Chương 21: A Job Well Done

Two guards sat beneath the shadow of one of Ural's enormous gatehouses, making the most of their remaining break while keeping watch over the eastern road. The entrance beside them was broad enough for several merchant carriages to pass through at once, yet it possessed neither wooden doors nor an iron portcullis. Instead, the entire opening was sealed by a vast curtain of translucent blue mana.

Its surface rippled whenever someone crossed through, folding around wagons, animals and travellers like silk while the enchantments searched them for concealed weapons, dangerous artifacts and anything else forbidden within the city. Once the inspection was complete, the barrier released them and returned to its quiet flow. Between the two guards rested a folded sheet of thick brown paper filled with deep-fried sea-snake.

Each curled strip was coated in crisp golden batter seasoned with sea salt and powdered citrus peel, giving way to tender white meat that melted in the mouth. One guard finished another piece and immediately reached for the largest one remaining, only for the other to slap his hand away.

"Leave it, Joren. That one is mine."

"You have already eaten half of them."

"And you have spent more time talking than eating."

"I bought them, Malren..." Malren picked up the piece before Joren could reach for it again.

"Then you should have eaten faster." Joren muttered something impolite beneath his breath, but reluctantly selected a smaller strip. He bit through the crisp batter just as another merchant wagon disappeared into the blue shield beside them. The barrier stretched around its cargo, glittered briefly, and then released the vehicle into the city.

"At least our shift should be over when the Katamaran departs," Joren said.

"Three more hours, assuming they do not delay it again."

"Not tonight," Malren replied as he claimed another piece of sea-snake.

"Half the city has already gathered around the harbor to watch it leave."

"I cannot blame them. The whole city feels alive tonight, with music in every plaza, free drinks flowing along the western docks, performers brought in from Supra, and that damned Katamaran waiting until sunset before it finally sails."

"You forgot the fireworks."

"I did not forget them. I am trying not to think about the fact that we will be changing shifts while everyone else gets to watch." Malren glanced toward his friend.

"Judging by the preparations, they intend to launch enough fireworks to illuminate half the continent." Joren leaned back against the stone wall, imagining the Katamaran beneath a sky filled with light.

"Well, I admit it would make my heart race to see something like that." Malren was about to answer when his gaze drifted past Joren and fixed on something approaching along the road. The sea-snake slipped from his fingers as he rose and reached for the spear resting against the wall, the sudden movement making Joren straighten beside him.

"What is it?" Malren tightened both hands around the weapon, his eyes fixed upon the distant treeline.

"Well, I do not know about you, but my heart is already racing." Joren followed his gaze toward the road, where something immense could be seen moving through the distant forest, weaving between the trees without leaving any obvious path behind it.

"What in the name of the Four is that!?" The answer emerged from the forest in the form of a gigantic stone spider, slipping through the final line of trees before stepping onto the open road and racing toward Ural's gate. Despite carrying a platform large enough for several passengers, the construct moved with astonishing speed, its enormous legs rising and falling while leaving little more than flattened grass behind it.

Joren lunged for his own spear while Malren shifted one hand toward the brass trumpet hanging from his belt, nearly raising it before something about the approaching creature made him hesitate. His gaze followed the pale lines of mana running between its stone plates and the circular formation glowing beneath its body, and as recognition gradually replaced panic, his grip on the trumpet loosened.

"Wait," Malren said, narrowing his eyes.

"By the name of the Just... it is only a Stoneweaver. Some wealthy merchant must have paid a fortune for it." Joren kept his spear trained on the approaching construct.

"A Stoneweaver? Since when do merchants travel on ones that large?" Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Look at the platform," Malren replied.

"Passenger railings, space for cargo, and no armor or mounted weapons. Whatever its size, it was clearly built for travel."

"Whatever its size?" Joren gestured toward it with the tip of his spear.

"Have you never seen a Stoneweaver before? They are not supposed to be that large!" Malren opened his mouth to offer another explanation, yet the creature continued closing the distance so quickly that every detail became clearer, making his reassurance increasingly difficult to defend. The mount began to slow when it reached the long stretch of open road before the gate, lowering its speed with a sequence of steps while its tremendous weight sent tremors through the paving stones.

Several older slabs cracked as it finally settled into place, and the platform upon its back tilted slightly, though the three women standing above appeared remarkably unconcerned. The first to descend was Iris, who stepped onto the low railing and jumped without hesitation, landing lightly enough that the soles of her boots barely disturbed the dust. Echidna followed immediately afterward, leaving the platform with an effortless motion before touching down beside the road.

