《Tales of Rifingale》 The Cantina la Terra The hardwood door was illuminated by the street lights. Cantina la Terra was one of the most famous establishments in the whole Terra Conglomerate. Jeff was happy that all other nations finally accepted this new republic and allowed free passage between borders. Maybe it was because the Conglomerate managed to create a pathway straight through the mountain range, dividing a continent in half. I was waiting for this opportunity long enough, especially since the star of the show was an acquaintance of mine. I left without warning, who knows how she might treat me. Two huge bouncers stood in foyer questioning anyone entering and maintaining order in the restaurant. And of course I was questioned as well. "Name." one of the bouncers barked. "Jeffrey Silvertongue" I said showing the holographic badge. "What''s that... Oh, pardon my manners, sir Silvertongue. I wasn''t expecting a High General from Aquilla to be here." I smiled "No need to worry. I have a seat booked in advance, you see. My old friend is going to perform here" "Say no more, sir. Allow me to lead you to your table." "Sure". The bouncer led me to the table, clanking lightly every other step with his prosthetic leg. It wasn''t uncommon in here to have metal replacing a limb or two. Finally we arrived to a seat in the front row, right beside the stage, taking the middle of the cantine. The sweet smell of wine and savory aroma of steaks attacked me from all sides, intriguing me. "The performance will start in roughly 10 minutes. I wish you a great time." the bouncer bowed a little and went back to his duty near the entrance. While waiting for the start, I ordered a dinner and a local drink, strong whiskey of some sort. The waiter described it as an extract of underground flowers grown with strong presence of mana flow, which sounded quite interesting to me. My order was delivered incredibly fast, not even a minute have passed, but for this I was ready to wait for the whole evening. The alcohol felt tingly on the tongue and somehow agitated my very soul, while the meat was saturated with local spices. Some gave a weird aftertaste, but somehow the combination of every detail left a pleasant impression. The strong drink though was my savior though. The ten minutes felt like ages and I desperately needed something it relax a bit. Soon the lights in the room dimmed and white cloudy crystals with soft edges, that took up the center of the table, began emitting warm glow. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope you had a great time this day!" began the announcer "You waited for her arrival for so long, and it be sure, no one will be disappointed today, for she is here! Dear audience, please meet, the world''s famous, Lady Isabella Erzivald!" The whole audience exploded in cheering, applauding and greeting Lady Isabella on the stage, as she lifted up from the middle with her band. Gods, so many years passed and she matured. Her demeanor radically changed from clumsy recruit, I used to remember, to the confident celebrity. Not a single time have I regretted that I listened to her songs back in the training camp. So much went into making her pursue the music career, I thought i''ll go bald. "Greetings, dear audience!" started Isabella, as she strode on the rim of the stage, walking around her band. "It is my pleasure to finally be here, in the greatest city of the Terran Conglomerate! So many technological marvels, my head begins to spin!" she jokingly pretended to faint. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. After a laughs died down, she continued "I hope you all will enjoy today''s performance just as much as I am enjoying your company today! The first song of today will is called "It''s been a long time", so let us begin!" the audience filled with cheering, welcoming the long-awaited music into the cantine. She weaved a spell, now holding a cyan rotating ball in her hands. The ball extended tendrils of mana, intertwining with her fingers and extending down her arm, as she took control over it. She adjusted a little and began the music introduction on the strange instrument of hers. The simple melody reverberated in the room, extending past the material world, at first soft and melancholic, akin to the sorrowful weep of longing. It gained and lost strength, emotions imbued into the vibrations of both air and mana, emanating from her magical instrument. It grew in complexity, becoming more rich as time went, as if maturing. The audience was captivated, I even heard a faint sniff from the back rows, but it was impossible to look away from the stage. Suddenly, she stopped, the music sounding a bit questioning and disbelieving. The sad theme became jovial and the band joined her one by one. The whole cantine was now filled with irregular swinging beats of drums, bulky and rich bass of metal stings, and faint melody of some kind of trumpet. The trumpet grew louder, as if approaching Isabella, intertwining with her melody, going inline with her theme and distancing itself. There was not a single word in the whole composition, but I could feel it was a song addressed to me. Memories flooded my mind, when I once overheard her experimenting with the sound of different magic in her tent. Back then I was angry with her ignoring my orders, but curiosity took hold of me and I for the first time listened to the very same melody she was now performing