The Sonic Shield around the city that kept the insects out suddenly took a sharp change. A mushroom cloud that came from a pylon located near a guard station broke the concentration of all those around.
The stars across the evening sky were the only other light. Dark, sinister cackling could be heard from time to time passing through the barrier. Prince Troeg was on the rooftop of the Castle with the Defense Shield, When the time came he and the other Elders would focus their power in a rotation to maintain the city's inner perimeter from damage.
The Prince had sent a squad of guards to the Lab to assist Mike, and although he had been sulking earlier it was only because he was enjoying the company of a strong minded woman. The servants and even the Queen herself had rarely spoken to him clearly or without reserve. When Cara arrived, she was polite and quiet. It wasn't until after he asked several questions concerning her allegiances did she profess about her feelings for Mike.
The words that came out of her mouth left Prince Troeg feeling a bit shortsighted and sorry for asking.
"Prepare to deploy the Shield!" One of the guards could see the approaching force.
The Defense Shield was a one way shield, It kept things out. That left the prince and guards able to set up a defensible position and drive their attackers away. If they didn't have one, their only option would be a direct confrontation.
"They are coming!"
Prince Troeg warned the others as he watched the incoming. When they were close to the Castle, he turned toward the formation and closed his eyes.
"NOW!"
The group of attackers were surprised to find themselves under an oppressive push back. The defense Shield was able to repel everything, magic, arrows, swords, and fists. Prince Troeg had to depend on his guards to do the work while they concentrated on maintaining the barrier.
"AHHH!" The screams were from the attackers, thwarted and their assault was returned in kind.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
Mike saw the scene outside of the Lab the moment it came into view, the Horizon was ablaze. Rushing to a nearby shelter, Mike put the girls somewhere safe. They could probably defend themselves if they were left alone, but If they were with the reinforcements it was possible they could be caught in the crossfire.
Keeping their safety in mind, Mike retrieved the Sap Crystal and passed it to Cara.
"Hold this. Use it if you have to, but most of all you need to stay safe." Mike looked the girls over.
"Stay here." asking the others directly, he pulled his homemade Frost Cannon from the storage ring.
The hill was pretty easy to hide on, there were a lot of bushes and the evening sky was lit by fire. Most eyes were on the fire and trying to melt the ice that was blocking the door. Mike was wondering why it was still up, but didn't care at the moment. The oils they had thrown on the wall where the ice was, had rolled down and destroyed the yard.
Mike got as close as he could and found some cover behind the Dragoons the Knights rode to the Laboratory. They were still startled by his approach, but they didn't attack him. They could see he was about to hunt the people their riders were killed by. Mike motioned for the Dragoons to lay down and snuck by quietly.
When the Dragoons saw him creeping they were all a bit excited and crawled alongside him. When one the Guards that had fallen was being paraded around like a trophy, the Dragoon that belonged to him lost its control. Its rage was immense as it lunged at the Poocha resident among the rioters.
Tearing the Arms of the Man from their socket, The Dragoon threw them into the dirt and crushed the man's head inside its mouth.
Alarming sounds from the others blared as they watched the Dragoon go balls deep on the man's face pierced through the night. The crushing sounds had several of them pissing where they stood. Despite killing a guard, none of them had considered being something's lunch.
Mike appeared right behind the Dragoon and started firing the Frost Cannon. Its spray rushed out for nearly 35 feet and anything caught in its blast was instantly frozen, cracked and crumbled under the pressure, then broke to a thousand pieces. Mike cleared the floor after the Dragoons were satisfied, the few that remained sniffed Mike with intensity and followed him to his next target.
"O_o! Okay." Mike wasn't looking for his own mount, but those would definitely do the trick.
Mounting the larger of the Dragoons Mike flew into the Sky. He aimed the Frost Cannon and in a matter of minutes the remaining attackers outside the lab had been eliminated, frozen or otherwise.
Mike needed to get into the lab and see what was missing. He saw a ladder used to scale the walls and landed on the roof. Rushing down the stairs he could hear the Dragoons following him and crashing against the walls behind him.
When mike saw the inside of the Lab he was disheartened, The grow had been raided and whatever they couldn't take with them was smashed.
"FUCK!"
Mike was pissed and he ran back to the roof.
Re-mounting his Dragoon, Mike flew back to the house he left the girls in. When he saw them, they rushed up.
"Why do you have Dragoons?" The girls hadn't been on one before. Mike told them to get on and follow him.
