The trio left the castle and spent several days on the road. Calling it an actual road was an overstatement, more akin to a well-travelled dirt path. The travel was long and arduous. It gave Al some memories he would prefer to forget. He longed for earth and all the technological amenities. But he was not on that planet and had to slog through the medieval society.
“They have literal magic, yet they neglect to build better roads.”
The city was smaller than he expected. Apparently, it was a fortress city, which made sense since it bordered Lankos. Being in Tarkonian land, it served as a garrison point for soldiers. Located south of the mountain range of Nosfera and north of the eastern plains. It would be a prime target for capture. Any opposing force with this city in hand will have a useful beach head for invasion.
Of course, any idiot warlord can take a city. If these Lankosians were smart, they would take the city, enslave or coerce the populace to keep production going. With the city, they could supply any army crossing into the plains. With the rebellion of Helgos, Tarkon will probably not have as much help from the Empire. So Aresla will be on its own, especially since the Lankosian invasion force is so large.
These thoughts crossed the mad wizard's mind as they entered the city. Despite the potential threat, commerce was still in effect. Al and the siblings could enter through the western gate. Using his guild identity as part of the Wizarding Union. He knew that would come in handy and smirked as the guards let them in without a fuss.
Thankfully, the city wasn’t under siege yet and they likely still had time. But considering the state of the war, the Lankosians will get to the city in due time.
“We should head straight to Guild, assuming they haven't left already.” Al suggested.
The two nodded, and after a full hour of getting crappy directions from three separate people. They made their way into the Guild district. Unlike Helgos, whom had the various guilds scattered throughout the city. Aresla had all its guild buildings in one central location. The proximity of several cooperative organisations built up quite the surrounding economy.
The Guild district was more akin to a merchant market, then a business district. Turning a corner, they found themselves in a courtyard. Surrounding an ornate fountain was a mess of merchant tents and customers. The fountain was interesting, a mermaid statue pouring water from a jar. He hadn't encountered mermaids in Matesh and wondered if he could have the time to study one here.
Eyeing the statue, he noted the typical form of a mermaid. Beautiful female form with a fish half at the bottom. He always wondered why people sexualised mermaids, considering sex would be next to impossible. Unless they dropped their paints and fertilised some eggs. He wondered if that's how people created half-mermaids. Not exactly a romantic outing.
Passing through the merchant area, the siblings were astonished. They hadn't the time to check out the markets on Helgos. But the sight of so many people and vendors was a marvel to them. They spent most of their lives in the slums of the empire. They had vague memories of marketplaces but had never gone to one. This place put the previous town market to shame.
The two turned to Al with puppy dog eyes. Both of them casting a cuteness spell right at him. Unfortunately, it was more effective than he expected. Nodding, he let them explore. It wasn’t a bad idea, since he planned to visit the Explorer’s Collective. Ensuring his participation in the exploration mission would guarantee safe travel north.
Casting his gaze across the cacophony of voices and mercantile interests. He spotted the Explorers building; the sign had a rolled-up scroll gripped by a hand. Beneath the sign, someone had written "Explorers Collective." He still marvelled at how he could read the language. The summoning ritual seemed to have downloaded the local language into his brain.
It was way better than the Mateshian ritual. He had to learn the language. Took two months to read, write and converse naturally. Shaking his head, he went straight for the door. Before he could lay hands on the door, it opened abruptly. Moving back a step, a towering figure emerged. Flanked by a familiar woman, the pair stared, dumbfounded, at Al.
“James?” Al spoke suddenly.
“By the spirits, is that you Al?” His former companion asked, equally surprised.
The three were stunned, which set them to blocking the door. Only pulled out of the stunned silence when another person cleared their throat. Realising they were holding up traffic, the three entered the guild hall. The Explorer’s Collective was a typical wooden building, with several receptionist desks and various tables scattered about. On the walls were massive ornate maps outlining the continent, broken into segments. On the left was the western region, the right depicted the eastern region. The rightmost map was less detailed, particularly in the northern area.
Seated around one of the empty tables, the three discussed their situations. James, along with Sally cutting in a few times, explained how they escaped Helgos. They were in the markets when the first attack occurred. Chaos descended on the city with riots, looting, and general mayhem. They escaped through the western gate after wading through many rioters.
"We tried to find you three at the inn. When we got there, you were nowhere to be found. However, someone scorched your room." Sally said.
“Yeah, that’s a long story, but we got out before the chaos got too bad,” Al deflected, not entirely sure about their religious beliefs.
“That’s good. James was beside himself with worry.” She said cheekily, getting a glare from her companion.
“We really didn’t want to leave for the north without you. But we are under contract, so you getting here just in time shall be a boon. Our group's wizard has pulled out from the venture.”
“I'm not surprised. He was Helgosian and likely fled,” James added.
“Yeah, I heard they rebelled, right when the invasion occurred. Quite convenient.”
“I don’t think Helgos would work with Lankos. They have just as much animosity as Tarkon.” James explained, folding his arms.
“But aren't they ally of the Wizard State? They were former Helgosians a long time ago.” Sally asked.
