22 The Rusty Knob

"Ahhhhhh!!!!" The bald instructor's methods were crude but he feared that the bones would align wrong if not let into place before healing magic was applied. He warned me time and time again that healing magic wasn't the cure all that everyone expected it to be. There was a high chance of mistakes happening if certain precautions weren't taken.

Zack had a smug look on his face the whole time, I had found out that glasses were a very rare product that cost a decent amount of gold. The shaping process was rather primitive, so the sanding was a tedious and slow process to make them prescription, and only one in every ten lense could actually be used.

He did gather a bunch of sand for me though, which he was confused about, but I promised him a reward if he did. I let him stew in anger as I tried once again to repair my arm, figuring the risk was worth it in this case. The bald instructor jumped away from me when I started screaming when he wasn't touching me.

'Forced Evolution failed once more, progression of evolution progressed to 40%. Reduction in upgrade cost.'

Apparently this spell would progress only when I was badly injured and tried it, if used when I'm in perfect health it just caused large amounts of pain. There had only been three such times when I could use it in the past month including this time. I was not about to use my upgrade points on something I could make myself though.

The fact that I only fractured my rib when I was caught by my golem, a lot of my defensive moves directs attacks to my ribs for some reason. I never questioned it before but after quite a few broken ribs I wondered if this was the most optimum defense. I wasn't a master in martial arts so I could only follow what I did know, I couldn't make up my own style like some protagonist in a martial arts novel.

Magic though, I focused my spells to cover up my weaknesses, able to create some armors from military armor of my own world. Ballistic armor wasn't that great against a sword, but the gel like liquid that the marines were using before I had left was great against blunt force weapons. These things could only be used on the chest, so my ribs could be saved against a lot of things.

I felt bad for my ribs at this point to be honest.

Either way, I didn't plan on playing fair when I was in the forest anyway, I was hoping that I could get in without much conflict coming to myself. My new line of attack golems had finally been created, with a glint in my eyes I took out one that had been fully painted from a bag.

White horse hair for her long locks, enchanted frost wyvern scales for the body, mythril for the shoes, nails, and core, standing at a surprising foot and a half. She wore a simple outfit of my design of laced drow spider silk dyed in various shades of red and black. With her fitted bodice dress she looked like a princess from the stories. Her weapon? A claymore that was as big as her, as a golem her strength was exceptional.

My heart bled when I remembered the cost of her though, a hundred gold made fell from my numb hands when I saw the price tag. Considering my blood regularly flowed into Luci's mouth every night despite his crying and running away my bleeding heart probably wasn't worth a hundred gold even.

"I guess everyone has their vices," Zack mocked from behind me as I attached the final touch to my golem, a silver tiara.

"Is there a law that says a golem can't be pretty?" I supplied mana into the golem as Zack's face turned ugly.

"That's a golem? Where's the spikes, the sword arms, the teeth? This little thing can't be called anything but a… Is that an adamantine sword?" He wasn't completely blind without his glasses, even if he was the solid deep crimson metal was recognisable. It was what I based her dress off of of course!

"Yes, doesn't it look great when you pair it with her dress?" I said with a prideful look only a collector would have as I made her unsheath it and point it at him. She wasn't fully autonomous just yet, as I didn't have a core of a beast but with about a week's worth of writing code and testing it in various ways her if statements made it look that way.

"Don't you dare look down upon this princess you scum!" She growled at Zackery, much to his surprise. Yes, she had a voice recording magical item embedded into her mouth that I had a very embarrassed Jade voice act for.

"How much?" Zack's face was pale as he glanced around like an addict seeing a stronger version of whatever drug he was on.

"She requires 200 gold just for the raw materials, another 200 for the crafting, 1 gold for a voice box but you need to find your own voice actor!" I said firmly, this was actually a fairly cheap price for the work I put into it, but a friend is a friend.

"I'll contact you once I have the gold," he nodded firmly, before coughing.

"Everyone has their vices!" I mockenly repeated.

"Now what did you want the sand for? It's heavier than a donkey's grudge." This world had weird sayings. He threw the two bags in front of me as I raised my hands above them, twenty perfectly made lenses fell to the ground the sand reducing by about twenty percent. Not everything in sand could be used to make glasses, so the leftover was waste.

"Ten glasses, ready to be made as an apology for ruining yours." Getting up I let my little princess follow me as she stared coldly at the people around us as if studying them.

