ahead, several knights stumbled under a barrage of tracer rounds from the Nightshatter's CIWS.
"Serenity, hold your fire on that group," Takara called out, stepping forward. "They don't look that tough, I've got them."
Without waiting for an answer, she sprinted into the open. A cluster of knights spotted her—one barked, "Don't let her advance!" Five of them rushed in at once. Takara inhaled, ignoring the pounding of her heart, and let her instincts take over. A half-dozen runic seals danced around her forearms, shining in faint cyan.
The knights slashed at her from multiple angles, but she ducked low, weaving between blades with a fluid grace. One knight swung a bulky sword at her ribs; she twisted away and countered with a lightning-quick elbow to his temple, dropping him flat on his back. She leapt up and kicked another knight square in the gut, the force of her blow echoing like a cannon shot. He skidded across the dirt, groaning.
"Runes, now," she murmured, tracing a quick sigil in the air. It latched onto the next knight's breastplate, a soft glow flickering over the protective barrier that Adagres had placed on them. A second later, the barrier crumbled, leaving him wide open. Takara followed with a short uppercut that snapped his head back. His armor rattled as he toppled.
A fourth knight tried tackling her from behind. She heard his armor scraping, pivoted with a neat spin, and hammered a front kick straight into his chest. He gasped, stunned by the sheer power behind her small frame. Before he could recover, she hammered her fist into his face with a runic-charged punch, leaving him in a dazed heap.
Only one remained. He approach Takara from behind and swung his sword down. Takara spun and narrowly deflected the blade as it descended with unexpected swiftness, disarming her attacker. He clenched his gauntleted fists and lunged with surprising speed. Takara batted away his first blow, but he recovered fast, swinging his left fist at her jaw. She slipped the punch, dropping low to the ground, then swept her shin inward at his leg, an inside leg kick that wrenched him off-balance.
Off to the side, Warrex halted his own fight, letting a pair of knights hack pointlessly at his mana hardened body. He watched Takara with an approving glint in his eyes. Even Roy, from a distance, saw her move like lightning.
The final knight lurched, arms flailing to keep his footing. Takara seized her opening, twisted her hips, and delivered a looping haymaker that smashed across his cheek. He tumbled sideways, hitting the ground with a harsh thud, unconscious.
Roy pumped his fist in the air, adrenaline and awe flooding his voice. "That was beautiful!" he hollered.
Takara turned, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow. "What's that? You say I'm beautiful? Aww, thanks, Roy." She winked, cheeks flushed.
Roy sputtered. "I—I meant… the technique! Never mind."
Eryndra wasted no time. She kicked off the ground, vents roaring, and singled out Adagres. "Last time you blocked me. Let's see your second act," she growled.
She blitzed forward, ramming her fist through his midsection so fast his torso parted like wet paper. The knights recoiled in horror. Adagres, unbelievably, knitted himself back together with a hiss of magic. "Brute force alone won't—"
"Shut up," Eryndra snapped. Vents lifted even further along her body as arcs of energy crackled. She readied for a second blow. "That clearly hurt you. I wonder… how many times can you resurrect before the pain makes death the better option."
All around them, chaos reigned. The black-armored knight barked orders to his men. "Do not engage the demon ship! Capture the prince only!" The knights spread, half-limping, half-battered, but clearly driven by orders. Warrex advanced on the leader, easily deflecting the man's frantic sword swing. With one pivot, Warrex slammed a knee into the knight's gut, denting his plating in.
One of the adventurers, a broad-shouldered warrior with twin axes, ran at Lutrian. Lutrian brandished a gleaming blade of light, meeting the charge mid-swing. Sparks flew as he parried blow after blow. Another adventurer fired swirling spells at Warrex, but Warrex roared back, dispelling them with brute mana.
Then, out of nowhere, a Base Model Presidroid darted across the battle, holding up a plastic-wrapped sandwich. "Captain!" it yelled, voice oddly chipper. "Your sandwich is here!"
Roy, who'd been about to coordinate another missile shot, nearly choked. "You're literally the worst timing," he groaned, ignoring the battered knights and swirling runes around them. The Presidroid stood obliviously, like a proud waiter. Roy swatted it away. "I'm in the middle of something!"
In the swirl of bullets, magic, and roars of pain, Roy decided enough was enough. "Serenity," he growled, "launch a standard missile overhead. A big 'boom' in the sky. Let me speak with them."
A fresh projectile shot skyward from the Nightshatter's deck, leaving a white-hot plume behind. Seconds later, it detonated in midair, bright as a mini-sun. The entire battlefield froze, dazzled by the flash. Roy let a thread of his mana swirl outward, gripping the attention of knights and adventurers alike.
"Stop!" he roared.
Eryndra paused with Adagres pinned beneath her foot. Adagres lay in multiple chunks, mid-regeneration, sweat pouring from his half-reformed face. The black-armored knight knelt, half-blinded, the rest of his men disarmed or on their knees. The adventurers stiffened, uncertain. Warrex watched them warily. Lutrian steadied his own breath, shifting back into a defensive stance.
Roy took a deep breath. "You can't have Lutrian. I don't want to war with your entire empire, yet, but I won't tolerate abductions or your nonsense. Now get out of here before I bury you."
The head knight tried to speak, but Roy cut him off, turning to the nearest turret camera. "Serenity," he snapped, "blind him."
The ship's laser lanced out, scorching the knight's eyes with two low powered bursts. He yelped, hands to his face. His fellow knights, horrified, scrabbled to drag him away. The adventurers, seeing how easily Roy's ship battered an entire platoon, lost their nerve. Even Adagres, reconstituted once more, let out a guttural curse. He conjured a swirling glyph at his feet, launching himself skyward.
"We're not paid enough for this," one of the other adventurers muttered, stowing his weapons. Another nodded, turning away. They fled, leaving behind battered knights who scooped up their blind commander and stumbled off, wanting no part of Roy's wrath.
The final echo of cannons died away, replaced by ragged breathing. Warrex shook gore off his boots. Takara sagged with relief, leaning on Lutrian, who was equally exhausted.
At that moment, the Base Model Presidroid reappeared, brandishing the sandwich with unwavering dedication. "Captain, your sandwich…!"
Roy, tension ebbing, took it with a weary grin. "Fine, thanks," he said. He took a huge bite. The silence of the aftermath pressed in, the knights gone, the adventurers retreated. Eryndra wiped sweat from her brow, Warrex rolled his shoulders, and Lutrian exhaled shakily.
They all turned to see the caged official the knights had left behind, the same man who once terrorized Noruma in the empire's name. He crouched, terrified, in his twisted metal prison.
Roy gestured with his half-eaten sandwich. "So, folks… do we keep him, free him, blow him up? Suggestions?"
His comedic tone fell against the hush, and nobody quite knew how to answer. All eyes focused on the trembling captive.