Trapped in Another World With No Magic

Crrreeeeee-ert-ert-booommm…

Somewhere, a distant sound reaches her, but it barely registers over the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears, her breathing raggedly trying to catch even a wisp of a comfortable breath and calm her, and the screams. Screams echo in her ears long after they were made.

Wenlianna is looking up a steep slope at a room that suddenly feels alien to her. It is a hell that lacks all fire, brimstone, and devil imagery described and depicted in any culture.

Ahead of her lies a terrible place and the ultimate torture machine meant to prolong suffering.

One of the goblins fell through the gap around the modified frame-bound cannon of the airship, and rather than fall to a predictable, “normally” terrible death, he was pulled into the muzzle of the modified weapon by the violent streams of nearly-liquified mana. She couldn’t see him, but his very soul itself sounded like it was trying to claw its way out of the agony with how much pain was behind the most terrible scream Wenlianna has ever heard.

It was horrifying, and she understands completely why she was supposed to leave before anything got more dangerous than it was before. Wenlianna kos Stalvaltan, soon enough to be Wenlianna kos Lawson, was never meant to be on a battlefield. She is a bookworm –a lab-tinkerer–. Chaos, death, and destruction are worse than she ever imagined. She read stories, she heard her father’s tales, and she overheard talk amongst the legendary Stalvaltan Guardsmen. Yet, not one nor ten thousand words would ever suffice to give breath to the reality.

I don’t belong here. I want to go home. I want to be safe. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry I didn’t listen…

Something rumbles from an explosion, and the whole airship shakes once more. Wenlianna flinches instinctively in terror, screaming. “H-Help me! Someone help me! Please!”

The goblins have either fallen, are scrambling to rescue the others from falling, or are doing what they can to establish some sort of path out to safety.

Daniel,... Mother… Hekate… I’m sorry! Hekate, please, if you do save me now, I’ll never, ever question you again. Please…

Wenlianna flinches when another shudder ripples through the airship, and the goblins continue to chatter. All of it is muffled, the very sounds being suffocated by Wenlianna’s terror-stricken heart. She has never been so afraid in her life.

A sudden commotion of movement catches her eyeline, and she sees a strange sight indeed.

Angels that seem to be made of living silk and porcelain enter the cannonry bay, whisking crewmembers of the airship to the portal, as if it is a doorway to the afterlife itself.

Yes, that must be it. It’ll be my turn soon. My turn… I… I don’t want to die… Please don’t take me to the afterlife already…

The angels just as quickly return through the portal, which continues to run thanks to the power still funneling in through the titanic mana extractor. Several of them fly swiftly back out of the cannon bay, likely to scour the airship for more who have fallen.

Wh-What if Mother is next? worries the brunette, watching in terror as two of the angels scoop up the goblins clinging to whatever they can to avoid falling. No! No, they’re still alive! D-Don’t tell me… A-Are they… angels of Death?

They have strange appearances, which are semi-humanoid, but more along the lines of some fantastical creature than an actual human, so it’s possible they are claiming the souls who will fall, without giving them a chance to defy their fate.

Wenlianna huddles into a corner, trying to stay out of sight as she hides her face. Her glasses are long gone, so she can barely see as it is, and she doesn’t want to be spotted by the blurs that are the angels of Death, claiming souls before they are even dead.

Please… Please don’t take me… Please let me live… I-I swear, I’ll obey… M-Mother… “M-Mama…” Wenlianna’s voice whimpers out at the very end, and she can hear one of the goblins chattering stop.

A white blur with gossamer, robe-like wings appears in front of Wenlianna, and she screams, “No! Please no! I don’t want to die yet! Please let me live! Please! Someone might save me!”

The angel starts to pull Wenlianna out of her hiding spot, and she screams, “No! Someone! Help! Please! Please don’t let them take me! Please!”

The wordless wraith is strong, mercilessly pulling her out of her hiding place, and Wenlianna screams out, “[Spirits of my ancestors, spirits of the sky! I beg of you, lend me your power and let fly the flames of wrath! Grant me the strength of the dragons!] Dragon lance!”