Zack pocketed his gift as I walked up to Baldie, "So my reward."

The man stared at me with a bit of disappointment before handing over a document, it was a signed letter stating I could come and go from the training facilities. This was the bet I had made to gain a little bit of freedom and breathing room in my current environment. If I failed to beat my other five training companions, I would be commissioned to create him a wig of the finest black horsehair that would come down to his back, along with a similar tiara as the one on my princess's head.

When a man asks for that sort of request you don't ask questions even if so many are boiling in your mind like a roaring dragon. Even with my unending curiosity I knew there were things I just didn't want to know.

With Zack and Alex in tow, we all went to a restaurant that Alex had suggested one day that cooked everything in a layer of beer. I was skeptical at first, but apparently beer makes an amazing seasoning even if it tastes like watered urine as a drink.

The place was old, rustic even for this area, created like a western saloon from the movies. Monstrous heads of powerful beasts lined the walls, watching men in armor laugh between each other as their armor clanged fell to the floor fresh with blood. This place was a regular hangout spot for seasoned warriors and adventures as alcohol flowed like rivers as long as silver kept coming.

The Rusty Knob, named after its founder's nickname, who created a brothel right next to the building with his earnings when he was already a wrinkled old man. The old pervert always complained that if his body wasn't rusty he'd stay the whole day in his new establishment.

This place was also the reason for my disposable income, many alchemical tonics were sold here specifically to cure hangovers and relieve… itches from the brothel next door. Several times I was nearly dragged into that establishment by a few happy customers that didn't want to embarrassingly go to the doctor in town.

Now quite a few of the call girls knew me as the snake oil chipmunk as they had a tendency to pinch my cheeks when my face turned red at their skimpy clothes. Hormones were the worst, if they weren't affecting me I doubt I'd have this type of reaction but now I couldn't help it.

Our table was filled with food soon after, a meal only a bunch of unsupervised kids would enjoy, piles of cheese and meat deliciously melted together. The smell of spices, beer, and blood filled the air as we all dug in. Quite a few people tipped their hats at me as they made their way to their friends.

"So, you sleep with Jade yet?" I nearly choked on the steak that I was ripping apart, as Alex smiled at me.

*cough cough*

"What are you talking about?" I wiped my mouth and stared at him, causing him to shrug.

"Everyone thinks you're a thing, you've been treating her really well for a servant."

"No different than Joshua!" My rebuttal was weak, even I knew that but I didn't really expect this ambush.

"Did you sleep with him then?" Alex took a drink of his beer, grinning from ear to ear.

"What? No!"

"Oh there's nothing wrong if you'd prefer to be in his healing hands." Alex chuckled into his cup a bit.

"I don't think either would be able to satisfy our little masochist here." Zack shook his head sadly, "Did you know he trains when we split up, every time!"

"Not this time." I tapped my cast softly.

"And who's fault is that?" Alex stuck his tongue out at me.

"Who asked you to have such a thick face, it was like punching a block of steel."

Alex covered his heart, "My pride!"

"You don't have any! Do you remember Sabrina?" Zack smacked the back of Alex's head, only to see him drool over his imagination. "You hired a bard to play guitar and tried to swoon her with your shitty songs."

Zack and I both sung out the same line, "Deep as a river is my love, would you like to go and get some grub?"

Crossing his arms, the red head frowned, annoyed at our antics. "You two try and do better! It was my first written song."

"And last I hope!" Zack and my glass clinked before we drank down our juice.

Alex was usually the butt of our torment, but as we laughed together as each of us were happy to be in each other's company.

"Well I'm going to take my leave, remember I'll get ahold of you when I have the gold." Zack winked before heading out, I never did know where he got the gold from but gold was gold.

The next to 'leave' was Alex as he drank himself into one of the place's many rooms in the brothel. He didn't pay for a woman, but one of his relatives was one of the call girls so he was tucked away in a room for a night.

I myself stayed another hour, quite a few people asking about the golem to my side, drinking tea like a proper lady giving them cold looks as if looking down on them. Quite a few asked if she could do anything… inappropriate… learning that she was as hard as an enchanted shield made them disappointed.

A few transactions happened under the table for my anti-itch cream, leaving a few gold richer than I entered there was always a good feeling so I bought a round for the saloon before leaving to much exaggerated cheers.