ã€ŠYet Another Anime Isekaiã€‹


 01 An Unwanted Awakening

    When I woke up, I had turned into an anime heroine. Since I had gone to sleep as a male human, this was somewhat distressing.

    I didn¡¯t know it at first, of course. The first thing I really noticed was the ceiling. It wasn¡¯t mine. Wooden eaves overhead, sunlight pouring through the large window to light up a room that was like something out of a cottagecore fantasy. Wood floors and furniture, painted yellow flowers, the smell of grass and growing things from the window¡­

    ¡°Where the honey am I?¡±

    That was things two and three I noticed. Instead of a nice solid curse word, I said honey, and the voice that came out of my mouth was a high sweet lilting thing.

    I sat up, hand on my throat, and that caused thing four to become readily apparent.

    ¡°What the Frip!?¡±

    Even the sudden substitution of my well-deserved curse paled into insignificance at this. Two weights rested on my chest, weights which pushed the delicate frilly nightdress I most definitely had not been wearing last night out in a pronounced swell. A thick braid of vibrant pink hair hung over my shoulder to my waist. Floral pattern sheets and blankets curled around my waist.

    ¡°No. Way. It¡¯s impossible.¡± But the urgent signals from between my thighs and the soft weight on my chest didn¡¯t vanish. I lifted my hands to my chest, and squeezed gently.

    ¡°Ah!¡± The sensation was very real. My hand dove under the covers to feel my groin, and met only smooth flatness between my thighs, and folds of flesh that made my body tingle and shiver when my fingers brushed against them. Sensitive nubs of flesh stiffened on my chest, and my nightgown gained two very distinct points on top of the soft thrust.

    ¡°What the honeysuckle is going on?! Why am I a girl?!¡±

    Which is where you came in.

    I sat there in my impossible bed for a long moment, trying to process. It didn¡¯t get any easier, but the fact that nothing changed, and the sheer normalcy of the room eventually got me to throw back the floral comforters, and slide out of the bed. It really was the most charming cottagecore fantasy room. Floral decorations, cushions, and wood floors with throw rugs in the same warm pastels and floral patterns.

    I slid my legs out of bed, a part of my brain noting as I did, that they were quite long and shapely. Tiny feet hit the floral pattern throw rug, and I stood up, padding softly over to the dresser with the large mirror. Large soft blue eyes met mine. The girl in the mirror looked to be in her late teens. She had long bright pink hair in a thick braid that trailed to her waist, a frankly adorable soft oval of a face with pouted pink lips, and a rumpled nightie (quite modest) with (again) a floral pattern.

    ¡°What the honeysuckle is going on?!¡±

    The girl in the mirror had the most adorable pout. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to stomp my foot and demand ¡°And why can¡¯t I swear!?¡±

    An older feminine voice called from beyond the door. ¡°Lilyanna! Breakfast is ready! Hurry up, or you won¡¯t have time to eat before the town festival!¡±

    My mouth replied without any interaction from me. ¡°Coming, Mother!¡±

    I stood there stunned for a bit, blinking. Mother!? Town festival? What is going on!?

    A sort of¡­ mental ¡®nudge¡¯ started poking me. It wasn¡¯t like when it made me reply to the woman outside the door¡­ but it was most definitely directing me, and becoming more insistent by the moment.

    I suppose you¡¯ll laugh, but I really didn¡¯t know what else to do¡­ so I let it guide me, hoping that I could figure out what was happening as I went on.

    The nudges directed me to shuck my nightie, and as I did so, a small crystal pendant bounced against my chest. I stopped and stared at it.

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    ¡°Well. I guess that settles it¡­ I¡¯m in the body of an anime heroine alright.¡± I picked up the pendant and examined it. It was remarkably pretty and sparkled with a rainbow of colors like it held a prism inside itself.

    It was very strange, feeling my body guiding me on how to put it on, but really, I had no choice, with all my new bumps and curves I had no idea how to get dressed. What struck me most (outside of the very strange feeling of seeing a girl¡¯s secret panty drawer (all white!) and then casually pulling them on) was just how¡­ anime-fantasy the outfit was. It was almost a platonic ideal of what you¡¯d expect the anime heroine to wear. Modest, yet clinging. Layered skirts flared by the swell of my hips and falling to midcalf. Subtle floral patterns at hem and sleeve. High heeled leather boots white stockings. Which, now that I thought about it, fit with my pink hair and blue eyes and general anime heroine vibe.

    ¡°Now all I¡¯m missing is a magic staff¡­¡± I murmured softly.

    The nudges had me unbind my braid and hurriedly comb and brush out the long fall of pink (down to my hips!) before pulling it back and tying it with a bow. It was a good thing that whatever was piloting me knew how to do that, because I had no idea how to even start¡­ but by the time I was done and gave a reflexive glance in the mirror, the results were obvious. The platonic ideal of an anime jrpg heroine gave a quick bright smile and then a little wave to her reflection and then dashed for the door to her room hurrying down unfamiliar stairs and hallway with distressing familiarity to a large kitchen that looked equally fantasy cottagecore, with wide wooden beams, a large farmhouse table and a warm roaring fire, and a matronly looking woman who smiled at me.

    ¡°Good morning, Lilyanna!¡± she greeted me warmly, turning from the stove to slide a heaping plate of food onto the table in front of a chair.

    I felt a shock of impossible recognition. I¡¯d never seen this woman before in my life, but my heart was suddenly filled with a mix of powerfully strong affection and teenage exasperation. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you slept in as long as you did, with how excited you were last night!¡± I found myself sitting without realizing it, replying ¡°Yes Mother, I know. I was so excited I¡¯m afraid I stayed up too late!¡±

    The food really was astonishingly good, and apparently, I had impeccable manners, since I was taking dainty¡­ ladylike, even¡­ bites and not making even the slightest mess, despite the dripping syrup, gravy, and bacon grease of the astonishingly good meal. It was so good, I almost forgave whatever turned me into¡­ Lilyanna, I supposed my name must be.

    My¡­ mother? Continued to talk as I ate.

    ¡°It¡¯s been 17 years now since you arrived at my doorstep, wearing only that mysterious pendant of yours. I¡¯ve always thought of you as my daughter, even though we¡¯re not truly related-¡°

    Hold on, what?! Was this¡­?

    ¡°-and in two days you head to the cavern of trials to have your coming of age ceremony. I¡¯m so proud of you!¡±

    It is! I¡¯m getting a jrpg intro?! Who talks like this? ¡°I know, Mother.¡± This other me clasped my hands in front of my bosom. ¡°You may not be my mother by blood, but you are the mother of my heart!¡± ¡­ Oh. Apparently, I do. Or at least, Lilyanna does. The Lilyanna part of me continued to pour out her earnest heartfelt feelings which amounted to ¡°I love you too, Mother.¡± And then gave a little cry of distress. ¡°Oh no! It¡¯s starting soon! I¡¯ll be late!¡± And then that familiar ¡®nudge¡¯ picked me up and dashed me out the door. I was briefly grateful that this other me knew how to run in heels. Quite adeptly, too, otherwise I would be face down in the gravel! I skidded to a stop at the end of the gravel path, hearing my mother calling after me.

    ¡°Lilyanna! You forgot your purse! And your lunch!¡±

    Oh my god, is this-?

    And sure enough, as I ran back to my mother, she handed me a small bundle and a purse, saying ¡°I¡¯ve packed a little something extra for you. Don¡¯t be afraid to come back and rest whenever you need to.¡±

    -starter gear and money! And the usual exhortation to come back and rest and not overdo it!

    I was briefly torn, thinking I don¡¯t want to be an anime heroine! Something terrible is going to happen!

    And with that exact thought, my otherself hugged my mother tight. ¡°Thank you so much Mother. I love you!¡± and then I turned and dashed down the path towards the town square.

    ¡°Hold on, stop, me!¡± I hauled myself to a stop, skidding on the dirt road, bosom heaving slightly. ¡°Just¡­ stop! I don¡¯t want to be a heroine!¡± that ¡®nudge¡¯ picked up, prodded me fiercely. I was clearly supposed to be heading to the town festival! ¡°No! If I go there something terrible will happen!¡±

    Although¡­ what if something terrible happens, and I¡¯m not there¡­? Hold on, the anime heroine is the white mage! If I don¡¯t go, people could be really badly hurt! Or die!

    Even as I felt that, a bubble of fear and worry blossomed in me¡­ it was so strange, as though I was feeling two hearts, two sets of emotions, both feeling the same. Me and¡­ Lilyanna in sync¡­ my hearts squeezed with the thought that I could help and wouldn¡¯t, and I let out a little cry as something blossomed in me, the crystal pendant around my neck burst into a brilliant white light.

    <{Spiritualist} Unlocked. Thanks to the purity of your heart and the strength of your emotions, you¡¯ve unlocked {Spiritualist:1} You may learn one spell.>

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± and I sat down hard on the gravel path, my feet folding to either side of my hips as the light in my pendant went out. ¡°Oh no. I¡¯m in an isekai.¡±

 02 An Unexpected Tutorial of the Tutorial level

    I sat there; calves splayed to either side of my hips chewing my lower lip. ¡°Ok. Ok Lilyanna. Think. Think. What¡¯s going to happen to the village? Well, it always gets destroyed. Almost always. Better to assume destroyed. Why. Ok, evil empire or godbeam or something terrible looking for¡­ oh no.¡± I pulled the crystal pendant out from under my dress and looked at it. ¡°Looking for this, probably.¡± I bit my lip harder. ¡°Do I give it to them? Well no, of course not, I¡¯ll be at the cave¡­ but what if I wasn¡¯t.¡± I slapped my cheeks. ¡°Get it together Lilyanna. This is insane. Am I seriously going to give the villain the thing they need to end the world because they didn¡¯t get enough love as a child?¡± I paused. ¡°Well¡­ am I?¡±

    I¡¯d always wondered about this. What would happen if I turned it over? A game over, if it was even possible in the video game world of course. The whole point obviously was the adventure and resistance. But did this count as the real world? I looked down at the swell of my chest, and then pinched my cheek hard. It hurt. A lot!

    ¡°Ok. Ok, fine.¡± I picked myself up off the gravel road and leaned on a nearby fence, dusting myself off. ¡°Ok. Working on the assumption that we are not, in fact, in an elaborate dream realm or kidnapped by the fae or being used as an AI¡¯s science experiment¡­¡± I let out a slightly broken laugh. ¡°And who can say I¡¯m not, this is so impossible already!¡± I slapped my cheeks again, the sting of the pinched flesh grounding me a little. Regardless of how I felt as winding up as an anime heroine-

    Which, honestly, I do not want at all!

    -it¡­ did not seem likely to lead to any kind of good end to give the guys who want to end the world what they want to end the world with. What did I know? What did I¡­ well what did I know? There didn¡¯t seem to be any kind of helpful voice or text interface popping up after that first system announcement.

    ¡°Hey! Voice! System? Access? Level? Status?¡±

    Nothing obvious happened, which made me grumble. ¡°What kind of honeysuckle game world doesn¡¯t even have a tutorial!? I didn¡¯t even get to meet a tsundere goddess or get OP magic powers!¡± I stopped, and then lifted my necklace to my eyes again. ¡°Or¡­ did I?¡± I shook my head after a moment. ¡°No, I did not. Even if it¡¯s a world ender, or Holy, or the key to the technodungeon moon city, I don¡¯t know how to use it, so right now it¡¯s only badguy bait.¡±

    I huffed out a angry breath and stomped my foot. ¡°What the honey good is it to know I¡¯ve got a level of Spiritualist if I don¡¯t even know what that means! What kind of video game doesn¡¯t have a tutorial?!¡±

    The sound of distant laughter reached me, and I looked up, catching sight of brightly colored banners in the distance waving in the breeze, and the bustling of figures in what must be my beloved peasant village.

    ¡°Riiight. The festival! That must be the tutorial level! And the village can¡¯t come under attack until after that, and the cave of trials sure sounds like the excuse for me to be away¡­ so¡­ so I¡¯ve got a week at least! Right.¡± I pressed my lips together and nodded decisively to myself. ¡°Ok. Lets¡­ lets go see if anything in this mad world makes any sense. And then see if I can figure out how to escape.¡±

    ***

    The town was small but lively, and I found that despite the walk I wasn¡¯t even breathing hard or even feeling slightly winded. Apparently, this new body of mine came with some advantages to compensate for the drawbacks.

    Of course, given that I¡¯m expected to be hiking to honey and back across a continent, it wouldn¡¯t do for the maiden to need to be carried everywhere. I grumbled mentally.

    The village also looked like it pulled out of an anime and brought to life. Brightly colored banners everywhere, the smell of delicious food wafting through the air, the shouts and sounds of laughter and friendly chatter. The center of town was dominated by a picturesque fountain surrounded by small market stalls and rippling colored pennants on ropes strung from building to building. I stopped near one of the stalls to take it in, and the little old lady behind the counter started talking to me.

    ¡°Oh, Lilyanna dear! So good to see you! Thank you for helping me in my garden yesterday! Here, I brought you some apples as thanks!¡± She handed me a large basket filled with apples, which I took, bemused. What? No notification ¡®basket of apples-get!¡¯? No inventory notices?

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    My otherself took the opportunity to speak for me.

    ¡°Oh, thank you so much Mrs. Buxby! You really shouldn¡¯t have; it was no trouble at all! In fact, I should be thanking you!¡± my cheerful sweet voice informed both of us. It went right on without me. ¡°I love working in the garden and helping make things grow, so it was really like a gift to me!¡±

    The old woman chuckled at me while I rolled my eyes at this other me internally. Really, me? Really!? I could not be more goody two shoes if I worked at it. Which I suppose is good, since I¡¯d never pull off this honey and milk persona if I had to fake it myself.

    ¡°Now dear, don¡¯t refuse an old woman¡¯s courtesy, take them and be welcome. Maybe I¡¯ll ask you to come and ¡®play¡¯ in my garden again, hm?¡±

    I felt myself smile and do a little dipping curtsey to the woman. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it then.¡± I hoisted the apples in one hand. ¡°And thank you. I¡¯m sure Mother and I will love them!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure your mother can make some wonderful tonics and potions with those; they have a strong elemental aura to them.¡±

    Hey what now? My mother makes potions!? Is she a witch or something?!

    ¡°Oh! That reminds me, dear!¡± Mrs. Buxby continued. ¡°Your friend Soriya was looking for you! She said she¡¯s got something to show you! She¡¯s been working very hard on her stall for the festival, you should go and see her. She¡¯s just finished setting up by the fish pond where they¡¯re holding the fishing contest. Just take Melody lane over to the Quayside, then turn right at Mistletoe lane.¡± She chuckled again. ¡°Her dress is really something to see.¡±

    Really? Well now. Seems like this is the right place for the tutorial level. Thank you mrs random npc.

    It was odd, but even thinking of her as ¡®random¡¯ seemed¡­ very wrong to me. Like a bad taste in my mind, or hearing a discordant twang in music. She had introduced herself, she clearly thought well of me, and she¡­ she wasn¡¯t ¡®just¡¯ an NPC.

    I hesitated for a moment, and then said ¡°Mrs. Buxby¡­¡±

    I stopped, unsure what might be ¡®outside¡¯ a topic. But then¡­ I needed information.

    ¡°What is it, Lilyanna?¡±

    ¡°Is there¡­ is there someone at the festival that can tell me about class levels?¡±

    Mrs. Buxby¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oh!? Have you gotten a new class level?! That¡¯s wonderful, Lilyanna dear! Did you add to your {Orator}, or have you unlocked something new?¡±

    Well that answers that question. And opens up a whole lot more.

    ¡°Uh, yes, I did.¡±

    ¡°Oh that¡¯s marvelous, dear! Yes, of course, the guild proctor is here, just like every year, at his booth. You should go see him! He¡¯s over there, past the fourth alley and up the rise, just past cobbler¡¯s park.¡±

    Does anyone even realize how weird it is that¡­ hang on. That might just be the exact question.

    ¡°Mrs. Buxby, how long have you known me for?¡±

    ¡°Oh since you were a baby, the night you arrived on your mother¡¯s doorstep, a little bundle of mystery!¡±

    ¡°And¡­ I¡¯ve come to town often, right? Since I¡¯ve lived here my whole life?¡±

    ¡°Why yes dear, what are you getting at?¡±

    Hm, no confusion there, no repeated dialogue.

    ¡°So¡­ Please don¡¯t take this the wrong way, I mean you no insult¡± my otherself barged into the conversation, apologizing for me. ¡°If I¡¯ve lived here my whole life, and I¡¯ve been to town often, why are you giving me directions to streets that I know?¡±

    Mrs. Buxby blinked at me slowly, clearly confused. ¡°Why¡­ what a strange question dear. I¡¯ve never really thought about it. It¡¯s just¡­ how I¡¯ve always given directions.

    Hm. I wonder¡­

    ¡°Could you¡­ try to tell me how to get to-¡± what¡¯s here, what¡¯s got to be in a tutorial level¡­? ¡°-the physical contests without giving me specific directions?¡±

    Mrs. Buxby thought about it for a long moment, and then said ¡°The strength contests are over by Old Man Wither¡¯s farm. You know the one, by the old cherry tree-¡°

    She bit down on the inside of her cheek, and as she did, I heard/felt that distinct twang of wrongness to the world, of something off cue, off balance in a very bad way.

    ¡°-Oh that sounds so wrong, doesn¡¯t it?! You know the one, up Appleblossom Way, left on Stardust road, and then past Dragon Street.¡± She sighed in relief and I could feel the tension, that strange sense of wrongness, dissipate.

    Well. That answered a few more questions and raised a few more, didn¡¯t it?

    While I wasn¡¯t paying attention, my body dipped another curtsey and announced ¡°Thank you again for the apples, Mrs. Buxby! I¡¯ll go see Soriya right away!¡± and hurried away.

    Goodness, I even have a girly run, arms out to my sides like this.

    I was starting to get the hang of it though. Both the running in heels and the ¡®nudge¡¯ feel of this other me directing me along the picturesque anime village streets. So. Childhood friend huh? I chewed my thoughts while this other me ran to meet her friend. Girl friend, which is not what I expected¡­ but then I¡¯m not playing the hero now am I? No. Mysterious past, mysterious amulet, orphan taken in¡­ no, that¡¯s not the hero¡¯s childhood friend arc at all.

    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was me following the directions, or my otherself¡¯s knowledge of the way, or¡­ or even if there was a difference. A deeply uncomfortable thought, given that I bounced in uncomfortably alien ways, even if I was learning how to run in low heels.

    I popped out of the narrow alley and was confronted by another large plaza, this one fronting a small dockside quay. by a large pond or small lake. ¡°Oh. Of course there¡¯s a fishing contest.¡±

 03 A Witchy Meeting

    I scanned the crowd at the quay, suddenly wondering how I was supposed to find this ¡®Soriya.¡¯ My otherself seemed to know who people were without question, but to me, it was a sea of shifting anime hair colors and the smell of lake water and fish. It was frustrating being short! Why did nobody ever mention this problem!? I needed to climb things to see over the crowd, or make a series of hopping jumps to see over the heads of anyone!

    I¡¯m sure I look absurdly cute, but this is super irritating! Plus bouncing is painful¡­ I suddenly realize why sports bras are a thing! Is this why girls like tall boys? To see over crowds for them?

    At the height of one of my jumps however, I spotted a figure in a dark blue floppy witches¡¯ hat near the quayside waving at me enthusiastically and the problem of how to identify Soriya went away. I was hit with the exact same emotional resonance effect that I had experienced when I first met my ¡®mother.¡¯ A surge of affection and excitement and recognition for this person that I had never seen before in my life.

    Huh. I didn¡¯t feel that way with Mrs. Buxby. I wonder if I¡¯ll feel the same when I meet the rest of my party? I shook my head and slapped my cheeks a bit. ¡°What am I saying, I don¡¯t want to meet the rest of my party, that way lies an adventure!¡±

    I started pushing through the crowd towards Soriya. Or rather, I started too, and my otherself took over for me.

    ¡°Excuse me. Pardon me. I¡¯m ever so sorry, excuse me?¡± she said ever so sweetly.

    And¡­ they did!

    ¡°Oh, Lilyanna! Of course, I didn¡¯t see you there!¡±

    ¡°Oh Lilyanna, Soriya¡¯s waiting for you! That must be where you¡¯re going.¡±

    ¡°Hoy there, make a path! Lilyanna needs to get past!¡±

    And the crowd melted away to either side leaving a narrow but clear path towards the stall. I hurried through it, my otherself thanking the various people I passed by name.

    Wow, she really does have a connection with everyone in the village. I guess that makes sense?

    My body carrying me along as I took in the increasingly improbable sight of the booth. It was a simple stand, a wooden banner overhead held up by stakes on either side of a table draped with dark blue cloth. Graceful fluid script in an exotic fantasy alphabet graced the banner and the cloth. At first, they didn¡¯t make any sense at all. I¡¯d never seen letters like this! But as I kept looking, they unscrambled themselves in my head as I stared at them.

    They read ¡°Witchery Help 5?¡± on the placard overhead. And then along the front of the cloth hanging down from the table ¡°The Witch is.¡± Hanging from a hook next to that was a small wooden plaque with ¡°In¡± neatly written on it. I couldn¡¯t help it, I burst out in giggles, my hand flying to my mouth.

    So Charles Schulz is popular in final fantasy? I think not! The multiverse has a sense of humor! How funny! ?¡­? I wonder if that means this universe uses zeni?

    It was clearly a cosmic coincidence though, since all up and down the wooden supports for the placard were small bundles of herbs and little advertisements bearing smaller script such as ¡°midge charms a specialty¡± and ¡°ask about our guaranteed pixie repellant.¡± Plus, she seemed to actually be able to provide help, unlike Lucy.

    The girl behind the booth counter was just as interesting as her booth however. She was about six centimeters taller than me. Below her dark blue floppy witches¡¯ hat, bright violet eyes alight with intelligence and mischief set in a smiling-

    And of course, predictably¡­

    -attractive face were framed by long dark indigo blue hair which fell to her hips.

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    Well of course. I felt a bit resigned. ¡®Ya gotta have blue hair¡¯ after all¡­

    As Mrs. Buxby predicted, her dress was indeed something to behold. It showed off Soriya¡¯s figure to quite an alarming degree. I could see why Mrs. Buxby had commented on it! I was surprised and irritated to feel a stab of jealousy looking at her.

    Huh. I guess miss honey and milk isn¡¯t entirely sweetness and light. I can see it. I¡¯m pretty, but she¡¯s sexy!

    A very low-cut white blouse with a black and blue bodice which accented her waist and bosom. A slit skirt cut high on both hips with the front and back of the skirt falling to her knees, with what looked like a lace microskirt under it. Multiple belts around her waist into which were tucked a wand, what had to be a spell book, and numerous small pouches and vials. Black thigh-high stockings and detached sleeves with witchy looking bangles on ankle and wrist, and a pair of high heeled pumps.

    ¡°Lilyanna! There you are! I was starting to wonder if something had happened to you!¡± her voice was warm and extremely energetic, her pitch a bit lower than mine, but not by much.

    Oh dear. She¡¯s the genki girl?! The sorceress is the genki girl? Is that even legit?!

    My body knew how to reply though, even I was at a loss to do much but ogle the living anime witch girl in front of me. It stepped me forward and drew Soriya into a quick hug which was returned enthusiastically.

    Gah, why are girls always hugging each other!? So weird!

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I¡¯m late, I had to stop on the road to town, and then I ran into Mrs. Buxby, and she gave me the apples and you know how it is! But I¡¯m here now! Gosh, your booth looks amazing! I¡¯m so excited for you!¡±

    Hm. I guess practice makes perfect¡­ that was easier than I expected. Do I¡­ actually like her?!

    ¡°Ooh, you¡¯re lucky you escaped alive then!¡± Soriya giggled, then gestured grandly to her booth. ¡°Welcome to the Wonderful Witches Wand and Wondrous Workshop!¡± She announced grandly.

    I couldn¡¯t help it, I giggled, hand over my mouth. ¡°Oh Soriya. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s so you.¡±

    ¡°Why thank you!¡± She replied, eyes sparkling. ¡°I have to show it off to somebody, I¡¯m glad you made it- Oop! ¡®Scuse me!¡± She scurried around behind the table as one of the villagers approached. He smiled and greeted me by name, then started bartering with Soriya for a batch of poison powder for killing insects in his garden. Listening to the conversation, I could see that Soriya was well liked too, if regarded as more than a bit spooky. I could feel a very strange tension building in my head, behind my eyes. Soriya was talking about poison and lightning and ice and fire magic with the kind of enthusiasm that a serial killer might have, but that otherme couldn¡¯t see anything wrong with that, didn¡¯t understand why the villager was happy to leave quickly. I rubbed at my temples to ease the strain I could feel building there.

    Seriously, this honey and milk persona is a bit much. Your best friend is crazy, can¡¯t you see that?!

    ¡°Lilyanna? You ok?¡±

    I looked up and smiled at Soriya. ¡°Yeah. Sorry, just¡­ yeah. I wanted to go see the guild proctor. I got a new class, and I wanted to find out what it does.¡±

    Soriya bounced on her toes ¡°Oh, oh! That reminds me. I wanted to tell you! I learned a new spell too! Lets go together! Also, Mr Jemson¡¯s stall over there has apple tarts to die for, and there¡¯s a jeweler from the imperial city that has the most amazing crystals, and-¡°

    I held up my hands giggling. ¡°Ok, ok! I get the idea. But what about your stall?¡±

    ¡°Oh! No problem!¡± she knelt down and flipped the wood plaque on its hook from ¡®in¡¯ over to the ¡®out¡¯ side, then hurriedly scrawled a quick note on the desk.

    ¡®Gone to see the fair, take what you need and leave the ? in the box. I¡¯ll know!¡¯ She added a surprisingly cute frowny face drawing with a witches hat on it.

    ¡°There! That should do!¡±

    I blinked several times. While I was goggling at the ridiculous nature of it all, otherme said ¡°Really Soriya, are you trying to scare away customers!?¡±

    That¡¯s really not the issue me! How can a town this small have no crime?! Or¡­ I guess the spikey haired hero hasn¡¯t visited town yet, to steal everything not nailed down? This universe makes no sense! I rubbed at my temples again.

    Soriya looked at me in concern again. ¡°You know, if you have a headache we could stop by your mother¡¯s? Doesn¡¯t she make a tonic?¡±

    I smiled at her awkwardly, and shrugged. ¡°I¡­ I suppose so, but that would mean going all the way back. And we¡¯re here now, and I¡¯m sure apple tarts cure a headache!¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°Oh, so now you¡¯re a healer?! Do you prescribe sweets for everything? Here¡¯s a candy for your scraped knee. Sorry about the broken bone, have a pie!¡±

    I could feel both of myselfs scowling. ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± both of us protested.

    Soriya grinned at me unrepentantly. ¡°Sure it¡¯s not. Just so you know, for those of us who don¡¯t keep our figure effortlessly slim, I think such a rich cure might not work as well.¡±

    Feeling a gentle goading from my otherself I replied primly ¡°It¡¯s not my fault my mother lives so far outside of town. You should try walking some too you know.¡±

    ¡°Exercise?! Ugh, perish the thought! Never! I¡¯ll enchant a broom and ride it!¡±

    I laughed at the image. ¡°Come on. Show me the apple tart stand.¡±

    She laughed and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the crowd.

 04 Sinister and not so sinister omens

    The village fair really was wonderful. Unlike every jrpg I¡¯d played, the booths were filled with real items and the people behind them all knew me. Well¡­ they knew Lilyanna, anyway. And she apparently knew them. It was strange, but not exactly unwelcome to be greeted warmly at each booth, to be offered free samples or advice or just a cheerful hello.

    And the apple tarts really were delicious. Soriya was right about that. They didn¡¯t give out the big ones for free though. The village, it turned out, did call their money ¡®zeni¡¯. Small round metal disks with pictures and numbers stamped on them, I couldn¡¯t tell you what any of them meant.

    ¡°You see, this is why I like hanging out with you!¡± she enthused as we munched on the latest free samples that had been given to us at the past booth. ¡°Everyone loves you, and you get all the coolest free stuff! Plus, you actually are fun to hang around.¡± She said this last almost as though she was surprised. I stuck out my tongue at her in response.

    She laughed again. ¡°So, where to now?¡±

    I smiled at her impishly. ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t want to visit even more of the food stalls? I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t eaten absolutely every free sample.¡±

    ¡°Rude! They¡¯re your free samples, I¡¯m just helping a friend out!¡± she affected an air of wounded innocence that worked entirely too well on her. It was strange. I¡­ I liked her. I¡¯d never met this girl before in my life, but we really seemed to hit it off. And not just this other me, but me me as well. It was a pity that nothing made any sense otherwise and I wanted to get home before I was dragged into an epic quest of some kind! Still¡­ a witch could be really useful for knowing stuff.

    ¡°Right, ok. You could try being a little less spooky you know. Get some free samples of your own.¡± I parried while I thought.

    ¡°And ruin my witchy reputation!? People don¡¯t come to a witch for cheerful home baked apples or to help them weed! Besides, that¡¯s what you¡¯re for, right?¡±

    ¡°Now who¡¯s being rude?¡±

    This time she stuck out her tongue at me. ¡°I¡¯m just stating facts. Everyone loves Lilyanna because Lilyanna helps everyone.¡±

    ¡°I just help people who need help. But right now, I need to see the guild proctor. And you were going to show me your newest spell.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s right! Your new class! I haven¡¯t seen you in a week and suddenly you¡¯ve got a new class level! I bet I know what it is though.¡± She grinned.

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly.¡±

    ¡°Bet?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± I dug through the coin pouch my mother gave me, and Soriya stopped me, waving her arms. ¡°No no no no! Not MONEY! A favor! Witches always deal in spooky favors and stuff, right?! It¡¯s tradition!¡±

    ¡°But I do you favors all the time.¡± At least, so the vague feelings of otherme told me.

    Soriya made a face. ¡°Technically you haven¡¯t done me any favors, since we haven¡¯t seen each other. You know, for a week. But I¡¯ll let it pass. Do we have a deal?¡±

    I thought about it. How much could this universe actually know me? How much did a witch know about how the universe worked? Anyone with an isekai¡¯s knowledge would know of course, it was obvious what I was. Pink hair, prim demeanor, sweetness and light? I couldn¡¯t be anything but the ¡®staff chick¡¯ of a party. But did a witch in this world know that?

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what.¡± I said cautiously. ¡°If you¡¯re right, I¡¯ll bake you one of those lemon and blueberry tarts you like so much.¡±

    I blinked. She what now? How did¡­ this knowing stuff without knowing it is really weird!

    ¡°Oh! YEAH!¡± She bounced up and down, fists pumping. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Lilyanna! Here, I¡¯ll write down my prediction. Open it after you get your class evaluated!¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± I tucked the folded slip of paper away in my pouch. ¡°Why do I have the sneaking suspicion this was just a roundabout way to get me to bake you lemon blueberry tarts again?¡±

    She affected the innocent air again, hand on her chest. ¡°Would I do that!?¡±

    ¡°Mm. You could have just asked, you know.¡±

    ¡°What, and ruin my witchy reputation?! What a waste of my cunning and overly elaborate manipulation! You¡¯re such a terrible influence being all nice to everyone!¡±

    I smiled at her. ¡°You got that right, I¡¯m a terrible woman, I¡¯ll ruin your reputation if you keep hanging out with me.¡±

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    The banter and gossip brought us to the guild proctor¡¯s stand without much delay. It was a large stand, with imperial banners on either side, guild markings and large lettering proclaiming it ¡°The most perspicacious Seer, Loremaster to the Duke of Windhaven, Guild Proctor and class insight.¡±

    ¡°Mm. Guild is run by the empire. I guess it¡¯s only natural.¡± I murmured to myself.

    Soriya looked askance at me. ¡°Well yeah, what did you expect? Breezewood is on the frontier, but we¡¯re still part of the empire. Everything official runs through them.¡±

    Somehow I had not connected the fact that my beloved fantasy village might actually have a name that was anything other than ¡®the town¡¯. Breezewood. Huh.

    ¡°Hey, Soriya? You have ranks in {Loremaster} right? Why do they call our village Breezewood? Actually, if you¡­ hey!¡± I stopped and glared at her. ¡°That¡¯s why you know my class! That¡¯s cheating!¡±

    She giggled and danced a few steps backwards, hands up. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not my fault you forgot about my {Study} and {Quick Assessment}.¡±

    She bounced on her toes. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t have {Focused} or {Flash of Insight}. Yet. So it¡¯s not like it was obvious. Just careful observation.¡±

    I scowled at her. ¡°So you can¡¯t replace the guild proctor, is what you¡¯re telling me.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ not yet!¡± She grinned, then hugged me. ¡°Oh, Lilyanna, a {Spiritist}! That¡¯s so cool! That¡¯s like one of the rarest classes!¡±

    I found myself blushing and looking down. ¡°It¡¯s not all that special. I was just¡­ worried.¡±

    A rich cultured male voice interrupted us. ¡°Excuse me. Did I hear your friend correctly? You¡¯ve recently acquired a level in the {Spiritist} class?¡±

    It was the guild proctor. Tall, darkly handsome-

    And how is it that I have opinions about that now¡­?

    -with saturnine features and dressed in an immaculately tailored guild proctor¡¯s outfit that resembled a military uniform with tassels and braid that glinted gold in the sun. He loomed over me, which really wasn¡¯t much of a surprise, I was clearly on the shorter side, but there was a decidedly¡­ uncomfortable look in his eyes. Almost possessive.

    Well he certainly looks like a trustworthy individual. I felt that same headache in my temples as otherme struggled with it, but this time I tried to explain to myself.

    Come on me, he looks the part of a villain, he¡¯s got a goatee and a monocle, he¡¯s got creepy vibes going on, and we¡¯re clearly the lost heir to something or other.

    I felt the tension headache recede, but in its place was something perhaps a bit more disturbing. The clear feeling and echo of otherme¡¯s thoughts. Perhaps he¡¯s a red herring villain, a fakeout for the real enemy? He¡¯s been so nice to us through the years!

    Ok¡­ hearing otherme¡¯s thoughts could be useful but¡­ I¡¯m not really Lilyanna! This is¡­ I need to get out of this isekai before I become anymore entangled!

    ¡°Hello Mr. Sallagia.¡± Soriya chirped. ¡°Yes, Lilyanna has gained a level, and she¡¯s here so you can explain it to her.¡± Soriya seemed completely unaffected by his aura, and I found myself grinding my teeth together, even as otherme folded my hands primly in front of me and earnestly said-

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like to know more about the class please, and where it might lead me.¡±

    ¡°Hm, hm. Indeed. Lilyanna, yes? Your mother is Lucilla, I recall. You were the young lady who asked me all those questions about your mysterious amulet!¡±

    Oh Lilyanna you naive trusting fool! You told this man about our plot widget!?

    But he promised to help us, he said the Imperial Library was the most comprehensive archive of information anywhere!

    His smile was oily and I almost wondered if he was going to start selling me a miracle tonic out of the back of a wagon. ¡°You had levels in {Orator} I recall, the skills of {Encourage} and {My Trust in You}. Yes, that fits very well indeed. Of course I can tell you about {Spiritist}! {Orator} should synergize very well indeed with {Spiritist}. {Spiritist} is an extremely rare class, those called to it study the methods of control of body and mind.¡±

    He loomed, his face partly in shadow, voice growing dire. ¡°Uneducated folk often consider them cursed, untrustworthy and dangerous. Who wouldn¡¯t fear with a mage that could warp your body or mind at will?¡± He suddenly stepped back and affected an air of nonchalance, flipping his hand dismissively. ¡°The study of the magical arts has been hindered for centuries by such misunderstandings. A {Spiritist} is of course no more cursed than the {Elementalist} talent that your friend Soriya possesses. {Spiritist}¡¯s possess great power to heal and protect, enhance and nurture. As well as to warp and control.¡±

    Seriously, does nobody understand how creepy it is that a man who only shows up once a year knows all of our names off the top of his head!?

    ¡°Of course, the empire has a collegium of magical study. For such a rare talent I¡¯m certain that we could get you a scholarship.¡± He leaned down, his dark eyes intent. ¡°Did the world tell you anything when your talent awakened? Often talent has a reason for sprouting and the world will mention it.¡±

    The world will¡­ oh! The voice when I leveled up! Ok. Ok Lilyanna, this is important. Do we tell him, or not? He¡¯s already super interested in us. Will telling him help us or harm us? Ok, well, I can throw a wrench in the world¡¯s tutorial for sure if I don¡¯t mention anything, but I desperately need the information this man possesses¡­

    My hesitation had clearly gone on for too long, as the proctor pulled back and nodded. ¡°I understand your concern, of course. There¡¯s no rush. I completely understand your reluctance to leave your home, but the empire really does have the best teachers. And of course you could peruse the imperial archives to do your own study about that mysterious pendant of yours. Imperial Scholars have unrestricted access to the archives. A full scholarship is quite the prize, I don¡¯t mind saying. But if you don¡¯t wish the empire¡¯s guidance, the offer is of course entirely optional. I will make a note to speak with your mother about the offer.¡± He smiled at me, and the sense of alarm in me leaped into my throat.

    ¡°W-well. It¡¯s just such a big thing, a bit much you understand! Did, did you find anything out about my pendant?¡± I fumbled for an out to this suddenly ominous conversation.

    ¡°Ah yes, your mysterious pendant. May I see it?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t really think of a reason to refuse, but before I had to be unbearably rude, Soriya came to my rescue. ¡°Hey, Mr. Sallagia, we¡¯d love to but I promised to show Lilyanna something! Sorry!¡± And without further ado, she grabbed me by the hand and pulled me towards the physical contests.

 05 A very eventful first combat.

    After we were out of earshot, I breathed a sigh of relief and said ¡°Thanks. I¡­ he was just so pushy all of a sudden!¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°Sure, he¡¯s excited that there¡¯s a white mage in town, it is super rare. I think that¡¯s probably part of his job anyway, finding good recruits. Did you see the boy behind him though? Oh my gosh, so cute!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ what?¡±

    ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t tell me that you didn¡¯t notice!¡±

    I pulled my hand out of hers. ¡°I was a little busy, in case you hadn¡¯t noticed!¡±

    ¡°Too busy to notice a cute boy? Man, it¡¯s really a good thing I got you out of there! Come on, we¡¯re almost to the physical tests! I want to show you my new spell! Hey! While we¡¯re there, you should select your new ability too!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ I¡­¡± I fumbled frantically in my head. How do I do that?! And another not-quite-memory floated into my mind.

    You don¡¯t, really, you just find the path that you want to follow.

    Well great. Thanks me. The path I want to follow? Do white mages have the ability to escape time and space and get back to normal?!

    What¡¯s a white mage? Of course not, that would be Soriya¡¯s {Entropist} class. Like mother says, don¡¯t worry about the powers, what you need will come to you naturally.

    That¡¯s great, me, but what I need right now is to escape this isekai prison world!

    No response from my otherself. I wasn¡¯t really sure if that was bad or good, honestly. This other me seemed painfully naive frankly, but that would be in keeping with my pink hair and staff chick role, always seeing the best in everyone. It was a lot less enjoyable being stuck inside my own head.

    Honestly, can¡¯t you see the guild proctor is evil!? The whole empire is probably going to invade the village to steal our pendant!

    Don¡¯t be silly, we don¡¯t even know what it does, why would they invade Breezewood for that?

    Because we¡¯re the pink haired healer girl! I practically screeched in my head.

    A soft glowing warmth spread through my chest from the pendant, where it rested against my skin, and a familiar voice echoed softly in my head.

    {Spiritualist} skill unlocked. Thanks to the purity of your heart and your desire to protect your village and your pendant, you¡¯ve unlocked the skill {Spiritual Magic: Barrier}.

    I stopped in the middle of the lane. ¡°Oh honeysuckle.¡±

    Soriya stopped and looked back. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± I thought about not telling her, but the otherme just rushed past me. ¡°I just got my skill.¡±

    Soriya perked up and bounced on her feet clapping excitedly. ¡°Oh, really!? What is it, what is it?!¡±

    ¡°A spell. Barrier.¡±

    ¡°Eeeeh? Huh, I was sure you¡¯d pick up healing first!¡± She pouted, then smiled. ¡°Well, I guess you really are worried about something, huh? Look, it¡¯s the village festival, we¡¯re supposed to be having fun! Here¡¯s the physical contests! I bet I can hit the dummy at 50 feet with lightning!¡±

    I felt a smile tugging at my lips. She was just so excited about it; it was hard not to feel excited for her. ¡°Sure. And you can show me that new spell you got. So, what is it?¡±

    She bounced on her feet again. ¡°It¡¯s called Poizone! Let me show you!¡± she grabbed me by the hand and pulled over to one of the stalls. It was one of several broad fields where I could see several other villagers trying out a skill or testing their might with arm wrestling. Otherme quietly murmured their names as I looked them over. The field that Soriya had pulled me too looked like a sort of archery or target range of some kind. There were even a few bows laying around.

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    ¡°Hey Mr. Wither!¡± she said to a sturdy farmer smoking a pipe who was so brown and old looked like he was made of cured leather.

    Old Man Wither. He looks his name for sure. This must be his farm? Of course it¡¯s his farm, he¡¯s looked like that for as long as I can remember. Well then.

    Farmer Wither took his pipe out of his mouth and smiled at Soriya making even more wrinkles in his leathery skin. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t little Soriya and Lilyanna. Going to try out the strength contests this year?¡± He laughed, and my otherself informed me He asks this every year, he knows we can¡¯t lift the hammer!

    I paused. We can¡¯t? Have we tried? Well not since we were very young, but¡­

    Soriya preempted me by saying ¡°We¡¯re here to try out the range! I¡¯ve got a new spell I want to show off!¡±

    ¡°Well now, is that so?¡± Farmer Wither drawled. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to get in the way of such a great and powerful witch now.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Fee¡¯s the same as last year. I¡¯d like a bag of the pixie repellant you make. They¡¯ve been at it again in my crops, and I¡¯m not quite as young as I once was.¡±

    Otherme jumped into the conversation without a pause. ¡°Oh! Do you need us to chase the pixies out of your fields again? We could do that for you!¡± We can? I mean¡­ oh lord, this is one of the intro quests and first xp isn¡¯t it?! My otherself clearly didn¡¯t understand what I was talking about, only a sense of vague confusion at what were clearly alien terms to her.

    Old man Wither looked at me, his eyes widening in surprise. ¡°Well now! I wouldn¡¯t say no to that, Miss Lilyanna. I surely wouldn¡¯t! But are you sure you¡¯re up to it? Those pixies bite!¡±

    Oh this is definitely the starter quest! Hold on¡­ neither of us bought weapons! Or gear! And we¡¯re just two mages!?

    Soriya grinned a slightly bloodthirsty grin. ¡°That sounds like fun! Look! I just tuned Diaboli!¡± She gestured with her hand, and the spellbook at her waist was outlined in glowing blue and purple light, floating up and opening itself, flipping its pages. Soriya murmured words I couldn¡¯t catch and then reached into the floating book in front of her and pulled out a gun!

    Wait, what?! Since when do black mages use guns?!

    What¡¯s a black mage? Soriya has always used Diaboli, as long as we¡¯ve known her. She said she didn¡¯t trust staffs.

    I felt that sense of pressure in my temples building again, but gritted my teeth and resisted rubbing my temples again. Soriya¡¯s¡­ Diaboli, as she called it, looked like an elaborately ornate sawed-off shotgun, with a single barrel and oddly shaped stock. The whole thing was picked out in swirly gold filigree and glowing with what was clearly charged magical energy.

    Do¡­ do we actually have a fighter? Or¡­ no that can¡¯t be right, she¡¯s a ranged¡­ black mages don¡¯t use guns! My mind protested. Otherme experienced what could only be described as irritated frustration. Soriya¡¯s holding Diaboli, she used Diaboli all the time, clearly she very definitely does use guns, and what was a black mage anyway?!

    Soriya meanwhile continued without me. ¡°See? So yeah, lets go hunt down some pixies! Kill two pixies with one stone!¡± She turned to me enthusiastically. ¡°I can show you Poizone in action, and you can show me your new spell!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ I¡­ I guess?¡± I stammered awkwardly. Old man Wither raised a single eyebrow then shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it, now. You get in over your head, you come right back! I don¡¯t want you girls getting hurt!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine, right Lilyanna? We¡¯ve got your mom¡¯s potions and your and my spells; we¡¯ve got this. Come on!¡± She waved her gun in a beckoning gesture.

    And somehow, I found myself stumbling after her into the back acres of Old man Wither¡¯s farm, with the Old man shouting encouragement after us. Soriya¡¯s book continued to float just to her left, glowing bluely. A short walk later and we were into what was a picturesque garden with lots of growing things that my otherself recognized but I couldn¡¯t tell one from the other. A little glowing purple blue ball zipped out from behind one of the nearby trees and hovered near us. Up close, it was really more like an imp or tiny demon than anything I¡¯d have called a pixie. It had insectile wings, horns, and a truly malicious looking grin full of sharp teeth. It made little squeaky noises which I might have considered cute if the pixie didn¡¯t radiate an aura of malice buzzed in midair surveying us.

    Soriya didn¡¯t hesitate. In one smooth fluid motion she took aim with Diaboli and fired. Time seemed to slow down, and I saw with perfect clarity a spinning magic circle in glowing green blossom from the mouth of her gun, followed by a loud report. Time sped up again, and there was a ¡®crack¡¯ as a glowing green ember shot through the air to peg the pixie dead center. The pixie staggered and swayed back and forth in the air turning a radioactive green color, and then popping into a nasty green and purple mist that evaporated into the air.

    I turned to look at Soriya, who was grinning, one hand on her hip the other holding Diaboli resting it¡¯s barrel on her shoulder.

    ¡°And that¡¯s what Poizone does.¡± She smiled, and pretended to blow a little smoke off Diaboli¡¯s muzzle. Technically inflicts ¡®poison¡¯ too, but I guess he was too weak to stick around for long. Good for pixies. Not so good for Kuzco¡¯s though.¡±

    It hit me like the isekai truck I¡¯d never seen. I looked at her in shock, my mouth dropping open. It can¡¯t be. She couldn¡¯t possibly be¡­?! Like seeing a picture of a vase turn into two faces, like seeing a drawing of a duck turn into a rabbit. But¡­ but I was, and that was just as impossible. Could it be¡­!? Extremely hesitantly, I ventured "Is... is that because... it''s not the poison specially chosen to kill kuzco? It''s not kuzco''s poison?"

    The smile on her face slipped into a shocked ¡®o¡¯ of surprise and her violet eyes got huge. She stammered out ¡°Are¡­ are you an isekai too?!

 06 FAFO Battle results are never what you hoped for.

    We both stood there for a moment, probably looking quite stupid, two girls staring at each other in shock, a bit like the spiderman meme. But that was broken almost immediately by the buzzing arrival and high pitched chitter of three more pixie/imp things zooming into view.

    Soriya took one look at them and her expression got serious. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out later, we¡¯ve got visitors.¡± She yanked her gun off her shoulder and took aim at the malicious little figures. ¡°You¡¯re the white mage, so I would sure appreciate some support spells. You know two casters is bad news in a melee fight, right?¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, of course, but what am I supposed to do!?¡±

    ¡°Cast barrier, of course! You just got it, remember?!¡± Soriya took aim at the figures, and the same bullet time effect happened. This time I could pick out the words of her chant, ¡°Spirits of Water, heed my call and show my foes your fury! Glacies!¡± The same spinning magic circle filled with incomprehensible sigils blossomed from Diaboli¡¯s muzzle, this time glowing with a cold blue radiance. Time sped up again, and three darts of energy flickered out from the circle and impacted the pixies one after another causing them to stagger in midair and scream angrily.

    Soriya grimaced. ¡°Wonderful, they¡¯re resistant to cold.¡±

    One of the pixies buzzed upwards and started muttering and gibbering in it¡¯s high pitched voice, and glowing energy surrounded it as well.

    ¡°Oh come on, they cast too!?¡± She protested.

    ¡°Uh¡­ uh¡­! This doesn¡¯t look good!¡± I moaned. I held out my hands and made what I hoped were vaguely mystical gestures, but all I got in response was a confused wash from my otherself. What are you doing? What are we trying to do? ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± I burst out. ¡°What good does it do to have spells if I can¡¯t cast them?!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Soriya jumped forward and swung at the casting pixie, which merely giggled evily and floated out of her reach. ¡°Oh, crap, that¡¯s right!¡± She glanced around wildly, then pointed at a fallen branch. ¡°There! Pick that up! Use it as a staff!¡± she dodged under one of the pixie¡¯s as it dove at her and took a wild swing at it. ¡°The world knows you¡¯re a white mage, so you can trick it! Just pretend really hard that the stick is your staff!¡±

    ¡°This sounds crazy, but I¡¯m not seeing options.¡± I muttered as I scooted forward and grabbed at the branch.

    The pixie casting it¡¯s spell reached a shrieking culmination, and a glowing red aura surrounded me. For a moment, all I could feel was hate. Rage and anger and fury at everything! I wanted¡­ I wanted to kill! I wanted to beat those pixies to death! I wanted to punch Soriya for being so stupidly pretty! I wanted to tear out my hair and go screaming mad.

    <ol>

    <li>My otherself¡¯s voice was cool and calm and oh so quiet, but I could feel steel threading through it. This isn¡¯t us. We aren¡¯t like that. Her voice was cool and soft and quiet in my head and she/we pushed together at the pressure in our mind. The red haze flickered and vanished from my vision and the emotion vanished. I staggered, clutching the stick to my chest, feeling ill.</li>

    </ol>

    ¡°Lily! Are you ok?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I think? I guess I made my save¡­?¡± I held up the stick. ¡°I got the stick! Now what?¡±

    ¡°Now you- SHIT!¡± Soriya ducked but not fast enough as one of the giggling pixies divebombed her, snatching up strands of her hair in its talons, and ripping. It came away shrieking in triumph, trailing long strands of indigo blue. ¡°Spirit¡¯s curse you, that HURTS!¡± She shouted after the giggling pixie. ¡°Now you just tell yourself that you¡¯re going to cast Barrier!¡± She returned her attention to me. ¡°Just tell yourself you¡¯re going to do that, pretend it¡¯s your staff! You can force the world to accept it!¡±

    One of the pixies dove at me, and I shrieked, holding my staff up and flailing wildly. The pixie dodged thorugh my wild strikes and it¡¯s sharp nails tore a furrow in my cheek.

    It hurt! It really really hurt! I was in an actual battle here! The cute pink haired girl wasn¡¯t onscreen bouncing eagerly in a neat line, she was me and that hurt!

    The same calm sweet warm voice filled my head, and I found myself raising the stick, words that I didn¡¯t know spilling from my mouth.

    ¡°Blessed spirits of life, be our armor and protect us!¡± My pendant flared with white light, and time slowed, the same as it had when Soriya cast her spells. I felt a warm rush of energy flowing up through me, flowing up from my feet from some vast well of power within the earth that I was suddenly aware of, an energy that was warm and gentle and powerful. The light spilled out of me into the stick in my hands, and I felt the stick change, swelling in size, twisting and knotting, the tip curving into a gnarled spiral.

    Blessed spirits, it really turned into a jrpg staff! A beginner white mage''s staff!

    A spinning circle filled with mystic sigils surrounded me, and then glowing gold and white aura flared around Soriya and I. I felt a giggle rising up in me, bubbling out of me in a kind of giddy disbelief.

    I just cast magic! I just cast a Holy element! What¡¯s a holy element, we¡¯re a {Spiritist} My otherself replied.

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    Soriya pumped her fist. ¡°Yes! Way to go Lily! We got this in the bag!¡±

    One of the pixies zoomed at her, taking advantage of her distraction as she cheered. Without slowing at all, it hit the white aura around her which rippled and parted like water as the pixie dove through it, tearing a long furrow into Soriya¡¯s arm. Bright red blood welled in the furrows, and dripped to the ground.

    ¡°Soriya!¡± my cry was torn out of me, a soft echoing bell tone as both halves of me spoke in unison.

    ¡°Fuck.¡± Soriya gritted her teeth, and when she spoke her voice was tight with pain. ¡°Maybe I spoke too soon. Looks like these are magic attacks. Barrier doesn¡¯t help.¡± She reached down to the collection bottles dangling from her belt and grabbed a red one with her free hand, popping the cork with a thumbnail and chugging the contents in one go. A silvery light glowed around her, and the wounds on her arms and the missing patch of her hair faded away in a mist of white sparkles.

    Huh. So that¡¯s what a healing potion looks like when you¡¯re in the game. I thought inanely. My distraction cost me. Two of the pixies dove for me, one grabbing at my hair, ripping away a long bloody hank of pink, while the other dove straight at me. It hit my stomach like a bullet, razor sharp teeth biting through my dress and burrowing into my stomach. Agony shot through me from my stomach, and the world spun. I found myself falling, a red stain spreading across my stomach.

    I¡¯m falling. Why am I falling? My dress is ruined. Oh¡­ mother will be so mad¡­ she worked so hard to get my dress ready for the festival¡­ I don¡¯t want to go on adventure¡­ like this. The world spun over me and grew dark, the last thing I heard was Soriya¡¯s agonized ¡°Lillyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!¡± before the world went black.

    ###

    I drifted in darkness, the sound of voices somewhere very far away. A feminine voice that sounded very much like mine echoed softly in the misty dark around me.

    ¡°Are you the one? Have you come to help?¡± it asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Have I? I think I died.¡±

    Soft feminine laughter. ¡°Oh no. No, you did not die. You are my reification! It would take much more than a pixie attack to end your story.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to be in a story. They¡¯re awkward and confusing and I¡¯m not supposed to be a girl.¡±

    ¡°Well. Perhaps you can help this story come to a better conclusion then?¡±

    ###

    I sat up with a gasp, my eyes flying open. Wood ceiling. Flower comforter. My chest was bound tightly with white gauze, the swell of my breasts still obvious. My hands flew to my side, and I let out a hiss as my probing fingers touched bandages wound around my waist. A throbbing ache awakened from my touch.

    ¡°Lily! You¡¯re awake!¡±

    I blinked in surprise, looking over, a bit baffled to find Soriya sitting next to my bed.

    ¡°What are you doing in my bedroom?¡± I asked muzzily, feeling dizzy and confused. The pink haired girl in the mirror had a thick bandage wound around her head as well as her torso, and I found myself giggling inanely. ¡°I really am in an anime. The bandages look just the same.¡±

    I found myself buried in a hug from Soriya, her voice broken between laughter and sobbing. ¡°Oh by the elemental graces, I was so worried! I¡¯m so sorry, Lily! I got us into the fight thinking it would be easy, it was the combat tutorial and, and¡­ I¡¯m soooooo sorry! Please forgive me!¡±

    That¡¯s right. The fight. The pixies. I felt a coldness spreading through me. It was strange, I knew it for what it was¡­ I wanted to kill them. I wanted to win. I wanted them dead. But otherme was confused, feeling a strange numbness, struggling with what felt like the spell the pixies had tried to hit me with. I giggled. I¡¯m angry.

    ¡°I¡¯m angry!¡± I laughed. ¡°Pinkie the white mage is angry at something!¡±

    Soriya was openly crying now, hugging me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m really really sorry, please don¡¯t be mad at me!¡±

    I blinked, focusing on her for the first time since I woke up. Her eyes were red. Really red, from crying. Was she crying because of me? That won¡¯t do, I shouldn¡¯t make her sad! ¡°No, Soriya.¡± I awkwardly hugged her back, patting her back. ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you. I¡¯m mad at the pixies. I¡¯m mad at me. I want¡­ I want to hurt them. I shouldn¡¯t want that.¡± My voice was soft and confused. ¡°I¡¯m the goody two shoes girl, right? But I want to hurt them.¡± I gritted my teeth. ¡°That was the tutorial fight and we just¡­ we screwed around and we lost. And they hurt you! They hurt you! Oh my gosh, are you ok?¡± I looked her over. She looked¡­ fine, honestly. No injures that I could see. Even her dress was perfectly intact and unstained. I guess the healing potion would have helped? I sighed in relief, sagging back in my bed, and then giving a little gasp and wince as my wound stabbed me again.

    Soriya fumbled with her belt, and pushed a bright red potion at me. ¡°Here! Your mom made this! Now that you¡¯re awake, you can drink it. That¡¯ll patch you up.¡±

    I took the bottle in my hands, otherme knowing exactly how to open the bottle with a simple flip. I sat there, staring at the potion in my lap cupped in my hands. This is one of mother¡¯s biggest potions. She must be really worried about me! I can¡¯t waste one of her good potions on my carelessness! I pushed the bottle back at Soriya. ¡°This is one of mother¡¯s good potions. I can¡¯t waste one of those!¡±

    She looked at me in surprise, then let out a choked laugh. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re an isekai!? That was¡­ no. You drink this.¡± She pushed the bottle back into my hands. ¡°Your mom was insistent and made me promise. You will drink.¡± Her violet eyes bored into mine, and I found myself picking up the bottle and drinking under her insistent glare.

    A showering of white sparkles and the same aura that surrounded Soriya during our battle with the pixies, and a feeling of the spirits moving around and through me that felt like the spell I¡¯d cast, and suddenly the pain I¡¯d been feeling was gone, the sharp ache in my side, the stabbing throb on my temples, and even the slight soreness in my feet I hadn¡¯t noticed was absent. I felt amazing. Mother¡¯s potions are the best. Everyone in the village says so.

    Oh. Do they? I guess they¡¯re right then. I started pulling gently at the bandages on my head and side. They came away easily, though I stared at the strip for a moment, the shocking red of my blood staining the bandage in my hand. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m still mad.

    ¡°Lily? Are you ok? You¡¯re just staring at the bandage like you want to murder it¡­?¡±

    I looked up at her again. ¡°I¡¯m mad. I¡­ I couldn¡¯t do anything! I wanted to help and you were injured and I couldn¡¯t do anything!¡± I felt something rising in me, something that was half familiar by now. ¡°I wanted to help and I couldn¡¯t do anything, and¡­!¡±

    My pendant flared white light, and the voice of the world spoke in my head again.

    <{Spiritualist} Advanced to level 2. Thanks to the purity of your heart and the strength of your emotions, you¡¯ve gained {Spiritualist:2}. {Heal}, unlocked.>

    I blinked, my mouth opening and closing in surprise. ¡°Oh. Well. I guess I can heal now.¡± And I burst into tears.

 07 A Slightly more Advanced Tutorial (Part 1)

    Soriya reached over and took my hands in hers again. ¡°Hey, hey! What¡¯s wrong! You¡­ you leveled right? Isn¡¯t¡­ isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±

    I laugh sobbed. ¡°That¡¯s just it! I don¡¯t want this! I don¡¯t want to level up! I don¡¯t want to have an adventure! I don¡¯t want to be pinkie the useless love interest!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ well who says your useless!¡± She looked affronted. ¡°You¡¯re my friend, and I don¡¯t like people talking bad about my friends! So¡­ so you take that back! My best friend is not useless!¡±

    I blinked at her, surprised out of my nascent self-pity. My lips twitched, and I found myself smiling at her through my tears. ¡°We¡¯re friends, are we? I barely even know you. Do you even know me?¡±

    ¡°Well sure I know you! I mean¡­ ok, yes, it¡¯s true, I know a lot more about the Lilyanna that everyone tells me about. But I know you¡¯re an isekai, like me! I know you¡¯re the healer mage and I know you¡¯re pretty and cool and everyone in the village loves you!¡±

    I smiled painfully, and looked down at the empty potion bottle in my lap. ¡°Do they? I think they love Lilyanna the Purity Sue. I¡¯m¡­ not her. I need to get beaten up to learn how to heal, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m angry at the pixies, and I don¡¯t want to be Lilyanna anyway!¡± Anger rose in me again and I picked up the bottle and hurled it against the far wall of my bedroom as hard as I could. The glass shattered against the wall, and Soriya jumped in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯m not Lilyanna! My name is¡­¡± I could feel the pressure the resistance pushing fiercely against me, but I was so mad! ¡°My name is Ben!¡° The world twanged around me, a loud and discordant note, a throbbing wrongness that filled the air and I didn¡¯t care. ¡°I¡¯m not.. ff¡­ffff-! I¡¯m not fucking Lilyanna!¡±

    The twang stretched into a splintering crack that I felt through every bone in my body, like a shard of ice driven through my core.

    ¡°Oh¡­ oh man, what the hell was that?!¡± Said Soriya with a shaking tone.

    ¡°And you can swear!¡± I turned and glared at her. ¡°You can ff¡­ffff-! You can fripping swear if you like! Why can¡¯t I swear!?¡±

    Soriya looked at me, her eyes big. ¡°You can¡¯t¡­ but you just¡­? Oh no. You¡­ you bent the world to swear?¡±

    ¡°What the¡­ the h¡­ the hh¡­¡± I gritted my teeth and pushed against the weight on me, like I¡¯d pushed to turn the stick into my staff. ¡°Hell are you talking about?!¡±

    The world cracked again, and I could hear another shattering note, longer and higher than the last that made my bones vibrate.

    It hurts. Hurts in a way that isn¡¯t a wound or a cut, it hurts like a shard of ice jammed into my brain!

    Soriya¡¯s eyes got even bigger and she slapped her hand across my mouth. ¡°You mustn¡¯t do that! You mustn¡¯t do that anymore!

