by Jez Cajiao
“Well… basically, it be like this: some G’stucnik asshole cut corners an’ put a load o’ green timber in the ship; it be in the armorin’, between the inside o’ the ship, and the outer hull. It’s warpin’ and slowly shiftin as it dries, crackin’ the supports around it, and startin’ te crack the outer hull. We need to strip it out and put in some fresh, properly seasoned wood, then rebuild her, an’….”
“An’ it’ll no be quick,” Oren said, taking up the conversation. “It be at least a few days to do, mebbe a week, an’ that’d be iff’n we had seasoned timber, which we dinna have.”
“So, you’re telling me that the warship, the most powerful weapon we have, is basically fucked, unless we take the time to practically rebuild her from the ground up; is that it?” I growled, running my hand through my hair as I glared up at the ship.
“Aye, well, tha’d be one way o’ lookin’ at it…” Oren hedged, and I turned to him, raising one eyebrow in irritated query. “Ye remember whut ye said t’other night, about wantin’ to fix th’ issues wit’ the ship? Like replace the shitty wood they’d used wit’ good, thick wood, th’ kind that’d shrug off a cannon blast?”
“You mean when we were talking about the ideal kind of warship we’d build, given the wood around here? And using the weapons I described from my home? The shit we don’t know how to build?” I asked him, and he colored slightly under his beard.
“Ah, well, mebbe it were a slightly diff’rent conversation ah remember, then. Anyhoo… how about we make th’ best o’ it? After all, ye did give Derik here tha’ book…”
“Aye, Lord Jax! The Skillbook ye gave me on magical structures ha’ given me sooo many ideas! I can use some o’ the knowledge to make the ship much stronger. She’d be heavier, much heavier, but we could mebbe make some changes, or add extra engines…”
“She’s already slow as shit. adding extra engines is a great idea, but if it’s only to make her as fast as she is currently, I don’t see it."
"As to the extra armor, yeah, it’d be great, but seriously, that was a plan to make an entirely new ship, and it was a ‘maybe someday’ plan, not a ‘let’s do it right fucking now’ plan!” I said, shaking my head. “Look, you’ve obviously had time to think about this. Get with Ame, Lun, and Elaine, the engineers who I gave the other books to. You’ve got a few hours to come up with a basic plan, then I want you all working on it. we’re going to need this ship up and running to protect the Tower and get me and my team to Himnel soon, not to mention the village of Dannick.”
The pair of dwarves raced off with barely a second glance, and I turned to Barrett, who grinned at me.
“Not long ago, it would have been me getting told to ‘sort it out’ by Oren; gotta say, it makes a nice change!” he said, walking off to discuss the training updates with Flux.
“You need to relax, Jax,” Oracle’s voice sounded in my ear, and I turned my head to find the diminutive wisp hovering close by, watching me.
“I’d love to, Oracle, but I don’t know what the hell I’m doing most of the time, and every time I turn around, something has just gone wrong or needs me to look at it,” I muttered, and she flew in closer, landing on my shoulder and reaching down for my hand. I reached up to her, feeling her solid, warm skin as she gripped my hand tightly.
I could never get my head around the fact that she was incorporeal one second, then seemingly fully flesh and blood the next. I wrote it off ninety percent of the time as magic, and her nature really, but it still weirded me out on occasion.
“So, how about we go explore?” Oracle said. “You, me, and Bob can go out for a wander, explore some of the local forest, and see what trouble we can find?”
“God, that sounds good,” I said quietly, observing the hustle and bustle of people training, working on the ships, or running from one place to another.
“Bob’s still downstairs; I asked him to patrol the outer wall. It’s pretty ruined and overgrown, but it makes him happy to have a goal he can understand, and walking around the wall and killing anything that attacks him is pretty simple…” she said, and I laughed, a bit of my building irritation being dispelled by her comments.
I was about to suggest heading down, when Jenae made contact, her sudden arrival in my mind flooding out every other thought. I saw a map projected before me, a map with a pair of glowing sections.
