Demoness 2 - Chapter 62 - Odds and Bombs (Patreon)

A knock at the door shattered the intimate moment, startling Elania and Yolani. They exchanged a panicked glance.

Yolani leapt from the bed, scrambling for her clothes. She tugged on her leathers fast enough that her fingers fumbled with the fastenings.

Elania moved to the door, her steps measured and cautious. She cracked it open, peering out at the messenger who stood in the hallway.

“Magister Keswick requests your presence immediately,” the messenger said, his tone brisk and efficient.

Elania nodded, her expression guarded. “We’ll be there shortly.”

She closed the door, turning to face Yolani. The artificer was already dressed, her hair hastily tied back.

Elania moved to her own gear, donning her combat leathers and gear. She checked her weapons, ensuring they were secure and ready.

Yolani’s brow furrowed. “Do you really need all that in the tower?”

Elania met her gaze, her eyes hardening. “The only person I trust here is you.” She paused, her voice dropping. “Definitely not Keswick, or the Magistry.”

Yolani’s expression softened, understanding flickering in her eyes. She reached out, her hand brushing against Elania’s arm. “I’ve got your back, no matter what.”

Elania nodded, “Same.”

The route to the Magister’s office wasn’t that long.

They heard the indistinct murmur of voices in the hall before they reached Keswick’s office lobby.

The space bustled with activity. Guard officers huddled around an enlarged map of the Magistry District. The normal furnishings had been cleared away, replaced by a large tactical table that dominated the room.

The officers discussed the situation in low but urgent voices as they pointed out things on the map or focused on other details, and messengers hurried in and out.

Magister Keswick stood in the doorway to her office, her expression grave. She turned toward them as they approached. “Elania, Yolani.”

The Magister gestured toward the map. “As you can see, a siege of the district has begun.”

She fixed Elania with a fixed stare. “I trust you have rested long enough to recover? If recharging the Engine leads to such long downtimes, we’ll need to factor them into our planning.”

Elania bit her lip. Paranoia ran its fingers across her spine. Did the Magister know already?

That seemed impossible, and Elania’s voice remained steady. “It drains me a bit, mentally. I could probably handle it more often.”

Keswick stared at her for a moment longer, then turned toward the map. “As you can see, a siege of the district has begun.”

Elania looked closer, her eyes scanning the map. The Magistry District was ringed with red markers, each one representing an enemy force. They were surrounded, cut off from the rest of the city.

“What do you need us to do?” Elania asked.

Keswick’s gaze met hers.

Yolani moved to stand beside Elania. “We’re ready to do whatever it takes.”

Keswick nodded. “Good. We have little time.” She turned back to the map, her finger tracing a path through the city streets.

“We have roughly 4,000 able guardsmen in the district now. That many again in the Central district. We don’t know how many remain holding the City Watch, but they would have had nearly ten thousand,” Keswick explained.

Elania’s brow furrowed. “And the enemy?”

Keswick was silent for a moment. “In excess of fifty thousand, that we can tell. There might be that many again that are still in the Noble district, or haven’t entered the Artisan District.”

Yolani blanched, the color draining from her face. Her hands trembled slightly, but she clenched them into fists, steadying herself.

Keswick noticed the movement and turned to her. “Yolani, do you have any new weapons for us?”

Yolani took a deep breath. “The machine gun emplacement. It would be a good idea to put it up high on the tower. Despite its lower velocity, the vantage point would make it useful, or at least force the enemy to keep physical protection wards and spells on constantly.”

She paused for a second before finishing hesitantly. “We have more than enough lead for casting. The only issue might be [Power] consumption.”

Elania put her hand on Yolani’s shoulder. “Shouldn’t be a problem. I can keep fetching full shards.”

Keswick nodded, a glimmer of approval in her eyes. “Agreed. Continue to work on the cannons as well.”

Yolani’s expression hardened with determination. “We’ll have some trial shrapnel black powder ammunition, as well as multi-element infused shot ready soon.”

Keswick grunted. “Let’s hope it will be effective.”

“What have the telescopes been able to determine about the City Watch?” Elania’s voice held a note of concern. “I didn’t connect with them during my last mission.”

Keswick’s expression soured immediately, her brow furrowing. “The fighting on the wall between the two fortresses has intensified.” She shook her head. “There’s too much smoke to see the Watch any longer.”

A wave of guilt washed over Elania, her shoulders sagging under the weight of it. She should have been out there, fighting alongside the Watch, not indulging in a good night’s… sleep.

“I can try to reach the City Watch directly,” Elania offered, her voice tinged with determination. “Avoid confrontation, just to pass messages.”

Keswick nodded. “There’s something you need to do before going to the City Watch.”

She pulled out a smaller map of the entire city, spreading it across the table. Her finger circled the noble district, then tapped on four points. “The causeways,” Keswick said, her tone grim. “You need to destroy all of them.”

“We will be pulling the central district Guard out and abandoning the district to reinforce our defenses here. Shutting these down will slow the enemy coming across them.”

Elania nodded, her expression hardening with resolve.

She glanced at Yolani, their eyes meeting in a silent exchange. They both had their own mission to accomplish.

Yolani’s hand brushed against Elania’s, a fleeting touch that spoke volumes. They were in this together, no matter the cost.

Elania turned back to Keswick, her voice steady. “We’ll get it done.”

Yolani’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “We should test the elemental cannonballs on the causeways.”

Elania frowned, her brow furrowing. “I’m not a cannon.”

A chuckle escaped from Yolani. “No, but you can drop them.”

Elania grunted. That was true. There were a few more considerations, though. “I’m not sure I could carry more than a couple. Would that be enough to do the damage? It might be better if I just used my normal mana shards.”

Yolani shook her head, a grin spreading across her face. “That’s the beauty of it. Part of the cannonball utilizes an advanced script that will let you supercharge the ball before dropping it, at the cost of more [Power], sort of like when you use multiple shards at once.”

Elania’s eyes widened. “So it’ll be a really big bomb?”

Yolani’s expression turned serious, but it was impossible to miss the electric in the air. “Yep, big enough to blow the causeway for sure.”