    My words were muffled under her hand. ¡°Why the¡­ why the honey not?!¡±

    Soriya¡¯s mouth twitched and she pressed a hand over her mouth. ¡°Oh spirits. Was that you trying to say ¡®hell¡¯? You¡¯re adorable.¡±

    I could feel my ears burning with the force of a furious blush. ¡°Stop it! Stop laughing you meadowlark! It¡¯s not funny!¡±

    Soriya¡¯s eyes sparkled and she giggled behind her hands. ¡°Oh my gawd, was that you trying to say motherfucker?! You really are the most adorable thing.¡±

    Before I could explode at her, she rushed on raising her hands placatingly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! Let me explain. You mustn¡¯t bend the world too much. It¡­ it doesn¡¯t like it. Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t get mad.¡± She grimaced again. ¡°Don¡¯t get more mad, let me explain.¡±

    She sat back in her chair, and assumed a lecturing tone. ¡°Black mages don¡¯t use guns. Well, I mean, they don¡¯t have black mages in this world, they have {Elementalist}s. But whatever I am, we aren¡¯t supposed to use guns, but you¡¯ve seen Diaboli.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Uh huh. I wondered about that. Ok?¡±

    ¡°When I arrived¡­ which is something I¡¯ll touch on later. Anyway, when I arrived and first learned that I had spells, I was told I had to use a staff. I even had one. Well. Soriya had one. Not much difference. I figured that was fine, I¡¯m a mage after all, sure of course I need a staff or a book.¡± She patted the tome at her side. ¡°I really love my book of shadows, the special effects in this world are to die for! But then I went down the market. This was about a week before the festival, and I saw the most amazingly cool guns for sale. Our blacksmith, Everett, makes them.

    ¡°Anyway, I thought ¡®I want one of those!¡¯ I picked one up and admired it for a bit, then tried to aim it. I couldn¡¯t. It was like my eyes were wandering, or my arm was numb. I got mad, and kept trying. It didn¡¯t make sense, why couldn¡¯t I just aim the stupid thing?! And that was the first time I felt the discord. That stuff we just felt, only a lot less potent. And the gun looked so cool, and I couldn¡¯t aim it!¡± I could hear the frustration in her voice as she recounted the events.

    She huffed angrily then continued. ¡°So. I bought it. Everett laughed at me, said he¡¯d take it back when I gave up. I asked what he meant, he said only {Sharpshooter}s and {Commander}s can use guns. So I went back home. Actually that was the first day I tried to meet you, only everything kept going wrong¡­¡± she stopped and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll get back to that.

    ¡°So, I went back home with the gun. And I tried again and again to use it. I could feel something pushing back against me, like the world itself didn¡¯t want me to handle it. And so I pushed it. And there was a¡­ it felt like a break in the world. I¡¯d been feeling this¡­ ¡®twang¡¯ of discord up till then, but after I felt the break, I could aim and fire! I was so happy, I¡¯d beaten the system, you know? But then I went to grab my staff and my hand went right through it. Like it had phased out of reality or¡­ or I had.¡± She paused, and grew quiet and pensive, in marked contrast to her earlier energetic demeanor. When she continued, she was much more subdued.

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    ¡°I was scared. I¡¯d just arrived and I¡¯d already ruined my new life, you know? I grabbed for the staff, and this time I pushed like I¡¯d pushed with the gun. And I grabbed it, and the world cracked a little, and then it twisted in my hands and changed shape. It became Diaboli. It¡¯s my staff, but it¡¯s a gun, you see. The world is willing to let me have a staff, but they must be guns. I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t even touch a real staff anymore. I have to bend the world to make them guns. And every time I bend the world there¡¯s¡­ I guess you could say fallout. Holes. Things that should happen that don¡¯t, or shouldn¡¯t happen that do. My hands go through things the first time I try to pick them up, or my voice goes strange and nobody can understand me for a bit. Things like that. The smaller the bend, the less fallout there is.¡± She went quiet.

    The silence stretched out, and I ventured ¡°So... so that¡¯s how you knew when I picked up the stick, it would change into a staff? Hey, where is it, anyway?¡±

    Soriya smiled weakly and pointed to the foot of my bed. I lifted up on the pillows and saw my staff laying on the padded hope chest at the foot of my bed. It was the strangest thing, but I felt a surge of relief and pleasure seeing it there. Like I hadn¡¯t lost something important.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t let go of it until your mom wrapped you in bandages soaked with healing potion.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Huh. It¡¯s still a staff though. Do you think that I can only pick up sticks to be a staff now?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°No, that was a really small bend. Not even a break. You should have had a staff. I mean, obviously, right? You¡¯re a white mage, you buy your weapons and gear at the festival, then head to the combat tutorial, right?¡±

    I gave her a weak smile in return. ¡°We do seem to keep doing things in the wrong order, don¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s¡­ not been working out for us very well.¡± She sighed. ¡°Anyway. I¡¯ve never felt anything like what you just did, it was bigger than when I created Diaboli. And I¡¯m¡­ I think you just broke something. Something really big and really important. I don¡¯t know what, and it¡¯s not like anything obviously changed.¡±

    ¡°Maybe people will think I¡¯m a boy now?¡±

    Soriya looked around nervously, but I hadn¡¯t felt any tension or that discord when I said it. She swallowed and relaxed a bit. ¡°Anyway. That¡¯s why it¡¯s important you don¡¯t bend the world anymore. I don¡¯t think you forcing a swear will cause too big of an issue, but¡­ just watch what you say.¡± She paused, lecture clearly over. ¡°So¡­ you were a boy before?¡±

    I could feel the tension roaring in even as I opened my mouth to say it but I couldn¡¯t help it. It was important and it wasn¡¯t going away and I was so angry!

    ¡°I am a boy!¡± I burst out. The cracking splintering twang of wrongness was loud and violent, like I¡¯d been stabbed with an icepick of dark and cold. And this time I felt something¡­ dangerous. Something that shouldn¡¯t exist suddenly did, and I knew in my bones that it would be a problem. The light in my room flickered, it grew chill and dark before flickering back to the bright cheerful sunshine and vibrant colors.

    Soriya¡¯s eyes grew large. She stood up and looked around wildly, then hugged herself, shivering. ¡°Oh no. I warned you! I told you not to bend the world so sharply! Now something¡­ you¡¯ve broken something! The break will manifest! That felt¡­ big!¡±

    I swallowed. ¡°You mean like¡­ like with your gun? That¡­ that doesn¡¯t seem so bad?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Even Diaboli didn¡¯t feel that big! This felt¡­ different! Why bigger. Angrier.¡±

    ¡°But this isn¡¯t fair! All I said was-¡° Soriya dove across the bed and slapped her hands over my mouth.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it! I know you want to say it, but please, please! I¡¯m begging you! Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t break it again!¡± Her lips twisted in a sympathetic smile. ¡°So you were a boy in another world. So what¡¯s the issue? Isn¡¯t it a dream come true to have a pretty girl available to do anything you say?¡± She babbled.

    I glared at her furiously, and tugged at her hands over my mouth. She refused to budge, and the look in her eyes¡­ she was scared. Really scared. Soriya¡¯s eyes were pleading with me not to do anything further.

    And that darkness. It was¡­ scary. Like I broke something. Something big. Maybe¡­ maybe I should just¡­ let it be for now. I finally nodded and she gingerly took her hands off my mouth as though afraid I might say something unwise again.

    Not an unreasonable fear, honestly. I took a deep breath, grabbed one of my pillows and shoved my face into it, screaming at the top of my lungs, letting the worst language Lilyanna would let me say gush out.

    ¡°Honeysuckle fripping meadowlark honey sugarpatch!¡± I emptied my lungs in a muffled long high-pitched scream of frustration, then let the pillow drop, panting.

    Soriya¡¯s smiled hesitantly at me. ¡°Better?¡± She said gingerly.

    I blinked a few times, probing at the anger bubbling inside me.

    ¡°Weirdly enough¡­ yes.¡± Even my voice sounded much lighter and sweeter. Like I¡¯d let go of a very heavy weight without realizing it.

    ¡°Well. That¡¯s good.¡± She squeezed my hand.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about good. I¡¯m still. Here.¡± I pressed my lips together. ¡°If I don¡¯t want to be here, I¡¯d better start figuring that out then. I guess we should start with figuring out what I just broke.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re so determined to¡­ no, scratch that. I just realized¡­ if your previous life was¡­ yeah, I guess it makes sense you don¡¯t want to be the main character¡¯s love interest.¡±

    I shot her a glare, but there was no heat in it, and it quickly wilted. ¡°Yeah. So¡­ I guess you wouldn¡¯t mind being the main character¡¯s girl?¡±

    She put her finger on her chin thoughtfully, and looked into the middle distance. ¡°Actually¡­ well, actually I don¡¯t know. Some of them are pretty smart, but most seem to have a death grip on the idiot ball. Good scenery doesn¡¯t make up for an empty head.¡±

    That startled a laugh out of me. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair.¡± I took a deep breath, took stock of myself. ¡°Ok. Still a girl. What do you think might have broken?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I would have expected the world to¡­ I don¡¯t know, accommodate your demand? But you¡¯re still¡­ You know. Lily.¡±

    I opened my mouth to complain, and we both felt the discord and tension snap into place. I fell silent, and pursed my lips, then very hesitantly said ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m Lilyanna.¡±

    The ominous tension dissolved immediately and the sunlight streaming into my room grew a little brighter, a shadow I hadn¡¯t even noticed vanishing.

    ¡°Oh¡­ kay. Important safety tip.¡± I murmured.

    Soriya¡¯s lips quirked. ¡°Surely you¡¯re not planning on crossing the streams?¡±

    I gave another startled giggle. ¡°No, of course not. Definitely not. Wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± We sat there for a moment before a thought niggled its way to my attention.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± I said thoughtfully. Soriya looked at me quizzically. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you weirded out by being Soriya? You¡¯re even more¡­ you know.¡± I moved my hands in an hourglass figure.

    Soriya stared at me mouth open in surprise, then burst out laughing. ¡°Oh my god! Are you kidding me!? Do you really think only boys play video games?! I¡¯ve always been a girl!¡±

    I felt my cheeks and ears tingle with the force of an uncontrollable blush. ¡°Oh.¡±

 08 A Slightly more Advanced Tutorial (Part 2)

    I squirmed. ¡°Ok. Awkward interlude there aside¡­¡±

    Soriya looked away, and sighed. ¡°Ok, no, we need to do this. I don¡¯t really want to do this, but we need to address the elephant. Ok? Ok.¡± She was fell silent, fidgeting with her spellbook.

    Lilyanna¡¯s inner voice bugged me. She¡¯s worried because she doesn¡¯t know how to handle your gender. You should reassure her. I blinked in startlement, my mouth opening a few times.

    No way. Really!? ¡°Hey¡­ is this about my gender?¡±

    Soriya turned to me with a look of surprise and embarrassment on her face. ¡°Well, yeah. I mean. Look. You¡¯re a girl right now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I noticed, thanks.¡±

    She pressed her lips together. ¡°Less of the snark, please, I¡¯m trying to help.¡±

    I ducked my head, that hadn¡¯t been very nice of me. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Soriya took another deep breath. It¡¯s really such a nice view when she does that.

    Rude! Otherme chipped in. Stop staring! She doesn¡¯t like us like that anyway!

    Wait, what?! We know this?!

    Really, are we dense?! How are you missing this, it¡¯s obvious!

    I coughed to cover my confusion. ¡°Ok! So, yeah! I do appear to be a girl for the foreseeable future. I¡¯m¡­ not exactly happy about that fact, but apparently pretending otherwise makes the world mad at me?¡±

    Soriya nodded, a look of relief on her face. I felt a comingled mix of frustration and pleasure. It felt really good to ease her concerns, but mine weren¡¯t helped at all!

    ¡°Got it. And I¡¯m guessing you¡¯d¡­ you said you wanted to help.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s twisting of her book got even more intense, and I suddenly ¡®got¡¯ what the problem was. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was otherme, or me or if there was a difference but¡­

    ¡°Oh! Hey!¡± I reached out and took her hand. ¡°Look. I¡¯ll admit, I¡¯m not exactly the best at understanding ¡®how girls think¡¯, but I¡¯m not going to take it wrong if you decide to give me a hug for support. It¡¯s¡­ kind of nice actually. But I¡¯m not one of those¡­¡± I bit my lip, almost having called myself a boy again. ¡°I don¡¯t think you mean you want to pull me into bed just because of a hug or because we talked about emotional stuff. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s just what friends do, right? So¡­ so it¡¯s ok. We¡¯re friends. Weird friends, to be sure, but friends.¡± I shook my head. ¡°So it¡¯s ok to treat me like what I am. A very confused girl. If either of us decide that¡¯s¡­. that we¡¯d like¡­. more¡­ that¡¯s a very long way in the future.¡± My lips twisted in a wry smile. ¡°Is that enough confused earnest healer girl for you?¡±

    Soriya¡¯s expression through my wandering monologue had been a look of exasperated amusement, appalled embarrassment, and sympathetic cringing but at the end she gave a genuine laugh, then reached over and hugged me.

    I hugged back, thinking It¡¯s a pity she¡¯s not interested, this really is very nice.

    No means no! otherme informed me in quite a severe tone of voice.

    Hey, I can enjoy the scenery. Soriya said so herself. Otherme didn¡¯t respond to that, though I could feel a thoughtful confusion in her/me.

    ¡°Right.¡± I released the hug and pulled back the covers. It was weirdly embarrassing to be wearing my nightgown in front of Soriya like this, my legs were completely bare but¡­ But for now, we¡¯re both girls and that¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s just anatomy! ¡°So¡­ Let me get dressed and we¡¯ll figure out where to start looking for that break. Right?¡±

    Soriya looked down at my legs and then up at my face again and I caught the faintest hint of a blush in her cheeks. She nodded. ¡°Right. So. I¡¯ll just¡­¡±

    I smiled at her. ¡°Yes, please examine my wallpaper for a bit while I get dressed.¡±

    ¡°Hm, right!¡± She strode purposefully over to a wall and pretended to examine the floral patterns.

    I hurriedly shucked off my nightgown, and threw it onto my bed. Hm, I¡¯ll need to get rid of those bloody bandages too. I thought as I hurried over to my dressers. It was easier this time, otherme felt closer and easier to understand, much easier to pick out underwear, and a suitable dress that wasn¡¯t too out of fashion.

    ¡°So, speaking of clothes!¡± Soriya announced to the wall. ¡°We should get you starter gear. One of the travelling peddlers at the fair sells very nice sage robes, and since we¡¯re going to fight the pixies again-¡±

    I shuddered all over, feeling a heat of anger filling me. ¡°Yes. We are.¡± I ground out.

    Soriya paused at the tone I my voice, then continued ¡°Since we¡¯re fighting them, and they use magic attacks, the sage¡¯s robes would be a good equip for you. And since I know you¡¯re going to freak out, I¡¯ll mention it now. I¡¯m wearing sage robes now. They ah¡­ they seem to shift to suit the wearer¡¯s disposition and class preference.¡±

    I stopped pulling on my stockings and looked up at her. She was still staring at the wall. ¡°So¡­ stereotypical healer girl outfit?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    I finished pulling on my stockings and wiggled my feet into my boots. The heel didn¡¯t even bother me anymore.

    I stamped my feet firmly and stood up, brushing my skirts free.

    ¡°Then that¡¯s no problem. Because that¡¯s what I am right now.¡± The room didn¡¯t grow noticeably brighter, and I didn¡¯t get a sudden feeling of lessening gloom, but I did feel like I wasn¡¯t fighting against something that I hadn¡¯t realized I¡¯d been pushing against.

    ¡°Huh. Ok, you can look now.¡± I sat down again to braid my hair. Soriya turned around with a small sigh of relief.

    ¡°For now at least-¡± I continued, weaving my long strands of pink hair into a thick braid. ¡°-we¡¯re both girls on the internet. The rarest of rare unicorns.¡±

    Soriya barked a startled laugh. ¡°We¡¯re definitely not on the internet. I¡¯m pretty sure this isn¡¯t Ready Player 1.¡±

    ¡°No¡± I replied thoughtfully, carefully tying a pink bow around the tail of my braid ¡°But this world does act very strangely, with it¡¯s System and isekai, and bending feels a bit like a computer glitching, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°I suppose.¡± She replied thoughtfully. ¡°When you arrived. Do you know how you came here?¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°I haven¡¯t the faintest. The last thing I remember was falling asleep on a beach.¡± My lips twitched into a bitter smile. ¡°I was on vacation. Now I¡¯m on the ultimate getaway, huh?¡± My laugh threatened to become a sob again, and Soriya leaned over and hugged me.

    ¡°Hey. Less of that. You might not think we¡¯re real friends, but I like what I¡¯ve seen of you so far. Both of you. So I declare that we are hereby real friends.¡±

    I choked on a giggle and my lips quirked into a smile. She really was irrepressible. Both halves of me felt that she was right too. Somehow, despite this insanity, we really were friends, and of course otherme insisted she¡¯d been ¡°best friends¡± with Soriya forever.

    ¡°So what about you?¡± I asked.

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°I wasn¡¯t hit by truck-kun if that¡¯s what you mean, but I¡¯m pretty sure I did die. The last thing I really remember is taking a bad tumble down a flight of stairs. And then I was waking up as Soriya.¡±

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    ¡°So¡­ no goddess? No visions or dreams or great destiny?¡±

    ¡°After I died, you mean? Not exactly.¡± She put her finger on her chin thoughtfully. ¡°I mean, sort of? Like, we¡¯re in a jrpg arc, right? And that means that we¡¯re totally going to save the world from something terrible! That¡¯s pretty obvious.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see how you can be so cavalier about this. You¡¯re acting like you want to follow the storyline! Do you¡­ you know that there¡¯s at least a solid chance we¡¯ll be betrayed, likely killed, and almost certainly a massive downer ending where the exotic beauty has to die tragically!¡± I pointed to her and then at myself. ¡°That¡¯s us, you know! And that¡¯s if we don¡¯t actually legit die from random combats! I don¡¯t think we can take our survival for granted after the pixie¡¯s, do you?¡±

    Soriya frowned at that. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about that. I guess we can¡¯t take it for granted there will always be a farmer Wither to drag us out. And you¡¯re the tragic healer girl too¡­ But, but I just can¡¯t let whatever terrible thing is going to happen, just happen! That¡¯s not right at all!¡± she nodded firmly. ¡°You can¡¯t actually be willing to just let the world get taken over by a psychopath, or turned into a deathworld or something can you!?¡±

    I swallowed, and within me Lilyanna announced loudly We will never let that happen! We would die to stop that!

    Hey, woah, otherme, chill! The idea is that nobody dies! Dead girls don¡¯t stop apocalypses! I thought angrily.

    I was uncomfortably aware, however, that while I very much did not want to die, the thought of something terrible happening to everyone around me made me deeply uncomfortable. This world felt undeniably real, no matter how much like a game it presented as. And¡­ I felt really sad too, honestly, the idea that these people¡­.

    My mother and all my friends! otherme added.

    It was true. I couldn¡¯t just do nothing if there really was some world-ending supervillain out there! And also, if I¡¯m being even a little honest with myself¡­ it really would be amazingly cool to be a real honest-to-gosh heroine, without any messy moral gray areas.

    The Lilyanna part of me announced Then it¡¯s settled. We are going to save the world. I swallowed again.

    I guess I¡¯d better get cracking on the ¡®not dying¡¯ part then. And also the not carrying the idiot ball constantly would be good.

    The what?

    Nevermind, hopefully you¡¯ll never find out.

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I was surprised at the strength in my voice. I was so used to this new voice of mine being sweet and soft, but this doubled determination came out with quiet iron in it. ¡°You¡¯re right, I can¡¯t!¡± I felt a gush of pleasure, both halves of myself in such deep agreement.

    ¡°So, where do we start?¡± Asked Soriya, after a bit of a pause.

    ¡°I believe the traditional answer is ¡®at the beginning¡¯¡± I smiled at her. ¡°How about we start by letting my mother know I¡¯m alright.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡±

    I grabbed my staff, and we headed downstairs, our heels clunking on the wooden boards. Sure enough, the sound of our footsteps was answered by similar rushing feet downstairs, and my mother appeared on the landing, hands clutched to her bosom.

    ¡°Lilyanna! Are you alright?!¡± she rushed up the stairs to give me a fierce hug, almost knocking me off my feet. I patted her back awkwardly. ¡°Yes, mother, I¡¯m fine, thanks to your healing potions.¡±

    ¡°Oh thank goodness!¡± She pulled back, hands on my shoulders. ¡°Do you know how worried I was!?¡± She started to shake me; her expression fierce. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever do something like that again?!¡±

    Ok¡­ I thought, as I wobbled back and forth on the stairs. Definitely still a girl to mom. No sign of a break here. Lil help, lily?

    My otherself came to my rescue, slipping out of my mother¡¯s grasp, folding my hands in front of me and bowing repeatedly in apology. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, mother, I¡¯m so very sorry for all the trouble I¡¯ve caused you!¡±

    Bowing? What are we, Japanese?

    Puzzled emotion from my other half. This is how one does a proper apology?

    Followed by another hug. Mother wiped her eyes, and led us downstairs. ¡°Well, now that you¡¯re here! Soriya told me that Ms Buxby gave you those apples for your help with her garden. Since you¡¯re here, you can help me distill them into potions!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ uh¡­¡± I really should help, I caused her so much trouble, I owe her this much at least? But we needed to find out what the break did! I glanced over at Soriya helplessly.

    Soriya jumped into the breach with her usual energy. ¡°That sounds great, Miss Holly! I was responsible for getting her into this mess, so I should help out too!¡±

    My mother¡¯s name is Holly?

    Of course it is? What else would it be?

    Right. And¡­ our last name?

    Last name? ¡­ Holly¡¯s¡­ daughter? Why would we have two names?

    I felt a little bubble of laughter float up and emerge as a giggle, that I stifled with a hand over my mouth turned into a clasping of hands in front of my chest. ¡°Yes, please mother, do let Soriya help?!¡± Sweetness and milk and now my hands in front of my chest. Yes, I think I might be a healer girl.

    Mother smiled at us in exasperation, and then I could see her give in. ¡°Alright Soriya, you can stay.¡± Soriya actually bounced on the balls of her feet with excitement. That can¡¯t be easy in heels¡­ I was starting to get the feeling that nothing really kept her down for long¡­ well that and she was always excited to use magic of any sort. I sighed mentally. Our best friend is a magical psychopath. What a pair we are.

    Mother continued. ¡°With your {Ritualism} skill as an {Elementalist} and an {Entropist} we should get done much more quickly than normal.¡±

    She was right, the work was surprisingly easy and quickly done. Or perhaps not that surprising, with three magic users (yes, I counted now as well) helping out. The apples were thrown into a bubbling cauldron, and rendered down while the elemental aspects of them were brought to the surface. Glowing magical effects and spinning magic circles played a large part in this, and it was actually fascinating to learn¡­ well relearn, since otherme knew all about how this worked¡­ the process.

    Once the elemental aspects were brought to the surface, my healing magic was added to the cauldron, turning the bubbling soup a brilliant mingled swirl of blue and red and gold. The cauldron was decanted into a kind of magical centrifuge where the Health, Wholeness, and Stamina aspects were fractioned out in a complex series of interlinked glass tubes and beakers, while more magical effects were added to further purify the components. The three elementally purified aspects slowly dripped into separate potion bottles, glowing gold, red, and blue. It was rather amusing to realize that yes, my mother really was a witch! A {Tinkerer(Alchemy):6} and {Wayfarer:4} apparently. I made me giggle to realize that my mother was a higher-level adventurer than me. Which spurred a thought.

    ¡°Mother, did you ever go adventuring?¡±

    When my mother ducked her head and blushed, I knew the answer was yes, and both halves of me were savvy enough to realize this was a sore point.

    ¡°Just because I was headstrong and foolish when I was younger is no reason why you should be!¡± she replied heatedly.

    Soriya¡¯s lips quirked into a smile as she said ¡°Actually, I¡¯d say that¡¯s very much a reason! Like mother like daughter!¡±

    Holly wiped her hands on her apron and faced Soriya putting her hands on her hips. ¡°You are in no position to lecture me, Miss Soriya!¡±

    Now is when we should jump in. My otherself whispered into our mind.

    ¡°Mother, please don¡¯t be too hard on her. You¡¯ve raised me as your daughter, it¡¯s no surprise that I¡¯m more like you than not.¡±

    Holly¡¯s eyes got misty and she wrung her hands in her apron. ¡°Yes, but you were supposed to only get the good bits, not the dangerous ones!¡± she cried.

    I knew better than to reply, but apparently Soriya didn¡¯t. I elbowed her to be silent just as she opened her mouth. We finished distilling the potions in relative silenced, the clink of glass on stone a gentle rhythm. When we were done, a batch of 25 bottles of blue and red and gold was laid out in front of us, which was indeed a very good yield. As Miss Buxby had promised the apples were very good potion making material, and I could tell that With Soriya and I helping, the process was even better.

    I stepped back, wiping my hands on my own apron as we finished up, then bowed to mother again. ¡°I really am sorry mother. I¡¯ll be much more careful from now on. I wouldn¡¯t want to worry you.¡±

    This was apparently the right thing to say, as mother pulled me into a hug and sniffled into my shoulder for a bit, then held me by the shoulders, looking into my eyes. ¡°You must promise me not to do dangerous things like this, Lilyanna!¡±

    I had been bad at lying before, and I just knew Lilyanna had to be atrocious. So I didn¡¯t try. ¡°I can¡¯t promise that mother, you know I can¡¯t. What about the time I fell down in the pig pen, and got bit by a mudpuppy? Or the time that a wind sylph almost blew me out of the tree I was climbing? I¡¯m not made of glass mother; you can¡¯t keep me in the potion cabinet.¡±

    Well well. Hint of determination? I guess we¡¯re not a doormat after all?

    We were never a doormat. We just don¡¯t have to be rude about it!

    ¡°I promise that I won¡¯t take foolish risks. I was careless, and didn¡¯t take the danger seriously. I won¡¯t make that mistake again.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Lilyanna!¡± And mother hugged me again, her eyes misting. ¡°You really are just like me!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad thing then.¡± I returned the hug, feeling a strange mushy warmth in my heart. This woman might not really be my mother-

    She most certainly is!

    -but she felt like one. And really, in this strange mixed-up world, it was good to have a place that felt like a safe harbor.

    We took our leave, taking several bottles from the brewing with us. As we walked towards town, Soriya gave me a glance. ¡°I could ask if you were really a boy, that was very healer mage of you. But I suspect you have a rider like me.¡± She tapped her temple meaningfully.

    ¡°Oh!¡± My hand seemed to naturally float to my chest in surprise. ¡°Do you have a little Soriya giving you advice too?!¡±

    She nodded. ¡°I do. Though, admittedly, as time has gone on, it¡¯s more like¡­ we¡¯re the same person, with slightly different memories.¡± She shrugged. ¡°But I like her. I like being Soriya.¡± She danced a few steps ahead of me and spun in a circle. ¡°I get to be a cool sexy magic heroine in a jrpg!¡±

    I choked a laugh, and shook my head, then finally said ¡°Well. I think I would have preferred to finish my vacation in a normal way rather than¡­ this. But I am glad for you. I¡¯m glad one of us has had something undeniably good happen.¡±

    She nodded happily as we continued back to Breezewood.

 09 A Little Soul is Good for Revenge

    The day was trending into early afternoon as we headed back to Breezewood, and the wind and sun and the smell of flowers and fields made it all very¡­ idyllic, honestly.

    Almost like I really am on vacation. And I¡¯m here now, so¡­

    ¡­so we should enjoy what we can! My otherself ended for me, with an almost sickening sweetness and optimism.

    And really¡­ what good does it do to sulk or mope? We need to keep moving forward. It¡¯s the only way out I can see. And¡­ and if I have to admit to being a girl while I do that, then ok. This world did seem¡­ almost bearable since I¡¯d had the good cry and then screaming fit into my pillow.

    My staff wasn¡¯t much good as a walking staff, but it didn¡¯t seem to be a problem to hold it behind my back or just let it swing at my side.

    I¡¯m a bit envious of Soriya¡¯s trick of storing Diaboli in her book though, that was¡­ hm.

    ¡°Soriya?¡±

    ¡°Mm?¡± She turned to look at me, walking backwards.

    ¡°How do you put Diaboli in the book? Is that just what your class can do?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Well, it¡¯s what one of my classes can do! It¡¯s a cool {Ritual} I cooked up with my newest class, {Entropist}.¡± She frowned. ¡°Really, I don¡¯t know why the world calls it that. It¡¯s more like Space/Time mage. Just like {Elementalist} is about elements and {Spiritist} is about Body/Mind magic. And I suppose really, it¡¯s all just spiritual magic anyway, since we¡¯re just tapping into the flow of the world soul itself¡­¡±

    You¡¯d better stop her. My otherself whispered in my mind Otherwise she¡¯ll be going for hours. Soriya loves magic.

    I coughed loudly, interrupting her flow. ¡°So, cool! You store Diaboli with a Space/Time skill?¡±

    Otherme scowled in our mind. Rude. Not like that, just find something to be excited about and you can distract her without interrupting!

    Look me, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but we¡¯re not¡­ all you. So we¡¯re just going to have to cope with being a little rude sometimes!

    Otherme retreated in a huff of mental sulk.

    ¡°What? Oh, uh! Yeah, that¡¯s right! I cooked up a {Ritual} with {Entropist} to create a space pocket to store Diaboli in. Like hammerspace, you know? Diabolispace! Only I just shoot people that perv on me!¡± She laughed.

    I could help but smile, even while it sounded horrible, she didn¡¯t seem to have an actual vicious bone in her body. And otherme trusted her. And her enthusiasm was infectious.

    ¡°{Rituals} are neat!¡± she continued. ¡°They¡¯re like cheat codes for magic! See, spells are like cooking! You can follow existing recipes, or you can make up new stuff! {Rituals} are where you make up stuff not in the cookbook! It¡¯s super slow, it took me two days to finish Diabolispace, but that¡¯s how I got a holster tome!¡±

    ¡°So¡­ you made your poison power with¡­ {Elementalist} skills?¡± I asked. It really was oddly interesting, and¡­ well I was living in this world now, maybe I should actually learn how the game mechanics worked before I had to flee for my life. That thought made me a little sick to my stomach. I do not want to flee for my life from an evil empire. Soriya was going into full lecture mode, irrelevant of my thoughts.

    She really does make a very sexy teacher. I thought idly. Hello, earth to¡­ Lily. She¡¯s not interested, remember?

    ¡°Uh¡­ actually no.¡± She said. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ well it¡¯s interesting. In theory, I made it with your mother¡¯s help. It¡¯s a physical object that contains a spelllike effect. What a {Tinker} would do, in other words. But I don¡¯t have {Tinker} and Miss Holly doesn¡¯t do poison. So, we worked together to make it. Only¡­ we kind of didn¡¯t.

    I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve got my interest. Go on?¡±

    Soriya sighed and twirled a bit on the road. I got the feeling she was filled with restless energy and let it out in odd bursts.

    ¡°So! You just got here, right? The day of the festival was when you woke up?¡±

    ¡°Mmhm?¡±

    ¡°Right. Well, I¡¯ve been here about a week now. And my otherself filled me in about my backstory. Sad lonely orphan, raised by a loving town, talented in magic, lives in the witch¡¯s treehouse at the edge of town¡­ I mean, seriously you¡¯ve heard this backstory before, right? We¡¯re both living tropes.¡±

    I nodded again. ¡°You¡¯re a lot more energetic than most black mages, but I guess¡­ well it seems obvious you really like being Soriya.¡±

    She ducked her head and blushed, then nodded. ¡°Yeah. Actually. I really do. And it¡¯s so neat to have a white mage friend who¡¯s the heroine to the story and¡­¡± she stopped in the road and pressed her lips together. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    I gathered my courage and stepped up to her, and gave her a hug. A proper friends hug. It was easier than I was expecting, but otherme helped a lot.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok. We are friends. And just because I want to get out of here, doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t help people along the way. If I really can¡¯t avoid it, I¡¯ll even save the world to go home. So it¡¯s ok.¡±

    Mmhm. Sad eyes and a hint of darkness in them when she lets that genki girl fa?ade lapse? Wow, she really couldn¡¯t be more trope if she tried.

    Eventually she let go, and wiped at her eyes. ¡°Thanks.¡± She said softly, then continued in a stronger voice. ¡°Anyway. Other me told me all about Miss Holly and my best friend, the girl who I just knew had to be a white mage, even if she¡¯d never cast a spell yet. So I wanted to meet you! I set off that afternoon heading to your house. Only, no matter what I did, stuff kept happening! Somebody would need my help, or a stray kitten would get lost, or Everett would show me his gun collection¡­ I just could not make headway towards your place! First time, right? Ok, so that was just a thing, it was a busy day. Nope. Happened again next day. And the day after. Anytime I determined I was going to go meet/visit my best friend, oop! Something comes up! Last Godsday, there was a sudden rainstorm that flooded the bridge!¡±

    I remember that rainstorm. It kept me home all day, brewing with Mother. Otherme chimed in.

    ¡°So¡­ yeah. I never met you before today, and I¡¯ve known you all my life. But I couldn¡¯t meet with you. I think because you weren¡¯t here yet. Like the world was still forming? Or maybe it was waiting for you, though it sure looked solid and real. So I had your mother¡¯s help to make pixie powder, and-¡±

    She stopped, and we stared at each other at the same time, eyes wide. I slapped my forehead at the same time Soriya rolled her eyes. We chorused in unison. ¡°Poison powder for the pixies!¡±

    ¡°Oh my gawd, how did we miss that?!¡± Soriya shouted. ¡°I feel so stupid now!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too mad, it never even occurred to me either!¡± I felt a strange grin stretching my face in unexpected directions. ¡°But this is good. This is how we get the pixies!¡±

    You¡¯re scaring me!

    The pixies are going down, do you understand!? They hurt us, and they hurt Soriya!

    Yes, but-

    I stopped listening, manic grin stretched across my lips. ¡°The pixies are going down!¡± I snarled. I grabbed Soriya¡¯s hand and started running towards town. We had some pixies to murder.

    The town was just as picturesque as I had left it. Peaceful peasant village, town square with market stalls filling it, bustling activity everywhere. Several people called out greetings to us as we flew past, but I was in too much of a rush. Otherme jabbed at my mind fiercely, I was being terribly rude, and I could not bring myself to care less. Finally, Soriya¡¯s yanked her hand free of mine, and stumbled to a halt, panting and wheezing for breath.

    ¡°Lilyanna, slow down! I can¡¯t keep up!¡±

    ¡°But we-¡°

    ¡°Stop!¡± she shouted at me. I blinked, and took a step back, startled.

    ¡°You are acting super weird all of a sudden! I¡¯m glad we figured out how to clear the tutorial battle, and also to help out Old Man Wither, but this is weird! What has gotten into you?!¡±

    I blinked a few times, shaking my head. I wasn¡¯t acting weird I was just-

    Yes, we were! We were just pushing past everyone without a single greeting, our best friend is begging us to slow down and all you can think about is getting even with pixies!

    I paused. Now that I thought about it¡­ that was odd, wasn¡¯t it? Almost like¡­

    I staggered and sat down on a nearby fountain¡¯s edge. ¡°Oh my gosh. I think¡­ it¡¯s something like a {Revenge} status effect on me. I¡­ I really am having a hard time thinking of anything but murdering them now that I know how. Of making them pay. They hurt you, Soriya! And-¡± I pressed my lips together. ¡°And they made a fool of me, and showed me how weak I am.¡± I clenched my hands in my skirts. ¡°I want to go home! I need to protect people! It¡¯s the only thing a white mage is ever good at! I need to get stronger!¡±

    Soriya sat down next to me, and put her arm around my shoulder in a hug. ¡°Ok. We can do that.¡± She said. ¡°But we don¡¯t have to carry the idiot ball to do that, right? We¡¯re not the hot-headed boy hero. We can plan ahead.¡±

    I nodded. It had seemed so obvious a few seconds ago. I was still going to murder those pixies for what they did, what they made me feel¡­ but Soriya was right. I did not need to be stupid about it.

    I felt otherme¡¯s sigh of relief clearly.

    I squeezed Soriya¡¯s hand. ¡°Thanks, Soriya. I think I¡¯ve got it now.¡±

    Soriya nodded, still heaving breaths. ¡°Good. That¡¯s good. So let¡¯s just.¡± A few more breaths. ¡°Let¡¯s just rest here¡­ a bit¡­ then get you your first armor and accessory, ok?¡±

    I twitched my lips and felt a smile creep over them. ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re two girls going on a shopping trip?¡±

    I was rewarded with a genuine laugh from Soriya.

    It was easier after that. A wrist bangle for both of us that Soriya informed me was ¡°Very cute!¡± Soriya also assured me they were enchanted to increase our resistance to physical damage. We checked the market stalls and shops for weapons too. There were some really exotic and cool looking staves there, but nothing in my price range, and all the cheap staves looked just like the knotty curl tip one that I had bent into existence. Even the enhancement crystals were out of my price range! The frozen elemental power crystals were affordable though, so we stocked up on those. I thought about selling some of Mother¡¯s potions, but then I realized I¡¯d just have to buy them back again, and I knew I was no good at haggling for price.

    ¡­and then¡­ the Sage¡¯s Robes. I stared at the market shop in front of me, paralyzed with dread.

    Soriya hissed in my ear ¡°Come on, it¡¯s not that bad!¡±

    ¡°Says you!¡± I hissed back. ¡°This is¡­ it¡¯s going to be all¡­ clingy! And stuff!¡±

    And this is me admitting¡­ I¡¯m the white mage of the party!

    I squeezed my staff so hard my knuckles turned white.

    ¡°You¡¯re gorgeous! What are you worried about!?¡±

    I gave her a glare that I hoped would melt her into a puddle on the ground. She remained stubbornly unmelted.

    ¡°You can always multiclass later when we level up.¡± She snapped in exasperation. ¡°And then you can get into some nice thick plate mail or something! But right now, pixie revenge! Remember?¡±

    I hissed back ¡°You know that¡¯s bad optimization, if we¡¯re going to get home, I can¡¯t afford to be dabbling!¡± But she was right. If I wanted pixie revenge today, I was going to have to equip the right gear. I pressed my lips together and marched forward.

    The shopkeeper, a middle-aged man wearing smartly tailored clothing and spectacles, with a measuring tape around his neck, brightened visibly on spotting us. ¡°Oh, hello there, girls! Soriya, are the robes fitting you well? Lilyanna, have you come to try one some new clothes?¡±

    Of course the shopkeeper knows me. Everyone knows me.

    What¡¯s strange about that? Benard has the best clothes in town, everyone knows it!

    I sighed and gave in. ¡°Hello Mr. Benard. Yes, Soriya convinced me to try out your Sages Robes.¡±

    His eyebrows rose in surprise, and he leaned back, putting his hands on his hips. ¡°Well now! Soriya, I hope you¡¯re not being a terrible influence on Miss Lilyanna, taking her off on adventures!?¡±

    Soriya raised her hands in protest. ¡°Oh no no no! Nothing like that!¡±

    I looked at her with a sense of mingled admiration and irritation. How does she lie so easily? I wish I could pull something like that off.

    ¡°We¡¯re here because Old Man Wither has another pixie infestation! We promised to help him clear it, and Ms. Holly insisted that Lily should have proper protection!¡±

    Benard¡¯s concerns were immediately eased, and he nodded. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s it! Hm.¡± He tapped his nose and winked at us. ¡°I think that¡¯s a spot of adventure, regardless of what you say, but my robes should do very well for pixie hunting, yes.¡± He stepped forward holding out measuring tape. I felt my knees tremble, and my hands clutched my staff even harder. Everyone is huge compared to me, and am I really going through with this?! ¡°Just spread your arms here, Lilyanna. Good like that. Thank you.¡± And with a businesslike quick series of measurements he took my measurements, and was gone in a whirl of fabric and clothing. I frowned, struck by a thought.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Me, do we know what class Mr. Benard is?

    Why¡­ no. It¡¯s kind of rude to ask, don¡¯t you think? Probably {Tinkerer} like Mother, with maybe some {Merchant} or {Loremaster}. That¡¯s what most people wind up with. I had thought I¡¯d become a {Gourmet}, I do like to cook! But then all this happened and-

    My train of thought was interrupted by Benard¡¯s return. He held a drape of shimmery grey green fabric over his arm.

    ¡°Here you are!¡± He announced proudly. ¡°One Sages Robe, sized for you.¡±

    I squinted at it in confusion. Why¡¯s it that color? Shouldn¡¯t it be white or red or¡­ oh right. Soriya said hers changed when she put it on.

    ¡°Mr. Benard, do clothes always change when you put them on?¡±

    ¡°Mm? No, of course not! The other dresses I made for you didn¡¯t change when you wore them, did they?¡± He smiled as though I¡¯d asked something silly.

    I smiled awkwardly. Soriya jumped in. ¡°I know this! The protective runes that are woven through the robe naturally interact with the energy of our souls, shaping themselves to our needs. That¡¯s why they¡¯re more expensive than ordinary clothes. We won¡¯t know what yours will look like until you wear them!¡±

    ¡°Red and white.¡± I mumbled under my breath.

    ¡°Sorry, what was that?¡± Benard asked.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± I took the fabric from his arms, and stumbled towards the changing room like a prisoner going to her execution.

    Behind me I heard Benard ask Soriya ¡°Is Lilyanna alright? She looks quite green!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine, she¡¯s fine! She¡¯s just too softhearted, she feels bad for the pixies-¡° Her smooth stream of lies was cut off as I closed the door behind me.

    The pink haired village girl stared back at me from the mirror. I found that I was actually scowling. ¡°The nerve of her!¡± I muttered as I sat down to pull off my boots. ¡°I¡¯m the one who dragged her into this! I¡¯m the one with the revenge status effect, not her!¡±

    I wiggled out of my dress and dropped it on the bench with a huff. My reflection stared back at me, a strikingly pretty living jrpg girl in her underwear.

    I almost wish Soriya was wrong about me being pretty. Would that make it easier? Would I want to be ugly? Or even plain? I had to admit to honest vanity¡­. no, I would not want to be plain. I would do it in a heartbeat if it meant I could be an NPC in the background of course, or better yet if I was still me-

    We can¡¯t be anyone else, silly. Of course we¡¯re us!

    That thought made my lips twist in frustration. We¡¯re not who we used to be. I thought.

    Whoever is? Unless you¡¯re dead, you¡¯re changing all the time anyway. That¡¯s what Mother always says.

    Huh. That was¡­ a surprisingly insightful comment.

    I shook out the strange shimmery grey green fabric. On examination it proved to be something like a cloak or poncho. A hole in the center for your neck, and draping folds all around. Up close I could actually see very finely woven runes picked out all along the edges and woven into lines of spellwork across the front and back. I sighed, and shook my head.

    ¡°Here goes nothing.¡±

    I threw it over me, wiggling my head through the hole in the middle. For a second I dared to hope that it was all a big mistake or misunderstanding. The fabric simply hung there, draped across my body like a tent. But then the fabric began to shimmer and sparkle, glowing motes floating up from it, and the fabric began to cling and reshape itself around me.

    ¡°Well, here we go, me.¡±

    Oh yes, I¡¯m so excited!

    The poncho fabric of the robe shrank to fit me, clinging every bit as tightly as I¡¯d feared it would, outlining my figure very clearly. I could feel it shrinking to fit my arms, floating and flowing, separating into a half cape with hood and clinging form fitted dress under it. The fabric clung to my neck and chest while shrinking away from my back, leaving my upper back and shoulders bare under the half cape. The fabric melted away from my upper arm, forming into detached sleeves.

    Well at least the cape keeps my shoulders warm. I don¡¯t feel quite so exposed this way.

    The color changed from a sickly gray green into a shimmery pure white, fading to pink and then bright red at the hem of my skirts, the same pink and red border along the edges of the hood and cape.

    A wide brown leather belt appeared around my waist, clinging as tightly to my waist as the fabric did to my breasts and hips.

    I guess the belt is for¡­ inventory items, I suppose? Potions and spellbooks? Or just a purse? Looks like a corset though? It¡¯s a girdle, actually. Floated up through my mind. A corset would be much taller and more supportive, and also worn under our clothes.

    Well that was disturbing. That wasn¡¯t even otherme, that was just¡­ suddenly knowledge that I had.

    The robes finally stopped squirming and settled on me. The fabric did feel very nice on my skin at least. I turned this way and that to see myself in the mirror. Yep. Pure white with red and pink accents. That was the expected color and cut. It wasn¡¯t quite like anything I¡¯d ever seen in any game before. Almost like it was inspired by the concept rather than a direct copy of anything. I hadn¡¯t been expecting the cape, but it wasn¡¯t unwelcome, it kept my bare shoulders and back covered, and I kind of liked how it made a dramatic swish when I turned. I slapped my cheeks. ¡°Come on, what are you thinking. This is bad! You can¡¯t just follow the plot-¡° I stopped. The pixies. Old man Wither. ¡°I hate this!¡± I growled. ¡°I hate that I have to advance the plot to avoid the plot!¡±

    Well, it¡¯s not all bad. I didn¡¯t have to play the fishing minigame. And this is just the tutorial battle. And also to clear this... whatever it is on me. If it even is a status effect. I am really mad that¡­ they showed me how useless I am. I sat down, pushing my feet back into my boots, then grabbed my staff, twisting at it till my knuckled turned white. ¡°Right.¡± I stood up and pushed open the door. I could see from Mr. Benard¡¯s expression that yes, the pretty 17-year-old girl was in fact very pretty. Soriya squealed and clapped her hands. ¡°Oh my gosh, it¡¯s perfect! We love it!¡±

    Mr. Benard turned to Soriya and smiled quizzically. ¡°Oh indeed? Perhaps we should ask Lilyanna if she likes it first?¡± He turned back to me. ¡°Do you like it, Ms. Lilyanna? I will say that it suits you very nicely indeed if I do say so myself. I¡¯ve never seen the robes turn that color before.¡±

    I twisted back and forth, letting the cape flare a bit. I pressed my lips together and shook my head. ¡°No. But it¡¯s comfortable and I trust your tailoring skills, so I¡¯ll take it. How much?¡±

    ¡°200 zeni.¡±

    My eyes opened wide. ¡°Two hundred?!¡±

    Benard nodded sagely. ¡°I¡¯m aware that it¡¯s expensive, but it really is worth every zeni, even if I do say so myself. Protective, easy to clean, sturdy enough to last a lifetime.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you do have enough, right?¡± Soriya said hesitantly.

    I do have enough. I knew I did; mother had given me my allowance before I came today, and I¡¯d been saving for the festival for weeks.

    Of course I have. It¡¯s the starter level. I gritted my teeth. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± I turned around and picked up my old dress laying in the dressing room bench, fishing my coin purse out. Indeed, the robes seemed to be aware of my intent, and a small leather pouch appeared at my hip, suspended from the girdle to hold it. I marched over to the counter and started counting out zeni.

    Mr. Benard frowned. ¡°Lilyanna, is everything alright? You seem quite out of sorts? If¡­ if the robes aren¡¯t to your liking-¡°

    ¡°The robes are fine.¡± I muttered, continuing to count.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± he fidgeted with his measuring tape, looking from me to Soriya. ¡°If you¡¯re sure?¡±

    I nodded, sliding the zeni over to him. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    He took the coins uncertainly, clearly unsure what to say. Otherme nudged me fiercely in the brain. Say something! He¡¯s a good person, you¡¯re being rude!

    I swallowed, and turned to him, giving him a bow, my hands folded in front of me. ¡°I am grateful to be in your care. The robes are truly superb. I¡¯ve recently received some troubling news, and so I apologize for my manners.¡±

    If anything he only looked more concerned. ¡°Oh dear! Is there something I can do? If you¡¯re in some kind of trouble¡­¡±

    I let out a short laugh which was unpleasantly bitter. How can I explain it? How can I explain any of it?

    Soriya came to my rescue, bless her. ¡°Lilyanna had an offer from the guild proctor. He said she could come study at the imperial capital. It¡¯s a wonderful offer, but you know how Lily loves Breezewood.¡±

    Hm. She didn¡¯t even lie that time.

    Mr. Benard¡¯s eyes cleared up at once. ¡°Ahh. That is a difficult decision!¡± he patted my shoulder awkwardly. ¡°I cannot make your worries go away Ms. Lilyanna, but I can assure you that wherever you go, all of Breezewood will support you. And my robes will help, be they for an adventure or a life in the capital.¡±

    I nodded, and otherme¡¯s impulses added for me ¡°Thank you. That means so much to me, Mr. Benard.¡±

    We left the shop and headed towards the lakeside docks. Soriya was uncharacteristically quiet as we walked. She suddenly burst out ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go on an adventure, we don¡¯t have to! We don¡¯t even have to fight the pixies!¡±

    ¡°No! What are you saying!? No! I¡­ I need to end the pixies! I need to be stronger! I need to be useful for something!¡±

    Soriya stopped and turned to face me. ¡°Lilyanna. You are my friend. Is that not useful enough?¡±

    Impulsively, instinctively, I tried to say no, and otherme grabbed my tongue.

    Don¡¯t you say it! She shouted mentally. Don¡¯t you dare say it! You know you¡¯re lying if you say it too! Look in her eyes, and tell me you want to hurt her like that!

    I looked into Soriya¡¯s eyes and recognized what I saw there. Guilt. She felt guilty for dragging me into this. As if I wasn¡¯t the one who had pulled her along on this kill quest!

    Otherme pushed me into action. ¡°Of course it¡¯s enough.¡± I said meekly.

    Soriya pursed her lips. ¡°Is that you, or other you?¡±

    I swallowed. ¡°It¡¯s both of us. Oh, Soriya, I don¡¯t know what to do!¡± I wailed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to play whatever game is puppeteering me into this! But I also can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t sit and do nothing! I want both of them and I can¡¯t have either!¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°I do know. I¡¯ve been there countless times.¡± Her voice was quiet and serious, her violet eyes were dark with shadows. ¡°I won¡¯t pretend this isn¡¯t hard. But you have one thing I never did. A friend. So.¡± She held out her hand to me. ¡°So¡­ we can do this together.¡±

    I looked at her hand. A fragment of memory, a song and advice. I took her hand. ¡°Ok. You¡¯re right. If we do it together, it¡¯ll be better. We¡¯ll do the next right thing.¡±

    I had hoped to get a smile from her, even a sad one, for the geek reference. But her face was deadly serious as she squeezed my hand. ¡°Then let¡¯s go do the next right thing. Pixies?¡±

    I took a deep breath and let it out. Tightened my grip on my staff. Nodded. ¡°Pixies.¡±

    At the lake quay, we found a large crowd gathered out on the pier and crowded around the jetty. Cheers and shouts of excitement came from the crowd. I sighed, then giggled.

    ¡°I guess the fishing contest is in full swing.¡± I said to Soriya.

    ¡°Oh. Oh! Yeah! Heh. Fishing minigame, am I right?¡± I was glad to see her dark mood seemed to have passed.

    We shared a smile and passed through the back of the crowd. I caught a glimpse of a familiar outfit in the crowd as we passed.

    ¡°Huh. Looks like the guild proctor is at the fishing contest. I didn¡¯t think imperial spies needed to keep tabs on fishing contests?¡±

    A loud cheer erupted from the dock. It sounded like someone had broken some kind of record. Well good for them. I¡¯ll have to ask who it was tomorrow.

    Soriya glanced towards the crowd, and frowned. ¡°Yeah. Honestly, I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re an isekai. I was really really not looking forward to convincing a pure hearted heroine that the empire was evil! Honestly, I¡¯m not even sure I could manage it!¡±

    I still don¡¯t understand why you think he¡¯s evil! It¡¯s probably all just a coincidence!

    Soriya¡¯s lips twitched into a smile. ¡°She¡¯s telling you it¡¯s a mistake, isn¡¯t she? I can tell from your expression. That and your eyeroll could have looped a planet.¡±

    I sighed and nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s me but also very not. It¡¯s hard to describe.¡±

    ¡°No, I understand. That¡¯s how other Soriya is with me too.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    We arrived at Soriya¡¯s booth. To my complete astonishment, and otherme¡¯s triumphant vindication, Soriya had done very good business while she was gone.

    ¡°How is this even possible?!¡± I protested as she raked the coins into the small chest.

    Soriya grinned at me. ¡°You mean why wasn¡¯t I robbed blind?¡± She shrugged. ¡°Do you want a full {Loremaster} treatise on morphogenic field displacement, the genius loci of the world soul and areola effects? Or do you want the easy explanation?¡± I felt my eyes widen in shock, my head spinning a bit from her terms. Her smile was a bit cocky and condescending as she said ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Easy it is. Because this is the starter village and we¡¯re the heroines.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± I protested.

    She pulled out several small purple bags with a small skull and crossbones stenciled on them, and pushed them into my hands. Neat handwritten labels on each bag read ¡®Witch¡¯s Finest: Pixie Poison Powder. (Keep away from pets and small children. Do not eat!)¡¯ in the by now familiar fantasy alphabet of this world. I couldn¡¯t help noting she¡¯d drawn a smiling chibi witch¡¯s head on each label.

    ¡°I¡¯m very serious!¡± She replied. She picked up the little chest with her earnings in it, hung up a ¡®Closed, back tomorrow!¡¯ sign on her booth and turned back to me. I noted that her sign had the smiling chibi witch¡¯s head too. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll try and explain on the way.¡±

    To her credit, she really did explain. It made my head spin a bit, but what I was able to piece together was something like: The world soul had expectations for Breezewood. Expectations which included a good place to grow up, filled with good honest people. Since the world soul felt this way, and since Breezewood didn¡¯t have a strong countervailing force pushing it in any other direction, Breezewood became what the world soul wanted. Soriya finished ¡°Well it¡¯s more like ¡®dreaming¡¯ than ¡®wanting¡¯ really, it¡¯s not an aware thing. Not as we understand awareness anyway. So that¡¯s my hypothesis. And if I can prove it, then I could probably get a scholarship at the imperial academy! Not that I¡¯d want too, actually, they¡¯re clearly the villains. Probably use it to develop some superweapon or something.¡±

    ¡°If we could only figure out why they wanted my necklace!¡± I burst out.

    ¡°Mm, yeah, that¡¯s right. Something something princess of a lost kingdom? Last of her kind?¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Yeah, probably something of the kind. It doesn¡¯t do us any good though, we don¡¯t know what it does or how to use it, and if we were to try to find out, then we really are walking right into the main storyline.¡±

    Oh my goodness, are you serious?! Us?! A princess?!

    I rolled my eyes even harder, and shared memories of a dozen doomed healer mages.

    ¡°Yeah. Next right thing, right? Pixies.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Pixies.¡±

    We reached Old man Wither¡¯s farm and his fair booth shortly. His eyes widened as he saw us, and he stood up behind the counter and hurried over to us.

    ¡°What on earth are you girls doing back here?! Are you even fit to be up and around after that hit?!¡±

    I twitched a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you for your concern. Mother¡¯s potions are very good.¡±

    He took his pipe out of his mouth and pursed his lips. ¡°That¡¯s a relief, after I dragged you both out of the vineyard you looked so bad I feared for the worst! I did warn you about the pixies!¡± He shook his finger in our faces sternly. ¡°Don¡¯t go messing around with them, they¡¯re too dangerous!¡±

    Soriya cleared her throat. ¡°Actually, that¡¯s why we¡¯re here. We realized that we hadn¡¯t been taking your advice seriously, and we feel awful bad about leaving our promise undone. Don¡¯t we Lilyanna?¡±

    I nodded earnestly.

    ¡°So we¡¯ve come back to-¡±

    ¡°Oh no!¡± He held up his hands to ward us off. ¡°Oh no no! I¡¯m not letting you two back there again!¡± He shook his finger in my face again. ¡°Your mother would skin me alive if she learned I¡¯d done that!¡± he turned to Soriya, his wild white hair swirling. ¡°And you! Don¡¯t you know how important you are to the town!? Only witch for miles around! No, absolutely not!¡± He crossed his arms and stared at us stubbornly.

    I felt something ¡®nudge¡¯ inside me, and I stepped forward, not really sure what otherme was going to have us do. It wasn¡¯t obvious, but I could feel myself do something. I felt the same slight effort that I¡¯d felt on casting Barrier, my posture altered slightly and my voice came out¡­ differently. There was a subtle melody woven into my words, a lulling softness I¡¯d never heard.

    We are {Persuading} him. My otherself explained.

    ¡°Please Mr. Wither, we know we scared you, we¡¯re so very sorry about that! But we¡¯ve learned our lesson, truly we have! We¡¯ve brought along poison powder, we have elemental crystals, both Soriya and I have bought magical protections and equipment from the fair. We feel just terrible about how we left this undone, and after we promised you too! And you must know how it is, once you¡¯ve promised someone, your word is on the line! We can¡¯t let these pixies beat us, and if we don¡¯t drive them off, the fruit harvest will be ruined! Everyone is so looking forward to your fruit cobbler!¡±

    Soriya was looking at me as if I¡¯d sprouted two extra arms and an additional head, but I couldn¡¯t afford the distraction. I had to keep up the weight of the {Persuasion}.

    I could see him wavering. He shuffled his feet. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, missy!¡± he shook his finger. ¡°I can feel a {Persuasion}, same as anyone else!¡±

    I felt a stab of worry, at the exact same time my otherself announced triumphantly Got him.

    ¡°And have I said anything untrue, Mr. Wither?¡± She had me say, innocently. ¡°You know {Persuasion} only helps me put my arguments in good order, not force you to do anything.¡±

    He scowled at me, rubbing his chin whiskers fiercely.

    ¡°And you¡¯re going to have to hire someone to get rid of the pixies anyway.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, blast you, Lilyanna! Not fair of you speaking so sweetly, and having good points to back you up!¡± He muttered and grumbled, but turned and walked over to the gate to the vineyard, opening it for us. ¡°If you don¡¯t come out in 20 minutes, I¡¯m going in after you. And I won¡¯t be doing this again!¡±

    I bowed to him, that same harmony of both selves agreeing on the right action, and Soriya and I hurried down the path to the vineyard.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that worked! You sneak! Since when can a white mage actually con somebody like that?!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t con him!¡± I answered primly. ¡°I simply showed him that our reason for being here was good, sound, logical, and we were taking the threat seriously this time. Just¡­ with a little help from my Skills.¡±

    Soriya looked at me with genuine surprise. ¡°Well damn, girl. I¡¯ve never seen a white mage bend somebody around their finger like that!¡±

    I looked over at her and smiled. ¡°Sure you have. When we use it at full power, the person doesn¡¯t even know they¡¯re being {Persuaded}. They think it was their own idea to do what we wanted them to do.¡±

    Soriya goggled at me. ¡°So you¡¯re like¡­ an evil Yamato Nadeshiko!?¡±

    I stopped and glared at her, a mixture of insulted and horrified. ¡°Rude! I am not evil! I would never! I even let him feel he was in control, because he felt the {Persuade}! And besides, I don¡¯t have nearly the skill of Belldandy yet!¡±

    Soriya stared at me, her eyes filled with genuine awe, then said ¡°Yet? Holy shit, girl. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re on my side!¡±

    I felt oddly better about myself after that, and found myself smiling all the way to the grove.

    The first pixie challenge was almost exactly the same. There was no solo this time, the three pixies zipped out of the greenery, giggling and chittering. It was clear they recognized us, as they promptly started making obscene and mocking gestures as soon as they saw us.

    I gritted my teeth, holding my staff out front of me, squeezing it so hard my knuckles went white again.

    ¡°Right. Round two, you Meadowlarks!¡± I snarled.

 10 Isnt there always an Onsen Episode?

    It felt good. It felt right. I was angry in a way I¡¯d never felt before, it was an almost incandescent rage, and yet I felt myself floating in a crystal bubble of white-hot fury, buoyed by it, floating in it, yet disconnected from it, my thoughts moving in brilliant clarity.

    The first battle was almost an anticlimax. We¡¯d worked through our strategy beforehand this time, Soriya¡¯s {Loremaster} letting us know what their weaknesses were. A lobbed bag of poison powder, and the pixies were coughing and hacking, swirling in circles and turning a virulent shade of green. One of them dove at us, but missed badly, weaving crazily in midair and then crashing into the bushes behind us, where we heard the loud sounds of puking. Precision shots from Diaboli, and another of my {Orator} skills, {Encourage} boosted Soriya¡¯s attacks to lethal effectiveness. It was odd, floating in that crystal bubble to hear my sweet high voice giving such a perky optimistic speech about faith and trust and my confidence in her¡­ but it felt really good, too. I was being effective. I was contributing!

    A single strike from the elemental crystals, targeting the pixie¡¯s vulnerability and they dropped to the ground, one after the other exploding into wisps of stray mana in brightly colored streamers of light. With each death, I felt a little more myself, a little more grounded, a little less¡­ crazy.

    There were several more packs roving the vineyard, but with our strategy worked out, they were all just as quickly dispatched and dealt with. We were both exhausted, feeling our mental energy flagging when we finally reached the back of the garden. We¡¯d burned through all our elemental crystals, every last one of mother¡¯s healing and mana potions, my staff was smeared with purple pixie blood, and I was filthy with soot from pixie detonations, but there were no more pixies left in the vineyard. We were triumphant.

    ¡°So¡­ I guess¡­¡± I panted out ¡°This is what it feels like¡­ to be out of mana?¡±

    Soriya nodded, wiping sweat off her forehead. ¡°Feels a lot¡­ more physical¡­ than I was expecting.¡± She agreed.

    I sank down to the ground, letting my calves splay to either side of my hips. ¡°We did it.¡± I was too exhausted to cheer, but inside, I was cheering wildly. The world felt¡­ good again. Light again. Things were possible again. Whatever that strange effect on my mind was, it was gone. I felt like me again.

