"Come on Alphonse, ve are almost there." Guntherson shouted. The winged monstrosity behind him nodded, and pulled harder on the crank next to him. A series of cogs and belts and wheels spun as the crank was turned, propelling the wagon along the road at high speed. Guntherson was delighted. He grinned beneath his goggles. The wagon was a prototype, but had lasted at least a hundred leagues. And soon they would be arriving at the farm, which would solve both of their problems. Though, he had to admit, in quite different ways.<br/><br/><br/>Guntherson pulled out a spyglass and raised it to his eye. He could just make out the farm, in the distance. Not far at all now. And with the strength and speed that Alphonse was capable of, they should be there within minutes. He readied himself, still unsure how well the brakes would work. "Or you could just have Alphonse stop cranking so much, and we could coast gently to a stop." He snorted at the idea. How would he test the brakes then?<br/><br/>The trees on the side of the rode flew by as they rounded the last bend in the road. He could easily see the full extent of the farm, and the four figures standing in front of the farm house. As they neared, he could make out a tall man, a short "Mmm, redhead..." woman, and two other young women. Or, wait, one young woman and one blue...also woman? Woman shaped, and that was good enough. He readied the brake lever.<br/><br/><br/>They were fifty feet away, and pointed slightly to the side as he pulled the lever. Instantly all four wheels fell off. Guntherson expected to hit the ground as the wagon tilted, but Alphonse reached down to prop them up at an angle. "Nicely done. Let me get out first." Guntherson climbed out, and grabbed a good sized leather backpack. He raised his goggles to his forehead and turned to approach the foursome. A crunch behind him let him know that Alphonse had exited as well. He decided not to look at the damage, and continued on.<br/><br/>"Mistress Charlotte, I presume?" He says, holding out a hand for a handshake. He was sure that someone that covered in mud had to work here, and she had the bearing of proprietorship for everything around her. "I am Dr. Gunther Guntherson. I sent at letter some time ago, but I am unsure if it reached here safely. This is "The Farm, is it not? I have a wonderful opportunity, I just need help in a particular area. Once ve have completed that, all my plans can proceed. It is, of course, a delicate task, but that is vhat professionals such as your organization are for."<br/><br/>He looks around, taking in Bell, Maria, Helios, then Maria again, before looking back to Charlie. "I am in the right place, yes? You help with monstrous beasts? I need Alphonse's--" he gestures back, hitting the 9-foot tall hybrid in the leg. Alphonse doesn't seem to notice."--genetic material. Blood samples don't seem to vork, and neither he nor I are going to do it manually." He and the ram-horned creature exchange a glance. Both shudder slightly. "Also, regardless of outcome, no pun intended, I vish to make a donation. Do you take valuable metals?" He pulls a bundle of metals bars, each glowing in a silvery light.<br/><br/>It is only then that it occurs to him that he hasn't let anyone get a word in edgewise.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>