(OPEN) CH3: The Help

It was roughly a bit more than a week before they returned, and for some time, it probably looked like an armored division was approaching. Rumbling engines were clearly audible even from miles away as they approached, and much of their forms were obscured by the great deal of dust they kicked up. They were a moving sandstorm in a world of stone that lacked sand completely, and were fit to intimidate any uninformed onlooker. What could be seen of them was a regiment of at least twenty engines, each of which the size of a small building. They were built of the Goblins' signature 'rocksteel', which shone a proud orange in the midday light. Each towed behind itself a trailer bed piled high with sacks of stones and concrete.

Crowding around, on top of and in between them were the workers who manned them, an army fifty-strong of Goblins from the Firebloom. About fifteen of them marched along in the tribe's Gummis, great walking machines that towered a slight bit above taller men and could individually outwork them so long as they were fueled. Some expelled water vapor, and others billowed with black smoke of various other fuels. Each carried freshly-manufactured beams of different metals, ranging from iron to rocksteel and one that seemed to have been fashioned from compacting a number of gems together.

At the head of them all, of course, was Sezrix, who piloted his own personal Gummi. His goggled, just polished that morning, glinted as Radiant Garden's battered image came into view. From one of his Gummi's metal hands hung the Lance Rifle he'd already used to shoot down a handful of black creatures who had strayed too close to their convoy, and from the other was slung a duffel bag that was packed to the brim with near-finished plans and prints, which lacked only a few measurements before they could be used. Once he was on site, that would be his first task.

But of course, he still felt the need to be polite even if he technically had permission to help already. When they finally reached the front gates of Radiant Garden, Sezrix raised his Gummi's fist, still clenched around the grip of the rifle, and struck it against the entrance several times, letting the sound ring clear to the other side before he stepped back. From there, he called upward, "Gobbiefriends are here to fix uplander things!"

During the week's time, there was a particular mage who had vowed to her brother, after his departure for a meeting, to take care of the world. She was once ruler of the very place long before he was and so it was only fitting that she temporarily take that title back. Though, rather than being cooped up in the castle and talking about battles, strategies, and other mundane topics that didn't suit the current situation, she brought her presence onto a balcony overlooking the city, its gates and beyond. A clone could easily relay whatever discussions the commanding officers of the royal and city guard to its master, so the vampire-succubus was free to roam the city still under repair. This was how the woman managed to spot the roaring dustcloud kicked up by the many goblins. Celia's eyes narrowed momentarily as a way to focus far out.

Their numbers were counted instantly, their estimated time of arrival along with their very dispositions had been cataloged. Black clouds signified that they used a certain form of engine that relied on fossil fuels of some sort. The most interesting cargo aside from the many mechanical marvels had to be the materials in which they transported. Lastly, she watched the goblins fight off Heartless on their way to the city and it was in that moment Celia knew they were allies.

Luckily for them, instead of a whole platoon of trigger happy guards ready to gun them down for such an invasive and aggressive advance, it was the current acting ruler. Sezrix was the one who lead them coupled with his speech regarding their status allies, Celia felt a little more at ease about him being at the vanguard of this, "restoration."

"Welcome, friends." The woman said as she appeared before the rifle toting man. Dressed in something a little more professional, she wore a silver button up and had the buttons done up to the collar, with a pair of black slacks and silver high-heeled boots. Her hair had been done to where she had a fringe covering the left side of her facial features and the rest of her locks were done up in a neat bun. "The King has told me of your coming. I am acting Queen of Radiant Garden, Celia Darkson." She gave a light curtsy and after which, she turned her attention over to Sezrix.

"I have been trusted with the kingdom and will act as overseer for the restoration project of the city. Should you require my assistance, please don't hesitate to call my name." And with a snap of her fingers, the gates had opened for the group of goblins. "If any of you have any lingering questions, ask me now or at your earliest convenience." The woman said with a rather warming smile and the bid the group entrance to Radiant Garden.

With the suggestion of asking questions, one of the goblin pilots raised a hand, calling out, "Yes, where is wall city bathroom?" Sezrix let out an impressively loud sigh, climbing out of his seat to glare back at his tribemate. "Pssshh, why ask of bathroom now?" he questioned him. "Said to go before come to wall city!" He dropped back down into his machine, still shaking his head. "Bah, gobbie is sorry. Gobbiefriends not used to big road trips muchmore. No busydealing with oldlanders, so lots of homestaying. No questions! Move setters!" Concluding the discussion with that last command, he, along with just about every other goblin in his builders' battalion, set their machines into motion again, eagerly marching past the welcoming queen and through the gate.

