"Turn right here. Left there. Ah, go straight here for a while."
Mori directed Claire as she drove her carriage through the darkened alleyways.
'Wow.... the city.... it's like everything is made of brass and bronze... all the cities in this world are so unique. The slime village was like a native tribe.... the lizardmen village was like a colonial outpost... the birdmen village was like a massive treehouse.... and the fishmen village was like an underwater paradise. And now, we have a steampunk industrial city! They're all so different in technology and culture!'
Claire couldn't help but think back on all the different places she had visited.
Even remembering all the chaos, she couldn't help but smile.
'This world.... this life.... it isn't so bad.'
'Maybe if that man didn't exist. But he does. You can't forget about him.'
'Yeah....'
As if she was shown a photograph in her mind, her own dead body flashed before her eyes.
A brutal picture of a 10 year old Claire. Her innards smashed in, blood covering her mouth and body where she had been hit. Her eyes were devoid of life.
"Agh!"
Claire held her head as if in agony.
"Is something wrong?", Lisa asked, concerned. "You don't look so good."
Claire looked around, remembering where she was, and quickly gave a fake smile.
"Ah! Yeah! I'm sorry, I guess I just drifted off. I can be kinda ditzy sometimes like that. I should focus on the driving!"
Claire then looked straight forward, focusing on the road, but there was a sadness in her eyes.
One which she would never be able to forget.
'So long as I exist, I will always be reminding you, Claire. Even though we have been separated, we are one. I am you, and you will never be a perfect being. You will always have at least one corrupted piece holding you back from true salvation. Your anger towards that man cannot be stuffed out so easily.'
----
Soon, the group came upon a building which looked like a massive piece of work.
Tubing and pipes seemed to wrap around the building. Valves, gears, barometers, and all sorts of gadgets made up every square inch of the massive facility.
The most prominent feature though, was the massive circular exhaust which was billowing out massive amounts of smog that was as thick as tar, which floated up into the air.
'Ehh.... so that's why the skies are completely covered.....'
"This is the one and only factory which the rats have control over.", Mori explained while looking down and to the side. "My grandfather is probably up in his office on the top floor. I'll introduce you to him, but it's your job to convince him to listen to your demands. I can't guarantee you anything."
Claire gave Mori a confident smile before jumping down from the carriage.
"Just leave it to me! This is my own duty, and I'll take care of it!"
The other two came down gently, never having rode in a vehicle before.
"This thing sure is interesting. You can get places without having to walk yourself, and it's pulled by these strange monsters. I've heard of some people trying to create machines to get places recently, but not like this."
"Those are horses! They're not monsters.... as far as I know. They're just animals."
"Hmm.... do you think they would make good pets?", Mori questioned as he petted the head of one of the horses, who seemed to give him an evil glare.
"You can't have one. You're too irresponsible for something like that.", Lisa snapped.
Claire laughed and the three entered the factory. The entrance was relatively grand, and as Claire walked through it she could hear the sound of gas traveling through the pipes around her.
As the doors opened, they revealed a clockwork nightmare.
Engines sputtered, gears churned, conveyor belts spun, and workers covered in grease seemed to be working hard.
There were massive vats of molten fluid which was being poured into molds of cheese, and then processed later along the line.
Coming out of the bottom of the vats, connected through pipes, was a tarlike residue.
This was a common practice in industry. Using heat to separate layers of pure product and waste products. The tar flowed out of the bottom through pipes into the other rooms, where it was likely being disposed of.
'This is actually really cool!!', Claire thought as her and Mori looked like they were about to run off, exploring- however the hard words of Lisa brought them back to reality.
"Mori's grandfather's office is up the stairway over here."
"Ehh... I wanted to show her the factory though!!"
"I wanted to see the factory!!"
"Are you here to explore or are you here for another reason?"
Claire remembered her purpose and her expression became serious.
"Ah, you're right. Sorry. I better do what needs to be done."
"Ehh.... you ruin everything, Lisa.", Mori stated.
"And you can't hold yourself back, so I have to do that for you.", she responded without a second of hesitation.
The three went up a number of flights of stairs before reaching the top floor, and after walking down the long hallway they reached the room at the end, where two ratmen in strange industrial suits were standing guard with their hands behind their backs. Both of them were wearing brown tophats and high socks which went over their pant legs.
"Mori. Sir Ramrod is quite busy right now.", one said.
"You'll have to wait a few minutes if you wish to speak with him.", the other replied in sync.
"Has the young lad gotten into trouble again, Lisa?", the first one asked.
"That must be the case. Why else would the two be here?", the second stated.
"But who is the strange person with them then?"
"Perhaps the one who the young lad offended?"
"Ah, that must be it."
"Your grandfather worries greatly about you, Mori. You should really stop doing things on your own."
"Alright alright I get it!! You guys are really invasive on my personal business, aren't you!? And you're wrong about this woman! We've brought her here because she wanted to speak with my grandfather. I didn't do anything wrong!!"
"Except try to kidnap her and use her for negotiations.", Lisa commented.
