Four Horsemen: Chapter 32

Chapter 32:

Desari felt the approach to Aetheria before she saw it.

Her mana flowed more easily, increasing the amount she could draw upon. Casting her spells in such a place would make them twice as strong for half of the mana.

It was a heady experience, but still less than her prime. She gripped her hand tight. She needed strength. She had the gold she needed to buy the information on Ilus.

Her potions were a full grade weaker than what she could make before she died, her core had progressed, climbing up to Yellow flecked with green.

It took me nearly fifteen years to get this strong. She stopped herself from shaking her head, eyes tracking to Petor who was towing a carriage as fast as a horse would pull it.

It was much easier to level your alchemy up if you had access to nearly unlimited freshly grown ingredients.

Then there was the far-reaching abilities of Limos and his trading company. Such an entity spanned worlds, planes and more. Through the hints here and there, this was no small organization. Though one that liked to spread themselves through key areas.

They had a number of items that would be hard to find in Ilus, including information.

If she could connect them to the city, both groups would benefit. The situation of the city, what had gone wrong, a hundred different thoughts raced through her mind before she pulled herself back into her reality.

A few dozen more potions and she’d host a solid yellow core. Just one core color away from her old peak.

Now she just needed to get away from the traders and everyone and try to use the weakened elemental barriers to reach out to her-.

“Elementals approaching!”

She peered through the power of the world, locking onto the power heading for them.

“They’re coming right for us. Left side!”

The forest was breaking up here and there with rocks and open patches from tree fall.

She drew her bow and attached her phoenix quiver to her hip with a clip Valter had made, drawing out an arrow and waited Valter moved ahead of her, arbalest ready.

Mya drew her rifle, Mirradon moving under her even as her upper body stayed still as if it wasn’t connected.

Those with ranged weapons readied themselves.

Petor drew his spear and checked the area while Clint rode over.

“Move fast for more open ground or fight them here?”

“Keep at our normal pace, they have the skies,” Desari said, not looking away from the sky.

“You know what kind of elementals?”

“Not yet.”

He grunted and wheeled back around.

“Keep pace, don’t slow! Don’t speed up!” He repeated himself as he rode up the convoy.

People started to relax as they continued, a few started to chat.

“Here they come!”

Desari raised her bow, drawing it back fully and released it.

The arrow was diverted going through the trees, just missing one of the elementals.

The Gale Harpies let out a scream a half-dozen of them turning and diving to come up along the road. They were white with aquamarine blue tattoos and tipped feathers.

Horses reared up as people clamped down on their ears. Desari cut air out of her ears, deafening herself as she reloaded. Valter fired and missed. Mya’s rifle hit one, scattering them over the road.

Arrows flew at the beasts that screamed louder, diverting and shattering some of the projectiles.

One in the lead cut through a cart’s top, others snatching out the contents within, ingredients from Windmolen that sprayed across the caravan as they flapped their wings where a human’s arms would be, their humanoid faces twisted in victory and anger as they raced higher.

Desari took out one still diving, it slammed into the ground, bouncing and rolling till it smashed into a tree.

Mya fired a pistol, the smoke obscuring her view for a half-second as a Harpy slammed its talons into her shoulder. Mya grunted as she was torn from Mirradon. She grabbed the beast’s side and hauled herself up, shoving the still-smoking barrel of her pistol into the harpy’s eye.

It squalled, turning away and into the trees, barely missing one it drove itself higher to impale Mya on another.

Her pistol was replaced by a cannon, causing the beasty to jerk downwards at the sudden weight. It went chest-first into the fist sized branch sticking out of the tree.

Mya stored her cannon and threw out a hooked rope, catching a branch and throwing herself forward, a flick of her wrist and she freed the rope, drawing a pistol and fired winging another harpy and sending it spinning into the forest.

“Mad damn bastard,” Desari said with no small amount of respect, drawing her bow and releasing the arrow, trying to hit  one of the harpies flying away, it dipped as the crate it was holding in its talons shifted, saving its scrawny neck.

Desari drew again but turned to where the harpies had come from.

Only two had made it out of the fight alive.

“More coming! Whirlwinders!”

They were thankfully younger and uncharged, thin fog wrapped up in a vortex with an orb of light in the middle.

They ate through the trees, like a thousand blades all cutting at once, flinging shards everywhere.

Desari’s arrow was shredded by an attack shot at the forward caravan. The driver and guard jumped free, blood  flew, theirs or the horses as their cart was torn apart.

