by Jez Cajiao
“I’ve ordered the Servitor to obey you for now. Use it as best you can,” I said to Elise, opening my eyes and looking at her. Her face froze for a second, then the biggest grin I’d seen from her yet spread across her cheeks, and she turned, about to run straight for the Golem.
“Wait!” I ordered, and she froze, clearly half afraid I was about to take her toy away. “Don’t panic…” I said reassuringly, smiling and reaching into my bag to pull out ‘Mana Engine Integration’. It was one of the three Skillbooks I’d promised to Elise, Finbar, and Viktoria, the other two being ‘Magical Device Creation’ and a choice from the ones I had back at the Tower. “…I swore I’d give you and the other two a book each, remember?” I asked. By the way her eyes were suddenly glued to the book, she clearly did.
“Well, I’d say with all you did, you’ve earned the right of first refusal. Do you want this, the other book, or to wait until you reach the Great Tower in order to look through the library there?”
“Ah… uh… ah…” she stammered, staring fixedly at the book.
“Want time to think about it?” I asked her, and she shook her head fervently.
“I told ye, I only made it ‘cause th’ others helped…” she whispered.
“You made it happen,” I said firmly. “Yes, they helped, but I bet you had to direct them and make things work, so as I said, the right of first refusal…”
“I’ll have it, so help me god, even iffin it pisses off Finbar an’ Viktoria, I’ll have it!” She reaching out eagerly. I passed the volume to her, and she grabbed it from my hand like it was her firstborn, yet coated in gold at the same time.
She slowly and reverently opened the pages of the book, eyes widening as the book began to glow, words lifting off the pages to shiver in the air before her, and light seeping into her eyes and mouth as the book dissolved into golden smoke and sank into her.
She collapsed to the floor, twitching, and I swore, dropping down next to her and turning her on her side, hoping she wasn’t having a fit.
“Jax!” Oracle said, dropping down next to me and reaching out in reassurance. “It’s okay. It’s just an information overload. Her brain has taken a hell of a lot of knowledge in, that’s all.”
“Like Amon’s gift?” I asked and she smiled, shaking her head.
“No, it’s okay. Amon gave you a lot of information and knowledge, more than anyone should get in one go. That’s a Skillbook, on the other hand. It’s designed to be used. It’ll have limits on the amount of information stored in it, but it’ll be sparking off things Elise already knew. She’s having the mother of all inspirations right now, as the knowledge triggers other ideas. She’s probably…” Oracle was cut off as Elise suddenly gasped, jerking upright like a landed fish and sucking in great lungful’s of air.
“Hot damn!” she cried. “The stanchion! It be in th’ wrong place!” She shoved me back, tumbling me onto my ass as she struggled to her feet. “Whut ye all lookin’ at?” she growled, before realizing what she’d done. “Oh… ah... sorry an’ all, Lord Jax… but… yer see…” She gestured awkwardly to the ship and began backing away. “I… well I need to…”
“Just go, it’s fine!” I laughed, taking Romanus’ proffered hand, and letting him pull me to my feet. I shook my head at the way Elise ran to the ship, pushing people aside and almost sending someone toppling from the gangplank that led to the hatch. “Wow, she’s really excited, isn’t she?” I murmured with amusement.
“Engineers…” Athena said, shrugging. “You do know you’ve probably extended our stay here, right, Jax? I mean, she’s going to be tearing half the ship apart if she’s found a better design now…”
“Three days,” I replied. “She can have three days. That’s enough time to do the basics and make the hull a bit more secure, right?”
“It’ll do. That will mean I can get the bridge and helm all connected up properly,” the captain agreed, nodding approvingly. “I don’t know if you noticed, but the helm literally has to be guided constantly, and on a ship this size, that’s not ideal. Engines are fired manually, rather than in series or groups. And that landing… well, it wasn’t exactly my finest.” She gestured behind the ship, and I turned to observe the effects our descent had on the environment.
A trail of devastation lay behind the Airship, leading all the way down to the beach. Dozens of trees had been snapped in half, branches and debris strewn everywhere, and at least a dozen sections along the sides of the ship where planks and entire sections were broken and damaged.
