Our first task as a unit (Day 3), Part 2

Senshinzako

When the four of us had arrived near the exit to the city there we spotted Nalfimiria, a deed that was quite simple, seeing as the items she carried with her made her stick out like a sore thumb. For one, among the possessions she brought with her were the case within which her armor and weapons were kept, and even its exterior was showy by the standards of what most other people were bringing with them around her. Her robes also weren't the usual ones sisters wore, but one chosen specifically for travel and parts of it seemed hardened, likely to serve as makeshift armor in case of an emergency. Not to mention it was clear she had been using a shirt of chain mail beneath the cloth, one any bystander would notice. Were the road of our choice not well guarded and so short, perhaps traveling with armor might have had more merit for the rest of us as well. Yet seeing as we didn't have her stamina and strength, nor that facing opponents in such a guarded highway was likely at all, having most of it on us would have been a waste. 

Fasnilthar, Sowanarcistvir and myself were wearing parts of our armor as well, though mostly the lighter parts of it. Chiaisei was the one wearing the least of it, as it wasn't deemed necessary enough for the burden it would provide her over the journey, especially as Finarkzir's perch would be carried on Chiaisei over parts of the walk. In this sense, based purely on this perspective, Nalfimiria clearly would stand out among the group even without acknowledging the second object she carried, or perhaps pulled would be the better term. The cart she had mentioned previously was resting near the elven sister, and on my first glance of it, something that immediately came to mind is that I had underestimated how large it would be, based on the miniature she had produced the previous day. 

Whether or not it was deemed necessary, it was immediately apparent that all our baggage would fit within it. The seats within looked far larger and more comfortable while glanced at directly as well. It was almost as long and wide as the very carriage we had taken to that meeting place, so for a moment I questioned if that cart was even made to be pulled by social creatures to begin with. A mage under infusing would have been able to handle it, yet without taking into account the intensity of the levity and liberation magic on that object, I wouldn't consider a trip like that advisable to any below the intermediate level. 

For an adept level, one highly resistant to infusing and belonging to a subspecies with a stronger body and corporeal aide within these fields, though? Well, the clear implication is that Nalfimiria saw the feat as easy, at the very least. That hardly looked like bravado to me, either. All things considered, our physical strength was an ineffective measuring tool to compare to hers, with both the advantages in magical power and constitution that separated us. Seeing her wave for us to approach, Fasnilthar and I prepared ourselves to start loading our cargo from the carriage we had ridden onto the cart, all the while Sowanarcistvir appeared agitated by the situation, in a display I couldn't entirely comprehend. 

—My Lord, excuse me for the reaction, but the cart seems to be much bigger than I expected. The plan really is to load all of our equipment, or should we be carrying some of it as well? — He seemed rather displeased with the idea. Almost panicking, to be more accurate. His reaction didn't keep neither I nor Fasnilthar from loading things onto the cart, and by the looks of things, Nalfimiria seemed to be moving to our carriage to help us load the cart as well. After some moments of observing in silence, Chiaisei sighed out loud before joining us, all before Sowanarcistvir got his answer. 

—Of course, why have a cart this large if not to load it fully? Splitting shifts probably wouldn't help much either. If you want to help, just carry one of the smaller bags in your free hand. Just don't get tired, the seats aren't there for you and we won't be changing the pacing any time soon. 

—The seats seem comfy too! At first I was a bit ashamed that I might need a break, but now that I'm looking at it I'm almost tempted to going passenger all the way. — Fasnilthar said, while observing the cart and ignoring our knight's reaction to the scene. 

—Are you sure that swapping turns would be unfeasible, though? From the looks of things, Senshinzako and I should be capable of pulling it with some ease. — Sowanar said, offering me up before even asking. I thought about complaining for a second, though ultimately decided that the task shouldn't be that hard, after giving the cart a small budge. Even while being loaded, it felt as if most of the effort that normally would be needed was being eliminated through the usage of magic. That said, it seemed like the cart didn't have its own essence generation, as activating its infusion fully required me to devote life essence towards it. Still, as a magical vessel it functioned impressively. 

"The infusing and enchantments in it are high quality. It seems to be a creation from the Temples of Reason. I can't remember seeing many like it, though. It probably isn't a product made in mass by them. These are probably only used if there is a need for long walks." Finding an emblem carved upon it was unnecessary to reach that conclusion. It obviously was too heavily enchanted to have been made without the aid of the Azure Sage's workshops. "An unusual kind of artifact. Nalfimiria is likely familiar with a wide variety of them." 

