Chapter 64

“Must be a new model of shifknaker…” I murmured to myself as I yanked a still-woozy Mariko to her feet. Shipcrackers weren’t an especially common piece of kit, since they were heavy and hard to get onto a human vessel in the midst of a firefight, as well as being exhausting to charge. When they were employed properly, though, they could bring down a supercarrier.

We weren’t standing on anything quite so grand. That meant that we had less than a minute before the Bermuda started taking on water.

The orcs were still focused on the other wizards, and it looked like they had reorganized enough for some tactics, even without the goblin pipers. The unconscious wizards were forcing Mr. Maki, Yukiko, and Hiro to stick close to keep the orcs from picking them off, which meant that they couldn’t employ their affinities to maximum effect. In the close quarters, the orcs’ superior strength and numbers were starting to tell; from what I could see in the mass of enemies, all of their uniforms had been ripped by enemy swords.

“Haltur!” I shouted in my most aristocratic High Demonic, my voice carrying over the melee. I followed with an order for a hedgehog formation to prepare for an enemy countercharge, which would involve the orcs circling up and thrusting pikes every which way. It was a rather archaic formation, only useful against horse or mackie cavalry that the humans never used, but we still taught it for Our Father Below knows what reason.

The elite orcs’ discipline worked against them. Now, most of them weren’t so daft as to immediately respond to an order given in an unfamiliar voice. A few were, though, but the rest hesitated, glancing this way and that to figure out where this new devil had come from. A few looked my way, recognition dawning in their dim eyes.

It didn’t matter, though, since my ruse had done its job, thinning their ranks enough that I could see exactly where my fellow wizards were, including little Yukiko.

“Bahadour!” The bolt of ragged red light was the largest I’d thrown that day, instantly incinerating the orcs in its path as they tried to form the hedgehog. The spell fed on anger as well as magic, and I while I had plenty of the former to spend, I found myself breathing hard after so many larger scale blasts in a row.

The bright light from behind startled those in close quarters with Mr. Maki, which left him free to chop his hand in a wide arc, bisecting a group of the green-skinned brutes. The few remaining orcs’ fighting spirit was completely broken, and they scattered in all directions.

“Yukiko, wait! They’re running away!”

Mariko’s warning fell on deaf ears as Ms. Sato caught one of the fleeing orcs with a Celestial Arrow between the shoulder blades. Perfect aim, just as one would expect from the little overachiever.

Mr. Maki blasted another group of them away with a Sonic Blade that cut into the Bermuda’s pilothouse, and Hiro impaled one with a thrown spear. With that, the last of the orcish resistance was dealt with. Those that weren’t dead yet were either well on the way, or had the presence of mind to fake it.

Mariko’s words hadn’t fallen on too deaf of ears, it turned out. Yukiko turned to face Mariko. “Demons are not worthy of your sympathy.”

I couldn’t help but take that a little personally, but I kept that to myself.

“They did not have a chance to surrender,” she countered.

“I tend to agree with Yukiko,” I said. “I could make out some of what they were planning; they were rather taken with you ladies.”

That might not have been the right thing to mention right then; Yukiko’s eyes filled with cold fury as she surveyed the bloody green bodies all around us, as if daring any of them to stand up. “Then I regret that I can’t kill them again.”

That seemed to quiet Mariko’s concerns, at least. I noticed that Dante didn’t seem to be among the dead littering the deck, though I don’t know that I could have spotted him among the mess. The only remnants of the goblins were some bloodied bagpipes and a four-fingered hand clutching a hammer.

As if to end the awkward moment, the shipcracker finally pierced the bottom of the boat, and the Bermuda began listing to the side as dirty seawater streamed into the lower decks. The gurgling sound echoed through the surprisingly clean hole in the deck.

“Blasted machine!” snapped Mr. Maki. “I saw it as I came in, but I couldn’t get a clean shot!”

Yukiko scanned the area “Who activated it? I don’t see any devils around.”

