Conquest of Avalon

Laura VIII: The Rain of Fire

One down, thirty to go.

From the way the last airship exploded, finding a way to finish the job and cement her legacy seemed like it wouldn’t be too difficult either.

Then there would be nothing for Laura to worry about anymore.

This high in the air, the wind stole most of what she could hear, but the thunderous cracks of Avalon’s pistols were unmistakable, especially as they zoomed closer and closer to Laura’s descending body.

Until she pierced the clouds again, the roar of gunfire replaced by the roar of thunder.

The rain sizzled against her sword as she swung it diagonally downwards, stalling her downward momentum and blasting in the direction of the next airship, at least as best as she could recall.

Into and out of cover, never staying vulnerable an instant longer than you have to. Aurelian had taught her that the very first time they’d sparred with magic, effortlessly deflecting her blasts of flame with his own golden light, then hitting her straight out of the arena with a concussive blast of his own.

No matter how much you desire the fight, you must approach it cleverly, or you won’t even get the chance.

Lucien had said something similar. The fox was a predator, but a small one, vulnerable. He had to approach from an unexpected angle, leveraging surprise and speed to avoid the attacks of more powerful opponents. Considering his lack of magic, that was almost everyone, yet he’d still managed to win every fight Laura had seen him in.

Even me, though I came close.

Laura emerged from the clouds under the next airship, higher in the air than she’d left it, and barely managed to poke her head up before the serene air above the clouds was pierced with gunfire. Far away, at first, but the sounds got louder as the shots got closer.

How have they spotted me already?

Laura flung a crescent of fire towards the nearest airship, blasting herself back downwards in the same motion.

Even beneath the thunder, rain, and wind, she was sure she would have heard the explosion, but it didn’t sound.

So their balloons are armored enough to stop my fire… Surprising, given how easily she’d cut into the skin of the first one. Maybe the fire was dissipating too fast in the air.

Laura took a worried moment to rethink her approach, hesitating as the rain beat down on her face, before she saw the airship descend beneath the clouds, a fire burning at the top of its balloon.

Laura’s face split with an enormous grin, drops of water spattering against her teeth as she redirected herself upwards and let loose four more crescents of fire aimed as precisely as she could manage.

No explosion, but if I can down them, that’s good enough.

Minutes later, two more ships were burning, which was perfectly fine. Good aim, even, considering the inclement conditions and the short amount of time to aim.

Twenty-eight left, assuming the burning ones are down and out.

The only problem was that the gunners’ aim seemed to be getting better every time, as if someone was directing the gunners towards where she’d pop out of the clouds.

A bolt of lightning crashed down a scant few dozen feet away from Laura’s face. Close enough it was a shock it hadn’t hit her. The startling moment was enough to jar her arm as she flinched, sending a lance of pain through her shoulder where the bullet had passed through so recently.

Well, maybe not the only problem. Misdirection was only getting her so far, and every second down here risked a comically ignoble death, with most of the fleet left unharmed.

Laura tried cutting through the clouds with fire, aiming at her best guess of where the airships were, but unless they’d figured out a way to stay aloft while on fire, it didn’t seem like any of them were hitting.

And I don’t want to get shot the second my head pokes out. Drawing on her own fire was another option, but Laura didn’t want to waste her life away by missing potshots; that would be even stupider.

That was why she preferred fighting spirit-touched. A hostile animal, magical or not, could be worn down with repeated applications of the same strategy, so long as it was a good one. You could test your strength the same way over and over, a proper show of force with little need for tactics or strategy. People, unfortunately, would adapt.

Laura would simply have to do the same, just like Lucien.

Cloaked in the haze of smoke and rain, Laura propelled herself laterally, staying under the cover of the clouds for as long as she dared as she put as much distance as possible between herself in the fleet.

The air is thin up here, she realized as she surfaced, thankfully far enough that the airships were a mere speck on the horizon. The serenity of that thin air remained as she continued higher, feeling the wind blast water from her soaked clothes and hair.

It only became harder to breathe the higher Laura ascended, her head feeling light enough to float away from her body. The vast blue expanse around her began to darken as her vision narrowed, though whether it was the sky or her eyes, she couldn’t be sure.

It didn’t change anything, either way.

If throwing fire at them from range wouldn’t work anymore, she’d simply get close again. That had worked fine the first time. And to get close, she’d approach from a direction that the ever-superior Avaline airships would never expect.

