Leviathans

Rayne and Lucy spent the next few hours snacking on food and taking sips of their drinks while Richard and the others explained what they would be doing. Not much at first, it seemed. A simple, short delve to “test” them. Fine, Lucy had thought, annoyed. I can’t wait, thought Rayne, excitedly. They both slowly got used to the haze in the air. Rayne had tried some of the hookah and found the fruity flavor pleasant. Lucy had done the same and nearly hacked up a lung. Both of them had laughed when Richard sheepishly admitted that he didn’t currently have access to his own airship, and would need to use theirs. Later that day, Aria and Heinric had excused themselves, leaving the girls alone with Richard and Lynn. The bar was much fuller now than it had been before. Sometime earlier, a man had begun to play a stringed instrument, the light music and melodic nature of his voice lending a calming quality to the atmosphere.

“Well then, Magi. With that out of the way, you had said you wanted to see the city, no?” Lynn asked before drinking some water. Rayne noticed he hadn’t touched anything else the entire time they had been here. “I want to go to the heart of this mechanical construct.” Rayne said, and Lucy nodded quickly. “I do too. I wonder what drives it?” she voiced, looking over at her friend. The two began to discuss the possibilities amongst themselves, leaving Lynn at a loss. Richard couldn’t help but laugh at his confusion. “I would’ve thought you had worked with enough technomages, Lynn!” he smirked, and Lynn sighed. “Is there anywhere else? We cannot take you where we ourselves aren’t permitted to go.” He pointed out, cutting into Rayne and Lucy’s discussion.

They both stared at him for a moment before Lucy answered. “Somewhere high up.” She said simply, gripping Rayne’s hand tightly. Rayne smiled. “Somewhere high up.” She echoed with a breath, and Lynn shrugged. “Very well then.” He turned to look at Richard, who waved him off. “Get them a room at the inn, when you’re done.” Richard instructed. Lynn bowed to him, and turned to leave. “Come then, Magi. Let us be off.”

They followed Lynn outside, the haze of smoke swirling around them. Stars filled the night sky, the moons spread almost haphazardly against the blackness. The street was much quieter. The sound of insects buzzing mixed with the sounds of distant music and sporadic conversation. Lynn looked back, and motioned them forward with a hand, walking quickly. Rayne quickened her step to keep up, the oil lamps on the walls casting her shadow long as she walked past them. Her footsteps echoed for a few beats as they crossed under an arch that connected two structures. The pale reddish-yellow stone that made up the city still held some of the day’s heat. They passed groups of people laughing, and couples talking as they walked.

The city had a different kind of life to it than the one they had known their entire lives. Here, even at night, there was still life. It felt to Rayne like even in the darkness there was nothing to be afraid of. A strong breeze pushed past them, and Lynn’s small ochre cape snapped behind him. The flatness of the street slowly turned to an incline, and eventually led to steps hewn out of the same rock as the rest of the buildings. Rayne looked upwards, following the path with her eyes. It seemed to wrap around a small hill with a single, towering building perched on it. Trees spread ahead of her. Leafy and green, it seemed like they didn’t belong in the middle of a desert. Lynn and Lucy, who were already well on their way up the steps, looked back at her. Rayne moved to follow them.

The lanterns hanging to each side of the steps were powered by magic instead of oil, and Rayne was glad for the steadier light as she walked. The steps were well-worn, as if thousands of feet had walked this path before her. She looked outwards, and saw the city begin to sink downwards from her perspective. She couldn’t help but smile as memories of times she had repaired the towers in her own city flooded her. From there, came memories of the leviathan, and her smile faded somewhat. Rayne would never forget that moment, she didn’t think. No matter what happened. Once again, she felt the weight of the stone Master Ethan had given her in her breast pocket.

As they rose, the wind grew stronger. It tossed their hair to the side, and whipped their clothing around them. For a moment, Rayne thought that she could feel a slight swaying as she walked but brushed it off as her own imagination. The steps grew steeper, and the hill begun to feel more like a mountain. Rayne’s breathing was still steady but strained, and her legs had started to burn. Ahead of them, bordered by trees, stood an arch. Beyond it, the top of the hill. Rayne took the last few steps with renewed vigor. Ahead of them, was a large garden. Flowers bloomed, their color even more striking in the night. Magic-powered lanterns were spread throughout, casting their white light along the pathways that cut through the greenery. Rayne heard the babbling sound of water flowing, and tilted her head towards it.

