Keron
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Chapter 139 - A Friendly Visit
🕑 Added 2024-12-20 18:00:11 +0000 UTCAfter dropping from the ship to the sands below, Emily sprints across the desert with crackling charge burning her footprints into the ground beneath her. It takes a short while for the city to enter her sight and, as it does, she can’t help but let out an impressed whistle.
The entire city is wrapped in a gargantuan wall, equalling Chroni’s in size and equipped with many vicious-looking weapons. Spaced at even intervals along the battlements are dozens of bulky cannons, mounted on swivels and pointed towards the sky to defend against any unapproved airships.
Outside the walls, unlike all the other cities Emily has visited, is completely barren of housing. There are instead several rows of dug-in trenches and reinforced buildings, expanding the city’s defences out to almost twice the size of the city itself.
I couldn’t think of anything more fitting for Dante to call home.
With a small grin, Emily reaches into her belt and pulls out a brew of imperception, popping the cork off the vial and downing it in one go. She suppresses her mana at the same time, becoming a ghost to magical senses as she continues her approach across the open expanse at a slower speed. The distance means she has to drink a second vial before she reaches the trenches, but she isn’t concerned by the expenditure, already planning on rewinding.
She reaches the first line of defences and continues running at full speed, leaping over the first trench as she glances around, searching for guards and finding none.
Do they not man these defences if they aren’t actively in a siege?
Emily doesn’t find a single person outside the walls and increases her caution as she arrives at the base of the looming metal behemoth. Her eyes scan along the wall, searching for anything she can use to climb it. She spots several fist-sized holes at even intervals, facing down towards where she stands, but otherwise, the only imperfections in the flat face are a few pipes jutting out slightly too low down to serve her purposes.
I suspect those holes are another defence of some kind. Do they drop grenades? Maybe they pour oil on people trying to scale the wall. I can imagine burning invaders alive would bring Dante joy.
She turns and runs along the wall, searching for a path over. It’s not until she’s covered half the wall’s circumference that she spots a few uneven panels three-quarters of the way up.
“Perfect,” she mutters, stepping back from the wall and reaching down to a new creation mounted at her hip.
Emily twists the metal casing in place, angling it up towards the target panels, before tapping a button on the side. A harsh hiss sounds as an internal valve opens, releasing a canister of compressed air and firing a small, splayed metal hook. The reel fastened to the small of her back rapidly unwinds as the hook flies up with a thin cable attached. The reel completely unwinds the moment the hook sails into the gap between the panels, only just reaching far enough.
She gives the cable a light tug, confirming the hook is held fast before she runs a flow of machina through the reel, quickly drawing the cable in. She steps up to the wall and places her feet against it, walking up slowly as the reel pulls her along.
This is slower than I’d like. I need to find a better way to draw it in without using magic. Relying on machina alone is inefficient.
Emily soon reaches the loose panels and sticks her hand into the gap, grabbing on and holding herself steady as she reaches up with her other hand to work the hook out of place. The moment it’s free, she holds the cable a short distance back from the hook and spins it around, building up momentum before tossing the hook up and over the top edge of the wall.
On the first attempt, the hook catches nothing and falls back towards her as she tries to draw the cable in. Luckily, on the second attempt she catches something out of sight over the top and the hook holds strong, allowing her to scale the rest of the distance.
Slipping over the wall, she glances to either side to confirm no one noticed the sound of her climbing before moving to one of the large cannons and placing her hook against the metal frame. She lowers herself down the inside of the wall until she reaches a pipe jutting out near the bottom where she hangs on as she uses a small flex of machina to free the hook far above. She doesn’t bother using the grappling hook for the final drop and instead simply releases the pipe, falling to the bare ground below with a light thud as her legs cushion the fall.
Emily moves away from the wall quickly, flipping up her hood in preparation for her potion to wear off and winding through the residential streets she has arrived in to look for the nobles’ district. It doesn’t take her long to find the open streets lined with large estates.
As she steps out of a narrow alley onto the well-paved road, several tense-looking patrolling guards notice her presence and a small group quickly approaches her.
“Remove your hood please,” their leader says in a gruff tone, her hand resting on the handle of her rifle with her finger twitching towards the trigger.
“Sure,” Emily says, calmly reaching up and pulling back her hood. “I’d like to speak to the Hibiscus patriarch.”
The guards’ eyes widen as they see her face, recognition crossing their faces as their grips on their weapons tighten.
“It’s the traitor!” one of the guards hisses, instantly raising his gun to point at her.
The others don’t move though, and their leader quickly reaches back without looking and pushes the barrel of his weapon to the floor.
“Stop,” she barks, a look of conflict twisting her face. “We have orders to follow. As long as she doesn’t attack us, we are to bring her to the main estate.”
Emily raises her brow but says nothing, waiting as the guards surround her and the leader gestures for her to follow.
