More of the ore is being mined from the caverns for the Weapon. We’ll need it if we’re to complete the designs drawn up for the Weapon. I touched upon the parts already completed, sensing them no different than others.

I wonder if Legosia’s blade was made in a similar process? Perhaps after this, We could learn how to replicate that instead? He still hasn’t told me where he got it, the bastard.

-From The Last King of Elneshe’s 6th Note.

Recently, Galeon had found himself engaging in missions that didn’t seem to be that important. He’d spent so much time away from battles that he was beginning to think Novi had done something to keep it that way.

But that was only the second most important thing on his mind. The first was how he was going to place a jet inside of a tall glass. His hand squeezed in there, his strength chained so that he didn’t crack the glass and ruin the entire experiment.

“Is it so hard to reach in there? J-Just… dislocate your thumb?” an old man said from beside him. Egil was a scholar who Galeon’s regiment of Afterburners were assigned to for the evening. He had wiry hair that spread out everywhere and the top of his head was bald. And right now he was being a massive pain for Galeon.

“Break my thumb? You think I can just do that?” Galeon asked as he tried reaching further. Just a bit more… Just a bit! He could brush against the bottom of the glass. Then he’d be done!

“You can’t?” Egil asked.

“Well… yeah, I can. But it’d hurt,” Galeon replied.

“You can heal!” Egil said, exasperated.

“That doesn’t mean it won’t hurt!” Galeon shouted back.

He finally reached the end of the glass and put a jet in there, just big enough to cover the bottom to the edges and then retracted his arm.

“See? Easy. And no thumbs needed to be broken.”

Egil picked up the cup with his hand and examined it carefully. He measured the length of the jet and compared it to the length of the glass with the help of a ruler, then set it back down on the desk with the rest of the glasses.

“That’s good. Now fill the other five,” Egil told him and Galeon groaned. But work needed doing. And if he gave Noviselle any more trouble he was sure he’d get chased out of the military.

As he worked, beside him the other Afterburners finished their tasks as well. Regrettably, he was placed with the women, who were filling the glasses with jets faster than he ever could.

“Maybe if you twist your arm, it could fit better?” Janel told him. He tried doing it, but it just seemed to get his hand stuck further into the small glass. He thought the edges of it might crack, so he carefully tried to move it forward.

“Chop off a finger or two and I’m sure it’ll fit,” Raya added. The blonde always had something to say for the moment.

“You’re taller than me! How did you do it?” Galeon asked her. She twirled her fingers in front of him.

“Delicate touch,” she remarked proudly. Janel clapped her hands together and the both of them turned to her.

“I got it! You should dislocate your thumb!” she said with prideful smile.

“I’m not doing that!” Galeon shouted, making the petite girl flinch.

“I’m just trying to help…” Janel said and Galeon felt bad. He apologized and the both of them walked away. He was left by himself to finish the jets, but he did so. Thankfully, he got the hang of it after the second time and the last four weren’t as difficult to fill.

Once he was done, he delivered the glasses back to Egil, who looked them up and down.

“And how long are these going to last?” Egil asked him.

“Depends on how much bewllan you keep feeding me, I guess?”

“Rough estimate, Galeon,” he reiterated with a hint of annoyance.

“A few hours?”

“That’ll be enough time, then. Let’s start with the first experiment,” Egil said as he brought one of the glasses near a giant wooden water tank. There was a tap at the edge of the tank from which he poured a bit of cloudy water into the glass. He then set the glass back down on a table and held it with clamps on the side.

“Okay, now, can you turn this one on?” Egil asked. Galeon nodded and freed up a bit more of his bewl. As he did, the water shot straight out of the cup and landed on the table

“A bit… lighter than that, Galeon,” Egil asked as he took the glass off the clamps and refilled it.

“Right,” Galeon responded. Then he turned the jet on again, but softly. Not enough for him to even use by his estimate. But he was skilled in freeing up his bewl, so he adjusted it just enough to start heating up the water within. After only a few moments, it began to boil, and Egil smiled.

“There it is. Water purification, without even needing a fire,” Egil explained.

“I don’t get it. What’s the point if we do have fires, Egil?”

“Well, we can’t always have fire around. But men like you are needed everywhere. That just makes this a bit easier. Now come on, we’ve got other experiments to run,” Egil gestured to him and Galeon took off.

