The Mechanical Era

"Hello Knight Silvester. I hope I am not late?"

"No your not." he said.

"How long have you been here?"

"2 hours."

"Oh... I see. Well, sorry about that. Um... Where are we going to talk?"

Silvester pointed his index finger up, signaling to Victor to wait. After he gulped down his entire pint of beer, he finally stands up.

"Upstairs in a cheap room I rented. Just follow me."

They climbed the creaky wooden stairs to the small room he rented, about the size of 5 king sized mattresses, and about 8 feet in height. The floor, walls and rood were all made out of oak wood.

On the walls were a bunch of candle brackets, used to hold candles and lit the room with light when it is dark. On the left corner was a bed with a mattress and pillow made of hay and hemp, just like the Petersons' home.

They even put a closet, to put one's cloths in, a wooden desk and a wooden chair as well. The light source, other than waxed candles that are all either half or nearly melted, was the ever dimming sunshine that came into the room from the windows.

Silvester grabbed the chair while Victor sat on the bed. He dragged the chair and placed it in front of the bed, meeting Victor face to face.

"The letter. Give it, Now." Victor opened up his satchel bag and handed it over. Silvester unfolds it and starts reading it thoroughly.

"Are you sure nobody is going to listening to us?"

"I am positive. Besides, if they do, I can probably get their ear cut off and charged for being part of humanity's savior. Being a peasant, nobody would ever listen to them."

After he is done, he uses a fire spell to burn it up to dust. The letter contained of what plan they should be using.

"Is he arriving at 26th?"

"To the workshop? Yes. He will be coming to see the progress of the printing press. Is that enough for the plan?"

"It depends on how convincing and intelligent Cora is."

"I though it would be enough?"

"Why do you think that?"

"I... neverminded. So what is the plan? When is it beginning?"

"We are going with the 73rd plan we had prepared about 2 years go. It will commence as soon as she is informed. Come closer to me." Victor happily obliged. He leant out his ear for him to speak clearly to.

"I want you to tell Cora to try convince the commander to select me as a candidate for his new bodyguard. Whether it be through the prince himself or any other way, doesn't matter.

She has to achieve this objective before the 24th at most, when the time for the prince to switch his main bodyguard occur. Once I have been selected, it would be then we start our conversation with the prince.

Incase if he starts to panic, I would use my mouth to silence his voice and have him listen. If he still refuses then... it's all over."

"Over?"

"Yes. Over. No matter what we do at that point, it would lie on his hands. If we kill him off there, our movement will forever be demonized. If he is let go and decides to tell anybody, there will be a crackdown on the commoners."

"Was there any other option?"

"Some. But the birth of this prince is the most extraordinary thing to have happened on this continent. Considering his position, he is the one who we have a chance of getting through. We need a member of the royal family to take power to have legitimacy. Any at all.

This was always going to be an all or nothing gamble from the beginning. So we better do it right."

"What if he refuses to have some knight in?"

"Well, that is what Cora is for. I heard those two have a near mother and son relationship over there. If she can't convince the Knight commander, she can convince the prince. If he still doesn't, then the risk is higher that he will panic, but the plan will continue."

...

A day later, in the busy marketplace of the city, Cora was out with a basket in her hand, wearing the cloths of any other peasant around. However, due to her working for the royal family, she could afford the more expensive cyan gown and good leather shoes to fit her.

Though she looked as if she was buying up food to feed her parents, the real reason was to wait for Vincent, who is supposed to deliver her information about the plan Silvester has crafted.

As she continued to walk on the main road, making small talk to the people she happen to know her as friends, she bumped into Victor, who was wearing his craftsman attire.

"Oh, Victor. How is it going?"

"Well I am good Cora. I had just ordered for the moving types for the press. What about you?"

"I am fine, just buying up some items to deliver to my parents."

The two were silent at first.

"So err... what is it that you want to tell me?"

Victor laid out what Cora needed to know. She felt a bit pressured on having to bare the burden of the one being responsible for the entire fate of the movement she had helped out all her life.

"Is that all you got to tell me?" she asked

"Yes. So... I guess this is goodbye for now?" he asked.

"Maybe..." she said. With that, Victor tried to turn around, to leave the scene. As he started walking, Cora's smooth hands touched his shoulder.

"Wait!" she said. Victor turned around to meet her face, blushing a bit.

"Do you... want to just... walk with me for a minute? For old times sake."

"...Alright." I can.

The two started to walk together. They talked about many things, about their personal lives today, the stories of their childhood, and the memories they shared together in the long past behind them.

Meanwhile, at the palace in Kant's room, he had brought along a stonemason to help him with the first school Hoverdam would have seen."