[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiekjdsCvXs&ab_channel=AconiteEB[/youtube][/center]
As Nena flied through the storm clouds, she looked back for a moment to check on the Incorruptible, but it had already vanished from view. The rain was so thick that she could barely breathe and when she turned to look forward again, one of the refugee ships seemed to appear out of nowhere as it emerged from the thick mists ahead, its light beams barely penetrating through the rain.

"Why would they need a storm if they already have these guys as cover?" Nena asked aloud as Petra banked smoothly out of the way to avoid the airship. "Do you think they're hiding something?"

Petra shrilled a call in response, to which Nena nodded in agreement.

"You're right, no point in yakking about it. They can just have it back!"

Closing her eyes, Nena focused on her link with Gaia until she could see the magic of the Empire's mages at work, glowing like the Aether in the darkness. She could see their strings of light whipping the clouds into a frenzy, whirling about like spinning floss. When it came to countering a mage's magic, there were two possible approaches. One was to weave a spell of one's own to use against it and the other was to seize control of theirs. Nena chose the latter as she opened her eyes, threw out a hand in front of her and began casting her magic.

There were at last three casters working together to conjure the storm. One on each frigate, Nena presumed as she wrapped her own threads of mana around theirs, binding them together and pulling them towards herself. It happened so quickly and so suddenly that the enemy barely had time to react, and by the time they realized what was happening, Nena had thrown the storm back in their faces. Not enough to remove it from around herself and the refugees, but enough to envelop the Empire frigates as well.

By this time, Nena was now close enough to trace the enemy's mana back to their sources and for just a brief moment, she opened a tunnel through the storm clouds so she could see the Empire frigates with her own eyes before closing it again. Now she knew where to hit them. Closing her hand into a fist, Nena chilled the air around the enemy ships until ice formed in the surrounding storm clouds and with a single chopping motion, she brought her hand down as she sent a barrage of hailstones pelting into their hulls like bullets.

Sensing a shift in the magic of the Vaimese casters, Nena could tell that they were now on the defensive as they hastily cut their links from the storm. It would now occur of its own accord and subside in a matter of time, but Nena was too physically and mentally exhausted to prevent the enemy from controlling the storm again if they tried.

[i]Hope that was enough[/i], she thought as she looked around the roiling skies, wondering when reinforcements were supposed to show up.

[hr]
Leo only nodded in agreement as Tyrhallan shared his plan. After all, what was there to say? It was a sound plan and a simple one at that. More importantly in the next few moments, Leo was finally about to get the action he had been craving since his arrival at the village of Presper. Since the day he heard the call to arms against the coming fleet of the Empire, mobilizing for war. Since the day he first picked up a sword. This was the rush he was looking for.

Shaken out of his thoughts by the Knight Captain, Leo looked back as Tyrhallan grabbed him by the shoulders.

"I FORBID YOU TO DIE!" He roared at him. "Get back alive, we still have a match to settle!"

When the Knight Captain leaped out of the dropship, Leo walked up to the open side door and couldn't help feeling a little bit jealous as he looked back at the stone in Arn's hand. "I think he likes you!" Leo called out above the howling winds and then to the pilot, "Take us to the rudder!"

Looking out the door, he immediately saw a column of smoke billowing out from one of the frigate's engines and wondered if something had happened earlier. Was there someone else attacking the enemy or was it just technical problems? Either way, it seemed like something that could be factored into their plans and Leo pointed it out as he said, "Looks like that one's about to blow. We could take that out if things go south."

Then a sudden jolt of turbulence made the dropship buck wildly and Leo fell rather than jumped out of the side door.

"Oh sh-" he had time to say before he was suddenly airborne, plummeting towards the middle of the frigate rather than anywhere near its rudder.

[i]Oh well,[/i] the Silver Spider thought with a mental shrug as he adjusted his body into a dive and trusted in the artificial muscle fibres of his nerve suit to take the force of the landing. [i]More action for me.[/i]