Chapter 14: The Principality Legati
“Well, let’s go back.” Garfield proposed as he brushed his hands together.
“Wait. Don’t we need to check on the status of this city’s Lord, look for any other pirates still in hiding, and announce to the people that the city’s been liberated?”
“That’s a good idea. You do that while Hannah and I head back.”
“No! Wait!”
“In all seriousness, we’ve done enough. Let’s leave the rest to the residents of the city.”
“Okay…”
The trio teleported directly in front of the Fighter’s Guild.
“Bearclaw? I would have thought you left by now,” said a clerk.
“We’re all done.”
“All done?”
“Yes. The pirate situation is resolved. That wasn’t even our whole day! We’re going home for lunch, then we’ll figure out what to do for the afternoon.”
Before the clerk could think of what to say or ask, the party teleported again, this time, to Garfield’s home.
--
“What now?”
The messenger came just as they were finishing up lunch.
“Whatever, show them in.” The messenger was brought to the dining room.
“Duke, I bear a message from the palace. The King is summoning the city’s nobility to discuss a matter of importance to the kingdom.”
“Is this about those pirates?”
“I apologize, Duke, but I don’t know the cause.”
“Oh, very well. You two wait here.”
“Why!?” Hannah objected.
“Bringing one sidekick into a meeting like this is bad enough, but bringing two? I can’t honestly bring two little girls into this meeting with me. My reputation will be… beyond repair.”
“It’s because we’re… little?” Hannah asked innocently.
“Wait! Making yourself bigger won’t help! I’m sorry. I’ll come right back after the meeting and tell you what it was about.”
“Okay…” Hannah was likely more agreeable because she still had Solana to stay with while Garfield was gone.
--
“Thank you all, once again, for gathering on such short notice. We received a request for aid of a very unusual nature.” The King glanced at Garfield, seemingly surprised that he was present.
“Is it pirates?” one noble called out, somewhat inappropriately.
“Actually, no. We did receive a request for aid from Azure Bay, but the Fighter’s Guild will have to deal with that. This other issue takes priority.”
Garfield heard some murmurs from around the room. ‘Darn,’ he thought.
“The request for aid comes from the south. Specifically, the Principality Legati and the Kingdom of the Heavenly Queen, via the Principality of the Sun. Monsters are emerging from the Dragon Mountains and assaulting the Heavenly Wall.”
Now, shouting erupted from around the room. The news was just that shocking.
“Setting aside the emerging issue in Azure Bay, the kingdom’s security is better than it’s been in decades. The Empire has shown zero interest in pressuring us, Tyrin is in no position to assault our well-defended southern regions, and the elves to our east have declared renewed vows of friendship.”
Some nobles glanced at Garfield, but they didn’t speak up.
“We are far removed from the conflict down south, so the information we have is not yet reliable. If we wait for follow-up reports before taking action, considering the lengthy travel time to send forces to the Heavenly Wall, it’s unlikely we’ll be able to make a difference. If we are going to act, we must do so quickly.”
A messenger entered the room and delivered a note to the King. He paused to read it, then requested the messenger hand it to Garfield.
“Duke, by any chance, are you able to explain this message?”
Garfield glanced at the note. “Wow. That’s a bold color, Princess!”
“Wha!?” The princess turned red, having no idea what the heck was going on. The King buried his face into his hands.
“Oh, I misread it. Forgive me. Hm. The most recent message from Azure Bay says that the pirates were defeated.”
“Yes… that is what I was asking you about, Duke. Do you know how they were defeated?”
“It involved a lot of whining, begging, and crying.”
“I-I won’t ask for any further elaboration. If the situation in the west is resolved, at least for now, then that further frees us up to respond to the conflict in the south.”
“If it is already decided we will respond, then I should begin planning a deployment at once!” Count Polonio announced. “The distance is great, so considerable effort needs to go into planning the route, distribution of horses and carriages, and preparation of supplies. Also, we know little about the enemy or battlefield circumstances.”