    It¡¯s so good to be back otherme agreed. I noted with amusement that even my internal voice sounded exhausted.

    We sat there for a bit, regaining our breath, and then I slowly got up. ¡°I need a bath. Or twenty.¡± I sniffed at myself. ¡°Sprits, I¡¯m sticky and I smell. I thought girls were supposed to smell like lilac¡¯s and sandalwood, and glisten like morning dew.¡±

    Soriya burst out laughing. ¡°Ok, now I believe you were a boy. We¡¯re just as human as everyone else, and that means sticky, sweaty, and smelly after a dirty job. So a bath sounds like a wonderful idea! And afterwords¡­ oh yes! Ice cream and tarts!¡±

    ¡°Oh! There¡¯s¡­ well yes of course there is, it¡¯s a jrpg town. You know, I¡¯ve never been to a public bath before!¡±

    Soriya blinked in surprise. ¡°You haven¡¯t? But why not, there¡¯s one in every town.¡±

    I stared at her. ¡°What? I¡¯ve never seen one.¡±

    Soriya looked at me for a long moment, her face scrunched up in puzzlement. ¡°What-¡± She suddenly burst out ¡°Are you an American?!¡±

    I stared at her in shock. ¡°Aren¡¯t you?!¡± I found myself answering dumbly.

    Soriya started laughing so hard she started to cry. I¡¯d never actually thought that was a thing real people did, but there she was, doubled over, leaning against the vineyard fence, tears running down the soot on her cheeks and laughing.

    And that was how Farmer Wither found us, me staring at Soriya in consternation while she laughed helplessly.

    He scowled at us, but his body language belied the sour look and his tone as he said ¡°Well good! You girls were late, and I told you I¡¯d come after you if you weren¡¯t back!¡± He glanced around hands on hips, then took his pipe out of mouth and nodded. ¡°Alright. I can see you¡¯ve done hard work here. Not a single pixie left in my fields at all, just like you promised. So you¡¯ve done me a good turn and I can¡¯t deny it!¡± he looked us up and down. ¡°And spirits preserve me, you¡¯re filthy! So you get on down to the bathhouse, you tell Ms. Marle that your baths are on me. Go on, get!¡± he made shooing motions.

    I gave Soriya an uncertain glance. She was still grinning ear and ear and giggling. I glanced back at Old Man Wither, but he seemed to have completely forgotten us, examining some small patch of the ground and muttering to himself. I shrugged and grabbed Soriya¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Come on. You can explain what¡¯s so funny at the baths.¡±

    She nodded, and together we headed out of the fields and back towards town. I paused uncertainly as I got to the farm entrance, but a whisper of knowledge that I¡¯d ¡®always¡¯ had, and I was soon trotting down a new/old path. The bathhouse was on a rise at the opposite end of the town from my house, and, it turned out, much closer to Soriya¡¯s house. I couldn¡¯t see it from here, but my ¡®memory¡¯ sketched in the details of a witches¡¯ cottage nestled in the branches of a vast tree standing alone in a field. I had often gone over to her house to play, it seemed. I shook my head.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to understand how you must have felt when you tried to come visit me.¡± I said to Soriya, breaking the silence as we approached the bathhouse, its chimneys steaming in the afternoon light.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s this about?¡±

    I gestured down the dirt road leading to her house. ¡°Your house. We used to go and play there all the time. And yet I¡¯ve never been there, or even imagined anything quite like it. It¡¯s like an echo of a memory, a phantom gap. I wonder if this is what people who have missing limbs feel sometimes?¡±

    Soriya put her finger on her chin and tipped her head to the side. ¡°I suppose it must be, really. A bit odd to think of it like that, but it¡¯s like a phantom limb in reverse. The thing we remember is there and real, but we¡¯ve never had it. It would be like new arm or a third eye I think.¡±

    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s a good thing¡­ I¡¯d still be stumbling around and there would be like¡­ a dexterity penalty or something for walking in my boots. And yet I don¡¯t have any problems. It¡¯s just¡­ normal.¡±

    Soriya glanced over at me. ¡°Is it bad?¡±

    I grimaced. ¡°I don¡¯t really like the reminder, so most of the time I¡¯ve been avoiding thinking about it.¡± I replied honestly.

    ¡°We could try to cut the heels off? Or I bet that Benard would be willing to make you new boots too.¡±

    I considered it. ¡°Otherme doesn¡¯t like that idea much, and it doesn¡¯t seem to actually cause any problems. We just fought our way through a vineyard of pixies, so it¡¯s clear that I¡¯m not exactly impaired by them.¡± I looked down at myself, and sighed. ¡°And the bigger issue is that really¡­ changing the heel of my shoe doesn¡¯t change any of this.¡± I gestured at my body.

    Soriya was silent for a moment, then said ¡°You know, we¡¯re going to a bathhouse. I feel like this world is treating you unfairly, throwing you shock after shock, but¡­ it¡¯s your body, at least until you can get home. Maybe it would be a good idea to at least get to know it? The little Lilyanna in your head probably can help?¡±

    I grimaced even harder. ¡°That hadn¡¯t even occurred to me! Of course I¡¯ll need to take off my clothes to take a bath. And it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to stop getting sweaty all of a sudden.¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°You know¡­ If you ask your otherself to help, I think she¡¯d be able too?¡±

    I glanced over at Soriya curiously. ¡°How do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I mean this otheryou remembers living as a girl for all 17 years. If you ask to borrow some of her, it might ease¡­ I think that¡¯s what you¡¯ve been doing, actually. Borrowing her skill to deal with it all. If you deliberately asked, it might get easier?¡±

    I stopped, stunned. I could feel otherme¡¯s interest inside my mind, an inquisitive ¡®offer¡¯ already reaching out.

    I swallowed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like that idea! What if she¡­ what if I¡­ I don¡¯t want to lose myself just because I don¡¯t like walking in heels!¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°Come on. You¡¯ve been living with her for a full day now. Do you think she would ever force something on someone? Or make them keep it if they didn¡¯t want it? Think of it like¡­ yeah, exactly like! It¡¯s exactly like that cream you made for me. Remember when I stumbled into the itchvine patch last summer!?¡±

    I blinked, otherme¡¯s memory of that coming back to me. ¡°Well. I do now?¡± I offered her a nervous laugh.

    Soriya looked briefly disconcerted. ¡°Oh. Yeah, right. Sorry. But the point is! It¡¯s like that cream! It soothed the burn and the itch and discomfort! I still knew I was uncomfortable, but it was like¡­ a barely even there discomfort. A ¡®things are healing now¡¯ discomfort, instead of the desperate desire to scratch until my skin was bloody. You know? I think it might be worth a try! It¡¯s an ointment to ease discomfort, not a¡­¡± she shook her head. ¡°I like this Lilyanna. The one who isn¡¯t painfully clueless about everything! Don¡¯t turn into her! There¡¯s a reason it¡¯s you here, and not her!¡±

    I thought about it, and a little smile tugged at my lips, and I giggled. ¡°When did you learn {Persuade}?¡±

    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t-¡±

    I laughed. ¡°No, I know you don¡¯t have that skill. But that was a really good argument. Worth a persuade.¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll try it.¡±

    I closed my eyes, and reached out to the mental ¡®hand¡¯ that otherme was holding out. A doubling of vision swept over me, the sense of being two people at once, a vision of Lilyanna standing in front of me, and then a soothing numbness that spread through my mind. A burning itch that had become normal background suddenly replaced by a faint tingle, and it felt so good. So very good. It was like having a tense muscle suddenly relax, like a stabbing pain that had become numb. I let out a long sigh of blissful relief, and opened my eyes to Soriya¡¯s concerned face.

    ¡°It worked?¡± She asked.

    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. I think so. Let¡¯s get a bath and test it.¡±

    We headed into the bathhouse, and were greeted by Ms. Marle. She exclaimed over the mess we¡¯d made of ourselves, and nodded when we explained about the pixies, then shooed us into the girl¡¯s bath without a further word. I stood there, looking at the lockers for a moment, gritting my teeth. I looked over at Soriya, and then felt the heat of my blush as I saw her naked backside.

    ¡°Um. Soriya!?¡± I said, focusing intensely on the lockers in front of me. ¡°Is this really such a good idea?! I¡­ I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be bathing together!¡±

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    ¡°Give it a try.¡± She said from behind me. ¡°You¡¯re a grown up, you can make your own choices. If it doesn¡¯t work out, there are private baths. But they¡¯re more expensive, and we are filthy.¡±

    Like yanking a bandaid off. I thought, and started pulling at my clothes. It was embarrassing to think about Soriya naked behind me, and the fact that I was going to be naked in front of her!? I¡¯d been such a prude in my bedroom not three hours ago!

    Don¡¯t think about it like that. Here. Like this. My otherself offered, and suddenly¡­ it was easy. It was a revelation. I kept expecting the pain of ¡®wrongness¡¯ to return at any moment, to be painfully reminded that I was a gorgeous anime girl, but somehow I was standing naked in the changing room, my soiled robes in the wooden basket in front of me, and I hadn¡¯t once felt that pain of ¡®wrong¡¯. It was just¡­ me. Like a tingling numbness recognizing that I certainly hadn¡¯t been born this way, but it wasn¡¯t wrong any longer.

    I turned around to find Soriya was grinning at me, completely naked.

    Wow. What a view! Went through my head, followed by I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not a boy right now. Things would get so awkward!

    ¡°Looks like it worked!¡± She said almost proudly. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll show the funny foreigner how baths work!¡±

    She grabbed me by the hand and laughingly pulled me into a large room filled with small stools and steaming buckets, and the smell of soap. I blinked at small wisps of steam drifting up, and then gasped when I realized that there were small glowing red and blue crystals heaped into a pile nearby. Elemental stones¡­ oh that¡¯s how they have heated water! Brilliant! I giggled and found myself clapping my hands. ¡°Oh it¡¯s magitech! A magitech bathhouse! A fantasy magitech bathhouse!¡±

    Soriya grinned at me. ¡°Attagirl. I knew you¡¯d like this. Come on, the best part is the soap!¡±

    ¡°So, sit down on the stool, then you pick up one of the bath tubs.¡± Soriya demonstrated by picking up one of the small buckets. ¡°Blue crystal is water, red is fire. Best mix is 2 blue and 1 red, but I don¡¯t know how hot you like your water.¡± She plonked 6 crystals into the tub and gave them a gentle shake, causing them to break and discharge their elemental affinity. A flare of fire and water hitting each other and she was holding a steaming tub of water in her hands.

    It was strange. Once she mentioned it, it was obvious what had to be done and I was a touch irritated she was repeating common knowledge. But until she said it, I hadn¡¯t the faintest clue what any of this was for!

    ¡°Then, you drop the bucket over your head like this.¡± She poured the bucket of steaming water over head.

    I nodded and reached hesitantly for the crystals, unsure how many red crystals to use.

    We like a ratio of 2 red to 5 blue.

    We do!?

    A soft mental giggle. We do. Our skin is more sensitive than Soriya¡¯s.

    I picked up the selected crystals and followed Soriya¡¯s example, pouring the resulting steaming hot water over my head. The water stung, just below the border of pain, stinging hot but in a good way.

    ¡°Good!¡± Said Soriya. ¡°Now you do that again, and pour one of these bath salt pouches here into the mix! Then scrub!¡± she paused. ¡°You have showers in America, right?¡±

    I scowled at her. ¡°Yes! We¡¯re not barbarians! Where are you from that you don¡¯t know this?¡±

    She dumped foaming bucket of water over her head that smelled of flowers and herbs. ¡°South Korea.¡± She said, as she started to rub the suds over her body.

    ¡°Really?! Then how can¡­¡±

    She grinned. ¡°We understand each other? You can cast magic in a world that has a System and you¡¯re asking that?¡±

    ¡°Ok, fair point.¡± I followed her example again, sniffing at the various soaps. They all smelled absurdly floral. Otherme had very clear ideas about which one she wanted, but I put a hard stop on that, picking the one that smelled the least like an explosion in a potpourri shop. The stinging hot water felt really good, and the mild floral scent really wasn¡¯t that offensive. And it felt so good to scrub off the pixie soot, mud, and sweat of the day. I could feel my muscles unwinding as I rubbed the foaming lather over myself. And best of all, I didn¡¯t feel like a combination pervert and prisoner scrubbing a 17-year-old girl¡¯s skin.

    ¡°So how did you figure I was an American?¡±

    Soriya shrugged, pouring clean water over herself to rinse. ¡°Pretty easy. Americans are nice enough people, but you think the world revolves around you. So any place that has a custom that¡¯s not American is some weird surreal land to you. It¡¯s a fairly easy tell when you know what to look for.¡±

    I thought about this as I rinsed myself off. ¡°So¡­ Americans are jerks?¡±

    Soriya shook her head, standing up to wind her indigo blue hair into a bun. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. You¡¯re just¡­ well you¡¯re a bit thoughtless that¡¯s all. And now that you¡¯re here, you can learn how we do things. There are plenty of things in this world that don¡¯t make any sense to original me at all. I think this world is like¡­ a nexus point. A blending of lots of different ideas. Some bad, some good, and some just different.¡± Her voice was thoughtful as she expounded. ¡°Well that¡¯s for later, if I ever write my monograph. Here¡± She picked up several small towels. ¡°Hold them like this.¡± She demonstrated, holding the towel over her privates.

    It was strange, but I was oddly relieved to have something to cover my lower region with, even though I was mostly fine with¡­ well I was naked from the waist up! But so was Soriya and she wasn¡¯t having any problems!

    ¡°Now don¡¯t let the towel drop in the water, and don¡¯t dunk your head below the water either. It¡¯s considered unsanitary.¡±

    I blinked in surprise, something coming together in my head. ¡°Oh is that why everyone wears the towel on their head in anime?!¡±

    Soriya giggled. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. What did you think it was?¡±

    ¡°I dunno¡­? Some way to keep your head warm? A hair washing thing? Ice cubes wrapped in cloth to keep your head cool in a hot spring?¡± Soriya led the way out of the bath room and out onto a large the large stone terrace surrounding a steaming pool that smelled faintly of minerals and herbs.

    ¡°So people watch anime in South Korea?¡±

    Soriya looked back and rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, we even eat food too!¡±

    I winced. ¡°Ok, I guess I deserved that. You just seem¡­ awfully American yourself.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°American culture is global, and frankly Hollywood makes some very cool movies. Some of our culture makes its way back to you, it¡¯s a circle.¡± She paused by the edge of the pool. ¡°Now you climb down in here.¡± She gestured to the pool.

    Really! I might be an uncouth foreigner but I knew how to swim! ¡°I¡¯m not a child, you know!¡± I protested. ¡°And Lilyanna has been here lots of times! I know what a bathing pool is!¡±

    ¡°Less justification, more swimming!¡± Soriya shoved me from behind, pushing me into the pool.

    I let out a very stereotypical ¡°Kyaaah!¡± and fell face first into the pool with a huge splash.

    I surfaced, spluttering, only to be swamped by another wave as Soriya jumped in behind me.

    She popped up grinning next to me.

    ¡°What happened to don¡¯t put your head under water?!¡± I protested.

    ¡°I said some things were different here.¡±

    I scowled at her, and suddenly felt an irresistible urge, both halves of me moving before I even realized it, splashing her with a double handful of water. She let out a shriek of surprise, and very shortly we were engaged in a close-range splash fight. It was intensely enjoyable, in a silly childish way and we both lost our towels in the pool before we were done, and had to go fish them out from the bottom. It was, self evidentially not all that much of a taboo to drop your towel or put your head under water¡­ and I couldn¡¯t leave the towel in the pool!

    We lounged in the hot water, which was stinging hot to my bare skin, and I could see my skin turning a pale pink very quickly, almost as bright as my hair. It was a strange feeling to be living the hot springs scene from every jrpg anime ever. The water did feel really good though. I sighed and leaned my head on the stone rim.

    ¡°You were right. This is really nice. I could definitely get used to this.¡± I let myself drift, feeling infinitely content for the first time in a long while.

    The voice of the world soul echoed softly in my head. Rank up. {Orator} For coming to terms with yourself and for speaking your convictions from your heart, you have unlocked {Orator: 3}

    I let out a mental sigh. Apparently, there is no rest for the wicked. At least it¡¯s not another adventurer level like {Spiritist}. I splashed at the water. ¡°Not a bad for payment for pixie murder.¡± I said.

    Soriya murmured agreement, unaware of my rank up. ¡°Yeah. Though honestly, I¡¯m just glad to see you back to normal. You scared me a little with how intense you were.¡±

    ¡°Mm. I scared myself a bit. I guess it really was a status effect? Or maybe I just¡­ didn¡¯t like being reminded of being useless.¡±

    ¡°Well I hope you¡¯ve driven that silly idea out of your head! We made a good team!¡± She perked up. ¡°Hey! We should team up to do the cavern of trials together!¡±

    ¡°Is that¡­?¡± faint misty memories ghosted into my mind. No, it was not disallowed, and even encouraged in certain cases. I opened my mouth to agree, and then stopped. ¡°Hang on. Cavern of Trials!¡± I splashed upright. ¡°That¡¯s the excuse to get us away from Breezewood! Something terrible will happen to Breezewood if we go!¡±

    Soriya put her finger to her chin in thought. ¡°You¡¯re right. That is the usual flag.¡±

    ¡°Well then that¡¯s settled. We can¡¯t go to the cavern!¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe¡­ but everyone is expecting us to? What will we tell them? Plus, if we stay here, won¡¯t we just get massacred with the town?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying the world is going to force us too? That we can¡¯t avoid it?¡± I scowled. ¡°I won¡¯t accept that! How can you be calm about this?! Our home is about to get torched!¡±

    She splashed at the top of the pool, looking pensive. ¡°I¡¯m not calm, actually. But our trial is 5 days off, and we have time. Remember? We don¡¯t have to carry the idiot ball. I¡¯m just concerned that we¡¯ll be forced to go the cave somehow, the same way I couldn¡¯t come visit you, before you ¡®arrived¡¯.¡±

    I paused, then nodded. I forced myself to sink back on the underwater bench and relax. I was letting Lilyanna¡¯s heart and my own panic run away with me again. ¡°You¡¯re right. We don¡¯t. Ok. So, we know we¡¯re not going to the cavern of trials, that¡¯s obvious. It¡¯s a good thing too, I don¡¯t want to have to deal with the spiky haired hero boy! So what¡¯s our next move?¡±

    Soriya splashed out of the pool. ¡°I think better on a full stomach!¡± She announced. ¡°Let¡¯s go get tarts and ice cream!¡±

    I sighed and smiled. ¡°My best friend, the insatiable. It¡¯s a good thing you cast so much magic!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll need to eat more too, now that you¡¯re casting spells!¡±

    I shook my head, but I felt a sort of giddy glee building inside me. If magic increases my metabolism¡­ I really can eat all the food I want without guilt! I grinned as I splashed out of the pool after Soriya. Finally! Things were looking up!

    The baths provided robes for us to wear since our robes were being cleaned. We rented a small room to the side where we ordered a truly impressive amount of fruit tarts, barely alcoholic fruit juices, and ice cream. I could really get used to this full-service idyllic fantasy life!

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised they let teens drink¡± I commented as I sipped gingerly at the fizzy drink.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to question it.¡± Soriya responded. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s barely alcoholic!¡±

    ¡°Were you one of those hard drinking anime girls?¡±

    Rude! Otherme whispered in our mind.

    Soriya laughed and mimed throwing an ice cream spoon at me. ¡°You mind your own business, missy.¡± I felt myself blushing. She was right, that had been a bit rude.

    ¡°Sorry. Chalk it up to clueless American.¡±

    Soriya nodded, making a royal gesture with her spoon. ¡°It is forgotten, my truest companion!¡±

    I stuck my tongue out at her. ¡°Watch it! I could still refuse to bake the blueberry lemon tarts!¡±

    Soriya mimed being stricken by a blow. ¡°The cruelest cut! Betrayed by my friend! And after she had given her word!¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Yes, yes, we¡¯ve established I¡¯m a terrible woman.¡± I pointed my spoon at her. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any hints of a break anywhere, did you? I haven¡¯t felt any trace or hint of that¡­ whatever it was, when¡­ back then.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s expression immediately grew darker, and she nodded grimly, chewing on a tart with grave concentration.

    ¡°It should have shown up too. It was a big one. But I didn¡¯t see anything, and you didn¡¯t have any problems interacting with the world. I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯d have noticed in the high intensity of the pixie combat.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it was my obsession with the pixies?¡±

    ¡°No, that doesn¡¯t fit, it didn¡¯t match up with your declaration.¡± She worried at her lower lip for a bit, then shook her head. ¡°Well, for right now, it hasn¡¯t caused us any problems. We¡¯ll just have to keep a sharp eye out. A break has always shown up. I just don¡¯t understand why it¡¯s waiting for so long.¡±

    I chewed my lower lip. ¡°This is worse than a Sword of Damocles. Does anyone else ever bend the world?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone do it, but they¡¯re aware of it. Everett cautioned me about it when I made Diaboli actually.¡±

    ¡°Hm. I asked Ms. Buxby to give me directions without details, just before I met you. That same tension showed up, but she added all the details before it snapped, saying it ¡®felt wrong¡¯. I guess in hindsight, we know why that is.¡±

    ¡°Mm¡­ not really? I mean, it¡¯s functionally the snap back of the world soul attempting to correct the morphogenic field, which is only a component of the hyperreality the world soul imposes-¡±

    I held up my hand. ¡°Soriya, please. Spare my poor naive brain? You can win the Nobel prize in magi-technology later. Does this world even have a Nobel prize?¡±

    Otherme whispered in my mind, as the same time Soriya said enthusiastically ¡°Yes! It¡¯s the Imperial Scholar¡¯s Competition! It¡¯s held at the Royal Academy in Spyre!¡±

    ¡°Capital city of the empire, huh? Hm.¡± I paused. ¡°Um. You don¡¯t suppose¡­?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ usually when you hear of an important competition like that in a game¡­¡±

    Her eyes widened and she laughed in surprise. ¡°Oh my gosh, you¡¯re right! And the timing is perfect too! It¡¯s every ten years, and the competition is in 3 months!¡±

    I frowned. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to be anywhere near that, it sounds like the main plot line.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if I would trigger any flags if I went myself?¡± Soriya mused. ¡°I¡¯ll be 18 before the entrance, surely that¡¯s old enough to enter on my own?¡±

    I pushed down hard as my otherself squealed in excitement. Oh we must go cheer her on and help her!

    Ok, one. No. Two. No honeysuckle way. We are not playing the heroine of the story! We are staying far away from the death flags! Sullen defiant pouting from my mind.

    Soriya crammed another entire tart into her mouth, and mumbled around the crumbs ¡°You know, it really is unfair that the town gets blown up. Depriving the world of these tarts is a sin!¡±

    I leaned forward and wiped at her mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t cram your mouth so full. You¡¯re going to choke if you keep doing that.¡± I sat back and put down my spoon thoughtfully. ¡°But you know¡­ maybe¡­ maybe we should do something about that, yeah?¡±

 11 A long awaited starting point

    Soriya swallowed down her tart, almost choking exactly as I had warned her. I sighed and patted her back till she could speak again.

    ¡°Well, what do you suggest we do? We don¡¯t have any leads on why the empire destroys the town, and we can¡¯t exactly ask! ¡®Hey there Mr. Imperial Spy, why are you planning to destroy the town again?¡¯. Funny though it would be to see his expression¡­¡± She grinned devilishly.

    I tapped my spoon against my teeth. Something she said¡­ ¡°What if¡­ what if the town wasn¡¯t there when they went to destroy it?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ you lost me, Lily. How do you move a town?¡±

    I smiled at her. ¡°Well how else do you do anything in a fantasy game? With magic!¡±

    She blinked slowly, and then her violet eyes widened. ¡°You mean, a {Ritual}, like I did with Diabloi?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s it! You¡¯re a time/space mage, so we¡¯ll just¡­ skip the town out of time, scoot it forward a little way, and then back.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± she took another tart and started chewing thoughtfully. She started doodling magical formula with the condensation from her fruit cooler, then abruptly stood up. ¡°I need my book of shadows. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    I settled back onto the cushion with a smile as she dashed out of the room. Yes, things were definitely looking up!

    ***

    An hour later, I was cursing the Spirits with every sweet polite curse word I was allowed to utter. The table was littered with sheets of paper filled with complex mathimagical symbols that even otherme could barely understand.

    Soriya nodded sympathetically and tapped her pencil against the latest formula she¡¯d written out. ¡°Well what did you expect? I¡¯m just one person, and nowhere near max level. It would take a grand archmage or a full coven of mages to pull off a {Ritual} like this!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything we can do to amplify your casting?¡± I protested, pacing around the table and wringing my hands together. This had to work! It had to!

    ¡°Well¡­ let me think.¡± Soriya leaned back and looked up at the ceiling tapping her chin. ¡°If we could find a place of power we could cast our ritual there which would get us part of the way there. But those don¡¯t come¡­¡± She groaned and put her head in her hands. Just as I was about to ask her what was wrong, it hit me.

    We looked at each other. We both spoke at once. ¡°The Cavern of Trials.¡±

    I groaned, and stomped my foot. ¡°No! This is unfair!¡±

    Soriya smiled lazily, and twirled her finger in the air. ¡°I told you that we¡¯d wind up going to that stupid starter dungeon somehow!¡± She smiled sympathetically. ¡°Still. You¡¯re complaining? It¡¯s a good chance for levels, right?¡±

    I scowled at her. ¡°In case you¡¯ve forgotten, I don¡¯t want to -gain levels, that way leads to the main storyline! And while we¡¯re at it, yes I¡¯m complaining! The utterly irritating and stupid boy hero is sure to be there, and to attach himself to us somehow!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see what the problem is, he¡¯s probably super cute.¡±

    ¡°Would you stop that! It¡¯s creeping me out!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± She licked her lips. ¡°I see no reason not to enjoy the scenery if the opportunity presents itself.¡±

    ¡°Ok, leaving that aside¡­ I don¡¯t think boys are all that interesting!¡± There was a subtle ¡®twang¡¯ of dissonance in the air and snap of tension. I looked up in irritation. ¡°Ok, no! I am not going to pretend to like boys just because the world says so! I like who I like! Not who I¡¯m told to like!¡±

    I was pleased to feel otherme¡¯s determined agreement.

    Soriya looked around nervously, but nothing further happened. The sense of held tension in the world remained, but nothing broke.

    Soriya licked her lips nervously, but after several moments of nothing continuing to happen, she relaxed. ¡°Well. Be that as it may. I like boys just fine. And the main hero boy in a jrpg is always very cute.¡± She waved her pencil at me. ¡°However! The question then is, if we go to the Cave of Trials early¡­ will he still show up? If he¡¯s following the story arc, he would logically be going to the cave on his own for his own reasons. If we go earlier then we avoid that, right?¡±

    I bit my lower lip in thought. ¡°I suppose¡­¡± I grudgingly agreed. ¡°But you said that even with the place of power, we wouldn¡¯t have enough juice to jump the town?¡±

    Soriya shook her head in agreement. ¡°Yeah. A place of power can get us a big jump, but not enough.¡±

    I sighed and nodded. ¡°Ok.¡± I clenched my fists. ¡°What are the other sources of power that a {Ritual} can use?¡±

    Soriya ticked off the factors on her fingers. ¡°A specific planetary alignment. A specific time of day. A large coven of mages working together.¡± She frowned. ¡°In theory, we could sacrifice a living being, but there¡¯s no way I¡¯m doing that.¡± She gave me a hard look. ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure even you would draw the line there too!¡±

    I shuddered. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. That¡¯s off the table for sure.¡± Sacrificing someone to save a town¡­ it felt painfully wrong, and it made my stomach twist around the tarts and ice cream in a most uncomfortable manner.

    ¡°The sacrifice could be one of us, but¡­?¡± she eyed me questioningly.

    I could feel Otherme gearing up to make a noble sacrifice, determined and proud. I mentally grabbed her in a headlock and wrestled her down. No! We are not going to die in some stupid useless gesture! Live heroines solve problems dead ones don¡¯t! I griped at her.

    Soriya smiled at my obvious mental struggle, then continued ticking off points. ¡°The ritual can last for many days, that needs a coven too, rotating people in and out to sleep and eat.¡± Soriya continued. ¡°And a rare and mystically significant object could be sacrificed to amplify the mana available to the {Ritual}. But given that we don¡¯t have any of those either-¡±

    She stopped, staring at me. I realized a madcap smile was spreading across my face again, a little bit like the strange pixie madness. I fished my plot pendant out of my dress and dangled it at her.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t we?¡± I said.

    Otherme protested loudly and vociferously. You can¡¯t! That¡¯s our birthright! It¡¯s the only clue to our past we have! It¡¯s precious!

    And that is precisely why it¡¯s a perfect sacrifice, me! Better than our lives, don¡¯t you think? I could feel myself grinning even broader. Probably ruining my honey and milk good girl appearance too.

    ¡°And as an added bonus¡­ we destroy the plot coupon!¡± I added triumphantly. ¡°No plot coupon, no reason for the empire to invade, crisis averted!¡±

    Soriya¡¯s lips twisted thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s going to work, Lilyanna!¡± She protested. ¡°The magic is very specific; it needs to be an item that is precious and mystically significant to the owner. You¡­ it¡¯s not any of that to you, is it?¡±

    I tipped my head to the side thoughtfully. ¡°Well no, of course not. It¡¯s just a trouble magnet to me¡­ but the question is, does the world soul know that? According to the plot we¡¯ve been pushed into, this is a major critical piece of the storyline! A plot critical element, even! There¡¯s a chance that if we destroy this, we can stop the whole plot cold before anything happens at all!¡±

    I tried to push a {Persuade} into my voice, but otherme wasn¡¯t having any of it, refusing to help me destroy her connection with her past and perhaps more importantly refusing to manipulate her best friend like that. I noted that she wasn¡¯t stopping me from doing it entirely though¡­ she just wasn¡¯t willing to help me.

    I take my wins where I can get them. I thought defiantly.

    ¡°You know it¡¯s the right course of action!¡± I wheedled.

    Soriya twisted her lip thoughtfully. ¡°Well¡­ in theory then¡­ that¡­ could work, yes. If we time it right, and do it in the lowest level of the Cavern of Trials, and sacrifice your pendant, then we could skip Breezewood out of time if anything threatened to destroy it.¡±

    ¡°You see?!¡± I clenched my fists in triumph. ¡°This is the perfect chance! And once the pendant is gone, we have all the time we need to figure out the how, what, and why of our current situation!¡±

    Soriya ran her finger thoughtfully over the pages of notes on the table. ¡°Alright.¡± She finally said. ¡°Then I guess tomorrow we¡¯ll head to the Cavern of Trials.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s late isn¡¯t it? Do we¡­¡± I squirmed uncomfortably ¡°Does this world do the ¡®sleep and heal everything¡¯ mechanic?¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°Healing and recovery potions are easily gotten so you¡¯re never likely to be stuck without them if you¡¯re resting, but as near as I can tell time passes just like it did in our old world. If you stay up all night, you suffer for it, and if you don¡¯t drink a healing potion, you would wake up wounded if you went to bed wounded.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°What this world allows and doesn¡¯t allow feels very contradictory. I mean, are we in a game or not?¡±

    Soriya frowned. ¡°I thought you said you didn¡¯t think this was a virtual reality or a game?¡±

    I sighed and nodded. ¡°Yeah, actually. I don¡¯t. Just¡­ the rules are inconsistent!¡± I stomped my foot again. ¡°They should be more consistent! There¡¯s got to be a reason behind all this!¡±

    Soriya smiled. ¡°I thought that I had all the {Loremaster} levels.¡±

    ¡°Well, why do you think I keep you around? Obviously, I¡¯m far too dim to solve a mystery like that on my own!¡± I grinned at her to take the sting out of my sarcasm.

    Soriya stood up and gathered up the paper scattered across the table. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get working on this then. Meet up tomorrow at the town square? Second bell?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course!¡±

    She pointed a finger at me. ¡°Bring lemon blueberry tarts, and lunch.¡±

    I sighed but nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±

    We headed to the front counter, paid our bill, retrieved our freshly laundered clothes, and got dressed. Despite the clinging fabric, it was much easier than I was expecting. The clothes seemed to shift around me, despite clinging to my figure, and I soon had them on with otherme¡¯s gentle guidance in my head. And they smelled wonderful, and felt really good. Even if they were a healer¡¯s outfit.

    We said our goodbyes at the bathhouse entrance, and I headed home. I found myself humming cheerfully as I walked, a slight skip in my step. Yes, things were definitely looking up. The sun was just turning the sky red and gold in an amazingly picturesque way as I headed up the gravel path to my house.

    As I got closer, I could hear voices inside. Hm, mother must have a visitor. Somebody come to buy a potion? I wondered as I pushed open the door.

    ¡°Mother! I¡¯m home!¡± I called out, and stopped dead in my tracks.

    Mother was sitting at the kitchen table with the guild proctor.

    ¡°Lily! Oh you¡¯re just in time! Proctor Khine was just telling me about your new class level and the wonderful opportunity to study at the imperial academy!¡±

    I felt my guts turn to ice and twisted my hands around my staff until my knuckles went white.

    ¡°Hello again, Lilyanna.¡± The proctor¡¯s smooth suave voice brought every hair on my neck erect. ¡°As I mentioned, I thought it best to speak with your mother, and tell her of the offer.¡± His eyes glittered as he smiled at me.

    I can¡¯t be imagining the threat, can I!? That¡¯s a threat, isn¡¯t it?!

    I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ that is¡­ but he¡­?!

    See?! It¡¯s weird that he¡¯s here, isn¡¯t it?!

    ¡°I heard you¡¯ve had quite the adventure recently.¡± He continued. ¡°And now I see you¡¯ve gotten sages robes to complete it? They suit you very well indeed.¡±

    ¡°They do look lovely!¡± mother said, then paused. ¡°Lilyanna dear¡­ are you alright?¡± Mother got up and hurried over to me. ¡°Come sit down, I¡¯ll get you a cup of tea!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ um¡­ actually, mother, I¡¯m really tired¡­ from the adventure. So I was hoping¡­ to just get some sleep?¡±

    Oh dear, we really can¡¯t lie well at all.

    I could see it in my mother¡¯s face, and the proctor¡¯s glance as well. Mother and the proctor looked at each other then back at me.

    ¡°I see. Well, in that case, we should let you rest. I¡¯m sure you have things you¡¯d like to do tomorrow as well. I will be watching your adventures with keen interest, young lady.¡± Proctor Khine said.

    Oh honey. Now how am I going to sneak away to the Cavern?!

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Why do we have to sneak?

    Because if we don¡¯t then the empire will¡­ you know, you¡¯re right! He can follow us all he wants! We¡¯re going to destroy the plot coupon- I felt the stab of angst and frustration from otherme at that but pushed onward. -and then whatever he wants to do will be irrelevant. You¡¯ll see, he¡¯ll lose all interest in us the moment we destroy the pendant!

    I dipped a bow to him, hands holding my staff in front of me. ¡°Thank you very much for understanding. I¡¯m still considering your kind offer, sir. It¡¯s a lot to take in.¡± I dipped another bow to him and scurried up the stairs to my room, feeling a cold sweat on my neck. Behind me, I heard mother and the proctor resume their conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that the imperial college is very prestigious, but I¡¯m just not sure¡­¡± Mother¡¯s voice was filled with concern.

    ¡°She would be cared for as though she was a precious treasure, I assure you Miss Holly.¡± The guild proctor¡¯s suave voice faded out.

    Is he¡­ he is! He¡¯s using {Persuade} on mother! This is outrageous!

    What¡¯s wrong with that? If he really thinks it¡¯s for the best¡­ but otherme¡¯s voice was filled with uncertainty. I sighed. Just¡­ you know what, stick with me. It¡¯s only a week. If I¡¯m wrong, and in a week nothing I¡¯ve predicted happens, I¡¯ll give in and go to Spyre. Learning how I came here and how to go home, the Imperial college really does sound like the best bet.

    Otherme floated a feeling of satisfaction and agreement, as I headed up the stairs, suddenly yawning hugely, my hand over my mouth.

    ¡°Oh. I guess I¡¯m more tired than I thought¡­ and I do have to get up early to make lunch and treats for Soriya.¡± I mumbled to myself as I entered my room, and shut the door. I glanced at it, and then wedged my staff against the door handle. Just in case. Then, stifling another yawn, I got undressed, pulled on my nightgown, and fell into bed.

    It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, but after the baths I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. It was just, as I tried to tell myself earlier, anatomy. I tossed and turned a bit in bed, chewing over the events of the day. I couldn¡¯t come to any real conclusions. I was pretty sure I¡¯d hit on the right course of action¡­ and even if I hadn¡¯t, really all I had was ¡°the next right thing.¡± That made it easier, even if it didn¡¯t become easy.

    I don¡¯t really know what I expected. A visit from a goddess? A sudden answer in revelation? A dream that explained the meaning of life? I got none of that. I dreamed that I was going to the festival, only the festival was in the Cave of Trials. Proctor Khine waited outside, selling potions with mother. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go alone! Little girls are vulnerable, you know! Here we have a selection of the best heroes!¡± Only he kept the heroes on a rack of clothing, and mother kept wanting me to try them on. Soriya kept picking out all the best ones, and there wasn¡¯t really anything left in my size¡­

    I woke, only becoming aware that I was awake slowly. A trickling awareness of my body, strange and soft in a warm bed, with a wooden ceiling and¡­ oh. That¡¯s right. I was Lilyanna. I yawned, blinking. It wasn¡¯t nearly so bad as it had been. Barely a rash at all by this point. The first light of the dawn was streaming in through my window. My staff was still in place, locked tight under the door handle, and it didn¡¯t look like anybody had burgled their way into my room in the middle of the night. I sat up and rubbed at my eyes, yawning again.

    ¡°Honestly what was that all about.¡± I muttered to myself. ¡°I thought all anime dreams were prophetic and profound. I¡¯d have more luck trying to parse whistling pokadotted kangaroos.¡±

    What¡¯s a kangaroo?

    I shared an image with myself and got a very confused bafflement back. Such a thing exists?!

    Well, maybe not in this world. Or maybe so, the world is much larger than we know.

    We should see more of it!

    ¡°Ok, woah, hold up me. First you want to stay here forever, then you want to leave immediately, which is it?¡±

    I didn¡¯t get an answer back, and honestly I really wasn¡¯t expecting one. Who didn¡¯t want everything to be exciting and different while remaining exactly the same?

    I yawned and stretched again, then climbed out of bed. ¡°Right!¡± I faced myself in the mirror, slapping my cheeks lightly. ¡°Time to save the village and derail the plot!¡±

    And bake lunch and treats for Soriya and me!

    Right, and that too.

    I stared with distaste at the robes, seriously considering just wearing my normal dress instead, but otherme shared memories of wild slimes, horned rabbits,-

    What is with the horned rabbits!? I¡¯ve only ever seen those in Dragon Quest!

    -and glimpses of wolves in the woods.

    ¡°Ok, you¡¯ve made your point, me. We need adventuring gear if we¡¯re going to go on an adventure. Even if it is just a short one.¡± I sighed as I pulled on the robes and put on the wrist bangles. ¡°It¡¯s just one quick quest, then the plot will be dead and I can relax.¡± I told myself as I picked up the staff. ¡°Soriya says the stupid boy won¡¯t be there, and we can do whatever it is we¡¯re supposed to do and go.¡±

    I picked up my staff, pressed my lips together firmly and headed down to the kitchen to make lunch.

    The cottagecore kitchen was quiet and still in the early dawn light. I wasn¡¯t at all sure what to do, but otherme knew exactly how to start and gently nudged me along. The process was much more involved than I expected, and yet much less at the same time. The magitech of this world invaded everything, and yet it was so fantasy and simple. Elemental ice crystals to keep food cool. Elemental fire crystals to heat the oven. But no thermostat, no way to properly measure the heat, no way to evenly thaw the frozen food. I even had to put my hand in the oven to judge the rough heat before otherme judged that it was ready to put the dough in!

    It was about halfway through the cooking process that I realized I had no idea what we were making.

    Hey, hold up, isn¡¯t this gravy?

    Yes?

    Why are we making gravy?

    For breakfast?

    I felt like a complete fool. Of course we were making breakfast. For our mother, and us! We still had to eat breakfast¡­ so this was why peasant girls got up so early! It was also a much smaller meal than I had anticipated, bacon and biscuits with gravy with a little fruit wine and some cheese. And since we were going on an adventure-

    As much as I hate to admit this, we really are.

    -bread and cheese and bacon with an apple and a boiled egg went into a hamper for lunch. Otherme was reaching for the cider before I paused.

    Hold on? More booze?

    This is just cider! Like the fruit wine at the bath! Not booze!

    I shook my head. This world truly was different. And despite my expectations, the honey and milk good girl seemed quite able to hold her (very modest) liquor.

    Mother arrived as I was tucking the last of the food away into the hamper, rubbing at her eyes. ¡°Good morning, sweetie.¡± She greeted me. ¡°Mm, is that breakfast I smell? Thank you for cooking.¡± She gave me a hug, and then started serving herself from the skillet on the stove.

    ¡°Are you planning on staying out all day this time?¡± She said, sitting down at the table and munching.

    ¡°Uh?¡±

    She gestured to the hamper. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t make lunch unless you planned to stay out. I hope you haven¡¯t already spent all the money you saved!?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± I froze. I had never been good at lying, but mother would completely flip out if I told her what I was planning on doing!

    Mother got a serious expression on her face and she put down the biscuit. ¡°Lily. Where are you going?¡± She asked in that tone that said ¡®I will know, or else.¡¯

    ¡°No¡­where? Just to town?¡± I tried. It was no good, I wasn¡¯t sure if it was otherme or just plain me, but even I winced at how unbelievable that was.

    Mother sighed and shook her head. ¡°Lily. You just got done being beaten up by a bunch of pixies of all things! I will not stand for this again! Where. Are. You. Going. Young lady?!¡±

    I deflated and gave up. ¡°I¡¯m going to the Cavern of Trials with Soriya.¡±

    Mother stiffened in surprise. ¡°What?! But the ceremony isn¡¯t until next Starday! The forest path hasn¡¯t been cleared! There¡¯s horned rabbits and wolves!¡±

    We¡¯re in for it now. Mother is always like this when we do something even a little risky.

    Is she? Well then¡­ that opened up several lines of attack. I pulled on that strange sense and started weaving a {Persuade}.

    ¡°Mother, I know you¡¯re concerned, especially after the disgraceful showing we made the first time. But you must have heard we went back and-

    ¡°You WHAT?!¡± Mother leapt to her feet; her face plastered with horror. ¡°Lilyanna, you promised me that you wouldn¡¯t do anything dangerous!¡±

    I felt a core of steel welling up from other me, binding tightly with my own opinions in a harmony of spirit.

    ¡°Mother!¡± The whipcrack of my own voice surprised me with its force. ¡°I did no such thing! I promised to be careful and think my actions through when doing dangerous things! And I did! I will! I also told you that I will do what I please, because I am your daughter! Soriya and I defeated all 15 pixies at Old Man Wither¡¯s farm!¡±

    ¡°But Lilyanna!¡± Mother protested. ¡°The cavern!? Now?! What on earth is possessing you!?¡±

    I almost burst into a giggle fit but controlled it in time. The spirit of a possibly dead American male? I thought.

    ¡°I want to prepare! Like Soirya and I did with the pixies. We¡¯re going together, and we¡¯re going to use Soriya¡¯s {Loremaster} to identify the dangers and prepare for them!¡± I frowned at her. ¡°And I know that Proctor Khine is was {Persauding} you that I should enroll in the Academy, but that¡¯s just as dangerous! The imperial capital? Spyre? You wouldn¡¯t see me more than four times a year, and there¡¯s no telling what kinds of dangers there are in the big city.¡± I glared at her, hands on my hips.

    Mother¡¯s eyes glittered with repressed tears. I could feel otherme cringing in emotional agony, but I used my determination to support her.

    We need to do this. Mother can¡¯t live our lives for us! I said firmly. I could feel her approval, and pushed the {Persuade}.

    ¡°I am going, mother. I¡¯m going carefully, with a full stock of potions and my best friend, but I am going.¡±

    Mother was silent for a long time, then she looked up, her eyes shining again. ¡°Lily¡­ please be careful? If anything were to happen to you, I don¡¯t¡­¡±

    I hurried over and knelt down next to her, hugging her. It felt good¡­ and a tiny bit of guilt because it felt so good because I knew I¡¯d just won.

    ¡°I promise. I will always promise to be careful, mother. I owe you that. And it¡¯s only good sense.¡± I had to breathe a sigh of relief. It was so much better when I could tell the truth, and still get my way.

    Mother sniffled and wiped her eyes, then smiled at me. It was a sad smile, but also an accepting one. ¡°Then I suppose I¡¯ll just have to be content with that.¡± She wiped her eyes again and blew her nose. ¡°I guess I know how my own mother felt now when I demanded to go off on my first adventure too.¡± She suddenly hugged me tightly. ¡°Go and come back safely, please.¡±

    I smiled at her, and hugged her back. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll try. That¡¯s the whole idea. Try not to worry. You did a good job raising us.¡± And I dipped her a bow of gratitude.

    I grabbed up the lunch basket and my staff before otherme could pull me into anymore waterworks or tearful goodbyes, and hurried out the door, trotting down the path towards town.

    It was absurd. I was going to face slimes and horned rabbits and wolves, I was in a party consisting of just 2 mages, the world was trying to push me into a role I didn¡¯t want¡­ and I couldn¡¯t help but grin all the way to the village square. I was going on an adventure! And more to the point, I was going on an adventure that was off script! I was going to save Breezewood and then derail this whole silly doom plot in one go!

    I reached the fountain in the middle of the town square, and looked around for Soriya.

    Oh this always happens! She¡¯s always late, and we¡¯re always on time! Otherme muttered in my mind.

    I sighed and sat down on the rim of the fountain, and fiddled with my staff. Several of the townsfolk greeted me, and I let myself respond to them by name, cheerfully answering their question. Yes, I was going out on an adventure. No, I wasn¡¯t going alone. Yes, I would be careful, the woods were dangerous for a young woman.

    It seemed that indeed, the horned rabbits had been making more of a nuisance of themselves, possibly because the wolves were pushing at them. How a rabbit with a horn could get hunted by a wolf I wasn¡¯t sure, but then lots of prey animals had horns on them, and still died. I wondered if unicorns counted as a prey species? I was mentally trying to figure out attack strategies for a unicorn vs wolf battle, and if the wolves had horns or not, when Soriya finally arrived.

    ¡°Hey, Lily!¡± She waved cheerfully and plopped down next to me. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late! I was mixing up more poison powder, and then I had to close up my stall. I sure hope there¡¯s some kind of reward. The pixies didn¡¯t drop any loot when they died, do you think this world does things like that?¡±

    I blinked. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±

    She grinned. ¡°Well I guess we¡¯ll find out!¡± she peeked into the lunch basket, and I swatted at her hand. ¡°No food until lunchtime, you¡¯ll get a cramp! Speaking of which, we¡¯re going to be doing a lot of walking¡­ are you going to be ok?¡±

    Soriya put on a tragic air. ¡°Somehow, yes, I will survive! I don¡¯t even have a flying broom, yet I will prevail in the face of this tragedy!¡±

    I scowled at her. ¡°I¡¯m being serious! You said you didn¡¯t come to my house often because it was a long walk, and bemoaned the food and your figure! That doesn¡¯t speak to someone ready to go on an epic hike!¡±

    Soriya flipped her hand at me. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine! We¡¯re supposed to go to the cave, so I¡¯m confident that I¡¯ll be able to make the trip! And if I¡¯m a little winded, then we can just rest at the entrance!¡±

    I bit my lower lip. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not entirely comfortable with that, but I can¡¯t deny that making predictions based on the expected world logic is working out for us so far.¡±

    ¡°You see?! We¡¯ll be fine! Ooh, you did bake the lemon blueberry!¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°Put those back! Those are for lunch!¡±

    She was already cramming a square into her mouth. ¡°Oo, they¡¯re still warm too!¡± She swallowed, making satisfied noises, and I felt an absurd swell of pleasure¡­ it felt really good to make food that others so obviously liked! She wiped her lips. ¡°Besides, that was the payment for the bet we made. Doesn¡¯t count as lunch!¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t expect to eat all of the tarts! Some of them are for me you know!¡±

    Soriya blinked, her wide violet eyes genuinely startled. ¡°You know, I keep forgetting you¡¯re not entirely honey and milk!¡±

    I grinned at her. ¡°I never was! You just didn¡¯t want to believe it! Come on, lets get going before you eat more of our lunch and have a stomach cramp on the road!¡±

    I picked up the basket and headed out, Soriya trailing behind me.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you concerned about being followed?¡±

    I smiled smugly back at her. ¡°What are they going to do? Destroy the village early? Learn where we¡¯re going? We¡¯re off the script!¡± I laughed giddily, waving my arms. ¡°It¡¯s great!¡±

    Soriya frowned, but said nothing in reply.

    The trip was indeed very simple. The path was clearly marked, though a little overgrown. We did indeed catch sight of several horned rabbits, and had to scare them away with a few blasts from Diaboli. I was worried we were going to be forced to fight, but the closest we came was a pack of wolves snarling over a fresh kill. We detoured around them carefully, Soriya casting a quick spell to silence our footfalls.

    We were just clearing the bush and getting back on the trail when Soriya let out a pleased ¡®hm!¡¯ I looked over at her questioningly.

    ¡°I just leveled!¡± She announced proudly. ¡°I guess you can get xp in this world from avoiding fights too! That¡¯s so cool!¡±

    ¡°Oh, you did? Well that¡¯s good. I guess it can¡¯t hurt to be a little better prepared. What was it?¡±

    ¡°Another level in {Loremaster}.¡±

    ¡°Really? I thought you¡¯d get more levels in your spellcasting for sure.¡±

    Soriya smirked at me. ¡°Not even. I was using my {Loremaster} skills to avoid the fight! Plus, I used them really extensively in the pixie fight! For a NPC class, it sure comes in handy!¡±

    I sniffed. ¡°Who says it¡¯s an NPC class? For that matter, who says we¡¯re even PCs? I still don¡¯t understand what we¡¯re doing here!¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Well that is a puzzle. I¡¯ve got some ideas, but¡­¡± she shrugged. ¡°Well, the {Loremaster} has ideas too. It¡¯s like the best puzzle! I¡¯m sure it all makes sense; I just have to figure out how!¡±

    I smiled, feeling a warm glow of pleasure that she was so happy. She even started humming a song as we walked. She wasn¡¯t a half bad singer either.

    ¡°Say, did you ever want to be one of those¡­ what do you call them? The pop stars in Asia?¡±

    Soriya¡¯s violet eyes darkened. ¡°I¡¯d rather not talk about it.¡±

    Now that was an easy reaction to read. I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I felt terrible bringing her pain, so I pushed an {Encourage}. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you¡­ it¡¯s just that you have a really pretty voice.¡±

    I felt the surge of energy flow out, and watched Soriya brightened immediately.

    ¡°Thanks! That means a lot when you say it! Though I¡¯ll never get a hit single here. But don¡¯t go regretting your words now!¡± She smiled and went back to singing. I was pleased to note that her voice was stronger and a lot happier. Also, the noise helped scare away animals. It seemed that the wildlife in this particular world didn¡¯t follow jrpg rules and mindlessly charge forward to attack any and all humans that crossed their path.

    Quite a relief, honestly. I bet those horns could do a lot of damage.

    We reached the mouth of the Caverns around midday. Our path opened up from the forest behind us, and the lead into a large roughly circular dirt patch outside the entrance. It was very simple, a large archway dug into the slanting cliffside of a low rocky hill. A small signpost planted near the entrance proclaimed ¡°Cavern of Trials: your spirit judged¡± I looked around nervously, and then gave a little giggle of relief. Soriya looked over. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Oh nothing. Just a silly dream I had. Glad to see nobody¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say nobody¡± Soriya said, and pointed into the mouth of the cave. Peering in, I could very dimly see small brightly colored orbs, splorting back and forth. As I watched a few splorched forward into the light.

    ¡°Oh my gawd!¡± I gasped. ¡°Are those¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yep. Slimes.¡± Soriya grinned.

    Eee! They¡¯re so cute! Otherme squealed.

    I pressed my lips together. It¡¯s true. They were cute. But I was not going to-

    ¡°Eee! So cute! I almost don¡¯t want to blast them!¡± Soriya squealed.

    I sighed. Oh well. At least we¡¯re in sync here. ¡°Alright, you win. Yeah, they¡¯re cute. Too bad they want to eat us. Let¡¯s have lunch then, and we¡¯ll find out what this mysterious cavern has for us, besides gelatinous delights.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes!¡± Soriya clapped her hands together. ¡°Lilyanna tarts! Even better!¡±

    My heart warmed again, and I gave my otherself a highfive as we settled down and spread out the food from the basket. This¡­ really wasn¡¯t such a bad ability we have. And it is pretty awesome to cast magic.

 12 A Most Unfortunte Discovery

    As we sat there eating, I puzzled over the patch of dirt. ¡°Soriya¡­ do you think the slimes ate this patch out here?¡±

    Soriya looked up from a bite of her lunch and looked around curiously. ¡°Hm. I think they might have, but they aren¡¯t coming any further. I wonder¡­¡± She picked a piece of meat from her sandwich and threw it towards the cavern. Immediately, several green and blue blobs splortched forward and started tussling with each other over the scrap.

    ¡°Huh! How about that!¡±

    ¡°Well now I¡¯m upset we didn¡¯t pack more food as bait!¡±

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out! They¡¯re just slimes, and it¡¯s just the starter dungeon.¡±

    I looked her in the eye. ¡°Yes, but remember the pixies? Last time we got overconfident¡­¡±

    Soriya flipped her hand at me again. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine! We¡¯ll be careful! We have the poison, we have the smarts, we have the teamwork! Team mage is go!¡±

    I sighed. It really is easy to see why we get pulled along on her adventures¡­ I thought. But I promised mother! So! I started putting away the rest of my uneaten lunch. With this body I couldn¡¯t eat as much as I¡¯d packed anyway, and it was a good way to get inside.

    I ate the tarts though!

    Soriya watched me and shook her head. ¡°Well if you¡¯re going to sacrifice for team mage, I suppose I will as well.¡± She looked sadly as the slice of meat. ¡°Goodbye, cruel fate¡­¡±

    I pointed my finger at her sternly. ¡°No! You are not going to guilt me over this! I will make you lunch if you ask me, and not before!¡±

    She looked at me, eyes huge and shining, and her lower lip wobbling.

    I couldn¡¯t help it, I burst out laughing. ¡°Oh my gosh, how do you do that!?¡±

    She giggled. ¡°Well you know, lots of practice¡­¡± She paused, and then nodded. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s a shame to waste spooky witch bargaining powers, but¡­¡± she clasped her hands in front of her and said ¡°Lilyanna, my dearest, truest friend! Won¡¯t you please take pity on a poor starving girl, naught but skin and bones-¡±

    Her ¡®earnest¡¯ plea was interrupted my laughter. I clutched at my stomach, gasping for air. ¡°Stop, stop! The torture is too much! I¡¯ll make you lunch, I¡¯ll make you lunch! My gosh, you¡¯re worse than a cat!¡±

    Soriya smirked at me with a superior smug expression, looking very catlike indeed.

    ¡°I shall take that as a compliment then.¡± She said, adjusting her witches¡¯ hat.

    I took a moment to get my breath back, and then we wrapped up the remains of lunch as little bait balls for the slimes, and packed everything into the basket.

    We approached the cavern mouth, and the slimes hopped threateningly towards us. I threw a few bait balls to distract the slimes, and we held still as the slimes hopped this way and that, finally moving over towards the balls. I let out a breath I hadn¡¯t realized I¡¯d been holding, and we moved cautiously slowly past them against the wall.

    I caught Soriya looking longingly at the slimes just starting to absorb the bait. ¡°Good bye, sweet lunch. You were over too soon, and too briefly.¡± She mourned.

    ¡°Rather than bemoan some not even sandwiches, how about you tell me what you want for lunch when we get back?¡±

    ¡°Oh, good idea! Um¡­ ok¡­¡± she tapped her chin thoughtfully then said ¡°I like the tomato tortellini soup you make.¡±

    I blinked, as otherme provided a mental image. ¡°But that takes all day to make!¡± I protested.

    ¡°Good food is worth waiting for!¡± Soriya replied firmly.

    Otherme provided memories of the taste, and my mouth started to water. It did remember as awfully tasty¡­

    ¡°Ok, fine. But you have to bring the mulberry sparkle you make!¡± I countered.

    ¡°What?! But that takes a whole week¡­!¡± Soriya glared at me. ¡°You are using my own tactics against me. This will not stand!¡±

    I smiled sweetly. ¡°Will it sit down to tomato tortellini soup?¡±

    Soriya glared at me, then shook her head. ¡°I take it back; this Lilyanna is a terrible person!¡± She strode further into the cavern, calling back over her shoulder ¡°A weeks¡¯ time! I have to convert the potion brewing stand over to wine making! Don¡¯t forget!¡±

    I smiled quietly and followed after her admiring the way her hips swayed. Otherme whispered quietly in my mind, and I raised my staff, chanting softly.

    ¡°Spirits of air and light aid us, illuminate our path. Lux!¡± I whispered, and my staff burst into a soft glowing whiteness that threw shadows against the walls.

    Twenty minutes later, we reached another dead end. I sighed. ¡°This is a lot easier on a console! We should have taken map paper! And there¡¯s not a single hidden area or chest to be found!¡±

    Soriya shrugged casually. ¡°True, but we got some earth aspected crystals out of it. I¡¯m pretty sure this world doesn¡¯t just have chests laying around, though it was a possibility.¡±

    ¡°Really? How do you figure?¡±

    ¡°Well what if the mana of the world condenses into chests and treasure naturally? Or if the world soul ¡®feels¡¯ there should be treasure in caves and dungeons?¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Well, clearly not here, but it was a perfectly valid hypothesis.¡±

    We traced our steps back, killing a few slimes and one particularly persistent cave bat that refused to take a hint or a bait ball. The slimes evaporated into mana, and the bat hit the ground and sizzled. I blinked, clutching my staff in surprise. ¡°Hey¡­ the bat didn¡¯t vanish?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Soriya blinked and I saw a brief faraway look in her eyes. Oh! That¡¯s what I must look like when I¡¯m talking with me!

    Soriya blinked and sure enough started explaining. ¡°Oh, I wondered about this! Now that I''ve seen it happen, I know! Any creature that¡¯s absorbed enough ambient mana to turn into a monster will vanish when killed. Even humans do it! But sometimes, the mana will collapse around a relic, a form of physical token or object. Drops, in other words! So this world does do drops!¡±

    ¡°Huh!¡± I stepped forward, examining the ground where the monster¡¯s had been. ¡°You know that makes a lot more sense than a monster holding gold coins. Explains why not even manticore has a liver, also.¡± I reached down and picked up what looked like a small brightly colored marble. ¡°So¡­ some kind of pebble from the slime, I guess and a¡­ bat wing?¡±

    Soriya strolled over to me and took the marble. ¡°Huh. Condensed mana. Useful for all kinds of potions or spell effects after processing. Not much good right now though.¡± She pocketed the ball. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll be doing some looting after all.¡±

    I blinked. ¡°Does this mean there are teams of harvesters? Monster hunters to get rare goods?¡±

    Soriya blinked and nodded in surprise. ¡°There must be! I suppose that¡¯s where some of the regular reagents come from. I wonder why Breezewood doesn¡¯t-¡± Her eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Oh! Slimes don¡¯t do well in captivity!¡± She laughed. ¡°That makes a remarkable amount of sense!¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Ok! So¡­ pocket change for young adventurers I guess!¡± I reached down and picked up the bat wing, tucking it into the basket. ¡°I guess if all else fails, we can use these as bait too.¡±

    Soriya frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of spending our drops to avoid more drops! That just feels like a waste of time!¡±

    I pointed my finger at her sternly. ¡°We are not here to get rich. We are not here to get drops or loot. We are here to defeat the plot barreling down on us!¡±

    Soriya pouted. ¡°Well yeah, but one of those slime drops is worth 50 zeni!¡±

    I blinked, and otherme goggled. ¡°Wha¡­ uh? Really?!¡±

    Soriya giggled. ¡°See? So, how about it?¡±

    Otherme mumbled something under our breath.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Soriya said sweetly.

    I huffed a sigh. ¡°I said, I guess it won¡¯t hurt to keep a few drops.¡±

    Soriya grinned. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Monster hunting should be profitable!¡±

    We progressed further into the caverns. I had to admit, I didn¡¯t much like fighting monsters but I was sure glad we could see them before they ambushed us! What would a loading screen even look like in this world?! Or a blur dissolve? My musings were interrupted by Soriya¡¯s soft ¡°Woah¡± of awe. I looked up to see her standing slack jawed, Diabloi hanging limply from her hands as she stared at a rock lintel glowing with mystic light, apparently carved into the living rock of the cave. Curiously, the lintels pulsed runic shapes that I couldn¡¯t recognize. I pulled up short next to her, hoisting my staff higher to let my spelllight reach further in.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± she said, her voice still hushed with awe ¡°But it¡¯s amazing!¡±

    I turned to look at her. ¡°Run that by me again?¡±

    She stepped forward, running her fingertips lightly over the shifting runes. ¡°It¡¯s in an incredibly ancient variant of the magic language! And these pillars! I¡¯ve never seen anything like them before! These might be older than the Gods War!¡±

    The what?

    The ancient heresy that shattered the world and caused the gods to leave us. Otherme explained.

