Eric groaned. “This way is more practical.”
“Safer too if Emily sees us.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck to anchor herself. Then she settled her head on his shoulder and shifted into a comfortable position.
“Your walk is too bumpy,” she said with her eyes closed. “Can't you make a float spell?”
Eric sighed and cast the spell. They continued like this all the way to Mambi. I really am her pack mule...
Somehow, he didn't mind. It felt...natural. A clicking feeling like when he met her at the New Scepter Competition. Just shaking her hand created the “missing puzzle piece” feeling. Now it flowed to every part of him and made him accustomed to it.
Emily was waiting for them at the gate. She was happy to see them alive and well, but her attitude swiftly soured. One look at how at Kallen was wrapped around him, asleep no less, was enough to furrow her brow. Eric laughed nervously and the motion jostled Kallen.
She shifted again and, completely by accident, nuzzled Eric's neck. Emily tapped her foot and Eric hastily explained the situation and proved it by pointing to Kallen's frozen state.
He carried her to the local hospital and she was immediately assigned a room. The healer diagnosed her with mana depletion, willpower exhaustion, and a case of frostbite. When asked what she had been doing, Kallen simply said, “Collecting data. I have a slot at the Mana Mutation Summit.”
“You taunted Snol, the avatar of the goddess of cold,” Eric added. “Why aren't you dead?”
“All right, Eric, since we are best friends and all, I will give you a simple and easy-to-understand explanation.” With one hand, she pointed at her chest with purpose. “I'm Kallen Selios.”
The proud girl was much cheerier during the last week in Mambi. She claimed to have had a breakthrough in her research and so the trio had a special dinner to celebrate; genuine home-cooked food instead of instant ramen. Kallen proposed a toast in which she thanked everyone who helped her to succeed – mostly herself. Eric groaned, but a smile wormed itself across his face.
“I would also like to thank Eric Watley for dragging me out of the snow.” She wrapped her arms around Eric's neck and stared deeply into his eyes. Eric swallowed convulsively. “And for saving my life,” she purred.
Eric's face burned, Emily slammed down her glass, and Kallen cackled. She withdrew from Eric, leaving him uncomfortable. “And of course, Emily Tompson, for the wonderful dinner to celebrate my success.” She gave Emily a peck on the cheek, which made her blush, and Eric choke on his drink. Kallen had another good laugh before sitting down to eat.
Chapter 3 Danger in the Skies
“Ataidar, here we come!” Kallen said. “Watch your head.”
In ages past, Mambi was a bundle of houses in the middle of nowhere. Great distance, sheer cold, and the presence of large monsters deterred all but the hardiest of settlers. Only once airships became common did travel to and from become feasible. This made the Airship Dome Mambi's sole link to the outside world.
A grand white/light blue dome that was wide at the base and became slightly narrow towards the top fanned out into a cone for larger airships. Snowdrifts settled on its slopes and were only dislodged when hatches opened. Ironically, the day-to-day business had nothing to do with the airships inside and all to do with the dome itself.
A yeti on skis zoomed over Eric's head and crashed in a landing zone set up twenty feet away. Another guy, this one human, recorded the distance and signaled the next jumper, also human. Kallen explained this was Mambi's official sport: dome jumping. They used to do it on mountains, but the dome was monster-free. Nowadays, the mountains were only used for “extreme dome jumping.”
A gust of warm air ruffled them as the glass doors slid closed. Eric spotted inns and hunter stores in the terminals, but a curious lack of big box advertisements and gift shops. The closest thing was a monster head declaring a local butcher shop. So far north, I guess few companies care.
The ticketing and security lines were both empty, but Kallen bypassed them anyway. Off to the side was a small door guarded by a human and a Fizger. Emily drew a dagger, but Kallen grabbed her hand before she could throw it.
“Did you forget what demons are?”
“…Sorry.”
“What are they?”
Emily thus recited, “Demons are basically intelligent monsters. The difference between them is precisely this intelligence. Other names for them are ‘beastfolk,’ ‘mana breed,’ ‘meta human,’ and ‘Chliste ollphéist,’ depending on their nature, connection to mana, and their origin. Intelligent Fizger are beastfolk. They’re no more dangerous than any given human.”
