SNOWY COTTAGE (PRIVATE, NIKOLA, GIUSEPPE) [COMPLETE]

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Job Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral)

Job Signup Approval Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral) Approval

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It had been a while since Nikola's latest adventures and during this period of respite, Nikola had once again gotten back to attending to his duties towards his family and the associated business group as well as the associated multinational business conglomerate. These included things like attending business meetings, meeting other high society families and getting acquainted with their heir(s) and heiresses, overseeing and signing off on the developmental processes for new product lines, and so on. Additionally, he had also gotten back to his usual ongoing and ever-burgeoning mad science research efforts during this time as well and in these endeavors and in the handling of his daily life routine, he was assisted as always by his trusted and exclusively personal, 6-unit strong, maid squad made up of monster girls of all sorts, this squad also being his personal bodyguards in any combat situations too.

So, in this manner, time marched on for him till present wherein he was relaxing in the company of said maid squad, with all of them currently lounging in recreation room section of his mansion in Crocus, the capital of Fiore which was his home base of operations. In terms of arrangement, one maid was present on each side of his person, while two more were currently lounging while carefully balancing atop the backrest of the large and comfy plush-cushion-equipped couch they were all sitting upon at present, again with one maid on each side of his person. Lastly, the remaining two members of his personal maid squad were sitting on the ground on each side of his person like the rest of their comrades of said squad. Currently, all of them were keeping him company while watching a recently released popularly acclaimed movie on his HD-resolution magitek audiovisual lacrima system and conversing with him occasionally about various topics in addition to the movie.

However, this peaceful setup of Nikola's and consequently his pleasure-filled mood was abruptly interrupted by the arrival of his mansion's head butler as noted by his head personal maid, Jeanne

"Master Eisenstein, it would seem that our merrymaking is to be put on hold for a while...for it would seem you have your next job in your magus work..."

To that, Nikola grimaced as he remarked, his voice clearly demonstrating his now disgruntled mindset

"Indeed...how truly irksome this is..."

After that, he watched his head butler enter the recreation room and then head over to him swiftly. Said butler came to find him since there was apparently a job request flyer which came for Nikola by post and thus required his attention, a fact that was much to his chagrin and the dismay of his maids as well. That said, it was not something he could ignore since he could always use more money than he already had, and thus he had no choice but to leave the pleasurable company being offered to him by his maids to attend to this. So, he took the flyer offered to him by his butler who, along with his maid squad, was also one of his bodyguards in combat situations and after reading over it, penned his reply regarding his acceptance of this job on a separate piece of parchment and instructed his butler to mail it back to the client

"Here, Alfred, please send this off to the client in question to alert them that I shall be arriving in short order."

After that, Nikola gently disengaged himself from his maids and then left for his bedchambers, wherein upon arrival, he quickly set about getting ready in his usual work attire, aka that of a mad scientist magus, and then headed off for the destination mentioned in the job request, which was some place known only as the "Mountain Village". Unbeknownst to him, he would be meeting a rather interesting person over the course of this job request.

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Note: Credit for the special bbcode included within this posting template goes to the user named Janneline Ariel.

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Job Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral)

Job Signup Approval Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral) Approval

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It did not take Nikola too long to reach the “Mountain Village destination that was mentioned in the flier thanks to the fact that he had chosen to use his personal transport, a magitek all-terrain limo with a vintage-style body on the outside but with the latest and most advanced in automotive technology inside. Once he arrived, he drove into the village and then parked his car somewhere out of sight to prevent any unwanted attention from descending upon it. Then, he headed off to the meet the old man who was the client for this current job.

Well now, this should be interesting…thankfully even without magic, I can still employ mechanical advantage to get this job done…ah, it truly is good to be a science-type and to have the relevant repertoire…

Nikola mused silently as he knocked on the door and announced himself to alert the old man client for this current job that he had arrived and that he was ready to begin the job at hand

“Greetings, sir. I am Nikola Eisenstein, the mage who has received word of your job request and who has come here to fulfill it.”

In response, the old man came out of his residence atop that snowy mountain and invited Nikola inside after greeting him

“Ah yes, good to see you then. However, I have been notified that you will be having company during this job, but that company has not yet arrived, so please do come inside and warm yourself up, Mr. Eisenstein.”

As he heard this, Nikola nodded and remarked in response, his tone filled with mild curiosity

“Oh? Well now, then this request of yours should not be too difficult to handle…my thanks for the invite, sir.”

With that, Nikola headed inside the old man’s residence and then took a seat and began waiting for his job partner to show up, all the while wondering who it would be and if they had any mechanical engineering skills to speak of to use in this endeavor.

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Note: Credit for the special bbcode included within this posting template goes to the user named Janneline Ariel.

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Job Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral)

Job Signup Approval Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral) Approval

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Fortunately Nikola did not have to wait long for his supposed job partner to show up as well for shortly after he had arrived and made himself comfortable in the client’s residence, the nanoscopic sensors of the auditory enhancement module installed in his magitek cyborg body picked up the noise of the client heading out to meet the newly arrived help and despite the door being closed, Nikola was able to learn the name of his job partner as being someone he now knew to be called “Mephistopheles”.

