Chapter 11

The next morning I woke up. Last night, Sophia had read a story to me from the 'Tales of Twilight'. It was one I had read before, so as she told me the story, I imagined it within my mind, and before I knew it I must have fallen asleep.

Then as i stretched and stepped out of bed, I thought, was Sophia still there? Was yesterday all just a dream? Would she go back to only being the voice of my dreams? As I sat in the silence of the morning, a sudden fear crept into my chest. It felt as if the air in the room was getting heavy and slowly weighing down on my form.

"Sophia?" I called out to the air.

[*yawn* Good morning Lark. Did you sleep well?]

In an instant, the terror vanished. Sophia was not a dream. She was real. She was still with me. And it seems she was cute in the morning. My fractured memories were mostly faulty, but there were a pair of brothers in the bunkhouse. One was kind and gentle in the morning. The other was the personification of wrath.

I am glad that Sophia was the former and not the Latter.

I also remembered that I had the morning off from testing.

"Sophia, do you think that since we have the morning off, we could go out together? I want to see the Capital with you."

[We could do that if they allow it, but why is that you want to go with me, Lark?]

"Well, since you have been here I understand things better. And there are so many things that I want to understand better, and I feel if you are with me it's an entirely new world for us to see."

Sophia giggled, [Oh Lark, of course. It's a date.]

I could tell Sophia was happy. I did not know what a date was though, although when I thought about it, a few fractures of memories came up, couples walking together. Couples having dinner together. It made sense, since Sophia was my forever friend. Of course I would always want to do things with her.

We stepped out of the room, and at the end of the hallways where my dormitory was, there was a reception desk. The man at the desk, I think his name was Harris, stood up and tucked away the book he was reading. I confirmed his name when I saw his name stitched into his Jacket, with a second name of Francis underneath it.

"Hello Harris. I am going for a walk today and I was told to check with you before I left."

Harris looked a bit confused, "Hello Lark. We didn't have you scheduled for any interactions outside this morning."

"Oh that's fine, we don't need to interrupt anyone on their time off. We are just going to the Capital Park."

Harris' eyebrows furled. "I just have to check."

[Just tell Harry I will be with you. Also let him know I want a copy of the [shadow clone] spell delivered to the room.]

"Harris, Sophia says she will be with me so it's fine. Also she has requested a copy of the [shadow clone] spell. Also I forgot, please say hi to Francis as well. I will have to catch him next time your forever friend is with you."

Harris had an unsure grin on his face, then he looked off to the side. "Yes that will be fine. Please make sure to check back in if there is an issue. Sophia, if there is an issue while you are out, please send us a [message] and we will send a liaison. Also please be sure to not cause a scene. Jan also will be a little later today since your evening class is cancelled for today. please return a few hours after noon. 1500 should be fine."

I smiled, "Harris when I arrived my weapons and armor of my station were checked in with the clinic."

Harris smiled, "Ah. Those are being worked on. It seems that Representative Sutemos herself requested that they be retrofitted or replaced with the highest quality arms and armaments meant for a person in your station."

I nodded. I knew that members of the protectorate were supposed to always carry their arms and armaments when out in public, but if they were with Sute, I am sure I would be forgiven.

"Alright. See you later Harris."

[Bye Harris]

"Sophia says bye too."

***

I was not expecting anything of note to happen today. Harris was usually asleep and let me drive during our shift at the clinic.

Before we were a driver pair Harris was... well... Harris was really bad at being a merchant. Having come from the Grand Woods Alliance, even though he was human, he had a bit of a damaged mana pool. This, and the fact that he had very few combat abilities when he plated, left him with few choices on growth.

In Haven, there were two forms of payment for most goods and services. There was the credit, which was the form of international currency, and there was Mana, which could be exchanged at the Adventurer's guild for numerous items or donated to one of several endowment funds.

How did this make Harris a bad merchant? Well you need money to make money, and Harris did not have money. And he did not have Mana. In fact, from the time he came of age and plated to the day we met, he spent most of his days doing odd jobs to just build up his stats and avoid the free food line. It was free but it tasted terrible.

It was why he entered into a pact with me. As a Parasite, I was able to let him access my Mana pool. In return, as a driver while Harris was asleep, I was in control. A portion of all experience I earned when driving went to him, and vice versa. It was a bit of a tricky system. It was like he went to sleep and was better at something when he awoke. I ensured that his body received the necessary recuperation magic so he did not feel ill. In exchange, Harris offered two years of morning shift at the clinic for 4 days a week. Then I would work on whatever he wanted to get better at when he was asleep. But for now, we volunteered.

