There wasn't much else to say in his opinion... about his old life. He gave it his all.
Life brought moments, and sometimes it didn't work out. For him, it had not. Transmigration was a wonderful thing, Mike was still in pain when he first arrived but as time passed the damage had gone. He worked his legs and moved his back.. his mobility was fixed. All of that was before Mike and the Poocha girls had even left for Goger City.
Now that Mike was able to actually provide some effect to his surroundings, rather than to just be a fly on the wall, he had decided it was time he re-evaluate, as planned.
The Throne room was full of vitality, the plants were getting tall, tall enough to send into flower.
It was late, Vella and Pilor had disappeared to do their own things.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
Mike hovered in the air flapping occasionally with his wings. The speed his body naturally fell was fairly slow in comparison to what he remembered but there was a sense of pride in his eyes. As far as he could see, there were hills and creeks.
It reminded him of home, it reminded him of Texas.
When he landed, Vella was insistent on following beside him. His only objection was that she had to find a suitable replacement. "Your Majesty, What are your plans?"
"You've done a great job of the City, The girls are doing okay but there is a lingering feeling I can't shake. I've got some plans but I can't be bothered to take care of the Casino, the City and everyone else while I do these things. I need their help but as to my being at their disposal, I just can't.." Mike stroked his chin. There were still a few rocks with his subordinates laying behind the house, the weather would not affect them. "I think its time we awaken one of the others, perhaps they can be of use in the future. The problem is, I can't allow them to go on a rampage. You have said it yourself, that you were created as a means to conquer, a weapon, my right hand." Mike flew closer to Vella and landed.
"Yes, Master, I have said as much." Vella knelt respectfully on the back end of the Castle Wall, a wind swept by and her hair fluttered, giving her an appeal he couldn't resist.
Mike grabbed Vella's shoulders and embraced her tightly. "I will count on you in the future, if we are to venture through all of this together, it may get dirty..." Whispering softly in her ear, Vella's cheek turned a different color, she took it differently
"For now." Mike raised his hands and sent out a vines the the fields just outside the walls. Trees became uprooted and with his hand, he cleared away the bark. Holding them with the vines midair, Mike split them and then split them again.
Long posts were stacked and Mike flew off the Tower. "I will return, you settle things here, then come find me. I am not advocating this land, I intend to expand our territory greatly."
"With sticks?" Vella had a question that didn't seem to reach Mike's ears as he flew away. 'What a stubborn reaction.' Humphing, she turned away and went to the Casino.
"Rissa." Vella called out. "From now on, you're in charge. Mona has gone off to do her own thing."
"Huh? What? What's going on?" Rissa was confused. 'What is it now?'
"Master is leaving soon, I'm making preparations. There won't be a sendoff, we're not going forever. Relax." Vella could see Rissa starting to panic and calmed her down.
Vella looked into Rissa's eyes, a mesmerizing effect took place.
'Charm' She used her ability and told Rissa her new duties.
"I'm sorry, Sister, but this is for the best." Vella quickly ran to the backyard and dug around, revealing the many soldiers that had once stood beside her in a previous life.
On one side, she placed the ones that were larger and then lined them up according to size. Fifteen large rocks, about the size of Vella, stood in a row along the fenceline. "This will do."
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
There was a crashing of trees in the woods and a roar.
Many beasts were fleeing the area and Mike was tearing up the landscape. Plowing with the vines, he cleared the forest of trees and even their roots. The lumber was sorted, cut down, to posts and an area about the size of the City itself gradually became a barren, dry hill.
"This will do." Mike flew in a line and laid out the posts, driving them into the soil rather than digging holes. When the line of posts were completed, he used the vines themselves as a fence lining. The fencing project was such a success, he decided to do one better and turned all the soil, removing the many rocks. A central channel was dug in the middle for irrigation when Mike finally stopped.
The suns were coming down again and the City was glowing in the distance. 'Time flies way too fast.'
Mike put his wings away.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
There in the Casino, Vella stood waiting for the next shift to come in. They handed over the rake and a group of merchants came through the door.
"You own this place?" A voice came from near the door, a Man, a human, was standing in the doorway.
"You.. You're human, Where did you come from?" Vella was direct and approached with swagger.
The merchant seemed like he was about to laugh but he nodded. "What, you've never seen a human? You know baby.. once you go black, you never go back." He liked the way that Vella presented herself, she was assertive and provocative. All eyes were on her as she moved, like a trophy to end all affairs.
"Hmmph. Sweet words but the answer is complicated. I've only met a Human once, he built this establishment and owns the City." Vella had no reason to hide anything, it wasn't a secret. Mike had even been searching for remnants of his people since his arrival. "Though, If you believe it extends some courtesy toward you simply for your race, you're sadly mistaken." Vella let her power seep into the air around her and the Casino fell silent.
Usually when things like this happened, Vella would lose her control, destroy a third of the Casino while killing the offender with one of the most embarrassing deaths at her disposal at the time.
Vella was unkind to those that showed her a lack of respect.
