NOVEL NEXT WiWi 2, Chapter 55
Today's Earth date: May 7, 1992
I don't understand how a twelve year old and a fourteen year old survived this long or how they could cover this much ground. Even as a wizard, Horcus is in far better shape than the top soldiers we've met, yet these kids travel farther in a day than we can?
Little bastards.
-The Journal of Laszlo the Paladin
When the Zeroes first returned to the Blackwell estate after the Earth Temple run, a letter waited for Wayne. Perris wrote to say he intended to stop in Iomallach in the next few weeks. According to the butler who accepted the letter, it arrived only days after the party departed for the Cuts.
Wayne hoped that meant Perris would arrive before the Zeroes moved on to Bata, but over a month had passed since that letter arrived. Perris had yet to appear, and Wayne didn't have many excuses left to justify lingering in Iomallach much longer. Getting Vanilli his "escape hatch" item, whatever enchantment that ended up being, was still a priority for Wayne and Fergus, though. The demon's role in the party was solidified, and they wanted him to feel secure in his own future.
If Perris didn't arrive soon, however, that would have to wait for Bata.
Otherwise, their time in Iomallach was winding down.
While the Zeroes crawled the Earth Temple, the legal dispute over paying out arena bets neared a close. Sanders forfeited the entire of his holdings when he abruptly fled town. Flipping on Targitaus had further sullied his reputation, and much of the rumors about his departures suggested old friends and old enemies alike wanted their pound of flash from the former Arena Master. According to Billium, the Zeroes could have their payment in full–what they were owed on their bets as well as a bonus from the Blackwell family for making them a tidy sum of money.
That money plus what they were owed for the siren trap made for a healthy addition to their savings. That capital was in addition to what they earned for discovering two new dungeons. The Zeroes felt flush with cash to such an extreme that Wayne and Fergus issued bonuses.
Instead of giving themselves bonuses, Wayne and Fergus donated their shares to the traveling clinic project. Truth be told, Fergus was probably more excited about the development of Sammy's restaurant, but that project had a great deal of work remaining. Sammy likely wouldn't have his first dinner service until Bata.
But only Wayne would ever be able to tell that Fergus had a favorite initiative. Outfitting a train car to treat patients was more straightforward than building a restaurant from scratch, and Fergus took to it with gusto, helping anywhere he could.
The day the clinic opened, Wayne and Fergus put their research on hold to help with the launch. Instead of revealing the location of the Iomallach station and the corresponding Quick Gate, Billium arranged for the Zeroes to set up at the main entrance of the arena. That gave them a relatively centralized location to work out of, and since the arena wasn't opening again soon, their presence wouldn't interrupt any other businesses.
The party arrived before sunup to set up the portal to the clinic and found a line waiting for them. Kryss had been true to her word and spread the news about Armond and Vanilli. Though the claims around what they could treat sounded dubious to any reasonable person–a medic who had yet to encounter a disease he couldn't cure and a dashing unknown who could regenerate limbs–attendance looked like it would be strong throughout the day.
When Wayne remarked on the volume of townspeople, Fergus pointed out that hope and desperation had the same mother. Even if what the clinic promised was improbable, plenty of people had no other options.
The clinic eventually settled into a groove, and the wait grew, the line running down the street and wrapping around the arena. Wayne had a feeling that would happen as more and more happy patients returned to their lives in the city with good stories to tell.
Fergus sat outside the portal and managed patient intake, insisting on keeping a detailed ledger of who and what they treated. Wayne and Margo went down the line with clipboards to help jumpstart the intake process for Fergus, but more importantly, they helped Armond manage his mana.
Healing spells weren't cheap to cast, but Armond hated sitting idle, so if he was waiting to have enough mana to do a large treatment, he focused on clearing out as many smaller cases as he could in the meantime.
Hector was present to provide security, a callback to his life as a bouncer, but he ended up being more of a greeter than anything else. The people in line were better behaved than anyone expected, and Wayne wasn't sure if Hector knew it or not, but he was even more likeable than he was intimidating. He had a way of putting people at ease.
Every hour or so, Sammy would borrow Hector's help to distribute snacks and drinks to the people waiting in line.
While all of this was happening, the full scope of Kryss' contribution made itself known.
Prior to the opening, Vanilli "reconstructed" nearly two dozen missing limbs. As part of their treatment, each patient agreed to take a shift at the clinic, during which they walked up and down the line to show people their new appendage. That approach was all Kryss' doing, more evidence of her shrewd business mind. Wayne could see her plan working with his own eyes.
