Netherwitch - 87 (Patreon)

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-oOo- Chapter 87-oOo-

Moonlight fell over the southern mountain ridge, dusting dense mist with a haunting shroud of silver. The summits of the snowcapped mountains pierced through the fog, bright islands in a hazy sea. In defiance of this wintry world was a great oak. The colossal tree rose from the depths of the vale, its branches looming over the hills and mountains. The green leaves shed gentle illumination, their verdant hues reflecting off the mist.

Sylvia gazed upon it all from the empty void. Beyond the sky of any plane was a realm of darkness, lacking so much as the shimmer of starlight. There was no ether in this desolate expanse. Bits of energy drained from her body. Slowly, her elemental palaces emptied. Given enough time, her hitpoints and mana would vanish too.

The higher she went, the greater the danger. Eventually, the rules of the world would unravel. Space and time would fall apart. If she did not carry laws with her, she too would disintegrate into the nothingness.

But she wasn’t so high right now.

“T-minus thirty seconds,” Sylvia announced. Her voice was transmitted over secure link by way of psychic resonance. She didn’t dare use the System’s phone feature so close to enemy territory. It wasn’t as discreet. “Is everyone in position before go?”

“Beholder One is in position and ready for go,” a man returned over the comms.

“Beholder Two, ready and waiting,” Major Rogers chimed in moments after.

“Beholder Three, go on your call,” another voice added.

Sylvia nodded, waiting for the final party to speak.

“Manticore is ready to provide support in whatever form you require,” Emmy’s voice called, her tone holding an edge of worry. “Please exercise caution, my love.”

“I will,” Sylvia replied softly. Then her tone turned harsh: “Tobi, if anyone hurts my wife, we’ll have words.”

“I’ll ensure Major Vallenfelt’s safety, Colonel Swallows, Sir,” Tobi’s stiff and irritated voice said over secure link.

Hmph. He better mean it!

In the sky below, a small fleet of ships patrolled the moonlit world. Wildfire Garden had 13 cruisers and 6 dreadnoughts divided between 3 fleets. Above the fog and the mountains was a group of 5, consisting of 3 Eryrs and 2 Tarws. Azure Reach’s primary objective was to crush that fleet. Eryr-class cruisers were the priority target, as they were relatively fragile. Taking out the tougher Tarws would depend on opportunity.

Their secondary objective was to probe Summer’s defense. In preparation, she’d released her Five Eyes. The crystal marbles were positioned around the battlefield, recording the situation from multiple points of view. Major Rogers and her scouts were hidden in the mountains, offering another set of perspectives. When Wildfire Garden unleashed their cannons, the System would use all of the data to triangulate the guns’ positions.

It would fall upon Major Rogers to hunt down the bolt holes and confirm.

The real prize were their calamity cannons. Unlike lightning cannons, which were shuffled from time to time, the calamity cannons were too big to be moved casually. Once they had the location of those guns, they could start planning commando raids to take them out. An absolute necessity if a major assault was to succeed.

“Go in ten… nine…” Sylvia read off.

Her broom tilted.

There was no gravity in the empty void, nor wind to fuel her instrument of flight. Sylvia had no need for either. Her ki stirred, activating an abyssal organ buried in her gut. Flux shift took effect, generating gravity according to her will. She started to fall. Slowly at first, then faster and faster. Flux shift’s acceleration was poor, but its speed was exaggerated. These factors became all the more extreme as space folded in front of her. Crossing a single meter was like passing through five.

After three seconds, her real velocity was one thousand kilometers per hour. Sylvia continued to plunge. Two thousand. Three thousand. Darkness peeled away, the empty void replaced by twinkling stars. The illusionary moon rose, sliding across the night so it hung over her.

Her left hand flickered. She unleashed thousands of runes, weaving multiple spells. Greater barrier frame. Stardust barrier. Starlight Shield. Greater Elemental Ward. Sylvia wrapped herself in layers of protection so thick she shone.

To those with starlight eyes, anyway.

That didn’t mean the others were blind to her presence. Anbaht could shield her from causality and fate. The legendary artifact provided little protection when Sylvia dared to shout her position to anyone who could hear. Fey could feel the reverberations. Airships, equipped with advanced sensors, had sharper perceptions. Flares shot from the small fleet, the colored lights hueing the fog below. Hundreds of phantasms spilled from their holds, joining the mass of beasts patrolling the night.

A greater swarm rose from the mountains in a horrifying cloud of monstrous death. It’d take a long time before they reached her altitude, however.

“One,” she finished, her countdown conveyed through secure link. Her left hand flickered again. “■■■-■--■!”

Abyss poured into a glyph forged from four hundred and fifty-two runes. Black hand took form, only to be projected ten kilometers away by Sylvia’s subsequent rune gate. The spell skittered off an anti-realm barrier, preventing her critical strike.

