Chapter 570 – A Volcano?!

Kanae, Hilde, Gretchen, and Vestrid kneeled before Archbishop Patrice. Petyr was the only one who remained standing. Some things never changed, and she wasn't going to any time soon. News of the volcano off Nu-hauta Archipelago had spread like wildfire across the city-states, a consequence of a continent connected by the Imperial Span. They had left the carriages behind for the freed prisoners of war to travel back on and flew back on Hilde's dragon instead.

"It was supposed to be a simple prisoner exchange. And a volcano sprung from the sea? Just what in the Supreme One's lone eye did you see?" Archbishop Patrice asked in disbelief.

"Exactly what we told you. The volcano was huge!" Kanae explained.

"What about the Ortesians? Did they make it past? Were they caught in the eruption?" she pressed them.

"Not that I could see at a cursory fly over." Hilde shook her head.

After calm returned to Port Kandis, they had Hilde fly on her dragon to look for any Ortesian wreckage. Fortunately, or unfortunately, there were none to be found. Archbishop Patrice shot a look to Vestrid.

"You would never lie to the triumvirate. Is what Amethyst Hall tells me true?" The high elf arched her brows and casted Zone of Absolute Truth around them.

"It is, Archbishop. And the waves that followed nearly dragged Port Kandis out to sea if it weren't for their intervention." Vestrid expelled a quiet sigh under the spell's effect.

"Supreme One, preserve us." She slumped into her seat, feeling faint. "We nearly lost our only port and thousands of— Wait, what about Nu-hauta? Any signs that the islands were submerged in the aftermath?"

"I didn't fly for long, but from what I saw, there were islands visible from a distance. A giant and long wall of ice seemed to have protected them," Hilde explained.

Everyone snapped to the succubus.

"You never mentioned the ice wall part," Kanae said.

"No, I certainly did. You were just so overcome with relief that Nu-hauta survived and missed my next words!" Hilde pouted.

"I-I'm sorry!"

"Hold on. I know Bocchiri to be strong, but not surround an archipelago with a massive ice wall strong," Vestrid muttered to herself.

When they looked up, Archbishop Patrice's eyes were wide and outraged.

"Permafrost!" everyone exclaimed in unison.

They rushed to Silver Hall. The archbishop demanded entry at the portcullis, and silver-clad knights did as ordered without question. She didn't wait for the gate to fully rise before ducking to enter. Members were taking it easy with little to do other than to guard the stronghold which housed Aidenhall's treasured vault.

The very end of the corridor opened to a chamber where Silver Hall's quartermaster, Runald Aespir, was seated in front of an enchanted and reinforced steel gate. He looked up from a book on his desk, peering at them through a tiny pair of cute reading glasses. Him and others around the room jumped to their feet.

"A-Archbishop? We weren't expecting you today!" Runald searched Kanae with his eyes for answers.

"Open the vault. Archbishop's orders. And where is Silver?" Archbishop Patrice demanded.

"I'll fetch her at once!" Runald leaned over to the brass speaker. "Knight-Commander Silver, you're needed at the vault. Archbishop Patrice requests it!" He signalled to the mages standing by the vault.

Four of them took their places in front of a magic circle, channeling magic into the vault door. Heavy locking mechanisms within groaned loudly into place. One by one the enchanted sigils disappeared, and the door slowly swung open.

"Archbishop, I'm here! Oh, Master? Vestrid, too?" Esta gasped.

"Show us to Permafrost. Now," Archbishop Patrice said.

"Of course." The Knight of Silver led the way down into the vault.

They passed by floating eyeballs that gave them a cursory glance before continuing their vigil. The new vault was fashioned much like the first one. However, except for one long hall, there were aisles similar to a library. Except in place of books and bookcases, they contained cells tuned to hold their vaulted items.

Kanae recognized Necronomicon inside a display case within its cell. Another contained the phoenix egg constantly blasted with cold magic to slow its revival. Esta stopped in front of the cell containing the staff Permafrost, which rested alone on a shelf weapon rack.

"Is something wrong? We vaulted Permafrost as soon as Saint Priest Bocchiri returned it to us," Esta said, motioning for the mage guards to open the cell.

