Chương 123: Flying means...?

"Oh? That's coming along rather well. Is that the Sanctum you are adding back there?" Vera stopped with her brush suspended above the canvas. She turned her head and stared at the man seated across the table from her.

"You can tell?"

"I should hope so. You've kept it lighter than the nearer roofs and softened the edges so it sits farther back." Vera studied him for a moment.

"You paint?" Roderic spread his arms.

"Naturally. What do you take me for?"

"Someone who'd put oil straight onto bare linen." He chuckled.

"You underestimate me, my friend. I happen to be a man well acquainted with the arts and handicrafts." He reached down to his lap, where Vera had seen him fiddling with something for the better part of an hour, and lifted a loose panel of blue linen. Silver thread had been embroidered across it to form the growing outline of a city. Vera blinked at the unexpected quality of the work.

"You're good," she said.

"You needn't sound so incredulous."

"I think I do. Did you make all of that in an hour?" She had noticed how unusually quiet he'd been, but she'd been too focused on her own work to give it much thought. Roderic smiled.

"I thought that I ought to prepare a proper gift for this niece of mine. Though it'll hardly compare with what her mother is preparing." He motioned toward the easel beside Vera. A broad linen canvas rested on it, and across its surface the cityscape of Darnelle was taking shape, complete with its glittering waterways, wayward sluicewalks, bustling markets, and brightly colored rooftops.

She was working in oils, but the hand-ground paints varied far more in body and texture than the tube colors she remembered, and the pale primer gave the surface more tooth than she was used to. Then again, she hadn't actually held a brush in years. Still, she thought it was coming along decently. Especially for only two days' work. She glanced between the canvas and Roderic's embroidered linen.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. It can't really compare. Serel will hate yours." The man's expression darkened.

"Hmph. We shall see about that." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"You mentioned she was fond of dragons, didn't you?" He lowered the linen to his lap. One hand rose to twirl the end of his aggressively ginger mustache, which had been braided toward either corner of his mouth and waxed into perfect spirals. Vera chuckled slightly at the sight. At that moment, he could easily have been mistaken for a character out of a cartoon.

He was in disguise, which, beyond the mustache, consisted of an overly silky wig that fell past his shoulders, a completely unnecessary monocle, and a deep emerald doublet with a frilled collar and extravagantly puffed sleeves. According to him, he was playing the part of a merchant-noble from Thornequay, who apparently dressed like that. Vera wasn't sure how accurate that was. She shook her head and turned away, letting her gaze wander across their surroundings.

They sat in one corner of the rooftop gallery belonging to one of Darnelle's many pub-restaurants. From here, they could see much of the city spread beneath them, which was what made it an ideal place to capture the view. When Vera had mentioned wanting to paint the city for Serel, Roderic had recommended the place. Beyond the view, it was supposed to have excellent spirits. This was already Vera's fourth visit. She could confirm that its 'spirits' were, indeed, quite good.

She picked up a chilled glass of what they called 'quicksilt'—it reminded her of a mix between dry cider and gin—and took a sip of the silvery liquor before returning her attention to the painting. She had been in Darnelle for a little over three days now, which had given her plenty of time to work on this piece, explore the city, and shop for souvenirs Serel might like. It wasn't as if she could do much else.

Yria checked on her periodically to make sure she wasn't doing 'anything stupid' that might worsen her condition, and Vera only had so much energy to devote to annoying the woman. Pressing the tip of her brush carefully against the canvas, Vera let those thoughts drift to the back of her mind. She added a series of pale highlights to the outline of Darnelle's Sanctum in the backdrop. After a while, surprised voices rose from elsewhere on the gallery. Vera ignored them and continued painting.

Eventually, though, Roderic spoke.

"That's a strange sight." Vera turned first toward him, then followed his gaze. Far beyond the city, high in the sky, a trail of multicolored fire was streaking toward Darnelle. At first, it looked like some tiny, extremely localized aurora made out of flames. But as it got closer, Vera started to make out a shape at the front of it. A ship, maybe? A weirdly shaped one, though. A little too… aerodynamic. Worried murmurs rose from the people around them. Roderic turned to her.

