Vella introduced the New Recruits who had been living in the house adjacent to the Casino one at a time. They were all quite lovely and so many. Mike counted 10 but right after he finished two more came out of the woodwork to introduce themselves. Mike was a little surprised, but very interested in how they did it. Their answer was that they could always do it. He was sure that it was some sort of ability her race had, he thought about her charm ability and many things clicked. Because he didn't need to actually work the Casino Tables, Mike decided it was a good chance to get familiar with the books and magic.
He still had a goal, it had changed a bit, admittedly. Mike had wanted freedom to grow, medicate and be left alone by people who didn't want to interact with him specifically. His family was terribly important but he had been gone for so long that they likely believed him dead. What he really wanted, was to be live as a NEET. He had an enormous amount of power as compared to before, but with this new life, he had choices. Adventure, danger, excitement.. he had already experienced the women.
Greed seemed to have started to sow into his mind for a moment and he snapped out of it. 'Don't project.. don't project.' Mike calmed himself down and thought about it a long time, what could he have even done back on Earth besides help his mother? If he had even a shred of the power he had at present, back on Earth, Mike would be hunted or have people constantly trying to assassinate him or he would be forced into becoming the next dictator by the public.
A so-called 'Titan', he was no longer human. Mike had to start thinking that way but if he gave up his idea about his original self, he would more or less have died entirely. There were only memories that remained, giving him his personality. Refusing to give up, Mike laughed and introduced himself to the staff when they opened. He had a lot of exploring to do in the City and the Girls has something to occupy their interests.
'I need to find Vella' Mike looked around and couldn't find Vella after their morning rush. Reaching out his senses, he found her. She was in the Castle Interrogating a prisoner. The dungeon was not so deep that evaded his senses. 'This feeling..'
Mike wasn't sure what she was doing but he had told her not to harm others without great reason. He also didn't want to interrupt her, however he had to pay close attention to the details.
One of the dragoons saw him mid flight, and flew alongside Mike. After mounting it, he sat and observed. 'Vella is in the Dungeon along several guards to block the door.' He could hear her.
"Tell me, who's been paying you? This is your last chance." A loud popping noise could be heard. Vella started to close her hand, one finger at a time.
"Three"
"Two"
"One!" Vella crushed the man's shoulder through his armor and his left arm dangled like a pinched sausage.
The Haatshar Guard screamed in agony and the extraction of information wasn't done. Vella pulled at his arm, it tore away with a gentle tug. Then, she began beating him with it.
When the Guard finally finished speaking, he had admitted to trying to take what wasn't his. Vella tore some flesh from the mangled arm and forced it into the mans mouth for a gag. Tufts of hair made it particularly hard to swallow.
Mike watched for a little bit to make sure she wasn't overstepping the rules he had set in place. He was surprised to find her using such a method but he couldn't impose a strong set of limitations on her. It was a necessary tactic that others would find extremely amusing to discuss, Torture that has a limit isn't Torture at all.
He knew that she could hear him if he spoke, it was likely that she had known of his arrival even as he sat hovering in the air nearby. "Vella, I wanted to see what else the city has to offer after your remodel." Mike spoke in a not so loud voice that seemed to carry its way to her ear. She stopped what she was doing, then turned to face him through the dirt and stone.
Mike could feel the room and every drop of blood that fell to the floor with his senses.
Vella turned to walk out of the dungeon and into a hall where she could speak more freely. "We have a few new foods and a lot of our warehouses are full of trade goods. Afterward, the Des'ule Ambassadors made it a point to share the details of what had happened with their countries. During the last month, More and more ships had been arriving and exchanging goods in the City. I had Harry collecting money but he had to have someone do math, so the Girls arranged one of the new newbies to do the collections with him. The arrangement was a good one, they didn't have much problems after the first few days of renting out space." Vella gave her detailed analysis and then turned to the dungeon. "I have matters that need attending, my Lord."
Mike turned to leave, he went to check on his Giant. Harry was patrolling the Docks and talking to captains about their cargo, occasionally the Casino would just buy the complete contents. That was how they funded a lot of the civics they were promoting. Among Herbs, Captains had all sorts of things in their spacial rings, bracelets and even ships. The transportation of goods and people were completely different than Earth, it was easy to move people with enough supplies. The terrifying part was when they were on the water, ships would come into contact with Pirates, Otera and Sea Monsters.
Winds were easy enough to supply on occasion with magic but a long and sustained sail would take multiple people in regular rotations. Magicians were not few in number on the ships, never few in number. Lone Practitioners would more times than not, end up as the snack of some Beast or sport for Thieves and Killers.
Vella had stationed an Armed group of soldiers and city guards at the convergence point of the docks but it didn't have much protection from magic. However, at the point where magic is used to attack, the City and everyone inside would know something was going on. Attack was from sea was even more unlikely, the City's Exterior Gates were a much better target.
