"Let's talk about the deal between you and me, shall we?"
Duke brushed away the droplets of steam that had condensed on his clothes. Beside him, Ciceria guarded her draconic avian companion, staring at Duke with anxious eyes.
"Do you… have a way to save him?"
"There's a way, yes. The question is whether you can afford the price."
Duke crouched down, studying the dragon-bird that was barely clinging to life.
The once-vigorous creature was now weak beyond words. The wound in its abdomen was steadily eating away at its life. Traces of the enemy mage's spell still lingered inside, freezing the creature's blood into jagged icicles that tore relentlessly at its organs. With the aid of his God's Eye, Duke saw that those blood-ice spikes had already pierced several vital organs.
Fortunately, the spread was still away from the heart and lungs, which bought them a little time. Even so, the beast's suffering was immense.
"What do you want?"
Ciceria's eyes burned with resolve. Drawing in a deep breath, she said firmly,
"As long as it is something the Buveil family can pay, name your terms."
"Seems your family dotes on you quite a bit."
Duke raised an eyebrow at her determined tone. Ciceria gently stroked her dragon-bird's feathers.
"Shōnki is my family. I grew up with him. I've always seen him as a younger brother. From the moment he hatched, I've been by his side."
"I cannot lose him."
"Touching, your bond is truly moving." Duke glanced at the crudely treated wound and spoke quietly, "I can heal him."
"Really?!"
Ciceria's face lit up with surprise and hope. Duke only shrugged. Quinn, however, gave him a guarded look and asked, hesitating,
"You're a mage… aren't you?"
"Not everything in this world requires magic to solve."
Duke turned his head, sidestepping the question. Instead, he made it clear that he could save the dragon-bird without magic.
"If not magic, then… are you a physician?"
Quinn frowned, skeptical. Duke shook his head.
"I come from Piltover. Do you know what Piltover prides itself on the most?"
"I've heard… craftsmanship and technology?" Ciceria answered uncertainly.
"That's only a small part of it."
"We call it, science."
"Ladies."
With a theatrical gesture, Duke pulled out a frost grenade, yanked the pin, and tossed it. It hit the ground with a clink, releasing a chilling mist that rapidly spread across the ground, freezing it into solid ice.
"Magic!"
Quinn instantly raised her crossbow at him. Duke rolled his eyes and casually tossed her another frost grenade.
"This is science."
Still doubtful, Quinn used her Gray Seal, a small detection device made from antimagic stone, to test the grenade. The stone showed no reaction.
"Not a magical construct… then how…?" Quinn's brow furrowed as she looked between the frozen ground and the orange-sized grenade in her hand.
"The process is my secret. But this is what I'll use to save your companion."
"Science changes everything."
After easing their doubts, Duke looked back to Ciceria.
"I can give you back a vigorous, living Shōnki. But you need to think carefully about the price."
"What will happen to him?"
Ciceria glanced at her companion, then back at Duke. Duke shrugged.
"First, the benefits. From now on, Shōnki will no longer be bound by age or frailty. As long as there is energy, he'll live on, and could even carry you, your children, and your grandchildren safely away if needed. His body will be as hard as steel, and with his new abilities, you both will be unmatched."
"But the downside?" Quinn pressed. "Nothing in this world comes without cost."
"That's exactly what I was getting to." Duke cast her a reproachful glance. "Don't interrupt, please."
"…My apologies. Continue."
Quinn fell silent. Her hawk, Walo, nuzzled her cheek in comfort.
"The price," Duke said evenly, "is that Shōnki will no longer be a pure dragon-bird. He will become a fusion of flesh and machine, a hybrid construct."
"A… half-machine, half-living being?" Ciceria repeated, trying to grasp the concept.
Patiently, Duke explained,
"Have you seen Piltover's machines? Perhaps the imported clockwork wheelchairs?"
"I have. The old man next door uses one since his legs can no longer carry him."
"Exactly. Now imagine if that wheelchair were fused with him, so it became a part of his body. That's what I intend to do for Shōnki. He will become a hybrid of living creature and machine."
Ciceria covered her mouth, horrified.
"T-That's…"
"Too dangerous," Quinn interjected.
"Your choice," Duke said nonchalantly. "I don't care either way."
"Ciceria, think this through," Quinn urged.
But when Ciceria looked into Shōnki's eyes and saw his lingering affection and refusal to part from her, she clenched her fists.
"Do it. No matter the price, I'll bear it alone. I cannot lose him!"
Her determination left Quinn sighing. "I hope you don't regret this."
"Well then, Miss from Piltover, how will you proceed?"
"Just call me Duke."
Duke strode into his tent. "Wait here, I need to fetch something."
Inside, concealed from view, he retrieved a one-meter-square chest from his inventory. Its surface shimmered with strange energy lines, etched like a magical circuit.
This was his prize from a lottery, the Beast Cage.
It could transform living beings into mechanical hybrids. He had yet to test it, but anything from the system was bound to be extraordinary.
Carrying the chest outside, Duke ignored their stares and activated its switch.
"Don't ask, you wouldn't understand."
He affixed glowing signal patches onto Shōnki's body and head.
"This… will save him?"
"Yes. But it will take time."
Duke pressed the start button. The chest opened, light spilling out. Shōnki's body was drawn into the radiance, pulled inside the Beast Cage.
The process of transformation, and rebirth, had begun.
"All we do now is wait. About three days, and he will be reborn unlike anything you've seen."
"This is… a Piltovan invention?"
Quinn bent over the chest, examining it curiously.
"My own creation," Duke lied smoothly. "A prototype. Confidential." He then smirked. "By the way, want me to try it on your hawk too? No pain. He'd just fall asleep and wake up stronger than ever."
"No. Walo is fine as he is. I won't risk changing him."
"Kiyaaah!"
The hawk spread his wings, glaring at Duke with menace.
"A shame. He might've broken the sound barrier with pure speed, faster than sound itself."
"Don't treat me like some gullible country girl," Quinn scoffed. "Save your tall tales."
"Believe what you want." Duke shrugged. Shōnki was enough of a test subject for now. Still, he was curious, what would happen if Walo underwent the process?
The Beast Cage… could it be the first step toward mechanical ascension? Shedding frail flesh for perfect new life?
"Could this be… a precursor to Ascension itself?" Duke murmured.
Ciceria sat before the chest in silence, her eyes fixed on it.
"What about you two, what's next?" Duke asked through a yawn.
"I'll report to the nearest outpost. They'll send men to garrison here and collect the bodies," Quinn said.
"I'll wait for Shōnki's rebirth," Ciceria replied instantly.
"As for me," Duke said, "I'll head toward Fosbairo, then to Silver City to see the Statue of Justice, then south to the Capital. This chest goes with me, and so will you. On the road, we'll finalize our deal."
Ciceria agreed without hesitation. Quinn looked at her friend. Once she decided on something, no force could dissuade her.
"Very well. I'll leave Ciceria in your hands. I'm off to the outpost."
"Until we meet again," Duke said with a wave.
Before Quinn took off, Duke added mischievously,
"Sure you don't want to try it on Walo?"
"No thanks." Quinn rolled her eyes, mounting her hawk.
"Stingy, suspicious woman," Duke muttered as they soared into the sky.
End of chapter....
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