by Eric Vall
The rocket launched and sailed clean through the trees, and this time, we all remained exactly where we were to witness the blast.
As soon as the head collided with a boulder, a blinding flash burst out like a supernova, and an arch of white flames tipped with a violent purple immediately followed. The enchanted fire blazed with hundreds of vibrant sparks and coursed across the jungle in every direction, and it seemed to almost have a mind of its own. It wove around hungrily as it ignited everything in its path for thirty feet around, and Aurora laughed with delight as she watched the strange flames.
“I don’t suppose you can control any of this?” Dragir asked the Ignis Mage as he eyed the blaze.
Aurora didn’t even hesitate to trot off into the flaming jungle, and she raised her palms to douse the mess created by the two rockets. Within a minute, only smoke and smoldering leaves remained, and the half-elf returned with her emerald eyes glittering.
“Those flames are like nothing I’ve ever felt,” she told us as she rolled her fingertips together in fascination. “They’re so soft, but they’re somehow hotter than my white fire.”
Dragir nodded. “That is the idea,” he explained. “I thought it would be wise to use a flame hot enough to melt the armor of the Master’s soldiers.”
“Damn,” I chuckled. “That’s a nice touch.”
The elf shrugged.
“Now … it’s my turn,” Cayla insisted. “Just point and shoot, right?”
“For now,” I told her, and I helped her mount the bazooka on her shoulder before I loaded a rocket. “I’ll install the sights when we get back to the caves, but make sure you keep the nose from dipping down. Other than that, I think you know what to do.”
Cayla nodded and steadied her stance, and I admired the telltale cock of her hip as she took her aim. She looked lethal with the cold steel propped on her bare shoulders, and I couldn’t resist slapping the meat of her ass to give her the all clear.
Cayla chuckled and pulled the trigger, and the rocket sailed straight for the tree she’d had her sights on. The clap of the impact made us all jolt, and the explosion sparked wildly to tear through the jungle.
A devilish grin came to the princess’ face as she turned to me. “This is my new favorite,” she assured me and blew me a kiss.
I fought hard against the urge to rip the leather bodice from her as I eyed the steel shaft still smoking in her grip, and I grinned at the deadly glint in her eyes.
“That one’s yours,” I told her, and Cayla sent me a glittering smile as she stroked the steel affectionately.
“Thank you,” she purred. “I love everything about it.”
Dragir sighed like he hadn’t been ready to part with the weapon just yet.
“I will start on the next one,” he decided, and I chuckled as I clapped him on the shoulder.
“Five to go,” I agreed. “Lead the way.”
We left the rest of the rockets for the women to take turns with on the cliff, and I grabbed a few chunks of steel from my hoard of metal on our way into the caves.
Dragir was still grinning when he sat down at the iron table, and I was glad to see him so relaxed for once.
“I can’t believe those runes,” I mused as I split some steel apart to begin forming the next bazooka. “Three little runes, and the damn thing works like clock work.”
“I never imagined rune magic could be applied in this way,” Dragir admitted and pulled a few rockets over to work on engraving. “This wiring of yours changes everything. I could channel any rune to a specific point, and even project the powers of them from a distance. This is not easy to manage when working organically with rune magic. The ancients never dreamed of applying it in this way.”
I grinned. “You could probably invent your own electricity,” I pointed out.
Dragir furrowed his brow. “What is electricity?”
I couldn’t help chuckling to myself as I formed three identical pipes and laid them out on the table.
“Think on it for a bit,” I told the elf. “I don’t doubt you’ll get there.”
Dragir narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and turned back to the rockets to consider this.
The air became dense as I formed the next pipe, but by the time I had all five lined up and had begun on the shoulder stocks, my focus was warring with the elements in the air.
I glanced over my shoulder, and at nearly the same moment, Dragir looked up.
“Does your magic spark by chance?” he asked.
“Actually, it does,” I told him.
Dragir nodded. “Something of that nature is interrupting the connection, I think.”
“I’ll move to another room,” I decided and gathered up my materials. “I’m having trouble focusing through the elements anyways.”
I left the elf to work on his engraving and headed toward the vaulted chamber once more before I turned down the hallway that led to the room I’d locked Qiran in.
I laid everything out on the iron table against the wall, but before I began on my work, I came to the wall and carefully sifted through the stonework. I found the elven scrolls right where I’d left them, and I carefully gathered them to fold them safely in my pocket.
Then I pulled another stool up from the floor to finish forming and assembling the last five bazookas. I left all of the triggers half-assembled so Dragir could engrave the runes, and then I moved on to running the copper wiring.
When I finished, I realized even though Deya would most likely not be joining us on the battlefront, she may want a bazooka of her own someday, so I quickly created a seventh just in case.
Then I loaded all of them into my arms and headed back to the chamber where Dragir was working.
He had a pile of nearly twenty rockets finished and set aside, and the air in the chamber was heavy with the many elements he was harnessing at the moment. So, I paused on the threshold and waited to enter until Dragir lifted the engraving tool, and the rune had settled itself.
