Amazon Apocalypse 4: Chapter 7 (Patreon)

Cyra and I spoke as we walked, and she took me on a tour of the castle’s battlements. Here, the staffing shortages were more apparent, though thankfully, most of the structural damage was relegated to the outer parts of the walls.

“There aren’t as many guards here as before. I take it they’re out in the streets?” I asked.

“Helping with the repair efforts,” Cyra confirmed. “These were mostly vanity guard posts anyway. A few dark silhouettes on the ramparts make an impressive sight every sunset, but that was more of a way to keep our guards from spending all day drinking. Now, instead of looking imposing, I have them clearing rubble to make room for wagons and masons. We’ll need plenty of both to rebuild.”

“Smart. I’m dealing with a similar problem back in Crownhill. The end of the world really messed my city up. I’ve come up with a few enchantments that might be helpful to you. I could lend them to you.”

“I won’t take handouts without repaying in kind. Most of my craftswomen would be D-Grade or lower. Perhaps we could arrange a trade?”

“Deal,” I said, and no more words were needed. With anyone else, I’d need to hammer out the details and come up with a contract, not with Cyra. She was true to her word, and she knew I was the same. There was something nice about having a fellow leader I could broker trade deals with so honestly.

Even my agreement with the Dragon Lodge was based on mutual interest and the exchange of benefits. With Cyra, she simply wanted to help me, and I wanted the same for her. There were no tricks, and neither of us were trying to get the better end of the deal. Just two leaders who wished for mutual prosperity.

“How were my people, by the way? I hope they didn’t cause too much trouble before the System sent them home.”

Cyra shook her head. “I should be the one apologizing to you. Us Amazonians can be a touchy lot, and plenty of the men you brought here proved themselves worthy of being fathers to a new generation of Amazonians. Things are fine now, but I suspect in a few months, my army is going to be gutted. Half my warriors will be too pregnant to fight.”

I winced. “Sorry.”

Cyra laughed. “Don’t apologize to me. I don’t think I could have stopped them even if I gave the orders. Victory celebrations have a way of going to a warrior’s head.”

“And what about you? Still having trouble?”

“Trouble?” Cyra furrowed her brows.

“You know, with Dramonar’s claim. He spread the word that he beat you, and that I beat him, so we were married or some such nonsense. I’m sure you’ve gotten it taken care of. I heard your great-grandmother was going to beat up some council members or something?”

“Oh, that. Yes, it’s... taken care of.” Cyra’s lips turned to a frown, and she stared into the distance. She had a complicated look in her eyes, and I hesitated to continue.

I returned to the subject of my men and their newfound Amazonian lovers here on Themyscira. “I hope there were no casualties.”

Cyra shook her head, recovering herself from her contemplation.

“Amazonians duel rough, but only the oldest and most established families like mine uphold the old tradition of a battle to the death. I think it would cut down on all but the best suitors. The average lowborn warrior has no need for such traditions. If a man is strong, that’s enough for her. It’s better if she can keep him around, but if not that’s alright too. Less than half my warriors know the faces of their fathers.”

“Do you?” I asked curiously.

Cyra shook her head. “From what my mother told me, my father is the wizard king of an entire world, and she is one wife of a sizable harem. I’m just one more of his many children. Perhaps I’ll meet him someday, but I haven’t seen him yet.”

“That’s sad. If it were me, I’d know all my children.”

Cyra shrugged. “Those at B and A-Grade live thousands or tens of thousands of years. According to Grandma Luthrin, they hardly even consider those below C-Grade to be alive. To them, regular folk are more like pets than people, really. Maybe now that I’m C-Grade, I’ll have the chance to meet him.”

My frown deepened. That was one thing I didn’t like about the Arcadia Multiverse. Those at the top sounded so cold. But perhaps that was what such long lives did to people. But Cyra’s face seemed unperturbed. Perhaps even excited at the prospect of someday being worthy of meeting her father. I didn’t want to ruin the mood with my old Earth sensibilities, so I changed back to happier topics.

“If men from Crownhill have kids here, I’m sure we’d get more visits. I’ll have to set up a better teleportation network than the one we’ve got. Do you have any idea where I can buy more of those teleportation array kits you got me before? I’ll have to establish a local network eventually anyway, considering how big the shard I’m on is getting.”

