Chương 486: BECMI Chapter 485 – Acts of Intrigue

We did end up going south, but not due south, and not on foot. Erendyl wasn't going to wait fifty years to make a sunboat when they could commission an elven-friendly design Gunwing for themselves that would do the same job, only faster. They only had six elven-style Swanwings, and they were as much for rapid transport during no magic as they were for self-defense.

I was thus highly amused as the team and I were squeezed in the Swanwing just outside of Launcel and sent shooting southeast after a bumpy take-off towards the lands of Iendyl, and specifically its capital of Skyhill, where the Delphan-descended House of Argencal floated over the city it had built after losing the fight that founded Zanzyr to the General of the same name almost two centuries ago now.

Absolutely nobody believed that Argencal didn't have some very split loyalties, and was actually more loyal to Delpha. That was actually a given on our side, as what intelligence Delpha had on Zanzyr came through Argencal, and there was definitely a line of communication open between them, along with wizards Teleporting back and forth as needed. Certainly Delphan whizbangs hadn't had any problem hitting targets of quick opportunity…

especially to the west of them across the shared border with their most hated rivals in the Nerocuori family of Fuireze, which was of direct Siricilan descent and had likewise not managed to backstab General Zanzyr and seize control of the country from him back then. The two Houses loathed one another with the mutual appreciation of the treacherous and politically unreliable, and the current Princes continued that fine tradition up to the modern day.

The main problem now was that Delpha was very much an enemy, and Siricil was a nominal if distant ally. When both were distant, nobody much cared. When Delpha was coming to claim the entire land, that was a bit different. It was even more important when there were believed to be at least two formerly invisible Delphan Airships which had come down when No Magic swept across the world, and were hiding in the Principality until the dead magic time passed…

and which might well serve as the forward arm of the invading Delphans, or a relay point where a Teleportation Circle could be easily put up to disgorge troops directly into the nation. Ergo, our job was to find them and verify their presence, and if possible, take out the vessels and any Archmages who could establish the Teleportation Circle. No problem.

The alchemical paint of the Swanwing was designed to reflect the color of the sky about us, so there was no chance of being seen from below, and the engines were fine-tuned to be more a strange drone than an engine roar, easily missed in the wind when at height. Nothing else was going to be up here looking at us, after all. Duum was paralleling, below and behind us, keeping close to the treetops so that he wasn't seen.

His unnatural strength gave him great speed and stamina, and the Swanwing wasn't going all-out, either. Fast eyes had seen the Delphan airships appear out of thin air to the south of the city, and then rapidly descend as the magic began to fade. We looped slowly past, staying at height, while Duum glided slowly and ominously past not far above the trees, staying away from the fields and farms if he could.

Not that flying monsters were rare around Zanzyr, particularly oddly colored ones, but we still didn't need him recognized, and he couldn't make his Hat and Monocle Invisible right now.

"And there they are, aren't even really bothering to conceal themselves," Karista noted for everyone. We all craned to look through the one-way glass flooring there at the two ships, settled down along a minor stream through the woods and basically just sitting there clearly exposed from above.

"I guess they aren't expecting anything to fly over looking for them, at least nothing unfriendly. Captain Vaylya, confirm mounted hippogriffs around the area, keeping a thoughtful distance, like, oh, sentries or lookouts would?" Everyone promptly crowded to the windows to take a look.

"I've got pairs a-flight at 11 and two o'clock, Lady Edge!" the pilot called back.

"Eight!"

"Five!" came the quick calls from the windows.

"Right. Captain, take us back away and then down. Duum can take us to the ground easily enough here, and then you can head on home." A fully loaded airship could have up to three hundred men on board. If they were the vanguard of an invasion force, they weren't going to be pushovers, either. That it made House Argencal outright traitors to Zanzyr was a separate consideration.

"Affirmative, Lady Edge!" The Swanwing dipped left and began to circle back, staying well above the hippogriffs, who were doubtless complaining greatly about being forced out there to fly during No Magic, probably Buffed up with Potions just so they could stay in the air with a rider. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The Swanwing pulled down to a mere two hundred feet, just low enough for the treeline of an old-growth forest to occlude us from the sharp eyes of the hippogriffs. Duum simply beat his way up underneath the aircraft, the bomb bay floor of the Swanwing opened, and we smoothly dropped down onto him.

Four of us hanging off each side of the saddle, the Daisho of Karista and Holgers in his claws, Duum dropped away, the doors closed, and Captain Vaylva pulled up and away, gaining speed rapidly and heading out of Iendyl territory. Only a minute later we were on the ground. Karista and Holgers were dropped running, then Duum came down and settled in so everyone could slide off his wings and down to the ground.

"Man, gonna be missing the Mule!" Sergeant Chuco said, as everyone checked their gear.