Well now, that is quite the intriguing name…but perhaps he does not have any connection to the demon by the same name

Nikola mused silently as he watched the scene unfold and as his partner stepped inside the client’s house as well. After that, when the client inquired as to whether Nikola and his impromptu job partner knew what they were getting themselves into, Nikola noticed that said partner remained silent for whatever reason and so, he had to speak up instead

“Indeed, the description on the flier was sufficient enough for that. As for becoming acquainted with each other, for the sake of convenience and practicality…my name is Nikola, Mr. Mephistopheles.”

With that, Nikola fell silent after addressing the client and then his partner in turn and then waited to see what would happen next and for whatever directions the client would be giving them.

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Note: Credit for the special bbcode included within this posting template goes to the user named Janneline Ariel.

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Job Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral)

Job Signup Approval Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral) Approval

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Nikola nodded to Mephistopheles and then replied with his own greeting and a perfectly natural-seeming cordial veteran businessman’s smile on his face, if for no other reason but to keep up the appearance of civility in the present situation despite his usual ignorance of social cues

“Likewise.”

Then, Nikola fell silent and watched on as said job partner of his went to great lengths to document the job completion proof from the poor old client who, as a result, began to look ever more confused as the man went on to get his signature on the dotted line on an official looking document that he had manifested from thin air. For his part, Nikola waited patiently till that exchange was complete and when Mephistopheles addressed him to inform him that he was ready to go complete the job, Nikola nodded and then remarked while opening a hyperspace micro-portal out of thin air which had a distinctly sci-fi feel and look to it with a snap of his fingers and pulling out from it a magitek digital tablet of sorts along with its corresponding stylus

“As am I, but please give me moment to follow your lead and get my own proof of job completion ahead of time, Mr. Mephistopheles.”

Nikola remarked thusly with that same cordial smile from before and then handed the tablet and stylus to the old man while requesting of him

“Now sir, if you would be so kind as to read over this document and then sign on the dotted line at the bottom of the statement, I would appreciate it greatly. It is another standard job completion proof document in the same vein as what my partner presented you with mere moments ago, of course.”

Naturally, as Nikola watched on after instructing the man on how to use the tablet and stylus, the old man reacted with the same shock and dismay at his display of his capability as he had to that of Mephistopheles earlier, but since the document had all the same elements to it due to being standardized, this time, he skimmed the document and then signed it at last on the dotted line as before while grumbling

“You young’uns and your new-fangled magic…even though I don’t got any love for it…gosh darn it…”

Nikola was amused to see this, but he had to correct the man since what he had shown was not magic at all, but rather sophisticated technology instead

“Magic?…oh no, good sir…this is not magic, I assure you…it is simply advanced technology…though I suppose, as a wise man who lived a long time ago once said…’science when advanced enough will seem indistinguishable from magic’…so it is perhaps understandable why you would think this of me.”

With that done, Nikola fell silent and then let the old man take the lead and for his part, the old man led them to the actual job site where there were plenty of construction tools and supplies of various sizes resting there ready for use and then left them both alone with a parting remark before heading back to his cottage

“Well, here’s the place, fellas…you boys can handle the rest, I hope? It should be straightforward enough between the pair of you. Good luck.”

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Note: Credit for the special bbcode included within this posting template goes to the user named Janneline Ariel.

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Job Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral)

Job Signup Approval Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral) Approval

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As the old man client left Nikola and Mephistopheles to their own devices so they could get ready to complete the task at hand, Nikola took some time to look over the building materials and construction tools they had on hand which had presumably been set there by the client for said task of building a cottage as per the instructions of this job request.

Hmm…well, this will certainly be a problem…especially the foundation…

As he was musing thus silently, Nikola heard Mephistopheles speak up regarding the task at hand and heard him remark about how it would be nigh impossible to dig out the foundation for the cottage with the tools they had available to them in this situation. After that, Nikola heard Mephistopheles also ask him about the blueprints since the client did not provide them any. So, after musing silently for a few moments, Nikola replied

“Indeed…the foundation will be the difficult part as you said and requires further deliberation and planning, but as for the blueprint, I do believe I have a suitable solution to that particular problem…”

With that said, he extended a hand out before him and then from his palm, an electric blue light shone forth onto the ground and within its field, a fully furnished, exact, hi-def, scale model of the cottage dwelling of the client made from what seemed like innumerable miniscule translucent electric blue particles was swiftly constructed fully for both him and Mephistopheles to use for this project and the associated blueprints which were accurate down to the most minute detail were displayed in hi-def resolution alongside them. Then, Nikola looked to Mephistopheles and remarked while gesturing to his construct

“While I was awaiting your arrival, I took the liberty of doing a hi-def, 360-degree scan of our client’s residence down to the most infinitesimal detail and then stored it in my memory banks for reference’s sake. Therefore, methinks it would be both apropos and most expedient to build this cottage to be a carbon copy of the client’s own residence. We can, of course, fully interact with this construct and the blueprints as and when we need to since they are both made from hardlight holographic technology…so what say you?”

