CLANG! CLANG! CLANK!
Sparks flew as metal collided with metal. Ivan lifted his gauntlet-covered hands to receive Ari's high kick. The spikes that adorned the soles of her steel boot stuck to the gauntlets for a second before the hands grabbed it and pulled her forward. Her gaze was solid as a fist came hurtling toward her, the wind this strike carried behind it was strong enough to send her long black hair in disarray.
She threw her unoccupied foot forward as the spikes on its soles pushed against Ivan's chest plate, the strength of her kick pushed Ivan back as she freed her restrained foot. Back at square one, Ivan charged forward as she took one step back. Seeing as how playing defensively would only give Ivan the advantage, Ari held her arms in front of her as the fingerless gloves on her hands glowed with white luster. Silver chains flew out of the red jewels imbued on the gloves' center and flew towards.
Ivan's gauntlets disappeared as his right arm shined blue, destroying all of the ten chains that threatened to tangle him. With her chains destroyed Ari saw no other option than to meet Ivan's assault head first. The earth cracked beneath them as either fighter refused to take a single step back. A few seconds later Ari bashed her head forward to meet Ivan's, whose ring glowed as his helmet appeared. Bits of metal littered the air before Ivan's left arm reassembled them back into the helmet.
Ari, in a daze, stepped back as she held her head with her right hand. Ivan showed no mercy with his fists as he sent a few punches to her gut. With the wind knocked out of her she kneeled on the ground before feeling something cold against her neck, the gauntlet Ivan had made disappear earlier reappeared on his left hand just with a sharp end on it. He laughed a bit seeing her trepidation as his left arm glowed red, the gauntlet reshaped back to its usual form, the blade at the end only being a product of his transmutation.
"Hahahah~ That's my win, Ari. The chains were a good shot but useless considering you used them at the wrong opportunity. You only got one shot, so make it count. Usually, I would reprimand the head-bashing but be sure to use it in dire situations, it's likely your opponent won't expect it."
Ari looked at the extended hand before receiving it, allowing Ivan to lift her to her feet as she pouted cutely. The green jewel imbued on her silver choker glowed green before her melodious voice was projected into the air.
"Hmph, if it wasn't for your 'Treasure Trove' you would've been in just as much of a daze as me. And if Yue-sama didn't teach you body strengthening magic beforehand you wouldn't have even been able to contend with me~" Ivan sighed as he reminisced about the sweet young girl that spoke shyly whenever she was talked to.
"Not that I have much affinity with it, and you know that so don't make up excuses. My 'magic' makes it difficult to restrain people without severely injuring them so just be glad I didn't blow your arms up or freeze your legs numb." Over these past two months, Ivan had asked Yue to teach him some magic spells that had short incantations or were internally effective.
One of which is body strengthening magic. A magic that worked by simply strengthening the whole body with mana. Its downside is that it melted through mana by the second. Effective against those who didn't expect the drastic change in strength but dangerous in more lengthy battles. In other words, it was better against one foe or you risk losing so much mana that you can't defend yourself from others.
Ivan handed over a leaf to Ari who took it and without hesitation inserted it in her mouth. It stuck out a bit as she sucked on it before letting out a comfortable sigh. Ivan did the same as he relaxed a bit. These were little things he came up with within the lab that eased tension in the body and brought energy just by sucking on them. Not as effective as stamina potions but suitable for everyday use, cheap enough too.
The two took the elevator out of the training room that was built under the garage. Powered by gravity magic the lift ascended with ease, the garage floor opening up as they popped out. They took a step forward as the scene reset itself, the garage floor returning to normal as if there were no changes.
Ivan's ring glowed as the garage door opened smoothly, the two staring at the outside scene with serene expressions. Drones littered the air with cameras facing down, all monitored by a droid in a secret room whose job was to make sure there were no trespassers on the property. As if that weren't enough the mansion was protected by a barrier designed by Ivan who had drawn four magic circles on each corner.
The red circles shimmering with complicated formations and engravings implemented from some of Oscar's books in the library. All Ivan would have to do is touch one of them and a barrier strong enough to stand against Tio's onslaught would appear. Though for how long it would stand would be according to how many mana crystals he had stored, which he was running out of. Especially after making a few droids powered by the crystals after some talks with Miledi.
A droid that cleaned, a droid that watched the cameras, a droid that patrolled the grounds along with the drones, and a droid that served as security of the shop. Ivan would have made a droid for cooking but the idea seemed to tick Yue off, as she rather enjoyed the jubilant expressions others showed when consuming her meals. As for a droid manning the shop, he felt it'd be rather rude to have customers assisted by robots.