Lynn paused for a moment, to let the two girls take in the view. People walked silently along, appreciating their surroundings. Benches were spread throughout the pathways, and some of the walkers had elected to sit for a few moments instead. The sound of insects was louder, and their hum lent an almost otherworldly feel to the scene. Rayne felt the swaying again for a few moments. Finally, her eyes were drawn to the center of the garden. There, stood a wide building, stained glass windows decorating its sides. Golden filigree glittered in the light from the lanterns, casting yellowish reflections against the stone. Statues of mythical creatures perched around the roof, as if to guard it from attack. Even from here, Rayne imagined she could see the carefully carved stone scales along their serpentine bodies.

Lynn looked back at their astonishment, and smiled. “Welcome to the Garden of Renewal.” He said, and the two girls nodded slowly. “You said you wished to go someplace high up?” he asked, and pointed upwards above the building. A tower shot up from it, narrowing as it went before flaring up near the top. Lucy thought she could see people at the top. Lynn began walking again, and the two girls followed him excitedly. They moved past whispering couples. This place felt somehow special to Lucy, and understood their attempted silence. It felt like if she made too loud a noise, the spell that she felt was woven into the very stones below her feet would break.

They followed the path, their footsteps light. The building loomed closer, and it felt bigger than it looked. Lynn waved them through an open metal door, stepping into it. As Lucy approached the entryway, she heard the sound of muted chanting. Once inside, she saw why. A large group of robed people sat cross-legged in front of a decorated altar. She looked around, her eyes finding the candles grouped around the supplicants. Their thin, fragrant smoke floated upwards, slowly filling the cavernous space above. Here, their rhythmic prayer was loud enough to be heard, but Lucy still couldn’t make out the words. She didn’t need to. They filled her with a sense of hope. She felt like she was going to start crying, and blinked away the feeling.

One person, at the head of the congregation, seemed to lead them. Lucy began to walk again, listening to the near-musical chanting as well as the soft sound of their blue robes brushing against the stone floor. Lucy, Rayne, and Lynn circled along the edges of the space, eventually reaching another door. This one led into a spiral staircase, which they begun to climb. The flowery scent of the prayer candles seemed to follow them. The steady echoes of their footsteps guided them onwards like the beat of a drum and magic-powered lanterns lit the way. They came upon another door, this one closed. Lynn pulled it open.

A gust of wind blew into the stairwell, blowing away the slight smell of flowers. Rayne once again felt the slight swaying, stronger this time. She no longer thought it was just her imagination. She walked past Lynn, who stood by the door, emerging onto the viewing platform they had seen from below. Her steps carried her quickly to the metal railing, the spiraling metal cool at her touch. The sprawling city seemed to gaze up at her, the empty desert to either side. An island of stars surrounded by a sea of inky black. The wind, which she now noticed was due to the forward movement of the beetle, seemed to carefully caress her skin even as it tore at her clothes. Rayne felt Lucy walk up next to heard, and heard the sharp intake of breath that marked her amazement.

“We can feel it moving up here,” Lucy breathed. “It’s like being slowly rocked to sleep.” She finished, and Rayne nodded. Lynn approached them from behind gazing up into the sky with a smile on his face. It never reached his eyes.“This city is truly one of the wonders of the world. And with us, I am certain you will see even more of them.” He said, leaning against the railing next to Rayne. The two girls looked at him. Rayne’s expression was one of happiness, and excitement. Lucy, on the other hand, seemed content. “Take in the sights for as long as you wish. When you are ready, I will take you to the inn. Tomorrow, we begin our journey.”

True to his word, he waited patiently as they rounded the observation platform over and over, watching the city below. Rayne looked up at the sky, closing her eyes for a moment before turning her head to face Lucy. “Lucy, thank you.” She said, smiling. Lucy shook her head. “No Rayne. Thank you.” She answered, her eyes wide in wonder. After a few more minutes, they approached Lynn, and he wordlessly guided them down from the tower, and back through the garden. They followed streets, and alleyways. Passed by merchants, still plying their wares even at night, and bars full of people. The thrum of life hummed through the city as they walked. Eventually, they approached the inn. That night, Rayne barely slept.

