Once on the ground they began to walk through the crowd. For Andrew the hardest part of looking normal was not gawking at everything he saw. It was both the most technically advanced place he had ever seen and yet also felt like he walked into a futuristic Victorian Era movie. If the gadgets around were all steam or magic based. The buildings were a mix of 5 to 6 story buildings and a few skyscrapers, and they were not uniformly made. Some were brick and industrial while others were made of living trees. The streets were cobbled bricks, but with a precision that was awe inspiring. If you looked closely, you could see it, but a glance it looked like a seamless piece of red brick that was a few miles long. There were magical holograms hovering around most of the shops trying to entice customers in. The thing that he couldn’t understand is how here magic and tech weren’t destroying everything as they conflicted as they had on the ship. It was so much he had a hard time taking it all in. Especially, at the quick but unhurried pace they were moving at.

  There were elves, dwarves, and trolls all going about their daily routines, but what caught his eye even more was that there were a plethora Androids or Automatons, the difference between them, Andrew couldn’t say. Other than the Androids on the whole looked more human and more finished than the automatons which came in all shapes, sizes, and mostly industrial finishes. Automaton designs ranged from small spider bots to hulking 6-meter-tall walking cargo platforms. The Automatons also tended to have smokestacks on them which released their exhaust whereas it seemed more like the Androids had lots of small exhaust which hid it from sight unless you really looked for it. Either way, neither produced the amount of exhaust that Andrew would have expected from such machines.

  Ziggy, please remind me to ask what the differences are between Androids and Automatons and why neither produce much exhaust. Oh and also how does tech and magic play so well on this world.

  [Affirmative]

  There were also various Golems wandering with the other races, though here they didn’t seem like servants like they did back on the ship, they seemed to be treated as equals to anyone else. Like on the ship he saw humanoid golems made of stone, but he also saw many made of living wood and metal. While it was clear each type was created for differing roles, they all seem to have a few things in common. All but a handful were androgynous. Another handful wore clothes, the rest seemed to see no need for it. Perhaps it was because, like their cousins on the ship, it seemed like they had no genitalia to hide.

  The wooden golems looked well built (looking like they could easily lift a few hundred pounds), and yet still graceful. Their skin looked like smooth bark intertwined with vine-like patterns, and their heads were adorned with leafy branches or cascading greenery that resembled hair and was styled individually. Some with short, cropped hair and others had long flowing vines with leaves adorning them lushly and giving the impression of long flowing hair.

  Then there were the metal golems, all made from various different metals and all looking as if they were made for various combat purposes. The Coppery looking ones ed sleek, elegant, made for speed and, were smaller than most, at around 1.75meters or shorter. They had mottled green verdigris in organic patterns on their skin, which made them somewhat naturally blend in with the background. It was clear to Andrew they were natural scouts.

  The Steel looking golems we’re clearly built for fighting. Well build and with skin that somewhat resembled armor. Their humanoid, but distinctly non-human faces were angular and intimidating looking. Everything about them screamed combat, from the eyes which encircled their heads, to the fact that each of their fingers and feet came to sharp spikes. Unlike their coppery cousins they appeared to be made of polished metal, which gleamed proudly in the sun.

  Right before Kopa pulled Andrew into an alley, he glimpsed yet another form of golem. This one looked to be made of silver and had a regal bearing to it. It also clearly had male features which is something he hadn’t seen in golems to date and made him wonder if they had female members as well. It stood at least 2.4meters tall . It’s head just seemed to extend up at the corners 22 centimeters or so with four ten centimeter spikes extending up in between those larger spikes. Making a shape reminiscent of a crown. Its body was elegant and the body seemed to be in the shape of robes.

  “Are you trying to get noticed?” Kopa whispered and while her tone was neutral Andrew could see the anger in her eyes.

  She continued, “You’re staring around like you’ve never seen an Android or Golem before, which for the record I now believe you more than before, but it’s going to draw attention.”

  “Sorry, I still get caught up questioning if this is real or just some fevered dream of mine.”

  “Well it is real and it will get even more real if you get caught. Look we have like 2 blocks left before we get to our destination so, please do whatever you need to get it together.

  Andrew tried hard to stare into the middle distance and not let his curiosity take hold, but with everything around him it proved next to impossible. So eventually he settled on just kind of staring at Kopa’s feet to ensure he was following her. It didn’t take long before she stopped him again.

  “You had better not be looking at my ass or you’re about to be figuring this all out on your own.” Kopa said in a tone of a woman who had long ago grown tired of being ogled at by men.