A magic circle forms and from it, a powerful jet of fire streaks forth. It’s an intentionally short range fire spell that concentrates all of the power to maximum destruction, and it is the absolute strongest spell Wenlianna knows. She doesn’t want to kill anyone, not even angels of death, so her target was its bicep, and the creature flinches back, its arm lanced off just below the shoulder. It lets out a loud screech.

The goblin calls out from the other end of the cannonry bay, but the only word she can make out, since their language is difficult to understand, is her own name. “Human-Wenlianna!” He chatters something else, but it’s drowned out by the screeching of the angel of death as it flutters away from Wenlianna.

She screams, “I am not dead! And, I don’t want to die! You will have to take me by force, monster!” Her tears feel hot on her face, but she refuses to die. Her heart is racing in terror, but she would rather crash with the airship than be taken even a moment early. She doesn’t have the magic spells to save herself, but that doesn’t mean she can’t defend her right to wait even a moment longer for someone to help her.

“I believe in Hekate and I believe in Daniel! If neither of them can save me, then so be it! But, you will not take me even one second early, angel of death!”

The angel recovers its posture, facing Wenlianna. Two more descend from above, and she starts to fear the worst. For all her bluster, she won’t be able to manage Dragon Lance a second time. She can do some various smaller spells, including a void spell that can blind someone for around a minute, which is probably her most efficient spell right now.

The problem, she realizes, is that the angels of death could simply kill her and take her soul anyways.

That is, until the metal hull of the airship is ripped away directly in front of her, and a fourth angel of death enters.

Unlike the first three, which are silent when they aren’t wounded, this one speaks the common tongue; Eastern Imperial Trade. “Back away, sisters. I shall handle it.”

“No! I won’t go! You can’t have me, angel of death! I-I will wait until the very moment my fate befalls me!”

“You misunderstand, Wenlianna kos Lawson. I am Princess Silence, daughter of Princess Arachne, and Granddaughter to Daniel kos Lawson. We are not angels of death. We are magic summons, just like my Mother.”

“Y-You’re just trying to trick me!” Wenlianna lets out a hysterical laugh, more born of mania from fear than an actual defensive strategy. “That’s right! They sent you because I won’t be fooled!”

“The longer you delay, the more likely it is you will die. If you prefer not to go through the portal, I can take you to your mother.”

“M-Mother’s dead!?” exclaims Wenlianna, choking up as her eyes squeeze shut. “No! No, that can’t be!”

“Humans are so frustrating…” The angel says these words, but her tone is completely level, unchanging in any way. “My mother is in danger on this airship because she is trying to ensure it does not crash quickly. If you do not come willingly, I will hypnotise you and drag you out. But, you will be leaving this airship.”

“If what you say is true, summon Hekate to me!” shouts Wenlianna. “I don’t trust you! I saw your ‘sisters’ whisking everyone away!”

Silence stares at her, and then looks up. The portal is still active, and the mana extractor is wavering in tone and volume based on which direction the slowly spinning airship is facing. That said, the spin is fast enough that it is making Wenlianna a bit dizzy, especially now that the hole Silence created shows a much wider view of the spinning horizon.

“If I report to Grandfather that you perished in front of me, I will be tortured and executed. I want to live. I want to help Mother. But, Mother’s orders were to evacuate this airship. I sacrificed my chance at revenge on the dragon who started this to obey my Mother. I will not continue to show you patience if you…”

“Then bring me Hekate! I will trust her!”

Silence hovers closer to Wenlianna, and just as the brunette is readying to attack, a lightning fast movement sweeps out from under the mantle-like wings of the strange, ethereal being. A sharp crack rings out, and before she realizes it, Wenlianna is looking to her right at the steeply-sloped floor, which is more of a wall than the wall she’s standing on now.

A painful burn makes itself known in her cheek, and the fog starts to clear. Her vision is still shot, thanks to her need for glasses, but her mind feels more at ease. Or, not ease, per se. More grounded. Focused. Her own fingers touch her stinging cheek, feeling the hotness of the strike, the physical blow while smoke and mana fill the air.

It’s not a nightmare. It’s not the end of the world. It’s not her fate having come to claim her.

That hurt. But, of course it hurt. She slapped me. The ‘angel’ slapped me.

