-Callen-

  Using a mana string I reached all across the fort. I struggled to hold the string as I reached every window that the elf could use to spot me. One by one I summoned smoking runes obscuring any vision. Then I emptied out my explosives into the fort. They were easy to mass produce with wood and struggled to have any real impact on anyone beyond the level of a commoner, so they shouldn’t be necessary for the later fights.

  Using the cover of the smoke, I carefully repositioned myself to a window facing Port Town. I strapped on my booster pack and sent the destination trigger to the explosives while simultaneously activating my “jetpack.” I felt the explosion rippling behind me only momentarily as I launched myself careening off into the sky. The wind in my face blinded me as I struggled to breathe. The G-force of my launch pressed me firmly against the booster of my single-stage rocket. My attempts at making stabilizers completely failed, as I had no time to test them, and instead they functioned to make the rocket spin wildly.

  It wasn’t running out of fuel that stopped me; instead, it was the straps binding me to the rocket that snapped loose and dumped me out into the sky in a free fall. Looking down from above, I noticed I overshot my target, and not by a small margin. The Wither Tree was all I could see of home on the distant horizon. Below me was an endless expanse of ocean. While my skydive began, I noticed what I thought was the shadow of the deep ocean move. A monster that must’ve rivaled the size of the capital subtly shifted deep beneath the surface.

  Shaking my attention away from the nightmarish monster, I focused back on my current issue. I was free-falling into the ocean miles from land with only my lesser variants of jetpacks to fly with. Wait, never mind, those still needed repairs after the initial test ruined them. So now I was falling without a parachute or any flying devices. I could try the airburst rune trick to slow my fall, but I was still critically low. I could try to fashion a blanket parachute, but I didn’t like the odds of that achieving sufficient potency. I stopped as I looked at the skill I had been most interested in recently, Void Gate. We even had portals in the void for me to use to get out again.

  I adjusted my angle into a dive so that I could make the gate as small as possible. I didn’t have enough mana to open it for more than a moment, so I needed to make every bit count. The feeling of air whizzing assaulted my face as the ocean seemed to grow closer at increasingly fast speeds. Far below, a giant tentacle reached skyward, coming right for me. The burst of air around the tentacle told me all I needed to know about how fast it was moving. I opened the Void Gate and slid through right before I got swatted.

  The physical properties of the void were a bit wonky. The most important of which was that thought held priority over physical, and technically there was no floor, only what I perceived the floor to be. From a rational perspective I should’ve gone flying out of the sanctuary into the depths of the mist, but instead I willed myself to stop the moment I passed the void gate. The only sense of disorientation came from my brain that needed to catch up with the reality that I wasn’t falling anymore.

  I let out a slow sigh as the tension bled off of me. Note to self: Aircraft are convenient to stock up on more, and before I start a runic ballistics program, don’t strap myself onto the rocket. I wearily forced myself back up as I remembered the condition I had left Nixie in. I moved over to the Void Gate and carefully separated the passageways I had connected so I could enter the door home. Immediately as I opened the gate, someone stepped in and crashed into me. I got knocked to the floor as a large knight in shiny white plate armor stumbled briefly.

  I looked up confused, but it connected a moment later. These were Callia’s reinforcements. Despite the man's intimidating appearance, he bent over and offered a hand.

  “Apologies, I did not expect the doorway to turn aside from my destination in the manner it has.” He looked back through the gate he came in and noticed the exit he had intended to pass through lying on the ground nearby after it tipped over during the impact. “Well met, stranger of wherever this may be, but I am called to duty.” He patted my shoulder before exiting through the gate to Port Town. That felt like the most polite and dismissive encounter I’ve ever experienced. It didn’t end with him either, as another four men passed through, giving a brief greeting on their way to Port Town.

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  As the last passed, I got a look over to Callia, who just noticed me standing in the doorway. I don’t stick around to explain since the gate was eating at her and Nightshade’s mana. I can just update her through our bond. Though maybe because a bunch of knights just casually greeted me while ignoring me, I did the same to her as I stepped through the gate. Nightshade closed it behind me.

