"My father can certainly be something," Zara sighed as they walked down the cobbled streets.
Red grumbled, "It's always about politics."
She snorted with laughter, "It's always about politics, Red. It will always be about politics. My entire existence is simply a statement of politics. Your upcoming adventure at the academy is all about politics as well. It is all politics."
"Where are we going exactly?"
Zara pointed at a small building at the end of the street. "That is our destination… Did you bring the prototype?"
"Of course. It is beneath my coat. I still don't understand how it could sell for as much as you're saying."
"That's called a small island perspective. You're on the Fallen Isles. You need to understand that things around here move faster and are far bigger. It's not wrong to take things slower from time to time. However, things also move incredibly fast here to keep up with the tens of thousands that live here as opposed to hundreds."
They reached the door to a small building, and Zara pushed it open. A small bell dinged as they entered a musty old hut. It seemed to be ancient and on the verge of collapsing at any moment.
An old woman sat behind the counter, and she smiled at their entry. "Ah, Zara. It has been a while."
"It certainly has. We're here for the boss."
The old woman slowly sat up. "I suppose he's expecting you then."
"Made my appointment as always."
"Very well. You may go on ahead. My old bones don't move quite as fast as they used to. I'm sure you'll be done and out of here before I even catch up."
Zara nodded, and Red followed her as she continued into the musty shop. Shelves lined with strange vials glowed ominously. Nearly everything was covered in a thin layer of dust as if it hadn't been touched in a millennium. The shelves themselves looked as if they would simply crumble to dust at the brush of a finger.
"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Red whispered, trying to keep his voice from reaching the old woman's ears.
She only nodded before pushing another door open. "You'll see."
Red wasn't sure how that could be possible. He was seeing it all right now, and it looked like they were in some old woman's scam potion shop. The stuff being sold clearly wasn't being regulated.
All of his questions were answered the moment he stepped through the door. Any semblance of the unkempt persona vanished instantly. It was like entering another universe entirely.
A long hallway greeted them that seemed to be carved from ivory. Intricate carvings and statues lined the halls. Doors dotted the chamber, and Red moved with care, trying not to bump anything. Zara led him through another doorway into a room that looked more furnished than even Finn Crest's office.
It was also covered head to toe in more weapons than Red could count. Dozens of pistol variants hung across the walls, and that was only brushing the surface. There were dozens of different weapon varieties that all had their own dozen variants.
A low cough drew him from his reverie, and he turned to the figure who stood to shake Zara's hand. A short, balding man nodded at him and turned his attention to Zara. His eyes glinted orange, and he wore a uniform that matched his eyes perfectly.
"This is the boy you mentioned?"
"Indeed. He comes with the prototype, and it was tested in combat."
"If you don't mind, boy, I would like to see your invention in action myself. It is hard to believe what Zara has told me, and I would like to ensure that your device isn't some sort of scam."
Red shrugged, "So are you shooting me, or should I give it to you and then shoot you?"
Before he could react, the man had drawn a pistol, and it hovered level with his head. Red instinctively took a step back and felt his hands tightening around his own weapons. Slowly, he forced himself to relax.
"Now is your chance to bow out, kid. This gun doesn't play around. There won't be anything left of you if your device is a fraud."
"Let me turn it on first," Red scowled.
Zara stepped in between them. "Why are you using that? This is supposed to be a test to show his device works, not a damn execution."
"If he is telling the truth, then there should be nothing you need to worry about?"
She scowled and slowly stepped to the side. "I swear across the seven seas if you kill him, I'll tear your head off."
"Zara, it's fine. Your friend seems to have quite the appetite for shooting, though. It's on. Fire whenever you wish…"
Before he could even finish speaking, a shot exploded from the gun. There was so much force behind it that the man's arm flung backward. A boom resounded as the energy corroded off the shield.
Red could feel Aegis straining to keep up with the power that had been in the gun. Whatever it was, it was closer to a sniper than a regular pistol. However, Aegis did hold. In fact, Red bet it could withstand another two shots from the man's gun before breaking.
The man's gun dropped away, and he slowly began to clap. "This is incredible. Zara, how did you find this creation? I need it at once. How does a hundred gold pieces sound?"
His eyes bulged. That much money was a fortune. He had never even possessed a single gold piece in his life. A hundred of them would be enough for him to live comfortably for years.
Zara put her hands on her hips. "Wait a minute, Gideon. This prototype is not what we're selling. We are selling you the schematic for the prototype."
His eyes narrowed. "And why would you do such a thing?"
"You would reverse engineer the damn thing anyway. We might as well get the payment from it so you can't scam Red out of that much money."
His eyes glinted furiously as he stared at the bubble surrounding Red. Despite this, Gideon smiled ruefully and pulled a quill from his desk drawer.
"Then I must oblige. For the schematic, and all of its uses. Five hundred gold pieces."
"Five hundred gold pieces and a twenty percent commission on all of your sales of the schematic."
He growled low in his throat, "You snake! Deal!"
Red continued to stare glassy-eyed as Zara and the man countered back and forth. He couldn't even begin to understand the quantities of money they were discussing. Ten gold pieces were what a typical low-income family would need to sustain themselves for a decade. He was one person and was getting access to fifty times that. Plus whatever the heck the commission would be…
He was going to be rich.
Bloody damn rich.