Trials of a Planeswalker Ch. 02: Fall

"So what... what about... me?" Blayne mumbled nervously, keeping his distance from her for now, "Am I just a friend who taught you how to be a Planeswalker? Are you going to leave me behind too?"

Those words fell on Varia like an avalanche of boulders. Her heart clenched in a panic when she realized how he must be feeling after hearing all this. Tears welled in her eyes and she jumped on him, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"Not even close you dummy... I'll never leave you." She sobbed against his chest, clinging desperately to him. She had never felt such a horrifying terror in her life as when she saw that forlorn look in his eyes.

Blayne was shocked to see her jump on him like that. He knew this reaction wasn't fake. Feeling relieved, he put his arms around her and kissed her on the top of the head gently.

"I'm sorry Varia. I'm really sorry, I didn't know." Blayne whispered to her while they embraced.

"How were you supposed to? I was being dumb." She mumbled, keeping close to him, "I want you to know that I've never lied about loving you Blayne. I do, I really do."

"So then what about...?" Blayne started, pushing her back a little. She looked up into his eyes and he could see the turmoil inside her.

"I suppose... some small part of me will always miss him... but I'm here with you now! I love you and I would do anything for you Blayne!" Varia exclaimed, clenching her fists, "And I swear, if you try and guilt trip me with this I will throw you over the cliff!"

"Alright, alright. That's the Varia I know." Blayne chuckled, a smile breaking across his face. Varia smiled too and she punched him on the arm.

Just then, Shyara circled above and landed with a ground-shaking thump. The woman standing before the Helvault started and drew her saber. White mana flourished about her and her sword glowed brightly.

"Stand where you are beast, or be slain!" The woman called, taking a careful step forward. Her white cloak billowed out behind her and she raised her sword.

"Whoa! Whoa! Look out! This is my friend Shyara, she's not dangerous!" Blayne exclaimed, jumping in front of her.

"She has penetrated the barriers around the Helvault! The magic has weakened and demons have tried to sneak in before. How do I know she is not one?" She said angrily.

"If she was a demon, do you really think she would just be standing here now? Wouldn't she have tried to attack you first? She was only coming to me!" Blayne said, standing in front of Shyara.

"I am Thalia, the guardian of the Helvault! I am the chosen of Avacyn herself!" The woman exclaimed proudly, "And I will not stand for such desecration!"

"She didn't desecrate anything." Varia said moving to stand next to Blayne. "Shyara passed through the barriers because they weren't made to keep her out. She's not even from this world."

"What proof do you have of this?" said Thalia fiercely.

Henry approached her cautiously "Well... Have you ever seen a..." He looked over at Shyara in confusion "...'whatever she is' before? I know I didn't."

Thalia seemed to consider this for a moment, then lowered her sword.

Varia stepped forward. "We came here to search for Avacyn, not to fight you Thalia. I have heard the legend of the Guardian of Thraben before. When Odric leaves to fight in Avacyn's name, you hold Thraben strong against the worst of foes. You have slaughtered a thousand demons in Avacyn's name and you are one of the greatest soldiers on Innistrad."

"You search for Avacyn?" Thalia said, holding her sword towards Shyara still as she glanced at Varia.

"Yes, I do! I want to bring her light back to Innistrad." Varia said, nodding quickly.

"Well you will not find her. I can tell you that now, such a quest is in vain." Thalia said, her face stone cold.

"What?" Varia exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"I know where she is and I can tell you now, she will return in due time. For now, there is naught you can do." Thalia said, "Now leave this courtyard!"

"Come on, go Shyara. We will meet elsewhere." Blayne said, grabbing Varia's hand.

'If you wish master. I will be above.' Shyara said and she took off.

Henry followed quickly as they headed for the door back into the church. They turned and walked back through the halls and out the front doors.

"What the hell was that about?" Henry asked sharply.

"I don't know. If Thalia knows where Avacyn is, why hasn't she told anyone? I mean, the people would want to know where their guardian archangel is." Varia said, scratching her head, "For that matter, I want to know."

"Just what is the Helvault anyway? Why does she guard it so fervently?" Henry said, looking back at the cathedral.