Laura tucked her head down as her sword blasted her forward, feeling the pull of the wind against her squinting eyes. The absolute last thing I need right now is a speck of dirt blinding me because an unlucky gust whipped it towards my eye. All the more so traveling this distance.

The sustained flame from her sword made Laura briefly wonder if Volobrin’s power would run out from the expenditure, leaving her to plummet helplessly to her death. But there was no way to know how much power was left, so it wasn’t worth worrying about. The remaining flames of Flammare might be able to save her, maybe, but spending that much life to arrest her fall might easily lead to the same ending. Better to focus on the problem she could solve.

High above the armada, Laura thrust herself downwards, then began raining fire down over their heads. Each of the ships had a gunner mounted on top the balloon, already taking aim as she fell, but the unexpected angle and rapid descent meant that all of the shots.

Unexpectedly prepared, even having someone up on top. Probably to deal with pegasus knights, and apparently it had been enough to stop them.

One explosion sounded as Laura fell, probably the product of a particularly direct hit on the seams of the balloon. It took a lot less than that to do significant damage, though. By the time Laura arrested her fall and alighted on the top of a remaining airship, another three were listing, blanketed in fire.

Twenty-three left, by my count. Almost halfway done.

Considering how badly Laura’s shoulder was burning right now, making such good time was definitely for the best. Though I doubt I’ll be able to pull off a single master stroke like that again. Every ship was harder than the last, a delicate balancing act between getting close and staying far enough away to avoid another gunshot through her chest.

And at the rate I’m going… Well, this had never been a mission she’d expected to walk away from.

Already, the guns were firing at her again, though most of the shots went high above her head. Probably trying not to hit their own ships. That kind of restraint was honestly surprising for the likes of Avalon, but Laura had no doubt they’d abandon it as things got more desperate for them.

Provided I can make things more desperate for them, anyway.

Taking advantage of her cover, Laura slid down the side of the balloon, throwing fire down to arrest her fall and direct herself onto one of the narrow strips of metal hanging under the ship. In contrast to the lone gunners mounted on top, each of the ships had a large cabin hanging from the bottom, with paths hanging further down below those, enclosed with railings, spanning the length of the airship.

The gunners each had a circular platform to themselves, surrounded by crates of presumably ammunition and weapons up against thick railings, though each of them only seemed to have a single pistol in their hands, the metal tube far longer than any of the weapons Laura had seen with the Prince of Darkness.

It only took her a moment to understand why as they realized she’d joined them at their post.

Instead of discarding their weapons for a fresh one, already loaded and ready to fire, as the Prince’s soldiers had done, the gunners slid a compartment forward and inserted ammunition directly into the same gun, so fast that Laura could scarcely believe it.

Wasn’t it supposed to require a packet of gunpowder stuffed down the barrel with a brush, the same as their cannons? How could they do it so quickly?

There wasn’t really time to think of the answer, since they were already aiming at her, holding their elongated pistols with two hands, one eye closed. So Laura switched to ice, slicing a circle around herself that radiated outwards, knocking most of the gunners over their respective railings with a blow to the head before they had a chance to fire.

Laura readied herself to dive beneath the clouds again while she thought of her next move, but the gunfire never came. Either the other ships hadn’t seen what she’d done, or they were still reluctant to fire at their own vessel. Perhaps they realized, correctly, that downing their own airship wouldn’t hinder Laura in any significant way.

But leaving me alone is the far greater mistake. It was so nice to be underestimated again, especially after already destroying eight airships.

Well, if they didn’t want to go after their own, that offered a far greater opportunity than a mere moment to breathe. Laura peeked out as far as she could from under the balloon, trying to get an angle on as many of the other ships as possible and only coming up with two, rapidly rising out of view.

I guess they thought of that. Blasting out twenty-three crescents of fire to down the remaining fleet had probably been two much to hope for, but it didn’t look like she’d even be able to manage one. A stalemate, until Laura exposed herself in another suicidal headlong charge. In the spirit of the mission, maybe, but she had no intention of getting shot again. Not before taking out the rest.

The metal hatch above the ladder was flapping in the wind, a clanging sound that made it hard to think, but Laura persevered.

