In its natural course, a week didn’t seem all that long to most. However, for Faetalis, it felt like a small eternity - her first instinct was to speak to Riny, come to an understanding with the woman. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time for such a thing, and relegated the hunter-turned-prisoner into her bedroom - locking her behind a door that only she could open, and permitted Mae to take care of her as she needed. Her bedroom was a sterile room with a futon, a bathroom, and a walk-in wardrobe; she trusted that Riny’s pride and self-preservation would keep her from committing something as senseless as suicide, but even if she did, it wasn’t a big loss.
What was a big loss was the access to the mountaintop that Anzelgard had, which was generating pressure from the Nyll Empire, as their daily shipments had suddenly ceased to be, and within the week, there was an investigation launched into the village. That served to be a problem, as information trickled in from the reports that Cormac sent to her from the local Blacksmith that she had taken possession of overnight by way of some expensive bribery. Cormac’s mission as Ambassador of Infactorium had not yet gone into effect - Faetalis needed to get him settled into understanding his future role, familiar with the town and its folk, and then she could make her grand entrance.
The Shelled Kingdom was a wary place, as Faetalis walked upon its muddy roads; the meager dirt roads were a pretty representation of the vassal kingdom - uncared for and enslaved to a debt wrought of circumstance. They didn't ask to be situated next to such a rich deposit of bauxite ore, nor to draw the interest of the Nyll Empire, but they did both in equal measure, and suffered more than any ought. However, at the end of the day, Faetalis didn’t concern herself with the small details - she was only concerned with the reconstruction and fortification of her Guild.
95% of the Guild Infrastructure had been gutted out; Mae’s kitchen was back to full power and water, refrigeration, and gas on high; Gamma’s hive was able to start reproducing new workers to ease the burdens of the mountaintop life; Tungsten’s assemblies were working in nominal conditions, and, though, they couldn’t construct his favoured BIGs, he was able to match Hivehill in workforce, once again; even Cormac’s volcanoes and Levia’s recycling slime vats seemed more lively.
Yes, salvaged to the end of its technological rope, Infactorium was running again.
The bauxite ore that once served the Nyll Empire was dug up by Hivehill, brought to Big Scrap Alley, converted into aluminum ingots, and stacked onto the platform that supported Infactorium; Faetalis was debating on using it as raw material to build new Factories.
It was a hard decision, as she now held a significant bargaining tool over Anzelgard with most of their precious resources broken down and converted into its intermediate state, but she also had a significant amount of free resources to rebuild her home.
It was something that would have to take up with her Overseers.
Lost in her thoughts, Faetalis tuned out the world to the point that she slammed into the solid chest of a large, possibly Half-Giant man clad head to foot in heavily reinforced armor, that must have weighed as much as he or more. Much like anyone that walked into a wall, Faetalis stumbled back, and fell on her ass. “A child,” asked the man, “No, a young woman. Head lost to the clouds, and attention where it doesn’t belong. You should watch what’s ahead of you, not beyond you.”
Faetalis frowned, as she was chastised by the deep-voiced man - he was decorated, excessively, and definitely earned his attitude and pride. However, she didn’t appreciate a scolding over an accident. “It was a simple mistake, sir. Nothing more,” she rebuked. “There’s no need to be unkind.”
A grunt escaped the hulk of a man, as he countered, “A simple mistake is the difference between life and death. An uneducated woman such as you would not know such a thing, however,” before he started to walk pass Faetalis, “I’ll overlook your “simple mistake” this time. Next time, it will be seen as an assault against a General of the Nyll Empire.”
Emboldened by their leader, the small contingent of soldiers that followed him tossed their hats in the ring with unsolicited kicks of cart and horseshoe trodden mud at Faetalis and jeers. The mockery didn’t bother the Replicant - she was beyond her Humanity, beyond all Humanity; the very pinnacle. However, the wet mud dirt had soiled her white wedding dress from breast to knee.
That was a crime worthy of death.
Murmuring the spells needed, Faetalis fashioned a handgun into her right hand, and took aim on instinct - eliciting the scream of an onlooking woman, which turned the investigative team back to face her. Dispelling her weapon, Faetalis looked to be reaching out to steady herself as she stood, and steeled herself to offer a pathetic maid’s bow to the General, and leave him to deal with the screaming woman who looked crazed without the obvious weapon in sight.
At least, now, she had come to one decision: Anzelgard would be sending a delivery carriage to Nyll - one full of butchered corpses and blood-stained aluminum ingots.
Iwannabeyours,
Crusader Lord,
Restalaan,
Neziul,
Bacon