Cupping her cheek, Wenlianna looks at Silence with irritation blending against the turbulent fear rippling through the magic artisan’s body. She’s still trembling in terror from the chaos going on around them, but her attention has been restored.

“You appear calm. Now, let us evacuate.”

“No,” replies Wenlianna. She looks up at the machine as it crackles and wavers. She can only see terrible blends of color, blurs that could be shapes, and darkness that is undoubtedly smoke, especially given the tangy taste of iron and charcoal in the air.

“Human, I am running out of…”

“It’s not because I’m afraid. I-I am, but… We have to shut down the extractor. If we don’t, it could explode.”

“It will cease all function if it explodes. I shall evacuate…”

“That’s not an option!” shouts Wenlianna. “The mana extractor is pulling raw energy directly from the inferno, funneling it into conductors to be carried through the portal. If that energy discharges, it could scatter the embers we’re trying to stop. We must shut it down properly!”

Silence stares at her. If she is a newly-summoned being, she’s learning everything for the first time on the fly, save how to kill, which is what her kind are originally created for. That said, if she’s like Arachne, having been given sapience means she is trying to develop her own values and decision-making process.

“It should only take a couple of minutes,” replies Wenlianna. “Less if you help me and do exactly as I say.”

Silence looks above them, which is where the portal and important components of the mana extractor are. She then returns her gaze to the brunette magic artisan. She doesn’t sigh, and her tone is just as level as it has been, even as frustrated as her words indicate she has become. It would be impossible to tell that she’s not being sarcastic, were it not for the situation at hand.

“If I must choose between your life and preventing the mana conflagration from worsening, I will choose your life, human.”

“Wenlianna. And, I’m an Empress of the Fievegal, your Highness.” Wenlianna squeezes past the pseudo-Angel of Death, adding, “Daniel may spoil his children and almost certainly his grandchildren, but that makes me a stepmother or something to you. I don’t want to be cruel, but please use my name at least.”

“I did not know it until now,” replies Silence. “Thank you for informing me. Where must we go first?”

Wenlianna squints, doing her best to see. She points, “There, I think. That should be the power control panel. There are vents installed to shunt the excess mana to the airship’s power bank.”

“Will that not overload them?” asks Silence in her same, flat tone. Regardless, she scoops Wenlianna up like a princess, carrying her effortlessly through the air with serene wavers of her silken wings.

Wenlianna answers as they fly, “Yes, and the ship will crash. But, as a safety measure, whether it works well or not, the battery has an emergency relief that will dump as much excess power as possible to the engines. It might delay our crash with the surviving engines.” Silence holds Wenlianna at the power panel, which is disorienting due to the severe gravitational tilt, but the magic artisan frantically pads the panel with her hands, reminding herself of each function for the switches and knobs she touches via memory.

“The switches are labelled,” remarks Silence unhelpfully.

“Yes, but I can’t read without my glasses. Place my hands on the ones that say ‘Rate control’ and ‘Emergency Route’.”

Silence shifts Wenlianna’s weight entirely onto her soft, but insect-like arm, using her right hand to guide the human woman’s same hand to a knob. “Rate control,” is all she says, reaching across Wenlianna’s chest for her left hand. It feels a little awkward, since Wenlianna is very inexperienced, but her mind can hardly be bothered to worry about intimacy at a time like this.

“Emergency Route,” adds Silence when she places Wenlianna’s hand on a lever switch.

“I have to go slowly. Please just keep me from dying if the ship hits the ground.”

Silence says nothing, but she seems to be rather stoic at times, the way Arachne is. That said, Wenlianna has never seen Arachne get impatient, so Silence may not be entirely the same as her mother.

Either way, Wenlianna slowly turns the rate control knob to the left as she listens. She’s essentially controlling an iris, but because the mana forms a wind-like flow, or even more like water, if she simply slams the iris shut, the mana already inside the barrel of the modified elemental cannon will either discharge violently from the muzzle or explode out of the weapon in every direction. She doubts sorceranium is condensed inside, nor embers like those of the mana fire itself, but if even a single mana ember condenses inside, they are looking at a truly disastrous scattering of the embers via the ensuing explosion.

