“HEAR YE HEAR YE!” Boomed a town crier in the grand promenade in central Ahadia, capital of the Eternal Service Empire. “FOR THE IMPERIAL WILL!” he continued.
Such a place was always noisy, always busy. For business never sleeps, not in Ahadia.
Not today, any who still talked and went about their business were shushed and reminded.
This crier had the black cap with the red hourglass on his head.
As the ocean of people stopped and remained silent, the crier resumed his job.
“I bring a message hailing from Her illustrious Imperial Majesty Emily Dohiedron” As the crier paused, to make sure everyone present was paying the utmost attention.
Everyone bowed. Those who were slow or did not were either quickly dragged lower by helpful citizens or asked to step away for a ‘talk’.
“As the 20th contact of the rebellion of the mercantile allied forces has come to an end, I will now proclaim the outcome, as instructed by her illustrious imperial majesty Emily Dohiedron”
The unmoving mass of humans, still bowing, stayed silent.
“The 20th contact has ended in overwhelming defeat due to a massive influx of non-human barbarians siding with the Mercantile Allied Rebellion.”
If someone made a murmur in surprise, they were quickly shushed. If someone was too rowdy, they too were pulled aside for questioning.
“These losses are due to cowardly non-human interference” He paused for breath then started up again. “The church of the grand work proclaims their total support in annihilating said Non-humans and any humans who are caught conspiring with the rebellion will be imprisoned as they await summary execution.”
Once again, he took a long breath. “Any human caught aiding and abetting non-humans in any way will be punished in accordance with the severity of the allegations should they be proven true beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
“Her illustrious imperial majesty Emily Dohiedron would also like to extend financial and housing reparations to those displaced by said rebellion.”
“May every human here, if they so choose, throw in their cog with the imperial academy or your local garrison if you are already of 4 cogs or more.” “FOR THE ETERNAL SERVICE!” He finished with finality.
Everyone then continued about their day.
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12 hours later
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Due to the situation half the night ago, I attempted to sleep. Every attempt was fraught with restlessness and untamed emotions. So, I rested inside my mind palace. As I contemplated, I continued working through everything that had happened. The main two things I couldn't place were Cerys and her interest in me and how mother had reacted at that dining table the day before. Cerys seemed to be actually either minimally complicit in this cog show of hell, or not at all. She seemed too genuine in her mannerisms to be acting like that poor supervisor or Mother. As for Mother herself, some of her reactions didn't sit well with me in my head. Back at that dining table, she exhibited guilt and remorse, yet nowhere else. Back in that room earlier yesterday when she was teaching me how my power worked, she seemed to actually want to help me control the power. Though she had a vested interest in a weapon. Some reactions seemed like a different person entirely. I would need to be far more observant going forward if I wanted answers. Which I so sorely did.
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~6 hours later
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As I continued the rotation of my cogs with increasing effort each moment, I suddenly felt an eminent back lash approaching. Like I had attempted to synergize with Ars Metallica a few nano seconds ago. Which, at my current power level, would be tantamount to suicide. I quickly left my mind vault only to regret doing so immediately.
I screamed. Wailed. If my teeth were that of a normal human, surely they would have shattered in my skull with how hard I was clenching my teeth. My body was a mess. I heard shouting from beyond the servant corridor. In came rushing multiple people who I both recognized and didn't.
Every single one of them I did know were healers.
The sheer amount of magic will I felt in that room as I stared down at my body in shock would have made a mortal convulse and die on the spot.
They started their treatment. I watched as my musculature that was torn to ribbons head to toe, reknit itself at a rapid but still alarmingly slow pace. Like it was resisting the healing magic. Like it was catching up being caught in the middle of two cogs grinding me to dust. No, that's not exactly it. Time is catching up with me. Damn, this is easily top 1 in terms of pain. I hope to the great all work, that if I live through this, I never experience anything worse.
As they continued to pour every last drop of magical energy into my body, I felt my consciousness fading. The last person I expected to see enter was Cerys. She was the absolute opposite of healing magic. Her sparking emerald eyes and disheveled hair told me that she ran here. All I could do in that last moment of consciousness was watch her facial features as the ephemeral void of unconsciousness took me.
Desperate pleading. Furious begging.
It seems she wanted me to survive.
-—---------
As I awoke, my first thought was how different I felt. Gone was the pain, but in its place was something far more alarming. I quickly turned into my mind palace.
Fifth cog. It would have taken me millions of full rotations to even think of getting to fifth cog so early. It had the same sheen and luster as the other three, save the outlier. As I sat there, stunned in my ethereal form just staring at my unexpected progress, I resolved myself.
I exited my mind palace. What happened next puzzled me nearly as much as my seemingly unearned progress.
Cerys was sleeping there, head shoulders and chest on the edge of my bed. Any blood or gristle left over from my episode was nowhere to be seen. Most likely cleaned by the staff.
As I turned my head, slow as a rusty cog, I spotted an item I would probably be using far more now. An hourglass. This one was clearly made for combat. I could detect powerful enchantments throughout its translucent metal shell. I picked it up with my magical will, brought it over and stared at it. Making sure I was in unpowered time. I then examined my body. No twisted, exposed nerve endings or meat was visible. Only a new metallic sheen across my chest. It began at the base of my collarbone and covered my vitals with near perfection. It seemed to end abruptly at my armpit. Good, I will need all the improvements I can get. I felt along my body with my magical will, feeling a new weight to my body that felt more comforting than not. I assumed that I underwent another metamorphosis after gaining a cog.
After satisfying my curiosity further, I took some time to organize my thoughts as I let my eyes wander.
The militaristic setup of my room left little to be interested in. The white washed magi-crete barren besides a black, silver and red tapestry front and center above my door way. Three windows smaller than my torso spaced evenly behind me. A barren, metallic bookshelf to my right with an unadorned similar study table beside it. A locker to my left held a change of military clothes fashioned in the steel blood colors and my parade uniform for special occasions. That's it. Easily, the most interesting sight in this room was her.
A veritable explosion of magma red, porcelain white and ruby red. A direct contradiction to the opulent and imperial Steelblood color scheme. Her knight fatigues a dull amber, slightly creased and disheveled. The one good happening out of all this hell.
I decided to simply go back to rotating my cogs. The All Work would know I needed more power.
I allowed myself one last thankful glance over to my re-found companion before I did just that.
