Ch 45: New Assignments

Regrouping at the Seekers tower, Alexander devises the team's next course of action, staying on course in gaining Gaia's support while still making an effort to recover Grey and Saria.

            Sitting in the corner on the first floor of the Seeker’s tower, now bound with ropes created by Fenrip’s powers in addition to his restraining collar, Grave grumbled to himself, “Why am I tied up anyways? I’m already wearing this damn collar!” Sitting at the table having tea with Claire, Ace, and Dewie, Fenrip glanced at him and said, “I don’t know where you think you’d be going if I untied you.” Looking over at Grave as well, Ace said, “I still don’t think you should’ve brought that slime ball with you.” Turning back to his tea, Fenrip raised his cup to drink as he said, “Well we couldn’t just let him go, and I doubt one of Loralu’s meager jail cells would have held him for long either. All things considered, I myself should be at home finishing up my commissions, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything until I knew for sure that Amelia’s children were safe.” 

As she finished taking a drink of her own, Claire looked out the window and said, “It’s getting too late to be planting any more flowers, I’m going to go fetch Rufus and Violet.” Rising from the table, as she made her way to the door, it suddenly burst open. Barging in, Mythra said, “What the hell is going on Alexander?! You should have sent someone to tell… me…” Seeing that Alexander was not present, Mythra trailed off. Rushing up behind her with Violet in tow, Rufus said, “I was trying to tell you, he left with Schmitt and Toshley in the airship!” Smiling warmly at them, Claire said, “They’ll be back soon enough I’m sure. Alexander tried to inform you by phone, but the service doesn’t extend to that area it seems.” Heaving a sigh, Mythra started to say, “I know. We’d decided on coming back tomorrow, but I couldn’t sit still after Mana did a weird fortune...” Spotting Grave, she suddenly pointed at him and exclaimed, “Ack! What the hell is that bad apple doing here?!” With a grin and a slight wave, Fenrip said, “Don’t worry, we have him under control.” Blinking in surprise as she noticed him as well, Mythra started to say, “Who…?” As the sound of approaching repulsion engines filled the air, Mythra trailed off again.

            Leaving the Audentia parked in the clearing created by its initial crash, as everyone returned to the tower for some much needed rest, Alexander stayed outside to speak with Mythra. Finished catching her up on the situation, Alexander, said, “Anyways, Toshley thinks Gisette may have been captured, Tepes apparently mentioned something about how she disappeared from her mind’s eye. Whether it was capture or betrayal, that’s probably how the entire mess happened.” Having already considered their options somewhat thoroughly, Alexander only took a moment to gather his thoughts before saying, “For now we should check in on Richter’s group, although since our phones won’t reach Rusfa Isles, that basically means we’ll have to go there ourselves. We might also want to station more at Daemonholm once that’s handled. Now that the signet ring has been retrieved by the mautauians, a holy war is most certainly coming. I’m sure they’ll be roundabout in doing it like always, but I’m not taking any more chances...” 

Looking into the forest in the direction of the Audentia in concern, Mythra said, “How is Serius? Do you think he’ll recover anytime soon?” Shrugging his shoulders, Alexander quietly said, “I don’t know. His body is simply outside our area of expertise I’m afraid.” The door of the tower opening suddenly, Claire stepped out and said, “Take Serius to the dragons. Their powers may be able to help him.” Turning to her in irritation, Alexander said, “You certainly do enjoy eavesdropping don’t you?” Closing the door behind her, Claire smiled and said, “Bad habits die hard!” Letting it go, Alexander said, “Very well, I suppose we’ll form a group to take Serius to Rusfa Isles and check on Richter and company. Still, we can’t squander too many of our forces on that. Finding the Vinculus takes priority, and we’ve lost enough time as it is.” Making a thoughtful face, Mythra said, “If I’m remembering correctly, cloaking devices can’t be run constantly. In order to throw off Alastor, Nova would probably hide the Vinculus in some form of unusual or artificial weather pattern. If we have the dragons on our side, we might have a chance. In a world with few airships, they may be the only ones who know the skies well enough to find it.” 

