Netherwitch - 89 (Patreon)

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-oOo-
Chapter 89
-oOo-

Elroy pushed a bit of mana into the black, rectangular object in his right hand. He’d always felt ‘phones’ had awkward shapes. The gamers of Azure Reach, however, insisted this was proper design. A strange notion, but one he couldn’t be bothered to correct.

Energy fluxed within the object, barely sensed. He felt a chime in his head. By some mystic means, the tool interacted with the Bluelight. He let out a grunt. Lowering his hand, he slipped the phone back into his pocket. The device had barely enough energy for a secure call.

Better to save it for later.

“Lend me yours,” he said gruffly, extending a hand toward the goblin.

The two men were holed up in a motel in Caer Sidi, a fortress on the east coast of Emain Ablach. The metropolis was neutral territory during the War of the Seasons. Diplomats met here when settling disputes. Both Summer and Winter were welcome.

Caer Sidi had won the right to host the War End Auction.

When the War of the Seasons was done, the fey courts had to resolve the debts owed to the participants. This was accomplished by taking a cut of the captured fruits. Those fruits would then be put on sale for the whole of Men-Stella, the month following the war. If a court didn’t have enough fruit to pay its dues, it’d put up different resources instead.

The result was a wild market. Over the centuries, third parties had realized the value of the War End Auction. Merchants from all across the netherworld would come to claim a portion of the prize. The expeditions joined the madness, selling spare ships, weapons, phantasms, and their own excess earnings. It was a carnival of capitalism at its finest.

Azure Reach planned to participate in the exchange, hoping to hawk dungeon cores, then the rights to the same to qualifying groups. Elroy and Gavin had been assigned to the city in anticipation. Their job was to get the lay of the land, make contact with the locals, and establish a security presence. They’d arrived in Men-Terra last year, a full three months before the Azure Expedition showed up at Murias. A second team, led by Nathan Wagner, had been assigned to Caer Sidi a few weeks ago.

“That, Elroy, is why you have to splurge,” Gavin declared with great theater. The goblin waggled a rectangular device of his own. “Just look at this beauty. A Custom Edition Cyberdyne 3, the main body forged from genuine asteri core. It even has a realm catalyzation chip. No call limits. No hassle. You have the mana, you can make the connection, unlike that government garbage you’re using.”

“Nn,” Elroy grunted.

Silence hung for a moment. With a sigh, Gavin placed his phone in the werewolf’s waiting hand.

Voidlight phones were not garbage, no matter how much Gavin insisted. No phone with the secure link function could be. The spell demanded a small bit of realm ether to be cast. Nor were they simple. Voidlight phones provided a spiritual antenna which improved the fidelity and the bandwidth of the Bluelight’s signal. More importantly, they hid the soul’s frequency by scattering communications over multiple channels. When combined with the dead link routers they’d dropped across the city, the phones made tracing a gamer virtually impossible.

Every agent was issued one, Gavin included. The goblin’s insistence on buying something ‘better’ was a waste of resources in Elroy’s opinion. But he wasn’t interested in arguing the point.

“You need to live in style, Elroy,” Gavin chided. “What’s the point of making it to the top if you don’t enjoy the results?”

“To handle greater responsibility,” Elroy said simply. “And we are not at the top. There are many gamers who are better.”

A gap that would only grow with time.

Gavin groaned. “My partner is a monk!”

After moving to the Reach, Gavin and Elroy had gone their separate ways. Elroy’s goal was to transmigrate and experience the wilderness. The dense cities of Tartarus lacked the clarity of the wild. The wind on his face. The mud beneath his boots. The high mountains and the thick forests. Nature had a quiet purity at its heart. Elroy had meditated upon the world, finding himself away from the corrupted dealings of Les Griffes du Gouffre.

After three years on his own, he’d returned to Starport looking for ways to serve the Bluelight. A werewolf needed a pack, a company he could serve with honor. The Cloud Princess was worthy of his loyalty. The nation that crowned her, along with its System, would replace what he’d lost when he was cast aside by Loge Sombre.

It was Gavin who suggested he join Azure Intelligence. Elroy thought it fitting. His talent was lacking when compared to the gamers, so his hammer had no place in war. But as a demon bearing a common bloodline, he would fit well in Hell. He knew its heart. He had descended to the depths of its darkness, bearing inside him a blue flame.

He was surprised when Gavin signed up immediately after.