“Jax! I’ve found a trace of Thomas.” Her voice was crackling with emotion, and I grinned in spite of myself, my sudden sour mood banished easily as I looked over the map. “It’s not recent; the two spots I’ve highlighted are a cave system in the lower mountains to the south-west. He used a lot of magic there, over, and over, but that was about a year ago. The other trace I found is in the city of Himnel; it was a single spell, but it was powerful, and it was about six weeks ago. He’s either not used magic since, or it’s been somewhere well hidden enough that I can’t sense it with this tracking spell. I tried casting a second, more specific spell at Himnel, but found no trace of him. I don’t have the strength for a third yet, not for days to come, at the least.”
“You’re sorry? Jenae, this is wonderful! This means he’s still alive, and he’s not even that far away! This is fantastic news!” I blurted out loud, and Jenae was quick to reply.
“No, it doesn’t, Jax. It means he was alive six weeks ago; that’s all. I don’t know where in Himnel he is, or even if he is still there… I…”
“He was alive six weeks ago, Jenae, which means he still is. If he’s survived this long already, he can survive until I can get to him. I need to get the warship put back together, and…” I said, directing my mental voice to her.
“Jax, please… stop.” Jenae said, and I froze, her tone of voice finally getting through to me. “There’s more. I can’t tell much of what he did, since it was too long ago, but the spells he cast… he was suffering when he cast them, gravely injured, and his mana channels were damaged. The trace is full of pain, so whatever spell he was casting…it damaged his ability to cast spells, and he did it anyway. You have to be prepared for the worst.”
“I…”
“I’m sorry, Jax. I wish I had better news. I swear I will try again as soon as I have enough strength. I…”
“No,” I said, “No, Jenae; you don’t know my brother. He’s not dead, and I’m going to find him. Thank you for doing this. All is forgiven. Rest and get yourself back together, I’m going to Himnel, and I’ll need you to cast that spell when you’re ready.”
As I ended the connection, I felt something I’d not done in days, not since the fight with the goblins. I knew what I had to do. I wasn’t an administrator, or a teacher. I was crap at that side of things; I knew I was. But the thing I could do? I could fucking well fight, and I could have my people to do the rest of it.
No fucker ever expected Conan to hold people’s hands and explain what they needed to do. He said ‘do it’, and they found the way. That was going to be my path from now on. Although I’d probably wear more clothes generally and chop off less heads.
“Cai! Oren, Barrett, Ame, and Flux, I need you! Lydia! Get your team together! Decin! You and Hanau get your arses over as well!” I bellowed, making everyone around me jump, and I turned, heading straight for the warship, and the captain’s cabin inside it.
It took a handful of minutes to gather everyone together, and even the wisps used the Tower’s mana to create projections of their forms. The small room was cramped with everyone inside, but it had a feature I needed; it had the map.
I stood on the far side of the map, looking down at it as Oracle tapped the activation rune, and the map flared to life.
I felt a pull on my mind, similar to the way the notifications appeared. This time, it was Oracle pulling something out, and as the map blurred and updated, I nodded grimly.
The small map that had given basic details of the continent up to the mountains and then very patchy information on the other side, was suddenly far, far more detailed. The continent was longer than it wa
s wide, with the mountain range that ran down its length being wider and longer than I’d realized.
The mountains alone must be at least five hundred miles in length, and while the land was heavily forested on our side, there were far fewer trees on the west. A huge marshland and great plains and hills rolled over most of it, with several castles clearly marked, as well as dozens of sites of ruins and other symbols I couldn’t identify.
What really mattered to me, though, was the city of Himnel, south by southeast from the Tower, established on the coast. There was no sign of the highlighting that Jenae had added when we spoke, but the cave that Tommy had been in was maybe a hundred and fifty to two hundred miles southwest from where we were, so I dismissed it for now. Tommy had left there, and had clearly headed to the city, where something had happened. He’d been hurt, and then had vanished.
“Hold on, Tommy…” I muttered, glaring at the map. “I’m coming!”
Chapter Seventeen
The others gathered around, murmuring in awe. Oren, Decin, and Hanau in particular were stunned by the map, especially the level of detail, and immediately started muttering amongst themselves as they pointed out details to each other.
