Chương 140: Chapter 139: Best of Friends

With the matter of the black crystal resolved, Amelia and Serena returned to the Vengeance for the night. The chaos and revelations of the last day had initially sparked all kinds of excitement and activity, but now that had given way to mental tiredness and a need to process everything Amelia had learned. Without even bothering to change out of her clothes, she collapsed in their double hammock.

Next door, she could hear Serena talking to Anathor about the ship's reaction, but any intention to eavesdrop on the conversation was cut short when Amelia closed her eyes and fell into a deep, satisfying sleep. The next day, Serena wasted no time in rallying the squad and informing them of their upcoming mission in the desert. Finella, along with her mages and warriors, accepted the future ordeal without complaint. There was, however, an unmistakable nervousness coming from the only non-aether users in the squad.

"I don't intend to take you," Serena informed Noburu and Seonmi.

"Not, at least, without good reason. I expect we'll have to withstand the Red Moon's rain while we're out there. That's something you won't survive."

"I can handle it, Captain," Noburu said quickly.

"Both me and Seonmi. We can—""You don't need to impress me with your determination," Serena interrupted.

"It is, however, noted. I've considered all options, including having the mages adequately ward you. You'll both remain here." Serena's lips curled, and she tapped her foot.

"Have no fear, you won't be bored. I'll arrange for your continued training while we're gone. Until then, you'll be training with the rest of us. We start today." The group prepared their training equipment and exited the ship. By now, the Treki dockworkers—who had previously rioted upon seeing the Vengeance make land—had become accustomed to the ship's presence. They still threw the occasional strange look or muttered a prayer, but otherwise seemed to tolerate them.

Dagon was busy overseeing the preparations to paint the ship white. He was working with Evelyn, Allston's niece, as she carefully poured measured amounts of a strange powder into a barrel of white paint. While Serena talked over the paint operation with Dagon, Amelia couldn't help but bounce over and enquire about what Evelyn was doing.

"Can't use normal paint for naval applications, Miss Liona," Evelyn said.

"We're adding silica powder to these barrels for the hull paint. Only so many clouds a ship can sail through before normal paint swells and softens. The silica makes it more resistant." Evelyn tapped another barrel and gestured to another box.

"For the deck flooring, we need something even more durable. We add aluminium oxide powder, which makes the paint hard, resistant, and, most importantly, prevents it from becoming slippery when wet."

"How long will it take you to paint the entire ship?" Amelia asked.

"Here? A week. Normally, it'd take twice that time, but the conditions here are excellent for drying each layer." Evelyn looked up at the Red Moon and wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead.

"The small perks of living in an oven, I suppose."

"We're on a time limit," Serena said.

"After the Arcwhale Festival, we're setting sail."

"Destination, Captain?" Dagon asked.

"Likely Hakim," Serena answered.

"I'm awaiting final clarification."

"Aye, aye," the First Officer responded.

"I'll make sure we're prepared either way." With that, Serena led them into Ishaq and towards their destination. They took one of Ishaq's mighty plateau lifts, taking in the grand view as it lowered them to Ishaq's middle tier. There were even more kites being flown today than yesterday. It seemed that by the time the Arcwhale Festival arrived, the sky would be blocked out. They weren't alone; dozens of Ishaqian citizens rode with them, getting off and on as the behemoth lift slowed down at each stop.

They drew more than a few glances. While the natives would no doubt be familiar with Easterners, seeing a group of them carrying so many rifles and munitions prompted a few raised eyebrows. Amelia overheard a group of boyish demons daring each other in thickly accented Imperial to ask Seonmi for her hand in marriage. Amelia wasn't sure if Seonmi could hear it, but the Ainese demon did smile at the boys. Something in her look made the demons both blush and step away.

Seems like Serena isn't the only one who can give a good look, Amelia thought. With a hiss of steam and a clunk that seemed to scream, 'I could do with some maintenance right about now,' the lift stopped at the middle tier. Serena stepped off and produced a sheet of paper. It was a crude set of directions Menes had given them after finding out Serena wanted a private training location.

They could have used the barracks at the docks, but then they would have been training in Korvus' shadow and, considering the nature of some of the training they had planned, it was more appropriate to seek another location.