    ¡°Oh. I guess this is one of those worlds then?¡±

    Soriya nodded reverently still stroking the lintels. ¡°Looks like. And it¡¯s real! Oh, I have to take notes!¡± She levitated her spellbook from her side and returned Diaboli to it with the now familiar magical light show. She reached into the book again and pulled out ink and pen, rapidly sketching notes and drawings.

    ¡°Um, Soriya, I hate to rush you but¡­ well, I need to rush you?¡± I said apologetically. ¡°We can come back, but the empire will be looking for us.¡± My hands flew to my mouth. ¡°Oh my gosh, do you think this is why they level Breezewood!?¡±

    Soriya finished taking notes, pulled out Diabloi and flipped her spellbook closed. She turned to me. ¡°Hm, I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s not a bad idea. In which case, we really do need to get moving. We¡¯ll know soon enough!¡±

    Three cavern corridors and two encounters latter, we reached a large chamber with a perfectly circular concave floor and smooth sand.

    I looked around nervously. ¡°I don¡¯t like this. This looks like a boss arena!¡±

    Soriya looked around and hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Could be but¡­ so soon? Seems more likely to be a midboss encounter, there¡¯s no centerpoint for the dramatic reveal.¡±

    ¡°You know, does it have to be a midboss? Could it maybe just be¡­ a cavern?¡±

    Soriya turned to me slowly and raised on indigo eyebrow. ¡°That sounds like original flavor Lilyanna. Of course there¡¯s a midboss!¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°But does there have to be?! It seems so¡­ nonsensical for there to be a midboss encounter!¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°Not really. Not anymore than having a System, reincarnating in another world, or having another us in our heads?¡±

    I stomped my foot in frustration. ¡°None of those things should cause a random cavern to generate a midboss out of nowhere though!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not out of nowhere though. This is the Cavern of Trials. This is an initiation rite, how we become adults. It even said something about testing our spirits, remember?¡± She got another faraway look in her eyes. ¡°Oh I just know this is connected to those ruins and the God War somehow! This is so exciting!¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Is that original flavor Soriya?¡±

    She smiled apologetically at me. ¡°It¡¯s both, actually. This really is so cool, this is the part I loved the best about any new anime or game¡­ when the author really put in the work to make it all fit together and you could actually piece together the lore they¡¯re created!¡±

    ¡°Really? I always got frustrated when the lore didn¡¯t pan out.¡± I said, fishing in my basket for another bait ball.

    ¡°Hm? But that¡¯s fine too, then you can fill in the blanks to make the story better, and often they¡¯ll put out a worldguide to justify all the stuff after the fact, with new art!¡±

    I shook my head, and hurled the bait as far as I could across the room. It sailed a fair distance, but I didn¡¯t exactly have a future as a major league pitcher. Oddly, this didn¡¯t bother me as much as I thought it should.

    It¡¯s just the itch cream. Otherme whispered.

    Before I had time to formulate an answer, a large silvery grey black blob fell from the ceiling onto the bait with a loud slorb noise.

    ¡°Hah! See? Midboss!¡± Soriya said with satisfaction.

    I sighed and clutched my staff. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s get to it." I raised my staff and conjured up the now familar feeling of holy light inside me.

    "Blessed spirits of life!¡± I chanted ¡°Be our armor and protect us! Barrier!¡± Shimmering magical circles of silvery white like circled us both, and a translucent field of force surrounded us. The big slime hopped towards us eagerly, not nearly so funny and whimsical as the smaller versions we¡¯d dealt with so far.

    Probably has something to do with the fact that it could swallow us whole! It¡¯s taller than we are!

    The slime lunged at me and my barrier splintered, the force of the slam shoving me back against a nearby wall hard enough that my teeth rattled. ¡°Ow. Honey, that hurts.¡± I whimpered.

    Soriya cocked Diaboli as she recited ¡°Spirits of Water, heed my call and show my foes your fury! Glacies!¡± Diaboli¡¯s muzzle glowed blue, and lance of bluewhite magical energy speared through the slime, leaving a crystalized trail of frozen goo inside it. ¡°Yes!¡± Soriya pumped her fist and jumped in the air. ¡°Ice works!¡±

    ¡°Maybe use {Quick Assessment} before wasting the mana on an attack spell?!¡± I grumbled at her.

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t need to! I already used it on the other slimes!¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°Oh yes, why would a midboss have resistances a normal monster didn¡¯t?!¡±

    Rude. ¡­ But accurate. Still rude. Our otherself whispered in our mind. I felt a little bad¡­ but only a little! Those pixies really hurt! I thought.

    Soriya shot me a glance of irritation and fired off another glacies attack while dodging to the right. It went wide, and she stumbled on an outcropping, falling to one knee.

    ¡°Soriya!?¡± I lurched upright and fumbled in my belt pouches for one of the poison bags.

    The slime sensed a chance and lurched for her, impacting her barrier solidly. The slime wobbled like jello, but my spell held firm, protecting Soriya from the attack.

    I flung the pouch of poison at the slime. It tumbled over and over in midair, scattering grains of greenish purple landing squarely on the slime, which promptly glorped the bag inside itself.

    ¡°Yes!¡± I jumped up and down in excitement, swiftly followed by horrified realization, the slime didn¡¯t seem to have slowed down at all, and was glorping its way at high speed towards me, eager for more!

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Sugarpop, it¡¯s immune?!¡±

    Don¡¯t you feel bad now for being so rude to Soriya earlier? Otherme whispered.

    Soriya shouted back ¡°Why would a midboss have unexpected resistances?!¡±

    I glared daggers at her and thought self-righteously to myself No. I don¡¯t feel bad at all.

    Soriya lunged forward and shoved Diaboli into the slime, firing again. ¡°Spirits of Flame, heed my call, unleash your power on my foes! Ignis!¡± The magical circle glowed brilliant red orange this time, and a roar of flame shot from Diabloi¡¯s muzzle directly along the same wound that the ice spell had cored through the slime. The slime gave a wailing gurgle, and I saw frozen pieces shatter and turn to black ash. The slime charged Soriya, far faster than anything that made a ¡®glorp¡¯ sound should ever move, engulfing Diabloi and Soriya¡¯s hands, tendrils grabbing at Soriya¡¯s waist. Several of the potion bottles shattered under the flailing pseudopods of the giant slime. She shrieked and yanked at Diaboli, unable to pull it free.

    ¡°Soriya!¡± I ran towards her, flailing wildly with my staff, beating at the slime. The impacts made a muted ¡®thub thub¡¯ sound as the knotted spiral of my staff beat the surface of the slime. It didn¡¯t look like it did much, but it distracted the slime long enough for Soriya to scramble backwards out of reach, her hands already blistering badly from the slime¡¯s touch. Diaboli¡¯s barrel gleamed bright gold in the glare of my light spell overhead.

    Soriya fired, bluewhite streaks of ice spearing through the slime once more. It wobbled, blorbled, started to deflate, and then burst, a fountain of greyish black goo showering over the walls and us alike. It stung badly, but what stung worse was seeing three smaller slimes erupt from the gooey mass in the center of the room. Without even a pause, they leapt for us, even faster than big mother slime had moved, slamming into me and Soriya repeatedly. Repeated jelly flavored hammer blows to my arms torso, the slimes slamming into us and the goo from the slimesplosion burning at us.

    ¡°Soriya! This is looking bad!¡± I hollered at her, hurriedly chanting ¡°¡°Blessed wind of the spirits, bind out wounds with care! Heal!¡± The gush of power welling up from below my feet and flooding through me, exploding into a shower of silver white light. The stabbing pains and ache of my torso eased and the burning sensation on my skin faded and I could see the angry red and blisters on Soriya¡¯s skin healing over as well.

    ¡°Pardon me, ladies!" A dashing baritone male voice echoed in the cavern. "A gentleman never intrudes when he¡¯s not wanted, but you seem in a bit of a bind!¡±

    I turned towards it, my mouth falling open in shock.

    No way! He¡¯s not supposed to be here yet! I was supposed to be clear! What is he doing here!? He¡¯s going to ruin everything!

    My mind gabbled over itself as the boy dashed into the arena, drawing his sword with smooth motion, slashing at the slimes with a series of graceful lightning quick strokes almost too fast to follow.

    Don¡¯t you think we¡¯d better help him? Otherme whispered quietly.

    ¡°O-oh! R-right!¡± I hurriedly spun out another Barrier to shroud the boy, barely in time. At the center of the room, he was the obvious center of attention-

    Typical! Showoff! He¡¯s going to ruin everything!

    Maybe we should give him a chance? And we did need the help¡­

    I ground my teeth together in frustration as the smaller slimes impacted the boy, bouncing off my protection barrier with small flashes of silverwhite light.

    He waved cheerfully. ¡°Thank you, miss healer!¡±

    Oh spirits! Why?

    I don¡¯t see why we¡¯re acting like this, he¡¯s really cute and-

    Stop! Stop right there! I don¡¯t want to hear it! I don¡¯t want to know about it! I¡¯m not listening to you! If I could have spared my hands from my spellcasting, I would have slapped them over my ears in an effort to stop my own voice.

    With a tank in our group, soaking the hits and dishing out far more damage than he had any right to be inflicting, the fight was wrapped up quickly. Soriya¡¯s ice and fire spells made a fantastic 1-2 combination, freezing the slimes in place and then shattering them with a strike of flame or a solid hit from the boy¡¯s sword. With the last blow landed, the boy turned to us, and with a flourish of his sword to clean the gel off it, slid it back into his scabbard.

    He approached us with a smile. A quick glance at Soriya revealed that she was smiling like a cat that ate a canary.

    He held out his hand to us. ¡°Hello there! My name is Eshaan Nakamu, freelance adventurer.¡± Soriya¡¯s pleased smile flipped upside down then vanished so quickly I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d seen it. She took his hand in hers and shook it. ¡°Hello! We¡¯re very pleased to meet you, Eshaan! My name is Soriya, and this is my friend Lilyanna.¡±

    Oh spirits, he is so incredibly cute!

    Stop it! Stop thinking about that! It was very hard to ignore though, it was flooding through most of my brain in the same way I couldn¡¯t stop noticing the guild proctor was darkly handsome.

    He was about 10cm taller than me-

    The perfect height otherme informed me

    -with brown hair and smiling brown eyes. Tapered chin with just a touch of strength in the jaw, gave him a firm but approachable face.

    Would you stop that!?

    I don¡¯t see what your problem is. As you told me, there¡¯s no harm in admiring the scenery. Otherme¡¯s voice was smug and prim in our head.

    I found myself staring uncomfortably intently at his bare arms with their nicely defined muscles-

    Alright, fine! I get it! He¡¯s hot! FINE!

    I stepped forward and pointed my finger at him accusingly. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡± I demanded.

    Soriya grabbed my hand, and pulled me to the side. ¡°Lilyyy, maybe we should let him come with us, he might be friends with some friends of ours!?¡± She hissed in my ear, and then, louder ¡°Ah, sorry! My friend is a little spooked from the slime attack! Hahaha! You sure saved us there!¡±

    I blinked, and pulled my brain out of the pink fog that was threatening to overtake it, and really looked at him. That movement¡­ that took training. Real quality training. You didn¡¯t get that from just swinging a sword in play. Those moves, too clean and precise. His sword¡­

    That¡¯s the curved blade style of the Empire, and that hilt doesn¡¯t look like a standard knock off. And there¡¯s a bare patch on the left sleeve of his tunic where something¡¯s been removed¡­ he¡¯s Empire! What is¡­ oh no!

    I forced a smile, and let myself dip into an apologetic bow to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so sorry for being so rude, and after you were so nice to rescue us! It¡¯s just¡­ everything has been a complete shock!¡±

    He laughed, rubbing at the back of his head with embarrassment.

    People really do that?!

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to claim some sort of divine providence, but honestly it was just luck! I¡¯m just happy I could help!¡±

    My lips twitched, and otherme suddenly said ¡°I really am so glad if you could come along! Things are very strange for us right now, so I hope you¡¯ll forgive my forwardness¡­ are you an isekai too?¡±

    My eyes widened in surprise, and I could see Soriya turning to me, her mouth open in astonishment, then she looked at the boy again with narrowed eyes.

    He blinked in confusion, and shook his head in puzzlement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what? I don¡¯t¡­ am I a world? I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Oh good, he¡¯s not. Otherme said.

    He could be lying to us? ¡°Are you from another world?¡± I said, staring up at him intently.

    He blinked several more times, then laughed nervously. ¡°No? Don¡¯t tell me you are?¡±

    Soriya glanced at me then spoke up. ¡°Actually, she is.¡±

    She¡¯s backing our play, though she doesn¡¯t understand what we¡¯re doing. What are we doing?!

    We¡¯re trying to find out if he¡¯s an isekai like we are! It would just¡­ be so typical for him to be one!

    Well he¡¯s not. Look at him, he¡¯s fascinated! By us! ¡­ That¡¯s not such a bad thing?

    I almost swallowed my tongue. I¡¯d just made it worse! Now I really am the mysterious maiden with the exotic past!

    I don¡¯t see why you¡¯re so upset¡­ I like the way he looks at us like that.

    No. You don¡¯t! He¡¯s Empire! Something¡­ really bad is coming. He told us he¡¯s a freelance adventurer, but he¡¯s wearing empire gear and holding an empire sword! And, and¡­ my eyes opened wide and I pointed at him accusingly as little bits suddenly lined up in my head. ¡°You! It was you! You won the fishing contest, didn¡¯t you!?¡±

    Eshaan gaped at me, his mouth opening and closing silently.

    Soriya spoke up, her voice purring with satisfaction. ¡°Oh good catch Lily!¡± she giggled. ¡°Yes, it had to be him.¡±

    He swallowed and then laughed nervously again, and I clearly caught the difference this time. The echo of hollowness¡­ I suddenly realized I could tell when he really was trying to hide something!

    Well this is an unexpectedly useful talent we have¡­

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. ¡°Yeah, you got me. That was me alright. I just happened into your town-¡°

    He¡¯s lying!

    ¡°-and well, I¡¯m a fan of fishing, it¡¯s an amazing contest-¡±

    Even if that part is true, the cute boy is lying to us! Genuine outrage from my otherself now.

    ¡°-and so I took a spot in the contest! And it somehow turned out this way! I got a nice prize too; your town is really generous.¡± He smiled at me.

    I offered my most sincere smile back, which I could feel was badly threadbare. We just were really no good with lying, even with our body language.

    ¡°Well! It¡¯s¡­ certainly good of you to help us out.¡± Why is he here, why is he following us¡­ I shared a glance with Soriya, who nodded very subtly to me. Right. He¡¯s like a burr. We can¡¯t get rid of him, and have I mentioned how angry I am that we got here early to avoid him and now he¡¯s here anyway!?

    I smiled awkwardly again. ¡°If you¡¯d like to accompany us, we can¡¯t promise much in the way of treasure or fame. Or really anything at all. Breezewood uses the Caverns as a coming-of-age trial, and we wanted to be ready for whatever came of it.¡±

    He frowned at me, and I could tell he could hear the false note in my voice. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re from another world, and you¡¯re turning 18 soon?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. And so we¡¯re here.¡±

    He smiled broadly. ¡°Well that¡¯s great! I recently turned 18 just a few weeks ago! I¡¯m trying my hand at adventuring now that I¡¯m an adult!¡±

    He just did it again! otherme was outraged, and she almost stomped our foot in frustration. I can¡¯t believe I thought he was cute! What a rotten person he is!

    Easy girl. He¡¯s here for a reason. And if we¡¯re careful, we can find out what. If we¡¯re not careful¡­ this could be the flag we were fighting so hard to avoid. I pushed the thought of failure down, swallowing a sour lump in my stomach. I refuse to give up. I absolutely refuse!

    I turned and walked over to where the slime¡­ make that slimes, had exploded, and looked down, hoping to find a drop. Glittering in the puddle, I found what looked like several translucent grey marbles. I gave a little cheer of excitement and scooped them up.

    ¡°Look, Soriya! Drops!¡±

    She sauntered over to me, and peered into my hands. ¡°So they are. Well done!¡± She lowered her voice. ¡°You know he¡¯s empire, right?¡±

    I nodded hurriedly. ¡°Yeah, of course.¡±

    She grunted in surprise, picking up one of the marbles, and examining it. ¡°Huh. Surprised, I thought you said you hadn¡¯t seen him.¡±

    ¡°What? I¡¯ve never seen him before?¡±

    Soriya looked up at me, eyes full of surprise. ¡°But you¡­ he was the cute one I saw behind the Guild Proctor!¡±

    I blinked, my own eyes widening in understanding. ¡°Oh!¡± I glanced over at him, but he appeared to be politely ignoring our conversation, and examining the cavern walls. I turned back to Soriya. ¡°No. After you hinted I should look closer, I saw it. His combat tunic is missing a patch on the shoulder, and his sword has the imperial crest on it.¡± I scowled. ¡°So he was behind the guild proctor, but expects us to believe he just happened by?¡± I shook my head in frustration. ¡°I guess he¡¯s one of the not very bright ones then.¡±

    Soriya smiled blandly at me. ¡°I thought I was the {Loremaster} here. Those are some keen eyes for a goody two-shoes staff girl.¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s the hero of the story. Maybe not my story, but he¡¯s the hero of the story. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s not special in lots of ways. So I just had to look for them.¡±

    Soriya nodded in appreciation, then dropped the marbles back into my palm and wiped her fingers on her robes. ¡°Slimy, yet satisfying. Hold onto those, and we¡¯ll sell them when we get back.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to hold them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already got plenty from our previous encounters. These look special, I¡¯ll look at them later when we have a chance.¡±

    ¡°Hm, alright.¡± I said, rummaging in my girdle pouches for a space to put them, then wiping my hands on my cloak. Soriya was right, they were slimy. My thoughts were interrupted by Eshaan calling to us.

    ¡°Ladies, I think I¡¯ve found something interesting here!¡± he tapped his sword hilt against a rock outcropping. A singing crystal note filled the cavern, and flickering runes lit up the wall in strange branching patterns like a tree or circuit board. ¡°I think this cavern might be some sort of ancient structure! It¡¯s incredibly old! Fascinating!¡±

    Huh. He looks like he¡¯s actually interested in t-

    ¡°Are you interested in the past?¡± Otherme spoke up.

    Hey, what are we doing? He¡¯s a bad guy, remember?! The bearer of plot!

    He¡¯s interested! There¡¯s nothing wrong with knowing more about him!

    ¡°Ah? Eh heheh.¡± He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment again.

    Seriously?! Who does that?!

    ¡°Ah, well yeah. I¡¯ve always been interested in those kinds of things. Part of why I want to be an adventurer, the past is fascinating!¡± His eyes shown with genuine excitement and interest. ¡°But you know, you have to be an imperial scholar to get permission to even get near that kind of thing, and the entrance exams are a bit over my head. So!¡± He shrugged and gestured around. ¡°But I think I recall something like this¡­¡± he tapped the flat of his blade against one of the glowing crystal lines, and a grinding rumbling noise filled the cavern as a section of wall slid aside revealing a neatly worked stone corridor.

    ¡°Hah!¡± he said in satisfaction, then bowed to us, gesturing to the corridor. ¡°Ladies, please allow me to escort you!¡±

    Soriya and I glanced at each other then at him. Tighter than a burr indeed. How dare he be useful. I sniffed and strode past him, Soriya following.

    Somehow, I found Eshaan walking next to me. ¡°So you¡¯re from another world? What¡¯s that about?¡± he asked eagerly.

    I heaved a sigh, feeling a surge of irritation as his gaze drifted down to my chest as I did.

    ¡°It¡¯s not very interesting or complicated.¡± I said, trying to parse carefully so I wouldn¡¯t trip on my own inability to lie. ¡°I arrived on my mother¡¯s doorstep as a baby, but when I got older, memories of another world started to appear in my head. I realized I¡¯d been born in another world, and delivered to this one. There aren¡¯t very many clues to how or why any of it happened, so I¡¯ve always been looking for any hints of my past. There haven¡¯t been very many.¡±

    Ugh. I feel dirty! That was almost as bad as a bald lie!

    But we didn¡¯t trip over our own tongue, or sound completely false, now did we?

    A sullen pout from my otherself.

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes were shining with excitement as he looked at me though. ¡°But that¡¯s so incredible! Do you remember anything else? What was your other world like?!¡±

    I glanced over at him, frowning unhappily. ¡°Eshaan, please. I know you¡¯re excited about this, but I¡¯d really rather not think about it right now. It¡¯s a bit of a painful memory for me and I¡¯m not an exhibit at a Spyre conservatory.¡± I said. And with any luck, I never will be, once I get this millstone around my neck gone!

    Otherme still felt a stab of anxious fear and anger at the thought of deliberately destroying her pendant, but focusing on the fact we were doing it to save Breezewood made her relent.

    To his credit, Eshaan was immediately apologetic. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sorry. You must have had to repeat this story a hundred times.¡± I caught him glancing at my chest again, and then felt a little chill run down my spine.

    No. Not my chest. He¡¯s thinking about my pendant. If he¡¯s the guild proctor¡¯s cat¡¯s paw, then¡­ I shook my head.

    ¡°Thank you for understanding, Eshaan.¡± I said, giving him a little half bow of thanks. Soriya was scribbling notes frantically in her book of shadows as we slowly worked our way down the corridor. It was interesting though, the circuit pattern looked as though this was some sort of techno dungeon. But those were always one of the very last locations! But the interplay of magic, a System¡­ hm. I wonder if the System is related to the technology-

    My thoughts were again interrupted as a section of corridor wall slide aside with a low hum, and we found ourselves staring out into a vast natural cavern chamber, lit with glowing filigree runes, like a fractal tree, an infinitely complex pattern that was echoed and echoed again. The runes all lead to the center of the chamber, and pulsed in slow rhythm. I looked over at Soriya, who was staring around in giddy wonder. I twitched a smile. ¡°Think this is enough of a boss arena for you?¡±

    She nodded wordlessly, while Eshaan looked puzzled. ¡°Boss arena? Did you come here to work?¡±

    I glanced over at him in surprise. Uh. I guess this world really doesn¡¯t think of things like bosses or in video game terms, despite the System? That¡¯s interesting.

    ¡°Um, no. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s a term Soriya and I use when we¡¯re expecting to encounter a difficult enemy. They seem to happen in large areas like this.¡±

    Right on cue, the ground started to rumble and shake. The door to the corridor behind us slid closed, returning to it¡¯s disguise as normal cavern rock.

    A glowing circle of runes lit up in the floor and ceiling, at the intersection of numerous runelines, and a translucent shape started to rise from the floor.

    Oh, it¡¯s a dragon?

    What are you talking about?! IT¡¯S A DRAGON!

    Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s only the starter area-

    IT¡¯S! A! DRAGON!

    ¡°Greetings to you, brave souls of the village!¡± The dragon¡¯s voice rumbled and thundered around us. Really a bit overdone, frankly. ¡°You have come far in your search for wisdom, to seek the depths of your soul! I commend your bravery and your strength!¡± The dragon boomed in the cheesiest cliched way possible. ¡°But now your final test, the ultimate trial! What do the depths of your very soul hold!? Can you face the darkness within yourself?!¡±

    Brilliant beams of purple black light shot out from the dragon¡¯s maw and hit each of us in the stomach.

    It hurts! Like flames and fire burning inside me! Like something was being pulled out of me, peeled off of my soul.

    The room swam before my eyes, the world growing dark. A familiar tension filled me, and then¡­ The singing agony, darkness filling my vision and blurring the room. And a familiar ringing snap-

    ¡°Ahh.¡± The voice was familiar and unfamiliar. A purring satisfaction of pleasure and discovery. ¡°Ah, this is so much better!¡± I wiped at my streaming eyes, and struggled to look. There, below the ethereal outline of the dragon, was¡­ me! Proper me! Benjamin Williams! Ordinary, boring just me¡­ as I had been.

    ¡°Oh, this is¡­¡± he turned his hands this way and that, examining them, looking up at us in mild interest. ¡°How curious!¡± he looked up at us. ¡°Oh there I am!¡± he tsked with disappointment. ¡°And what have we here?¡± he turned to his side, where flickering negative outlines shimmered. ¡°Tch. Pitiful. We can do so much better than this.¡± He reached out, and clenched his fingers and pulled and suddenly the dragon let out a deafening scream, a sound I hoped never to hear again. I fell to my knees, clutching my ears, feeling a trickle of fluid dribble from my nose. The salty copper taste of blood on my lips, and the sound ended.

    When I could focus again, the dragon was gone, and I saw the two figures standing next to him had grown clear and sharply defined. An Asian woman, small and frail, her lank black hair hanging in matted strands over her eyes, and¡­ was that, Eshaan? Eshaan, but taller, wearing some sort of scholar¡¯s robe, holding a book?

    The doppelganger of me looked at each, and tsked. ¡°Interesting. A shadow of a shadow, not like me at all.¡± He looked down at his hands and clenched his fists, then looked up, stepping out of the arena. The lines of rippling runes and light immediately died. That was the right word. Died. As though something living had been eliminated. The only light remaining in the arena was the small spark of my Lux spell far overhead, shedding what suddenly felt like far too feeble of a radiance. His feet-

    My tennis shoes. I just bought those¡­ flickered through my mind

    -hit the ground, and then two pairs of feet behind him joined them. He strode up to me confidently, taking my chin roughly in his hand. A buzzing shock of something shot through both of us, and he yanked his hand away. ¡°Well! That was most unpleasant!¡±

    Eshaan somehow managed to get his tongue back, pushing his way between us¡­ me? Ourselves?

    ¡°Who are you?! What¡¯s going on here? Why are you treating miss Lilyanna so badly!?¡± He demanded.

    Benjamin¡¯s eyes were cold and black, his voice curling smoke as he said ¡°Lilyanna, is it? You poor fool, you don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re trying to protect, do you?¡± He looked past Eshaan¡¯s shoulders to me. ¡°Pitiful. Is this all you are now? Is this all you are willing to do? Have we always been so weak?¡± He muttered to himself. He sounded almost¡­ bemused. ¡°You cannot see the chains that shackle you, but soon enough you will understand.¡± He spoke louder, spreading his arms wide. ¡°Rejoice! I will free you. I will free everyone! I will show this world what freedom means!¡±

    My eyes felt like saucers. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s a villain speech. That¡¯s a Kefka speech! What the honey¡­ why is my shadow self a villain?! My knees felt weak and I had to cling to Eshaan for a moment to stay upright. Oh¡­ oh no. This¡­ this is my break. This is my fault!

    He¡­ it? Snapped his fingers, and the Asian woman and scholar Eshaan crossed over to him. He made to stride past us, Eshaan moved to jump in front of him.

    My eyes bugged out and I grabbed Eshaan¡¯s hand. ¡°No! You mustn¡¯t!¡±

    The shadow Benjamin stopped, his eyes turning to Eshaan. ¡°No. I really think he should.¡± He smiled coldly, then turned to me. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be free of him?¡± He asked in a genuinely puzzled tone. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the point of this entire folly? Or have you fallen so far? Tch! I suppose it¡¯s traditional to show you what you¡¯re dealing with¡­¡± he smiled at me and I felt my knees turn to fear jelly. ¡°But again¡­ why be such a traditionalist?¡± his voice grew hard and cold as he sneered at me. ¡°You¡¯ve got that covered so well, don¡¯t you, Lilyanna?¡± He shook his head, and made a single pass with his hand. The world swam, swirling in a flash of silver and ebony, my skin burning with ice and fire, and then he was gone, along with the other two¡­ They must have been... Soriya and Eshaan¡¯s shadow doubles?

    I sank to my knees my legs splaying out to either side of me. I felt hot tears welling up. My lower lip trembled and I almost started crying right then and there.

    It was my fault. It was my fault! I came to stop the game¡¯s plot, and instead I¡¯ve created a worldeater?! It¡¯s not fair!

 13 It All Comes Tumbling Down

    We stayed there a moment, frozen in our poses, and then Soriya sucked in a shaky breath. ¡°Well. That was one of the top 12 things I never want to experience again!¡± She said briskly.

    My nascent sobs turned into choked laughs, though I could still feel tears threatening.

    I suppose I should be grateful that Eshaan isn¡¯t trying to comfort me. I swallowed, and felt a strange well of determination rising in me, otherme extending that gentle hand, and her soft whisper in my mind Now we need to do the next right thing.

    I took another shaky breath, and then climbed to my feet using my staff as support. ¡°You¡¯re right. We need to do what we came here for.¡± I pressed my lips together. ¡°Soirya? Is the Cavern still suitable? Did¡­ did he do anything to it?¡±

    Soriya licked her finger and held it up. Blue and purple sparkles trailed from her fingertip. ¡°He¡­ it¡­ did something alright, but the cavern still counts. At least for a little while.¡±

    I nodded, taking another shaky breath, and then started heading to the now empty center of the arena, where the dragon spirit had been, the runic lines and sigils now dark and dead.

    Eshaan hurried after us. ¡°Wait! What¡¯s going on? What was that all about?!¡± I shook my head, unsure what to even say. It was all so heavy.

    Soriya came to my rescue. ¡°That was what we came to defeat! It¡¯s a¡­ a dark spirit! The evils of the village! It¡¯s part of the trials! We need to do a ritual to banish the darkness within us!¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s face scrunched up. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. There were three of them, and that other boy¡­ he seemed so angry! Like he hated miss Lilyanna for some reason?!¡±

    Soriya flipped her hands dismissively, smiling brightly.

    Too brightly. That other her¡­ just what is it that Soriya is running from?

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine!¡± She said with the same cheerful optimism I¡¯d started to understand was her natural defense against the darkness inside her. ¡°We¡¯re going to do a ritual here! So if you¡¯d just stand right there, and guard us from any slimes or bats, we¡¯d be ever so grateful!¡± She leaned over just a bit, and I saw Eshaan¡¯s gaze lock to her cleavage.

    I shook my head in disgust. You¡¯ll never catch me doing that!

    We reached the central pit, and Soriya and I started pulling out the material for the ritual, colored chalk, candles, and several rather intricate sheets of mathemagical formula. I could see they went completely over Eshaan¡¯s head. He studied the formula for a bit, his eyes unusually intense, then shook his head. ¡°Well it¡¯s beyond me.¡± He smiled. ¡°Bat and slime guard duty, 24/7 service!¡± He drew his sword and made a ridiculously formal flourish with it. I couldn¡¯t¡¯ help it, my hand went to my lips and I giggled. He smiled at me, and nodded. ¡°Good! Everything is better with a positive attitude!¡± he declared, and headed up to the rim of the depression looking about sharply.

    Soriya knelt down and started drawing chalk lines, occasionally examining the formula sheets before drawing another careful line. I knelt down next to her, and joined in. It was still over my head, but it seemed I understood more of it than Eshaan. The sound of chalk on ancient stone filled the air for a while, then Soriya softly said ¡°I think Eshaan is going to betray us.¡±

    I sucked in a gasp, and looked up at where Eshaan stood. He turned his head and gazed down at me in concern. ¡°Is everything alright, Miss Lilyanna?¡±

    ¡°Um. Urm. Well.¡± I laughed nervously. ¡°Not really. You know. Thank you for standing guard!¡± I ducked my head again, whispering softly. ¡°What do you mean?! You think he¡¯s part of ¡­ of that¡­ of it, somehow?!¡±

    Soriya blinked, paused in her drawing, then returned with a steady hand. ¡°No. I mean I think he¡¯s here for your pendant, I think his boss asked him to keep an eye on it. The one we¡¯re going to destroy?¡±

    ¡°You think he¡¯ll try to stop us?¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t get me wrong, he¡¯s dumb as a post, and painfully earnest to boot. I think he¡¯s a pawn, but an earnest pawn¡­ he¡¯s going to try and stop us.¡±

    I sat back on my heels. ¡°Soriya¡­ do you think¡­ is there¡­¡± I choked back a sob. ¡°Is there even a point anymore? After what I¡¯ve done-¡±

    Soriya looked up at me, her violet eyes fierce. ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that. You didn¡¯t know what would happen. You didn¡¯t know the break would occur here or what it would do. In a way you¡¯ve already thrown the plot off. I¡¯m pretty sure this wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. We¡¯re still going to save our home. I have to believe that, because it¡¯s the next right thing.¡± She drew the last careful curve of the magic circle on the ground, and sat back, wiping her hands free of chalk dust.

    ¡°Besides. It can only be to the good if we eliminate the plot coupon¡­ I like that term by the way. Cute. If we eliminate your pendant, then that¡­ it that killed the cavern can¡¯t get it.¡±

    I swallowed. ¡°But he knows that¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do!¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Yes, it does. But it left. It left without a fight. I think¡­ I think it was scared, Lily. You didn¡¯t see the flare of mana when it touched you. I think it left because it was scared. And that means we have a chance. So don¡¯t you dare give up on me!¡±

    I choked a sob back. ¡°I thought I was the one who was supposed to be giving comforting speeches of heroism and determination?¡±

    Soriya leaned over and hugged me gently, rubbing my back. ¡°Nobody can be strong all the time. Not even a healer princess heroine.¡±

    I will not cry. I will not! I told myself, as my eyes watered. I have to get this done! We have to save the village!

    And otherme quietly added We can have a magnificent cry in our bed when this is all over.

    I took another shaky breath, and let go of Soriya. Sitting back and examining the circle for any flaws. It looked right, but Soriya was the expert. She took a final glance and then gave me a thumbs up. ¡°Right.¡± She said quietly. ¡°Keep your pendant hidden until the last moment, but otherwise, just as we planned. Ready?¡±

    I nodded firmly. ¡°Ready.¡±

    We learned forward, placing our hands on either side of the magic circle, and pushed mana into it. The circle immediately flared into brilliant light, almost as bright as the mote of my light spell overhead.

    Soriya spoke, her voice gone echoey and strange. ¡°Spirits of that lie beyond the mortal coil, fragments of the all that twirl in distant silence, we call on you!¡± Purple black shadows flickered and flared around her. I could feel my mana being drawn steadily out of me, the circle flaring brightly and darkly, an ominous reflection of what Benj-¡­ what¡­ what it had done when it, I dearly hoped, fled.

    Dimly I was aware that there was some commotion at the edge where Eshaan was, but I couldn¡¯t break my contact, I had to keep feeding mana into the circle or everything would fall apart. Time seemed distant and stretched, I was no longer sure how long I¡¯d been here, feeding mana into this circle. Had I always been here? Was I even here now? Space and time seemed to bend and warp, flowing one into the other in a never-ending spiral. A tension was building, a breathless expectation, a held breath that rose and rose as we poured our mana into the ritual.

    ¡°We implore your aid; we beg your power!¡± Soriya continued her incantation. ¡°Shield our hearths from harm, protect what we hold dear! We offer power, we offer the warmth of purpose!¡± Soriya looked up at me, and nodded, mouthing ¡®now¡¯.

    I reached under my dress, pulling out my pendant, hauling it over my head and placing it in the center of the circle.

    It cracked through the middle, a splintering shattering noise. I felt otherme¡¯s cry of distress and anguish at the same time I heard a scream of denial from Eshaan.

    ¡°No! Wait, what are you doing!?¡± And sudden rough hands on my shoulders, my arms, pulling me backwards. The pendant glowing with all the colors of the rainbow, the purple black tendrils of power reaching out from the voidspace we¡¯d opened, reaching greedily for it, and the pendant shattered into a million motes of shimmering rainbow light. The light of the circle was almost blinding as Eshaan roughly dragged me backwards. Very faintly I heard a multitude of voices like dark velvet whispering ¡°Your bargain is accepted; our pact is discharged.¡± And the tension that had been building with the steady flow of mana was suddenly released, like an arrow from a bow, a sense of power and directed purpose taking hold.

    The light of the circle winked out and I was suddenly so impossibly tired, every muscle in my body ached. I¡¯d never felt like this, not even after the fight with the pixies.

    Eshaan dashed into the circle, frantically scooping the glittering motes together in his hands. In the haze of exhaustion I noted idly He¡¯s filthy. When did he get so dirty? There¡¯s slime on everything, and blood smeared on what¡¯s not slimed.

    The motes of light twinkled in his hands and faded away into nothing. The cavern was silent. And then a gentle rumbling tremor filled the cavern, and the dead runes that wove their way through the cavern pulsed, flickered briefly, then condensed into a single bright mote that shown in midair, bursting outwards into a glowing figure of a dragon coiled around a tower.

    ¡°Child of the ?ther, daughter of the goddess¡¯s wish. We see you.¡± It¡­ her voice was beautiful, melodic, and echoing in a way that was like and unlike the voice of the dragon that summoned our shadow selves.

    ¡°We recognize your sacrifice.¡± She went on. ¡°The determination of your soul. You are worthy of our aid; we will join you in your quest.¡±

    The apparition collapsed into the mote of silver-grey light once more, and then darted towards me, vanishing into my chest. I laid a hand on my chest in shock.

    You may call upon us at need, ?ther child. The tower dragon¡¯s voice echoed softly in my head, and then was silent.

    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Soriya exclaimed, breaking the extended silence. ¡°Was that an summon!? Did you just become a summoner?!¡±

    And the voice of the world whispered in my ear ¡°{Arcanist} Unlocked. Thanks to making a pact with the Arcanum of the Tower, you have unlocked {Arcanist:1}¡±

    ¡°It seems the world calls it an {Arcanist}.¡± I said wearily.

    Eshaan looked completely lost, his face filled with conflicted emotions. I could see it coming before he even opened his mouth. He drew himself up, squaring his shoulders and taking on a mantle of authority.

    It looks good on him. A part of me thought. I was too tired to figure out which part it even really was.

    He pointed his sword, still smeared with slime and blood, at me. ¡°I really am very sorry about this, Miss Lilyanna, but I must place you under imperial protection!¡±

    Soriya laughed mirthlessly.

    Eshaan frowned at her. ¡°This is not a joke, Miss Soriya, you see-¡°

    ¡°You are an imperial agent sent by the guild proctor to keep tabs on us. Yes, of course.¡± Soriya finished, leaving Eshaan gaping like a fish out of water.

    ¡°You¡­ you knew?!¡± He spluttered.

    She shrugged. ¡°We suspected.¡±

    ¡°How did you get so filthy?¡± I found myself asking.

    He turned back to me, his mouth working, then finally said ¡°There were¡­ several attempts to disrupt your ritual. I held them off, while you finished.¡± He scowled. ¡°Though I admit, I am regretting that decision! That pendant was vital to the future and security of your homeland!¡±

    I felt a stirring of emotion in my chest, a now familiar feeling of strength wrapped in softness. ¡°It was mine, Eshaan. Not the empires. And I have used it to protect my precious home.¡± I got to my feet, and wobbled. It was almost funny to see Eshaan fight with his own urge to steady me. I smiled at him tiredly. ¡°It¡¯s ok. I¡¯ll go with you. It¡¯s not like we could resist you, we¡¯re completely tapped for mana. And we did what we came to do. Breezewood is safe.¡±

    Eshaan scowled. ¡°Safe from what?! What was that ritual?! If you felt you were in danger, why didn¡¯t you call for an Imperial garrison!?¡±

    I looked over at Soriya, who was also wearily getting to her feet. She grabbed a mana potion from her belt, uncorked and swallowed it. Oh yeah, that would help, wouldn¡¯t it? She met my eyes and shrugged. I dithered for a moment, covering it by drinking one of my own mana potions, feeling the fatigue ease immediately.

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust the empire.¡± I replied simply.

    ¡°What was all that about the spirits of darkness and your rite of adulthood?! Was that a lie too!?¡±

    It stung, hearing him accuse us of lying. I felt heat return to my voice and I replied without thinking. ¡°And what about you? Was your interest in this cavern merely playing along? Was that all a lie to get close to us?!¡± I realized that I had balled my fists and was leaning towards him angrily.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    He took a step back as though I¡¯d slapped him. ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Soriya lazily slid up next to him. ¡°That¡¯s the price of assisting the Empire to get what you want, is it? Hm. Seems some prices are steeper than anticipated. Come on. You¡¯ve ¡®captured¡¯ us fair and square. Where are we going? I¡¯m sure a big strong man like you doesn¡¯t need to tie us up?¡± The smile on her face was positively wicked.

    I scowled at her. ¡°Soriya! Be nice!¡± She looked at me with surprise, her eyebrows raised, and tipped her head thoughtfully to the side.

    ¡°Well. If you¡¯re asking¡­?¡± she said.

    Eshaan scowled and waved his blade at us again. ¡°Right! You¡¯re both under imperial custody! My superior needs to know what¡¯s going on here. He¡¯ll decide what to do with you.¡±

    I just nodded wearily, and proceeded meekly ahead him. I wanted a nap, a good long cry, and a bath, in that order and right now I didn¡¯t even care too much about the order.

    The journey out was much smoother going than the journey in, but the faintly glowing traceries of runework we¡¯d spotted on our way in were all dead. If I hadn¡¯t known better, I would have said that they had been that way for millennia. They certainly looked it, fractured, splintered, and ground as though by uncounted time. No slimes challenged our exit, and only the sad drops of blood indicated that bats had been fought in this or that passageway.

    We emerged into the clearing, the late evening rays of a setting sun just touching the top of the forest. So late?! It¡¯s almost dinner time?! I guess we did lose time in the ritual!

    This thought was interrupted by a steadily increasing rhythmic ¡®thrud thrud¡¯ of sound coming from above and increasing wind that made the trees dance. I looked up towards the sound, shading my eyes to see, then let out a little squeal of excitement. ¡°Oh! OH!! It¡¯s an airship!¡± It was indeed an airship, a sleek hybrid fusion of ship and blimp, with spinning bronze gold propellers and ornate metalwork on its sleek hull. It was a silly thing to get excited about, of course there were airships-

    We¡¯ve never seen one! They¡¯re incredibly rare!

    -in this genre, and yet¡­ and yet! It was a real airship!

    Eshaan looked up at the ship which was slowly approaching for a landing, his face a mixture of puzzlement. ¡°But that¡¯s the Leimoniad. What¡¯s she doing here?¡±

    Soriya pointed over the forest. ¡°Forget her, what¡¯s that one doing?¡±

    I followed her finger and saw the shadowy outline hovering far away to the south.

    That¡¯s the village. Why is there an airship near our village?! Why are there two airships near our village!?

    The chill of fear from otherme was bracing, but I felt a subtle smile spreading across my lips, reassuring her.

    This is what our ritual was for. This is what we prepared for. Relax. Everything will be fine.

    For the ship to be visible at this distance, it must be a truly massive ship. Eshaan shook his head. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know why the Leimoniad is here. She was supposed to wait on the other side of the hills¡­¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± I clapped my hands together in front of me. ¡°Let¡¯s speak to your overseer. The proctor, Khine, right?¡±

    Eshaan nodded dumbly as the airship Leimoniad slowly touched down, unfolding delicate wirework landing struts and settling to the ground. Even though she was a smaller ship, she more than filled the clearing, her bow and stern flattening the young trees surrounding the edges. She was really a beautiful thing, all elegant curves, bronzegold metal and propellers, the upper half a sleek shape like a fish, and the lower an ornately decorated metal and wood shell. And she was a real jrpg airship!

    A panel on the side of the hull lowered, unfolding into a set of stairs, and proctor Khine made his way to the ground, followed by several empire troopers in full armor. I noted that Khine was no longer wearing the ¡®almost¡¯ military uniform of a guild proctor, but rather a true imperial uniform.

    I nudged Eshaan gently with my elbow. ¡°Well? We¡¯re your captives. Go on, report to your superior.¡± I smiled gently at him. Eshann¡¯s face was a wonderful mixture of confusion and guilt-

    He really is so handsome!

    Alright, stop that! No!

    -but he pressed his lips together, nodded, and marched up to Proctor Khine. ¡°Commander Khine, sir! Ensign Nakamu reporting!¡±

    Oh sure. The hero gets a last name!

    Why does he have two names? That¡¯s just confusing!

    I shared memories of vast cities filled with too many people.

    Such a place exists!?

    Sure. It probably exists in Spyre.

    But so many people!?

    Khine returned Eshaan¡¯s salute with what seemed an awful lack of care to me. ¡°Report, Ensign. What is the status here?¡±

    ¡°Sir, I¡­ I must report failure. The¡­ The object you sent me to guard has been¡­ destroyed.¡±

    Khine¡¯s gaze snapped to me and then back to Eshaan. He frowned. ¡°Destroyed? How? Details, ensign, details. Details are key to all decisions.¡±

    In a few quick sentences Eshaan outlined recent events from his point of view. I noted that he downplayed his own competence with charming modesty, but didn¡¯t make himself seem a fool.

    Khine nodded and lazily strolled over to me and Soriya, looking us over casually. ¡°So. You have memories of another realm, performed a strange ritual that summoned and banished shadow forms, destroyed an artifact from the Gods War, and your village protects an Ancient¡¯s ruin. You are indeed a most interesting person, Miss Lilyanna. And I suspect you are hiding much more.¡± He turned and paced, his hands behind his back.

    Our pendant?! A relic of the Gods War!?

    I told you we were special.

    But¡­ but the Gods War?!

    ¡°Regrettably, I do not have the leisure to sate idle curiosity.¡± He turned to face me again. ¡°I find myself pressed for time. You will tell me the purpose of these ruins and the reason your village has concealed them from the empire. And then you will tell me why it was so important to destroy a Gods War artifact that you left 4 days ahead of schedule. You will tell me these things, or I will have the Conqueror destroy your village.¡±

    He¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s a bad man!

    So you believe me now?

    Yes! And we have protected the village from him!

    Eshaan said, with an apologetic glance at me, clearly conflicted, ¡°You should tell him what he wants to know, Lilyanna. We only want what¡¯s best for everyone.¡±

    I felt my chin lift in defiance, both parts of me fully aligned. ¡°I will tell you nothing.¡± I replied. ¡°No threat you have will work!¡±

    The commander paused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "An interesting hypothesis. Let us test it." He yanked a pistol from his side and fired into the air. Brilliant streamers of blue and white and green elemental energy flew up hundreds of feet, and then burst into colorful fireworks.

    What on earth was that about?

    Look! Look at Eshaan!

    Eshaan¡¯s face had drained of color, and he looked towards the distant outline of the ship hovering over my village with a horrified expression on his face.

    Flashes of light in a mingled assortment of elemental colors twinkled from the sides of the distant airship, and then a dome of rippling elemental light expanded upwards, rising over the tops of the distant forest. A roar of elemental thunder that shook the ground and a wind strong enough to make us sway followed shortly on its heels.

    Oh my god, he did it! He did it! You were right! He really did it! I felt a surge or horror and shock from otherme, her emotions lifting my hands to my mouth and widening my eyes in shock.

    Beside me, Soriya burst into high pitched hysterical laughter. I was tempted to join her. After all, this was what we had worked to avoid, what I hoped we had avoided. But the horror of what the commander had so casually ordered lodged like a burr in my mind.

    The commander glanced at Soriya in puzzlement, then turned to me. "And nothing of importance was lost. Shall we see what else you care about that I can take away?"

    I swallowed, and then said, as casually as I could manage "You know, I''ve always wondered. Why did you destroy the village? That was your leverage, your sole point of pressure. Now you have nothing. Why would you do that?"

    The commander was clearly nonplussed by my reply. He snapped "Nothing? I have you. And if you insist on being a such a stubborn lock, we will use all the tools at hand." He turned to Eshaan-

    Oh Eshaan. Oh I¡¯m so sorry! You poor boy! Floated through my head. I wasn¡¯t even sure who was thinking it.

    ¡°Ensign Eshaan. Cut off that woman¡¯s arm.¡± He pointed at Soriya.

    Eshaan turned to the commander, horror written all over his face. ¡°W-what? Commander¡­!?

    The commander turned to Eshaan, his eyes like chips of ice. ¡°Ensign? I gave you a clear order.¡±

    Eshaan gestured wildly. ¡°Commander! This is outrageous! You can¡¯t-¡°

    Three sharp BANGS interrupted whatever impassioned speech he was about to make, and he crumpled to the ground, blood soaking the front of his tunic.

    ¡°C-commander¡­? W-why?¡± he gasped out, then slumped.

    Commander Khine stepped over Eshaan¡¯s body, holstering his pistol. "Ah, I see we missed a villager." He turned to one of the troopers by the airship. ¡°Lt. Isha. Carry out my order.¡±

    The trooper snapped to attention. ¡°Sir!¡± and drew his sword.

    It had been a little funny at first. A little sad and pathetic, with a touch of triumph, but mostly funny. Now it was not. Eshaan¡­ well he was annoying and the hero of the story and I really didn¡¯t like him or what he represented, but he was earnest. And honest. And sincere. And, alright, damn it, also very cute. He hadn¡¯t deserved that. And Soriya was my friend. My only friend, right now. I had protected my village at great cost. Could I do any less for my friend?

    I felt a bubble of rage building inside me, a familiar feeling like a crystal shell of perfect clarity.

    Daughter of the goddess, the price will be high, but we know you will pay it. That is why we chose you. The dragon¡¯s voice echoed in my mind.

    The crystal shell floated up through me, burst out of me, throwing my head and arms back, my mouth open to the sky in a soundless shout, and the silver dragon coiled around her grey stone tower burst into existence around me. In a flash, my mana was gone, and she demanded more. I gave, and it hurt. It hurt almost as badly as the pixies. But somehow I could bear it, I knew I must bear it. And I gave.

    The dragon opened her mouth and bellowed with words that echoed in my soul.

    YOU HAVE BEEN JUDGED. YOU ARE FOUND WANTING. Brilliant spears of light stabbed down out of the heavens, striking the airship, the ground, the imperial soldiers. Explosive thunder filled the air, and when the spears vanished, there was nothing left where they had fallen.

    I fell to my knees, something feeling torn and ripped inside me. I coughed, and bright red blood splattered across the ground. Around me there was chaos. Commander Khine shouted orders-

    Why is he still here?

    -a solider I hadn¡¯t seen grabbed Soriya by the arm and hustled her towards the airship-

    No. Not fair. Why?

    -and the airship lifted into the air, torn fragments falling from it to the forest floor, holes punctured through it¡¯s beautiful gleaming bronzework superstructure, three of its the ornate propellers shattered into useless scrap.

    I watched it go, feeling a deep pit of anger growing in me again.

    We cannot come to your aid again, ?ther child, the strain would kill you.

    Not fair! I was supposed to have won!

    Proctor¡­ no. Commander Khine leaned over the railing and yelled down.

    ¡°We will talk later, after you have recovered your senses! If you do so quickly, you may even talk with your friend before I remove hers! We await your arrival Farna!" He waved Soriya¡¯s hat tauntingly, letting it fall floating back down into the clearing as the airship retreated into the sky. I was left alone in the forest clearing with the wreckage of my plans.

    I don¡¯t know how long I sat there, feeling nothing but numb emptiness before I heard a faint moan of agony from Eshaan. I looked up and felt an intense burst of hatred for him. My hands clenched at my sides.

    Of course he was alive. He was the hero! Nothing was allowed to happen to him!

    Are you sure? I think he really will die if we don¡¯t do something.

    I spat blood from my mouth, and staggered to my feet, taking stock. No potions left. I staggered over to Eshaan and fumbled at his belt. He didn¡¯t have any either. I got up and looked around helplessly, noting for the first time the empty suits of armor, and fragments of gear and weapons.

    Oh. Like Soriya said. Drops. The bodies just evaporate. I felt my head spin, and I gagged.

    I killed people. Real people this time. Oh spirits, what have I done?! This was supposed to be exciting. Fun. Aren¡¯t isekai¡¯s supposed to have power to shake the world without moral questions? And now my best friend is kidnapped, I¡¯ve killed people, and I¡¯ve got a useless spiky haired hero that I have to save.

    Otherme whispered softly The next right thing. I pressed my lips together and nodded. It was all I had. I staggered over to the sad piles of Drops and knelt down to see what I could find.

    ***

    The airship engines throbbed like a stuttering heartbeat, catching itself then chugging anemically before stuttering again.

    Soriya sat on the decking of the bridge feeling the throb of the engines in her bones. Her hands had been tied behind her, she was gagged, and what the empire soldiers had solemnly assured her was an explosive collar that would trigger if any spirit channeling occurred near it was fitted around her neck.

    It¡¯s like they¡¯re scared of me or something. She thought fiercely. Good. They¡¯ll see what a witch¡¯s fury is like soon enough. She twisted her hands in their bonds, trying to ease some of the pain. If only I knew what had happened to the village?! The bitterness of a possible failure chewed at her stomach far worse than the coils of rope bound around her arms and waist. And worst of all, she was missing her hat. She really liked her hat!

    The Lt who had captured her looked over at her motion. ¡°You¡¯ll find our knots are more than equal to a hedge witches¡¯ skill.¡± He sneered. Commander Khine entered, and Lt Isha snapped to attention and saluted. ¡°Sir!¡±

    Khine retuned the salute. ¡°At ease Lt.¡± He glanced at Soriya. ¡°Has the witch been properly secured? I don¡¯t want any more unexpected incidents to interrupt our task.¡±

    Isha saluted again. ¡°Sir! She has, and the explosive rune collar fitted!¡±

    ¡°Good. Have her moved a holding cell when we dock. Status?¡±

    ¡°Reporting, sir! We have rendezvoused with the Conqueror who has taken us under tow. We are currently enroute to the provincial capital, Farna. The engineers report that they¡¯ve been able to bring one of the Leimoniad¡¯s primary engines online at 50% power, and one of the backups at 30%. We expect to make the airship docks in a little more than two hours.¡±

    Commander Khine tapped his foot and frowned. ¡°Unfortunate. That girl has thrown quite a spanner in our works.¡±

    Lt. Isha fidgeted uncomfortably, then said ¡°Sir, permission to speak freely?¡±

    The commander turned to him and raised a single eyebrow. ¡°You may speak.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t we just kill the girl? She attacked us! She killed 12 imperial soldiers and damaged an imperial frigate! We should have-¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Lt.¡±

    ¡°But sir-!¡±

    Faster than Soriya could follow, the commander slapped Lt Isha across the cheek with a loud report, leaving a red welt.

    "Idiot.¡± Khine said without heat. He started to pace slowly about the bridge, coming to rest next to one of the gaping holes that Lilyanna¡¯s summon had cored through the airship. Soriya could see flashes of cloud and sky through it. ¡°That hole is the size of your torso through forged steel thicker than your greatcoat, and there are four of them. The power she conjured did that with a single attack. To stay there would have consigned all of us to pointless death.¡± He turned and continued his slow pace.

    "We ask unquestioning loyalty of our soldiery, and the only way to reward that is by honoring it with intelligence, awareness, and the understanding that we will not spend such coin on frivolity. We will gather forces appropriate to our end and prepare for her heroics. I have studied her and her village for more than five years. She will come for this one.¡± He gestured to Soriya, crouched on the decking. ¡°She won¡¯t be able to help herself."

    Soriya smiled behind her gag. You¡¯d better believe it. That girl is far more of a hero than she lets herself believe. ¡­ I hope she remembers to bring my hat.

    "But why did you destroy the town? What purpose-"

    The commander silenced the man with a sharp wave of a hand. "She viewed my words as a threat. It was not. You see, Lt, it is important to never threaten. We are not children, nor thugs attempting to scare fat merchants from their wares. We are soldiers of the Imperium. We explain terms, make promises, and then¡­ we fulfill them. I gave her a choice and took the payment. That village was the price for making me ask a second time."

    Lt. Isha was clearly displeased, but swallowed it. ¡°I see, sir.¡± He gave a short bow. Another solider knocked on the door. ¡°Sir!¡±

    Khine nodded to the solider. ¡°Go ahead, airman.¡±

    ¡°You wanted to be informed when the Conqueror completed its after-action report.¡±

    Khine nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±

    The airman handed Khine a clipboard with sheets of paper on it, and recited ¡°Two hundred HE rounds expended, totals are 50 Fire, 50 Earth, 50 Bolt, and 50 air. Gunnery teams report that the battery operated at peak efficacy, and the gun barrels do not appear degraded.¡±

    Khine nodded. ¡°Observed effect of the High Elemental rounds?¡±

    ¡°As expected, sir, the village was completely eliminated, no trace of it remained once the elemental storm debris had cleared.¡±

    Soriya felt a stab of horror and dismay through her. Had they failed? Had it all been for nothing?! What had the ritual even done!?

    Khine flipped through the notes on the clipboard, then paused. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°Sir?¡± The airman looked over at where Khine indicated a spot on the paper.

    ¡°Ah. The observation team noted a slight irregularity. The rounds interaction appears to have smoothed out the terrain to an unusual degree, and the nearby lake¡¯s water level has lowered a surprising amount. They also noted that the blast wave has damaged the surrounding landscape and the local forest was affected.¡±

    Khine shrugged. ¡°Such interactions are to expected when detonating High Elemental ordinance. We have more pressing matters to attend to than minor irregularities in a weapons test.¡± He turned to look out the bridge windows, his hands behind him. ¡°The fate of the empire itself may be at stake.¡±

 14 The Slow Ascending Climb

    My scrounging of the Drops had managed to net several healing and mana potions. I trudged back to Eshaan and stared down at him.

    Well, we might as well get started. I sighed, and knelt down next to him. How do we-

    Other me reached down and with a smooth practiced motion, pulled Eshaan¡¯s head into my lap, pinched the Eshaan¡¯s nose closed, tipped his head back with and poured a health potion down his throat. He gagged, choked, and sputtered, but the brilliant sparkles around him indicated that it had worked. I could see his wounds closing at least a little, and the odd fabric repair of the potion knitted a few hems together.

    I suppose that¡¯s related to the fact that adventuring clothes are literally magical. I thought idly.

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes flickered open and he blinked up at me blurrily.

    ¡°Miss Lilyanna?¡±

    I put on a bright smile. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    He struggled to sit up. ¡°Where am I? What happened?! Where is everyone else?¡± He jerked upright. ¡°Why did I have my head in your lap?!¡±

    I felt an angry blush rising into my cheeks. Why did we put his head in our lap?!

    Because that¡¯s how you get an unconscious person to drink a healing potion. Otherme replied sensibly. But since we were the same person, I could tell at least part of her also thought it would be nice to have a handsome boy¡¯s head in her lap. We will discuss this later. I threatened.

    Not having anything better to answer though, I replied ¡°Because that¡¯s how you give an unconscious person a healing potion.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± He laughed awkwardly, putting his hand behind his head. I sighed. I guess I¡¯m going to have to get used to that. He really does do that when he¡¯s embarrassed or caught out.

    I picked up two more of the healing potions, and offered him one. ¡°Now, I think it would be good if we drank these.¡± And suited action to words I swallowed down the health potion. It tasted like blended fruit going down, and the cramping twisted broken feeling inside me immediately eased. The fruit taste was nice, but it made me think of mother¡¯s potions, and my eyes were suddenly swimming with tears.

    Mother. Everyone. Did we succeed? Is there anything left?! I swallowed and wiped my lips.

    Eshaan stared at the potion in his hands, then back at me. ¡°Why are you giving this to me?¡±

    I blinked in genuine confusion. ¡°Because you¡¯re injured?¡± I paused, tipping my head to the side in confusion. ¡°Is this some kind of stupid strength training thing when you don¡¯t drink a healing potion to get stronger?¡±

    He jerked in surprise. ¡°No! I¡­ the commander stopped me from doing that anyway. The commander¡­¡± He got a distant look in his eyes and I could tell what was going through his head.

    I staggered to my feet leaving him along with his thoughts, and trudged over to where my staff lay on the ground. It was broken. I don¡¯t know why that was the thing that did it, but suddenly I had hot tears dripping down my cheeks as I stood there dumbly, looking at my broken starter staff.

    It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this.

    Courage. Otherme said. We don¡¯t know the ritual failed. And Soriya needs us. That means we need Eshaan. I turned and shared at Eshaan. He met my gaze and flinched.

    ¡°Are you going to drink the healing potion or not?¡± I demanded.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not sure I deserve this.¡± He replied awkwardly. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you can be so nice to me!? After all I¡¯ve done!¡±

    I kicked at the useless fragments of my staff and stalked back over to him. ¡°Nice? Nice?!¡± I jabbed my finger into his chest, looking up at him, and he rocked backwards a bit. ¡°I am not being nice to you! You are going to get me into whatever the honey place that your Imperial Legions have locked my best friend and then you are going to help me break her out!¡±

    He blinked slowly. ¡°I am?¡±

    I nodded fiercely and jabbed him again in the chest. ¡°You are! Now come on! I need to find out what the honey happened to my home.¡±

    I walked a few steps, stopped. Soriya needs her hat. I headed back to the center of the clearing. I picked it up and looked around blankly for a bit, then shrugged and jammed it onto my head before stalking back to Eshaan. He was clearly struggling to keep a straight face. I glared at him. ¡°I don¡¯t care if it looks ridiculous. A wizard always comes back for her hat! You wouldn¡¯t understand anyway!¡± I grabbed his hand in mine and stalked into the forest heading back to Breezewood.

    The forest was silent save for the occasionally rustle of wind blowing through the trees. No slimes. No horned rabbits. No wolves.

    Well we just had the expanding dome of explosive light; I shouldn¡¯t be shocked by that. I muttered to myself, walking faster. My pace kept increasing until I was almost running back along the path. I kept wiping at my eyes with my arm, but no matter what I did, tears kept threatening.

    I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re holding it back? We¡¯re sad, shouldn¡¯t we cry?

    We don¡¯t have time to cry. We don¡¯t even know what we should be crying for. I thought back.

    Despite my best intentions, my body simply wasn¡¯t built for a marathon. I couldn¡¯t run the entire distance back to the village. When Eshaan caught up with me, I was bent over with my hands on my knees, wheezing for breath.

    He stopped and stared at me for a bit, then said ¡°Get on.¡± And turned around, holding his hands behind his back.

