Leviathans

Rayne’s eyes fluttered open to the clatter of wheels. She heard words but couldn’t quite make them out. The world shook for a moment, throwing her sideways into wood. A sharp word followed. She groaned and mumbled unintelligibly. Lucy’s blurry face quickly appeared in front of her, framed by wood on one side and cloth on the other. Her mouth moved, and this time Rayne understood. “I can barely see.” She said, trying to sit up. The effort made her sick to her stomach, and she gagged. “Side effect of the medicine.” She heard Richard’s voice explain. She blinked a few times, and looked around, still dizzy.

Rayne was sitting inside of the cart, lying on blankets that had been stretched over the least uncomfortable of their possessions. Heinric’s wide back filled the space ahead of her. He turned his head to watch her from the corner of his eye. “Ye alright?” he asked gently in a tone of almost fatherly concern. Rayne nodded, another jolt running through the cart and throwing her to the side. Heinric cursed, and muttered an apology. Rayne tried to shake her head, but the movement nearly made her sick again.

Rayne looked around carefully, and found Lucy watching her attentively. They were once more walking through the catacombs, and Lucy looked as uncomfortable as she had the first time. “I’m okay.” She said slowly in response to Lucy’s unasked question. “Good.” Came her friend’s answer, before she shook her head. She raised one eyebrow and crossed her arms. “That was really stupid, by the way.” Lucy pointed out matter of factly, and Rayne had to bite back a laugh so she wouldn’t hurt herself again. “I’m glad it was stupid enough that you followed my example. Twice.” She countered, and Lucy snorted. “What happened after, though? Are we going deeper in?”

“No. You’ve already proven yourselves courageous, resourceful, and knowledgeable.” Came Richard’s answer, his thin fingers turning the pages in a book as he walked. “You slept through most of it. We’ll be outside shortly.” He finished. Her eyes found Aria’s face, who was staring at her with a strange expression. “You saved our lives. I misjudged the both of you. Technomages or not. You’re warriors.” Aria spoke, her head cocked to the side.

Rayne felt her chest swell with a pride she saw mirrored on Lucy’s face. Rayne leaned back against one of the boxes, closing her eyes to fight off the dizziness. She smirked, and a laugh she couldn’t stop bubbled out of her as she imagined how she must have looked clambering on the back of the statue. Her laugh ended in a cough and a painful headache. A grimace, the stale air doing nothing to better her situation. Aria looked at her strangely before shaking her head.

Rayne slowly fell asleep again, drifting dreamlessly into darkness. The others continued their steady advance. Lucy sat on the cart as well, keeping an eye on Rayne as she catalogued and tested what they had collected. She dipped the simple pen’s nib into a pot of ink and drew a line on the back of her hand to make sure it worked. Satisfied with the dark line on her flesh, she began to write. First she counted out and categorized what they had. She whispered to herself while she did, brushing stray hairs out of her face with a hand. “Thirteen class A capacitors, six class C. Assorted conduits. four functional Spheres. One flame orb with an unknown power source.” She repeated to herself, counting them off in her head.

Lucy frowned. To her, it didn’t seem like much. There were rooms in the Tower with significantly more stored away for future use. Her fingers twitched uncomfortably as she remembered they had been in serious danger for such a small amount. Richard noticed the discontent on the lines of her face. “Worried about something?” he asked, and she voiced her concerns. “You would be surprised how much this will sell for. Especially as we aren’t beholden to any one guild.” He commented, eyes twinkling even in the steady light of a lamp. “We’ve made more before, of course” he said with a casual shrug “but for a short expedition with no serious injuries...” he let his voice trail off, and Lucy found herself nodding in agreement.

Richard smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. Lucy couldn’t help but smile along before she went back to work. She began to test each individual artifact they had collected. Her tools were laid out in front of her, carefully placed so they wouldn’t roll into Rayne. First, a square device that fit into her palm. She brushed a small amount of dust off a glass panel, revealing a meter underneath. She pulled two wires from it, and attached them to the different artifacts, recording the readings against a table. “Richard. A few of these reservoirs aren’t worth anything to a guild.” She said, and he nodded. “Anything you don’t think we can use, leave behind.” He said over his shoulder and she began to drop them off the side of the cart. The sharp, metallic complaint as they struck the ground felt strange in the cramped passage.

