“Do you have business here, Guild Master?” Princess Relena asked as we descended the front stairs of Lord Karza’s mansion.

“Of course,” Ryoma said, leering. “I have some unfinished business with your little metal buddy, your highness.”

“Ridiculous,” she said haughtily, “my brother, Crown Prince Milliardo has granted Prime clemency. The guild has been released of their obligations in the matter.”

“Now that, and this, are two different things, your highness,” Ryoma replied as he casually looked at his finger nails, tightening his headlock around Shea.

“Enough of these jokes, Guild Master. We have a schedule to keep. Unhand Miss Shea, or I will have Captain Sunni release her for you.”

“Easy there, your highness, unclaimed property doesn’t have the right to order anyone to do anything, do they?”

“What is it you want,” Lena growled.

I looked around, but all of the Baron’s people had retreated back to the mansion. I could see a few faces in the windows but I was pretty sure that they hadn’t caught Ryoma’s comment; or at least not it’s meaning. Captain Sunni, on the other hand— paw? ...looked like she was radiating waves of aggression and ready to tear into the guild master.

Ryoma let up on his grip around Shea and plopped one of his oversized hands on top of her head, nearly engulfing it. She cringed under the weight, but was doing a great job of not bursting into tears, though it looked like a close fight. With his other hand, Ryoma waved dismissively.

“I want nothing from you, your highness. You and your guard are perfectly free to leave my city and keep to your schedule. No, I just have some business with that,” he said, jabbing a clawed finger in my direction. “Or should I say, with the little coward that I’m assuming is hiding inside. Come to the guild training arena, runt. I’ll be waiting.”

Ryoma downed a potion of some sort and sprouted wings from his back. Shea screamed as he hefted her like a sack of potatoes and flew off with her. The guy was clearly a jerk, but you had to admire his theatrics when it came to making an exit. Devin and the two Adventurers that had stayed with us, were shoved into a coach, escorted by Ryoma’s thugs.

“Knight, coach mode,” Lena said coldly without looking my way.

I got the impression that she was decidedly furious right then, and that I was about to become the instrument of her wrath. Still, I wasn’t about to let Shea stay a hostage for that jerk. Playing my part, I stepped out into the roadway and converted to IronHide in truck mode. Once Lena and Marshoo were inside, we followed after the thug’s coach to the guild hall with Captain Sunni preferring her war mount.

Upon our arrival, the thug adventurers led us through the guild building. I saw some adventurers that I recognised and a lot that I didn’t. No one said a word as they watched us make our way past the reception desks and down a set of stairs leading to an underground training facility. Thanks to there being an oni guild master, there was plenty of headroom through doorways and stairwells for Cyclone.

The training area wasn’t much more than a dirt-filled cave ringed with seating, weapons, and light stones. The seating was full of adventurers as more filled in behind us. Nearly all of them looked confused, which made me think that they had been summoned or ordered to attend; I even saw members of the staff being directed to seats. I was half tempted to give the guild dismantlers, Najii and Lily, a wave.

Shea was pulled away from Ryoma by some of his thugs and sat next to Devin in the seating area. Ryoma, himself, stood in the middle of the open area, glaring at me.

“What will you do?” Lena whispered.

“I think he means to try and make a public example of me for beating him twice. Though I don’t know what he’s thinking in regards to my status as an Automata here. Chances are good that he doesn’t care if people think I’m alive or a tool. He just wants revenge.”

“I suspect he is the sort of fellow that will not rest with merely a third beating,” she said, tapping her lips.

“I’m sure of it,” I agreed.

“Prime, he has insulted the crown and belittled the name of my friend. Furthermore, his disregard of the Crown Prince Milliardo’s orders is tantamount to treason. I authorise you to destroy him, by any means you see fit.”

“As you wish, my princess,” I said with a mental smirk and a bow.

I glanced around, but I didn’t see any snipers or ambush in place. Just to be sure, I activated Shrapnel and his team, sending them around the arena to places where they could get a good view of everything going on.

Lena’s anger was coming off of her in waves, but outwardly she looked calm and composed. I suspected that was a skill honed from her years of court and rigidly controlling her reactions among nobels. I walked out into the open area until I was a handful of meters from Ryoma. Around me I could hear the murmurs from the onlookers. Most seemed to think this was some sort of spectacle match between the guild master and the princess’s “knight”.