I’d been completely dependent on Thulga figuring out that side of teleporting around. I thought she had some sort of portable kit she hauled around. That was fine for me, but not for Crownhill. I’d need to buy more arrays of my own if I wanted to set up a local teleportation network for my people.

“I got that one on the nearby world of Glacia. It’s just a day’s trip away, but you need to fill out some paperwork to get there. Mother should be on that world now, so perhaps she can arrange passage for you. If not, maybe I can.”

I grinned and showed off the metal card Galbatorix gave me. “No need. I believe this is a sufficient pass, right? It’ll get me across.”

Cyra peered at it, blinking in surprise. “Yes, that’ll get you through. How’d you get it? You’re from a newly integrated world.”

“A man should have some secrets...” I smiled mysteriously as I tucked the card away. “It seems like I have a shopping trip to see sooner rather than later.”

Cyra bit her lip, glancing at me out of the corner of her eyes before speaking. “I... I could go with you, you know. Glacia’s a big place, but Mother took me there a few times to buy things we couldn’t find here on Themyscira. That’s where I got the teleportation array I gave you. Just be warned, the prices for everything are as high as the moon there. A sack of grain will cost you as much as a sturdy sword does here.”

I raised my brows. “Sounds like you could make yourself some good coin, then. There are quite a few wheat fields around Shadefall. By now, they’re probably be delivering their harvests directly to their new Obelisk. We should stock up while we can.”

“You mentioned something like that before. Did you truly repair the Obelisk in Shadefall? I know you started, but did you actually finish?” Cyra asked.

I grinned and grabbed her by the wrist. “Don’t believe me? Then let’s go find Thulga and take a trip there. After all, there’s more to your lands than this city. My tour isn’t nearly finished.”

***

Shadefall was almost unrecognizable when we arrived. The streets were full of bursting, like every ambitious young man or woman from the countryside had made their way to the city over the last few weeks in search of fame and fortune. And from the crowd around the Obelisk, that was exactly what had happened.

Contrary to the grim sight of Valkyrie’s Watch, which had just survived an invasion, Shadefall seemed like a city on the rise. Streets that had previously looked empty were now being used to their full capacity. Lots that had lain empty for decades were being cleared and prepared for new construction.

“What happened here?” Cyra murmured as her eyes roamed the bustling streets.

I had the same thought, but just as soon as it crossed my mind, I spotted the answer in the distance. There was an enormous crowd surrounding the Obelisk, even bigger than the one that normally surrounded the one back in Crownhill. Thousands of people stood in a wide circle, gazing up at the black pillar with blank faces as they bought, sold, and bought some more.

A few arrived with wagons full of goods. Others merely clutched satchels. Many were dressed in simple clothes and had the sun-kissed skin of farmers. Just as I suspected, most of them were delivering grain of various sorts, all to the Obelisk. The happiest of them arrived with a wagon and left with nothing but a big smile on their faces.

I was pretty sure I knew what was happening. People were coming in from the countryside, selling everything they could get their hands on back in their home farm or village, and were using the points those sales generated to buy a job. Suddenly gaining the ability to smith, sculpt, or craft whatever they wanted was a life-changing opportunity for everyone who could take advantage of it. The only catch was they’d need to afford it first.

“Looks like the Obelisk is popular. Let’s go check it out.”

Thankfully, we didn’t have to actually approach the Obelisk to use it. Cyra was a popular matriarch, and we would have had a hard time not disturbing the flow of traffic if we walked through the streets. Fortunately, the crowd gathered around the Obelisk itself was there, largely because they could be. Like the one back home, the only thing required to interact with the Obelisk was to have a line of sight to it. Cyra and I could get that just fine from one of the upper floors of my nearest workshop.

I scanned the prices and immediately noticed a few massive differences compared to Crownhill. Even compared to the prices on the street a few weeks ago. Shadefall used to have a food shortage, but not anymore. Thanks to all the farmers in town selling their wares, food prices were suddenly at rock-bottom prices. They were so low that I felt a little bad about the farmers who arrived late. They’d have to sell ten times the amount of goods to buy a job as the first farmers to arrive would have.