  “Oh no, I was staring at your feet, so I’d stop staring around at all the things. I swear it was nothing else!”

  “Crap turn left now!”, she said in a whisper before continuing, “Just know if I catch you checking me out, you’ll quickly find yourself all alone.”

  Almost no sooner than she had said that she grabbed him and pulled him into an alleyway.

  “Sorry we needed to detour, you were about to walk right through a scanner. Who put it there and why is anyone’s guess, but it was definitely a Fourier design. It can’t have been there long either as the Tribe has strict rules around such things, but had you stepped into its range my guess is we’d be mobbed in short order. Before we both just disappeared into some Fourier hell.”

  “Damn I wished I knew what they looked like. Can you show me the next one?”

  “If we’re not about to get scanned sure, it’s a good thing to know even once we get you registered. Speaking of which. We’re almost there. This is where we split up. We don’t want to be seen entering there together. So, I’m going to walk ahead, if I scratch the back of my head you’re to stop and stay where you are. I will come back for you once it’s safe. If I don’t then walk up to the end of this alley and take a left. Then the door you want is the second on the right.”

  With that she started to walk ahead of him. When she got to the exit of the alley she turned left and out of sight. Andrew did his best to walk casually and not stare at everything around him. When he got to the second door the sign said, “X and Company” and nothing more. With only the slightest hesitation he entered, before being immediately grabbed by two sets of massive hands and hoisted off his feet. On either side of him were two massive trolls. These two seemed large even for the Trolls he had seen working the docks. They were well armed and armored, though Andrew wondered why at their size.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  One of the trolls had his left eye replaced by a dwarven implant. While it looked reminiscent of an eye it was clearly not, though it did look at things in sync with his real eye. The implant covered the entire eye socket and it was more brass than just about anything else. As with other dwarven tech Andrew had seen, this too had beautifully carved filigree filled with silver. His armor was heavy dwarven plate in it’s style and he had a sword over his back and a pistol on hip.

  The other guard was the mirror image of the first. Instead of dwarven armor, he had armor that was clearly of elven design, more lightly built and more clean lines than filigree. This one had a sword on his hip, but that was the only visible weapon on him. The most dramatic thing though was that this guard’s right was missing and in the socket was a red glowing orb of magic. It too moved in sync with the remaining organic eye.

  “State your business human before my brother and I put you in a barrel ship you off to the meat market.” Said a gruff gravelly sounding voice.

  “I’m here to join the Tribe.”

  “HA!!!! Here to join the Tribe.”

  “Did he say join the tribe?” asked another gruff deep, but not as gravelly voice.

  “There ain’t no joining the tribe, you’re either with us or your not. So what are you really here for?”

  “Umm getting an id then?”

  “Does this look like a government office? Stop wasting our time before we put you in a barrel.”

  Andrew, unsure of what to say next, just stalled for time while his brain tried to figure it out. Before he spoke again the tech brother smiled a big toothy grin and a said.

  “Ahhh we didn’t mean to make you wet yourself, we were just messing with ya. Don’t worry Kopa already told us what you need. We just wanted a little fun before we ushered you in. We wouldn’t put you in a barrel, well not for just walking in here anyhow.”

  They put him down and opened a door before signaling him to go inside. He quickly complied and found himself in a surprisingly long and surprisingly dull hallway. It looked to be a 200 or so meters long and all grey. Unsure of what to expect he walked down the hall inspecting the walls, floor, and ceiling for any feature that wasn’t grey. Like the Elven ships and buildings he couldn’t quite make out where the light was coming from, but unlike them it wasn’t bright, but more subdued and pleasant. After a while of nothing happening, Andrew picked up his pace to get to the door at the end of the hallway, the entire time waiting for something to jump out or well anything to happen. When he got there, he almost felt sad that nothing had happened. With nothing else to do, he opened the door.