“Shit…” I sighed. “Can we fix all of that in three days?” Athena snorted a laugh.
“We’ll have that fixed by tonight; don’t worry,” She reassured me. “It’s just the outer hull. Most of it wasn’t even attached properly. Entire sections aren’t even closed off yet. With those Golems holding the sections in place, and the Engineers bolting them down? The work will get done at a speed that has never before been seen. You mark my words, Jax; three days, and you won’t recognize her.”
“That does raise a good point, though…” Augustus said, walking over and smiling at Oracle before nodding to me. “The ship doesn’t have a name yet; we all refer to her as ‘The Ship’ or the ‘Battleship’. But it’s bad luck to have no name for her.”
“Then we need to name her,” I determined. “How about you all suggest a name in the next three days, and when we launch, we will name her officially?” I offered, getting a round of nods and smiles. “Good. So, uh, Romanus, I don’t remember a great deal about the end of the last conversation we had…” I started, and he shook his head.
“It’s okay, Jax. Oracle explained it to us. I have sent Legionnaires to both camps. Fortunately, the local Himnel Garrison commander hasn’t heard about the events of the last few days, so they agreed to attend tomorrow, as did Narkolt, along with the lead researchers. Everyone knows the Legion is neutral in the disagreements among the cities, provided nobody assaults the populace, so we have that going for us.”
“How does that work in times of war?” I asked, confused.
“It… it’s a pain, to be honest, as we need to protect the populace. We tend to simply open the Enclave to the people and warn off any soldiers that come near. In the past, it was easier, when we were both more numerous and more respected, but it is what it is,” Romanus admitted gravely.
“I bet.” I replied. “Okay, so this ship is in hand: what about the other ships?”
“I’ve set up a rotation for them to land so that the crews and refugees can stretch their legs. I’d arranged for six hours at a time, but I’ll change that if we’re to be here for three days,” Romanus said, making a note. “Beyond ‘shore leave,’ they’re fine. The majority of the people are excited and happy to rest and eat, really. Mistress Nerin has been healing anyone that needs it, as has Clan Mother Hellenica. She and her Djinn are up on the Ragnarök right now, as we boarded the majority of the injured and crippled engineers and Shipyard workers on her. Hopefully by tomorrow, we’ll have a few less laying about, and a few more working on the ship.”
“Sounds good. I need to speak with Hellenica anyway, as well as my own team. I asked Rinko to gather them on the ship’s deck in an hour‒probably half an hour now, considering… Augustus, I’d like you and any of the Legion that were in on the Skyking raid to join us as well, please?” I asked, and he saluted. “Good.” I took a deep breath and blew it out, enjoying the salty tang of the sea air. “Then I guess the last thing to do is to plan a schedule for the city…” I mused aloud.
“The city?” Romanus asked carefully.
“We need to search it. We won’t go too deep, but…”
“Well, it’s pretty damn big, son.” A voice interrupted from behind, and I turned to see Mal walking over. “We did a few loops of the City before comin’ in to land. She’s impressive…” he warned, coming to a stop next to me and clapping me on the shoulder. “Good to see you’re alive, lad. I thought someone had finally gotten tired of your shit and put me out
of my misery back there…”
“Nah, you’re not that lucky, Mal,” I snorted as Oracle accepted a hug from Soween, who accompanied Mal. “What can I do for you?” I asked him, smiling at them both.
“We came to check on you, mainly,” Mal admitted. “We’ll be headin’ to the Tower with you, as we agreed, but then we’ll be headin’ straight onwards. I’m plannin’ on checkin’ in on the old man, see what he’s been up to.”
“He in Narkolt?” I asked, and Mal shrugged dismissively.
“Sometimes. He tends to travel a bit, doesn’t like bein’ tied down; you know how it is. Usually leaves people to handle things in his place, then complains about how they do it. Man tends to be a stickler for rules.”
“He’s into rules and has you as a son?” I asked, trying not to smile.
“He’s into rules now. I ain’t sayin’ he was always like that. Nowadays, he’s all about responsibility. Poor bastard,” Mal said, shrugging again.
