Aegis Online

There’s silence on the other end, before Ulged asks, his voice hushed, “Oh, shit…. That c’n happen? Poor lass. Ah’m in, and hang the cost, this un’s on me!”

I smile in relief. “Thanks, Ulged. I really, REALLY appreciate it. I’ll be there to pick you up in just a few minutes. I have a teleport stone, so I can bring you here right away. Then you’ll have the ability to pop here whenever you want, as long as there’s a Translocation beacon here already.!”

“Alright, Ah’ll make sure everyone’s ready! And if there isnae a beacon, Ah’ll set one up!”

From the other end of the line, I can hear Ulged shouting, “TRINITY! WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY JOB! FINISH UP AND SHUT THE STORE!”

 

I giggle, ending the spell and waiting for the go-ahead, rejoining Dana and the wingless Skyborne. My girlfriend’s telling Morrigan about some of our adventures, and I can see the girl’s eyes shining. Poor thing, I doubt anyone’s had a kind word or spent time with her in a positive way for a long time, if ever…

 

 

About an hour later, I get a message from Ulged, letting me know that he’s ready to depart. Holding out my teleport stone, I focus on the outside of Bloodbath & Beyond, feeling the magic squeezing the world and shifting my perspective as I hear Morrigan squeak in shock.

 

The familiar building forms in front of me as I appear in front of Ulged and Trinity’s shop, pushing the door open, noting the ‘closed until further notice’ sign pinned to the door. Inside, Ulged, Trinity and Gimmel are waiting, as well as…

“Ah, mademoiselle Kettrin! ‘Ow good to see you again!”

Leaning on a walking staff, Dr Francois shuffles over, taking my hand and squeezing it warmly. I smile back.
“Bonjour, Doctor Frank! Uh… comment ca va?”

I try remembering what I’d learned of French in school. The delight shining from the old man’s eyes is beautiful, so I guess I did it right.

“Bien ca va! I’m doing well, thank you, my dear. The school is already taking off! Two of my Simulacra are on staff right now, and zis sounded interesting, so I asked to accompany my friend Gimmel on zis adventure! May I?”

 

I nod frantically, beaming. “Of course! We’d be glad to have you, Dr Frank!”

 

Once everyone’s sure they’ve got everything, I add everyone to my party, taking Trinity’s hand. They take Ulged’s, Ulged takes one of Gimmel’s meaty hands, and the dwarf gently grasps the aged doctor’s.

Holding out my teleport stone, I focus on the spot I’d left, with Dana and Morrigan waiting for us. The world wobbles like a freshly-spanked buttock once again, and the whole group of us end up standing on the grass, as Morrigan dives behind Dana, squealing in fright. The older girl soothes her, smiling at us.

“It’s okay, Mor. They’re friends o’ mine! They’re here for a good reason, sweetie.”

 

The girl peeks out, eyes wide. I smile. “I’ve brought them here to help you, Morrigan. These fine people… are going to make you wings.”

 

Morrigan’s face lights up. She stares enviously at my feathered wings, and I smile. “Now, they’ll need your help, will you cooperate? They’ll need to measure you to get the size and fit right. We’re thinking a harness that goes around your chest, with a set-up mounted on your back that will allow you to furl, unfurl, flap, glide, and pull off any aerial acrobatics manoeuvres you could possibly dream of!”

 

The Skyborne girl stands ramrod straight, arms out, as she stares pleadingly at us. Trinity smiles and produces a tape measure, taking every kind of measurement necessary, from the height, to the length from outstretched fingertip to fingertip across the front, across the back… Morrigan’s almost vibrating at the prospect of having her own wings, and I watch her, smiling. Then, my brow furrows. I can hear people approaching. Turning to look, I see the same group from earlier, the bullies who were kicking the crap out of Morrigan.

I step between them and my group.

“So, what do you want?”

One of them, the tallest and brawniest among them, steps forward, his chest puffed out.

“You spoiled our fun. Get out of the way, we weren’t finished with Flightless.”

 

I arch an eyebrow. “MORRIGAN is currently busy. Come back never. Buh-bye.”

 

The leader of the group of bullies shakes his head. “You don’t tell us what to do, outsider. You might be Skyborne, but you ain’t one of us. Now get out of the way, or we’ll make you move.”

Even I’m surprised by the icy venom in my voice.

“I’d like to see you try.”

 

The bully ringleader takes a step back, then, bolstered by his cronies, he charges me. I let him crash into me, and watch as he bounces off, sprawling across the grass, flapping his wings like a stunned pigeon. I raise a foot, the claws on my armoured boot glinting, and slam down, deliberately letting the bully squirm out of the way, a small crater forming where my foot lands.

Two more charge, each grabbing one of my arms. I lift them clean off the ground, then windmill, sending them flying a good few metres. Dana storms over, her sword drawn, a whirling dervish of Irish fury, her accent thicker than I’ve ever heard it before.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?! You’re the pack of arseholes responsible for Mor’s bruises, aren’tcha?! I’ll tan the hides off’n ye! C’mere and take your lumps!”

Despite the odds turning even more in my favour, the bullies and their ringleader double down, preparing to take us both on. Then… a shadow looms over Dana and I. A snarl rips through the air, and I hear a deep, familiar voice.

 

“Will ye little bastards fuck roight th’ hell off?!”

 

Ulged’s eyes are glowing red as he bares a mouthful of enormous fangs, perfect for cracking through bone like nothing. The group of thugs take a couple of steps back, then turn and flee, screaming. Ulged grins at us.

