“I understand,” Deia said in a soft voice.
Dave seemed to deflate; it seemed that he had been ready for a fight. “You do?” he asked, relief in his voice.
“Yes. You are a good man, Dave Grahslagg, to not only care about the creating of weapons, but what their purpose will be. It makes me proud to call you the father of our child.” She pulled him close.
He turned to face her, the two of them looking into each other’s eyes.
Deia could see the stress that had been tearing Dave up from the inside. She hugged him as he pulled her close, as if fearing to ever lose her.
“Thank you,” Dave said.
Those two words held emotions that made Deia bite her lower lip at what Dave’s mind had been torturing him with.
“The path we walk will not be easy and we will make mistakes, but as long as we do everything in our power to make Emerilia a place for our children to live, and we can live knowing the means that we used, we will make it out of this,” Deia said into Dave’s ear.
He took a deep breath and nodded. “I needed that, love.”
They pulled apart and looked at each other.
Deia gave him a quick kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Dave said. The two of them savored hearing the other say the words.
“Now, let’s go and look at that smithy of yours!” she said with a proud smile.
“This way, milady.” Dave held out his arm; she wrapped hers in it, staying close to him.
***
Fornau stepped through the teleport pad, leaving Devil’s Crater and arriving in Terra. “Malsour!” he said.
His great-uncle waved as he exited into Terra proper.
“How are you doing, Fornau?” Malsour wrapped him up in a hug.
“Good, good!” Fornau smiled.
“How is that sister of mine faring with your younglings?”
“She’s got her hands full, but she’s been a great help. Quindar needed a bit of break from it all and she’s enjoying teaching the DCA aerial force how to use their abilities.
“They’re getting much stronger. Yoalin has expressed an interest to come and help us as a maid and we’ve taken up her offer. She should be in Devil’s Crater in a few days.” Fornau smiled.
“Ever since Likal died, she’s pined for children, but never brought herself to get another partner,” Malsour said sadly. “It will be good for her to be around some younglings.”
“Yes, and put Quindar’s mind at ease about leaving,” Fornau agreed. His eyes looked upward, finding a city above him. His eyes moved around, studying the city. It was confusing and complex and he started to get a nauseous feeling about it.
His eyes fell on growing towers and parks, soothing his mind as he took a breath. “This is incredible,” Fornau said. His nausea fell away as he took in the sights of the city.
“Thanks. Come on. I’ve got some food and drink at my place.” Malsour chuckled.
Fornau returned the smile. He had not just come here for pleasantries.
They took some of the underground carts that moved things through the city. In just a few minutes, they were at the Stone Raiders towers. They got off; magical scanners checked them as they walked into the apartments.
They made small talk until they reached Malsour’s apartment. He closed the door and activated a magical code he’d made into the apartment.
“So, looks like dear old Dad is back,” Malsour growled. Some of his aura leaked out as he took a seat.
“I was told that Great-grandmother messaged you?” Fornau asked.
“Yes, and she was asking for a way to defeat Dad’s Total Domination and Ice Palace.” Malsour sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Well, she sent me here to check up on you. You seemed to allude to something, but never said anything specifically,” Fornau said.
Malsour looked at Fornau, studying him before he sighed again. “Do I have something that might be able to break Ice Palace and kill dear old Dad? Yes. Can I give it to you? No.”
“Why not?” Fornau leaned forward.
“As I was trying to explain to Mom…” Malsour paused, as if finding the words. “The two items that would be used to clear Dad from Emerilia would have a massive impact on Emerilia. There are a few things to take into account. For us Dragons, Akatol is a stain on our honor. I understand that, believe me. I was there when we tried to stop him from sacrificing half of the people on Ashal!” Malsour let out a frustrated sigh. “But this is just the start, the first round. If we use these things now, then the moderators who govern Emerilia through the Grey God will notice and they will be the ones acting. This magic is powerful. So, I cannot give you or the rest of our family these tools to end dear old Dad. That said, there are other items that we could use to weaken him.”
“What?” Fornau asked.
“A magical link,” Malsour said.
Fornau frowned.
“Our problem right now is that it would take so much power to take down the ice palace that it would drain our Mana reserves before we cracked it, and we can’t give up on attacking it or else it will recover. We also can’t recover our Mana while in the area of Total Domination. What I am suggesting is using a system similar to what the Stone Raiders use. We store energy in vault-classed soul gems. We have some Dragons outside the area of Total Domination, fueling the soul gems, while others are inside, directly attacking the ice palace, drawing from the soul gem. They can increase their Mana pool and get a symbiotic regeneration of their Mana,” Malsour said. “So, one gives their power to the soul gem outside of the area of Total Domination, passing that power to the other so that they can continue their attacks and replenish their Mana.”
“Exactly. Then as one Dragon gets tired, they pull back, switching out with the other, so that everyone has energy when the ice palace falls.” Fornau nodded.
“It will take longer than the other option, but then we can hold those stronger powers in reserve for when we need them,” Malsour pointed out.
“Why didn’t you tell this to your mother?” Fornau asked.