The airship starts to tilt some, and Wenlianna jumps with a start. “I haven’t done it yet! What…?”

“Mother and the Death Knights are succeeding. They are at the surviving engines to stabilize us. Continue working. Stepmother.”

Wenlianna twitches. Hearing the word is a very strange sensation, since she doesn’t even have her own children yet. She also realizes that, if Arachne is considered Daniel’s daughter, then by extension, it would make Silence into Wenlianna’s step-granddaughter, or something along those lines.

Ugh… Why am I even worrying about this? Focus, Wenlie. What else do I have to take care of?

She looks around, but it’s so much more difficult to make sense of her task with her poor eyesight. Extractor power… the connections can come off after power is low enough… the crystals can stay… Ah! Backflow!

“Silence! I need you to fly to the two crystal banks and disconnect them from the cannon. There, and there…” Wenlianna gestures with her head, since she needs to keep track of the switches in her hands. “They aren’t being charged right now, but if we don’t disconnect them, there’s a chance they could back-power the mana extractor after we crash. Especially if the iris gets damaged or opens again.”

“Understood,” replies Silence briefly. She flies to the one opposite of Wenlianna’s panel, asking, “This?”

The brunette squints at her. She looks to be in the right spot. “I think so! There should be a bunch of large diamonds. Taking the diamonds out will do the job, and we can make use of them later!”

“Yes.” Metal screeches and pops sound out as Silence easily dismantles something, and a flash of magic appears before her. The summoned angel then dashes through the air to the one closer to Wenlianna as the human is nearing the end of the rate control. The mana extractor is growing louder, since there is still a lot of energy within, and the magic artisan starts cycling the lever, which will start dumping mana to the airship.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

She halts before she goes too far, though.

“Silence!” calls out the human. It’s getting too loud to hear normally, even when the cannon is facing away from the mana fire. “Did you say Arachne is at the engines?”

“That is the only destination I know of.”

“You have to tell her to get away from them. If everyone is off the airship, they need to evacuate as well!”

“They are undoubtedly keeping the engines stable. Take your actions, Wenlianna.”

“The engines might overload while they’re there! Especially with some of them offline already!”

“Mother is informed. Continue.”

Wenlianna is dumbfounded, since Silence didn’t apparently do anything. Or, she didn’t stop dismantling the second crystal bank, and this time, Wenlianna can tell from the color that the death angel put the crystals into a void spell, identical to the deceptively voluminous void bags.

“I have extended you my trust, Wenlianna. Do the same. Now, continue.” While her tone is still unchanged, Silence’s words are clear.

She’s right. I want them to be safe, but I don’t have time to not trust her.

Wenlianna takes a breath, trying to stabilize her shivering body. She’s still terrified, but she has to shut down the mana extractor. The only other one who knows the proper sequence, which extends a bit past the two steps she’s working on now, would be Ahok, who will need to shut down the portal.

The brunette continues sliding the lever, opening the emergency path for mana to flow to the airship’s main power bank. The supplemental lines kept the engines from draining themselves, since there was an abundance of mana, but now, she has to ‘vent’ the excess, and she didn’t expect to need to vent so much when she designed the emergency systems.

Right, next steps. I need to move quickly… Sweat is pouring down Wenlianna’s face and back. In spite of that, she feels cold, rather than hot. But, she’s almost there.

Yes, once this is powered down, I can close the main iris, withdraw the condenser sphere, and disconnect the conductors. I… I guess I don’t have to reclaim the condenser. It’s just glass… but it did take a long time to make…

“Stepmother, our descent has slowed, but Mother reports that one of the surviving engines was already damaged. It will likely fail quickly.”

“I’m almost done!” Deciding that she’s probably far enough along, Wenlianna closes the rate control the last bit faster than she probably should, but she does need to hurry.

The mana extractor groans in protest, and she winces, bracing for the worst. She can see light on the sides of the modified cannon. The former-weapon is starting to split along its length like veins about to burst. Stray mana flickers and swirls off of the ship-bound conductors as it strains containment on the way to the main bank. Wenlianna completely underestimated the energy and forces she would be dealing with, and the only other ones besides Ahok with usable information were focused on more active missions; those individuals being Senn, Doephluev, Reignleif, and Vaergraes.

