Chapter 8 Part 2 of 3 (Patreon)

“That’s better,” Marshal Dujardin said as Méduse, the last ship to arrive slid into formation around Le-Glaive.

“The Captains are on their way over.” Adamus said.

Marshal nodded, he checked the map table.

So close. The Treasure Hall was a few hours away from where they’d gather, but the other captains had all spotted people scouting the area, each checking to see if the treasure hall’s ‘guards’ were still alive.

Marshal pulled up markers on the map, locations of interest based on their mana and element readings and what they could gather through various intelligence networks.

He started plotting out a route around the Treasure Hall. Close enough for teams to reach the hall, and for the fleet to support them if needed. He’d brought multiple ‘spiders’. Small ships that were nearly impossible to detect and could give positional data to the main ships to teleport.

Each location he marked down was also a place where they could find rewards, plants, elemental storms to harvest, different ruins with resources worth harvesting.

He looked up at Captain Danielle Boudet and her guards walking into the command center. He raised a hand in greeting. He kept working on the map.

Captain Louis Gerrard followed with Captain Kline Adamus.

Fredrick Gerard was the last Captain to join them.

The map table was a rectangle, Edmond stood at its head, behind him was his team members and Esther. Behind him and to the left was the open space where the elders and leaders rested, with their own map table.

The Sha guards rested near the doorway on that side of the bridge.

Le Glaive’s Captain Ross Adamus moved to Edmond’s right side, his cousin stood beside him, Louis Gerrard was at the other end of the table.

“Okay, so, I’ve plotted out our route,” Edmond said, pointing to the different points he’d marked on the map. Thoughts?”

No one said anything, looking at one another.

“It is time for this to come to an end?” Louis raised his eyes from the map.

“Come peacefully and I will let you live.”

Edmond looked at the other captains, only Ross Adamus was looking back at them.

“What is this?” Edmond stiffened, suddenly aware where every guard was located.

He put his hand behind him, signalling to his team members, hoping they saw his signs, scenarios running through his mind.

“This is a coup Marshal,” Captain Boudet said.

“You are betraying the Clans,” Edmond hissed.

“You betrayed the clans!” Louis yelled, silencing the bridge. “You pit us against one another, you hold power in a vice. You offered my clan freedom, instead we are nothing more than your hunting dogs.”

“Run sir!” Ross said, he raised a pistol, and sucked in a deep breath as his cousin’ s blade slipped through his ribs.

Edmond hit a formation on his hip, a barrier snapped up around him as the captain’s guards shot his bridge guards. Grenades were tossed among Edmond’s allies.

He saw the skeleton start glowing as they detonated. Edmond was tossed to the side, slamming into a wall. Edmond shook his head, trying to focus, a large scarred hand grabbed him.

Harrod?

Edmond saw gun smoke around Esther’s hands as she fired, he was pulled back.

Robert threw fireballs among the Captain’s guards, grabbing him. Edmond looked back, seeing landing craft and aerial beasts lift off from the other ships, covered in piercer blood, all heading for Le Glaive.

Robert turned with Edmond and pulled him back to the doors behind his chair, he kicked the doors open. Edmond’s head started to clear as he saw the Alvans cut down the Captain’s guards with their rifles.

Two pulled back Erik and Rugrat who were pulling on their helmets.

Beyond them, the grenades had gone off in the midst of the elders and leaders, killing most of them.

Alvans sported smoking stained armor their skeleton creating a barrier from floor to ceiling as they drew back.

“We can turn this around,” Edmond said.

“Shut up Edmond,” Robert growled as Kameela and Esther joined the group.

The Alvans tossed out grenades that went off in a flash of light and noise.

They fired into the bridge that had turned to chaos. They hit barriers thrown up by the Captains, guards rushing into the bridge strained the Skeleton as he walked backwards, covering the last of the Alvans through the doorway.

“Seal those doors!” One yelled.

The Alvans pulled them closed and slapped a formation to the door that spread across.

“We need a way off this ship,” The Alvan guard Captain yelled.

“This way,” Kameela said, turning and running into the rooms beyond, there were washrooms, bedrooms, a grand meeting room and library.

The door rattled behind them as they sealed doors behind them.

“If we can cut down the captains we can turn this around,” Marshal said.

“Uncle, Louis is leading them, the second highest ranked man in your fleet. Has he ever done anything that he was not confident in?” Esther asked.

Edmond ground his teeth.

“Now I think about why I came here, I think that there must have been some others moving the strings to make me come here,” Kameela said.

“All of the sects and clans that were invited were the ones that you were closest to,” Harrod said.

Marshal looked at who remained. Only the Alvans and his own team.

Each wore the same armor helmets and masks.

Three were using potions to heal minor wounds as they walked.

Edmond gritted his teeth.

I’ll make them pay, I’ll tear them apart for this!

They reached the library, Kameels went through the books, tossing several to the side.

***

Erik watched Kameela tossing books onto the floor, clearing a shelf. She pulled out a formation and put it into a recess in the wood.

“Damn dungeon core is in the middle of the ship under the manor.” Rugrat kicked the wall.

“Okay, so Marshal just got betrayed and it looks like the new Sha don’t like us much,” Erik said.

“We can’t fight them all off, a lot of them are stronger than us. For now we go with the Marshal and his people, they know this place more than us and how the Sha will react.”

“Fucking poorly I bet, shit, got caught up in a coup, great first day in the Violet Sky Realm,” Erik’s laugh was filled with venom.

Harrod pulled a carpet in the middle of the room away and tossed it to the side.

“This teleportation formation will take us down to the ground,” Esther said.

“From there we can hide in the city under the forest.”

“That place is filled with all kinds of monsters,” Edmond hissed.

“Better dumb monsters that want us dead than smart people that want us dead,” Robert said.

Edmond clicked his tongue and checked his pistol.

“Half of yours half of ours,” Roska stepped forward.

The Alvans shifted, looking at them.

“You thinking about turning on us?” Edmond growled.

“What do you mean?” Kameela asked.

“She means that five guards Rugrat go down with three of you, then the last two go with the rest of our guards and me,” Erik said. His skin itched badly, eager to draw in the surrounding elements and charge the enemy.

“Fine,” Kameela said. “Esther, Edmond, Robert you go first, inside the formation.”

“Davos get that door rigged,” Roska said, walking into the circle with Rugrat and half of the special team.

Davos took out a magical trap spell scroll sticking it to the door.

The first group disappeared.

“Second group!” Kameela yelled.

They all got inside the formation, Erik pointed his rifle at the ground, behind three others, Tully was behind him, leading the half-team.

They waited till something clicked in the bookshelf and they were outside.

“Move it,” Tully hissed, they ran after the other group.

Most of the mana lights were off, the Sha Fleet hung above the trees, their running lights creating silhouettes in the night sky.

“There’s an entrance here.”

“Ah shit, I’m getting too old for this,” Rugrat said.

They reached the ‘entrance’ A building jutting out of the ground, that descended into darkness. Erik activated his night vision, seeing the rest of the group at the bottom.

“What the hell,” Erik jumped and landed on his ass, following after the others, holding his rifle high as he slid down the inside of the building and into the darkness underneath.

They stood in a world of broken buildings and glowing plants, the ‘floor’ a dozen meters above their heads, covered in tree roots from their viewpoint.

Yang Zan hissed and fired into the darkness, hitting something that bled phosphorescent green.

“Ka’tel!” Edmond said.

Erik heard a cannon fire.

“Incoming!”