Chapter 66: Thrust 3
Elania grunted as she hefted the massive chunk of rock, her muscles straining with the effort.
The sun beat down on her from an angle, the hot evening sunset doing its best to be relentless as it poured the last vestiges of the day onto her. The air was relatively still; despite the altitude, it felt like summer had arrived.
She lifted the boulder into the air and maneuvered it into position.
Dozens of city workers swarmed around the island, attaching metal bars and stakes to the rock like little hooks.
Another team wrapped a metal band around the joint before the artifice workers began turning the crack into a molten material with several machines that reminded Elania of sci-fi laser drills.
Sweat dripped down Elania’s brow as she held the island chunk steady, the weight bearing down on her.
A tap on her shoulder nearly made her lose balance, and she heard Ember’s laughter as the Tower put a hand on the rock, lightening the load considerably.
“You should pay attention, or you could get blind-sided,” Ember said.
Elania huffed, adjusting her grip on the boulder. “It’s fine. Yolani designed the repair thing.”
Ember chuckled, nodding in appreciation. “It was a great idea, but I’m not sure how well it will hold up if another munition depot explodes on it.”
Elania’s mood soured at the mention of the explosion, and she focused on holding the chunk in place until several crew members rappelled down and signaled that they were ready to test the seal’s weight bearing.
Elania and Ember counted down from three in unison, then released the rock simultaneously. The island groaned, but the chunk stayed in place, eliciting cheers from the workers.
As the crews moved to start stage two, reinforcing and bracing the chunk with new steel scaffolding, Elania landed back on solid ground.
She glanced at the activity at the wharfs, taking in the sight of the numerous airships and the constant movement of people and goods.
She spotted the Heart and Gold, both in the process of being upgraded further with a full set of military equipment. A crane lowered a large artillery weapon onto the deck of the Heart.
Elania recognized it as one of Yolani’s designs. Each ship would get a pair of them, and from what she knew, they’d be armed with the elemental shells developed in Neftasu, with timed fuses making them effective for aerial combat.
Even better, the city was paying for it as part of the mobilization and preparations for conflict.
Ember flew overhead, inspecting the warships and wharf before heading away. Elania considered how the Towers were cooperating, like the city was coming together to prepare and defend itself.
It felt like unity. In Neftasu, it felt like everyone was segregated into different districts and social classes.
The culture was just completely different, and… it fit her better, Elania realized.
She liked Contia. At least more than Neftasu.
Maybe that wasn’t something she should tell Yolani or the others, but… well, Neftasu kinda sucked.
The Magistry had sucked. The Conclave had sucked. The nobles and merchants had taken advantage of everyone they could, and so many people lived without hope in the slums.
Lyra was a bitch. Ember was constantly trying to figure out how to fuck with her and Yolani… literally. Arlois had… she still hadn’t forgiven Arlois, but she could understand her reasons and somehow, that let her let it be.
Somehow, Arlois had ridden the line right to the edge but not crossed the point that would have made Elania hate her.
Elysia was… mostly okay?
Even with the Towers and the sometimes ridiculous laws and procedures the city loved, Contia wasn’t too bad. Maybe the fact the city wasn’t a patriarchy and sexual orientation wasn’t really a factor in judging other people was a huge part of her acceptance of it.
She could see herself living here for a few years with Yolani if they were left alone and not attacked, given some time to grow together more.
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It wasn’t likely they’d get that free time, though. The Lightbringer ships had been right there… waiting on the border. There hadn’t been a single message from Tiria about Bishop Lefarne or the explosion.
They hadn’t risked sending their own messenger to explain. Instead, they’d shanghaied a Monevoian and sent him home with it. Whether it would ever reach its destination was questionable. Not that anyone thought sending a letter of explanation that Bishop Lefarne had opened fire and blown himself up was likely to be believed.
A group of people in tattered clothes moved together, some breaking off to ask for work or alms from the various ship crews or wharf workers.
A frown appeared on Elania’s face. How many people had they displaced from the Neftasu District? Maybe when they had things in hand, they could find a way to help those people, too.
Elania watched as the team continued their work, securing the island chunk with reinforced scaffolding. Soon, she’d head back home.
Home.
When had she started considering the estate as her home? Regardless, it only took a few seconds to figure out why it felt that way: Yolani made it feel like home.
It was just that… the rest of her family wasn’t there. Not that she’d want to bring them to Eladu. That would suck. Her mom would probably have a heart attack.
A wave of melancholy washed through her as she thought about her parents.
