Aether Engineering

Chapter 53

Maston Academy

The Town of Maston in the Candis East District

The paladin walked quickly through the streets. At a cautious distance, Myles and Jane followed. They were moving towards a poorer section of town, heading towards the town wall. Here, the buildings were closer together, the streets narrower.

Myles and Jane were glad for the extra cover. They had to keep close to the paladin for fear of losing him. Myles was also watching the man carefully, looking for any sign he suspected he was being followed. If he used wind mana, suspicion would fall on Myles and Jane quickly. The sun had set and very few of the town’s residents still wandered the streets.

When he had been hiding outside Hydrabridge, Myles hadn’t felt a thing, not even the slightest feeling of unease. He knew that at that time, he had been discovered by evoked wind mana. By extension, Myles supposed he had no real way of knowing if was being watched right now through wind mana. He thought he wasn’t though. The entire trip, the paladin had made no indication that he thought he was being followed.

At one point, the paladin stopped by a seemingly unremarkable house, rooting around under the stairs for a moment. When he emerged, he carried a small black cloth bag.

That was the only stop that the man made. Other than that, he set a brisk pace. Before long, he arrived at his destination.

The building the paladin walked into could be kindly referred to as rundown. From what Myles could see, it looked to be an old tavern of some kind. The only indication of its former purpose was a half-rotten bar that curved around the building’s interior. Interior might have been a strong word. The building had gaping holes in its walls and the ceiling had caved in at multiple points.

The point of interest wasn’t the dilapidated building itself though. The paladin largely ignored that, so, Myles did too. The important thing was where the paladin went, and that meant the cellar.

Myles found it a strange choice for a meeting. The building itself seemed like it had been quite small. Surely the cellar couldn’t be all that large either.

With that in mind, Myles and Jane waited, assuming the paladin would emerge again. He did not. Instead, Myles watched as two others went down into the cellar as well.

“We won’t learn anything if we stay up here.” Myles took a step forward, intending to sneak into the cellar.

Someone grabbed Myles from behind, covering his mouth so he was unable to scream. Normally, grabbing someone with commuted armor would be impossible. Pure mana would resist any grip. Unable to gain purchase, the hand would slip off. This hand did not grasp pure mana though. That had been destroyed.

Tiny waves of blunt force broke Myles’ commuted armor apart around where the hand gripped him. Myles tried to change the pattern of his commuted armor to avoid the force, but it followed. He tried to turn around to look at the face of his attacker, but whoever it was had evoked pure mana that resisted him, keeping him confined.

Out of the corner of his eye, Myles could see Jane beside him in the very same position, held by the attacker’s other hand. Myles again tried to block the hand that held him, this time attempting to block off the waves of force with sheer quantity of pure mana. Myles evoked half of his pure mana in a tiny patch around his face. It was blown apart in an instant.

“You have no business here.” The attacker’s voice was inhuman, deep to such an extent that it was almost incomprehensible.

Myles tried to bite his captor’s hand, but his teeth made no progress, stopped by the pure mana that was being commuted around the man.

A moment later Myles felt himself wrenched from the ground and flung. The side of nearby house stopped his movement. Myles slipped to the ground dazed. Something landed on his shoulder, and he realized it was Jane’s arm. She must have been thrown at the same time.

It took him a second to get his bearings. A man stood before him wearing a mask, one that could have been the twin to Rufus’. This man was not Rufus though. His height was different, taller by at least a few inches. Two swords hung from the man’s hips, ready to be drawn. Dark clothing with long sleeves and a hood covered his entire body.

“You have no business here.” The man repeated himself in that inhuman voice. “Get lost and I won’t kill you.”

It was no idle threat. This man had torn apart their defenses with ease. If he had wanted to kill them, Myles and Jane would have already been dead.

“We do have business here.” Jane stood up, favoring her right leg.

“Oh?” The question sounded ominous coming from that horrible voice.

Myles pushed himself up too. “We’ve heard a friend is in trouble.”

“I see.” The man stood absolutely still, giving no indication of his thoughts. “You do realize you’re being watched, right? You may not see them, but dozens of eyes are on you. They were all waiting, watching to see what you would do.”

Myles looked around him, but he saw nothing. Either these onlookers didn’t exist, or they were well-hidden.