While Elroy found himself in the wastelands of the Reach, the goblin had built a company. Then he’d flipped it for quick cash. Laziness was not one of Gavin’s faults. With money in hand, he’d set his eyes on Awakening, then transmigration. The result was apparent. Gavin was taller now, with his facial features closer to those of a human. His green eyes had whites and irises instead of looking like emerald jewels set in sockets. The pointed ears and the shark tooth grin, however, remained.

Gavin let out a sigh, shaking his head sadly. “Elroy, old friend, you set the bar too high. We are Awakened demons of the second consolidation. Compared to the rest of the netherworld, we are the elite. We’ll reach the third consolidation in this life. Maybe the fourth! Think of it. Transcendence in not even one hundred years. That’s the stuff of legends, Elroy. Legends!”

When the goblin had joined Azure Intelligence, he’d declared: ‘A great goblin needs a great name, and there aren’t many shackles to break around here, now are there, Elroy?’

Elroy gave a grunt. “If you wish to buy useless things, do so. I have no need of them. To serve the Bluelight is enough. All that I have will be dedicated to that purpose.”

Pride, greed, and gluttony would lead a wolf astray. He’d seen it in Loge Sombre and Les Griffes. Discipline kept a man sharp. Duty maintained his focus. Money and merit points should be spent on those things that made a man stronger. Anything else was a waste.

“You’re hopeless,” Gavin complained, throwing up his arms. “Hurry up and call the lady. And don’t forget to share my idea. She’ll love it.”

Elroy let out a low rumble of acknowledgment. He pushed mana into Gavin’s phone. The spell sequence triggered. Magic pinged off his Bluelight. With Lady Swallows’s number at hand, the connection clicked into place.

“Mrs. Swallows,” he greeted over secure link, speaking out loud for his partner.

“Elroy Feu Azur,” she replied. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

With the magic in place, Elroy returned the phone. Gavin played with the interface. Sylvia’s voice came in over the speaker, her sweet trill touched by princessly prim. A habit Lady Swallows had absorbed from her wife. Not that ‘Lady Swallows’ was a name Elroy would use out loud. The princess had once insisted he shouldn’t call her ‘lady.’ A request by which he continued to abide.

“We have information indicating that you are the target of an assassination attempt,” he answered gruffly.

Elroy’s golden eyes shifted to the swarm of blue windows hovering in their motel room. There were maps of Caer Sidi, alongside dossiers for various groups and factions, legal and illegal. The focus of their interest was an unassuming warehouse near the docks.

They had a visual of the interior thanks to Nathan Wagner. The baron of metal had slipped one of his earth elemental minions into the warehouse, revealing the Glaswen Company as they met an agent of Heaven. Equipment was piled up on a table, scores of talismans along with two soul jars.

“Assassins?” Sylvia questioned, sounding irritated. “I agreed to the meet with Wildfire Garden for the soul swap yesterday. How did they learn I’d be in town?”

“They only learned yesterday,” Elroy stated. “Wildfire Garden must have a leak. Heaven is rushing to get everything into place as we speak.”

There was a moment of silence. An indicator flashed on one of the windows when Lady Swallows accessed their intelligence.

“The Glaswen Company, huh?” Sylvia questioned as though tasting the name. “Do you have a summary?”

Gavin reached up and tapped a blue window. The frame changed color when the princess’s attention turned to it. Elroy compiled a list of documents as she read.

The Glaswen Company was a mercenary band associated with the Spring Court. They had two hundred members in total, forty of whom were in the second consolidation. The group usually took contracts that were on the up and up, but they had a team who worked in murkier waters. Elroy was familiar with such operations. Les Griffes in Aidonopol had a front called Légion Garde & Guet.

The group in the warehouse was elite, with fourteen fighters in total. Seven were second consolidation. Two were third. A dullahan served as their squad captain, his partner a bogel with thin and creepy limbs.

“What assets do we have in the area?” Sylvia asked.

“Gavin and myself, both second consolidation Awakened,” Elroy answered. “Mr. Wagner is third consolidation, while Miss Reed remains at the peak of second.”

“I’ve worked with them before,” Lady Swallows said. “I have Belkis and Rowan Sanders with me. Fourteen fey soldiers, most of whom are second consolidation, aren’t enough for an assassination. Could they be aiming for our soul lamps instead?”

Lady Swallows had come to Caer Sidi to swap prisoners. Twenty-two gamers had been captured in the battle over the southern mountain ridge in Parthau Llwyd, nearly all from the assault team led by Major Rogers. Wildfire Garden had lost a greater number. Three hundred souls had been claimed by the shipborne beacons when the sect lost its base.

