Chapter 14: Dress to Empress

The sound of metal ringing against metal was music to my ears.

The warehouse had transformed over the last several days. Whereas before it had been an empty expanse of dirt floors with crumbling stone walls, now it was an empty expanse of dirt floors with completed stone walls, and a roof. Really, if you wanted my honest opinion, that was much more impressive then the little hand crank generator I’d put together.

I had power, but I still needed things that could use that electricity before my ‘generator’ started paying any dividends.

Of more immediate utility, one of the warehouse walls had been converted into an ad hoc foundry. I didn’t know the first thing about smelting metal; luckily, there were a class of demons who agreed to work with metal so long as they were allowed to sleep in the forge itself. They were called Foundry Imps, and currently I had two.

They were stumpy little wrinkly baby things with soot grey skin and hands like miniature hammers. Really, they were about the most adorable thing I’d seen since coming to this new world. Unfortunately, as I peered into the forge, they were nowhere to be seen.

I sighed. Working with demons was hell.

“Hey!” I banged on the warm brickwork over the mouth of the forge with my palm. “Where’d you two scurry off to?”

A sooty grey head popped out of the burning coals. Large, dark eyes blinked up at me as the first of my imps sat submerged in the immolating coals the same way I might relax in a nice Sunday evening bath in my not so nice tub.

“Hrrga? Krrupbl Mrrrbaba!”

I could understand her—I’d decided this one was a ‘her’—in the same way I could understand all of my demons: an odd mixture of intention and emotion.

I frowned. “Yes, I know you finished the daggers on time,” I replied. “Where’s Mr. Burns?”

“Mrrrgl va Frrrra.” This one, who I’d named Coaline, waved her arms. They were surprisingly large for such a tiny creature, with sharp claws not to be used as weapons but to engrave the metal of their forge with detailed filigree. Coaline and Mr. Burns were excellent smiths.

They were less excellent roommates. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

“va Frrrrra!”

I bit my cheek in irritation. “That’s not an answer.”

Coaline gave a little shimmy of her ashy shoulders, horned head tilting side to side. “Crrramsha da Varrrmia mul.”

I sighed. “Coaline, you both live in the forge. He couldn’t have gotten lost.”

“Mrrrvka.”

“What did you do to him?”

“Mrrrgle va Frrra!”

And we were back to this shit. I rested my head against the mouth of the forge, the heat of the coals bathing my face. I was about to just order Coaline to tell me, our agreement allowed me that much, when another clawed hand sprouted from a mound of charcoal towards the back of the forge.

Fortunately, I had an expert poker face.

“Oh, so you have absolutely no idea?”

Coaline nodded eagerly.

I leaned back, smiling as Mr. Burns, a slightly smaller forge imp but with a bigger head (which was why I decided he was a he) hauled himself from the ashes. “Then I refuse to be held responsible for anything he does when he… shows up again.”

Coaline tilted her head. “Vrrakama?”

“Graaaaaeeeeeeee!” Mr. Burns tackled Coaline into the forge with a war cry. I sighed as they tumbled across the interior of the forge, grey forms a dark blot against the otherwise glowing foundry.

They got along like a house on fire.

I tapped the mouth of the foundry once more. “Make sure you get started on the next batch of daggers when Tweedledee and Tweedledum show up with the metal.”

I got what looked like a thumbs up from Mr. Burns, before he returned to noogying the other forge imp so hard steam rose off her scalp.

With a sigh, I turned away. And people wondered why I didn’t want Minions getting around underfoot all the time. I had just enough time to take a seat in the stone chair I’d set up when the side door of the warehouse opened again.

“Lady Via.”

I looked up as Rel slipped back into the room. “The boys are back, My Lady.”

I sighed, standing. “No rest for the wicked, huh?” I brushed off the leggings of my bodysuit, throwing my cloak over my shoulders. “Let’s see what they found.”

Dee and Dum shuffled into the room, eyeing the blue-maned lizard lounging next to the forge. Blue was a good boy, but he did take a lot of mana to maintain. Thankfully, he was lazy.

“Boss.” Dum grunted, taking a step forward. “Did as you wanted, cart full of metal is outside.”

“Excellent work Dum.” I grinned.

He rubbed the back of his head. “Was nothing.”

