Technomancer: Birth of a Goddess

Chapter 14 – Leaving Captivity

Emily wakes up just before 7, and sleepily wraps herself in her robes before the maids arrive. They once again come and leave in silence, taking her dirty clothes and delivering a hearty meal. Emily eats while deciding her order of activities for the day.

I need just under seven hours for each cycle of Spellweave and meditation, so I can only get two full cycles a day. That leaves me with around two hours for food, exercise, and showering. Let’s do some light exercise after meals to maximise the use of my meditation. Maybe I can improve my body’s stats faster that way.

Polishing off the bowl of soup, she enthusiastically gets up and throws on fresh clothes, identical to the ones she was given the day before yesterday. She spends twenty minutes doing a reduced form of her workout, only using up 43 stamina, then sits down on the floor to delve back into the Spellweave.

She falls into a routine and two days pass quickly.

At 8 pm on the third day of her confinement, Emily is once again pulled out of meditation by the maids knocking at the door. She calls them in, then thanks them as they leave as usual, but this time she is sat with a self-satisfied smile throughout.

Hovering in the forefront of her vision is her updated status page.

¯¯¯¯¯

[Status]

[Name:] Emily Coldstone

[Race:] Human

[Age:] 15

[Magic Circle:] First Circle

[Machina Cortex:] First Stage

[Attributes:] Strength 7, Dexterity 15, Agility 12, Vitality 8, Intelligence 22 > 23

[Health:] 115/115

[Stamina:] 175/175

[Mana:] 180/330 > 180/345

[Machina:] 330/330 > 338/345

_____

It took about twenty hours of meditation to increase my intelligence by one, and none of the other stats have gone up, so for now I’ll assume meditation just affects intelligence. It looks like each intelligence gives me fifteen mana and machina too.

Emily eats her food and moves to do her exercises. Over the past two days, she’s noticed the ability to regenerate stamina through meditation reduces the more she uses it. However, it resets when she sleeps.

As she’s getting into position for her final meditation of the day, someone impatiently knocks on the door.

“Come in,” she calls, watching the door cautiously.

The maids don’t normally break schedule, I wonder who it is.

The door swings open to reveal Jose standing with a light scowl, staring at Emily.

“Tomorrow be up and ready to leave at 8 am, I will come collect you to take you to the airship docks,” he says without taking a single step into the room.

“Okay.”

Immediately upon hearing a response, he shuts the door and walks away.

“Wow, I can tell he really likes having to deal with me. I wonder where they’re sending me,” Emily mutters before pushing her questions away as she falls into her meditation.

***

The next morning Emily wakes up and prepares to leave. She says goodbye to the taciturn maids, eats the breakfast they’ve delivered, and then takes a long shower.

After the shower, she dresses in her robes and finally puts on the shoes she received on her first day in captivity. Checking The Clock, she sees it’s only 7:38 and settles down to meditate until Jose arrives. After seeing her intelligence increase, Emily has decided to meditate whenever she can, to increase her stats as fast as possible.

Twenty minutes later, at 8 am on the dot, Jose knocks. This time Emily gets up and moves to the door, opening it instead of inviting him in.

“Take this and follow me,” he commands, handing her a sizeable suitcase, before swiftly turning on his heels and walking back down the hallway.

Emily follows him in silence, making an effort to keep up with his brisk walking pace while carrying her luggage.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was trying to lose me. Is he in a hurry? We weren’t walking this fast the other day…

The cause of Jose’s urgency soon becomes clear as they leave the servant's wing. Standing in front of them with his arms crossed, impatiently tapping his fingers, is Diego.

“Took you long enough,” he says with a clear look of irritation on his face.

Jose comes to a halt and lightly bows his head.

“Apologies, sir.”

“Whatever.” Diego turns his attention towards Emily. “You are being sent to join The Covenant of the Blessed, the elite mages working for the Modo Kingdom. While you are there, we expect you to complete a multitude of courses to further yourself as a mage and become a useful asset to the family. You will find a few items to assist you within the suitcase that has been prepared for you. The first is a list of all the courses you must complete. Those are a requirement, and you may choose any other courses that interest you as long as they fit around those listed. The second is a communication crystal. Always keep this on you and answer it, no matter what, if it activates. Any instructions given over this crystal must be taken as the orders of the family and obeyed. The third is a silver family crest. You may not display this crest on your person under any circumstances. However, you must present it when registering. Due to the Patriarch’s high evaluation of your talent, you have been given the allowance of an indirect family member as opposed to the commoner scum you are. But, you are only given three years to reach the third circle. Otherwise, your resource limit will be decreased again, and you will be punished severely for wasting the family’s money. Once you reach the third circle, immediately report it through the communication crystal and await further instructions. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Emily responds, lightly bowing her head as she processes his words.

Three years! Is that how long I’ll be away? Is there a way for me to let Anna know?