Cyra shot me a glance. “You were serious about wanting to take a trip to Glacia, right?”

I nodded absentmindedly as I browsed the prices. Suddenly, two-thirds of all the foodstuffs vanished from the marketplace.

“I’m not usually one for playing traveling merchant, but we really will need the coin to rebuild this place,” Cyra explained.

“The farmers will be happy. Let me give everyone else a hand...” Besides food, there was also plenty of raw ore, jade crystals, timber, and stone. I bought in bulk, once again thankful for Morgathor’s kind donation of his satchel. Even if this thing had been empty, it would have been the find of a lifetime.

The only commodity I didn’t buy up in bulk was monster cores. That was one thing we had plenty of back in Crownhill, and truthfully the prices were far cheaper there. I imagined they'd be even more expensive on Glacia, so I avoided selling them for now. But everything else was up for grabs. I even listed some weapons and armor I was becoming increasingly famous for, though I already saw a few sets of armor for sale.

I doubted warriors would sell their personal gear, and thanks to the polished and new state of the weapons and armor, I suspected someone had snuck them out the backdoor of my workshops and listed them as failures in the inventory logs. I would talk to Misa about tightening security.

Eventually, I’d make enough of these enchanted weapon and armor sets that the markets would be flooded with them and the price would drop. As it is right now, each set costs roughly three times the price of the average house. That was pricy enough that people would throw away a good career for the chance to slip away with a full set.

Cyra and I loaded up on goods, and she had a set of plain armor that would let her wander around without getting too much attention. Of course, the two of us were still C-Grade, and that alone would draw eyes. Just not as many as the ruling matriarch would have. We roamed the streets as much as we could, but pretty soon, people started seeing through our disguise, and our cover was blown.

Maybe I could make something a little more purpose-built for disguise. There had to be illusion magic on Glacia. Disguises would be helpful, but so would being able to create summoning circles for Sharky out of thin air, with no metal wire. Or simply confusing my enemies in the middle of battle. I’d have to look for a skillbook or two on our shopping trip.

***

Cyra and I returned to Valkyrie’s Watch. Bridget, Sakura, and Myrina had spent the entire time practicing. They needed it, since it took time to get used to the power boost through C-Grade. From what I’d been told, levels started coming slower at C-Grade, though the opposite was true for me. Still, the massive amount of stats each level gave compared to D-Grade meant it was that much more important to familiarize yourself with your new power with each level up.

For me, that just meant ensuring I could cast spells without blowing my hand off. But for strength-based fighters like Sakura, this sort of training was even more important. A few additional levels and what might have been a normal handshake would instead break wrists.

Cyra and I interrupted their training to announce our plans.

“Girls, get your orders in. Cyra and I are going on a shopping trip. If there’s anything specific you need, let me know.”

“What? Shopping trip?” Sakura looked stricken. “And you’re not taking us?”

“Sorry girls, you need one of these.” I flashed the passport card Galbatorix gave me.

“I have one of those!” Myrina pointed at the card.

“No, you don’t.” Cyra shook her head. “You had one when you were a baby. It expired ten years ago.”

“I can look baby-like. They’ll never know the difference! Googoo ga ga!” Myrina made a few baby sounds that were surprisingly convincing.

“You’re not coming, it’s just Carter and I.” Cyra put her hands on her hips.

“I protest!” Sakura held her arm up, but Bridget tugged on her wrist.

“Let Cyra and Carter have their date,” Bridget said.

“B-but...” Sakura pouted. "It's a shopping date. I love shopping dates..."

Meanwhile, Bridget smiled at the two of us. “Have fun, you two. Don’t worry about a thing while you’re gone.”

“I appreciate it. It won’t be long. And I’ll come back with the highest-quality skill books I can afford for the three of you. You all have slots to fill now that you’re C-Grade.” I shot a glance at Cyra, who stared at her little sister with a heavy gaze.

“Myrina, you will act as matriarch of the Samhain Clan while I’m gone. So long as nothing comes up, trust in Elder Melicent and Elder Elara to manage everything. Don’t change my standing orders without talking to three other people and asking them whether or not it’s a good idea.”

Myrina nodded with a surprisingly serious expression for once. She threw her sister a salute. “We won’t let you down!”