Leviathans

Below them was a sea of grass. Rayne stared wide-eyed, leaning over the railing to try and get a better look. How can there be so much in one place? she thought, amazed. In the last few days the desert had given way to arid plains, and finally to the green rolling hills below them. From her height, she could see the patterns that wind drew along the grasses. Ancient stone columns and walls seemed to be spread haphazardly across the landscape, their cracked surfaces having long-since been reclaimed by the vegetation. Occasionally, constructs covered in moss and greenery sprouted like gigantic flowers from the landscape. Rayne swore she could even see their weapons still in their hands, or embedded in the ground near them.

A path wound its way beneath them, the packed dirt cutting through the hills towards the trees on the horizon. They flew over people, mere specks from their vantage point. Their carts, covered with fabric to keep out the rain that Rayne assumed was common here, were much more visible. Between the people and the constructs it was easy to imagine some colossal battle, straight out of myth. When Rayne ran way, she hoped that she would see things she hadn’t ever seen before. She was getting much more than she expected.

Aria, who had recovered surprisingly quickly, leaned against the railing next to Rayne. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” the warrior asked, the sentence more a statement of fact than a question. “It’s so… green.” Rayne answered, and Aria looked at her strangely for a moment before bursting into laughter. “Never been outside the desert, have you?” she asked, and Rayne shook her head. “I never even left my city until… well…” Rayne answered, her voice trailing off.

Aria nodded curtly, not wanting to push. “That’s the face I made when I first saw the desert. I’d never seen so much sand. It grew on me, but it’s too hot.” Rayne nodded absently. She wondered if she would’ve seen more of whatever ancient civilization had lived in the desert if the sand hadn’t existed to cover it up.

They had been on the airship for over a week, and were nearly at their first destination. Rayne and Lucy had shown Richard the basics of flying the airship, and so the two had more time free than either had first expected. Lucy spent most of it on the deck watching the scenery go by, or in Heinric’s room watching him experiment with alchemical concoctions and explosives. Rayne, on the other hand, had spent most of that time inside their shared room. She had become increasingly frustrated by her inability to open the flame orb, until Aria had eventually dragged her outside.

The warrior had warmed up to Rayne over the last few days. Richard had ordered her to stay in her room, but when Aria complained that she would go stir crazy, his response was to tell her to spend time with Rayne instead of arguing with him. It had been strange at first. Rayne quickly learned that Aria wasn’t the sort to talk much about personal matters, which as far as Rayne was concerned was a good thing. Instead, the two had talked about the delve. From there, Aria had told her stories about past adventures with the group.

Ultimately, it was an enlightening experience. Aria spoke equally openly about her sexual escapades with different members of their prior expeditions and about the inevitable deaths she had seen in her admittedly dangerous line of work. During one of their conversation, Rayne had asked why Aria was so open about sex. Aria had simply looked at her for a moment before answering “In the Koman tribes we’re taught it’s a simple physical urge. It has no bearing on anything else. Are eating or drinking strange?” She had said.

Rayne didn’t really have an answer for that. It was an interesting point of view. She had always heard of sex being spoken of in hushed whispers, even when one of the younger apprentices was bragging about it. Still, it didn’t really matter. She found the stories compelling, not because of Aria’s frankness but in spite of it. Rayne would have considered what she said otherworldly if not for her own experiences just a short time before. Just the one sgort delve had already changed the way she saw the world. It was interesting.

Aria, for her part, sat in silence and watched as Rayne tried to open the orb. She offered no advice and no complaints. Aria simply watched. It was refreshing, Rayne thought. Her presence was strangely calming, Rayne had glanced up from her work, periodically. Their eyes had met. Perhaps, Rayne had considered, it was because she was rarely with anyone else without some sort of interaction. Perhaps it was because Aria, who was usually constantly watching for danger, was also still. Regardless of the reason, it was nice.

Now, the two stood watching the hills below roll past. Sometimes, the ruins were more intact, making the outlines of entire structures identifiable. Rayne found herself wondering once again what it must’ve been like to see them when they were new. She looked over at Aria, who seemed to be reinvigorated by the influx of greenery. Her smile, usually more of a grimace than anything else, creeped towards a smirk. It was a good change, Rayne thought. The others, with the exception of Lynn, were similarly affected. Heinric’s already boisterous laugh had grown even deeper as he told them of his homeland, an island off the eastern coast. Richard seemed even cheerier than usual, and when Rayne had asked about it he simply said that it was nice to not have sand in all of his clothes.

Lynn, on the other hand, gave off the feeling that he was preparing himself. He still spoke easily to the others, but it seemed like he was bracing himself for a storm. Rayne expected it was the stress he would be under soon. Commanding troops couldn’t be easy. Especially if, as Rayne had understood it, not all of them could be expected to survive. Truthfully, she didn’t envy his job. She would rather work with machines. Those, at least, didn’t usually make a habit of dying.

