Chapter 103 - Run Hand Run.

Notes :

Started writing for The Fallen World again, notably chapter 403, and I'm having a bit of trouble, because about half of the time I write Sapphiria instead of Alexandra XD

No idea if I'll continue both stories simultaneously for now, or take a pause on writing MFR. Probably the former, but you never know. I do need to write a bit for TFW though, it is only fair, chapter 402 was put up in october after all.

I'll also probably put up a poll for it, for which characters people would like to see again, since it's the start of the book.

Chapter 103

Starborn Mountains, Starfire Valley

Settlement of Astralis

Sapphiria stretched as she exited the keep at the center of the settlement. Kalia had left a bit ago, but she'd decided to take a few more minutes.

In the end she'd ended up spending the night in Astralis, discussing things with Kalia and getting a feel for what the squishies would need from the textile plant. Then, of course, retiring to the mage-magistrate's chambers.

She was in such a good mood she didn't even mind the few flecks of snow descending from the skies, adding to the landscape around or landing on her unshielded face.

"Had a good rest?"

The AI didn't even blink as Malry spoke, her sensors having detected the diviner long before she neared the door.

"Yep." Sapphiria looked at the woman. "What's up? What do I owe the pleasure?"

"Since we have mana now, I wanted to ask you if you'd like me to use some of my talents."

"Are you sure you don't need it more for the wounded?"

"I've done what I could." Malry shrugged. "I'm not a good enough healer to go past a certain point with magic. Plus their bodies will do the rest. And I thought you might like a bit of divining."

"I mean, I'd appreciate it, but we already have plenty of intelligence...."

"Yeah, but Gregor told me your reach beyond the pass was limited."

Sapphiria tilted her head.

She was curious about what more...arcane means would reveal. She'd gathered that their divination was very similar to her sensors, but at the same time there was probably more to it than that, as Ramina could sense aberrations. Actually...

"Could you pinpoint spellcasters?"

"I can try." Sapphiria's eyebrow rose, and Malry shrugged. "Divination's complicated. Plus spellcasters don't exactly have a label slapped on their forehead. You don't really find the spellcaster, more their mana crystals. It's like asking me to find a surgeon. I can't, but I could try and find their surgical tools."

Aaaah. Right. It was a learned skill, not some kind of innate talent.

"Any info on that side would be helpful. Their troops I can deal with. Their magic...less so."

"That's fair! They train soldiers to kill the mages first for a reason. We'll need to get to your outpost though."

"Sure. Follow me." Sapphiria started walking, with Malry quickly moving in by her side. "So, how's Ramina doing?"

"She pouted for a bit, since you didn't let her be there for the assembly of the second howitzer. Or you know, let her help with it. But she's busy with refining crystals and bringing our machinery back online, for now."

Sapphiria grimaced.

"I wasn't available for it anyway, and I wasn't about to let her head on there alone."

"Yes. Part of her pouting was probably because you showed things to Kalia you wouldn't to her."

Which was very true. Sapphiria was tempted to deny it, but...

Making them think she was showing Kalia super secret labs or tech instead of having the mage-magistrate teach her magic was a useful deflection. Not to mention a true one. She had, after all, shown her around.

"Well, we need to coordinate for what comes next. Plus it's time we got a bit more trust going between us."

Malry's eyebrow rose, but she didn't comment.

Before long they were through the snowy streets of the town -mostly swept, thankfully, as most of the inhabitants didn't have too much to do with the majority of the logging and foraging expeditions cancelled-, and on the outskirts, where Kalia was talking to one of the few groups still authorized to go outside.

And fiercely arguing with an older woman whom Sapphiria knew only too well, shielded from the wind in the lee of the snowpiercer, a few meters inside the perimeter of turrets surrounding the town.

"Well." Sapphiria jerked her head towards the commotion. Not that she needed to indicate it, because Malry was staring at the huntmarshal with a mix of disbelief and outrage. "It seems you have some problems of your own to deal with."

"Yes. I do. Please excuse me while I rip my patient's head from their shoulders and hammer in the meaning of 'light duties ONLY' down their throat."

"Have fun!" Sapphiria watched as Malry began stalking forward, and Kalia catch sight of her.

The mage-magistrate smiled, slapped Tramistres on the shoulder, saying something to the effect of 'sure, you can go, if you get her approval', and then leaving precipitously to escape the blast radius.

