Chapter 875: Choice of Battles
"I knew I should have gone with Fyren," I muttered, resting my head against the side of the carriage, feeling every bump and jostle.
"Fyren? Is that why I haven’t seen him around recently? He usually comes to watch us spar and gives us tips," Korra said.
I nodded. "I first glimpsed Connor’s attack about a week ago. I had Fyren join the rest of the Devoted. The Risen offensive is focused on Sangra, but there’ll be concentrated attacks all across the border to divide the elves’ army. If that happens, we’ll lose the city no matter what, so I had him send demon forces to secure the other villages and towns being threatened."
"That’s...we’ve heard nothing of such a massive offensive," Selena said, leaning forward intently. "Our scouts have only reported a concentrated force of about fifty thousand Risen headed to Sangra. But it would take millions to do what you suggest."
"It’s...hard to explain," I admitted. "Just trust me. They’ll be there, but so will my demons. Maybe this can buy some more goodwill with Lady Whitemarsh."
"I’m not going to mention anything until our own intel confirms it, and even then, I won’t mention your foresight. There’s no need to expose your power to them, and it will help you seem more proactive and helpful if your forces really do intercept the Risen."
"You make it sound like they’re enemies," Korra said.
Selena sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I wish it weren’t so, but I have little faith in even our own house. Given the stakes of your mission, anyone who’s not a staunch ally must be treated as a potential enemy."
"Selena...thank you," I said.
She smiled faintly. "Thank me by getting us through this. One way or another."
The Sky docks buzzed with activity as we arrived. Soldiers filled the open piers, marching in neat, agitated ranks. Crates of supplies and armaments floated overhead, carried by currents of mana and mechanical loading cranes alike. An attendant greeted us outside the gates, beckoning us to follow through the chaos.
Korra let out a low whistle as we entered the sprawling piers and docks, getting a good look at hundreds of soldiers all displaying different crests.
"That’s a lot of different houses."
"How does it work?" I wondered aloud, turning to Selena. "You said your house had a garrison, right? Why are your forces expected to fight with the kingdom’s army?"
"What, didn’t see it in a vision?" she replied with a smile. "Basically, Sylvarus has no formal army. We’ve never really needed one in the past. So the responsibility of training soldiers is dispersed among the different houses. Every house is required to keep a standing force based on its size, wealth, and influence."
"So that’s where all those mages came from," Korra said.
Selena nodded. "Every house is supposed to have a Garrison Captain. Technically, it’s Aerion, but I tend to see to their training. Thus, we have an unusually high percentage of mages among our small force. To spread the skill and training amongst the entire kingdom, there’s an intergarrison exchange program. Many of our house soldiers are currently studying under several renowned sword masters, while I’m training the brightest mages of the great houses."
"Which ship are we taking? Will it be able to fit the entire garrison?" R’lissea asked.
"The Windserpent, Captain Rys’ vessel."
I let out a small breath, and my tail relaxed. If we had to go by skyship, at least it was one I’d been on before. There was some assurance it wouldn’t just fall out of the sky. And Captain Rys was nice.
Speaking of the captain, he greeted us as we approached the gangway supporting the massive, two-hundred-foot-long Skyserpent. He was flanked by two soldiers I found familiar. One, a woman, smiled at me. Bristla, if I remembered her name right. She’d given me a tour of the ship last time.
Behind the captain, almost a hundred soldiers were lined up in rank and file. Nearly half of them wore cloth uniforms, while the others were dressed out in platemail. Their souls ranged from second to fourth level, gleaming brightly as they saluted us.
"Welcome aboard, Archmage," Captain Rys said, saluting himself.
Selena returned a nod. "I’m grateful you humored my request. Some of my party are...reluctant to fly."
"Then I hope our familiar faces put them at ease," he said, giving me a fatherly smile. "Besides, word is that the Oracle brings luck to those she travels with. We’re grateful to have you on board."
"Who’s saying that?" I mumbled, blushing slightly.