    I glared at him, wishing I could dissolve him with the force of my gaze. ¡°You want me. To get. Onto your back?¡± I wheezed.

    No! Never!

    Oh yes! Yes!

    Never until the spirits themselves die!

    Do you want to get to the village quickly, or not? I felt the weight of a {Persuade} push on me.

    Stop that! No! I will not get on the back of the boy hero!

    I straightened up and stalked past him. ¡°No thank you.¡± I ground out.

    He blinked in surprise, and I could feel the hurt coming off him. I spun around angrily and jabbed him in the chest again. ¡°We! Are not! Friends! I am not going to be carried by you like some kind of stupid love interest! You will lead me to my friend and then we are quits! Do you understand me?!¡±

    He recoiled a bit, his face filled with confusion. ¡°Uh¡­? What?¡±

    ¡°I am not going to be your stupid girlfriend! I am not giving in to this stupid plot!¡± I screamed. I threw back my head and shouted at the sky ¡°I am not your play thing!¡± at the top of my lungs.

    Eshaan took several steps back from me, looking at me with concern.

    He¡¯s right to be concerned. We¡¯re acting crazy. He doesn¡¯t know about the world soul. He doesn¡¯t know we¡¯re running from our destiny. He was trying to be nice, in the only way he knows how.

    ¡°I! Do not! Care!¡± I screamed at the top of my lungs, clutching my head.

    ¡°Miss Lilyanna¡­!¡±

    I opened my mouth to shout at him, to tell him my name, and otherme grabbed my throat again. We already broke the world once. I will not allow us to do so again. We will bear this burden, because the other cost is so much worse.

    I screamed again, tears streaming down my cheeks. I couldn¡¯t get her voice out, and I didn¡¯t know what to do, and I wasn¡¯t the healer girl and none of this was fair! A red mist filled my vision, and then¡­ I was being restrained, my arms held at my sides, my head throbbing fiercely and my hands aching. The tree in front of me-

    When did that appear?

    -was scored by dozens of marks across its trunk, and broken sticks lay everywhere around it.

    Eshaan¡­ it was Eshaan holding me, murmuring softly in my ear. ¡°Miss Lilyanna, Lily please, stop! Snap out of it! You¡¯ve got to come back! Lily, there¡¯s nothing left to break!¡±

    A wave of exhaustion hit me, and I went limp. Eshaan slowly let go and I slid to the ground. Eshaan crouched down next to me. ¡°Better?¡± he offered after a bit.

    I glared at him. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare pretend you care about this! Your precious empire is responsible for everything! Everything!¡±

    He squatted there, silently, then nodded, sinking into a cross-legged pose next to me. ¡°Alright. I suppose that¡¯s fair. Do you want to hit me? Will that help?¡±

    I glared at him, but the white heat of my fury was gone, and I was suddenly bone tired. ¡°No.¡± I muttered, looking down at the ground. ¡°You¡¯re just the patsy. You didn¡¯t know any better. And if the plot holds true, you¡¯re irritatingly noble and goodhearted.¡±

    He blushed, rubbing the back of his head again. ¡°Ah. Well. Thank you? I guess?¡± He chuckled nervously.

    Can we ride on his back now? otherme whispered. He won¡¯t dare take advantage of us, if he¡¯s as sweet as you say.

    Bitter dregs of irritation with myself dragged me to my feet. ¡°Never.¡± I muttered to myself, clenching my fist. ¡°I refuse to give in.¡± I staggered off along the path. Behind me, Eshaan stood up and followed silently.

    We arrived at the edge of the forest much sooner than we should have. It wasn¡¯t surprising, the blast had leveled the trees for dozens of yards. I stared at the empty field of blasted dirt, a trickle of muddy water flowing into it. Beyond, a strangely shaped body of water that couldn¡¯t be our lake stretched into the distance.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t right.¡± I whispered, staring at the field.

    ¡°Lily¡­¡± Eshaan touched my shoulder and I shrugged him off.

    I staggered a few steps, looking for anything familiar. Where was the lake? Why did the path just end here? Why¡­?

    I took a step forward, and felt something twist in my head, like my inner ear had flipped upside down. I staggered and almost fell, Eshaan catching me.

    ¡°But the lake isn¡¯t¡­¡± I turned to look back at the new edge of the forest. It was somehow too close and too far away. I frowned, a wild hope slowly building in my heart. I looked back, and then slowly stepped backwards one careful step. The same dizzying flip in my ear there and gone, and I felt a bubble of laughter rising up in my chest.

    ¡°Oh you beautiful beautiful girl. You marvelous mad genius.¡± I whispered. I clasped my hands to my chest, and poured the little mana I had left into a hope, a prayer. ¡°Oh spirits of space and time, reveal your gift to me¡­ the danger is past, let the world unwind.¡± I prayed to the faintest shimmer in the air in front of me.

    A tiny speck, like a mote at the limit of sight appeared in the air in front of me, rapidly ballooning larger and larger as though it was rushing towards me from a great distance. The space around me stretched as the entire village of Breezewood appeared, expanding outwards from the stretched compression of unspace. The weirdly warped landscape of lake and forest edge, pulled together by its absence, was rapidly pushed apart by its arrival, returning to normal. I fell to my knees, laughing and crying as the entire town suddenly burst into existence, vivid and real and entirely unharmed, a ring of elementally torn ground surrounding it in a perfect circle, the blasted plain dug by the unfathomable energies unleashed by the battleship turned into a shallow moat surrounding the village in a perfect circle.

    ¡°Merciful spirits of earth and sky¡­¡± Eshaan whispered. ¡°This is what your ritual was for¡­¡± He said in an awed voice.

    I laughed giddily, nodding like a fool, tears streaming down my cheeks. ¡°This is what our ritual was for.¡± I agreed.

    We did it. Soriya, we did it! Breezewood is safe! We changed a flag!

    <{Spiritualist} Advanced to level 3. {Aura}, unlocked. {Arcanist} advanced to level 2. {Arcane Circle} unlocked. For saving the town of Breezewood from certain annihilation you have advanced to {Spiritualist:3} & {Arcanist:2}> The world soul whispered in my mind.

    ¡°But how did you know?!¡± Eshaan burst out. ¡°I¡­ the Commander never even gave a hint¡­?¡±

    I looked at him and bit my lower lip in thought. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ hard to explain.¡±

    ¡°Can you see the future!? I have to know! Does it have to do with you being from another world?¡±

    I smiled and shook my head. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll try.¡± I turned and started walking towards my house. ¡°In my world, there are¡­ I suppose ¡®stories¡¯ is the best way to think of them. Anything else would be confusing. The stories have a well-known pattern they follow. When¡­¡± I stopped, unsure how to continue. ¡°The events here started following one of the patterns. Knowing the end of the story, Soriya and I decided that we were going to try and change the ending. That¡¯s probably the simplest explanation.¡±

    ¡°So you can see the future!¡±

    I heaved a sigh and shook my head in irritation. ¡°No, Eshaan. I can¡¯t see the future. If the world stops telling the story I know, then I¡¯ll be wrong every single time. And the story¡­¡± I shook my head in irritation. ¡°I can¡¯t know what¡¯s coming unless it matches the story, and the story has never had¡­ this.¡± I waved around me. ¡°Before.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying my world is a story!?¡±

    I sighed again. ¡°Eshaan, did you not listen to me? This world is like a story from my world. It has¡­ markers. Signposts. I don¡¯t have a script with everything written in it that I can read from.¡± I frowned in thought.

    Do scripts exist?

    Of course they exist, we have plays and puppet shows here.

    Oh. Good.

    ¡°So¡­ if this world is a story, what¡¯s my role?¡± He asked.

    I stopped and turned to him. ¡°Eshaan. You do not want me to tell you your fate.¡± I quirked a slight smile. ¡°I can tell you that if I told you your fate and you didn¡¯t like it, you¡¯d dedicate your life to overthrowing it. So really, no matter what I told you, you¡¯d choose your own fate.¡±

    He chewed on that for a bit, then said ¡°So you¡¯re saying¡­ we choose our own fates?¡±

    I smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m saying you¡¯ve always chosen your own fate. So does everyone else in this world.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°I think I understand. So you don¡¯t really know the future, you just know a person¡¯s heart better than they do.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I guess that¡¯s a pretty good way to put it.¡± I said, surprised.

    See? He¡¯s not stupid!

    He stopped, clearly struggling with something, then burst out ¡°So¡­ so can you tell me if I¡¯m a good person?! Did I do the right thing?!¡±

    ¡°Oh Eshaan. Whoever could possibly know what the right thing is all the time? Do you want me to praise you? Tell you that everything is ok?¡± He looked down, clearly ashamed. ¡°Commander Khine probably thinks he¡¯s doing the right thing.¡± I sighed.

    Eshaan looked up in horror. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s impossible! How could someone¡­ how could he just order the destruction of an entire village like that?! How could he think that would be good?!¡±

    ¡°Because he thinks he needs to make hard choices? Because there¡¯s some greater good that justifies it? That¡¯s usually the excuse everyone chooses.¡± I shrugged sadly.

    Don¡¯t leave him hanging like that! Tell him at least that we trust him! Because we do trust him!

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    I swallowed nervously. This was treading dangerously close to triggering a flag, but¡­ but otherme was right. He did deserve that. His heart had been torn in two, and his world thrown into turmoil, and what good was a white mage that wouldn¡¯t heal someone in pain?

    I stepped closer and patted his arm. ¡°I can tell you that I trust you. I can tell you that I know you¡¯re brave, and determined, and care about what happens to others. I can tell that you¡¯re hurt by Khine¡¯s actions, and want¡­ lets see.¡± I tapped my lips thoughtfully, trying to think like a jrpg hero. ¡°You¡¯re not sure what you want, you¡¯re torn between demanding an answer from him, hoping he¡¯ll give you a good reason, and getting violent revenge for his actions.¡± I smiled up at him, his mouth hanging open. ¡°Close enough?¡±

    He nodded dumbly.

    ¡°Good. Now close your mouth, you¡¯ll attract flies. Let me introduce you to my mother, and then¡­ and then you¡¯re going to help me rescue my friend.¡±

    ¡°But how do you know where she is?! She could be anywhere!¡±

    I shook my head and patted the brim of Soriya¡¯s hat. ¡°Khine threw me her hat, and told me to meet him in Farna.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ why would he do that?¡±

    I looked back at him over my shoulder. ¡°He thinks I can give him something he wants. And when I learn what that is¡­ well. I guess I¡¯ll decide what I want to do then.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t give it to him!¡± Eshaan protested.

    I giggled. I couldn¡¯t help it; he was so earnest. ¡°Eshaan, whoever said I would? He was willing to level my village. Whatever he wants, at the very least, does not include any room for my wishes or input.¡± I stopped and turned to look up into his eyes. ¡°And I am done being a pawn.¡±

    ***

    We reached my house just a little before full twilight. I pushed open the front door and announced ¡°Mother, I¡¯m home!¡±

    The sound of rushing footsteps from the workroom and mother burst into the kitchen, tackling me with an urgent hug. I staggered backwards under her assault, then returned the hug.

    ¡°Oh Lilyanna! I was so worried! Everything has gone so strange! It was noon and then suddenly it was evening and there¡¯s the strange noises, and the lake has gotten lower, and who is this you¡¯ve brought home?! Where is Soriya? Is she ok?!¡±

    Eshaan rubbed the back of his head and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Hello Miss¡­.?¡±

    ¡°Holly.¡± Mother supplied.

    ¡°Right. Miss Holly. Uh. My name is Eshaan Nakamu. Ah. I met miss Lilyanna at the Cavern, and she was kind enough to take me under her care on the walk back from the Cavern of Trials.¡±

    Holly took a step back and examined Eshaan up and down, giving me a look.

    Oh lord, mother likes him!

    Of course she likes him. We like him, regardless of what we say.

    Not like that!

    We¡¯re just admiring the scenery¡­ otherme singsonged in my head.

    I gritted my teeth. ¡°Soriya¡­¡± I stopped, unsure what to even say.

    Mother blinked and turned back to me. ¡°Something¡¯s happened, hasn¡¯t it?! Something¡¯s happened to Soriya!¡±

    Eshaan coughed. ¡°Miss Soriya¡­ let me explain. The empire has tested a¡­ a device. It is responsible for the strange events you¡¯ve noted and the strange effects. Soriya¡­ was caught up in the events, and is currently in Imperial custody.¡±

    Holly sat down in a chair, her hands drifting to her mouth. ¡°Oh¡­ oh no! Is¡­ is she alright?¡±

    I stared at Eshaan, both jealous and appalled. How does he lie so easily?!

    ¡°She¡¯s fine, for now. But we¡­¡± he gestured to me and himself. ¡°Miss Lily and I-

    Mother shot me a glance that took no skill at all to read. ¡®So it¡¯s just ¡®Lily¡¯ now, is it?!¡¯ it said.

    -are concerned about her. We¡¯re planning to go to Farna and inquire after her. Hopefully we can bring her home quickly.¡±

    Mother looked at me, then at Eshaan, and then back to me, her expression serious. ¡°So it seems you really are going on an adventure after all.¡± She said with a tone of sadness.

    I huffed angrily. ¡°It¡¯s not by choice! I¡¯m going to get Soriya back! That¡¯s it. That¡¯s all!¡±

    Mother smiled at me and shook her head. ¡°Lilyanna, trust your mother when I tell you that it¡¯s never ¡®just¡¯ one adventure.¡± She got up from the table. ¡°Just a moment. I have something for you.¡±

    She vanished into the workroom, and I heard her rummaging around. She returned shortly, holding a dusty satchel. ¡°I thought about what you said, before you left. I don¡¯t want you to go, it¡¯s dangerous out there, and I want to keep you safe¡­ but you¡¯re right. You¡¯re not a potion bottle I can keep on a shelf. I see that now.¡± She opened the satchel and pulled out a dusty journal. ¡°But maybe I can be with you this way. Maybe I can help keep you safe after all.¡± She slid the journal across the table to me.

    ¡°My diary, from my time as an adventurer.¡± She smiled. ¡°It may not be much, but it has a few useful tips in it. And my maps were first rate, if I say so myself.¡±

    I blinked, pulling the battered journal to myself, and opening it cautiously. Sheaves of papers, outlines of coastlines, continents, roads¡­ it was a world map but so much more detailed than I¡¯d imagined! And there were reams of notes about all sorts of details!

    Exactly the kind of thing you might get if you¡¯d traveled the whole jrpg game and kept meticulous notes¡­

    I looked up at her, my eyes wide. ¡°This¡­ mother, are you sure?!¡±

    She nodded, her eyes shining. ¡°Promise me¡­ promise me you¡¯ll try to come home safe. Promise me you won¡¯t do something unnecessary!¡±

    I closed the journal and hugged it close to my chest. It might have been my imagination, but it felt warm, like mother¡¯s hugs. I smiled weakly at her and nodded. ¡°I can promise that.¡±

    Eshaan, dear boy, clapped his hand to his chest. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry Miss Holly! I¡¯ll guard Lily with my life! My honor depends on it!¡±

    Mother gave me a look freighted with meaning, then looked Eshaan appraisingly for a few moments. She looked back at me. ¡°Lily, do you trust Eshaan?¡±

    I looked over at Eshaan. Oh spirits, he¡¯s giving me puppydog eyes. I looked away quickly, and coughed. ¡°Yes. Yes, I do.¡±

    Mother sat back and sighed, then nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m as content as a mother ever can be when her daughter is going her own way. Eshaan, I entrust her care to you.¡± She gave him a glare that was filled with weight. ¡°I do not make this choice lightly.¡± She said seriously.

    Eshaan dropped to one knee, and drew his sword, bowing his head. ¡°Miss Holly, I swear on my honor, I will guard Lilyanna with my life, against any and all harms! Our cause is one!¡±

    I rolled my eyes, but I couldn¡¯t help feel a little flutter of pleasure and fear. That was pretty close to a flag if it wasn¡¯t one already!

    But darn it, I do need him on the trip! I can¡¯t make it just with myself! The slime fights proved that!

    Mother nodded and tapped him lightly on the head, smiling. ¡°Then I accept your oath, Knight of the Road. Go and come back safely with my daughter.¡±

    Eshaan said ¡°I will!¡± in the most wonderfully solemn voice, then jumped up.

    ¡°You¡¯re not seriously thinking of going now are you!?¡± I protested.

    He looked at me in confusion. ¡°Should we not?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost nighttime! We have no food, no supplies!¡± I waved my arms in agitation.

    ¡°Ah heh heh.¡± He rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±

    Mother smiled and nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get you set up properly. I still have a few contacts. Right now, you both need a good night¡¯s sleep. Eshaan, you can sleep on our couch for tonight.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you so much, Miss Holly!¡±

    ¡°Moootheeer!?¡± I protested

    ¡°I think it¡¯s perfectly reasonable-¡° mother said

    ¡°I-if it¡¯s a bother, I don¡¯t-¡° Eshaan stammered out

    ¡°No, Eshaan, it is not a bother. It¡¯s my house, and you may stay the night as my guest.¡± Mother said, looking me dead in the eye.

    I chewed my lip, and then nodded. ¡°Fine. Mother, if you¡¯ll give me a second, please?¡± I pulled Eshaan away out of earshot and hissed at him. ¡°We are getting supplies in the morning.¡± I poked him firmly in the chest. ¡°We have plenty of money! You will not rummage around my mother¡¯s house stealing things!¡± I scowled up at his sheepish expression. ¡°You¡¯ve already stolen something haven¡¯t you!?¡±

    ¡°Not from your mother!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what it is. Put. It. Back! Do you understand me?¡±

    ¡°Urm¡­¡±

    ¡°Put all of it back!¡± I waved my arms. ¡°What were you thinking anyway?!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ well, Commander Khine said it was just smart scavenging, and an Imperial province should supply...¡±

    ¡°Mmhm!¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°We have money! And the town is not destroyed, so you will put. Everything. Back!¡± I demanded.

    ¡°Ok, ok! I will!¡± He paused. ¡°Is this¡­ more of your fortune telling?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± He said quietly, looking at me with what I dearly hoped was respect.

    I marched back over to mother.

    ¡°What was that all about?¡± she asked.

    I pressed my lips together. ¡°A difference of opinion about how adventures should be conducted.¡±

    Eshaan laughed nervously. ¡°It¡¯s fine! I think maybe I have some bad habits that Miss Lilyanna is going to help me with.¡±

    Mother looked back and forth between us. ¡°Hm.¡± She said, noncommittally. ¡°Well¡­ if you¡¯re sure. I guess you¡¯ve got an early start tomorrow. I¡¯ll give you some of my potions stocks. Don¡¯t forget to buy a few shelters for your journey! It¡¯ll a long trip to Farna!¡±

    ¡°Oh. Right. Camping¡­¡± I bit my lip.

    ¡°Are you concerned about sleeping with Eshaan?¡±

    Eshaan looked offended. ¡°Lily I would never! You have to know that!¡±

    I glanced at him and felt myself blush. I looked away again. ¡°I do know that, yes.¡±

    ¡°Well then it¡¯s fine.¡± Mother decided. ¡°Now, you both need sleep and it¡¯s a long trip, with an early start.¡±

    I twisted my hands in my robes, then nodded. ¡°I suppose so.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what else to say, so I finally settled on ¡°Well. Goodnight, Eshaan.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight Lily.¡±

    I headed upstairs to my room, and got ready for bed. It had been a very very long day and I was exhausted.

    I sank into bed, and otherme whispered Now we can finally have that cry. And I felt a gush of emotion that I¡¯d be holding back since the airship attack hit me like a truck. Sadness, anger, bafflement, confusion, happiness¡­ I sobbed, and sank down on my bed, hugging my pillow to me.

    Were you holding this back?! Is this what we were feeling?!

    Yes. I promised us a good cry when we could afford it. And now we can.

    It was true, I finally could, and so I let myself go. It hurt, but it was also a relief and I knew if I¡¯d been feeling this, bottling it up more would have destroyed me. And when I finally pulled myself into bed, curled around my pillow, I slept a dreamless sleep.

    The morning sunlight woke me, and I feel refreshed despite feeling the deep pangs of emotion from my rollercoaster of yesterday. I hurriedly got dressed and headed downstairs where I found mother already making breakfast, and Eshaan already eating like a starving man.

    ¡°Lilyanna! Your mother¡¯s cooking is amazing!¡±

    I smiled as I sat down across from him. ¡°She¡¯s very good, yes.¡±

    Mother served me a plate. ¡°Eat up you two.¡± She seemed a little wistful and misty eyed, it was pretty obvious she¡¯d had a bit of a cry herself last night. I tucked into the food.

    ¡°Lilyanna, will you be ok?¡± Mother asked me. I looked up, my mouth full, and thought about it. Would I be?

    Tell her the truth. We don¡¯t do very well otherwise.

    I opened my mouth, not sure what I would say, and instead we spoke from the heart. ¡°I don¡¯t know, mother. Who can really say?¡± I swallowed back a lump in my throat. ¡°But I can¡¯t just stand still.¡±

    Mother wiped at her eyes and nodded. ¡°Of course you can¡¯t.¡±

    When I had finished, mother passed me a small bag that clinked. ¡°Potions for you both. Sell a few in town, and that should get you plenty of cash for basic gear.¡± I took it and peeked inside.

    ¡°Mother! This is far too much!¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Nothing is too much to keep my daughter safe!¡±

    I huffed. ¡°I suppose you won¡¯t take no for an answer?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    I surrendered to the inevitable. ¡°Alright. Eshaan, are you ready?¡±

    He nodded eagerly. ¡°Yep!¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ we¡¯ll see you again in a few hours mother.¡±

    She hugged me close. ¡°Take care.¡±

    We left, and I pretended that I hadn¡¯t seen mother wiping her eyes as we did.

    The shopping trip in town was both easier and harder than expected. Everyone wanted to know where I was going, and what had happened, and what the strange disturbance had been and why the sky had flickered to evening, and did I know anything about that strange moat that part of the lake had flowed into?!

    I let Eshaan handle most of the questions, while I worked to pack up Soriya¡¯s booth, and haggle with the merchants. It wasn¡¯t so much haggling though, as convincing them to let me pay them. Once they found out that I was going on a trip to Farna, it was ¡°Oh, let me give you some gear! I have some tips! Please let me know!¡± We also picked up a half dozen letters and parcels that seemed to need to be delivered.

    Strange that a destroyed village has parcels.

    This is normal. Anyone travelling is given gifts and a duty. How does your world do it?

    Ah. Not like this. I shared a few memories of mail carriers and post boxes.

    Oh how strange!

    After some careful shivving of Eshaan ¡°Yes, you really do need to return all the items!¡±, we finally got our supplies. Shelters, apparently were magic tents¡­ or that¡¯s how I thought of them anyway. Small pop-up elemental bubbles that lasted a night and kept the elements out. The bedrolls looked surprisingly comfortable, and it seemed that despite {Entropists} being uncommon, {Tinkers} commonly created bags, satchels, and pouches of holding. An entire camping expedition and supplies disappeared into Eshaan and my belt pouches. I had to admit, it was far more convenient than a clumsy backpack! Eshaan also insisted on buying me a new staff from the market, which felt¡­ well not entirely comfortable, but if I was going to be adventuring, I needed one and there was no two ways about that.

    A few hours later, not much reduced in money, but much increased in supplies, we headed back to my home to say goodbye to mother. It was awkward and gushy, but otherme demanded it, and I really couldn¡¯t say no. I was leaving the only home I¡¯d known in this world, and I¡¯d only barely arrived here. It seemed unfair.

    Saving the world usually is unfair. I bit my lip. I have to be even more careful now, the flags are everywhere!

    We headed out of town along the northern road. Otherme bubbled with excitement, apparently mother had kept me very close to home. I did wonder about that. Had I even existed? Had she existed? It wasn¡¯t a comfortable question, but it seemed that the world would demand that I learn an answer.

    ¡°Alright.¡± I muttered to myself. ¡°Then that¡¯s what I should do.¡± I pulled open mother¡¯s travel journal and started reading.

    The maps and journal were helpful almost immediately. We found a shortcut, with the local wildlife encounters helpfully marked. Horned rabbits turned out to be pretty fiercely territorial after all, and apparently the local wolves were drawn to the sounds of battle. We were scratched and bleeding by the time we finished, but with Barrier, and Eshaan¡¯s frankly astonishing blade skill, we won out.

    As I cast heal to close our wounds Eshaan smiled brightly. ¡°That was exciting! Even the Imperial field medics can¡¯t patch you up this quick! You¡¯re amazing, Lily!¡±

    I struggled to keep a blush down. ¡°Thank you, Eshaan.¡± I bit my tongue hard as otherme tried to demure and say it wasn¡¯t all that special, and look away. This was flag country, and I couldn¡¯t stop here! ¡°I have to pull my own weight. I have to get stronger if I¡¯m going to rescue Soriya!¡±

    For some reason, otherme was just as satisfied with this statement. That was a little troubling.

    My feet were definitely sore by the time we reached our campsite though, and I could feel the strain of our hike. On the other hand, I¡¯d been hiking in heels for something like eight hours, and I was only tired, not wiped out. That was¡­ pretty cool, honestly. I dearly wished for a bath though! I sat down on a log and pulled off my boots, massaging my feet, and letting out a little sigh of relief.

    ¡°I wish we were close enough to a stream to bathe!¡± I sighed.

    Eshaan looked up from setting a fire with an elemental crystal and shook his head. ¡°Bad idea. Look at Miss Holly¡¯s journal. I bet she talks about the flying piranhas.¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Oh you have got to be kidding me!¡± I pulled out mother¡¯s journal and flipped through it. Sure enough, there was a nearby stream marked, and on it was ¡®Flying fish, aggressive and definitely carnivorous. Good drop location!¡¯ I sighed and closed the journal.

    ¡°You were right. Just elemental crystals for us then.¡±

    ¡°How are you holding up?¡± he asked, as the fire started going. I held out my hands to the warmth.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± I shrugged. ¡°I have to keep going. Nothing changes if I don¡¯t.¡±

    Eshaan was silent for a moment, the pop and crack of the wood filling the silence between us. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can be so strong, Miss Lilyanna.¡± He said quietly, poking at the fire with a stick.

    That startled a laugh out of me. ¡°Me? Strong? Eshaan, I¡¯m a wreck! My best friend is kidnapped, there¡¯s¡­ something out there that¡¯s been unleashed because of my mistake, I¡¯m on a hike directly to the enemy stronghold¡­ I¡¯m about to fly into a million different pieces all at once!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not, though.¡± He looked up at me with those large brown eyes of his, the firelight flickering in them. ¡°You picked a path right away. When everything fell apart, you immediately knew what to do. You knew what I wanted to do, and you pulled me along so quickly I didn¡¯t even have time to realize this was the right course of action before we were already on it.¡±

    Ok, whoa, this is getting way too dangerous!

    And what¡¯s wrong if he-

    NO! Not even if he could call back my shadowself!

    I shook my head. ¡°Eshaan, no. I¡¯m¡­ it¡¯s not¡­ continuing to walk forward is not strength.¡±

    He looked at me, then back to the fire again. ¡°There. That should last us. I¡¯m starving.¡± He sat back on his haunches.

    ¡°Well.¡± I clapped my hands together. ¡°How should we split up meals? Do you want me to cook first, or do you want to?¡±

    The stricken look in his eyes was all the answer I needed. I sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t know how to cook, do you?¡±

    ¡°The Imperial mess-¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. Enough.¡± I waved my hands and blew a strand of my hair out of my face.

    This deal is getting worse all the time! Now I¡¯m doing the cooking!

    And what¡¯s wrong with that? We¡¯re really good at cooking!

    Because it¡¯s always the girl¡¯s job to cook!

    I¡¯m not eating burned food. And our choices are¡­?

    I heaved a sigh. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll do the cooking.¡± I stabbed my finger at him. ¡°That means you have to lay out the camp!¡±

    He nodded rapidly. ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± I started pulling ingredients out of my pouch. ¡°Something simple then, I guess. I suppose curry works.¡± I shortly had a pot of curry bubbling over the camp fire, with a pot of rice cooking beside it. Eshaan watched me with fascination.

    ¡°It¡¯s really not hard you know¡± I told him with a sidelong look. ¡°Anyone can learn this recipe.¡±

    ¡°Not me! I¡¯ve got a black thumb! I almost set the barracks on fire trying to boil water!¡± He laughed in embarrassment. ¡°The others banned me from trying after that!¡±

    I twitched a smile. That did sound pretty funny.

    After a bit, he said ¡°Do you know why I joined the Imperial army?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    He smiled into the fire. ¡°And here I thought your seer sight had told you.¡± He heaved a sigh and ran his hands through his hair. ¡°I wanted to be a scholar. That¡¯s who my shadow in the cavern was. I knew him right away, even though I didn¡¯t want to admit it. He¡¯s the me who got into the Academy. The me who can study the ruins of the Ancients directly. The me I wanted to be, instead of¡­ this.¡±

    ¡°Is this about not getting into the imperial academy?¡±

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°Look at me, Lilyanna. I¡¯m not a smart man. I know that. My family¡¯s just fisherfolk in western Arlan, so no social connections for me. I¡¯m not rich. I¡¯m not a noble. I¡¯ve got no patron to bribe my way into the Imperial Academy, and I certainly can¡¯t breathe the rarified air of true genius. The entrance exams proved that.¡±

    I stirred the pot, not meeting his eyes. ¡°Ah. This is one of those settings then.¡± I said quietly.

    ¡°But the Ancient¡¯s have fascinated me ever since I was a little boy! The church will preach at you for hours and the only thing they¡¯ll tell you about Gods War is that the ¡°Pride of Man caused the downfall of The Ancients¡± his voice took on a mocking pompous tone. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh.

    He continued ¡°And so I thought¡­ well why not join the army! With the imperial corp send to guard the excavator teams that delve into the ruins, at least I¡¯d get to see more of them, and maybe I could sneak a look at some of the notes the scholars take!¡±

    I looked up at him curiously. ¡°Did it work?¡±

    He shook his head bashfully. ¡°No. I¡¯ve been on three assignments, and this was the closest I¡¯ve been to an Ancient ruin.¡± His eyes almost glowed with excitement. ¡°Inside one! At the heart of a mystery! And then it goes and dies on me?! And spawns another double mystery from the beautiful women I just met?!¡±

    I poked at the curry angrily, hoping the fire hid my angry blush.

    He looked at me thoughtfully. ¡°What does your foresight tell you about the ancients? Do you know anything?¡±

    I leaned back thoughtfully, tapping the stirring spoon against my lips.

    Go on, he¡¯s sweet! We should tell him!

    No. No way. This is flag central! We¡¯re not going to study the ancients! We¡¯re not going near ancient ruins! We are going to rescue Soriya, and that is all!

    ¡°The¡­ the stories are a little contradictory¡­¡± I hedged.

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes sharpened and he leaned forward. ¡°So you do know something!¡±

    I looked over at him, and then back at the curry. ¡°Ah! This is about ready to eat!¡± I exclaimed and started spooning out plates for both of us.

    He took a hesitant bite, almost burning himself.

    Serves him right. I thought viciously, then almost burned my own tongue with my next bite.

    I chewed thoughtfully. This came out ok. Passible, but that could be the hike talking. Exercise will make anything taste better.

    ¡°Lily, this food is amazing! You¡¯re an incredible cook!¡± Eshaan gushed.

    I rolled my eyes. Oh here we go. I pointed my spoon at him, freezing him in mid compliment. ¡°Stop. Just because I have pink hair and boobs and know how to cook, does not mean I am girlfriend material! Are we clear?!¡±

    He looked at me like a wounded puppy, recoiling. ¡°W-what? Girlfriend?!¡± A bright red blush swept over his cheeks. ¡°What are you saying?! I don¡¯t even¡­ I didn¡¯t-!¡±

    That was crass and rude and incredibly childish of you. Otherme chided. We know a million different ways to discourage boys, and that was probably the worst one I¡¯ve ever seen. You apologize right now!

    I heaved a sigh and muttered at my curry, before looking up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Eshaan. That was incredibly rude of me. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m way more focused on rescuing Soriya, and avoiding doom, so when a cute boy starts praising my cooking-¡± I stopped dead.

    What was that!? What did I just say?!

    I felt my cheeks turn scarlet, my ears tingling from the force of my blush. I looked down at my curry and muttered ¡°Stupid pink haired bimbo. Stupid, stupid, stupid.¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes got large, and a sappy smile spread across his face. He stopped talking to me, and focused on his food in silence, but he didn¡¯t stop smiling once.

    He finished up and gathered up the empty plates and pot. ¡°Thank you for cooking, Miss Lilyanna.¡± He said seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll go clean these.¡± He headed off to the edge of the camp. Unfortunately, he refused to take my burning embarrassment with him, and my cheeks stayed scarlet for a long time afterwards.

 15 Unskippable Overland Travel

    ok Eshaan finished setting up camp, dropping the magic tent and layout out bedrolls. It turned out that a ¡®tent¡¯ in this world took the form of a small bead of compressed elemental energy. When released, it expanded into a fairly large dome of four co-mingled colors. It kept rain out and the temperature inside stayed nice and cozy in most any condition.

    A pity it can¡¯t do anything about my embarrassment.

    Eshaan was scrupulously polite and formal, though that stupid smile stayed plastered on his face.

    I can¡¯t believe I said that. I called him cute! I called him cute! Oh god!

    Even otherme seemed to have a smile in her voice. And he is. And we¡¯re terrible at lying. So what if we think he¡¯s cute. Lots of people are cute. Soriya is cute.

    Right. Right. Soriya. Think of Soriya.

    I scooted my bedroll as close to the edge of the dome as I could. That finally made Eshaan¡¯s smile fade.

    ¡°Lily, I gave your mother my word that I would keep you from harm.¡± He said seriously. ¡°That includes me. I take my duties very seriously.¡± His eyes got a faraway look and he started adjusting his own bedroll. ¡°As Commander Khine knew.¡± He muttered just on the edge of my hearing.

    I smothered otherme before she could demand we comfort Eshaan. No! I refuse! NO! NO! MORE! FLAGS! I shouted at myself mentally.

    I wiggled into the bedroll fully clothed, flipping the blanket over me, and pounding angrily at the hard lump of camp pillow.

    I heard Eshaan wiggling into his own bedroll, then he said ¡°Goodnight, Lilyanna.¡± The dome of the magic tent dimmed and swirled but never quite grew dark. It left an uncomfortably long time to think about the fate I was trying to avoid but seemed to steer into every time I opened my mouth. I stared at the wall of swirling color for a very long time before I could finally sleep.

    At least there¡¯s no sappy music playing for a 15 second black screen. Was my last clear thought.

    The next morning, otherme took me firmly in hand as I was fussing with my hair, trying to get it to look less like a rat¡¯s nest.

    You¡¯re going to apologize to him.

    I will not!

    Yes, we are! Look, you want to know how to do this? I¡¯ll show you how we do this!

    ¡°Eshaan, I¡¯m¡­ sorry for last night.¡± I heard myself say, startled to hear the contriteness in my voice.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot on my mind, as you said. I¡­ am sorry that my clumsy mouth may have given offense, and said things that were too forward, things I did not intend to say.¡±

    Eshaan didn¡¯t have the sappy smile on his face, but he wasn¡¯t scowling either.

    ¡°So, while I do find you very attractive,-¡° Eshaan got that smile on his face again

    Hold on, wait, what?!

    ¡°-no matter what my personal feelings are I think it¡¯s best if we focus on rescuing my friends first. Things said in the heat of the moment should be studied in the cool of the day first.¡± I could feel otherme give the most peculiar smile.

    What did we just say?! What was that about?

    We told him that we¡¯re not thinking clearly, because we¡¯re in the midst of¡­ um¡­ you would say ¡®big mood¡¯? And we explained, politely, that sure he¡¯s cute, that doesn¡¯t mean we want him.

    Eshaan nodded seriously. ¡°I understand, Miss Lilyanna.¡± He looked down and up again. ¡°It did make me happy to hear¡­ what you said. I think you¡¯re very pretty too. But you¡¯re right. We¡¯re in the middle of something big and confusing and complex. Best to think through things when we have time to be calm.¡±

    I could feel otherme¡¯s smugness.

    Fine. You were right. I don¡¯t know how you do that!

    Otherme shared a confused m¨¦lange of memories and I suddenly glimpsed the outline of it, the shape of the words and how others felt. I wasn¡¯t sure I could replicate it, but it suddenly seemed a lot less confusing.

    Oh.

    We ate a bar of dried fruit and tack as we set out hiking. Fantasy energy bars. These are pretty good actually. We¡¯d had them for lunch yesterday on the hike too, but I could see how they¡¯d get boring and old super quick.

    ¡°Hey, Eshaan?¡±

    ¡°Hm? What is it Lilyanna?¡±

    ¡°These bar things. Are they like imperial rations?¡±

    He laughed. ¡°Only if you think these taste like old shoe leather! They¡¯re a little like what we eat when we¡¯re on march but¡­¡± he took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. ¡°Actually, I¡¯d say that they¡¯re probably what the ration bars are trying to duplicate. They¡¯re food, if you¡¯re not picky. These are a lot better. Still not as good as your cooking last night though!¡±

    Damn it, he got the compliment in anyway! I groused to myself.

    The day went forward without any other big surprises. A river ford had us fight a group of flying fish which mother¡¯s journal warned us about. There were several further encounters with wolves and horned rabbits, though the slimes slowly tapered off. We had quite a collection of drops too.

    My embarrassment gradually faded, and I dared to hope I might even not spend the rest of my life blushing.

    Around late afternoon, the sky clouded over and went gray, and the first fat drops of rain started to fall. I scowled up at the sky. ¡°Do you think we should find shelter?¡±

    Eshaan looked up at the sky, and frowned thoughtfully. ¡°What¡¯s your mother¡¯s journal say?¡±

    ¡°Eh?!¡± I looked at him in surprise. ¡°Uh¡­. Well¡­¡± I stopped under a tree and opened the journal, leafing through the pages.

    <Third of Planting. The rain has started again, and Jarvan seems to think it will be likely to continue for at least three hours. Given how often he¡¯s been right, I¡¯m inclined to trust his judgement->

    ¡°Huh! Ok¡­ Journal says it¡¯s likely to be rainy for sometime.¡±

    ¡°Then I guess we should stop. We¡¯re making really good time thanks to the journal, though it would have been nice to stop at the inn¡¯s along the main road.¡±

    I let out a wistful sigh. ¡°It would have been nice to sleep in a bed and have a bath. We¡¯ll have to wait until we reach Farna.¡±

    Eshaan reached into his pouch and pulled out a magic tent. Shortly, we were both huddled inside, listening to the steady rushing patter of rain bouncing off the elemental dome overhead.

    ¡°I suppose I could start cooking¡­¡± I pondered out loud. ¡°With this much of the day left, I guess I have enough time to make something more complicated than just curry¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to. Your curry is great!¡±

    I gave him a wry smile. ¡°Just get the fire going please.¡±

    He pulled out a few fire crystals. ¡°We didn¡¯t have time to gather firewood, so we¡¯ll have to rely on crystals.¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what we bought them for.¡± I set to work putting together something a little more complex than curry, humming softly to myself.

    ¡°What¡¯s that song you¡¯re humming?¡± Eshaan asked curiously.

    I blinked, surprised. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It just came to me. Should I stop?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nice. It just reminded me of some of the songs in church.¡±

    I scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a very good thing then.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Lets just say I¡¯ve had bad experiences with religion.¡±

    ¡°Well, ok, but¡­ that was in your other world, right?¡±

    I laughed. ¡°I suspect this world¡¯s religion isn¡¯t much better.¡±

    He frowned. ¡°I admit, the church doesn¡¯t have my favorite people in it, but they seem like they have their heart in the right place, even if it¡¯s confused.¡±

    I laughed again. ¡°Eshaan, the church is definitely evil.¡± I pointed my spoon at him. ¡°Let me ask you a question. Is your church run by a pope? Does that person wear a tall pointy hat?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± He said in a puzzled tone.

    I nodded firmly. ¡°Definitely evil then.¡±

    His face scrunched up in puzzlement. ¡°So¡­ ok, so this is clearly more of your seer ability. Is it¡­ the hat that makes them evil?¡±

    I laughed. ¡°No. I think that it¡¯s just a symbol.¡± I poked at the food a bit more. ¡°Actually, I think any large organization tends to grow corrupt under its own weight. You need people who are willing to exercise oversight to stop that.¡±

    He thought about that for a while, clearly unhappy with the notion. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s right.¡± He said finally. ¡°The empire might be misguided in some things, but it¡¯s done a lot of good! And the church also has done a lot of good all through its history!¡±

    I turned to him in surprise. ¡°Really? You support the church?¡±

    ¡°No, not as such. They¡¯re real jerks about letting me read their holy scriptures and the Ancient relics they guard for a start! But the priest in my home village was a good man, and the legion chaplain was a decent man as well.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°The imperial legions have their own chaplains?!¡±

    ¡°Well of course!¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah. Definitely evil then.¡± I popped the lid back on the pot. ¡°Now we wait.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Just a kind of stew. Pasta with a meat sauce and some vegetables. It¡¯s hard to do anything really complicated in the field, I¡¯d need a real kitchen to do something really elaborate.¡±

    He grinned at me. ¡°It smells delicious, better than most stuff at the imperial mess!¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°Honestly, what are they feeding you?! Well, whatever. It¡¯s just food.¡± I looked up at the dome just overhead, listening to the rain patter on it. ¡°Still, it¡¯s nice that we have time to do this, I¡¯m glad mother¡¯s journal is helping us make good time.¡±

    He nodded again. ¡°Yeah, we should be in Farna this time tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Mm. Then the hard part starts. We¡¯ll have to figure out where Soriya is being held, and how to avoid Khine¡¯s trap.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Eshaan hesitated. ¡°They think I¡¯m dead, so they probably haven¡¯t revoked my pass. I suppose I could requisition some of the logs, if I could just get into the secured zone. The problem is that¡¯s inside the primary walls, and I know I can¡¯t just walk inside with you!¡±

    I was struck by a sudden thought. ¡°The walls? Is there¡­ perhaps a river or moat nearby?¡±

    Eshaan blinked in surprise. ¡°Well yes, actually. It¡¯s an outflow-¡°

    I grinned broadly. ¡°We get in through the sewers, of course.¡±

    ¡°-for the sewers¡­. How did you¡­?¡±

    I brushed my skirts out from under me and sat down. ¡°It¡¯s just how these things go, of course. We¡¯ll have to fight some horrible sewer monster, and I¡¯m not looking forward to smelling it in person, but it¡¯s obvious!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m ever going to get used to this.¡± Eshaan said, shaking his head.

    I shrugged. ¡°How do you think I feel? This world is surreal to me!¡±

    Eshaan perked up. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s right! I was going to ask you about the Ancients! What do you know about them? What¡¯s the secret behind them!?¡±

    I sighed mentally. Well, it¡¯s not like I could have stopped him. Food and an embarrassed girl¡¯s confession would only keep an obsession out of his mind for a little while.

    I thought about it for a second, opening my mouth to say something, then closed it again. I didn¡¯t want to divulge any more of my embarrassing history, and I had suspicions, especially given the talk of the Church but no real truth¡­.

    ¡°The stories vary.¡± I finally said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what you know about the world¡¯s history, and then I might be able to get a better idea which story is most likely true.¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s face brightened. Ah, we just asked him to talk about himself and about his favorite topic. He¡¯ll be on this for a while. I smiled, and settled back to listen to a very different kind of narration than the typical jrpg intro.

    Eshaan cleared his throat and began. ¡°Ah well, if you¡¯re really interested? Most of what I¡¯ve been able to piece together is fragments of lore, Church doctrine and a few scraps from the imperial archives!¡± He looked at me questioningly to make sure I really did want to hear him talk. I nodded encouragingly, and he began.

    ¡°Long ago, in the Age of Gods, all the races dwelled in the gods grace and favor. There were many more races than the three we know today, though their names and history were erased by the wars.¡±

    Ah? Interesting, more than one race in this world? I thought.

    ¡°The races ascended the heights of power, building machines and devices that are but fragments of lore to us now. Most of their artifacts, ruins, and proofs of their works are beyond our understanding now, but we can find them all across the world, in every land we¡¯ve visited, including the territories of the Sylvan and Monan. But some of the races of men grew proud and they craved what was the gods right. At least, that¡¯s the word of the Church. I think that most of tension between the church and the empire is because the empire seeks out the ancient knowledge. Anyway! The Sylvan took the side of the god slayers, and the Monan took the side of the god savers. The world was wracked by the Wars of Heresy, and much knowledge was lost. Finally, to end the war, the council of gods, lead by the goddess, defeated the heretics and ensuring that peace would return. But since the races had shown themselves to be weak, the gods withdrew their blessing, and no longer walked the lands as freely as they once did.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure I believe everything I¡¯ve said, but that¡¯s the story that I¡¯ve put together, at least.¡± Eshaan finished his tale. ¡°It seems to fit most of the facts, at any rate.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Tell me about the Sylvan and Monan?¡±

    ¡°Urm¡­ what about them?¡±

    ¡°Well for starters what do they look like?¡± I smiled.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t know?!¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask if I did, Eshaan.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Right! Uh, well. Sylvani are a little taller and thinner than humans, they have long pointed ears instead of rounded ones. They typically have blue or green hair. I¡¯ve never seen one, but they¡¯re supposed to be very beautiful.¡±

    I clapped my hands in delight. ¡°Oh wonderful! This world has elves!?¡±

    Eshaan frowned in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s an ¡®elf¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Ah, well never mind. Another word from my world for the same thing, I think. So, the Monani¡­ are they perhaps short and stocky? Short pointed ears? Maybe known for beards?¡±

    Eshaan blinked and then nodded. ¡°Well yeah, that¡¯s them exactly! Their hold the territory of Galgados, in the mountains of Zhoria and The Winds. They¡¯re really good with machines, most of the famous engineers are Monani! The church doesn¡¯t like them, they say that the devices they make are too close to the heretical devices that triggered the Gods War in the first place.¡± He frowned thoughtfully. ¡°They sure don¡¯t seem to mind using those devices though.¡±

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    I nodded, leaning forward in interest. ¡°So the Sylvani¡­ they like spirits and nature and forests then?¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That is so weird how you do that! Are you sure you¡¯ve never heard of them before?¡±

    I smiled. ¡°Well, I told you, stories from my world. So, I wasn¡¯t sure but now I think I know. So. Just to be sure. The Sylvani fought against the gods? And they¡¯re good with magic and spirits?¡±

    Eshaan nodded.

    ¡°Right. So¡­ if I had to guess, I¡¯d say¡­¡± I tapped my chin thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯d say that the Gods War destroyed most of civilization. That the dwar¡­ I mean, the Monani! That the Monani hold fragments of ancient tech that they developed. That the tech itself was related to the gods themselves¡­ I¡¯m not sure if there are gods, but if there are, then the Monani probably stole the tech from them. The church is almost definitely suppressing information that the gods were at fault somehow or were responsible for the tech. The war was probably about the misuse or abuse of nature or the spirits in some way. I mean, the church¡­ has it tried to wipe out the Sylvani?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, there have been crusades to conquer the Sylvani continent numerous times! The empire never managed it, even when it was at the height of its power!¡±

    My eyes lit up. ¡°The height of its power? So the empire is not as powerful as it once was?¡±

    Eshaan shook his head. ¡°I guess you really must be from another world, not to know this! Yeah, the empire has been in decline for more than 500 years now.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Then probably what Khine is trying to stop a civil war, or an invasion¡­ Is there a hostile nation nearby?¡±

    Eshaan pulled at his chin. ¡°Weeeeell¡­ I wouldn¡¯t call them hostile exactly¡­¡±

    I waved my hands. ¡°Alright, say no more. Several nations, former principalities of the empire, surrounding it on all sides, all with an uneasy peace?¡±

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°Yes, exactly. Wow, you could make a fortune as a fortune teller!¡±

    I laughed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that Eshaan. I only know people in the stories. Nations aren¡¯t people. And if they¡¯re not in the script, I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell who they are anyway. Besides. I don¡¯t like lying, and it¡¯s lying to tell somebody you know their future.¡±

    Eshaan frowned, and was silent for a moment, then said ¡°Is Commander Khine right? Is there a civil war coming?¡±

    I scowled and poked at the cookpot. ¡°Probably. That or a major international war. If I had to guess, there¡¯s probably a loose alliance of states making trouble? Maybe allied with the church?¡±

    Eshaan shook his head. ¡°For somebody who¡¯s not supposed to be from this world, you sure seem to know a lot about it!¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Meadowlark... I was hoping I was wrong.¡± I stirred the food once, then nodded. ¡°This is ready though, so let¡¯s have dinner.¡±

    Eshaan was more than happy to change the subject.

    ***

    Soriya was not having a very good day. Not that the day had been all that exciting in the first place, some girls might enjoy being tied up like a prize pig, but she was most definitely not one of them.

    The explosive collar locked around her neck gave her a headache, the low throbbing hum of fire and air spirits swirling in it looking to break free set her teeth on edge, and the threat of decapitation wasn¡¯t the best either.

    The Leimoniad had made port a few hours ago, and she¡¯d been excited to see the first real city, but ropes had kept her from getting up, and when the airmen roughly lifted her upright, the airship docks surrounding the ship filled her vision with bland rusty industrial grey and red. It looked like any construction sight she¡¯d ever gotten a glimpse of, grey and red steel gantries and grey brown decks stretching past her line of sight. Even the sight of beautiful gleaming bronzework and swirl of elemental powerstones from the docked airships wasn¡¯t enough to offset the throbbing ache of the collar around her neck.

    Commander Khine had left her in the care of Lt Isha, and Lt Isha had quickly delegated her to another airman who hadn¡¯t bothered to inform her of his name.

    ¡°Right then, witch.¡± The airman hauled her erect. ¡°The engineer says that collar will go off if you so much as twitch magic, so don¡¯t go thinking you¡¯ve got an edge.¡±

    Soriya rolled her eyes. After several hours, the threats had grown stale. Commander Khine wanted her alive, and in tolerable condition¡­ Lilyanna bait. She just couldn¡¯t quite take the threat seriously. Somewhere in her mind, this all felt like a story, and the best friend of the heroine didn¡¯t get offed in the first act!

    She was hustled out of the airship, and across the dingy grey expanse of the docks. Looks like the empire is evil alright. Look at all this bare metal and technology!

    She was rudely yanked out of her meditations by the airman pushing her into the backseat of a low ground car. It was almost relaxing to be treated like baggage, shuffled from one destination to another, paperwork signed. The only break came when she was roughly presented to the garrison commander. ¡°Prisoner to be kept. Orders of Commander Khine.¡± Paperwork was passed over.

    ¡°Spirits, what¡¯s all this?¡± The garrison commander grumbled. ¡°Take off her gag, I can¡¯t put a prisoner into holding gagged and bound.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s dangerous! Commander¡¯s orders!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s wearing a restraint collar! What¡¯s she going to do, blow herself up at me?!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t take responsibility for this!¡±

    ¡°Who said you would, you¡¯re shoving her into my jail!¡±

    ¡°Fine!¡±

    Soriya¡¯s bonds and gag were roughly removed, and she was finally able to stretch. She quite enjoyed the way both men stared at her chest when she did so.

    ¡°Look, but don¡¯t touch boys. You wouldn¡¯t want me to blow myself up at you in a fit of outrage. The commander would be very unhappy with you!¡±

    Both soldiers grumbled at her, but she could see they were also properly scared of her.

    Good. She thought.

    ¡°We¡¯ll put her in holding 12. We¡¯ve got a parcel of other prisoners there anyway, waiting for transfer. Over my paygrade, and so¡¯s this. They¡¯ll get along fine.¡±

    Paperwork was signed and exchanged and a lot of meaningless jargon flew past her, but finally the garrison commander grabbed Soriya by the upper arm and hustled her away down another endless grey corridor.

    ¡°Aw, don¡¯t you want to give a girl a tour of the place?! Show off the famous imperial guards might?¡±

    The solider snorted. ¡°You really have no idea where you are, do you? This is Farna. The ass end of the empire.¡± He stopped in front of a pair of doors, which opened revealing an elevator. He pushed her inside, and followed, grunting as he punched a button. ¡°As dull as dishwater, and nothing ever happens here! If you think this is the big city, I can¡¯t imagine how much nowhere surrounds whatever tiny little town you came from.¡±

    ¡°Breezewood.¡± She said, slightly miffed.

    ¡°Breezewood, Pig¡¯s Fart, South Elbow, whatever.¡±

    ¡°Are those actually places?¡± She asked curiously.

    ¡°How should I know, and more importantly why would I care?¡±

    The elevator stopped on a lower level and she was hustled down another series of grey endless corridors, finally coming to a stop in room full of cages, only one of which was occupied.

    ¡°Alright, you lot! Got some company for you! Play nice and don¡¯t eat each other. The mess is hard to clean up!¡± the solider barked, then opened the cage door and shoved Soriya in, slamming it closed behind her. ¡°Maybe air pirates will teach you better manners.¡± He snarled at her. ¡°Maybe not, it¡¯s not my concern.¡± And he vanished into the upper corridors again, leaving Soriya alone to examine her new quarters and roommates with interest.

    There were eight cells, four on each side of the room, all of them filled with the most stereotypical disreputable kind of men.

    Ah, hang on. There¡¯s a girl with them. A girl with¡­ no, it can¡¯t be! Soriya burst out laughing at the sight of a petite black-haired girl with blue eyes, wearing flying leathers and goggles pushed up on top of her head.

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty cocky for somebody in your position!¡± A rough male voice came from behind her.

    Uh oh. Time to be serious now!

    She spun around facing a group of rough looking air pirates, advancing on her from all sides, wearing a familiar look.

    I suppose I could try the seduction route; this body has a few advantages¡­ Soriya pressed her lips together. No. I¡¯ve been reincarnated in another world! I am a heroine in the story, and I refuse to let this stop me. In fact¡­ she started to smile as an idea formed in her head.

    They said that spirit action will cause it, but what if¡­

    She whispered softly to the spirits within her collar. <Quiet. Sleep. This is nothing. Not even a whisper of a whisper.> She felt them calm down, growing quieter. Her smile became a fierce baring of teeth, and she stepped forward into the grasp of the lead man, pressing her bosom against his chest.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± He grunted in surprise. ¡°I see you understand your situation after all?!¡±

    She smiled up at him, her violet eyes burning. ¡°I think it¡¯s you who doesn¡¯t understand your situation.¡±

    And with a smooth lightning quick motion she reached into the pocket space and pulled out Diaboli, jamming it under the leader¡¯s chin and pushing his head up and back. The crowd of men grouped around her hesitated. She glanced around at them and pressed Diaboli harder into the leader¡¯s chin. ¡°Well?! You want to see his head blown off?! Back off!¡± Her glare was fire and glee, and she turned it on the leader. ¡°Tell your men to back off!¡±

    In the other cell, a burly dark-skinned man wearing an eye patch laughed loudly. ¡°Ho ho! I¡¯d recommend you listen to the lady! It seems you¡¯ve offended her sensibilities. I told you that women don¡¯t like the rough approach!¡±

    The man she had Diaboli jammed into gave a whimpering fractional nod, and the group of thugs around her slowly backed off. She smiled sweetly and lowered Diaboli enough that he could move his head again. ¡°Now listen to me you slobbering ape.¡± She said low and quietly. ¡°The weapon under your throat right now is named ¡®Diaboli¡¯. I have been refining its damage output to greater heights for years, and if I pull the trigger, it will take your head off. You understand that, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The thug nodded; his eyes wide.

    ¡°Good! Just so we¡¯re clear! I can summon Diaboli at any time, from anywhere, and the next time, I won¡¯t be so polite about it. As you can see, I am an {Elementalist.} And I use a gun. So you should already know that you don¡¯t know anything at all about me. So back off!¡± She snarled, and the group of thugs around her scurried off to the edges of the cage.

    Soriya felt her smile stretch into a wide satisfied grin. Oh that felt so good. That felt so amazingly good.

    <Level up. {Loremaster} advanced to Level 4. For defeating a band of air pirate thugs, you have advanced to {Loremaster: 4}> The worldsoul whispered softly in Soriya¡¯s ear, which made her triumph feel all the sweeter.

    Diaboli vanished into Diaboli space once more, and she smiled politely. ¡°Now! Perhaps some of you gentleman can tell me how such a fine upstanding group of air pirates came to be here?¡± She turned to the girl in the other cage and stepped closer. ¡°Would you be their captain, perhaps?¡± Up close, Soriya could see that the girl had a red streak through the middle of her black hair.

    The girl¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°No, actually. It¡¯s not that we¡¯re not air pirates!¡± She protested quickly, hands waving in front of her. ¡°We totally are! But they¡¯ve got a mix of crews from five different ships in here with us. I¡¯m Darshana.¡± She jabbed a thumb at her chest, then at the burly dark-skinned man who had spoken up earlier. ¡°This is my first mate, Daniyal.¡±

    Daniyal bowed to Soriya, his fingers pressed together. ¡°Sweet water and shade to you, Mistress.¡±

    Soriya blinked in surprise. ¡°Oh my! You must be from Salazar.¡±

    He grinned broadly, his white teeth flashing.

    Soriya smiled back.

    Oh my, he is handsome! Tall and muscular and¡­ mm! Lily would be tied in knots! I wonder if I can get him to help me out?

    ¡°I am indeed! Few empire citizens even know of my homeland, I am surprised you do. Would you perhaps be a {Loremaster}?¡±

    ¡°I am!¡± Soriya replied. ¡°So! Dar and Dan? What an interesting pair you make. May I ask how you came to be in an imperial prison cell in Farna?¡±

    Darshana traded looks with Daniyal, and Soriya could see a quiet discussion flash between them. Darshana turned back and put her hands on her hips, smiling in a challenging fashion. ¡°Well, you see, the imperials wanted my airship. And I didn¡¯t want to give it to them!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Soriya settled down on the bench next to the bars and smiled encouragingly. ¡°Please tell me more!¡±

    If you are who I think you are, this will be a wonderful story!

    ***

    We reached the outskirts of Farna on the afternoon of the third day, which would make it the 4<sup>th</sup> of Planting, a Godsday by my reckoning.

    I¡¯ll probably want to buy a journal¡­ no, what am I thinking!? I don¡¯t need a journal; I¡¯m not having an adventure!

    You know otherme whispered softly. I think we might be.

    I gritted my teeth and said nothing, returning my attention to Farna. We¡¯d been catching flashes of it for some time, glimpses of white walls and red brown clay tile roofs through the forest when we crested a rise, but finally the forest faded away to the tilled and smoothed fields around the city and we could make our way to the main road leading to its gates.

    Farna, it turned out, was a midsized city by the standards of this world. A good 87,000 people called it home. Eshaan said this as though he expected me to be surprised or a bit in awe. In point of fact, otherme was very much in awe.

    So many people!? How do they all live there?!

    I smiled quietly to myself You get used to it. It¡¯s nice to have people around. The more people around, the easier it is to find weird or interesting things. But there are bigger cities.

    I paused a moment on the hilltop to take in the city, then turned to Eshaan. ¡°Is this a big city by your standards?¡±

    Eshaan looked at me in confusion. ¡°Yes? I mean, the imperial capital has almost 3 million people in it! But that¡¯s Spyre! Farna is certainly a big town!¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± I smiled at him. ¡°I just didn¡¯t know, that¡¯s all. Come on, lets get a bath!¡± I eagerly started down the road. ¡°And a bed!¡± I called over my shoulder at him.

    Eshaan hurried to catch up with me. Eshaan was very pleased with our progress, so I suppose we must have made good time, but all I could think about was a bath and a night¡¯s sleep in an actual bed. Well, that and if Soriya was ok. I was so dreadfully worried about her. I hoped we could rescue her soon.

    If we even can. This isn¡¯t like a game, after all.

    We will because we have to. Otherme supplied, and I felt a well of courage and strength at her simple declaration. I nodded in agreement.

    You¡¯re right. We will!

    Farna was laid out in a roughly circular fashion. In point of fact, it looked like most every fantasy anime city I¡¯d seen slowly panned across in the opening. A patchwork of tilled fields surrounded an almost perfectly circular white stone wall, filled with a mix of red roofed tiles and greenery. A river slowly wended its way across the landscape, slipping between the city walls, and I could see the dots of small boats drifting along the water. A beautiful high fantasy castle sat on a slight rise in the middle of the city, and I found myself clapping my hands in excitement and bouncing on my toes as I spotted it.

    ¡°Look Eshaan, look! It¡¯s a real castle!¡±

    I felt myself blush as he smiled at what was clearly the reaction he was expecting, the country girl seeing the big city for the first time. But I just couldn¡¯t help it, it was all so perfectly anime and picturesque! And¡­ well¡­ it was just cool. I was actually in an anime adventure!

    The only jarring note was the wedge of the airship docks, a mix of steel grey girders and black stone like a knife cut into the white stone walls of the city itself. Streamers of dirty grey smoke slowly curled from what looked like multiple forges or some kind of heavy industry. I scowled as I finally caught sight of the massive beast of a ship that had fired on my village, floating alongside several other smaller more delicate and graceful ships. Their beauty had greatly dulled in my estimation. I suppose attempted mass murder had that impact on me.