“The one who was impersonating me earlier,” I said. “And before you ask, it’s a long and complicated story!”

Yukiko clearly wasn’t satisfied by that answer, but Hiro tapped her shoulder once to get her attention. “Later, Yukiko. We need to get these three out of here.” His body shimmered with the effort of Immortal Form as the shorter man managed to haul Kowalski’s bulk over his shoulder.

Yukiko nodded once, levitating Gabriella with Gravity Shift.

“I need to go track down that imposter,” I said. “Before she gets away. You three get the others stabilized.” I’d considered All Healing the three of them, but I didn’t have the time or the energy. Besides, more help meant more rides for Fera to hop into.

“I’ll join you,” said Mr. Maki, flicking the blood from his sword before sheathing it. “I told you before, you always seem to get all the fun. I’d love to blast whoever’s responsible for this mess into atoms.”

“Not before I crush them,” said Hiro.

“Hell no!” I said, the volume of my curse nearly making Hiro drop Kowalski. “Listen, this one can jump from one body to the next. I’ve managed to master a technique to neutralize her affinity.” It seemed like a convincing enough lie for the moment. “We’re lucky she didn’t possess Mr. Maki from the start, or we’d all be dead about now.”

Mr. Maki frowned at me. “Is that why you didn’t call me?”

“Not exactly,” I said. “How did you know to come, anyway?”

“That was me,” said Hiro, his rapid speech peppered with a few errors. “Said he already know there was trouble. Though I not know it would be demons! I expect demonkin or Holy Brothers.”

“Trust me, I wasn’t expecting a contingent of orcs, either.” Ah, lying with the technical truth. “The only way to ensure she doesn’t hold one of you hostage is to leave it to me. Besides, the rest of our squad mates could use some healing.”

The ship tilted another few degrees. “We’ll talk about this later,” said Mr. Maki. “Go deal with it, Private. Just remember to tell the press the Divine Blade saved your sorry behind.”

I managed to keep from rolling my eyes. “Of course, sir. You’ve more than earned your share of the glory.” I dashed off across the tilting deck the way I’d seen Fera go, chancing a quick look through Mimic Sight. I hoped I’d be able to keep my balance as the ship listed further and further.

Her signature was the only sign of magic on the far end of the boat, aside from the Shipcracker that was expending the last of its energy burrowing into the muck at the bottom of the harbor. It looked like she was trying to flee at the ship’s aft.

That seemed like a foolish idea, seeing as I’d smashed the aft gangplank. Then again, I couldn’t see her, which told me she’d found some way down. Fera had proven herself to be a poor military commander, but I didn’t doubt that she’d have multiple escape plans.

“I said wait, Kasasagi!” Mariko was pumping her arms furiously as she ran alongside me.

“Mariko? The devil are you doing?” Besides doing a pretty decent job of keeping pace with me. Sergeant Lakhdar’s morning training regimen had done her some good. “She’s just going to ride you again! Go help them with the healing!”

“I will not let you face her alone,” she said.

“My dear, that’s noble of you, but I’ll only have to watch both of us. And I can’t spare her; just like with Mulciber, it’s her or me.”

“I understand,” she said. “I do not know that I want you to spare her. You need to get there as soon as you can, though.”

“Oh?”

“When you cast that All Heal on us, I got glimpses of her memories.”

“What kind of glimpses?”

“Nothing concrete,” she said. “Images. Impressions. She has some sort of escape boat further down the dock.”

“I doubt she’s going to get far in those longboats without orcs to man the oars,” I said.

Mariko shook her head. “A different one. I think it has a fabricata motor.”

My only response was to increase my speed. Like Hell she was escaping to menace us again!

Chapter 65

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We got our answer about Fera’s escape soon enough; somebody had slung stout ropes over the back end of the Bermuda where the gangplank had once sat. There was a noticeable gap between where the ropes left off and the battered, corpse-strewn dock.

“And here I thought that the Gauntlet wasn’t preparing us for battlefield,” I said.