"Where to now?" Amelia said, standing on her tiptoes so she could get a better look at the paper.

"Head sinistral until you pass the shadow of the old clocktower," Serena read. Amelia tilted her head.

"Sinistral?" she asked.

"It's an old word for anti-clockwise," Serena explained.

"Feels like we're following a pirate map," Amelia said with a grin.

"A pirate map?" Finella asked.

"What's that?"

"You know," Amelia said, "after a pirate spends a lifetime gathering treasure and gold, they hide it in a secret location and make a map of riddles, guiding the adventurers to the reward of a lifetime!"

"... Why?" Finella asked, her forehead furrowing.

"Because…" Amelia waved a hand.

"Because! That's why. It's fun!" She gestured to the wide expanse of the Southern skies.

"Think of all the islands that would make the perfect hiding spot? Or out there in the desert? How many tombs of riches are waiting to be raided? This time next month, we could have enough gold to retire!" Well, Amelia already had more than enough to retire should she wish. Her balance increased dramatically every month as House Halen's payment for her advisorship came through. She'd talked to Serena about reducing it, as she already had more than enough wealth, but her girlfriend had shot that idea down.

Apparently, it just wouldn't do for someone in her position to earn so little. Well, it was nothing that a bit of saint-like charity wouldn't solve, was it? Except for the wide eyes of Ido and Arin, no one else in the squad seemed to entertain Amelia's theory of hidden pirate or desert riches. That was until Finella said, "Now I think about it, wasn't it said there was a famous pirate who hid his treasure in the South? What was his name…" Finella hummed before snapping her fingers.

"The Yellow Rogue. That's it."

"Erik Houk," Serena said, guiding them down another street.

"That's who you're thinking of. One of the first demons to be given the title of Piratelord." Serena chuckled softly.

"It's a popular children's story. He raided the rich and gave most of his spoils to the poor. What remained he hid somewhere in the Empire, so the tale goes. In most versions I've heard, it's in the South."

"Houk?" Amelia questioned.

"Any relation to a certain grumpy Lady Houk?"

"It's not an uncommon last name," Serena said.

"As far as I know, Erik Houk left no descendants. I suspect it's a fake name, regardless. I suppose our little gambling den adversary thinks she's being ironic."

"Mmm…" Amelia thought.

"What would you all buy, if you found riches and treasure beyond your wildest dreams?" She threw the question out to the group and received a litany of responses.

"I wonder…" Seonmi mused, her lips curling mysteriously.

"I'd build a massive orphanage," Noburu muttered.

"So no child would need to sleep outside."

"A coffee plantation," Finella said, nodding to herself as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"And I'd buy up all the shares possible in the Jimari coffee companies." Her mouth broke out into a smile, and her eyes took on a faraway look.

"Imagine…" she murmured.

"I would invest it," Daichi said, his expression serious, as if he had the treasure before him right now.

"Secure the future for my family for generations."

"We'd pay for our family farm to be expanded," Ido said confidently, his sister nodding her approval.

"There are private companies that do Wilderness clearing, but the insurance needed makes them too expensive for most lowlanders. We'd expand the farm tenfold, no, a hundredfold, and hire guards to protect it."

"I'd build a private training hall," Mel said, nodding to herself.

"And hire the best instructors money could buy. With that…" Mel trailed off, continuing in a quiet voice, "I could catch up in no time…"

"I'd build a grand arena in Celle," Hinako said.

"With white marble and gold ornamentation, it would be the centre of entertainment in the centre of the capital. Everyone would flock to see the spectacles I would put on." Hinako shook her head, as if she couldn't believe such a future was possible.

"Mmm!" Amelia affirmed, quietly memorising everyone's hopes and dreams, filing them away as future goals she would do her best to make reality.

"What about you?" she asked, facing Serena.

"Me?" Serena smiled.

"There's no need to think about such things." Amelia tilted her head.

"Why?"

"It's a meaningless question for me," Serena said, locking eyes with Amelia. It took her a few seconds to realise what her girlfriend was implying. Serena, what a bold demon you are! Amelia thought, barely concealing the grin that threatened to break out on her face. Forcing herself to look forward lest her cheeks blossom with heat, Amelia hummed a happy tune to herself until they arrived at their destination. It was at the edge of Ishaq's middle tier, just where it met the mountains that stretched far to the east.

