B4 Chapter 28 - Oversights (Patreon)

Vivi knew she could still make a case for herself. Liaf hadn’t caught her faking anything. He just didn’t know what an enhancement string was. And thus, he also wouldn’t know that Vivi was not making one.

“It would make sense you haven’t heard of it,” Vivi said, “considering I’m the one who invented it less than a month ago.”

“Interesting,” Liaf said curtly. “What does it do?”

“The simplest explanation is that it’s a method of creating great runes,” Vivi said. “An enhancement string allows multiple runes to take effect at once, and that’s achieved with ether roots linked in a sequence.”

Liaf didn’t look convinced. “To me your project looks like a single ether root carved into a mess.”

“It will be cut into pieces, and the runes are yet to be carved, of course.” Vivi sighed. The slight nervousness she felt was easily feigned as annoyance. “It’s unfinished.”

The explanation seemed acceptable. Or at least, Liaf didn’t have any immediate rebukes. He glanced at the barrel, then back at Vivi, and asked, “And what is this project supposed to accomplish?”

Vivi batted an eye at Shilman. “Have you not told him?”

“We are aiming to launch a missile into the sun,” Shilman said in a perfectly flat tone.

Liaf fell into a coughing fit. He blinked repeatedly, raising his eyebrows. He faced Vivi with the type of stare only given to insane people. The expression remained as he glanced at Shilman, though he was too afraid to fully turn to the archmage.

“Very interesting,” Liaf said. “That’s… an amazing aspiration.”

His words certainly didn’t match his reaction. It seemed like Vivi wasn’t the only one who thought this idea was complete nonsense. She wasn’t an astrologer by any means, but she was fairly certain that the sun wasn’t just a simple circle in the sky. The sun was far away, way further than the tenth level was from the surface. Reaching it just wasn’t possible.

Liaf looked like he’d deduced the same thing. But since Shilman was the most dangerous person in the city, questioning him was not an option. If he claimed something was possible, then it was possible.

No wonder he’s insane if this is how people treat him, Vivi thought. Reaching the fifth elevation apparently didn’t directly correlate to intelligence.

“I would appreciate it if you would not barge in unannounced,” Vivi said. “Vein-shaping requires concentration. Failures will cost ether, and more importantly, time. I’m already struggling to stay on schedule.” She wore an assertive face. “And if you want proof that the enhancement string is a real thing, ask your friends on the surface. They can ask Patryn, who will show you exactly how one works.”

Shilman’s blank expression hadn’t moved in the slightest from when he entered the room. “Nevermoore,” he asked. “What is your assessment?”

“I think,” Liaf said with a bow, “that this girl is crafting something beyond my understanding, sir. I won’t be of much help.”

“Thank you for your honesty,” Shilman said. “Vivian, my men will check up on you tomorrow morning. I expect great work from you.”

Vivi lowered her head as well. “I will not disappoint.”

The two exited the room. Vivi watched the door close cautiously, before collapsing to sit on her anvil. What a job…

Shilman’s aura left the building, now far enough that Vivi couldn’t sense him. She stretched, and continued working on her armor.

***

“Three of Adalene’s guards northwest breakroom,” N said. “Seem to be eating. Anxious aura. No Shilman’s guards. Nearby, empty. Chance of eavesdropping, low.”

And how long until the regular check-up? Cael asked. 

“If the pattern stays, they will return in approximately eleven minutes and eight seconds.”

And to confirm, no external manipulations of ether have been connected to my core?

“Shilman attached a tracker,” N said. “Nothing cuffs have revoked its effects. Our ability to channel is not the only thing obstructed. No ether will work on our body. Includes tracking ability.”

Cael gave his spirit a mental nod. He still felt like he needed more time to think and consider, but at this point, the plan wasn’t improving; he was merely going over possibilities that could screw them over. He’d lost count.

The main worry was that Shilman Fried would immediately locate them should this escape become successful. He had located Lortel seemingly out of thin air. Apparently, that had been done by sticking his wisps of ether onto Lortel’s aura to lead him directly to her no matter where she escaped. He stuck those same wisps to everyone else as well.

The nothing cuffs deactivated the spell, but did it get rid of the tracker wisps entirely, or were the wisps still stuck to his core and able to activate again once the cuffs were removed? N could not find anything, and he claimed with positive probability that the wisps were gone.

Conversely, the longer they waited, the more Cael risked their situation changing. Right now, their captors didn’t seem sure about what they wanted to do with their prisoners. Shilman must have been too busy to decide what fate to put them in.

Cael tapped his foot. He sighed. Well, Shilman is not immune to oversights. That was proven by the fact that N could still access spatial storage. The archmage must have believed that nothing cuffs would be enough to keep ether hunters contained. I guess I’ll have to rely on your judgement once again. 

“Alright,” he said out loud. “Let’s get these cuffs off now.”

Alda stood, grinning. “You have ideas?”

He nodded, and turned to Lortel, who had shown no reaction whatsoever. She lay on the ground with her upper back against the wall, facing the cell bars, as if she was just waiting to be led to the torturing chamber.

“Do you want to escape with us?” Cael asked. “Or rather, are you going to help us if we make an effort to escape.”

“Barely worth an answer,” Lortel said. “These cuffs aren’t going anywhere.”

Cael frowned and stood in front of her. “If the cuffs are removed, will you fuck things up, or will you help us get out of here?”

She didn’t even bother with a good glare as she glanced up. “And how do you intend to get rid of the cuffs that the archmage himself would struggle to escape?”

“With gravity,” Cael said.

Instead of explaining, it would be easier to just get rid of his cuffs. He sat down and pulled his wrists as far apart from each other as possible, putting pressure on the chains holding the cuff together. As high as you can spawn it, N.

His spirit knew what to do, reaching into spatial storage. He summoned Vivi’s runeswords to the ceiling, with the tip pointed at the cuffs. The sword fell, and a second later, metal snapped as the blade collided. Even without ether, the pressure was enough to cut straight through the cuffs. Cael’s hands were free.

“Ohhh,” Alda said, while Lortel froze in place.

Ether returned to Cael’s body, and he suddenly felt like a real human again. Some elitists of art would have scolded him for his dependency on ether, but Cael digressed. The ancient artists everyone so worshipped, even Felina Heartborn, most definitely used ether to better focus on their art. Cael would never abandon the advantages of this particular stimulant.

He added ether to Vivi’s runesword, and the feeling increased tenfold. This was utter bliss, as if a healing rod had been given for him to hold. He needed to escape and find her. At some point in his life, he needed to create a runesword of his own.

Alda was already holding her hands for him to cut her cuffs. He slashed them open, freeing her as well.

Then he turned to Lortel.

“This…” Lortel said. “Just got awkward, didn’t it?”

“I forgive your earlier remarks,” Cael said. “I truly don’t believe you’re evil. You might have done some things in your past, but as long as you don’t screw us over right now, I’ll help you out.”

“And what if I deserve everything Shilman would do to me?” Lortel asked.

“I doubt it,” Cael said. “Show me the cuffs.”

Lortel hesitated, clearly suspicious of him. Her staredown wasn’t apologetic in the slightest.

She did offer the cuffs, however, giving Cael his turn to run over his doubts. Was this demon really worth saving? Would Lortel cooperate in the escape?

It was worth the risk. Sane or not, Lortel was still much more proficient as a concealer than any hunter Cael knew. He slashed the cuffs open, and they were all free.