Chapter 38: Stolen Strategy

What in the gods' name am I doing?

As this question floated through Dack Fayden's mind for the umpteenth time since the day began, he realized it had slowly but surely transformed into a mantra. It had temporarily abated during the meeting at Svogthos, once he extricated himself from his unsightly brood of saviors and allowed himself to get swept up in the rebellious, rallying fervor. Hell, he had been one of the first to volunteer for this mission, readily throwing his weight behind the plan to shut down the Immortal Sun, free the imprisoned planeswalkers, and continue feeling like he could be a real hero. But now, as he raced through an endless horde of relentless zombies, with clouds of needle-nosed thopters buzzing and blaring overhead, all while clinging with one hand to the back of a mechanized spider-chair manned by a half-crazed goblin, the sheen of conviction was beginning to lose its luster.

"Approachin' on your left, buddy!" Daretti shouted from his seat, his nasally snarl rising just above the general tumult.

Dack gave a strong nod, despite knowing that the goblin artificer would not see it, his hooked nose likely already returned to his mobile workbench. Still, the simple instruction was clear enough. With his hand firmly grasping the chair's headrest, Dack nimbly leapt from starboard to port. He immediately saw that, as Darreti had warned, the surrounding throng was growing closer on that side, with several grounded Eternals pushing their way forward, brandishing their glowing palms with eerie resolution.

Fortunately, if there was one thing Dack was learning today, it was how best to dispatch the walking dead. From his outstretched palm, he summoned forth a fresh blast of Avacynian torchlight, whose magical enhancements were more than enough to stop the Eternals in their tracks. For good measure, he swept it in a wide arc over Daretti's head, ensuring their way would be cleared. This proved unnecessary, as the way forward was remarkably clear of upright Eternals. Their punctured, smoldering bodies still littered the way, but Daretti's chair seemed equipped for the difficult terrain.

"Hey, watch it!" the goblin growled at Dack as the flames dissipated. He nervously patted his head, checking to make sure his hair was not singed. Feeling nothing unchanged, he slumped forward. "How do ya expect me t' work if yer gonna keep doin' that? I may not be a zombie, but a fireball on my head is still pretty damn distractin'!"

Dack shrugged with a hangdog show of teeth. "Sorry about that! Felt I had some extra fire in the tank, figured I'd help clear the way."

"Yeah, don't waste yer time. Seems like she's got it more than covered fer us."

Stooped over his bench, Daretti waved an idle hand, still alight with soldering magics, out in front of him, succinctly capturing the energy of the scene. Though the crush of Eternals was gradually lessening the deeper into the Azorius district they went, the multitudes continued to shamble forth, hungry for whatever errant planeswalker sparks they could get their mitts on. With the strong concentration of otherworldly power emanating from their group, the Dreadhorde came at them from all sides. Dack and Daretti were doing well protecting the flanks, but their forward progress was all thanks to the red-headed woman who was leading their charge.

Several feet in front of them, Chandra Nalaar was fully ablaze. Her hands were permanently engulfed in flame, along with her head, which was wreathed in a raging inferno that practically licked at the sky. It was all bright enough that Dack could not keep his eyes forward for more than a second before they began to sting. As such, he only caught brief glimpses of her inexorable immolation of the opposing forces. Pinpoint jets of fire spiraled from her fingertips, boring through the Eternals and neatly severing their necromantic strings. She also let loose massive fireballs, hot enough to smelt, which served to either divorce incoming Eternals from their weaponry or turn any thopters that pointed their proboscises at them into puddles of quicksilver. It was a viciously efficient display of strength, and all the while, Chandra's eyes stayed dead set on the horizon, her features never shifting from grim stoniness.

Dack had only just met the young pyromancer at their debriefing, but she made an immediate impression. The way she hardened her face, the forced curtness in her words as they planned their attack, the almost unthinking conviction in her desire to see the enemies burn, Dack recognized it all. For him, it was like looking into a mirror of the past, back to when he had first learned of Mariel's death.