Emily put away her dagger and bowed in apology to the Fizger.
“Please forgive me. I’m an Otherworlder.”
The Fizger nodded in acceptance.
Kallen showed them her ID, they nodded, and she passed between them. This was the private airship hangar. Everyone from the local lord to visiting adventurers docked here. It was small and bare-boned but brightly lit with floodlights. There were only a handful docked here at the moment, but even in a crowd, it would be easy to spot Kallen's. With its golden-brown paint job, it shouted, “Look at me!”
As big as a Threan trailer, it stood on four hydraulic legs. Slits in the belly around them implied that they could be retracted while in flight. Expanding from the center-rear of the ship was a pair of folded wings. Although they resembled an eagle's, Eric doubted they worked the same way. A segmented tail ending in a club sprouted from the back and rested on the ground. The face of a lion with a sculpted mane looked proudly into the distance.
“Subtle much?” Eric asked.
“It belongs to my parents,” Kallen said. “Blame them if you don't like the color.”
“Your parents?” Emily asked excitedly. “Are they waiting for you at the presentation?”
“Maybe...” Kallen said with a shrug. “Welcome to Albatross IX.”
Albatross IX was composed of four main rooms. The cockpit had four seats and a variety of gadgets, dials, and screens for piloting, all of which was scratched and chipped and faded. The cargo room contained supplies and equipment and freeze-runed boxes of monsters. It also bore slash marks, acid stains, and the ambiance of a dungeon. The final two, a tiny bedroom and living room, contained all the comforts of home: foldout bed, closet, mini-fridge, microwave, bathroom, and a computer on a desk. Instead of “worn out” like the other two, the damage here gave it a cozy “lived in” atmosphere.
“Kallen, is this thing your home?” Emily asked.
Kallen shrugged. “Why would someone that's constantly traveling need a house?”
“All by yourself? What about your parents?”
“My parents don't work anymore and the other grunts have their own tiny airships.”
“Don't you get lonely?” The subtext was clearly: “Where are your parents now?”
“I wouldn't be...” She glanced sidelong at Eric. “…if someone joined me.”
He shook his head. “The only nuthouse I need to be in is the Dragon's Lair.”
“I'll go with you!” Emily blurted. Eric looked at her in surprise and she blushed. “Uh...I mean...I need a steady job and... I might run into Ta-The Trickster.”
“Well...” Kallen slung her arm around Emily's shoulder and pulled her face close to her own. The move intensified her blush. “I can't offer you much in the way of pay...but the fringe benefits are pretty good: See the world at taxpayer expense, hunt exotic monsters, and all in the name of science.”
Eric had never seen Emily light up like that before. The image of her beaming at Kallen while under her wing burned itself into his memory.
“Deal!”
“Welcome aboard! Second Mate Emily Tompson. Cabin boy, take care not to break anything.”
“I'm not a cabin boy!”
Nevertheless, Eric loaded what little baggage they had between them and cooked the morning's ramen.
Kallen was too busy teaching her new protégée to do anything of that sort. There were mechanics, navigation, best practices for trekking through hostile environments, etc. Emily ate it up.
Like all airships, Albatross IX was powered by mana. Panels on its wings and chassis drew mana from the surrounding area and channeled it to the fuel tank, where it was redistributed to the engine and basic appliances. In case of an emergency, two tanks of liquid mana waited in cargo. The airship’s claws allowed it to land on uneven surfaces but required time to slow down. At the end of the briefing, Emily asked, “Why's it called the Albatross? It looks more like a lion with wings.”
“Because Griffins are a dime a dozen and Sphinxes are even cheaper,” Kallen replied. “Seriously, they are. I was amazed at how much make-up they wear.”
Mambi was a small town on the northern continent of Actrat, while Ataidar was far to the south on Isaryu, separated from Mambi by the Yuki Sea. With its rough waters, frigid temperatures, and sea monsters, airships were the safest way to cross it. The monsters that flew in the air were just as vicious the ones in the sea, but they were often smaller, and while the winds were capricious, they could be harnessed for the flying craft’s use. One just had to mind the Roc and fly away with all speed when encountering them.