Seeing a skeleton limb attached to a person was startling for pretty much anyone, but having that person talk about how much their life had improved already, all the while smiling big about their luck to have received such a gift, turned surprise and shock into wonder and curiosity.
At some point in the mid-afternoon, a blue hand appeared on Wayne's shoulder.
"Dungeon diving and community service? You're setting a high bar for the next round of Chosen Heroes." Perris smiled big, his cowboy hat resting more on his long elf ears than on his actual head.
Wayne shook the art dealer's hand. "Was starting to think we were going to miss you."
"I too am grateful our paths crossed, professionally as well as personally."
"The guard already told us we'd have to close up when it gets dark," Wayne said. "Would you like to join us for dinner this evening? I'd love to talk more now, but I promised I'd help with this."
"I too have appointments left in my day, so dinner it is. Are you opposed to leaving the details at my hotel?"
"Not at all."
"Very good. Give my best to the others." With a graceful bow, Perris went on with his day.
By the time night fell, the line was no shorter than when they started. Despite treating several hundred people, more kept arriving as the day progressed. Armond and Fergus assured everyone that they would be open again tomorrow and thanked them for waiting so patiently.
When the portal shut, Wayne and the Zeroes sat slumped in various corners of the clinic car.
"Clearing a dungeon is less work than that," Hector said. "We never slowed down, not once for the whole day."
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"I need a lot more levels," Armond said, looking at the ground in thought. "We could cover more ground if I had more mana."
"If nothing else, we'll have the random encounters on our way to Bata," Fergus assured the cleric. "I'm hopeful we'll find at least one more Spawner before we set sail for the Free Continent."
Armond looked at the cook. "In case I didn't say it already, thank you for keeping people fed. I know you never stopped moving today either, and it was a big help."
Sammy waved the compliment away. "I like cooking, but my real favorite thing is seeing people be happier, even if just a little bit. Everyone loves snacks, so I got to do that all day."
"A simple pleasure," Vanilli observed.
The party nodded.
"Of all the simple pleasures we've tried, this is my favorite so far," Vanilli said.
Later that night, Wayne and Fergus dined at a rooftop restaurant not far from the arena. Perris sat with them. The blue elf and the old scholar were discussing the merits of the wine Fergus suggested.
Accepting a refill from the waiter, Perris said, "I should have asked to join you on this adventure. I didn't imagine you traveled this well."
Fergus smiled, proudly. "When we left the Capital, this guy thought we were going to walk the whole way."
"His way is definitely better," Wayne admitted.
Perris laughed. "And so much excitement on top of that! Your adventure already rivals the feats of the Chosen Heroes."
"Except we're not saving the world," Wayne said, "but yeah, we're enjoying ourselves."
"Is it true that you worked with Laszlo to rescue kidnapped villagers in the Cuts?"
Wayne and Fergus shared a brief look.
"Did I say something uncouth?" Perris asked. "If it's rude to ask about those kinds of things, I apologize."
"No, it's not that at all," Wayne said. "It's umm… You weren't here when the rats attacked, right?"
"I arrived after, I'm grateful to say. Unfortunately, that also means I did not have the opportunity to visit with an old friend. Perhaps you might know how to contact him? Why are you both looking at me in that manner?"
Wayne adjusted himself to sit up straighter. It felt appropriate to be more serious, given the topic. "I'm about to tell you something, and you're only the tenth person in the world to learn this. I'm betraying someone's trust by telling you, but I'm doing that because you're someone who could actually help."
"My discretion is unquestioned."
"I know, but I still had to say it." Wayne hesitated. "Laszlo had a son, and he looks a lot like his dad."
"Seems late for a human to start a family, but I suppose Laszlo is a unique case."
Wayne shook his head. "No, his son isn't a kid. He was born the year the Chosen Heroes started their quest."
"Surely he would have told me about this."
"We don't think he knows," Wayne said. "And the Paladin you've been hearing about isn't Laszlo."
"It's his boy."
"Yes."
Perris covered his mouth with both hands and sat back.
"Do you know how to get in touch with the real Laszlo?" Wayne asked. "Luke, that's his son's name, has been wanting to meet his father his whole life. The impersonating him part started by accident, and he went with it, hoping the real Laszlo would come out of hiding."
