Aether Engineering

Chapter 49

The Northern Byway

The Voidlands North of Maston

Keeping awake was a struggle. Days of getting only a small amount of rest had left Myles groggy. The world seemed to move slower than it should have. While the group was moving, Myles found it easy to keep himself awake and alert. As soon as they stopped for a short rest though, Myles had caught himself staring off into space, looking across the craggy ground aimlessly. Myles had barely avoided falling to sleep where he had leaned against a boulder.

Now that they had stopped for another rest, Myles borrowed the book Rufus had thrown them. The book was more binder than anything. It was filled with hundreds of sheets of paper, each individually tied into the book’s binding. Each page consisted of a single entry covering a threat to the province. Some of these were major threats, others were simply dangerous criminals.

As Myles looked through the book, an entry near the front stood out to him.

Identity: Galan Rocksmith (commonly uses the moniker Char) formerly General Rocksmith

Individual Threat Level: 5

Abilities:

Galan is known for his high capacity of fire mana. It is known with certainty that he has access to the sixth connection in his fire aether well. His primary method of attack is by summoning firestorms to consume large areas. The intensity of these blazes is too great for the average soldier’s pure mana to protect them for long. This quality makes Galan particularly effective against large groups of weaker combatants. Galan also has access to a variety of other mana types including wind, force, and pure mana. His pure mana in particular is in such great quantity that damaging him would require an attack of great magnitude. He is experienced with using wind mana for sensing anyone in the vicinity. If he is within eyesight, it is safe to assume he already knows where you are.

History and Crimes:

Galan was formerly a general of the province in good standing. He was one of the highest-ranking members of the military. Many of those close to Galan believe that he was driven mad when he was provided with false information, causing him to send a large contingent of his men—including one of his sons—to their deaths. Regardless of the reasoning, Galan’s crimes against the province are extensive. In the years preceding the railway war, Galan took on the name of Char and rallied a large group of deserters to his banner. He acted as bandit overlord, ordering his men to pillage and loot villages throughout the province. Galan himself was confirmed to have killed over a thousand before the province was able to catch up to him. Attempts to discover the number killed by those he led proved entirely unfruitful. The chaos generated was simply too great. An effort consisting of a large band of elite soldiers specifically selected for the mission was able to thwart his last assault. Galan fled from the battle and has not been seen since. While there have been rumors that Galan left the battle injured and may have died, without undeniable confirmation, it is imperative that he be assumed to be alive.

Conclusion:

As with all high-level threats, priority should be taken to inform your superior officer of any sightings. Do not engage. Galan is an arcaner whose strength cannot be matched by a small force. Any sightings should be passed along the chain of command.

Myles gave an involuntary shiver. The entry was accompanied by a sketch of the man. It was an eerie visual. While every soldier Myles had ever met maintained good hygiene, Char seemed to take it to a whole different level. His beard was immaculately trimmed, every strand of hair was precisely in place.

Despite that, the man in the picture seemed wild in a way that Myles had only ever seen from the beggars who braved the most dangerous of alleyways back in Verrith.

It was the first time Myles had seen the likeness of Char. The history of the event had long since been ingrained in Myles’ head though. Char was at once both a figure granted reality from the history lessons taught by Father Oswald and a childhood nightmare.

When he was younger, it had been Char that his mother had warned him about. She had invoked his name whenever Myles had been too lazy, every time he found a quiet nook to read in or tried to run off with friends before taking care of chores. She had claimed that Char still hid in the shadows, targeting children who failed to do their chores. She had told him that he despised those who were lazy whether that was in verifying information or doing housework.

The ruse had worked. Myles had been terrorized by Char as a child. He had imagined him as some sort of demonic figure with spikes sticking out of his back and big red eyes.

The rendering in the binder was somehow more terrifying. The idea that someone who had committed such horrid acts could be presented here in such unblinded reality was daunting. It made him suddenly feel much more real, his unconfirmed death much more suspicious.

Char may have been one of the more recognizable entries, but Myles was shocked to find that there were plenty more entries with threat levels that matched or even exceeded his.

Fortunately, not all of the entries were tied to such dangerous people. Myles found himself skimming through again and forced himself to open to a random page to start reading. The last thing he wanted was to fall asleep while blankly skimming the pages. That would be no better than if he hadn’t tried reading at all.

Identity: Venrigh Lelave

Individual Threat Level: 3

Abilities:

Venrigh primarily utilizes sword mana. His techniques allow him to rapidly move several sets of sword mana around him. He has been known to be capable of fighting and killing multiple advanced opponents at once with this ability. Based on evidence left at scenes of attack, it is also suspected that Venrigh has several other techniques reliant on sword mana. While he appears to be heavily dependent on sword mana in combat, it should be noted that it is likely he has additional capabilities.

History and Crimes:

Venrigh is a criminal wanted throughout the Perralin Empire. He has committed many heinous acts including multiple assassinations of minor government officials in various imperial provinces. At this time, all of the available information on him is tied to his enrollment paperwork for the imperial army. It is suspected that much of the information he provided was false. Indeed, investigations revealed that his provided name was connected to a man who was found murdered along with his family. The name remains in use as the man has used it in every known crime since.

Conclusion:

Venrigh should be considered a serious threat, however it is suspected that he could be overwhelmed by a sufficient force. As such, action should be entrusted to the officer in charge of the area. Rapid response is recommended.

“Its time to head out again.” Reah pushed herself up, favoring her healthy arm.

Myles closed the book, snapping himself out of a reverie with a will of effort.

The group had set a more reasonable pace on the return trip. Reah was constantly keeping a cloud of evoked wind mana around them.

That mana felt like an extra line of security. Reah would be able to sense and warn the group of any incoming monsters well before they actually neared the group.

Still, the slower pace was less than ideal. They had to maintain it though. Reah’s injury was bad enough that they were forced to stop on multiple occasions to rebandage it. Even if it hadn’t been for the injury though, Myles, Kate, and Silas were all having a hard time moving forward. Between their wounds, the exhaustion from pushing themselves for so long, and their general lack of sleep, the three of them were struggling.

If they had been forced to make the trip alone, they would have stayed at the camp outside Hydrabridge longer, resting until they were back in peak condition. That wasn’t an appealing option though. Despite the safety the camp offered, its activity would have made resting a challenging prospect, not to mention that they hadn’t felt entirely welcome there.

The soldiers were clearly unsettled by their presence. None of them had seemed very friendly. At most, Myles and his squad had been treated with a professional demeanor. Myles had been reminded quite a bit of how he had been looked at by the people of Verrith for being a yellow band. Now, their white bands seemed to spark the same feeling of unease.

Myles supposed he could understand that. Soldiers wore blue bands, citizens who could use the aether space wore red, and family of blue or red bands wore yellow. White bands were traditionally reserved for those who could use the aether space but didn’t fit into the other categories. Most commonly, this pertained to church officials or embassies from the empire proper to collect tribute.

Myles couldn’t have blamed the soldiers for eyeing the white bands that encircled the arms of the uniforms he, Kate, and Silas wore. Myles himself had wondered why they hadn’t been given blue bands. He had simply marked it as another oddity of the academy though, something he hadn’t needed to concern himself with.