To prove their sincerity, Azure Reach and Wildfire Garden had brought thirty lamps with them to Caer Sidi.

“We do not believe the gamers are the target,” Elroy said firmly.

“Which means they have a third party operating in the dark,” Sylvia concluded.

“That is our deduction as well,” he agreed. “Soul jars are only required for Transcendents, which is an indication of intent. It is unlikely they are a red herring. Thus, it is the opinion of Azure Intelligence that you are the sole target.”

“Then the Glaswen Company is there as a distraction,” she noted. “While I’m dealing with them, the real assassin will hit me from behind. The only question is, are they aiming to catch me or kill me?”

Mercenary groups would never agree to kill a soul. The karmic cost was too high, and sellswords lacked a means through which they could earn their karma back. Thus the soul jars. But that didn’t mean Heaven wanted Lady Swallows alive. They might well have been handing out jars as a backup plan or to provide deniability.

“I’m meeting with Sect Leader Furuta in an hour,” Sylvia said after a moment. “I don’t want to call it off unless absolutely necessary.”

“The assassin will be a Transcendent,” Elroy reminded gruffly.

“The soul swap is important to our military strategy,” Sylvia returned. “And, if we back off now, Heaven will know we have their scent.”

“Tell her,” Gavin said loudly, his emerald eyes gleaming.

The werewolf hesitated. He didn’t like Gavin’s plan. It was dangerous. A warrior’s duty was to protect his charge. However, strategic matters were decided by one’s lord or lady. It would be dishonorable to withhold the option.

“Gavin thinks we should use you as bait,” he said clearly.

Lady Swallows let out a charming huff. “Scheming like usual.”

“Mrs. Swallows, Heaven will stop at nothing to kill an Apostle of Fire,” Elroy said firmly. “I do not believe this is a wise course of action. They will have placed observers in Parthau Llwyd. They know your strength. We cannot dismiss the possibility Heaven will send an archangel for the task.”

“That’s unlikely. Archangels are tracked. It’d be easier to slip in a Transcendent,” she returned. The princess considered for a moment. “Having an attempt on my life in front of witnesses is to our advantage. And, as you said, Heaven will stop at nothing to kill an Apostle of Fire. If I evade this attempt, they’ll try another.”

Elroy grunted.

“I can’t wrap myself in wards, but I do have a spell that will increase my safety,” Lady Swallows continued. “I’ll contact Prince Bhatia. He should have a few trustworthy fey he can lend on our behalf. Preferably ones who can act as ‘neutral witnesses.’”

Gavin laughed. “I like the way she thinks.”

Elroy rumbled his acceptance. “Be cautious, Mrs. Swallows.”

“I value my life,” she replied.

“Then Azure Intelligence will assist with the Glaswen Company,” Elroy grunted. “We predict that they will attack before or after your meeting with Katsumoto, unless you have a reason to suspect Sect Leader Furuta is a participant?”

“He’s not,” Lady Swallows rejected. “If he were, Heaven would have had days to prepare instead of hours. I don’t want the assassins making a move before my meeting. Can we delay them?”

“If she changes the location, Heaven will have to scramble,” Gavin suggested. The goblin scanned the maps. “How about Marchnad y Gwydr? It’s public with plenty of eyes. Diplomats use it from time to time to make sure their enemy doesn’t try anything.”

“It’s near Twr Dur, which means I’ll fall within the scope of its anti-realm and anti-flight wards,” Sylvia noted. “That could be a good thing, as the assassins won’t be afraid I’ll vanish the second the meeting is done and over with.”

“The guard isn’t necessarily on our side,” Elroy reminded.

“Nor are they our enemy,” Sylvia returned. “A public place will make it easier for Prince Bhatia to insert his men. I’ll have to control the time of arrival, however. Elroy, Gavin, do you think the plan is workable?”

“They won’t know what hit them,” Gavin said.

“The danger is beyond my preference, but I will follow as you command, Mrs. Swallows,” Elroy added. The werewolf thumped his chest in salute. “To serve with you is my pleasure.”

“Get your teams in order,” Sylvia said. “I’ll throw you a secure link in half an hour.”

The line clicked dead.

Elroy turned to Gavin with a grunt. “Contact Nathan and Charlotte.”

“Already done,” the goblin returned, hopping up out of his chair. “Let’s get moving. I want to blend with the crowd.”