For all the good it did them.

Since it couldn’t form within, the spell formed without. Sylvia’s black hand materialized behind the Eryr, giant fingers curling into an inky fist. Magic punched, smashing into the ship’s rear. The cruiser’s stern crumbled, wooden beams caving in like an accordion. Abyssal energy collapsed into a whirling pit of darkness. The horrifying swirl ate the splintered scraps before they could scatter.

Knocked akilter, the ship spun through the night. An Eryr was a light cruiser. By length, it was a bit shorter than a Cirrus, its hull slimmer and more elegant. When Sylvia hit a Brenin, the dreadnought had taken her blows like a champ. One fist and the Eryr was half crippled, the box at the back shattered, leaving the streamer without meaningful thrust.

But she wasn’t done.

“■■■-■--■!”

A second spell followed the first, leaving the crew with little time to react. An abyssal palm slapped down. The deck shattered under titanic force, the Eryr’s keel cracking. Just as the vessel dipped, it was sucked back up by a terrifying black hole. Wood groaned. The ship snapped in half, its main beam broken. False gravity faded. Remnants, once held aloft, fell, bouncing off a snowcapped summit.

All hell broke loose.

Sylvia hit the edge of the atmosphere like a diver plunging into the ocean. Deep in the mist, lightning flashed. The thick bolts pierced the moonlit fog, scintillating spears stretching up toward the empty void. Once, their brilliant fingers would’ve inspired terror. Now she saw their beauty, the electric streams seeming to crawl upward to her hastened mind. Their glow illuminated the darkness of the night.

For a great witch, the lances were far too slow.

Freed from the empty void, Sylvia’s Inanis Cometa kicked. Her already terrifying speed increased by a third. The witch twisted as she flashed through the air, avoiding the paths noted by her foresight. Thunder shot was spat from the mountain peaks. The ballista bolts were even slower and their range more limited. Ironically, the phantasms were a greater danger. More than ten thousand beasts filled the night. Just like a bug didn’t need to fly faster than a car to catch a windshield, the creatures didn’t need to match her speed to create an environmental hazard.

“■■■-■--■.”

Sparing the dangers half-a-mind, she wove a chain of one hundred and ninety-two runes. That wrapper of realm caught the greater glyph: Zirgaf. Abyss magic was teleported, her black hand darker than the surrounding night. The spell loomed over a cruiser, its atramentous shape half as long as the vessel.

The hand slammed down.

Wildfire Garden wasn’t a bunch of witless fools. After watching the first ship sink, the airmen sprang into motion. While they lacked mages, they didn’t lack phantasms. All along the fleet, frogs croaked up bubbles. The liquid balls merged, creating a barrier of water that covered the Eryr entirely.

Abyss magic smashed right through, but the phantasms’ efforts served their purpose. Between ward and water, the shock of Sylvia’s black hand was cut in half. The ship’s bow crumbled, the armored hull splintering. The core structure endured, tanking the crushing blow. Darkness collapsed into an all-devouring pit, consuming a ballista and all the airmen unfortunate enough to be standing close.

Pastel pink eyes gleamed in the night. Yet, she held back. Sylvia’s hesitation wasn’t from a lack of desire. Her ether reserves were too low. Another strike wasn’t worth the risk. Wildfire Garden could counterattack at any moment. How would she maintain her safety if Sect Leader Furuta gated in two meters to her left?

But that didn’t mean time was wasted. Sylvia fished a bottle from her belt, popping the cork before downing the contents of her flask. Refined psychic essence dissolved in her stomach, transforming into mana. Mmm. Brains. Delicious, fruity brains.

Equipment: Ashen FlaskWeight: 13.8 dromsType: ToolValue: 5,200,000 soli

Characteristics:* Mp Recovery: 6,500* Mp Mass: 0 to 32.5 droms* Regeneration: 6000%* Restoration: 2:1 ratio

A stylized flask that slowly generates a custom mana potion for the Cloud Princess, Sylvia Swallows. This flask works by absorbing the excess mana overflowing from the wielder. Once consumed, the stored essence will rapidly convert into pure mana until the total Mp Recovery amount is achieved.

The Ashen Flask was created using a psychic fruit along with copious amounts of psychic essence provided by Princess Swallows. If used by other asteri, the flask will have drastically reduced effects. More deviant bloodlines may suffer mild poisoning instead.

That’s right, Sylvia now owned an estus flask. Towering abominations beware! Never again would an evil witch harvest her brains then feed them back to her in potion form.

The first scraps of thunder shot reached her altitude. At first, it was a scattered mix. Then it became a deluge. Most of the crackling javelins flew wide, having failed to lead her properly. Others were tricked by her kaleidoscope. Then, from the cavernous depths of the mist-laden mountains, the first saethbysg rose. With their sharp, sword-like noses, the fish missiles pierced through the fog. Sylvia watched them warily. Some rushed toward her. Others swept around in a wide circle, aiming to create a cloud of lingering munitions.

