“Suwi, please, let go!” exclaimed Diedrich as he attempted to detach the nepenthe from his neck. She seemed much stronger than her stature would suggest, considering the prince seemed to be holding nothing back in his effort to unglue the small one from himself. She, on the other hand, seemed beside herself with joy, giggling with an enthusiasm usually reserved for children heavy at play.
Freya observed this scene from a slight distance, knowing she could easily be kicked in the face by the spinning motion employed to attempt a decoupling of that enthusiastic nepenthe. The princess could not mask her sheer surprise at the scene, but began to understand her companion’s earlier hesitation.
-You knew I was in peril, so you came to rescue me! Oh, so gallant!
-N-no! I just needed your help - ack-
-OHOHO? You needed MY help?
Diedrich immediately regretted his choice of words. At the very least he felt some relief at the fact that Suwi finally let go of his neck, landing on the floor with arms at her sides, overly long sleeves running down her hips. “But of course you did! My husband-to-be should always recognize the skills of his adorable bride!”
A few exchanges later, Diedrich finally managed to stop blushing, and to keep Suwi from misunderstanding his every word and action as some measure of advance.
-Neither of us are that good at aethersight. We need it to conduct an investigation into what’s happening around here. Would you be willing to help?
-“Us”?
This was the first moment Suwi had been made aware of Freya’s presence, and it clearly unsettled her. The nepenthe’s furrowed brow and steel gaze sent a chill up the princess’ spine. “Who’s the skank?” she asked with a tone very unlike the sweet jubilance of just a moment before. “Excuse me?” replied an outraged Freya, unusually annoyed by the insult. Diedrich had to stand between them as animosity brewed from both sides, suddenly spewing insults at each other which neither could understand particularly well, given their regionality.
Many an attempted assault later, the nebelian prince managed to calm both enraged parties down enough that they would stop with attempts at violence, at the very least. “Suwi, for Thor’s sake, she’s just a friend!” He said, panting. The words sent an unexpected and painful pang into Freya’s heart, her expression shifting slightly. “That better be true!” The nepenthe replied, crossing her arms and turning sideways at them.
-It’s like I said. Proper aethersight will be fundamental to aid in our efforts. We have a plan that involves finding high concentrations of white magic.
-... White, you say?
-Yes. Why?
-... Huh. You have my attention after all!
Suwi proceeded to explain a phenomena she’d been experiencing in Bruska these past few days. Large amounts of white aether drifting in specific directions - energy that would naturally dissipate as it floats upwards or be neutralized by Bruska’s powerful and plentiful black aether, and yet wouldn’t. The direction in which it would gather changed any given day, and without a particular affinity to speed-enhancing aspects of magic, Suwi would find herself hard-pressed to find the aether’s destination.
-That’s perfect. Freya is the fastest person I know. She can carry you around and you two can find out where it’s going!
While Diedrich voiced his thoughts, the two already glared sideways at each other with renewed dislike. The plan was sound, yes, but neither of them approved of it.
-Does it happen at a specific time of day, Suwi?
-Yes. At around the witching hour, which is no surprise. Aetherflow is always strongest then. It also disguises the act itself rather perfectly, as even most with the gift of aethersight would not look twice at a bit of white aether being drawn in with the rest. It would just look like pretty lights. You think someone’s doing this intentionally, don’t you?
-How did you know?
-It’s the most obvious answer. The most straightforward answer is usually correct.
-That, and you’re a genius. Yeah, I knew I came to the right place.
The sudden compliment sent a shiver up Suwi’s spine and caught her entirely off-guard. She stuttered her next few words. “Y-you’re absolutely right!” She said, taking on a proud stance, hands at her hips, legs spread wide. Freya felt herself shrinking, despite knowing she herself would likely come to the same conclusion given the exposition.
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Keeping that unwavering stance while side-eyeing the princess, Suwi stuttered her next words once more. “I-I suppose there is naught to be done for it. We’ll go with your plan. Though I believe you’d be more than suited for the task yourself, my dear.” Diedrich shook his head sideways. “No. I’m adequate, at best, but traveling with Freya I could tell: she can outrun me a thousand times over. If we’re to be successful, we’d best give our attempt maximum effort. We know not if we might have another chance, let alone a single one. Our quarry might attempt to escape.” Suwi nodded in agreement reluctantly.
Later that same day, the trio sat atop a bell tower in one of Bruska’s many massive cathedrals - this one, devoted to Stribog. Diedrich knelt in a corner, hands entwined, reciting a prayer for the god’s swift deliverance. Suwi and Freya stood at opposite ends, questioning the validity of their plan for less-than-honorable reasons.