    ¡°Got you, you meadowlark.¡± I mumbled. ¡°You didn¡¯t get what you wanted. And now you¡¯ll get even less.¡±

    ¡°Lilyanna? What was that?¡±

    I turned and smiled to Eshaan tiredly. ¡°Nothing important! Lets just get to the city and find an inn to sleep in. I¡¯m so tired of sleeping on hard ground, I¡¯m really looking forward to sleeping in a bed tonight!¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± He nodded. ¡°I have to warn you, prices here will probably be a shock!¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t care, I just want a bath and a bed. I¡¯m sure we can sell some of the drops we got at the market if we really need zeni.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯d like a good bath too.¡± He smiled at me and gestured to the road ahead of us. ¡°Ladies first.¡±

    I laughed lightly. ¡°We¡¯ve got a mile to go, I don¡¯t think you can walk that slow.¡± I shook my head as I walked past him, and we headed towards the grand city gates.

    It didn¡¯t take long to cover the last road to the city gates, the road was well paved this close to the city, and we had a wonderful view of expansive fields worked by the farmers as we headed down the road. Now that we were back on the main roads the traffic had picked up, carts and wagons loaded with goods of all kinds. Both halves of me were wide eyed with wonder. The size of the city and the variety of goods was something otherme had never even imagined before, and for myself, the purely archetypical nature of it, the pure platonic ideal of a fantasy city come to life was wonderful. One thing that I did note, the colors were brighter here, much brighter than I was expecting, and it finally clicked. There was no muddy grey brown filter over the camera here. Everything had color to it. It wasn¡¯t a grimdark existence of excrement and filth. Although admittedly, the smell was rather pungent¡­ but no worse than helping Old Man Wither with his stables.

    I suddenly grinned, causing Eshaan to look at me in puzzlement.

    ¡°Oh, I was just realizing, sewers are really useful things, that¡¯s all!¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ yes?¡±

    I smiled at his confusion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Small town girl, big city.¡±

    He frowned in confusion but let the matter drop.

    At the gate we had to present ourselves to the guards, sign our names, and pay a small entrance fee. I was a bit worried, but Eshaan got us through the gate with practiced ease, and we were soon in the entrance square past the gates.

    ¡°Have you been here before?¡± I asked, clutching my staff to my chest.

    Eshaan shrugged. ¡°As part of the imperial detachment. I¡¯ve only been out into the city proper once on leave, so¡­ ah heh. I could-.¡± He coughed. ¡°I don¡¯t think the parts of the city I¡¯m familiar with are suitable for a lady!¡±

    I felt myself blushing, and nodded tightly. ¡°Right.¡±

    Otherme nudged me gently. Him. She drew my attention to a nearby guard. Go talk to him. I walked over to one of the guards and otherme has us lean forward, holding my staff behind my back. ¡°Excuse me, please? We¡¯re new in town, could you tell us where a good inn is? We¡¯d be everso grateful!¡± I felt the gentle push of a {Persuade} leave me as I smiled up at the guard.

    Oh, this is so low. I swore we wouldn¡¯t do this, and now we¡¯re pulling a Soriya!

    If it works, it works¡­

    And to my frustration, it did work. The guard¡¯s eyes locked on my chest, and he grew a bit pink around the cheeks, and shortly Eshaan and I found ourselves in possession of directions to what the guard promised was a modest establishment that wouldn¡¯t try to cheat us.

    I looked around curiously, hoping to spot an elf or dwarf, but I didn¡¯t see any. The city streets were still fascinating though. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll see a dw-¡­ a Monan? Or a Sylvan?¡±

    Eshaan grinned. ¡°Oh is that what you¡¯re looking around for?¡± He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to be disappointed. Monanin aren¡¯t seen outside of Galgados very often, and Empire isn¡¯t very friendly towards Sylvain, they typically keep to the New Continent. I¡¯ve never seen one.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I pouted in disappointment.

    He poked me with an elbow. ¡°Heh, look at you! One glimpse the big city and you want to go travel the world?¡±

    I glared up at him. ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± I clutched at my staff defensively. ¡°Never mind, you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±

    He tipped his head to the side and said ¡°I wouldn¡¯t? You sure about that? Perhaps a sense of wonder and excitement that the world is so big? A curiosity to see what there is to see in the world now that you¡¯ve seen it¡¯s so large and holds things you¡¯ve only dreamed about? Hope and excitement that you can see these things for yourself?¡±

    I stared at him, eyes wide.

    He grinned. ¡°See? I might not be on all the time, but this? I¡¯ve got this nailed, miss seer.¡±

    I followed behind him, lost in thought. He was right. I was excited to see this world that was a manifestation of all those video games I¡¯d played or watched. It was interesting to see them with my own eyes, and not just as sprites dancing on a screen. This world was real, real in a way that made it so much more interesting than just a System and predetermined script would be.

    And we¡¯re going to change the script. No more sacrifice! No more stupid heroics!

    Oh? Aren¡¯t we going to infiltrate the imperial fortress through the sewers to rescue our best friend?

    I gritted my teeth. That. Is different!

    Otherme didn¡¯t have to say anything, I¡¯d already lost that argument the minute I tried to pretend otherwise.

    The inn was very expensive. I¡¯d been expecting it, but it still stung and left my belt purse very empty indeed. We were definitely going to need to sell things at the market here! But the bed was huge, and I sprawled backwards on it spread eagled.

    ¡°Aaah! Oh this is going to be so good!¡± I exclaimed in happiness as I rolled around on the comforter.

    So there is a benefit to being small after all! This normal sized bed feels huge!

    We¡¯re not small! Otherme protested

    We¡¯re smaller than Eshaan, and Eshaan is the same height as Soriya.

    That¡¯s¡­ different.

    I didn¡¯t press the issue.

    The bath was equally wonderful, and I poured warm sudsy water over my head and body over and over, eager to get rid of the sweat and grime of the trail.

    Changing into my nightclothes behind the privacy screen in our room, I asked Eshaan

    ¡°So what do you think we should do first?¡±

    ¡°The market. No question. I told you the prices in the big city were outrageous.¡±

    ¡°Ok, that makes sense. After that, we should drop off the packages and letters.¡±

    ¡°Oh that¡¯s right, you¡¯ve got those from your village don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Breezewood. Yes.¡±

    ¡°Right, Breezewood. I¡¯m surprised that anybody in your village knows people in Farna.¡±

    I finished pulling on my nightgown and walked around the divider to glare at him. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± he saw my glare and shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it, it¡¯s just such a small village¡­¡±

    ¡°Eshaan! I am going to slug you if you keep insulting my home! We¡¯re not mud farmers; we have regular contact with the rest of the world!¡±

    ¡°Right, right! I didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡± He blushed and ducked his head.

    I was too tired to really care, so I let the matter drop. I yawned hugely and crawled into bed, feeling every aching muscle in my body as I wiggled under the sheets of a clean and soft bed.

    ¡°Goodnight, Lilyanna.¡±

    ¡°Goodnight, Eshaan.¡±

    I yawned once, and then fell fast asleep.

 16 Sewer Levels Smell More When You Have to Inhale

    The next morning, we spent the last of our zeni to buy an unfortunately bland meal of porridge and some dried fruit.

    I put down my spoon and looked Eshaan in the eyes. ¡°We are spending at least some of our market money on food. This is intolerable. How can an inn in the big city have worse food than I can make at home?! This is outrageous.¡±

    Eshaan grinned. ¡°I can¡¯t believe a simple inn meal has insulted your pride like this. What happened to you being so mad about cooking on our trip?¡±

    I glared at him. ¡°That¡¯s that and this is this! Bland food that doesn¡¯t need to be bland is a crime! A little sweet, some sour even, just something that isn¡¯t¡­ nothingness!¡±

    Eshaan continued mopping up the meal with the last of the bread. ¡°It¡¯s edible, it fills you up, and we don¡¯t have any money.¡± He shrugged. ¡°At least it¡¯s not fish gruel. I¡¯m so sick of fish gruel.¡± He muttered.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. You come from a fishing village you said.¡±

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°Even if things didn¡¯t quite work out the way I wanted with the imperial army, at least it was a break from fish gruel.¡±

    I grinned at him. ¡°We can do better than that.¡±

    Eshaan smiled. ¡°I¡¯m in your care then.¡±

    We finished up the meal and headed to the market. I wanted to head straight to delivering the parcels and letters, but money really was impossibly tight. As we entered the market square, I looked around briefly, and was on the verge of asking Eshaan how one went about selling monster drops when otherme shared a memory.

    Just look for the sign saying monster hunters. See? Right there.

    Sure enough, there was a sign hanging from an awning with a sword through a monster¡¯s head, reading ¡°monster drops, bought and sold¡±. We headed over and I looked around curiously at overflowing shelves full of odd and exotic curios. It was a bit like a cross between a taxidermist shop, a leatherworking shop, and a general store. A very strange mix.

    I headed over to the counter, thinking about what I could afford to sell.

    I think we can get a better price if we use ¡®that¡¯.

    Oh come on! Not the cleavage trick! I already feel dirty!

    Well¡­ but we do need money!

    No! We have some pride!

    Then what about {Persuade}?

    I bit my lower lip, considering, then nodded. Ok. That feels like cheating, but ok.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I said to the gruff looking shop keeper behind the counter.

    He eyed me skeptically. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Do you buy potions here?¡±

    He appeared to chew it over for a bit, then nodded. ¡°Provided they¡¯re not cheap quality, yeah. We could take those.¡±

    I smiled at him, and felt that same gentle ¡°push¡± in my mind as we activated {Persuade}. I pulled out some of the potions that mother had packed for me, and laid them out on the counter in front of him. I could see from the way his posture altered that he could feel and recognize my {Persuade}, but he didn¡¯t see it as a threat, more as though I had been acknowledged as a real negotiator. It made me feel much less guilty and even a little proud.

    If this is how it¡¯s done in the big city, then we should do it!

    Good! So it goes like this¡­ otherme guided me, and the {Persuade} immediately felt stronger, and my words came out in a rather embarrassingly sweet and earnest way.

    ¡°So you see, I¡¯m from Breezewood, and my mother makes potions there! She¡¯s really just the best, I assure you that you¡¯ll find the quality to be more than acceptable, and we¡¯ve come such an awful long way, I hate to go home without something to show for it.¡±

    He examined the potions with a practiced eye, uncorking them to smell and lightly taste the potency. He nodded grudgingly, and we settled into steady patter of bargaining. I didn¡¯t manage to get what I really thought mother¡¯s potions were actually worth, but I didn¡¯t do too badly I felt. At least better than the typical half price that all shops seemed to offer as the baseline! We sold the rest of the drops, though I was loathe to part with the crystal drops from the midboss slime. I bit my lower lip thoughtfully. It was always such a risk, sometimes those items turned out to be super useful later for some random miniquest! But we needed money now¡­ In the end I sold everything that I could to him, and turned a respectable sum.

    I turned from the counter to find Eshaan staring at me.

    ¡°What? Do I have something on my face?¡± I glared at him.

    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ you haggle like a fishwife. That was¡­ impressive!¡±

    I pulled the purse strings tight and tucked them into my girdle. ¡°We need the money! You said so! And now we have some.¡±

    He nodded in agreement. ¡°I did, yes. I¡¯m a little surprised you sold your mother¡¯s potions so easily.¡±

    I grimaced. ¡°We needed the money.¡± I repeated stubbornly. ¡°And I can do healing, we don¡¯t need as many of those.¡± I grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door.

    He trailed behind me like an obedient puppy.

    We stepped outside, and I looked around again, then nodded, spotting my next quarry.

    Eshaan frowned in confusion. ¡°I thought we were going to deliver letters?¡±

    ¡°We are. But you always need to gear up in the first town, that¡¯s just common sense.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    I sighed and stopped, pointing at his tunic and sword. ¡°Your armor and weapons. They¡¯re clearly imperial make. They¡¯re equally clearly cheap knockoffs. I saw you looking at the swords longingly. Now that we have enough money, let¡¯s get you a better one. One that doesn¡¯t have the imperial legion markings on it?¡±

    He looked down at the sword on his hip. ¡°I¡­ never thought about it like that.¡±

    ¡°Right. So let¡¯s get you your first gearup!¡± I pulled him along to the weapon maker.

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes lit up as he ran his hands over the swords on display. I couldn¡¯t help but smile a little as they did. It felt nice to buy him something he wanted.

    ¡°Give me your sword.¡± I said briskly.

    ¡°What? Why?¡± he looked confused, hugging his sword to his chest.

    ¡°We¡¯re selling it. I¡¯m selling it. You¡¯re buying whatever we can afford.¡±

    He looked at the sword with regret and pain, and didn¡¯t move. Otherme jumped in.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s precious to you. It¡¯s ok to remember things that were important. But this thing caused you pain. You shouldn¡¯t hold onto your pain; it never gives anything back.¡±

    He frowned at that, but eventually nodded, reluctantly handing over his old imperial sword. I took it from him and called out to the shop keeper.

    ¡°Excuse me please! We¡¯d like to sell and buy!¡±

    The merchant came over, and put his hands on his hips, staring at me and then Eshaan appraisingly.

    I grimaced internally. Well there went our chance of making a good deal. Eshaan couldn¡¯t be more obvious if he tried.

    I haggled with the merchant, selling the old sword, but I really didn¡¯t know much about swords, so I couldn¡¯t talk up it¡¯s price. And the array of weapons in front of us did look much nicer than the starter gear Eshaan had started with. It cost a lot, but the look in Eshaan¡¯s face as he ran his hands over his new sword made the expense feel like it was a good one. We stepped away and I looked around the street for the armorer, taking in just how big this market was.

    The stalls along the market street were a little bit like Breezewood¡¯s town fair, but clearly much more permeant and much larger. Just like the town fair, it was a strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Every store front sold real things, every store front had a person in it, nothing was fake or just a fa?ade or a blank pixel wall, the market was a living breathing bustling place full of the sounds of a crowd doing active commerce. It was¡­ it was real. In a way that none of the jrpgs that I¡¯d played so happily ever were.

    Selling Eshaan¡¯s armor and buying new was equally easy, and I couldn¡¯t help feeling that my {Persuade} just wasn¡¯t as good as the ones the merchants had¡­ but we still had more money than we¡¯d started with, and now Eshaan had better gear. I tucked my purse away and was checking the first delivery address, puzzling over the odd formatting, when Eshaan tugged on my sleeve and said ¡°What about you, Lilyanna? I feel bad, you buying me all this gear, what about your staff and robes?¡±

    I looked up at him, blinking in surprise. ¡°What about them? They work fine.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but see? There¡¯s a magic store there that has some really nice looking staves.¡±

    I looked, and otherme immediately jumped up.

    ¡°Ooh. Oh those do look nice.¡± I found myself saying.

    Eshaan grinned. ¡°You see?! Come on.¡±

    And somehow I found myself being pulled by the hand into the magic shop, eyes wide at the large selection of amulets, staves, wands and general magical paraphernalia.

    ¡°Ho there, young lady!¡± I was greeted by the merchant behind the counter. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a {Spiritist} in some time¡­ and your hat says you¡¯re an {Elementalist} as well?¡±

    I blinked, my hand going to Soriya¡¯s hat on my head. I¡¯d almost completely forgotten about it.

    ¡°Ah, heh. Not exactly. I¡¯m holding onto it for a friend. But I am interested in your staves!¡± I replied.

    Otherme and I spent the next little while letting ourselves get lost in the magic shop gear, but fortunately, otherme was quite sensible with money, and so saved me from spending far too much cash we did not have. We did walk out with a new staff and a better, much cuter, bangle on my wrist though.

    I glanced up at the sun and winced. ¡°Sorry, Eshaan. I didn¡¯t realize I took so long.¡±

    He shrugged easily. ¡°It¡¯s ok. I took a long time shopping for my new sword.¡± He patted the hilt.

    I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s different. That was important.¡±

    Eshaan stared at me gravely. ¡°Lily, your gear is important too.¡±

    I scowled up at him. ¡°We¡¯re here to rescue Soriya! Not go on shopping sprees!¡±

    ¡°Lilyanna, if I¡¯ve learned anything from the Imperial core, it¡¯s about the importance of preparation. And if we charge in without taking the time to be properly prepared, don¡¯t you think that might impact our chances of success.¡±

    I frowned down at the pavement, then back up at him. ¡°Yes.¡± I said grouchily. ¡°But now we¡¯re late! Soriya could-¡±

    Eshaan shook his head sharply and put his hand on my lips. ¡°No. I know what you¡¯re thinking, but no. The empire would never mistreat a prisoner. Miss Soriya is fine.¡±

    ¡°But Khine-¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ve worked with him for a year. He doesn¡¯t do things like that.¡±

    I stared up into his earnest expression. It just seemed like too much to ask¡­ but then, Khine knew I was coming. He¡¯d practically demanded it. I relented. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go play postman.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a postman?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ well, it¡¯s someone from my world. There¡¯s an organization to deliver packages.¡±

    ¡°Oh, a courier.¡±

    I started walking towards the first address. ¡°Well, kind of. It¡¯s hard to explain. It¡¯s a government office, run by the government. There are offices in every town, and they have a whole network to send and receive things.¡±

    His eyes widened. ¡°That sounds amazing! What a great idea!¡±

    ¡°What do you do here?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°What we¡¯re doing now. In a big city you can hire a professional courier company, but they¡¯re really expensive.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± I wonder if this is a minigame? Find the address¡­

    There were only three parcels to deliver, scattered broadly over the city. We had to ask directions several times, but along the way we picked up several useful pieces of information. One. The imperials weren¡¯t particularly making themselves welcome, Farna being nominally part of the empire. Two, the new airship docks were big and bulky and didn¡¯t smell very nice. And three, the new overbuilt docks ran right over the sewage outflow, and it was making maintenance very difficult, the imperials didn¡¯t listen to any of the very reasonable suggestions that the town kept making.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    I grinned. Well, that¡¯s in keeping.

    I had to wrestle with otherme though, it was a real struggle to apologize and explain that no actually we weren¡¯t heading right back to Breezewood, and no actually, we wouldn¡¯t be able to deliver any return parcels.

    It¡¯s really not that much out of our way, and everyone has been so nice to us-

    No! If we¡¯re rescuing Soriya, we¡¯ll be leaving in a big hurry!

    But it¡¯s polite! And we¡¯re going right back to Breezewood.

    I grimaced. I hope we¡¯re going right back to Breezewood. We are definitely caught in a plot right now. We might not be getting back soon.

    I checked mother¡¯s journal with Eshaan after we finished the deliveries. ¡°So, according to Mr. Trumble, the sewage now exits around here? And it should join up with the network there. With all the construction that¡¯s going on, we should just be able to find a sewer access in town!¡±

    ¡°Sure, but we don¡¯t know which way it runs. We need-¡°

    I grinned triumphantly at him. ¡°We do now.¡± I showed him the diagram of the sewer map in mother¡¯s journal.

    Who knew saving the town would get me such a sweet cheat item! I thought happily.

    And the fact we saved mother¡¯s life is nice too. Otherme¡¯s mental voice was so sweet that I almost missed the sarcasm.

    We walked back through the market as the sun was setting. We clearly couldn¡¯t get to the sewers before tomorrow, so we were taking our time window shopping. I saw Eshaan pause at a jewelry stall I¡¯d been looking at. He looked down at the wares, then up at me. I cringed inside, just knowing what was coming next. But instead he shook his head and trotted over to me.

    Thank him. Otherme said. He really really wants to buy us something. Which I still think you should let him do!

    I gritted my teeth and then cleared my throat as we headed back to the inn for the night. ¡°Thank you.¡± I said awkwardly. ¡°For not buying the locket, I mean.¡±

    ¡°Ah heh heh.¡± He rubbed the back of his head. ¡°You saw that, huh?¡±

    I nodded, and looked up at him. ¡°But it means a lot to me that you didn¡¯t buy it. It means a lot to me that you listened to what I said. Even if I was terribly rude about it.¡± I reached over and gave his hand a quick squeeze, smiling at him. ¡°You really are a good guy, Eshaan.¡±

    The setting sun made the shade of pink he turned into an almost orange glow on his cheeks, and that made me feel unaccountably warm inside.

    The inn was happy to have our money for a second night, though we got a different room. Dinner was impossibly bland once more, a vegetable and meat stew that had had all the flavor boiled out of it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why they can¡¯t do better than this! We ate better than this on our trip here, and that was camping!¡± I complained about it to Eshaan as we got ready for bed.

    He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you Lilyanna. You¡¯re a good cook. It shows. This is just¡­ how normal people eat.¡±

    I glared at him as I wiggled under the sheets. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. I just like good food. It¡¯s not a crime.¡± I muttered.

    Eshaan laughed quietly. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to steel yourself tomorrow. The smell is not going to be kind to you. Goodnight, Lilyanna.¡±

    I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head wishing I could refute his point. Eshaan¡¯s quiet laughter wasn¡¯t cruel, but it held an unfortunate amount of truth.

    ***

    The next morning I found out first hand. We found ourselves standing in a culvert, looking up at a truly massive outflow pipe a little smaller than me, watching a thin stream of brown and grey water flowing out of a badly rusted and blocked grate. The smell was horrendous. I tried to breath through my mouth, but it was no good. The smell seemed to permeate the very fabric of the universe. My eyes were watering, my nose wanted to scream for a full retreat. Eshsaan was irritatingly unaffected.

    ¡°Come on, Lily.¡± He patted my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯ll be ok. You just need to get used to it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get used to it!¡± I groaned in frustration, taking an unfortunate breath of air that had me retching.

    ¡°Well the other option is to not get used to it, and if you do that again, you won¡¯t have anything left in your stomach. It¡¯s very bad to exercise with nothing in your stomach. That¡¯s just basic training!¡±

    ¡°Oh shut up.¡± I mumbled in misery. ¡°Lets just get that grate open.¡±

    Eshaan grinned at me, and then swung his sheathed sword at the grate. There was a loud shrieking clang of metal, and the rusted grate fell off, accompanied by a gush of utterly foul liquid as the blockage fell into the culvert along with the grate.

    ¡°Why does there always have to be a sewer level¡­¡± I moaned. ¡°Why does it have to smell so real?¡±

    Eshaan hopped up into the large pipe with a disgusting grace. ¡°Come on. It looks like it opens up further on inside.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Coming.¡± I moaned. Eshaan gripped my hand, helping me up into the pipe. I stared at the disgusting outflow completely ruining my boots.

    ¡°I swear I¡¯m going to burn all my clothes and buy everything new.¡± I declared. I lifted my staff, and chanted the Lux incantation. A glimmering pearl of light brightened the darkness, illuminating the passageway into the heart of the Imperial sector¡¯s sewer, and we advanced slowly into the sewer.

    It did indeed open up further in, and I hurriedly climbed up onto the ancient brickwork ledges along the side, overgrown with moss and algae. My staff had already stopped me from falling more than once on the slick surface.

    ¡°So, what do you think we can expect?¡± Eshaan¡¯s voice was irritatingly cheerful as he led the way deeper into the maze.

    ¡°Well-¡± I made the mistake of taking a deep breath to answer him, and promptly gagged again. I spent a moment, clutching my staff and trying to breathe through my mouth. It took a moment, but my stomach finally settled. I nodded as the heaving subsided.

    ¡°Well. If things hold true, we¡¯ll face toxic slimes, some sort of flying monster with poison, undead and possibly mutated fish of some kind. And almost certainly a giant toxic slime at the end.¡±

    ¡°Uhm. I meant what does your mother¡¯s journal say¡­ why on earth would there be a giant slime in the sewers?!¡± Eshaan protested.

    ¡°I dunno.¡± I replied. ¡°Tradition?¡±

    ¡°Tradition!? Farna has a tradition of slime?!¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Eshaan, I don¡¯t know. Maybe the slime just grew really large eating the leftovers and sewage down here?¡±

    ¡°Oh, well that makes¡­ a distressing amount of sense, actually. But we should really check your mother¡¯s journal!¡±

    ¡°Oh! Right. Hold on.¡± I stopped and pulled out the journal. It was going to take some time to remember that I had what amounted to a walkthrough guide. I flipped through the pages slowly, grateful that my Lux spell was hands free.

    I came to page describing Farna¡¯s sewer system, and read slowly, trailing my finger across the words.

    ¡°¡­12<sup>th</sup> of Reaping¡­ came to Farna¡­¡± I gasped. ¡°Mother spoke to the Duke?!¡±

    ¡°Your mother knows the Duke?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! She spoke to him at least! Her and her travelling companions¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°I need to focus.¡± I said, flipping a few pages. ¡°Ah hah! Here we go! ¡­sewer maze¡­ heh. She hates the smell as much as I do.¡± I smiled. ¡°Animated toxic sludge¡­ spell waste¡­ mm, lovely. Bodies animated by insects. Yep, lots of poison¡­ mhm, looks like poison bats¡­ Well, they fought something that sounds like a mutated slime. Had a nasty poison and acid spray.¡±

    I looked up and around, comparing the layout to my mother¡¯s maps. ¡°If this is still accurate¡­ we go that way.¡± I pointed to one of the apparently identical tunnels surrounding us.

    Eshaan pressed his lips together and nodded. ¡°Alright. We go this way then. Stay close.¡± He headed into the darkness, his sword drawn. I followed behind, my little orb of light casting a steady glow, pressing back the darkness as we moved.

    Our first fight was exactly what we had been warned about, a group of oozing slimes that looked positively ill compared to the round brightly colored balls we¡¯d seen in the forest. They rippled with an oily sheen, and billowed noxious gas at us. It was not a pleasant fight, and they did indeed inflict {Poison} on us. I sighed, popping off several of the {Remedies} we¡¯d purchased in town. Eshaan wiped the sludge off his new blade. ¡°It¡¯s not all bad.¡± He smiled encouragingly at me. ¡°I just got another level, and the smell hardly bothers you now, right?¡±

    A smile twitched at my lip. ¡°How on earth do you remain so optimistic about everything?¡±

    He looked at me in surprise. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean?¡±

    ¡°This! All this! We¡¯re breaking into the imperial dungeons to free my friend, likely going to face off against one of your former companions, and fighting in a sewer of all places, and you¡¯re smiling!¡±

    He laughed. ¡°Lilyanna, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s amazing! You¡¯re the one who¡¯s breaking into the imperial dungeon, I¡¯m just¡­ tagging along here! You trusted me enough to guide you after I did such terrible¡­¡± he trailed off, his eyes growing dark. I almost reached out to give him a hug, but managed to stop myself in time, patting his shoulder.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I think you¡¯re strong.¡± I said softly. ¡°But I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here. Even if you drive me insane sometimes.¡± I smiled weakly at him. ¡°Come on. Maybe if I punch enough slimes, I can gain a level too.¡±

    Several more slimes and a few utterly horrible bats later (I still kept checking my hair. The horrible memory of leather wings flapping at my ears and sharp claws tangled in my hair refused to go away!), I did indeed gain another level.

    <{Spiritist} Advanced to level 4. {Cleanse}, unlocked. For steady progress on your quest and overcoming difficulties, you have advanced to {Spiritist:4}> The worldsoul whispered to me.

    ¡°Ah, I just leveled. It looks like we can cut back on {Remedies} use, I just learned how to {Cleanse}.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Man, I¡¯m starting to see why the empire really values {Spiritists} so much! That¡¯s incredibly useful!¡±

    ¡°Did you have to deal with many battles where you had status effects?¡±

    ¡°Well, not exactly battles. I haven¡¯t had many of those. But during training we had to do all sorts of horrible things. Like camping in the swamps outside of Eburah for a week, we all had plenty of experience with {Poison}.¡± He smiled. ¡°The imperial Spiritist reminds me of you, a bit, actually.¡±

    ¡°Really?! What¡¯s she like?¡±

    Eshaan grinned. ¡°He is a sour old man who would give you the shirt off his back. I don¡¯t even know his name, we all just called him ¡®Doc¡¯.¡±

    I groaned. ¡°Please tell me his name isn¡¯t McCoy? ¡­ And I am not sour!¡±

    Eshaan grinned at me, and gave me a sweeping and very courtly elegant bow. ¡°Of course not, Lady Lilyanna, pray forgive my impertinence to suggest such a thing!¡±

    Otherme¡¯s giggling echoed through our mind, and I felt myself flush.

    Told you, she whispered to us.

    Ok, so we¡¯re a little upset! I think we have reason to be!

    Of course. And Eshaan is an angel for putting up with us.

    I kicked one of the tunnel walls in irritation. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving. We¡¯ve got a big poison slime to fight.¡± I muttered.

    First, though, we had several more fights. The ¡°undead¡± (corpses ridden by giant bugs!) freaked me out way more than I was expecting. I was shivering all over by the time the last one splattered messily into the sewer canal.

    Eshaan was cool as a cucumber, and I hated him for it.

    ¡°How can you just¡­ look at these things?!¡± I half shrieked at him. ¡°They¡¯re all¡­ rotting and¡­ and falling apart and the bugs are puppeting them¡­ and¡­ UYUGH!!¡±

    Eshaan tipped his head to the side thoughtfully. ¡°Well, yeah, they¡¯re creepy sure, but they¡¯re really slow. That makes them easy to handle. And with you here, they¡¯re not even that scary, more¡­ pathetic really. All they¡¯ve got is poison and slime. They¡¯re easy. And sure it¡¯s¡­ well it¡¯s gross but we handled it.¡±

    ¡°GIANT BUGS! PUPPETING DEAD FLESH!¡±

    Eshaan wiped his sword down and sheathed it in one smooth move, then before I could react he was hugging me, and I realized that I was shaking a lot harder than I had thought.

    ¡°They¡¯re not dead people, Lily. Can¡¯t be, people dissolve when they die! It¡¯s the bugs themselves. Some kind of echo or something. And hey. Hey!¡± He lightly shook me. ¡°You did great. Way better than the trainees in the swamp.¡± He let me go patting me awkwardly on the shoulder. Otherme moaned in disappointment.

    You shut up! We¡¯re already deep in flag country!

    What¡¯s wrong with comfort?

    What¡¯s wrong with comfort is that it¡¯s far too close to an emotional connection!

    ¡­ You really were very lonely, weren¡¯t you? It¡¯s ok to get a hug when you¡¯re scared. It doesn¡¯t have to mean we¡¯re dating; you know?

    I kicked a rock into the muck angrily, then said ¡°Thanks.¡± tightly. ¡°Sorry. They¡¯re creepy. They take you over. What if they did that to a living person!?¡± I hugged myself. The loss of autonomy scared me more than the fact it was a dead body moving.

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes got big, then narrowed. ¡°That would be bad. You¡¯d have to knock out the bug without harming the person. Tricky.¡± He stroked his chin. ¡°Doable though. You¡¯d need sever the connection between the host and the bug first¡­¡±

    ¡°EYUGH! Stop it! I don¡¯t want to think about it! Poison slimes are easier to handle! Even the bats were better than this!¡±

    Eshaan laughed. ¡°True, you did freak out when they got tangled in your hair.¡±

    I glared at him but I couldn¡¯t deny it. It was true, I had freaked out when it happened. I will never tease a girl about being scared of bats getting stuck in her hair again! I vowed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move on.¡± I said tightly. I couldn¡¯t help brushing my hands over my hair a few times nervously.

    Eshaan got an apologetic look on his face. ¡°Sorry Lily, I didn¡¯t mean to laugh. It¡¯s just¡­¡± he shrugged.

    ¡°I know. I just looked so silly. I¡¯m well aware.¡± I stalked ahead into the sewer maze, following my mother¡¯s meticulously drawn maps.

    They weren¡¯t 100%, which was honestly kind of a relief. It was starting to be downright eerie how accurate this all was. No changes? No damage or repairs, even during a major retrofit? But it turned out there had been changes, a blocked path here, a detour there, a perilous rusting bridge over a bottomless abyss. My heart was beating fast by the time I scampered over it.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to say lets never do that again, but I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to on the way back!¡± Eshaan said, breathing a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Maybe. It could be there are open paths to a different outlet. We¡¯ll have a chance to check when we get to the dungeon.¡±

    The trek seemed to stretch out endlessly, slimes, bats, slimes, bugs, slimes, corpses, slimes¡­

    ¡°I want a bath. I want another bath. Then a bath after my bath.¡± I groused. ¡°I want new shoes and a self-cleaning spell. I want a pony and a million dollars.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t your village raise horses? Couldn¡¯t you get a pony? Also, what¡¯s a dollar?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I grinned sheepishly. ¡°Never mind, I¡¯m just complaining. It¡¯ll all be better once we¡¯re out of the sewers. According to the map we¡¯re almost there. Big broad area.¡± I tapped the journal page. ¡°And then a ladder up to the lowest level of the imperial quarter. That¡¯s sure to be where the boss is.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really sure about this big slime, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    I closed the journal with a snap. ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Well that¡¯s good enough for me. Let¡¯s go!¡± He flourished his sword and trotted into the darkness calling out ¡°Hurry up, Lily! We¡¯ve got an enemy to defeat!¡±

    ¡°Wait, you melon head! I should cast Barrier before-¡±

    There was a rumbling squishing squelching sound from the darkness overhead, and a green slime that glowed like a Hollywood mad science chemistry set started to flood into the room. Disturbingly human bones and skulls floated inside the glooping mass, swirling around like the worlds most unwanted goth party favor.

    ¡°-the slime shows up. Spirits curse you, Eshaan!¡±

    ¡°Ah heh.¡± He rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Sorry. But it looks like you were right! Lets show it what teamwork can do!¡± He dashed forward, slashing at the rapidly forming bubble of virulent green slime. The blade cut deep into the slime, and a sound like a boiling pot rippled through the air. Eshaan yanked at the blade which appeared to be stuck, and I watched in horror as flakes of metal started to float up from his brand new sword.

    ¡°Pull it out! Pull it out!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying! It¡¯s stuck!¡±

    The wobbling green ooze finished inflating itself, larger even than the slime we had fought in the caverns, towering over both our heads. Tendrils of corrosive slime formed from the sides and lashed at Eshaan.

    I desperately cast Barrier, hastily gabbling out the words to the chant, a shimmering haze of light appearing around Eshaan seconds before the tendril slammed into him, slapping him across the chamber to slam into a wall.

    ¡°Eshaan!¡±

    He pulled himself out of the cracked brickwork, working his shoulders and limbs.

    I didn¡¯t think that could happen. There¡¯s really a dip with cracks where he slammed into the wall!

    ¡°I¡¯m ok! Thanks to you! Now let¡¯s show this beast what it means to tangle with the imperial legion!¡± Eshaan charged the slime again. His sword cleaved cleanly through three of the tentacles, which fell to the floor with a splash and a sizzle of melting brick. The slime didn¡¯t even seem to notice, slapping at Eshaan with newly sprouted tentacles. They bounced off the shimmer of my Barrier, and the splash hit me across the left side. I shrieked in fear, and then in pain as I felt the acid start to eat away at my flesh, chewing away large gaps in my robes.

    ¡°Hang tough, Lily! I got an idea!¡± He dashed sideways towards the wall. The gurbling mass of virulent green surged after him. He hit the wall and ran up it, flipping into the air, diving down on the slime sword first.

    ¡°Eshaan you idiot!¡± I screamed at him as he was swallowed by the slime, sword and all. I know I had to be imagining it, but I swear I saw a sweatdrop on his face as he looked out at me from inside the slime.

    I rushed forward, pushing my staff ahead of me like a spear, screaming something. My skin burned as I slammed into the side of the slime, but my staff pierced the slime¡¯s body, and Eshaan grabbed onto the curl of the tip. I yanked backwards with all my might, and Eshaan popped free, visibly acid eaten and smoking.

    ¡°Great, now I¡¯m hero fishing.¡± I muttered. I paid a quick price for my attempt at humor however as the slime reached out and yanked me over with a pseudopod. It¡¯s glowing green flesh started to ooze around me, and I suddenly felt distinctly unwell, my empty stomach heaving in an attempt to purge itself. My skin started to blister and the pain was intense, like touching a hot pot handle that I couldn¡¯t let go of.

    ¡°Lily!¡± Eshaan¡¯s voice rose in a panic. ¡°You! Let! Her! GO!¡± Eshaan was suddenly a whirling dervish of sword strokes, slashing away at the slime with strokes so quick I couldn¡¯t follow them, carving thin slices away as fast as the slime could replace them, digging his way through the slime towards me with his sword.

    It was hard to get the chant out, and the taste of the slime in my nose and mouth was beyond foul, but I reached inside myself and clutched my staff, chanting the healing prayer. My skin healed and blistered, healed and blistered over and over. The shattered bones of the slime¡¯s previous prey jabbed at me, my nose and mouth filled with the smell of burning rotted garbage.

    Eshaan finally carved through enough of the slime to reach my arm, and hauled me backwards, the slime gripping my legs, and one of my boots left behind. It danced macabrely inside the slime with the bones.

    Eshaan tripped and fell down, pulling me down on top of him, and the slime surged towards us eager for it¡¯s meal.

    "Spirits of Inferno, heed my command, unleash hell! Flare!" A brilliant yellow white flare of light and heat washed over me, and the slime exploded into a burning hail of acid and poison. I gaped up at the top of the ladder, where a familiar face with a familiar gun hung onto the first rungs at the top.

    ¡°Soriya?!¡± I gaped up at her in disbelief, bits of slime dripping down my hair and clothes.

    ¡°Lilyanna? What on earth are you doing down here!? Honestly, I can¡¯t take you anywhere.¡± She straddled the ladder and slid down with a grace that I could only envy. She came trotting over me, blowing smoke off the top of Diaboli. ¡°Oh! You brought my hat!¡± she exclaimed happily. ¡°Thank you!¡±

 17 Two Will Get You Four

    I smiled, a little crookedly, and climbed to my feet. ¡°I knew you¡¯d be back for it.¡± I said, reaching up to pass it to her, but I staggered. ¡°Do you mind if I heal myself and Eshaan first?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you brought the boy hero too! Hello!¡± She waggled her fingers at him. ¡°Oh! Let me introduce you to my new friends!¡± She grabbed her hat off my head and plopped it onto her own. Turning and gesturing to the ladder she gestured to where two heads peeked through the trap door overhead. Soriya energetically beckoned the two figures to come down.

    ¡°Ah. You¡¯ve got new party members.¡± I said, quickly casting a healing spell over myself and Eshaan, then a few more, breathing a sigh of relief as the melted patches in my robes knitted together and the pain of the slime burns covering my body finally eased.

    ¡°Yep!¡± Soriya seemed to be in fantastic spirits. ¡°You were taking so long to get us out, I figured I should try to meet you halfway! Besides, my new friends have some really neat tricks up their sleeves.¡±

    Eshaan staggered to his feet. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand how you escaped¡­ imperial procedure is to fit explosive collars-¡±

    Soriya laughed and pulled out a circle of black metal with glowing runes engraved on it. ¡°This old thing?¡± She carelessly twirled it around on one finger, then turned and beckoned again to the two people waiting at the top of the ladder. ¡°Dar! Dan! Come on down and show our friend how you helped me escape the ¡®impenetrable¡¯ imperial security! I want to introduce you!¡±

    She turned back to us. ¡°That girl is brilliant. Nutty as a bag of trail bar, but absolutely brilliant. The man¡¯s the real treasure.¡±

    A giant of a man with dark skin and muscles everywhere made his way down the ladder, followed by a slim boy¡­ or, no, wait that was a girl, wasn¡¯t it?

    That is definitely a girl. She was probably pretending to be a boy, but gave it up.

    How can you tell?

    See the fragments of her breast binding? Plus, she moves like her hips hurt, that¡¯s what happens when you try to walk like a boy. It never pays to pretend to be who you aren¡¯t.

    I blinked and nodded, completely unsure about any of this. What was I supposed to do now? I was glad Soriya was ok, but two more party members?! And there was no question they were supposed to join the heroes party with that red streak in her hair and that exotic appearance of his¡­

    ¡°Soirya, I¡¯m not really sure-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯ll be fine!¡± she flipped her hand at me in that familiar manner.

    I pressed my lips together firmly. We¡¯ll see about that.

    The muscular man got to the bottom of the ladder, and then offered his hand to the girl. She ignored it, hopping the last distance down to the floor with a slight squishy splash. She paused, looking at her feet, then knelt down in the puddle of poison slime, running a gloved finger through the material. Her expression was sparked with interest and she started fumbling at her belt for an empty vial.

    Well, that¡¯s different.

    The expression on the muscled man was quite something to behold. He stepped over the girl, then knelt down as well, picking up something from the virulent green puddle. With a smooth grace, he stepped forward, and offered me my missing boot.

    ¡°I fear it¡¯s no proper gift for a lady.¡± He said, giving a small half bow ¡°But as the situation is perhaps not the best for purchasing fine items, I feel I must make do. New friends, I feel, should be welcomed with a gift.¡± His smile was very bright and wide on his bronzed face, and I found myself smiling back. I hopped forward and took the boot from his hands. It was gross and slimy and stung from the acid, but it was still better than walking barefoot on the floor of a literal sewer. I pulled it on, hopping awkwardly.

    ¡°Well. It¡¯s appreciated.¡± I grunted out as I hopped. ¡°I¡¯m Lilyanna and this is Eshaan.¡±

    Eshaan nodded and raised his hand in greeting. The man steepled his fingers together and bowed. ¡°And I am Daniyal. This is my captain, Darshana.¡±

    The girl looked up, hearing her name, hurriedly corking the glass vial she¡¯d stuffed some slime into. ¡°Oh, hey! You must be Lilyanna! Soriya told us all about you!¡± She hopped up and strode over to shake my hand.

    I raised an eyebrow, glancing quickly at Soriya. ¡°Did she?¡±

    ¡°Well yeah! It¡¯s clear you two are thick as thieves! Which is great, because as an air pirate captain, I¡¯m looking for a crew and thieves are perfect!¡±

    I scowled. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like the idea of being called a criminal.¡± I said tightly.

    Soriya interjected ¡°You just broke one of the empire¡¯s most wanted out of prison, I¡¯d say you qualify. Also, you should have seen the holes you punched in that airship!¡± She whistled appreciatively.

    I squirmed uncomfortably, a sour taste in my mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do that. I didn¡¯t want to do that!¡±

    Soriya finally caught my mood. ¡°Hey. They tried to murder Breezewood as a demonstration. I think they got what they had coming to them.¡±

    I swallowed and nodded, but then suddenly realized. ¡°That¡¯s right! You don¡¯t know! Soriya, we did it! You did it, I mean! The ritual worked! Breezewood just skipped right past the part where it was destroyed!¡±

    The smile that slowly spread over her face was like sunrise. ¡°We did it? WE DID IT!¡± She started laughing, and then her eyes widened in shock. ¡°Spirit farts, I just gained two levels!¡± She grabbed me in a hug and twirled me around laughing giddily. ¡°WE DID IT!¡±

    I staggered in her grip, and hugged her back smiling awkwardly. It did feel really good.

    ¡°Oh man, that shadow thing won¡¯t know what hit him!¡±

    The sudden reminder of the shadow Benjamin thing I¡¯d unleashed felt like a punch to my stomach.

    ¡°Ah yes, Miss Soriya informed us that you¡¯re seeking some dark shadow of evil that escaped from your village.¡± Daniyal¡¯s rumbling bass interjected. ¡°If I may humbly suggest, our paths might well mingle for a while. We are headed to Spyre, and the Imperial Academy doubtless has records that will assist you in spirit hunting. In addition, the church of the Crystal Dragon has many centuries of experience hunting evil spirits, and the cathedral in Spyre is second only to the holy city of Albidion¡¯s great library.¡±

    I staggered, and Eshaan caught me before I fell to my knees.

    ¡°Lily!¡±

    ¡°Lilyanna?¡±

    ¡°Miss Lilyanna, are you alright?¡±

    The mingled voices of the group around me mixed with worry.

    I swallowed past a lump in my throat, trying to get my feet under me, clinging rather tightly to Eshaan for stability. ¡°But¡­ but we were supposed to go home¡­¡± I said looking at Soriya.

    Soriya looked at me in bafflement, and then reached out a hand to me, before letting it drop. ¡°Lily¡­ Lily, I know you don¡¯t want to go on an adventure¡­ but¡­ we fucked up. We fucked up big time. We have to take responsibility. We have to fix this. We are likely the only people who even understand what that shadow is. And there are three of them.¡± Her eyes grew dark. ¡°And one of them¡­ one of them needs to die for sure. Even if no one else helps, I will end that one. That one is mine.¡±

    The darkness that I¡¯d briefly seen flickering behind her eyes back in Breezewood roiled in her violet eyes now, turning them stormy purple grey. I took a step back involuntarily. ¡°But-¡°

    No. We screwed up. We must make this right. You know this. You¡¯re fighting it because you don¡¯t want to admit it¡­ it¡¯s not just because we¡¯re a heroine. It¡¯s because this is something we did, and it¡¯s something we can fix. Something we can do better than anyone else. Otherme¡¯s voice was quiet but filled with steel. Nobody says we have to die to seal an evil. Nobody says we have to be stupid. But you know it¡­ we are saying that we have to make this right.

    ¡°Damn you.¡± I whispered, and ground the palms of my hands into my eyes, pressing back tears. ¡°I was supposed to avoid this.¡±

    Soriya stepped up and hugged me tightly. ¡°Nobody said you had to die. You¡¯re smarter than that. We¡¯re smarter than that. But you know this is the right thing to do. And we know how to handle right things.¡±

    I let out a sigh, feeling as though my heart was punctured. ¡°The next right thing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She nodded. ¡°And that is?¡±

    I chewed my lower lip, and then said ¡°Yeah. Ok. We¡¯ll go to Spyre.¡± I licked my lips. ¡°But before we do that, we¡¯ve got to get out of the sewers. It¡¯s a long walk back.¡±

    Darshana perked up. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re so insistent on going through the sewers! We should just go liberate my airship!¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You have an airship?!¡±

    Darshana bounced up and explained, waving her arms. ¡°Oh yeah! It¡¯s not as cool as it could be, and it¡¯s still rough around the edges but we¡¯ve totally got an airship! You want to go somewhere fast; we can handle it!¡±

    I noticed that Daniyel didn¡¯t say anything. I opened my mouth to ask a question, but was interrupted by Eshaan.

    ¡°Well yeah! Where is it?¡± He exclaimed.

    Soriya stared at Darshana with narrowed eyes. ¡°You really have an airship? You¡¯re not just ballyhooing us?¡±

    Darshana put her hands on her hips and glared angrily at Soriya. ¡°I told you I did! Why didn¡¯t you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know.¡± Soriya smiled lazily. ¡°An air-pirate in a jail sell telling me she has an airship, and can get us out if I just do a few favors for her? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing.¡± Her tone went serious again. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡±

    Darshana glared back ¡°Absolutely nothing! She flies just fine!¡±

    I glanced at Daniyel. Once again, he very obviously remained quiet.

    ¡°Daniyel? Do you trust this airship?¡±

    Daniyel raised his eyebrows. ¡°Of course I trust my captain. I would follow her anywhere.¡±

    That¡­ wasn¡¯t quite what I asked.

    I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re so suspicious! He¡¯s willing to help us, he seems nice for an air-pirate!

    I sighed. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll have to leave it at that.¡±

    Daniyel nodded somberly. ¡°Then we are agreed?¡±

    Darshana pumped her fists excitedly. ¡°Aw yeah! I got a real crew now! Come on! There¡¯s only a few guards on the hangar, they¡¯re conducting some kind of drill at the front gate!¡±

    I sighed, and put my hand on Eshaan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Eshaan. If we do this, we¡¯re certain to encounter one of your former troop. Possibly even Khine.¡±

    Soriya jerked a little. ¡°Oooh, yeah, that¡¯s right. Imperial base, first big escape scene¡­¡±

    Eshaan looked back and forth between me and Soriya. ¡°Is this more seer stuff?¡±

    I smiled wryly. ¡°Yes.¡±

    He looked down at the stone slabs, his expression clouded, then looked up, and nodded at me. ¡°Then it will come sooner than expected. At least I can ask him what I mean to ask him.¡±

    Darshana looked confused. ¡°You¡¯re a trooper? I don¡¯t understand, why didn¡¯t you just come in the front gate?¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. ¡°Not anymore. My commander and I had a¡­ misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s-¡±

    ¡°Darshana.¡± Daniyel¡¯s voice was cool but with a hint of iron in it. ¡°A man¡¯s concerns are his own. That is the air-pirate way.¡± He put distinct emphasis on ¡®air-pirate¡¯, I noted.

    Darshana took the hint. ¡°Well!¡± She clapped her hands together. ¡°So let¡¯s climb a ladder and liberate an airship!¡± She suited action to words and started climbing the ladder with an abundance of enthusiasm.

    While we waited our turn, I took a moment to hang back next to Soriya. ¡°So, what do you think?¡±

    ¡°Runaway princess. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± She replied quietly.

    ¡°Really?¡± I glanced over up at her, then back at Soriya. ¡°But she¡¯s a techie. My money is on some underdog ethnic minority. Maybe an elf or even a dwarf.¡±

    ¡°Oh, they have those?¡± She got a faraway look in her eyes, that I was starting to recognize, then said ¡°Oh, so they do!¡± She looked up at where Darshanna was clambering through the hatch in the ceiling followed by Daniyel. She pursed her lips thoughtfully, then shook her head. ¡°No. Runaway princess, imperial model.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    I glanced up, and back. ¡°Bet?¡±

    Soriya grinned at me. ¡°Sure! Lemon-blueberry bars?¡±

    I stuck out my tongue at her. ¡°I make you those anyway. And you already owe me sparkling fruit wine. 100 zeni.¡±

    ¡°Pfft. No fun at all.¡± Then she gave me a slight bow. I blinked in confusion and she laughed. ¡°Right. American.¡± She stuck out her hand and I shook it. A nudge from otherme, and I gave her a neat bow in return.

    ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it!¡± She said, and headed to the ladder with a wink.

    I clambered up the ladder after her and our little group was shortly standing in a secluded area in the lowest level of the imperial dungeon.

    ¡°Well, which way?¡± Eshaan looked at the air-pirates curiously.

    ¡°Uhm¡­ this way!¡± said Darshanna, pointing.

    Soriya smiled, her hand on her hip. ¡°You have no idea do you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true! We came in that way, so we¡¯ll have to go out that way, it¡¯s just common sense!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the way that all the pirates went when we got them out of the cell. It¡¯ll be crawling with guards.¡±

    Darshanna huffed angrily. ¡°Do you have a better idea?¡±

    Eshaan stepped forward. ¡°Please ladies, calm down. Miss Lilyanna has a map.¡±

    I blinked in surprise and then fumbled for the journal.

    ¡°You do?!¡± Said Soriya.

    ¡°She does?!¡± Said Darshanna.

    ¡°I ah¡­¡± I flipped several pages, skimming rapidly, and felt a heated blush sweeping over my cheeks at everyone staring at me expectantly. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t.¡± I said, feeling my hopes crash as I skimmed the section in mother¡¯s journal. I looked up and shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Eshaan, she only came to break someone out of the cells, then they returned back the same way. And I don¡¯t think the imperial air docks were built yet. There¡¯s nothing in here about them at all.¡±

    ¡°What on earth is that book?!¡± Soriya exclaimed, grabbing it out of my hands and flipping it open.

    I yanked it back and hugged it to my chest. ¡°It¡¯s my mother¡¯s journal! It¡¯s my reward for saving the town!¡±

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s journal?! Wait¡­ she was an adventurer, wasn¡¯t she? Is that¡­ a strategy guide?!¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°No! It¡¯s a real journal! It just has a lot of maps and creature info with encounters and¡­¡± I stopped. Looked down at the book. Looked back up. ¡°Alright, yes, I guess it is a strategy guide.¡±

    ¡°Hah. Hah!¡± She hugged me tightly, and let me go giving a little woop. ¡°Way to go, Lilyanna!¡±

    I smiled shyly, clutching the journal tightly. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ also nice to have saved the town.¡± I said quietly, and otherme nodded firm approval.

    ¡°Well. Yes, that too.¡± Soriya sobered and nodded. ¡°Still. What a fantastic item!¡±

    ¡°So if you don¡¯t have a map, we go this way!¡± Darshanna said confidently.

    Eshaan cleared his throat modestly. ¡°Actually, if Lily¡¯s map doesn¡¯t show us the base¡­ I was stationed here for a week. And imperial installations are all constructed to a common plan. I think I can get us to the air docks.¡±

    I could see that Darshanna was disappointed by this, crossing her arms and a definite pout appearing on her face.

    Eshaan smiled apologetically then said ¡°But I think Miss Darshanna is right. Out this door and then right should lead us to the cargo elevators.¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± she pumped her hands in triumph. ¡°See?! Come on, follow me, crew!¡± And she swaggered down the hall and out the door, Daniyel trailing silently behind her.

    I stepped next to Eshaan as we walked. ¡°We¡¯re likely going to have to fight Imperial patrols. Are you ok with that?¡±

    He frowned, walking silently for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not really ok with it, anymore than I¡¯m ok with much else¡­ but it¡¯s like you said Lily. I need to keep walking forward, and this is the direction that I¡¯ve chosen.¡±

    I pressed my lips together, and otherme reached out and grabbed Eshaan¡¯s hand, squeezing it tightly in reassurance. He looked up at me in startlement, and smiled gratefully.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± He said softly.

    Shortly thereafter we did indeed have our first encounter with a guard patrol. It still caught me a bit off guard, no swirly transition music, no slow dissolve. Just, bam. Round a corner, and three guards shouting at us to freeze, drop our weapons¡­ and wham.

    It¡¯s different, fighting other humans. More intense. Less easy. Monsters and animated corpses are simple, obvious. These guys¡­ are just people doing a job.

    The fight was quick and decisive. Eshaan struck with lightning-fast sword sweeps, Soriya had the spells, and Darshanna and Daniyel both got into the brawl in real personal way.

    Oh, I guess they didn¡¯t get their weapons back?

    The fight was over quickly, to my relief they didn¡¯t have time to sound an alarm. But just as they collapsed, otherme dashed forward and cast a Healing spell on both of them.

    Hey, wait, what?

    ¡°Hey, hold on! Lily what are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be responsible for more death! I can¡¯t bear it!¡± otherme¡¯s exclamation burst out of my lips.

    Oh no¡­ but how-

    No! I won¡¯t hear it! Think how we felt when the troopers died at the airship! I won¡¯t feel that way again if we can help it! I hated to admit it, but she had a point.

    ¡°Lily¡­¡± Eshaan started.

    I jabbed my staff in the face of the guards on the floor. ¡°You just lost a fight to us. We can make sure you lose again. So you¡¯re going to sit quietly and let us tie you up. Or do you think your families would welcome the news of your death?¡± I glared at them and pushed with my {Persuade} as I did so.

    I could see their resistance collapse and I smiled grimly.

    ¡°Lily¡­¡± said Eshaan

    ¡°No! I won¡¯t hear it!¡± I jabbed my staff at him. ¡°I know if we kill them, their bodies will just vanish, but I¡¯m sure that the Imperials have some kind of alarm in place no matter what we do! So kill them, or don¡¯t kill them, the only benefit is their drops. And I. Have had. Enough.¡±

    Eshaan shook his head in frustration. Behind us, Darshanna said hesitantly ¡°I have some paralysis potions, actually¡­¡±

    Eshsaan, Soriya and I all turned and spoke as one. ¡°You do?!¡±

    ¡°Well sure!¡± she said, pulling out a few sparkling purple vials. ¡°We¡¯re air-pirates! We have to be prepared! How else would we rob a place!? I mixed em special, they¡¯re good for several hours!¡±

    Eshaan blinked a few times, and while he was processing that, I grabbed the vials from Darshanna¡¯s hands and marched over to the seated guards. ¡°Right. You¡¯re going to drink these, and we¡¯re going to stash you. Or do we have to do this the messy way?¡±

    My {Persuade} must have worked, because they all meekly drank the potions, and promptly slumped to the side. I was a little disappointed they didn¡¯t have jagged purple lines floating around them to indicate a status, but taking a close look at them, I felt a swimming sensation in my head, and suddenly a status window popped up! I gaped at it in surprise.

    ¡°Since when can you get a status window on other people!?¡± I complained.

    Eshaan turned to look from where he was preparing to drag the soldiers. ¡°Eh? Lily, didn¡¯t you know? Anyone can use {Study}. {Loremaster}s just get a lot more information when they do.¡±

    Soriya nodded, looking at me in clear surprise.

    I glanced back at the status screen.

    {Name}: ??? {Classes}: ???/??? {Level}: ???

    HP:5 MP: 45 DEF: ??? M.DEF: ???

    Current Status:

    DEX: ??? INS: ???

    MIG: ??? WIL: ???

    Special: ???

    ¡°So can you all see this?!¡± I demanded.

    ¡°Well we can¡¯t see what you¡¯re looking at, but we can all use Study?¡± Eshaan sounded confused.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Daniyel nodded. ¡°It is a most useful technique before battle, but one rarely used in the heat of the moment.¡±

    I pondered this, looking over the numbers. Or rather, their lack. There really isn¡¯t much there at all is there? But it¡¯s there! Why didn¡¯t it come up when I first arrived?!

    We didn¡¯t {Study} ourselves, you just yelled the words.

    I blinked, blinked again.

    Why didn¡¯t you tell me any of this!?

    You weren¡¯t listening to us yet, and later you didn¡¯t ask.

    My head spun, and I rubbed my temples.

    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ Let¡¯s just hurry on. Eshaan, do you need a hand?¡±

    ¡°I can drag them ok, but if you¡¯ll get that door there?¡± He gestured to one of the door sin the hall.

    ¡°If I¡¯m right¡­¡± He said as I pulled open the door, revealing an empty room filled with empty shelves and dust.

    He smiled. ¡°Yep! Empty storage area. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll cause a problem here.¡± He dragged the three paralyzed guards into the storage room and shut the door, then dusted his hands. He looked at me appraisingly. ¡°Thank you. You really are very kind hearted. It didn¡¯t even occur to me that we could just¡­ not. But you know that we¡¯re probably not going to be able to keep that up?¡±

    I gagged a little at the thought, remembering the clearing outside the cavern, filled with empty suits of armor, weapons and potion bottles. I squeezed my staff tightly and nodded.

    ¡°But we didn¡¯t this time. Today, for now, we didn¡¯t.¡±

    Eshaan patted my shoulder and squeezed gently. We headed down the empty corridor silently.

    I chewed my lower lip thoughtfully as we went. Finally, I ventured,

    What else haven¡¯t you told me?

    We don¡¯t know how to answer that. Everything that we know that you haven¡¯t asked?

    Hang on. ¡­ Who¡­ who are you?

    A soft mental giggle. We¡¯re Lilyanna, who else would we be?

    No, hold on! You said we. I¡¯m Benjamin! Who are you?

    We¡­ we are you. But Lilyanna!

    I don¡¯t understand. Why¡­ why aren¡¯t you mad at me?! I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯ve taken your body! Why aren¡¯t you¡­ you just keep helping me!

    I am helping us! You are me! Why wouldn¡¯t I help myself!? You don¡¯t know so many things, it¡¯s only natural to help!

    I am not you! I am not Lilyanna!

    We mustn¡¯t say that out loud! Remember what happened!

    Honeysuckle meadowlark, who are you?!

    Otherme¡¯s voice was half broken in confusion. I don¡¯t know how to answer this! I am you! But Lilyanna!

    You existed before me!

    No, I didn¡¯t.

    I was stunned into baffled silence, and my concentration was broken by another brief battle with a group of guards. I didn¡¯t manage to save all of them this time. It hurt, like a twisting knife in the gut. Soriya was grimly satisfied, Darshanna seemed disturbed, Danyiel remained his quiet and inscrutable self, and Eshaan¡­ he turned to me and squeezed my arm.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He said. ¡°I know you wanted to save them.¡±

    I swallowed and nodded. ¡°I did. But if we¡¯re captured or killed¡­ then¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll do better.¡± I dipped a bow to him in apology.

    Eshaan smiled at me. ¡°I like that you¡¯re so kind hearted, Lily. It¡­ it¡¯s not always possible, but I think you trying helps make the rest of us better people. I was¡­ I was willing to just let them die. You stopped that. That¡¯s not something to be sorry for.¡±

    I nodded gratefully. I didn¡¯t get much more chance to stew in my own thoughts, the next guard group managed to trigger the alarm before we could take them down, and then it was a race to get to the hangar. The mazelike corridors confused us several times, we had to hide from passing patrols too large to take on our own, and I couldn¡¯t save everyone. That hurt worse than the minor injuries they inflicted on me, but there wasn¡¯t time to think about that now. If we didn¡¯t get to the hangar soon, Khine would be here.

    We dashed up several flights of stairs, and I was absurdly grateful for my outrageous stamina. In my old body, I would have been panting and gasping for breath not even halfway up. Down another series of mazelike hallways and we burst out into the main hangar floor, a vast expanse of grey steel and yawning trenches with floating sculptures of glass and baroque bronze and twisting propellers. And standing a few yards away, the lt. who had moved to execute Soriya on Commander Khine¡¯s orders, surrounded by a group of imperial troopers.

    ¡°Isha.¡± Eshaan growled.

    Lt. Isha blinked in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re alive?! Pfah. More proof that the commander is slipping. And that¡¯s Lieutenant Isha to you, traitor!¡±

    Eshaan stepped forward, pointing his drawn sword at Isha. ¡°I¡¯m the traitor?! Me?! Remind me who cut me down for protesting illegal orders!¡±

    ¡°Illegal orders? The authorized commander in charge of a battalion ordered you to perform an action, and you refused! I¡¯m not the one-¡±

    ¡°OH SHUT UP!¡± Soriya shouted with a surprising amount of rage in her voice. ¡°Just shut up and DIE!¡±

    Faster than I could follow, the chant for Flare flashed out, and Diaboli barked. A brilliant slash of red-orange elemental power shot across the space between them forcing Isha to dive to the side into a roll. Smoke wafted off of his uniform and a few flakes of ash tickled to the hangar floor.