Stay focused, Wenlie. If this is my fault, then I also have to do everything I can to put a stop to it.

“Silence! Head for the conductors that pass through the portal! Once I say go, disconnect them and send them back through the portal!”

Another of the Angels passes through the cannon bay, depositing another poor soul through the portal whose state Wenlianna can’t confirm with her blurry eyesight. She soon reappears in the portal, and Silence orders, “Sister, join me. Go to that conductor connection and prepare to disconnect on the human Wenlianna’s order.”

Without a single word, the other Angel hovers over to the far side conductor. “Give the order swiftly,” states Silence. “We have more time, but it is finite.”

Wenlianna nods. “I’m well aware.”

Silence hovers to the mana conductor, which is sending the absorbed energy through the portal to the Citadel’s core.

Feeling curious, the brunette asks, “Um, Silence… M-My Mother… She’s safe, yes?”

“I know not any of your relations, save your bond to my Grandfather,” replies the machine-like angel. She speaks loudly enough to be heard, but her tone never changes.

“A-Aramellianna, the Grand Duchess Senior.”

“I rescued a Grand Duchess from falling. She is at the central command post on the ground. She was alive and well and in the hands of soldiers bearing the same emblem when I last saw her. That is all I know.”

Wenlianna manages a small smile of relief. The Grand Duchy is safe with Yanidere inheriting the liege ladyship, and if Aramellianna survives, they are likely invincible. Wenlianna is one of many Empresses to the Fievegal, and since she’s not yet pregnant…

No. Put that out of your mind. It’s not a competition, because I love Daniel. And, I care greatly for the other women as well. Especially Hekate. She’s a sweetie, and she cares so much… Not to mention Ryuo, and Reina, and… No, all of the others. Even Doephluev is fun, if… worrying at times.

“Ready on three!” calls out Wenlianna. “One…” She closes the lever switch in on its maximum position. “Two…” Wenlianna makes sure the rate control switch is fully shut down, and she feels around for the switch nearby to provide a secondary shutoff. She states as she opens this switch, “Three! Pull conductors! Be sure to send them through the portal!”

Silence obeys, doing something. There’s a loud, metallic shriek as the resistance provided by strong metals are sheared with a violent “creee-crakow!” while the rumble and roar of the mana extractor itself finally slowly dies down.

Silence figured out how to remove the conductor properly, but the other Angel simply ripped the conductor free.

Doesn’t matter… At least there won’t be any harm to the Citadel.

Wenlianna verifies the switches on her panel are off, and she carefully feels her way to the next place she needs to go. Silence rushes to her side, asking, “What remains, Stepmother?”

“I… Please, just Wenlianna. And, over there.” She points at what should hopefully be the main iris control. Only a few steps remain, though the airship jolts and shifts gravity once more. This time, it is leaning towards the back.

The misunderstood Angel of Death manages to keep her human ward on her feet, saying, “The damaged engine has failed. We should evacuate quickly.”

“Not yet! The more parts of the mana extractor I can secure, the more safe it’ll be!”

“The ship is crashing,” remarks Silence in her signature monotone, which would probably have far more urgency –and volume– with any other speaker. She adds, “The situation is unsafe by definition.”

“Not literally! I have time, so I have to prevent all possible failures, since this is my design, and thus, my failure. If you don’t let me do this, I will die of stress. Explain that to your Grandfather.”

Wenlianna knows in her heart that Daniel would never, ever harm Silence unless she tried to kill him or his family members overtly. Even with Thymeria, who is a proven enemy, he spared her because of her familial ties, adoptive as they are, with Vaergraes. Silence, as his granddaughter trying to do her best by him and Arachne, is virtually untouchable within the Fievegal. Wenlianna has a greater chance of being ousted than the Angel of Death, simply because Daniel is that sentimental.

Maybe I should look into reasons why I haven’t conceived yet… But, later. At least she’s listening.

Wenlianna focuses on finishing her task. She has the most important part done, but to ensure nothing else can go wrong, she has to make sure the mana-extractor can’t accidentally start itself back up after the final impact, nor when the mana fire reaches the airship.