Today was not as much study of magic or combat, today was about solving Harris' 'other' issue. I was reading a pamphlet on the intricacies of Changeling polyamory and culture. Harris was young and full of youth, and the amount of chemicals he had coursing through his brain was astounding. I was honestly astounded he had made it this far without saying something stupid to one of the many attractive women around Haven, but as a young male, it was only a matter of time. He needed to get an outlet, and he had made it clear he did not plan on settling down until he had his own successful business and had completed his two year commitment to the clinic. Thankfully there was an option for 'The Facade' Tavern and Bar that should work. First time free… That should work. He was a biped driven by a biological imperative. He did not need to know the secondary and tertiary effects of his actions.

It was then that I looked up. Lark was walking towards me. He was hard to miss as he towered over most people, and was built stronger than a Longhaul Merchant's Autocart. I began tucking the pamphlet away. Less questions.

[Harris! Wake up! You have company]

I could feel Harris assume control. It was like a certain weightlessness being applied. From here I could only watch, guide, and hope he didn't fuddle it up.

***

As I conversed with Lark I remember my careful instructions listed in his file. Do not upset him as his emotions were still unstable and he could lash out. There had already been one incident. Contact Jan for any changes in schedule. Now he wanted to go out without a sponsor.

"I will have to check." I said to Lark as he responded with an additional request for an intermediate level spell. I sent a [message] spell to Jan Kopek, the director of this project.

[Jan, Lark currently wants to go for an unscheduled walk outside the clinic. He has also requested a copy of the [shadow clone] spell.]

I waited. Jan was busy, but Lark was his main project.

[Approved. Gina is off today. I will send Mica to follow at a distance and make sure there aren't any issues.]

[And the spell?]

[Sure. it's a bit early but go have a copy made. I would rather have someone start failing early than start failing on time.]

***

As I left the clinic I smiled. It really was a beautiful day out. The sun was shining and it was the weather in between spring and summer where the heat of the sun was offset by the cold air off the mountains surrounding Haven. Could I have appreciated this beauty before? I don't know. But I can appreciate it now with Sophia.

I smiled as I walked through the Capital Park. It was the largest public Park in Haven.

I had learned from one of my lessons that out of all the nations of Terra, Haven was the only one to fully integrate both 'eco-sustainability' and 'biodiversity'. Although it was hard for me to understand, Gina summed it up quite well. Nations that mistreated the earth, poisoned the waters, clearcut the forests, and drained the soil of nutrients were likely to incur the wrath of the Wild.

In one nation, they kept building their defenses. This worked until the Wild surrounding the city grew strong enough to challenge the city and put it under siege. Haven had stepped in and assisted, and now we were friends with the City of Ston.

In another nation, they had attempted to use magic to pacify the Wild, and it had worked for a time, but for some reason, the pacification failed, and when that happened, the city was lost. The amount of pollution the city created was enough that the Wild response completely obliterated the city. Even Haven's advanced weaponry and magical might could not save them.

That was why Haven was green. Even though most buildings in haven were close together and multiple stories, they had roofs covered in greenery, and almost every block had a small natural courtyard with trees and plants. I was enjoying the large park. As I looked around I could see there were families playing and merchant stalls selling street fare.

And lots of couples walking, hand in hand. I could feel their emotions. They were happy.

"Sophia there are lots of couples here. They are all on Dates too, right?"

[They are Lark.]

"I just wish we could hold hands like that couple Sophia, or link arms like that couple, or…"

It was then that I saw it. There was a man, and he was walking with four women. The first woman walked beside him, the second held his left hand, a third walked under his right arm, and a fourth followed closely behind, holding onto the tail of his coat.

The entire entourage was awkward to see. While the four of the women wore battle ready military uniforms and kept their hair in crisp clean braids, the man they accompanied did not come close to the professionalism shown. His outfit was similar in style to the wildscouts, except instead of earthy colors or shades, it was vibrant and bright fauna.

To describe his outfit in one word, it was 'Loud'. As for their personalities, the four beautiful women looked straight ahead, emotionless. Quiet and seemingly attentive to the world around them. The man with them was not. He did not stop talking. From far away Lark could not make out what they were saying. As they got closer he could tell he was regaling them with some story,

"And that is why you never seduce a magistrate's daughter if her room is on the third floor."

I did not want to know what he meant. Or the story that led up to it. I felt my peaceful existence being threatened by him. Not in a violent way. But more that it could cause confusion and chaos in my peaceful day.

"Sophia are they also out on a date?"

[Lark, that is not a date. That is a disaster waiting to happen. Best to avoid that kind of trouble.]

