Life in Glane is Very Plain
The three months of training in Glane came and went very quickly. If you asked any of those who were preparing it was like it was one continuous day and ended abruptly.
The feeling of finally continuing the journey to Jambre was both exciting and scary. Gene spent so much time warning everyone how dangerous it was there they couldn't help but worry whether they were strong enough.
The nice thing about training, though, is it can make you confident if you are diligent and have a good trainer. Everyone with Gene had the best trainer.
The manuals he provided, as well as the advice, kept everyone moving forward at a breakneck speed.
It wasn't clear who made the most progress over the last three months, but the Level Up Cabinet was used two more times by Gene and Dr. Whatson.
The monstrous powers of the artifacts Gene created left his entourage shivering with both excitement and fear. He rebuilt the carriage from the ground up.
It was no longer pulled by regular horses. He replaced the flesh and blood creatures with mechanical horses. Although, they looked pretty real.
Gene always claimed it was important to keep a low profile, so he wanted everything to seem ordinary, but it wasn't. Nothing Gene created was ordinary.
The Carriage was filled with nasty surprises for anyone who was foolish enough to attack.
Alfar the Jinn was no longer wearing just a wool wrap. Poole had him dressed in the proper attire of a Page in the employ of a great Lord.
He wore a light grey coat over a white shirt and grey vest. Dark grey pants and black shined shoes were on his feet.
He seemed unassuming. Whoever saw him would never suspect he was a powerful Jinn. His magic core had grown considerably over the last three months.
Even Alfar was shocked at how powerful he had grown. He was far more powerful than when he was a Bokor with a legion of zombies.
His former zombies turned fairies became capable spies and scouts for Gene. The other two former monster leaders were very secretive and only communicated with Gene by way of some artifact of his.
The Dygon family had plans to make their way to Jambre within the next week. Gene was determined to arrive before them to set the stage for their downfall.
When Dr. Whatson asked what they had done to deserve Gene's wrath; he just laughed.
"Nothing, they're just the worst kind of people. They are hypocrites to the last man among them,"
Gene really disliked them and claimed they were guilty of far greater transgressions than the former monster leaders combined.
Gene no longer wore the warrior retires of the Prince from the Three Cities. When asked how he would explain this to those who knew him in Jambre; he said he would just tell them some nonsense.
Currently, he was dressed like a Victorian-era gentleman. A long coat over a black vest and white shirt, grey tie, black pants and shoes, black gloves, and dark grey top hat. He also wore dark grey gloves and carried a walking cane with a silver knob.
Poole pulled the carriage to the front of the Inn and loaded it with all of the gear and artifacts Gene hadn't already stored.
"Bolivar, we are off today. We have had a nice time at your Inn and have even fought together. It was my pleasure to have met you," Gene said.
"Prince Elam, I am sorry to see you go, but I understand a grand young master like you can't stay in this small town forever. I hope to hear only good things about you in the future," Bolivar said as he slapped his shoulder warmly.
Gene smiled back, turned around, and climbed into the carriage followed by Dr. Whatson.
Poole climbed into the driver's cage. The driving cage had many artifacts making driving the carriage far more relaxing than normal.
Gene and Dr. Whatson sat in their places, directly across from one another, and waved out the window at Bolivar and a few other townies they had come to know during their time in Glane.
Dr. Whatson pulled down the window shade as the carriage rolled out of town.
Inside the carriage, Gene pushed a button, and part of the back seat opened and swung toward the back of the carriage. They stooped down and entered the door.
They were quickly able to fully stand as they entered an enormous room. It was like then entered a sci-fi mansion.
It was possible to feel the luxury of the home but there were also machines spread throughout. A magnificent staircase ascended up several levels.
This was their mobile base, through the scientific application of relative dimensions it was unclear how big this place was at just a glance. There was furniture in the room, and sitting on one of the couches was Poole who was drinking wine.
"Who's driving the carriage?" Dr. Watson asked.
"The Coachman," Poole responded. He stood up and fetched wine and refreshments for Gene and Dr. Whatson.
Dr. Whatson took in the magnificent mansion as he sat across from Gene.
"It simply amazes me every time I come in here. Poole seems to enjoy his ability to duplicate himself," he said.
"He's getting very good with his division of labor. I wasn't expecting him to divide his duplicates up based on job duties. He even names them depending on what job they are doing," Gene said.
"Alfar, our Page, has developed well under Poole's guidance," Dr. Whatson said.
"Indeed."
The pair sat together and chatted for a while. Not far into the journey, Gene excused himself and went to his room to tinker with artifacts.
Dr. Watson retreated to his medical clinic where he continued his studies, and Poole continued overseeing the household chores.
Three days later in Glane, The Dygon family, headed by Zagon Dygon, his son Draven and other elders entered a series of coaches and started their journey to Jambre.
A few days after they left, smoke could be seen coming from the Dygon family estates. The town dispatched a few scouts to determine what was happening at the Dygon estates.
The report shocked everyone in Glane. The entire family estates were razed to the ground and the members of the household were dead.
Count Raby received a report from Barron Atticus that the Dygon family was wiped out. The last of the family, headed by Zagon was on the road to Glane.
A smile crept upon Count Raby's face. It was as he suspected, his heir couldn't let the matter go, and as soon as Zagon left he immediately destroyed the family.
He sent back his congratulations and told him to wait in Glane until he wipes out the remnants of the family. Once he has destroyed them, they are to complete their original task of taking over Glane.
The Count had no way of knowing Barron Atticus was no more and the message he received was prepared weeks in advance. A man with wings received the reply and flew in their air, shrank, and disappeared.
The journey to Jambre took a little over two weeks. The Coachman clicked on his communicator in the cab and informed the passengers that Jambre was within sight.
The city of Jambre, a city surrounded by perpetual darkness and death. Where the weak are consumed by the strong and the strong are in turn devoured by the exceptional.
If you want to grow strong come to Jambre. You will either grow strong or disappear from the earth. Its foreboding silhouette could be seen from the hill the carriage descended from along the main road.
In about one more day of travel, they will finally arrive.
Gene was excited to move from the quiet adventures of Glane to the exciting challenges of Jambre.