The Casino had also stationed their own employees at the many gates to measure the flow of traffic and trade, payments would be collected and business was actually running smoothly. It only helped to steele Mike's resolve, there was a change that had to happen on a large scale.
Even though his body had been destroyed, his very essence deleted. He retained his memories, hopes, dreams, desires and aspirations. Mike wanted to be a Pot farmer, a NEET who passed his time in self indulgence with a perpetual income. He was grateful for the rake that he got from the Casino earnings each day but that wouldn't last forever. Someone was bound to compete in a nearby city or find a way to cheat, possibly rob him for his treasures.
Never the less, hospitality seemed to be spreading across the City, most shopkeepers had smiles on their faces with the increase of traffic while boats arrived daily. The basic merchandise in the City had made it shine as one of the biggest rising trade hubs of the seaboard, the girls had spent a lot of the Casino's income, buying the many cargoes from passing ships. They would have to expand its port to include more slots for shipping, the waterfront was becoming a high traffic, high population area.
Guards checked the loads that crews unloaded constantly and Harry eventually stuck to collections from new arrivals as an acting Port Manager. Ginger, his assistant, would handle all the business for him while he stood guard. The Pair of them were somewhat comical but extremely efficient.
It left Mike feeling a bit left out, everyone seemed to be doing so well.
There were still a few more stops along his tour and a ship bearing the crest of Poocha's Neighbor, the Kreson Kingdom had decided to make a stop in the port. They hadn't been to the city in about two years, its new found size had them wondering if they were lost at first. When they saw familiar ships in what use to be Gogor, they were surprised and angry, then relieved and marveled at its appearance.
The City was clean, very clean. The White paint across its rooftops served to create the image of a giant nautical star that clung to the landscape and tiered toward the streets.
The Chapter of the Kreson Army that had made its deployment came onto the docks demanding to use them for service and pushing people into the water. The Kreson Officers in charge were whipping the port employees to make way for his soldiers. "MOVE OR DIE PEASANTS!" Another crack of his whip came down toward one of the women who were taking inventory.
Harry wasn't interested in what they were planning, or what they were doing. Vella had laid down instructions on how to deal with people who don't even seek a solution before they start attacking. Harry stopped in front of the parade of soldiers and halted their advance. The Captain was particularly hateful of other beings, when Harry stopped them, he immediately unsheathed his weapon and went for the throat.
Harry had been kicked around by Vella a few times for not being fast enough and knew his own strength. He yanked a lamp post off the side of the dock and swung it to push the soldiers into the water. The sweeping motion was wide and full of openings, the Captain kept his momentum until he was a breath away from cutting Harry's head from his humongous frame.
A rush of fire swept from the sky, Mike landed the Dragoon on the Docks while the Captain was distracted and had Harry pull back with the Clerk.
"Lonestar City isn't your territory, you disrupted trade. You will pay for all damages. Stow your weapon and I'll allow you to choose, blood or repair bills.. which one do you want? Either way, I will have my grievances cleared." Mike was itching for a fight, he had almost lost his big friend.
The Captain stared intently at Mike's eyes as they flickered from color to color. "What and Whom are you? What has happened to Gogor and where is the City Lord?"
Mike watched the Captain eagerly. With a slow voice he said, "Stow your weapon."
Then, he pointed up.
The Captain saw the rest of the Dragoons hovering quietly about 60 feet above them, in an instant they could cut the ship to shreds and strand the fighters on the Docks. It would turn into a kill-box and the Captain knew it.
He sighed heavily and sheathed his Sword, "Explain." The Kreson Captain had but one more word.
"The previous Lord attempted to seize assets without representation, he was mistaken as a rude guest by some foreign diplomats and was killed during his failed attempts at subjugation." Mike smiled and froze the water around the boat with the Frost Cannon.
"Y-you..." The Captain was going to go all in but Mike quickly stopped him with a single word.
"Come.." Mike turned and walked toward the Castle, he paused for a moment waiting for the Captain to follow.
During the walk he explained a few things about the changes to the City, including its name. After hearing it all, the Captain was disappointed. He felt that as a military force, one must use its power to crush those who would challenge authority. Mike was merely holding a City, his fiefdom was but a speck on the map. It irritated the Captain a bit that he had to posture to a foreigner, a lesser being in the eyes of his compatriots.
"Make no mistake, If you intend harm to this City, we can easily manage the situation. Harry is for appearances, you were lucky I came along and not ... well, you'll see the point eventually." Mike stopped in the street and faced the Captain. He hadn't allowed his guards to come along so it was just the two of them. "No bullshit, No lies. I don't have the patience for either. This City will not kneel or accept subjugation from anyone, its people and its riches are not trophies to be collected. If you want to trade blows, or trade goods we will attend you."
Mike turned and met up with Vella. She could see the frozen ship, it would remain frozen until Mike personally released it. The Ice had completely surrounded it and pinned it to the inlet's floor. The water beat across its bow from time to time, spraying the icy water into the air.