Time passed quickly as she worked, and soon enough they reached the hole in the wall that would serve as their exit. Richard stepped out into the night, the sand glittering where the light from his lantern fell onto it. A breeze blew past, ruffling their clothing. Lucy stared at him for a moment, remembering the feeling of watching in awe as he treated all of their injuries quickly and efficiently. She grudgingly admitted she had been wrong about him.

Richard took a deep breath, raising a hand to hold his hat to his head, and sighed contently. “The only thing better than beginning a delve, is ending one. Isn’t that right?” “Aye.” Heinric answered as he prepared to roll the cart onto the uneven sand and stone. Lucy adjusted herself in the cart to make sure nothing would hurt Rayne as she slept.

Aria walked forward into the ruins alone, her eyes shining even in the dark. “I’ll make sure the way is clear.” She said, her voice carrying cleanly. Lucy got the distinct feeling that Aria wasn’t doing this for their benefit, and wanted some time to herself. Aria’s hand was wrapped in bandages, and she was careful to keep it out of harm’s way as she went ahead.

Lucy thought wanting to be alone was an understandable sentiment. Claustrophobia wasn’t really the word she would use to describe what she was feeling, though she supposed it came close. Lucy was exhausted, and some sleep or silence away from everybody else would go a long way towards helping her process everything that had happened.

Her eyes flitted down to Rayne’s sleeping form. Her friend’s hair raven locks were spread haphazardly across the blanket, and she had curled into almost a ball. A smile touched Lucy’s eyes as Rayne mumbled something unintelligible. Lucy looked up at the sky. The stars seemed to shine brighter than usual after their time underground, twinkling like candles against the black. The moons stood large, their light casting a soft glow onto the ruins. She looked back down, and continued her work. Pick up. Examine. Test. Categorize. Catalogue. One after the other. She stopped for a few moments as they passed the Sand wyrm’s corpse. Scavengers had already torn holes in the creature’s hide to get at the meat underneath. Strangely, there was no scent of decay.

Eventually, they came to the airship. Aria stood next to it, arguing with Lynn in a hushed voice. He glanced up at them, and Aria abruptly stopped speaking, a look crossed her face too quickly to be identified. “Let me help load up the ship.” She said, walking over to the cart, her voice slightly strained. “Our Aria told me of some interesting events. It appears I should have come along after all.”

Lynn said nonchalantly. Heinric snorted, his eyes glimmering in annoyance. He was hungry, he was tired, he was hurt. “Would ’ave nae made a difference. We’d be dead were not fer the girls.” He snappedx, gesturing towards Lucy and a still sleeping Rayne. Lynn’s mouth turned into a line for a moment, and Richard smiled to try and defuse the situation. “So long as we’re all safe and the Airship is here, all is well.” He said carefully, and Lynn shrugged before climbing back onto the airship to open the loading ramp. “Could you not antagonize him, Heinric? I’m the one that told him to stay back.” Richard chided the old alchemist gently, who grimaced. After a pause, he breathed a sigh. “Aye” Came his short answer.

With little else to do but help, Lucy quickly got out of the cart. As far as she was concerned, the best thing for Rayne was rest, and the beds on the airship were luxurious compared to the blankets she was lying on now. She and Aria carried the sorted artifacts up the ramp and into the storage space. “Is this always so, um… exciting?” Lucy asked as she hefted another one of the boxes. Aria glanced at Lucy for a moment and quickly looked away, her expression unreadable.

“Not always. Usually.” She said after long enough that Lucy had resigned herself to silence. There was a tinge of guilt in her voice. “You could’ve told us, you know. What happened to your… friend?” Lucy said carefully, her voice trailing off. Aria grimaced and leveled her gaze at Lucy. “It wasn’t your problem.” She answered with finality, ice creeping into her tone.

Lucy returned the stare for a moment, anger welling up in her. It isn’t our problem that your last technomage died? She thought, before taking a deep breath to stop herself from saying anything. It must’ve been recently, she realized, and her anger softened into pity. It must have been difficult for them to see the place where it had happened again. “I’m sorry.” Lucy said, looking at the floor. She didn’t see Aria’s stricken expression, or the warrior’s quick glance at Lynn. They continued in silence.