Gloria remained above them for several moments longer, staring down from the edge while maintaining an expression of complete composure.

'It is not that far, it is not that far, it is not that far...' she reminded herself as she looked at the ground below.

'They both jumped without the slightest difficulty, and this body could survive falling from the sky, so hesitating here would be completely ridiculous. C'mon, Gloria, you got this!' Unfortunately, knowing that she could survive the fall did little to make the road appear closer, especially when the memory of her first uncontrolled descent remained unpleasantly vivid.

After allowing herself one final moment to prepare, Gloria stepped beyond the railing and dropped, landing considerably harder than either of her companions as the paving stones beneath her boots fractured in several directions and a shallow hole formed around her feet. The impact rolled across the road with a dull boom, though she immediately rose to her full height and continued forward with such perfect dignity that anyone watching might have assumed the damaged road had been an intentional demonstration.

Joren stared at the cracks beneath her feet, but a warning glance from Malren kept whatever he had been about to say firmly inside his mouth. Echidna allowed her gaze to travel across the towering walls of Ural before giving a satisfied nod.

"This settlement remains much as Echidna remembers it from all those years ago. It is also pleasing to see that her calculations were correct." Iris looked back toward the forest they had crossed.

"I had my doubts at first, especially with the terrain being so dense, but I still cannot believe we reached Ural within the same day. Truly, a job well done, Lady Echidna." Echidna remained beside the Stoneweaver, resting one hand against its lowered head as she studied the construct.

"Yes... a job well done," she murmured, though her attention had already shifted toward Gloria, clearly awaiting some acknowledgment while Iris's praise went almost entirely ignored. When no such praise came, Echidna released a sigh, lowered her gaze toward the Stoneweaver and whispered something into its leg. The pale lines of mana running across its body faded, and a moment later the entire construct shattered, its legs and platform collapsing into a mound of stone that made Iris and both guards recoil.

Within seconds, the broken pieces began to crumble, rapidly softening until the entire mound had turned into ordinary dirt. Iris stared at the dirt before turning toward her with open dismay.

"Did you truly have to do that? He was such a magnificent creature, and he carried us all this way without causing us the slightest harm."

"That creation was assembled in haste while Echidna remained deprived of the overwhelming majority of her mana," she explained, crossing the distance between herself and the advancing Gloria in two swift steps.

"Its frame was inefficient, its movements lacked precision, and its mind possessed only enough awareness to follow the simplest commands. Allowing something so unfinished to accompany Echidna any further would have created an entirely incorrect impression of what she is capable of producing."

"Calm yourself, Echidna," Gloria said.

"Even if you had created the mightiest Stoneweaver imaginable, we would have no further use for it. We are travelling across the sea, or have you forgotten?"

"Of course not, Mighty Gloria," Echidna replied, quickly falling into step beside her.

"Though Echidna still insists that she could have carried us to the elven lands by her own means, without forcing us to rely upon something so primitive."

"I would not trust you with that," Iris said as she joined them nearer the gate.

"Do not take it the wrong way, but the sea becomes particularly violent at this time of year." Echidna raised an eyebrow.

"Who asked you anything, child? Echidna possesses many ways of crossing the sea, and the Katamaran is hardly—""Oh, you must be here for the Katamaran!" Joren interrupted, his unease giving way to sudden understanding.

"You are fortunate. It has not departed yet, so you should still have time to see the show if you enter now." Echidna fell completely silent. Her altered pupils shrank to tiny points as she stared at the guard, having already killed the insolent slug a hundred different ways within her imagination for daring to interrupt her, but a single glance from Gloria brought every one of those thoughts to an immediate end. Gloria stepped forward, noticing that both guards still held their weapons more tightly than necessary.

Her gaze lowered toward the spears, and they quickly loosened their grips.

"Ah, our apologies," Malren said.

"Please take no offence, young lady. After seeing something of that size charging toward the gate, we thought it best to remain cautious." Echidna froze at the casual manner in which he had addressed Gloria, but Gloria allowed the comment to pass.

"It is quite all right. I am by no means offended," she replied before glancing toward Joren.

"And you are correct. We have come to see the famous Katamaran." Her gaze travelled across the gatehouse and the walls rising above it, where guards and workers had begun gathering along the battlements to stare down at the three women. Far more faces had appeared than the situation reasonably required, and murmurs were already passing between them.

"Though I hope there will be no delay," Gloria continued, returning her attention to the two guards, "and no difficulty with allowing us to enter the city."