    ¡°What are you fools waiting for! Shoot! SHOOT!¡± Isha screamed at the troopers with him,

    ¡°But sir! The Commander said-¡±

    ¡°Forget what the Commander said! It¡¯s a bunch of little girls and a traitor! KILL THEM!¡±

    Oh, this is bad I thought, even as I hurriedly chanted Barrier. Barely in time, as Isha roared upwards propelling himself from the floor, driving his fisted into Eshaan¡¯s stomach, my barrier flaring silver white as his fists impacted.

    Even then, the force of his blow was so great that Eshaan was propelled backwards several feet, his boots skidding on the deck. ¡°We don¡¯t have to do this, Lieutenant. We don¡¯t have to be enemies!¡±

    ¡°Loyal soldiers of the empire follow orders, traitor!¡±

    Daniyel punched his fists together, and glowing orange yellow gauntlets appeared around hands. ¡°If we are to fight, we had best get to it.¡± He took a stance that was something like a martial artists, then blurred, moving too fast for me to see, his path ending with his fist buried in the stomach of one of the unfortunate unnamed troopers. I barely caught his murmured apology as the unfortunate fellow crumpled to the deck, gasping for breath. It didn¡¯t slow him down though, he lunged upwards, spinning his rifle butt up, smashing it into Daniyel¡¯s chin. Daniyel rocked backwards, a spray of blood from his lower lip, and a fierce grin split his face.

    ¡°Good. It would be unfortunate if this fight was to have no meaning. Let us dance.¡±

    Darshanna¡¯s eyes were big, but she moved without hesitation, grabbing a cylinder from her belt and throwing overhead.

    ¡°Eyes!¡± She shouted, and I barely had time to squeeze my eyes closed before a brilliant flash of blinding white light burst overhead. Isha and the troopers were not so lucky, and I heard a staggering curse from them as they staggered.

    Oh. I¡¯d spoken too soon. Eshaan hadn¡¯t gotten his eyes closed in time either. He rushed forward, his elbow out to crash into Isha¡¯s chest, the both of them tumbling forward and sprawling into an untidy heap of punching and squirming fits and elbows. Half the strikes seemed to miss from the blinding, but it didn¡¯t slow either of them down. If anything, the speed and frequency of the attacks was only increasing!

    Soriya chanted a Poizone, streaks of green shooting out from Diabloli. They hit the troopers square on, but there was a flaring snapping pop from each of them, and the green mist immediately dissipated.

    ¡°Oh come on! Who has poison cancelation this early in the story?! This is bullshit!¡± She shouted angrily.

    I didn¡¯t share her emotion, one of the troopers was choking, and fell to the ground his face turning purple.

    Oh no, not again. I thought, feeling my heart twist. It¡¯s not fair that real battles like this mean something! I aimed by staff to try and cure him, but Lt. Isha and Eshaan¡¯s twisting brawl rolled over under me, and knocked me aside. I watched helplessly as the trooper¡¯s body discorporated into the air, leaving a small bundle of goods. Tears stung my eyes. I¡¯ve failed again.

    Isha roared, shoving Eshaan backwards, and leaped towards Soriya. ¡°My men! Die for the empire, witch!¡± He shouted wildly. His flailing punch connected with Soriya¡¯s chin, and her head snapped to the side, a splatter of blood flying from her mouth.

    Daniyel¡¯s brawling strikes flashed faster and faster with his target, but the trooper used his gun like a short staff, knocking blow after blow to the side. Daniyel¡¯s attack was unrelenting, like a torrent of water flowing down hill, and like any torrent, it had an inevitable result. The trooper¡¯s defense slowly weakened, falling back under the barrage. With a flourish, Daniyel slammed his fist into the trooper one last time, and the trooper¡¯s eyes crossed. He staggered backwards, swaying. It was obvious he was about to go down. But as he fell, I saw a triumphant smile on his face. He was holding up a grenade pin! Daniyel¡¯s eyes widened in realization, and he blurred backwards. An explosive flare chased him, blasting him up and back, flinging him into the air. My Barrier held, if only barely, but I didn¡¯t have time to focus on that.

    I have to save him. I have to save at least one! I chanted out {Heal}, and spirits grace preserve me I was in time. The flickering sparkle around his body ceased.

    Lt. Isha stopped, his gaze darting between me and the trooper in bafflement. Darshanna took the opening, and threw one of her purple paralysis gas potions. It nailed the downed trooper squarely, and Isha staggered backwards coughing.

    ¡°Please, Isha! Please! Can¡¯t you see this is pointless!? We don¡¯t want to hurt anyone! We just want to leave. Please let us leave without us having to kill you!¡±

    Whose voice was that? Oh¡­ oh that was my voice. My voice using {Persuade} with all my mana poured into it. My eyes were blurring with tears.

    This is pointless! They always fight to the death! I berated my otherself.

    It is never pointless to try! She responded fiercely.

    Isha looked around, his eyes flicking between his trooper and our group, bloody but ready to continue. And then, to my disbelief, Isha raised his hands and said ¡°I am outmatched. You are a fool to let me live, and I will make you regret it bitterly. But for now¡­ Commander Khine¡¯s advice seems to be unexpectedly useful.¡±

    I looked at him, my eyes wide with shock, Eshaan grabbed my upper arm and hauled. ¡°Come on Lily! We¡¯ve got to go!¡±

    We dashed over the hangar, following Darshanna¡¯s eager shouts. ¡°This way! Over here!¡±

    We threaded our way through the maze of smaller airships at speed, doing our best to catch up to her as she did her best to vanish into the maze of bronze gold metal and shimmering blue lift magic.

    She finally stopped next to a skiff that looked much like all the others to me. Perhaps a bit duller gleam to her metalwork.

    ¡°Here! Here she is!¡± She patted the hull fondly, as a clamshell doorway opened in the side of the ship, and stairs descended with a clanking shudder.

    Eshaan stopped, staring. ¡°You¡¯ve got to me kidding me! What a piece of junk!¡±

    Darshanna bristled, standing straighter. ¡°She¡¯s a work in progress! She¡¯s faster than she looks, and I don¡¯t see any of you with the keys to another ship! Plus, she¡¯s quiet! Real quiet! Which I thought was important since we¡¯re trying to escape some scary commander or something?¡±

    Eshaan looked at me. I looked at Soriya. She looked at Danyiel, gave a little flicker of a smile and back to Darshanna. ¡°Sounds perfectly fine to me.¡± She said, and stepped over to the ship, mounting the stairs inside.

    ¡°How is this my life now?¡± Eshaan muttered as he followed. I patted him on the shoulder sympathetically.

    ¡°You stole my line.¡± I said as we entered the cabin.

 18 When Escaping Certain Doom, Please Ensure all Seatbacks are in Their Full Upright Position

    The interior of the airship was cramped, and a strange feeling of both exotic alien fantasy, and strange common sense technological wiring, piping and pluming. Darshanna seemed to be in her element however, humming happily to herself as she slid into the forward seat and started flipping switches and pulling levers. A slowly building humming and a thrum that I could feel in my torso and teeth started to build.

    ¡°Best sit down if you don¡¯t want to get lost, miss {Spiritist}! She said with a slightly annoying perky tone.

    ¡°Urm. Yes. Thank you.¡± I looked around for somewhere to sit. This ship looked more like a converted cargo carrier or troop ship than anything I would call a proper airship. Eshaan grinned at me and pulled down a webbed shelf, and plopped himself on it. ¡°Pretty sure this is just a converted short hop carrier. We had to use these all the time when hopping between ships in the fleet.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I sat down next to him, and looked for something to strap myself in. There was a distressingly large number of buckles and straps and none of them seemed to fit together.

    Eshaan smiled and demonstrated some extremely non intuitive buckles. I smiled back at him wryly. ¡°Thanks. Never seen one of these before.¡±

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. You never left ¡­ uh¡­ Breezewood before, right?¡±

    I smiled wryly again. In more ways than you could imagine. ¡°That depends on if you count my previous experiences?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. You said. Did you ever have anything like this in your world?¡±

    ¡°Like it, but not close. Machines that flew in the air, but nothing quite like-¡°

    ¡°Ok folks, hold onto something, we¡¯re going!¡± Darshanna¡¯s voice cut my explanation short, and I was suddenly very grateful that I¡¯d secured the straps first. The airship kicked like a mule, and a loud thrumming and magical tingle that made my teeth ache filled the air.

    Alarms and blinking lights lit up across the control board.

    ¡°Do I want to know what any of that is?!¡± I managed to get out around the rumbling vibration that filled the cabin.

    ¡°The primary power coupling is failing, the secondary engine is overheating, and four assumed hostile ships have just launched behind us.¡± Daniyel replied in a maddeningly calm voice.

    ¡°So, no then, is what I¡¯m getting from that!?¡±

    Daniyel shrugged with elegant calm. ¡°Can one truly know the mind of another? Where does one sit when faced with disaster? Would you face it with knowledge, even knowing you can do nothing, or would you prefer to remain ignorant, like the sand rose in the path of the desert storms?¡±

    I glared at him. ¡°Four incoming ships? Fast pursuit craft?¡±

    He nodded once. ¡°Indeed. Our escape was not subtle.¡±

    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m doing the best I can here!¡± Darshanna interrupted, punching several incomprehensible buttons on the control panel, and swerving with the steering yoke.

    The airship rocked and there was a sudden loud explosion outside, filling the cockpit with a bright yellow flash.

    ¡°They¡¯re shooting at us!¡± She said indignantly.

    Daniyel nodded with imperturbable calm. ¡°They do that, when you steal military hardware from a secured base.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not stealing it; we¡¯re taking it back! I won this ship fair and square!¡±

    Another explosion rocked the ship, closer this time.

    ¡°What about respect for military hardware!¡± Darshanna groused.

    ¡°If I could- ow! Interrupt.¡± I mentioned, the side of the transport slapping my head with an abrupt slam. ¡°Why don¡¯t I get a barrier around the ship, so we don¡¯t, you know, die?!¡±

    Darshanna and Daniyel blinked and looked at me. ¡°You can do that?!¡± Said Darshanna.

    ¡°Hey! Eyes front!¡± I yelled.

    ¡°Oop!¡± Darshanna did something complicated and the whole airship spun, making me feel the mana potion I¡¯d chugged suddenly want to make the acquaintance of my tongue again.

    ¡°Are all air pirates this insane?! Why can¡¯t we outrun them, isn¡¯t this ship supposed to be fast?!¡±

    Darshanna stared grimly ahead, then twisted the yoke violently. I swear she jinked the ship just to make the hull smack my head again. ¡°I haven¡¯t had time to finish upgrading her yet! The Pelican can be fast! Just¡­ not right now.¡± She gritted out.

    I grabbed my staff and started focusing on calling for the Tower.

    How do you think of these things?

    Isn¡¯t this common sense?

    Barrier is the protection of the spirits of the world for living beings, I¡¯ve never heard of anyone using it on an airship before!

    So? I¡¯ll just ask our Arcana. Summons have to be good for something!

    This is a strange thing to ask the spirit¡¯s blessing for!

    It¡¯s perfectly natural, they¡¯re just protecting the living souls inside.

    ¡°If I might suggest¡­ captain.¡± I barely noticed the hesitation in Daniyel¡¯s words, as entranced as I was with my summons. ¡°It might be time to use ¡®that¡¯.¡±

    ¡°No! I haven¡¯t had time to properly test it yet!¡± Her words were punctuated with a nearby explosion, and several new red lights blossomed on the control console.

    I closed my eyes and refocused on the summoning.

    Arcana of the Tower, grant us your blessing, armor our vessel, and grant us safety.

    We have heard your plea, child of ?ther. Your request is granted. We shall protect your vessel as long as we are able.

    A door opened somewhere inside me, and my staff burst into brilliant white light, the dragon of the Tower pouring out of the door inside me, coiling into a shimmering silver white halo around the airship.

    ¡°What the blazing fires of Avernus is that?!¡± Darshanna squeaked.

    ¡°Summons of the Ancients.¡± Said Eshaan with a smug lilt to his voice. ¡°You get used to it.¡±

    Liar! I groused mentally, then added Thank you, Tower!

    You are welcome, child of ?ther. I cannot protect you forever, you must be ready to move.

    Right on cue, several more explosions blossomed, though the ship barely rocked this time.

    ¡°Hey, are we gonna do something about this or not?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m working on it!¡± Darshanna ground out. I pulled out mother¡¯s journal and flipped through it. The rocking of the airship made it difficult. ¡°Is the plan to lose them in the Tol Jaegren mountains?¡±

    Darshanna shot me a startled look, then nodded tersely before turning back to the controls.

    ¡°Tower can defend us for maybe ten more minutes. Can we make the mountain range in that time?¡±

    Silence, with a few juddering blasts. Then ¡°No.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to use ¡®that.¡¯ Care to share?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not ready yet!¡±

    ¡°Is it charging, or are you worried it¡¯ll explode?¡±

    Darshanna shot me an intense look. ¡°What would you know about the backwash of charged elemental power pushed through a condenser core?!¡±

    ¡°Ooh, that sounds exciting!¡± Soriya chipped in. ¡°We¡¯ll either go really really fast, or explode! Possibly both!¡±

    I looked back to Darshanna and shrugged. ¡°Very little, but I trust my friend¡¯s judgement on the matter.¡±

    Otherme whispered quietly this isn¡¯t the way to get her trust. Can¡¯t you see she¡¯s terrified? Like this¡­

    Otherme guiding my actions, I leaned forward, reaching over the back of her seat and put my hands on hers over the yoke. I spoke, a gentle {Persuade} soothing her. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to your fear. Listen to your faith in your skill. You¡¯re confident in that. You know your skill is real. That¡¯s why you flew Pelican in the first place, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    The faint tremble in her hands stilled, and I felt a steely resolve fill her. It was an oddly familiar feeling, like when I¡¯d decided on the right course of action, when I knew what I had to do and both halves of me agreed.

    Darshanna snapped out ¡°Daniyel. Go prep booster tank three for dump into the converter.¡±

    Daniyel unstrapped himself and rose. ¡°At once, captain.¡± He said without hesitation. I caught Soriya¡¯s gaze as he left.

    Oh! So it¡¯s like that?

    It¡¯s like that. Otherme confirmed with a soft giggle.

    ¡°Soriya, would you help Daniyel?¡± I gave her a little smile. She smiled back broadly and nodded. She unbuckled her straps, and swayed her way past me, leaning down to whisper in my ear ¡°I owe you one.¡±

    ¡°What can your friend do?¡± Darshanna said.

    ¡°You know her talents. You got her collar off, what do you think she can do with an elementally charged¡­ what do you call it?¡±

    ¡°A condenser core! God, Is there a brain in that pink head of yours?!¡±

    That hurt, a lot more than it had any right too.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to help.¡± I said softly, looking down at the deck in frustration.

    Darshanna was silent for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Sit down, and stop moving around.¡±

    I did as she asked. A moment later, Daniyel¡¯s voice drifted up from the back of the ship. ¡°Captain! I believe we are ready to attempt the boost. The lady Soriya has done a binding ritual which she assures me will assist in stabilizing the core.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± Darshanna called back. I could see sweat beading on her forehead. ¡°Ok everybody! Hold on to something!¡± She flipped several switches on the board, which began to flash a disturbing shade of amber. She hesitated one last moment, then flipped up a bright red safety cover over a switch, and flicked it down.

    The entire ship kicked like it had just been thrown by a giant. I was yanked sideways in my chair, falling hard against Eshaan, my hair plastered around his head.

    This is nice. We can stay like this. Otherme murmured quietly.

    I ground my teeth and struggled upright against what felt like an elephant sitting on my side, trying to push me through Eshaan, and down the hallway.

    The ship rocked and creaked and groaned, the sound of overstressed metal loud in my ears. I could see Darshanna¡¯s eyes, wide with fear and excitement, her knuckles white as she gripped the control yoke. I reached forward, and squeezed her shoulder.

    ¡°You designed her! She¡¯ll hold together!¡± I yelled into her ear, over the screaming of overstressed metal.

    Darshanna looked around at the console wildly, muttering ¡°Easy baby, hold together, take momma home.¡±

    I snuck a glance out the cockpit windows, at the blur of ground underneath us. It really was just a blur. I grinned viciously, imagining the expression on the pilot¡¯s faces behind us, the frustration of Khine as we vanished into the distance. Far faster than I expected, a line of grey and purple in the distance rapidly grew larger and larger. From the rear of the ship, I heard something pop and the smell of elemental energy crackle wildly.

    ¡°Captain, it appears that the device is at its limit.¡± Daniyel¡¯s imperturbable voice carried forward over the continued screeching of metal. ¡°I will deactivate the booster now.¡±

    There was a loud BANG from the rear, and the feeling of an elephant sitting on me suddenly ceased, so abruptly that I almost whiplashed my head into Darshanna¡¯s skull. The smell of overheated metal and ozone wafted from the rear, along with the high-pitched swearing of a certain {Elementalist}.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    The console in front of Darshanna lit up like a Christmas tree, if Christmas trees only had red lights on them.

    ¡°Shit! SHIT!¡± The Pelican began to rock and shudder violently. ¡°She¡¯s not going to hold! I have to set her down! There¡¯s an imperial excavation camp near the peak, I¡¯ll aim for that!¡±

    I felt my eyebrows climb into my hairline. Since when does a sky pirate know the location of imperial base camps? ¡­ I¡¯m going to lose 100 zeni.

    I looked over at Eshaan, and said in what I felt was a remarkably calm voice, for someone about to be involved in an airship crash ¡°So, excavation camp? Is this one of those archeological digs you wanted to explore?¡±

    He looked at me, eyes wide with a mix of fear and shock. ¡°Now?! You want to discuss this NOW?!¡±

    I shifted on my seat. ¡°I can¡¯t think of a better time. We¡¯re about to ground near one, mother¡¯s journal doesn¡¯t mention a single word about these camps, you¡¯re the resident expert, and I think Darshanna is a bit too involved to be having a conversation about them.¡±

    ¡°Shut up and let me concentrate!¡± Darshanna shouted. ¡°Better yet, brace for impact!¡±

    And that was all the warning we got, before the world was filled with the sounds of shrieking metal, burning fumes, and a tumbling white cold of frozen mountain air. I could feel the fading shreds of Tower as the impact tore the Pelican apart, softening the blows that most likely would have proven fatal.

    I couldn¡¯t help but grin inside. Shipwrecked on top of a mountain. How wonderfully jrpg romantic.

    This happens often?!

    Oh, at least every fourth game!

    And then a flying piece of debris rudely slapped me on the side of the head, and everything went black.

    I came to with the taste of fruit healing potion filling my mouth. I coughed violently, feeling a rapidly fading ache all up and down the side of my body. My butt and back were wet and freezing cold, but my head was resting on something soft. I opened my eyes to see Eshaan¡¯s upside-down face over me. I blinked in confusion for a moment, then let out a shocked gasp, sitting upright.

    I had my head in his lap?!

    Eeee! We had our head in his lap!

    ¡°Lily? Are you ok?¡± Eshaan¡¯s soft baritone brought me back around. I turned, seeing the worried look on his face. Looking around, I recognized the faint flickering shimmer of a magic tent¡¯s soft glow, and beyond it¡­

    Snow. I was sitting on snow. That explained the wet. Outside, what sounded like a howling gale. I glanced back to Eshaan. ¡°Blizzard?¡±

    He nodded, a look of relief washing over his face. ¡°If you¡¯re able to ask questions like that I guess you¡¯re ok. I was really worried, Lilyanna! You had blood all over¡­¡±

    I smiled wryly. Airship crash. Check.

    ¡°You should have saved a few for yourself.¡± I looked around for my staff. It was close by, and I felt another surge of relief. I hadn¡¯t broken it this time! ¡°Now, hold still and let me heal you.¡± I commanded.

    Eshaan obeyed, for a wonder, and shortly the soft pearly silver white glow of my {Heal} filled the dome of the tent. When it cleared, Eshaan no longer looked like he¡¯d picked a fight with a rock face. I nodded in satisfaction. I felt really good to be able to do that.

    See? Otherme prodded gently. Healing feels good. Helping others feel better feels good!

    I know that! I snapped back. I don¡¯t object to the healing and protection! I object to what happens at the end of the story!

    Well¡­ we won¡¯t let it. Otherme declared. We¡¯re not like those girls. And we won¡¯t let anything bad happen to Eshaan either!

    I sighed. Alright, fair enough. You win some, you lose some¡­

    ¡°Well. For now, it¡¯s impossible to find the others. We¡¯d be lost before we got 10 meters.¡± Eshaan said.

    I sighed and nodded. ¡°They¡¯re fine. We¡¯ll have to wait out the blizzard.¡±

    ¡°How can you be sure?!¡± he asked worriedly.

    ¡°I just am.¡± I said with quiet confidence. After all, they were the party. They might be injured, cold, or possibly lost, but they wouldn¡¯t be in mortal danger!

    I sighed, and punched the ground. ¡°I¡¯m more frustrated that we lost the airship. Meadowlark, I was really hoping we¡¯d get to keep it this early in the game!¡±

    Eshaan looked at me strangely, then burst out laughing. ¡°Lily, you are the strangest person I know! We¡¯re wrecked on the side of a mountain, lost somewhere in the Tol Jaegren range, possibly near an armed Imperial excavation site, and you¡¯re upset because the world isn¡¯t matching the story from your world?¡±

    I glared at him in frustration. ¡°Actually, the opposite. I¡¯m frustrated because it is matching the story!¡± I said heatedly.

    He paused, then shrugged. ¡°So what¡¯s next?¡±

    I laughed, a little bitterly. ¡°You know, in my stories, you¡¯d be the one telling me where to go!¡±

    He raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°But you already know. And¡­¡± he stroked his chin thoughtfully. ¡°If what you said earlier is true, if you do something that I disagree with, I¡¯ll still disagree with it, and not go along with it. So, all I¡¯m really doing is asking a sage for advice.¡± He smiled brightly at me.

    ¡°You¡¯re not fooling me, you know.¡± I punched at the snow in frustration.

    ¡°I¡¯m not?¡±

    ¡°No. You just want someone to lead you, like you followed Commander Khine.¡±

    Otherme gave a sharp little gasp. Rude! CRUEL!

    It did actually look like that. Eshaan¡¯s face crumpled, and he looked at the ground, an almost palpable cloud of gloom surrounding him.

    That look was a bit like a kick in the gut. That was cruel of me. I reached out a hand in apology. ¡°Eshaan, I¡¯m sorry. That was cruel of me. I didn¡¯t mean it to come out like that.¡±

    He shook his head, and then lifted his eyes to me. I saw a new determination in them. Otherme made a little swooning sound.

    ¡°No. You¡¯re right. I¡­¡± looked down and clenched his fist with a determination I¡¯d not seen in him before. ¡°I have been leaning on you too much! I have been asking someone else to chart my own course! I became a trooper to study the ancients, not march around in formation or guard archeologists!¡±

    Oh spirits¡­ I¡¯ve done it again. A sinking feeling filled my stomach. I just triggered the hero¡¯s personal growth.

    That¡¯s not bad. That¡¯s good. Otherme said with determination. He needs to be self-reliant. We¡¯re not his mother!

    But now he¡¯s going to rush off into dangerous situations and drag us along!

    Oh? Otherme¡¯s voice was full of sweetly sarcastic syrup. Like a certain heroine, rescuing her friend from execution? Hanging out with air pirates?

    I swallowed. I couldn¡¯t even say that was different, could I?

    I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Well, if that¡¯s the path¡­ well the hero is irritatingly noble.

    ¡°So we¡¯re going to find the others, right?¡±

    He blinked in surprise then smiled brightly. ¡°So I was right!¡±

    I smiled back a little sadly. ¡°Yes Eshaan, you were right. We¡¯re going to find the others first, and then we¡¯re going to head to the imperial excavation site for shelter, where we will surely find some ancient widget or another.¡±

    He blinked, then smiled crookedly in puzzlement. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ Miss Lilyanna, I really don¡¯t understand. You want to find the answer to this puzzle, don¡¯t you? You want to chase down those shadows that came to life in the cavern, don¡¯t you?¡±

    I pressed my lips together, and nodded.

    ¡°Then this is the right course of action for both of us! Why¡­ do you keep acting like you don¡¯t want to do it?¡±

    I sighed, and flopped back down on the snow, idly noting that being limber and athletic enough to do so was a very nice change of pace.

    I looked up at him and crossed my arms. ¡°Eshaan, how do you like it when somebody tells you that you have to do something? That you must take an action?¡±

    He blinked and then nodded slowly. ¡°Oh¡­ Oh I see. Well, I suppose it¡¯s different for me, I was in the army. You do have to do things you don¡¯t want to, on orders, all the time. But don¡¯t you want to stop the shadows from doing whatever they¡¯re planning?¡±

    I sighed, and nodded unhappily. ¡°Yes, I suppose I do.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ this is something you should be doing. Something you know you need to do, even if you don¡¯t want to.¡± He knelt down next to me and patted my knee with his hand. ¡°And if you¡¯ll allow it, I¡¯d like to help.¡±

    Yes! YES! Say YES! Otherme shouted loudly in my mind.

    No! I don¡¯t want to say that! What if he-

    Oh give it up girl! He¡¯s already fallen for us hook line and sinker! And it¡¯s not like there¡¯s some mind control to make you fall for him, unless he happens to be brave, and handsome, and tender and-

    And dumber than a post? Shut it. I get it. You¡¯re hot for him too. I¡¯m not you, remember?

    That is a point that we disagree on. But for now¡­ we are stronger with allies than without. We do not know what we unleashed in the cavern, but it is tied to the Ancients, and a protector who also happens to study the Ancients would be most helpful.

    I let out a long sigh.

    ¡°Lilyanna?¡± Eshaan¡¯s voice was as tight as a bowstring.

    ¡°Yes, Eshaan. I would be grateful to have a friend on this adventure.¡±

    The sappy smile that spread across his face was disturbingly warm to witness, as he squeezed my hand gently.

    I am so going to regret this.

    That also is a point that we disagree on. Otherme¡¯s voice was prim.

    We sat in the magic tent for a little longer, waiting for the storm to die out. I poked my head out once or twice, but the fierce wind almost tore my hair off my scalp, my braid flapping like a pink banner in the storm, so each time I retreated back inside. I started a small fire with one of the elemental crystals we had, and cooked a small meal for us while we waited. Simple camp food, but Eshaan happily ate it all and proclaimed it the best trail rations he¡¯d ever eaten. I smiled and shook my head. It really was impossible to stay mad at him, he was like a giant puppy dog.

    Fortified by warm food, and with the blizzard starting to weaken, we collapsed the tent and headed out into the forest.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose your seer sight tells you which way to go?¡± Eshaan said.

    I shook my head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t have a guidebook.¡± I smiled and patted my pouch. ¡°I checked, mother didn¡¯t mention anything about ancient ruins or excavations. Just that the passes of Tol Jaegren are very troublesome at this time of year. We¡¯ll need to be on the lookout for Yeti. Yeti, and Snow Worms, and White Mantis and Cutterpillers.¡±

    Eshaan shuddered. ¡°I- ugh. I hate bugs.¡±

    ¡°What?! You were fine with the undead bugs in the sewers!¡± I protested.

    He smiled awkwardly and shrugged. ¡°Those were more like undead than bugs though!¡±

    ¡°You are so weird.¡± I said, but smiled to take the sting out of it. I peered out into the fading blizzard. ¡°Well. Maybe we can use some actual logic for once. We crashed. The debris should be spread out in a long line. If we follow the line forward and back, we should find our friends.¡±

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°Now you¡¯re talking like a trooper!¡±

    I glared at him. ¡°Not funny. Let¡¯s go.¡± I set off.

    Behind me, I could hear the smile in Eshaan¡¯s voice as he snapped out ¡°Aye aye, ma¡¯am! On the trot!¡±

    As I had hoped, the crash was clearly marked by great furrows. The blizzard had mostly been horizontally blowing snow, so the path of the wreck hadn¡¯t completely been erased. As we slowly worked our way along the furrows of the wreckage, I caught sight of a brightly flickering fire. Heading towards it, I found Soriya and Daniyel huddled around a shelter made of broken logs and brush, keeping watch over a fire.

    I waved and called out as we trudged up to them. Soriya looked up, Diabloi held ready, but when she saw us broke out into a huge relieved smile. She leapt up and rushed over, giving me a tight hug, then stepped back looking me up and down.

    ¡°Are you alright? Is everything ok?¡±

    I smiled wryly at her. ¡°You mean aside from being stranded in a snow storm on a mountain peak after an airship wreck?¡±

    ¡°Yes, aside from that.¡± She smiled cheekily at me.

    I smiled back at her and shrugged helplessly. ¡°I¡¯m on an adventure with my best friend, and a group of air pirates. Things are just peachy.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± she nodded firmly. ¡°Now come over and get warm.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you set up a magic tent?¡± Eshaan asked as we settled around the fire.

    ¡°We were unlucky enough not to have such supplies.¡± Daniyel rumbled. ¡°Fortunately, Miss Soriya was able to use her elemental mastery to keep me warm. My desert blood does not agree with these mountain heights.¡±

    Soirya patted Daniyel on the arm. ¡°My pleasure.¡±

    ¡°But, now that we are reunited, should we not go in search of the captain?¡±

    I heard that little hitch in his voice again, almost saying her name. Possibly not even the name she¡¯d given us.

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°Yes! We should find her quickly! Lilyanna says we need to beware the white mantis and cutterpillers.¡±

    Daniyel smacked his fist together. ¡°Insects. Easily dealt with.¡± He rose and nodded. ¡°Let us go.¡±

    Soriya used her magic to put out the fire, and we trudged into the last fading wisps of the blizzard, swirls of blowing snow and cold wind. I could see that Daniyel was not doing well, despite his brave front. It seemed he really was unhappy in the cold.

    I was suddenly hit with a brainwave. ¡°Soriya, let¡¯s use a ritual to put together a heat shield! I¡¯ll add {Healing} and you can add {Flare} and we can put up a healing zone that wards off cold!¡±

    Soriya perked up, and we started working out the magical formula for the spell.

    Eshaan coughed. ¡°Not to put too fine a point on it, ladies, but maybe we should put up a tent while you work this out?¡±

    I flushed, and Soriya grinned. ¡°He¡¯s got a point.¡±

    ¡°Yes, he does.¡± I muttered, then nodded.

    ¡°Yes Eshaan, please save us from our own foolishness.¡± I smiled at him.

    He put up the tent immediately. ¡°This is our last one, if-¡°

    ¡°You need not worry.¡± Daniyel interrupted. ¡°The captain keeps an ample supply of all useful materials on her person, and the wreckage of the Pelican should provide more.¡±

    ¡°Oh, well that¡¯s good then.¡± Eshaan nodded in relief.

    Our little group huddled in the tent while Soriya and I worked out the Ritual. Drawing a magic circle in snow was fairly easy, and then it was a simple matter to repeat the same basic outline as we¡¯d done at the Cavern.

    ¡°Spirits of Health and Spirits of Fire, Spirits of the world and mist, guard us as the children we are, wrap our bodies in a cloak of healing warmth.¡± we chanted. The circle flared bright red gold, and the air around us suddenly heated to a balmy summer¡¯s day. We all let out a sigh of relief, but Daniyel¡¯s was the loudest. He bowed deeply to both of us.

    ¡°I find myself once more in your debt, ladies. It will not be forgotten.¡±

    Soriya let out a little smile as she said ¡°Well good. A witch likes to know her favors are appreciated.¡±

    He smiled at her broadly. ¡°Indeed they are.¡±

    I pretended to find something interesting to stare at in the snow. Eshaan just looked clueless.

    Breaking camp once more, we trudged off into the snow following the line of devastation left by the crash. We had to detour around several obstructions, and there were indeed white mantises and cutterpillers (white ones, of course) that lunged out of the snow. A few swift punches from Daniyel and even swifter cuts of Eshaan¡¯s blade, and they vanished into memory. I was hopelessly lost, the whiteness all looked the same to me, and if it wasn¡¯t for the trail of footprints behind us, I¡¯d have thought we were going in circles. Eshaan seemed to know where he was going though, and his intuition or whatever he was using paid off. We soon came upon the glowing bubble of a magic tent in the middle of a large pile of wreckage.

    Daniyel stopped and turned to us. ¡°My friends, I must ask a great favor of you. Allow me to go first. I must speak with the captain alone. Please, I beg you, do me this favor?¡±

    I glanced over at Eshaan, then Soriya, and back to Daniyel. To my surprise, before I could say anything Eshaan spoke up. ¡°Of course Daniyel. We understand. We¡¯ll be waiting here.¡±

    I looked over at him in surprise. Well well. That little spurt of personal growth is showing some good.

    I nodded when he looked over, and he smiled at me as Daniyel trudged towards the tent and vanished inside.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s got secrets, right? Everyone¡¯s got a right to keep those to themselves, as long as they don¡¯t harm anyone else.¡±

    I blinked even more, and Soriya¡¯s grin was so broad I swore I could see canary feathers poking out of her teeth.

    ¡°Well¡­ yeah. I guess that¡¯s true.¡± I looked back towards the dome of the tent just in time to see it collapse. Darshanna¡¯s eyes were suspiciously bright, and I was pretty sure she¡¯d wiped off tear tracks as well, but her smile was determined as she marched over to us.

    ¡°Ah, my loyal crew! Reunited, we can plunder the greatest treasures of the Tol Jaegren expedition!¡±

    I stared at her for a moment, trying to think what to say, and Eshaan jumped in again.

    ¡°Absolutely, Miss Darshanna. No, captain.¡± He smiled at her. ¡°Happy to tag along on an adventure with you at the helm.¡±

    She jerked her head to stare at him, her eyes filled with surprise and a touch of belligerence that he was making fun of her. He simply smiled at her, and I could see her gradually lowering her guard, a slight flicker of pride in her.

    I¡¯ll be damned. He¡­ he was cheering her up! That¡¯s¡­ not actually dumb!

    That hussy! She¡¯d better stay away from Eshaan if she knows what¡¯s good for her!

    Oh give it a rest, you. She¡¯s kind of cute herself, you know?

    That seemed to silence otherme.

    ¡°So! While you lot were lollygagging about, I was scouting the imperial garrison!¡± Darshanna gestured grandly. ¡°They¡¯re just over that ridge, hunkered down. Looks like a short team as well. We¡¯ll sneak in and steal whatever they¡¯re guarding right out from under their noses!¡±

    I put my hands on my hips and said ¡°How about we just ask first?¡±

    Everyone stared at me.

    ¡°What?!¡± I said defensively. ¡°Nobody ever just thinks to ask what they¡¯re doing! They don¡¯t know how we got here, they don¡¯t know we¡¯re being chased¡­ why don¡¯t we just¡­ ask?¡± I turned to Darshanna. ¡°I think the pro thieves call this ¡®casing the joint¡¯?¡±

    Her eyes slowly widened and a wide grin spread across her face. She shook her finger at me. ¡°You¡­ I like the way you think! You can be my ensign!¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°No thank you.¡± And a mischievous urge suddenly filled me. ¡°It¡¯s co-captain, or nothing.¡±

    Eshaan burst out laughing at the look of startled shock on Darshanna¡¯s face.

 19 If you will not come to the dungeon, the dungeon will come to you.

    We gathered up what supplies we could scrounge, with Darshanna looking with longing sadness at the wreckage all around us. I felt bad for her, but it was pretty obvious we¡¯d be back in an airship at some point, and she was the logical choice to pilot it.

    I slipped up next to her. ¡°Hey, Darshanna? Just out of curiosity, was the man who taught you how to fly and craft named Cid?¡±

    She blinked at me in confusion. ¡°No? What an odd question. Did you know a Cid?¡±

    I laughed. ¡°Well¡­ sort of. I suppose you might say I knew an idea of him.¡± I shook my head and patted her arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll get you a new ship.¡± I smiled reassuringly and trudged over to Eshaan, hearing her murmur ¡°What an odd girl.¡± as I went.

    I pulled up next to Eshaan and nodded. ¡°I think that¡¯s about all we can get here. So, do you want to do the talking, or should I? Also, what¡¯s the most likely bet to get us inside? I don¡¯t know how long the warmth field Soriya and I created will last, and I don¡¯t know if you noticed, but it¡¯s a bit chilly out here.¡± I grinned at him. My robes were far warmer than they had any right to be, but they were still far too sheer for my liking. Something with fur would be nice. Maybe we can skin a Yeti or something.

    Eshaan stroked his chin. ¡°Well, if they¡¯re following standard imperial procedure, they¡¯ll expect us to have a pass or writ of passage. If we don¡¯t, it depends on how secure the site is. They might turn us away entirely, or they might put us somewhere secure while they wait for orders from higher up.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I liked your idea. Let¡¯s just tell them we crashed, and we¡¯re looking for shelter.¡±

    ¡°That was my idea?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say to approach and ask them for help?¡±

    I laughed. ¡°Yeah, I guess you got me there. Ok! Well, you know the pass codes and phrases?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°It would be more suspicious if I know the codes while I¡¯m not with a squad and I¡¯m not in uniform. Also, I don¡¯t have a pass or writ. You should do the talking.¡±

    I sighed and nodded. ¡°Right.¡± I looked over my shoulder. ¡°Everybody ready?¡±

    Various assents and agreements, and we trudged over the low rise and down towards the small imperial base nestled against the mountain side. The sun was just starting to set and I shivered even as I thought about staying the night. We didn¡¯t exactly have a choice though.

    The base was surrounded by a fence with flickering elemental wards on it. Nearby, two guards shrouded in greatcoats stood outside a low squat cinderblock structure next to a gate. They were huddled up in their coats, leaning against the wall out of the wind. I could see embers of cigarettes, and the wind flicked fragments of muttered conversation to my ears, desultory and brief.

    As soon as I got within earshot, I called out and waved. Both guards jerked upright in surprise, looking around in confusion before spotting our little group approaching them.

    Ok, me. We¡¯re not going to lie, but we¡¯re gonna be creative. You ok with that?

    No, but I think it¡¯s the right course of action.

    ¡°Oh my gosh, are we glad to see you!¡± I called out as we approached, pushing a {Persuade}. ¡°You have no idea what a relief it is to see something besides yeti and white mantis!¡±

    The soldiers finally untangled their minds, having gotten to their feet. They weren¡¯t pointing their guns at us, at least not yet, but they held them at the ready in a very disturbing way.

    ¡°You don¡¯t mind my saying. miss, what the hell are you doing out here in the first place?!¡± one said, his tone bristling with suspicion.

    I smiled as sweetly as I could, and folded my hands in front of me. ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve just been in an airship wreck! We were stranded on this mountain! Please, can you help us?¡±

    ¡°Miss, this is a secure installation-¡° one started

    ¡°Ah, forget it, Vijay.¡± The other turned to his companion. ¡°Ever since they took that giant hunk of metal back to the capital everybody knows this base is slated for closure. It¡¯s about as secure as a sieve! You go and get the Commandant, let him know what¡¯s happening. Girl and her friends are likely lost tourists from the empire by the look of them.¡±

    I had a brief moment of panic before I heard Darshanna pipe up with enthusiastic agreement.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! We were just on a tour of the borderlands, it¡¯s the latest thing, you know! And in my own personal airship, I customized it personally you know, it really was the most adorable thing all the ladies will be so jealous, and there was a terrible malfunction!¡± She pushed forward, and I did a double take as she did. Her whole demeanor had changed, going from brash and slightly cocky sky pirate to a completely convincing imitation of a spoiled teenage noble who had had the most inconceivable thing happen to her¡­ an actual inconvenience.

    ¡°Shoddy workmanship, I have no doubt, you simply can¡¯t buy good quality materials anymore! I shall have to complain sternly to the supplier! Oh it was terrible! I and my retinue barely managed to get out alive, the ship is just¡­¡± she flipped her hand back the way we came ¡°Fragments! Bits! I shall have to commission an entirely new one, and supervise the crew more closely this time! We were so scared, but now that there¡¯s an imperial base here, why, it¡¯s just as if the spirits were guiding us! We¡¯d be ever so grateful if you could help us!¡±

    I could only stare in awe at her performance. She wasn¡¯t even using a {Persuade}, just pure acting! And the trooper was falling for it!

    ¡°Ah, miss, a little girl like you, that must be hard. Come on into the guard shack, I¡¯ll get you a mug of tea. It¡¯s not high quality, but it is warm.¡± And he turned and ushered us into one of the small cinderblock buildings next to the gate.

    His companion, Vijay, shook his head in apparent disgust, took a last drag on his cigarette, then threw the butt into the snow where it joined a host of other lonely ashes. He turned and headed through the gate, heading towards another low building where I could see lights glimmering faintly.

    I stood frozen in shock a moment as Darshanna and the others trudged past me.

    That worked?!

    That worked.

    How?!

    I have no idea.

    As we crowded into the guard building, Darshanna continued her steady prattle of nothing and everything at once. Apparently, her name was Amala now, and we were her retainers, with her noble bodyguard Daniyel. The way he briefly smiled when she said that, I wondered if that perhaps might be the actual truth of the matter.

    It certainly explains why a dangerous looking man follows a teenage sky pirate around like a puppy, and barks whenever she¡¯s in danger.

    The tea was much better than the trooper had said. Strong and dark and just a little bitter, and it was warm. I cupped my hands around it and sighed in pleasure.

    ¡°Thank you ever so much!¡± Darshanna continued to gush. ¡°It was getting dark and I was so scared!¡±

    ¡°Ah, well, you¡¯re lucky you found us.¡± The trooper, whose name was apparently Naveen, told us. ¡°The weather looks to be taking a turn for the worse, and the nights are not friendly up here.¡± The trooper nodded sagely. Indeed, outside the cinderblock building, I could hear the whip and snap of the wind growing in intensity, and flurries of snow started to sleet past again, even heavier than the storm when we first ¡°landed¡±.

    Well. I was a bit worried about a search party, or aerial issues, but with this storm, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much to worry about. I thought.

    The door burst open again, the wind and flurries briefly howling around inside before the two men who entered could force it closed again. They stamped their feet and rubbed their hands, while the leader surveyed us with a careful gaze.

    ¡°So! Welcome to Imperial Dig site #28.¡± The man said. ¡°I am Commandant Nirav. I understand you have quite a tale to tell?¡±

    ¡°Oh Commaaaaandant!~¡± Darshanna cooed. ¡°Yes! Thank you ever so much for saving us! I am the Baroness Amala, and these are my retainers.¡± She gestured grandly to herself and us.

    Wait, she¡¯s a baron now?!

    Baron is one of the lowest noble ranks, it¡¯s at least a little believable.

    It is?

    Otherme shared a brief ranking of the noble titles. It was all complete gibberish to me, but apparently there was only one rank lower than baron, and that was baronet.

    The Commandant pressed her on her story, but she played off the roll of foppish noble girl without a hitch, even dodging several carefully laid verbal traps the Commandant placed. As she pattered on, otherme quietly nudged me.

    See the way he¡¯s sitting? He¡¯s worried about something. It¡¯s easy to fool someone when they¡¯re already distracted.

    I blinked and glanced at him. Otherme pointed out a tenseness in his shoulders, a restlessness in his stance.

    ¡°Yes, very well.¡± The Commandant finally said, pushing himself to his feet. ¡°I think we can accommodate the Baroness for a night at the very least.¡± He said not long after ¡°Amala¡± had started describing the wonderful crumpets that her aunt had made them for the trip, now tragically lost ¡°-and before I¡¯d even had more than 4!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid our accommodations are a bit rougher than you¡¯re used to, Baroness, but they should keep you warm at least. The storm will prevent us from using the heliograph to signal for assistance until it clears, but until then, we are at your disposal. Please confine yourself to bunkhouse three, for your own safety. The ruins are not safe for casual visitors. If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± He bowed sharply then turned to Vijay. ¡°Trooper, show the Baroness and her retinue to the spare block 3. I still need to deal with the Eideth situation.¡±

    ¡°Sir.¡± Vijay saluted and beckoned to us.

    ¡°Oh, is there something amiss?¡± Darshanna gushed, apparently all sincerity. ¡°Is there anything we could help with?! As recompense for your gracious hospitality and as loyal servants of the empire it is my duty to ask!¡±

    The Commandant turned to her and narrowed his eyes skeptically. She met his gaze with a wide-eyed vacuous stare.

    And she has the gall to call me empty headed!

    Perhaps she has experience in the matter?

    He glanced to Daniyel, then shook his head. ¡°No, Baroness. It is a trivial matter. One of the engineers on the site is overdue to check in. She has a habit of it. As you know, Monanin are notorious for their lack of sensible time.¡±

    When Nirav mentioned the dwarf, I saw Darshanna¡¯s eyes light up. She quickly quenched her interest, but I could see that she started to fidget.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s too bad! Well, do let us know if we can help!¡±

    The Commandant bowed again. ¡°Of course, Baroness. Trooper?¡±

    Vijay once more beckoned us out the door, and this time Darshanna led us to follow him. The wind was bitingly cold, even through the warding ritual that Soriya and I had created, the storm was indeed making itself known.

    We trudged through the horizontal snow to another anonymous low cinderblock building, this time without lights inside. I was a bit hesitant, afraid we were about to be slammed into a prison, but Vijay simply opened the front door, then stepped in, beckoning us to hurry. We scurried after him, and found ourselves in a bleak bunkhouse, rows of cots with neatly rolled mattresses. The inside was devoid of heat, but simply being out of the wind was enough for us to feel warm at that point.

    ¡°Here. Baroness, I must impress on you, your noble title will not save you from the dangers of the dig site. Confine yourselves here. For your own safety.¡± He gave a sharp bow, and stomped out of the building into the storm.

    The door slammed, leaving us alone.

    Darshanna¡¯s whole posture changed and she let out a huge sigh of relief, once more the spunky tomboy with aviators goggles on her forehead. ¡°Thank the spirits, I thought he¡¯d never leave! I hate playing that airheaded fop!¡±

    Daniyel said ¡°I think perhaps we should look for the fire crystals to start the heating. Sleeping in the cold is not wise.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to explore?! We¡¯re just going to stay here?!¡± Eshaan burst out.

    Daniyel turned to Eshaan; an eyebrow raised. ¡°It is exceedingly late, the storm is likely to delay our pursuers for at least a little while longer, the¡­ ¡®casing¡¯ of the location can wait. Indeed, unless I miss my guess, by tomorrow the Commandant will be coming to us for assistance. He appeared considerably more worried than a single overdue engineer would warrant.¡±

    ¡°I knew it!¡± Soriya spoke up. ¡°I bet she¡¯s the next party member!¡±

    I looked at her in disbelief. ¡°A dwarf? Really?¡±

    ¡°Monan. Don¡¯t call them dwarves, it¡¯s insulting.¡± She replied.

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°How would you like it if everyone called you ¡®pinkie¡¯ all the time, simply because of your hair?¡±

    ¡°¡­. Monan it is.¡±

    With the howling storm outside and the time, I decided that dinner would be a good thing, and set about preparing food for everyone. Luckily, the empty bunkhouse had a central stove which served as heat as well as for cooking. A few fire crystals later, the bunkhouse was feeling warm and cozy, the smell of food wafting up from the cooking.

    ¡°Oh my gawd, that smells amazing! You¡¯re hired, ship¡¯s cook!¡± said Darshanna as she hovered over me. I smiled aside at her, as she drooled quietly.

    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s co-captain, or nothing.¡± I said as I stirred the bubbling pot of chili in front of me.

    ¡°Oh come on, this is food we¡¯re talking about! Food! You can¡¯t withhold food from a starving girl! It¡¯s inhuman!¡±

    I pushed a plate of steaming chili and bread at her. ¡°Who said anything about withholding food? I¡¯m just not your chef.¡±

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    The others gathered around the stove as I dished out the food.

    ¡°I dunno, Lilyanna.¡± Said Soriya slyly. ¡°You¡¯re cooking for everyone.¡±

    I turned pink. ¡°That¡¯s not the same as being your chef.¡±

    ¡°Eeee, so good!¡± Darshanna got out around a mouthful of food, kicking her heels against the floor as she ate.

    Eshaan nodded in agreement. ¡°She really is quite a wizard with food.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. This meal is most delightful, though perhaps a bit less spicy than I might prefer.¡± Rumbled Daniyel.

    I huffed at them, hands on my hips. ¡°Listen you three! I make food because I like to eat food-¡°

    Soriya tapped my chest lightly. ¡°Easier on the tsundere, Lily. It¡¯s ok to enjoy helping others, you know.¡±

    I could feel the heat of my blush all the way to my ears. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m not¡­ that¡¯s completely unfair!¡±

    ¡°So why do you object to the compliments of your cooking? Do you think we¡¯re all lying to you?¡±

    I pinched my mouth shut and stirred the chili pot angrily.

    You¡¯re scared of being good at a ¡®feminine¡¯ thing, aren¡¯t you? Otherme gently chided. I don¡¯t see why. You cooked before, you cook now, and I help. And you do like it when they praise you.

    I was silent, biting my lip harder. Otherme fell silent, which didn¡¯t help since it was obviously a reproachful silence.

    ¡°I just¡­ don¡¯t want to be seen as one thing. I¡¯m¡­¡± I bit my lip. I didn¡¯t want to say Lilyanna, but after the shadow crack¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not just a cook. Or a healer girl.¡±

    Soriya patted my shoulder. ¡°We saved Breezewood, Lily. Of course you¡¯re not the character in a game. You¡¯re whoever you decide to be. And if you decide to cook for your friends because you like how it makes them feel, then that¡¯s ok.¡±

    I bit my lip thinking, the nodded. It was ok. Like Eshaan, I could do what I chose. I had done what I chose to save the town, and I would break this plot. Mother¡¯s journal was already proving that possible.

    <{Gourmet} unlocked. {Gourmet} Advanced to level 1. {Cooking}, unlocked. For coming to terms with your skills and providing food to bolster your party¡¯s spirits, you have advanced to {Gourmet:1}> The world soul announced in my ear.

    I sighed. Of course. Thanks, World Soul.

    We sat around the stove eating, and quietly talking, but soon a yawn crept up on me and ambushed me.

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°It¡¯s ok Lily, we¡¯ll be safe here. Nothing will happen until the morning at the latest.¡± I smiled at him and then sighed. ¡°Yes, I suppose we should sleep. It¡¯s been a very eventful day.¡±

    Soriya smiled and patted my shoulder. ¡°It is. Sleep well.¡±

    I curled up on one of the old mattresses, the last thing I remember thinking was This mattress is far too lumpy. It will take me ages to get to sleep.

    The next thing I knew Eshaan was shaking my shoulder gently, and a dull grey white light was streaming in through the bunkhouse windows. ¡°Lily, it¡¯s morning. Time to get up.¡± His voice was gentle.

    ¡°Uh. Morning?¡± I sat up, blinking blurrily, brushing my long pink locks out of my face. Indeed, the grey white light filtering in through the windows did look to be what passed for daylight in the howling storm which continued to batter the mountain. I ran my fingers through my hair, then undid my braid and redid it to tame the stubborn strands which had worked their way loose while I slept.

    ¡°So, we haven¡¯t heard from the Commandant yet, I¡¯m not entirely sure if Daniyel¡¯s prediction will come true, but it does mesh with yours.¡±

    ¡°Uh? Oh¡­ right. The exploration of the dig.¡± I chewed on my lower lip thoughtfully as I finished tying off my braid.

    ¡°Soriya? Can I pick your brain for a minute?¡±

    Soriya looked up from where she was chatting with Daniyel. ¡°Sure Lily, what¡¯s up?¡± She came over and looked down.

    ¡°Seems likely that we¡¯ll do a dungeon here at the dig site, yeah?¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Yeah, seems likely?¡±

    ¡°What do you think happens after?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ huh. Well, I think we get a monan engineer, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Right, but after? I think¡­ that Khine¡¯s troopers will be waiting outside when we get back.¡±

    Soriya and Eshaan¡¯s eyes both got wide.

    Soriya tapped her lips. ¡°That¡­ makes a disturbing amount of sense, actually. That would explain how we get off the mountain without an airship.¡±

    Just then Soriya¡¯s stomach growled loudly. She looked down at herself and blushed. ¡°Ah¡­¡± she looked up at me with a beseeching expression.

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Yes, yes, alright. I¡¯m low on stock, I didn¡¯t buy enough for everyone, I¡¯m not a pantry! Let¡¯s see if they left anything in the bunkhouse. We can talk while we look.¡±

    I stood up and started rummaging through the chests, cupboards, and shelves.

    ¡°So, you think Khine will find us?¡± Eshaan asked

    ¡°Either him or lt. Isha again.¡± I replied. ¡°Oh, bacon, oats, and grits! This will work nicely!¡± I grabbed the supplies and headed back to the stove.

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± Asked Soriya

    ¡°We fight them, of course!¡± Eshaan proclaimed.

    ¡°Wait, who are we fighting now?¡± Darshanna joined us, yawning, then sniffed appreciatively at the smell of bacon. ¡°Ooh, breakfast!¡± Her stomach growled loudly and she ducked her head in embarrassment.

    I laughed. ¡°Alright, alright, everyone gets some, but you have to wait!¡±

    ¡°Lilyanna thinks that after we get done finding the lost engineer, when we get out, the imperials will be waiting.¡±

    Darshanna¡¯s eyes got wide and she jerked. ¡°What? No! We escaped! We left them in the clouds!¡±

    Daniyel joined us, and said ¡°It is not wise to borrow trouble that has not yet been made manifest.¡±

    Eshaan shrugged. ¡°Well, I hate to say it, but Lilyanna¡¯s visions often turn out to be right.¡±

    Darshanna looked at me with renewed interest. ¡°You have visions? You¡¯re a seer or something? I¡¯ve never heard of that class!¡±

    I shook my head in frustration. ¡°It¡¯s not a class feature, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s something else.¡±

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°I would not dismiss miss Lilyanna¡¯s visions; they¡¯ve been right more often than they¡¯ve been wrong.¡±

    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Daniyel rumbled. ¡°A most useful talent.¡±

    I cleared my throat. ¡°Look, I could be wrong. But I don¡¯t think we lose anything if we plan for it.¡±

    The others murmured agreement. ¡°Great, so¡­ what do we do about it?¡±

    Eshaan repeated ¡°We fight of course! We beat them off last time, we can do it again!¡±

    I ladled out strips of bacon and oat-grit mush to the others, which caused a brief pause in the conversation while they ate.

    ¡°Eshaan¡­ I don¡¯t want to fight them. I¡¯d like to sneak away before anything goes wrong!¡±

    ¡°We could just refuse to look for the engineer, wait for the imperials to land their fancy airships and then steal them.¡± Soriya said. ¡°We¡¯ve got air pirates right here after all.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I like that plan!¡± Darshanna nodded excitedly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of leaving people in trouble in the dig though.¡± I nibbled on the tip of my spoon thoughtfully.

    ¡°And besides.¡± Darshanna slumped in frustration. ¡°I have to play the noble idiot again when the dig Commandant comes. You¡¯re sure he¡¯ll come?¡± She asked Daniyel with a worried look in her eyes.

    Daniyel shrugged. ¡°I cannot say for certain, I do not claim to have Lady Lilyanna¡¯s visions, I merely know men, and the commander had the airs of someone with a problem. And a noble lady¡¯s retinue is known to be useful problem solvers. As well as occasionally useful idiots.¡±

    Darshanna stomped her foot. ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t remind me. I hate playing the fluff head. I want to go to the dig and see their machines!¡±

    ¡°Their machines¡­¡± I said, an idea starting to form. I turned to Eshaan. ¡°Eshaan, will the dig have magitech constructs? Golems, laborers, that kind of thing?¡±

    Eshaan tugged at his chin. ¡°They might. If the dig site was important enough¡­¡±

    I twitched a wry smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re lucky enough that we¡¯ve landed at an unimportant dig site.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Interesting. The solider at the gate last night.¡± Daniyel rumbled ¡°He mentioned something about something being taken to Spyre. Some artifact found at the dig.¡±

    I smiled grimly and stabbed my bacon. ¡°Told you so.¡±

    ¡°Intriguing. These ¡®visions¡¯ of yours may indeed prove most sagacious to our cause.¡± Daniyel said.

    ¡°But why are you asking about the magitech constructs?¡± Darshanna asked ¡°I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, they¡¯re super interesting, but you sounded like you have a plan.¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Can you hack the constructs if they have them, Darshanna?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Sure, but what good will that do, they¡¯re dumber than Lady Amala!¡±

    I giggled. ¡°Amusing way to phrase it. And they should be plenty smart to make a distraction for us. We use the distraction, they charge the troopers lines, we run behind them and steal one of the landed airships.¡±

    Darshanna looked at me, and then slowly started to clap. ¡°Maybe you are co-captain material!¡± she said with admiration.

    I don¡¯t know why, but I blushed at that. ¡°Thanks.¡± I said softly.

    ¡°So we¡¯re all agreed? We¡¯re going to agree to the Commandant¡¯s request?¡±

    We all looked at each other, then nodded separately.

    ¡°Good!¡± Eshaan clapped his hands. ¡°An adventure and doing the right thing, followed by a run to steal an airship. I like it!¡±

    His enthusiasm startled a laugh out of me, and that sparked a laugh from Soriya and then Darshanna. Even Daniyel cracked a modest smile.

    The door opened and the Commandant and two troopers we hadn¡¯t yet met entered, along with a great deal of wind and blown snow. They fought the door closed against the storm outside, and then stood a while puffing and blowing, stomping their feet and dripping snowflakes from the storm outside.

    I saw a brief grimace cross Darshanna¡¯s face and then the vacuous airhead look settled over her face.

    ¡°Commaaaandant~! What brings you here so early in the morning, and in the middle of such frightful weather! It¡¯s a good thing my airship did crash, I¡¯m quite sure it wouldn¡¯t have survived this storm!¡± She tittered.

    The Commandant looked up at her and nodded. ¡°Baroness. I have come to take you up on your offer of assistance.¡±

    ¡°Oh reeeeally?!¡± Darshanna cooed. ¡°We are of course at the service of the imperial corp! What can we do for you?¡±

    ¡°One of my engineers has gotten herself¡­ lost. In the dig site. I would appreciate it if you would help me look for her. However, the dig site is dangerous, and before I send the daughter of a noble house into such, I wish to verify that your retinue are in fact capable of looking after your welfare.¡±

    ¡°Why, I don¡¯t know, Commandant! What on earth lives in a dig site!?¡±

    The Commandant nodded, and grimaced. ¡°There are¡­ certain issues within the mine. It appears that¡­ well, that¡¯s not important right now. Underground species of insects, certain cutterpiller species and a few spiders roam the caverns¡­¡± He heaved a sigh. ¡°But the real trouble is that our magitech equipment appears to have suffered a malfunction of some sort. Some few of the digging units may present a considerable hazard.

    Darshanna¡¯s eyes lit up with unholy glee. She clapped her hands together to disguise her excitement. ¡°Oh how dreadful! So you need our assistance with the search! Yes, yes, my retainers are quite capable! Father simply won¡¯t let me leave the house without them!¡±

    The Commandant nodded with clear relief. He reached into his greatcoat and pulled out a rolled parchment. ¡°I¡¯ve taken the liberty of preparing a crude map of the dig tunnels.¡± He held it out, and Darshanna took it with fluid grace, smoothly passing it to Daniyel without a pause.

    ¡°We will get started at once, Commandant!¡± she chirped.

    He nodded back, saluted politely. ¡°Well then. When you¡¯re ready-¡±

    ¡°Oh but we¡¯re ready now, Commandant!¡±

    The Commandant blinked in confusion, then glanced slowly around our group with narrowed eyes. ¡°Indeed. I see you are.¡± He pressed his lips together and nodded to himself.

    Hm, he must be very worried. He suspects us¡­ rightly¡­ and yet he¡¯s still planning on sending in troubleshooters. I thought to myself. Of course¡­ there¡¯s likely to be a squad of imperial troopers to arrest us when we return¡­

    ¡°Please come with me then, Baroness, you and your retainers.¡±

    We gathered our items, and headed out into the storm. With the heat spell that Soriya and I had cooked up long dissipated, the cold was once more frighteningly evident. I was grateful that the distance to the dig entrance was short and we were quickly inside again.

    Within the cavern, ancient pipes of gleaming brass spewed steam and throbbed with the sound of distant engines.

    I leaned close to Eshaan. ¡°Is this¡­ Ancient¡¯s tech?¡±

    His eyes were wide with excitement, and he nodded frantically, trying to look everywhere at once. ¡°Yes!¡± He hissed back at me. ¡°This is incredible!¡±

    I grabbed his arm to stop him. ¡°Eshaan. Calm. We don¡¯t want to alarm the Commandant any more than we already have. Tourism when they¡¯re gone.¡±

    The disappointment on his face was palpable, but at least he restrained himself from dashing off into the deeper tunnels immediately.

    I returned my attention to the Commandant just as he was finishing up his explanation, by this point clearly talking more to Daniyel than ¡°Amala¡±.

    ¡°So you see, the situation is somewhat difficult, and I would appreciate your assistance.¡±

    ¡°Oh but of course, dear Commandant! We will have your little engineer out in a trice!¡±

    Daniyel bowed politely; his fingertips pressed together. ¡°Indeed. It will be our pleasure.¡±

    The Commandant sighed in relief and nodded. ¡°Then I leave it to you. I will remain here while you explore. Oh!¡± he fumbled in the pockets of his greatcoat, then produced a handful of blue and red vials. ¡°Here, take these. They are sure to be of aid to you.¡±

    ¡°Why thank you, Commandant! This is so sweet of you!¡± Darshanna scooped up the vials and pocketed them quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, everything will be just peachy perfect!¡± She smiled brightly.

    Urgh, even my teeth are starting to hurt from the sweetness.

    She clearly has experience in this mannerism.