"You wouldn't happen to know what that is, would you?" Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Vera squinted at the ship for a few more seconds, trying to pick up any Resonance coming off it, but it was still too far away. That said…

"I think I have an idea." She lowered her brush, set it across a palette attached to the easel, and stood. Stillwake appeared in her grip. She looked at Roderic.

"Want to come with?"

"Come with…?"

"I'll take that as a yes. Come. It'll be interesting." She stepped around the table, grabbed his arm, and cut a Hollow Reach through the air beside her. Roderic only managed to let out a startled yelp before she hauled him up and dragged him through. They came out in open air just beyond the city gates. Normally, Vera would've opened the Hollow Reach much closer to where she wanted to go. In peak shape, that ship was well within range.

Unfortunately, the Mark's Resonance cost didn't scale nicely with distance, and she was trying not to push herself too hard right now. Gravity immediately took issue with their current position. Thankfully, Breakstep was good at dealing with that. Roderic clutched his wig and monocle for dear life as Vera dragged him along, kicking off empty air in a series of explosive leaps toward the strange ship.

The flames around it stretched and twisted like long ribbons in the wind, making it hard to see what the thing was actually made of. Vera caught flashes of polished gold along the hull, dark metal plating across the underside, and a wooden railing that ran from bow to stern. The fire seemed to be pouring from somewhere near the rear-center of the ship. From there, it curled around the hull in glowing streams before spilling out behind it in a long, shifting trail.

Eventually, they got close enough that one final Breakstep launched Vera and Roderic above the ship's path. From there, she let gravity handle the rest. They landed with a heavy thud on the deck. Up close, she was pretty sure the boards beneath her were made of deeproot, as was the railing. That was expensive stuff. The ship itself wasn't nearly as impressive up close as it had looked from a distance, though.

There was barely anything on the deck apart from a long open hatch running down the center and a raised quarterdeck toward the stern. It wasn't particularly large, either. Twenty meters long, at most. Most of the spectacle really just came from the absurd amount of fire wrapped around it. Beside her, Roderic collected himself, shoved his wig back into place, and carefully readjusted his monocle. Then he stared at the flames licking around the ship.

"What sort of vessel is this…?" he muttered.

"It's called the Auric Venture," another voice answered. A blond man came down the short staircase leading from the quarterdeck. A nearly pitch-black coat trailed behind him, and his equally dark eyes had the sort of flat look that you really couldn't be blamed for describing as lifeless. Vera smiled slightly.

"I figured this thing would be yours," she said.

"Too many curves. Anyway, how'd things go on your end, Cin?"

"Well, mostly." He walked around the central hatch and stopped in front of them.

"I helped High-Marshal Helton and his forces through the passes. The worst of the Maw's remnants have also been dealt with, so its Resonance should not pollute the surrounding area too severely in the immediate future." He paused.

"I also secured a considerable quantity of material that I believe will be useful in crafting Sentinel-level golems."

"What about my share?"

"I left the most promising pieces for you, Vera. Though I doubt they will be useful until they have been socketed and properly prepared." Vera chuckled.

"Sure, sure. As long as you're not fleecing me."

"I am not," Cin said dryly. Then his attention shifted to Roderic, who had suddenly started standing a whole lot straighter.

"Who is this?" Cin asked.

"Oh, him?" Vera smirked.

"He's the Number One." Cin raised one eyebrow and looked back at her.

"Number one at what?"

"I don't know, actually."

"I see." Cin turned back to Roderic.

"I'm CinderCtrl." Roderic stayed quiet for a moment. Then he managed a thin smile, removed his monocle, and began cleaning it on his sleeve.

"Yes, we've met. Roderic Presley." Both of Cin's eyebrows rose now.

"I thought you were dead."

"That's what I said," Vera cut in. Roderic cleared his throat. The monocle disappeared into his Vaultring.

"I got better." Cin's eyes narrowed.

"How?"

"Don't bother asking." Vera shook her head.

"He likes being mysterious about it. I've already pressed him more than once. At this point, it's probably best to just let him keep his secrets and feel special."