Rising into the air he told them what was going on. "Search the area, yell out when you find them, alert everyone." Mike took off at high speed in another direction.
The girls were a bit lost on what to do, but all of them split up into a different direction. Each took a Dragoon and flew into the darkness looking for a running thief or a force.
Mike and the girls looked for the entire night but nothing was found. When they returned to the Lab Prince Troeg was standing outside of it with his guard contingent.
"I'm glad to see you're alive, and with our Royal Dragoons.." Prince Troeg was wondering how the attackers managed to take the Dragoons, they themselves were quite proud and never allowed themselves to be captured.
"Yes.. they insisted on following me." Mike said it outright, It left Prince Troeg and the other guards at a loss.
"All of them?" Again, Prince Troeg asked but Mike could only shrug.
"Your Majesty, The Lab was raided. The plants that we had just started and the entire interior of the Lab will be of little use, they've destroyed everything." Mike was preparing to be scolded by the Prince but then he remembered.
"I do have more seeds put away that were for the next harvest, however we if cannot produce more seeds there won't be a Cannabis Industry, let alone plants."
"Jodi, March. You two go get the seed packs I had you stash. Take the Dragoon with you, they will protect you."
Mike nodded to the girls and they rushed off for a few minutes before they returned with the seeds in hand. 'that wasn't far away, how safe could it be'
"Very good." Prince Troeg looked like a sigh of relief had made it across his face and then he continued speaking.
"We can send out scouts and spies to our likely suspects and discover where they have hidden the plants, We cannot allow the enemy to take control of this as well." Prince Troeg felt like he had a good point, but Mike had a better idea.
"Fuck those guys. Desperate little shits will probably kill the plant in transit and transplant. What I'm worried about are 'your plans.' I've been pretty patient, understanding and forthcoming with you and yet you kept my woman at the palace when you knew I would come to find her. And then, while I'm gone the Lab gets raided. I'm not suggesting you're to blame, but the coincidence is just too damned uncanny. Plus, We have more seeds." Mike took the seeds from March and Jodi. Kissing them on the cheek, he turned to pass the seeds to the prince.
"Take them." Mike looked at the girls as if to tell them to be quiet.
Mike was pissed off, he had considered wiping this smug Prince out. He had just allowed or contributed to the loss of everything Mike had worked for over the past few months.
"You keep them, have your 'Elders' Figure out how to grow. Your enemies have my notes, my materials and now they have my plants." Mike looked Prince Troeg in the eyes directly, pulled his frost cannon out of storage and stood with pride.
"We're leaving." Mike got back on the Dragoon, he motioned to the girls to do the same.
"Since you haven't paid me yet, only built the building.. I'll take these Dragoons as payment."
"You and I... Are done." Scolding the prince once again before he left to the skies with the girls, Mike felt like a King.
He hadn't even waited for the Prince to say another word, he had just left.
Just like that, The Kingdom had lost its Alchemist.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
Flying through the night, Mike and the girls headed to a Cave locals would spend the night at when hunting for food after dark. There wasn't a lot of room, but the Dragoons piled up near the cave entrance and the Girls slept on top of Mike.
The Sun rose and the sounds of birds signaled everyone to rise. The Dragoons let themselves out to piss while the girls did the same. Mike laid there trying to figure out what he had to do for a moment and then joined them.
He had two spacial rings, his truck, all the supplies that were all somewhat rightfully his and his girls. Mike pulled the Radio out and put it on one the spare Dragoons. They only needed 6, but for whatever reason the entire squadron of Dragoons had decided to follow Mike.
Cranking the Radio, 'Motorhead' was playing. Mike hadn't heard his radio much and it was a welcome reprieve from the worries of flight. They traveled to the next town and bought some water, meat and clothes. The Girls had abandoned their things, as usual, in the rooms at the lab.
"Okay. Until we get more of them, you're all going to have to share." Mike passed the Spacial Ring to Cara. She had spent the most time pining after him anyway, the others didn't even frown for long.
When they saw the ring on her finger they were all excited and got back onto the Dragoons.
The mounts were scaring the locals. Usually the only reason someone would see a Dragoon would be if the Royal Family had sent out enforcers or guards. With a running start, Mike and the girls flew onto the next few towns until they reached a large span of water. Mike flew in circles to rise higher, but the higher he went, the more tired the Dragoon was getting. Looking out over the water, Mike couldn't see the edge and assumed it must be the Ocean.