He and Egil tested out a bunch more designs as the sun finally rose to midday. Faster carts, flying carts, some kind of fan that could cool people down. After a while the inventions got boring to Galeon, who really just wanted to be done with it so that he could get sent on something more important.

Around him, Stele, Raya, Janel and Ninel were also busy with their own tasks, so they couldn’t entertain him much as he went through the experiments. He prayed to Seraphas to give him some reprieve from the constant testing and maintaining of the jets. And he got it, just not the way he wanted.

He’d been working on another model of the fan. His bewl was newly refreshed and he was arguing with Egil about how strong the jets would need to be.

“It’ll fly off if you go that strong!” Egil reprimanded him.

“But what’s the point of the fa-” He paused when he saw a green glow in Egil’s eyes. Galeon turned around from the man, looking into the skies above the camp.

There, far away, a portal large enough for him to see had opened up.

“Who… made that?” Galeon asked.

Something fell through the portal and Galeon tensed. It hit the ground near a tent and exploded, sending shrapnel far away. Screams erupted from the camp as more of those objects fell from the portal.

Galeon touched his palms and feet and took off into the air, leaving the cowering scholar behind. He freed almost all of his bewl trying to reach the portal, flying so fast tears leapt from his eyes. Then as soon as he came close enough to see to the other side, it winked close. The last thing he saw through the green edged portal was more green, darker and more natural shade.

Seraphas damn you! Galeon cursed inwardly. But the damage had been done. In just a moment, several of the tents had caught fire and there were people lying on the ground. Galeon rushed down from the air, taking those injured near the tents away, carrying them on his back as he freed more of his strength to use.

Beside him, his Afterburner allies appeared.

“What happened!?” Raya shouted at him.

“I don’t know! Just get the survivors!” he shouted back as he grabbed another child. He hauled the group of them to the nearest clinical tent. The nurses and doctors inside had heard the explosion and had readied the beds, so Galeon left the pile to them as he went back.

When he did, he saw that the fire had started to spread. It engulfed more tents and more people screamed, thankfully running away from the blaze.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Galeon!” someone shouted from downwards. Galeon looked down to see Egil standing amongst the charred temporary buildings. He lowered himself until he was in earshot of the man, who looked to be coughing.

“You have to- You have to put it out!” he shouted at Galeon. But how?! He couldn’t control flames with his powers, so what could he do? From where he stood, Stele carried at least a half dozen people on his shoulders and dragged them away. Wait…

An idea bloomed in his head. Galeon looked back at the testing site, finding the wooden water tank unmarred. He then looked back down at Egil to address the man.

“I know how we can put it out! Get the other Afterburners to the water tank!” Galeon shouted at the man.

He flew over to the tank and landed next to it, trying to gauge the weight. Even with my strength, I can’t lift it… he realized. So, he didn’t try. Instead he held up the bottom of the wooden tank and placed four jets equidistant from each other.

Then, he set the tank back down and activated them. It took a lot of bewl to power them, but eventually the weight of the tank started to shift and it began to raise into the sky. Raya, Jenal and Ninel arrived a moment later, looking at him like he was an idiot.

“What are you doing! There’re still people back there!” Raya shouted at him.

“I know! Just help me lift this thing. We can put out the fire using it!” Galeon told them. They hesitated for a moment, but Janel was the first to move. Galeon lifted the tank for her with his jets so she could place her own, Raya and Ninel following behind to repeat her movements.

The tank suddenly lurched into the air as the Afterburners tried to control their different thrusts to match up. It was at that moment that Galeon realized that they really should have had a measurement for it.

“Hold it steady and bring it over to the fires before they spread any further!” Galeon shouted at them and they nodded. He then jumped on top of the tank and ripped the cover off. Water sloshed within the casing, some spilling over as it tilted on its sides.

“Galeon what are you doing!?” Raya shouted at him, floating in the sky and stabilizing the tank.

Galeon ignored her, swimming until he reached the bottom and placing one last jet on the bottom. The jet expanded outward from the point he touched, until it covered the entirety of the bottom of the tank. It ate at his bewl pool something fierce, but Galeon still did it.