She missed them dearly, so much so that she had pushed thinking about them completely and utterly aside. They would be heartbroken by now, with her absence stretching for so long.
Or would they? What if time flowed differently between the two worlds? What if it had been shorter or longer?
A million scenarios ran by, from her returning to find Earth transformed by a thousand years of progress into some sci-fi world or her waking up to find that no time had passed at all and Eladu was just a dream.
Somehow, the second filled her with panic more than the thought of never seeing her parents again.
A warm push through the conduit was like a soothing balm through her panic, a mental caress from Yolani. It felt like she was right behind her, whispering on the back of her neck. Elania turned around. There was no one, but the presence whirled around with her.
“Elania!” Yolani’s voice sounded.
Elania blinked. “Yolani? What’s wrong?”
Yolani’s reply came swiftly, “The healing potion shipment is in trouble!”
Elania blinked. Somehow, [Divine Communion] was working now.
Without hesitation, Elania opened her wings and leaped into the air.
Elania soared over the Neftasu District as she followed the healing potion route in reverse.
She scanned the streets below, searching for signs of the wagon carrying the precious cargo. As she flew, her mind raced with the potential consequences of losing the potions. The refugees needed them. The Guard needed them.
Yolani’s messages had cut off after a few seconds because of the time limit due to the low rank of her divine skill. Raising those seemed like something she should ask Arlois about later.
Halfway to the arena, she spotted a large crowd surrounding the potion cart. She dived straight toward it.
One crate had already been pulled off and shattered on the ground, shimmering liquid spilling out onto the cobblestones as frantic people fought through broken wood and glass to grab what they could.
Henri and Allie were standing on top of the wagon. Henri had his sword drawn and waved it back and forth at anyone who tried to climb up with them. It was the only thing keeping them from being swarmed, and the crowd seemed to be growing more aggressive every second.
Elania landed on top of the cart with a heavy thump, her wings spreading wide with a shimmering golden energy.
The crowd reacted like it had been slapped and worked itself into a frenzy. Half tried to flee, while the other half redoubled their efforts to seize the potions. People fell and started to get trampled in the panic.
Elania took a deep breath, then pushed [Divine Power] into her [Demonic Aura], blanketing the area.
“HALT!” she ordered, her voice resonating through the bodies of everyone present.
The crowd froze in place, their eyes wide with shock as they turned to face her.
The air grew still, the only sound the occasional whimper or gasp from the injured or frightened.
Elania looked out at the sea of faces, her gaze steady. “Calmly, help each other stand up instead of hurting one another,” she commanded.
Her words must have had some kind of divine influence because the civilians carried out her instructions almost as one.
Elania turned to Allie. “Are you okay?”
Allie nodded, her hands trembling slightly. “I’m fine, just shaken up.”
Elania shifted her gaze to Henri, who stood beside Allie, his sword still drawn. “What about you, Henri?”
“I’m alright,” he replied. “But I have no idea what happened. We were traveling along when suddenly people blocked the way. We couldn’t move without running them over.”
Elania looked out at the crowd, realization dawning on her as she took in their tattered clothing and gaunt faces.
These were the poorer people from the slums. Maybe even the very ones that she had displaced building the Neftasu District. A pang of sympathy ran through her. But she couldn’t tolerate lawlessness.
“Return the potions,” Elania commanded, her voice amplified by her [Demonic Aura]. “There are far more of you than there are potions, and you can’t have them off the cart.”
The power in her words was undeniable, and slowly, the potions were passed forward and handed back to be placed on the cart. The shattered and spilled liquid on the ground could not be salvaged, but they all complied as best as they could.
“If you are hurt or sick, go to the Neftasu District hospital,” she announced. “You will be taken care of there.”
There were blank stares and uncomprehending looks, but some seemed to respond. They all began to disperse slowly.
Elania closed her eyes and focused on [Divine Communion]. In the distance, she could feel Yolani.
“Yolani, the hospital should prepare for an influx of people in need from the slums,” she said. “The situation with the cart is resolved.”
Message sent, she looked back to Henri. “Let’s get this thing moving back to the hospital. Naia is going to need all of them.”
He nodded with a determined look, then sat back down in the driver’s seat and reactivated the artifice engine.
Elania took Allie’s hand and sat down with her. The other girl’s trembling eventually calmed down after a few minutes.
But Elania couldn’t stop looking at the shattered crate left behind and the shimmering liquid slowly flowing toward the edge of the island.