Machinist of Mana

As the carriage rolled up to the docks I saw the docks, and they were empty. That was odd, the docks never shut down, not for anything, not for anyone. Suddenly I began to wonder exactly what I'd gotten into. The only people around were the guards, and while there weren't many, they all looked like they meant business.

I quickly dismounted with a few of the others who'd been sent in as backup. While I was the only youth in the group there were a few more locals coming in to help, they quickly made their way to the current guard and relieved them, already knowing their business.

“Come'ere lad, yer with me for this shift,” a tall, gangly man in armor said. He appeared to be in charge of this little expedition.

“Yes sir, I'm Percival, Percival Sh...” I began before being rudely cut off.

“Don't care. What I care about is you pointing out anything odd you see, questions?” he asked.

“Are we expecting trouble sir?” I asked.

“Not as such, but can never be too careful. I'm Grawlin by the way, and I'll be with you till your babysitters show up.” Grawlin had to be either a nickname or a surname, because nobody, and I knew this for a fact, would name their child such.

“Understood.”

It was hours, hours of boring looking around before anything happened, and then I saw it. Slowly moving out through the fog was a ship, not a transport, or a cargo ship, but a warship. On its decks were half a dozen guns, mounted on structures that clearly turned, but not as smoothly as the old battleships from Earth, the sides covered in iron. It also had no smokestack to speak of, which meant that it was running entirely on magic, or some engine that I didn't know about, perhaps both. That kind of military technology was often kept secret, and for good reason, as we weren't the only country around.

The ship was achingly slow for its size, being smaller than most of the boats used in shipping either goods or people, though who knew how fast it could go if it needed. Regardless the crew didn't seem bothered, allowing it to slowly drift up to the dock.

Lines were thrown, tied, and checked, and finally the gangplank descended. The first off were two people dressed in mage robes, eyes peeled as they came up to where Grawlin and I were. In the lead was a man, with dark blond hair and a smirk, behind him a girl came, slightly younger, with brown, mousey locks and large glasses.

“Ah the big city,” the leader said as he approached us enough to speak, taking a deep breath. “Smells like shit.”

It was a struggle not to laugh, but honestly he was right. Exion always had a potent stench, even if you got used to it, and if anything the docks were the worst. There really was no escaping the smell so long as one was outside, and while most people learned to ignore it you could never forget it.

“You done playing around?” asked Grawlin grumpily.

“He's never done playing around,” the woman responded. “You must be Mr. Grawlin, and you are?” Her voice was strict, like a displeased matron as she looked at me.

“Percival Shadestone ma'am, my school sent me to observe.”

“Wonderful, another child to babysit,” she replied smoothly.

I took some offense to that. This woman didn't know me, didn't know how I'd managed to handle myself up until now, no she just assumed. Also, I was now growing quite nicely and would soon be an adult man, if a young one.

“Don't let Saya get to you kid; she got herself tied in a knot at the age of two and has never gotten loosened up the smallest bit. Let your big brother Walter show you around.” He didn't even wait for confirmation, instead wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me back to the boat. “Let's leave them to fight over who should be in charge while we oversee the actual work huh? Got to unload everything and have it ready quick as possible. Oh, by the way, can you sing?”

Walter, for that seemed to be his name, rambled quickly the whole way back to the boat, just enough to drown out his partner's angry retorts in the background. He even sang a bit when she started to yell. Of course I had questions of my own.

“So... do I get to know who you two are?” I asked.

“Hm? Oh sure, we're Worldsingers kid. Here to deliver some goods to some of the local cities. Can't tell you what those are, but suffice to say that we need not to screw it up.” He led me across the deck, soldiers ignoring my presence since I was with him.

“And you're not going to question that I am who I say I am at all?” I asked, it seemed that he was being awfully trusting for someone on a secret mission.

“Hmm? How many kids your age with your aura and a few drops of elven blood are there around here you think?” I froze, not many people could tell the latter part about me, though any spellcaster could see my aura. “Saya's good at her job, but don't forget I am either,” he said, his voice going flat for a second. “See, I actually read all the files, all the write-ups, all the descriptions, and I remember them. Did you think that little song back there was for nothing? No, that's what I needed for a full exam on you.”

“That's...” I hadn't even noticed the magic, not even felt it.

He slapped me on the back, laughing. “Don't worry Percival, just follow my instructions and we'll get along just fine.”

We watched as the crew unloaded two large crates, themselves covered in runes and obviously magical items into a pair of waiting carriages. He went on and on about the city, the smell, the long trip. I was a bit more interested in the cranes, which looked to be entirely mechanical and of a design I'd not seen before. They had a weird looking ratcheting device on them, the internals hidden behind a steel plate I wanted to pry off.

It was as they were lowering it that something caught my eye, a tiny red glow from one of the pipes leading into the harbor, just a flash, a moment, there and gone again.

“See something kid?” Walter asked, noticing my focus change.

“Thought I saw a red light in the tunnel over there,” I replied pointing.

“Thought you saw, or did see?”

“Did see,” I said uncertain.

With a nod several guards, themselves physical magic users like me surged towards the tunnel, blades in hand and rifles on their backs. These guys weren't playing, and charged in with abandon.

“What are you doing?” Saya said, marching up to us, the work had stopped, all the men instead arming and looking about.

“Something in the outlet over there,” I nodded forward, hand on my own blade.

“Something? What something?”

“Not sure, but we've had some issues with the sewers lately, stuff going on that shouldn't,” I replied, having been there for one of those incidents personally. The two newcomers didn't seem to have gotten that memo though, and looked at me strangely.

“Kid's right, some band of criminals, was in the papers a bit ago,” Grawlin muttered, having wandered over with Saya.

Before I could tell them that they were monsters not men the guards returned.

“Nothing sir,” the leader said with almost a shrug.

“Any sign?” Walter asked.

“In a sewer? Can't smell a thing, and the water keeps any prints from even forming.”

“On alert then,” Saya said, looking at him. “I'll handle the unloading while you keep watch.”

“I'll let my men know too,” Grawlin grumped before moving off.

Once he was back a bit I looked towards Walter. “Monsters in the sewers not men, city's keen to hide it though,” I whispered.

“Thanks for the heads up, but monsters, men, doesn't matter, these goods are getting where they're going.”