"Heya love." Said Sapphiria as Kalia came over, only slightly wincing as Malry started talking to Tramistres. For a polite woman, she had a solid repertoire of insults. "Fun morning?"

"I should have stayed in bed with you." They exchanged smiles. "Heading out?"

"Yep. Grabbing Malry, she wants to do some divination."

"You should bring Gregor along too. I think the time is right to talk to the Hand again, now that you have the second howitzer up and running."

"Sure. I just hope Ramina won't hold a grudge."

"Just find her something to do. She just feels a bit thrown aside."

Sapphiria winced, but nodded. Yeah, she could see how it could feel that way after the expedition, spending every day with her tutor and being vital to the town's survival.

"I'll think of something."

"Good." Kalia tilted Sapphiria's head up, and kissed her. "Love you, and stay safe."

Sapphiria smiled as they parted.

"You too." She noticed Malry moving back towards them, a cowed Tramistres heading to the town with a corner of her mind. "I should be back by noon."

"Good. I'll see about rustling up something that isn't just nutrigel."

"You don't have to-"

"Yes. Yes I do. Now shoo!"

Sapphiria smiled, and gave the mage-magistrate an elaborate bow. Similar to, but not quite like the one Cia had done.

"At your order, milady."

Kalia sighed, rolling her eyes, but she left with a smile, with Malry taking her place in front of Sapphiria a few seconds later.

"Problem solved. Time to go?" Asked the diviner, and Sapphiria shook her head.

"Not just yet. Let's go grab Gregor. We're going to need him if we talk to the Hand again."

"Sure. He's probably checking the deployments for the day in the barracks."

"Barracks it is then."

*****

The Hand thought they were immune to the more unpleasant parts of being alive.

That was unfortunately thoroughly disproved as their hair stood on end when they saw the rebel 'settlement'.

The turrets were bad. But to be expected.

The concrete and construction however? Much worse. Especially when the Hand had thought the defenses around the outpost were an outlier. Something made with everything the rebels would spare.

But they weren't making huts out of dirt and wood anymore.

The rebels were erecting buildings even the Empire was having some trouble with. While in the middle of a valley, cut off from everything and being buried under snow and monsters.

Sarcher had built frontier settlements at the very tip of the Empire's spear. They knew exactly how hard this was, and they had the legions and the Empire's logistics behind them.

This wasn't a bundle of frightened rebels running from the legions and hiding in whatever nook and cranny they could.

This was a town building itself up from nothing. With advanced technology, weapons, and fighting off everything the world threw at them.

Just like the myths of the First Landing.

The Hand had to stop themselves from shuddering. That wasn't a comfortable comparison.

Especially since...it rang so true.

They had done their best to gather as much information as possible, but didn't dare try and get too close to the turrets.

They stopped near the large machine the rebels used to move around. A young woman clearly in a position of authority was arguing with a group of hunters and laborers. Lumberjacks? Foragers? Probably both, though throne knew what they hoped to forage under the snow. They had an escort of golems, and some of them appeared to be recovering from wounds.

Survivors from a monster attack perhaps? The fact that they seemed so eager to come back out was telling. Morale must be sky high. Especially since the person in authority seem to be exasperated with them wanting to go.

That was even more troubling. The rebels should have been on the verge of breaking, but instead they were in high spirits and fully coherent.

Some legions would have envied their resilience.

The Hand's head turned as two people emerged from the town, and-

Their train of thought came to a screeching halt. Was that...the abomination?

That...she...

She had a face. Hell, a full head. Their body..

She wasn't a golem?!? Was the metal just an armor they were wearing?

They'd only ever seen that blank, expressionless slab of metal.

But she wasn't alive. Or undead. How?

A new type of undead? Or...or a body, raised by artificers, not necromancers, using machinery rather than arcana to keep it operating?

The Hand shuddered this time. That was...

Terrifying. The foundations of the modern undead could all trace their roots back to Kallaran, the First Emperor. And all were linked to the Throne.

The Hand shook themselves. No. No! Impossible. This had to be a machine of some kind. Just a very lifelike one.

The leader that had been talking to the group broke off, while the person having accompanied the abomination went to talk to the hunters. The Hand started to move, the large machine between them and the abomination now.

It was a risk getting closer, but the abomination was the most important person here, and spying on her was critical.

The Hand slowly crept around, until at last they had a clear sight of-

They almost stumbled as the abomination and the young woman kissed.

Sarcher just stared, in slack jawed astonishment.