in front of dozens of people. It was after that I recommended her to the superiors of mine and she got a support of the Council itself, so that she could continue her experiments without financial difficulties. Meanwhile something in the music snapped. The trumpet disappeared from the composition, leaving empty void right in the middle of the song instantly sounding not as colorful and even bleak. Every person noticed this, but only I knew the meaning. I supported her aspiration and visited every her rehearsal. As a consequence, we grew closer, but our happiness was interrupted by my duty as a Captain. Our division was dispatched to the North, leaving her alone in the capital, with only her band supporting her. The song came to an end, still missing its key element, but suddenly the trumpet''s quiet theme sounded. The whole band stopped, as if listening attentively. The trumpet repeated its call, louder this time, and band answered. They intertwined again, now even more joyful than before, as the feelings of reunion emanated from her invention. The song ended, leaving everyone eager to learn the rest of the story, but alas, for now it was all she had to tell. A couple of seconds later, audience remembered their place and time and people, stunned from the unique experience, began clapping. Like a tide it consumed everyone, but it was only me who didn''t join them. I was too preoccupied staring blankly at Isabella, admiring her bright shine, like a moth admired a beacon in the night. It wasn''t until she looked directly at me did I notice a tears streaming down my face. Our eyes met and I darted towards the stage, as she leaped towards me, right into my tight embrace, totally ignoring all the people around us. It has been really, such a long time... Coming of Age Flight Morning sun rose on the shores of the Pikeport, illuminating the sleeping town. But, as it happens, not everyone is dreaming in the morning this day: from the hut on the edge of the cliff resounded voices of a young boy and an adult, echoing between stone pillars, supporting the city that hung above raging sea. "Can''t you sit still for at least a second?" "Ouch! Ouch!" "Last line, I promise" "You said that on the last circle!" "That wasn''t a circle." "Dad! I''m old enough to know how circle looks!" "Of course, of course! Now, can I add the last rune? Or else the diagram won''t work!" "Ugh, fine!" Short haired young boy sat in a middle of a spacious room, illuminated by golden light of sunrise, seeping through windows. Bright shine inevitably exposed dust lingering in the air or a library. The furniture wasn''t luxurious, but it couldn''t be called simple. Lacquered armchairs surrounded the desk, filled with books, scattered in disorder on the surface. The scruffy looking man sat on a small chair in front of his son. Every now and then he would straighten his leather vest and check the page of a tome to his right. In the grasp of his rough hands was the steel needle, which he used to finalise the details of a tattoo on his son''s palm. "Now turn around and give me your feet." said the man in warm tone taking a towel hanging from his triangular hat and wiping the forehead. The Captain took out a bottle labeled "numbwart extract", containing dark, oily liquid that gave off tingling and minty aroma. He thoroughly treated both of his son''s soles and began sketching circles with a sharpened piece of coal. "Hey, Jack?" "...Yes?" "Did you read the book I gave you yesterday?" "Well, I tried but..." "Ha-ha, I know that you didn''t! I mistook the advanced magic tome for the tales of the past. You know, I would be surprised if you really did read past the first page." "But I did. I just fell asleep on the third section about enchantment of sorts." "Wait, really? Then, can you show me the flight diagram I am drawing on your feet?" The boy waved his hands, concentrating on the shapes he saw yesterday. Line by line he added onto the circle, gradually forming the outline, resembling his feet tattoos. Shaping mana into something tangible was still incredibly hard for him, but the Ethereal Heart has almost formed in his astral body, giving him a lever in this endeavor. Father glanced at the process and whistled incredulously. The next moment, the diagram dissipated into nothingness and kid fell face first into the pillow, panting from mental exertion. "Oops, sorry. Didn''t mean to ruin your focus. You should''ve asked for a pen and paper though, It''s not like they are that expensive nowadays." "It''s not about the money!" "I know, you just wanted to flaunt your skills, and, to be fair, you succeeded. You know, I couldn''t form images until I became Captain. Then the need arisen to show maps and directions to people and I had to learn quickly." "Wasn''t it you who urged me to learn this stuff to impress other kids?" "Well, you are not wrong, but look how far you''ve came! Today is your first flight!" "Stop. What do you mean by today?" "It''s tradition every person capable of magic in Breezeborne undergoes when they are old enough. To become adult you need to taste the freedom, and there is no better way than having a flight!" "But what about training..." "No training."