I wonder what Mother is doing right now… And… Daniel… Are the others safe? What of the dragon? Is there more I could be doing? No. No, I made a promise. If I am to be saved, I need to step back out of the way to safety so that I’m not dead weight. Hekate was right. I don’t belong here on the battlefield. But, I can do everything I can to make sure they are even safer.

Wenlianna looks up at nothing in particular, since her eyesight would hide anything specific anyways. Regardless, she feels her resolve building.

I will find my place among the Fievegal, and I will be irreplaceable. That is because I want nothing more than the happiness we felt that day we finished the first diamonds. So, you better be safe, Daniel. And, I’m going to hire your granddaughter just so I can fire her. Fair warning.

With this humorous psych-up, Wenlianna jogs to the main iris control, using all of her strength to make sure the device is closed. She can feel the sickening amounts of mana still flowing around her in the cannon bay, overflowing either from the leftover mana in the extractor, or from sorceranium that condensed within its barrel.

Though the mana fire itself is slow and predictable, relatively speaking, it is proving to be a most dangerous enemy.

But, Wenlianna is thankful that Silence snapped her out of her panic. Her mind is a waste if it’s focused on fantasies instead of the task at hand.

And, there are plenty of tasks at hand to keep a powerful mind like hers busy for the rest of the budding day.

***

Daniel watches anxiously as the dragons do battle, bolstered by Hekate, Zuzia, and Grendel Six. While Zuzia can clearly lay down super-hero level smackdowns, she is tiny compared to the undead Sayrdarralouche. Her most devastating blows can evaporate parts of him, but recoil her back for seconds at a time.

Seconds that Sayrdarralouche can recover in.

Something is different about him than Morthybargaron’s recently revived corpse, however. For starters, Daniel isn’t feeling the same ominous pressure from the Eldritch Lurker that resides in the void and observes Daniel via a curse. In fact, Luceniel is out in the open, passively ‘guarding’ Daniel in spite of her small size. She is still in her ‘springtime’ form with the goldenrod coloring and rosy violet alternating asymmetrically across her visage. And, she seems less ‘childish’ in her behavior, though she remains silent as she hovers within a yard or so of the American.

Rikuto is nearby, briefing Heralesse, Sundenelle, and the Count’s son about the dragon’s sudden appearance. Their shuttle initially diverted towards the airship, but circled back when Daniel gave his orders, only for that fact to be reinforced when the airship was shot down by the dragon’s lava-projection. Yaulwembor is the reason it went off course, but Daniel can’t fault her for it. It was inadvertent, and she was focused on the enemy dragon that is proving to be a challenge for all of them.

That said, their problems aren’t getting easier, even with the dragon being driven away from the base camp.

The mana fire is still spreading, and if everyone is back from the city, there are no major evacuations occurring. Daniel’s gut is telling him that the worst is going to be needed, but more things are going wrong than he expected.

Remembering Bellphine, who warned him about this day, Daniel looks around. She’s technically his personal maid, but he never faults her for not following him around step-for-step. Doephluev often steals those roles, even though she’s essentially a high-ranking Empress at this point. Daniel doesn’t give much thought to the ranking system his mistresses have established, save for doing his best to ensure they don’t murder each other. He knows that, to any functional monarchy, the Fievegal looks like a clown world. But, his first and most important priority is the happiness of his family. He knows this is wrong of him, but it doesn’t change his heart. That said, he does have plans for trying out a sort of hybrid between the imperfect “monarchy” the Fievegal is practicing now, with a changeable sovereign based on the whims of the Empresses at play, and a democracy, where the best among Daniel’s numerous family members, including descendants, would be chosen via election.

As any American knows, living under one of the most, if not the most free and fair democracies in history, even at the time he was transported to this world, a representative democracy is several steps removed from a true democracy anyways. And, as proven by the Royal Family of the United Kingdom, or more specifically, Britain, a monarch can and will function during eras of stability. Granting the populace the illusion of choice is the great lie of modern democracies, where it often boils down to the most basic choice between the lesser of two evils from each person’s own individual viewpoint. As the modern era became more and more polarized through social media, propaganda campaigns weaponizing ‘victims’, and cultural rot most often philosophically associated with the ‘good times’, ‘democracy’ became more and more about picking someone who said the right things, regardless of their own past actions, let alone their affiliated party’s policies and direction.