The next morning, Lucy awoke to the sound of knocking at the door. She yawned, and sat up, drawing her legs under her. The bed had been much more comfortable than she had expected, and she slept well. She looked over, and found Rayne humming as she carefully brushed her long hair. “Yes?” Lucy asked groggily, loudly enough for whoever was outside to hear. “Richard wants you to meet us downstairs. Make it quick.” Came Aria’s voice, her mistrust apparent in her harsh tone.

Rayne looked over at Lucy, who seemed a bit taken a back. Lucy blinked slowly, and Rayne shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Only one way to change her mind.” Rayne said. Lucy sighed, her shoulders dropping for a moment before she swung her legs off the bed. Rayne sat in front of a small wall mirror which hung above a countertop. Lucy, noticing Rayne’s bare back, groaned. “Put some clothes on, Ray.” She complained, and Rayne turned to face her. “Why?” she asked innocently and Lucy shook her head, face flushed. Rayne struggled with a knot for a moment before Lucy walked behind her and held out a hand for the brush, eyebrow raised. Rayne huffed, and handed it over, watching the two of them in the mirror as Lucy calmly continued brushing.

“I wish I had hair like yours” Lucy commented, and Rayne shrugged. “Really. It’s so silky and has great volume. And the curls! I don’t even know how, we live – lived, in a desert!” Lucy continued and Rayne laughed. “I take care of it” she said almost protectively, running a hand through just as Lucy finished brushing. She shook her head, letting her hair rest against her back for a moment. Rayne relished the feeling of her hair against her back. She had never been able to have it long as a child. She shook her head. “Let’s get dressed. They’re waiting” She voiced, as she stood. “You could’ve been dressed already” Lucy muttered under her breath, and Rayne shoved her playfully. “I don’t see you ready either.” Lucy laughed, grabbing her pack from the floor and pulling out her clothes. Her nose wrinkled. “We need to wash these. Everything smells like smoke.”

Rayne seemed to either not hear, or not care, as she pulled on her own clothes. She took a deep breath of the leather of her jacket, the familiar scent comforting her. “Come on.” She said, grabbing her things and throwing them haphazardly into her pack. Lucy followed suit, gathering what little she had taken out the night before and putting it away. The two girls checked to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything, and made their way out of their room. The rough carpet along the hallway made a strange noise as they nearly ran through the narrow space. Framed pictures signed by people Rayne had never heard of decorated the stone walls, the occasional sound of conversation drifting through closed doors. They took the steps down two at a time, arriving breathlessly in the small lobby, adjacent to the bar and restaurant attached to the side of the inn.

Lucy walked up to the woman standing behind the desk, and thanked her after handing the key to their room over. The woman bowed her head with a smile before looking over Lucy’s shoulder and pointing. She turned to find Rayne walking away, nodded her thanks to the woman, and followed. After crossing the threshold from the quiet lobby to the loud and boisterous bar, her eyes found Rayne sitting down with the others. They were eating, the smoke from the rolled up cylinder of tobacco in Richard’s mouth floating lightly up to the ceiling. Aria fidgeted in her seat, glancing around until she found Lucy and waved her over. Lucy moved past the full tables as quickly as she could, the bar packed from wall to wall with patrons even at this hour. The heavy smell of fried food and the light scent of tea mixed with the earthy fragrance of coffee.

Lucy sat, and Rayne pushed a plate of food towards her. Lucy picked one of the small fried dough balls up and popped it into her mouth, relishing the sweet flavor. “Thank you for joining us” Richard said. “Ach, took ye long enough.” Heinric complained, crossing his arms. “As I explained, we’ll take your airship and go somewhere we’ve been wishing to explore for a while now. A small dungeon, as we call them. Shouldn’t be too dangerous. It’ll give you a chance to decide whether you want to continue to work with us or not.” Rayne looked over at Lucy. Lucy looked down at her hands, and then nodded. “Sounds good.” Rayne said, and Heinric smiled before slamming his hands on the table loudly. “Good! Le’s eat! Then, we go!” he said. Aria laughed at Rayne and Lucy’s surprise, and Lynn shook his head. “You heard the man.” He said, waving down one of the servers.