“Right, people!” I said loudly, and everyone went quiet, looking to me. “I’ve spoken to Jenae; the Goddess Jenae, I should say, sorry. She’s told me that my brother was in Himnel, and he was hurt badly. This was six weeks ago, and I’ve lost too much time already. Barrett has told me about how desperate our people’s families are, so fuck it. We’re leaving today, even if I have to throw the goddamn ships to get them in the air! Give me options.” I looked around the room, concentrating on Decin and Oren primarily, but surprisingly, it was Barrett that spoke first.
“There’s no way that the warship can be made… flightworthy… in that short a time, Lord. It simply can’t be done,” he said earnestly, and both Oren and Decin spoke up in agreement.
“Okay, what about the ‘Freedom’?” I asked, and Decin nodded.
“She be ready, Lord Jax. We can get her in th’ air sharp; the work we be doin’ were minor, no stress there.”
“Then it’s settled. We’re going to be taking the smuggler’s route.”
“Ye’d be takin’ a risk there< laddie.” Oren said, grimacing.
“Yeah, well, what’s new there? You got a realistic alternative?”
“Ah… well…”
“Then suck it up, buttercup,” I said, moving on.
“Buttercup? Ah… look, Jax; ain’t nobody survived tha’ route in months. I’m just a wee bit concerned tha’…”.”
“Do you know what’s down there?” I asked, and he frowned.
“Don’t know, don’t nobody tha’ still lives knowin’ neither. Those few tha’ lived through th’ last caravans did it by bein’ sneaky and abandonin’ their friends to whatever lives down there. They ran, and they lived, but they dinna see shit, they said.”
“Well, if anyone has a better idea, now’s the time to speak up…?” I waited a minute, then went on when I was only met with uncomfortable silence. “Then it’s settled. There’s an old saying in my home: ‘When you’ve got a problem, it’s shit. Two problems, and you’re fucked, but when you’ve got a bunch? You’ve got some solutions, too.’ Cai get with Decin and Hanau, and get that ship loaded for a flight to the smuggler’s route."
"We’re going in at night, which means you can drop me and my team off outside and bugger off. Decin, once you’ve dropped me off, head straight to the village of Dannick.”
“Take Isabella with you and call in. Talk to the people and get them recruited, if they’re up for it; strip the village, and head back to the Tower. If they’re not, take whoever is, and whatever they’ll let you take, but get back here as fast as you can.”
“My ship only be a small scout, Lord, an’…”
“Make extra trips; just do what you need to,” I cut him off. “Oren, I need someone your crew’s families will trust, someone that knows where they’ll be and can recruit them…not you!” I said, holding a forestalling hand up as he tried to volunteer. “You’re going to be getting your ship in order. Seneschal, how much would assigning the class three Servitor to the ship rebuild speed things up?”
“Considerably; work that would take weeks would take days instead, especially if we assigned a class one general Golem to assist, as well…”
“Do it. I’m not sure how soon we’ll need it, but if we need it, we’ll really need it. Take the time to get the ship outfitted right. Fix what you can and strengthen it. Wisps, can I communicate with you from there?” I asked, and they exchanged a long look.
“Yes, but it’ll take a lot of mana…” Oracle hedged. “…and I’ll need to be up high; like, really high.”
“Okay, then when we need the ships, we’ll let you know."
"For now, plan on not being needed before a week’s time, so you’ve at least that long to make repairs and upgrades. How long does the smuggler’s route take to cross?”
“A full day and a night, at a minimum,” Barrett offered. “I don’t know exactly where it was, but I had a ‘friend’ that used it a few times. She said it must have been an old escape tunnel from the city, and it was somewhere in the forest here…” He tapped the map, just north of the city where the trees were heaviest.
“Sounds like fun, Barrett. The crew’s families, will they trust you?” I asked, and Oren spoke up before Barrett could.
“Aye, laddie; he’d be better loved than me, if no fer the bonuses I paid out. They know ‘im.”
“Good; then you’re coming with me, Barrett. Flux, I’ve not got time to fuck about right now; can Bane continue to teach me like you have been?”
