"How's your condition Viktor?"

"No issues, I'm completely operational"

"There's definitely something wrong with you!"

As Alice retorted she was sure there was still something wrong with him, as he somehow appeared colder than the usually cheerful and naive Viktor.

"Calm down Alice, he's just a bit confused still, It'll settle down gradually. Viktor you'll be confused for the next few days, so don't do anything rash and stay calm. In fact I would like for you to follow me for the next 10 days so I can keep you under observation, just to be sure."

"Okay Dax…"

"I'll explain it to Russell when we get back to Black Hollow, think of it as a paid vacation. Okay progress looks good here, I'll go make the droids pack up"

Leaving Alice, Viktor and Blue Phoenix behind, Dax entered the orb and inspected the droids progress.

(Status on repairs and refit?)

(UNIT 05 ONLINE. CANNIBALIZATION OF UNIT 6, 7, 8, 9 AND 10 COMPLETE. GRAVITON ANNIHILATION FIELD GENERATOR MK:IIX EHECATL RECLAIMED, LASER COMMUNICATIONS AND OBSERVATION SATELLITE CONSTRUCTION WILL COMPLETE IN 44 HOURS, ALL MATERIALS NECESSARY PRESENT AND ALLOCATED TO ZERO GRAV FORGE 02 LAUNCH TO GEOSTATIONARY ORBIT IN 156 HOURS. ZERO GRAV FORGE 01 READY FOR TRANSPORT, BIOPRINTER READY FOR TRANSPORT. UNITS 4 AND 5 READY TO RECEIVE LONG TERM DIRECTIVES.)

As ICI briefed Dax, the inside of the orb looked vastly different compared to when he had last been in there in the morning. The drop pod had been mostly dismantled, and the broken drones had received the same treatment and a large amount of parts, namely the zero g drive and multiple cyclops sensor kits, had been a.s.sembled to a rutermently communications and spy satellite, and with the use of the remaining exotic fuel and the intact cold gas thrusters, and the drop pods main reactor it would fly to tundra orbit in about 2 days when the drones were drones constructing it. The partially operational drone had been repaired, and had joined its brethren, raising the amount of drones under Dax's command to 5, 2 of which would remain behind to finish up constructing and launching the satellite. The 3 drones following Dax back to Black Hollow had made st.u.r.dy looking 150 liter backpacks out of carbon nanotubes, fabricated in the zero g forge, and they had all been filled to the brim with useful salvage, spare parts, a packed up bioprinter, a zero g forge, ammunition and a few gauss rifles.

[REX-DELT04 CYCLOPS UNIT 04 READY FOR LONG TERM DIRECTIVES]

[REX-DELT04 CYCLOPS UNIT 05 READY FOR LONG TERM DIRECTIVES]

"Yeah yeah. Maintain a perimeter of 5 kilometers, engage and destroy any hostiles within with extreme prejudice. Complete, then launch the comsat then continue to salvage and reclaim materials from the orb and construct 5 more Rex-Delta 04's and matching weaponry within 4 days, then standby and hold pattern 2. Confirm override, registration 044587356420"

[[ORDERS CONFIRMED]]

"Good. Units 1-3 follow me"

[UNITS 1-3 ENTERING ESCORT PATTERN YELLOW, READY TO MOVE OUT]

"Hey Dax, wasn't there 4 of those golems?"

"They're drones, and yes there is, the last one is staying behind to watch over things here. Anyway we'll need to make it back to Black Hollow before they close the gates for the night so let's move!"

(Sorry Eduard, but I need to start spreading misinformation about myself immediately.)

Moving out, Dax lead the party with 3 drones right behind him, finally followed by Alice, Viktor and Blue Phoenix they made good progress not having to hide from or avoid any monsters, as any issue was fixed quickly with a single shot from a gauss rifle.

"Those weapons are extremely useful Dax! can I have one?"

"Not at the moment, but when I upgrade to more useful weaponry I'll be willing to lease them to Blue Phoenix Redmond"

"Ehh! are you sure!? I'll look forward to that day!"

"Are you really sure Dax!? After using one myself those 'rifles' really seem like the ultimate weapon"

"Oh Alice, my sweet summer child, these coil based rifles are the most basic and underpowered military weaponry you'll ever find in my world, or at least in the Galactic Empire, even my pistol is powerful in terms of pure stopping power"

"I can't even imagine that…"

(I hope i can get to show her orbital artillery at some point, I bet her face will be priceless…)

While imagining what kind of face Alice would show if he showed her tactical cla.s.s weaponry, Dax smiled like a child while he lead the group back towards Black Hollow, that they reached as the sun started to set, and they where meet a grand reception.

"What the f.u.c.k are you doing here demon! the gate is closed for your kind so go away!"

"Yeah f.u.c.k off!"

Dax and the others where meet by some of the guards that had fruitlessly tried to kill Dax the other day when he had forcefully imprisoned himself.

"What the f.u.c.k are you guys talking about? Stand down!"

"This is a city guard matter Ranger! New rules means we can decide personally who gets trough!"

(Not this f.u.c.king thing again!)