Think back to Lucien’s predator approach, from an unexpected angle. If Aurelian were here, he’d probably conjure a brilliant corona of light to wipe out the entire fleet, or reveal some hidden weapon that he’d kept out of sight the entire time, until the moment was just right. Not really an option, here.

Lucien, though… Ignoring how he’d make it up here at all, if he’d found himself stranded on this sinking ship, no doubt carrying him down into an Avaline army, how would he get out of it?

The hatch slammed again as the airship picked up speed, bumping against the ladder beneath it.

Of course.

Laura willed more power into her sword and swung it downwards once again, cutting through the catwalk and ensuring that no future gunners could take up residence there at the same time as she propelled herself towards the hatch. It was the work of a moment to enter the airship interior, flying up the tube until she was face to face with three shocked crewmates.

One of them swung his wrench to attack her, but Laura cut him in half with a sword before he could manage to do anything, then sliced through the one next to him for good measure too.

She could smell the sizzling flesh mix with the odor of blood in the air, that scent of battle that firing at airships from far away hadn’t conjured. It made all of this more real, filling her with greater resolve.

The third crewmate ran, his footsteps echoing through the ship’s bowels as the metal clanged beneath his feet. That was fine. He didn’t matter.

Still, Laura followed the sound. She needed to find the helm or the tiller to steer this thing, and there was a decent chance that the fleeing boy was headed that way. The hallway ended in another ladder up, which Laura again flew up rather than make herself a slow-moving target for anyone waiting to greet her, but this time the next level was empty.

She made it up another two levels when a blaring alarm sounded, some kind of earsplitting horn accompanied by a more conventional bell ringing, though it did nothing to deter Laura’s progress. Honestly, if they had that, you’d think they’d sound it earlier.

At last, she sliced through the final thick metal door in her path and brandished her sword at the cowering crew within. No more than five of them, strangely.

“Take us up,” Laura ordered, noticing the same boy from below near the helm. “That is, unless you want to become a speck of dust in the air when I blow this thing up.”

The crew looked at each other hesitantly, then to the boy, who looked even more nervous than they did. “Th-The controls are locked, Ma’am. The captain wedged the helm before he left.”

“Left?” Laura spat incredulously. “We’re in the sky! It’s not like there’s a lifeboat.”

“P-parachutes,” he sputtered. The word was unfamiliar, but the roots were clearly Imperial: protection from a fall. Just my luck that they managed some kind of protective bubble to shield them from impact. It meant they could vacate the ships with their lives, so long as they aborted in time.

“Why are you still here then?” Laura walked up to the helm, trying to give the jammed wheel a closer inspection.

“They took em all. Not enough left for all the enlisted, and it was first-on, last-off. Unless you volunteered,” the boy added, drawing a look of pity from his remaining crewmates.

“Huh, that’s weird. I killed a bunch of you and there still wasn’t enough?” Laura scoffed as she bent down, feeling the fused metal keeping the helm fixed in place. “I suppose these parachutes are expensive? Made from rare materials?” No one answered her, so she continued musing as she pulled out her sword. “Still, it must smart to know your lives are worth so little. I bet you were expecting a hero’s welcome back in Avalon after the way you bombarded Micheltaigne.” She melted the iron with her sword, watching it pool across the floor, then jostled the helm until it shook free. “Instead you’re tasting the tip of your own dagger.”

“I mean, what pointless death. Just, considering what you’re responsible for in Micheltaigne, but hardly heroic, or even worthy of any real notoriety.” As the wheel spun, the ship groaned and turned from its course, though where it was headed now, Laura hadn’t the faintest idea.

The crew looked absolutely terrified, alternating their panicked gaze between the out-of-control helm and Laura’s glowing sword. Funny, when they already thought they were going to die. My fucking with them shouldn’t make any difference.

“Alright, I’ve had my fun.” Laura dusted her hands off and stood, catching the helm and holding it in place. “Anyone feel like living? Bring us up towards the other ships. You lot aren’t a threat to me anymore, so I’ll leave you be if I can get close enough to board the others without getting shot.” Feeling more like piracy than warfare, but I suppose the sky is a new domain for either. A suitable legend, however things might be destined to end.

“We’re not helping you!” the boy insisted, cutting off another crewmate that had opened her mouth to speak. “You murdered our comrades by the dozen, and now you want to bring down the whole fleet! We are proud soldiers of Avalon, and we’ll gladly give our lives to stop you!” His voice cracked at the word ‘gladly’, making Laura realize just how young he was.

