Chapter Forty Four: If You Call Me in the Morning, I’ll Tell You What to Do
Fourth Tower Year 4776, 3.5.5
The Republic of Mevitra,
Above the Border with the Independent Kingdom of Praxim
If there was a border between terror and boredom, Marc had discovered it, no, he did more than simply find it. He had staked a claim, built a two-story house, and settled in for a long and terrifying retirement.
They had been flying for hours, and not for a single second of the trip was there a moment when Marc was not entirely convinced that he was about to die.
In his old world, Marc had never been in an airplane. He had seen them. He was aware of their existence and function, but had never needed to fly anywhere.
The closest thing he had to any experience with flight were the rides at the Albuquerque State Fair, that he went to once when he was very young. The rides had been fun, but terribly frightening.
Comparing that experience to his current situation would be like comparing the rocking rocket ride in front of the Safeway to the Apollo Moon launch.
At first, when he learned that Rynan had arranged passage my wyvern, Marc was ecstatic. He had been incredibly excited to finally get a chance to ride a real dragon. He had known about the wyverns stabled at the top of one of the tallest towers in Clearwater, and had even seen the beasts close up many times. They looked exactly like the dragons of the fantasy movies he had seen in his youth, though maybe a bit smaller.
Looking like giant reptiles, they closely resembled iguanas. Iguanas with large wings attached to forearms that were half their body length. Iguanas that were the size of minivans. Like minivans, they also came in a variety of colors.
They were the primary beasts used for high-priority logistics in Tehric. Marc had heard that other beasts, such as the Yue, were also used, and were even more common on some of the other continents, but the idea of being a dragon rider held an immense nostalgic draw for himself.
Years ago, he had studied up on them, along with as much of the worlds more exotic beasts as he could get information on.
Wyverns didn’t actually use their wings to fly, he had learned. The wings were simply there to aid in steering and maneuvering. Lift and propulsion were entirely supplied by magic.
In theory, beasts could not use magic. Mana crystals supplied the body with magic energy, but that’s all they could do. They were nothing but batteries. A Mana core, however, seemed to work more like an engine. A highly complicated engine that could process the Mana according to the affinity of the core and direct the energy through complicated patterns. These were manifested as spells or abilities.
Highly evolved beasts, however, were able to channel Mana energy through their blood. Through evolution, some species of beasts had even acquired amazing abilities, such as flight, along with defensive, or even offensive abilities.
Some beasts, like pixies, simply used Mana boosted enhanced strength to increase their natural abilities. Stronger and faster wings allowed them to fly with more power and control than any bird in his old world.
Wyverns, however, did not fly. They would just blast power and shoot through the sky like projectiles, using their wings to steer, and glide. This made them very fast and efficient long-distance travelers. Only after his flight had begun, Marc realized that he had agreed to be strapped to the back of an ICBM.
Due to the high cost/weight ratio, Wyverns were typically used to transport small items, or written correspondence that could not or should not be transmitted magically. They were rarely used to transport people. Marc had initially attributed this to the incredible costs involved. A single trip would cost tens of times more than passage on a ship, and even more than chartering an entire overland caravan.
Initially he had been shocked by Rynan’s offer. It was very unlike her to splurge on any thing so extravagant as wyvern travel. She soon explained the situation, and he had to concede that her reasoning, as usual, was without flaw.
The journey from Clearwater to the sea would take at least a month, perhaps even longer. That, in itself, was not a problem. They had plenty of supplies, and the weather was rather temperate at this time of year. The problem lay with the next leg of their trip.
Ocean travel could be complicated, but with the summer came massive storms over the seas. They had rushed their preparations, simply to try to avoid those storms as much as possible. Still, it would be close, even under the best of circumstances.
They wouldn’t be able to fly all the way to the coast, but this wyvern route would get them over halfway there in less than a day. They could fly to the border of the Praxim Kingdom, saving weeks of river travel and securing a more convenient route to the sea.
With the large group, flying everyone would be impossible, but since Marc was able to cheat by keeping most of the party on the bus, they could significantly reduce their travel time. On top of that, Marc was able to finally realize his ambition of becoming a dragon rider.
He hadn’t even taken off before he started to have second thoughts. It’s not that he had any coherent expectations of what wyvern travel would entail, but once he was confronted by the reality, his enthusiasm was immediately dampened.
With both space and weight at a premium, there were no “seats”, or a “cabin” available. A standard harness included only a single saddle for the rider, with a large, backpack-like contraption that extended the length of the wyvern’s torso. Any extra material beyond that was considered a waste of weight.
When Marc inquired where passengers sat, the cargo master simply pointed him to the large cargo bag behind the saddle. He had been about to ask if he was expected to actually ride inside the bag when he noticed several long leather straps with buckles, lining the outside of the bag.
It was then that Kira kindly provided him with illustrations of passengers flying with wyvern couriers. They were simply tied to the sides of the cargo like firewood.