A blob of acid flew in her direction.

She made a sudden corkscrew turn, evading the spray. She slid through an intensifying bullet hell, flashing past a scorpion fly, her twin tresses fluttering behind her. Not far away, a wraith flung crimson flames in her direction. She didn’t bother to dodge. The attack went wide, targeting a mirage cast by her broom’s magic.

Wildfire Garden had an eclectic collection of phantasms. She wondered how they kept them from killing each other. Hopefully, by wasting their mages corralling the beasts.

Scree-r-Ack!

The dark was split by a brilliant beam of plasma. Emmy’s skyrending beam was unerring. The searing light sliced straight through the damaged Eryr’s cracked deck. The ship shuddered as cataclysmic energies pierced the main beam. Realizing their plight, the captain of the Eryr threw his ship into a roll.

Only to be smashed by Esmeralda’s black hand. The fist crushed the cruiser’s light armor, sucking in broken beams. The gaping pit was skewered by a second lance of plasma. Her palaces nearing full, Sylvia came in with the assist.

“■-■-■-■!” Scree-r-Ack!

Sylvia’s skyrending beam punched into the damaged ship, ravaging its interior. With the internals ruined beyond all recovery, the Eryr started to sink, falling slowly into the fog.

“ALL SHIPS, DESCEND IMMEDIATELY!”

Cho Jun-seo’s voice was a roar. The Transcendent burst out of the moonlit mist, silver light playing off his dark scales. Though from the Shintai lineage, the imugi bloodline was a hybrid of a dragon and a snake. The result of the synthesis was self-evident. Jun-seo looked much like a dragon, with antler-like horns sprouting from his head. He had two clawed hands, both emerging from his upper chest.

The great faerie slithered through the sky, his titanic body rushing to the fleet’s defense. The ships dove at his command, accelerating toward the gray depths.

As though she’d let them. “■■■-■--■.”

With cruel abandon, Sylvia conjured a black hand, shattering the crippled vessel. Whatever salvation remained was crushed. The crumbling pieces of the Eryr tumbled toward the ground.

“Eliminating the final Eryr is our priority,” Sylvia reminded via secure link.

While her mind spoke, she spun streams of runes. The imugi was rising fast. Once he reached the fleet, he could shield it. As long as his defense held for a handful of seconds, the remaining ships would vanish into the mist. Beholders One, Two, and Three weren’t in the right position. Even with the new figment spells and various tamed creatures, they couldn’t extend their vision by more than a handful of kilometers.

So it was best to complete the kill while the ships were vulnerable.

“■■■-■--■, ■■■-■--■.”

A pair of black hands struck the last Eryr. The first was absorbed by a water barrier, cracking weakly against the ship’s starboard hull. With the bubble burst, the second hand punched up right under the vessel’s bow. Abyssal energies rammed into the cruiser, bringing its plummet to a brief pause. Front shattered, the Eryr’s main cannon was sucked into the resulting hole, metal twisting under the brutal force.

Scree-r-Ack!

Emmy added an attack of her own, searing plasma tearing through the ship’s ether intake. “■■■-■--■.” Sylvia followed with a third incantation, aiming to crush the Eryr’s stern. Cho Jun-seo arrived just in time, a flick of his tail unleashing a torrent of water. The barrier brought her black hand to a halt.

Poof!

A fish phantasm unraveled, a jet of molten arrows spraying in Sylvia’s direction. The twin-tailed girl swerved, her column of bent space looping around the shrapnel. Jagged bolts of electricity raked the sky. The skilled operators were growing familiar with her speed and her movements. Thunder shot was still flying wide, the javelins so slow and so close to their range limit that any hit would be pure luck.

Then true danger reared its ugly head.

Foresight provided a warning just before a gate tore open five hundred meters in front of her. Time slowed. Sect Leader Furuta Katsumoto flew through the blue-green swirl, already swinging his staff. -Jing-! Metal rings rang. Directed by the tengu’s ki, the resonant chime created a cone of force. Sound smashed into a column of folded space. Sylvia’s flux shift shattered.

Scones!

She made a hard right, her speed cut to a fifth. Katsumoto’s wings beat, sending him flashing forward. Space folded in front of her. The tengu pursued, swinging his shakujō a second time. -A-ling. Air warped, transmitting the resonant chime. Before she could restore her velocity, the shockwave caught up. Compressed space collapsed, partially formed.

The blue-green swirl flashed a second time.