The buildings here were smaller, rarely more than two stories. They were also sparser, with only gravel roads linking them together. These paths continued outside of Ishaq, weaving off into mountain paths that led to smaller mountain villages and communities. Unlike Asamaywa, where trams linked everything together, here the paths were striated with wheel marks from handcarts and transport carriages. The greenery was different as well.

The neat and organised lines of the shaletrees that marked the main thoroughway had given way to wilder patches of lush vegetation that looked like they were only cut back when they interfered with travel to rural locations. Amelia knew the proper Southern jungle, a tropical wilderness full of shawas and other monsters, didn't truly begin until a few dozen kilometres out.

Still, the patches of vegetation she could see that were desperately trying to claim as much space as possible left no illusion about how dense the Wilderness would be. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"We're already on the outskirts?" Mel mused.

"Ishaq's smaller than I thought. When you're in the markets, it feels busier than the Three Sisters."

"A little under a hundred thousand demons last census," Daichi chimed in.

"And ten thousand humans. Given the recent rise in tourism, I wouldn't be surprised if it was close to double that now."

"What's important is we've found a relatively quiet place to train where no one will interfere," Serena said, nodding down a gravel pathway that weaved off the main path.

"Down here." They soon found what they were looking for. An overgrown courtyard, walled in against prying eyes, with only the ruined foundation of a few ancient constructions left. Vines snaked across the cobblestones, the strength of nature lifting them, creating an uneven floor. Broadleaf ferns sprang up, fighting for access to the sun and moonlight. Not only did the courtyard match Menes' description perfectly, but so did his description of the demon who'd followed them up the gravel path.

"You Menes' friend?" the man asked Serena.

"And… friends?" He nodded towards the rest of the group, touching his heavy-set, curled horns in a sign of respect.

"A lot of women, I see."

"Farid, I presume?" Serena intoned smoothly, taking a step forward." Sayyidah Halen, pleased to make your acquaintance." She bowed politely, only for the man to wave a dismissive hand.

"No need for Sayyids and Sayyidahs here, friend of Menes," Farid said.

"I ain't minding you using my space 'cause you a part of the East Tasalsul, no, friend. Friend of Menes is a friend of mine, I say. Use my place as you want. I'll be down there working"—Farid jerked a thumb down the gravel path—"so come see me if you need anything. Otherwise, no one will come or ask any questions, I promise that."

"And…" Serena paused for a moment, as if unsure how to address the man.

"And what is it you do, Farid?"

"I run the cart station to the villages," Farid answered.

"Repair 'em and all. You know the council wanted to buy this 'ere land off me." He kicked a stone with his foot, sending it tumbling across the courtyard.

"Put in a tram station. Can you believe that? Ishaq would become a proper city!"

"I take it you've refused their offers?"

"Aye, refused," Farid said with a grin.

"Sent 'em packing skywards." He jerked his head towards Ishaq's upper tier.

"They'll be back, with more gold in their pockets. Then I'll sell." He tapped his nose and said, "Good things come to those who wait, friend of Menes."

"... I'll keep that in mind."

"Well then, I'll be off!" Farid exclaimed.

"Don't worry about any noise," he said, pointing towards the rifles they'd brought with them.

"People come down here to shoot fish all the time." With no further words, he turned around and cheerfully strode back down the gravel pathway. Serena watched him go before turning around to the group.

"Right," she began, pointing to one end of the courtyard.

"Set up a firing point there, equipment over there, and foodstuff there. Go, now!"

"Aye, Captain!" The squad darted away to fulfil their tasks. Finella hovered around them, shouting further orders, instructing Daichi to use his earth magic to set up a berm at one end. As his aether rippled and the earth and stone responded to his will, Serena turned to Amelia.

"Anything for me to do?" Amelia asked, twirling a lock of hair innocently. Serena rolled her eyes.

"Burn away all the vegetation in a circle. Let's say… twenty metres. Flatten the ground as well. I don't think Farid would complain too much if we left after doing a bit of maintenance." Amelia was already cycling her aether, accelerating the rate at which her body absorbed it from the surrounding atmosphere. She folded it, teasing it into the required formation. Her aether sang in joy, jubilant at being used, and when she activated her spellwork, she felt the wonderful release that came with using magic.