"Oh?!" The merchant was intrigued. 'Man, This bitch is bad.' He smiled and nodded gently to her. "So then, where can I get a drink?"
Vella tilted her head toward a waitress and she came up.
'Beastgirls, nice...' The merchant winked and the Waitress led him to a table.
So many new arrivals in the Casino made the place feel foreign and without Mike dealing cards or being the host, it just didn't feel like the Casino that Vella was invested in. Instead, it seemed like a great place to send those she met in the future. A place of respite. Vella sighed inside and her composure didn't change in the slightest. She thought about the others who had been waiting this whole time, what would she tell them.
As the Merchant sat down his eyes were trained on Vella's body. 'Bitch is bad.' the thought sprang into his head again, "So What do you have to drink? Don't tell me its more wine?" His tone turned sour at the sounding of wine.
"We do have some wines but we make lots of teas, something called Whiskey, we also have Evercu, eva..everclehara. Its quite strong, its even hard to pronounce." Daliawn was feathered partly, a trait of her Avian Heritage, pronouncing certain words were difficult.
The Merchant sounded off, laughing. "Great, That's Great! Hey boys! They have Moonshine!"
Vella's ears perked up.
Five more shadowy figures stepped into the doorway after paying the entrance fee. "What's that? Hell yeah, I'm so sick of the wine."
"Is there something wrong with wine?" Another customer, who was currently opening a bottle, asked.
"Nah, not really. But when its all you've had to drink for four months, you get really tired of it." When he finished speaking, one of his cohorts slapped his knuckles against his chest.
"Shut it. We're not in our territory, don't talk about business with outsiders." The voice came from the Head merchant, the large black man at the center of their group.
"Boss, this is a card house. A fucking Casino. Look, they play with gold." One of the men started to laugh a little.
"Gold is a decent currency, what's wrong with it?" Vella seemed like her limit had been reached and she came up to the group. "I realize you just ordered your drinks but if you can't keep disrespect out of our doors, then you can be out of our doors as well." she took a posture that caught the rest of the employees attentions, none of them dared to stop what they were doing. It was Vella's long standing order that the employees not interfere if at all possible, they never know who could end up losing in a battle where magic takes place.
The group in front of her was spilling out magical aura, it threatened Vella and everyone present if things got out of control indoors.
"Chill. Doxaya, sit the fuck down and stop talkin shit, you do it all the fuckin time and everyone's getting sick of it. You're such a downer." The Head Merchant chided Doxaya and had him take a seat.
"{Perhaps I can be of service.}" A voice that transcended the regular range of audio frequencies came out from over the stage.
A girl, clad in armor started to twist and a musical cue began to play in the back. She stamped her foot as the beat began to play on the radio. It was slow at first and as she flicked the sides of her hip toward her shoulder, the scales on the armor would shift, revealing a gentle skin below. A bass line dropped and an EDM mix played while she began to dance on the stage, slowly pulling her armor away and revealing a dress beneath.
The song played on for a moment and she caressed her body. The drums beat faster and turned to a pinging. Her body moved faster and snaked along with the music, all eyes were on the stage as the song increased its tempo. With another bass kick and moment of pause, she lowered her body toward the stage and seduced the audience.
"THIS IS FUCKING GREAT!" The group of merchants jumped out of their seats and cheered.
"I can't believe a place like this exists here, its like I've finally made it to civilization! WHOO!" The drinks arrived after Vella nodded to the waitress, they stared at the glasses, small Texas symbols were burned into the glass.
None of them paid much attention to the branding, only the clear liquid inside but the more they looked around, the more decoration they saw.
"Boss. This place. Its like someone built their own version of Vegas. I thought this was just a bar." The music played a melody from a ballad and the EDM mix that was playing, switched to Rap.
It was in English.
"I know this song." Some of them started to chant the lyrics and get very drunk.
'you how to grow trees... mother$##k the police. .... If ya'll don't like me, you can blow me.' As the chant went out all of them stared at each other and had strange recollections in their eyes.
"This place takes me back. Way back. I miss my Sister, she didn't make the trip." Their conversation got serious, they downed the round of shots and then an aroma that brought them to tears wafted across the room.
One of the customers was smoking a finely rolled joint.
As they saw the sparking ignition of the paper, all of them had their mind blown. One thing that had not appeared in the Zao Empire was Cannabis.
After asking where the man had gotten it from, like a pack of starving dogs, they searched for the Waitress.
"Where, Where can we get some Herb. I'll trade, here you like gold.. how much do you want?" He started producing metals, bars of gold littered the floor. It just kept arriving, the pile was growing and spoiling the atmosphere.
"Vella!" Kozli called out for Vella and within a moment, she had returned.
"Can't I get a moment to do my own thing? What now? Did they grab you or something?" Vella's temper was reaching an all time high, she was stressed and it was showing.
"Chill girlie, we just wanna know where to find some smoke. We saw someone light up in the corner and asked where he got it from. You want gold for trade? I'll buy whatever you have right now." he pointed toward the gold, "You want more?" The Merchant kept producing the gold until the floor cracked under the weight.
