Chương 58: Chapter 57 - Edric Stormbridge

A wooden plank smashed down onto the table, Oswin on top. Noah and Ollie jumped back, stumbling over their chairs.

"Howdy folks, mind if I catch a ride on that ship?" He said with no hint of shame. The security here is terrible.

"Give us one good reason why we shouldn't kill you" Lance said, pulling a hatched off his hip.

"Lance, you read my report on what may or may not be beneath the island" He looked towards Noah "So did you" Oswin pulled himself off the table wreckage, wiping wood dust off.

"All my research notes are back in Greymere, let me on that ship, I'll get my notes, and come back and confirm about the thing lurking in the deep" he said and held out his hand. Ollie raised an eyebrow "And do tell, what is beneath our fine island?"

"Another time" Noah dismissed him.

"No, they should probably know" she looked towards Rowen.

"To summarize, we found shrieking nightmares in old Aurendorian mines, and a giant worm… thing with intelligence in the deeps, there is some kind of "pact" we have violated with them and they are not happy with us" Nythera blitzed through it.

"Why do we entertain these beings? Could we not simply fight them off when they come to the surface?" Rowen asked.

"They are strong and incredibly numerous, they might also be able to appear from multiple points under the island. Would you like it Rowen, if they popped up beneath your home? Or within Grandport Plaza?" Nythera asked. Rowen had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Are they that numerous? We have squads of delvers we could deploy under such conditions…" Noah said, already brainstorming countermeasures.

"The worm one, even at point-blank, my Aether Culverin could not harm, not so much as a scratch. I suspect it's close to strata three or four" Nythera said with a grimace. Ollie winced "Yup, we aren't killing that one".

"I managed to kill a large number of the Shrieking ones, but only because there were dozens of them at the bottom of a pit, and despite all that I killed, more kept pouring in. I have no idea what numbers they actually posses" Nythera said.

"Approve all of Nythera's requests? All for it say Aye" Felix said.

"Aye""Aye""Well that's that then, we need what knowledge Oswin has and we need you to get him there. None of the townships can handle fluxspawn bursting out of the blasted roadways" Felix said, leaning back precariously in his chair. Noah nodded to her "Get on that ship, we don't have time to waste. A blazed war beneath our feet could be brewing as we speak." Nythera's cloak fluttered in the wind as she set a brisk pace back to the marina.

These back to back council meetings are getting kind of annoying, I'm the Queen, I should just do what I want and find some kind of liaison to take my place in the meetings. High Administrator (lvl 7>8) Though getting levels for just participating and getting my way is nice…

"Look lady, I just want an apple, I am offering you ten times its value in coinage" A familiar stoney man argued with a street vendor.

"These fake coins are worth jackshit here now get your ass out of my shop, you're scaring away customers. I'll call the guards!" The old lady screamed at his face.

"Here, this should cover the apple" Nythera handed her a spark.

"Milady" She courtesied "Thank you".

"You're going to make me look bad by association" Nythera said as the pair walked to the marina.

"It's strange, do they not use Essel's anymore?" He asked, holding the coin before him.

"What the Hel is an Essel?" The coin looked like none she had ever seen.

"State-issued coins, Aurendor used them to control the monetary supply because dungeon currency was out of their control" Halt said, tucking the coin away.

"Dungeon currency, sparks and shards is the basis of all trade on Vathrial, of course these people still use it" Nythera snorted "I cannot imagine why you'd bother with printing your own currency when the dungeon does that for free." Something seemed to die in Halt's eyes "Do I have to teach you economic theory as well? No, I'll offload that responsibility to someone else." What a weirdo, economy theory? I'll deal with that shit later.

Both ships had been secured in the docks properly, the one they weren't using was under guard and had… Is that fifty lines tying it off? Well I suppose it's secure enough with that. Not like anyone can pilot it without the pass anyways. The last crate of rations was being loaded by the woodmancers.

"Milady, the ship's about ready to set sail, but there's one problem" he hesitated, as if unsure if the issue was worthy of one of her high-station's attention. I really REALLY need a disguise.

"Spit it out already" she said with a sigh.