The point being, Daniel has an odd amount of time to think, in spite of the chaos going on before his eyes. It is a strange moment of ‘quiet’ because he has been forbidden from doing anything.

Or, more specifically, from engaging Sayrdarralouche directly.

Jeavana is fighting Sayrdarralouche valiantly, though, she’s doing her best to remain behind him, while Neith and Magnir take the brunt of his attacks, and Yaulwembor utilizes her impressive breadth of magical spells to try to fight him, including deception, ranged attacks, and even a straightforward, but devastating, explosion spell.

The enemy ancient dragon regenerates almost instantly, but much of his regeneration doesn’t recover flesh. It takes the form of a stone-like material, like a “soft rock”. Possessing all of the apparent range of normal flesh, the texture doesn’t match the movement. Regardless, Sayrdarralouche isn’t the same as the Lurker’s puppet form of Morthybargaron, who was fueled by some sort of sinister, viscous black fluid.

The ancient dragon’s behavior is more undead than a puppet. Or at least, more along the lines of self-instinctive reactionary responses in line with what Daniel would normally expect from movies or video game zombies. Morthybargaron had some sentience to his behavior, while Sayrdarralouce seems more focused on attacking one of two targets; whoever last attacked him, and Jeavana.

Why Jeavana, though? Why is it fixated on her?

More than once during the battle, Sayrdarralouche has shrugged off Neith, Magnir, Yaulwembor, and even Zuzia just to ignore them. But, its focus will readily return to Jeavana at the expense of all others.

Some things Ryuo said suggest he’s related to her, but I might be connecting dots that aren’t there. But, why attack Jeavana so fervently? She knew him as a whelp, not a prospective threat.

Daniel scoffs as he thinks. If anything, she caught his attention by being horn-...

The mechanic freezes as this thought fully formulates in his mind, staring at the battle in horror.

In video games that Daniel enjoyed playing, zombies, ‘infected’, or otherwise undead enemies usually had one, instinct-driven prerogative; violently attack and bite anyone who is not already one of the ambulatory corpses like the others. In cases of virus, this was a mechanic of further spread of the infection. In more magic-based or even undefined undead cases, it was more of the focus on the evil itself propagating itself rather than the mechanism. And, in some cases, it was merely a necromancer or voodoo shaman simply increasing their army of mindless drones.

In virtually all of these versions, the most basic explanation one might come to for the reasoning behind the attacks is instinct; the most primal and unchangeable parts of a living being, often biological rather than conscious decision-making.

Sayrdarralouche is moving without the distinct plan Morthybargaron’s puppeteered corpse seemed to be endowed with, either by remnants of his own soul or the whispers of the master beyond the veil of normal reality.

But, if Sayrdarralouche’s reawakened form is acting on instincts, it’s not readily apparent what instincts they could be. He isn’t readily trying to bite or devour anyone, including Jeavana, and he isn’t apparently trying to spread his ‘infection’, since there are no signs of the other dragons succumbing –something Daniel should have considered sooner–.

What is Sayrdarralouche’s undead self after, and why does he seem fixated on Jeavana? What am I missing?

“Finally acting like the Emperor?” asks a stern female voice that the unorthodox ruler knows very well. He looks with a slight start, finding the exact matron he expected from the voice.

“Your Grace,” replies Daniel. “If actual dragons can’t actually rip him apart, there’s very little I could do, short of super-weapons, which could do more damage. The secret behind the Dragonslayers isn’t some sort of actual trick, but concentrated, penetrative force. The plan to drag him into the mana fire is the best one we’ve had so far.”

“His Majesty Rikuto briefed me quickly on the current situation here on the ground. Has there been any word on the evacuees from the airship?”

“No,” replies Daniel. “Xyreko is taking a head count, but Wenlianna is still unaccounted for.”

Aramellianna visibly clenches her fists, withstanding her own emotional break. “I have faith. Your new granddaughter seemed quite confident that all would be handled.”