“Nn,” the werewolf agreed, already headed for the door.

-oOo-

Sunlight reflected off Elroy’s polished armor, his white fur replaced by muted brown. The color was tinted gold by the afternoon sun. Marchnad y Gwydr, better known as the Market of Glass, was a bustling square. Tall buildings surrounded massive gardens, glass windows displaying clothes, jewelry, and furniture. Pure white roads traced the outer band, while others wound through the park.

A block away, Twr Dur rose above the surrounding city. The marble turret was clad in steel. A sharp rod marked its peak, one of the Fey Federation’s legendary Gandiva cannons. Elroy gave it a glance. He moved through the dense crowds. Every meter of space along the thoroughfares had been claimed by merchants selling weapons, dust, and other military merchandise.

Soldiers were everywhere. Caer Sidi was a popular retreat for those fighting on the front line, matching the port cities that catered to the courts. The fighters crowded into the nearby taverns, eager to drink to their success or to drown out their failure.

Elroy’s golden gaze skimmed over it all, on the watch for potential threats. Lady Swallows had eyes in the sky. He used them to check the situation from multiple angles.

“Premium war chimera!” a dryad shouted as he passed. “Bespoke mounts and creatures at your demand, all created by the brilliant Magister Rahal! Anything you can imagine, we can create it. Behemoths and abominations! Discuss your order before it’s too late!”

His triangular ears twitched. A green-haired leshen fanned himself under a covered stall, a sour expression on his face. The dryad crier beside him called out shamelessly to everyone passing by. Elroy stepped a bit quicker to escape the noise.

“I don’t like how many soldiers are in the area,” he rumbled over the secure link after a minute.

“Mark them all off in yellow,” Gavin returned.

“Nn,” he sounded.

Elroy was in his half-wolf form, borrowing one of the false identities Azure Intelligence had provided. It was a minor disguise but an effective one. Across the way, Gavin schmoozed, flirting shamelessly with a pretty fire fox while wearing the form of a dark elf. Nathan Wagner was on the other side of the park. The redhead viewed the land from his balcony seat in a restaurant, a bowl of cawl in front of him. Charlotte Reed blended with the public just as easily. The woman haggled over a hairpin, appearing little different from the fey filling the streets.

If not for the Bluelight, tracking the Glaswen Company would’ve been a nightmare in the morass. The red triangles floating over their enemies’ heads made it easy to pick them out. Elroy’s gaze swept over them, confirming all the known members were still marked, adding yellow halos to possible threats as he went. There were too many possible threats. Including…

His gaze shifted to the airships floating in the sky. “Mrs. Swallows,” he conveyed over secure link. “Can you rearrange one of your eyes so we have a clear view of the artillery?”

One of the screens started to rise, giving a bird’s-eye view of the fortress city along with all the lightning cannons in it.

A chime sounded in his ear. Elroy’s gaze slid to the gardens. Lady Swallows had arrived, sweeping along the marble path, her twin tails fluttering behind her. A dark uniform clung to the princess’s delicate form, sharp and stately. In her right hand she held her staff, its three geometric arms wrapped around a crystal orb.

Belkis and Rowan followed the Cloud Princess as escorts. Each carried a few soul lamps on their person.

Sylvia stopped beside the statue of Rhiannon in a paved clearing. If not for her prying eyes, Elroy would’ve lost line of sight. Trusting the others to guard the princess, he turned to their prey.

A tension ran through the Glaswen Company, their hands drifting to the hilts of their weapons. Ki coiled in Elroy’s muscles. It was only when Sect Leader Furuta showed up that he relaxed. The tengu didn’t bother with an escort. He strode into the clearing, his tall geta clacking on the ground. Katsumoto’s shakujō released a resonant chime as he came to a stop.

“Sect Leader Furuta,” Sylvia greeted with a curtsy, her distant voice conveyed through the open link.

“Cloud Princess Swallows,” Katsumoto returned, offering a small bow. The dark-haired man gazed down at the witch, a sleeveless haori thrown over his armor. “A delay and a change of locations mark a poor start. Why should I trust you’re serious about the swap?”

Sylvia sighed, her expression unpleasant. “My apologies, Katsumoto-san. Hertogi Haugen interfered at the last minute. Let these souls serve as proof of our intentions.”

The princess gestured. Belkis and Rowan stepped forward, offering the lamps. Katsumoto took them politely, his hostility fading. After clipping them to his belt, he let out a huff, his long, straight nose raised high.