"Mori, your grandfather is sure to be disappointed in you.", the first man said while closing his eyes.
"Absolutely. How many times has he told you that curiosity is a bad thing, and will only get you killed?", the second followed.
"Ahh be quiet!! I've brought this woman as a friend, so you all have no right to tell me what to do."
"Childish as always, Mori.", the two stated unanimously as they straightened their postures.
Claire, Mori, and Lisa then sat on a bench, waiting patiently to speak with Mori's grandfather.
"I just want to help the people. My grandfather should know this. Every time I do something, it's because were fighting a losing battle. He knows how suffocating things are getting, and that we're on our last ropes. I know that he's just worried for me, but we can't just sit around doing nothing.", Mori whispered.
Claire put her hand on his head.
"Don't worry. I'm sure that things will get better soon."
Mori looked up to her.
"Are you really so confident that you can fix things when you don't even have a plan?"
Claire smiled.
"Well.... I have a backup plan that I don't want to rely on, but even in the worst case scenario, I'm sure me and my comrades will be able to figure things out. You know, one of my comrades is always planning things. He runs all these simulations in his head, and it's almost like he can predict the future. And then there's another one who has intuition that's so good it's crazy. She knows before she does anything whether the outcome will be good or bad, and stays away from the things that will end badly. You know, compared to them.... I guess I'm just kinda mediocre...."
"Are you kidding me?", Mori asked. "You chase us to death in those alleyways, with skills I've never seen before, scare us half to death, and then call yourself mediocre? You're anything but that. If not anything else, you're extremely strange."
"Yes. Very strange.", Lisa added. "However, I don't think that's a bad thing. At least you're not as much of a reckless idiot as this one over here. You at least seem to understand your own limitations."
"Oi, cut me some slack will you?"
Lisa snickered at Mori's torment, and the three, who were sitting on a bench, saw as the door to the office opened.
A couple of serious ratmen walked out. Their grave faces spoke of the predicament they were in, and they made a slight glance over to the group sitting before continuing through the hall.
'Uwah... such a tense atmosphere.... I guess there really are a lot of problems in this city...', Claire thought.
The three got up and made their way into the office.
Inside was an older ratman who wore a tophat, a monocle, and had a cane at his side. He sat in a chair behind his desk, and had a grave look on his face just like the others.
He spoke in a grizzled tone, and Claire could sense that he wanted to roll his eyes.
"What was it this time, Lisa? I'm very sorry that you have to watch over my grandson all the time. In these trying times, it's just too dangerous to be out and about adventuring or causing trouble."
"Ah, well actually your grandson thought it was a good idea to try and kidnap a strange person off the street. Of course, I stopped him, but we then had a.... chat with the strange person, and she seemed to want to meet up with you."
"Oi!! You didn't have to tell him about that!", Mori said.
His grandfather looked at him with squinted eyes.
"Mori, you need to stop this nonsense. I understand that you're trying to help us, but you're sticking your head out far too much. We're in the middle of a war here. If you keep doing stuff like this, you're bound to become a target. Do you know how many men lost their lives fighting today? 30. I just received a report that 30 men are dead, and we're losing the battle on the front lines against the ferrets. If they keep on moving in on us, we might even lose this factory as well. So I'm telling you- stop this immediately. I don't have time to deal with your games, and if you lose your life, I won't even have the time to mourn you."
The man threw his cane down to the side, before looking up to Claire.
"So? What is it? You wanted to speak to me? What are you supposed to be, an angel? Come to save us from this fight? No, that can't be right. Angels don't exist. I don't know what you are, but you're probably here to fight us as well, maybe make some demands of us? Well lemme tell you something. I ain't got shit. I'm giving everything just to hold onto this one little lifeline that I have, so if you want to take even more from us, then you might as well just kill us all off here and now. At least I wouldn't have to worry any more."
Claire, who had been playfully chatting with the two just before, became deathly serious as this old man went off on her.
She could tell by his words and his tone that he sincerely cared about his people, and that even though he seemed infuriated, that he wasn't trying to be rude.
He was just angry with life.
Claire understood this.
She too was angry with Oscar.
She understood what it meant to lose something.
"I'm not here to take anything. I'm here to offer you something. I want to help you. But I don't just want to help you. I want to help everyone. I want to stop the fighting in this city. And I need your help to do this. I understand that you are suspicious of me. Who wouldn't be? But I want you to understand that I'm not here to hurt you or your people."
"Yeah yeah, is that all you came here to say? Pff. What a load. So what do you want? Just spit it out already."
Claire stood firm, not flinching from the man's rude tone.
"I am the Determined. I want you to form a treaty with the other two factions and stop this fighting."
The man wrinkled his brows before turning to the side in his rolling chair, grabbing a hankerchief and wiping off his monocle.
"Heh heh... hahaha.... hahaha.... you crack me up, woman. You think something as flimsy as a peace treaty could stop the fight for survival? Are you trying to be some sort of angelic savior? I'm not buying it. I have men fighting right now, giving their lives so we can produce enough food for our young, and yet you have the gall to come in here and ask me to stop fighting? I'll tell you something. You convince those ferrets to hand over a factory. Then I'll sign this peace treaty. But let me give you some advice- if you go in there and just ask them to hand em over, you got another thing coming to you."
