Fairy Opera Chapter 30: Deal with the Devil

Deal with the Devil

For about two days we discussed our strategy to steal ships from the Empire’s dockyards. Using maps and gathering information from people who had actually been there, we were able to form a simple plan that, hopefully, would allow us to procure a large number of vessels. Our trump card would be the army of Baphomet. Two thousand of the Death Lord’s best warriors would distract the enemy guards while we absconded with their ships. The army of death’s ships were large enough to fit all the sailors we would need to pilot the stolen vessels.

We gathered the army together on the third day after their arrival. The army was comprised mostly of dark elves. They followed Muco’s commands exactly, like clockwork.

We loaded onto the twelve relic ships and sailed off towards the island of Maruk, where the Empire’s shipyards were located.

About a week later we came within visual sight of the yards. There were hundreds of ships berthed in the various harbors and docks, along with a number still under construction.

Baphomet’s ships had magic infused in them, giving them the ability to go invisible. The twelve ships in our fleet disappeared from the sight of the guards at the island.

The two ships carrying our sailors split from the main fleet and headed for the dock area.

The ten remaining relic ships headed straight for the main harbor. Lining up, they commenced a bombardment, tearing through the castle and its defenses. The guards of the dock we were targeting ran towards the fight. The dock was defenseless.

I leaped off of the Specter Sailor and ran towards the ships that were unprotected, on the dock. Their sailors had noticed us approaching and were preparing to defend. There were very few guards remaining, as most of them had run towards the diversion.

Two knights on horseback galloped out from the city. We faced off against them. We were short on anti-cavalry weapons, but I had a trick up my sleeve.

“Null Aqua Regia! Disperse ten meters!” A spray of slippery oil came out from my hand and covered the ground in front of the horsemen. Both horses slipped on the oil and dumped their riders.

As our other sailors attempted to capture the ships, we engaged the knights. Both knights, still slipping and sliding across the oil slick, tried approaching us.

“Null Ice! Cover this ground!” From behind the knights, an Imperial inquisitor cast a freeze spell. The oil froze and the knights regained their posture.

I pointed at the inquisitor. “I’ll handle him.”

Tae and Jak looked at each other. “Got it.” They engaged the two knights.

I walked up towards the inquisitor. He pulled out a scroll and began casting another spell.

“Apropos!” I countered his spell.

The inquisitor drew his sword. We engaged. Sparks flew between our blades as they clashed against each other.

The inquisitor tried to cast another spell. I countered it. I pulled out a scroll and began to cast a kill spell. The inquisitor countered it.

We continued exchanging blows with our weapons. I nicked the inquisitor’s shoulder. The inquisitor staggered backwards, affected more by the nick than I would have expected.

He gritted his teeth and stared up at me. “You are playing with the wrong people, boy.” He staggered backwards. “You will live to regret this move.” He ran away and turned into an alleyway. I did not give chase. He was not our mission.

I turned back to the shipyard. The two knights had both been defeated, their bodies laying on the ground in pools of blood. I checked the surroundings and made sure that we were clear. Tae, Jak, and I boarded one of the Imperial ships and prepared it for flight. We had brought seasoned sailors with us for this portion of the mission.

The guards had noticed that the other attack was a diversion and were converging on the docks. There were over a hundred of them, their boots pounding the ground, their armor clanking.

“Hurry, hurry!” I did my best to crank out the sails. Our sailors scrambled across the deck, up the rigging, and around the skysteel engine. The guards got closer.

Just as they entered the dock proper, we were ready. We cast off. Twenty Imperial frigates pulled away from the docks, filled with our sailors.

The ten relic ships that had been drawing attention slipped away, following the rest of our new fleet. We got far enough from the island that it could be considered “mission accomplished.”

I was on one of the stolen vessels. The whole crew cheered, hugging each other and tossing their hats into the air. We had succeeded, almost. Now we had to defeat our pursuit. But I had prepared for this. The Empire sent out its remaining ships to chase us. The twelve relic ships formed a guarding line between the Imperial ships and our stolen vessels. Each relic ship was equipped with an extremely powerful cannon, capable of tearing through any regular ship with ease. They opened fire on the pursuing Imperials and tore our pursuit apart within minutes. The dozen or so pursuing ships floated down to the skyfloor, their decks and rigging on fire.