“It might still be for nothing,” said Mariko, ignoring my attempt at gallows humor. “I don’t think I can make that leap to the dock; an orc carried Fera and I up before.”

The ship suddenly shifted further, nearly sending Mariko and I tumbling. “I don’t think we have much of a choice, my dear.”

“What about that trick you used at the Serving Wizard’s House?” she asked. “Making a Svalinn’s Mercy large enough to act like an elevator?”

“I could…” I said, taking stock of my magic reserves. “Making it thick enough to carry both of us and flying us down like a magic carpet would leave me a tad drained for when we catch Fera.”

If we caught Fera; she had a lead on us, and dithering about climbing down wasn’t helping. That meant it was time to do something a little foolish.

“Mariko, get ready to cast the largest Svalinn’s Mercy you can.”

“Me?” she asked. “That will drain me even more.”

“Iron Skin,” I intoned, sheathing my right forearm in a black gauntlet of energy. “It doesn’t need to be quite so thick as we were thinking, but my hands are going to be a tad occupied.”

“Occupied with wh— eep!”

I’ll admit, I enjoyed the sound she made as I suddenly swept her off her feet. It wasn’t the easiest task in the world, and I wished for a moment that she was a tad more petite. Only a moment, though, as her nearness started to be distracting, especially since my head was resting right on her…

I forced myself to think of baseball. This wasn’t the time to be randy, even if I was in the midst of a sizeable dry spell. That could be my reward when this was all wrapped up.

Dark Lord’s bones, I wished there was another option. I still hated heights.

“Kasasagi, what are you aah!” She clutched me tight as I shifted her to one arm, wrapping my protected hand around one of the ropes the orcs had ever so helpfully left tied to the railing.

Now, I had correctly foreseen the risk of rope burn as we rappelled down the side of the Bermuda supported by one hand. What I’d neglected was that the smooth surface of the Iron Skin didn’t give me much of a grip, and we hurtled down the rope a tad faster than I’d anticipated. I couldn’t dispel it with both hands occupied, though, and we plummeted downwards.

“Svalinn’s Mercy!” Mariko was quicker on the draw than I’d feared, though I did slam into the circular, red platform tailbone first.

I couldn’t resist letting out a pained hiss, as much as I wanted to act like the swashbuckling hero in front of Mariko.

“Are you alright?” she asked, helping me into a sitting position.

“Of course,” I grunted. “J-just taking a quick rest before we get going.”

“If you can joke, you must not be too hurt.” Mariko shook her head wistfully. “That is what you get for jumping in headfirst.”

“Opposite problem, really,” I said, rubbing my poor, pained back. Knowing that we were burning through Mariko’s magic reserves, I hopped up and dispelled the Iron Skin. “Well done, my dear; we’re just about level with the dock.”

I climbed onto the bloodsoaked wooden planks, almost reluctant to bring Mariko into the scene of carnage. “You might want to…”

Too late; I’d offered my hand before noticing the butchery all about us. While we’d been overwhelmed, we wizards had forced Girdan’s Guard to pay a hefty butcher’s bill, and there was barely an inch of dock that wasn’t covered in dark, red blood. A seagull was already poking around one of the green-skinned brutes (which really just goes to show those flying garbage disposals will eat anything).

“Get away from him!” shrieked Mariko, rushing forward and waving her hands.

Our Father Below, I didn’t want her to turn around, look to me for support. Mariko had seen human cruelty on a large scale before, but it had never been quite so messy. It was always captured people in bondage, or a couple of bodies. It must have been horrifying for the sheltered woman.

What I found funny was that I had quite the opposite reaction. Call it bias or simply being numbed to it, but the sight of twenty or so dead orcs was more of an inconvenience than anything else. I did note that they managed to smell worse with their insides aired out, which was itself a miracle.

Then I remembered what these monsters had wanted to do to Mariko and the other ladies, and I felt the steel return to my spine. I walked forward. “Mariko, there isn’t time.”