Getting an idea, Claire chimed in, “There may be another who can help us…” As Mythra and Alexander looked at her expectantly, Claire continued, “Almost a hundred years ago, a group of bandits got their hands on a small fleet of human airships. They became notorious air pirates, known as the Blade Wings, who terrorized the airship supply lines between Nendonn and Lacra. Few ships could make it past them, no matter how drastically they changed their routes. Their reign over the skies finally ended when the ships fell into disrepair. They had no idea how to repair them, so they hid them somewhere and disappeared with their stolen fortune.” Well aware of Alexander’s impatient glare, Claire got to the point and said, “This is just a rumor, but they say the grandson of one of the pirates settled in Halsa using the last of the fortune. If we could find this person and have him lead us to the airships…” Catching on, Alexander grinned and said, “We might be able to access the navigation computers and all their information on the skies of Gaia.” Smirking, Mythra summoned her broom and said, “Sounds like a plan! I’ll go back and tell the others in Verdend.” Hopping on her broom and zooming off, Mythra called back, “Expect us back tomorrow morning!”

            Wednesday July 25, 520NA. Gathered outside the Audentia, Alexander briefed the troops on the situation and what he’d decided should be their next move. Splitting their forces between heading to Rusfa Isles to meet Richter’s team, heading to Halsa to search for leads on the airships, and bolstering Daemonholm’s defense, as he mentioned that the halmans were likely preparing for war at that very moment, Gwen exclaimed, “What?! Can we not somehow prevent such a thing?!” Sighing, Alexander said, “I wish it were possible Gwen, but to have even the slightest hope, we’d first have to speak with your father.” Quickly and determinedly, Gwen said, “Then let me go! I swear to do everything I can on your behalf to-” Motioning with a hand for her to stop, Alexander said, “Have you forgotten you just escaped from the dungeons of Xandaris? Gwen, if I let you go back there on your own, your father will most definitely hunt me down and kill me. If there were a way to get into the city without being arrested, I would gladly accompany you.” 

As Gwen fell silent, looking rather downhearted, Bella input a suggestion, saying, “Instructor Patch said that a good strategy for infiltrating enemy territory is to use a disguise or cover.” Slightly surprised at her insight despite knowing her background as an assassin in training, Alexander said, “Well of course I thought of that, but relying on a disguise alone is iffy at best. To get past the guards, we’d have to have a credible excuse as to our identity and intentions.” Raising a hand and snapping his fingers as he grinned excitedly, Gibolu said, “I’ve got it! Why not go under the guise of the one and only Gibolu’s Traveling Circus?! We’ve been to Xandaris several times, I’m sure we’d get in without hardly any trouble at all!” Taking this into consideration, Alexander reluctantly said, “I have to admit… it’s not a bad idea. We’ll have to change our plans a bit, but we certainly have enough people to split the teams up a bit more.” 

After another moment of thought, Alexander grinned and said, “Alright! We’ll be sending a group to infiltrate Xandaris! Gwen, the members of Gibolu’s Traveling Circus, myself, and of course…” Turning to the unsuspecting Bella, he finished, “Our master of espionage and infiltration, Bella!” Certain he was making fun of her, Bella donned a sour look as she said, “Pass.” A snort of laughter emanating from Bella’s brooch, Mai said, “You really know how to take a compliment, don’tcha sunshine?” Snickering to herself as well, Mythra said, “Not to disagree Alexander, but if I remember the groups correctly, that leaves basically no one to reinforce Daemonholm.” Hearing this, Bella thought to herself, “Daemonholm… Instructor Patch brought cool souvenirs from there once…” Stars in her eyes, Bella quickly saluted and said, “Sign me up.” Shrugging his shoulders, Alexander said, “If you insist. You won’t be likely to see much action for awhile, but if things go as planned, my team hopefully won’t see much either.” Bringing the discussion to an end, Alexander waved a hand in the direction of the awaiting airship and said, “Alright, I think that’s everything. Angelorum Lux, fall out!”

