Aetherios System: Whirlwind

Book 4: Chapter 5: Uneasy Delivery

Chapter 5

It was so painfully by-the-book Alex almost laughed. He half expected the guy to twirl a mustache he didn’t have.

“Bandits,” Garret muttered behind him. “I was hoping for a boring trip.”

Alex leaned back on the wagon seat, tilting his head at the bandit boss like he was watching an old western play out. “You rehearsed that line?” he called up. “Because it sounded real professional.”

The bandit boss did a double take, clearly not used to banter in the middle of a hold-up.

Alex smirked. “I’ll save you the trouble, friend. We’re not handing over a damn thing.”

The ambush was basically over before it even started.

The bandit boss’s shout, thick with bravado and desperation, filtered down to him. “Drop your weapons, and leave the wagons, nice and slow, and maybe I’ll let you live!”

Alex almost pitied him. Almost.

Kate was the first to move. She was a streak of color, a blinding line of motion and fire. Her rapier pierced forward through the air and the thrust exploded on contact with one of the bandits in a hiss of pressurized flame. He dropped dead less then a second later.

The bandit closest to Kate tried get revenge for his fellow rootin-tootin outlow by attacking with his own shortsword. He never even finished his swing—Kate’s blade pierced his chest as well, and the following burst of fire threw him back into the dirt with enough heat to char his skin and leave his armor half-melted.

“Get them!” Their would-be leader yelled out, and the rest of the bandits jumped into action.

Selka blurred by just as quickly as Kate had, her two daggers flashing like silver in the sunlight. She had learned a bit from Holly and now also moved on the wind, literally, her feet barely touching the ground as she cut between three of the bandits. Each of them were cut down before they even knew that she had passed.

Devon knelt behind the wagon, bracing his rifle against the wooden rim. It cracked out over and over as he switched his sights from foe to foe, leaving holes through their bodies with each pull of the trigger.

Allie raised both hands to release both Light and Dark aether twisting around her wrists like threads. Her dual-element strikes hit at different speeds, the light beams fast and unstoppable, and blasts of darkness slow but inevitable.

Henry, Peter and Garret all protect the wagons on the ground level. More of the bandits trickled from the rocks and tried to assault their position. But just like the women, the three men tore through the bandits with relative ease. Each of the bandits was mere late stage Mortal Tier. Only one or two early gaseous-stage Adepts at best.

Alex watched all of it from the center of the wagon train. The squad didn’t need him to give any orders; between the Chimera Dungeon, many trainign session, and the Terraxum war, they knew how to move and fight together now. Every strike was coordinated.

Then the bandit leader decided to make it interesting.

He raised his blade, and the air around him changed. The dust on the ravine floor dampened in an instant as vapor condensed into ribbons of water, twisting up his arms. His grin turned feral as he activated a spell. “Let’s see how well you dance, soldier boy!”

Alex’s lips curved. “Great. He’s got special effects too. Loving this performance, staging is so good.”

The man leapt down, landing with a splash that sent ripples through the solid stone. Water flowed from and down his blade, swirling around him in the shape of something like a snake. His aura was unmistakable in Alex [Aether Sight].

Solid Stage Adept.

Because of course he was.

Alex rolled his shoulders, exhaling through his teeth. He could feel the thrum of his own aether reacting to the challenge of the guy in front of him. The air shimmered with heat as he gathered his own energy inside his body.

Lacks-a-mustache man struck first with his sword slashing horizontally, a blade of water shot out after, cutting through the air with the speed of a cannon shot. Alex, still sitting at the front of the wagon, ducked down under the attack, the torrent of water slicing past his ear.

He countered immediately, launching forward with a burst of aether from his heels. His fist drove straight for the man’s chest but the water around him moved again, forming a shield in a manner that Alex found very familiar. His punch hit it dead-on, sending droplets flying in a many directions.

There was a stalemate for half a second as Alex pushed against the man’s water barrier, which was being constantly repaired by a stream of aether. Then Alex dipped deeper into the power of his strength stat. He pivoted, using his momentum to spin into a knee strike. The impact shattered the barrier for good and slammed into the man’s ribs.