“She wants to end Akatol here and now. She doesn’t care that much about the outcome after. If you come to her with a reasonable request, she’ll hear you out. I can’t leave here right now; I’ve got work to do. Sometimes, things just have to be said and discussed in person. Also, she’ll want to see this before moving ahead.” Malsour pulled out a soul gem the size of his forearm and two enchanted amulets, passing them to Fornau.
“I’ve always wanted to be a carrier pigeon,” Fornau said, sarcastically.
Malsour snorted as a small smile appeared on his lips.
***
It had been a constant rush of people and supplies moving into Terra. Few had ever been able to see inside an Aleph city. With Terra, they were able to see inside one of the legendary cities.
The soul gem buildings, roving parks, and the budding trading district made more than one noble household or trading company decide to put down roots in Terra as soon as possible.
At the same time, military units from all across Emerilia marched, rode, and sauntered into the city.
Embassies were in the same district, placed into various towers. Areas for their fighting forces had been set aside, allowing their people to train even as they stayed inside the city.
Businesses were starting out and already hawking their wares. Players from other guilds and leaders from various POE guilds came to check out the city; a number of them bought up items or visited the Grahslagg Corporation’s smithy.
It boasted the membership of several Dwarven Master Smiths as well as their understudies. They could repair any item, make custom weapons and armor, and they were one of only two businesses that had buildings made from soul gems—the other being Exdar’s Traders’ building.
It bordered between the Stone Raiders’ guild towers and the intersecting main roads, and then led out to the surrounding businesses.
Lucy smiled, thinking about Floren
ce. She was acting not only as the manager of the trading side of the Stone Raiders in Terra, but also managing all of the leases that were being bought up across the city. She had become one of the hardest people to meet with.
“Shard, how are we looking?” Lucy had her own people out around Terra, making sure that everything went well and to deal with any difficulties from the shadows.
“It seems that everything is going relatively smooth. There have been some nobles who think a bit too highly of themselves. Also, a few brawls and some people trying to pressure others into moving to get their place. I have dispatched automatons to deal with these issues. It might be some time until people start understanding that this is a fair city and that they can’t pressure and extort people as they might in other cities.” Shard sounded pleased with himself.
“What about the embassies and the military forces?” Lucy pursed her lips.
“They are showing off with one another. There have been a few fights here and there, but I’ve issued warnings. It seems that none of the powers want to cause an incident. Having them all come in as one as you suggested has created an interesting circumstance where they are playing off one another to show that they are more committed to this cause. It has also led to quite a number of back room talks. I have not been listening in but it seems that with the constant information about the creatures that have come to Emerilia that they have started to push old issues away. The military commanders are at least having quiet talks regarding their neutrality to one another. I do believe that they are coming together,” Shard said.
Lucy smiled with the praise. “I just hope that they will all work so well together, but hopefully together we can save Emerilia.”
She wished like the others that they were off and fighting against the escaped prisoners. She knew the time would come and that there were battles planned for next week.
“It is one hell of a sight.” Lucy grinned. Terra was coming alive. They had built it with their achievements and abilities. It made her giddy inside to see what they had done, and reassured her with what she wanted to do in the future.
Chapter 7: Class of Hard Knocks
Alkao grunted under the impacts of Anna’s Air blades against his shield. He rolled to his side, using his sword to cut through her latest Air blade. A flap of his wings threw him forward.
Anna danced out of the way of his attack, bringing her sword across her body to hit him in the side.
Alkao pivoted, his wings flapping as he defended with his shield. Right back where I started, Alkao complained in his head.
“Okay,” Anna said.
Without dropping his guard, Alkao peeked his head over his shield and saw Anna standing there, with barely any sign that she had been training for the last three hours.
“Damn minx, faster than me with your Air Affinity,” Alkao grumbled. He wiped sweat from his brow before he sheathed his sword and put his shield down.
“Well, I have been practicing a lot longer than you; got some more tricks.” Anna smiled impishly.
Alkao let out an amused huff and pulled out a water canteen. “You off to start training the aerial forces?”
“Yeah. Quindar is coming over to help out. How are the ground forces going?” Anna asked.
“Well, Dave sent me a message asking if Deia can teach them. Seems she’s not happy with sitting still, even if she is pregnant. Also, Gurren, Lox, Induca, and Steve are heading off with Krenua and a bunch of his people to scout around Devil’s Crater and go find some dungeons.”
“While Dave and Malsour are messing around with magical coding and anything they can find that could cause damage.” Anna rolled her eyes.
“They’re your party,” Alkao said with an amused look.
“Yeah, so I know just how crazy they are!” Anna said in frustration.
Alkao laughed at Anna’s expression. “I think that we will soon have need for both strong and crazy people,” Alkao said after a few moments.
“How go the preparations?”
Alkao picked up his shield, hanging it over his shoulder. “With all of the people coming through Devil’s Crater to go to our dungeons or venture into the wilds of Ashal, we have thankfully made quite a bit of money. I’ve already placed a number of orders with the Aleph, mage’s guild, and Dwarves for different items to increase our defenses, from grand magical workings, to Dwarven artillery and Aleph Mana bombs.
