Now that the party has their own cart, traveling just got much quicker for them. Nanami usually sits in the cabin drving, well as much driving as she can. The beauty of the alchemy engine is that it mostly steers itself. If Kaito had to explain it, she just rubs the orb sometimes and stuff happens.
Nanami was graceful enough to build it in three parts. The front, where the engine itself was stored, a middle seating area for them, and a much smaller, outdoor area.
Rika sits with the boys in the back of the cart. Her arms resting on the top of her head. "What a luxury, I don't have to keep walking everywhere anymore!"
Kaito is over on the floor doing pushups with Dante. "Right it's so weird, being inside one of these things, but Dante I thought you said these didn't work outside of the barriers?"
Dante rolled over onto his back gasping. "The... alchemy engine is runs on an entire different power source, i'd explain it all to you, but I don't think you'd get it." He replied, still panting.
Kaito raised a brow to this. "You saying i'm stupid?" He asks.
Rika giggles, but as she is Nanami walks back, their eyes turn to her and she stammers a bit. "I-i just heard you talking, and wanted to join is all."
"Wait who's driving?" Rika asks.
Nanami shakes her head. "No need to worry, The road is flat and straight for now, so the engine can guide itself."
Nanami then pulls up her magic screen again, fascinating Dante and Rika, "woah, is this a given skill?" Dante asks.
Tips: Given skills are a lot like sacred artes, but a given skill can be learned, and self taught, though a sacred arte is is in most cases, the more powerful of the two.
Nanami nods, "in some ways it is," She said before she brings a keyboard matching with it. "Simply put, think of it as notes stored directly in my brain."
Kaito puts his hand through it, Nanami swats at his hand, "Don't do that, it's very distracting."
She notices Rika and Dante straing, but not at the screen this time. "I take it, you also have not met many beastlings." She says.
Dante lets out a nervous laugh. "Mozam, had a ton of different kinds of people, but full beastlings aren't something i've seen, I didn't mean anything wrong by it." Dante says and bows his head.
Rika looks around. "I was just wondering what your hair felt like," Rika inches closer. "Is it fur, or is it hair like mines?"
Nanami sighs and lowers her head, Rika leaps at the opprotuinity and runs her hands through her hair, and even petting the ears. "So cool!" Rika says.
After the questions stopped, Nanami decided to take notes, until they notice a cart of people broken down on the side of the road.
The cart was pulled to the side of the path, its front wheel half-splintered, and a metallic device beneath it leaking faint light.
A woman crouched beside it, waving them down. Her sleeves were rolled high, dirt smudged across her cheek.
"Hey! You wouldn't happen to know a thing or two about carts, would you?" she called.
The group pulled over beside them hopping out.
Dante stepped forward cautiously. "Depends on what's wrong."
The woman exhaled, brushing a strand of brown hair from her face. "Name's Klover. My bulb's shot. Core's cracked clean through. Without it, the whole rig's useless."
Nanami's eyes lit up immediately. "Is that a series three alchemy engine? Let me take a look!" All previous signs of being nervous were gone entirely.
Klover blinked. "Be my guest, miss…?"
"Nanami," she said, already kneeling. Her hands moved quickly, prying open the casing beneath the axle. "Oof. Yeah, that's not just cracked... it's completely destabilized. Whatever hit this thing… wasn't small."
"Yeah," Klover said softly, standing with her arms crossed. "Not a problem anymore."
Nanami glanced up at her. "You mean the monster?"
Klover shrugged, her tone vague. "Let's just say it's taken care of."
Nanami frowned, brushing dust from her gloves. "Still, getting a replacement core won't be cheap."
"I know," Klover said with a sigh. "I was actually on my way to pick one up before this happened. If you folks could grab it for me, I'd be grateful. I'll stay here and keep an eye on the carts."
Rika tilted her head. "And how do we know you're not just gonna disappear with our stuff?"
Klover smiled faintly. "Guess you don't. But if it helps, I'll give you the payment upfront."
She handed over a small pouch, the sound of coins clinking inside. "It's all there. Just take it to the merchant in Durin's Crossing. He'll know what it's for."
Rika weighed the pouch, then shrugged. "Alright, deal. But if you're gone when we get back, I'll come looking."
Klover grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it. Be back before tomorrow if you can."
Another merchant walked over after the group left. "Klover, you sure about this?"
She giggled a bit at this. "Relax, it's no big deal Bill."
They walked for hours, the sun falling lower with each step. Nanami filled the silence with unusual chatter.
"So, the Elara core, it's actually a dual-phase conductor, right? Meaning it uses both residual Elara and rotational-"
"Please don't," Rika groaned. "We've got a long walk. Spare us the lecture."
Nanami puffed her cheeks but went quiet... mostly.
When the rooftops of Durin's Crossing finally came into view, they all felt a wave of relief. The town was small but lively, with the smell of smoke and baked bread drifting through the streets.
The merchant's shop was easy enough to find... a squat building lined with brass trinkets and strange glowing glass.
Kaito stepped inside first. "We're here for a replacement Magical thingy."
The merchant, a heavyset man with a bushy beard, looked them over. "You're not Klover."
"She sent us," Rika said, tossing the pouch onto the counter. "Money's there."
He opened it, counted a few coins, then smirked. "Prices went up."
"Funny," Kaito said flatly. "Klover didn't mention that when you made the deal." Kaito didn't understand business, but what he did understand was when someone was trying to be unfair.
"Yeah, well. The usual buyers didn't show. So unless you've got double." He snapped his fingers. A few rough-looking men in leather vests stood from nearby tables, hands drifting to their weapons.
Nanami froze. Dante shifted uncertainly beside her. "Uh… we're not gonna actually fight them, right?"
"Too late for that talk," Rika muttered.
The first thug lunged. Kaito ducked under the swing and drove his fist into the man's stomach, not enough to kill, but enough to drop him. Another came from behind, only to be kicked backward by Dante. Wood splintered, glass shattered, and chaos erupted through the shop.
"Grab the core!" Dante shouted.
The leader growled, "dang bright eyes!" He barked as he pressed a button and more men came in.
Nanami darted behind the counter, her eyes catching a crystalline sphere pulsing faintly on a shelf. "Found it!" She lifted it carefully, eyes shining. "Oh, this is.... this is beautiful! The precision in the lattice alone... "
Lattice, a mineral that can hold the alchemy fluid.
"Nanami!" Rika barked.
A shadow loomed over her. Nanami squeaked and threw herself sideways, landing hard. The attacker's blade struck the counter where she'd been. She scrambled up, clutching the core tight, and bolted for the door.
"I really need to get better at fighting if this is how my days are gonna go!"
Kaito knocked the last man aside and jerked his head toward the street. "Time to move!"
They sprinted through the alleys, shouts rising behind them. The sound of a town bell followed, an alarm.
"Fantastic," Rika hissed. "Now we're the villains."
"They'll live," Kaito said. "We just need distance."
By the time they reached the open road again, dust clinging to their boots and adrenaline still running high, the sound of hoofbeats echoed faintly in the distance.
Dante looked back, frowning. "They're coming after us."
Kaito's jaw tightened. "Empire patrol?"
Rika nodded grimly. "Guess word travels fast."