“Count, I’m glad we can count on you, as always. Is anyone here familiar with the Heavenly Wall?”
Everybody looked around the room, but nobody responded.
“There may be refugees from the south living in the southern district with firsthand knowledge…” one noble suggested.
“There isn’t time to seek that out, and the information wouldn’t be reliable,” another noble countered.
“I have an idea,” Garfield suddenly announced. “We should send Count Polonio down south to kick all the monsters back over the Dragon Mountains.” Laughter erupted from around the room. Apparently, rumors of that event had already spread. The King waited for the right moment and attempted to get the meeting back on track.
“Duke, you are the most mobile force we have. Do you want to check into this matter personally?” Everyone leaned forward on their chairs waiting for a response.
“As much as it pains me to admit it, lately, most of the strange things that happen are somehow indirectly my fault, so I probably should get involved. Also, my territory will be first to fall if invasions from the south continue. Why don’t I lead a small advance party while the kingdom makes preparations for a larger deployment if I request it?”
Cheers of agreement rang out from around the room. From the perspective of most nobles, this was the ideal response.
“Duke, how do you plan to proceed?” the King asked.
“Hmmm… I need to think about it. Let me return home and discuss it there. Is there anyone you want to send with me?” Garfield heard more murmurs from around the room. Apparently, the offer to bring people on one of his famous escapades was interesting.
“Duke, what will be the method of travel?” Everyone perked up when they realized they really wanted to know the answer to the King’s question.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“I need to think about that too. Probably, whoever comes with me should not be afraid of heights…” Most people lost interest in trying to send someone along with Garfield.
--
“Garfield!” As he walked back into his home, Hannah and Solana came running over. “What happened?” Garfield told them everything, including the joke about the princess.
Solana asked the most important question. “Who should we bring?” Garfield continued to agonize over that decision.
--
Garfield stood in his backyard along with Hannah, Solana, Eleha, the attack mage and the archer from White Glow, and one of his fox-girl maids. The maid wasn’t going to travel with them, she was just standing by and attending to them.
“Um, why bring me and not Ms. Polonio or the Court Mage?” the attack mage wondered.
“We’re going to need ranged firepower for this mission. Now that you have that staff for amplifying your magic, your offense will be welcome. The other two wouldn’t be able to help as much.
“I see…” For the first time, Garfield saw her actually smile a bit.
“But aren’t there more experienced mages and archers at the guild and in the royal guard and whatnot? Why bring us?” the archer asked.
“I don’t want to work with new people I can’t trust during such an important mission.”
“Oh…” The archer also seemed happy to be brought on an important mission and to be trusted by Garfield.
“What about me?” Solana asked. “I’m kind of a mess right now as far as being a balanced party member…”
“I actually have a plan for you.”
“You do!?”
“I’d like to make you a magic gunner, but I haven’t had time to work that one out yet. For now, just stick with us. Your mobility and strength could come in handy.”
“Okay! Wait, what’s a magic gunner?”
Garfield ignored her question. “Any other questions?”
“Have you decided how we’ll travel?” Hannah asked.
“Yes. Our mode of transportation will double as our platform for attacking the enemy. We will rain down destruction on to the battlefield. If my predictions are correct, we’ll be able to fire upon the enemy to an unlimited extent without being in any danger of getting attacked.”
Everyone’s eyes lit up at the prospect of such an advantageous battlefield.
“Let’s not jinx ourselves though. We’ll be on guard for flying enemies, ranged attacks, and any other threats while we’re near the battlefield. Also, we need to be extra careful not to strike friendly targets by accident.”
Garfield gestured for everyone to back up a bit.
“Here I go. «Summon Creature of the Sky, a Contraption, Gnomish Flying Wing».” A metallic structure, piloted by actual gnomes, appeared. The crew lowered a ladder to ground level. “Hop on!”
Most members of the group were hesitant, but eventually, everyone climbed aboard the Flying Wing. As it began its climb into the sky, Garfield provided some more useful information.