“I never thought I’d see anything like this” Lucy said, breaking Rayne out of her reverie. The girl looked forward, at the sea of trees that filled the horizon. “me neither” Rayne added, her hair being carried back by the wind. She had elected to keep her hair out of a ponytail today, and the curls blew away from her face in arcs. “I wonder if there’s this much stone buried under the desert” Lucy voiced, her gaze wandering down towards a group of spider-like constructs that appeared to be clambering onto an ancient building. “Anyone who knows would’ve picked them clean already, just like they must’ve done to those” Rayne answered, gesturing down at another group of constructs. “fair enough.”

“What’s an arcanist?” Rayne suddenly asked. Lucy looked over, her brow creased. “That’s a good question” she added, turning to face Aria. Aria paused for a moment, surprised at the sudden question. “They do magic” she answered, and the two girls looked at her in confusion. “Actual magic. Like making fire in the palm of their hands, calling the wind, that kind of thing. Not just the runic technology we find” She added with a shrug before looking back down at the grass.

“That exists?” Rayne asked in surprise, eyes brightening. It was Aria’s turn to look confused, but it lasted for only a moment before she laughed. “Yes. That exists. You’ll see it for yourself.” They continued to stare out into the approaching trees. They had begun to dot the landscape beneath them, reaching up towards the ship. Footsteps approached from behind, and they turned to find Richard, holding his ever-present hat to his head against the wind. “Well, this is certainly a welcome change of scenery” he commented, smiling. Aria rolled her eyes “You’re the one that dragged us into a desert Richard.” She pointed out. He chuckled, shrugging. “And it was worth it.”

Aria glanced at Rayne, and the technomage saw a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. “I won’t argue with that.” She said, before excusing herself more politely to Richard than Rayne would’ve expected, and leaving. “She’s not as aggressive with you.” Lucy began, watching Aria descend into the ship. “Why is that?” Richard shrugged, “not a story for me to tell.”

They stood in silence for a few moments before Richard spoke again. “We should reach our destination in no more than a few days. Nekas isn’t too deep into the Jeda forest. The city is a sight to see.” Rayne looked out towards the forest once again, drinking in the trees. “In any case, shouldn’t one of you be at the helm?” he asked with a touch of worry in his voice. “Unless you want to change our course or there’s a storm, we’re fine.” Lucy answered. Richard nodded, “perhaps it would be good to get helmsman as well.” He said under his breath. Lucy rolled her eyes. Rayne seemed oblivious to the exchange, still watching the trees.

True to Richard’s word, after only a three more days spires had begun to grow out amongst the forest. Rayne and Lucy stood against the railing, watching. As they approached, the vague shapes solidified. The tips of the spires spiraled to thin points, their bodies curling inwards as they tapered. Rayne followed them downwards, into a series of buildings that sat in one of many clearings in the area. Their sweeping architecture matched that of the spires, and it seemed to Rayne that whoever had designed them had been allergic to straight lines.

Regardless, it was eye catching. The buildings were made of large chunks of stone, their white surfaces glowing in the sunlight. the spires themselves were capped with a shining blackish metal, and the overall impression was somewhat overwhelming in its sheer brilliance. Rayne turned away, finally noticing the much more muted city that grew around the structures. their square construction was at odds with the buildings she had seen before.

“Tha’s the arcane college.” Heinric said from beside her, nodding his head at the spired buildings with his hands on his hips. “it’s been a long time since Ah’ve been ’ere.” Rayne turned her attention back to the spires. “Did they need to be so shiny? it’s excessive.” Lucy complained, and Heinric laughed. “Ah’ve never understood it mahself. For people who worship the dead, they show off.” Rayne looked towards him at the statement. “Worship the dead?” she asked, and Heinric shrugged as if unsure how to answer the question. “It’s complicated. ask Richard.” he finally said, looking out over the rest of the city. “I don’ like this place.” Heinric mumbled, before turning away and moving back into the ship.

“The city must be Nekas.” Rayne said aloud, and Lucy chuckled, “obviously.” Rayne leveled her eyes at ucy with playful indignation. “It’s very different from the college. almost looks like an entirely different people built it.” She added, and this time Lucy only nodded. “I wonder what the people there are like.” she wondered aloud. “I’m sure we’ll find out” Rayne answered before walking towards the helm to begin their descent.

A few hours later, they came to a rest at a mostly empty dock. There were only two other ships currently there. Rayne found this surprising, she expected a city with a college that taught actual magic to attract more people. She pushed the thought out of her mind, she could ask Richard about it later if the question didn’t end up answering itself. This kind of thing usually does, she mused as she held the ship in place while Heinric and Lynn tied it to the mooring. Lucy and Aria were climbing down the rope ladder on the side of the ship, and soon it would be Rayne’s turn to descend, but only after locking the door that led into the ship.

She heard Richard’s voice calling her from below, letting her know that everything was ready. Rayne quickly descended, pausing for a moment to push the key she had made into the lock. She couldn’t help a smile. it seemed she was more diligent about making sure that nobody got into the ship than it’s original owner. The door had, after all, been open when she and Lucy had first jumped onto the airship. Rayne shook her head as she gripped the ladder, the loose fibers digging into her hands.