Once inside, he began dealing out papers and orders to his tribe, dividing them into a total of five groups, each toting along four of the large Setter Engines, as they were called, and bringing three of the Gummis along as well. He had also made sure to see each group had tools for measurement, as they still needed to sort out what space they had and sort their construction appropriately. The Goblins who weren't transporting supplies had begun occupying whatever lots weren't already filled with half-wrecked or half-built houses, sifting through rubble and marking plots on the pavement for where they'd replace the old buildings. They didn't have much difficulty discerning what size the 'real' houses would be, and judged the appropriate size of the new ones based off the leftover foundations of the old. Meanwhile, the Gummi pilots stacked their beams in the open space before beginning to clear the fractured concrete which littered their site. Most of it was added to the resource beds tied to the Setter Engines.

Oddly enough, Sezrix didn't join the building teams. Rather, he tailed them loosely with his mech still holding the lance rifle at the ready. He constantly turned his head this way and that, checking every possible area around his builders as he could. The other pilots were similarly on-edge, and from behind it could be seen that even the ones who seemed fully occupied with carrying materials also bore lance rifles of their own, slung over their metal shoulders with varying neatness.

A brief bit of laughter had left Celia due to the inquiry of the goblin, it was a harmless question but one which amused her regardless. Sezrix wanted to get straight to business and that was fine with her. Stepping aside, she allowed the convoy through and waited for the very last one to enter before the gates closed behind them.

Celia then assumed control of the clone within the castle and alerted the city guard of the arrival of the help. The guards weren't allowed to meddle in their business unless it directly and negatively, affected the city in a haphazard manner. She also instructed those in the immediate area to fence off the construction area, as to avoid anyone from wandering in and potentially hurting themselves. The queen wanted everything to run smoothly in hopes that she can welcome her brother home, with a wondrous surprise. A smile crept to her lips at the thought.

When there was a window of opportunity to do so, Celia approached Sezrix with an inquisitive air about her. "You seem on-edge, friend. What troubles you?" She asked, looking at him from an upward angle. His crew seemed to share a similar degree of paranoia for some reason or other. Whatever bothered them Celia had hoped to remedy it, lest the problem complicates things further. There were already people who showed distrust towards the odd-speaking creatures yet they trusted their king, a man who swore to protect them to the best of his abilities. With him gone, however, it was difficult to have the common-folk rally under her, especially since Gwain wasn't there to personally monitor the situation.

Hopefully the pace and method in which the goblins worked would open the people up to them. They followed their leader, Sezrix, without fail and seemed to know a thing or two about repairing structures from the ground up. She'd make sure to make due with her promise and try to teach them magic.

The groups were quickly in operation proper, and loads of stone and cement were being dumped into the Setter Engines, which growled loudly before slowly crawling over their assigned plots. It was difficult to see due to the excessive number of mudflaps and brushed attached to the bottoms of the machines, but they were steadily churning out a layer of what could only be described as liquid rock. It was similar to what would have been hardened up to make bricks or paving tiles, but instead of being placed in the hands of a craftsman it was simply being poured directly into place.

Once the Setters had passed, some of the lighter-equipped Goblins stepped onto the substance and awaited the Gummi pilots, who leaned their mechs over to position metal stakes with their guidance. A few firm strikes from the Gummi's palms drove it through the liquid stone and into the ground below, even though they were large enough that men of legend with really big hammers likely would've hesitated to try driving them down. The machines seemed to have no trouble at all. However, there seemed to be too many Setter Engines for the amount of workers present, as only two of every four could be operated effectively. The others were drove by single pilots to different positions, with no bed of materials to feed them.

Sezrix didn't break his pattern of observation, even when speaking to answer the question. "Gobbiefriends are watching for bad Gobs," he explained. "Used to be Firebloom, but rest of Tribe didn't like him. Makes machines to cast Thunder magic, and tried to attack Buildiebunch once." He wobbled in his seat, making it beyond clear how anxious he really was. "Has a really shiny Gummi, too..." The Goblin chief remembered his previous encounter with the exile. From the start, it had been extremely obvious that the 'shiny Gummi' was stronger than his, especially taking the magic into account. Now that Sezrix had seen magic working for more than thirty seconds, he didn't know what to expect from someone who could summon lightning on a whim.

A raised brow was Celia's response to the description and explanation that Sezrix gave her, regarding whom he called a "bad gob." Apparently one who understood how to integrate, or at the very least simulated magic with machinery. A concept like that wasn't odd where the mage came from seeing as that's how a bulk of their more advanced technology operated. "A shiny Gummi and a machine that can use magic." She paraphrased before giving a light nod of her head.

Turning her attention back over to the workers, the temporary queen watched their construction machines at work. There seemed to be an odd ratio between the goblins and their constructs, meaning that the help Sezrix decided to bring a small group for traveling purposes, allowing a main bulk of them to remain back at the camp and defend it. Should Celia take some time to learn how to use the Setters herself, there'd be no doubt about her creating multiple clones to handle the work and speed it up. She decided against that, however, seeing as the work appeared sensitive and probably more like a trade secret if anything.