“Whoa.” I was amazed by the power of the relic ships. There was no denying their power.

Now that our pursuit was gone, we changed our heading and began the return home.

It took about a week more to reach the island of Gagna. The docks had been expanded while we were gone, and the island now had enough berths for our ships. We parked the vessels at the new dock and disembarked to the cheering of a crowd. Everyone was in high spirits.

About half an hour after leaving a meeting was called between the Rebellion leaders, of which I was now one. We sat around the table. Andrew pulled out a sheath of papers.

“Let us now discuss the troop procurement program.” He turned to Recophis. “Are the recruiting efforts going well?”

Recophis folded his hands. “Yes. We’ve gathered almost ten thousand able-bodied men to our cause. However, the island of Gagna is running out of space to handle them all.”

“Even with the barracks we bult?”

“I’m afraid so.” Recophis held out his hands. “We’re going to need more housing. Our food storage is being hit hard as well.”

The meeting continued, with various Rebellion leaders sharing their worries and successes. When the meeting was over, I left the council room and, with Tae and Jak next to me, walked down the street, which was much more crowded than before. The Rebellion’s headquarters was here. We were so close to declaring our independence. The city’s mood was bright, a hum of positivity thrumming through the people. With our newly stolen ships, it was almost time for us to start our campaign.

I turned to an alleyway that was supposed to be a shortcut to the Green Dagon. We were now housed in the castle itself, but the Green Dagon’s food was still pretty good. I ate there whenever I could find the time.

Just as we passed by a small door, a man wearing a hood stopped us.

Tae and Jak took a step back and assumed fighting stances. I held up my hand.

“You’re with the syndicate?”

The man lifted his chin. “Boss wants to speak with you.” He slipped a piece of paper into my hand. “Also, your next pit fight is in five days.”

Tae put her hand on her forehead. “Ah, right. You signed a deal that you would fight in that stupid arena.”

The cloaked man backed away. “Do not be late.”

I looked at the piece of paper. There was an address and a time, as well as a stipulation that I would have to be alone.

I turned to Tae and Jak. “You can go now. I’m supposed to go to this meeting alone.”

Tae and Jak looked at each other. “We can’t let you do this. There’s no way this isn’t a trap of some sort.”

Ruby came out from my pocket. “I’ll protect him. Don’t you worry about Rock.”

“Thanks, Ruby.” Tae looked down at her feet. “Be careful, Rock.”

I nodded. “I’ll see you after this meeting.” I turned back and walked across the town, alone, through the boisterous crowd of new soldiers and regular citizens. I came to a small staircase underneath a bar. The staircase was old, made of brick, and worn down by decades of use. I walked down it and came to a door. My eyes began to adjust to the darkness. The door had several faded posters on it.

I opened the door and came into a private room with a bar on one side and several plush couches scattered throughout. The lighting was subdued, moody almost. Several men in suits sat around a table playing cards. Two of them were Lightning and Clack. They nodded at me.

The two other men looked very important. The one next to Lightning waved me over.

“Sit.”

I sat. The man was big and buff, with a scar going down his cheek. He put down his hand of cards. “My name is Charcoal.” He pointed to the other unnamed man. “That is Big Ben.”

Big Ben nodded.

“I’m one of the Syndicate’s seven dons.” Charcoal brought up a cigar and puffed it. “These two lackeys,” he pointed to Lightning and Clack, “have filled me in on all the details. Apparently you are adept at the fighting ring. You also are a member of the council of the newly formed Rebellion.” Charcoal held out his hands. “I am here for one reason and one reason only. To tell you that the Syndicate is throwing its weight behind the Rebellion.” Charcoal put his hands down. “But I do understand that most of the other leaders of the Rebellion would object to such a partnership.”

“They would, yes.”

“I was told that you cooperated with us, so I thought you would be our best way to get into the internals of the new Rebellion.”