An hour later, he was strapped to one side, with Rynan in the identical location on the other side. There were no other passengers on this route, and Marc was not the least bit surprised by that.
The next six hours had been the worst experience Marc could remember in two lives. His screaming had only stopped because his jaw was so tired. The flight was not bumpy, it was nothing short of mental and physical torture. The wyvern did not glide, it was closer to running. Blasting itself forward, then using its wings to adjust and calibrate, it would launch into the air like a cannonball, start to fall, and then fire another blast. They had repeated this hundreds of times now, complete with falls, barrel rolls, and turbulence that had convinced Marc that he would be slammed into the ground or the side of a mountain at any moment.
Only when they neared their final destination did the beast even out its trajectory and discover smooth gliding. The last hundred meters were a slow descent ending with an expert landing on a platform atop a large warehouse-like building just outside of the border town of Wots-Rab, the last outpost before entering the Independent Kingdom of of Praxim.
The cargo master untied the straps that had been securing Marc to the cargo bag, and he fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Marc lay there, face down in the dirt, unable to move.
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“Ah! First time flying? Poor you,” The short man cackled and shuffled around the wyvern to release Rynan from her harness.
She was better conditioned to withstand the stress of air travel, and walked around a moment later, although with a slight wobble in her gait.
She propped Marc up, then produced a bottle and held it up to Marc’s lips. As the liquid touched his tongue, his brain was shocked into activity. He swallowed and immediately recognized the freezing/burning sensation as the drop of fire worked its way to his stomach. It was a Mana concoction.
【MANA CONCOCTION CONSUMED: STAMINA RECOVERY +5%/MIN】
Marc checked his status and was shocked to see that while his health was maxed out, his stamina was practically red-lining.
STAMINA 21%/100
He could already feel the potion doing its work. They were expensive and rare, not to mention dangerous. Drink too much at once, and you could risk serious injury. All guild members were required to learn the proper use and control of them, although he had only once tried one, and that had been during training under the supervision of a Guild Trainer.
Rynan took a swig from the bottle herself, then stood up and reached down to give Marc a hand.
Feeling a bit better, Marc decided to risk standing up, if for no other reason than getting as far away from the blasted dragon as possible.
Leaning on Rynan, Marc walked to the edge of the platform, where stairs led down to the ground. Marc swore that once he made it to the ground, he would never, ever fly again.
After completing the simple landing procedures, Marc and Rynan were directed to register at the Guild as soon as possible. Instead of going there directly, however, they found a quiet and private corner where Marc could open the portal unobserved.
Stepping inside, Marc took a deep breath of air and closed his eyes. They walked slowly over to the group sitting at the tables by the kitchen, and Marc collapsed onto a chair and finally relaxed. He felt like he had aged a year in just a few hours.
Rynan, to her credit, seemed to be doing fine, although even she lacked a bit of her usual confidence in her movements.
“So you really did it?” Hee-ssu asked, eyes showing disbelief.
“Marc had been fascinated by wyverns for years. This seemed like the perfect time to indulge him a little bit.”
“It’s true? You actually flew? I’d say I was jealous, but after hearing from Hee-ssu what it’s like, and seeing your current condition, maybe I’m better off skipping this one,” Enpii said, pouring a glass of juice and passing it to Marc.
“You have no idea…” was all that Marc could manage. Then he took a small sip of juice and lay back to recover some more.
“Thank you, Rynan, Thank you, Marc. I know you did this to speed up the journey. It’s such an expense… and a sacrifice. Everything you are doing for Beth… I just… thank you so much…”
Mumay started crying, and Enpii sat next to her, giving her support. His nod to Marc was all that he needed to express his gratitude to his old friend.
After a few minutes, Marc was finally starting to feel human again. He tried to put the trauma of the flight out of his head, and focus on the tasks at hand.
“We won’t stay here long. I’d like to leave town tonight if we can. First we need to register with the local Guild, then look into transportation options. Mumay, would you mind helping me with the Guild?”
She was stroking Beth’s hair again, but she nodded without hesitation.
“Great. Does anyone want to check out the town? It’s not really much. Just a small border outpost.”
Hee-ssu stood up.
“I’d like to look around if that’s okay. I have never been this far out, and I’d like to just get a look at what the border looks like.”
Marc nodded.
“That’s fine. Rynan, would you mind going with Hee-ssu? We should always move in groups in unfamiliar territory. Maybe check out the local markets and see if there are any supplies or equipment that would be helpful.”
That was unlikely as they had used nothing from their supplies thanks to Rynan’s wyvern shortcut.
“Rynan? You’re the only one who has ever been out this way. Any ideas on the best way to move from here?”
Marc noticed Lehdze, sitting off at the end of one of the benches, raise his hand as if he was about to say something, but then decided it was best to remain silent.
“Once we pass the border, it’s only about a couple of days walk to Wolf’s Mesa. That’s a large community where we should be able to find transportation to the coast.”
Marc nodded.