"Don't worry." Celia said with a bit of confidence. "You'll be able to work in peace. The royal and townsguard despite their losses, are still rather diligent when going about their work. Plus, nothing ever escapes my eyes if I'm on a world. While your description is what I'd consider vague, I can easily identify something as gaudy as a shiny Gummi." The woman assured Sezrix. Hopefully those words carried some weight and allowed him to rest easy for the time being.

The queen assured Sezrix that the city would be kept safe, and while he was still tense, he was glad to see that there was security here that he wouldn't have to manage on his own. He gave her a simple nod as thanks, while the Setters whirred along nearby. Perhaps there wouldn't be much trouble after all! That is, except for the occasional drop of water falling from the sky. Say, why was there water falling from the sky?

Sezrix looked upward and saw that, in the sky above which hadn't held even a single cloud for as long as any of his Tribe could recall, a layer of gray had begun to form. Before their eyes, it thickened, becoming darker as it dropped water down onto them more frequently. Soon, it even began to rumble above them. "Rain..?" the Goblin chief questioned. Their World was a dry one, so much so that only one of the Goblin tribes could even get herbs, let alone learn to mix them. How had a storm gathered so suddenly?

That was then he remembered something. None of the other Goblins had caught on just yet, be he understood what clouds and rumbling meant. "Down! Quick!" he called, and leapt from his Gummi. He hit the ground and stayed huddling low as the other Goblins fled their own machines and assumed a similar stance. Soon after, the miraculously dense clouds lit with a bright light, and electricity arced down to strike at the Gummis and Setters alike, charring them all instantly and stopping their engines. Some even collapsed as their powered legs were suddenly turned off. The Goblins were still, waiting for nature's sudden attack on them to end.

"Down! Quick!" Was the sudden yell from her goblin companion. Sezrix wasted no time in ditching his mechanical contraption. The mysterious clouds rain down lightning in a very malignant and callous manner. Thankfully for the gobs, Celia hadn't been rusty in her abilities one bit and her reaction times weren't anything to scoff at.

Calling her own magic to lend aid, Celia tried to redirect as many of the bolts of electricity as possible, making them fly anywhere that wouldn't harm the other goblins or their equipment. The surprise attack only gave her so little time to prepare, thus a few of the gobwalkers and setters had been destroyed. It was an unfortunate circumstance but Celia hadn't been finished. Growling, she reached towards the clouds.

Those golden eyes of hers had flashed with a violent energy and through several quick chants, sent her magic from the palm of a recently outstretched hand. This energy traveled forward and had the intention of parting the clouds and neutralizing their vicious onslaught, alongside dispelling any harmful magicks that might have tailored their creation.

The clouds were struck with their own redirected lightning, and pulsed with the newly-reclaimed energy for several quiet moments before bursting apart in a brilliant light, the condensed power being too much for their misty selves to bear. In the blinding sky was a single silhouette. It was a bulky, jagged thing, with only the vaguest resemblance to a humanoid form. As it came closer, hurtling toward the ground as an undoubtably unsafe speed, it became exponentially clear that it was not a creature of flesh, but rather it was a machine, not much larger than any of the Gummis that the Goblins had brought along.

The machine nearly impacted the ground when a set of thrusters were activated somewhere, and it slowed to a hover almost instantly, staying in the air shortly before gently setting itself down, still hunched over slightly from how much force even a small drop built up. The light from above had long since dissipated into the pleasant daylight that had lit the area before, and under it the contraption was fully visible in all its detail.

This was not one of the normal Gummis. Its stature didn't have much extra height in comparison, true, and its overall shape was similar, but it lacked the exposed-part aesthetic of the others. Instead, it was thoroughly concealed within a number of smooth, cohesive plates that would have normally seen use on a 'real' Gummi ship. Some of the pieces still resembled aeronautical parts, the most obvious being the many wings, turbines and thrusters, of which some had been shown just a moment ago to still be in full working order. In its torso was the spherical cabin, with a shaded windshield that was so near to pitch black that seeing the pilot who likely sat inside was virtually impossible, even to the optically blessed.

Fursie Penfist has entered the area.

It extended its legs, taking a taller stance as it faced the lead Goblin and the mage who accompanied him. All the Goblins in the area recognized this machine, and understood its purpose. Before their eyes, it snapped to a pose, flexing its metal limbs above itself while it faced down the leading party. From the engines on its shoulders- which turned out to be repurposed to work as speakers -came a deep, inhuman voice which spoke with an almost synthetic stiffness. "The Mighty Quill has been repaired!" it announced as light reflected from the pristine white plating. The pose shifted, and it squatted down, with clenched fists meeting below the cabin. "I've returned to finish what we started before, Firebloom! Do not worry, your Highness- These fools will tempt you no more with their inferior construction!" With one arm curling upward again, the other snapped straight, pointing a massive finger at Sezrix in accusation. It turned to follow him as he scooted behind the leg of his disabled Gummi. The other Goblins made similar movements, taking cover behind the nearest machines.