“You claimed there was guild business with me, guild master?” I opened, casually.

“Come out of your shell, little clam. Then we can talk. I know that big Auto isn’t your real body. Show them what you really are.”

Welp, I guessed there was no point in hiding it at this point since he’d said that in front of the entire guild. If he’s going to tip my hand, then I wouldn’t need to hold back, right? I returned Cyclone to [Inventory] and dropped to the dirt, giving him an overly fancy bow before holding my arms outward as if to say “drink it in.”

The murmuring of the crowd grew in intensity, most of it seemed to be confusion.

“There it is,” Ryoma sneered, “the sad, pathetic little toy that infiltrated our guild and instigated a revolt among the slave tools.”

I adjusted my volume output so that my voice boomed like I had a megaphone.

“Ah, so you admit that I am masterless and that the Automata are slaves with a will of their own, shackled to do your bidding. A sword can not revolt, no matter who swings it, and a hammer can not infiltrate anything, no matter how clever the artificer that forged it.”

Ryoma tsked in annoyance, then took a deep breath as he ran his hand through his hair. Like a switch, he changed his demeanor to resume his smug I-hold-all-the-cards look.

“We’ve received a very prestigious quest from a generous, and anonymous, noble. Somehow, they are aware of you, and we’ve been tasked with collecting you. Simple as that.”

“Ah. So this time you have the whole guild to take little ol’ me down, eh? I’m flattered you think so highly of me. I wonder if it’s enough. Maybe you should call over the Knight Watch as well. That might wound your pride though, so best keep it in house I suppose.”

Ryoma’s eye started twitching a bit. I could tell my taunts were starting to deal damage.

“Listen you little piece of scrap, you can talk big all you want but you can’t escape from here and I’ve got your buddies. I’m going to utterly destroy you.”

Ryoma then relaxed again and pointed a clawed finger in my direction. His smarmy look was grating on me.

“But I’m no monster...” said the 8 foot, red-skinned, over-muscled, horned oni. “I’ll give you a chance. Fight me one on one. You win, and you and your friends are free to go. Lose, and I’m handing you over to our client.”

Was he serious? After I’d already beaten him twice? Though I admit I had Elita with me at those times, I was still pretty confident that I could take him if I used my full power. Still, my escape options were severely limited in this setting, especially if I had to worry about the princess as well. I glanced over at where Shea and Devin were seated. Strider and Anani were with them but they didn’t look worried at all. Having fought them, I can tell you they were some pretty tough kids so if things went south, I hoped they would help out. On the other hand, they might fall in line with the guild...

“Okay, fine... let’s do this,” I said, mimicking the motions of stretching one’s neck and warming up.

“Oh, before we get started,” Ryoma said, pulling a nastly looking spear from the wall, “I know all about that proxy business of yours. You’re going to fight me by yourself. No friends. No proxies. No magic whatever it is you do.”

“Ooooh, I get it,” I said, feigning realization. “I thought you were a big tough guy. Strongest in the guild, but you’re not.”

“What?” he growled.

“You’re just an itty baby coward.”

“Say that again!” he snapped, his eyes flaring.

“You’re a frightened little chickiepoo that can only hunt elderly thunderbears that have had their quills removed or widdle baby wyverns with their wings chopped off.”

The crowd stirred, some laughing at my jabs, others defending their guild master. Ryoma looked like he was going to burst a vein in his neck.

“I suppose this just proves, to your entire guild, that you lack the skill, ability, and confidence to take me on at my full power. Let me ask you this, have you ever won a fight against an opponent that wasn’t blindfolded with their wrists bound?”

“Just who is this guy?” Bombshell heard from the crowd.

“Is this weird little Auto so strong? I guess it must be if it’s the princess’s knight escort, right?” came another comment.

Ryoma calmed himself again and dropped into a fighting stance.

“Talk all you want, but I won’t take your bait,” he said, flexing his fingers around the spear. “Life’s not fair and only a fool would try to take down a dragon on a dragon’s turf, by a dragon’s rules. It’s survival of the fittest and smartest. You’ve been out thought, don’t blame me for how the world works.”