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[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 34: The Hippogriff Express
🕑 Added 2025-04-24 15:15:11 +0000 UTCFinally, the fateful morning had arrived. Lucius made sure to pack the essentials: extra suits (in case he felt like changing his style), a toothbrush, bath towels, combs, handkerchiefs, shampoo, snacks, and of course a pleasant-smelling cologne. The holy empire surprisingly had a large variety of them - Lucius’s favorite was ‘Seductive Wiles of a Devout Daddy’. He swiped it from one of the knights.
By the time he finished, his bag was practically bursting at the seams. No matter. He picked it up with one hand and waltzed out of his room with a tip-tap here and a tip-tap there. Lucius was quite excited if that wasn’t already obvious - he very much loved a good road trip. Besides, this was a chance to finally explore outside the castle.
Marco and Mili were already waiting for him, their luggage noticeably barren.
“You really bringin’ all that?” Marco asked, eyeing Lucius’s belongings with a bewildered expression.
“Why not, Mister Bernardi? A gentleman must always be well equipped.”
Mili wrinkled her nose. “Don’t you think it’ll get in the way?”
“Perhaps for those of lesser skill, but I am quite confident in my bag wrangling if I do say so myself.”
The musician sighed and then held out her hand. “Give it to me.”
“I wouldn’t want to impose—”
“No worries, I got a little something special that’ll help us out.”
Lucius did as she said and handed over his bag. Mili took it, swung it around, and then… swoosh! It vanished into thin air.
“Oh my, whatever was that?”
Mili bid him a smug grin and then moved her arm, reaching out toward a random direction before coming into contact with something: an invisible space, one of which she could reach inside causing her limb to disappear.
“It’s a new skill I got. Dunno what exactly it is, but the system calls it ‘Backstage Storage’. Basically lets me put anythin’ I want inside, except living stuff—don’t ask how I know. I’ve been using it to keep Cassie stowed away. There should be enough room to fit all our bags inside, though. I already did it with Marco’s.”
Such a peculiar, yet absurdly useful boon. There wasn’t any reason to refuse so the gentleman entrusted his belongings to her.
Soon, the hall began to fill with a great swathe of players - bodies restless and tense. They had gotten a taste of paradise within these walls: treated like royalty after a hellish experience not so long ago. Now, they were forced to leave onto yet another ordeal. It was no wonder the people here seemed despondent.
When everyone had left their rooms, they were led to the outside, where Ruggiero awaited them. Archbishop Turpin also made an appearance. The holy man greeted them all and made a sign of oath to signify his goodwill.
“Welcome, heroes. It has been some time since last we met,” he said. “I have been given the honor to perform the Blessed Anointment for your departure. It is an age-old tradition among our people, a ritual in which we may bestow strength and good fortune to the faithful gone on pilgrimage… or holy war. The demons are a vile species - take advantage of every blessing you are availed, so that this land may be purified anew.”
The Archbishop clasped his hands together and began to mutter a prayer. His garb rose, it swayed under a sudden gust of wind as golden light manifested from within his body, traveling down, and then spreading across the ground until it had surrounded the entire courtyard in a divine glow.
Lucius felt power swell up inside him. His muscles bursted with newfound vigor!
>[You have been blessed with the Mark of Fortitude. For the next thirty days, your stats will be buffed by 5%]<
The Archbishop wheezed and gasped from exertion, stumbling over and requiring the help of Ruggiero to keep himself steady. “Hoho, forgive me for the unsightly display. It has been quite some time since I last personally led a rite, but these old bones still remember the feeling well. Sadly, I must return to the clergy, but know that the spirit of I, and all else in the Sacred Order, shall be with you always. Hallowed be thy blade!”
With that, he was guided away by members of the faith, leaving Ruggiero alone to address the thousand-some players in attendance.
“Is everyone prepared? Good, then let us begin.”
Ruggiero took out what appeared to be a whistle and then blew into it. A loud shrill flew out, echoing and ringing across the entire courtyard. After a moment, a squall rushed over them from above, and there, descending from the heavens with a loud ring, was a train.