“I know! B-but they were just left out here. Th-they deserve a proper burial, not to be picked over by scavengers. Especially since I k-killed two of them.”

“My dear, I appreciate what you sacrificed for me,” I started.

“I finally found out how I’d respond,” she said, her shoulders slumping. “I’m nothing but a hypocrite. Push comes to shove, I am no better than anyone else, after all.”

“Mariko, I understand how you’re feeling, but Fera’s going to get away!”

She turned, tears in her eyes. “I know, Soren! I-I-I know that I’m an idiot to feel like this. You cried for Mulciber, though; you understand me, right?”

“That’s…” Was it different? We’d both killed demons out of necessity, while carrying guilt about it. I could think her reasons daft, but I could sympathize.

Understanding her meant I could nudge her in a more productive direction, though. I placed a hand on her shoulders. “Fera’s forces held the field, you’ll recall. She left them behind, not us. And a proper burial for these orcs would be a funeral pyre and some off-key ritualistic songs. We’re likely the only ones on the island who would know that; I’ll do what I can to see that it’s done.”

“You promise?”

“For you? Anything.”

My words had the desired effect, and Mariko tilted her eyes up to block out the horror around her, pointing to one of the neighboring docked ships. “Fera’s escape boat is that way.”

“Lead on, my dear,” I said, selfishly hoping that this breakthrough meant I could count on more from Mariko than defensive support. Cupping a hand around my mouth, I shouted, “And Kiyo, if you’re still around, show yourself! We could use your help!”

There was no response. What if she’d been invisible on the sidelines when Mr. Maki crashed the party? Even worse, what if she’d been in the way of my larger Bloody Lance?

I set those thoughts aside. Kiyo wasn’t that easy to pin down; if we’d still had our comms, I’m sure she’d be reporting in that she was keeping tabs on Fera.

I hoped.

After picking our way through the blood-slicked battlefield, we stumbled upon a handsome-looking dun-coated horse tied to one of the dock’s wooden posts. She was well out of the carnage, but it seemed that Mr. Maki had had the sense to put some blinders on the creature.

Or, perhaps those were standard issue. I noticed its saddle had the symbol of the local police.

“I suppose we know how Mr. Maki got here,” I said.

“The man really does have friends everywhere,” said Mariko. “Who else could commandeer a police horse during a blackout?”

“Who else, indeed.” I owed Hiro a pint of whatever he drank to relax when this was all over. I knew he liked juice, but it didn’t seem strong enough for the task.

Leaving the horse behind, we dashed as quickly as we could around the closest end of the vessel: a civilian transport, from the looks of it.

“Right there!” said Mariko.

I shushed Mariko in case Fera was down there, but sure enough, there was a rope ladder like the one we’d used after our first escape. A quick scan with Mimic Sight showed no sign of the devil. Cautiously, I leaned over the edge of the dock. I’d expected to find nothing at all, but no, there was a fiberglass boat just like the one where Diavolo had held us before.

The engine at the back was just as Mariko had described. It was shaped like an outboard motor, only everything was made of lacquered wood inlaid with human runes.

“Human runes?” I murmured. I hadn’t looked closely at the boat where we’d been held before (I’d been a tad distracted), but I suspected we would find the same at the other one. Where the devil had Fera gotten that? I’d never heard of the like.

Mariko leaned over next to me, frowning thoughtfully. “I was sure she was running here.”

I didn’t respond, closing my eyes to really focus. Fera couldn’t have gone to her spare escape boat, could she? No, she’d been running the wrong way for that. Besides, the others would have fled the Bermuda from that side. We’d have heard the fireworks already.

Not that I could see them clearly when I tried a look through Mimic Sight. Just like back at the Nagoya Tower, the long-distance jamming fabricata was blinding to look at from its position in the lower decks of the Bermuda. Blast it all, who knew how long its charge would last? Even worse, the jamming magic was throwing enough “chaff” into the air that I couldn’t see any sign of Fera.