Her feet felt the wood of the dock beneath her, and she let go, turning around to face the others. Lucy stood off to one side, staring into the trees, mouth agape. It didn’t take Rayne much to figure out why. the trees were so tall. When they had been floating above the forest in the airship they looked to be taller than the few buildings that made up the dock, but Rayne had just assumed that it was because the square buildings were small. She had been wrong. The trees towered above them, their green foliage letting in the odd ray of light into the underbrush beneath them. Rayne was certain that if the trees had grown over the docks, it would’ve been nearly completely dark.

She had seen trees before, of course, just never any this large. they made her feel small in a way that not even the towers in her city had managed to. Richard waved a hand in front of her to get her attention, and then pointed at the fact that Lynn, Heinric, and Aria were walking away. He went on, leaving Rayne to tap Lucy on the shoulder before following.

The path ahead cut through the forest, the leaves above them almost like a natural tunnel. Once through, a clearing opened up in front of them. The square buildings they had seen from the airship filled the space ahead of them. Many of them had been hidden from above, the overhanging leaves providing shade from the sun above them. People walked through the wide streets. Their clothing was muted, many of them wearing darker colors.

A cold breeze cut through the trees, and Rayne shivered as it bit through her clothes. She and Lucy weren’t wearing their typical technomage clothing. Rayne had opted for a wide shirt that clasped at her neck and was tied to her waist with a bright orange sash before coming down to mid-thigh. Her pants fit loosely, and were tucked firmly into her boots. Rayne brushed her hair out of her face with one hand, tucking the stray locks behind her ear. They wouldn’t stay there long.

Lucy for her part had on a shirt that was tighter fitting, hugging her arms and shoulders. She had chosen to wear a simple skirt. In her own words, it had been too long since she had gotten the chance to wear one. The boots on her feet mirrored Rayne’s, as neither had felt comfortable with anything else. Lucy’s hair, as per usual, was tied back into a ponytail. A habit she had gotten into for the convenience and never broken out of.

The group walked through the wide cobblestone streets towards the Arcane College. people gave them a wide berth, and it was becoming more and more obvious to Rayne that Nekas was a city that travellers generally didn’t visit. Rayne hoped that whatever the reason, it was benign. Rayne looked around, watching the people go by. Some of them would meet her eyes, and some wouldn’t. None of them, however, approached. She switched her attention towards the buildings around them.

Mostly built out of large chunks of stone, they seemed to be almost intentionally boring, at least from the outside. Rayne found herself wondering what the purpose, if any, that served. The only external features that broke their monotonous square construction were chimneys, which most of the homes and stores seemed to have. A few windows let her catch glimpses of ornately decorated interiors. What appeared to be lush chairs, fireplaces, dark wooden furniture.

The few stores they passed offered something more to look at. While they were also mostly stone, they also occasionally had large glass windows to showcase displays. They walked past a store whose display was full of dresses of all kinds, their splashes of color at odds with what the people that walked along the streets seemed to wear. Regardless, as they passed Lucy pointed out to Rayne a woman being measured inside.

They walked past another storefront, this one a bakery. The scent of fresh bread and sweets made Rayne’s mouth water. She paused, looking into the store. Lucy walked past her and then turned, curious as to what Rayne was looking at. She saw the store. She saw that Rayne was staring at it. She laughed. Her hand reached out to grab Rayne’s, who made a noise that was meant to be a complaint. “We’ll see about getting some later, okay?” Lucy reassured her friend. Rayne huffed, before nodding and quickly moving to catch up with the others.

A wrought iron gate grew ahead of them. To either side, a tall stone wall. These people must really like rocks. we’re in the middle of a forest and everything seems to be made of stone. she thought, before switching her attention to what everyone else was looking at. The gate was bordered by two larger columns. A small metal plaque bore an inscription reading “College of the Sciences and the Arcane”.

“This is it, then?” Asked Lucy, looking past the gate and into the courtyard. Heinric gave a grunt in response. Richard gave him a disapproving look, which the alchemist shrugged off. “This is the Arcane College, yes. Lynn, if you would?” Richard answered, taking a step back and gesturing at the door. “Of course” Came Lynn’s response as he stepped in front of the gates and pushed them open. The well oiled hinges barely made a sound as the gates swung open in front of them.

The cobblestone path continued into the courtyard before joining a large plaza. The plaza itself was dominated by a fountain, water constantly falling from the extended hand of a statue of an androgynous robed figure. People, who Lucy assumed were students, lounged about the plaza. They sat on simple wooden benches, or on the floor. decorative hedges bordered the fountain itself, flowers sprouting behind them.

Others still crossed the courtyard, heading from one of the spired buildings to another. Some in a hurry, and others not. “So. Now what?” Rayne asked, and Lucy found herself echoing the sentiment. “Do we go to the Masters or something?” the girl asked, and Lynn shook his head. “Nothing like that, Magi. The students are here of their own will. we simply need locate one willing to put their studies on hold and come with us.” he whispered, his voice low enough that only their small group could hear. “Makes sense.” Lucy nodded, watching the students with greater interest.