Just behind Katsumoto followed a golden-haired kitsune. Ashikaga Choji passed through his gate, standing on his flying sword as though it were a skateboard. The sacred fox chanted, conjuring a glacial scale then an aqua shell even as he swished his fluffy tail. A swirl of law gathered, painted by his natural magic. With a flick, the world shifted, creating a force more powerful and more enduring than the spell edict.

Sylvia’s retreat was suddenly sliced from a fifth to a tenth. Stutenkerl. Sylvia snarled the mental curse. While she couldn’t hear Choji’s words, she could read his law’s intent. In a sphere stretching for a full kilometer, the rules were written that: ‘No one can flee from this space.’

Her hand flickered, an incomplete spell on her tongue. “■--■ – ” Pop!

As the tengu barreled in, realm skip took effect. She blinked one hundred fifty meters straight up. Not a moment too soon. -Jing-. Katsumoto’s staff rang, a wave of resonant air passing through her prior position. B-b-bang! Lightning cannons continued to flash, their shots thrown wide by her unexpected loss of velocity.

Sylvia paid them no mind, her staff swaying in Wildfire Garden’s direction. “ – ■!” she finished.

Magic sparked, electricity cascading down the shaft of her staff. Sky element energy crackled, given shape by two hundred and twenty-three runes. Lightning sprang from the orb, a jagged blue wire ripping across the gap in an instant. Sect Leader Furuta was just as fast. With contemptuous black eyes, he parried, slapping her chain lightning aside.

The bolt twisted like an enraged serpent. Though one foe had escaped, the other was not so lucky. Lightning struck. Choji’s glacial scale shifted just in time. It wasn’t enough. Despite his elemental ward, Sylvia’s spell smashed through the shield, ice shattering into a thousand pieces. Most of the bolt’s power was lost, but scintillating rays of electricity continued through, sizzling as they cascaded over the kitsune’s water barrier.

-Jing-! Katsumoto was quick to counter.

Controlled by his ki, sound spread in a directed wave, chasing after the silver-haired witch. When the reverberation brushed past, it suddenly collapsed into a single point. Sylvia juked, dragged to her right by a wave of petals. A sonic staff slashed through her wake. Thanks to her foresight art, she’d read the threads of fate, sliding perfectly around the deceptive blow.

-A-ling!

Another sonic staff followed, the strikes arriving right on top of each other. Though she dodged the first, she couldn’t evade the second. Sylvia met it with her starlight shield instead. Thuft. The haze of crystals solidified into a wall of frigid sand. A shockwave pulsed through her shield, sending a puff of loose grains scattering into the wind.

With this one blow, half the shield’s strength was lost. Katsumoto’s mystic art carried within it an enlightenment realm rule, enhancing its efficacy against all barriers.

Sylvia didn’t just endure his attack; she returned the favor. “■--■-■!” Ba-raa-aaa-aack!

Chain lightning crackled. Sect Leader Furuta swiped it aside, the hoops of his shakujō ringing. Except, he whiffed. The jagged blue wire jerked, suddenly shooting up before arching right back down. Guided by her accelerated mind, Sylvia completed an expert feint. The bolt slipped past the tengu’s guard to smash into his face.

Katsumoto turned his head at the last instant.

Lightning punched through multiple layers of protection, a sky element ward, hardened ki, then the protective barrier cast by the tengu’s equipment. The bolt frayed as it went, reduced to a scattered spray of sparks. Those thin serpents of electricity ran over the man’s cheek, searing a spiderweb into his face.

The spell wasn’t done. No more than three meters back, the shattered bolt gathered anew. With a thunderous roar, its jagged light split the night. Lightning crashed into the sacred fox. Another glacial scale shattered, electricity carving chunks from Choji’s aqua shell.

Pressured by the assault, the kitsune hurried a third frozen shield into place. While he worked traditional magic, his tail swished, weaving a spell of law. The world shook when the commandment slipped into place. Sylvia felt the effect clearly, reading the intent: realm magic is forbidden here.

-Jing-

Katsumoto pushed through the shock and the pain, his insidious art sweeping through the sky. Sylvia dipped low, solidified sound whipping over her head, her twin tresses snapping in the wind. Lightning crackled, a storm of elemental energy gathering around her staff. While she chanted, her left hand wove a different magic, a vile curse.

But first, she made a brutal retort. “■--■-■!” Ba-raa-aack!

Chain lightning sparked a third time. The tengu showed greater caution, sacrificing speed to fold a dark wing in front of him. Katsumoto’s ki solidified into an enormous shield. Her jagged blue wire sliced through his defense, electricity rolling over his body. Wisps of smoldering smoke oozed from burnt flesh. To Sylvia’s shock, the bolt died there, leaving the kitsune untouched.

BANG!

She wasn’t so lucky.

