Chapter 72: Interception 2
Elania studied the strategic map of Tiria, Joria, Monevoia, and Contia while Arlois moved several wooden pieces shaped like ships to Contia’s western border. The pieces made a soft clacking sound against the map’s surface.
“This is the best information we have based on our detection range,” Arlois said.
Yolani leaned in, scrutinizing the map. “The amount of ships isn’t enough to threaten Contia,” she observed.
Arlois nodded in agreement. “They can’t expect such a small fleet to invade,” she said, her eyes narrowing. Arlois turned her gaze to Ember, who shrugged, a hint of frustration in her expression.
“We can only detect so far,” Ember explained. “If we want better information, we’ll need to move the detector closer to them.”
Elania felt the weight of everyone’s gaze as it slipped to her. She looked between them, realization dawning on her. “Oh, I see,” she said, a wry smile tugging at her lips. She was always the one going on missions, wasn’t she?
“How hard will it be to carry the detector?” Elania asked.
Yolani spoke first. “I made a simple device that can record and play back the data on the recorder,” she said, “but it requires special work to make it function, as well as a bulkier receiver.”
“Carrying it isn’t the problem,” Ember said. “It’s the fact that the detector is an arcane working, not a device.”
Elania frowned, confusion etched on her face. “Why is that a problem? I’ll just take Yolani?”
Arlois shook her head. “Really, as a demi-divine, you need to work on these abilities.”
Elania bristled slightly. “I’m not going to be learning how to ‘arcane’ anytime soon. I don’t even understand most of the artifice other than the basic principles.”
Yolani reached out and patted Elania’s shoulder. “It’s fine. I’m happy to go with her. We can—”
Ember cut her off. “No,” she said, her eyes fixed on Yolani. “You’re too important and needed in the city. There’s a chance there will be fighting, and you could get hurt.”
Elania frowned and shifted her gaze to Ember. “You’re not going, so who am I supposed to carry, then?”
Yolani bit her lip and then offered an apologetic smile. “The Contia mages overseeing the detection device are nice.”
Elania groaned. She had lost the argument.
“It is settled. Elania will carry a theotechnician to the border and look for more enemy activity,” Arlois ordered.
“Do they have something for carrying people in flight?” Elania asked. “I don’t want to hug them the entire time.”
Arlois snorted. “What were you going to do if Yolani went with you?”
A grin spread across Elania’s face. “I could hug Yolani all day long.”
“Probably all night, too,” Ember chimed in.
A blush crept onto both Elania and Yolani’s cheeks.
Arlois let out a warning noise. “We need to focus.”
Ember nodded. “There’s a harness and basket for carrying people I designed and have buried somewhere,” she said.
Arlois gave a curt nod. “Bring it out,” she instructed. “I’ll fetch the mage and brief him.”
Yolani turned to Elania. “We should go to the workshop,” she said. “I have a few things that can help you during long flights.”
Elania blinked, surprise clear on her face. “I had no idea you were working on something like that.”
Arlois looked between the two of them with a frown. “Don’t waste time. Be at the wharf in an hour.”
It was a short flight back to the estate.
Elania and Yolani hurried, their footsteps echoing on the polished floors. They passed by a startled Darius without a word.
Shadow saw them and bumped against their legs as they passed through the hallway, eager for attention.
“Sorry, Shadow,” Yolani said. “You’re not allowed in the workshop.” She locked the door, leaving him pawing and mewling on the other side.
“He’s spoiled rotten,” Elania mumbled.
Yolani nodded and pointed to the corner, where an array of leather bags and accessories lay neatly arranged in a few different piles.
“Your current accessories aren’t optimal for flight,” Yolani explained. “The single flight bag is bulky, and your harness doesn’t allow easy access when you’re in the air, especially during acrobatic maneuvers.”
Elania nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it flops around when I move in different directions.”
“Take it off,” Yolani instructed, helping Elania with the straps. The old harness found its place on a nearby chair as Yolani slipped a new one over Elania’s head, adorned with numerous straps.
She held still and let Yolani fiddle and adjust things. “I’ll look like some kind of bondage freak in this.”
Yolani frowned in confusion. “What’s that?”
“Nevermind,” Elania said quickly. “I’m not ready to explain it yet.”
Yolani gave her a look and then continued fastening the straps.
Once finished, Elania reached down to tug at her flight bag. No matter which direction she pulled, the bag remained in place. She stretched, bent, and flexed, testing the new gear’s flexibility. It was hardly noticeable.
“How did you manage this?” Elania asked.