“Allies is a strong word, Sally; they are semi-independent members of the Federation and have had their own conflicts with Lankos. Especially with the rise of the demihuman-supremacist movement.”
“You're talking about those Legion guys that attacked us?” Al inquired, recalling the time he blasted them with magic.
“Those are more like the believers, not the rumoured organisation itself.”
The three nodded, worried about the future. Concerned with the path before them, the threat of invasion and the treacherous location they planned to travel.
“Perhaps we should talk about the expedition.” Al shifted the subject.
“Yes, so far it is still on track. With your presence, we should be able to convince them to not cancel the whole thing.”
“Are wizards very important for such ventures?”
“They are, the snobbish bastards have their uses. No offence Al.” Sally added with some distaste.
“None taken.” He waved off her comment.
Before they could continue, a figure approached. He was old, in his mid-fifties and wearing a brown robe with the insignia of the Explorers Collective. The conical glasses slipping slowly off his hooked nose, he adjusted before arriving at the table.
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“The guild is still debating, James. Without a wizard, they don’t want to take the chance.” He said in a raspy voice.
“Well, you're in luck Edward. A wizard has arrived.” He gestured to Al.
The scholar shifted his gaze to Al, noting his appearance and the odd runic work covering his arms. Glaring dubiously at the unfamiliar wizard, Al saw his opportunity and seized it. Withdrawing his wizarding union credentials and displaying them. Still dubious, the scholar noted it was a relatively recent addition. Before he could say anything, Al manifested a tiny tornado in his palm, presenting it to the sceptical scholar.
Al knew this was not actually wizardry and was quite curious if the scholar could notice. He did not and took this power as wizardry. Whether he was unfamiliar with spirit magic or thought such powers were only for the priests. Regardless, he accepted the magic as a fact and traipsed back to his cohorts.
The explorers sat at an adjacent table. Murmuring and pointing at each other, a few angry or perhaps bitter. Whatever the returning Edward said seemed to placate them. Especially when he pointed out Al, they visibly brightened.
“That looks like a good sign,” Sally said while grinning.
What followed was dull paperwork and the minutia of guild bureaucracy. In the end, the guild restarted the expedition and assigned its new passengers to the leaving caravan. Luckily, they arrived when they did, as the expedition was leaving within the hour. The delays and the rumours of conflict made them eager to escape a city that might be subject to a siege.
Quickly, Al retrieved the siblings. They were eyeing a stall filled with magical artefacts. The merchant claiming, they were a necessity for any proper lady. Al wanted to inspect them, but had to leave far earlier than expected. The three gathered their possessions and horses and met up with the caravan with only ten minutes to spare.
“We thought you would not make it.” James joked from atop his own horse.
Riding beside him, Al chuckled. Expanding on the time to capture the misplaced youths. Upon joining the expedition, they learned that the local wizards had scryed the area. No Lankosian forces approached the city, and their course remained safe for now.
Several hours of travel said otherwise. Following a short trek up a hill, they came upon a pleasant view of the plains. What appeared before them were expansive pastures and a few small villages dotting the landscape. These villages were small farmsteads, meant to raise cattle and horses. Instead of the lush environment, they found burning villages and a marching army.
“How is this possible? The wizards scried this location. It was free of invasion.” One scholar said, aghast.
“Scry spells are not infallible. There are methods to subvert them. And look at the smoke. Some process tempers it. This army is employing mundane and magical tactics to conceal their advance. No doubt Areslan scouts will come upon the army soon.” Al explained, his focus locked on the camped army.
“What should we do?” Another man said, scared out of his wits.
“First, we need to warn the city and then stage a distraction, yes that should allow us to slip by,” the wizard suggested, more to himself than the others.
“We can send a rider back.” Someone else suggested.
“No need. I can handle warning the city and the distraction. Just be ready for my signal, which will be the army freaking out.”
Before anyone could brook an argument, the wizard abruptly ascended. The air current whipped into a frenzy around him.
“Felix Jo, stay with the caravan. I'll be back.” He said before rising into the air.
He flew at great speeds; the wind howling around him. Luckily, he remembered to construct a wind barrier, less he dines on the fine cuisine of insects. Travelling at such speeds, he made the trip in record time, landing just outside the western gate. Performing a superhero landing, agitating the poor gate guards.
Approaching them casually, he tried using the power of his words to explain. Eloquently forming the most adept and skilful explanation of the dire threat. It took some time, but he sent the warning far up the chain to summon a wizard. Al found it odd they relied on magic, considering the general perspective on the practice. Then again, that was the consensus of imperial subjects. Aresla was quite multicultural, with people from Tarkon, Helgos and Judica.
“You say there is an army. Strange our scrying spells reveal not a thing.” The haughty wizard proclaimed.
From a brief inventory, the man was stuck up and clearly more of an academically inclined practitioner of magic. Al had met wizards of this calibre before. They invested heavily in magic, convinced it was a divine and infallible art. Once sufficiently powerful, they swore to the heavens that they could do no wrong and everyone else was beneath them.
Shaking his head, he had a terrible idea. He hadn't used the strength-augmenting rune tattooed on his side in months. He had made some slight modifications based on his research so far. It was a simple rune and modifications went smoothly. He considered the rest of his runes complicated.