"Why, thank you, Vera." Roderic smiled, but Vera was pretty sure she caught a flicker of relief in his eyes. Was he scared of Cin or something? It didn't seem like the two of them were nearly as friendly as Vera and Roderic were, which was a little strange. Both she and Cin should've completed the man's questline in Ashen Legacy. Though maybe the version of events this world had settled on only included Veralyth. Lorin had only mentioned her name and Roderic's when she was in Karthvale, after all.

Wouldn't be the first time canon here had gotten weird.

"Anyway, reintroductions aside…" Vera stepped past Cin and waved at the ship around them.

"Is this the ride you promised me?" He nodded.

"It is."

"Where'd you get it?"

"I built it." Vera looked at him.

"Seriously?"

"I'm usually serious."

"That's crazy." She glanced around the deck again.

"So was the reason you needed three days because you were waiting for it to get here?"

"Yes. It was undergoing adjustments at Blackglass Kiln, but I judged it to likely be functional enough to help with your journey."

"Functional enough?" Cin nodded again.

"That's not the most reassuring way to put it," Vera said.

"It won't crash."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"…Alright." Vera looked around the mostly barren deck.

"Taking suggestions for the decor?"

"No."

"Shame." She walked over to the long opening in the center of the deck, which was bordered by more deeproot railing. Inside, it almost looked like a massive open furnace, packed with the same bright, shifting flames that wrapped around the ship.

"How is this thing flying?" she asked, leaning over to peer down into it.

"Phoenix flame," Cin answered, coming to stand beside her.

"What now?" He raised two fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle. A couple of seconds passed. Then something moved in the flames below. A long, narrow shape rose through them, covered in gold-orange feathers that glittered in the firelight. Vera realized it was a neck just before it slipped up through the opening, bringing a pair of bright amber eyes level with her own. Vera stared.

"…Is that an auric phoenix?"

"It is," Cin said.

"Its name is Pyre." The phoenix lowered its crested head. One golden feather came loose near its crown and drifted gently down, landing on the railing in front of Vera. She stared at the creature for several more seconds, then turned to Cin.

"Where did you find this?" He looked completely unfazed by the question.

"I came across its egg in Cinderpeak Caldera a little over a year ago."

"Seriously?!?"

"Yes. It wasn't easy to hatch." Vera dragged both hands through her hair, then looked back at the phoenix. In Ashen Legacy, phoenixes were in the same general league as dragons. They were actually rarer, even if they weren't always as strong. This one was several times rarer than the rarest mount Vera had ever owned. Why did Cin get to have one?

"What is it with everyone finding legendary creatures to bond with while I was gone?" she said.

"Elaria gets a dragon, you get a phoenix. What's next? Mira has a hydra stuffed in a basement somewhere?"

"Not to my knowledge, though it's not impossible." Cin paused.

"As for Valecrest's dragon, I can't say how she acquired it. I haven't spoken much with the Flamebearer in the past year." Vera shook her head. Elaria had actually told her the story, but she'd been annoyingly cagey about parts of it. All Vera really knew was that she'd gone into some volcano, passed some kind of trial, and found a young Vorthalor sealed in some sort of stasis. Which was unfair. Seriously. Cin raised one hand. A large slab of raw meat appeared above his palm. It disappeared a second later.

Pyre's beak snapped shut. The phoenix swallowed, gave Vera one last long look, then lowered its neck back into the fiery opening.

"This ship can travel at several dozen leagues per hour as long as Pyre remains well fed," Cin said.

"That shouldn't present a problem for you." He pointed toward the raised quarterdeck at the rear.

"The controls are there. You can familiarize yourself with them while I receive our guests." He turned and started toward the bow. Vera followed him with her eyes, then noticed they had already nearly reached Darnelle. That probably meant there were officials and a bunch of city defenders gathering below, eager to climb aboard and ask a thousand questions about the flaming ship that had almost flown into their city. She could do without getting dragged into that.

Her attention shifted to Roderic, who was still standing rather stiffly beside her.

"So," she said.

"Want to figure out how this thing works with me?"