“The bands are made of runed leather,” Yolani explained with a smile. “It enhances their elasticity.”
Elania blinked, tugging on a strap. “Wait, this is leather?” she asked, running her fingers over the smooth, stretchy material. “It feels weird as heck for leather.”
Yolani tilted her head. “Yes, what’s wrong?”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Nothing,” Elania said, shaking her head. “It’s just weird.”
A playful smile tugged at Yolani’s lips. “You’re the one who’s weird,” she teased.
Elania grinned. “Weird for you,” she countered.
Yolani’s expression sobered. “We shouldn’t waste time. Arlois said to hurry,” she said. “Let’s get you outfitted quickly.”
Together, they worked to equip the new gear, their movements efficient. As they finished, Yolani frowned.
“I forgot to make a harness for your sword,” she said.
Elania blinked. “What sword?”
Elania’s eyes widened as realization struck her. She had taken Eziel off to put on her gear and had laid him against the wall. Amid the preparations, she had completely forgotten about him until Yolani mentioned it.
She reached down and grabbed Eziel to shake him a bit. “What did you do to me?”
Yolani blinked. “Oh, it’s Eziel.”
They both stared at the sword.
Elania knew he had been using mind magic to hide himself from the Towers, but this was the first time she realized it had been working on her and Yolani as well.
She had talked to him extensively during her time in Hels, but since returning to Contia, she hadn’t given him a single thought.
“Answer us,” Elania demanded.
[I have been keeping a low profile. The more you interact with me, the harder it becomes to remain hidden.]
“I don’t appreciate having my mind or Yolani’s messed with,” Elania said.
[I did nothing to you directly. My working simply makes the world forget about me. It’s not specific to you or Yolani. Now that you have fully bound your [Regalia], it will affect you more than before.]
Yolani’s gaze shifted to Elania. “There’s no harness for him.”
Elania shrugged. “He never needed one before.”
Yolani frowned, confusion evident. “He just sticks to your back? I thought there was a holder hook or something.”
A laugh escaped Elania’s lips. “He just floats most of the time,” she explained, “like some lazy video game devs forgot to do a scabbard and make sure the models lined up.”
Yolani tilted her head. “What’s a video game?” she asked. “And what’s a ‘dev’?”
Elania smiled. “I’ll explain RTS and RPGs to you later,” she promised.
“Okay,” Yolani hummed.
They finished the outfitting, ensuring everything was secure and easily accessible.
On the way out, they took a moment to pet Shadow.
With a last wave, Elania spread her wings and took to the sky, Yolani clinging tightly to her.
As they soared through the air, Elania checked her pack, marveling at how much easier it was to manage compared to her earlier setup.
Her accessories were within easy reach, including a brace of the mushroohum healing potions.
There were tiny holes on the inside of her leather bracer. That was clever. It would allow her to form her [Regalia] without damaging her outfit.
And all that while clinging to Yolani. It was going to be even easier when she was solo.
Seizing the opportunity, she practiced morphing her bracer and revolver while holding Yolani with one arm. To her delight, the process worked smoothly, her [Divine Power] flowing effortlessly. A moment later, Yolani’s voice cut through the wind, shouting that she didn’t like being held with just one hand.
Elania squeezed her reassuringly and returned to holding her with both arms, ensuring a secure embrace. “You should create a two-person flight harness or a belt to hold us together! That way, we can both use our hands!” she shouted.
Yolani’s eyes widened. “Oh my gods, you are a genius!” She fumbled with her notepad, trying to scribble down the concept despite the rushing wind.
“I thought you wanted a secure hug! What if I let go?” Elania rolled her eyes. “You could wait until we land!” she called out over the gusts.
“You would never!” Yolani’s attention shifted, and she pointed ahead, shouting, “There they are!”
Elania followed her gaze and spotted Arlois, Ember, and a few men standing near a large basket-like device reminiscent of something a hot-air balloon would carry.
She mumbled under her breath, “Great, I’m an eagle delivery service now,” as she angled her wings to land nearby.
They touched down near the waiting group, the wind from Elania’s wings stirring up a brief gust.
Ember stepped forward, gesturing to a man standing beside her. “Elania, Yolani, this is David Sun,” she said. “He’s the theotechnician who will be accompanying you on the mission.”
David bowed his head respectfully, his short yellow hair catching the sunlight. Yolani pulled out the detection device and held it up for him to see.
“Will you be able to handle this?” she asked.
A confident smile spread across David’s face. “Absolutely,” he assured them. “I’ve already studied the design and worked with Ember, so I’m well-versed in utilizing it.”