- Captain cut Jack short. Flying was a dream of any child, be it on the deck of an airship or with the help spells, it was equally compelling. But right now the young Jack wasn''t excited. Thoughts churned inside Jack''s brain, not giving him time to rest and prepare mentally for what was to come. What would happen if the diagram was wrong? Or what if he became so scared, it would stop working? It was hard to create a steady flow of mana at home, let alone in the air, and especially if there is no solid ground under your feet... What if... The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement."Okay, done! Can you try activating them?" Jack absentmindedly powered the circuits with mana and they glowed in a pleasant teal light, but the kid was still way too nervous to appreciate it. "What are you thinking about?" Captain asked, while checking the diagrams on Jack''s body. "Were you scared before your first flight?"- Jack asked quietly, looking into his father''s deep green eyes. Captain''s Tale Beads soothingly rattled, as he put on his hat. One of them symbolised his first flight as well... "Oh I definitely was. But my dad wasn''t having any of that. He was like a cliff behind my back, always ready!" "Ready to catch you?" "Yeah, right... More like, ready to push me if I don''t go myself.", "That''s cool..." Jack looked down in disappointment, but instantly his mind froze. He was prepared to see anything but green waves of Southern Ocean underneath. "A-a-and welcome back from dreamland! You powered your circuits so much you began floating and I just couldn''t resist leading you outside while you were overthinking!" The father was proudly smiling at his son, who was still unsure what to do in this situation. "What about now? Ready?" "..." Jack sneaked the last nervous glance on crashing waves down below. He closed his eyes, and calmly said "Ready!" Jack began falling, startling the Captain, but then jovial laugh resounded between the cliffs, as the boy took control of his flight and soared as high as he wanted, announcing his success to everyone in the town. "Hey, Captain Finch!" The burly man asked from the deck of passing airship. "Ain''t your lad more talented than you? Ha-ha, maybe one day he will command the Golden Wing in your stead!" "Oh, you rat! Don''t you dare wishing me to retire!" Captain faked his anger, but exploded in laughter soon after. "Though, he really is more skilled than me at his age... Say, Brown, do you have in mind a mage in need of an apprentice?..." Meanwhile, under the scorching sun in the air shimmering with colors of sunset, Jack was soaring and plummeting without a care in the world. He experimented, twisting loop after loop in the sky, and maneuvering between ragged cliffs of Pikeport, evading waves and stone pillars. Only after Jack was beginning to faint, did he decide to head home. Jack headed to the peak of a cliff, where on a porch in a rocking chair sat Captain Finch. Old man seemed to doze off while Jack was experiencing those priceless moments. The boy decided to soundlessly float past his father, but something caught his eye. In his hands lay two books in hard blue covers with titles written in golden, dimly glowing in the dark letters. One of them had the title "Advanced spellcasting. Tome II" , while other bore the name "Legends of Admiral Sparrow". The temptation was too much for a kid, so he began carefully moving father''s hands to set both of the books free. "Could''ve just asked, you know." calmly said Captain, nearly scaring Jack to death. "But I thought you are seeping!" "I pretended. I wanted to see what book will you pick, but you nearly snatched both without disturbing me. Here, you deserve them!" old man carefully floated both tomes towards his son. "T-Thank you, dad!" Jack put the books on table and tightly hugged his dad. "Please, please! Don''t strangle me yet!.." laughed Captain, but his face softened and he hugged Jack in return. "Happy birthday, Jack..." Aberration fighters
Earth was rumbling. In distance it was possible to see the epicenter of terrible forces of nature, with fiery dome encompassing a land inside. Every now and then explosions would shatter the silence of the fields. Behind the blazing flames two huge figures were rushing around, metal clanking at each of their movement.
"Man, is it really THAT hard to simply NOT DIE while casting a spell!?" A man in a golden and silver coated manasteel armor, that covered every inch of his body, was dashing side to side in an attempt to evade multitude of projectiles coming at him from every direction. In his hands an enormous sword revolved rapidly, protecting the knight from metal blades and fire charges. "Not everyone can control mana as well as you do" emotionless answer came in his direction. His comrade was hiding behind a huge tower shield, which seemed to be on a brink of shattering, but yet it was tenaciously protecting its wielder. "Then why are they still inventing Armageddon spells that will explode in a face one day? It hasn''t been a single day without a new aberration appearing!" "Pride, I think. And..." shield wielding knight bent back, evading metal spike rising from the ground in an attempt to impale him. -"... a pinch of overconfidence."- He then smashed the spike into splinters with a kick and began weaving a complex spell. "Hey, Leonard, I thought there are already enough spells already on the field!" "This one is fine."- Leonard finished his spell, instantly converting all fire around them into ice, encompassing them in frozen walls. "I take my words back. What was that?" a knight in bulky armor calmly walked towards his friend, while observing the scenery.