“Dave and Malsour are working on an idea for a series of Mana barriers to protect the keeps, Unity, and settlements and a grand barrier the likes of which hasn’t been seen before to cover all of the crater from long-range attacks.”
“They certainly love to make different items,” Anna agreed.
Alkao could see the curiosity on her face. “Wondering if they can make you another wondrous blade or set of armor?” Alkao teased.
“I have all of the gifts that I might need, but they are constantly coming up with new weapons,” Anna said with a troubled look.
“Makes me happy that they’re on our side,” Alkao said.
Anna made a noise of agreement. “Well, I’m off to train some more thick-skulled idiots. Have fun being King,” Anna said with a suddenly bright smile.
“Thank you.” Alkao’s voice was dry. He had been made the King of Devil’s Crater in their time of crisis and he understood it. Though he had gained his prestige through fighting, not by doing paperwork that currently threatened to choke him, he understood the need to complete it and dutifully fulfilled his role as his people followed him.
***
“Morning!” Lox said as he, Gurren, Induca, and Steve walked up to the group of fighters with Krenua.
“Ready to go dungeon spelunking?” Steve asked.
“Steve, that’s when people climb through caves, crevasses, and that stuff. We’re dungeon clearing.” Gurren sighed.
“Yes, we are ready,” Krenua said to Lox, as he and his four other leaders moved to join them.
“Good! We’ll head northwest through the hunting grounds and then into the dungeon there. Probably take us a few hours to get through the hunting areas,” Lox said.
“How are you lot for gear?” Induca asked.
“We have rations, armor, and our weapons,” Krenua said.
Induca shared a look with Gurren and Lox.
“Can spring for some Health and Mana potions. They’ve got low Mana pools and their armor is decent enough if we go to some low-level dungeons,” Gurren said, having a conference with the others. Steve kicked the dirt, bored.
“We couldn’t take your potions. There is no way that we would be able to pay you back,” Krenua said, embarrassed by his own words.
“Gurren and I have been shield bearers for nearly forty years combined. We’ve got plenty of gold. This is supposed to be training. For that, you need the proper gear,” Lox said. It was clear he wasn’t going to be overturned on this.
“Thank you,” Krenua said. He meant it. He would owe them a favor, but having Health and Mana potions was not something that they could buy with their salaries yet.
“Always love a bit of shopping!” Induca smiled.
The rest of Party Zero groaned.
Lox, Gurren, and Steve continued having a quiet and annoyed conversation as they headed for Unity’s marketplace.
Induca dropped back to meet Krenua and his people. “So, any of you magic users?”
“I have some limited ability. Josen is a beginning healer and Edlai uses Earth magic to enhance her Strength,” Krenua said.
“Good! Looks like I can pass some tips and tricks on to the younger generation as well!” She winked at them.
Krenua looked at Induca and frowned slightly. She looked as though she were just twenty years old.
“Don’t you know it’s rude to try to guess a lady’s age?” Induca caught his eyes.
“I’m sorry—just, it’s hard to think of you as being older than twenty.”
“Oh, you’re so cute!” Induca said.
Krenua blushed and s
cratched his head awkwardly.
Induca looked highly amused, but stopped herself from teasing him more. “Okay, so first of all, let’s see you use your basic spells, one at a time. Then, we can figure out a way to increase your power.” Induca watched their spells as they walked through Unity.
The city had exploded outward: houses ran in orderly lines, and four roads led out of the city, through the gates and out into the different sections of Devil’s Crater. Building within the original area of Unity would be complete in a month or two. Already, some Dwarven contractors and Fornau were looking at adding another ring around the city separated by the moat, creating a layered defense.
Walking through the city, one ran into high-leveled Players and adventurers. Guild buildings dotted the landscape, with people from all races moving between the buildings.
Devil’s Crater offered protection and access to dungeons and high-leveled beast hunting that few other empires, kingdoms, nations and city states of Ashal could provide.
The marketplace was filled with hawkers selling their goods. People were everywhere and traders were doing a brisk business of buying rare items and resources, selling all common items that people might need, as well as supplies for adventurers.
Induca watched the three who were working on their magical talents.
“Okay, there are three main components to spell casting: first is Willpower, second is your knowledge, and third is your Intelligence.” Induca’s playfulness from earlier had turned into a no-nonsense lecturing mode.
“All three of these things are inextricably linked. To cast a spell you need to first know the spell, then you need to have the mana pool to fuel it and the willpower to recover that mana and not go into mana fatigue from casting it. The more knowledge you have of the spell, then the more you can change it to have a greater or lesser effect or even change that effect. With more willpower you can cast more spells of high mana cost faster. With a high intelligence you can cast more powerful spells.”
Induca looked to Krenua. “Krenua, you have a low Mana pool, but you have a high natural Intelligence which means you have a larger mana pool and it’s easier for you to understand more complex ideas. You have limited confidence in spell casting and haven’t practiced it enough to become comfortable with it. Use simple spells as much as possible, constantly if you can. It will increase all three aspects of spell casting and will allow you to have insights into other spells you can mutate off your own.”
Time of Change (Emerilia Book 7) Page 7