He doubted Chandra normally carried herself like this. Everything about her, from what he could see, was weighed down by grief and fueled by rage. Maybe he was being presumptuous, projecting his own traumas onto another in such a stressful time. Either way, he told himself that, had they any time after the mission was complete, he would ask her about it in as nice a way as possible to avoid being burnt to a crisp.

"I guess you're right," Dack muttered as he ducked back behind Daretti's chair, flinching as he heard another roar of flames erupt just ahead.

Daretti, it seemed, was too engrossed with his work to be perturbed by the destructive display playing out behind his thick work goggles. "I'm always right, pal. You just worry 'bout keepin' all these zombies off my ass. I know I can't exactly expect peace and quiet, but if I'm gonna do this, I need the best you got. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Though he did not care much for his traveling companion's insistent tone, Dack knew he really had no room to argue. "How much longer do you think you need?"

"Not too much, though it'd be less if ya quit askin'. These things're trickier than I thought, but they still ain't a match for me. Another few minutes, and we should be good."

"Should I let the others know?"

Daretti shrugged. "Feel free if you wanna, but it don't seem necessary. Firecracker up there don't need the distraction, bookworm will know it when she sees it, and I ain't seen a trace of that ugly fucker since we left."

The goblin, Dack knew, was correct, which left him somewhat relieved that he would not have to try and flag his teammates down. Though he could not focus his attention forward on the leader of their group, he had found himself checking the skies often. Overhead, the so-called "bookworm," who had introduced herself as Tamiyo, guided their party to their destination, while also providing much-needed air support. She floated amidst a swirling halo of unfurled parchment, which struck out with mystical flare at any thopter or winged Eternal that seemed poised to attack. It was an impressive show of honed magic, and Dack had to bite back his innate thieving impulses at the sight of the exquisitely kept scrolls.

As for the "ugly fucker," they truly were nowhere to be seen, which was not something Dack minded. He had instant misgivings about the cloaked figure who introduced themselves as Lazav at the start of their planning, proceeded to stay silent throughout, then disappeared with only a chilling whisper that they would join the rest of them when their part in the plan was needed. While he had no reason to disbelieve the Dimir guildleader, especially after what they presented of their agents' efforts to infiltrate and sabotage Bolas, he knew enough about the shadowy business of the Undercity to keep his trust at arm's length. As such, he was more than happy to let Lazav skulk in the shade while they forged their path in fire. Dack had just gotten rid of several dark, indecipherable figures, so the last thing he needed was another.

"Yeah, probably best to just leave them to it," Dack said with a cool flippancy. "No need to disrupt anyone's flow."

"Sure, pal," Daretti snidely responded, "whatever you say. Just focus on keepin' these Eternals off me, will ya?"

"Yup, I got it."

Though Dack stumbled slightly at Daretti seemingly seeing through his bluster, he recovered quickly enough, reasserting his grip on the chair's back and launching another spray of holy fire to ward off the encroaching mob.

They advanced at a steady pace, following the signs from Tamiyo above as they plunged deeper and deeper into the Azorius district. The further they traveled into the complex maze of monolithic towers, domed portcullises, and sterile waterworks, the sparser the Dreadhorde became. Crops of Eternals no longer filled the street like a cancer, with only small detachments patrolling the manicured pavement for stragglers. It was a welcome surprise for Dack, but a surprise nonetheless, as the paths were also completely devoid of Azorius ground troops.

Guess it makes sense, Dack sourly thought. If they're in Bolas' pocket already, none of these bureaucrats are gonna bother getting off their asses to fight back. No matter how many times I visit, glad these lazy bastards can keep reaffirming themselves as my least favorite guild. The Gruul at least know how to cut loose.

While the roads were mostly cleared, however, the skies were becoming increasingly busy. The airways around the district were suffused with thopters, flitting in every directions, shining their spotlights so that every inch of Prahv would be under their surveil. These pests were easily dispatched by Chandra's skyward blasts or Tamiyo's dancing scrolls, but unfortunately, they were not the only threat to contend with. Regiments of hawks, each outfitted with gleaming armor, harried them with razor-sharp beaks and talons. Floating in the distance, Azorius guardmages controlled their movements from afar, utilizing whatever strategy they could to dampen their forward progress.

