The plan

“What you’re suggesting is a joke, isn’t it?” I questioned, completely incredulous.
She seemed not to understand my reaction.

“What are you proposing, Wini?” Megan asked. “Doing such a thing would change our lives forever, of course, if we survive. We would be hunted by the Empire forever!”

“My dear, are you tired, with a fever?” said Brigid, putting her hand on her head, holding her and checking for a fever. “You must be sick.”

She continued with an expression as if she didn’t understand our reactions.

“I am serious,” Wini reaffirmed.

…

“Why do you think this is the best thing to do?” I asked her.

“It’s simple. This will increase our chances of survival. If we flee with a boat, how long will we be adrift? Do we have enough food if it lasts that long? And if it lasts days? Weeks? Do we have enough water?”

“Well, we are not in a good enough situation to plan everything. Let’s see each day at once.”

“But why do this if we can completely improve our situation on the Mora Empire ship?”

“What do you think it will mean if we get on that ship? Lost your mind? We may even be arrested with the others. We’re just civilians,” Megan said.

“But not Kesil, right?” Wini replied.

“Do you want me to normally act like an Empire person and find a way to protect you while we’re there?” I said.

“Yes, I thought it was clear.”

I was thoughtful and said, “This could work.”

“Wini, I know your father trusted him, but it was due to the circumstances. Do you really want to get on a Mora ship with him? He can arrest you and save you at the same time, and get rid of the rest of us whenever he wants. It wouldn’t break the pact he made with your father,” said Megan.

“Well, yes, but he won’t do that,” she replied.

That surprised me.

“Why are you trusting me so much?”

“Because my father trusted you. If he trusted you, I’ll do the same.”

“…I understand.” This girl…

“So... Do you all agree?” asked Wini.

////////////////////////

I rerouted the Tornado’s summit in the direction of Mora’s ship, right on deck, and projected everyone to fly towards it as I had done alone before.

I tried to make the fall as smooth as possible but still couldn’t provide a completely safe landing for everyone.

The shock left some bruises on some, like Megan, Brigid, and Klaus.

The shock caused a windstorm. It was dark without lighting, but it was soon noticed, and we heard an alert on the ship.

“Is everyone okay?” Wini asked.

“Well, 'okay' wouldn’t be the right word, but yes!” replied Megan.

“Don’t worry, I’ll cure any damage as soon as I can,” Wini replied.

“Raise your hands,” I said. “No sudden movements.”

Then we were surrounded by firearms, spears, and swords aimed at us by soldiers.

“What’s going on here? Who dares to invade our ship?” A middle-aged white man approached among the soldiers, with a cut over his blind eye, short hair, and a tanned face. He wore a sword in its scabbard and a tunic under gold armor set with emeralds that marked him as high rank.

I took a step forward and tried to say, “There’s been a mistake, sir. We’re not intruders.”

I showed my symbol of the Mora government by removing the part of my clothing that covered it.

“Are you an officer in the army of Mora?”

“Yes, sir. And I have an explanation for this sudden entry into the ship.”

“First of all, identify yourself. My name is Commander Valerius, and you?”

He took a dodecahedron from his pocket and held it in his hand, and it began to float with an Orb.

“I’m Kesel, sir.”

The dodecahedron began to speak, with a green light, but ended in red:

“Mora official recognized, Kesel de Nawa, current state: Dead.”

He was surprised.

“Dead? How so?” He looked at me suspiciously.

“Sir, I ask to speak.”

“It’s better that you have a great explanation for this.”

“Something serious is happening in Uire. I was in charge of accompanying the employees and family members of one of the merchants. Still, something happened, something that is killing everything and everyone on this continent. I believe that your soldiers who have landed, and even the merchants, are already dead.”

“Why did the effect of this technique not reach us?”

“I believe that it is limited to the land, sir. In any case, I suggest that we move a little further away from the coast.”

“And what evidence do you have to justify this?”

“Look for yourself, sir.”

While he picked up a pair of binoculars from another soldier, I explained.

“It is a technique that spreads like a plague and spreads through the land and perhaps through the air, and is killing anything that touches it momentarily. I only managed to survive and save those who are with me because of a technique in the area of Air Ability, which involved the area around me and prevented the advancement of this technique.”

He looked through the binoculars.
“Yes, I see dead soldiers. You said that you were accompanying employees and family members of a merchant.”

“Yes, a new merchant. He was coming from another city. My job was to take his family and protect them, a mission done in secret, so I don’t know..."

“How far did you come to walk?”

“About 20 km.”

“A high-level technique, then, must be an ambush against the slave traders and prisoners, then, a retaliation?”

“Sir, I have considered this, but from what it seems to me, this technique is much stronger than I imagined, so I ask you to check. I believe a Magus may have done this.”

He took off the binoculars and was even more surprised:

“A Magus, you said?”

“Yes, sir.”

The men of the ship were surprised.

“And what makes you believe that?”

“Sir, it is something I have never seen in my life, but I am not sure, so I ask you to contact other regions and confirm my assumptions.”

“One of you, talk to the communication guy, tell them to get in touch with some cities, turn on the radio and watch the conversations.”

I continued to do what we had planned, but I could see everyone’s fear: Megan, Brigid, Annie, and Klaus, totally nervous, and some trembling. Only Wini stayed calmer.

“They seem pretty nervous…” he said while watching them.

“Sir, we were on the brink of death, not knowing what to do. Most thought they would die until a few minutes ago.”

“The dodecahedron, it’s saying you're dead, but here you are alive. What explanation do you have for that?” he asked while walking.

“Sir Commander, I have no idea. I do not have a clear explanation for this. The enemy… There may be several, and one is doing it.”

“Don’t be a fool. That’s impossible. The dodecahedron never misses.”

“A Magus with a special power could do something like that, couldn’t they, sir?”

NOTE: The Dodecahedron is a magical support item for high-ranking officers of the Mora army, used to obtain information related to the Mora army through its own magical artificial intelligence. Its information-granting functions increase with the rank of the army officer who uses it.

Then a soldier approached:
“Commander!” he said.

“Continue…” replied Valerius.

“Several calls for help were made in large cities throughout the regions of Uire, due to attacks on their defenses by individuals of unknown origin. Then these undefended cities were invaded by a great technique that spreads and causes instant death. Advanced posts of the empire do not respond. The general account is of the advance of something similar to that devastating technique, which seems to have come from west of Nniatabri, Uire. According to information from Mora, the chances of a Magus being involved in these attacks and being the cause of the destructive technique are 99.9%.”

“I understand,” said Valerius, surprised. Then he began to walk away, already distant from the coast to us. “Move the ship 1km from the coast, and give them food and shelter. They will be our guests from now on.”

“Yes, Commander!!!” some soldiers replied.

“Thank you, Sir Commander,” I said with my head on the ground just like Wini and the others.

“Lord Commander Valerius!” I shouted.

He stopped with his back to me, and I said:

“What do we do now?”

“Everything we were going to do will be done later. Let’s get ready, waiting for direct orders from Mora. For now, this also includes you and everyone who is with you.”

“I understand. Thank you, Commander,” I said.

The plan has worked so far. I hope it stays that way. However, a lot can go wrong until we can get off this ship safely.