“Delivery,” I announced, and the elf’s eyes glinted when he saw the pile of bazookas. “I made an extra for your sister in case she wants one.”
Dragir snorted. “That is unlikely, but a good idea. She needs to learn to defend herself, especially if she is going to try and keep up with the likes of your women.”
I chuckled proudly and laid the bazookas out beside the rockets.
“They’ll definitely show her how it’s done,” I assured him. “I left the triggers half-assembled until the engravings are finished, but I’m gonna make sure the women aren’t having any trouble up on the cliff while you get those going.”
Dragir nodded his agreement and picked up a bazooka to begin on the trigger.
“Take a few rockets with you,” he suggested. “We can always make more.”
I thanked him and grabbed a dozen before I headed out into the hallway, and then I climbed the path that led up to the cliff.
The waves rolled heavily in the cove as I looked out across the ocean, and I noticed the nest of seaweed was empty. I eyed the horizon for any sign of the pod of dragons, but nothing appeared, and I carried on along the cliff until I found the women.
I slowed my pace as I caught sight of them, and I was glad to see the bazooka mounted on Deya’s slender shoulder.
Cayla had her hands clutched around the elf’s hips from behind, and her head was tilted over Deya’s shoulder to give her instructions.
I heard a silvery giggle drift on the breeze, and Cayla laughed as she shimmied the elf’s hips until her stance was more solid. Then she stroked Deya’s shoulder blades to adjust her posture before she slid her hand along her arm to the trigger.
Cayla gently squeezed Deya’s hand, and she held the woman tight against her front as the rocket ignited and launched into the trees.
The beautiful elf was laughing before it had even met its mark, and I chuckled as I made my way over with a new batch of rockets.
“Looks good on you,” I told the giggling elf, and she flipped aroun
d with a sparkling smile.
“Cayla’s teaching me how to shoot,” she said proudly.
“I noticed,” I told her and dragged my eyes along the ribbons on Cayla’s corset. “Mind if I watch?”
Cayla smirked and slid her hand around Deya to pull her flush against her again.
“Of course we don’t mind,” she said with a wink.
I settled in the grass with Shoshanne on one side and Aurora on the other while Cayla loaded the next rocket.
From where we sat, I could see the slip of silk that curled between Deya’s thighs, and she gave a little wiggle when she caught me staring.
I grinned and nodded my approval as Cayla sauntered up behind her, and we watched the princess give instructions while four more rockets were sent into the trees.
Aurora periodically hopped up to douse the enchanted flames, and by the time we’d all taken a few turns and gone through the pile of rockets, all of the women were raving about the bazooka.
When I told Deya I’d made her one as well, she leaped up to throw her arms around my neck and locked her legs at my waist to kiss me until I nearly stumbled off the cliff.
Aurora giggled and pulled us back, and I reluctantly righted the elf on her toes once more.
“Please tell me you’re coming north with us,” I murmured against her ear, but Cayla answered for her without pause.
“She is,” she assured me, and Deya blushed a sweet pink as she nodded her agreement.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Deya giggled. “Although, it’s probably best we don’t tell my father until it’s absolutely necessary.”
We all agreed this would be for the best, and Cayla propped the bazooka over her shoulder as she headed back toward the cove.
We found Dragir with all of the triggers completed, and he was just finishing the last few rockets I’d made early that day.
He seemed almost happy in the small chamber, and his face was surprisingly relaxed considering the amount of concentration he’d been exerting while working on the runes.
“It is easier once you begin replicating,” he explained and set another rocket aside. “But don’t let your concentration falter because of this. Each line is still just as temperamental, even if you know them all by heart.”
I nodded and sealed the other half of the hand grips. “What about the other rune we talked about?” I asked. “The one to make their operation exclusive to only us?”
Dragir rubbed his eyes and stretched. “I have to work on that, but I will dedicate all of my spare time to it while you’re in the north,” he assured me. “In the meantime, I could use some more rockets to work on for the battle.”
“You think a hundred should be good?” I asked, and the elf grinned once more.
“That sounds quite effective, yes.”
I pulled another chunk of steel over and sat down on a stool. “We’ll say one-fifty, just to be safe.”
The women decided to return to House Quyn and gather supplies while I finished up the rockets for Dragir, and once they were out of earshot, Dragir nudged my arm.
“Will you do me a favor?” he asked in a low voice.
I glanced over my shoulder and nodded.
“Do not fuck with rune magic while you are gone,” he said, and despite the wry smirk, I could tell he was completely serious. “I know you have learned a lot, but I don’t think you should practice with this until you are certain of the degrees.”
I considered this. “You’ve got a point,” I allowed. “I’ll stick to magery for now.”
“Good,” the elf nodded, “I think you have time, to be honest. I was thinking over things while I worked on the engravings … you said you could sense the imbalances of the elements in the metal. This will help you a lot in crafting your own runes. It may give you the advantage you need in learning as much as you require in a short time.”
“You really think so?” I asked.