These forces were strong, but the magic of regular denizen of a single plane is no match for that of a planeswalker. While Tamiyo seemed to have no reservations about destroying the thopters, Dack could see the care she took to not bring undue harm onto the living creatures that attacked her so ruthlessly. He watched as glowing runes flew from her bubble of ink and paper, eventually coalescing into glasslike spheres around the hawks, leaving them to scratch and peck at the impenetrable surface as they inertly floated. For the mages, she sent glittering ribbons of green text, which pinned their arms to the sides and their lips before their mouths, sufficiently removing them without the need for more bloodshed.

She said she isn't much of a fighter, but I give her credit for the creative solutions. With all this shit going on, it sure would be a lot easier to just cut through everything like she does with the thopters. Guess some people really can stand for something…

Dack's admiration for the moon sage suddenly shifted, mingling with a deep-seated melancholia in the back of his throat. He quickly threw his eyes down from the sky, forcibly throwing his focus back to the street level. Though it was quiet relative to the chaos above, his services were still needed. While Chandra continued to tear down the Eternals approaching from the front, along with any statues, fountains, or other public works that happened to be in the way, Dack clung fast to Daretti's chair, falling into a steady rhythm as he dealt out hearty blasts of purified torchlight that kept their backs clear.

They had just cleared another antiseptic block of white marble buildings when Daretti, unbeknownst to Dack, let out a snarling string of goblin cusses. Confused, Dack peered over the chair's headrest to see Daretti scrabbling at his workbench with clear frustration.

"We still good, Daretti? How's progress coming on setting up that relay you were talking about?"

Daretti did not look up to respond. "No, dammit, we are not good right now. This fuckin' thing is givin' me a migraine." His long, dirty fingernail tapped against the glassy hide of the thoroughly dissected thopter before him, which clinked like a champagne flute. "This Dovin guy knows his stuff."

"What's the issue?"

"This thopter network is tighter knit than I expected. Whatever spell that guy is using to control them all, it's more secure than what I'd seen from this plane's tech. The hivemind routes through this crystal, but I can't just get in without proper attunement. This thopter right here is responding properly, so it'd work if I could get in, but I don't know if just my engineering is enough to brute force through all his barriers in a reasonable time frame."

While Dack listened to Daretti's growing irritation, his mind began to key into certain terms. Suddenly, unexpectedly, he found that he had an idea.

"I think I might have a way in. You want me to give it a shot?"

This time, Daretti actually turned away from his workbench, lifting his goggles just enough for his beady eyes to shoot Dack a most dubious look. "No offense, but this ain't kid shit. You even know anything about Kaladeshian aether mechanics?"

Other than the average night market price per ounce? "I'm usually more on the economic side than the tinkering side, but yeah, I've dealt with it before."

Daretti continued to scrutinize him for a few seconds, and then, seemingly exhausting whatever excuses his brain could produce, let out a resigned sigh. "Alright, pal, take your shot. Not like we got a lotta time before we need this active. Just try not to blow any of my circuits, it was hard enough finding a thopter to work on that was this intact."

While it was not quite the affirmation Dack had hoped for, he was willing to take what he could get from the ornery goblin. Shifting his grasp to the farthest edge of the headrest, Dack leaned as far over the side as his reach would allow, then swung fully around to the chair's broad side, careful to avoid the constant undulations of its spindly legs. Hooking his elbow into the armrest, Dack could now fully see the thopter and sense the streams of luminous mana that flowed in and out of its delicate machinery.

Well, let's see if this works.

Dack took in a deep breath from his nostrils as he plumbed the depths of his psychometric index. He knew the artifacts he required, their spells locked away in his memories. While one was more recent, coming back to him with no impact, the other had not been touched in ages. To his surprise, its sensations readily returned, fitting over his body like a tailored suit that he had long thought to be outgrown. The feeling was both comforting and disquieting, but Dack did his best to push it aside so he could focus on the task at hand.