They weren't proud of how long it took them to recover. Damn it, they'd missed the conversation, the leader moving away...what was she? The abomination's maker? Her lover? And the one that had originally accompanied the metal clad automata came back in.

"Problem solved. Time to go?" Asked the woman.

"Not just yet. Let's go grab Gregor. We're going to need him if we talk to the Hand again." Answered the abomination.

The Hand's blood would have run cold if they were still breathing.

The rebels were coming up to their outpost for a meeting.

And they had that giant machine to carry them.

Sarcher crept back out, hurrying as fast as they dared...and took off as soon as they could, running like all the hounds of the nether realm were after them.

*****

"Wow." Said Malry as she sat in the cockpit of the snowpiercer. "This is...impressive."

Sapphiria smiled as she began her checklist.

"Isn't it? Though it does get a bit cramped."

"That I can understand. Ramina made some comments to that effect."

"We made it though." Sapphiria looked over her shoulder at Gregor. "Sure you want to bring that?"

"It's a statement, as much as anything." Said the old skeleton, as he patted the carbine resting on his...hips? Hipbones?

"Right." Since he was a former legionnaire, probably a rejection of the Empire without having to state so out loud. "Slot it in by the side of the seat though. I don't want it to go flying when I start up."

"Oh, right." There was a bit of movement, and a handful of muffled curses, but the gun was stowed away in short order.

"Good. Ready?"

Malry gripped her seat restrained, and nodded.

"Ready." Said Gregor, before glaring at Malry. "Call it out you nitwit, she can't see you."

The AI could, but she didn't speak up, simply starting up the vehicle and kicking it into gear as the diviner called out her own readiness.

"Holy hell." Said Malry, as they rushed into the forest, and she swallowed. "You know, I saw it depart, and what it left behind, but..."

"It's a whole different thing to be onboard the giant brick of metal that punched through an entire damned forest?"

"...Yes. You know, if we had another one, we could do a lot more in terms of logging and foraging."

"It took me months to make that thing." Including all the preparations and groundwork at least.

"Then what about allowing Ramina to drive it? You're not always using it after all."

"No I'm not. But it takes some time to recharge from its own power generation." Which was a nice way of saying that she couldn't power it properly, and had to stack colonial batteries like cordwood in the back to make do. "And it's not exactly discrete. What if it's away on an errand? It wouldn't be able to respond, bring reinforcements to the outpost or more ammo for the artillery. The Bane could exploit that, the Hand and the Nineteenth both."

"...Those are fair points."

"Thanks. But I'll go talk to Ramina. See if we can make something that can navigate the woods. After all, that vehicle wouldn't need to survive the Convergence."

"That'd be appreciated. Finding herbal medicine has become hellish, and magic can do a lot, but it can't solve everything. I've got reserves of course, but..." Malry shrugged, and Sapphiria nodded.

"I understand. I'll see if I can scrounge up something." The best answer would be an automated medical suite, like the kind onboard starships, but they were expensive as hell to make. There was a cheaper colonial version, but it was very bulky and expensive mass wise. But she did have some chemical synthetizers. She could whip up some medicine.

The Federation had more or less eradicated every squishie affecting disease in existence, and implemented some safeguards to prevent stuff from making the jump from an animal to humans, but the full medical databanks were still loaded in the colonial package, just in case.

A full medical clinic with surgical suites was overkill, but manufacturing pills for a few hundred people should be doable.

"Thanks. That'd be a lifesaver. Literally."

"No problem. It's my pleasure." And a bit of her fault for not thinking of it. Of course the fragile squishies could use painkillers and...wait, did they have diseases here? "I have a question though, if I may?"

"Shoot."

"Do we have anyone who's fallen sick?"

"Not yet, but someone's bound to eventually with the cold."

Oh hell.

"But don't worry. It should be easy enough to deal with, I have spells for that."

That...made sense. If you were at a low tech level, diseases were the first enemy. At least the fact that they could deal with them through magic was reassuring. She wouldn't have to worry about epidemics overmuch. She'd seen some of the stuff in the archives, and it was heartbreaking.

"Good. Still, better safe than sorry, I'll see if I can help on that front as well."

Some generic immunity boosters and biodefense pills should be fine. The latter were invented once the Federation encountered the Theocracy's bioweapons. They only slowed them down, but they should work just fine on normal diseases. Even infections from wounds and such.

"Sure. Every little bit helps."

"Good. Now, give me a few seconds, that next bit is kind of tricky..."