A train. Not just any train, oh no, but a train with wings.
“Now would ya look at that?” Marco muttered. “Now I’ve seen everything.”
It was a train not-so-dissimilar in style to those of the American gilded age of the late 1800’s: a long, winding trolley with multiple coaches that served as individual sections. This one, however, had no wheels. It soared through the sky on fluttering wings of white. Upon taking a closer look, the wings seemed to be coming out of diamond gemstones affixed to the side - similar to the ones Karolus had shown him before.
What intrigued Lucius the most was its design. The train did not have the palettes of gold and black that symbolized the empire, but instead more rustic colors that paid tribute toward mother nature. Emblems of leaves decorated the polished brass on the exterior, and streaks of deep, rich shades of green and brown made it resemble a hardy oak. An oak with wings, apparently.
After a quick loop in the air, the train landed gracefully onto the pavement right beside Ruggiero.
“Welcome to the Hippogriff Express,” he declared, patting it with the fondness of a proud father. “I once terrorized many a Frankish paladin whilst riding this beauty, but now it serves as a transport for the empire’s deployment. With this, we shall reach the western border within a day or two’s time. Each cart has a private room for a group to rest in, so please do make yourselves comfortable. I must warn beforehand however that space is limited. Pile yourselves in if you can - we have a thousand in number here that need boarding.”
The doors of the Hippogriff slid open, and soon, rows of players began to enter all at once. Lucius’s party was fortunately at the very front so it didn’t take long before they found themselves a fitting room. It was simple, but comfortable: with a cushioned bench and a window for them to look out of.
“Nice, looks like we hit the jackpot!” Mili was about to plop herself down when Lucius stopped her, holding the girl back with an outstretched arm.
“A moment, if you would,” the gentleman said, requesting his bag back from her storage skill. “Allow me to spruce this chamber up to my standards.”
Without a second to lose, he set to work. Lucius fluffed up the pillows, wiped and buffed the walls: cleaned, dusted, and then laid out some blankets. Everything was quite lavish, but it needed a finishing touch, so he pulled out and spritzed fitting floral perfume that’d please the nostrils.
Marco and Mili were so dumbfounded that they didn’t notice Lucius had already tucked them in as one would a babe.
“This is scary,” Mili said, looking at him wide-eyed. “I’m getting way too used to being pampered. You gotta let me rough it out a bit, Lucius. At this rate, I might just melt into a big, lazy puddle.”
“Nonsense, how could I call myself a gentleman if I didn’t do this much?” Lucius chuckled.
The party started to settle into their comfortable little cabin, when the door opened.
“Oh. Um, sorry for intruding. All the other cabins are full, so I thought I'd try my luck here.”
It was the woman dressed in firefighter garb Lucius had seen during Bradamante’s spar. He had scarcely the chance to encounter her afterward due to belonging to different groups, but he remembered being quite entertained by her show. At the very least, she managed to put up a decent fight unlike the other players.
“You guys look pretty comfy though, so I’ll just… get out of your hair. Sorry for being a bother.” The woman blushed and was just about to leave, when Mili jumped up and pulled her back.
“Aw, c’mon. We’ve got plenty of space here, right guys?”
Marco nodded. “I ain’t the type to kick a fella out as long as they don’t cause trouble. Plus, you seem alright. Harper Brooks, right? I remember your spar—took a lot of courage to go out there first. I respect that.”
Lucius, for his part, had already wrapped the lady in a blanket and tossed her atop the bench - much to her bewilderment. “There is no need to worry, my dear. Our group isn’t one to discriminate. You may rest, free from all you may have suffered before.”
Harper teared up, and buried her face into the bench. “Thank you, really,” she muttered. “It’s been, um, a rough time. Honestly wouldn’t blame you for turning a stranger away, but welcoming me like this… it means a lot.”
The woman was a resilient one from what Lucius had witnessed before, but there existed none who weren’t burdened by memories of the Tutorial in some way. Here, at the very least, Harper wouldn’t have to be alone.
With that, Lucius’s trio had become a party of four.