—No can do! This model doesn't have its own core, to make it easier to store. Which is all to say, its transmitter is none other than me! You boys barely pass the 2000 essence line, while I'm already past the twenty thousands. You're a less effective charge and you shouldn't even be able to fully supply its effects with the limit you have for output. You can only push it so easily now because I'm activating it mostly, see? If helping could make you tired or overloaded, that would go against the point of getting this thing. The whole point of the cart was to make the trip faster and gentler on the girls, after all. — Nalfimiria explained, after ignoring Sowanar's complaints for a while. 

—Two seats, so even if the timing of rests matches, the two of us are still covered. Do you think she is expecting it, or…? — Chiaisei voiced quietly, likely so that only Fasnilthar and Finarkzir - who had arrived moments after the four of us - could hear. I ended up picking up on her whispering, though. 

—Guess it is just a precaution. We'll be striding quickly. Plenty of time once there, even today, then. You got any intentions other than the forest probing? — Having heard Chiaisei's question, Fasnilthar gave her reply quietly as well, before asking something else out of Nalfimiria this time so that everyone could hear. 

—Not for the most part, but it's best that the others get some time to breathe in the surroundings of the task as well. The town's folk probably will feel far more at ease past our arrival as well, so there's no sense in sparing ourselves of haste this time. — Nalfimiria explained. Both parts of the explanation made sense, though it was easier to resonate with the second half of it. 

—Right. They're likely already expecting us. No need to prolong their suspense for much longer. — Fasnilthar answered her, and personally I thought the rest of us might agree to that. Leaving normal people to their fears went against the way of a warrior's path, regardless of where that road might originate. With that last bit of chatter out of the way initially, we finished loading the cart and paying the coach that had brought us to that exit. I didn't know how much he heard, but he wished us good luck before leaving as well, and not long after our walk began. 

The trip started with all five of us on foot, while Finarkzir remained perched alongside our baggage. Chiaisei was offered the chance to skip the walking altogether, though she rejected the proposal, as she claimed it would be best for her to take all chances to improve her stamina at that point. Still, we measured our pacing with the intent of finishing the walk in about 3 hours, not counting the estimated 50 minute break for lunch we would have near the middle of it. This forced each of us to stroll far faster compared to the initial prediction of our pacing. Even then, this didn't necessarily keep Fasnilthar from continuing to talk, something that didn't particularly surprise me. If anything did was the fact she wasn't constantly running out of breath because of it. At first I wondered if they would end up discussing any topic of interest during this trip, yet that worry lasted shortly, seeing as one said theme appeared briefly after the start of their chat. Though I suppose firstly I shall contextualize what was being discussed beforehand. 

—Hey, Nalfimiria. If arriving early will ease the townsfolk, why aren't we teleporting there? — Fasnilthar asked. It seemed to me based on her comments during guidance and such, that she was partially intent on bothering Nalfimiria a little about these matters during the trip and in the future. Something about it being an undeniable convenience, or how that sort of chance would be rare. I wasn't particularly attentive to everything this woman said by this point. 

—Fasnilthar, you know we keep the power on those things a secret for a reason, yes? We only make public usage of them in emergencies, as a result. Otherwise, the usage of them is timed in such a way to replicate a normal trip. It would be harder to believe our teleportation lines are limited if people knew how often we're teleporting around, right? If the trip was done through teleportation, the timing of arrival would still be the same as the normal methods in the first place, and your lack of motivation isn't reason enough for me to convince those watching over them to allow for this usage. 

—I guess, but… Is that all of that really needed? The methods of keeping them seem more than enough, to me. — Hearing Fasnilthar refer to those methods once again made me curious as to why she even knew of them. Not that I would have asked. 

Those being the application of magic to make it so people in human lands can't properly process or analyze the magnitude of many of the Greater One's works. To be exact, beneath the temples within many cities existed structures that propelled influence based illusion spells through a country. These made it so that normal people would be less likely to try to measure or comprehend many of the visible feats of the Greater Aspect's strengths within our world, a core example of which being the Earth Towers*, and that those who did would be incapable of storing the memories of this sort of observation. All Path Tracers had the power to revoke the effects of this spell in a person they communicated reality with, though. 