  “Callen! A fierce hug swept around me as Grandpa grabbed me. When Nixie came through hurt like she was, I started fearing the worst!” I reached back, sharing the embrace. Looking behind Grandpa, I saw Nightshade's tower surrounded by refugees being tended to by the town healers. Among them were the older guards in the town, but I didn’t see Nixie. Before I could ask, Grandpa spoke first.

  “Nixie should pull through. She was stable when the medics took her, but that hole in her gut isn’t the kind of injury that you can bounce back from. Reesia’s taken most of the town guard and is preparing for an imminent attack. The new castle has the civilians, while older folk are out here directing the refugees' treatment and helping them move into the shelter. I sent the knights that showed up before you over to the town gate to join our knights.” I let out a sigh of relief. While I had no way of knowing if Nixie’s body was rejecting my blood yet, at least the transfusion gave her a chance.

  While I was mentally worn and physically a bit shaken after my sudden trip, the town still needed me. I marched off towards the gate to join the others. While I might not be able to contribute magically or physically, I could function as a medium for giving battlefield information from Nightshade. As long as they thought it was me giving the information, her poison effect shouldn’t impact the others.

  I arrived just behind the Paladins, who marched in an orderly manner without haste. I got to witness as Sir Fullart lost his grip on his sword and had his jaw drop.

  “Paladin Korin, of the holy citadel!” The disbelief in Fullart’s voice was just like someone who happened to encounter a movie star while getting groceries. Fullart quickly composed himself and bowed deeply in respect. The paladin didn’t say anything while bending over and returning Fullart’s sword.

  “Well met, sir; you will need this if we are to fight together.” Then the paladin turned and stared dramatically out towards the forest. “Would you share with me what reports of the enemy we face that you have?” The other paladins quietly joined Korin, forming a line with Korin in the center looking off dramatically at the forest.

  Palace Confrontation

  After the paladin declared his intent to support Callia, Karia had all the pretense necessary to forgive the girl's blunder. In fact, the participation of the paladins made rallying volunteers even easier. Most nobles didn’t respect the holy order, and with good reason because the organization was run by filth, but the moral standard of the lower ranks stood out. Whenever they weren’t hunting demons that cropped up from time to time, causing significant damage, they would actively aid those in need. Their influence was undeniable, which was yet another factor in the noble tension with the order.

  That tension, however, did not reach into the lower ranks. Among the knighthood who live by honor, the Paladin order were role models. They frequently hunted the monsters that lesser nobles called on the upper ranks for aid against. She called the knights of the capital the worst, but if she was honest, they were the opposite, being the best of the best. All that being said, ordinary knights would flock at the opportunity to join a paladin in battle. Instead of Karia having to issue a command to aid the town, now she could just request volunteers to aid the holy order.

  She arrived at the knights' quarters, and soon the sound of grown men cheering in excitement echoed in the walls around her. Dozens of knights assembled and started following her towards the gate when the person Karia wanted to see the least burst onto their path. It was Queen Harlanou the 'paranoid.'

  “All of you, I hereby command you to return to your quarters.” The eager men froze in shock and confusion.

  “Queen Harlanou, what are you doing? What do you think this is?” She snapped at the insufferable bitch. The idiot liked to randomly stir up trouble at all times of the year, but directly blocking Karia and shouting at the men following her was a new low.

  “It doesn’t matter what you’re doing! I am the second queen, and you are the third. If I tell them to return to the barracks, they will because my authority is greater! I know your tricks. You want to collaborate with those sick religious freaks to overthrow the king, but I won’t allow it!” A stunned silence settled between both groups, with Karia wondering how Harlanou came to that conclusion and Harlanou smugly grinning like she caught Karia red-handed.

  Suddenly Harlanou’s expression twitched, and her head turned down the hallway as she muttered. “What is that wondrous smell?” Her earlier conviction seemed lost as she swayed, walking unsteadily down the corridor.

  Karia just blinked, stunned at the woman's audacity. Was she taking some form of high-level drugs? She looked back at the men who had deflated their previous vigor. She knew that even if Harlanou was a complete wreck, a royal order was something they couldn’t deny. The regret was palpable as the men each took time to bow to Karia before slowly withdrawing to the barracks. Karia clenched her fist in fury but stopped as another idea came to mind. The castle knights had been barred, but the Imperial Guard might be able to send at least a couple knights. She set off to visit her son.

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