“Okay, we’ll ask at the Guild about getting to Wolf’s Mesa then. Enpii and Lehdze will hold the fort here, then. Kira… I mean, Aloysius will let me know if you need anything.”
The butler stepped forward with a large silver platter. On it were three plain golden rings.
“I took it upon myself to whip these up. I believe they should be of some assistance as you venture outside.”
Aloysius stood in front of Rynan, Mumay, and Hee-ssu and indicated for each of them to take a ring that was specifically sized for each of them.
“It’s so pretty!” Squealed Mumay. Rynan seemed to have already guessed the purpose of the jewelry, while Hee-ssu was already examining the ring closely with a craftsman’s eye.
“As I am currently unable to use my golems outside the pocket dimension, I fashioned these so we can keep in communication while you are out there. Please note that the range is limited, only about two kilometers from wherever Marc is, but all you need to do is imbue the ring with a small amount of you Mana, and you will be able to communicate with Myself or Marc.”
Marc nodded. Kira had been tinkering with tools and artifacts ever since they had left Threshis, and this would count as one of her best inventions to date.
《It’s not technically mine. It’s just a modification of something Isabella made. One of her early prototypes for her pseudo-catalyst.》
“Nice, good work. But Enpii can’t use one, right?”
《I’m working on something for him, and something special for Beth, too. Should be ready in a few days. Before we reach the coast, at least.》
“Thanks, Kira.”
“I live to serve,” The butler bowed, then stepped back.
“Well, then. Shall we see what we can get done before dinner?” Marc asked.
After Kira confirmed the space he had opened the portal before was still clear, he opened it up again and stepped outside, followed by Mumay, Rynan, and Hee-ssu.
He and Mumay went off in the direction of the Guild representative office, while Hee-ssu followed Rynan to the local market street.
The outpost was too small to require a full Guild Hall. There was only a small office set up to act as a liaison for the larger cities in the area. The closest Guild Hall on the Republic side was at a city several hours to the North, while Wolf’s Mesa was the local Guild Hall on the Kingdom’s side.
Mumay quickly registered the expedition with the office, then checked the status of the road ahead.
“Things look good. There are no reports of unusual beast activity in the area, nor any issues with bandit groups or border skirmishes. The Kingdom and the Republic are strong allies, so there is a lot of cross-border cooperation and rarely any issues here. This was a good path to take. It’s not always as easy as this.”
Marc was grateful again for Rynan’s assistance in planning and helping to plot a good route. If they had stuck with the initial plan, the river route would have bypassed the Praxim entirely for the Holy Kingdom of Pellen.
After the business was taken care of, Marc asked about transportation to and from Wolf’s Mesa.
He found that he could rent horses, or buy passage on one of the trading caravans that moved between the towns. That would save some time, at least as far as the next town.
He wanted to avoid caravans, as it would be harder to explain people going in and out of the bus, and he didn’t want to be the only one on the outside. He thought that a couple of rented horses might be best. They could load them with some saddlebags, so it wasn’t suspicious when they encountered border checks.
He would check that plan out with Rynan later.
Pulling up his map, he located Rynan and Hee-ssu, and, with Mumay in tow, set off to meet up with them.
Along the way, he stopped at the stables and confirmed that he could rent two horses for one-way travel to Wolf’s Mesa. This appeared to be a common practice, and his Guild identification was sufficient guarantee, although the stableman gave him a skeptical look.
He had become a familiar face in Clearwater, so he never had to identify himself as a full guild member anymore. He had forgotten how many people used to react to someone who appeared to be nothing but a young child, leaving the walls and even setting out to hunt solo.
He would have to remember that his appearance alone would attract attention and scrutiny. Luckily, having Rynan and Mumay along would provide him with more than enough cover, should he remember to set things up so that people would draw their own conclusions.
He caught up with the pair, and Hee-ssu was carrying a small bag, but looked rather unhappy.
“What happened?”
“Hee-ssu was exploring the market and found some interesting fruits, but it looks like she picked a dud,” Rynan said sympathetically.
Hee-ssu reached into the bag, and pulled out a dark green, pear-shaped object.
“I looked nice, but I think the seller scammed me. The skin is thick and bitter, the flesh is soft and not sweet at all, and there is a giant seed inside that is as hard as a rock and is inedible. I bought a bag of them, thinking we could try them out, but it was just a waste,” the dwarf reported glumly.
“Let me see,” Marc asked with a grin on his face.
She passed him one from the bag, then looked at him with curiosity.
“Hee-ssu! You struck Mythril! This is amazing! It’s perfectly ripe, too. Show me where you got them. We are going to buy out the lot!”
Rynan gave him a look, while Mumay took another one of the fruits from the bag and gave it a sniff. She shook her head and gave it a dubious look.
“Are you sure? It’s so soft, I think it might even have gone bad.”
“No, this is perfect. Thanks to storage magic, they always will be! Look forward to some amazing food. I guarantee it!”