They ate, surrounded by people and conversation. Sunlight filtered in through the open windows, the breeze that occasionally found its way into the bar a welcome reprieve from the heat. Rayne and Lucy sat silently at first, as the others talked. They listened enrapt as Heinric boisterously told a story about how he had discovered a new formula for an explosive, only to lose the page he had written it down on in the blaze resulting from its detonation. He seemed to be a natural storyteller, looking around the table and pausing occasionally for dramatic effect. After he was finished, Rayne haltingly began to speak.

Lucy was surprised, but listened proudly as Rayne began to tell stories of their time with the guild. As she continued her voice got stronger and more confident. The look on her face changing from one of slight embarrassment to one of pride as she noticed the others listening attentively. Lucy noticed that Richard hadn’t taken a drag from what he was smoking since Rayne had started. Lucy joined in, filling in the blanks that Rayne left in her enthusiasm, explaining things simply for the others. Rayne sometimes forgot that not everybody knew what she did. As the others listened to her, Rayne felt like she was being listened to by someone that wasn’t Master Ethan or Lucy for the first time in her life.

An hour or so later, and the group was preparing the airship for travel. Rayne was checking the engines and the sphere while Lucy checked the balloon and the conduits. The others loaded supplies as they worked, while Richard spoke to a dock official about them leaving. Rayne paused for a moment, brushing away the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. She looked towards the delvers. Heinric carefully carried a barrel down below the deck, swearing profusely when Aria bumped into him. Lynn was carrying bags of food onto the airship, organizing them carefully and nodding to himself before heading back to the neat pile of supplies and equipment that waited for them on the docks.

It felt hectic, but Rayne found her part in the preparation calming. Lucy clambered along the rigging that attached the balloon to the airship, pulling herself along hand over hand as she checked the ropes and conduits. The ropes creaked with her movement, but her sure footing left her unworried. Both of them relished the concentration required by their work, and wanted to make sure that everything was working properly before they set off. It wouldn’t do to find themselves stranded in the middle of the desert if anything went wrong.

Time passed quickly, and what felt like only minutes later, they were setting off. The ropes holding the ship to the docks were untied, the hum of the engines filled the air. “Well then, Let’s go, shall we?” Richard asked excitedly. Lucy nodded from the helm, working the controls quickly. The airship rose smoothly, and the city fell away beneath them. Rayne stood next to Lucy, her eyes bright. “Ah, to be flying again.” Said Lynn, his eyes closed against the wind and a smile on his face. Heinric grimaced, holding tightly to the railing. “Ah hate flyin’” he muttered, and Aria laughed, whooping as she swung across the deck on a loose rope. Heinric’s eyes widened. “Git down, woman! Yer gonna fall!” he yelled, and she laughed louder. “Aye. Insane. The lot o’ ye.” He muttered, and it was Lynn’s turn to laugh.

Lucy watched the group in amazement. It had only been a few days since they had left their city, and so much had already happened. She would never have believed it, while helping Rayne with the floating tower, that this is where she would be now. Despite herself, she began to feel admiration for them. Lynn’s braid whipped behind him, the multitude of colors that decorated it almost mesmerizing. He stood next to Richard at the prow, looking outwards. Richard pointed off to the side. “That direction. It isn’t too far. We should be there by tomorrow morning.” He said, holding onto his hat with one hand. Lucy adjusted their course and accelerated. “Ah no.” Heinric moaned, and Richard looked back at Lucy and Rayne. “Nevermind, we’ll be there tonight! Where did you two get this beauty?” he asked, and Rayne shrugged. “Long story” she said, and his smile widened. “The best ones always are!” he shouted above the now-rushing wind.

They steadily approached their destination. Occasionally Richard would pull out a rolled up map, squatting down to keep it from flying away. He’d take a compass, ornately decorated and rimmed in gold, and look at the map for a while. Once he was satisfied, he’d stand and have Lucy or Rayne reorient the ship to the proper direction. The sun fell low, and the moons were already visible in the sky when the desert below them began to change. Rayne watched as sandstone ruins began to dot the landscape. Their yellowish surfaces battered by endless sand and wind.