On their descent, Mike linked back up with the girls and they headed to a town just up the shoreline.
"A Port!" Mike yelled out and had the girls follow him.
Mike led the group to the port city, The guards posted outside noticed their arrival and stood at attention. Mike felt like he was given a lot of leeway just because of the mounts and pulled out the emblem that Troeg had given him.
'what use is this piece of shit?' Mike was just about to chuck it when the Guard flinched.
"A-Alchemist!", shrieking from fear the guard was startled.
"Sir, We will have someone escort you to the lords manor, This way please." Moving slowly and then quickly afterward, the Guard escorted the group on the ground to the Lord Manor.
"Lord Ferare is inside. I will leave you for the attendants." Making sure to get away as fast as possible, the man literally broke into a sprint.
"Mike?" Mona called out.
"What's up?" Mike was curious what she thought, there was the chance that more crap could happen if they went somewhere and were recognized as an alchemist again.
"Should we be trying this again so soon? I think we should wait a bit." Mike wondered for a while and then looked at his storage to check his currency.
They did have enough gold to do whatever they wanted for some time, but it would only be a matter of time before funding would run short.
"Then lets not even go inside, lets just go." Mike said with a smile and boarded his mount.
The Girls were use to being on their own, So mike was okay with roughing it for a few days and then coming to a stop.
Leaving the Manor, they were taking off and one of the attendants came running.
"We have a message from the Prince!" The attendant cried out.
Mike was already in the air but came back briefly to ask what the business was. Taking out the Frost Cannon he looked at the Attendant and back at the door.
"What is the message?" He asked.
The attendant's hands were shaking as he handed to message to Mike and pulled back to wait for his response.
"Is this really a message from Prince Troeg?" Mike was confused, the wording was all wrong.
"Yes, Riders went throughout the night to all the cities with the same message." The Attendant pulled back again, sure that Mike would last out at him if he didn't like the message.
Cara and Jodi were quick to ask with a teasing tone, "What does it say!"
"It says 'Thank you. Keep the Emblem and Dragoons with you, they will help you greatly. I was not involved.' and then at the bottom it has a name. Goger City." Mike wasn't sure where Goger City was, but if the Prince really isn't pissed that he left then perhaps it would be a good place to start looking for something else to do besides fly.
"Where is Goger City?" Mike asked the attendant and watched him run off.
Mike dismounted, the fear of attack was over but he left the Frost Cannon in his hand.
An Elderly man returned with a map and passed it over.
"This is a map of the area, When you see that nephew of mine again ask him why he hasn't come to see me." Turning to leave the old man shook his head in agitation and disappointment. Mike sort of got what the man said. The attendant was owned by Troeg's Uncle, or Granduncle..
"It depends on what he decides, If he comes for me or comes to me.." Mike scoffed gently and re-mounted his Dragoon.
"They gave me a map, We're going to go check out Goger City. But, I don't believe anything will be safe, we're going incognito." Mike wasn't going to play into anyone's plans.
Explaining the route before they flew off, Mike showed the girls the way.
Donning some robes to hide their faces and appearance, Mike had the girls watch over the Dragoons until he could find out what was inside and waiting for them. Mike made sure to have everything he had at the ready, The 'Original' flame Crystal Powered Cannon he had made was already destroyed and disassembled. The Frost Cannon wouldn't have the same problem, but it would become increasingly cold and still had the chance to shatter.
"Halt!" A guard stopped Mike, he was abnormal looking and short. Mike didn't have a tail so the guards wanted to uncover his face.
"Sir. You need to remove your hood!" The guard wanted to get into mike's face, Mike was very disinterested in over posturing blowhards.
"Use your eyes." Mike spoke clearly and stopped the Guards dead in their tracks.
Holding the Emblem, he knew he was going to be discovered before so he kept it in his hand.
"Speak of this to no one, else I return to find you." Mike couldn't let them report his arrival, at least not right at this moment.
The streets were packed with strange beings, another port city, Goger City was bustling. Stalls had an abundance of different foods, Mike wandered around until he found a bulletin board. There was no mention of him or the girls, Mike did see an advertisement looking for an Alchemist. The paper itself looked rather worn like it had been posted for some time.
Mike saw a dress shop.
He wasn't rich, but he did have money. Getting the girls something else to wear had been on the list of To-Do's since they left the Poocha Castle.