The bandit gasped and stumbled back, spitting blood and river-water over his chest. He didn’t fall right away though, even after taking a direct hit from Alex’s full strength. He was tougher than he looked.

“You’re—hah—no ordinary guard,” he wheezed.

Alex tilted his head. “And you’re no ordinary idiot. But that’s not really a compliment, now is it?”

The man snarled and slashed again. This time, the water moved like a whip, creating dozens of tendrils snapping from every direction. Alex saw them both with his eyes, and his more refined aether senses. He could feel a bit of how the man’s spell worked, how the water formed and moved. He could see where the attack was, where it was going.

He began deftly dodging.

Each tendril missed Alex by inches as he slipped through the assault, fluid as smoke. The dark smokey aura of Asura Style started to gather at his skin and creating a heat haze around his body, running down his arm, pooling into his fist.

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He struck once and the air detonated.

The man’s water magic burst apart with the shockwave of Alex’s blow slamming him into the ravine wall with enough force to crack the stone. He hit the ground hard, blade tumbling from his hand.

Alex stood over him, his own breathing calm and subdued. Still the Aura style was active, creating steam that rose from his shoulders. “You’re done.”

The bandit tried to rise, coughed, and slumped further against the wall as unconsciousness claimed him.

All around them, the rest of the ambush attempt was over. The last few bandits dropped their weapons and bolted, scattering into the wilderness at the sight of their leader being beaten.

“Nicely done,” Kate said. She pointed off to the wagons with a single hand. “You actually didn’t break anything this time.”

“Yet,” Alex replied, rolling his wrist. “I told you I’d get a hang of my abilities again. Give me time.”

Devon stepped up beside him with his rifle slung over his shoulder. “Pretty mid bandit group if you ask me. You think this was random?”

Alex shook his head, glancing at the wagons, and at the still-bubbling water in the dirt. “Nah. Someone knew they were coming through here, I think. Either a bribe or a leak somewhere in the scribes or asessors.”

Selka cleaned her daggers with a flick of wind. “Maybe, maybe not. No way to know for sure. I doubt that guy will ever tell us the truth. If there is some kind of mole in the Empire. Then we’ll deal with that when we get to the drop point.”

“Yeah,” Alex muttered. He looked down at the unconscious bandit leader. He was Solid Stage, and still taken down in under two minutes.

The Empire would love the report.

He wasn’t sure he would. Having eye’s on him this early in the game wasn’t ideal. Maybe he could fudge the report he gave, but Toreg, Veyra, he doubted they’d lie for him.

“Let’s move,” he said finally. “Before more idiots get ideas.”

They gathered up the fallen weapons and checked the wagons, before they finally got the caravan rolling again. The ravine grew quiet behind them, save for the faint hiss of steam rising from the rocks where Alex’s very short fight had occurred.

The caravan reached the gates of Emberfall on the third travel day, just as the sun began its slow descent over the western peaks, turning the sky above the city into a molten sea of gold.

From afar, Emberfall was rather beautiful. Built on a shelf of blackstone overlooking a lava lake, its many towers rose like shards of glass, the architecture mix of magework and artistry. But as they drew closer, the beauty gave way to and ugly looking bureaucracy: heavy guard presence covered the walkways, the front gate was choked by checkpoint tents, and scanning pylons looming at every street corner.

Alex jumped down from the wagon as they joined the inspection line.

A dozen other caravans were queued up before them, showing many different merchants and goods that would pass through the city’s walls. There were beast wagons, ore shipments, produce merchant trains that were ten wagons deep, and many more besides. Guards in deep crimson armor paced the line, checking sigils and documents with an air of self-importance that reminded Alex far too much of Terraxum’s border patrols.

Two of them, broad men with matching goatees and sneers, approached as soon as they noticed the half-Ork siblings driving the wagons.

“Papers,” one of them barked, not even glancing at Alex. Instead, his gaze landed on Jorik, then slid to Tareg and Veyra with obvious disdain. “What’s this then? Slave transport? Labor consignment?”

Jorik’s jaw visibly clenched in response but he composed himself just as quickly. His short tusks were just barely visible as he forced a smile. “Merchant delivery, official route from Athrastas Foundry Guild, authorized by the Glassworks Guildmaster Alven—”

The second guard interrupted, snorting. “Didn’t ask for your life story, tusk-face. Just the papers.”