Caught in bullet hell, Sylvia had prioritized the greater evil, giving a ground-bound gun a clean shot. A lance of a lightning cannon washed over her, half its force dispersed by her greater elemental ward. Power pierced through, electric light melting a fragment of her stardust barrier. Casually, she sacrificed her weakened shield, its shimmering crystals of ice replacing those her barrier had lost.

Her ‘mistake’ wasn’t a bad thing. The brilliant light hit the moment her curse was evoked. Pure mana was natured with psychic, a dose of blood harvested from the essence in her earrings. Dual energies spiraled around a disk, catalyzed into the advanced element anima. Energy she poured into a grand sigil: Leemuq. The compound rune had the meaning ‘eclosion’, emergence from a cocoon.

As the flash faded, the spell was cupped in her hand. The instant Katsumoto was seen anew, the curse was already inside of him, working its deadly magic. Small nodules started growing on his flesh. Before he could notice the change, Sylvia added to the chaos.

“■--■-■.”

Jagged blue light sparked again. Having barely recovered from her last strike, Katsumoto was forced to fold his wing a second time. Ba-raa-aaa-aack! Thunder crackled when Sylvia’s spell shot past him. The bolt smashed into Choji’s defense before circling back to strike the tengu from behind.

Sect Leader Furuta howled. Blood sprayed. Bereft of his armor’s barrier, the wound was deeper than all those that came before. Unnoticed, the little tags of flesh started to hatch. Crimson butterflies emerged from their cocoons, fading into pink as their wings spread.

Leaving no time to make sense of the madness, Emmy joined her barrage.

Scree-r-Ack!

Esmeralda’s skyrending beam cut through the dark, taking the golden-haired fox in the back without warning. The impulse plowed right through him, sending Choji flying even as the scorching spell melted through his aqua shell to sear his armor’s barrier beneath. Stunned and flailing, the kitsune plunged. His flying sword spun wildly in the air above him.

Katsumoto reversed his momentum, chasing the falling fox. Still, Sect Leader Furuta found time to swing his staff. -Jing-! The air rang, a wave of sound rippling. Sylvia twisted in the sky, sliding around the sonic strike. With her left hand, she wove a chain of two hundred and thirty-seven runes, a different spell on her lips. “--■ – ”

Her wife finished first.

Scree-r-Ack!

One skyrending beam followed another. Katsumoto’s black wings beat, releasing a flurry of feathers. The tengu vanished, moving so fast he left an afterimage. Twisting, he caught the stream of scorching plasma. The searing light reflected off his shakujō, a gargantuan sword slicing in Sylvia’s direction.

A void spell stabbed down. Stricken law shattered the kitsune’s prohibition. Realm magic gripped the witch, taking effect only milliseconds after.

“ – -■.” Pop!

Sylvia vanished, reappearing one hundred and fifty meters away. Her fingers flashed, realm energies a swirl around her. “■--■.” P-pop. Two realm skips followed the first, placing her well outside Choji’s restriction against retreat. With the tengu so distant, Katsumoto could do nothing when space folded in front of Sylvia’s broom, her form turning into an elongated streak.

Not that he had the mind to react.

Sylvia’s curse, butterfly harrow, was unceasing in its vile beauty. All over the tengu’s body, little buds continued to bubble up. The pupa split, waves of pretty pink butterflies emerging. The insects scattered like sakura blossoms in a windstorm. Each luminescent creature stole a tiny portion of the sect leader’s life. If Katsumoto didn’t find a way to suppress the curse, he’d disintegrate into nothing.

Being a gentle princess, Sylvia kindly provided him with a distraction from his suffering.

“■■■■, ■■■■, ■■■■.” Sc-Sc-Screee-r-Ack!

Searing streams of plasma smashed into the tengu, driving him toward the fog. The three beams stacked on each other, the spells cast so fast the first was still in effect when she finished the last. Katsumoto scrambled, trying to twist out of the way, or defend, but the sheer power behind the combined force exceeded his limit.

Then the night lit all the brighter.

Twin suns sparked in the distant mountains. Burning lights streaked through the darkness, so bright it felt like noon. Sylvia dropped her attack, feeling a rising omen of danger. Her broom picked up speed, turning to evade. But the sense of death only grew greater with each passing second.

The beams bent in chase. Eyes tightening, Sylvia dove.

SCRE – !

Like a pair of searing snakes, the blazing streams homed in on her position. Their tips were too slow, passing well over her head. The rest seemed to swing down as though it were a whip.

“■■!” Pop.

A realm skip saved her at the last instant. The sense of danger didn’t diminish in the slightest. Both beams sliced toward her new position. Realizing her plight, Sylvia didn’t hesitate to chant the spell again. “■■!” Pop!

– EE-r-ACK.