"It's a prison of silver. It appeared on the cliffside the same day Avacyn appeared, years ago. I was just a little girl and Thraben was barely a walled village. Avacyn came and she told us that she was going to rid the world of demons. She was going to make it safe for us and we weren't going to have to fear ever again." Varia explained.

"So what is inside this prison?" Blayne said, raising an eyebrow.

"Demons. Thousands of demons. Nearly every single demon that used to live on Innistrad. Avacyn and her hosts captured or killed every demon on Innistrad. Their spirits are trapped within the silver. She once told us 'What cannot be destroyed must be bound' and that is what she did." She said strongly, "Thalia was chosen by Avacyn to guard the Helvault against any demon attacks that might try and break it open. Many have tried, but few could even get through the barrier that surrounds the Church of Avacyn. It's that barrier that has weakened much over the time she has been missing. It barely keeps out anything now."

"So what should we do now?" Henry said.

"Let's find somewhere to get some lunch." Blayne said, looking at the sun up in the sky. They had spent half the morning walking to the church and now it was almost midday after the hour they spent in the courtyard. He was also hungry because of all the worry and stress he had experienced over Varia and his rather emotional conversation.

*******

They found a nice inn, The Glory of Avacyn, to have lunch at. The three of them were sitting around a table with bowls of soup and mugs of ale.

"Well... now we can't go find Avacyn. What do you want to do?" Blayne said, looking up from his now-empty bowl.

"I don't know. I was so sure that when I got to Thraben, I could set off on this quest and redeem myself." Varia said, continuing to stir her soup as she had been doing for the last twenty minutes.

"You're really broken up about this, aren't you?" Henry said, glancing sideways at her.

"Do you know what it's like to feel that sense of duty and requirement? To be a solider with people who rely on you?" Varia asked, looking over at him, "That night I had two or three dozen soldiers relying on me. As far as I know, they were all slain that night. This was my chance at redemption and now I don't know what to do."

"Not like that no. I've been assigned to guard things, and I've been in battles before so I know what it's like to have people relying on me. I've never lost solders the way you did, but then I never faced vampires or demons back on my world. The biggest threat I ever faced was man and dwarf made. If I hadn't tried to stop it, I'm afraid it would have ended up killing a lot of innocent people" Henry said, scratching his head.

"Yea, and how did that work out for you?" Blayne asked.

"Well... certainly not the way I expected" Henry began to tell them his story.

*******

CHAPTER 10 - HENRY'S TALE

[b]Guest written by Hanky-Spanky[/b]

The unit commander took the message capsule and quickly entered the combination. He was wary as he opened he started reading the letter. Orders from The Way this late in an operation were rarely a good sign. He read the message quickly under a magnifying glass.

[i]To the commander of Reconnaissance Team 7:

Having received your last report, we have forwarded the information to our employers as per the agreement. They have expressed an interest acquiring the technology described. To that end they have offered to alter the contract with the addition of two conditions.

One: the obtaining of schematics for the skyship as well as the mox that powers it.

Two: that the existing prototype meet with an unfortunate demise upon it's maiden flight.

The fulfillment of these new conditions will be rewarded with a payment of up to ten times the original amount, depending on how completely the terms are adhered to.

Glory to the Way of Three[/i]

"And I suppose the 'unfortunate demise' is why they sent you?" He said looking up at the messenger who delivered it.

The messenger, standing in front of him in a silver trench coat with pointed shoulders, smiled.

"Yes" Henry said, "That's why they sent me."

Henry and the commander walked down the streets of Tymera. While still a remote colony to one of the major city-states, it held great strategic importance. It stood on a ridge at the gateway from the coastal lowlands to the interior planes of the continent. This location and the river that flowed beneath it made Tymera a prime location for the construction of landships. Raw materials could be easily shipped from abroad to the foundries for smelting, and then sent to the giant hangers where the airships were assembled. These lanships hade made trade and settlement of the interior feasible and were employed in other lands on Imriel where the terrain was even enough to allow them.