They did so. Runald followed them in and put on a pair of mittens hanging inside before picking up the staff. He brought it out to them, and Archbishop Patrice immediately snatched it from his hands.

"Archbishop, you must not—" Esta swallowed the rest of her sentence.

Runald and the mages were stunned.

"This staff is a forgery. A good one. The real Permafrost would begin to inflict Frostbite on my hands. On anyone who holds it that isn't a crowned Mage of Frost Mage. We have been deceived!" Patrice slammed it into the wall, splitting the staff into two halves.

"But… Saint Priest Bocchiri assured me that… I… I've failed in my duty." Esta dropped to her knees.

"It's not your fault." Kanae put a hand on her head.

"Amethyst is right. Silver, you could not have foreseen Bocchiri would do this," the archbishop explained, tossing the false staff parts to the floor.

She rose to her feet. "Even so, it is Silver Hall's responsibility to bring Permafrost back."

Archbishop Patrice took her own staff back from Vestrid's grasp and tapped the ground.

"No, you will stay in Radevic to guard the vault and retrieve any dangerous magical items as is your duty. The task of returning Permafrost will go to Amethyst Hall and Vestrid," she said.

"Yes… Archbishop." Esta bowed her head.

They were expected to leave soon despite coming back not hours ago. Kanae convinced Archbishop Patrice to give them a while to rest first. While the others went to do exactly that, she flew into Radevic for Rown Company's headquarters.

Outside of the building, the large statue of Solasta Rown stood side by side with one of Renya. The dark elf businesswoman had transformed their company by leaps and bounds. With Outriders having fully integrated into the workforce, Rown Company had become the single largest employer of any business in the world. As such, their headquarters turned into a sort of campus to instruct workers on the tools of the trade.

Shipping, transportation, construction… A saying had popped up over the recent years, 'Rown Company could build an empire in a week.' There might be a grain of truth to that.

Kanae flew up the steps into the lobby, where she was greeted by a line of Radevic citizens. She glanced over the shoulder of a human man, holding a form.

"Broken windows in need of fixing? What?" Kanae turned around to meet a younger elven man in the middle of scribbling into a similar form. "What's with the document?"

"Oh, there's a pot hole in front of my house in Karth street. Carriages keep getting wrecked on it, so I'm bringing a work order to Rown Company. You?" he asked.

"I don't have time for this," she muttered.

"Hey, no cutting—"

Kanae skipped the line all the way to the front and waved at a receptionist.

"Excuse me! Knight of Amethyst. Can you call whoever your boss is over?" Kanae hollered.

"A K-Knight of Color? Right away!" The man darted into the back.

Minutes later, a tall feline beastwoman with long curly hair came out. She was dressed in a fine green tunic and black vest, ending in a pleated skirt of the same color.

"Thedia!" Kanae gasped.

"Hello, Kanae. It's good to see you again. The lobby is much too crowded. Allow me to invite you into my office." Thedia beckoned.

One of the closer receptionists lifted a board along the counter to let Kanae through. She followed Thedia into an office whose walls were lined with filing cabinets and shelves. Two leather sofas sandwiched a beautiful table made from an oak tree. At one end, a large framed painting of Renya smirking down at the room.

"The last time we saw each other was in Savir, yes?" Thedia recalled, ushering Kanae into a seat and pouring her a cup of tea.

"Yeah, and you nearly died. How have you been holding up? I ran into Renya a while ago near Talahurah's end of the span. Rown Company's really hauling ass to extend it to Artaggon," Kanae said.

"I've been well, but I cannot say the same for my lady Renya. After what happened in Savir, and learning about her brother and father, she seems to have redoubled her focus on the Imperial Span. She's left most of the administrative work to me, opting to be on the ground herself to oversee its construction. Anyway, how may I help you? Did you have problems with your most recent journey with Rown Company that needs addressing? Or perhaps something that needs shipping?" She switched up in an instant, putting on her best customer service voice.

"Nothing like that. I came into possession of an Ortesian ship. It took a beating at Port Kandis, and I was hoping Rown Company could fix it up to be seaworthy?"

"An Ortesian ship, you say? Certainly. We have plenty of experience with their vessels. I'm also aware that Radevic's leadership paid us handsomely to evacuate the denizens of Nu-hauta. This wouldn't happen to be related, would it?"