I wondered why I hadn’t seen such a blindingly obvious source of magic when we’d entered the shipyard. It wasn’t a devil; the shape was all wrong for a humanoid form. A human style magical battery made the most sense. If the ship had counter-jamming fabricata, it must have had a power source for them, and they’d managed to reroute it to their own device.

Enemy’s bones, just how good was Fera’s spy ring? This ship’s magical capabilities hadn’t appeared when I’d looked it up.

Of course, I had the answer: good enough to know exactly who I’d been talking to.

Fera must have found the time to give the battery a good jolt while the rest of us had been tussling with Diavolo, which was encouraging. Properly charging a magical battery takes a good amount of time, and she’d only had a few minutes at best.

Not that it helped us much in the moment. We had no time to disable the artifact.

“Do you see her?” asked Mariko. She’d been waiting patiently while I’d spaced out.

I shook my head. “We’ll have to search the old-fashioned way,” I said, a moment before throwing a small Magic Bolt through fiberglass boat’s bottom. It was a shame to waste such a fine fabricata; when this was all over, I’d have to mention to somebody that it needed salvaging.

We made our way around the docked vessel again, which put us right into the battlefield again. The seagull had returned to pick at the orcs, and he’d picked up a couple of friends.

“Oh, no!” said Mariko, who was only stopped from charging in by my hand on her shoulder.

“Hold on, my dear,” I said, twisting the fingers of my free hand. “They can pay for their dinner. Spectral Web!”

The largest gull let out a terrified squawk as I wrapped it in blue threads of solid magic. His fellows winged away as I dashed in, but that was fine. I only needed one for this plan.

“Vugelsluv!” The gull stopped thrashing about as the demonic magics warped its mind. I was likely cursing it with brain damage, but I didn’t much care. It’s not like the vermin belonged to somebody.

Mariko came up behind me as I cut it loose with one of the fallen orcs’ scimitars. “Oh, that is your spell from that combat exercise.”

“Precisely,” I said, setting the bird upright. He didn’t move an inch; it was rather like holding a stuffed animal. “Fera was so good as to relieve us of our communication devices, so it’s time to improvise. Now, be quiet a moment; we don’t want to confuse the poor beast.”

I looked the gull right in its glassy eyes. “Vugelspek. The jammer is in the bowels of the Bermuda! Try to disable it!” After a moment’s silence, the message was set, recorded as a bubble of magic in the seabird’s throat. “There are a group of humans on the far side of that ship. Find them and repeat that message until you can’t anymore. She will be somewhere in this dock, so do not go too far away. Do you understand?”

The seabird considered me a moment before nodding once and flapping away. I cast a quick Spot Clean to remove the blood and filth from the scimitar and a borrowed scabbard, since the demons had relieved me of my rapier. The scabbard’s leather strap had been designed for an orc’s waist, but it fit well enough slung from my shoulder to the opposing hip. I’d simply have to be careful drawing the heavy sword.

“That was almost scary,” said Mariko. “It seems wrong to force your will on the bird like that.”

“I will say, Mr. Lahlou didn’t have much interest in reverse engineering that one,” I said. Likely because I’d lobotomized his bird.

“Also, you, ah, fouled yourself.”

“Hm?” I almost thought that had been a pun, before realizing that capturing the bird had left my shoes and pants covered in orc. The Spot Clean couldn’t clear it all, and I was glad I’d graduated from my white cadet uniform. “Then we’d best get out of here; the seagull is only Plan B.”

“What is plan A?” asked Mariko.

“Well, if Fera isn’t fleeing, then she might be trying to carry out her other objective,” I said.

Mariko’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my! You mean King George?”

“Precisely,” I said. “I don’t suppose you know what her Plan B was?”

Mariko shook her head. “She made sure to do all of her communication in Demonic. She mostly talked with Dante in coded letters and a civilian smartphone he smuggled her.”

“She’s thorough, at least,” I muttered, my eyes falling on the police horse. At least we could make up for lost time. “Fancy a ride, my dear?”