The witching hour would begin soon, and many a zealot began to pour into the cathedral, readying for the day’s sermon. All along the city, practitioners of all manner of magical art began to prepare for their daily rituals. Biweekly, the concentration of energies pouring forth from the crystal towers reached its zenith, making certain practices possible. Avid students and elder sages alike understood the opportunity for an expansion of magical understanding these moments afforded. Pilgrims to the tower of Origination gathered in many a circle around it, ready to bathe in its positive energies. Those afflicted with illnesses and curses awaited succor in much the same way.
Diedrich finished a prayer and observed his wristwatch at the opportune moment. He glanced at his companions and nodded, which they immediately understood. Freya kneeled down and bent forwards, indicating her reluctant willingness to have the nepenthe climb on her back. Suwi shrugged off many a negative feeling to follow through with their deal.
In an attempt to push off the embarrassment of the ordeal herself, the princess chose to focus her full attention on the necessary spells. Knowing the considerable energy to sustain these same spells could be assimilated from ambient aether, she prepared naught but her best.
Enhancement would surge through her body and make her muscles bulge to levels she only theorized in the past. The pain of pushing her body to its limits took no toll on her focus, however, as she had thoroughly prepared for this moment since the battle in Lindblum. Her senses were keenly sharpened by those same energies, which would render her able to react to what was to come.
Next, a bubble of Foundation aether surrounded their bodies albeit tightly - protection from the backlash expected from the considerable speed they were about to achieve.
Last but not least, several invisible shapes laced with the shimmering gold of Force surrounded the pair, ensuring the princess had both the perfect footing to propel herself whichever way necessary, even mid-air, as well as shrug off unwanted forces inherent to aerodynamics. Those many years of study into the nature of existence crafted Freya into a user of ludicrous speeds, rivaled perhaps only by the paracausal mailpeople who made such feats a part of their trade.
To the eyes of one untrained in such arts, Freya’s layered spells seemed as but a jumble of unnecessity. Diedrich, however, saw it for what it was: an impressive level of both understanding and application of carefully studied science, alchemized into art by the hand of the one who shapes it. His jaw hung wide open, impressed by the perfect layering and even more adept consistency of each spell. He could scarcely incorporate bursts of similar spells into his movements, much less such steady shapes. Suwi’s magical studies were of a different sort, but even she understood the level of craftsmanship and dedication required to pull off what they were about to attempt. She could only hope the princess would be able to handle it.
Sensing the time was nigh, the nepenthe also began her own preparations. Hers, however, much more simple in scope. She attained a steady grip of Freya’s shoulder and used Foundation to bind their forms together, which would keep her from having to exert much force to stop herself from flying off in a separate direction.
Spirit would be next, enhancing Suwi’s natural affinity for Aethersight. Several layers of magical runes projected themselves from her irises, which immediately sent a shiver down her spine. The act of Aethersight could overload one’s senses, and she was no exception, however practiced. Another bit of Spirit magic allowed Suwi to selectively share her senses with the princess without taking a toll on her mind or body, all strain remaining with the caster. Freya could now see the flow of aether in the air to a degree far higher than she had been able to experience in the past. It would be all too much, if Suwi hadn’t then begun to make the effort to reduce the sights being shared to only a particular band and color of aether - Entropy’s sickly white. For now it was slight, almost not enough to notice. The fact it existed here at all, however, was already a giveaway of something dire.
The bell rang behind them, disorienting the trio slightly due to the volume. It had begun. The energies began to surge violently around them, aether bursting forth in all directions - black aether, in particular. The hunters honed into the designated pattern, cleverly disguised amidst the chaos.
Nothing would be a better example of how the lindblumi royal’s spells had been carefully crafted than how smooth her first movement was, leaving no damage to a single brick of that hallowed cathedral they previously perched on. They descended to just above the rooftops of the city, darting through the landscape so swiftly that only magical wisps were left behind by their passing, in the next moment scattered by the vacuum their presence and absence created. Almost impossible to follow by the blind eye, Diedrich struggled greatly to keep up, even from a distance and severely advantaged by height and hindsight.
The nepenthe underestimated the speed at which they traveled. Strengthening her spells threefold, she managed to hang on. Within minutes they had crossed well over half of the megalopolis, tracing a path to their quarry.
Freya paused by gracefully sliding across the ground at first, then forcing her metal-clad feet against the dry ground, branding the ground beneath arrival. She locked eyes with the man standing across from her, who seemed not at all surprised by their sudden appearance. Indeed, he smiled, which sent a shiver running up the princess’ spine. Suwi dismounted, disoriented, and tried to get a good look at the other nepenthe, herself. She seemed surprised by what she saw.