"Okay, you can stop with the gold. This will more than suffice, we won't be accepting gold as a currency tomorrow. There is already a plan in place, oddly, if this were to ever happen. We suspected it was possible but never had verification. As such, I will escort you to our VIP room." Vella led them away as some Liquid Legends played in the background, the staff collected the pile of gold in the lobby and began regular business.
Vella sat them down and handed them a menu. It was a wooden tablet, only nine items were listed.
"Swanky." One of the Merchants spoke aloud and admired the curtains. "So, what's so VIP About this place?" Before he could finish, a parade of women walked through the doorway. Each dress scantily and some more provocative than others.
"These are our hostesses who were awaiting the next shift. They will entertain you, however, nothing occurs without their consent." A Giant ducked through the doorway and stood at guard. "This guy will be your security, no one will bother you. Our hostesses can fulfill your orders, however, since you've produced this gold and payment through magical sources, this is a one time transaction. Next time it will be a more precious metal and our rates will adjust according to the estimated value and time used to create them.."
'This woman really looks ahead, can't get nothing over on her.' "My name is.." He started to speak but she had disappeared behind the curtain. 'Dayum. That's harsh.'
Reading the Tablet in his hands, he trembled. 'Con..concentrates.' "Boys. Stop what you're doin. So, we're suppose to be on a journey to get rare herbs and shit right, trading and what not? This place has got legit products. Look at this." He pointed to the tablet and started to read the items off.
"Edibles, freshly baked, extremely potent, made with concentrates, 50gp. Tea, 5g per cup. Healing salve... 500g an ounce, concentrates... 1000g per gram, dry herb ...500g per ounce. Cannabis Potion.. 1500g, Infused Lunch (daily house specials, no custom orders) 2000g per plate." As he finished, he neatly ordered one of everything on the menu for his six associates.
"This... Very well, however, our Owner has expressed a choice to meet you. If you like, he will be in shortly." Raurta bowed gently, exposing her backside to the others and forcing them all into a frenzy.
"Hey, You all knock it off or I'll send you back to the ship and keep all this for myself." The head merchant sat in his chair and smiled at the girls who were all staring at him, he was after all, in charge.
"Then, I will inform him of your decision to accept?" Raurta asked before turning to leave. When he nodded, she stepped out of the doorway and went to find Mike.
Mike was sitting in his office, he had to draw up some plans on paper otherwise he would forget them.
He saw the look in Raurta's eyes, relief.
"Suffocating?" Mike asked, he was about to meet the first group of Humans since his arrival in the world, he was a bit excited and a bit distracted, so, he probed Raurta for information.
"No, Sir. They actually remind me of you, a bit. They keep their eyes trained on the girls." She smiled and bounced to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you for this job, its much nicer than the fish cutters at the dock."
Mike shrugged it off, Raurta had already shown interest in joining the harem but Vella was the deciding factor. "No problem."
Passing the end of the hall, Mike looked in the mirror and saw himself. His appearance didn't match his mental image. It bothered him a little but there was little he could do. The scales on his face were fine and thin enough to go unnoticed without inspection but the color of his skin had turned a deep shade of purple and black. 'I need a new name, Mike isn't the name of a Titan.'
Passing through the curtain, he saw a group of six men, lounging on the couches and circling around a dab rig that he had made. Mike experimented a lot with the materials of the world and found that some were more practical to use, the glass used for the rig was rather thick but shatter proof after molding and forming. "Greetings, Earthlings.." Mike's first words were about their consumption, it made them all giggle.
"My name is Texas Mike." when the words came out of his mouth, he almost felt embarassed until the group cheered.
"Well, Texas Mike, this place you have... its fuckin slammin." He made a gesture like pumping the floor, "that number on the stage from earlier.. hoooo, what a kick in the pants." He was crass but it was a welcome attitude, someone who talked to Mike like a person instead of a King, closer to an equal. "Anyways, my name is Habrick, these are my fellow Merchant Mages. We found this place by chance, when we asked where the Bar was, they sent us here. Are there really no bars here?"
"All public drinking is done at the Casino, that way its kept off the roadside. Homeless are given jobs depending on their skills, its all strictly above board. I was told you paid with gold. You can produce gold right? Show me." Mike ignited his fingertip and pointed it toward the bucket to heat the Dab rig.
Using his other hand, he pulled out a bowl with a few ounces of concentrate that brought a smothering aroma to the room. It was so densely wafting through the room that the Guard began to fall asleep.
Mike took a small tool and collected a small strand, then dropped it into the heated cauldron. The medicinal effects of the smoke cleared up a scar on Habrick's hand and Mike inhaled deeply.
'Just the second hand smoke does this?' Habrick checked his eyes and re-examined the scar on his hand that was disappearing. 'Wow, this is very effective medicine.' "Hey bruh, how much to buy more of this stuff?" He started pouring out bars of gold, another pile appeared.