            Flying across the ocean, as the Audentia neared Rusfa Isles, Schmitt followed Alexander’s instructions and brought the ship to a halt. As the ship hovered in the air, Alexander stood outside on the deck, leaning against the railing and staring down at Rusfa Isles as he thought, “They should notice us soon. One can only hope Richter’s group was successful.” Indeed it was not long before a pair of dragons soared up into the skies towards the Audentia. Enormous scaled lizard-like creatures with great wings, one had green and white colored scales and the other brown and white. Calling out to them, Alexander shouted, “Hello! I am Gabriel the Immortal of Angelorum Lux! Some of our comrades arrived five days ago if I’m not mistaken. If it’s not too much trouble, might we have permission to land our airship within your territory?” 

Exchanging growls between each other for a moment, as the two dragons finished communicating, the brown and white dragon turned to Alexander and said, “Welcome Gabriel. Your comrades have already convinced our Queen that we must aid you however we can in your battle against this Altera Veritas. Please land your craft at Rusfa Outpost. I know it is far from Dragonroost, but you’ll only raise alarm if you fly across the island. We can escort you if needed.” Nodding, Alexander said, “Very well, I shall inform our pilot.” Seeming to nod in return, the dragon said, “We apologize for the inconvenience. We will of course provide you transportation once you arrive at Rusfa Outpost.” 

Before they could turn to go, Alexander said, “Ah, thank you, but there’s one more thing. Our comrade, Serius the Unbound, has suffered some form of injury that we are unable to treat. We’d appreciate it if you could take a look at him. I’ve heard much of the healing abilities your kind possess.” The dragons exchanging glances a moment, the brown and white dragon said, “We cannot promise you anything, but we will do what we can. An ethereal being such as him, the Dragon Queen herself may be the only one of us who can help him.” Bowing his head in gratitude, Alexander said, “I understand. You have my deepest thanks.”

            Following after its dragon escorts, the Audentia flew downwards towards the canyons in the western area of the large mountain range that covered a large portion of the main island, Tagosa. Flying over the canyons, they passed over several large gates made from wood and steel that had been constructed at various points in them. The canyons themselves already served as a natural defense though, forcing anyone who came by land across the bridge from the second largest island, Sagosa, to pass through their narrow pathways in order to reach the main areas of Tagosa. Coming to a large open area positioned right at the point where the canyon they were flying over gave way to the northwestern shoreline, the dragons led the way down to the small outpost constructed there. Led to a vacant stretch of shoreline, the Audentia touched down. The main door opened and the gangplank slid out, and Fox and Alexander carried Serius down the gangplank in a makeshift stretcher, Cortez, Pyro, and Johnny following after them. 

Making their way towards the keep to the northwest, as Johnny looked around at the buildings and the horned humanoids staring back at them, he said, “This place doesn’t look very dragonish to me.” The buildings were made from wood, stone, and tanned animal hides, many adorned with wind chimes and spinning windmills, and they were indeed small compared to the dragons that had led them there. Yet with a sigh, Professor Cortez effortlessly explained this, saying, “If you’d paid attention in my class, you’d know that dragons are shape shifters who can take forms similar to ours to conserve their energy and prolong their lives. Once they are old enough, their young undergo over a hundred years of training as Dragon Knights just to adjust to this form, remaining in it until they reach full adulthood.”

            Arriving at the gates of the stone wall surrounding the keep, Alexander and the others were greeted by a group of Dragon Knights led by a female with medium length brownish hair, red eyes, and yellow horns that grew out backwards at an angle. Her half-helm and armor was gold compared to the silver of the others, and addressing them with respect, she said, “Welcome to Rusfa Outpost. I am Ciestra, the Dragon Knight Commander who was assigned to guard your comrades that have already arrived. My elders have informed me that you have a comrade who was wounded. We shall take him and prepare him for immediate transport to Dragonroost.” 