“Grand-...” Daniel is caught off guard, but he quickly trails off. Magic makes all things possible, it seems, and his ‘eldest’ daughter, though summoned only a year ago, is mature enough to be considered an adult. That said, it’s also extremely unlikely that it was anything other than a magical summons with similar, if not identical circumstances, which created this granddaughter of his. “I already trust the crew of the airship, Arachne, Vaergraes, and Baeka,” replies Daniel. “If my new granddaughter has your seal of approval, I’m certain Wenlianna will be fine. That said… the airship…”

“Costly, but irrelevant,” replies Aramellianna bluntly. “I can replace everything but the lives lost. There… are a few.”

“We have a few revival potations available,” remarks Daniel quietly. “But, there is a queue.”

“Yes… Just the option is far more than anyone expects. So, even if it becomes impossible, we’ll honor the fallen. That said, I would like to ensure the airship is recovered or annihilated completely. What proprietary designs there are should be kept within our own ranks.”

“You… are aware of the last resort for this fire, right?” asks Daniel quietly.

“I am. Though, I have obviously only heard talk of its effect. That said, I know Rikuto fears your secret weapon more than his own fortress-annihilator, which means it must be quite terrible.”

“It is. I had to be talked into using the first ones because I had the least amount of stake in the outcome. I don’t want to use them if I can help it. Earth largely ceased their testing because each detonation left behind a kind of poison. So far as I can tell, Zenkon largely negates this poison simply by the inverse relationship between radiation and mana, but I have no way of knowing with complete certainty. That said… the mana fire is looking more and more likely that I’ll need to use it. If the airship is still intact after that…”

Aramellianna smiles after hearing him out, and she bows, knowing that he doesn’t need to finish. “Whatever the outcome may be, you have the loyalty of the Sta-... The Phenglegorn family, your Imperial Majesty.” She smiles sincerely. She relinquished her role as the Grand Duchess of the Stalvaltan family because Yanidere was more than ready, and because she genuinely does wish to restore the family name of her own Grandfather, a role the daughters of Yandrestarr kos Stalvaltan have no duty to uphold.

Daniel chuckles. “A little unsure, being the sole bearer of a family name under a fledgling empire ruled by a boorish moron, hmm?”

The Grand Duchess Senior scoffs softly. “I could wield the authority of my late husband and now my daughter if I so wished. But, I have faith in the Fievegal. Though I don’t always approve of your methods, your Grace, I don’t believe you are a moron. Boorish… a bit, but certainly worthy of my precious elder daughter, all things considered. So, before the god-killers, what do you intend to do?”

“For Sayrdarralouche, I have to leave him to the dragons and Yaulwembor. I made a promise to Jeavana.”

“I shall ensure the entire Fievegal is aware of her Grace Jeavana’s new status, your Grace.”

The American narrows his eyes at the brunette matron. He’s being teased a lot about the golden goofball becoming his newest mistress, which is likely inevitable on some level. Regardless, he intends to resist her advances for now, if for no other reason than the sanctity of their eventual duel.

“Jeavana is not yet an Empress. And, I’m not sure she wants to be. She’s just addled by the euphoria of having children after so long, and I seem to be cursed. Regardless, she’s a friend, and I did make her a promise earlier. I can’t do much against Sayrdarralouche, unless I must act as a last line. As for the fire, a rider arrived earlier with a report that Neith and Magnir were able to disrupt the flames with concentrated wind magic. I was sketching some designs to send to Ahok, but it’s unlikely we can build anything that can act efficiently enough to take on the fire at this size.”

“And so, you believe that your most terrible weapon is what it will come down to.”

“Yes. But, in order to keep other promises, I need to speak to Bellphine. Any chance you’ve seen her?”

Aramellianna’s curiosity is sparked by this revelation, and she looks around.

The Dawnseer is unassuming, given how young she is. But, as with any piece of a major puzzle, she could be the deciding factor.

If Sayrdarralouche is only the first of many, then time is not on their side if the rampant mana is fueling the eldritch Lurker.

Daniel will have the biggest decision of his life ahead of him very soon, and it’s not one he wants to make.

The real question is: how will he survive it?

***