Once the cart was empty of all but Rayne, Heinric gently picked the technomage up. “Ah’ll take ye ta yer room.” He said quietly to himself before walking up the ramp. Lucy watched him move carefully, so Rayne wouldn’t wake. She looked tiny in his arms. His side was bandaged from where he had been burned and he grimaced slightly at every step, but still he moved slowly. Lucy once again noticed his scars, some so white they glowed in the moonlight. She found herself wondering where he had gotten them. They couldn’t all be from blacksmithing and alchemy. She shook her head. It didn’t matter. Richard was right. What mattered was that they were safe. Now it was time to head back to the city.

Lucy followed Heinric up the ramp and past Lynn who said he would take care of the cart. Heinric thanked him, and carried Rayne into the room she was sharing with Lucy. He waited wordlessly as Lucy moved past him to pull down the covers, and then lay Rayne down on the bed. He straightened himself up, and patted the bandage on his side. “Ye did well.” He said simply, before taking his leave. Lucy felt her cheeks glow with pride at his words. She turned to Rayne, who was still fast asleep. “Come on. Let’s get those clothes off of you, at least.”

The click of the lock after she closed the door. Her humming filled the silence. She carefully removed Rayne’s jacket, detaching the conduit that connected to the temperature regulation system in her pants, and hung it from a peg near the door. Next went her boots, then her shirt and pants. Lucy sighed, as she realized Rayne wouldn’t be showering tonight. Resigned to that fact, the girl rolled the covers back up so her friend was under them.

Lucy had just taken off her own jacket when a curt knock sounded from the door. She unlocked it to find Lynn on the other side. “Magi.” He said with a small bow. Lucy returned the gesture. “Richard would like us to spend today resting. He wishes to have you raise the airship and then drop anchor, so we will not be disturbed overnight.”

“Okay, no problem. I’ll do that now then.” She answered. Another bow, his eyes lingering on Rayne for a moment before leaving. Lucy stared after him, taken aback at the intensity of his gaze. She shook her head, and closed the door careful behind her as she stepped into the hallway. Not too long after, the airship was floating securely above the ruins.

They would take turns on watch to make sure that a sudden storm didn’t hit, but Lucy didn’t expect that to happen. She leaned over the railing, looking out over the ruins. It was different, seeing them at night. Very different. The sand looked almost glassy, the stones looked soft. A breeze blew past, and she felt the airship shift in response. Her hair, loose from the ponytail she usually kept it in, tickled her neck as it moved.

She looked up at the moons. They hung in the sky. Today, all three were there. Sometimes they didn’t all appear at the same time. It somehow felt like a blessing, like things would be better. Lucy’s thoughts drifted, as if taken by the breeze, to the events that had transpired in the ruins below.

The sand wyrm, the catacombs, the statues attacking. She shifted into a stretch before scratching at the back of her head. It had been dangerous. Very dangerous. Stupid, even. To follow these people into this insanity. Still, one thing hung as far above these considerations as the moons hung above the ruins. It had been exciting.

Lucy had felt it blossoming slowly in her chest in the past few days. Having resigned herself to work in the guild for the rest of her life, she had laughed inwardly at Rayne’s burning curiosity about the world. Had chided her more than once about dreaming too big. Now however, as the ruins lay unchanging beneath her, she felt some of that herself.

Her feet carried her down into the airship. She wasn’t going to be on watch tonight. They needed her to fly the airship in case Rayne still wasn’t feeling well enough for it the next day. Opening the door to her room, Lucy felt fulfilled in a way that she hadn’t ever experience before. Like she had done something incredibly important. She showered quickly, her small smile evidence of her good mood, and fell asleep to the sound of Rayne’s steady breathing.

Rayne awoke with a pounding headache. Her eyes opened briefly into slits, letting in the glaring light of the morning. She groaned, turning over as her headache intensified. Other sensations started to filter through the pain. The soft bed beneath her. The sheets against her skin. The sharp, song-like chirping of alsamari. It all made her head hurt worse. Eyes still closed, her feet carried her to the bathroom. For a moment the pain in her head subsided as her shin struck the foot of the bed, making her curse out loud. Her foot shoved the door closed as her hands reached to start the shower as hot as it would go.