The captain chuckled and turned, walking us onto the deck of the ship. The moment my feet touched the gangway, a slight tremor shook me, but persevering, I followed the others on board. It wasn’t that I feared flying, not directly at least, but if I got on, I would also have to get off. And this time, that was going to be the scary part.
After we and the soldiers had boarded, the Windserpent underwent her final preparations. Less than ten minutes later, the entire vessel shuddered and lifted into the sky. This time, with the Oracle of Eternity, I could observe the magical flow firsthand. The rising currents of mana were a welcome distraction from the rapidly disappearing ground.
Other skyships rose after us, forming a long, strung-out caravan that cruised a thousand feet over the canopy. The skies were calm and bright, with barely a few clouds drifting overhead.
Sylvarus forest thickened as we moved eastward, broken by the occasional farm or village. From time to time, infernal minds pressed upon me, sharing glimpses of them creeping around secluded elven villages and towns on the border. Incinderus and Fyren both shared memories of them vaporizing packs of Risen within the trees. On both accounts, there was no sign of the black mist. What that meant, exactly, was hard to say. I could only pray it meant they were weaker, and not that Connor had found a way around that one limitation.
Zephyriss, seemingly, wanted to get in on the fun and shared her own visual senses. It was a bird’s-eye view of...me. I looked up when she sent it, squinting against the afternoon sun, but couldn’t find a trace of the storm demon. I’d felt her and Borealis’s souls up there the whole time, but knowing they were watching over us was comforting.
"Are the Risen really that scary?"
I turned as Korra approached, resting her arms on the railing next to me. A breeze whispered by us, causing her short brown hair to flutter around her shoulders.
"You’ve fought them more than I have," I said.
She shrugged. "Kind of. But that was when Connor was still gathering power. Aside from that lich the time we were reunited, the hardest part was actually finding them. It was easy to wipe them all out."
"They’re like demons. The weaker ones are barely stronger than a human. But the stronger they get, the more likely they are to retain some of their skills or abilities. The Risen dragon can still fly and can use the same magical techniques as before. The only real thing it’s lacking is the ability that made it a true ninth-level threat, its fire-based healing."
"I still can’t believe you managed to fight a ninth-level dragon. The most I’ve ever killed was a small sixth-level one, " Korra complained.
A brief smile flickered across my lips. "It was mostly Elaine and Avant. I’m just glad Fable and I survived. And Fyren."
"But that brings me back to my question. Are the Risen really such a big threat? You aren’t exactly forthcoming about the strength of your demons, but they can’t be weaker than a bunch of zombies."
I ran a hand through my hair, smoothing a wind-tousled lock behind my ear. Korra’s gave never left me. My hand fell limp to my side, and I sighed.
"Promise not to tell anyone?"
She hesitated, glancing to her side. I followed her gaze to Gayron, who stood talking with R’lissea at the prow of the ship.
"Not even him," I pushed.
"Fine, I guess."
"Then yes, we could destroy them all. I believe we could even discover the weakness of the undying liches."
"Then why don’t you? If you could wave your hand and destroy them all, why let them continue to invade and kill? That’s not like you, Xiv."
"Kora..." I shrank from her piercing gaze, gripping my sleeves tightly. "It’s not that I don’t want to, I just, well, can’t. I can’t do everything, and the Risen are a distraction. I need to be in Sylvarus to make sure we defeat the church and save the shards. To destroy Connor and the Risen requires going into the heart of Ornth. It would take too long."
She pursed her lips, thinking for what felt like forever. She clicked her tongue and turned away, looking down at the forest below.
"You’re spending too much time around Aerion, I think," she said, chuckling. "But I think I understand. It might even be better this way." She nodded at R’lissea. "I’ve never seen her so fired up about anything before. She’s been studying and training nonstop since we got here. She’d never forgive herself if she made you fight her battle for her."
"I’m glad you’re here. Both of you."
She grinned. "Is that why you’re content to leave the Risen alone?"
"I trust you. You can win the battles I can’t fight," I said.
’Will do. I’m going to start by having a crack at that dragon. Even if it’s just a skeleton, I want to see what you’ve been talking about this whole time.