Those behind drew themselves back.

Valter’s bolt passed through.

Mya’s shot bypassed the winds and hit the orb at the middle, the wind detonated, throwing the other two to the side.

Petor glowed with mana as he unleased a spell.

His Arcane nova consumed the newly freed mana from the first whirlwinder, it tore through the fogs of the other whirlwinders, consuming their mana for fuel as well causing three detonations, but the first one deafened everyone but Desari as the top of the forest for nearly fifty meters disappeared and trees were felled.

Cores dropped from the sky, the only remains of the creatures.

Petor opened and closed his mouth fighting to regain his hearing.

Desari let sound sweep in again.

“ANY OTHERS?” Valter yelled.

“No!”

He cocked his head to the side, she just put her thumb down.

He nodded as Petor passed.

Valter grimaced, probably getting healed as Petor moved to the front of the convoy.

Mya descended her rope and then released it with a flick, storing it. “Well shit, that was messy.”

Parts of harpy were all over the convoy and the forest.

“For elemental creatures like that to be out in the open, the barriers between the planes must be extremely weak,” Desari said. It’ll make contacting the others easier.

“The elemental planes, are they like the celestial planes?” Valter asked.

“The material plane is central to everything, above is the celestial realm, below is the abyssal, within is the underdark, the elemental planes are next to. Like planets circling a sun. Just one phase, one reality off from our own,” Desari said. “Reaching the Celestial plane is really hard for anyone from the material plane, as one must ascend. The abyssal plane is always trying to invade the material plane so it is much easier to reach. The elemental planes is all the same difficulty to reach, they intersect with the material plane from time to time at places of power you can cross through, or you can create a bridge to them and pass through as well.”

She saw Petor shaking his head off on the side of the road, he moved back to the leading cart, cutting the remains of the horses free and hauling them to the side as if they were heavy bags of grain.

“Girx, no one said anything about elementals attacking us on the road,” Mya called out to a merchant on the nearest cart.

“That’s coz it hasn’t happened before. Beasts don’t cross over through the gates. They got forts on the other side of the gates. These beasts would’ve had to get past the fort, through the gates, through the defences around it and out the other side. I ain’t heard of nothing like that before.” The man shook his head.

“Doesn’t sound like an easy path at all,” Valter said.

Desari recalled the description on the mission.

“Well if the barriers between planes is thinning out, there might be places other than the gates that are thin enough for the lesser elementals like these, to break through,” Desari said.

She cast a small wind spell in her hand and it enveloped her arm.

“The elemental mana here is all stirred up. We’d best tread lightly and watch out what our spells do in such an environment.”

She broke the spell and checked the front of the convoy.

Petor grabbed the shaft of the lead cart, hauling it out of the way and leaned with the cart, lifting it for merchants to get at a leading wheel.

Carts started moving again and spacing themselves out.

Desari studied the destruction, the torn forests, the dead on the side of the road. Those without power were powerless to those above them. Such creatures were weak to her, too weak to even give her experience. Though they’d almost accidentally claimed a life.

You can only control your own life if you have the power to do so.

The guard on the lead cart was carried to another cart, the merchant’s body covered in a blanket and stored away in Jaxus’ storage.

***

The convoy picked up their pace, clearing the trees as they moved from the rougher mountaineous lands into the rolling hills and farmland of the several smaller towns that supplied Aetheria with their food.

A patrol of guards had stopped them already, passing information. Then they’d rode off, looking haggard and grim.

Several fields were flooded, others singed and burnt. The ground was torn up in other areas. Spotty-like but still randomly constant.

Farmers worked their fields with weapons near at hand. Jaxus rode back to the convoy with a grim expression after having talked to a group.

“That good huh?” Mya asked. Riding beside Hedgewick’s cart.

“Farmers talked about all kinds of creatures showing up, made of fire, water, earth and air,” Jaxus said so they both could hear. “Sometimes they clash with one another, sometimes they just pass through. Their passage can water fields, bring them ready to harvest, or can burn them to cinders, cut them down. The whole area has become a mess. Rumors are that the creatures are breaking through Aetheria in different locations. Soldiers are everywhere, farmer’s kids are learning levels or dying off from hunting the elementals. Guilds are submitting clearing orders.”

“Kicked up a right mess,” Mya traced the road they rode on.

“What are your thoughts Jaxus?” Hedgewick asked.