According to my mother, it was a collective measure between the governments of some countries and the Greater Ones, suggested by the former. Both because controlling this information made it easier to explain some aspects of the interaction between the Magical Stars and the normal beings of Aeyxos, but also in part due to the fact the Great Sisters preferred to keep the magnitude of their strength vague when it came to everyday people and beings. Hence why common historical accounts usually tone down the might of the Greater Aspects as well, compared to the less filtered version of history taught directly in the temples. 

(*Those buildings wouldn't stand without having the gravity in the area surrounding them be altered, and they are far too large to simply be placed under a normal levity infusing. You don't need to know that much about magic to know this. The structures responsible for keeping one up generate absurd amounts of magical essence to do as much, and to an extent that should be obvious simply by looking at their size. They've become such a common part of the city environment though, that their existence has both been fixed into common sense, and attempts at scrutinizing these facts results in the effects described.) 

—Yes, but not entirely. The spell used to maintain the block has negative effects to it if used in excess. It works by weakening a person's formation of long term memories connected to a topic, as well as the duration of their short term memory. That said, if we keep doing things that are obviously drawing attention to these lies like making journeys with impossible times constantly, there would be a need for an increase in the frequency and potency of this power's activation. This would make it far more likely that both sides of the block would have negative effects, like larger chunks of memory being lost due to these collisions in reality. Hence why if we can't play along with the illusion, we're usually asked to avoid making use of the teleportation lines altogether. 

—So if I can't keep quiet, trip time will remain the same. Got it. — Fasnilthar's conclusion didn't seem to be focused on the key point of the topic. — But I heard you all teleport in and out of the temples almost constantly. Why not worry then?

—And why would we? It's not like the arrival rooms are in public view. Everyone working in the temples knows about the lines as well. This case is different. 

—Okay then… Why did I pass on my chance when I had it? — I had no idea what she referred to, but as she said so, Fasnilthar sounded almost as if she was mourning for something actually significant. Were it not her the speaker, I might have been worried about the contents of this passed chance, yet seeing as Chiaisei took it as a joke, I imagined the matter was about as serious as I originally had presumed. It wasn't long since we met, however by that point I was suspecting that watching Chiaisei's reactions to Fasnilthar was the easiest way around to comprehend that woman. 

—Come now, Fasnilthar, that isn't this important. Besides, I believe there are bigger things for us to worry about discussing as of now. — Chiaisei said, after the reaction I had observed. 

"Coming from her, she might be right." I wasn't confident in Fasnilthar's ability to discern topics as being relevant or not, yet I was growing into the impression Chiaisei was far more objective and serious in this regard. That made me more willing to pay attention to the conversation after this point on. 

—Indeed. Alongside preparing for the negotiations, I believe my lord mentioned preparing the plans for the confrontation tomorrow. Now might be a good time to inform the rest of us if you are willing. — Hearing him, the relevant matter became immediately clear. We all turned towards Nalfimiria while listening, as she kept dragging the cart seemingly effortlessly. 

—I guess I did bring that up yesterday. Your roles in my ploy are rather simple, though. There isn't really a whole lot to report in that sense. On my end, the trick has been approved and prepared as well, but getting the timing right will admittedly be tough. Your input wouldn't make that part of the task any easier, so I'll leave that aside for now. Guess I should explain my prediction and your roles as well? 

—Yeah, knowing what we're trying to do is generally a good thing. Do our roles only come into play if the talk fails, for starters? — Fasnilthar asked. She would be the main person posing the questions. I imagined that to be fitting, seeing as she was the second most familiar with this type of situation. 

—Pretty much. And even then, the possibility of all the fighting being on me still is present. Here is how I'm expecting things to go by. I'll lay the final proposal, and it will probably be rejected because the chief kid is slightly suicidal at about this point. He will then suggest ending this trouble with a duel against me, despite knowing it would lead to his death. If things go like this, you all won't even need to make yourselves known. That said, it's very likely the subordinates of the boy will interfere. It is customary in Daokenyev groups for anyone seeking to challenge a leader to first need to pass a trial by their soldiers, so they might invoke this process as a final attempt at keeping their chief safe. If that's the case, the five of you will be employed to speed up their defeat. Best to stump them out quickly, so that they won't need as much time to recover post the beat down. 

—And if that does happen, that's where the plans concerning us come into play. What's the angle, boss? 