This was why over this time he went over with Tio and Ari the rules for the shop:
ALL customers allowed
No weapons on the premise
Customers who start conflict on the premise shall be removed
Harassment of the staff is not tolerated
Prices are not up for discussions
All customers are treated equally upon entry
Very simple rules but pasted on the entrance nonetheless. Demon, Beastman, Human, he didn't care. So long as they had money anyone was allowed, barring those who think they are above any of the other customers. In which case it was up to Tio or Ari to take care of the exuberant customers. It was while coming up with these rules that Ivan came to a realization.
These features on his premise would just be surprising to the residents of this world, but what about otherworlders like him? No way they would just brush off these advancements as mere coincidental parallels to their world. Especially when the mansion was based on a modern design from a popular superhero film. Not to mention the store across from it that mimicked something found in a mall.
He shrugged his shoulders before entering the establishment after nodding towards the guard droid. While the droids possessed no will they were operated with spirit stone, the same material Miledi controlled her golems. Combined with some mana crystals and wiring they all linked up to the hidden security droid. That one security droid gave basic commands to the other droids and drones.
'If they suspect me then so be it, I got a plan anyways~' He thought to himself. The Orcus Labyrinth was a treasure trove full of useful metals and ores that'd greatly benefit him in his craft. The only problem was the monsters that littered the area. While they wouldn't be a problem to the four, neither of them wanted the duty of digging down there for potentially months. And that was assuming they used the mining machines Ivan went through the trouble of producing.
Each autonomous but once again useless as they'd be destroyed instantly by monsters beyond the 100th floor. Which means they needed protection. This would be Ivan's next course of plans as he mulled it over in his mind. His eyes drifted on the full shelves of his shop as Tio sat on the other side of the register.
Numerous travelers passed through the area barring questions but each was told to return later. The shop and mansion attracted their curiosity, as intended. And now it was finally time to open, Ivan smiled at Tio who returned it fully. Yue appeared from the back room as she joined the three. Now that all four were here together the grand opening was about to commence. Tio opened the drawer in front of her as she pulled out a black object encased in glass.
Ivan graciously accepted the device before lifting the glass cover, the red button appearing to the rest as his finger hovered over it. They all stared with excited smiles before Ivan showed a serious expression.
"You all… Today begins the first day of the rest of our lives. We are going to attract a lot of the world's attention. Greed, envy, hatred, expect it all as those who covet what we've worked hard to raise come for us like moths to a flame. Even knowing this… do you wish to proceed?"
Ivan's eyes turned to every member present as he made sure to see through their intentions. Whether it be Yue, Tio, or even Ari, all smiled brightly hearing his words. And withholding their laughter, they spoke with equal resolution.
"Fufufufu~ Don't worry about us, my master. We have all gathered here today because we believe in your decision. If you decide it's time for us to go public then so be it. Know that I, Tio Klarus, shall stand through your decision to the end." Tio spoke with a tone rather fitting for a member of a legendary race, it would've fooled Ivan if he didn't know how perverted this dragon is.
"You are the one who gave me a second chance at life. One who has restored my voice in this world and allowed me the freedom I've desired. In which case it is only fitting that I stick up for you… and though I am rather ashamed, please allow me to continue aiding you…" Ari's confidence diminished as those final words of hers became a whisper in the wind. Though they didn't seem to escape Ivan's ears as his grin brought her face to a full blush.
"..... Whatever path you pick I will follow you, so long as whatever it brings you happiness. We will fight together, no matter the obstacles." Though brief, Yue's words were enough to transmit her feelings along with her bright and resolute smile. With the three's approval, Ivan was finally comfortable with proceeding.
BOOP
Ivan's finger lightly tapped the button. In the next few seconds, the device glowed red as blaring lights illuminated the night sky. Explosions lined up the atmosphere in brilliant colors, booming noises, and sparks flew.
"Fireworks…" Though it wasn't clear who muttered those words the rest nodded as they stepped outside. This firework show was a little something Ivan had been working on in secret, quite difficult when each failure resulted in an explosion the others could hear. But with his pleas, the rest decided not to pester him for answers, something he was grateful for.
Their amazed and dazed expressions were worth the pain in the end. And on an even brighter note, he got a couple of ideas while making these improvised fireworks on how to add to his rather small arsenal. It was rather difficult to tell whether the opening of the shop would allow him time to further his plans, hell odds were it'd slow him down. But this was a promise he made with Yue, even if it delayed him for a few months or even a year then so be it.
Ivan felt a small hand encapsulate his as he responded with an equally strong grip, bathing in the moment as he etched it into his heart. For just this moment his mind trailed away from things other than alchemy and possible dangers.
And though he was sure that at this late-night there was no one to adore this spectacle, all that mattered was that the four of them were here together.