"Sorry, plants," she said apologetically as every bit of greenery was turned to ash. The floor rippled, flowing like liquid before settling and solidifying into a smooth, solid surface. With that, after only a few seconds, Amelia had constructed an arena-like training area.

"Good?" she asked.

"Good," Serena affirmed. Amelia made a happy noise and stretched.

"Did the disguise fail?"

"A little," Serena said, "but it recovered almost immediately." Serena sniffed, looking around at the walls lining the courtyard.

"Safe from prying eyes. Menes' recommendation came through."

"Should I ward the entire courtyard?" Amelia asked.

"It might draw the wrong attention," Serena said.

"For the next week, for most of our waking hours, this courtyard will be our home. A large-scale privacy ward would work, but it's also a blaring message to anyone with the sensitivity to sense. A ward of that size would be like a lighthouse announcing there's something interesting here. If possible, I'd rather not cause any problems for our host."

"Farid?" Amelia questioned.

"I thought you would get annoyed at how he spoke to you." Amelia felt herself grin.

"You know, no etiquette, dismissing your title and all." Serena sighed.

"Menes, for better or worse, has prepared me for more of Ishaq's… nature. I don't like it, but I'm not here to change that. I'm here to fulfil my duty, and if I may say so myself, the conviction of my sanctioned Lordship is strong enough that the dismissive attitude of Menes' friend isn't quite enough to shake it."

"Sure seemed that way when you were cutting off Maramba's arms."

"That was a matter of honour," Serena said firmly.

"Different things entirely."

"Sounds like a convenient excuse to—""All done, Captain!" Finella called, jogging over. The rest of her squad fell in beside her.

"One minute warning, then we start," Serena said.

"Get ready." The mages and warriors immediately swarmed the water they'd brought, greedily fighting over it. They drank deeply, then splashed their faces and shoulders. Noburu and Seonmi looked on with a lack of urgency.

"What's the rush?" Seonmi asked tentatively.

"You didn't train under her at the academy," Arin said between gulps.

"The captain was training under Katalin of Driss, the Katalin of Driss. Even the rumours of how intense those sessions were made me have nightmares! Guess who took in those lessons and replicated them for us?" Arin and Seonmi glanced at Serena, who seemed content to look at the Red Moon as if she wasn't being openly talked about.

"I'm sure the accelerated course you two took at the cadet school was tough," Mel added, "but this is something else. If you don't get enough water, you will pass out. It's that gruelling. Rewarding, but gruelling."

"Ah, I hope we get more breaks," Hinako said, dabbing her forehead.

"There's barely any breeze here, the Red Moon's going to kill us, I swear."

"Surely…" Noburu trailed off, swallowing before continuing again.

"Surely she'll go easy on us, considering we're, you know"—he gestured between Seonmi and himself—" not aether users?" He glanced at Serena and then back at the group.

"Right?" he asked again, his voice strained with desperate hope.

"Don't worry," Mel said.

"If you collapse, Miss Liona is here to patch you up."

"... Right," Noburu muttered.

"You pushed to go into the desert with the rest of us," Finella pointed out.

"During this session, remember what you feel like when you're at your worst, and then remind yourself that that feeling is the minimum amount of stress you'd be under on the Red Sands. That's why you can't come."

"How do the traders manage it then?" Noburu asked.

"They can't all be aether users."

"They're not," Finella said.

"And they manage it by not trading during moonrain season." The Northerner looked up, squinting at the Red Moon.

"They say the desert heat makes men go mad, and we're going there voluntarily. We must be mad already…"

"Time!" Serena called, her voice loud and clear. She clapped her hands and ordered, "Start running, all of you! If you can make red aura, then make it! Officers Aikawa and Ishitani, construct a first-circle ward!" She looked down at Amelia.

"You're joining in. Training will sharpen your mind for what comes next." Amelia gave her a quick salute and wink and fell into lockstep with the rest of the squad. She wasn't upset at being pushed into such rigorous training; in fact, she loved it. The drama of the Passage meant she hadn't found as much time to refine her aura as she'd liked. Sure, she'd made some progress, but most of her free time was spent at the crystalcraft project she was working on.