Yolani nodded, satisfied with his response. She walked off with David, engaging him in a discussion about the device’s intricacies.
Elania turned her attention to Arlois, who stood with her arms crossed, a pensive expression on her face.
“I suspect the Lightbringers are up to something with their constant patrols along the border,” Arlois said. “Establishing a base of operations, or something else.”
Elania frowned. “Wouldn’t that mean war with Joria? Or that Joria is an enemy?”
Arlois shook her head. “The Prince of Joria likely has no desire to start or join a war,” she explained. “He’s probably just letting them do as they wish over the vast wilderness.”
“The fastest way to lose sovereignty of land is to fail to express control over it,” Elania pointed out.
Arlois let out a laugh. “They’re probably just happy not to be conquered right now.”
Elania considered the possibility. “Maybe they would be allies, then.”
Arlois’ expression sobered. “Maybe,” she conceded, “but they don’t have a Celestial Engine, and they have a small population without a proper standing army.”
“How do they stay independent, then?” Elania asked.
“The current prince is a weaker demi-divine, descended from a Westerner,” Arlois explained. “Since Joria is small, so is his power, but he has a passable water-based [Domain]. That’s why most of the population and city live near the coast.”
Ember approached, carrying the flight basket. The prospect of using it made Elania groan inwardly, but she kept her composure. Ember presented her with a harness designed to fit around her wings and back.
“This is silly,” Elania remarked, eyeing the contraption skeptically.
Arlois reassured her, “It will be fine. The basket—and David—won’t weigh much.”
Elania rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I was worried about,” she muttered under her breath.
Ember hooked the center of the harness. “Avoid acrobatics and especially wrapping the cord around your body—if you don’t want to kill the passenger and destroy the harness.”
Elania nodded, although, with a tether of only six or eight feet, she couldn’t imagine how she could wrap it that badly. Ember instructed her to do a loop around the city to get accustomed to the setup, assuring her they would have the detector figured out by then.
With a nod, Elania took off, waving to Yolani and the others as she departed.
She soared through the sky, doing a loop around Contia. The sunny day tried its best to burn away the clouds clinging to the bottoms of the islands, but they persisted stubbornly.
As Elania flew over the Neftasu District, she noticed people stopping their activities to wave at her.
She wondered how they knew it was her and not one of the Towers, but then realized her wing color probably gave it away.
She waved back, unsure if anyone could see her gesture from the ground.
Completing the loop, Elania returned to the others.
She hovered, cutting her horizontal motion first before slowly lowering the basket until it touched the ground. She then landed herself.
“Easy enough,” Elania muttered.
Yolani approached, stating, “Things are ready.”
Elania nodded and turned to David. “Are you ready?” she asked.
David affirmed with a nod. “I am.”
Elania glanced at Arlois, Ember, Yolani, and David, a determined look in her eyes. “Let’s do it then,” she said, turning to David. “Hop in.”
A few minutes later, Elania sat on the wharf cross-legged, her wings folded and feeling annoyed.
Of course, it was not that simple.
Once David got in the basket, he had to measure the basket’s interference.
Then, Elania’s interference.
Then the fucking temperature and air-density interference.
Elania felt miffed and wanted to explain how “ready” was defined, as everyone, including Yolani, had no sense of urgency.
Finally, David stepped into the basket.
Ember said, “All good.”
Yolani came over and patted Elania’s shoulder. “It’s time to go.”
Elania stood up, swallowing her frustration, and hugged Yolani, who gave her a quick peck on the lips in return.
Elania flared her wings and grinned. “That’s at least enough fuel to get there and back,” she teased.
Yolani giggled, her eyes sparkling.
David coughed. “We should fly at a relatively sedate pace so I can adjust the sensors. They haven’t been calibrated or tested while moving at high speed.”
Elania rolled her eyes. She took off, lifting the basket into the air.
They headed west, the noonday sun beating down on them.
At first, Elania took it easy, then slowly sped up until the basket started to tilt behind her. She checked on David, who was holding onto the straps, looking mortified.
Elania laughed and sped up, her wings creating little whorls of turbulence behind them.
Her [HUD] reported that they had been moving for almost an hour before she slowed down. Eventually reaching a sedate pace, she shouted, “Are you ready, David?”
David croaked out a weakened, “Yes, keep going at this speed so I can do some tests.”
Elania scoffed, “Why couldn’t you do the tests before?”
David shot back, “Because I’m detecting a lot more things than are supposed to be out there!”
Elania’s stomach dropped.