“That damned troll,” he spat. “I forgive you this time, but Ivar’s meddling is your problem, not mine. I don’t want to hear excuses in the future.”

“Rest assured, the Azure Expedition has as much to gain from this trade as you do,” Sylvia affirmed. “Our plan is to swap the lamps in lots. As an additional concession, we’ll complete the trade at the base of the Llwyd Tree.”

“You got guts to come so close to Wildfire Garden’s territory,” the tengu said. He eyed her with caution.

“I have faith in Her Luminesce, Atgyfodwr,” Sylvia replied, making another gentle dip. “And her willingness to enforce neutrality under the branches of the Llwyd Tree.”

Sect Leader Furuta nodded, accepting her answer.

“Then we dicker on the price,” he said. “All the souls we claimed from your Azure Expedition are elite. Not a single one is beneath the third consolidation. Therefore, we’ll trade one soul of yours for twenty of ours.”

Sylvia huffed, her pastel pink eyes narrowing. The shift in her expression and her posture produced a brand-new atmosphere, one that held a dangerous vibe.

“Don’t joke with me, Katsumoto,” she said coldly. “I know what a soul is worth. If first consolidation souls have a value of 1 or 2, then second consolidation souls are worth 3 to 9, while third have a value of 10 to 30. Of those taken from your sect, most were high in the first consolidation while some were in the second. By my accounting, our collection has half again as much value as yours. For all twenty-two of the souls you’ve taken, we’ll offer two hundred prisoners of your choice.”

While the princess negotiated, Elroy navigated through the crowd, drawing closer to the dullahan. Gavin had stopped his flirting. The goblin in dark elf guise brushed past a member of the Glaswen Company, leaving vile curses in his wake. Nathan finished his meal. After placing a pile of coins on the table, he went on a casual stroll through the gardens that brought him closer to the bogel. His three earth elemental minions positioned themselves underground, while his metal element beasts wrapped around his waist like a belt.

“I can afford to lose more soldiers than you,” Katsumoto argued. “And you’re downplaying the worth of a high-level fighter. Fifteen of your choice for two hundred and fifty of mine.”

Sylvia scoffed. “I want all twenty-two of those you’ve taken. For that, I’m willing to return all three hundred of the souls we captured. That’s the best offer I’m willing to make.”

“I’ll give you twenty-one,” Sect Leader Furuta returned. “The lone fourth consolidation soldier won’t be in the mix.”

The dullahan was just ahead. Elroy veered to avoid attracting attention. Half the mercenaries had been cursed by Gavin. Charlotte approached the bogel from the angle opposite Nathan’s. Elroy double-checked the situation. All suspicious parties were marked.

“Mrs. Swallows,” he conveyed over secure link. “We’re in position. Feel free to end negotiations at your convenience.”

“Thank you, Elroy,” Sylvia mentalized as she continued her discussion. “If you want Matthew, you can forget about the pair of third consolidation souls we captured.”

“Acceptable,” Katsumoto allowed.

“Then we have an accord,” she declared. “We’ll trade in lots. One set per day at high noon under the Llwyd Tree. Since the Azure Expedition is bringing a large volume of souls, we’ll send a skiff. I don’t want to see your men come within a kilometer of it before we settle at the site, or we’ll scuttle the deal.”

“Don’t be late,” Sect Leader Furuta returned. “You miss your window, and there will be no further trades between us.”

The tengu walked off with a ruffle of black feathers. Another wave of tension swept over the Glaswen Company. The mercenaries turned, tilting toward the gardens as a unit. Subtly, they palmed talismans.

Elroy stalked closer. Charlotte and Nathan zeroed in as well, while Gavin made his way toward the mercenaries he hadn’t yet cursed. In the clearing, Lady Swallows stopped to say something to Belkis. After a moment, the dark-skinned prisma and the sentinel started to depart.

All hell broke loose.

B-b-b-BOOM!

The fight started with a flood of talismans. The Glaswen Company threw gems, jades, and parchment by the handful. The items unraveled, unleashing primordial force. Fire, lightning, water, and earth ripped across the garden, a storm of destruction that all but drowned out the fainter ripples of law and space. The shockwave of force rebounded. Nearly everyone in Marchnad y Gwydr stumbled.