A few had stopped to stare now. There was nothing that Lucy could really identify as a “uniform”. It appeared that every student simply wore whatever they wished. Many were dressed in the same muted colors as those in Nekas proper. Others, however, wore bright colors. It was an interesting contrast, but not one that was particularly important at the moment.

“How do we find someone then?” Rayne asked, turning to face Richard. He laughed, and swept his hand to indicate those who were staring. “We wait until someone curious enough asks us what we’re doing here.” He answered with a wry grin on his face. Aria sighed, and Lynn shook his head. “won’ tha’ take a while?” Heinric questioned, an eyebrow raised inquisitively. “The ones curious enough, and adventurous enough, to come talk to us are the ones we’d want to bring along.” Richard responded, taking his hat off of his head and running a hand through his sand colored hair. “Now, my friends, we wait.”

And wait, they did. The sun fell past the tree line, bathing them in the bright light of the moons. Aria had sat down, complaining loudly about her boredom. Lynn had been alternating between glaring at her, and staring wistfully out the gates behind them. Heinric had pulled out a piece of wood and a small knife, and had begun carving. Rayne and Lucy, for their part, had spent most of their time trying to figure out what magic even looked like. They spoke to each other in excited whispers, relaying many of the rumors they had heard growing up.

Mages could conjure water out of thin air, make fire in their hands, bring storms and shake the very earth. The prospect was exciting, but Lucy tried to temper Rayne’s expectations. How much of that could really be true? she argued. Some of it was possible with runic technology, but that was over a thousand years old, if not more. Rayne had shaken her head, exasperated. They would find out soon enough, she hoped.

Finally, they were approached. One of the students that had been watching them moved forward. With her, came the tide. Others, who had been either unsure or simply not brave enough to be the first, followed the woman towards them. “Raja, at your service.” She said, as others crowded around. “Welcome to the College of Nekas. What brings you here?” followed the question. Her voice carried a strange lilt. Clearly, this wasn’t her first language. How she had guessed they would understand, Rayne didn’t know. Many of the surrounding people began asking questions as well. Why did they stand near the gate for hours? Why hadn’t they tried talking to anyone? why were they here?

Richard weathered the storm of questions with a good natured smile, giving them a few moments to speak before he raised a hand to quiet them. “Thank you for the welcome” he said with a bow, hat in hand. “We are a group of adventurers. Delvers, if you will. We seek an arcanist to join us on our next delve.” He continued. Immediately some of the crowd left, their expressions betraying their disinterest. Among them was, the first one to walk up to them.

Many, however, stayed. Murmurs went through the gathering. Delvers. Of course, the gathered students had heard of them before. It was becoming more and more apparent to Rayne and Lucy that their little corner of the world was isolated in more ways than they might ever be able to understand. Richard nodded his head at the muttered conversation before introducing the group of delvers by name, gesturing at each of them in turn. “Many of us aren’t arcanists” one of the students piped up, his blond hair a few shades too bright to be natural.

Richard smiled “Ah yes, of course. That isn’t a problem. We would prefer an arcanist, of course. An Elementalist, however, would also serve our purposes.” Murmurs and mutters again as the crowd digested the information. Richard gave them the time. “What would be the point of going? you hunt for technomage artifacts.” another man spoke up, nearly spitting out the word.

Rayne found him as the crowd muttered their agreement. He seemed young. He wore the muted, monochrome clothing that Rayne had quickly come to associate with the city proper. The only color on his person was his deep red hair. Red was, perhaps, not the right word. It was certainly the closest she could get, though, and so she categorized it as such. Richard gave a shake of his head, frowning slightly. “We certainly seek artifacts that would be of use to technomages, but that isn’t our only objective. We are, after all, going to delve in Altressa.”

The crowd seemed to change, their eyes growing more attentive as they surged forward a few steps closer. The brow of the man who had spoken before furrowed in thought. “As you all know, we may encounter relics related to the arcanists of ages past. And so, we have come seeking your help.” Lynn said, stepping forward. Richard gave a knowing smile. “Your stories do speak of Runestones, after all, do they not? what better place to find one?” he added. Rayne froze. So did Lynn, the look of surprise on his face barely concealing some other emotion. The gathering was quiet. This had gotten their interest. “and how will you choose who goes with you?” another woman asked, the crowd echoing her question.

Heinric snorted, startling a few of the people closest to him. “Line up and show us what ye can do. Obviously. Ah know you Nekasi like yer spectacles.” he answered, glaring at them. It seemed to Rayne like it was more than simple dislike. some of the crowd took a few steps back. Some left. Richard frowned at Heinric, disapproval clear on his face. “Heinric, please.” The doctor admonished. Heinric glanced at him, and took a deep breath. “Please forgive him” Richard said with a shake of his head. “That’ll be how we do it, however.” he finished.

