Chapter 133: Fall and Chase (2/2)
With a sigh, he straightened. He tried not to think about all the time, effort, and money that had gone into acquiring the one on the right, damaged though it might have been.
Tanya coughed once, before speaking quietly. ”I'm sorry, my lord. I wasn't strong enough.”
”No, don't blame yourself, my dear. No one could have predicted the intervention of a Dragonknight Battlemage. Especially one as skilled as that masked fellow.”
Wendel shivered slightly, thinking back to the lethal strength and speed the knight had used to butcher his way though every obstacle. It was almost inhuman.
The airship rocked violently, and he could hear the screaming of the Tennundian soldiers in other parts of the vessel.
”It appears its time to make our escape.” Grabbing onto Tanya's shoulder, he poured his mana into the orb, activating it.
A blue, spherical field of energy surrounded the two of them, gyrating intensely as it scythed into the floor with a hiss. A low pitched hum could be heard, growing louder as the energy rotated more violently. With a flash, the pair of them disappeared, leaving nothing besides a smoking, hemispherical hole in the decking.
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Mike was surprised to see that the airship was able to support Red's bulk. He'd halfway expected the vessel to break into pieces under the force of their impact. Instead it simply dipped in the air for a few moments, before righting itself and resuming its course. Although, Red was forced to cling to the side of the ship, since he couldn't fit his entire body onto the deck itself.
He'd initially thought about simply having Red incinerate troublesome thing, but judging from the crest emblazoned on its side, it belonged to the Almiran Navy, and he suspected that they'd be rather upset if he ruined it. So, he decided that if it survived the initial impact, he would try to salvage it to the best of his ability.
Besides, he figured the government would give a much better reward for recapturing it.
As soon as the ship had stabilized, he hopped onto the deck, sword ready. He'd halfway expected Wendel to still be there, but it was currently deserted.
He heard the sounds of Andrea descending behind him, so he turned to look at her. ”I'm not sure what to expect here, so its probably better for you to stay with Red.”
”Hmph, while I'm grateful to you for saving me, you aren't my father. I'm going to go deal with that traitor, and you can't stop me.” She replied angrily, a haze of flame dancing along her arms.
”You do remember that you were captured not too long ago, right?” He asked incredulously.
She flushed slightly, and shot him a dirty look. ”They caught me by surprise, alright? This time, I will be ready.”
Mike scratched the back of his head.
[Why can't I ever rescue normal people?] He thought for a second, before drawing his sword and facing the open doorway leading below decks.
”Come out! I know you are there!” He yelled.
A young soldier hesitantly walked up onto deck. As soon as he laid eyes on the dragon holding onto the ship, he froze, mouth moving soundlessly.
Noticing that the soldier wasn't carrying any weapons, Mike called over to the man. ”Surrender, and bring me the one called Wendel, and I will spare your lives.
The soldier gulped, nervously flicking his gaze down to Mike before looking back up at Red. ”My-my-my lord. W-w-w-we surrender, b-but I c-can't bring you Viscount Wendel.”
”Why not?” Mike asked, starting to lose his patience.
”H-he's not here anymore.” The soldier stammered apologetically.
Mike had the man bring everyone but the ship's pilot back onto deck, and disarmed them. With a great deal of effort he was able to convince Andrea to stay there with them, in order to be their 'guard.'
After making the pilot turn around and set a course for the University, Mike searched the captain's quarters, the last place Wendel and his armored servant were seen.
The smell of burnt wood filled the small room. He was surprised by the strange, circular markings in the floor, which nearly extended to the next deck.
A small fortune was scattered around the room, which he quickly moved to secure. After all, he'd been through the ringer today. It was about time he received a reward for his efforts.
Picking up a coin near the circle, he noticed that it had been cleanly carved in half. The cut was so smooth, he suspected something like a laser was responsible.
Working his way towards an overturned chest, he spotted something unusual in it. A cracked blue orb was sitting in a specially made packaging in the chest's false bottom. A similar depression to its left suggested that it was one of a pair.
Curious, he picked it up and used Appraise.
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Orb of Translocation (Cracked)
Magic Item (Tier 4, Rank 2)
One of the legendary orbs said to date back to Second Age. Created by the High Elves through a method now lost, these orbs formed the keystones of their portals. Although meant to be one small part of something larger, they can be used individually to momentarily translocate two points in space. The effective range is determined by the amount of mana given to the orb as part of its activation. It is possible to travel to other realms with a sufficient amount of mana.
Note: This particular item is damaged, lowering its Rank from 5 to 2. Due to the damage, the destination cannot be set, and will instead be random.
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Mike blinked.
He looked down at the burned section of decking, then to the empty space in the bottom of the chest, and finally back at the cracked orb in his hand.
”Shit....”