The Cloud Princess didn’t miss a step. She twirled like a dancer, her skirt rising in a flutter. As she swayed and skipped, her motions were made stretched and floaty by her art. Sylvia slipped around jagged lightning bolts only to swat a meteor blast to her left. Red flames washed over the clearing, brushing over her stardust barrier, which had sprung up around her. A shield of starlight flickered into existence a moment after, catching a spray of stone shrapnel.

But Elroy gave little heed to Lady Swallows’s artistry.

Instead, he charged. Ki burst beneath his feet, uncoiling like a spring. The half-wolf shot through the crowd, light touches of the manifestation art gale pinion adding to his speed even as he wove around obstacles. Elroy’s giant hammer flew from its holster during the rush.

The dullahan was caught off guard. The fey mercenary turned at the last moment, his shield rising. Elroy planted his feet. Ki slammed into the ground as he adopted valorous stance. With his momentum suddenly halted by the art, the werewolf converted all his speed and strength into one brutal swing.

Clung!

Even against the background of explosions, the blow echoed. His hammer hit the dullahan straight in the chest. Metal plates cracked and caved under a weight akin to a mountain’s. The dullahan turned into a blur, his body careening down the street and into the gardens. The mercenary smashed into a statue’s base, granite shattering.

Elroy dashed after him. Muscles twisted when he moved, bones and tendons elongating. Fur thickened. Weapons and armor melted into Elroy’s body, combining with tooth and claw to make them stronger. In the blink of an eye, he’d transformed into a giant wolf.

The dullahan flipped onto his feet. Elroy pounced, his paws carrying the force of the art mountain crusher. The mercenary tilted his shield, deflecting the overwhelming force to the side. The werewolf twisted. The dullahan was faster, his sword flashing down in a silver streak.

Ki hardened the moment the blade hit. Shhunk! Metal rang, the sword’s edge shearing through the manifestation art brass bastion. The blow was softened by half. Blood sprayed when fur and muscle gave way to steel. Elroy gritted his teeth, life force flooding the wound to erase a fragment of the damage.

His muzzle shot forward, jaws clamping down on the dullahan’s thigh. Elroy’s thick teeth pierced through the cuisse, augmented by yet another art – moonlight fang. Before the fey could react, the werewolf twisted his neck. The armored man was flipped high into the sky, where he tumbled, denied flight by Twr Dur’s wards.

Elroy had always had a knack for ki.

While he couldn’t match Governor Sanchez’s legendary genius, the manifestation of an art came easily for him. Those that emphasized force, endurance, and stability felt utterly natural. He could learn them in a few days. Arts emphasizing speed, lightness, and precision were more challenging. To grasp them on his own took a full month.

But to touch a concept, the mechanical mastery had to be achieved first. Thus, it was with the Bluelight that Elroy’s gift had shone. With one skill book he’d learned multiple techniques. Within a month or two he’d made them manifest. The most challenging part was synthesis. An expert never used a single ki art on its own. Instead, the arts had to flow seamlessly, leaving not a single error or chink. Only when a warrior covered all eventualities could he face a battlemage on even ground.

While the dullahan fell back toward the earth, battle raged in Marchnad y Gwydr. Gavin’s curses had dropped half the Glaswen Company at the outset while Charlotte and Nathan ambushed the bogel. Nathan’s metal element minions had the scarecrow pinned down. Charlotte took the opening, stabbing the man in the back with a dagger of darkness.

Which left six soldiers free to act. The mercenaries rushed Lady Swallows without a care for their own lives. Belkis stepped out from behind Rowan’s broad barrier. A shower of destruction crashed into their opponents.

Which left the princess exposed.

A white-cloaked figure slid out of a garden statue as though he were a ghost. The assassin lunged, his cross-hilted sword a blazing brand of light. Another white-cloaked Transcendent rippled into view on a far rooftop. This one pulled back a bow, the stave strengthened by dense ki. An arrow flew from the string. The streak of gold shot across the market.

Caught between two foes, Lady Swallows chose caution. She retreated, space crunching behind her. The white-cloaked swordsman was faster. The assassin was on her in an instant, his ljósmeðr carving through her starlight shield in a brilliant flash. The princess sidestepped, dancing past the assassin’s combo. Sparkling dust swirled around her, scattering rainbows as her broken shield merged into a new defensive sphere.

And not a moment too soon. The archer’s arrow hit the princess in the back. Golden light exploded, dispersing her defense.

The dullahan landed on his feet.

Elroy rushed his enemy, swapping back into his half-wolf form as he pounced. His hammer slammed down. Clang! The dullahan’s shield rang like a gong, resisting impossible force. The fey mercenary pushed back, sending the werewolf stumbling.