[PATTEN EXTERMINATUS CONFIRMED]

"WAIT WAIT, ICI STAND DOWN!.... Alice and Viktor go ahead I'll meet you at the inner wall. Eduard, Laura and Remond let's meet tomorrow for beers at the red boar"

"If you say so, see you later Dax"

"Goodby for now Dax"

"Nnn…see…you...later"

As Blue Phoenix entered the gate, Alice seemed to be completely done with the guards s.h.i.+t, and drew her sword.

"Stand down or get hurt! we're under direct orders from the ranger corps captain to return immediately!"

As Alice approced the guards sword in hand they quickly turned pale and readyed their spears

"Alice calm down."

"But these f.u.c.kkers-"

"CALM DOWN NOW. Viktor too, you're not supposed to do anything rash remember? Meet me by the inner wall"

"O-okay I understand! See you then"

"Viktor, you too. They're not worth killing, I've already marked them for life"

Having calmed down once more, Alice noticed that Viktor had spread out multiple black runes across the ground, having prepared to use some sort of unknown magic.

"Okay…"

With particularly cold eyes Viktor dismissed his spell, and graped Alice's hand and dragged her through the gate into the city.

"Now p.i.s.s off demon! And those golems too, they're gross!"

"Last chance, let me trough"

"He said f.u.c.k off demon! Are you daft!?"

(ICI add them to the blacklist.)

(CONFIRMED.)

Briefly looking at the guards like they were garbage, Dax walked about 50 meters along the wall followed by his drones.

"Here looks good, unit 02 you first"

[READY FOR a.s.sENT, STANDING BY]

"Okay, GO"

[a.s.sENTING]

As Dax gave the command, spikes extended from unit 2's feet and arms and it quickly scaled the 10 meter tall wall and jumped down the other side.

[CLEAR.]

"okay the rest of you follow it"

[[CONFIRMED]]

Watching the two other drones quickly scale the wall, Dax glanced over at the gate, only to lock eyes with one of the guards.

"HEY! WHAT THE f.u.c.k ARE YOU DOING!"

(Well I wasn't allowed to go through the gate..)

Turning his back to the wall, Dax made sure to flip off the guards before he made the world's most extreme backflip, clearing the wall and landing on the other side, creating a small crater.

"Seems like I've mostly recovered…."

[USABLE MUSCLE Ma.s.s AT 43%]

"Nice, let's go find Alice and Viktor at the inner wall, follow me, use of force banned"

[UNITS 1-3 ENTERING ESCORT PATTERN BLUE, MOVING OUT]

Quickly moving through the city, Dax and his droids attracted a lot of attention with the droids strange appearance, and Dax the over 2 meter tall one armed demonkin.

(I should have waited until dark… But this makes the word about me spread faster so it's fine. I guess...)

Arriving at the inner wall, Dax quickly meet up with Viktor and Alice and made it to the inner gate.

"Halt! state your business!"

For the second time within not even half an hour, Dax was stopped by a guard. This one was different form the others, as he was considually older and wore full plate armor, looking way more elite than the guards at the outer wall.

(Looks like this one is just doing his job.. Let's try the civil route this time)

"My name is Dax, I come by the request of the Ranger corps captain, Russell Williams, to fulfill a contract. This is Alice and Viktor, they belong to the Ranger corps and magic battalion respectively, and are returning to the barracks having completed their respective a.s.signments"

"I see, please show me your guild tag. Alice, Viktor, welcome back. There's food in the mess hall so go ahead, I'll send for someone to guide Dax once he has confirmed his ident.i.ty"

"We'll do that old man, see you tomorrow Dax"

"Good work old man, see you tomorrow Dax I'm wasted "

Greeting the guard like an older uncle, Alice and Viktor went towards the barracks to get some food and rest.

(How exactly do I prove my ident.i.ty? transferring my virtual tag wouldn't do much… Ah that's right i still have this)

Remembering he had received a form of identification after arriving in this world, Dax pulled out his guild tag.

"B-black!? I've confirmed your ident.i.ty so please wait in the guard house while I send for someone to guide you, and your golems."

Being treated with respect for once after arriving in this strange world, Dax had a warm feeling in his chest as he was guided into the nearby guard house where he was offered a gla.s.s of water and a place to sit while he waited.

"please wait while, I'll call for someone to lead you to the Williams mansion."

Excusing himself with a bow, the old guard left Dax with his drones in a small and simple waiting room.

(This feels great.. But I'm not really thirsty. ICI print fuel status)

(PRINTING STATUS OF TRITIUM RESERVES: UNIT 01 AT 67% CAPACITY. UNIT 02 AT 30% CAPACITY. UNIT 03 AT 3.4% CAPACITY.)

"So they were not even fully fueled at the factory.. That or the fuel cells depleted in the 100 years adrift… Unit 3 prepare for deuterium fusion"

Feeding unit 3 his gla.s.s of water through a valve in the chest, it started heating up greatly, until the chest armor glowed a faint red.