"How sad for that whole family." Perris let the silence hang as he looked into the distance with an empty stare. When his thoughts had passed, he looked back at Wayne and then to Fergus. "I do not have a means for contacting him, nor do I know his whereabouts. On both accounts, I wish that weren't the case."
"You basically said as much when we spoke last, so it's okay," Wayne said. "But if that changes or if he reaches out, you know what's going on now."
"For that, I am grateful." Perris drifted into another long pause of self-reflection. "Apologies for taking us so far from our real business."
"It's perfectly fine. But since we're sharing secrets…"
Perris cocked his head, listening.
"I got to see this bad ass vault one time," Wayne said with a smirk. "I don't think we need its true equal, but we're looking to build several that are something like it."
"Several?"
"One in every major town," Fergus explained. "Not immediately, of course, but that will eventually include cities on the Free Continent as well."
"I pride myself on respecting another person's secrets, but I think my curiosity is overwhelming my values."
"Well, we want to make it your secret too." Wayne leaned forward to talk more softly. "I know you like to travel, but I imagine you're tired of all the in between. You've been doing it for a while."
"Gods, I dread every ship ride a little more."
"What if traveling from here to Vientuls was as simple as walking around the block? Or from here to any city for that matter."
Now Perris was the one leaning in. "Go on."
"We're in the process of building a private portal network. Right now, it's limited to Iomallach and Vientuls, but we intend to expand it every time we visit a new city. So I can't get you back to Cuan, but I can let you skip the Cuts. Catching a wagon in Vientuls is a lot faster than going all the way around, right?"
"Yes."
Wayne drank some wine. "We think there's a market for securely transporting high-value items, but we don't have the book of business and reputation that you do. You're a friend, so you can use the network for yourself regardless, but how would you feel about offering an exclusive courier service to your clients? Cut us in on a piece, and the rest of the profit is yours."
"That convenience would be a boon to my primary business as well," Perris observed.
"Yup."
"Were this a meeting with anyone else, I'd think you both lost your minds. But yes, I would be very interested in something like that. You want vaults to secure the network then."
"Correct."
"In truth, what you saw was my own design. Give me some time to think on the utility, but I think we could all come out of this happier."
"And richer," Fergus added.
"Yes, of course. This network would have made my present business with you much simpler, but I am no less excited to share the item with you." Perris fished inside his jacket and produced a ring box. "This is a new piece, and I don't mind selling it before it even gets back to my shop. I should disclose, however, that I have a few items in Cuan that might be a more direct fit for your needs."
The need Perris referenced was giving Vanilli a way to escape danger long enough to change his Disguise. It was the last piece of a plan that aimed to help Vanilli feel more in control of his own destiny. With money now squirreled away in places unknown to the party, Wayne and Fergus were no longer the arbiters of what Vanilli did or where he went. The demon could change his appearance and leave any trouble behind in his old life.
The Zeroes never exercised that sort of life-controlling power, of course, but Wayne could empathize. Being in control of Vanilli's secret felt like taking the passport from an immigrant worker. Even if Wayne was nice about it, he could see how Vanilli would feel trapped.
"This is a ring enchanted with a Blizzard spell," Perris said, opening the box to reveal a pale blue band. "It can only hold one charge at a time, but the effect is quite extreme. In moments, the world around the user becomes a whiteout. I imagine that could be useful for someone who may need to disappear."
"That sounds perfect to me," Wayne said. "And we could always buy another piece later if we wanted to, right?"
"As long as you're buying it from me."
Wayne laughed. "How much are you thinking? We're not super liquid right now, but we-"
A buzzing sound reached Wayne's ears. It was long and continuous, and he heard more than one source. Wayne knew what he was hearing, but he had to be wrong because it didn't make any sense.
"Are you alright?" Fergus asked. "You're much paler than usual."
Wayne looked up at the night sky. Though the weather was pleasant, dense clouds blacked out the stars.
"Those sound like airplanes," Wayne said, utterly befuddled.
Fergus and Perris also looked to the sky. The buzzing was much louder now.
Then thousands of pieces of paper fell, drifting whimsically to the ground like big fluffy snowflakes. From the rooftop deck, Wayne could see much of Iomallach. The papers blanketed the entire city.
Wayne grabbed one when it got close. A blockprint was used to stamp the paper with a message:
NeXt DaY tHiS tImE sUrReNdEr Or BeCoMe FoOd