“Now remember, only half of us are able to fly, so be careful not to fall off. Start practicing stabilizing yourself while aiming at targets below now so you’re well practiced when the battle begins.”
“Wait, half of us can fly!?”
The Flying Wing, traveling south, would become the source of many new rumors.
--
“Ugh, it’s getting worse!” A man, overlooking field filled with monsters, stood atop a massive stone wall. “When will the next wave of reinforcements be here!?”
“General, most of the aid is marching to the Kingdom further east where the attacks are more intense. I don’t think we have much help on the way…”
“Blast! How much more intense can the assault be than this!?” The General gestured to the enemy.
“General, please keep in mind that Tyrin has been weakened of late. I don’t totally understand why but their army is suffering from a lack of leadership and they’re getting ravaged by pirates at the same time. The Secular Union is close to the Kingdom and far from us, so I don’t expect help from them. At least the Principality of the Sun sent us some forces.”
“Yes, but only a fraction of what they sent east.”
“Yes…”
“The wall won’t hold forever!”
“It is so. Where are those blasted dragons?”
“There’s no point in wishing for what you can’t have.”
--
“Chief, the village of the dog-people has fallen!”
“It has? Damn!”
“Damn those cat-people! And rabbit-people!”
“We best make preparations. We could be next.”
“Chief, how should we proceed?”
“For starters, let’s learn from the dog-people. Spy on their forces. Perhaps they’re foolish enough to reveal their plan by mocking up their targets as fox-people.”
“Yes… Wait, didn’t you contact your relatives down south?”
“They hardly count as relatives, but yes. I was just giving them an update, though. I didn’t request aid… not with the situation so uncertain.”
“Isn’t it time to request aid?”
“It’s worth a try…”
--
“The wall’s about to be breached! Surge forces to marker 19.5!”
“Gods help us!”
“We’ve been forsaken!”
“What the hell is that!?” Guards atop the wall south of the Principality Legati spotted a flying object approaching rapidly from the north. There seemed to be people moving around on top of it.
“Is that… help from the north?”
“I don’t know, but it better be! We’re about to lose the wall!”
The Flying Wing continued south until it passed over the Heavenly Wall.
“Everyone, commence attack.” At Garfield’s order, arrows and spells flew down from the aircraft and cut into the enemy. Garfield could see various beasts, trolls, goblins, centaurs, orcs, and even grotesque giants among the enemy.
Eleha mostly remained on guard for attacks from flying monsters or to deflect incoming projectiles. Hannah rained down area-of-effect spells, eliminating pockets of monsters in one go. The archer and mage from White Glow were picking off enemies one at a time in the area where the wall was most at risk of falling.
“Hannah, try using your weather manipulation ability.”
“How?”
“I believe the most destructive phenomena from weather are lightning, strong wind, hail, and their secondary effects, such as storm surges. In theory, you can trigger all three with proper control of thunderstorms, but that might be a bit much for you right now. For now, focus on creating one large cloud, and making it as tall as possible.”
“Okay.”
The atmospheric conditions were sufficiently unstable that forming a cumulonimbus cloud wouldn’t be difficult for Hannah. As a single cloud grew in size, Garfield advised her to reroute the prevailing winds so that the cloud would not get quickly blown away from the battlefield.
“What is that!?” Solana asked, noticing the rapidly growing cloud.
“She’s using her weather manipulation ability,” Garfield explained.
“What!? I want that!”
“One day. If Hannah gets good with it then she can teach you.”
“Okay!”
By now, the cloud was showing the telltale signs of being a thunderstorm. Wind shear was strengthening, small hail was starting to form, and flashes of light were emanating from the cloud. “Hannah, keep as much of the wind away from the Flying Wing as possible.” Hannah nodded in response.
Garfield looked down at the battlefield. Some of the monsters were actually losing momentum due to the developing weather. They wouldn’t be defeated by some wind, rain, and light hail, but it was much harder to attack when the weather was bad. In contrast, the defenders weren’t terribly affected.