It took her a few seconds to remind her aether there was a completely different way to move, eventually getting it to convect within herself. Then, just as she aligned the convection with what she remembered, she felt what she could only describe as an internal rush, a feeling quite different from the exhilarating release of casting magic, and manifested her red aura. It blossomed quite a bit larger than she intended, extending from her body visibly for half a foot.

After a moment of concentration, she brought it under control, shrinking and condensing it to something more appropriate.

"What a vivid red," Finella said appraisingly.

"Your aether must be especially clean for it to look like that. I suppose that's expected from such a capable mage."

"When I call, flare your aether!" Serena called. It was the same aether-flaring exercise Katalin had started them with. Amelia wondered if her girlfriend knew how much Katalin's training sessions had rubbed off on her. Not the only thing that got rubbed, Amelia thought, heh.

"Flare!" Amelia, along with everyone else, flared her aether. She focused inwards, pushing the convection inside her to go faster, and when she struggled to make it go faster, she told the aether to become denser. Meanwhile, she desperately fought to keep the visible hue of her red under control, to prevent it from blossoming like a second Red Moon, like it did when she first manifested it.

"Relax!" Amelia cooled her aether down, letting the convection slow. Even so, after pushing it so hard momentarily, it felt like there was a supernatural warmth within her, like she'd opened pathways that were previously cold and thin. As Serena called to flare and relax again, Amelia felt her mind adapt even further to the sensation. After another cycle, Amelia found herself grinning. Training was fun! She kept this thought in mind while Serena went through another ten cycles of flaring.

"Stop!" Serena called.

"Fall in!"

"Ah… ah… ah…" Mel gasped, her breath misting with aether. She'd been the most determined of the lot and had pushed herself almost to collapse. Seonmi and Noburu, on the other hand, were handling the training so far the best. That made sense, for all they'd had to do was run. They had no aether to flare. Not yet, anyway, Amelia thought. Her instincts told her there was potential there.

Serena looked over them, her mouth curled in a manner that somehow communicated everything from approval to disappointment, and to amusement. She unslung a rifle and held up a cartridge.

"Rubber," Serena said, casting her hand about so all could see.

"The perfect entry round to introduce a newly manifested orange to the dangers of riflefire. Officer Mori!"

"Yes!" Mel straightened up. She stopped gasping for air, but still breathed heavily through her nose.

"I believe you made a request to Miss Liona in the Passage, am I right? You requested to go through some live-fire training to test your orange, with Miss Liona here in case anything goes wrong."

"Ah, yes, Captain," Mel said, swallowing.

"But now I see it, I'm not sure that—""Perfect," Serena said loudly.

"Finding where our limits are is the requisite step that's needed before we can push past them. Now, I know the rest of you have become more than familiar with our standard-issue rifles, courtesy of Officer Bright's shooting practice." Serena nodded to Finella, only to say, "Who would do the honour of firing the first shot against Officer Mori's orange? At a range of, let's say, twenty metres? A child couldn't miss. Anyone?" There were a few seconds of silence before numerous voices burst forward.

"Officer Song has been training me often, Captain," Seonmi intoned.

"I'll be willing to show everyone what I've learned."

"Put me at a hundred metres, and I could hit a fly," Arin said confidently.

"Let me shoot her first, Captain." Her twin brother nodded his approval.

"My talents lie in more than just magic," Daichi put forward, "let me take the shot, Captain."

"Me too," Hinako added with a nod.

"I can do it, Captain."

"Or me," Noburu said, before adding quickly, "Captain."

"Perhaps, Captain," Finella said, stepping forward, "their commander should demonstrate? As their direct senior, it makes sense for me to shoot first."

"I should shoot her!" Amelia chirped, unable to not throw her hat in the ring.

"Mel asked me, after all! It's only fair I get to shoot her first!" She gave her friend a reassuring thumbs-up that she would be the one to shoot her. But for some reason, she only got a pained expression in return.

"Moons," Mel muttered, looking to the side.

"Look how eager you are to shoot me, you're acting as if you're fighting over a hog roast and a cup of Jimari!" Amelia wasn't sure what the problem was. After all, by shooting Mel with a rifle, Amelia would reassure her that they were the best of friends. Right?