Finally, the shockwave passed. Air collapsed in the cannons’ wake, unleashing a deafening roar. Light faded, the flash of the lightning cannons a pale imitation. Nearby, two saethbysgs burst. Sylvia rolled around a jet of molten metal, her pastel pink eyes tracing the beams to their point of origin.

How dangerous. Wildfire Garden either had a mage assigned to each cannon, providing enhancements, or they had talismans providing a buff. Her eyes flicked toward the tengu and the kitsune. Choji was back on his flying sword. With the sacred fox’s help, Katsumoto had stabilized the curse.

“Does anyone have eyes on the fleet?” Sylvia asked.

“We lost track of it when it slipped into the fog,” Major Rogers answered.

“The ships over the western hills have also descended,” Emmy added, her voice carried by secure link.

Sylvia gazed down at the moonlit mist, lightning flashing all around her. Wildfire Garden had cut the ballista support, having realized that they were just wasting munitions trying to hit a fast witch flying so high. She could dive down, but the closer to the ground, the more dangerous things would get.

And they didn’t yet have maps of the hidden terrain.

“We’ve met our strategic objective,” she declared. “All units, retreat.”

Without another glance, the silver-haired witch cut a blue-green aperture into the world. Voomp.

-oOo-

“Lord Haugen will see you now,” Jarl Watanabe said, his disdain carefully hidden behind a veil of politeness.

The furabiki turned, leading the way through the Erlking’s bunker. Sylvia followed, the heels of her Starlight Striders clicking on the smoothed stone. Her Princess Commandant armor hugged her frame, black fabric and pink embellishments creating an image that was as military as it was cute. A pastel pink cape was thrown over one of her shoulders. Stormbreaker was more than a decoration. It was a tool of war.

Equipment: StormbreakerWeight: 21.9 dromsType: AccessoryValue: 720,000 soli

Characteristics:* Storm Resistance* Windbreaker

A pastel pink cape made to complement Princess Commandant. While wearing Stormbreaker, all wind, lightning, and sky element attacks are diminished by 15%. This resistance merges with the protection provided by elemental wards, the reduction applying to all barriers or defensive magics within 1 meter of the owner. In addition, Stormbreaker resists mundane winds, drastically reducing all buffeting.

Sylvia was long past the days she felt embarrassed by her feminine visage. Rather, she took pride in it. And why not? She was a princess. Of course, princess didn’t mean she couldn’t look cool as well as cute.

Today was Thursday of the second week of Men-Ignis. They’d been fighting on Emain Ablach for three months now. After their air raid, her forces had settled into grinding ground operations. Nothing big. Just probing attacks to keep the enemy busy and wear down their assets. They’d disposed of half-a-dozen lightning cannons before Wildfire Garden grew wise, abandoning all the bolt holes used during the raid. The biggest breakthrough, however, had come when Major Rogers had tracked the remnants of the eastern fleet. Tobi Takahashi had planned a brilliant ambush, knocking a Tarw out of the sky with a little assistance from her adorable self.

But not everything had gone well. War inflicted casualties. Their expedition was no exception. So far, one hundred gamers had passed only to be resurrected in their pools. No souls had been lost. They’d come dangerously close to having a few captured, however. The sterling record owed thanks to their teleportation talismans, a massive frustration for Wildfire Garden.

Yet, neither side was able to deliver a decisive blow. The war had settled into attrition. Which was a serious problem. The clock was ticking. If they were to win, four of the seven fortresses surrounding the Llwyd Tree had to be in their hands at sunset of the final day.

“The Cloud Princess, Lord Haugen,” Kenzo Watanabe introduced when he pulled open a door.

Sylvia stepped inside. Ivar’s massive body filled the space. In front of the troll was an equally giant desk. Lord Haugen glared down at her, his lips curling into a sneer. Ivar’s face was a dreadful thing on the best of days. His ugly expression made him all the more horrifying. She couldn’t help but stare. It was like gazing at a grotesque piece of artwork, terrible in a way so riveting it was magnificent.

“Princess Swallows,” Ivar jeered. “After just three months, you come crawling to me, seeking ‘help.’”

Sylvia ignored the chair in front of her. Instead, with the swish of her cape, she floated into the air. She crossed her legs, sitting on the sky with princessly poise. She had no desire to look like a toddler behind the dinner table.

“I have come seeking to help you,” she returned with emphasis. “The Azure Expedition has reduced Wildfire Garden’s fleet from nineteen to fifteen. With your assistance, we can accomplish something greater.”

What had Ivar done in the same frame of time? Little to nothing. The Erlking’s Expedition had trimmed Wildfire Garden’s phantasms at best.

The Azure Expedition’s accomplishments, on the other hand, were not so limited. In the last few months, they’d mapped the mountains, locating bases all along the southern ridge. They now knew the precise location of both calamity cannons. They had marked the spots where the dreadnoughts usually rooted. They hadn’t been lax on their side, either. The gamers had dug into the mountains, carving out caverns and bunkers. The ant nests were thriving, the armies of phantasms having swelled to eight thousand already.