“Well, think I could persuade you to hang around a few more days?” I asked. “We’re going to be doing some work on the ships here, then setting off around then. Although, I’d much prefer having you stick around longer? Hell, you know there’s always a need for you in the Empire…” I said hopefully.
“Not a chance, son.” Mal grinned. “I’ve got things to do, places to go, and gold to spend, and while you’ve got a need for me, I don’t need this shit. I’m goin’ to go pay off some debts, bounce some fine ladies on my knee, and relax.”
“Come on, Mal…” I pressed, smiling knowingly. “Tell me you haven’t had the time of your life this last week. Tell me you didn’t feel more alive than ever before…”
“Ain’t gonna happen,” Mal said, shaking his head.
“That’s the heir to the Imperial throne you’re talking to, smuggler…” growled Romanus, straightening and resting his hand on the hilt of his gladius.
“And I don’t care.” Mal bit the words off as he glared back at Romanus. “Listen, Legion… Mister High and Mighty here and I had a deal: I get him through this, I get his people‒and that includes you‒out of the city and free, and I get paid well for it. Well, I did my part, and now I want what was promised.”
“Whoa, calm down, Mal. Wait… you expect to be paid now?” I questioned, only to be met with a glare.
“Yes, you little shit; we had a deal! Ten Spellbooks, a memory crystal, and my ship, dammit. I have the ship; now gimme!” He thrust his hand out insistently.
“Yeah, I remember the deal…” I said, staring at him. “We agreed on two Spellbooks and a single memory crystal; my choice of which, remember? You know damn well I don’t carry those around with me. I told you what they were and that they were in the Tower. Add to that, you asked for free repairs for your ship. Can’t do that here, either, Mal. You know better.”
“You alterin’ our deal, boy?” he asked in a low growl, his right hand dropping to the pistol grip of his crossbow, which hung against his hip, and the low whine of the magical device powering up filled the air.
“Nope. I gave my word, Mal. I’ve got some Spellbooks right here, and you can have two of them. That’s no issue… but you want the crystal, you’re gonna have to wait a little. Few days, at least,” I said.
“Why days?” he growled, keeping his hand on the crossbow.
“Because I’m going to lead a team into the depths of the City here, and I’m going to loot the shit out of it while the ships get repaired and upgraded. You want a crystal, you either come dungeon-diving with me and chance if we find one, or you wait until we get to the Tower. Or you leave now, and you’ll have to wait until you come back to get it.”
“You never said that before!” Mal snarled.
“You never asked, Mal,” I said simply. “You’re the one who just tried to rip me off for eight additional Spellbooks, so don’t give me that shit. You want a memory crystal before we leave here? Join my team and damn well hope there’s some down there; otherwise, you’re stuck waiting till you come to the Tower.”
“Fuck’s sake!” Mal snapped, spinning around and stalking off, while Soween stepped forward and held out her hand to me.
“I’ll take the two spells, thank you. They’re for my husband, after all,” she said calmly.
“Fair enough,” I said to her sadly. “I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this, Soween. When we set the deal, Mal was supposed to come to the Tower with us, after all. I haven’t changed the deal, regardless of what he thinks. Here, you choose.” I pulled the books out and stacked them on a pile of wood nearby, drawing incredulous stares from the small crowd around us.
All told, there were two copies of Deathbolt, two Firebolt, a single Blizzard, three Iceshield, a pair of buff spells for Intelligence, one for Strength, and one for Dexterity. Four more dealt with summoning creatures, including two Lesser Demons, an Earth Golem, and a Flame Atronarch, respectively. I had more, but none that I was willing to share, not yet.
The way that Soween’s eyes bulged, I knew she’d been ready to take anything. However, at the sight of all the options, she swallowed hard, closing her eyes and mumbling for several long seconds.
Eventually, she opened her eyes again and selected a copy of Iceshield and the Blizzard spell, which made me sigh internally. I’d had designs on that one myself.
“Josh says to thank you for these, and he’d like to do a deal personally for some more, he says, before we leave.”
“When are you leaving?” I asked hopefully.
“We’ll see,” was all she said, but she shrugged as she walked away, leaving me with some optimism.
“That damn smuggler needs to learn his place…” Romanus growled, but I shrugged dismissively.