Stepping up to the disbelieving man, Al sought to educate him. Grabbing him in a bear hug, he launched into the air. The trip didn’t take long, he only needed to traverse far enough to see the army. The wizard sputtered and cursed the whole way. He was at a loss for words the moment he noticed the army. Leagues of soldiers stretched across a massive area, camped and ready. The enemy reduced the villagers who once grazed the area to ash and now occupy the land.
Sufficiently informed, Al picked up the tiny man and sped him to the gate. Coming back to the guards, having multiplied and on high alert. They barely got out their demands before the wizard screamed about an invading army.
“Well, that’s my job done.” Al said in between the wizard's screams.
Giving a salute, confusing the poor guards with the unfamiliar gesture, Al ascended to the sky. Flying, he thought about what he should do. Distracting an entire army is a first for him. He had fought in a war, but the scale was substantially smaller.
Landing on a small hill, he surveyed the army, hoping they didn’t have a scry spell locked onto him. Sitting down, he thought and thought, casually spinning a tiny tornado in his palm. Oddly, the act relaxed him. Half an hour went by and two ideas later, such as setting stuff on fire and flying around, waving his hands. His gaze shifts to the tornado clutched in his palm.
Grinning from ear to ear, he had a dastardly idea. Rising to his feet, he looked around, sensing something he had ignored for most of his adventure in this world. The presence of wind spirits, the anthropomorphic elementals that made this world a bane to all scientists. But to those that could communicate with them and a general knowledge of science. They were a potent weapon of disaster.
Sitting down in lotus position, because why the hell not? He focused his mind, drawing every wind spirit in the immediate vicinity. Gathering a clump of them in his palm, he quietly whispered. It was an idea he had. Since they were more alive than the non-sentient oxygen of his world. These little blobs of possibility could become so much more.
Instructing the spirits he set them to task, they gathered their fellows and began circulating each other, creating a small but noticeable up draft. As they spun in a glorious little dance, others of their kind joined in. Some need to be herded like cats, gathered with a few waves of a hand. Slowly but surely, the air current picked up.
It was not a simple task; it required intense focus to keep the spirits on task. Their own interest whisked them away like the wind. Over time, he convinced several of them to perform a select function. Then pass on these instructions to any spirit in proximity.
The result of his hard work was an impressively sized air funnel linked to a cumulus cloud just above. The wind shear was getting heavy, so he had to suspend himself in the air to avoid being sucked in. He cackled madly, purely taken with the moment. He felt like Victor Frankenvon when he raise the dead.
“What are you doing?” A familiar voice spoke next to him.
Startled, Al abruptly turned to find Ventus, in his humanoid form, glaring down with smoky eyes.
“Nothing much, just chilling.” Al answered causally as a tornado raged beside him.
“That does not look like chilling. In fact, how do you even know how to do that? Past heroes were incapable of such a feat, which is why we summon you mortals.”
“Wait! You summon mortals, bless them with phenomenal cosmic power, and expect them to be weak as piss?” He asked, dumbfounded.
“Not weak, just not this powerful. How are you doing this?” Ventus inquired, somehow creating an air funnel between the two, allowing for conversation despite the massive wind shear.
“It’s just basic science and instructing those little spirits to task.” Al shrugged.
“This is most concerning. We will have to rethink summoning champions from your world.”
“Or just grab dumb people.” Al added with a chuckle.
Raising his palms, he pushed the tornado forward, sending it hurtling into the army. He could already see many of the soldiers sounding alarmed and causing a ruckus.
“Is this your plan to end the war? Destroy one army after the other?”
“Of course not. This is just the distraction and a little havoc on their supplies.” He answered, offended by the spirit's insinuation of systematic mass murder.
The spirit somehow flashed a look of dubious disbelief. The human facial expressions he conjured were getting quite good.
“Alright then, what is your plan to end this war before it brings chaos to the entire continent?”
“Well, that was a stumper, I will admit. But it got my creative juices flowing. Now tell me, my fellow wind sprite, what can convince two sides in a war to put aside their grievances and make peace?”
“I assume that was a rhetorical question?” Ventus asked.
“Right you are. In answer, it’s fear, my boy. Fear of a greater threat, a third party that makes both sides wet themselves.” Al explained with a smile as he casually glances at the chaos his tornado was causing.
Soldiers fleeing and screaming, an entire supply caravan, and a campsite sent to the troposphere. The destruction sent them fleeing like rats from a genocidal fumigator.
“Fear? Do you mean fear of us? Because that will not go well. There is an understanding that if we spirit uses our full power, the federation will summon demons to contend with us.” The spirit revealed.
“Demons, you say, how can they be much of a threat?”
“Arch demons, my boy, they will summon those walking disasters.”
“Oh my, that is quite scary. Perhaps that even tops my plan.” Al stated, genuinely concerned.
“And that plan is?”
“Why vampires, of course, I’m going to scare the pants off everyone with the revival of the blood sucking overlords of night.” He answered the wind spirit's question with a movement grin, in stark contrast to the screams of the fleeing army.