“Come with us,” she says as she marches forwards. “It’s up to them whether you get your meeting with the Patriarch.”
Is this because I’m close with Dante, or are they just taking the easier option between dead or alive?
Emily silently goes with them, ignoring the fierce glare trying to bore a hole in the back of her head as she’s led through the open street. The guards they pass all seem as tense as the group leading her were when she ran into them and, as each of them spots her, their faces are marked with confusion and caution.
It doesn’t take long for them to reach the largest estate on the street. The compound is surrounded by a sturdy-looking stone wall, topped with sharp metal flames to keep out intruders, and the gate they stop before is formed from thick wrought iron with the Hibiscus family crest etched into the centre.
The leader of the guard squad holds up a hand asking for Emily to halt before she steps up to the gate and slams her fist against it three times. At first, nothing happens, but after a few minutes of standing in uncomfortable silence, one half of the gate shakes and slowly slides inwards to reveal a single man wrapped in red robes standing before them.
The man’s hair is long and grey, and his face is marred by the passing of time, with his eyes barely visible through his thick wrinkles. Fastened to his right breast is a bronze family crest, and Emily can easily feel the signature of a strong second circle mage emanating from him.
“Report,” the man croaks, looking over the guards with an impassive gaze that lights up with intrigue as his eyes fall upon Emily.
“Yes, Sir!” the guard leader barks, standing at attention. “A few minutes ago, we ran into this one on our patrol at the edge of the district. She approached us and removed her covering when asked, then requested a meeting with the Patriarch. There have been no notices from the port or the gatehouses about her entrance to the city but, since she surrendered peacefully, we followed orders and led her here without forcing her to disarm.”
“I see,” the man says with a thoughtful nod, his beady eyes never leaving Emily. “So, girl, you’d like to speak with Sir Virgil?”
“If he’s available, yes,” Emily says.
“Come on in then,” the man nods before finally tearing his eyes away from her and focusing on the guards before him. “I’ll take her from here. Return to your posts, you’re dismissed.”
“Yes, sir!” the entire squad shouts in harmony, slamming their boots together and knocking the butts of their rifles against the floor.
The squad leader turns and walks past Emily to return to their patrol, with the rest of her squad hot on her heels. The angry guard casts a single heated glare at Emily’s back, which she barely even notices, before following. The old mage before her silently gestures for her to enter the estate grounds, so she steps over the threshold, immediately feeling a warm wave of mana embracing her.
Interesting. They have a gathering array too, and it seems to be slightly attributed towards fire. They really are a one-track family.
Without a word, the old mage steps up to the open door and braces himself against it. Emily notices his firm musculature bulge under his robes as he pushes the door shut, straining against its weight. She silently raises a brow at the oddly heavy gate but says nothing as the man finishes shutting them in and turns to face her.
“You shouldn’t have come here young miss,” he says with a surprisingly warm tone, walking past her and gesturing for her to follow. “If word spreads that you were here, you’ll put us in a difficult position.”
“Were here?” Emily asks, following him along the smooth stone path lined with packed dirt towards a set of imposing buildings. “You don’t plan on capturing me, dead or alive?”
“Why would we ever capture you dead?” the man questions, turning his head to look at her and raising his wrinkled brows in shock. “Even if young Dante wasn’t friends with you, our orders from the crown were to take you alive.”
“Really? The wanted posters I found in Ashdon clearly stated otherwise.”
A glint of rage flashes in the old man’s eyes before he clicks his tongue in frustration and increases his pace.
“Those damn Hedera bastards, how dare they ignore the crown’s orders! I’ve been telling Sir Virgil that we’ve been too lenient on those extremists for too long, but he just won’t listen!” he pauses and takes a deep breath, reigning in his anger and drawing in the warm air that has started to form around him before turning and bowing his head to Emily. “Sorry about that young miss. I let my anger get the best of me. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s fine.” Emily waves off his apology with an amused glint in her eye. “You seem close with the Hibiscus Patriarch.”
“Of course I am!” the man beams with pride, straightening up and pushing his chest forward. “Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Edoardo Hibiscus, second circle, and I’ve been the head butler of the family since Sir Virgil was still a lad.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Edoardo,” Emily says as they arrive before a short, black and grey metal building a small distance from the main manor with large panes of glass facing the open packed dirt clearings. “I’m Emily Coldstone, third circle, though I’m sure you already knew that.”
“Of course I did.” Edoardo nods, pushing open the door before stepping aside and gesturing for Emily to enter first with a light bow of his head. “Young Dante has told me all about you. He asked for you to be treated with utmost respect if you ever visited us. Though, we didn’t think it would be so soon.”
Emily nods and steps through the doorway past him, her hand hovering over The Clock’s pouch just in case. The room before her is spacious, with several comfortable-looking, bright red sofas arranged facing the wide glass windows, and several paintings on the windowless walls depicting what Emily can only assume are members of the Hibiscus family, both dressed up in fine clothes posing for the painting, and in a mixture of robes and armour in the midst of battles. There are a few servants moving around the space cleaning and as Emily and Edoardo step into the room, they all turn to face them.