Handing Serius over to the Dragon Knights, Alexander turned to Fox and said, “Alright, go find Richter and Elizabeth and explain the situation. We’ll come back for you once my team and Mythra’s team have completed our respective missions. Also Fox, do try not to insult the dragons while you’re here…” Nodding with a grin, Fox said, “Yeah, yeah, I know! Just hurry up and do what you gotta do so we can find that knucklehead!” Overhearing them, Ciestra said, “Your main force is not staying then?” Turning to her with an apologetic look, Alexander said, “Regrettably, no. We’re currently attempting to rescue two of our people who were captured. We may need your help with the search later on. Fox and these civilians who happened to become involved in all of this will be staying here, so please take them to see Richter and the others who came here before us.” Holding a fist against her chest in salute, Ciestra said, “Understood. Winds be at your back.” As Alexander headed back to the Audentia, Ciestra addressed Fox, saying, “Come with me, I will show you to your comrades.”

            Following Ciestra through the stone courtyard of the keep, as they reached the reinforced iron doors of the main building, the guards quickly opened the doors for them and Ciestra motioned for them to enter as she said, “They should be just inside. I’m supervising a training exercise shortly, so I’ll let you go on ahead.” Stepping inside, as Fox and the others looked around the castle-like interior of the entry hall, they spotted Richter, Marcyl, and Elizabeth sitting at a long wooden table. A pile of old books and maps were scattered across the table, and Elizabeth and Richter were pouring over them while Marcyl simply sat there looking bored. Laughing, Fox called out to them, “You guys must really suck at hide and seek! All I had to do to find you was walk through a door!” 

Looking up from his book in surprise, Richter started to say, “Fox? Does this mean the others-” Rising from her chair, Elizabeth exclaimed, “Cortez?! And you two as well?! What is the meaning of this?!” Rushing from her chair over to them all, Marcyl grabbed Pyro in a bear hug as she exclaimed, “Everyone!” Caught in her grasp, Pyro struggled for breath as she choked, “Hey Marcyl… It’s been awhile…” Releasing her at last, Marcyl looked around eagerly as she asked, “Didn’t Tory come too?” Shaking his head, Johnny said, “You could say he missed the bus.” Elizabeth stormed over to stand before Fox as Marcyl started to give out hugs for everyone, and as she glared at him menacingly, she said, “I thought I made a very specific deal with Gabriel the Immortal that my other students would remain at the academy!” 

Not the least bit intimidated, Fox smirked and said, “Well, we could’ve always left em back there in the dungeon, but you know… The whole hero thing…” Taken aback, Elizabeth said, “Dungeon?!” Stepping forward, Cortez said, “Forgive me Headmistress. When the Elite Guard finally arrived at the Academy, they began rounding us all up and questioning us. They wanted to know about Angelorum Lux’s involvement in what happened, and when Erika and Johnny returned so suddenly, it wasn’t long before things got out of hand.” Clutching her head in frustration, Elizabeth said, “Of all the…” Breaking the discussion up, Fox said, “Ok now people, there’s a lot I’m supposed to tell you about, but let’s all take it over to the table. After lugging Serius all the way up here, I’d like to take a load off…”

            Finished catching them up, Fox leaned back in his chair and said, “There, that’s pretty much it. So what have you guys been up to?” Holding up a book, Richter said, “Elizabeth has taught me a bit of the draconic written language.” Elizabeth humbly said, “He only learned a few things from me, the rest he’s managed on his own. He’s quite the quick learner, after just five days he knows almost as much as I do.” Glancing at Marcyl next to her, she added, “I might have to have him tutor Marcyl here.” With a pouting face, Marcyl exclaimed, “Aww, but this is all so boring Elizabeth! We’ve been studying almost the whole time we’ve been here! I wanna go do something fun!” Looking at the books and maps scattered about the table, Johnny said, “You guys have just been studying?! I get the books, but what’s with the maps?!” 