“It is very likely,” Dragir said. “You can already sense their presence without your magery, which is impressive given that you are not familiar with the craft. If you practice identifying the different elements as they are harnessed, and commit the degree markers to memory, I think you could be forming your own runes rather soon.”
As he mentioned committing things to memory, a notion occurred to me, and I placed the two rockets I’d been forming down on the table.
“I have this ability to form visual maps in my mind,” I told him. “I do it when I’m building a lot. If I’ve seen a part before, or if I’ve formed it, the precise measurements imprint in my mind, and I can replicate them flawlessly based on this. Do you think the same would be possible with the degree markers?”
Dragir raised his brows. “If it is, this will help you greatly,” he replied. “You could envision the degrees while engraving your rune, and therefore be sure none of your etchings are misaligned.”
I let out a low whistle. “This is going to be fun.”
Dragir chuckled. “Yes, but as I said, not just yet. I mean that.”
I nodded my agreement and assured the elf I wouldn’t play around with the knowledge he’d started teaching me.
Yet.
“Where should we store the bazookas while I’m gone?” I asked as I finished forming the last of the rockets.
“Here will be fine,” Dragir decided. “No one ever comes to these caves, and I think I will stay here for a little while rather than return to the village.”
“You should,” I told him. “It’s a hell of a place.”
“It is,” he agreed. “I still have not yet explored all of the chambers.”
I furrowed my brow as we headed back into the hall. “Have you seen the one with the mural?” I asked curiously.
Dragir nodded. “It’s very complex,” he pointed out. “I have been trying to decipher the meaning of several of the images for a while now.”
“What do you think the rune on the dragon scale does?” I asked, and Dragir didn’t even need to clarify what I was referring to.
He thought in silence while we headed across the vaulted chamber and toward the mouth of the cave.
When we stopped beneath the ornate pillars, Dragir was still thinking carefully.
“There are seven degree markers on the dragon scale I do not know the corresponding elements of,” he admitted. “Several others appear to have worn away with time as well, which makes it more difficult. I know my mother was deeply in tune with the dragons, but whether she used this rune of my ancestors, I really cannot guess. She could sing a certain note that made them cry, and then climb their backs to gather the tears for medicinal purposes, though.”
I raised my brows. “Wait, that’s a true story?” I asked incredulously. “I honestly assumed that was just something you told Deya to cheer her up.”
“How could I make something like that up?” Dragir chuckled. “It’s ridiculous. But I saw her do it once when I was very young. I hardly remember any of that day, but I know she sang to the dragons and gathered their tears. Whether this has anything to do with the rune on the mural, I’m not sure.”
I shook my head as the four women appeared at the edge of the cliff above us, and they were waving wildly with bags slung over their shoulders. It looked like they were trying to say something, but their words were lost beneath the crashing of the waves in the cove.
Dragir smirked. “Apparently, my father is furious,” he informed me as he trained his ear toward the cliff. “It would be best if you headed north, I think.”
“Shit,” I sighed. “That guy’s gonna fucking kill me if I keep this up.”
Dragir nodded his agreement. “You still have the map I gave you of Nalnora?”
“I do, but I may have tarnished my reputation in the capital if I’m being honest,” I admitted. “Is there a way to avoid going through Lyralus to get to House Orrel?”
“Of course,” the elf said with a glint in his eye. “You have the Mustang.”
Chapter 7
The women had everythi
ng loaded into the trunk by the time I got to the Mustang, and I found Ruela sitting behind the wheel.
“The dog’s coming with?” I joked and received four hostile glances from the women.
“Yes, Ruela is coming with,” Deya said curtly.
I sighed and patted the massive wolf.
“Always a pleasure,” I muttered as I casually shoved her over and slid into the car.
Ruela let out a low growl and stubbornly kept herself glued to the cushion, but eventually, Deya cooed to her in Elvish, and the massive beast leapt right over the seats to join her and Cayla in the back.
Then Aurora attempted the same maneuver on me.
“I want to drive,” she grunted and shoved her ass onto my lap.
I chuckled and grabbed ahold of her so her thighs were spread around mine, and I slid my hands along her legs.
“You drove last time,” I reminded her.
The half-elf pressed herself more firmly into my lap, and she sent a coy smile over her shoulder.
“So?” she asked as she batted her blue lashes.
I grinned and let Aurora try to sway me with her allure for a bit, and she pulled my hand up to cup her breast as she rolled her hips against me. I brushed her hair aside to lay a few kisses along her neck, and she moaned softly as she slid my hand to the warm cleft between her thighs.
As I began to tease her clit, I recognized the triumphant giggle she let slip from her lips, and the half-elf gasped as I easily tipped her into the passenger seat.
“Nice try,” I chuckled, “but you’re on map duty.”
Shoshanne snorted as Aurora toppled into her.
“You can snuggle with me,” the healer offered.
Aurora let out a huff while she adjusted the silk of her bodice, but she slid her legs out to rest in my lap as she got comfortable resting against Shoshanne.
“Worth a try,” she sighed. “Where’s the map?”
I sent her a wink and handed over the map Dragir had given me, and the half-elf smirked back as she began to study it closely.