The soft thrum of magic was quickly replaced by the pitter patter of running water. Rayne, eyes still closed, tilted her head up into the stream. The heat and pressure against her skin blotted out some of the pain. She turned around, and took a deep breath as the water struck her back. She opened her eyes, and noticed that she was still wearing her undergarments. A sigh. She wondered for a moment how they had gotten her back onto the airship, but thinking hurt too. A quick adjustment to the water’s temperature. Cold, now. She braced herself for the change but still nearly jumped, her back arching, when it happened.

She sat, facing away from the showerhead. Her hair hung in her face, and threatened to follow the air into her mouth when she breathed. Rayne shivered, the icy water raising goosebumps on her skin. Slowly the pain waned, and each less painful wave was almost a relief. Her eyes closed again, and deep breaths filled her lungs before she stood. Another adjustment to the temperature, back to warm now.

A contented sigh escaped her lips as her back warmed. Rayne opened her eyes, and looked down at herself. The dirt and dust that must’ve been caked all over her body ran in rivulets down her skin, leaving black streaks against the light caramel. She blinked. The sheets must be filthy. She took off her undergarments, and began to scrub herself clean with soap.

Lucy opened her eyes, stretching herself into a yawn before sitting up. She blinked a few times, to clear the blurriness from her vision. Her eyes searched the room, the steam drifting in from underneath the bathroom door as much an indication of where Rayne was as the sound of water. It was a good sign. If Rayne felt well enough to get up and leave the bed, she would be fine. Lucy’s stomach growled, and she suddenly realized she hadn’t eaten before bed last night.

A swift kick to push the covers off before she turned to get up off the bed. Lucy saw the dirt on Rayne’s side of the bed and grimaced. Rayne would take care of it later, she was sure. For now, she would leave a note, and get up to the kitchen. She could smell food from her room, and her mouth watered at the thought of a hot breakfast before they started on their way back to the city. She got dressed quickly, leaving her jacket hanging beside Rayne’s, and nearly ran through the hall.

Conversation could be heard through the open door. It seemed like everyone was in a much better mood after a night of proper sleep. “Morning.” Lucy said as she entered. Heinric was sitting at the table, spoon dipping into a large bowl of oatmeal. He smiled at her briefly, and turned back to his food. “Good morning, Magi.” Lynn answered, eyes never leaving whatever it was he was frying on the stove. Aria, whose mouth was full of mutton, nodded at the girl. Lucy noticed warmth in her eyes that hadn’t been there when they had first met. Lucy pulled out a chair, and sat herself down. “Where’s Richard?” she asked, looking around.

“Probably mixin’ more o’ ’is medicines.” Heinric answered. “He’s eaten already.” Lynn answered. “Would you like some alsamari and honey sweetened oatmeal?” he asked. “By the way she’s looking at my food. Yes.” Aria broke in, and Lucy blushed in embarrassment. Heinric laughed, and Lynn fought a smile. “Very well. It will be out shortly.”

Twenty minutes later, Heinric was staring at Lucy in awe. “How are ye so skinny?” he asked, as she ate through her third bowl of oatmeal and was half-way through her second piece of alsamari. Lucy shrugged, savoring the flavor of the spiced skyfish. She swallowed, and drank a few gulps of water to wash it down before answering. “Technomages move around a lot. At least, in our guild we did. It turns out to be lots more exercise than people expect.” Lynn nodded from across the table, having finally sat down to eat his own breakfast of bread, cheese, and ham. “The magi of Altressa are some of the fittest citizens.”

“What about being fit?” Rayne asked absently, one hand on the doorway. “I smelled food. Is there any for me?” She continued, hair still damp from the shower. Aria blinked as if trying to clear her eyes and then glanced at Lynn, who was staring at Rayne like he had never seen her before. Aria bit back a laugh. It was the first time Lynn had seen Rayne dressed in anything other than her tehcnomage clothing. Her tight fitting pants struck a contrast to her loose shirt, which was slightly wet around the collar. Rayne noticed his gaze and stared back, unmoving, until he looked away. “I- yes. What would you like to eat?” He asked quickly. “Ye’ve struck ’im dumb” Heinric observed, grinning for a moment before he took a deep gulp from a tankard filled with something that was certainly not water. Lucy laughed.