"We need a name, for the ship I mean. It's bad luck, terrible luck really, to depart without a name" the sailor said. Sailor's superstitions, I suppose he has a point, I've got gods watching, it's better not to tempt the Fates.

"She's called the Sea Empress" Nythera shouted back up.

"Aye, that'll do, I beg your pardon" he bowed and went back to loading the supplies. A hand hit her shoulder. I am getting really tired of that, I should get a flaming cloak, or maybe a spiky cloak? Something so people STOP PUTTING-"That's a fine name." Lance said, "hopefully one that foretells things to come."

"Hey Lance, can I trust these sailors? The content of this mission is very sensitive as you know" She asked.

"Yeah, and as you can see they are not members of a certain group you dislike" he smiled "One day I hope you come to trust us, even if only a bit".

"Maybe if members stopped trying to kill me, although there hasn't been an attempt in awhile, but that just makes me more suspicious" she said with a questioning eyebrow raised.

"Don't worry yourself a bit, no one is touching the Queen of Myrraval, you've earned yourself some safety 'round here" Lance said with a chuckle. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. I am not letting my guard down regardless, next time I am skipping the questions and confusion and just hitting everyone with Aether Culverin until nothing moves.

"Are we departing or dallying on shore?" Rowen called down from the deck.

"That fucking bastard" she muttered, clambering up the gangplank. Nythera turned on the Aetherium Core, the Flux-battery was already full charged. Let's have some fun with this.

"Please hang on tightly" She shouted out to the crew. As a wave tilted the bow up she engaged the thrusters at quarter power. The ship shot forward out of the marina, rocketing forth and hitting wave after after wave, skipping over the top. Nythera was thrown up and down by the jumps, knuckles white from gripping the panel. Shit, shit. She amped up the Stabilization Height and the vessel pulled above the water, calming down. Her face was hot, beat red.

That was not what I thought would happen, AAAAAAA that was so embarrassing. Why didn't we go rocketing into the sky? It should have worked!!! Grandport lay in the distance already, a rapidly shrinking blip. Oh shit, I better lower the Jet Force before we run out of charge. Slowly lower it that is. She gently brought it down percentage by percentage. Rowen, hair having become a messy heap, pulled himself up the railings to the poopdeck.

"Next time I believe it would be prudent that I handle departures from shore" he scowled. Yeah… No.

"We should stop by the Stormbridge Estate, Father has expressed interest in meeting you, despite my resistance" Rowen said, as if each word inflicted pain upon his very soul. His father's estate? I suppose he is a major local power, especially in Amplewoods.

"Does he expect us?" she asked. Rowen nodded "I told him I would be bringing you for formal introductions in the near future, he will be ready".

"It would be wise to be acquainted with every local leader you can, this Edric is a powerful force here. Having him on your side could ease a lot of problems when developing Myrraval" Talvik said. Fine fine fine, we go meet the rich guy. Minutes later Nythera pulled the ship into the docks at the base of the sea cliffs, landing with significantly more grace than before. Five ships in port, two fishing vessels and two merchant ships, is the bigger caravel theirs? This is quite a fleet if they own it all.

The stone dockyard had plenty of open spaces and The Sea Empress slotted into a suitable slot. In short order Rowen had them berthed at the dock.

"Welcome home, young master" the dock workers bowed lightly. The dockhands worked the place in a strict fashion, receiving orders from a foremen and loading or unloading ships with practiced ease. Cargo was put into designated spots and taken from designated spots. An orderly, disciplined dockyard. In other words, the opposite of Grandport. Ok, I'm impressed, I've never seen an obedient, disciplined sailor on land before. Rowen waved them off and the pair proceeded to the elevator.

"Due to God's Wrath and security concerns, all non-immediately-essential supplies are stored at the top of the cliff, so we will be taking the elevator". Built into the cliffside itself, a square tube going from the docks all the way to the top of the cliff-top awaited their arrival, wood platform clear and ready. Stepping aboard, Rowen turned to her "Please consider hanging onto the railings tightly, it can be startling for first-timers". Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm Strata one what's a little- Was that a smirk?