“Ah know ye lassies c’n handle yerselves, but Ah wanted t’ mek sure they’d no’ hurt themselves tryin’ their luck against ye. Now, c’mon an’ help us, we’re gonna need somewhere t’ work!”

I grin. “I have space aboard my ship, if that’s suitable? They don’t seem to have much in the way of forging set-ups here, sadly. No need for blacksmiths if armour and weapons aren’t common.”

Ulged grins, patting one of the boxes he’d brought with him. “Dinnae fash aboot that, Ah c’n handle the forge.”

Morrigan looks worried. “Where are you going?”

I smile. “WE, including you, are setting up on my airship, the Devil Hunter. Now, I don’t know if your parents will mind, but I’d like to offer you a place to stay, at least until your wings are ready.”

Morrigan’s eyes narrow a little, and she looks down at her feet.

“I… don’t have any parents… they died when I was very young… a wyvern the hunters brought back wasn’t actually dead, and it mauled them…”

I drop to my knees and pull the girl into a hug, folding my wings around her. “Ohhh, Morrigan… I’m so sorry… then… would YOU like to stay with us?”

“Mmhmm…” the young Skyborne nods against my shoulder as I slowly rise, carrying her in my arms.

“Then, to the ship! All aboard!”

 

 

 

In under an hour, everyone’s embarked, and I’ve given orders to Ginger, Farne, Tirran, and our chef, Kurian, as well as the rest of my guild, to do what they do best. Kurian cackles merrily, ducking back into the galley, the smells of food under preparation flooding out of the half-open door. Enlisting a couple of others, I let Ulged choose the best place to work, before clearing out a large area for him and the others, as Ulged lifts the lid of that box he’d patted. Inside is a large metal cube, which he unfolds by channelling some mana into it.

 

The cube creaks and clanks as it takes the shape of a firepit with raked edges, before the gnoll fills the pit with fire, the unfolded wooden box spread out over the floor, lined with fireproof material to quell any embers.  As he lights the forge, Trinity sets up their gear to one side, while Gimmel and Dr Frank begin measuring out pieces of wyvern leather, setting up to cut and shape the durable material into what we need.

 

Once the forge is hot, Ulged opens all the windows, allowing the air to keep the room under environmental control, setting a large crucible up and filling it with chunks of different metal.

“Ah’m gannae mek an alloy, of titanium, iron, and aluminium, t’ produce somethin’ extremely strong, yet lightweight. This’ll mek the skeleton of the wings, the ‘bones’ if ye will. It’s gotta be strong, without bein’ too heavy to work with.”

Trinity, meanwhile, is using some of the measurements taken from Morrigan to craft a casing, a box of sturdy wood bound in dark leather, which they hold out several bits of arcane machinery and gears, before slotting the parts together and checking the functionality, as the pieces of leather are set to one side as each part is completed.

 

I watch in fascination, the small form of Morrigan darting from each workbench to the next, staring in awe as the parts for her new wings are thoroughly checked, rechecked, and curated, until the most ideal ones have been winnowed out and set ready. Ulged’s alloy ingots have cooled, and he begins beating and heating, shaping long struts of gleaming metal, rolling them to ensure a perfect cylindrical, slightly curved tube that’s uniform along each spar from end to end. Once half a dozen are made, he replicates them, making a dozen in total.

 

Quenching the metal, the huge forgemaster lowers the heat of his station, turning to make a few holes along the beams, carefully drilling through the alloy wingbones and setting them out in order, carefully attaching the first leather vanes to the metal, as Trinity enlists Gimmel to treat the box with a thick paste of… something, setting it up to dry as Dr Frank gently lays down the straps, a neat line of holes bored by magic into the leather, as he smiles at the young Skyborne.

“Soon, little one, you will be able to soar, oui?”

She nods frantically, the first real smile I’ve seen from Morrigan breaking out over her face. Then, Dana sticks her head in.

“Food’s ready! Finish up what you’re doing and come eat! And wash your damn hands, all of you!” she laughs, as everyone wraps up their current tasks. Slapping a ‘NO ENTRY’ sig on the door, I use my rights as ship’s captain to lock the room. I want this to be perfect. Mor deserves this, and I don’t want ANYTHING to go wrong…

 

After lunch, Dana drags Morrigan off to have a bath and get cleaned up. I guess she’s feeling the ‘big sister’ energy of looking after someone who needs help. I shout, “There’s some cleaning supplies if you need to do laundry!”

 

“Thanks, babe!”

 

Once everyone’s finished eating, I unlock the workshop and let everyone back in, the sounds of metal on metal and rustling continuing. As each piece of leather is fitted, Ulged removes them and sets them on a rack in the forge to heat, a double-boiler going as he sets a large hunk of beeswax into the top.  As soon as the leather wing panels are done heating, he bastes them with the wax, lets them dry, and then heats them again. Another coat, another cycle of heating, until each piece of leather is a dark, glossy sheen and can’t be bent or twisted in any way. Setting them down, he grins.

“That’s as sturdy as we c’n mek them wi’out magic. They’ll do verra well, though. They willnae buckle nor bow in even the mightiest wind!”

 

I clap my hands. “Impressive! You know all kinds of stuff, Ulged!”

He grins, rubbing the back of his furry head.

“Ach, well, I studied a lot of hands-on craft when I lived out in the backwoods. Ye never know what skills will come in handy, so ye learn all ye can from those who know what they’re about.”

I nod. “That’s a smart way of looking at it. Knowledge is power, after all.”