As she looked down, she saw more and more of them spring up. Incredibly, it seemed that they weren’t flying over an ancient city. It looked more like some sort of metropolis. Courtyards filled with sand and grit were spaced evenly. If she squinted, she could see the spaces that would be roads. Suddenly, the shapes leapt out at her more clearly. She took a sharp breath. A river cut through the ruins, the waters dark in the night. “Incredible, isn’t it? Ruins like these always give me the impression we’ve regressed.” Lynn said as Rayne remained speechless. “Put us down at that bend in the river.” Richard said, and Lucy nodded. She too watched the city, but couldn’t afford as much attention to it as Rayne.

The airship descended, rocking back and forth as a gust of wind caught it. Heirnic grit his teeth, his knuckles white from the strain of holding onto the railing and his face pale. He muttered something unintelligible as the airship got close enough to the ground for them to get off it. “Alright. Tie it down.” Richard commanded. Needing no more prompting, Heinric kicked the rope ladder off the airship and quickly clambered down to the ground. Aria, who had been hanging from the rigging, took the anchor ropes which were tied to the balloon, and threw the first down to Lynn on the deck. He caught it, narrowly avoiding the sharp stake on one end. “Please, Aria, be careful.” He chided, and she shrugged. He threw it down to Heinric, who heaved it deeply into the sandy ground. After a moment of silence, a heavy click sounded and he nodded. “Next.” He called, and the process repeated itself.

While the other three anchored the airship Rayne and Lucy, with Richard’s direction and help, went below decks to unload their supplies. They took the steps all the way down, and Rayne found the set of latches and locks that sealed the ramp they were looking for. After a few moments she had them all undone and they slowly lowered the ramp down with a rope, sweat shining on their foreheads.

The now-revealed hole allowed them to start carefully carrying supplies out. Rayne shifted the large barrel that Heinric had loaded and pushed it to the top of the ramp. “Hey Richard, is it okay if I roll this down?” she asked, looking down at him as he cleared space at the foot of the ramp. Heinric, who had just finished with an anchor rope looked up at her. “If ye want to blow us all ta hell.” He said simply, and she cocked her head. “Ah’ve got it.” He sighed, moving up the ramp. He grabbed it, and lifted with a grunt. Rayne picked up a box of food, and followed him down slowly. His muscles bulged, stretching the scars along his bare back and arms as he descended.

Not too long after Lucy re-sealed the ship and climbed down the rope latter, landing lightly on the sand. Lynn looked down at the others from the ship. It had been decided he would stay to guard it until they returned. Rayne had seen the flash of annoyance in his eyes, but he had accepted gracefully and without argument. The five of them, surrounded by supplies, quickly reassembled a portable cart and loaded everything onto it. Heinric pulled it to test its weight. “Ah hate sand, Richard.” He complained, and Richard laughed. “We’ll be off it soon enough old friend. Come. We’re close.”

He led them through the ruins. Heinric grunted occasionally, the cart’s wheels leaving furrows in the sand. Lucy offered to help, and he shook his head. “Yeh’ll need ta be rested fer what comes.” Heinric warned. Rayne paused, looking at words that she couldn’t understand inscribed on the stone surfaces they passed. Richard walked onwards, more and more of the ruins poking up through the sand. The uncountable granules beneath her boots thinned out, giving way to what was clearly once a road. The ruins cast strange shadows in the light of the moons.

They continued, passing through the desiccated remains of an unimaginably old civilization. It was incredible, Rayne thought, that she could imagine the city as it once was. She could almost hear the voices. Ahead of them, suddenly, there was a drop. “Careful.” Richard said. Lucy’s mouth dropped open in surprise, her hand dropping away from the temperature gauge on her jacket. At some point in the past, a sinkhole had opened up beneath the street ahead of them, swallowing up a gigantic circle of the city, like some beast had taken a bite out of it from underneath.

Chunks of stone and other rubble dotted the sides of the sinkhole, and by some miracle the path seemed to run along its inner wall mostly intact. Rayne heard a noise from the side, and looked over to see Aria grinning madly, a wicked axe in her left hand. It’s curved blade spiked on the underside like the teeth of a demon, the handle curving slightly along its length.

The pitch black blade looked like glass, and split the light like a prism from the nightmares of a madman. Her pupils were wide. “Can you hear it?” she asked. The other’s looked at her confused, and she shook her head. Her nostrils flared as she took a breath. Rayne began to feel, more than hear, a dull rumble. “It’s here.” Aria said simply, just before a massive creature burst out of the sand ahead of them.