The last set of fireworks illuminated the sky in a brilliant flash, lingering ever so slightly as the embers withered away.
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The next morning Ivan went straight to the garage as he needed to get to work as soon as possible. Sure the first few customers were unlikely to cause a ruckus but sooner or later the more powerful parties would head on over to cause problems. As for the likely suspects, well there was the Holy Church, the Hoelscher Empire, Ivan's good old friend the Heiligh Kingdom, and quite possibly the Demons.
Though Ivan was sure that they wouldn't be so bold as to openly send spies down here to investigate the wares. A device that would look through magical disguises was something he was interested in producing. It was impossible to claim to know every spell in this world, and with the Demons' high affinity with magic, it wouldn't be strange that they held several other advantages against humans.
Their only disadvantage was their low numbers, though as mentioned when he was first summoned the demons somehow found a way to tame monsters. His knowledge of the power his competitors held was quite shallow. Each faction is a powerhouse that predates his existence not to mention the existence of many generations.
In any case, it was better to be overprepared in a situation that may potentially cost his life, which meant developing some new gear with his creation and gravity magic. Well, maybe he'd be better off starting his mining operations first seeing as how he could make his gear while that was underway.
With that in mind, his ring glowed as the floor of the garage opened up. He took two steps onto the elevator before his ring glowed again, this time taking him to the deepest levels of his atelier. Several puzzles were instantly bypassed on his way down as all it took was the wave of his ring, Yue, Tio, and Ari being exceptions to the security as well considering their identities as his companions. Which might be a good thing since he intended to ask the others for help in making sure things didn't go wrong anyways.
Finally, at the deepest level the elevator would take him, Ivan brought his hand up to the door made up of solid Azantium. The magic circle keeping the door closed unraveled smoothly upon his actions. It was a security measure he came up with after inspecting the doors of Oscar's atelier.
Several more doors later and he finally arrived at where the magic happens, literally. And while the following doors were not made of the precious Azantium they were the strongest Ivan could come up with artificially all bearing equally complex but different magic circle locks. His intent with all this was just to hope that anyone who got through the first door after expending many resources would just give up after seeing the others.
That or spitefully wasting their time, he gave thanks to Miledi in his mind who he recently acknowledged as Humanity's strongest headache. A title when he told her face to face she accepted proudly.
The room was pure white, with corrugated pipes lining the ceiling that regulated ventilation and cooling. In the large atelier that could store two whales was a small room in the corner. It was a room that held the controls for other aspects of the atelier like door control and security measures. And while it may seem the purpose of this room is to keep intruders out, it was more so designed to keep the horrors within.
Ivan bypassed the decontamination chamber as he made way to the singular desk that sat in the middle of the atelier. Taking a seat on the rather boring ornate white lab chair, he clicked the button under the equally pure white desk before mechanisms locking and whirring resounded through the lab. To his left and right two medical beds with restraints popped out of the ground, though ominous they held a specific purpose, which was to restrain those on the bed.
Not from what he was going to be doing to them but just from them 'existing.' He rolled out the schematics on the desk in front of him as he focused on the figure on the top left of his papers. Pressing another button on his desk a bell rang.
DING-DING DONG
Shortly after he heard a voice come from the speakers in the lab, a voice he was very familiar with.
"Do you need help, Ivan?"
"Hey, Yue. Can you help me out a bit if you aren't busy? I want to begin on the projects I was talking to you about.." Ivan didn't bother asking Tio or Ari to help as well considering their priority jobs right now were to deal with the customers coming from and going to Fuhren.
Those greedy merchants would do anything in their power to gain an advantage over someone, odds were a couple were already on their way from the shop to report back to their fellow merchants of this establishment that opened up in the middle of nowhere.
Ivan heard a loud hissing noise as the door to the atelier finally opened up after ten minutes, and in came Yue, who for the past few days was laying around the house with nothing to do. She was rather disinclined to deal with the customers that showed up at the shop, so with no other things to do she sat on standby for Ivan to call on her.
Now, it was finally time to begin work on the homunculi.
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This one took a while to write, not cause it was particularly hard or detailed but because I was struggling a bit to start writing. As I mentioned before one of the most important things I learned since I started writing was the importance of some kind of outline. A couple of other things as well, like how I want to get you guys involved with the creation of future stories, so expect some polls on the p.a.t.r.e.o.n in the future. I'll make it free to vote so don't worry about that.
Anyways, sorry you had to listen to me rant, and thanks for reading this far. Have a great evening and I'll see you all real soon~!
If you want to support me and read ahead 10-15 chapters, you can check out my p.a.t.r.e.o.n right here: https://bit.ly/ardoaleister
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