“Good, take her to the airship then return here immediately Jose.”

Diego walks away the moment he finishes giving commands, and Jose leads Emily towards the gates of the estate.

Why did he come and give me that speech himself when he clearly didn’t want to be here? Ah, is this a limitation on their brainwashing spell? The chant Elder Santiago used said ‘Broken and bound to our family tree’ so maybe only instructions given by direct members of the family must be followed. That would also explain why he told me to listen to anything Jose says the other day and to take orders given over the crystal as orders of the family.

As Emily considers the details of the brainwashing spell used on her, Jose leads her out of the gates and back onto the streets of Eimdon City.

They turn and head towards the east, along a single, wide and open street. Several guard patrols are out, with clockwork rifles in hand, casting cautious gazes over the connecting side streets as they go.

As they move further east, the extensive mansions bordering the road are slowly replaced by a multitude of shops. Emily takes in the large glass windows, filled with expensive displays of fresh produce and fine clothing. Since being brought within the city walls, Emily had been forbidden from ever straying onto the main street, so this is her first time experiencing the prosperity of the city.

Her experience doesn’t last long, as Jose maintains a quick pace through the slowly growing crowd, and she has to make a concerted effort to keep up. The people in front of them part as they see the Mandrago crest, lightly bowing their heads as they pass.

I thought my body had improved, so why is it still so hard to keep up with him? Stupid luggage.

Emily is soon distracted by the towering building that comes into view.

Standing at the end of the main street is a behemoth of metal, spanning half the eastern wall and covered in an array of pipes and smokestacks: the airship docks.

Emily’s senses quicken as she hears grinding gears and steam engines running when they get within a few hundred metres of the large entrance. The distinctive clamour of people underlies the droning of the mechanical monster, and her fascination only grows as they pass through the entrance.

Looking around in wonder, she tries to take in everything. Along the edges of the ceiling are moving platforms, spun by gears, carrying masses of coal and cargo across the complex. Every surface above head height is lined with complicated runs of tubing, weaving together like a fine piece of art, with several mechanics hanging from cables doing maintenance and repairs throughout the hall.

The hall itself is a seething mass of people, in a crowd larger than Emily has ever seen before, all busily moving between different side passages, or setting up stalls and yelling out for different people or destinations.

As they push through the crowd, Emily glimpses a few small ships past the people channelling into the side passages.

Wait, why are the ships this far in? I thought they weren’t allowed to fly above the city…

She’s pulled out of her thoughts when she notices a familiar head of salt and pepper hair sitting behind a stall selling various high-quality fabrics. Her gaze locks onto the owner, a chubby man with light wrinkles creasing his face, covering his crafty smile behind a guise of old age.

Gregory! I didn’t realise he worked out of the docks. Perfect! I can use him to send Anna a message. Dad always called him a pig who’ll do anything for coin. If I promise him payment, he’ll deliver a letter.

Emily reaches up to her chest pocket and activates The Clock, sending herself back into the Mandrago estate.

***

She returns to the morning of the day before and quickly falls back into the routine she followed while waiting for the maids to deliver her lunch. When they do, Emily stops them before they can leave.

“Excuse me,” she says, remaining polite in hopes that they’ll fulfil her request. “Could you bring me a pen and some paper please?”

The maids nod without a word and leave. Emily settles on her bed, watching the door and waiting to see if they return. A few minutes later, one of the maids returns alone with a bundle of paper and a few pens, setting them down on the dressing table for Emily to use.

“Thank you,” she says as the maid leaves with a bow, settling down before the dresser to write her letter.

I can’t seal it – asking for proper letter writing supplies may attract too much attention – so I’ll have to avoid writing anything that may cause Gregory to report me, in case he peeks.

She places the pen to paper before freezing, unsure of what to include in her message. Every word she tries to form is quickly buried beneath a sea of guilt and sadness, and she repeatedly scrunches up and throws away failed messages, glad for the quantity of paper the maid provided.

Eventually, she settles on a message that fails to convey the weight behind her words, but at least gets across her meaning. She lets out a sad sigh and places her pen down, raising her hand to rub her brow, gazing down at the paper before her.

Dear Anna,

I’m sorry I left like I did. I wish I could explain and apologise to you properly, but I don’t have the words to convey my message on paper.

I know you’re hurting, but you’re strong. I know you’ll get back up again and keep going.

I promise I’m not abandoning you. I’ll be back within three years, and I’ll explain everything then.

I love you so much. Never forget that.

Love, Emi. Your sister forever and always.

Emily wipes a few tears from her cheeks, folding the letter up and placing it aside as she starts on the note for Gregory, her words flowing easily this time.

Hello Gregory,

We haven’t spoken before, but I’m Herber Coldstone’s daughter, Emily Coldstone. I can’t currently speak to you, but please could you deliver the enclosed letter to my sister, Anna. She should be at Herber’s shop.