“They call me the Ivory Force. I am a leader of sorts here.”

Myles looked on, unsure of what to say in response. The wise thing to do was leave. Myles didn’t want to do that though.

“Do you wish to go downstairs?” The Ivory Force gestured towards the entrance to the cellar. “You would understand nothing of what you here down there. The curse keeps our matters secret from those who are not members.”

Myles peered at the man before him. “What are you talking about?”

“Take out that book you have on you and turn to page 77.”

Jane was the one who had the aether index with her, secured safely in her pack. The only book that Myles had on him was the book Rufus had given him. He opened it, looking for the page the Ivory Force had mentioned. It was better than running.

Myles found the spot he was looking for, but there was a problem. Between the 76th and 78th entry, there was no page, no other entry. “There’s nothing here.”

“Exactly my point. You are dealing with something that you cannot understand. We are always present, working, yet we go unnoticed. You have been led to us unknowingly, unsure of who you are dealing with.”

“Then tell us.”

The voice rang out again. “You intrigue me. You have more conviction than most. Perhaps you would make for good candidates. Very well. With my authority as the 14th enforcer of the organization, I hereby induct you as members. Myles Redman, Jane Cooper welcome.”

Myles was taken aback. The man knew their names. “You’re inviting us to join your organization. What is this organization.”

The man moved, almost disappearing for a moment. The next instant, he stood behind them again, holding them by their napes. Myles felt his head pushed down slightly until he was looking at the book again. It was turned to the 77th entry.

Identity: Unknown (Has earned the moniker The Ivory Force)

Individual Threat Level: (at least) 4

Abilities:

Information on the Ivory Force’s capabilities are hard to come across. It should be noted that much of what is stated is based on evidence from the victims he has killed or hearsay. There are two unique abilities that are most commonly associated with the Ivory Force. The first is his strong ability with wind mana. In combat, Ivory Force has always been known to wear a mask that lacks eyeholes, even before he began wearing the ivory mask that has since become his namesake. This has led to many hypothesizing that he is blind or otherwise lacking in visual acuity. Some speculate that this has allowed him to rapidly gain proficiency in wind mana. This theory is backed up by appearances at a young age. Ivory Force’s other signature ability is likely linked to force mana. It is unknown how the technique works, but it seems that Ivory Force is able to attack from numerous different directions at once. Many victims have been found with broken bones that seem to have been caused by two powerful forces pushing in opposite directions.

History and Crimes:

The Ivory Force is the 14th enforcer of the organization. As such, his crimes include an extensive list of organization affiliated activity. In particular, Ivory Force has been involved in nearly every high-profile organization related incident within the province of Rord in the last five years. He has been linked to numerous assassinations, nobles being his most frequent targets. The Ivory Force has also gained a reputation as an artifact hunter of sorts. It has been confirmed that he has somehow discovered the long lost third ivory mask, an item that is powerful both for its capabilities as an aether construct and its presence in the history of the province.

Conclusion:

The Ivory Force is an exceptionally dangerous opponent that should not be engaged without a large force. That said, his association with the organization makes mobilizing such a force a virtually impossible task. The best way to deal with the Ivory Force is to gather a small group of elite personnel who have been inducted into the organization. That is also an unlikely scenario since the identity of the enforcer has yet to be uncovered. As such, priority should be given to uncovering his identity.

Myles was terrified. This man was incredibly strong. Probably at least on par with someone like Paulo.

“Put these on. We’re going inside. You won’t want anyone else to know your identities.”

Myles felt a mask being pressed into his hand and he followed the instructions he was given, donning it hastily.

The cellar was nothing like Myles had anticipated. For one thing, it was much larger than he had expected, outsizing the dilapidated building above it. It left Myles wondering if that bar had just been a cover for the one below.

There were about a dozen men and women scattered around in a handful of small groups, or like the paladin they had followed here simply standing alone. Everyone here wore a mask with the sole exception of the bartender who stood behind the bar, carefully polishing his glassware which already gleamed in the low light brought by flames produced by several constructs behind him.

When they walked in, there was a slight stirring in the room. Myles had to assume that was because of the enforcer who walked behind them.