When I’d first… convinced the two lunks to work for me, I’d expected to learn their names, only to be told they didn’t really have any. Their mother had called them ‘boy’ when she bothered to call them at all, and from that lovely relationship they’d graduated to a series of gang bosses or lieutenants who proceeded to call them much the same thing.

They seemed to like being Dee and Dum, especially after I explained how the names were connected. What a world, am I right?

In any case, they’d been happy enough carting metal in for the foundry imps. My budding industrial revolution was a hungry beast already, but luckily the oceans were full of salvage that I could send demons to drag back to shore. It was effective and cheap; exactly what I needed right now.

Not that I would waste time with it myself when there was so much else to be done.

I turned to my first Minion. “Rel, how did the first batch of daggers go?”

The boy ducked his head in the approximation of a bow. “It was hard to sell them in the market, too many guards. Plenty of gangs in the southern district were happy to pick up cheap weapons though.”

I nodded. “As expected.” The foundry imps worked fast, and even if we were still fine tuning the right way to make steel (I remembered it had something to do with charcoal and the imps were eager to fill in the rest), cheap iron weapons by the cart load were sure to sell.

“How much did we make?”

“Less than a gold for the lot.”

I shrugged. A good sword apparently went for a few gold each, depending on the maker, and most weapons and armor fell in that same range. “The smiths can keep their specialty pieces,” I said. “We’re trading in bulk.”

“Yes, Lady Via.”

“Now.” I turned back to Dee and Dum. With a crook of my finger, two little lizards, like smaller Blues, scampered down off of their shoulders. My little watchers, barely intelligent enough to follow my commands at all.

But more than enough to ensure there hadn’t been any betrayal, at least, in the short term.

“The two of you have paid off your debt to me.” I looked both of the stocky men in the eye, noting the way they straightened. “And maybe I’m an idiot, but I’ve taken a liking to your ugly mugs.” They chuckled. I guess their boss hadn’t been too kind with them either. “We’re at the beginning of something here, something that will shake this entire city at its foundations. If you want to go on with your lives, you’re more than free to go, but if you’re interested in seeing more...”

I trailed off, waiting a moment as Dee and Dum exchanged a glance. Then I stepped forward, holding out my hand. “If you want to stay, then we can make a deal.”

Dee paused a moment, before stepping forward. “You treated us right, Lady Via.” He grasped my hand, and I felt my new skill activate. “We’ll work for you, as long as you do.”

I shook Dum’s hand a moment later. “I always do.” I smiled at the three of them. We weren’t anything impressive, but we would be. “First though! We have some important business to take care of.” I waved my hand.

At my gesture, General Tock, my little spider robot, scuttled out from the corner of the shop, with three bundles of fabric on his back.

“Lady Via?” Rel asked, “what’s this?”

“All good organizations have a uniform.” I smiled. “This will be ours. I brought the design to the same seamstress that sold me this cloak.” I plucked at the fabric. “Of course, she’s still working on my own outfit, but I wanted something special to commemorate the occasion.” I had to hold back a giggle. “It’s… been a while since I worked with anyone.”

Longer still since I’d partnered up with anyone competent. Rel was turning out to be an excellent investment.

“I’ll step outside so the three of you can get changed.” Rel blanched. I raised an eyebrow at him. “Something wrong?”

“N-no! It’s not that, Lady Via it’s just…” He shuffled, knees rubbing against each other as the boys shared a confused glance.

I sighed. “Rel, what did I tell you?”

“Right.” He took a step forward, putting a hand up next to his mouth. “I-I’m a girl.”

I blinked. “Wait.”

He—she—nodded, blush rising on her cheeks. I gave Rel a quick once over, going over the details I’d picked up on before without putting them together. The slimness of her shoulders, how she always kept her hair tucked under her cap, the way she stood even.

“Well.” I grabbed her by the shoulder. “I supposed it’s good your uniform came with a hat.” I yanked her into the small alcove I’d set up in the corner of the warehouse that doubled as my room, kicking the door shut behind me. “You can get changed in here.”

Rel blinked owlishly at me, before nodding slowly. I stepped back, leaning against the wall of my room to give her space to change.

Not that there was much space to be had. I’d set aside an area big enough for a small straw cot. Dee and Dum had their own places to sleep, and Rel had hung a rope hammock from the rafters. Guess now I knew why.