“He can; he’s less experienced, but he’s dedicated and skilled,” Flux acknowledged calmly.
“Good, then he’s coming with me, and you’re staying here.” When Flux tried to object, I cut him off, hardly looking away from the map. “Leave it, Flux. If I could, I’d take you all, but as a group, you’ll draw too much attention, and I need someone I can trust to watch over the military side of the Tower if I’m taking Barrett.”
“You’re to continue to train people, and help them to get fit, strong, and deadly. As of now, you’re folded into the command structure of the Tower, as commander of the hunters and stealthy fuckers. We’ll come up with a title later. In Barrett’s absence, you run all security for the Tower; understand?”
I fixed him with a glare, and after a second, he bowed his head and stepped back respectfully.
“Yes, Lord Jax,” Flux said, and I turned to Ame.
“Ame, you’ll work with Cai and make sure people are fit and healthy; you’ll also be in charge of any medical issues. Train up those you'll need and go out with the squads. Level your healing as fast as you can. When this meeting is over, I need you to get Renna and bring her here. Tell her to bring along whatever she needs. I’ll explain when you’re both here.”
“Barrett, tell Lydia what she needs to know and get the squad together. They’re coming to the city with me, so have them prepare as much as they can. Oracle, I want a skill book for each of them, something geared towards their abilities, and get two Spellbooks for Arrin; it’s time he got a bit more useful.”
“Decin, how long will it take to get to Himnel on your ship?” I asked, and he rubbed his chin in thought, doing a little calculation with Hanau.
“Well, we could make it in a day, but we’d be pushin’ th’ engines hard; dangerously so…”
“Damn, I knew your ship was faster, but…” I said, shaking my head.
“It be the rear engine,” he explained. “Most of the ships, they use their engines on th’ sides fer lift and thrust, but th’ Freedom were a test. She’s got a single larger, more powerful engine at the back tha’ do just be fer thrust, no direction at all; makes it more dangerous; if we lose the lift from the others, we could smash into the ground, hard, but we be much faster!”
“Damn, right you are…” I muttered, thinking. “O
kay; plan is for a day and a half. We get as far as we can before nightfall, then slow down, or stop, or whatever you’d normally do. I want us to arrive in the middle of tomorrow night at Himnel. Is that a problem?”
“Nay, laddie, we can do tha’.”
“Good!” I looked around at the room full of people all waiting on me, and I straightened up when none of them had anything to say.
“That’s it, then. Dismissed!” They clapped fists to chest in salute and filed out quickly, as I turned to Seneschal and Heph. “Keep things together, guys. Make sure my people are safe and the Tower is still standing. I’ll get anything I can to help us.”
“Build the Golems as we discussed, and I’m sorry I can’t give either of you the class three now; once it’s finished with the ship, it goes to work on this floor, to repair it and make it safe. Make use of the War Golems when they arrive; I’m only sorry I can’t grab one to take with me.”
“They are fairly obvious as to their nature, Jax. You’d be spotted straight away.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t want one, though,” I retorted. “Seriously, though guys, work with Cai, Ame, Flux, and Oren, keep things together, and I’ll see you soon. I hope. Now, I need to get my gear together, and you need to get back to work.” The pair of them clapped a fist to their chests and vanished.
I dismissed the map and left the room as well, I sent Jana running back up to the fortieth floor to make sure I’d not left anything anywhere, and I set off with Bane to round up the rest of my gear.
Once I’d gathered everything, I took it back to the ship and spread it out in the captain’s cabin, sorting through what I had. I’d really wanted to spend a few days at least making potions, but I just didn’t have the time.
I stuck my head back outside and shouted to Cai to make sure that Tel came with us, as he was going to get some Alchemical training on the ship, but to tell him that he would be staying with the ship, not coming to town. He was also expected to gather any and all of the ingredients he could find to bring with us. I needed a fuck-ton of potions, and a nice relaxing holiday… a trip on a flying fucking ship to sneak through a monster-infested sewer into an enemy-held city so I could rob it of people and gear would have to do.