Most importantly of all, the tunnel to the mountain ridge had been dug. They only needed to let loose their ant army on a worthy foe.

And a target had been found. Wildfire Garden kept earth drums in all their bases. However, they had less defended infrastructure outside the zones of control. Bone pits were particularly juicy. Helheim’s spawning nests consumed blood essence to produce low-level undead, sustaining the sect’s phantasmal army. Once upon a time, Wildfire Garden had owned twenty. Ivar had knocked out nine in the western hills a year prior.

“You destroy four ships and expect me to be impressed?” the troll challenged. He let out a snort. “The eastern flank is your responsibility, Princess. You wanted independence. You have it. The Erlking’s Expedition will offer you nothing.”

Sylvia’s eyes turned cold. How she wished she could conduct her operation without this irritating man. Unfortunately, the Azure Expedition would have to be five times larger to kick Ivar to the curb. The gamers were a sharp knife, but they didn’t have the numbers to hold territory.

“I’m planning a major assault, one that will shift the dynamics of this war just enough to give us a fighting chance,” she explained.

“And I have made myself clear,” Ivar retorted. “If you want our cooperation, your expedition must bow its head and submit itself to my command.”

Sylvia’s eyes narrowed.

“That’s what I thought,” Ivar scoffed.

Gritting her teeth, she sucked in a breath to calm herself before continuing.

“Lord Haugen,” she said coldly. “What the Azure Expedition is asking is no more than your basic duty. When we launch our attack into the mountains east of the Llwyd Tree, keep the western front pinned in place so they cannot reinforce. Move your dreadnoughts forward and shoot a few saethbysgs for all I care. That is literally all we ask.”

If Ivar wasn’t willing to sacrifice even this, then Sylvia would have no choice but to abandon her post. It would be regrettable, as the Seventh Prince of Autumn had personally asked that they remain. However, she wasn’t going to waste her time and her energy chasing the impossible on behalf of the Autumn Court.

“You dare speak of my duties when you have failed yours?” Hertogi Haugen rumbled. Setting one hand on the table, the troll rose. His huge, knotted form loomed over her like a parent standing over a child. “Accept your place, Princess, or get the fuck out of my base.”

Sylvia uncrossed her legs, rising to a standing position so she could stare the giant man right in the eye. “Ivar Haugen, you’ve already lost this war.”

Boom! Ivar slapped the table so hard it thundered. “How dare you!”

“Hertogi,” Kenzo spoke. “Shall I remove this witch from the premises?”

“Throw me out if you like. Then you can explain to the Erlking why you tossed his money into the gutter,” Sylvia said blandly. “I am giving you an opportunity, Ivar. Take it or leave it.”

The troll seethed. “Your arrogance will be your undoing, witch,” he spat.

“Not so much as the ruin yours will bring you,” Sylvia returned. “I will ask one last time. Will your army assist the Azure Expedition’s maneuver? Or will we put this farce to an end?”

The giant man glared. Quiet dragged out between them. Finally, he fell heavily into his stone seat.

“Your expedition better deliver, Princess Swallows,” Ivar rumbled. “And I will want compensation for this, along with the operational details.”

“I am willing to share the broad strategic goals, but not the specifics,” Sylvia replied, settling back into a prim position. “As for cooperation? The Azure Expedition has always been willing, so long as your requests are within reason.”

The troll let out a disdainful huff. At the very least, he was smart enough to see the writing on the wall. Sylvia wasn’t kidding when she said he’d lost. Ivar had been doomed from the start. The Erlking’s Expedition had entered the war with the promise of support from one of Dagda’s expedition groups.

Only to be snubbed.

Left to pursue the tree on his own, Hertogi Haugen had made a gamble, unleashing his wrath on the hills west of the Llwyd Tree. Fortune wasn’t in his favor. Ivar’s losses exceeded those of the enemy. Since then, the Erlking’s Expedition remained cautious, engaging only to deplete Wildfire Garden’s phantasmal army.

Ivar’s hope was reinforcements from his patron. He got the Azure Expedition instead.

“Tell me your plan, witch. I’ll decide what type of ‘help’ I’m willing to offer.”

-oOo-

Nimbus Weekly The Best Newspaper in Azure Reach1st Week of Men-Fulgur

Four Roads Reaches Completion By Owen Harris

Today, Governor Sanchez cut the ribbon, marking the official opening of the Western Tunnel and the completion of the Four Roads quest line. Originally started by Governor Swallows, the initiative demanded the construction of four passes north, east, south, and west, to the outside of Axis. Two major roads were commissioned as well: Lake Street and Mountain Street, which circled the inner and outer parts of the cauldron.