Rayne had always made a game of embarrassing the people who gazed at her a little too long. She thought it was fun, and Lucy tended to agree. “Anything.” Rayne said in answer to Lynn’s stammered question, a small smile on her face. He stood quickly, cursing as he knocked over the chair. He flushed visibly as he righted it. Try as she might, Aria laughed out loud at his embarrassment.

Rayne sat down between Aria and Lucy, vacantly scratching her shoulder. She yawned, stretching like a cat. This time, it was Aria staring. Rayne met her eyes and stared back. Aria grinned wolfishly, and raised an eyebrow. “You’re much prettier without the technomage getup.” She nearly purred. Heinric shook his head. Lynn sighed audibly. Rayne blinked slowly and turned to look at Lucy, who nearly choked on her oatmeal laughing at the look of utter confusion on Rayne’s face. “Thank… you?” Rayne answered, still unsure as to what had just happened. Lucy took deep breaths to try and steady herself.

Aria nodded and stood. Her gaze, a hint of guilt, pity, and hunger in it, lingering on Rayne for a moment before she took her leave. Lynn returned to the table, studiously keeping his eyes on Rayne’s face as he handed her a platter with her food on it. “Pardon her, Magi. Those from the Koman Mountains tend to be more… forward… than others would expect.”

Rayne took the food wordlessly, and placed it in front of her. A slice of bread with cheese melted onto it, a vegetable omelet, and a piece of alsamari. Her stomach growled audibly. “I was just surprised.” Rayne said. Heinric glanced and Lynn, and shrugged. The giant stood. “Lucy” he began, and the girl looked at him expectantly. “Ah’ve got the materials ye took from the Wyrm. If ye want to use them.” He finished. Lucy, who had entirely forgotten about both the acid and the armored plate, nodded vigorously. “Please. Can I come to your room to look at them?” She asked, and he grinned. “Ah’ll be there.” He answered before inclining his head to them all and leaving the kitchen. Lynn followed suit after a moment, excusing himself quietly.

Rayne began to eat, and Lucy remained to keep her company. The two talked about what had happened in their first delve. Slowly at first, and then giddily. To Rayne, it was almost like being the heroine in one of the books she had read. Eventually, Lucy stopped her, and pointed down at the nearly untouched food. “Eat before it gets any colder, Ray.” She chided, and Rayne shrugged before taking a bite out of the bread. “We’re going again, aren’t we? If this was just the test?” Lucy asked, staring up at the ceiling. Rayne chewed slowly. She swallowed. “Yes.”

Silence settled over them. Not like the kind of silence that was biting, or harsh, but the kind that was like an old friend. They enjoyed each other’s company, small gestures, glances, and the occasional expression the furthest extent of their communication. “Go.” Rayne finally said, after the fourth time that Lucy’s eyes drifted towards the door. Lucy looked back at her, surprised. “I know you want to see the stuff you got from the worm thing. Go.” Rayne elaborated, making a shooing motion with her hands. Lucy smiled guiltily, and left with a wave.

Rayne stared after her for a moment, and then sighed. The creaking of wood as she stretched back into her chair. The clatter of silverware against metal as she placed a knife on the platter. Her eyes saw nothing as the image of Aria’s expression came to her mind. Rayne once more found herself curious. She had received sexual advances before, of course. Never had she been interested, however. Curious, but not interested. The thought of speaking to Aria about it briefly crossed her mind, but now was not the time. Rayne was certain she would sate her curiosity eventually, but she didn’t consider it particularly pressing or even important. Other things were far more so.

A hand went unbidden to the left pocket of her pants, once more finding the stone that Master Ethan had given her. She felt as if it were warmer now, than it had been when she had first lifted it out of the sphere. Her fingers gingerly lifted it out of her pocket, and brought it up in front of her eyes. It seemed to shimmer. There was another reason she had wanted to go on the delve that she hadn’t told Lucy. It had struck her that if there was no information about the stone that could be in the tower’s extensive library. If that were the case, perhaps she could find it somewhere else. Somewhere older. It warmed her hand as she gripped it tightly. Her theory had been rewarded. Rayne pocketed the stone again, before getting up to wash the platter and plates.