“Don’t worry about the hail. Don’t try to attack with wind, either. Other than what I already told you, now, focus entirely on lightning. Try to mix up the warmer and colder air as much as possible. Now, try to suck energy up out of the ground and then slam it back down.”
Hannah concentrated on her cloud. While she was making the necessary preparations, Garfield turned to the rest of the group. “Hannah and Solana will be okay but, everyone else, cover your ears!” Everyone braced for incoming thunder.
‘This is difficult,’ Hannah thought as she continued using her weather manipulation ability. Garfield made it sound simple, but she could tell controlling the weather was incredibly complicated. Probably, nobody else anywhere understood how weather works better than Garfield. With his magic, he’d likely be launching lightning down at the ground already. Even in these current circumstances, he was helping Hannah grow. She wouldn’t let him down.
“Here I go!” The first lightning strike came down right in the middle of a cluster of monsters. The number of enemies actually defeated or destroyed wasn’t much different than when Hannah used one of her area-of-effect spells. However, there were two important differences between her spells and weather manipulation. The first: the lightning was incredibly disorienting for large swathes of nearby monsters. The second: Hannah could launch lightning strikes over and over again without using mana. She was going to test her rate of fire right now.
Hannah focused on increasing the pace of her attacks. The cooldown between her first and second strike was over 20 seconds. Next time it was 15 seconds. After a few more strikes, her pace had increased to one strike every two to three seconds. The superheated plasma was cutting through their enemies like a hot knife through butter.
Hannah paused to look over at Garfield who gestured for her to continue despite holding his hands over his own ears. Boom. 12 enemies destroyed. Boom. 11 enemies destroyed. Boom. 31 enemies destroyed. As the enemies began to thin out, Garfield gestured to the gnomish crew to begin migrating east along the wall. Hannah redirected her cumulonimbus cloud to remain a step ahead of them, raining down white death on the enemy. Eventually, the main wave of the enemy’s assault was entirely defeated.
Enemies continued to trickle in along the Principality Legati’s entire width, but the standing forces would be able to handle them. Garfield told Hannah to make the cloud dissipate and then called for a landing atop the portion of the Heavenly Wall closest the big city in view. They dismounted as a few people cautiously approached.
“I’m General Duke of the Principality.”
“That’s going to be really confusing.”
“Uh…”
“I’m an adventurer of the Fenwick Kingdom.”
“Fenwick!? Hm. May I ask what… this… is?”
“It would take a while to explain. For now, just consider it unique magic of mine.”
“I see…”
“I suggest we skip the remaining introductions. The circumstances are just as bad or worse to the east, right?”
“I assume so. The Kingdom is much wider than us geographically and has more wall to defend. We’ve also heard the monster assault is more intense over there. Most of the region’s defenders were sent to reinforce Queen Rosa, but I don’t know how they’re faring. We may be in a Dynastic Union, but our communications can’t stand up to a predicament like this.”
“I see. We should proceed east to assist.”
“Before you do, please tell me, just how in the heck did you trigger all that lightning?”
“That’s a secret of Fenwick, I’m afraid.”
“Darn. What should I tell the Prince? Surely, he’ll want to repay this debt.”
“For now, just tell him what happened, I guess. We don’t have time to worry about the rest now.”
“Hopefully, once Tyrin finally gets a handle on their pirate problem, we can open new trade routes along our coasts!” the General proposed.
“Oh, I think the pirate problem is trending in a good direction. I’m more concerned about the cause of this monster attack from the south, though.”
“Yes. I don’t know why the dragons suddenly abandoned us.”
“Abandoned?”
“For generations, the dragons have patrolled the Dragon Mountains, eliminating any monsters that try to cross north from the Badlands. Just recently, they are nowhere to be seen. Perhaps something’s happened to them?”
“I have no idea,” Garfield admitted. “But I’ll make it my business to find out.”
“Then I wish you luck. Thank you!”