The ring of flames was gone, and fireballs turned into frozen spheres on the ground, harmlessly laying in piles. He even nonchalantly kicked a couple of ice spheres on his way towards Leonard.
"Council asked me to test this spell when we will meet fire based aberration." "Huh, a nice one to have. Why you though, I thought I am the Captain?" He said, while embedding his greatsword into the ground and leaning on it. "Elezar, in was you who ignored their advice about development path and now you don''t possess required organs to use it. Also, your body is too conductive." Leonard was checking his armor for cracks. Manasteel was the best protection and weapon against magic, but a skilled mages are able to control mana inside, so the only real use was dealing with aberrations. "What do you mean by that?" "It will rip you apart the moment you cast it." "..." Stunned Elezar blankly stared at his teammate. "You win this time, Leonard." "Were we competing in something?" "Forget it" he waved his hand and began stretching preparing for the next wave "You are too literal, mate. It''s hard to fool around you, especially mid-fight. I don''t want to spend next hour explaining." A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation."... Okay. Did you feel that?" "Yeah, whoever decided to experiment here really wanted to give us as much headache as possible. I will take on the abomination while you will cover me." Elezar took out his greatsword, effortlessly spinning it around a couple of times to check balance, and rushed towards a crack in an ice wall.
Leonard took his shield and began weaving another spell, sniping any stray fireball from the sky. He didn''t like fire based aberrations, since fire was his speciality, but their duty was to deal with anything that appears on the territory of Republic. He watched as Elezar danced around nothingness with the heavy sword of his, but he knew that in an astral world there is a real carnage happening. Too bad he couldn''t see it, only feel with his soul.
Meanwhile Elezar was busy using his manasteel sword to cut, slash, shatter, pierce and smite a horde of appendages the abomination grew. He wasn''t happy that an astral body of every mage who fails to control a spell acquires a dozen or two of tentacles, eyes and other limbs, but at least they were easy to cut with manasteel. He manipulated dense mana inside his sword to direct it mid-swing, threw it forward and pulled back, imbued it with spell after spell to set the monster ablaze and freeze solid. Eventually, the endless flow of claws, teeth and razors died down, and Captain managed to pierce the center of former mage''s body, dividing it in half. Instantly, everything around them dissipated, freeing knights from the barrage of spells. The ghost''s astral body began draining mana, making it deflate and lose shape. Now there was only vibrating crystal of deep violet hue laying where raging catastrophe subsided. The ground around them was scorched and covered in frozen mud, metal spikes towering over them. Elezar took out a bottle and carefully placed a crystal inside, avoiding touching it with anything but a pair of pincers. He then sealed it shut and observed it from all sides.
"What do you think the Council needs them for?" "They said something about amulets that would prevent aberrations from happening. Maybe they need remnants for tests." "But if they will create the amulet, will we be needed even?.." The idea that Aberration Fighters would become obsolete saddened Elezar. He was genuinely enjoying fighting dead mages. "Not really, there will still be mages daring enough to risk their lives for a perfect spell." "Yeah, there are always enough madmen. Take us for example!" "But I am sane." "Right...". - Elezar took his sword with disappointment and turned around. "By the way, what did you mean by "cover me"? Should I have cast a shield on you?" Elezar turned back and looked Leonard dead in the eyes "... Pfft! No way you said that just now! Ha-ha! HA-HA-HA" Elezar couldn''t contain his laughter, his loud voice resonating inside his helmet. Heavily panting, he looked at his unamused teammate. "What are your excuses, mate?" "Hmm, I guess I should have asked back than." "Ha-ha! Boys won''t believe this. Let''s go with us! The beer is on me!" The price Deep inside Great Barrier Ridge, in an underground city of Starforge, a red dwarf star slowly revolved in the middle of enormous man-made cave, painting the city buildings in crimson shade. In a couple of hours its light will be extinguished entirely, announcing the arrival of nighttime. Dark alleys, too distant from the only light source, were in constant darkness, only rarely diluted with dim street lights. In a damp street stood a man in baggy dark gray robe, casually leaning on a nearby building. He was motionless, his hands invisible inside his wide pockets. The robe was neatly layered and held by a number of belts, an outline of a holster for a weapon or an artifact slightly visible under the fabric. Then, heavy steps interrupted the silence. The owner of those steps removed his cape, revealing dirty disheveled hair and spoke first. His clothing was simple, but sturdy, clearly suitable for physical work. A cape