The dullahan seized the initiative. His sword flashed. Elroy parried the blow with the haft of his hammer. He could feel the ringing force in his palms. The mercenary pressed in. The initial phases of the fight had favored Elroy, thanks to catching the dullahan off guard, but now the sheer attribute differential was showing.

While Elroy struggled, the white-cloaked assassins continued their pursuit. The swordsman chased after Lady Swallows, his blade cutting crescents of sunlight. Right as he was about to land a hit, a pair of earth elementals burst from the ground to stop him. The swordsman’s pace was disrupted. Angrily, he hewed through one minion before spinning around the other.

A golden arrow flashed, depleting the princess’s defense. Sylvia raised another shield, then used precious milliseconds to strike back. Blue lightning sparked, crackling along the length of Chaotic Skies.

Ba-raa-aaa-aack!

The sky shook. Without so much as a glance, Lady Swallows unleashed a jagged wire. Chain lightning ripped through the gardens, slaughtering every member of the Glaswen Company. The dullahan fell, a hole thicker than Elroy’s arm burned through his chest. Heaven’s agents didn’t flinch. They absorbed the hits with their bodies, their cloaks blackened into char.

Their sacrifice gave them the opening they’d been looking for.

Another golden arrow hit. The golden light stripped Lady Swallows of her last defense. The white-cloaked swordsman threw himself forward. The assassin crashed into the tiny witch, his ljósmeðr cast aside in favor of a dagger that glowed with sickly pale light.

Rowan extended his barrier out of instinct, his ki reinforced by his natural magic. The knife slammed down. Layers of protection cracked. Rowan’s barrier gave way first. The shield projected by Sylvia’s armor broke second. As the blade cut into soul and flesh, something flickered. The princess suddenly dissolved as though she’d been naught but an illusion. The witch emerged from nothingness at the swordsman’s side.

Then the scene was washed clean by searing white. Scree-r-ack!

Sylvia’s skyrending beam smashed into the surprised white-cloaked assassin, sending him flying across the gardens and into a storefront on the far side of Marchnad y Gwydr. But the danger wasn’t gone. Another arrow left the archer’s bow half a second before the white-cloaked figure was tackled by a Transcendent garuda rushing in from the side. The Caer Sidi guards were moving as well, aiming to suppress the battle.

With no time to think, Elroy jumped. He met the sickly white projectile with his hammer. Incredible force exploded through him. He shook, a spectral shockwave tearing through his soul. The werewolf’s mind went blank. Next thing he knew, he was rolling on the ground.

Ding! The Bluelight sounded.

Warning: Minor Soul Injury Detected

Due to the disruption of your soul essence, you have lost 2 levels. Experience conversion rate will be reduced by 7% until such time that this injury is healed.

Shuddering, Elroy pushed off the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood. A woman emerged from a puddle of darkness, setting a hand on his shoulder.

“You alive, big man?” Charlotte asked.

“I am still functional, thank you,” Elroy answered. His gaze shifted to the silver-haired witch. “The Cloud Princess is our priority.”

Across the gardens, Lady Swallows clutched her side. Rowan stepped up beside her, extending his aura to create a protective sphere. Good man. Belkis was only a step behind. She guided her sister apprentice onto a stone bench. Elroy’s golden gaze swept the battlefield. The white-cloaked men had vanished. But not from the Bluelight. Through the prying eyes and the many windows provided, he tracked the retreating assassins. Two of Autumn’s Transcendents gave chase.

“She’s the VIP,” Charlotte allowed, stepping back. “But you should look after yourself too. That was a big hit for small fry like us.”

“Nn,” Elroy acknowledged.

Charlotte sank into her own shadow. Nathan quietly slipped into an alley before reemerging with a new visage. Elroy let them handle the crowd as he made his way to Lady Swallows. Gavin stepped up beside him, still in his dark elf disguise.

Thump. With a tap of her staff, the princess raised a screen of magic around them.

“Mrs. Swallows,” Elroy greeted. “I regret that we failed in your protection.”

With a pained expression, Sylvia waved him off. “I agreed to the plan. Luckily, my new spell, death’s deception, saved me from the worst of it. Otherwise, his knife would’ve cut straight through my abyss palace.”

“Then we are fortunate,” he noted grimly.

“We underestimated the enemy,” Sylvia agreed.