[DEUTERIUM FUSION IN PROCESS, ESTIMATED COMPLETION IN 3 HOURS. TRITIUM FUEL FUSION ESTIMATED COMPLETION: 5 HOURS]

After starting the refueling of unit 3, Dax waited for another 5 minutes until a he heard a knock on the door.

"Please enter."

"Excuse me"

(Woah.. A maid…)

Entering the waiting room, a maid appeared wearing a overly frilly black and white maid outfit. She had deep blue eyes, and long snow white hair that was the only proof of her age as she didn't look a day over the age of 20, but her demeanor told Dax she was much older.

"My name is Elise, a maid of the Williams household. I presume you are Dax? please follow me to the mansion, master Russell is expecting you"

Following Elise long after the sun had set, she lit the way with a lantern trough a street flanked on both sides by expensive looking estates.

"What the h.e.l.l is up with these obnoxious looking houses?"

"This area is zoned for n.o.bles residents, most of them tend to be quite compet.i.tive in showing off"

(Aahhh I feel like nuking this area…)

[PATTEN EXTERMINATUS CONFIRMED]

"AH STOP IT WITH EXTERMINATUS PLEASE!"

"Dear guest what are you doing?"

"It's nothing… Please don't mind me"

After a bit more walking, Elise stopped in front of a particular mansion, that was way larger than the others, and looked more like a military fort than a n.o.bles estate.

"We have arrived, dear guest please follow me inside, master Russell is waiting for you"

Following the expressionless maid inside the mansion, Dax was lead through a hall and up some stairs and then into a large office where Russell sat behind a solid looking desk

"Welcome back Dax, I a.s.sume everything went well- or not, what happened to your right arm?"

"Nothing major, I'll build a replacement later. More importantly I recovered everything I need, where is the patent I'll be tenting to?"

"Terra is on the 3rd floor, in the master bedroom, Elise please go and inform her of Dax's arrival."

"With pleasure, excuse me"

As Elise left the room Russell noticed Dax's drones standing outside.

"What the h.e.l.l are those, some kind of golem?"

"Ah, these?"

Calling in the 3 drones, they lined up neatly in front of Russell and did a salute to him.

"They're Rex-Delta 04 Cyclops'. Basic combat drones that I found in the orb, they'll come in handy doing the treatment of our dear patient."

"I don't see how any 'combat drones' can help heal my daughter"

(MANA CIRCULATION DETECTED)

While ICI warned Dax, he could clearly sense Russell's mood souring as killing intent spread throughout the room.

"Are you going to break the terms of our agreement Dax? That wouldn't be beneficial for your long term health"

"No I have no intention of breaking our agreement, you financed and supplied personal for my expedition, and I heal your daughter. I say these are combat drones, but in essence they're more like extensions of myself. With them present I'll have extra eyes and hands to help in the treatment."

"Is that so?.. Sorry I overreacted"

Calming down, Russell sat back in his chair and poured himself some golden looking liquid into a fancy looking gla.s.s, and quickly drank it.

"As I'm getting older I find it harder to control my temper when it's about my daughter, I hope you'll forgive me."

"I understand completely, although I have no children there are many young ones have nurtured over the years, your response was completely natural as I failed to properly explain myself. On another not-"

"Excuse me, miss Terra would like to meet Dax"

Cutting Dax of as he was about to go off topic, Elise returned to the room.

"Ah yeah it would be perfect if I could do my initial examination now. That would allow me to start the treatment at some point tomorrow. Is that okay Russell?"

"Yeah it's fine. Elise please guide Dax to Terra's room, I'll finish up the last of this paperwork and join you then."

"This way my dear guest"

Following Elise once more, Dax was guided back to the staircase and up to the third floor where Elise guided him through a series of hallways.

"If you harm miss Terra I'll personally make sure you never leave this place alive, we've arrived. Miss Terra I've bought Dax"

Arriving at a double door, Elise threatened Dax in a low voice before knocking on the door and announcing their arrival.

"Please enter"

As a young woman's voice sounded from behind the door, Elise entered the room followed by Dax, leaving the drones outside for the moment. As Elise opened the door, Dax's nose was a.s.saulted by the smell of dried blood and medical herbs. Inside was the room of a young lady, complete with several closets undoubtedly filled with expensive clothes, a small table for private tea parties and a large fancy looking bed. The only thing absent from the room was mirrors, and it became apparent to Dax why when he noticed who he a.s.sumed to be Terra.

Terra was sitting up right her bed with her legs covered by her quilt, wearing what looked like a simple looking nightgown. What struck Dax first was her face, her eyes were covered by white bangedes, and she had multiple scars on the rest of her face. She had dark black hair that would probably extend to her waist, if it was not currently done up in a simple hair bun. Her small hands was placed in her lap, and, but she appeared to be missing her left arm from the elbow down.

"h.e.l.lo and nice to meet you, my name is Terra Williams. As you probably noticed I'm blind and missing my left forearm. And below my right leg is also missing, I look forward to see how you will wield healing magic on par with the G.o.ds to restore me."

With a heavy layer of sarcasm, Terra introduced herself to Dax, still unaware of what kind of impact he would have on her life.