Holding a map of Rusfa Isles up, Richter said, “We’ve been doing much more than just reading books. With the permission of the Queen and the supervision of the Dragon Knights, we’ve been visiting the various dragonshrines. That’s actually why we’re here at Rusfa Outpost, which is on the way to the Earth Dragonshrine. We’re simply trying to get a better grasp of the language while we wait for the Dragon Knights to prepare another escort.” With a surprised look, Cortez said, “The dragonshrines? The temples which house the source of their power, the ancient crystallizations of draconic power called the Dragon Gems? I’m quite surprised they would allow outsiders to poke around such important structures, even with an escort.” 

Shrugging her shoulders, Elizabeth said, “It baffled me as well, but the Dragon Queen herself said it would be fine as long as we were supervised. She also wanted us to be sure to take Marcyl, so that she can learn about her dragon heritage. As strange as it is compared to the rest of the world, they haven’t shown her much prejudice at all.” Glancing at Marcyl, Fox said, “I dunno, it makes sense to me. Even back when humans were rampaging all over starting holy wars and the like, nobody ever really dared to mess with the dragons. They’re big time hermits too, they usually don’t leave Rusfa Islands or get involved in any foreign politics. They only have the Dragon Knights to help keep the peace among their own kind. Putting it simply, they just don’t have any reason to hold the kinda grudges other races have towards each other.” 

Surprised by his knowledge, Richter said, “I take it Professor Marcellus studied dragons as well?” With a sour look on his face, Fox said, “You know, I think you’re implying that I don’t know anything unless my brother told me.” With a knowing smile, Richter said, “It was him who told you this though, wasn’t it?” Grumbling indignantly, Fox said, “He told me some things sure, but I’ve picked up some things here and there. I didn’t get the nerd genes he got, but my memory is actually more or less photographic. Once I see or read something, I usually remember it forever. My brother probably would’ve made me his assistant or something if I’d been interested in half the gobbledygook written in his research notes, but I did read the details Alastor gave him on Gaia and its history. What can I say? It was kinda interesting at the time.”

            The doors of the keep suddenly opening, a dragon in a middle aged looking humanoid form with dark skin and red eyes stepped in. His head completely bald, he had four dark horns with spiral patterns on them that curved back slightly. He was dressed in a black cape and black armor with a faceguard that covered his mouth and nose, and there were red gems in his shoulder guards as well as in his armored belt. Approaching the table, he said, “I see you all are busy plotting your next theft!” Adjusting her glasses, Elizabeth replied, “Excuse me?” Slamming a hand on the table, the dragon said, “Don’t play games! I’ve heard how you’ve been going around to the dragonshrines! I don’t know what Valthrea was thinking, but you won’t make a fool of me!” Motioning for him to calm down, Richter said, “No one is playing games or trying to fool anyone! We have no idea what you’re talking about!” 

Rushing into the keep, Ciestra said, “Lord Sulphir! I just received the news myself, but there is no reason to suspect them!” Turning to her, Sulphir said, “Why not?! They are the only outsiders who have ever been permitted into the dragonshrines!” With a sigh of frustration, Ciestra replied, “For one thing, they have not even visited your dragonshrine yet!” In surprise, Sulphir said, “What?!” Nodding, Ciestra quickly continued, “Not only that, Lord Vasuki has spoken with the winds, and they say that all four thefts happened at different times today. Their first visit to one of the dragonshrines was days ago!” At a loss for words, Sulphir finally muttered, “But then who? What fool of a dragon would commit such a crime against their own kin?” Turning back to Richter and the others, Sulphir slowly said, “My apologies… It appears I acted rashly...” As Sulphir walked back out the door, Pyro exclaimed, “Man, what the heck was that all about?!” Looking at them all with a grave look on her face, Ciestra said, “The Dragon Gems have been stolen.”