—I don't think one is particularly needed, as just showing up should suffice in this case. Realistically speaking, the combat would be easier if I was on my own as well. Still, I figured it would be best to give the rookies a better example of what this type of encounter can be like by offering everyone a more effective role. Nothing complicated either. Sir Shining knight over here and I will lure the normal soldiers into open ground. The terrain technically would favor them, and on the way we would occasionally trade blows, just to make sure they understand how unfavorable their situation is. Once they're there, the wind caster sisters here can simply disarm the whole group by blowing them away on the breeze. The toss should at the very least disarm them, and if not it should give me the chance to immobilize any one of them trying to get up again. If 4 or 5 manage to avoid the blast, star girl and silent boy can take down the remaining foes. And there, we would barely need five seconds to disable the entire group. That should be enough to defang them of any will to keep repeating the beat down. There is another optional step, one that would make it easier for me to pull off my own acts of trickery, but that will depend on whether the silent boy here is up for a small gamble. — While finishing her explanation, Nalfimiria reached for her bag before pulling out a small glass container. 

—There is another initiate level with them, right? She shouldn't pose a problem, but my job will be slightly easier if she can be kept away from the battlefield. It's likely this is something both us and the young chief of the Daokinyev desire. The poison here should put her asleep for about half an hour, or until I get a chance to heal her. It works through multiple methods of ingestion, but in this case the convenient vehicle is an arrow. Just a small dip should do, and the shot itself won't need much depth in order for this thing to keep her down. I can't tell you the distance of the shot right now, but think you can take it? — She asked while offering me the poison. 

—If it will make things easier, I'll try. 

—Okay. The arrow for the job barely needs to go deeper than a needle, by the way. Be sure to take that into account, once we've finished today's scouting. That will be it for the plan. Any questions? 

—Yes, boss! Why aren't we being told your part of the plan, other than luring the soldiers? — Fasnilthar asked, sounding somewhat playful while raising the question. 

—So that none of you get too optimistic, mostly. The plan is slightly unreliable, second hand. Also, it will be easier for your boss to pull it off if she is the only one in the know. Your acting is dubious, second hand! — Hearing the end of the affirmation, Fasnilthar offered another "Yes, boss!" before continuing her questions. Both of them were engaged in the joke by that point. 

—And boss, ma'am, what's your take on the worst case scenario, in this situation? Should we beware of any risks in particular? Like poisons of their own, boss! 

—The types in the surrounding area aren't very dangerous, second hand. That, and they shouldn't have had that much time to collect them by now, and I should be able to heal any of them if one of you is hit. It's also rather unlikely they left on a journey to create an embassy while carrying lethal poisons of their home land, right second hand? They barely left while fully armed, after all. 

—Yes boss! Wisely said, I feel safer already! What of traps or ambushes, boss? Any chance I'm getting netted or heel-hanged, boss? — By this point, I started to suspect Fasnilthar wasn't asking these questions for her own sake. It seemed she simply opted to ask things the rest of us might have doubts on ahead of time, to get over the conversation more practically. 

—Second hand, the negotiations haven't ended yet. They're expecting an ultimatum, and even if it is likely to end in a fight, attacking before offering their reply could be viewed as an attack upon the sisterhood itself. That wouldn't help their situation, and it might guarantee their deaths, from their own perspective. The Daokinyev viewed us too positively to try that, and if they did the currently on the edge wild lords probably would jump in for the kill before I could even finish spelling "Wait a minute!" Also, ignoring the fact officer Chiaisei's life detection, cornering us would pressure us into fighting more seriously. On this occasion, this would increase their casualties, not their chances at winning. The opposition may be young, but they're aware of the gap in strength between mages and normal living beings. That kind of thing is vital knowledge in the wild world, second hand. 

—Got it, boss! I've got no more questions! Officer Chiaisei, Silver Rookie, you two got any? — This seemed to be her way of confirming the theory I had. 

—Just one thing… And I would appreciate it if you two treated this question seriously, as well. If the simpler resolution would be to rely on our strongest fighters, why are the rest of us even taking part in this potential skirmish? Especially considering Senshinzako and I have no direct experience in combat. — Chiaisei voiced the question, and after our two joking seniors thought it for a second, Fasnilthar offered herself to answer. 