The stranger stopped when he got to me. "Well aren't you a big one." Then he looked at the embroidery on my jacket.

"Lark is it?. You're a host aren't you? That's what that second name is. I haven't met any of your kind yet. So what's it like...AHHHHHH"

Just as he started to talk, he sort of doubled over in pain. The four women next to him didn't react.

I looked at this person, "Excuse me sir, are you alright?"

He straightened up. "Yes, it seems I almost said something rude to your date Sophia, Lark. So she gave me a bit of a verbal thrashing. And as much as I am used to women yelling at me in my life, I really have never had it in my head before."

"Wait, she spoke to you?"

"Yes and it was not pleasant." The man looked at the four women with him. "Although as much pain as I was in, none of the four of you came to my rescue, huh?"

The first one spoke, "Master Jasper, we also received the [message] and we have to agree with the assessment that you were in fact about to violate direct orders from a Haven representative."

The second one followed, "Yes, Master Jasper, I agree with my kampfschwester Ria that you were out of line, and I must also state that you were not in danger, so we did not intercede, per your previous orders."

The third spoke, "Yes, Just as Ria and Gia have said, you were in fact not acting as one should of your station, Master and as such were not following Lady Veronica's request to be good on our dates together."

The fourth spoke, "Ria, Gia, and Sia are right, Master. You should be nicer to strangers and common courtesy says you should introduce yourself before inferring another's name from embroidery."

Sophia giggled, [This man is completely outnumbered. Do not worry for this man, Lark. He has made his bed, and now must lie in it.]

The man looked a bit defeated, "As my ladies have stated, I should be a bit more courteous." With that the man bowed, "My name is Jasper, and these are my Constructs, Ria, Gia, Sia, and Tia." The four women curtseyed in unison.

I was a bit taken aback. This man had four women following him around. And he had not learned about Constructs. He had learned about humans, and the curse of humanity called Contentment.

"I have never met a Construct before, are they like the Content?"

Jasper smiled, "Not at all. Humans are the most diverse and populous race in Haven, and although we have no inherent racial benefits we gain the most from the experience we have in this world. However on the flip side to this gift, if we squander our developmental years, when we come of age we are instead stricken with the Curse of Contentment."

Jasper smiled, and did a sort of half hearted attempt to motion to one of his escorts. "Sure, these women may have the deadpan expression of the Content, but they are in fact thinking and, arguably, feeling people. They were artificially created as a booster force in a war on a different plane, and while Humans and their Content are native to this land, Constructs are not."

I was excited to meet this man and have him explain.

"Constructs just seem like calm humans."

Jasper laughed, "Oh no. they are a handful. I promise. Ladies, why don't you give him the short version of what a Construct is."

Ria, started. "A Construct is an artificial human, produced by the Late King Patrius in our native continent of Malice. We are designed to be shock troops first, able to quickly outpace humans and other races in unarmed combat."

Gia continued."However to ensure obedience, Constructs are Level capped at 30 unless they become registered to a human. When we register, our user becomes the focus of our lives. We can never increase our level past theirs or sire children not genetically linked to them.They become the primary point of our being."

I was about to ask a question when they continued.

"Normally, only a single construct is assigned to a User, or at maximum two, because besides defending our user, our biological imperative drives us to have more children, which regardless of the genetic donor, will always be Constructs, and almost always female. However, our Master has yet to fulfill his role and fill the womb of any of his Constructs." followed Sia.

Tia finished, "Lady Veronica promised you her construct and the construct of her partner. You also took one from Lady Olma. You have yet to fulfill your promise, and regardless of your feelings about it, we expect you to perform your 'nightly duties'."

"Lest we hold you down ourselves and take it from you."

I did not know how to digest a lot of this information.

[As I told you Lark. This man is walking trouble.]

"To be honest Master Jasper, they do not seem so calm to me." I said.

"Well that is because I am their registered user. A Construct partially confirms to that of the Registered User. Since I would never have a tame partner, I might have caused a bit of an over-correction on the part of their biology."

I could have sworn i saw a bit of a grin from Ria, but it was gone before I could confirm it, as if it was never there at all.

"Well Master Jasper, I wish you well on your Date."

Jasper smiled, "You as well, Lark. When you have a free moment, hit me up. I can make sure we have a fun night in Haven!"

[I strongly advise a non-committal answer, Lark. Don't let his troubles latch onto you.]

"I will see you later, Jasper." I smiled.

As he left he began to tell another story. "So there I was, with the Old wolf himself, both of us bound, naked, and surrounded by ogres…"

This man never stopped talking.

***