She pulled off her shirt, revealing that she wrapped her chest with strips of cloth, I held back a sympathetic wince at the lack of support. Still, I’d gotten her measurements right, and as she pulled on the clothes, I found myself nodding; they suited her just fine.

Rel struggled with the buttons though.

With a small laugh, I stepped forward. “Here. Like this.”

She blushed again, glancing away as I did up the buttons on her shirt and vest. I ignored it, straightening out the fabric. It wouldn’t do for my Fillet Minion to look anything less than her best. I stepped back to take in the full effect.

“W-well?”

“Try not to stutter so much.” I smiled. “It really doesn’t suit you anymore.”

Rel glanced down at her clothes, before looking up at me in surprise.

I’d gone for a classic look, one that Cypher’s henchmen had used before his fall: a black vest and white collared shirt to go along with black slacks. The shoes didn’t match, but then, if I could find dress shoes on this planet, everything would be so much easier.

To top it off, I sauntered forward and placed a newsboy cap, black of course, on her head. “You look sharp.” I smirked. “Well, you would if you stopped tripping over your own two feet so much.”

“L-lady Via!” She blushed. I just laughed, straightening out the little bits and pieces of her new clothing.

Fitted outfits were far more available here than they should have been in this time period. I’m sure Electra would have had some explanation for me, but I just put it down to bad writing.

Wouldn’t stop me from taking advantage of it though.

With a smile still on my face, I pulled Rel back out into the main room of my little foundry. Dee and Dum were changed into their own outfits: black slacks, white shirts, and black coats. Simple, but classy.

I felt my smile grow wider. “It’s a start.”

Rel and the boys exchanged glances.

I clapped my hands. “Now! I have some new toys for all of you.” General Tock scurried over once again, this time with a small sack. I picked it up. “Call it a… thank you for your service.” Of course, I planned to start paying them as well, but I’d need to figure out our profits from the daggers first.

For now, this would have to suffice.

I opened the bundle, revealing two metal rods and a small pouch.

“For the boys I have these.” The cylinders were a bit big for my hand, but they fit into Dee and Dum’s meaty mitts perfectly.

Well, you know what they say about big hands.

Big beat sticks.

“Simply flick your wrist.” I demonstrated, and the rest of the night stick telescoped out, complete with the iconic weighted orb on the tip. “It’s nothing special, but you’ll find it much more durable than those sticks you were carrying around before.” I pressed it shut again, before tossing both to the boys. “They’re made from some of my own alloy, so feel free to let loose. They won’t bend an inch.”

Dee fumbled his for a second, before flicking it out and giving it a few swishes through the air. “Heh, sturdy.” He gave a little dip of his head. “M’ thanks, Lady Via.”

I held back a sigh. “I keep telling you to call me Via.”

“Sure thing, boss!” I gave Dum a deadpan stare, before tossing him a weapon as well.

Lastly, I picked up the pouch, holding it out to a blinking Rel. “And this is for you.”

Rel took it, letting the cloth wrapping fall from the very compass she’d given me a week ago.

Or at least it’s outer casing.

Rel looked at me in askance. “Lady Via?”

I mimed opening it with my hands. “Take a look inside.”

Rel blinked again, blue eyes going back to the latch. She pressed it, and the spring I’d painstakingly inserted popped the case open.

Her breath caught.

I smiled.

Rel’s mouth opened slightly into an ‘o’ as she raised her other hand to cup the compass. Or rather, the ornate casing that had once been a compass.

I’d polished it with my tools, taking off the little bits of tarnish and bringing the elaborate filigree back to the fore. The inside was where I’d spent most of my attention. I’d taken out the rest of the bits and pieces of the compass, save for the etched rose itself. Behind that façade I’d build a pocket watch, with 12 being north. The finishing touch was a small chain that could clip onto a button.

Rel’s eyes followed the second hand as it ticked around the compass face. It… really hadn’t taken me much more than a bit of time and having Mr. Burns make me some gears.

But I’d seen the expression on Rel’s face when she gave that compass to me.

I didn’t know where she got it, or who it belonged to before it found its way to my possession. I knew that I was being given something precious, and as a villain, well.

I liked to think I saw the Value in things and paid accordingly.