The Kreson Captain made a sneering gesture when he looked back at his men getting out of the water. He felt that, as a Captain, the Port Master would just roll over and accept his boot to lick but what he found was different. Pride, while a key component to what he saw in the people of Lonestar City, was not the full explanation.
Mike showed the Captain what real power looked like when he opened the door to the Casino.
The Mp3 player had become a center of attention and there was always someone dancing or singing along. 32 Card tables made up the bottom floor and it tiered into a triangle shape at the top to help blend into the natural embossed pattern from the City's layout. There was even a bath house on the northwestern side next to the Tea Stand.
Innovation in his new world had taken off but trading in materials was the primary source of revenue outside of the Casino. Recently, lots of gold was arriving from other nations. Herbs, fish and other materials became sold out. There was some speculation that a Gold Mine had been discovered locally but rumors were not credible.
The Kreson Captain had a dry look on his face when Mike handed him a stack of Gold Coins without prior discussion and pointed toward the gaming tables.
"Go try your luck, If you feel this place is somewhere your soldiers won't make problems I will release your vessel and allow them into port. I will return in 30 minutes to check on you." Mike placed a small sand hourglass on the table and left.
The hourglass was just shock and awe, Mike thought inwardly as he left. 'I don't give a shit about some asshole that wants to ruff up my people for doing their jobs. Lets see what you're up to..' Mike jumped onto his Dragoon and flew back to port. When he arrived he touched the top of the boat and sank his spiritual sense into it. He couldn't manipulate its spacial cargo but he could feel it and the occupants.
'73 inside, 25 outside plus the Captain' Mike noticed cannon mounts on the structure. The Cannons were in storage to save space and weight, Mike wasn't blind.
They flew back to the Castle to inform Vella about the Ship but she seemed disinterested and really wanted to do something else besides managing the City.
To her, it was quite boring.
The Kreson Captain looked around and noticed that Mike wasn't coming back right away. Wondering why he decided to leave him alone for some time, he only felt that someone was watching him closely. Other than that, the Captain found his visit pretty calming. A very welcome and great contrast to the confines of the ship.
The Captain entered the Casino, and found a waitress. A few minutes later, he was sitting at a table asking how to play the game. The Casino had won all the money back before his thirty minutes of play were up. He wouldn't accept that he had lost and pulled out his own money and began to bet, when that ran dry, he used his sword as collateral. After losing his sword, he knew he had screwed up.
"When is Mike returning, this device has stopped moving." Watching the final grains like a boiling pot of water, the Captain asked the Dealer.
"The Boss is in a meeting, he'll be back when he said he would." The Dealer cleared the cards and asked if he wanted to play again. The Captain could only refuse and get up for another player. He watched as the next hand won big for the man who had taken his place and regretted at his decision. He could have won big if he had only bet more, however he had lost it all already and had nothing more to lose that belonged to him.
Returning full clothed seemed like a Victory, the more he thought about his predicament, the more embarrassed he seemed. He did have more items for battle, more weapons and gold but those were his Kingdoms.. he had just lost most of his personal financial wealth in a single evening.
Waiting for Mike to return, the Captain saw some people drinking tea in a foggy room. Entering, he saw a stick burning that gave off a sweet smell, it calmed the nerves. Mike had made use of his extract in a strange way.
The medicinal efficacy was just too great. Cannabis already had the effect of absorbing its surrounding nutrients and materials, whatever was in its reach, eventually made its way into the plant itself. If it was grown on polluted land the land, the land itself would even regain some viability, the pollutants would become the food for the plant. The Seeds that had come with Mike had been absorbing the natural magic in the soil and air, in turn, raising its potency to fantastic and unbelievable heights.
"What is this.." The Kreson Captain took a deep breath and felt himself slow down a bit. It was alarming for him and he shouted to the man in the room, demanding to know what was going on.
It didn't work, his voice trailed off and he sat down, dazed. The waitress brought over some water and put it in front of him before quickly leaving the room.
The Incense stick was only holding a pinhead of the resin, its effects were as light as it was going to be. It was also why it was just an incense stick, rather than an essential oil heater over a candle, to extend how long it took to release. The girls were happy to see someone hit the Kreson's snooze button, the Captain was starting to become a menace, they even considered ejecting him but Mike had brought him personally.
"Mike should already be here... I wonder where he's at." Gillian and Reeba were new hires that were living in the house with the Poocha Troop, they were dealing with new customers before they both looked into the distance and saw the Dragoons dive bomb toward an incoming ship.
Reeba shouted toward the guards outside and they looked at what she was seeing and rushed while yelling. "ALARM!, Alert the Castle!"
Vella wasn't deaf. She immediately heard the booming from the Marina walls. A Swooshing sound nearly deafened everyone and a large explosion came from one of the vessels.