With that said, Nikola fell silent and awaited whatever response that Mephistopheles would have to his actions and remarks.

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Note: Credit for the special bbcode included within this posting template goes to the user named Janneline Ariel.

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Job Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral)

Job Signup Approval Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral) Approval

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It took them a while to get onto the same page, but before too long, Nikola managed to find some middle ground with Mephistopheles and then the work on building the cottage without magic began in earnest. The foundation was the difficult part, but with some persistence and the combination of Nikola’s brains and Mephistopheles’ brawn, they managed to get the foundation built completely by the time mid-afternoon came along. At that point, Nikola took a break and then remarked regarding the speculation Mephistopheles had put forth that they would be able to hopefully get the cabin’s basic framework up by the end of the day and then get the rest of it finished by the next

“Indeed, work has progressed smoothly enough thus far, so it would be reasonable to presume we can certainly get this architectural project completed by tomorrow.”

Nikola was about to say more but then, he was interrupted by the old man who was their mutual client coming in with a plate of snacks and some beverages in the way of refreshments for them. After Nikola watched the old man setting the refreshments down on a relatively flat piece of stone nearby, he saw him look over the work that had been done so far and give an approving nod before offering a few words of thanks after which he left. So, Nikola along with Mephistopheles took a short break to rest and refresh themselves with the food and drink that had been brought in and then got right back to work on the basic framework of the cabin. This part did not prove to be so difficult since they already had all the tools and work setup established by then and thus, by the end of the day, Nikola managed to work together with Mephistopheles and completed the basic framework as well. After that, it was just a matter of filling in the rest of puzzle, as the saying went.

Naturally, this took both Nikola and Mephistopheles working, again without direct use of magic as before, till nearly mid-afternoon on the next day to complete the cabin and stock it with the furniture pieces needed to truly make it a home to live in for the client’s daughter and her fiancé as per the contract. Once that was over, Nikola notified the client of the official completion of the job request, at which point, said old man client came to greet them once more as well as to handle the paperwork to signify completion of services rendered and rewards given.

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Note: Credit for the special bbcode included within this posting template goes to the user named Janneline Ariel.

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Job Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral)

Job Signup Approval Link: Snowy Cottage (D-rank Neutral) Approval

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Slowly and steadily, Nikola worked alongside Mephistopheles to finally finish the cabin and once it was done, as per Nikola’s summons, the old man who was their mutual client came down to inspect the work and pronounced it to be officially complete and to his satisfaction. However, this was where things took a turn for the worse. Specifically, it was because, as Nikola watched and waited for the old man to go get the proof of payment for the job that had just been completed, he heard Mephistopheles speak up one last time. However, his words held nothing good for the client as the client was swiftly and quite literally fleeced out of house and home by said job partner, aka Mephistopheles.

Good grief, I saw this coming a mile away…it was truly a wise move to get the old man’s signature on my copy of the job completion proof earlier as I did…also, note to self…never ever make a deal with this man, Mephistopheles for any reason, no matter how dire the situation is…

Nikola thought as he silently stood at a safe distance and watched with a bemused smirk on his face as the old man turned aggressive briefly against Mephistopheles only to be stopped by the magical geas spell which seemed to have been woven into the contract that the old man had signed for him earlier the previous day. After the dust had settled down, as Nikola watched on with the usual ice-cold apathetic expression of a stereotypical mad scientist on his face, he saw the old man finally give up on getting just treatment from Mephistopheles and fell into despair at which point Nikola heard Mephistopheles bid him farewell and express some intent to work together again in the future which made Nikola’s bemused smirk widen as he mused silently

You hope to work together again in the future, eh? So, some other poor sap will be getting fleeced out of everything they have, I bet…oh well, it is no concern of mine…though perhaps it would be wise to be on my guard against him…

Of course, out loud, Nikola pretended to be on the same page as Mephistopheles as was seemingly reflected in his parting reply to him with a wide and convincing, albeit completely fake smile on his face

“Indeed! It was truly enlightening to have had the chance to work with you today, so fare thee well till next we meet, Mephistopheles!”

Upon hearing that, Nikola saw the old man get up and come over to him to rage against him and then beg for his help afterwards for his presumed part in this debacle. However, Nikola had foreseen such a possibility and protected himself against any actions by the client as he so told him

“Sorry, sir, but as you can see in this contract that you have signed for me, I am prevented from assisting you any further as this is not in the job description...and trying to retaliate against me for what my job partner did is also equally futile…for just as you could not harm him…you are also magically bound by this contract against harming me in any manner. So, I leave you now with an adieu…and the advice to remember to read the fine print in any contract you sign henceforth.”

With that, Nikola’s part in the job was also over and thus, he left the client lying in the dust and headed back to his personal manor, intent on getting right back into his ongoing and ever-burgeoning mad science research and to spending time relaxing with his monstergirl maids who were no doubt patiently waiting for his return at home.

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(NIKOLA'S EXIT)

REWARDS REQUESTED: 50 XP, 5000 J

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