It was this industry that was partially responsible for Henry's and the Reconnaissance Team's presence. The Way of Three had long been monitoring the production of metals and coal of Tymera's parent city. When discrepancies began to appear in shipment manifests, as well as an increased demand for scrap of high-end technology, Unit 7 had been sent in to investigate. They had discovered the materials had been diverted here. The reason was the construction of the massive weapon that was the subject of Henry's message. An airship, more massive than any of it's type ever built, and with devastating firepower like none before it. Rumors had already begun to spread across Imriel and the other city-states were worried. Unit 7 had been monitoring the construction for more than a year and the airship was nearing completion.

As the commander led Henry around to familiarize him with the layout of the city, he played the role of a cousin welcoming his long unseen relative to his hometown. In public the two wore practical disguises. While magic would have offered better concealment it also would have required constant effort. Such magic might've been more risky as well: there were ways of detecting such spells and security in Tymera was tight thanks to its newfound significance.

They arrived at their destination, which was the commander's apartment. Henry was introduced to the other members of the squad. Since Henry hadn't been part of the initial team, he didn't know them by name. Even their faces were a mystery. They each wore a mask and an ankle length hooded cloak. In the Way of Three it was standard procedure for espionage teams to conceal their identity when they met in private. This way they could still maintain their cover if the meetings were discovered. Henry didn't venture to discern much about them, save that male and one was female.

After the commander relayed the change in orders, Henry addressed the group.

"Before we begin," Henry said, "there's an addendum to the orders that come directly from the council itself. I have it here." He said, tapping his forehead. The others nodded.

Reaching out to their minds, Henry replayed the memory of the councilman's instructions. Inside their heads the voice of their distant superior spoke.

'While the Way of Three intends to honor this contract, we view the development of this weapon as a serious concern with regards to all future operations of our organization. This dreadnaught would be the first military weapon wielded directly by a City-state in 500 years. If such a strategy were to be adopted by other cities, our very way of life risks becoming redundant. To this end it is the council's wish that only the second of these conditions be carried out completely, the first in appearance only. While you still seizing any documents relating to the dreadnaught, these will be doctored to the point of making them useless before they are handed over. We also wish that Pearl Mox be destroyed along with the ship as well as the facility that constructed it. You know your mission. For the Way of Three.'

The commander nodded and spoke to Henry out loud, "Very well. The first step is to get you up to speed on what we know. Number 3 is the one who's best acquainted with the airship. She can show what you'll be dealing with."

The one Henry thought was a woman stepped forward. Now that she was standing right in front of him, he could tell she had green eyes. He placed his hand on her forehead and closed his eyes and looked into her memory

Why this skyship had been designated a dreadnaught was immediately clear: it was big. About 200 feet long and a superstructure 50 feet tall superstructure, it dwarfed the bombers and raiders used by most mercenaries. The hull was ribbed from stem to stern and its sails were black and webbed like a bat's. It had enough conventional firepower to destroy any normal fleet. But the most deadly part was the beam cannon built into the ship's bow. The energy would be focused between two curved prongs. While hardly the first weapon of its type Henry had seen, like the dreadnaught it was by far the largest. The space between the prongs of the cannon was as wide as a city street. For some reason it worried him.

Once she had showed him the exterior, Number 3 moved her vision to inside the skyship. Henry didn't need to understand the mechanics to tell what he was looking at was some impressively powerful engineering. He worked to memorize the layout as she led him down the hallways. Finally he found the heart of the ship: the Pearl Mox. It hung on a gold chain inside a hollow sphere, where currents of white flowed along mana piping to other parts of the ship.

Henry opened his eyes and thanked Number 3 for the information. Even though he could only see her eyes under the mask he could tell she was beautiful. As he took his hand away, he swiftly planted a kiss on her forehead. While there was no change in her outward expression, she sent him a vision of a tavern he had passed earlier with the commander. There was also a message: 'This evening.'

'I'll be there.'

She winked, Henry smiled and the commander rolled his eyes.

"You saw everything you need?" He asked.

"Yes" Henry replied.

"Good. We already have a plan to break into the engineer's office and fulfill our part of the mission. Will you require any back-up?"

"Nope, I shouldn't have a problem if I can get close enough before they know what I'm up to. After I destroy the dreadnaught I should have more than enough mana left over to escape the city. Just tell me the rendezvous point and I'll take care of the rest."