"Well… Tangentially, yes."

Thedia sipped on her tea quietly, lifting both the cup and small saucer. Kanae did the same out of instinct. It smelled of oranges but tasted earthy. If Renya were here, she would have poured wine instead.

"Consider it done. I will travel with you to Port Kandis. Rown Company shall stand ready to perform evacuations on your command. Though, I'd like to stay out of any potential fights this time." Thedia smiled.

"With any luck, there shouldn't be any." Kanae laughed nervously.

After Thedia packed her things and doled out instructions to the employees for her absence, Kanae gave her a flying lift to Amethyst Hall. Everyone else was ready to leave. Even Hilde's dragon had rested up enough to make another flight across the width of the continent.

However, a couple of Kanae's family had been waiting in the lobby for her return. Kanade and Suvee leaped from Arenade's sides to tackle her with a hug.

"We came to say bye-bye!" Suvee exclaimed.

"I'll miss you, too." Kanae squeezed them both.

"We're taking the Viviren portal back to Ehmvier. I figured we bothered Lilith and Zadris with enough work." Arenade shrugged.

Kanae let her girls down and stood up, whispering, "What about the goblins?"

Arenade turned bright red.

"Th-They're going up the normal way. And shhh!" The high elf glared.

"You know, you could join me," Kanae suggested.

"Ugh. I thought about it. Then Gretchen told me that Lady Dahlia is in town, and my brother will be coming soon, too. When Thored and Minestra inevitably go back to Artaggon, they plan to make a pit stop in Ehmvier. So, whaddya know? Half of Artaggon's leadership will be visiting, and I have to be there to receive them!" Arenade threw her hands in the air.

"We get to see Uncle Charron!" Suvee whooped.

"I like Uncle Charron," Kanade said.

"And somehow, that stupid brother of mine's become their favorite uncle." Her wife groaned.

"Well, you guys have fun with that family reunion. I get to sail the open seas." She planted a kiss on Arenade, then hugged the kids one more time.

They waved goodbye on their way down the hall to the portal room. Kanae and Thedia joined the others on an open landing, where some of Amethyst Hall had gathered to see them off. Claudia and Alicia, who was holding Dawn, were walking to their sister Hilde. Near the ledge, her summoned dragon waited for its passengers to climb on. Petyr was helping Vestrid onto its back, while Motta and Vesh flew on top themselves. It looked like they weren't bringing the pegasus Glory this time around.

"You two are coming along to Nu-hauta, too?" Kanae asked.

"I wish. I begged Petyr, but she's only willing to let us go as far as Port Kandis. The archipelago can't be that dangerous!" Vesh groaned.

"It wasn't dangerous. It is now, with that volcano. Who knows if it might erupt violently. You're lucky I like you enough to let you accompany us to Port Kandis." Petyr clicked her tongue.

Motta rolled his eyes at their bickering.

"Mm. I'm rather excited to sail into the ocean. I haven't had a chance to in the past without Errenard breathing down my neck." Gretchen shuddered, coming up from behind.

"You missed Suvee and Kanade. They were just leaving for Ehmvier," Kanae said.

"Worry not. I caught them earlier." She smiled.

Kanae walked over to the succubus sisters. Alicia pushed Dawn into her arms to hold for a little while longer.

"Don't have too much fun without us." Claudia grinned.

"And do take care of our sister," Alicia said.

"I can take care of myself!" Hilde fired back.

"You heard the former Mistress of Subjugation. Until I'm back, Amethyst Hall is yours, Vice-Captain." Kanae winked.

"I haven't failed you yet." She bowed.

As Kanae and the rest climbed onto Hilde's dragon, a voice rang out from the entrance.

"Amethyst Hall!"

They turned to find Archbishop Patrice standing in the entryway. She flung a bag, but her pitiful throw only made it so far. Claudia caught it mid-way with her tail and tossed it up to Kanae, who untied the top to find the same pair of mittens Runald had worn in the Silver Hall vault.

"There are hundreds of thousands of lives in Nu-hauta. Don't let them meet a watery end. Good luck, everyone," Archbishop Patrice said.

"Yes, Archbishop!" Amethyst Hall sounded off.

Hilde whistled sharply, and her dragon unfurled its wings to take flight into the open skies.