But Fernan was young too; that didn’t stop him from throwing me to the lions. Forever tarred as the Foolhardy Sage of Flammare, a traitor to humans and spirits alike, a grasping, idiotic opportunist, a violent brute. Laura held her sword up, brandishing it above the boy. “If you really feel that way, jump overboard right now. The way you say it, it shouldn’t make any difference.”

“If you want me dead, you’re going to have to kill me yourself,” he spat.

Where is this confidence coming from? The second you saw me, you ran. “Fine then, a duel. Anyone have a sword for this kid?”

The crewmate whom he’d cut off pulled out a short blade from her jacket, more of a dirk than a sword, not that it was likely to make much difference for this poor, doomed boy.

“Good.” Laura nodded. “Now—”

Instead of handing him the dirk, the woman held it to his throat. “Janice, grab the helm and take us up. We don’t want any trouble.”

One of the other huddled crewmates, one who’d been utterly silent up until now, perked up her head. “But… Katie, this is a—”

“Do it!” Katie insisted through grit teeth. “I am not going to die today.”

Funny to think that the ships I exploded were full of people just like this. Not automaton soldiers of one mind, flawless instruments of Avaline cruelty, but people in all their myriad complexities. That’s war, I suppose. Laura had no doubt that the countless Micheltaigne knights and Arboreum warriors had been denied the same consideration.

Janice took the helm and began to adjust the course, tinkering with several levers that Laura wouldn’t have even thought to check, then pulled on a handle above. Out the window, the clouds began to grow farther beneath them, which was a good sign that they weren’t trying anything stupid. How refreshing.

The higher they got, though, the more concerned Laura grew. The other ships had circled around each other in two concentric rings, covering all angles of approach and each other, in case she cared to try boarding again. Worse, the ship she was on was clearly already considered a lost cause, so if they saw it approaching, they weren’t likely to have any compunction about shooting it out of the sky. Or me, if I try flying up alone.

“Stop,” Laura ordered. “Don’t get any closer. Just keep going up.” The guns hadn’t started firing yet, so they were apparently still out of range. That might not be true for long.

“There’s an absolute altitude limit of ten thousand feet,” Katie said with some alarm. “We were pushing it already to stay above the storm.”

Laura nodded appreciatively. “So you’re saying they won’t follow us above that. Helmswoman, take us to fifteen thousand feet!”

“Janice, don’t!” Katie spun around and pointed an indignant finger at Laura. “Do you have a death wish?”

Laura laughed. “I thought that was obvious. Now keep climbing.”

The ships started to rattle as they climbed, and the ascent seemed to slow even without any direct involvement from the helm, but eventually Laura could see the other Avaline ships beneath them, still circling warily.

“Right, you’re free to do as you please,” Laura said as she turned towards the faceless mass of ships, already walking towards the door out of the bridge. “But I suggest you find a quiet field to land in and get your story straight on why you aren’t deserters. Kid, you’d do well to remember that you can’t fight shit if you’re hung for mutiny. Ta-ta!”

She slashed a circle into the floor of the hallway, falling down to the next level below, then repeated the gesture until she was on the bottommost level, staring at the sky swirling beneath her..

Now how to avoid getting shot out of the sky…

Ice wasn’t a perfect shield against gunshots. Defending Duchesne’s boat in the Charenton harbor had made that much abundantly clear. It had also made clear, though, that obstructing sightlines alone could make a massive difference.

Laura twirled her sword, creating a roughly Laura-sized crescent of ice, then let it drop through the hole in the floor. A moment later, the sound of gunfire filled the air. It was hard to tell it, but it looked like the icy construct had been blasted entirely apart.

Glad that’s not me then. Laura followed her decoy with another, then another two more for good measure. She created eight other crescents on the hallway, then cut holes out from under them in sequence as fast as she could, filling the sky with targets.

Then, finally, she slashed a hollow column of ice around herself and dropped through.

Falling like this was trusting her fate to luck, but at least she’d bettered the odds. And if she made it down, Avalon had done her the favor of clustering themselves close together into an easy target.

Laura looked at them carefully, taking a final account of the twenty-three airships that were left.

Only there were twenty-four there, an ominous black ship in the center rising up towards her. One more than before.

They got reinforcements headed straight to me, and I have no idea what they’re capable of.