“So what do you want?”

“We want a world where people are allowed to worship whatever god they want. Do you know the real reason why the Syndicate exists?”

“I do not.”

“The Syndicate was formed by practitioners of Charism. We were pushed underground two hundred years ago when the God Emperor purged all other religions. Though we have taken to a life of crime, we are still noble in our intentions.”

“I did not know that. I imagined you were in it just for the profits.”

Charcoal took a long puff of his cigar. “Sometimes that’s how it feels. But in reality we want freedom to worship our own god. We just run crime rings on the side.”

“Okay. What help can you give the Rebellion?”

“Manpower, treasure, and information. The three things that a military needs to be effective. We’ll insert our agents everywhere and get you the advantage you need to start a new world order.”

A servant brought a plate of rice and meat onto the table.

Lighting and Clack looked at each other, and then at me.

“Our boss is sincere.” Clack lifted his chin. “We’re here to help you achieve your goal, no matter what we have to do.”

Charcoal tilted his head. “I heard about your escapade stealing those ships from the Empire. That was a grand, daring plan. I can’t believe you had the guts to do something like that. That’s the action that convinced me you’ll be able to pull this off.”

“All right. I get it. I’m not opposed to working with you.”

Charcoal lifted his cigar. “Also, we’re suspending your pit fights. We don’t want you getting injured or killed for no reason.” He glared at Clack and Lighting. “I don’t understand how someone could look at such a tactician as you and decide that the best course of action is to throw him into the pits.”

Clack bowed. “I am deeply sorry, sir.”

“And you should be.” Charcoal took a plate and put food on it. “Please, enjoy dinner with us. Then you can return to your friends.”

We ate. The food was very good, as expected of a mob boss’s dinner. When we were done, I left the speakeasy and returned to the upper level. I walked towards the Green Dagon, where I imagined Tae and Jak would still be.

Ruby came out of m pocket. “That was scary, Rock. How did you maintain your calm in that situation?”

“It wasn’t hard. I just kept my chin up.”

Ruby sat on my shoulder. “You know, after being with you for a while, I noticed that you’re always really calm in situations like this.”

“It’s no use to overreact to things.” I shrugged. “In any case, it won’t help me to be nervous in these kinds of situations.”

A small piece of flying metal—a shuriken—embedded itself into the wall an inch from my throat. I dove to the ground. The crowd around me started screaming. Two men dressed in ninja clothing leaped down from the top of a roof. They pulled out swords, taking up offensive positions on either side of me.

“Null Operatus.” I cast my buff spells. My body glowed with a green light.

The first ninja waved his fingers, as if to say “come at me.”

I pulled out a scroll and cast fireball at him. He stepped aside and dodged the attack with masterful dexterity. The fireball exploded onto the wall of a nearby building.

The ninja behind me rushed me. I ducked underneath his sword and gave a back kick, twisting my body, smacking the ninja in the side of the head with my palm. The first ninja struck at me. I pulled out my sword just in time to block him. The second ninja grabbed me, holding me to his chest. I used a grip break and slammed my elbow into the ninja’s stomach, sending him reeling. The first ninja brought out a second sword and swept them through the air with impressive speed.

The second ninja threw a shuriken at me. It hit me, embedding itself in my back. I staggered.

Ruby flew off my shoulder and into the face of the second ninja. As that ninja was waving his hands, trying to dislodge her, I stabbed him through the stomach. The second ninja gripped the sword in his stomach and kept me from retrieving it. He collapsed.

I was unarmed against a ninja with two swords. The surviving ninja rushed towards me.

I broke and ran. Using my enhanced speed and power, I leaped onto the rooftop, and started running towards the castle. The ninja chased after me. We leaped from rooftop to rooftop. Just as I was about to reach the castle, the ninja tackled me. I kicked him away. But there was no turning my back on him now. Just as he was about to attack me, an arrow flew out of nowhere and struck him in the neck. He teetered, collapsed, and fell off the roof.

Down below, an archer with a bow gave me a thumbs-up.

 

31

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