The man snorted loudly, clearly voicing his disgust.
"And even if by some miracle you convince them to hand a factory over on a silver platter, if you think that they won't try and take it back the second they give it up, you're wrong. This city will always be engulfed in fighting, no matter which way you cut it. There simply isn't enough to go around. I suggest you go back whatever paradise you came from before you end up with a bullet in your head."
Claire continued to take the onslaught, but didn't so much as flinch.
"There's a way to stop the fighting in this city. So long as there is conflict, there is a cause. So long as there is a cause, there is room for pardon and negotiation. Fine then. I accept your terms. I'll get them to hand over a factory to you, and you will cease fighting. As a matter of fact, I personally will take it upon myself to prevent further fighting from occurring once this treaty has been made and signed by the three faction leaders in this city. I will enforce it, and anyone who breaks this treaty will break the law which I have set down."
The man glanced up in surprise as Claire made this bold statement.
"You.... you think that you can just stop the fighting in this city? I don't even know who you are. You just came in here, and you're clearly not from here. Do you even understand how things work here? The three factions have been fighting for years now. There are grudges that go back entire generations. Do you think you can so easily control everyone, and get them to throw out those grudges!?"
The man slammed his fist on his desk as he shouted before collecting himself and looking up with anger.
"I won't do anything to stop you, but I think you're in over your head. Mori. Lisa. I want you two to stay away from this woman. She's only going to rile up chaos."
Mori and Lisa weren't even given the time to answer before Claire spoke up.
"I will not give up on the people of this city."
Her eyes were filled with determination.
"I will find every last person and show them that there is something greater than their grudges. That there is something greater than their hatred. That there is something greater than their history. I don't care how long it takes, how much work I will have to put in, how many hearts I will have to change. I will do it. And I will figure it out without killing anyone."
The old man sat back in his chair, feeling around for a cigar. He opened the box, took one out, and then started to reach into his pocket for a lighter.
"Ah, let me get that for you.", Claire said forcefully, while still maintaining her glare.
She reached out her demonic hand towards the cigar, and touched it with one fingernail.
[Set condition. Lit]
A flame formed on the cigar, and the man looked at it in shock, staring back and forth between the cigar and the demonic hand which Claire had used to set the condition.
"Wha.... how did you.... you didn't even use a lighter.... was that magic?"
"Magic? No, nothing like that. All I did was redetermine the state of reality. I told you before, didn't I? I am the Determined."
Claire made her way out of the room, not looking back at the man, but as she was walking out, she stopped.
"History? Grudges? Do you think that all these things have been set in stone? That no matter what you do, the fighting will never stop? I'll show you then. If something is undetermined, I will determine it. And if something has been set in stone, I will redetermine it."
With that, Claire shut the door to the office, leaving Mori and Lisa there with the older man, who slowly took a puff of his cigar.
'What the hell..... just who on earth was that? An angel? A demon? Bah! Either way, she's all talk. Whatever she did with my cigar, it was just some party trick. If you could change an entire city so easily, then it would have been done years ago'
The old man looked at his grandson.
'Sigh.... I wanted to create a world where he would be able to go outside without any fear, but it looks like the ferrets aren't going to let that happen. Every day the front lines move closer to us. Maybe it's time to forget about our grudges as she said and team up with the gerbils.... but I don't think that woman will change anything the way she goes about it. Going around and forcing people to sign a peace treaty? Ha! She doesn't have the power to back up her words. Even if she does hold some strange power, she'll probably find herself in a ditch with a few bullets or crossbow bolts in her back soon.'
"Mori, I want you to head home, and stay there. Take Lisa home first, and don't you dare leave the house. Things are getting too crazy. If I catch even a whisper that you've gone off on your own again, I will personally send some men to restrain you."
"I understand, grandfather....", Mori responded, biting his lip. "I sincerely thought that we could use her for negotiation though at first. I don't think she's a bad person though! She chased us down, but she would have killed us if she wanted to!"
"I don't know about that. She had a real demonic face when she was chasing us.", Lisa noted.
"But you saw how she was just now!! You can't tell me that she's a bad person."
"That I won't deny. She was just a weirdo. Nothing more, nothing less. Your grandfather is right though. Perhaps we shouldn't get involved with her. It's too dangerous."
Mori looked down sadly.
"Alright. Here, I'll walk you home. Let's go. Grandfather, I won't go out again. I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble."
"Just get out of here. If you need to, take the men stationed outside my office."
"No, we'll be fine. I shouldn't bother your men just to get home."
The old man took a puff from his cigar as he sat back in his chair.
"Ah, is that so?"
With that, the two exited the room, leaving the older ratman alone.
'I guess I should head over to talk to the gerbils myself. After all, they wouldn't agree at all if I just sent some subordinate off to do my work for me. Especially not with that leader of theirs. A real piece of work, that one...'