“Not really, Romanus. He signed on for this when I really needed him. He’s a good man, even if he does try to sneak things past me at any chance. When he calms down, he’ll remember that the original deal was to help me get these people out of the city and back to the Tower, and then he gets his loot. If he wants to come get it later, that’s fine, but if he wants it now, he either has to hope that there is something worthwhile below us that we can reach, or he has to be patient.”
“As to ‘below us,’ I trust you’ll be taking the Legion?” Romanus asked, and I smiled.
“Some of it, at least, and Lydia’s squad. We’ll sort it out soon. First things first, I need to go talk to them, and then I need to replace some of this armor… and so will a lot of my people, actually. Are the Legion Armorers about?” I asked.
“They’ll be proud to provide you with armor,” Romanus said firmly, calling to a pair of Legionnaires who stood nearby, watching over us. “Trin, go find the Armorers. Send them to the upper deck and tell them they’ll have the honor of providing the Lord of Dravith with new gear, and they’d damn well better do me proud…”
“Yes, Prefect!” the Legionnaire barked, slamming fist to chest, and tearing off into the ship at a dead run.
“Damn,” I said, marveling at the speed he managed.
“I’ll lead you to the upper deck, if that’s acceptable?” Romanus offered, and I smiled gratefully, nodding my thanks. “Good. Mind if I give you some advice, Jax? If you don’t want to hear it, just say…?”
“I’ll take it, mate; god knows I’m flying by the seat of my pants at the minute,” I admitted, and Romanus frowned, trying the phrase out, before shrugging and moving on.
“The seat of your pants… hmmm. Well, anyway. I’ve noticed that you’re an informal man, Jax, and that’s fine. Some of the greatest leaders in our history were charismatic giants of song and legend, men and women who could drink with the men one minute, then lead them in battle the next. But…”
“But I’m not that Charismatic.” I shrugged. “I know, mate, but I’m trying…”
“No, Jax,” Romanus said, cutting in. “That’s not what I’m saying. Charisma can be earned and learned; either way is fine. You’ve got a strong enough presence that you can do that if you want to… my point is that you keep try
ing to be everyone’s friend. An older brother, if you will. You have the responsibility of a leader, and you make those calls, but you also keep telling nearly everyone to just call you by your first name.” He paused, eyeing me as though to verify whether I was listening. I nodded mutely for him to continue.
“You are the Lord of Dravith, Jax. You need to understand what that means, The Legion is loyal to you, and as more and more of our Enclaves find out who you are, your following will grow. We weren’t confined to just Himnel, after all; there are Legion garrisons in each of the great cities. Several hundred in Narkolt still exist, led by a good man who I’ve no doubt will follow you as well, and we aren’t the only cities on Dravith.”
“What? I thought…”
“We lost contact with the cities on the far side of the mountain range after the Cataclysm, much as we did with the greater Empire, but there have been trade delegations, and explorers from other lands. From their tales, we know that the Legion still lives, even if it’s not all that it once was. If you reach out to them, you could bring them into the fold yet.”
“That’s great news!” I said, my mind suddenly full of marching armies, of bringing peace and prosperity…
“But they won’t all accept you as you are,” Romanus cut in, ruining my daydream as we walked up the gangplank, followed by my escort.
“What?” I asked, frowning.
“We in the Legion are trained to obey our rightful lords, and that is you, Jax… for Dravith. You have a claim, as Imperial Scion and heir to the throne for the Empire at large, but until you extend your authority over those lands, their Legions may not respond to you. They certainly won’t if you’re not what they expect from the Imperial Throne.”
“Go on…” I said, listening.
“You like to be one of the team, and to lead from the front, I hear. That’s a good thing in a Legionnaire; taking those risks alongside your men will earn you a level of devotion few can imagine. But Jax, you’re not a Legionnaire,” he said firmly. “You’re the Lord of Dravith; you command the Legions. You can still lead from the front, but the people are used to lords who, essentially, are remote, unfeeling bastards, who insist on their due and more. They claim anything and everything they can, and that’s the normal thing for a lord to do now. The common folk see that as the way, anyway.”