"What's the play here, Lady Edge?"

"We want the ships crippled, any archmages dead, and if they've done any work on a Formation Array, we want it blown apart.

"Nysha, that probably means you and I mining each of the ships, UV snipes on the archmages if we can find them, and something explosive and contaminating to any Ritual Circles they are thinking of putting up."

"There are likely Argencal troops out there holding the perimeter positions and keeping any curious people away. The locals probably wouldn't know a Delphan ship from a Siricilan one, and are likely highly encouraged not to talk, I imagine?" Lieutenant Wallen asked.

"Very much correct. I have a feeling that Fuireze might be sending in some people, too, although my guess is that will be more for exposure than for anything else. Revealing Argencal as a traitor would be most satisfying to everyone involved, I imagine."

"Is the Prince as big a prick as they say?" Chuco laughed as we faced west.

"Coldly handsome, very polite, and utterly ruthless, with no moral scruples. He'll turn you to stone and use you to decorate his gardens if he thinks you'd go well with his flowers, and his family is no better."

"Can we shoot HIM?" the Moor dwarf Holgurs asked, which drew more low chuckles as we set out.

Stealth without magic was very different, and much slower than flight with it, that was certain. Just being able to Fly solved so many problems with movement and quiet it was not funny. Stay inches above the ground and in the grass, no problems getting close in shadows. We had a couple miles to go to reach the pickets, watch their patrol routes, and then steal past the nervous but bored soldiers, ill-paid and unskilled as most were in Zanzyr, and certainly not into stopping a Vanguard team or two Daishos.

From there it was a slow and careful infiltration into the forest. No tricks or traps to be found, but the second ring of sentries was a bit more alert and disciplined, and their ill-fitting Argencal uniforms didn't hide the fact they were speaking Delphan. They were also bored and nervous, and Nysha had no problem arranging a distraction that ended up being nothing more than fleeing rabbits, enabling us to slide on past the second ring of guards and come up on the camp there as the sun was coming down.

Nysha was paired with Deeds, the other Ranger in the group, a taciturn and quiet fellow who didn't speak out much, Nysha being bubbly and irrepressible enough for both of them. The Hyn adventurer saw the hulls of the airships through the trees, and was totally gung-ho to go in there and blow the fuck out of them. She and I split the duties of scouting the combined camp of the ships, which was no small thing, as there were a lot of Delphans sitting around doing a whole lot of not much…

except for a convenient clearing where they were putting a lot of stuff together that looked rather expensive, and someone should do something about that. In a happy coincidence, it began to rain, and cursing Delphans sought shelter in tents and back aboard their ships, which had their main hold doors open on the sides to allow easy access in and out. That also coincidentally meant nobody was looking at the harder access points elsewhere on the ships.

It also meant that there were rather more people on board than we wanted. The lads dropped their packs inside a thicket we artfully opened up in the elven manner, dropping their heavier gear off there and spreading out to locate the officers. Nysha and I split up the duties of going for the ship engines, calling for distractions if one was needed, which Reed and Karista found in the form of certain drinking supplies ready to burn up.

Even in No Magic, I was far stronger than I looked, and had no problem clawing my way silently up the bow of the larger ship, my outfit all dark crimson that wasn't quite black and still basically invisible in the night. If I was supposed to get wet, that's what a Vajra was for, enough ki to keep me clean backed up with Heartsong. A cat or dog might wonder what the subvocals were all about, but they weren't going out into the rain, either.

I did know where the ship's core was, just aft of center in the ship, and there were going to be guards for it, even if it was inactive. I was about to call for distractions when Chuco, who had gotten himself well up a tree with a good coverage of half the camp, hissed a warning into coms, "We got visitors here!"

I was near the deck door going down, in the shadows between miserable sentries in leather cloaks standing out in the rain and wishing to be inside, looking out at the trees and rain and now behind them at the shadows of their own deck. I just clicked acknowledgment, and he went on.

"Got two cutthroats in leathers muttering in Siricilan below me on the west side here. Two more in position a few trees down. They are looking north like they are expecting something." Far be it from me to stop them!

"Horses coming in. I didn't hear any alarms or announcements…" There was a challenge suddenly ringing out through the rain, torches and oil lanterns were raised… and the men holding them jerked and died as arrows hummed and took them down. There was no shout, but the sound of hooves on dirt picked up quickly, and the warning cries went up, calling out that they were under attack!

Well, weren't any cavalry here, the Delphan marines were all on foot and probably expecting to be moved about with Phantom Steeds or something similar, Disks, whatever. Whatever, almost instantly Delphans were running out of tents, pulling on armor and grabbing weapons as they swarmed north, with only a couple alert men shouting orders to secure the south where, if they attackers had any sense, the real attack was coming from.

"My guests just got up and are raising bows."