After a moment’s hesitation, one of them came forward. Rayne stood and begun to watch. He grabbed a piece of paper, inscribed with designs that Rayne couldn’t decipher. Circles within circles, angular lines in forms that made Rayne’s head hurt. She turned her eyes away from the paper, but continued to watch the man. He placed the paper on the ground, brow creased in concentration. Rayne’s breath caught, her mouth opening slightly as she watched.

He spoke words in a language that Rayne didn’t understand. They seemed to fill the air, and it felt like for just a moment everything had stopped. Rayne thought she could see wisps of the impossible yellow-blue of magic being drawn to him. The man grimaced, beginning to sweat. His arms began to shake. He held one hand open, palm upwards. The other was poised above it, waiting. A moment of silence. it seemed that even the insects had stopped to watch along with Rayne.

A command in the strange language bled past his lips, and his fingers twirled above his open palm. A spark. A sputtering flame. A roaring fire. Rayne gave a sharp intake of breath. the fire burst to life, and he held it still as it engulfed his hand. He smiled, his teeth red and a drop of blood running from the corner of his mouth and down his small goatee. He lifted his arm and threw the ball of fire at the ground, where it shattered with the force of a small explosion. Those who had gathered began to clap in appreciation at the display. The man pulled out a handkerchief and coughed into it. It came back red.

Richard nodded, looking back at the others. Heinric shrugged. Lynn shook his head. Aria wasn’t even paying attention. “Thank you, please wait aside while we observe the others.” The doctor said with a not-unkind dismissive wave. The man nodded and walked away, pausing for a moment to grab a bottle of water at his side. Rayne’s eyes were wide. Her mouth still hung agape. that was real magic. She found Lucy, who had also been staring in wonder. Rayne dry swallowed. “That was incredible.” she whispered so only her friend could hear.

“real magic.” Lucy breathed, a wide smile on her face. “think they could teach us?” Lucy asked, and Rayne smiled at the thought. “We’ll ask later. look” The raven-haired girl answered, pointing as another one of the students moved forward. The woman pulled her a piece of paper from a tube on her sash as she advanced. She began her own process. The paper stayed in her hand, she touched the center of it with a finger. All the lines, all the circles, that made up the strange shifting glyph met there. She closed her eyes and began to chant.

The cobblestones in the path in front of her begun to shake. Rayne watched, fascinated, as they seemed to melt and then flow like water. The woman trembled, her form beginning to tremble. Her hands bent at awkward angles as her eyes rolled back into her head. The stream of liquid rock grew upwards and outwards into what looked like a small bench.

The woman released her magic, dropping the piece of paper to the floor. She paused for a moment, holding a hand to her head as if she were in pain. her hands found the paper, and then she sat on the bench. A brief smile, and then her head hung down as if she were struck by a bout of dizziness Another small smattering of applause. Her gaze shifted to Richard, who gave her a slight nod, and gestured towards the other waiting man. She moved over, sitting down next to him, head in her hands and eyes squeezed shut.

Rayne watched for what felt like hours as they demonstrated their magical prowess. One had unmade the stone chair, only to remake it into a small statue. One had channeled electricity, striking the ground with a small lightning bolt. Another still pulled water from the air, and swung it around herself for a few moments before letting it fall to the ground. Richard had watched them all as well. After each demonstration, he had turned to Heinric, Lynn, and Aria. After each one the performer, for that was what Rayne had taken to calling them in her mind, was asked to wait.

And so they watched. Performance after performance, until eventually the man with deep red hair stood in front of them. One of those that had gone before groaned. Rayne smiled. Whatever he did, it would certainly be striking. Rayne and Lucy watched as he reached into a series of tubes along his sash. It had become clear that keeping the pieces of paper that were apparently necessary for magic in your belt was common. He retrieved a series of pieces of paper.

One, he placed on the ground. a second, he held palm up. a third, he crumpled in his free hand. He glanced at Rayne, a hint of a smile on his face. It was the lopsided smile of someone who believed they were about to impress. The man took a deep series of deep breaths. Each one, it felt like to Rayne, drew magic closer to him. His edges seemed to blur in a way that was impossible to properly perceive.

He chanted quickly, pointed at the paper on the ground. It shuddered and began to float, as if in a breeze. His eyes closed. the silence in the courtyard was broken only by his chanting and by bated breaths. A command. the paper that was in his open palm floated forward to join the first. Above the two, a haze begun to take shape. It looked like fog had been given purpose. It coalesced slowly, haphazardly. Sweat beaded on his forehead. It rolled down his face and cheeks. his brow creased. In pain, not in concentration.As he chanted the small cloud, as that is what it had become, darkened.

One final command. He threw the crumpled paper into the cloud. a peal of thunder filled the air as arcs of lightning danced around the miniature thunderhead he had conjured. The man took a deep breath. The sound of water on stone and grass filled the silence as the cloud swelled and released a deluge. He clenched his fists, and then released them. the cloud slowly faded.