The commander told him the location, "Alright, we still have three days until the launch. We'll get back to our roles and let you know when everything's ready."

That evening Henry found his way to the inn Number 3 had shown him. He'd since changed out of his traveling clothes and wore a simple blue tunic, leggings and work boots. The ground floor was a single open room and he scanned it looking for his rendezvous.

He found her at the bar. He recognized the green eyes he had seen earlier in the apartment looking back at him in the mirror behind the counter. She was sitting at one end of the counter with her blond hair down to her shoulders. She wore a sleeveless red blouse and knee length black skirt.

Henry took the stool at the other end of the bar. He stole a glance at the low cut of her blouse. Under the guise stealing glances at each other, the two communicated telepathically.

'Sooo what's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?'

'I'm on a deep cover mission, what about you handsome?'

'Ah my boss sent here to cancel an order.'

'You do that sort of thing often?'

'Not really. I'm usually in defense and sabotage. I'm usually Defending caravans or providing a cover fire for assault teams. Have you always been in espionage?"

'Yes, ever since I graduated from the academy. I guess I just have a trusting face.'

Henry looked up 'Well It is a very pretty face.'

Number 3 blushed 'Thank you.'

Henry nodded and continued 'I could never work as a spy. Not really. I don't have the patience for it. And it would be a waste of my special ability.'

'Oh and what is this special ability of yours?'

Henry's grinned 'I can use my mana to make myself more than ten times bigger than any normal man.'

Across the bar Number 3's eyebrows shot up. 'Oh really?'

Henry chuckled softly. Just then he felt a light elbow in his side. He turned to look at the dwarf who had taken the seat next to him.

"You and that lass have been making doe eyes at each other for ten minutes now. Either get a booth or get room already, it's driving me mad."

Henry looked up at Number 3 and tilted his head towards the tables.

"Shall we?"

She nodded and stood up. They walked over to an open table and sat down, politely turning away the waiter when he asked if they would order any food. Henry put his hand down on the table and Number 3 put her hand on his. They looked at each other meaningfully.

"So what shall we talk about?" Henry asked.

Number 3 thought for a moment then shrugged.

"I think we've already covered everything we needed to back at the bar."

"Then..." 'Is it safe to talk about the dreadnaught?'

'Yeah it's fine. It's not exactly a secret here, but security is tight. They don't let anyone who isn't working on it anywhere near the hanger.'

"Alright then." Henry said aloud. "There was something that puzzled me about the design."

"What?" She asked

"Why would it need such a big cannon? I mean it would obliterate any landship and it's not like there aren't already enough ways to get past fortifications."

"Well it's obvious isn't it?"

"What?"

"They're going to use it to attack the cities."

Henry mouth fell open "But... Why?"

"Because they don't just want to raid or seize territory. That machine is made for war."

"War..." Henry repeated "A real war."

The thought of it made him uneasy. He'd been in combat before and he knew that it was not a pretty thing. As long as there was a profit to it, violence would continue. Why would anyone want to magnify the destruction and death to the scale Number 3 was describing? It all seemed profoundly idiotic, and rather heartless.

"Where's the satisfaction in killing unarmed civilians? Where's the profit in that?"

"There isn't" number 3 said shaking her head

"What do you think about this? You think this ship is just the beginning?"

"I try not to." She said plainly, leaning back in her chair, "I just focus on completing the mission at hand and don't worry about what comes afterward."

Henry looked down and nursed his beer mug. "Sorry If I don't seem to be in very romantic mood. I suddenly find I have a lot more ridding on my success."

Number 3 looked at him and sighed, "I know something that could take your mind off your troubles." Henry felt her toe rubbing against his leg and got the message. He looked up to see her smiling seductively. He smiled back.

"I think I'd like that." He said.

Number 3 paid for a room and they went upstairs. When they found the room Henry opened the door for her and she entered first. He followed and as soon as soon as he had crossed the threshold he embraced her from behind. One hand went down the neck of her shirt and fondled her breast. The other slid down her taunt abdomen to between her legs. Number 3 moaned and grinded her ass against his crotch.