The atmosphere in the room was tense yet warm. Many of the bar’s patrons were openly carrying weapons, and Myles suspected the ones who weren’t were probably just hiding them. Despite the bar, Myles didn’t see anyone actually drinking. It almost seemed like the bar was only there to help ease the mood, and it did ease the mood. There was something about the easy smile of the bartender and the slow, calming melody that was being played that made the place seem like more than a hole in the ground filled with potential murderers and assassins.

A few more minutes passed, and more people showed up. To Myles’ surprise, a student was one of those. The student shot them a glance but didn’t approach. For that matter, nobody approached their little group. Myles couldn’t blame anyone. The Ivory Force was standing right over them.

Eventually, the bartender clapped his hands. “Shall we start this thing?”

There were some general murmurs of agreement from around the room. Myles looked around him. More than twenty people were here. From what the paladin had said, the meeting was supposed to be about Reah. Myles felt like he had something stuck in his throat. He doubted he and Jane could fight off even one of the people in the room—well maybe the student, but they were a mystery.

The bartender reached behind him into a cabinet. Myles half expected him to pull out a bottle of strong whiskey or something, but instead he pulled a piece of paper. “Well then. The first matter of business will be regarding the upcoming tribute payments.”

“Hold on.” A woman wearing a rabbit mask who had entered after them spoke up. Myles noticed that she had chosen to stand in the same group as the student. “Should we not first discuss the new recruits our honored enforcer decided to invite in on a whim?”

Myles was surprised to hear a sneer in the woman’s voice. It seemed that Ivory Force wasn’t the most popular.

From behind him, that same unnatural voice spoke up, bringing Ivory Force’s response. “You speak as though I’ve never met these two before. I would recommend tempering your tone, Hare.”

The woman coughed as if clearing her throat though Myles couldn’t help but feel it was fake. “You would have us think they were putting on an act, Ivory?”

“We have a busy schedule.” The bartender said, pouring himself a drink. “Hare, Ivory, if you want to derail the agenda feel free to leave.”

“I would never dream of it, Arnold.”

“Of course, Ivory. Now back to business. I believe you were in charge of the details dragon?”

The paladin who now wore a mask with the visage of a dragon nodded his assent. “Candis will be receiving the collectors in two months’ time. It’s expected that the empire will be sending aurorae to do the deed.”

A man who stood by himself and wore a mask of a star with a crack down its middle started cursing.

The bartender, Arnold, rolled his eyes. “We all know how you feel about aurorae fracture. No need to get so upset about it.”

The room remained quiet until finally Hare broke the silence, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “I’m not sure it would be wise to try anything if its aurorae we’re dealing with.”

The paladin shook his head. “I would have to agree. If we’re going to take the tribute, it would have to be before it changes hands. I for one would much prefer dealing with the Candis army rather than aurorae.”

Fracture gave a snort. “The aurorae would come after you anyway. They don’t fail to finish a job. Half of them are members of the organization too. They would probably find you before you managed to leave the city.”

The paladin shook his head. “You suddenly have such a high opinion of aurorae? Are you sure you’re not just against the idea of stealing the tribute? Afraid of what it might do to your precious province.”

“Indeed Fracture. You really must start looking beyond Rord. The organization is about more. We’re trying to improve the whole world after all.” Hare had leaned against her table, looking down at Fracture from across the room.

The conversation continued deep into the night. Arnold hadn’t been kidding about the agenda. With each topic, information was exchanged and debated on. For the most part, the only ones who spoke were Arnold, Ivory, Hare, Fracture, and the paladin. Myles got the feeling that they were something akin to leaders in the area. It was hard to figure out much though.

Importantly, the one topic that Myles and Jane had been expecting never came up. Reah’s name was never mentioned once.

After the meeting was finally over, Myles and Jane remained frozen in place. One by one, each of the members approached the bar, spoke into Arnold’s ear and then received a file from the cabinet behind the bartender. After that, they would leave.

Ivory Force ended up being the last one to approach the bartender, roughly shoving him and Jane aside as he made his approach. When he left without a glance back, Myles breathed a sigh of relief.

Myles and Jane shared a quick look and then made their way towards the exit. Before they could leave though, the bartender spoke. “Where do you think you’re going?”