There was no applause. Those around him simply stared in awe. Lynn’s eyes were wide in surprise, his arms for once still against the hilt of his sword. Heinric was no longer crossing his arms, an eyebrow raised as he nodded in appreciation. Even Aria had turned to look, her complaints fading to nothingness as she watched. “Oh my.” Richard said, hat in hand. The man winced, as if the words hurt him. He looked to the others. They all nodded. “Very well then, I believe we have found our arcanist.” Richard said. The man twitched at the word, his head hanging for a moment before he met Richard’s eyes.

“Elementalist. Not an Arcanist. Not yet.” he said shortly. He brought a hand up to his face, blocking some of the sunlight from reaching his eyes. Richard’s eyes widened. “In that case, I insist you join us. An Elementalist this capable? Incredible.” he breathed. The man gave a brief smile before a grimace took over once again. “Are you well, Elementalist? The feedback for such a spell must be extreme.” Lynn asked, lines of worry on his face. The man waved him away. “Had worse. Give me a minute.” the red haired man responded as the crowd began to disperse.

A short time later, still grimacing, he took a short bow. “Batari Evans. As I’m going to join you, do you mind telling me what we’ll be doing?” He asked, and Richard nodded. “Certainly. we’ll explain, as well as perform introductions, on the way to our ship.” The man shrugged. “Wait here. I’ll get my things.” he said.

Richard bowed his head, holding onto his hat with one hand. Batari left, his long strikes carrying him quickly across the courtyard and towards one of the buildings. He returned a short time later with a large bag, the strap running diagonally from his left shoulder to his right hip before meeting it. The bag was made of dull, but sturdy, brown canvas. the leather straps were so polished they almost shone. The state of the bag, like so many things in this city, left Rayne wondering.

Richard raised his eyebrows, asking a question with his eyes. “Ready. Lead on.” the man answered, gesturing toward the gate.

And so they went. Rayne and Lucy followed behind him, still stunned. His broad shoulders held up a dark blue hooded cloak. It hung nearly to his boots, and upon closer inspection was embossed with carefully crafted designs. They seemed to mimic those that were on the papers he had used to cast his spell, though these didn’t hurt Rayne’s head in the same way. The color was a deep black, almost the same color as the cloak itself.

The cloak, as dark as it was, was the closest to color that his clothes came. His shirt was white, his pants were a dull grey, and his boots were black. All in all, it was almost ridiculous. It was like the color had been drained from him top down, and it had all ended up in his boots. Rayne pointed this out to Lucy, who had to keep from laughing.

Finally, he turned to them. “Curious. You stare a lot.” he said bluntly. Lucy looked away and blushed. Rayne shrugged, meeting his eyes. “We’ve never met anyone who could do magic before. How do you do it?” she asked simply. The man laughed for a moment before groaning and rubbing a temple with his hand. “I don’t do magic, as you put it. I cast spells. Enchantments. It’s different. Years of practice. Natural aptitude. Both.” He shrugged. Rayne shook her head. He talked like he was hyped up on something. she hoped it was just his personality.

Rayne looked around. There would be time to ask Batari questions later, but she didn’t know when she would be visiting this city again. She watched flames flickering in the multitude of lanterns that now lit the streets. With a start, she realized that they were burning oil. Now that she had made the connection, she could almost taste the thick smell, and shook her head. Runic lamps were much safer, and lasted longer. Must be related to them not liking technomages she gathered. The people were in the streets in force now. It seemed that there were more of them at night than during the day.

As her eyes searched the now crowded streets, she found something interesting. Someone who was actually wearing color. A fully cloaked figure in deep red and gold robes moved through the crowd. Where they passed, people stepped aside and bowed their heads in reverence. After finding one, Rayne found others. Each in the same robes. One passed nearby, and Batari almost reflexively bowed. Rayne turned as he walked away, finding a crest embossed on the back of the robes. A thick triangle inscribed within a circle of bones, with a curved diamond shape cutting across the top half of the triangle. It made it look like the triangle had an eye. Rayne shivered and looked away.

“Who are those?” Rayne asked so quietly that Batari almost didn’t hear her. “Who?” he asked, and she jerked her head towards one of the figures. Batari nodded. “Grave watchers. Preside over our holy dead.” He answered matter-of-factly. Rayne glanced at Lucy, who appeared as confused as Rayne herself felt. They shared a look that was part curiosity and part fear. Lucy shook her head, she felt it was time to divert the conversation to something a little safer than “our holy dead”.

“Why did the first man bleed? why do you look like you have a headache?” Lucy asked, and Batari gazed at her intently. “Hmm. Good question.” He took a short, sharp breath. “Gathering magic is difficult. Causes strain on the body. Manifests differently on each person.” he began. “In my case, headaches. Intense.” he said, tapping the side of his head lightly.