Hand this note to her as well, and she’ll pay you three silvers. (Tell her to use my savings - she’ll know where they’re kept.)

Please nod at me if you agree,

Thanks, Emily

Satisfied, she folds the second note around the first with the writing on the outside before tucking it under her pillow and ripping up the discarded notes, making sure not to leave any evidence. Satisfied with her preparation, she returns to repeating her actions exactly as before, waiting for the night to come.

***

The next day flows the same as the first, and after listening to Diego’s instructions once again, Emily soon finds herself walking through the docks as before. They approach the stall where she noticed Gregory, and Emily slowly drifts sideways, creating a little distance from herself and Jose while carefully watching him to make sure he doesn’t notice.

He doesn’t even spare a sideways glance as Emily slips her hand into her robes, pulling out her message and tossing it into Gregory’s lap as she passes. He flinches when the folded paper lands on him, looking at Emily questioningly as she walks past, but he doesn’t say a word as she pointedly looks at the note. Understanding her meaning quickly, he picks up the paper and skims the message as Emily moves back to join Jose, repeatedly glancing back at the merchant.

Before they’re swallowed by the crowd, Gregory looks up, makes solid eye contact with her, and nods his head. Emily lets out an inaudible sigh of relief and turns her attention back to her guide who is none the wiser.

He leads her through the main hall, eventually leaving the large crowd behind as they turn into an empty passageway with the Mandrago crest hanging above it. The passage walls are lined with steam pipes, hissing away, and the din of the entrance slowly fades, replaced by the hum of machines and the rhythmic tapping of their feet on metal.

After a few turns, the passage opens into a large hangar housing a sleek bronze airship. The ship spans a hundred metres of carefully folded and polished bronze plating, with several reinforced glass windows dotted along the side. Several pipes jut out of the sides and bottom, carefully angled towards the rear, along with two small fins on each side, each carrying three propellers.

The large balloon above sags against the gondola, partially deflated and only given shape by the ballonet inside. Emily stares in awe at the ship, excited, despite herself, to finally see one up close. They hurry forward and are greeted by a few members of the ground crew, who bow to them before continuing preparations to leave.

A hatch drops open midway along the body of the gondola. A short, skinny man with long brown hair tied in a messy bun and wearing greasy overalls, walks down the steps that fall with the hatch.

“Jose! Is this the cargo you mentioned?” he calls out with a businesslike smile while walking over to greet them.

“Yes, this is Emily. She’s being sent for education in the capital.”

“I see, and no soldiers this time?”

“No, she’s one of ours, no need.”

With that, Jose turns and walks back towards the passage.

“Always a man of few words that one,” the man shrugs while turning to Emily, “the name’s Anton, captain of this fine vessel. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Emily!”

He gives a light bow while keeping solid eye contact, a cautious glint in his eyes.

“Nice to meet you, Anton. What’s her name?” Emily asks with a smile, gesturing to the ship with her head.

Anton’s gaze relaxes as he responds:

“I call her Calypso. No meaning behind it, just thought a pretty name suited her.”

“She’s beautiful. How fast can she go?”

“On a good day, she can push a hundred kilometres per hour, but for this trip, we’ll probably maintain around eighty. Should get to Chroni by morning the day after tomorrow. Come aboard, I’ll show you around before we leave!”

He heads towards the ship’s hatch; clearly please Emily showed an interest. They enter the hatch into a small corridor leading off to either side, with a sign hanging from the ceiling giving directions.

“Let’s start with the crew quarters, so you can drop off your luggage, then head around the facilities and end at the bridge for launch.”

“Sure, how do you launch from in here, by the way? I thought ships weren’t allowed to fly above the city?”

“Haha, that’s one of the best bits. I won’t spoil it now.” Anton guides her to the right, away from the front of the ship.

The narrow hallway walls are lined with pipes, a sight Emily is quickly growing used to, with smooth riveted plates making up the floor. After a few turns taking them deeper into the hull, they walk up a steep flight of stairs and come to a corridor lined with six doors on either side and a sign overhead labelled ‘Crew Quarters’.

“We run with a light crew of only ten people, five for the day and five for the night, so we have a couple of spare rooms here. The day crew are on the left and the night crew on the right. Since I assume you won’t be nocturnal, you can use this room here.”

Anton opens the door at the far end of the corridor on the left, revealing a small room with a single bed and a small oil lamp attached to the wall above it.

“I know it’s not much, but you’ll have to make do for a few days, I'm afraid.” He awkwardly scratches the back of his head as Emily walks into the room past him.

“It’s fine, I’ve lived with less,” she responds while dropping her suitcase onto her bed.

Anton raises an eyebrow at her words, but quickly shrugs it off before motioning her to follow him again.

“Why don’t we start with the engines!”

Emily finds his enthusiasm infectious as she follows him deeper into the belly of the beast.

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