Silence hung. A heavy weight sat in Elroy’s heart. Lady Swallows had given him too much. The debt he owed was one that could never be repaid. He never should’ve agreed to Gavin’s scheme. What they’d risked was too precious.

“Ah, but with risk comes opportunity,” Gavin interrupted. The goblin stepped forward, light shimmering in his eyes. “I’ve been thinking. We can use this situation to our advantage, and not just to make Heaven look bad. If I’m not mistaken, Ivar Haugen has been playing you wrong. Wouldn’t it feel good to snatch the big prize?”

Elroy’s expression shifted, his muzzle curving to show his disapproval. The princess, however, brightened. A smile no less evil than the goblin’s crossed her charming face.

“I’m all ears.”

-oOo-

A History of Armaments: Fey Federation

Saethbysg

Saethbysgs are a heavily engineered species of phantasm. The beasts derive from the pysgod awyr, the sky fish native to Tír na nÓg. In their natural habitat, the phantasms form large schools, flying between lakes and other bodies of water. Fey who come too close are often impaled on their sword-like horns.

The fish phantasms were not used as weapons initially. Instead, they were popular racing beasts. Wealthy fey would gather into a group, firing their highly trained pysgod awyr out of specialized tubes while betting on the results. The sport was made interesting by the pysgod awyr’s novel method of flight. Rather than use wings or wind, the beast alters the laws around itself so that it can maintain its velocity along an arbitrary path of flight. Normally, the creatures are limited to speeds of around 80 m/s. Modified racing fish accelerated through tubes can reach 1,300 m/s.

It was during the late Silver Age that the pysgod awyr was crossed with the gumberoo, creating the first saethbysg. Early versions of the living weapon were fielded at the start of Ragnarok. By the great war’s end, the saethbysg had undergone multiple modifications, creating the deadly missiles known in modern times.

The saethbysgs are not simple chimera. Their creation involves specialized nether code along with afterbirth modifications to their soul stones. The beasts are trained extensively as well, learning how to engage enemies under a wide variety of conditions.

As a weapon, saethbysgs are versatile. The fish missiles can burst in cones of differing densities, maximizing either coverage or penetration. This makes them effective against hard targets like fortifications and airships, along with soft targets, like phantasmal armies. The high penetration of the metal element means that saethbysgs can harm arch-level beings, making them an effective deterrent to enemies of the highest level.

Vijaya (Lightning Cannon)

The Fey Federation is the most renowned of the great powers when it comes to mastery of the humble lightning cannon. Whether it’s in terms of power, range, or miniaturization, the Federation’s guns are considered top of the line. Only Heaven is competitive in the area, with Hell being so far behind that it often imports the Federation’s guns.

And the most famous of these is the Vijaya. When the cannon was first deployed during Ragnarok, the Vijaya was actually a sky element weapon with an enchantment sequence deriving from the chain lightning spell. However, the Vijaya mk 1 was expensive, making it difficult to deploy en masse. Therefore, the Fey Federation created a cheaper variant known as the Vijaya mk 2. The Vijaya mk 2 became the Federation’s preferred anti-personnel gun thereafter. The cannon continued to see use until the end of the Silent Age.

The Vijaya mk 3 had mixed popularity. The cannon was developed during Ragnarok but was never used in the war, due to its inferior range and power. It was only during the Silent Age that the gun became a success. The cannon’s double reflection feature eliminated all blind spots while the superior cone of correction gave the weapon greater real-world accuracy.

At the start of the Colonial Age, the Fey Federation finally released the Vijaya mk 2’s successor. The mark 4 cannon combined all the best features of the two generations prior. It had range, power, a double reflection, and an improved cone of correction. The gun remains the primary support armament of all Federation warships to this day. An even better cannon, however, has been developed. The Vijaya mk 5 improves the mark 4’s power by another notch while adding a ward-piercing feature. The Federation’s most recent dreadnoughts are equipped with this weapon.

While the Vijaya is the Fey Federation’s most famous gun, the simpler Kondana – derived from the mark 2 – remains in use for air defense purposes. The Federation has continued its development of sky element cannons as well with the Gandiva series, famously equipped on its specialized Rìu Sét heavy cruisers.

Sylvia’s Notes: The Fey Federation’s mastery of the lightning cannon is best shown by how the smaller Eryr can mount a single heavy cannon while the Cirrus Skycruiser is limited to medium-weight guns. The Astral Observatory was delighted when we got a chance to dissect a few on Emain Ablach.