"How much?" Mike was buying a set of the dresses, he also found a few hair pins and a brush.
The matted furs of the girls after their romp sessions made Mike think twice about a few things.
"I wonder If i can make a shower now that I can heat up the water on a whim." Mike put the thought in the back of his mind for another time and paid the Shopkeeper for the Dresses.
After a while he noticed a large open space and a few empty buildings. The guards near the castle were in pairs everywhere, There was rarely a spot where a solo guard was posted. Their counterpart was usually watching their backs.
Mike could feel the anger still welling inside of him after losing the grow, but It was only some stuff. Heading into a bar with some life in it during the Day, Mike saw many faces. They all saw him.
Asking the Bartender how to reach the owners of the nearby vacant buildings, Mike noticed the selection of Alcohol on the back wall.
"BOOZE!" Mike tossed a few gold coins on the bar, the action made everyone stop.
In Goger City, people were starving.
Mike just put a few months salary onto the bar, The bartender didn't know what he wanted.
"What do you want?" Curious, the Bartender asked with a dry tone.
"Information and how ever many bottles the rest buys me." Mike wasn't sure what the booze cost, but he really needed to know about the houses.
He could build one, but He didn't want to invest that much time on a house he might have to abandon like the lab.
"Information, about those houses?" Mike nodded after the Bartender asked his question, One of the regulars had pointed out Mike's interest in the houses when he passed him on the way inside.
"The Houses are owned by Redding. He's sitting over there in the corner, well.. Sleeping. No one's lived in those houses for years, Plague took them all." The Bartenders last statement left Mike feeling a little nervous about what to think. Mike knew how to fix the problem, he just had to get the house.
"Are you Redding?" Mike rolled Redding back onto his chair from the table and he stirred just a bit.
"Yea, what od youh whant.?" Sounding more drunk than aware, Mike worked his magic.
"I want those houses, how much." Mike was prepared to pay what was needed, He could figure out the rest when he succeeded.
"I want another Dhrink!" Mike could smell the alcohol on his breath, the man was depressed and pretty drunk.
Pulling a bottle from a crate that the bartender delivered, Mike placed it on the table.
"Even trade. Bottle for the House." Mike wasn't going to let an opportunity like this pass him up. They weren't being used and no one lived in them.
"Two...No, THREE! Bottles." Nearly falling from his chair, the Bear-looking man caught himself on the table.
"DEAL" Mike put three more bottles on the table, He gave the Bear-man another bottle despite the sale being finalized.
"Go away now... The.." Mike watched the bear fall asleep.
"He doesn't care anyway. Not for a long time." The bartender said as he looked at Mike and felt a little bad for the Old Bear-Man, he would have a hard time remembering.
Mike put another gold coin on the bar and spoke to the bartender again. "When he wakes up, tell him he sold the houses and that he's finally free to do whatever he wants."
The Girls were likely wondering where Mike was and what he was doing, So he went back out to the woods and tracked down the girls. They were sitting in a circle telling stories, Cara wasn't feeling well but that didn't stop them from trading stories and experiences from their youth.
"Hey, are you alright?" Mike's voice caught the girls off guard and the Dragoons were happy to see him.
"Yes, I'm just sick to my stomach. Lets get somewhere already" Cara replied with a moaning noise.
"We are, I just bought two houses on the far end of the city near the wall." Mike's news surprised the girls and they were equally happy about hearing it.
"House? Are we going to start another Lab?" Jodi and March both eagerly wanted to get back to work but Mike had other plans.
Shaking his head to signify no, Mike explained. "We're going to build a business, and we're not going to tell people about being alchemists or whatever. Otherwise we might have the same problems."
The girls were confused.
Mike always had something he felt like he could do, this would be no different. "We're going to open a business and the other house is for living in."
"I don't understand, but it sounds like you know what you want." Mona leaned into Mike's shoulder, she hadn't had any time alone with him yet.
"We should get to the city, put on the cloak hoods and follow me." Mike wasn't sure what would happen when he strode through the streets mounted on the Dragoons, but the Squadron wasn't leaving his side. Mike had little choice in the matter, so he let it slide.
Walking through the City was different than flying, Mike had even considered just trying to sneak the mounts in. It wasn't a great idea, If guards saw them someone would come to investigate.
Unwilling to compromise, Mike walked up to the guard outside of the gate. This time the guard said nothing. Mike wanted to keep things calm and civil, so he took another gold coin and passed it to the both of them.