Chains above her snapped taut. The platform rocketed up, knocking her off the railing onto the floor. Stone slid past her face as she was pushed into the floor by accelerating force. How the Hel are they raising this? Is Kronan himself pulling us up? The platform snapped into place as it reached the top of the cliff, throwing her a foot off the ground.

"Welcome home, young master" Gruff voices called out. A team of four men, huge battleworn soldiers with biceps bigger than her head, stood at the top, hands on the chain.

"Good work" Rowen said, flicking a coin to each.

"Come Nythera, lets not dally shall we, collect yourself please" he sneered. I see that smirk you smug bastard. I SAW IT. He paid off the fucking muscle to do that, that cannot be how they normally do it.

"By the blazes, I hate this place" Rowen muttered, nodding to the guards as they entered the compound. The portcullis was already pulled up, likely to receive the significant traffic of goods they had flowing in and out of the great walled compound. The compound was simple, but impressive. Stonemancer-worked walls with runes, a large central keep with three towers, one of which dove up into the sky, and several smaller buildings. None of which were actually small.

The buildings lay bright in her vision, runes thrumming with power. These runes… It would be very hard even for a strata one or two to do anything to them, they are so packed with ambient flux skills would barely cause a dent. The grounds were packed with soldiers and carts and several training groups were mid-drill.

"Admiring the runic work? Well don't, the man who makes these is a lunatic. If he didn't do such good work we would have kicked him out long ago" Rowen said with a scowl.

"Is he that bad? I can literally see the ambient flux being pulled into your walls. This is exceptional work, very few keeps in Greymere had anything approaching this level of craftwork" Nythera said. Rowen nodded "He's that bad". They approached a group of drilling soldiers, all of them moving in perfect sync with every stroke of the blade. The drill sergeant had silver hair and a dignified military uniform, he practiced each movement at a blinding pace while the others merely tried to keep up.

"HALT".

"Sheath your blades". All swords were sheathed in unison, soldiers standing at the ready.

"Miss Nythera" he held out his hand. She took it. Grimacing, she prepared to have her hand crushed in the traditional Myrraval fashion. But no such thing occurred. Huh, a normal handshake for once? The man was looking at her strangely. Her face went red as blood rushed to the tips of her ears. I should probably not flinch every time someone offers me a handshake.

"I see you met the locals, unfortunately no one on this island, mayors included, have been trained in etiquette. They do not know how to control their own strength. I do" He bowed lightly "Edric Stormbridge at your service, Milady".

"Edric, it is a pleasure to meet you" Nythera said with a small curtsey. For once, just this once, I wish I had received more than a five minute breakdown in etiquette that I quit by throwing rocks at Will. Just this once.

"That new ship of yours, it has some potential in waters like these. It could be tremendously influential" Edric said, his eyes searching for something in her gaze.

"Thank you, we are not fully sure how it works and it is currently constrained in who can operate it, but I hope to utilize them for the sake of all the islands in the future" Nythera answered.

"I see" Edric looked away, seeming to have found what he was searching for. He coughed, clearing his throat. His face reset to the stern shield of nobility.

"I hope you will stop by again when you have more time. I have heard that certain aspects of your education were somewhat insufficient for your current situation. I would be happy to have our tutor amend that, if you would be so inclined" Edric said, tone oozing with noble etiquette.

"I will have to return to take you up on that offer at another time" Nythera said with all the grace she could muster. Edric nodded.

"Milady, shall we depart?" Rowen asked.

"We shall" Nythera said. Is this right? Was that the right line? Did I mess it up? The pair walked off, back towards the entrance. Rowen sighed, "At least you managed to get father's approval, somehow. I wasn't sure if you'd manage it".

"He approved? He didn't say anything" She asked incredulously.

"That means he approved". This time, their journey down the elevator was at a comfortable pace. Descent apparently being "no joking matter". Maybe I should actually take them up on the offer, I could really use some more information and if I'm going to be a Queen of these isles, I should be a proper one. Blood swelled to her face. Meetings with nobility in the future could get really embarrassing. … The wind whipped past her face, the silhouette of Voltherra in the distance to the north and Myrraval to their backs.

It is time to see if this route to Vathrial is real.