Another breath. He looked up at the sky for a moment, as if considering something. His face contorted into pain for another. He looked back down. “Regardless. Introductions haven’t been made yet.” Batari pointed out, looking at Richard. Richard nearly jumped in surprise, his face embarrassed. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” He answered, flustered. Heinric laughed, Lynn sighed. “Don’t worry, it’s not personal. he always forgets.” Aria commented with a wave of her hand. “Oh, so it wasn’t just to build the suspense when he did it to us?” Lucy asked, her surprise genuine. “Guess not.” Rayne shrugged. Batari tried to follow the conversation, his eyes flicking from one speaker to the next. “Le’s not keep ‘im waitin’” Heinric prodded, arms crossed.

Richard nodded, briefly collecting himself before he launched into similar introduction to those Rayne and Lucy had heard. This time, however, there was one final section. “And these two here are our technical specialists. Rayne and Lucy.” Rayne nodded and Lucy raised an eyebrow at the description. Her mouth began to open, but Rayne squeezed her hand. Lucy looked at her, confused, and Rayne shook her head. Heinric had said these people didn’t like technomages, and Batari had made that clear himself before the demonstrations had begun.

Batari cocked a head at the display. “Good to meet you all.” he spoke quickly, before turning to face Rayne and Lucy. “Technical specialists?” he asked simply. “We keep everything working.” He raised an eyebrow, eyes narrowing. “Usually a technomage’s job.” Rayne shrugged instead of answering. “Still. Good to know there are more researchers in this group.” he considered, almost speaking to himself. “Theres plenty of interesting things to find in delves. Lots to figure out. It’s fun.” Rayne said, and Batari smiled at her. “Certainly. Could you tell me more?”

Rayne began the story, with Lucy interjecting whenever she missed something, or to give a different point of view. They told of the delve, of the sand wyrm. of the catacombs and the statues. of the incredible sights hidden under the sands. Rayne was careful, however, to carefully omit the fact that they were both more than simple “technical specialists”.

Batari listened, interrupting constantly with a barrage of questions. Rayne and Lucy answered to the best of their ability. It was interesting to Rayne that someone would show such interest in the delve, and in runic technology itself, while still not liking technomages. She gave a mental shrug. She’d do her best to find out later.

In what felt like a very short time, they were back at the airship. They climbed on, one at a time. Batari scrambled up the ladder. He was careful, but still nearly fell off as the large canvas bag he was carrying nearly threw him off balance. Eventually he made it all the way to the top before roughly dropping his bag to the ground. Richard moved towards the door into the ship, waiting patiently as Rayne opened it. “Lucy, would you kindly show Batari to what was my room? I’ll share with Heinric until we hire another airship.” Richard asked politely.

Lucy nodded, tapping her foot to a song she had stuck in her head while Batari sighed and collected his things. He followed her into the airship, looking around suspiciously. His eyes paused on the conduits that ran in the corners, and on the powered lamps. “Runic technology. It runs the airship.” he said, almost a question. Lucy was taken aback for a moment, pausing before answering with a question of her own. “Well, yes. how else is one supposed to work?” Batari gripped the bag more tightly and grimaced. Lucy shook her head and lead him to the correct door before opening it.

The room inside was slightly larger than the one that Lucy shared with Rayne, but not by much. The polished wood floor showed its grain where Richard hadn’t covered it with a simple blue carpet. Two beds were evenly spaced from the walls, taking up much of the space. Much of what wasn’t occupied by the beds was further taken up by small drawers. As Batari was putting down his bag, the hum of the engine reached both their ears and their bodies. Batari froze, hand still tight against the leather strap. Lucy stared as the red-haired man took a deep breath and slowly let go. “Will take getting used to.” he said, cocking his head.

“Yeah. um. I’m going to head up to see if they need my help, okay?” Lucy told him, already halfway out of the room. She stopped outside for a moment, as if to make sure he didn’t follow, before continuing upwards and outwards. Lucy nearly crashed into Heinric as she took the stairs two steps at a time. He grunted in surprise and took a step back, bracing himself against the wall to stop his body from tumbling down the stairs.

“Heinric! I’m sorry!” she apologized quickly. He shook his head lightly, a smile on his face. “don’ worry, no ’arm done. Why the hurry?” he asked, and she shrugged. “Batari’s a little strange.” Lucy answered, as if it were enough. For Heinric, it apparently was. “Aye. The Nekasi can be…. eccentric.” He said, eyes darkening. “Oh! ‘efore I forget. I wan’ ta show ye somethin’” he said, the humor returning to his face just as quickly as it had left.

Lucy raised an eyebrow in surprise at the sudden burst of emotion. Her eyes searched his face, and he shook his head nearly imperceptibly. She sighed. “Sure, what is it?” Lucy answered, giving up before following him to his room. It was the room that Lucy had originally taken, just after they left their city. Before meeting the others. It was the largest remaining room, and so she had given it up to Lynn and Heinric. What was originally just one bed had been joined by a second.

Lucy’s eyes found the floor as Heinric walked towards his bed, and she winced. The once pristine, almost shining, floor had been scratched. Undoubtedly it had happened when the second bed had been moved into the room. She was just glad that the damage seemed to be contained to the room itself, and hadn’t extended into the hall beyond. Lucy wanted to at least respect the airship they had “appropriated” if not its prior owner.

