??"Can you make those nes in gold and blue so that everyone knows they belong to the Royal Pce?" King Petros asked.


    "Of course. If you show me your Royal Sigil, I can even disy it on the side, the same as you do for carriages so that there is no mistake as to who they are representing." Wolfe agreed.


    The two artificers who had lost the contest for the front seat were waiting impatiently for the new nes to be created so they could take them on a test flight of their own, and even as Petros took out the Royal Sigil, Wolfe could see them vibrating with pent-up energy.


    "You might as well take a short run if you''re that nervous and excited. Piloting takes steady hands, and the Witches will yell at you if you''re too hyper." Wolfe informed them.


    The twins were actually a hyper pair themselves and wouldn''t mind, but the trolls would be annoyed, as they liked peace, quiet, and bridges.


    While the two artificers tried to calm themselves, Wolfe got to work on making the three small aircraft. They were such a simple design, especiallypared to all the work that he had put into creating the massive cargo nes, that this felt like making a child''s toy to him, but within a minute three shiny gold airnes with blue livery were floating in the water, ready to go, with a full charge in the Rank Three mana crystals that served as their fuel source.


    Wolfe had gone for a higher density crystal, and less of it, to increase the cargo capacity, as the pilots were unable to use the wind magic to adjust the lift. The function was still there, and apetent elemental mage would be able to do it, just not these ones, who were limited to Unholy Magic.


    "Alright, that is three nes, ready and charged. All the safety features are active, so if you want to take them for their inaugural test flights, you may." He announced.


    All three of the Artificers ran to the nes before the first realized that he was alone, with no trainer in the cockpit.


    The river boat pilotughed as she looked over.


    "Should I join him for a flight? I have got my certification on the delivery nes already, but only twenty hours." She asked.


    "That sounds like a n. You at least know the interioryout, and if there is a real problem, I will just catch them from here." Wolfe agreed.


    It wasn''t like he couldn''t cast a spell from halfway across the forest. He just usually didn''t. But as long as they followed the directions to "Keep it in the middle of the air" they should be fine, no matter what they did.


    "Don''t forget to put your seatbelts on, just in case." He called as the twins negotiated with their Familiars on whether or not they should go with them on the flight.


    The decision was made that the trolls would stay to wee any visitors that might happen to arrive while the witches were on their flights, and the nes slowly and awkwardly made their way down the river before taking flight.


    The witches were clearly letting the Artificers take care of everything because they would have known that simply pinning the throttle made for a much smoother takeoff, but it also pressed you back into your seat, and that might throw a rookie pilot off their routine or make them fumble with the controls.


    It was more of a game of follow the leader around the forest, as they manoeuvred the nes in gentle turns, dives and climbs, getting a good feel for what the vehicle was capable of while it had no cargo in it.


    They were simrly awkward as theynded, sshing down in the river in an inelegant disy of untrained handling. But they could take much worse, and the nes had been designed for the abuse of rough and hurriedndings while their destination was under attack.


    "Well, King Petros, what do you think? Are they suitable for your needs? The test pilots survived their first trip with minimal supervision, so they''re not too hard to learn to pilot, once the basics have been exined." Wolfe asked.


    "They are perfect. Can you open a portal to the Countess Dewinter''snds? You''ve been there before, and there is a river where we can ce these aircraft until I can recover them. I assume that will be easier than asking you to open a portal to an unknown location." Petros asked.


    "Of course. Here, is that the spot you wanted?" Wolfe asked, opening a portalrge enough to move the nes through.


    There was a fisherman on the riverbank not far from the portal, and the look on his face was pure shock, especially when the Trolls waved happily at him.


    "Yes, that should be perfect. Now, we just need to move the aircraft and their pilots, so I can return to the city and bring the rest of my team home." Petros agreed.


    Wolfe gestured for thedies to exit the vehicles, then moved them, along with their excited pilots, who were still examining all the internal linkages, over to the river.


    "Gentlemen. King Petros requests that you fly those aircraft to the Royal Pce. You are currently in the river on Countess Dewinter''snd outside the Capital, do you know the way?" Wolfe asked, enhancing his voice with air magic.


    They gave him a thumbs up gesture, and began going through the checklist that the pilots had made, so they didn''t forget anything.


    "Even the Compass works properly. We shouldn''t get lost." One of the pilots shouted through the portal.


    "Alright, good luck then. King Petros will meet you there."


    He put up a barrier, so the wind from the nes didn''t blow everything around on this side of the portal, but left it open so that the trolls couldugh at the response of the fisherman to the three aircraft in Royal livery that had just flown away.


    "Sorry to disturb the fish. Here, a coin for your troubles." Wolfe called, then tossed him arge gold coin from the ones he had created while he was in the other world.


    The fisherman had just caught it when the portal closed, and King Petros burst intoughter.


    "You know, he''s going to be telling that story for the rest of his life, and nobody will believe him."