"She has a bit of a point. Maybe I shouldn't have talked about taking that shot without first hearing if it was a necessity." I wasn't particularly lacking in confidence in regards to the task we had at hand, yet it remained a fact, it would be foolish to pretend I was perfectly reliable considering this would be my first time in a serious battle. 

—You say it like the fact you two have no experience is a problem for this plan, but… That's precisely the point of giving you both a role. The situation might be tense, though if this results in combat, the fighting itself isn't really that complicated of a matter. Offering our juniors the chance to learn directly is part of our role as the most experienced parts of this group, right boss? 

—Precisely. A lot of the total magical strength in this unit is concentrated between me and Finarkzir. Hence, if we were always fighting seriously, you all would only get the chance to develop in situations we are put under more pressure. Wouldn't that be a far more dangerous way of gaining skill on our craft? This applies less to the knight boy and starry over there, but they had far more chances to learn by now. Giving you two your shots is a priority for everyone involved right now, be it the rest of us or the association. 

—Think of it as your first flight, my dear. Be it a sibling, teacher or guardian, watching hatchlings leave the nest for their first time is a job any elder should be proud of. — Finarkzir's thoughts echoed in our minds. She had been quiet for a while, to the point I forgot Chiaisei was maintaining a connection between us and the eagle. 

—There will be a small group of tracers of union following behind us as well, in order to help out that group once their trail begins anew. They'll also be there to handle post battle healing, so you both shouldn't worry too much about slight misjudgements of strength. The core of this job is to make your first lap as safe as possible, right birdy? — With this final statement from the sister, it seemed like there weren't many other immediate worries for them to address. 

"They are mainly speaking to Chiaisei, yet it seems I am involved in these worries as well. They might be unnecessary when it comes to fighting, however given my state as a failed apprentice, perhaps I should accept their goodwill with gratitude. There likely is still plenty I have yet to learn to find the grounding beneath my path. Surely a sister's help will make finding my answers easier, even if her presence overwhelms me." I concluded, hoping such worries might be connected to their offer as well. I doubted my blade needed as much tempering as my personal resolve as well, yet if my studies came in short having allies for assistance and being taught surely would strictly be a positive as well. The skill of a warrior can only be measured if using another as a ruler, after all. 

Either way, this marked the return of the conversation to random topics. Not that surprisingly, Fasnilthar mostly led this aspect of things, though the one who would answer her the most frequently was generally Nalfimiria. I suspected that these two could single handedly keep this unit from experiencing silence in most situations, even if in this case Nalfimiria was chatting away while pulling that cart. I wasn't particularly interested in their talking, however I did note that Chiaisei and Sowanar had been more active during it than they had up to the previous day. It seemed like our knight had adapted to the overall talkativeness of those two by then, and that Chiaisei was more willing to participate in their conversation. Of course, seeing as they talked during a walk, and one that was quite long at that, this led to the first time Chiaisei took one of the cart's seats. 

Before we reached our lunch break, she needed some time in the cart twice, as for Fasnilthar, she only needed one. I almost found it impressive she could keep her breath so well during the trip, seeing as her voice was a constant through it, yet it also seemed part of the reason for her need to take breaks was the time she dedicated to healing her vocal cords. Apparently, she had the habit of doing that a few times a day on occasions where she had company during an entire day, a habit she was getting back into since our unit was formed. As she described it, waiting until the end of the day to treat her cords usually resulted in causing more infusing fatigue. Such was an issue I didn't suspect I would be experiencing personally for a long time to come, as I was surprised to meet someone who had direct experience with it to begin with. 

Regardless of these breaks, we arrived on the spot where we would have a lunch break a bit sooner than expected. Seeing as a few people would travel through that road on carriages or on foot, it was an outpost for the guardsman, one that had a few installations for travelers as well, namely some places to sit, a drinking water fountain and a restroom. The plan was to have lunch there, seeing as that would make it more pleasant, especially since our intention was to spend some time past the meal in a break. Getting back to walking immediately after the meal would affect us negatively, hence while the trip was being planned a small period of rest had been expected there. With that said, this will mark another switch in narration. Fasnilthar personally asked to talk about the food herself, after all. Something about me having too little passion at that point to give these matters their full depth. I would be lying if I said I understand her reaction, yet seeing as this will mean a shorter shift of mine, I hardly can think of a reason to reject her offer. Either way, I leave you with that for now. Until the next one.