“It’s like a dream come true to see the Four Roads finally reach completion,” Kenneth Madoff said during the ceremony. “When Access Railways collapsed after building the Northern Tunnel, many gamers feared the quest would fail. I’m proud to see others take up the grand task.”

With the Four Roads finished, conversation has turned to another project: the Grand Belt. The 200-kilometer highway will wrap all of Axis from the exterior. The Parliament of the Reach hopes to allocate funds for the construction before the year is out. Hunters are already busy, assessing possible routes.

“Roads are the foundation of civilization,” Governor Sanchez said during the event. “One day, players will travel from Viridian Falls to Skyhaven South without ever setting foot off a paved street!”

Descent into Darkness (Part 1 of 7)By Tiffany Lowe

Endless rain patters on the canopy 100 meters above, but little of it reaches the forest floor where I stand. Nevertheless, there is a musty scent in the air. The muddy earth gives way beneath my boots. The land is thick with life, an outcropping of giant mushrooms to my right. In the shadow of the forest floor, their faint illumination adds to the mysterious beauty. For a moment, I feel as though I am walking through an alien world.

In many ways, that’s exactly where I am.

In the sky below Pyrinas lies a mysterious island called the Abyss. To reach the territory is no small task. The Abyss is 400 kilometers below the Azure Archipelago, cast under the shadow of the central island. While much of the sky is empty, there are bands of unmapped islands hidden within the storms and the clouds. Hordes of rocs and eagles await any adventurer brave enough to make the dive. Without the robust hull of a Cirrus Skycruiser, few would survive to reach it.

“Our job is to catalog the territory and its resources,” the Guild Master of the Sky Scouts explained. “A new territory means new figments and phantasms. The Azure Government has also asked us to search for any sign of a soul well. The Abyss runs deep enough to rub against Unus Mundus. If souls are entering this world, they’ll come in through here. For their sake, as well as ours, they must be collected.”

As night falls upon us, I find the island’s name fitting. The darkness is suffocating. All around me beasts screech and yowl, the primordial terror in sharp contrast to the faerie lights cast by the insects and fungus. I lay down and I’m suddenly struck by a terrible thought.

Will any of us leave this land alive?

Governor Sanchez Recalls The Astral FleetBy Liam Martin

As the War of the Seasons reaches its peak, Governor Sanchez has made a surprising move. The Enterprise and Batavia have been recalled to Azure Reach, cutting the supply line to our gamer army.

“The astral fleet was withdrawn at the request of Colonel Swallows,” Representative Natalie Ward explained. “If there is a cause for concern, it’s the Citadel Alliance and their attempt to blockade funding for our troops.”

Despite claims by the government, rumors about the event persist. No more than a week after the order, Heaven’s 42nd “Foreign Fleet” was spotted off the coast of Emain Ablach. There are many who believe these events are closely related. However, the primary concern of parliament remains money. Particularly, the government authorization of funding for the Azure Expedition and their acquisitions of local resources.

“To say that we are against this bill is a gross misrepresentation,” Representative Isaac Foster returned. “Our complaint is the lack of oversight. Until we see reasonable provisions, the Citadel Alliance must withhold its vote for the good of our constituents.”

-oOo-

Bestiary

Furuta KatsumotoSpecies: TenguLv: 2416Hp/Mp: 9,700 + 1,200 / 5,747Atk/Def: 2,230, 315 pierce (555 ki) / 480 (805 ki)Celerity: 810% (930%), awareness 385%Dominion: 520Casting Speed: 32 runes (normal), 64 runes (wind)

Traits

Avian Warheart, Dynamic Vision, Instinct, Wind Palace, Wind Mysticism, Preternatural Grace, Swiftness, Fluid Ki, Brutality I, Martial Wisdom

Ashikaga ChojiSpecies: Sacred FoxLv: 1751Hp/Mp: 5,262 + 1,350 / 7,755Atk/Def: 909, 185 pierce (250 ki) / 306 (435 ki)Celerity: 446%, awareness 425%Dominion: 900Casting Speed: 59 runes, 118 (law, causality, space)

Traits

Saintly Heart, Sacred Land, Natural Magic: Law, Endless Elemental Well: Law, Mystic Attunement I, Grace, Ultra-fine Mana, Deep Reservoir I, Seeker of Truth, Unbreakable Writ

Cho Jun-seo (Transformed)Species: ImugiLv: 1573Hp/Mp: 20,775 / 3,658Atk/Def: 3,475, 225 pierce (410 ki) / 445 (710 ki, SR: 40%)Celerity: 280%, awareness 308%Dominion: 365

Traits

Ascended Dragon Heart, Water Mysticism, Water Palace, Tough Hide I, Brutality I, Life Force I, Giant Serpent Transformation, Gold Collector