Bronze light, in the shape of turning gears, etched around his irises and onto his gloved palm. Wriggling slightly to keep his hold, Dack leaned forward and placed his hand over the thopter's carcass. He felt the array of crystals along its body respond to the mana, answering his spell's light with a soft brown glow of their own. He could sense the initial resistances that Dovin had set up, precise magics rebuffing his attempted influence on the thopter network. The technicality was exquisite, Dack had to admit, but he found quickly enough that what their enemy had in accuracy and calculation, he lacked in creativity. This, however, was something Dack had in spades.

Daretti was right, this guy does know his stuff, but I guess he didn't expect to contend with the Greatest Thief in the Multiverse.

With a wiggling finesse of his magic, Dack felt the thopter's safeguards fall away one by one. The vivisected body let out a low, faltering whine as it relented, then fell silent once again. The light faded from Dack's eyes and palms, and as he pulled himself away from the thopter, he gave Daretti an confirmatory nod.

"Okay, should be all good now. Left the hivemind unlocked, so anything you send through this one should go out to every other one within about a ten-mile radius. Past that, no guarantees, but we didn't need anything more than that, right?"

At first, Daretti narrowly stared at Dack, obviously doubtful of his abilities. After the goblin artificer lowered his goggles and inspected the thopter himself, however, he turned back up to Dack with the squinting sneer that passed in the goblin world for respect.

"Huh, not too shabby there, pal. How'd you manage to crack through it?"

Taken aback, Dack offered an unintentionally coy shrug. "There's only so many ways you can assemble an artificial hivemind. Had an old spell rattling around in my head from when I was a kid, back when I figured out how to sneak past all the cogwork librarians at the High Paliano Academy so I could get at the real juicy books. Just needed to patch it up a bit with a spell I lifted from a rather marvelous Kaladeshian aetherworks construct." He realized he was rambling and chose to cut off his thought here. "So, yeah, it's no jamming device, but it should be enough access for you to take the thopters down."

Dack's grin shrunk from roguish to sheepish as he realized that he was bragging about his aptitude for theft. He had learned long ago that such acclaim worked well in the larger societal sphere, enough to give you a reputation and a rather pompous nickname, but individuals were more likely to clutch their purses and turn away at even the most casual mention. So, it came as a mild surprise when Daretti flashed a jovial fanged grin.

"Not a bad trick, guess it's a good thing you've got all that shit floatin' in yer noggin, and that ya can keep it all straight. Though I guess I should be insulted that ya used an exploit in what is essentially my cogwork design. When I get back to Fiora, guess I'll hafta patch that up."

"Wait, those were yours?" Dack balked, his eyes going wide with embarrassment.

"Eh, my student's, really. But I taught him everythin' he knows!" Daretti laughed, a high-pitched cackle like a pair of improperly greased gears. Then, showing there were no hard feelings, he gave a dismissive wave of his calloused hand. "I thought I remembered you sayin' you were from Fiora. You look it, but on a day like today, you never know. Which part ya from?"

Dack hesitated for a moment. "… Drakestown."

Though he kept his face under control, Dack internally winced as when he saw Daretti's features withdraw. As he expected, that single word had siphoned away all the excitement over their mechanical victory, leaving only an awkward, mournful silence.

"Ah jeez," Daretti eventually said, "I'm sorry about that, pal. Didn't mean to bring up any of that whole… y'know, incident. Forget I said anything."

Attempting to dissipate the gloom, Dack waved a flippant hand between them. "Thanks, but don't worry about it too much. It was a long time ago. So, what about you? It's pretty clear that you worked at the Academy, but where're you from originally?"

To Dack's relief, the goblin let out an exaggerated snort that fully undid the uneasy atmosphere. "Who, me? Nah, you don't need t' hear about that. It's nowhere you'd know. My mom squeezed me out in one o' the dirtiest gutters in the dirtiest slum in the city, and I've been workin' my whole life to make sure I don't hafta even think about that cesspool ever again."