was the only item protecting him from chilling underground currents of air. "Hey..." "Wassup." They looked at each other. The bald head of the dealer was clearly visible in dark surroundings. "You again?" "Yeah... Two packs of the same stuff." his weak and raspy voice unnerved the dealer. He hesitated, but asked anyway "Did you... Try to give up injections?" "Why? I''m too far gone now." "There are other ways..." "TOO LATE TO STOP..." The fist landed on him, almost tipping a man over from his unsteady stature. "Sorry, didn''t mean to hit you." "My bad..." said a client before spitting some blood. "You know, in Conflux doctors might help you." "Ha! They? Those magic obsessed republican bastards? No way." his agitation died down and a man sat on the ground, his back to the brick wall. "Why you think so?" "Fake hearts." gentle tap to the chest sounded vaguely metallic. "What happened?" the dealer say on the ground beside. "Incident in mineshafts. Almost got crushed by the machine." "The suit?" "Yeah, a heavy duty one. Crumpled like a foil under the cave in. Those maniacs in the ward brought me from the dead a couple of times. I was in debt to the company, so they wouldn''t let me die before it is repaid." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author."So these are..." the dealer pulled a vial from his robe and began inspecting the contents. Inside was shimmering blue and purple liquid, that gave off pale light. "Yes, to keep me alive. No other way of getting mana for a Null." "Shouldn''t they, like, provide you with mana injections?" "They do, but just so that my body would barely survive. Organs won''t fail, but the constant ache and burn drive me crazy. And on top of that, the price of a heart and injections also went into my debt." They both sat in silence, contemplating the exchange. After a long minute, dealer said again. "Breezborne might take you in." "For what reason?" "They always need new sailors." "How''d you know?" "Been there." the dealer was definitely onto something. "But still, I can''t use magic." "You already have an Ethereal Heart, even if it''s a fake one. Time to get an upgrade, in my opinion. One more piece and you are one of the Terran mages." "No more metal inside me, thanks." "Why not?" "..." "..." "Can I get my stuff?" "Answer me and you''ll get it." "... No tricks?" "No tricks." After a couple seconds of thinking over and reminiscing, a miner began his story. "When I began working there, those who were sensitive to mana got better salary. But there was a guy who got a fake heart a couple of years ago to become a mage. He worked fine for a while but... A leak in a capillary channel... We never managed to scrape him off completely." the memory made his shudder. "Was his piece like yours?" "Like two drops..." "Also a Null?" A man nodded. "Shit..." the deafening silence lasted one more minute. Both of them got things to think about. "Take that. Like promised." the dealer gave two vials to a client. "Don''t overdo yourself." "Never intended." the miner took his injections and got up, but remembered something. "Oh, right. What''s the price?" "A promise." "Hmm?" "Find me if you reconsider getting an implant. I know the best doc in The Hive." he said with hope. "Might. If I won''t be reduced to a puddle, that is..." the client went back where he came from, leaving the dealer alone in the same dark alley that never seen a shine of a star. 07. Power on! "The output is stable, continuing to increase the fuel intake," sounded a mechanical voice from a metal disc inscribed with glowing blue pathways, forming a circle diagram, which pulsed with mana. "Check the valves around the rim," answered the woman in dark goggles. She stood behind a glass wall, her face illuminated by orange flashes coming from a giant circular hall outside. With her hands behind her back, she had all her attention on the experiment. "On it!" came a response. "If things go well, the Firefly Corp will secure its place as one of the leaders in Hive," she said to her assistant. A skinny man, with his eyes also protected by goggles, looked up at the woman, "Hive? Are we making this for a Hive?" "Why the disgust? Half of our staff comes from the Hive." "But they live underground in mines!" "I came from Hive." "Ugh," man awkwardly stopped. Woman sighed, "You wouldn''t understand how much a simple sunlight means to those who come out to surface once a year..." "Fluctuations are rising. Should we reduce the flow to mana injectors?" said the man on the other side of the disk, his voice riddled with the hissing static. "No. Increase the speed of top stabilising rim, the reaction is rising from the fuel injected," she instructed, carefully observing the sight. In front of her was a glowing star, struggling to maintain its spherical shape. The fiery orb pulsed and spewed out arcs of matter, which hit an invisible shield and redirected to top and bottom of the machine, towards the stabilising rims. "We observe the pull on Astral Plane." "Good. How much?" she asked before turning to her assistant, "Add the improvements on shielding to the list." "Done..." said assistant, before hesitantly asking, "Say, miss Korwilde?" "Hmm?" "Uhmm... What is it like to live underground?" "I am glad you asked... Add the light ducts to the list as well. You see, when the Hive was first organised during the times of Magic Empire, its purpose was to reconnect the two sides, former Kingdom and Republic. The mountain ridge separated them after the war, and the only way of trade was with the help of Breezeborne." "Flying ships of Federation?" "Yes, them. It was easy to sail along the leylines, but the way around the mountain was too tedious. So, both sides dug towards each other through the mountain. Many mages perished during the project..." "It was before they found the crystalline mana veins?"Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "They found them almost immediately. My grandfather told me that their team took notice of them during digging and avoided an explosion... Anyways, the path was open. Yet, people wanted to mine those crystals. Careless picking at the walls caused a cave-in, once again cutting the road." "I know the rest, the Emperor started a new project aimed at mining, and so the Heart of the Hive was founded, every kid is taught that at class." "What they don''t teach you, surface dwellers, is that the conditions at those mines were terrific. Therefore, not many people wanted to move there. But Nulls... They had no work on top, so they volunteered." "The whole city of Nulls!?" "Not the whole, of course, but a sizeable part of population was insensitive to mana. But so you know, not being able to sense mana doesn''t mean a person is dumb. They began making tools to deal with their shortcomings," she sidestepped with a metallic clank, not letting her eyes off the pulsing orb. "Uhm... Miss Korwilde? Do you feel it?" "No, I don''t," she answered before saying into the disk, "Stabilisers on max output, stop the injectors, equalise the balance of levitators. Hold tight, the reaction is supercritical." "But how do you not feel it? The whole world is getting sucked into it!? Are you?..." "A Null, yes. It''s like you know me since yesterday. Get a hold onto your Soul. The leylines are approaching." The beam of light that powered the star from below gradually reduced in size, redirecting the power to other components. The whirring mana began rattling the loose items on their desk, but Korwilde was unfazed. She waited for reaction to become self-sustaining, and for that she had to cause a small cataclysm. Her smile widened, as she felt the tingling feeling on the back of her head. "Buckle up! Hold your Soul and pray for the best to whatever God you believe in! The connection is imminent in five!... Four!..." the rumble of the facility intensified, and the star''s brightness increased, scorching her face. "Too fast... Scrap that! NOW!" She ducked, avoiding the incoming flash. The disk emitted the mind-numbingly loud screech, drowning the strained grunts of the assistant. A couple of seconds later, everything quieted down, with only the deep hum of the machinery filling the room. Korwilde carefully peered out of the window. The glowing star was perfectly spherical, with occasional arcs lifting to the edge of the shielding layer. It''s size was impressive, barely a meter wide, but the light it emitted was barely different from that of the real sun... And that is all that mattered to her. "...wil... ...iss Kor..." came the voice from a disc. "...uc...eed?" "Are you alive?" asked Korwilde, finally leaving her post and walking towards the assistant. He was crouching and covered in sweat, but otherwise unharmed. "You are... insane..." he mumbled. "Sorry for that, I underestimated the pulling force. Can you stand up?" she stretched a hand to him. "Not now... I''ll stay here for a bit..." he said, out of his breath. "Sure. I''ll be in the control room. Come after you recover," she patted his shoulder and walked out of the room, a metal clank resounding through the corridors every other step. She was getting used to her new leg quickly. Most importantly, she had taken more countermeasures against incidents since the last disaster, which took her limb in the first place... "Miss Korwilde! We succeeded!" yelled a man, while running towards her from the control room. He reached miss Korwilde and began walking alongside her. "Yes, we did, Strum! Great work! Are people in the control room alright?" "Yes, the shielding and distance helped a lot! What are our plans for the future?" excitedly asked Strum, while fixing his glasses. "Now we need to observe it for a couple of days, and measure the power and light output. If everything is in check, then we can show it to leaders of the Corp." "We recorded the fluctuations at the moment of leyline collision. I thought you will like that." "Fluctuations?..." she mused, while checking the report. With a frown, she asked, "Where did this peak come from?" "Our guys believe it is the outcome of some outside interference. But..." "No one is so powerful, apart from the rulers. Unless... Someone great is looking after us." "Do you yourself believe in it?" Strum raised an eyebrow. "Nah, I''m joking. I saw the piece of pipe fly inside the star after the startup," she laughed lightheartedly. She was the only one watching the experiment through the glass. People would believe her. Even if there was no pipe...