  To his surprise it opened up to a small sitting room with floor to ceiling bookshelves made of a dark rich wood that was painstakingly polished. Everything about this room seemed to say this was the a room of understated wealth. In the middle of it where 4 chairs made of ornately cast brass with striped fabric seats. They were arranged so that the occupants could easily converse with a large coffee table between them. It, like the shelves, was made of a dark rich wood that was simply but beautifully carved with a small stack of books on it. There were two people sitting already and they couldn’t have been more starkly different unless they were a small android sitting next to a war golem. The woman was Kopa, but the man was a troll he had never seen before. The man had four horns growing out of the top of his head. Two grew out right above his ears, each around 20cm. The front two grew out of his brow ridge and were closer to 10cm in length. The result of these spiked horns was a look that was clearly reminiscent of a crown. The man’s ears were elongated at the helix like an elves’, but the tips were long enough to slightly droop. The man’s face was gruff with the thick lines of a man who had done years of heavy labor. His jaw was square and strong, it came to wide, but balanced chin. The troll was also massive. While not the largest troll he had seen he was easily 2.3 meters tall, though it was hard to tell when the man was sitting. He had the build of rail worker, but his hands seemed uncalloused in a way that seemed incongruous with this man. He was adorned in a grey shirt and khaki pants, which themselves screamed of understated wealth. It was then that the man turned to look at him. Andrew was amazed at the man’s eyes. They were both hard as diamond and yet as inviting as a warm fire on a winter’s day. They belied that this man likely feared little and therefore couldn’t be kind in a cruel world.

  “Ah he’s here, will you please join us Mr. Lather. I hope Barry and Larry didn’t give you too much grief. They can’t help themselves when they smell people new to the realm.” Said, the man in a voice that was deep and rich as honey. While he gestured at the open chairs.

  Andrew moved forward and sat, still unsure of what was going on. This did not feel like the place one goes for an ID, quite the opposite actually and so it had his nerves on end.

  “Andrew, Hamin Tarq. Hamin, Andrew Lather. Oh, while it sounds like his name starts with an H, his name is spelled with an X.” said Kopa cheerfully.

  “Yes, I’m the X in the X and company. So, miss Kopa here informs me you’re looking to not get thrown back into an elven prison nor a dwarven one and therefore need identification.”

  “That’s definitely my reason for being here. Wait I remember that name, Xamin Tarq was freed by the Stuermhalens and helped form the Tribe by leading his people into the blight. Are you related to that man?” Andrew asked, excitement clear in his voice.

  “I guess I would be, as I am that man.” Xamin said with a chuckle.

  Upon seeing the look of bewilderment on Andrew’s face he continued, “Yes that makes me quite old. So much so I don’t remember the exact year unless I have my AI implant or my thinking enchantment do the math for me. But lets just say I’m old enough to have seen Biaobel’s rise to power and all the turmoil it caused. Enough about me tell me about you and why I should let you into my tribe. “

  “Well,” Andrew drew out the word stalling for time as he had no clue what to say, “Well, I am likely the best human implant specialist you have met. I even studied under the original designer, Dr. Kata. I’m fiercely loyal and any kindness you show me today will never be forgotten. Especially as I hear you’re tribe was responsible for getting my wife out of that Elven hell.” Andrew paused as Xamin had politely raised a hand.

  With a nod from Andrew, Xamin spoke, “I take it your wife was on the Orinasa is that correct? Also, may I have her name?”

  “Her name was Linnie Lather and she was the folding specialist on the Orin.”

  “Ahh Linnie, without her knowledge of folding space, many more of your brethren and mine would have perished.”

  “So she made it out of that prison alive?”

  “Yes……..” he was interrupted by Andrew jumping to his feet so he could shake the Troll’s hand.

  “I am in your tribe’s debt then. Yall have not only saved the love of my life, but also you have relieved my fears. I will not forget it I swear.”

  A warm smile grew on the Trolls face, before another troll entered the room. It was a female troll with small ram like horns which cutely curled on the side of her head. In her hands she held a metallic card.

  “Mr. Lather we will need to pick this up another time. It seems we have elves inbound to our planet. While they can’t jump in passed our defenses they seem to be coming in fast and we suspect they’ll be hear within the day. I appreciate your candor Mr. Lather. It seems that Linnie’s stories of her Ex weren’t far off…” Andrew again interrupted him.

  “Her Ex?!!” Andrew blurted out shock and hurt clear on his face.

  “Mr. Lather it’s been over 150 years she has seen you last, Did you expect her to be waiting chastely for you? Sorry, to drop the news like this, but we really must hurry and get your implant in place before they get here. Don’t worry Yelly here is the best implant surgeon in the tribe. I know you’re in good hands.” Xamin said as he exited the room and Andrew's chair raised and flattened into a surgical table. Tools emerging from the side of the coffee table.

  Yelly walked up to him and he asked "Wait yall do this so much he has a surgical table in his study?"

  "Often no, but when you've lived as long as he has it has been often enough to warrant the accommodations. Don't worry mr. lather like he said we'll get this installed quickly. It's not only your Id, but a state of the art steam processor."

  "Wait where does that go?" Andrew asked right before Yelly surprised him with an injection which caused him to start to doze off.

  "In your brain of course………" was all he heard before he passed out.