He reached a hand out of the water, his eyes closed from the stinging pain, then was hauled up by someone he couldn’t see. He wiped them to get a better view, looking at the tank from above.

Stele had come towards them, holding the tank along with Janela and Ninel. It now sat above the tents, the giant tank floating unevenly.

“Tilt it over there!” Galeon shouted and the other Afterburners obeyed. He then took the bewl from his pool and activated the massive jet, feeling his freed bewl sharply decrease. He was left with a tiny trickle as water shot out of the top of the tank and fell over the tents.

The liquid sprayed on the tents and started to douse the fire slowly. Flames flickered from mighty blazes down to small embers until finally winking shut. Galeon grabbed at Raya’s pouch midway through the dousing, drinking in the bewl that was in the bewllan crystals.

By the time they were done, they let their jets dissipate and the tank drop. It hit the ground and broke into chips and planks, splinters of which reached up to Galeon.

Then the other Afterburners floated down. Raya let go of Galeon when he was able to stand on own two feet. He tried to dry himself off, but he was too thoroughly soaked. Instead, he had to bear the chill through shivers.

“Get him to someplace warm,” Raya told the others. Stele nodded and picked up Galeon like one of the civilians, holding him over his shoulder.

“Hey, Stele, I can still walk…” but the words fell on deaf ears. Stele didn’t put him down till he was near a bed and had spare clothes coming on the way. The tent he was in was cold, but the blankets helped cover some of that up. Stele left soon after and Galeon found himself alone once more. And this time even Egil wasn’t around to bother him about his powers.

****

Some time later, Noviselle came in through the tent flap and greeted Galeon.

“Hey, Novi!” Galeon said to the angered woman. She looked like she was about to burst a vein.

“Galeon, are you okay?” Noviselle asked with a restrained voice. Galeon twisted around his arms. The new clothes were doing wonders for his warmth and his bewl pool had filled a bit again, so he was feeling good.

“Easy going as always,” he told her and a bit of a smile peeked through her strained expression.

“Good. Good. Because I’m going to find whatever Antov cursed fool did this and string him up for every Ravenishtani for leagues to see,” she said, her hands tightening as she spoke.

“Really, you should take it easy, Novi. We contained the fire,” Galeon reassured her.

“And thank you for that, Leon, but that doesn’t excuse what happened. People got hurt, and inside the camp. That doesn’t do well for the peace of people’s minds.”

“Maybe we should go out there and appease those people,” Galeon offered.

“No, we’ve got something more important than consolation. Come on,” Noviselle said, walking out of the tent once more. Galeon followed her outside and through the roads, and she spoke all the way through.

“Did you track what the target of the attack was?” Noviselle asked him.

“There was a target?”

Noviselle almost tripped over something on the ground, glancing back at Galeon only long enough to confirm he was really that oblivious.

“The buildings, Leon. They didn’t just go for random tents. They attacked our supplies.”

“Oh… no,” Galeon remarked. He should’ve known, by the amount of people he’d seen fallen over.

“It was a kitchen, wasn’t it?” Galeon asked. Noviselle didn’t look back at him, simply nodding as she went along.

“Not just a kitchen, but they hit a forge too. They’re trying to cripple our supplies so we withdraw.”

They entered the region of the camp where the burnt tents lay. Some people were milling about trying to get their belongings out of the rubble and char, grabbing half-burnt toys or clothing. Galeon stepped over a doll that was charred black, clicking his tongue with annoyance.

“Was it a Ravenishtani squadron?” Galeon asked.

“Seems so. Look here,” Noviselle said as she turned towards a tent that was reduced to just scraps. In the middle of it, Egil and a few other scholars gathered small fragments of something. Emile was there too, the scout searching for prints on the ground or something similar.

“Egil, hand me some of those pieces,” Noviselle asked. Egil nodded and brought them over cupped in his hands.

“They used grenades. Ones of Ravenishtani make by the design,” Noviselle said as she showed Galeon the fragments.

“They used a lot too,” Emile chimed in from his position, “We keep finding bits of the grenades everywhere.”

He stood up and dusted his hands, before sweeping his jacket over himself.

“How big was the portal, Galeon?” Emile asked.

“Bigger than a person, that’s all I know. It shut itself off before I could get close enough.”

