Bodanen: Cobalt War

Chapter 9: A New Ride

Four figures stood at Alyd's northern gate early in the morning. It had been five days since their conversation with the king and their arguments in the tavern, now the three travelling warriors and the one to see them off waited for a special delivery from the king. "I can't believe that it took two more days than they said, just to make some new communication device. I just want to head out and start this mission already." An annoyed Siegfried complained as he sat on his large burlap travel sack. "We were told to be here by sunrise, and yet no one else is here." He lowered his head with a heavy sigh.

"It obviously took longer to make the specialized cells than they initially thought, yes, but they are ready now. We shall be able to work and move freely without fear of our location being known by Father, even after we start our attack." Boris placed a hand on Siegfried's shoulder to reassure him. "Once the cells are delivered, we can head toward Cyneburg to meet up with the military forces defending that area. There I am sure we will be able to find those of great skill that will gladly help us in our fight to stop Father."

"If I read the message right, then his majesty is also giving you all a brand new car for travelling, so that should make the road ahead a tad easier, at least." Olympias looked toward the city in hopes of seeing the messenger from the king. "Either way, you two still need a bit of rest, so don't overdo it on your way to Cyneburg, okay? Please?"

"No problem, Oly; we'll be careful." Sieg gave Olympias a comforting smile. "And if the message was right and we are getting a new car, then we can get to Cyneburg in a couple of days instead of a week. Gods, I'd really hate it if we had to walk all the way there."

Boris noticed a familiarity between Siegfried and Olympias that wasn't there before, which got him curious. "Did something happen while I was resting? You two seem a lot closer."

Olympias began to shake her head nervously with a slight jump and slightly reddening. "N—no, nothing out of the ordinary; I just showed Sieg around the city; that's all." She looked to Siegfried for help, though he seemed as nervous and red as Olympias. Before they could continue their excuses, a strange noise came from the city.

A light, electrical buzz could be heard coming down the main street of Alyd, and as the four turned, they saw a vehicle approach. "I do believe that that is for us. But I must say that the new cars certainly are fancy. I had seen old pictures of when they were nothing more than metal boxes with wheels." Boris helped Siegfried up as he admired the approaching vehicle; he had seemed to have forgotten all about the previous conversation already.

What flew toward them was a fast-moving vehicle that was a mixture of metal, plastic, glass, wood, and crystal. It coasted thirty centimetres off the ground as it approached. A flat, metal bottom with two long crystals attached along its width, electricity crackled and sparked weakly at the four points. Atop the base was a compartment for the driver and a passenger in front. At the back was a long pentagonal chamber for goods and cargo. It slowed as it approached the group, and when it stopped, a young angel man stepped out of the driver's seat. "I presume that you are the group undertaking the king's special mission? I'm here to deliver your specially designed cellular crystals as well as a mode of transport." The young man pulled out a note from his pocket and began to read in a monotone voice. "This is your new Crystal Augmented Accelerated Rover model TR-15 from Alyd Systems, or the 'Trailblazer'. It is powered by an advanced, electrically enchanted crystal driver and can get eight hundred kilometres to the charge. The driver's compartment has a leather interior and can comfortably house even the larger races, and has a door between the seats to access the living compartment in the back. The living compartment is a magically generated pocket dimension, modelled after a rural angelic styled cottage with enough room to comfortably house fifteen people; popularly referred to as the moving home away from home, 'it's bigger on the inside'." The young man pocketed the note again and returned to his usual tone of voice. "It's been stocked with enough supplies for six months for fifteen people as well as coin for your journey. You will find your new cellular crystals on the kitchen counter in the living compartment. This car and the cellular crystals are all being provided by his majesty for your mission, with warm regards."