“Arrange some tea for our guest please,” Edoardo declares in an authoritative tone before looking back to Emily and returning to his friendly address. “Please wait here for a moment and make yourself comfortable. Unfortunately, Sir Virgil isn’t here at the moment since he is waiting to meet you at the border. I shall go request Lady Aurora, Dante’s mother, greets you instead if that will suffice.”
“That would be perfect,” Emily says, noting his lack of concern as he warns her about the forces waiting to intercept her and giving the man an appreciative nod. “Thank you, Edoardo.”
The butler turns and marches out of the building, so Emily moves to one of the plush red sofas and settles down to wait. A servant wearing a simple set of black robes carries over a tea set and pours her a cup. Emily adds a splash of milk and calmly sits back, staring out of the window to consider the information the trip has given her so far as she waits for Dante’s mother to arrive.
This has been a fruitful trip already. The guards here are very tense, and it seems like they may have worked out where I’m planning on crossing the border already. Trying for the crossing at night is probably pointless. It looks like I was correct to assume that The Covenant has some way of tracking me when I’m still in the country. Ah well, it’s useful to know that they’ve posted at least one fourth circle mage at the border to capture me. Though, by the sounds of it, he’s likely to let me escape.
She lifts her cup and takes a sip, enjoying the rich tea.
As for the royal family, it seems their orders were to bring me in alive. Is this why my quest wanted me to leave my pursuers alone? I’m guessing that if I escape without causing more damage, I’ll be able to patch up my relationship with the country relatively easily upon my return. Edoardo did call the Hederas extremists, and they were allied with the Mandragos, so it seems they aren’t popular with the crown.
Emily continues to sip from her cup, emptying it and placing it down before the door opens once again. A tall woman who looks to be in her early thirties in fine black robes with delicate red embroidery walks through the door with Edoardo close behind. Her hair is a short, familiar fiery red, sitting just above her shoulders, and she walks in with her back straight as a rod and a gentle smile on her face.
“Hello, Miss Coldstone,” Aurora greets, bowing her head and placing her fist above her heart in a mage’s show of respect. “I’m Aurora Hibiscus, second circle, Dante’s mother and Virgil’s second wife. It’s a pleasure to have you in our home.”
“Please, just call me Emily,” she responds, waving off the cordial greeting with a small smile. “The pleasure is mine. Dante never told me his mother was a beauty.”
“Mm, you flatter me,” Aurora says, elegantly lowering herself onto the sofa opposite Emily with her hands gently placed on top of each other on her lap and a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “I would normally offer you some tea, but it seems Edoardo got there before me, so instead can I inquire as to your reason for this visit? Dante’s told me a lot about you, and from what he’s said, you don’t seem the kind to pop in for a friendly chat. Especially considering your current… circumstances.”
“Haha, yes,” Emily replies, the small smile on her face quickly fading as she returns to a neutral gaze. “You’re not wrong. I’m not really one for social calls. I came to satisfy my curiosity and see if my bounty asked for my head in this territory as well, and who better to ask than a friendly family.”
“Hmmm,” Aurora hums with a nod, reaching out for the cup that Edoardo has set down in front of her, filled with steaming tea, before standing at attention behind her. “Dante did mention your… reckless curiosity. With your ability to sneak into our city unseen, surely you could have found that information out yourself and left without risking your safety. Why else did you feel the need to visit our humble household?”
Emily doesn’t fail to notice the barely concealed venom in Aurora’s words, nor the twitching of Edoardo’s eye as he glances at his lady with concern, but she chooses to ignore it.
“Well,” she responds with a cold glint in her eyes. “I was hoping that my friends might have liked the chance to inform me about my… circumstances, as you so kindly put it.”
“You were, were you? Well, I think your friends,” the noblewoman challenges, emphasising the word with a harsh bite in her tone, “have given you enough help by accidentally forgetting your visit. Especially considering some of them have already given you far more than enough help.”
Edoardo shivers at the woman’s words with a visible bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.
It seems he’s not as close with Lady Aurora as he is with Sir Virgil, and it seems his Lady doesn’t really like me.
“Now,” Aurora continues without waiting for Emily to respond. “If that’s all, I think you should be on your way. You, show her out.”
She points to one of the servants standing at attention to the side of the room who bows and quickly moves to the door to lead Emily out.
So, she won’t let Edoardo tell me anything else then. What a shame. I should have asked him more before he left.
“I have to say,” Emily says without standing up, her hand moving down to press rewind on The Clock. “I was really hoping Dante’s family would resemble him. But you’re far more… noble.”
She enjoys the flash of anger on the woman’s face, and the visible shiver that runs through her body as time grinds to a halt, sending Emily back to before the conversation ever happened.
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