Heinric bent over to find something underneath his bed. His back creaked slightly, and Lucy winced. It sounded like it hurt, but if it did he gave no indication. She looked around as he rummaged. They had moved the mirror. It had once sat atop one of the room’s two dressers. Now, it hung against the wall. The dresser itself had been unceremoniously moved atop the second one, into a strange stack that seemed meant to imitate a shelf of some sort. She glanced at it strangely, shaking her head. The rest of the furniture had been dragged aside to make room for Richard’s bed. Ultimately, there was very little floor space left, and Lucy found herself glad that she only shared a room with one other person.

Her focus moved back to Heinric as he gave an exclamation of success, and pulled something out from under the bed. Lucy winced again as she heard it drag against the floor. Heinric, who had pulled one of what was apparently multiple alchemical chests. He grabbed a keyring from within a pocket, muttering to himself until eventually finding the one he was looking for. The brass key fit snugly into the lock, and he turned it open.

The key now set aside, Heinric carefully opened the chest. A small shelf within, suspended by two pieces of leather and balanced so that it never tipped over, followed the top of it upwards. The chest itself was filled with a large amount of what Lucy imagined were different materials. Some, thanks to Heinric’s patient instruction, she could identify Some, she couldn’t. He sat next to the chest, and she sat beside him. “What is it you wanted to show me?” She asked as he moved things around. “Patience. Ye know wha’ Ah’ve told ye.” he chided. “Don’t rush, or you might accidentally blow something up.” Lucy echoed his first lesson, her slight annoyance melting into pride as he gave her a smile.

He turned his attention to the chest and pulled out a vial filled with a liquid that was a dull, semi-transparent mix of a green and purple liquid. Lucy scrunched her nose. “The acid from the Sand Wyrm?” she asked carefully, unable to keep the disgust from her voice. “Aye.” Heinric said, setting the vial on a small stand beside the chest. “et has interestin’ properties.” He continued, reaching into the chest again.

“You mean besides being able to melt through stone?” she questioned, eyebrow raised. He turned to her, and gave her a flat look. Lucy flushed in embarrassment. “Yeh’ll never find out wha’ somethin’ll do if yer thinkin’ goes like tha’” He pointed out. Lucy forced herself to meet his eyes, and nodded. “sorry.” After a short pause, he gave her a small smile. “Good.” Heinric finally found what he was looking for in the chest, placing a series of powders and other liquids in front of him. “As Ah was sayin’. Ye can dilute it with alcohol.” he continued, carefully pouring a small amount of the acid into a vial with the clear liquid. He capped it, and shook it carefully. Lucy looked up at him, and he nodded towards the vial. “Watch.”

And watch she did. Nothing happened for a few moments, and then a bright yellow color bloomed inside of the green and purple. It quickly consumed the other colors, almost like a flame eating at wood. It couldn’t have taken more than a second or two for the reaction to be over. Lucy let out the breath that had caught in her chest. “What does it do?” she asked, and Heinric smiled at her interest. “Well, et’s a long flight ta Altressa. Ah suppose Ah could show ye a few more tricks on tha way. Once we get goin’”

Lucy felt excitement well up inside her chest as she stood. “I can’t wait” she said, eyes glowing. Heinric chuckled, and waved her away. Lucy left in a rush. They needed to wait for the Airship’s generator to finish recharging the runic capacitor that powered the ship.

They had burned through much of their power to make it to Nekas as quickly as possible, and would need a day or two to be able to leave at full speed for Altressa. She and Rayne had done the math a few days before, and waiting would lead to the fastest time. Wanting to begin their ascent into the skies above Nekas as quickly as possible, Lucy wanted to see if she could make any quick modifications to the generator that would allow it to work faster. As Heinric had said though, Altressa was quite a ways away. Time was one of the things Lucy felt sure she had with the old alchemist.

Lucy’s steps carried her through the halls deeper into the airship. On the way, she found Rayne leaving their shared room. Rayne, in her usual distracted form, had nearly run into Lucy as she opened the door. Rayne apologized, and Lucy noticed Rayne had tools with her. “Going somewhere? Lucy asked curiously, and Rayne nodded. “Yeah, I want to look around the city. Its so different” Rayne explained, looking straight through Lucy as the city filled her imagination.

Lucy nodded. that was certainly something the technimage could agree with. “Different isn’t the word I’d use, but yeah” she answered, stepping aside to let Rayne pass. “Want to come with me? I want to see if can find out where those people in the red robes were going, and that whole thing about the holy dead sounds cool” Rayne asked, and Lucy shook her head vigorously.

“Yeah, I think I’ll pass on the dead people. Besides, I want to check the generator and see if Heinric can start showing me some alchemy” Lucy responded, and Rayne shrugged. “See you later”Rayne told her, walking away. “Try not to do anything stupid, Ray” Lucy said after her. “I’ll stay out of trouble” Rayne assured Lucy over her shoulder, disappearing up the stairs.