Emile made a humming sound, wrapping his hands together.

“And the other side of the portal?”

“All green, like leaves.”

“The attackers must be in the forest then,” Emile said.

“And if they’re in the forest, that means they must’ve needed a lot of bewl to create their portal,” Noviselle added.

Emile unwrapped his arms and started walking towards the edge of the camp, stopping only beside Galeon and Noviselle to give them a solemn nod.

“I’ll check out the trees and you both go interrogate our Planars,” he told the both of them.

“Stay safe, Emile. And take another hallowmancer with you. Tell them it’s my order,” Noviselle said. A smile replaced the serious expression Emile had on his face and he nodded once more.

“I’ll do that.”

They took off apart from each other, both of the groups heading in a different direction to get started on their investigations.

****

Galeon had never been a good interrogator. Which is why he was glad for the fact he had such a demanding personality like Noviselle to do it for him. They were inside of a tent assigned to Planars. The inside was moody, with only a few lights on. Noviselle and Galeon sat on one bed while their suspect sat on the other, bleary eyed.

“Where were you two hours ago?” she asked the Planar in front of her. The woman had just been woken up from her slumber, and she appeared vexed by that.

“Ugh, if only I could heal sleep,” she muttered before coughing as if to distract from it.

“I was sleeping, Countess Noviselle,” the woman said.

“And did anyone else see that. Can anyone confirm it, even?” Noviselle asked.

“Unless I’ve got a stalker who watches me in bed? No.”

Light shined through the flaps of the tent and someone coughed from the entrance. He was a muscular looking man clad in red uniform.

“Uh, I overheard what you were talking about. I could confirm it for you?” The soldier offered.

“So, what’s your proof?” Noviselle demanded.

“We were training out in the yard. We came back in shifts to catch our breath, and no one squadron was too far from each other. If Devine really had left, we would’ve noticed.”

“And did you?” Noviselle asked.

“N-no, Countess.”

Noviselle sighed and hung her head low, scratching at it idly.

“Sorry for wasting your time then, Devine,” she told her.

“Whatever,” Devine shrugged before stretching.

Noviselle stood up from the bed and Galeon followed as they exited the tent.

“Most, if not all of them, are accounted for. Isildan was outside, the other Planars were training in a field, and none of them had the time to run away and stash the bombs.”

“Isn’t it a good thing that none of our hallowmancers are spies?” Galeon asked.

“Yeah, but… that just means we don’t have a lead on who did it. Let’s just hope that Emile found something instead,” Noviselle told him.

They walked back to the scene of the crime, finding Emile eating some bread by himself near a table. He bit off another piece of the hardy thing before addressing the both of them.

“Did you find anything?” Emile asked. Noviselle shook her head.

“All leads on our end are dried up,” she told him.

“Much the same here. There was nothing in the forest that helped. No tracks, no leftover equipment. Meaning either the attacker wasn’t in the forest…”

“Or they had an Afterburner with them,” Galeon finished. “An Afterburner wouldn’t leave any kind of tracks, so he must’ve carried the Planar away!”

“Yup. Which means we’re dealing with more than one hallowmancer. The Afterburner must’ve carried in the explosives as well, considering…” Emile gestured around himself, “… all of this.”

“That’s going to make this much more difficult…” Noviselle muttered. Galeon patted her on the shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile.

“We’ll find whoever did this and catch them before they can cause another incident, Novi. So, don’t you worry,” Galeon told her. She smirked a bit, but it quickly left as her eyes narrowed.

“Thanks, Galeon,” she said in what seemed to be a forced tone, before leaving both him and Emile there to stand by themselves. She gave a little wave of a goodbye, Galeon confused on what had changed her mood.

“Catch…” she whispered to herself as she did.

“Huh… Should we start, then?” Galeon asked Emile. In response, the scout simply pointed upwards. Galeon turned towards them, clouds covering every inch and blotting out the sun. He hadn’t noticed them rolling in, but they were numerous.

“Am I supposed to see something, Emile?”

“Just wait a moment,” Emile replied. A second later, lightning arced across the clouds and thunder soon followed. Only a moment later, like Emile said, light rain began to pour down on the entire camp.

“We’ll have to do it later, Leon,” Emile said, giving him a pat as well before he left.