Chapter: 647 – Back to Howlton

Tala reveled in the warm light of sunrise as she sat in her throne within the sanctum.

Before her, a large panel of stone showed the world outside as her flying construct zipped forward.

Rather than opening a portal within the flier as an anchor, Tala had effectively attached her star- and stoneward bodies on either side of the vehicle, her web of authority and power shaping existence to remove all but the faintest ripple of their passing, despite their insane speed.

One of the primary reasons that such was possible was because most of the gated were effectively locked away in the linked expanded spaces, hanging in the void, thus technically not moving, at least not due to the flier’s movement.

She still had to deal with the two aspects of her own gate, which were respectively attached to her two manifested forms, but as that power was contained entirely in iron and used to the full rather than simply flowing free? It was a minimal concern.

Rane and Lea were taking a father-daughter walk on a circuitous circumnavigation of the sanctum, each enjoying a selection of breakfast-themed hand pies that they pulled to themselves one at a time at need.

Tala’s own breakfast was laid out on a table beside her on the dais, and it was trivial for her to will any part that she wanted to her left hand. Her right hand held a glorious, massive, black mug of dark coffee.

They were already halfway from Bandfast to the southern forest, and they wouldn’t be stopping until they were past the Leshkin patrolled areas as no one had been quite certain how they or the Forest Spirit would react to a Reforged Tala in the area. Even flying over might be an issue, but since she was slowly guiding the flier higher, trying to reach at least a thousand feet, the experts-that-be seemed to think that it shouldn’t be a problem.

The view was breathtaking from up so high, reminding her of their visit to Sunnyvale in the Wandering Wilds to the north. That city had floated many times higher than she was planning on going, but it still reminded her of that time.

I can’t believe how long it’s been.

-Indeed. You and Rane have been married a good long time, now.-

She grinned. True enough.

They had been coordinating with Howlton via messengers since her advancement, and the moving city should be in the southern region—roughly along their intended path—to allow for them to drop through, even if only briefly.

Tala had been tasked with talking with Head Pareshti to ask a favor. Apparently, Howlton was one of the most well defended of the minor settlements in the Wandering Wilds. The larger ones came with centuries of diplomatic baggage, and most of the small ones would be overwhelmed if anyone of true power were to even pass through, let alone actually visit.

Howlton, though? It had remained out of regional politics and was strong enough to not be overwhelmed.

As such, Tala was to ask if Howlton would host a summit of sorts between gated humanity and the Major Houses once the news of the Black Legion had been revealed.

Tala wasn’t exactly forbidden from telling Head Pareshti about the Black Legion, but she was supposed to be discreet about it. So, she had to hope that he was open to hosting and able to schedule what most would see as an ‘unspecified’ event with powerful gated humans and Pillars and Eskau of Major Houses in attendance.

He would be able to reveal knowledge of the Black Legion before the date was set, but the secret was still to be a closely guarded one for the moment.

-Worse case scenario, Master Grediv said he has a pilfered hold left that could be set up in the Wandering Wilds as the meeting place.-

Yes, nothing says cooperation as clearly as meeting within the spoils of conquest…

-Indeed.- Alat seemed to consider for a moment. -You know what? Given the historic attitude of the Major Houses, I still do think that it might be a pretty good opening state for gated humanity. But they dismissed that already, I suppose. If it worked it would be great, if it didn’t it could blow up in our faces rather dramatically.-

Indeed.

It took less than a day to reach the southern forest and to pass over it completely.

Several powerful presences turned their attention toward the flier as it passed overhead, but none attempted to interfere with its path, leading to a rather uneventful first leg of their journey.

Trees behind them, and plains all around, Tala had to trust in the location indicated by their last messenger from Howlton. The village’s defense were rather powerfully geared toward stealth, after all.

There were reality threads leading all over the place, and Tala might have been able to trace one to Head Pareshti, but with their personal interacting being so brief, she wasn’t confident it would work. There was also the fact that reality threads didn’t always follow physical rules, or follow a direct path between the things they were indicating connection between.

In the end, the sun was just beginning to set—sitting like a fat fireball on the horizon—when the flier unexpectedly pierced the obscuring magics of Howlton.

Even Tala was taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of the town, and she exerted her will and authority to jerk the flier to a halt at a non-threatening distance.

“They’ve upgraded their cloaking.” The realization brought a grin to her face. That was good, if they were going to be the neutral grounds for such important talks, they would need to be seen as competent in their own rights.

Rane grunted from the throne beside her, glancing up from his book. “Oh!” He took in the image of the town—as it slowly walked along through the plains—projected on the large slab before him. “I didn’t realize we were here already.”

The ground had the usual groups swarming about, gathering things like grass, sand, and rocks while leaving unwanted materials. After that, other groups were coming behind—mostly with magic—to remove all traces of recent passage or other activity.

Tala mentally checked and found Lea engaged in a one sided beatdown with Terry… Lea on the side being beat down, of course, regardless of Terry’s care to keep his blows non-damaging.

The girl was apparently attempting to train stability and battlefield mobility against the terror bird, which explained why Terry was going as easy on her as he was. He was trying to mimic how others might fight her… while still making sure she knew who the best little murder bird really was.

Tala felt a smile pull at her lips. My little murder bird.

Terry let out a huffing sigh—clearly having felt the sentiment despite being so far away—even as he appeared behind Lea, sweeping her back leg.

Lea shifted balance, pulling in the limb and keeping her footing… until Terry flickered again, knocking out her remaining knee.

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Even so, the girl only fell a couple of inches before her magics kicked in, absorbing her downward momentum and allowing her to get her feet back underneath herself.

Tala almost left her to it, but then she decided to give the girl the choice. Tala created her own voice in the air near to Lea, but not so near as to cause alarm. “Lea, we’ve arrived at Howlton. You are welcome to continue training, but if you want to join us, you should do so soon.”

Lea hesitated a moment, then nodded, straightening and bowing toward Terry. A moment later, she had willed herself into the river, diving in to clean herself off before she appeared beside Tala and her father, already seated in the chair that was positioned near those of her parents. Her eyes fixed on the screen before them, and she grinned. “So, that’s Howlton, eh?”

The structure of the town towered into the sky toward them, easily a few hundred feet from its foundations to the tallest tower. The whole thing was ambling across the landscape on six long, almost delicate-seeming legs, which stuck out from the foundations of the compound.

Tala grinned, feeling a wave of nostalgia that felt entirely misplaced when she considered it. She’d only seen this place once, more than a decade previously, but even so, it represented something to her.

This was the first group of people that she’d come across after escaping Platoiri. These were the first people who had known her as Tala after so long imprisoned and forced to wear the guise of Tali.

Now, she was returning to Platoiri, but she would remain Tala.

She returned with the power and backing to remain free and to even come out ahead… she hoped.

Drawing her focus back to the matter at hand, it was clear that they had been seen by those below, even if all they would seem to be was a small flying construct. Or Head Pareshti saw us and notified his people below.

Either way, it amounted to the same thing. It didn’t really matter, as Howlton had been expecting them. So, when a bright green light shone their direction in the prearranged signal, Tala moved forward without hesitation, bringing the flier in for a smooth landing—despite the slow rocking of the walking village—near a blank wall that had been prepared for them in the market district of Howlton.