Kallen powered up Albatross IX and set a course for the coast. Emily sat down next to her to watch her and listen to her. Eric sat down behind them both and pulled out Introduction to Magecraft.
What a fascinating parallel, Dengel’s voice said. You need me as much as Emily needs Kallen.
It’s just my imagination, Eric thought. I’m still used to hearing him, that’s all. I wanted magical company on Threa and so it will fade away in time.
The ship took off, retracted its claws, and soared away from the snowy city. From above, the country looked like a single sheet of white in all directions. Even the water for miles and more beyond the coast was covered in ice of varying thickness. Kallen explained that Snol favored this place and so it was cold all year around.
As the griffin-like ship flew across the ocean, a whale-like ship flew into position over it. The difference in size was so great it cast a night-like shadow. Eric looked out the window and saw it open its giant mouth. It swallowed Albatross XI whole. Inside another hangar, hydraulic arms grabbed the ship's wings, neck, and chassis. When a voice ordered them to leave the vessel, Kallen sighed.
“I don't have time for this...”
It was with great reluctance that she lowered the door and stepped out. Eric followed and they stepped into the belly of a large metal beast. The immediate area appeared to be a holding cell. It was empty except for a group of sapients with assorted blades.
“Could you guys shake me down some other time?” Kallen asked. “I'm in a bit of a hurry.”
“You’re not a slaver,” said a man at the front. He wore a sleek brigandine and a red visor over his eyes. His hair was a contrasting blue. “You’re Kallen Selios!” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a scry made of crystal. “James, smack Jessie on the head for me; she ID’d the wrong ship!”
“Aye, aye, captain.”
The sound of leather hitting flesh was heard over the scry.
“I’m flattered you’ve heard of me, but who are you?”
“I'm Captain Raguc of Flying Whale.”
He clenched his left fist and a tattoo appeared on the back of his palm: a griffin bearing its wings and claws. The tattoo faded and he shook hands with Kallen.
“I've heard of you too. You're a Sky Outlaw that eats ships to avoid boarding.”
“Safer that way for all parties involved. Are you the captain?”
“Acting captain. The captain is my mother, who is indisposed at the moment.”
“Very well, Captain Selios.” Raguc inhaled deeply and recited, “As decreed by our mighty Queen Wiol, the Astral Griffin, Master of the Skies, and Voice of the Wind, and by agreement in the Avatar Alliance, this is our territory. Neither you, your ship, nor your crew will be harmed in any way, shape, or form. If I lie, may this mark on my left hand turn black and kill me where I stand.”
“Impressive,” Kallen said. “All that in one breath.”
“Are you actually The Trickster? It would be just like him to put us off track like this…”
“No, but I’m one of his followers. Are you looking for slavers?”
“Yeah, the new queen of Ataidar…what’s her name?”
“Kasile, captain,” a clerk at his side said.
“Yeah, Queen Kasile put a bounty on the heads of slavers with a bonus if they’re ferrying elves. We were on the trail of one when we spotted you.”
“Captain Raguc!” an intercom blared. “We've found the slavers! Permission to eat the main ship and scramble the cleaner fish.”
Into his scry, Raguc shouted, “You’d better be right this time!” To the rest of his crew, he shouted a mixture of orders and curses. At once, they ran to their stations.
While he ran to the bridge, Kallen caught up and argued mid-stride. He flashed his griffin tattoo and, in reply, she showed him her crystal and its three lights. Raguc face-palmed and waved her off. Kallen grinned and ran towards the deck.
“Kallen! What's going on!?” The field agent turned around to see her second mate running towards her and then lurching to a stop, wide-eyed and gasping.
“The guy said it was a slaver fleet, but there could be Liclis bodyguards or other outlaws.”
Emily’s eyes grew even wider and her mouth fell open. Kallen looked with longing at the hatch where the sounds of battle could be heard. Sighing, she put an arm around Emily and guided her back to their ship.
“Let me explain the Outlaw section of the International Avatar Alliance...”