The only literature mike had brought to this world was a Chevy C-10 Repair manual and a rolled up hunting magazine. When Mike saw a Book store he was a little more than thrilled. There was no such thing as Television in the new world, Mike would have to use his imagination. The group made it past the bar and to the houses before the sun was directly overhead.
The morning was gone, but tonight they wouldn't have to sleep on the ground. The doors were caked with dust and the inside was still furnished. Mike remembered the plague and had the girls step back.
Mike covered his face, confusing the girls a bit. Using the alcohol, Mike slowly started to clean off surfaces that would have been heavily touched before walking back outside to talk to the girls. He led them around back so they weren't just standing outside the house in full view of everyone.
"Cover your faces, here.. use these." Mike pulled out some clean cloth and passed it over.
"After we're done cleaning I have a surprise for you all." Mike smiled and touched Cara's butt.
Cara blushed and covered her face. Mike showed them how to wipe with alcohol and they all put serious effort into cleaning the house. A few hours later and the suns were starting to set. Mike knew it was almost time for his surprise so he went out and bought a bunch of sail canvas, a large box and a some more fresh cloth.
Mike put the large box on the ground in the backyard. The walls weren't high, but it would keep them from public view for the moment. The box was about 8ftx8ft, covering the box in a light coat of sap, Mike slowly rolled the canvas across it and pierced a hole in the side near the bottom before plugging it.
"All done" tossing his hands between themselves, Mike felt accomplished.
Waiting for a few minutes, he pulled out the water crystal and filled it up. The plug looked like it would blow, but Mike put a rock in front of it and then began heating the water till it came to steam.
The girls were pretty much done and noticed him building something in the back yard. On closer inspection they were all really confused what it was for.
"Are we going to put another garden in it?" March asked with an innocence that made Mike feel like laughing again.
"No sweetheart, this is a bath. Well, More specifically its a hot tub."
the girls were sweaty, reeked of alcohol, and their hair was a mess. Mike told them to get in and they all started to strip.
[Omitted]
"cheche-che-iiiiesh" Rissa wasn't use to warm water, when the girls bathed it was usually in the river or at home with their tongues.
"Its okay, its just warm." Mike took off his boots, stripped down and invited them all to join him.
The girls wagged their tails and slowly made it into the tub. The warm water was a welcome feeling, easing the tension they all felt from the last few days.
The Prince, The Kingdom... If they wanted to fight, they could fight among themselves, Mike wasn't their slave and Neither were the girls.
When the water started to run cold, Mike heated it up just a bit more and then showed the girls what he had bought on his earlier trip inside the city.
The clothes were sleek and loose fitting, Mona's chest almost fell out of the top she was wearing when she bent over to put on the bottoms. Jodi's dress had a slip up the side that accentuated her legs, March Jodi and Cara were all wearing slips of sheets when compared to Mona or Jodi. If they moved in the slightest, something came out to look at.
Mike felt a little awkward when he noticed the sizes were all wrong, but it was really cute watching them all pop out of the clothes at every turn.
[Omitted], [Omitted] [Omitted]
"Are you all ready for bed?" Mike kicked the plug on the tub and led the girls upstairs into the room and fell backward onto the bedding.
A bit of dust flew out, showing its lack of use.
Mike watched as the girls pulled the radio out from the ring. He had forgotten that he left it for them at the camp.
"What are you doing?" asking like he wasn't sure, Mike saw them put on a show for him.
The radio was cranked up and 'Santana - Supernatural' rang out in the night. The noise in the house brought the attention of everyone outside and in the bar.
The onlookers were extremely confused, the tones and sounds coming from the house were like nothing they had ever heard before.
Mike was enjoying the show, the girls were dancing somewhat provocatively. To the worn out country boy from Texas, it seemed more like a badly cabaret. They didn't know what they were doing but it felt good to them. When the song came to a stop, there was a lot of upset noises outside of the house.
People were standing in the street wondering if they would hear the noise again.
Mike flipped through a titles and clicked play on the next. It was equally as refreshing and classic, 'Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds' was playing. He had to stand up and look outside, when he drew the curtains away and ...
[Omitted]
"Huh." Mike laughed a bit. He had just flashed the entire square, a bit embarrassed he wondered what they were doing outside to begin with and then realized the radio was probably to blame.
Kicking it gently to end the playback, Mike dove into the eager arms of the girls.