Alex’s shoulders stiffened. He’d seen enough of this kind of thing to recognize it instantly. People like this were what resulted when authority mixed with small-minded cruelty.

Jorik reached for the satchel, hands slow and smooth despite the tension, but before he could pull out the writs, the first guard shoved his hand away. “Not from you,” he said. “Let the human handle it.”

That was enough.

Alex stepped forward, “They’re the owners’ children,” he said evenly. “And the drivers. So maybe you could stop pretending you don’t hear them when they answer you.”

Both guards turned to him. Their countenance changed, their previous annoyance shifting into something colder. “Watch your tone, foreigner,” one of them said. “This city has laws. We don’t need outlanders teaching us how to do our jobs.”

Alex’s expression didn’t change. “You sure you’re doing one of those, a job?”

The silence that followed was sharp as a drawn blade.

Kate muttered under her breath, probably something along the lines of ‘don’t start a war at the gate’—but Alex ignored her. His aether stirred in his body unmistakably, and the air between him and the guards seemed to grow heavier and warmer all at once.

The first guard’s smirk faltered. He looked at the wagon sigils again, at the sealed crates marked with the Empire’s trade insignia, and swore softly under his breath. He knew the paperwork was legitimate and there’d be hell to pay if he blocked official guild cargo.

“Fine,” he muttered, shoving the writs back at Jorik without so much as a glance in his direction. “Move along. Next time, keep your animals on a leash.”

Alex’s fists squeezed tight enough to pop a few of his knuckes. Tareg stiffened beside him, but Jorik put a hand on his brother’s shoulder before either of them could speak. They rolled the wagons forward through the gates, with the guards’ laughter following them for a few seconds before being swallowed by the noise of the city.

Once past the checkpoint, the world opened up into light and sound.

Emberfall streets shimmered under the evening glow. The lava channels ran beneath reinforced crystal plates on the sides of the streets, radiating warmth through the cobblestone of the wagon way itself. Tall forges and towers belched plumes of smoke that sparkled faintly from condensed aether dust. Merchants shouted, hawkers waved glowing trinkets, and even children darted through the crowds chasing flame-lit insects that bobbed and weaved on the currents.

Alex walked beside the wagons, tension still held tight in his shoulders.

Jorik gave him a sidelong look. “You didn’t have to do that,” he said quietly.

“Yeah,” Alex replied, “but I wanted to.”

The older half-Ork studied him for a moment, then gave a small, crooked smile. “Still. Thanks. Most people just… keep their heads down if you know what I mean.”

Alex met his gaze. “I’ve spent enough time keeping mine down. Didn’t help me much at all.”

That earned a low chuckle from Jorik. “You’re not from around here, huh?”

“Not even close,” Alex said. His eyes wandered over the vibrant sprawl of the city carefully, still looking for more possible trouble, even then. “But I’m starting to get the hang of the place.”

They delivered the crates to the Glassworks Guild depot just as the last light faded from the sky.

Empire scribes checked off their ledgers and added the merit points to their talismans mechanically, never once looking at the drivers’ faces. When the payment was processed and the wares were catalogued, Alex felt the familiar mix of satisfaction and irritation rising in his gut. It was another mission complete, another reminder that no matter how hard they worked, they were still behind trying to catch up.

As they left the depot, the heat of the city night wrapped around them.

Devon stretched his arms, yawning. “Well, that’s another pile of merit in the ol’ bank. What’s next, another round of Empire errands?”

“Probably,” Alex said. He looked back once more at the gates, the guards’ silhouettes barely visible against the lava’s glow. “But next time someone mouths off like that…”

Kate cut in before Alex could finish his thougt. “You’re not allowed to punch city officials. I checked with Holly, and I’m allowed to hurt you if you do anything stupid.”

Alex smirked. “Guess I’ll just have to get creative, then.”

“No, even then, I’m allowed to remove bits as long as Allie is capable of healing them back.”

Alex grimaced at that. Allie was getting pretty good at her healing spells. She could heal quite a lot now.

“Fine. For now at least.” He turned away way deeper into the city, toward whatever merit mission awaited next.