“I think that we should increase the pace, we’ll make it into Aetheria just as night is coming. It will take longer to unload the carts, and it will increase our costs with housing everyone, but at least we’ll be doing it behind walls. I don’t think it would be wise to be a few hours from the city in one of the campgrounds.” He nodded his head. “What do you think Master Hedgewick?”

“It is your convoy.”

“Well then I’d best pass word, Mya you think that Petor could increase the pace?”

She followed his eyes to the now third cart that Petor was hauling along.

“Best to ask him, though I think he’d be agreeable if you feed and water him,” She grinned.

“I’ll see if we can get him something a bit better than the oats we give the others,” Jaxus shared a grin with her.

He clicked his tongue and set to moving up the convoy, heading all the way to the front, the pace increasing as he sent guards to talk to the other groups.

“Ever been to Aetheria?” Mya asked.

“Yes, a number of years ago now. It’s a curious city, one that has a lot of trade and mysteries,” Hedgewick said.

“And this mission will allow you greater access to it.”

“A favor earned and owed is great leverage. And I know for a fact that the duke would be remiss if he did not look for external ways to increase his reach and deal with issues that would be normally outside of his control.”

“Jaxus and a number of the others call us ‘problem solvers’ but what are we in the eyes of Limos and the other higher traders?”

Hedgewick rolled the question around and waved at the guards. “The world is rarely a kind place and a deterrent is required to keep people in line and out of other’s business. We have many guards and fighters that protect our wares, our infrastructure and our people. They are well trained and armed. With time they become stronger and more capable of dealing with different threats. Most of the time we just need guards. There are situations where more is called for.”

“Why not get adventurers?”

“We like to keep a number of things from the public. Adventurers are in for the gold and the glory. Both are things that lead to loose lips and open conversation on their previous jobs.”

“Fair. So we really are problem solvers.”

“Yes, dealing with the summoner and his shadow-creatures was something that our guards might have been able to deal with. Though they are used to fighting bandits, protecting wares. The knowledge of summoning, your skills and knowledge. Those are edges that make you well suited for dealing with situations outside of the norm.”

“The missions. They don’t look like they’re all for the company though?” Mya asked.

“Have you heard about the ripple effect?”

“Living on the seas there are a number effects a ripple can have.”

Hedgewick shared a smile with her. “I meant how you do an action in one place and then through the effect it does something else, interconnected but by a thin line of change. Many missions we have because they will ease things for the company. Then there are things that we have heard of rumors or things of interest. They might open up treasures, they could stabilize, or destabilize an area.”

“So problem solvers is not a random statement.”

“No. Though sometimes the missions are created so that some of the more lively problem solvers might not become a problem themselves. It does not do well to let a sharp tool become rusty.”

“After we have completed our missions and our own tasks, then what?”

“I do not know your agreement with the master. I know that he has high hopes for you and that he’s eager to see your growth. I know that I am as well. I have met few that have come back from the veil of death and-well you are much stronger than I expected.”

A shadow of a frown passed over his face.

Noise rose among the traders and Mya looked forward as the lead carts made it over a hill.

“Aetheria’s been sighted!” Someone called from the cart ahead.

“Go take a look if you like, it is a sight to behold,” Hedgewick said.

“I think I’ll do that.” Mya clicked to Mirradon, catching up to Desari and Valter, then passing Petor who was wearing a mask on his face against the dust from the road.

He nodded to them and focused on the cart ahead, focused on his load and his training.

Mya slowed, the land was rough, large and small valleys with hills that rose like random ripples roads and bridges created paths up to the rim that held back the lake. Waterfalls misted off of the rim, falling into rivers and lakes that weaved through the lands, crossing kilometeres before the land smoothed out enough for farming.

At the center of the lake was a city, towers reached up into the sky, thicker in the center and dropping in height as they reached closer to the edges of the city.

“That’s a crater.” Desari said.

“A what?” Mya asked.

“A crater, like the spell meteor strike, stone, metals and at the rare time they survive, ice, crash into the ground and they create the great big craters by compressing the ground underneath and hurling up a bunch of the dirt and stone in the area.”

“Was the crater here first and then the city built into the lake? That wouldn’t make sense with how the planes are accessed throughout the city and what lays underneath.” Desari looked into the sky and then the city. “Did it fall from the skies?”

“A city in the skies? I thought that was only something that happened in the celestial realm?” Mya said.

“Not like the gods to lie is it,” Valter said.

Mya snorted. “Fair.”