Eric followed the outlaws out of the holding cell and into a steel hallway. An explosion knocked him off his feet, but it barely slowed down the crew. They were as organized as the cells in a body and wordlessly moved to maximum effect despite the turbulence. Several ladders, many hallways, and countless explosions later, he finally reached the upper deck.
He slid across it before grabbing a nearby line. The bitter cold stabbed him as surely as an enemy. High above an arctic ocean, the air was thinner and colder than anything on Mount Takij and the deck was slick with water and ice.
Gun emplacements pivoted and fired mana-based weapons at the enemy ships flying overhead. Solid beams of mana streaked the skies and fireballs the size of carts lit them up. Bolts of lightning zigzagged back and forth between the combatants and streaks of ice added to the natural hazards. Localized air currents downed the smaller targets but could not affect the large whale. When those targets fired back, they were deflected by a barrier. Eric estimated over a hundred such emplacements on the deck alone, excluding the fuselage and belly. They blanketed the Flying Whale’s airspace with projectiles, yet one ship evaded the flak and reached the ship itself.
“Thunder bolt, make ‘em jolt!” Eric pointed his staff at the ship. “Stun Gun!”
So busy was this ship in evading the flak, it flew straight into Eric’s lightning spell. The electricity channeled through the vessel and overloaded the power crystal onboard. It crashed into the Whale's surface and, even from across the deck, Eric could feel its heat. Warriors burst from the wreckage armed with swords and axes and daggers. Charred by flames and with smoke streaking off their bodies, they charged toward the open hatch behind Eric.
“To speed my journey, make their vision blurry! Blind!”
Globs of darkness shot from the crystal on his staff and attached themselves to the enemy fighters. They yelled in shock and futilely tried to clear their eyes. Eric bashed the butt of his staff on the deck.
“If steel would now be ice, and only around these annoying lice, that would surely suffice. Trackless!”
A trail of energy raced to blinded soldiers and enhanced the thin ice already on the deck. They slipped and stuck fast.
“I'm almost home and would like to sleep, but these men her
e, the deck shall keep! Mana Cage!”
He reversed his staff and slammed the crystal on the deck. A magic charge raced towards them and a light-screen arose on all sides, caging them.
“If you do a crime, prepare to face my rhyme.”
Eric gazed at the crystal with battle lust. He'd never been able to handle so many enemies at once. After all this time carefully conserving his mana, it was exhilarating to finally cut loose!
One more figure appeared out of the wreckage. This one was no older than Eric himself and dressed in robes instead of armor. He pointed at the cage and a cloud of ethereal and eldritch light negated all three spells. All of them stood up and charged him once again. Eric cast the Stun Gun, but the mysterious figure pointed again and dispelled it before it reached them. Eric thought of another spell, dismissed it, and simply fired a mana beam.
Channeled through both his staff and crystal, the effect was greatly magnified and crashed into them like a rhino. One by one, it punctured their barriers and knocked them out. When the last reached Eric himself, he glared at him with Evil Eye. While they were hardened slave runners, they didn’t have nearly his degree of self-loathing and unadulterated fear. He froze him in his tracks and knocked him out with the butt of his staff.
“A battle mage with a black staff and red hair,” the boy in robes mused. “There’s something important about that…now I wish I paid attention to that last lesson…”
“Winged Feet!”
A pair of transparent wings appeared at Eric’s heels and he jumped forward with his spear cocked. He effortlessly cleared the downed warriors on his way toward their backer. The boy frantically threw up a barrier and shouted, “VETO!”
A second barrier encased the boy. It was the same eldritch light that negated Eric’s spells. Now it negated the force of his thrust. The crystal blade struck the barrier but did not crack it or even impact. It simply stopped on contact. The boy smirked nastily.
“Idiot. You can’t touch me. No one can. Not when I have Order’s hand on my head!”
Eric slashed, stabbed, and bashed the orderfied barrier, but it negated all of his force. He cast spells of all the elements he knew and all of them disappeared on contact with it. He tried a beam of pure mana and it was absorbed.
Looming Shadow: Journey to Chaos book 2 Page 5