To his surprise, Dack felt a genuine smile, free of pretenses and expectations, crack across his face. He let out a brief chuckle, careful to not accidentally dislodge his hold on the chair. "Fair enough. Paliano always seems like such an impressive city, but I chalk most of that up to Marchesa's skill with propaganda."

"I'd drink to that," Daretti laughed, raising a closed fist in an imaginary toast. "It's a fine place to live, if it's the one plane of existence you're stuck on. Otherwise, who needs it, am I right?"

"Damn right."

Daretti let out a sigh, which seemed equal parts happy and reluctant. "Ah well, we can shit all over our home turf later, once this whole thing is over and we find a bar that ain't completely demolished. For now, though, I gotta get this thing up and running, and you gotta make sure we don't get our sparks harvested."

Dack nodded in agreement, and found his neck surprisingly limber, leaving him unsure where exactly all the tension he had been carrying had gone but not in a hurry to find it again. Instead, he simply unhooked his elbow from the armrest and swung in a freewheeling arc back to his former position. A cluster of Eternals had grown close while they were conversing, but he let out a wave of repulsive fire as he reeled around the chair's back, pushing their outstretched hands back out of reach.

After several minutes of nearly consistent torchlight, whose bright aura was starting to imprint itself on Dack's retinas, Daretti finally let out a triumphant hoot.

"Alright, circuits are responding, crystal alignment looks good, we should be ready to go. Just gotta activate this switch and…"

From the corner of his eye, Dack watched as Daretti raised a glowing red finger and dramatically slammed it into the stilled heart of the dismantled thopter. Suddenly, the immediate area seemed to fill with minute static, which brought with it a whining buzz whose frequency was so high it could only be heard in the subsequent rattling of one's teeth. Dack grit against the unsettling sensation, but it fortunately washed over him in an instant before evaporating.

His eyes instinctively went to the sky, and within the clouds of thopters above, he saw the interior lights flash with the muddy brick color of his and Daretti's combined magics. They returned to their normal appearance immediately after, but once they did, their previously aggressive behavior ceased. They began regrouping into tight regiments, and their flight patterns returned to singularly focused sweeps of the area.

He saw Tamiyo's stance stiffen at first, ready to strike out should the thopters attempt a new attack strategy, but once they began completely ignoring her presence, she let out a visible sigh of relief.

"Looks like it's working," Dack congratulated Daretti. "Thopters aren't even reacting to us anymore."

"Of course it's workin', I ain't met a technical challenge I couldn't conquer." He paused his self-aggrandizing. "With a little bit of assistance, of course."

"You're too kind. Anything else we need to do now?"

Daretti shook his head. "We just gotta hope this Dovin guy's too preoccupied with the rest of the city to notice the moving blackout on his surveillance, at least until we get to wherever it is we're going."

"Sounds good to me. I'll keep shooing off these Eternals, you make sure you have a backup plan ready, just in case."

"Buddy, I always have a backup plan."

With a wry smile, Daretti turned back to his workbench, already beginning work on the next contraption they may need for their mission. Meanwhile, Dack continued to push back the Dreadhorde, now the only immediate threat encroaching on their party.

As they continued forward, Dack hazarded a look over his shoulder at the incoming vista. The approaching towers of New Prahv were far bigger, cleaner, and more brutalist than the older sections of the district. Foreboding lights shone down from monolithic spires, and an overly septic atmosphere crinkled his nose. Adding to all this, he could now feel the power of the Immortal Sun growing stronger, tightening around his neck and chest as they ventured further into the belly of the beast.

He had always done his best to avoid the Azorius in the past, but now he was almost excited to confront them face-to-face. His nervousness from earlier appeared to have vanished, leaving only the mask of swarthy abandon he always worked so hard to maintain. This time, however, as he prepared himself for his ultimate role in the day's events, it no longer felt like he was wearing a mask at all.