    ¡°Come along, everyone! We¡¯re going to have an adventure!¡± She chirped, and beckoned us to follow as she skipped down the stairs leading deeper into the dig site. Soriya smirked and followed close behind, while Eshaan and I were clearly more bemused by the whole situation.

    A few twists of the stairwell, and the Commandant and his troopers were out of sight. The cavern walls were lit with a curious mix of Ancient¡¯s tech and more modern light crystals on strings. It was a strange juxtaposition.

    We reached the bottom of the stairwell a few moments later, and a spray of tunnels burrowed into the mountain¡¯s depths, a strange mixture of roughhewn cavern walls interrupted by patches of perfectly square and smooth ancient stonework, a delicate tracery of interlinking puzzle pieces.

    ¡°There!¡± Darshanna gave a sigh of relief, shivering as though to shake off the persona of Amala. ¡°This should be deep enough! Well!¡± She turned to Eshaan. ¡°You¡¯re the expert on Ancient¡¯s! Where should we look first?¡±

    Eshaan stammered out ¡°I¡¯m hardly an expert! This is no more than a hobby!¡±

    Darshanna nodded, hands on hips. ¡°But you¡¯re the best we¡¯ve got, so you¡¯re our expert! Which way!¡±

    Eshaan briefly looked at me, paused as though he was about to speak, then his lips pressed together and his expression grew serious. He turned back and pointed to a tunnel and said confidently ¡°This way. The Ancients accounted the five directions sacred, but the number 3 the signifier, so¡­ this one!¡±

    He¡¯s making it up as he goes along, isn¡¯t he?

    Oh yes, just like we do. It¡¯s marvelous, isn¡¯t it?

    Yes. Marvelous. That¡¯s a word for it.

    We headed deeper into the maze of dug and shaped tunnels. It wasn¡¯t long before we caught sight of the first of the threats in the caverns, a juddering jerking golem made of the same ornate gleaming bronzework as the empire¡¯s airships. It stood in the center of a small cavern, spitting sparks and spinning in random directions, hitting a wall with a pick arm, then spinning and hitting another before shuddering in the center of the room.

    Soriya nudged Darshanna. ¡°Dar, you¡¯re up.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Uh¡­ r-right! Yes! Mechanic!¡± she approached nervously. The golem spun to her, and it¡¯s eyes flashed red.

    ¡°Dig! Intruder! DIG! P-P-Pass code- DIG!¡± It lurched towards her with it¡¯s pick arms raised. She gave a little yelp and tumbled to the side in a manner that definitely would have gotten a 7 from the French judge.

    ¡°Keep it busy! I can¡¯t reprogram it if it¡¯s hitting me!¡± She shouted.

    ¡°Oh! Yeah, right!¡± Eshaan jumped forward drawing his sword as Daniyel slammed his fists together, the glowing orange energy gauntlets forming around his hands.

    The golem lunged forward, unsure which one to target, and unable to decide, slammed it¡¯s pick into neither of them, as Daniyel and Eshaan leapt apart letting the pick slam into the rock between them. Darshanna scurried around behind it, and leapt up onto the golem¡¯s back, slapping furiously at what I presumed to be an access panel of some kind.

    The golem whirled its upper body in a spinning circle one way then the other, trying to shake off Darshanna.

    ¡°Oy! Over here tinbrain!¡± Eshaan danced left then right, while Daniyel moved with silent grace to the other side.

    ¡°It is unwise to listen to the taunts of your enemies.¡± He counseled as he grabbed one of the golem¡¯s arms with his hands and held it.

    The golem spit red gold sparks form its joints and rocked furiously in place.

    ¡°Almost there! Almost got it!¡± Darshanna yelped and a panel of bronze fell to the ground with a clang.

    The golem lunged forward, dragging Daniyel across the ground with the power of its movement, a hammer blow from its free arm barely missing Eshaan¡¯s skull.

    ¡°Got it!¡± Darshanna shouted, and the golem spat a series of elemental sparks into the air, and then suddenly sagged down, the glow from its eyes fading, as it slumped to the ground.

    ¡°Well fought, Sir Eshaan.¡± Said Daniyel. ¡°You have the grace of a sand cat in the oasis.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Eshaan rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Thanks! I think?¡±

    Daniyel nodded gravely then turned to Darshanna. ¡°Well, then. Captain? What have you learned?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Right! Oh man, this stuff is really premium gear! I had to scrounge for weeks¡­ uh. To get a look at something like this! But look! This is fascinating, the atherichemical chambers on its primary motivation system are completely burnt¡­.¡± A stream of techno babble which meant very little to me, but Eshaan leaned in, clearly fascinated.

    I frowned and folded my arms under my breasts, looking around at the walls, feeling incredibly useless.

    That hussy! Otherme groused.

    Oh hush, she¡¯s cute enough!

    You¡­ you!!

    Me. I thought smugly.

    ¡°Lilyanna!¡± Eshaan¡¯s voice startled me out of my inner monologue. ¡°Come look at this, it¡¯s amazing!¡±

    I blinked a few times, and shuffled over to stare at the opened panel hesitantly. A tangle of sparking and shimmering wires, tubes, a tangle of glowing blue and green conduits picked out with delicate bronzework filigree met my eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I haven¡¯t the faintest idea what I¡¯m looking at here.¡± I offered hesitantly.

    ¡°You really are useless, aren¡¯t you?¡± Darshaana sneered at me.

    I paused, and stared at her, and felt the weight of both of me boring down on her with a voiceless {Persuade}. I had no idea what she saw, but both she and Eshaan paled slightly.

    ¡°Hey, hey! It¡¯s¡­ Ok, it was a tasteless joke, I¡¯m sorry!¡± she said.

    ¡°When you can tell me the proper routing channels for a mana formulation to summon the world spirits, we may begin to discuss the deficiencies in my education.¡± Both of me said with a voice drawn tight with control. ¡°Until then, I would appreciate your understanding that there are many different forms of education in the world. I do not understand magitech, and you clearly do not understand the skills of ritual magic.¡±

    Darshanna rocked back as though I¡¯d slapped her, and I was shocked to see the sparks of tears appear in her eyes. She swallowed and looked back down to the machine, then back up at me, her face set in a frustrated determination.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ accurate.¡± She got out.

    What on earth did we do?!

    I think¡­ we hit a sore spot by accident! We should apologize!

    No! She was rude to us!

    But we hurt her!

    She was rude to us!

    Darshanna wiped at her eyes, and swallowed. ¡°The primary power lines which are supposed to shut main power from the aetheric energy are corrupted. It looks like they¡¯ve been overcharged, just as if someone¡­ She stopped and looked up at me, her eyes clear again. ¡°Right. This is why the robot was going berserk. The mana flows in here are all off, surging wildly. If it¡¯s like this up here, I can¡¯t imagine how bad it is down there. I wouldn¡¯t want to run ANY magitech in this situation. The monsters are likely all affected as well.¡±

    I nodded to her, as politely as I could manage. ¡°Thank you, Captain Darshanna. I can understand this.¡± I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

    ¡°So, to summarize. Magic is unreliable. The monsters are going to be maddened. And all the magitech machinery is going to be going berserk.¡±

    Darshanna nodded, and gave a ghost of a grin. ¡°Exciting adventure, huh?¡±

    I twitched a smile, and saw her relax. ¡°Yes. Very exciting.¡±

 20 Out of the mine, into the sky.

    I took a moment with everyone to confirm what we¡¯d just learned. Now that Darshanna had pointed it out, I could feel the effects on the local mana flows. Even my magical effects were a little wobbly, the mana crashing forward then rushing away like storm surge waves on a beach.

    I called up the Dragon of the Tower, to speak with her. She erupted from the ?ther coiled around me, and appeared to sniff at the air.

    ¡°Why have you called me to this place, Child of ?ther? The currents here are poisoned, and I cannot give you guidance towards the next Key.¡± She spoke with a voice that was rumbling and yet warm and oddly comforting. The words however¡­

    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯d like to ask more about that Key you just mentioned, but I did actually call you to ask if you could help shield us from the turbulent streams of mana?¡±

    She tilted her head to the side in curiosity. ¡°You do not know of the Keys to the Vault? How interesting. And regrettable. My vows prevent me from telling you much about them, the security constraints are extremely stringent. But as to your second request¡­¡± she shifted her nose one way, then another, flicking out a tongue like a snake might. ¡°Yes. I think I can help, at least a little. I will not be able to aid you in battle though while I do so.¡±

    A shimmering silver glow spread out from her, then faded into nothingness. I felt the swirling currents of the local mana stop shoving me quite as hard. It was still turbulent, but more like rocking on a boat, than being pummeled by storm tossed whitecaps.

    Darshanna gave an exclamation as Tower¡¯s glow faded away. ¡°Oh wow! Your¡­ uh¡­ friend, I guess? Nevermind! Look at the golem core!¡± She held it out and pointed.

    I looked over and frowned, then shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I still don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s less colorful?¡±

    She sighed, and looked like she was about to insult me again, but stopped, then said with care ¡°The sparking and malfunctions have stopped. Mostly. Whatever your great big dragon friend is doing stopped the worst of the malfunctions.¡±

    ¡°Oh. So¡­ could we maybe calm down the golems deeper in?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible, depending on how rough the currents are. But more importantly, now I can take this golem apart!¡± She produced a series of tools from her pouches with a grin.

    ¡°Uh¡­ Will this¡­ help?¡± I said.

    ¡°Are you kidding!?¡± She dove into the guts of the machine, and I heard her voice muffled by the hull of the golem. ¡°The stuff in here is top tier! I¡¯d have to spend weeks¡­! It¡¯s really good stuff!¡± She backed out, holding a glowing bauble in her hand, another swirled mix of blue crystal and bronzegold metal. ¡°Man, look at this! This is a primary flux capacitor! I¡¯ve never seen one this large before!¡±

    Eshaan crowded over and leaned in. ¡°Oh wow, that is big, isn¡¯t it?¡± He stroked his chin. ¡°I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d released this model, no wonder they couldn¡¯t stabilize the ether flow, there¡¯s no backflow valve.¡±

    Darshanna frowned at the hunk of metal in her hands, then looked closer. ¡°You¡¯re right?! Who designed this junk?!¡± She stuffed the piece in her bag and reached for the golem¡¯s innards again.

    I coughed politely. ¡°Um, I can see that a craftswoman is at work but¡­ about our plan to make a golem army?¡±

    She looked up, then looked down at the golem laying in pieces in front of her, then around at the twitching fragments. ¡°Hm. Tricky¡­ But! I¡¯ve done more with less!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to deal with more of them the deeper we go. We can probably just bring back scrap here, especially if it¡¯s all this quality.¡± Eshaan said.

    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s go scavenging!¡± Darshanna raised her wrench in the air like a general ordering a forward charge.

    ¡°Well.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m glad that¡¯s settled then. Darshanna¡­ you can leave the toys. I¡¯m pretty sure that nobody¡¯s coming after us. We¡¯re doing something insanely dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Spirit shits yeah we are!¡± she agreed with a wild grin.

    I gave her a glance. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t get out much, do you?¡±

    She frowned. ¡°Why do you say that? I¡¯ve had plenty of adventures I¡¯ll have you know!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Hm. My mistake.¡± I smiled at her. ¡°Eshaan, would you be so good as to lead on? You make an excellent guide to Ancient ruins.¡±

    ¡°Ah heh heh.¡± He rubbed the back of his head again. ¡°Thanks. Yeah, of course. Um¡­¡± he spun around, surveyed the tunnels carefully, then said ¡°This way!¡± pointing the way down another tunnel.

    We moved down the tunnels with Eshaan and Daniyel in the lead. The caverns wended deeper and deeper, spiraling staircases of Ancient bronze metal, delicate filigree with runes that none of us could read. I was surprised that Eshaan couldn¡¯t understand them, but he shook his head and gave me a frustrated grimace.

    ¡°Where would I have learned how to read Ancient?¡± He said, gesturing at himself. ¡°Just a fisherman. Couldn¡¯t get into the academy.¡±

    Darshanna gave a subtle wince, but nobody seemed to notice. I did see her staring at the pillars and inlays with fascination, running her hands slowly over the runes.

    ¡°The last Ancient location I was in, things were¡­ strange.¡± I said. ¡°Is this¡­ a living installation?¡±

    She looked at me quizzically. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean. It¡¯s active? Everything¡¯s going haywire because of the mana flows, but it¡¯s at least a little active.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Hm. What do you think they removed from the dig?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Something fascinating¡­¡± she said with an almost worshipful tone, gazing at the pulsing pipeworks. She blinked and shook her head. Her eyes went wide and then she added ¡°I mean, valuable, right?! It¡¯s got to be valuable!¡±

    I blinked and then nodded. ¡°So you¡¯ve¡­ studied the Ancients? To know what to steal, I mean.¡± I grimaced at the poor lie, but Darshanna snapped it up.

    ¡°Oh yeah! Yeah! You gotta know what to steal!¡±

    I smiled at her. ¡°You know, Eshaan wants to study the Ancients. I think you and him have a lot in common.¡±

    What are you doing?! Stop throwing her at Eshaan!

    Why not? They make a cute couple.

    So would we! Otherme muttered.

    Darshanna looked at him skeptically, then shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s earnest, but not very bright. Besides, it¡¯s obvious you¡¯re interested in him. I don¡¯t poach.¡± She said very seriously.

    I gaped at her, my mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. She burst into laughter, and ducked away before I could muster a response.

    That¡­ that¡­! We do not!

    Oh yes, we do.

    You do! Not me!

    The tunnels wended deeper and deeper into the mountain, ancient pipes spraying vapors, pulsing runes and magitech. The deeper we went, the harsher and more ragged the mana flows became. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d have done if I hadn¡¯t had the Tower protecting us. The monsters did indeed act crazed, and without Darshanna disabling the golems deeper in, I don¡¯t know how far we¡¯d have gotten.

    Darshanna seemed almost giddy with the quality of the parts she was scavenging .

    ¡°This is an AR810-Q! Do you know how hard it is to get pieces for this?!¡± she shook her head. ¡°No what am I saying of course you don¡¯t. This is premium stuff!¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t just loot them for the best bits, we need them functional, remember! Golem army of distraction!?¡±

    Darshanna pouted at me. ¡°Ok, fiiiiiine.¡± She muttered. ¡°But this is too good an opportunity to waste.¡± I saw her pocket several of the pieces. ¡°We¡¯ll need to drag the bits up to the upper levels to do repairs anyway.¡± She said.

    I sighed and nodded. It was a better use for them than I would have been able to figure out. And as long as we could get a sufficient number of them operational again, our plan was still good.

    At last we came to the bottom floor, a creaky steam elevator that was only barely repaired (by Darshanna again) and the rusty cage holding it rattled and shook ominously.

    The leaking pipes and coiling rune patterns all seemed to flow towards one central location.

    ¡°Ok everyone!¡± I said, gripping my staff. ¡°Be ready! We¡¯ve got a boss fight coming!¡±

    ¡°Are you certain?¡± Daniyel asked. ¡°I sense no ill intent here. Merely ancient machinery.¡±

    Eshaan gripped his sword tightly. ¡°You¡¯d better listen to her. She¡¯s been right every time so far.¡±

    ¡°Truly? What a fascinating gift you possess, Miss Lilyanna.¡±

    I grimaced. ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯d rather it wasn¡¯t needed.¡±

    Eshaan stepped nervously out into the open area. Suddenly, over the hiss and roar of the pipes and the steady pulse of the mana surges, we heard a feminine voice swearing.

    ¡°Confounded son of a cracked mold made from debased metal! Let me go you rusted bucket of malformed plating!¡± The sounds of metal ringing on metal echoed through the chamber.

    Eshaan turned to look at me with a puzzled expression on his face. I smiled broadly. ¡°I think we just found the Commandant¡¯s missing engineer. Let¡¯s go rescue her.¡±

    Eshaan nodded uncertainly, and we followed the continued stream of cursing. It was really quite amazing, the Monan¡¯s breadth of vocabulary had me in awe. She hadn¡¯t repeated herself once, she never used as single curse word, and yet my ears were growing pink from the vociferous verbiage she used.

    As the far edge of the cavern came into sight, we finally saw the source of the cursing. A stout woman caught in one hand of a truly enormous bronze-gold golem with four arms, half buried in the wall and ground work. It juddered and twitched, it¡¯s glowing eyes flickering intermittently as the mana flows surged through it. The dwarven¡­

    Monan, darn it!

    Monan woman was hammering fiercely at the metal fingers closed around her torso with a huge wrench. But the most bizarre thing of all, she wore a blatantly false beard which hung askew on her face, swinging wildly as she swung at the golem¡¯s fingers with her wrench.

    A pulse in the chaotic mana flow caused the golems four arms to twitch, and the Monan woman gave a pained grunt, her wrench tumbling from nerveless fingers to tumble through the air to the ground, where it bounced on the hard dirt floor.

    ¡°Oh no!¡± Eshaan cried out. ¡°We have to help her! Come on, everyone!¡± He charged towards the golem, sword raised.

    ¡°Eshaan, you idiot!¡± I shouted after him, squeezing my staff till my knuckles went white. ¡°What are you doing?! It¡¯s 8 meters tall!!¡±

    ¡°The right thing!¡± he shouted back, leaping into the air and bringing his sword down in a flashing arc that hit one of the golem¡¯s lower arms. The cavern rang with the sound of the strike, and the golem shuddered, its whole body twitching and jerking into slow motion.

    ¡°T-T-THHRR-RRR-RREA-T DE-DE-DE TEC-TEC-TECTED. ACT-VAT-VATING DEF-DEFENSIVE PROOOOOOOOOOOTOCOLS!!¡± A booming voice echoed from the chest of the bronze man. Steam hissed from vents on the golems body, shrouding it in mist, and the cavern shuddered as the half-buried golem tried to uncover itself.

    Glowing red eyes pierced the mist and an enormous metal hand swung out of the cloud, backhanding Eshaan forcefully towards us. We scrambled out of the way just in time as Eshaan impacted the cavern wall behind us, a spray of blood coughed from his mouth.

    ¡°Eshsaan!¡± shouted Darshaana.

    ¡°The golem! Focus on the golem, Darshanna! You¡¯re the only one who can stop it!¡± She shot me a worried glance and I nodded. ¡°Go! I¡¯ll help Eshaan! It¡¯s what I do!¡±

    I hurriedly chanted a {Heal}, the sparkling white motes of light swirling around Eshaan¡¯s body, then let out a shriek as I had to hurl myself to one side, an open palmed slap from the golem nearly pounding me into the ground like a tent peg.

    I heard the sounds of Soriya¡¯s chant, and the brilliant blue white bolt of a {Glacies} shot into the mist, the sound of ice crystalizing around the golem¡¯s joints.

    ¡°Do that again, do that again!¡± Shouted Darshanna as she leapt towards the golem, a large wrench of her own in hand.

    ¡°Captain! Lookout!!¡± Daniyel blurred into motion, dashing forward, the glow of his gauntlets visible through the mist, a thundering SLAM echoing through the cavern as he stood over Darshanna, his arms crossed overhead to catch the massive fist in midair. I could hear the crunch shudder through his body, cracks radiated from the ground around his feet as he held the bronze fist off of Darshanna.

    ¡°Go!¡± He grunted to her. She scrambled back to her feet, leaping up onto the oncoming swing of an arm, running lightly up it towards the head.

    She swung her wrench at the ice coated joint, and there was a tinkling crystalline sound as some of the ice flaked off, and the joint shuddered. ¡°Wait, no!¡± She shouted down to us. ¡°You!¡± She pointed at Soriya. ¡°Not ice! Hit it with fire next! Right here!¡± Her bold proclamation was interrupted by a shriek of fear as one of the golems open palms slammed down onto the bronze work where she¡¯d been standing a second ago. She flew backwards off the arm, tumbling bonelessly towards the ground, hitting it hard. I winced to hear the CRUMP of her body landing.

    Eshaan shook his head woozily, pushing himself off the wall. He reached up and wiped a smear of blood from the corner of his lip, his expression serious. ¡°Right.¡± He said. ¡°Lily, give me a shield. Let¡¯s show this thing some manners!¡± He charged into the mists around the body.

    I gritted my teeth and cast a {Barrier} which flashed brilliant white as the golem slapped Eshaan to the side. He coughed another spray of blood, but twisted in midair, using the momentum of the slap to jam his sword deep into the pulsing core in the golem¡¯s chest.

    Thunder erupted from the golem, flashing strikes of uncontrolled mana flaring wildly around the cavern. A bolt of the mana surged into my staff and grounded through my body. It was like I¡¯d been dipped in battery acid and fire all at once, and I screamed in agony.

    ¡°CRI-CRI-TIC-TICAL D-D-DAMAGE. S-SELF D-DEST-¡°

    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t, beastie.¡± Said Soriya, grinning a demon¡¯s smile. The crackling shroud of ungrounded mana swirled around her, and through the haze of agony filling me I saw her focus, the mana pulling into her with flawless timing, matching the tides of mana in the cavern. Diaboli erupted with a brilliant glowing light, a blazing magical circle forming at its muzzle. Time seemed to stop.

    ¡°Repent your deeds in Hell, you bastard.¡± She said, and fired. The burning glare of a supercharged {Flare} swirled out of Diaboli¡¯s muzzle, scoring a line of light so bright it burned afterimages into my eyes. The shot impacted the joint where the {Glacies} had hit, blowing it apart into crystalized metal shards, and then kept going, coring its way through the brilliant glowing heart of the golem, which exploded into a flare of uncontrolled mana. The arm fell to the ground with a shattering CLANG, followed by fragments of the golem¡¯s outer shell and smaller pieces spattering down on the ground around us in a metallic rain.

    Flares of mana exploded through the golem¡¯s core, shooting out in jagged lines escaping from its body. It shuddered wildly, spasming, uncontrollably, and then fell limp, its eyes going dark, the mist of steam surrounding its body fading away. Secondary explosion within its body continued for a long time afterwards.

    I coughed, feeling like acid was eating my lungs, clinging to my staff to stay upright. ¡°Ow.¡± I managed to get out with a weak whimper. It hurt to breathe. I fumbled at my belt, pulling out a healing potion, uncorking it, and downing it in one go. The ache immediately receded, the tears and burns in my dress mending themselves as it did.

    <{Spiritist} Advanced to level 5. {Bonds of Friendship}, unlocked. For defeating the Ancient¡¯s malfunctioning guardian, you have advanced to {Spiritist:5}>

    Hello again, world soul. Yaaay. I¡¯m on an adventure.

    ¡°Is everyone alright?¡± I called out. ¡°Who is in need of healing?¡±

    Weak coughs from the various corners of the room served as my cue to head towards them. I almost stumbled over the Monan woman, who lolled unconscious, her ridiculous fake beard dangling from her chin.

    I knelt down a moment to {Heal} her, stretching my hand out and resting it lightly on her stomach, the glowing white light flooding through her and myself.

    I wish I¡¯d thought of that mana trick Soriya used earlier. I grumbled to myself. Timing the mana pulse in the cavern to gain a boost to the spell effect is genius.

    Soriya is very smart. Otherme agreed quietly. I¡¯m very glad to be her friend.

    The Monan woman was pretty, now that I had time to get a good look at her. Her long thick chestnut brown hair was done in an elaborate braid, woven with intricate ribbons of red and bronze. She wore what I could only categorize as ¡°fantasy engineer¡± clothes. A leather and metal workman¡¯s apron filled with pockets budging with tools, over a surprisingly beautiful geometric patterned dress of red and gold.

    She stirred slightly and moaned. Satisfied that she was going to be ok, I stood up and hurried over to the next source of groans, working my way through my party members. By the time I was done, I could feel the drop in my mana levels. I pulled out another mana potion and chugged it, immediately feeling more alert and refreshed.

    Dang, bottle this stuff and I¡¯d never need caffeine again.

    What¡¯s caffeine?

    Uh¡­ it¡¯s in tea?

    Why didn¡¯t you just say tea then?

    It¡¯s¡­ you know what, here. I shared a memory with my otherself.

    Oh how interesting. What an unusual world we come from!

    I ground my teeth. I come from. Not you.

    As I finished the mana potion, the Monan woman staggered out of the mists, adjusting her fake beard. She couldn¡¯t be more than four feet tall.

    ¡°Oy! Well, so it¡¯s you I¡¯ve got to thank for this mess then?¡± Hands on her hips she glared up at us.

    Eshaan stood up, and gave her a formal bow. ¡°We were commissioned to come look for you by the Commandant, miss¡­¡± he trailed off, suddenly realizing he had forgotten what her name was.

    ¡°Eideth.¡± I said, at exactly the same time as the Monan woman.

    She glared up at me, then around at the rest of us. ¡°Well! You¡¯ve made a right mess of it down here, and no mistake! I had it all in hand, and then you had to go and blow the second most significant find of the modern era out of the ground!¡±

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Second most?¡± Darshanna inquired, tilting her head to the side.

    Eideth nodded firmly, then pointed to the wall behind the golem. Following her pointing finger, we could see a huge elaborate door made of the same strange Ancient bronzegold metal as the pipes and golem set into the living rock of the mountain itself.

    ¡°That door, of course. Was down here trying to open it, when the golem activated. Some ancient sentry protocol, no doubt. She scowled at the ruin of the golem. ¡°Nothing left of it now, just scrap and fragments. Couldn¡¯t you have been a little more careful!?¡±

    To my surprise Darshanna spoke up, her voice apologetic, and her hands folded in front of her. She bowed repeatedly. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I really am. It was a matter of life and death! I¡¯m sure we can salvage something from the fragments, the Ancient¡¯s equipment was remarkably sturdy.¡± She said.

    Huh. I guess she really does care about all this Ancient tech then! How interesting!

    ¡°Well.¡± Eideth seemed mollified by this. ¡°I suppose I was in a bit of a pinch, and no mistake.¡± She straightened her fake beard. ¡°I suppose for now it¡¯s fine. So! The Commandant asked you to come get me, did he? Why, did his tea pot break again?¡± she said bitterly.

    ¡°Oh no, nothing like that, Miss Eideth.¡± Said Eshaan. ¡°He seemed genuinely concerned about you. You were late reporting in, and the mana flows have destabilized quite severely.¡±

    Eideth swelled up and shouted angrily ¡°Well they bloody well wouldn¡¯t have if he hadn¡¯t removed the central modulator that the Ancients left behind! Bloody imperial scholars, shouting ¡°priceless find¡± this and ¡°lost knowledge¡± that! Hauled it off to Spyre without so much as a ¡®by your leave¡¯! It¡¯s hardly a shock everything¡¯s falling apart, now is it!?¡±

    We stood there awkwardly for a moment, none of us sure what to say.

    Suddenly Eshaan spoke up. ¡°Miss Eideth? Why are you wearing a fake beard?¡±

    Darshanna, otherme, and I all gasped in shock.

    Eideth took a step backwards, her hands flying to her beard. ¡°W-what are you saying?! This¡­ this is a fine Monan beard! Like all Monanin!¡±

    We all stared at her and eachother, unsure what to say. Eshaan opened his mouth, and Darshanna lunged forward, slapping her hand over his mouth.

    ¡°Ah hahaha! Please forgive my crew! He¡¯s stupid and uncultured and has taken several!¡± She hit him on the head. ¡°Blows!¡± She hit him again. ¡°To the head! Lately!¡±

    She grinned manically at Eideth.

    Eideth stared back at Eshaan. ¡°You¡­ you really¡­?¡± She looked around at us, then slowly tugged at the fake beard pulling it off. The bedraggled clump of brown hung sadly in her hand. ¡°You¡­ you all knew?¡±

    Eshaan coughed, and we all shuffled our feet awkwardly. Daniyel stepped forward. ¡°We intended no disrespect to the Monan customs.¡± He said gravely. ¡°Your ways are not ours.¡± He gestured to Eshaan. ¡°He is from the outskirts of the empire; you must forgive him.¡±

    Eshaan nodded gravely. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Miss Eideth. I didn¡¯t know.¡±

    Eideth started to laugh, looking down at the lump of hair in her hand. ¡°You all know?!¡± She laughed even harder, slowly building up into a roaring guffaw that doubled her over.

    She finally stood straight and hurled the beard at the smoking remains of the golem. It caught in a broken fragment of armor and promptly caught fire from a lingering explosion in the golem.

    ¡°By the spirits, do you know how long I¡¯ve wanted to do that?!¡± She roared with laughter again, and turned back to us. ¡°We wear the beards because it¡¯s just¡­ known that you humans don¡¯t treat us like real engineers if we don¡¯t have beards!¡± She wiped tears from her eyes and shook her head. ¡°Unbelievable! Two hundred years of tradition, because of a misunderstanding! Why didn¡¯t any of you say anything?!¡±

    We stared at eachother, and shuffled our feet, and then otherme spoke hesitantly. ¡°We¡­ we didn¡¯t want to be rude¡­¡± I/we said.

    Somehow, that was the key to unlock it. First Eideth, then Darshanna, then Soriya, and finally Eshaan, I, and Daniyel burst into laughter. It was a good feeling. The tension of the fight slowly fading.

    ¡°Right.¡± Eideth wiped her eyes. ¡°Well. Let me show you this door, before we all have to troop back upstairs again and explain to the Commandant that everything is fine actually, so he can send me back down here!¡± She stumped over to the doors and glared up at them.

    ¡°Damn things are a thousand years old if they¡¯re a day, and not a mark on them! Utterly seamless, might as well have been cast in one piece!¡±

    Darshanna and Eshaan both trailed behind her, moving up to examine the doors curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen these markings before.¡± Darshanna said.

    Eideth turned to her. ¡°Ho? Good eye you have there. You¡¯re right. Nothing like these. Ancient work, but matching nothing we¡¯ve ever seen before.¡±

    Eshaan ran his hands slowly over the runes, a frown slowly appearing on his face.

    ¡°I have.¡± He finally said.

    ¡°What?!¡± Both Eideth and Darshanna turned to look at him in astonishment.

    ¡°Where, boy, where!?¡± Eideth practically leapt at him in eagerness.

    Instead of answering, he turned to me. ¡°Lilyanna, could you come here for a second?¡±

    I frowned at him, and approached. As I did, I felt a hum inside my body, slowly building. The world seemed to slow down in a haze, and I felt strangely numb. Otherme pushed gently forward, moved us closer, raised our hand to rest it lightly on the curling runes in the center of the door. I felt my entire mana pool suddenly drain out of me, all in one go, and I sagged to the ground abruptly exhausted. The runes on the door flared brilliant gold and white, and a thundering rumble echoed through the cavern, the seamless metal parting into four triangles of metal that slid aside, revealing technomagic wonderland pulsing and shimmering with gold light. Words I couldn¡¯t understand echoed in the room, followed by a at once familiar and alien voice.

    ¡°Child of the ?ther, daughter of the goddess¡¯s wish. We see you.¡± It¡­ his voice was beautiful, melodic, and echoing. The exact same type of voice that Tower spoke in.

    ¡°What is the beyond Distance? What echoes when there are no walls?¡± His voice thundered softly.

    And otherme spoke with my lips. ¡±The known unknowns.¡±

    ¡°Access code acknowledged. Transferring core.¡±

    A tumbling mote of purple and blue light coalesced out of the air and floated forward. It burst outwards into a flower, blossoming into the glowing figure of a dragon coiled around an ornate and elaborate gate.

    ¡°We come to serve, your right to access acknowledged, your codes authenticated.¡± It¡­ he continued. The coiling shape dipped its head to me, flared a brilliant light and collapsed into a mote of light darted towards my bosom, and vanished into my chest.

    You may summon us at need, child of ?ther. We are Gate.

    I sat here, calves splayed to either side of my hips, my mouth open in shock.

    What¡­ what?! I gaped inwardly. What just happened?! What did you do?!

    I¡­ I don¡¯t know. It just¡­ it just seemed the right thing say?

    ¡°Lilyanna! Lilyanna, are you ok?!¡± Eshaan knelt next to me, looking into my eyes. ¡°Say something!¡±

    I blinked a few times, and then giggled, a bubble of absurdity floating into my head.

    I slowly focused on him and said ¡°Something?¡± with a tentative smile.

    He laughed in relief. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I should have expected.¡±

    Eideth pushed him aside roughly, and then poked her finger at me. ¡°What did you do, human? What was that?!¡±

    I rested a hand lightly on my chest, feeling an answer inside me. ¡°That¡­ that was an Arcanum. He calls himself Gate. He supervises Distance.¡±

    ¡°An arcanum!? One of the goddess¡¯s servants?! They¡¯re real?!¡± she spluttered.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know much more than you, actually.¡± I ventured.

    ¡°You know enough to open the door here! To manifest one! This is¡­ this is bigger than ¡­¡± she chortled. ¡°Oh ho ho ho¡­! Just wait till I write up my paper for the elders!¡± She rubbed her hands together. ¡°Oh they are all going to eat their words!¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, did you just say paper? Do you have an in with the imperial academy?¡± Soriya popped up to ask.

    ¡°Eh? Ah, well no. I mean, I suppose I do, technically, but not really, I was speaking of the council of elders in Hecate.¡± Eideth shook her head. ¡°Some sort of non-compete clause, I understand, they don¡¯t poach external researchers.¡± She clapped her hands together and looked up at us. ¡°Anyway! That¡¯s all very well and good, but I suppose we should be getting back to the surface now!¡± She grimaced. ¡°The commandant will doubtless want my final report. It¡¯s going to be a doozy!¡± She grinned.

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Yes, I think we should. I¡¯d like to discuss some of your research actually.¡±

    ¡°Hey, no fair!¡± Darshanna jumped in. ¡°You can¡¯t just monopolize the only interesting person we¡¯ve met yet!¡±

    Eideth looked from Soriya to Darshanna and then threw her head back laughing loudly. ¡°Well if this don¡¯t take all the cake! I can¡¯t find a decent conversation for love or zeni down here for thirteen months straight, and now I get two people who can¡¯t get enough of me!¡±

    Daniyel cleared his throat. ¡°I hate to interrupt this lively discussion of natural philosophy, but I do believe we have prior engagements.¡± He gesturing meaningfully at the upper levels. ¡°And weren¡¯t we going to return some of the malfunctioning golems to the Commandant that we had managed to repair?¡± He asked, his eyebrow lifting suggestively.

    Darshanna pushed her goggles higher on her head and scratched her temple. ¡°What are you- oh! Oh yeeeah, that¡¯s right!¡± She looked over at me and shrugged then grinned with embarrassment. ¡°Right, sorry.¡± She turned to Eideth. ¡°Yeah, the fluctuating mana currents were causing positive feedback in the reticulation capacitors at the secondary linkages.¡±

    Eideth slapped her fist into her palm. ¡°Those damn fools! I told ¡®em they shouldn¡¯t remove that Ancient artifact! Doubtless this is all the fault of that! Did you try reconfiguring the buffer flow control device?¡±

    ¡°Well I was going to, but instead I decided¡­¡±

    I tuned them out, it was all magitechno babble to me. Soriya, Darshanna, and Eideth seemed to be bonding over it well, and Eshaan was listening avidly. I saw he had taken out a small notepad and was jotting down notes.

    To her credit, Eideth didn¡¯t seem annoyed at all. In fact, she seemed to be taking to the role of instructor on Ancients with great pleasure. I didn¡¯t want to interrupt, but I did get everyone moving towards the lift to the upper levels.

    Our little group headed back to the main elevator. Eideth exclaimed over the repairs that Darshanna had done, and they spent the next several minutes discussing the inner workings of lift mechanisms.

    Daniyel shifted closer to me, and leaned down. I kept forgetting how short I was!

    ¡°If I may inquire, Miss Lilyanna.¡± He raised his eyebrows. ¡°Gate? Arcanum?¡±

    I huffed in frustration. ¡°I don¡¯t know! They just¡­ showed up!¡± I gave him an extremely abbreviated and abridged version of my bonding with Tower, omitting¡­ well pretty much everything except a bare outline. Not that I lied¡­ and I could tell from the lift of his eyebrow that Daniyel was not fooled that there was a lot missing to the story.

    At the end of my tale, Daniyel stroked his chin thoughtfully. ¡°Intriguing. Clearly connected with the Ancients somehow. Have you spoken with them?¡±

    I blushed. ¡°Um. No. It¡¯s just¡­ everything seems to be happening at once, and I just¡­ didn¡¯t think of it?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°That is understandable. Perhaps you should consider trying?¡±

    ¡°Well I would, but each time I summon them, it costs me almost all of my mana, and opening that door back there drained me almost completely. I don¡¯t think we have enough mana potions to go around right now.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Yes, that could be a problem if we wish to summon them repeatedly. Especially since¡­ can you speak to them without summoning them?¡±

    ¡°Um, well kind of? I can get vague impressions¡­ they seem to be able to talk to me without problem, but when I reach for them, they don¡¯t respond unless I¡¯m specifically summoning them.¡±

    Daniyel nodded again. ¡°Then I would request that attempt communion with this newest one. You called him ¡®Gate¡¯ I believe. Try to divine if he is willing to let us bridge distances.¡±

    My eyes widened. ¡°You mean¡­ like a teleport?!¡±

    ¡°Tele¡­ port. What an intriguing word construct.¡± He stroked his chin thoughtfully. ¡°Yes¡­ yes, that would fit the term very well.¡± He nodded again.

    I glanced over to where the others had clustered around a component that Darshanna had pulled out of her inventory, talking excitedly, and pointing. They didn¡¯t seem like they were going anywhere for a while. I smiled a little fondly, seeing my friends so excited and happy. This was probably the first time in¡­ forever, that Eshaan had had someone to talk to about his passion, who wouldn¡¯t just brush him off.

    I closed my eyes and focused inwards, trying to ¡®ask¡¯ if Gate would let us teleport. It wasn¡¯t speech precisely, but I did feel an awareness, a sense of¡­ vague ¡®yesness¡¯ floated back and a jumble of mental images and emotions that felt related to space and mana.

    Not as convenient as speaking with you. I said to otherme.

    Well that¡¯s because we¡¯re the same person. Of course we can speak.

    I pinched my lips together, and replied with her prim retort. That is a point on which we disagree.

    I opened my eyes and looked up at Daniyel. ¡°Yes. I mean, I think so. It was ¡­ strange. But I think¡­ I think he said that he can take me anywhere I¡¯ve been before, but the further away it is, the more spiritual power it requires. So, I think distance equals mana?¡±

    Daniyel nodded; his eyes sharp. ¡°Interesting indeed. And potentially quite useful if, as your prophecy indicates, there is an ambush waiting for us outside.¡±

    My eyes widened. ¡°Oh spirits¡­ I hadn¡¯t even thought of that! You¡¯re right! And¡­ and I¡­ I could just go home! I could go home right now if I can chug enough mana potions!¡±

    Daniyel smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t think Miss Eideth would be quite so appreciative of that. Does the number of people you carry with you not affect the price?¡±

    I ¡®felt¡¯ around for an answer, then shook my head. ¡°No, he¡­ well ¡°said¡± that he can take around 10 people.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Potentially very useful. A pity you have not been to as many places as¡­ the Captain and I. But interesting. Can you essay a transit to the surface? Perhaps to the airship landing pads?¡±

    I licked my lips and felt around. ¡°I mean¡­ you pour enough mana potions in me, and I can go pretty much anywhere.¡±

    He nodded and dug into his inventory. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have none.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± I fished around in my inventory. ¡°I have one.¡± I looked up. ¡°Everyone? I¡¯m sorry to interrupt.¡± I had to fight off the urge of otherme to have us bow repeatedly in apology ¡°Does anyone have any mana potions left?¡±

    They dug around for a bit, and then Eshaan offered me one. Soriya and Darshanna both shook their heads. I took the potion from Eshaan with a smile and a soft ¡®thank you.¡¯ I turned back to Daniyel.

    ¡°Well, with these, yes I think so!¡±

    ¡°Hm, we had best wait then. My captain is many things, but a good pilot is not yet one of them.¡±

    ¡°Hey! I got us here!¡± Darshanna protested.

    Daniyel bowed to her with that funny steepled fingertip gesture. ¡°Apologies captain, but flying a straight line with an airship, and the skills to modify an airship, are not the same as the¡­ antics, we have gotten up to recently.¡± Darshanna turned pink and abruptly went back to arguing with Eideth about some arcane principle.

    I looked down at the potions then tucked them away in my pouches. ¡°If it¡¯s just as I am now¡­¡± I twisted my lips. ¡°Then only if I¡¯m standing in the mouth of the dig entrance.¡±

    He smiled broadly. ¡°Then I believe our plan of a ¡®golem revolt¡¯ may have an interesting new angle to it.¡±

    I stared up at that smile, and felt my knees go a little weak. I suddenly understand why Soriya is so interested in him¡­

    I shook my head to clear the daze. ¡°Yes! Right!¡±

    The elevator finally reached the upper floor. I had to smile. The fast track back to the surface, but the slow way down. We¡¯d been gone for hours!

    Eideth headed straight for the entrance, but stopped as we hung back. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± she asked.

    Eshaan stepped up. ¡°Oh the Commandant asked us to do what we could to repair the machinery here, so we¡¯ve been stockpiling golem parts. We¡¯re going to do some repair work, and then have them walk out. Saves a lot of money and manpower you know!¡±

    He¡¯s getting better at this. I thought with a smile.

    Eideth brightened up. ¡°Ach, that¡¯s right. You did mention that! You really are folks after my own heart! Come on then, many hands make light work!¡± she pulled out her wrench and followed us towards the side cavern where we¡¯d been stockpiling the golem parts.

    Honestly, it¡¯s not really a wrench, you know? It¡¯s more like a multitool than a real wrench¡­ a lot like Darshanna¡¯s tool actually!

    What¡¯s a multitool?

    I shared a memory of the idea. Otherme laughed. Oh! A whole toolkit?! Oh my, how silly! One tool that can be all those tools makes so much more sense! But that¡¯s a wrench in this world!

    A few hours later, our semi functional golem ¡®army¡¯ was shuddering and twitching in the wild mana flows of the dig, but they would at least march! I slipped up next to Darshanna while Eideth was absorbed in tweaking something in the guts of a golem.

    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ve got our army and a Monan engineer. I¡­ I think we should tell her the truth here. She would likely be trouble if she¡¯s surprised when they try to arrest us.¡±

    ¡°IF they try to arrest us. I¡¯m still not entirely sold on this prophecy of yours!¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Alright, remember what I said in the bunkhouse? Treat this as planning for a contingency.¡±

    Darshanna grumbled but nodded. ¡°Fine. You¡¯re Miss goody two-shoes, you can tell her.¡±

    I swallowed back a sharp retort and gave her what I hoped was a suitable glare. She twitched so I hoped that meant it had worked. I stalked over to where Eideth was half in and out of a golem.

    ¡°Miss Eideth-¡±

    ¡°Ach, just Eideth is fine, honestly! My clan name is D?nhark, but that¡¯s no nevermind outside of Galgados. What can I do for you, dear?¡±

    ¡°I-¡± I stopped, unsure how to continue. What could I say, really? Maybe¡­

    Help?

    Don¡¯t look to me for help, you let a lie get you this far, you know we¡¯re no good with that!

    I took a deep breath and tried again. ¡°I¡¯m afraid our reception at the entrance may not be all that welcoming.¡± I said, my hands bunched up in my skirts.

    Eideth pulled herself out of the golem, and landed on the floor with a thump. She put her hands on her hips and looked up at me. ¡°Well now this is a surprise. Didn¡¯t expect you to come clean before things had gone completely south!¡±

    I gaped at her. ¡°You¡­ you knew?!¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°I suspected. Folk like you? Just showing up here, this deep in the mines? You¡¯re Imperials, right enough, but there¡¯s no way you¡¯re troopers, or even in any squad at all.¡± She paused, then pointed her wrench at Eshaan. ¡°¡¯cept for that fellow, he¡¯s got the air about him at least.¡± She rested the wrench on her shoulder and looked up at me. ¡°So now what?¡±

    I opened and closed my mouth a few times.

    Now I know how Eshaan felt¡­ I thought.

    ¡°I¡­ we¡­¡± I heaved a sigh and squeezed my skirts tightly. ¡°We¡¯re planning to steal an airship.¡±

    Eideth¡¯s eyebrows jumped to her hairline. ¡°Airship?! There¡¯s no airship scheduled for a month! And I doubt you¡¯ll get much use out of a cargo hauler!¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°Sky pirates you might be, but you don¡¯t look stupid. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ would you accept¡­ adventurers?¡±

    Eideth¡¯s eyes cleared up immediately and she threw back her head and laughed. ¡°Well, now that I would believe! And that explains a right lot, including maybe not being all that popular to the empire!¡± She looked me up and down, then gestured to the others. ¡°You look alright to me. Nothing wrong with a little good trouble.¡± She grinned. ¡°And I like that Darshanna girl, she¡¯s got a good head on her shoulders.¡± She climbed back up to the opening in the golem. ¡°You can count on me I won¡¯t cause trouble for you.¡± She wiggled back into the guts of the machine.

    Eshaan came up and said ¡°Miss D?nhark? Do you want to come with us?¡±

    Her head popped out again. ¡°Goodness me, no! I¡¯ve got research papers to write! I¡¯ve got issues and all sorts of maintenance logs to handle here! I don¡¯t have time to go haring off on some damn fool adventure! No, you young folks have your fun. Come visit me in Galgados sometime.¡± She ducked her head back inside the machinery and resumed muttering.

    And that appeared to be that. I shared a glance with Eshaan, and the others, then shrugged a half smile on my face.

    ¡°Well. Seems we¡¯re not as clever as we think we are.¡± I said, my cheeks heating.

    Soriya smiled. ¡°We never are, but it seems to work out for us anyway. Just like real adventurers.¡±

    An hour after that, we were finally ready. The golems shuddered and clanked and groaned in a great metal mass in front of us, marching with jerky rhythm and we followed behind. As we neared the dig entrance, brilliant sunlight shone from the entrance, dazzling with white on white of new snow.

    ¡°Looks like the blizzard stopped at least!¡± Eshaan said.

    From outside the cavern, shouts of alarm and the sound of an alert klaxon started sounding. I grinned and glanced over at Darshanna. She was looking at me, her eyes narrowed. She turned her head away.

    ¡°Humh! Doesn¡¯t prove there¡¯s a squad out there, it could just be-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the fugitives! They¡¯ve got a golem army! Damn you, pink hair! You won¡¯t get away from me this time!¡± came the triumphant shout of lt. Isha from outside.

    My lips split into a wide smile that I did a very poor job of controlling. I looked down at the ground, to keep from rubbing Darshanna¡¯s face in it.

    ¡°Now would be a good time to execute our plan, Miss Lilyanna.¡± Daniyel said.

    ¡°What? Oh! Yes, right! Hold still everyone!¡±

    I called up Gate. He erupted from the ?ther around me in a brilliant swirl of purple and blue, coalescing into his form of a dragon twined around an elaborate arched gateway.

    ¡°I hear your plea, child of ?ther. Where do you wish to travel?¡±

    I closed my eyes, and pictured it. The formerly empty field of snow inside the compound outside, pictured it and thought There. Send us there.

    Gate¡¯s voice was surprised. ¡°There? A trivial task, it requires barely a toll at all. But very well. I take my payment.¡±

    I felt the draw of mana leave me, taking me almost to exhaustion, and then a globe of pitch blackness swallowed us entirely. I felt movement without movement, the sensation of living space folding around me, glittering stars that were billions of points of existence, and then the bubble collapsed in a rush, and we were standing behind the sleek bulk of several light scout airships, their bronzegold metal work and swirling blue ?therdrives blocking off most (but not entirely all) of our sight of the squad of troopers led by lt. Isha, and the Commandant.

    ¡°Fire! FIRE!¡± shouted lt. Isha. His troopers cocked their rifles and started firing wildly into the crowd.

    ¡°No, no! STOP!¡± shouted the Commandant, tugging futilely at Isha¡¯s arms. ¡°You fool you¡¯ll-¡±

    The fragile pieces of cobbled together machinery we had managed to jury rig started breaking, and with them, any semblance of order vanished. The golems perceived a threat, their own internal alarm shrieks clashing with the alarms from the base. The battle of the golem army was well underway.

    ¡°Time to leave now!¡± Darshanna hurried over to the side of a scoutship and started hammering at it with her tools.

    Eideth just stood and stared at the wreckage occurring. Her expression was shocked, and I could see her eyes were bright. ¡°Not the golems?¡± She murmured under the wreckage and roar of the battle. ¡°They were naught harmful¡­?¡±

    ¡°People! We are leaving!¡± Darshanna shouted, the hatch on the scoutship folding down. She suited action to words by hurriedly clambering into the scoutship. ¡°That army won¡¯t last long against sustained trooper fire!¡±

    We all piled in, Darshanna making her way to the cramped cockpit at the front. The whole ship was crowded, honestly. Even the Pelican had better space than this, and the seats¡­ well, at least being tiny was an advantage in here. Poor Daniyel had to fold himself almost double to fit anywhere.

    And then to my surprise Eideth leapt into the ship behind us!

    ¡°Miss D?nhark?!¡± Daniyel¡¯s usual unperturbable voice was broken with surprise.

    ¡°They¡¯re destroying my machines! They take the most precious artifact I¡¯ve ever seen, they ignore my work, they destroy my effects, the greatest mystery I¡¯ve ever found in my life is flying off, and they never said a word about me beard! I¡¯m done here!¡± She leaned over Darshanna¡¯s shoulder and pressed a switch. The thundering rumble and whine of the ship¡¯s ?therdrive filled the air, overwhelming even the sound of massed gunfire.

    ¡°Oh dear.¡±

    I think I have a plan for you.

    You do?

    Things are not going to go well, and we must keep our friends safe.

    You¡¯re right. I¡¯m so far off the script now¡­ but what-

    This.

    And we grabbed the two vials of mana potion and swallowed them in one go.

    I felt a fizzing thud as they hit, like the best caffeine buzz I¡¯d ever had.

    ¡°Darshanna, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯re going to follow us.¡± Otherme spoke with her sweet shyness. I saw Soriya¡¯s eyes snap to me at the uncharacteristic tone of my voice. ¡°But if you¡¯ll allow me, I think we should fly that way as far as we can. When they follow us, and try to shoot us down, I¡¯ll take us all somewhere safe.¡±

    Darshanna looked up at me in surprise, as the airship started to rise off the field, the shouts of the troops below and the sound of gunfire echoing off our hull.

    ¡°But what about the airship!?¡± She sounded almost pleading.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± otherme clasped our hands in front of our bosom, and I could feel our features fill with genuine sorrow. ¡°They¡¯re going to destroy it.¡±

    Eshaan laughed suddenly and hugged me tight. ¡°Lily! That¡¯s brilliant! The airship crashes and they¡¯ll think we died in the wreck! It¡¯s genius!¡±

    ¡°But¡­ but my airship!¡± Darshanna¡¯s voice was almost broken, and her eyes were shining.

    Daniyel said ¡°Captain. We can get another ship. But we cannot get another you. Live to fight another day.¡±

    Darshanna looked down at the yoke, and a single tear dripped onto the console in front of her. ¡°My airship¡­¡± she said sadly.

    ¡°Lass, I¡¯ll build ye a new airship, if that¡¯s what it takes to get us moving!¡± Eideth lunged forward and pushed the throttle stops to the max. We tumbled backwards and some very uncomfortable and pointy bits of the interior made themselves known as we shot away from the dig site at speed.

    I pushed forward through the tangle of bodies, apologizing every second. ¡°Please, I need to see outside.¡± I slipped into the co-pilots seat. I glanced over to Darshanna who looked heartbroken.

    ¡°Do we really¡­?¡±

    The sound of unfortunately familiar thundering roar and explosions rocked our ship around us. I didn¡¯t say anything, only squeezed one of her hands in sympathy.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even get to name her¡­¡± she said forlornly, as several amber and red lights appeared on the console.

    I glanced outside the window, trying to burn the passing scenery into my mind. We were rapidly leaving the Tol Jaegren range, the lowland hills, spreading out, and then a vast inland sea. I focused as hard as I could, trying to remember where we were passing.

    ¡°There, what¡¯s that?¡± Eshaan pointed out the window towards a grey brown smudge on the coastline.

    ¡°That would be the Port of Eien.¡± Said Soriya. ¡°Reputed to be a haunted place inhabited by ghosts and those who cannot leave them behind.¡±

    A thunderous BOOM shook the craft and tossed us inside it like eggs in a blender.

    ¡°Now, I think would be a good time, Miss Lilyanna.¡± Said Daniyel.

    ¡°Right!¡±

    I closed my eyes and folded my hands in front of me. Please, Gate hear my plea. I focused on home with every fiber of my heart. The smell of mother¡¯s garden, the sunlight in my room, the fountain square in town, the shout of the children by the lakeshore.

    A swirling flash of purple and blue surrounded the scoutship. ¡°It is done.¡± Echoed in the cockpit, and an empty scoutship exploded into fire and wreckage over the hills just outside Port Eien.

 21 A Spot of Downtime

    Another timeless period, a blink of the cosmic eye, and we appeared standing in the town square of Breezewood.

    As we had all been cramped into awkward positions and sitting down, we all promptly fell over, with Darshanna and I falling into the fountain, and soaking ourselves through.

    ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Darshanna thrashed around in the foot of water. ¡°Help! HELP! I can¡¯t swim!¡±

    Daniyel picked himself up with a fluid grace, and leaned over the low rim of the fountain, helping Darshanna up out of the water. I had to make do by grabbing the rim of the fountain and pulling myself up, dripping wet.

    I sighed. ¡°Well I did say I wanted a bath, though I was hoping it would be warmer¡­¡± I muttered to myself.

    ¡°Why¡­ if it isn¡¯t Lilyanna!¡± I heard a familiar voice call out as Ms Buxby appeared out of the crowd of villagers. ¡°What on earth are you doing in the fountain, dear?! And who are all these people?! Good heavens, is that a Monan!?¡±

    Eideth waved and said ¡°Hullo. Name¡¯s Eideth. Pleasure to meet you.¡±

    I smiled tiredly, and launched into my explanation. It was a long one.

    When I had finished, the group of villagers surrounding us looked at each other, then back. Ms Buxby laughed and then clapped her hands. ¡°Well dear! It sounds like you¡¯re on quite an adventure! You and Soriya had best get on home. Clean up and let your mother know you¡¯re safe.¡± She nodded, and turned to the others. ¡°As for the rest of you, welcome to Breezewood. I¡¯d be honored if you¡¯d spend the night at my home! My house has been right empty ever since my children grew up and moved out.¡± She smiled with a gracious air of a woman who is well in her element.

    Daniyel bowed to her in that odd way of his and said ¡°We would be honored to receive the hospitality of the village of Lady Lilyanna and Lady Soriya.¡±

    Ms Buxby giggled, her hand to her mouth. ¡°Oh my! Aren¡¯t you the smooth talker!¡±

    Eshaan gave me a glance and I patted him on the arm. ¡°Go on. We all need a bath, and I really do want to see my mother. We¡¯ll see each other again soon.¡±

    He nodded, and smiled at me in that self-deprecating way of his. ¡°It has been a very long few days.¡±

    I giggled. ¡°Yes, it has.¡±

    As I turned to go, Soriya patted my arm. ¡°Don¡¯t forget! Tomato Tortellini soup!¡±

    I laughed and nodded tiredly. ¡°And sparkling fruit wine.¡±

    Soriya pouted briefly the grinned. ¡°I had hoped you¡¯d forgotten that part. Oh well!¡± She nodded. ¡°Bath and bed!¡±

    I nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes. Bath and bed. For everyone.¡± It has truly been a very long day indeed.

    We all agreed to meet up at the fountain at noon tomorrow, and with that, our little group broke up. I sighed, and trudged towards home. As I walked, thoughts tumbled through my head with ever increasing tempo, impossible to completely contain and quantify. I realized I was walking faster, and somehow before I realized it I was running down the gravel path towards home, pebbles flying under my heeled boots.

    I burst in the door with a rush, and shouted out ¡°Mother! I¡¯m home!¡±

    Mother came out of the workroom, rubbing her hands in her apron, smelling of alchemy and healing potions. ¡°Lily?!¡± She stopped dead and stared at me, then rushed forward, arms open. ¡°Lily! You¡¯re back!¡± We collided in a warm hug and I let myself sag against her shoulder.

    ¡°I¡¯m back, mama.¡± I said into her shoulder.

    Mother squeezed me tightly then pulled back. ¡°So you are, but my goodness you smell! Come on, off to the bath with you!¡±

    I giggled and followed along. It had indeed been a very long time since I¡¯d had a proper bath. What with adventures and chases I hadn¡¯t even been able to get my promised bath from the sewers! I found myself looking forward to it very much indeed.

    ¡°So, what happened?! You¡¯re back so early, you¡¯ve only been gone a week, and I more than half expected you to be gone for months on some adventure or another!¡±

    I coughed and blushed. ¡°Well¡­ actually¡­ it seems I¡¯m still on an adventure¡­¡± And so I spent the next hour and change storytelling, while I bathed and scrubbed and washed myself and my robes clean, then scrubbed all over again to get the very last of the travel of sewer stink off of me.

    Mother¡¯s eyes were wide with interest and I could tell she preened a little when I mentioned how helpful her travel journal had been.

    ¡°So you got to visit an imperial dig site in the Tol Jaegren mountains!? And fought an Ancient golem!? Oh my goodness Lily, you really are on an adventure!¡± she sigh and rubbed my head gently. ¡°I can¡¯t really say that I¡¯m not worried. Of course I¡¯m worried! But¡­ you were right. I just can¡¯t keep you on a shelf like a potion bottle.¡± She leaned in and hugged me close again, getting the front of her dress wet. ¡°Please be careful, daughter?¡±

    I smiled up at her. ¡°Same promise as before mother.¡± A faint nudge from otherme, and I reached up out of the sudsy water, holding out my pinkie to her, and we linked pinkies and shook. ¡°Pinkie promise.¡± I giggled at the childish pun, and then dunked my head under the water again to scrub.

    As I was washing the suds off myself, I had a strange moment of disassociation. I didn¡¯t even think about bathing. It¡¯s just¡­ normal now. I¡¯m a girl and that¡¯s¡­ normal?

    It¡¯s the salve. Otherme replied quietly.

    But shouldn¡¯t I be worried? Shouldn¡¯t this¡­

    If you find a way to return home, then you return home. And if you don¡¯t, because, as we suspect¡­

    I felt a stab in my heart. It was increasingly becoming likely that I would not be returning home, purely from the likelihood that I had died somehow. Come to think of it, don¡¯t both of the summons call me a Child of ?ther? What¡¯s going on there¡­? Oh! I can look at my status now!! I blinked in surprised memory, and closed my eyes, calling up that feeling of {Study} on myself.

    {Name}: Lilyanna of Breezewood {Level}: 11

    {Classes}: Spiritist 5/Orator 3/Arcanist 2/Gourmet 1

    HP: 410 MP: 710 DEF: 63 M.DEF: 106

    Current Status: <Healthy>

    DEX: 63 INS: 106

    MIG: 63 WIL: 106

    Skills: Heal, Barrier, Aura, Cleanse, Bonds of Friendship, Encourage, My Trust in You, Persuade, Bind & Summon, Arcane Circle 1, Cooking 1

    Special: ?therborn

    Wow. I¡¯m level 11. I remember gaining my spells, but I don¡¯t even remember getting all these skills? Wait, what¡¯s ?therborn?

    Even as I thought it, I felt a gentle nudge in my mind, and the voice of the world soul spoke in my mind.

    ¡°?therborn: A child born from the ?ther field established by the Goddess as her final gift to the world. Naturally gifted with high traits in magic and intelligence.¡±

    ¡°Well that explains¡­ not much at all, really. I guess?¡± I murmured.

    ¡°Hm? Something wrong, Lily?¡± asked mother.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Oh honey, I¡¯d forgotten all about her! ¡°Oh it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s nothing mother. Just looking at my status, and wondering how far I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Yes, tell me about your level! How much have you grown?!¡±

    I blushed and ducked my head. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to say.¡±

    Mother looked at me for a very long time, and then said softly ¡°So it¡¯s like that? You¡¯ve already surpassed me¡­¡±

    I jerked my head up in surprise, looking at her. There were tears in her eyes, and I felt a stab through my heart. ¡°I¡¯m sorry mother! I-¡±

    She reached down and hugged me gently to her, stroking my back. ¡°Lily, I¡¯m not crying because I¡¯m sad. Well¡­ maybe a little I am. But I¡¯m not angry you¡¯ve passed me up. I¡¯m so very very proud of you. You¡¯ve proven you were right.¡± She let out a little hiccupping laugh. ¡°You were right that I shouldn¡¯t keep you on a shelf. Look how much you¡¯ve already grown when I let you fly just a little bit away from the nest.¡±

    I blinked up at her in confusion, feeling my own eyes watering.

    She¡¯s happy for us. Otherme said with surprise and joy. She¡¯s really happy for us! She¡¯s so happy she¡¯s crying!

    That¡¯s real? That happens?!

    What are you saying, we¡¯re crying now too!

    I blinked, and realized that my vision wasn¡¯t blurry because of the steam¡­ it was true, tears were trickling down my cheeks, and I had a sappy smile on my face.

    ¡°Then¡­ I¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what else to say, so I just hugged mother back, and felt that confused mix of happy/sad tears flowing down my cheeks.

    A while later, we both regained control of ourselves, and wiped our eyes and cheeks clear.

    I guess it¡¯s a good thing we¡¯re in the bath. I thought to myself.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± I felt a blush. I was rather proud that mother was so proud of me. ¡°I¡¯m level 11 now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s wonderful Lilyanna. And still out on an adventure with room to grow.¡± Mother nodded and wiped at her eyes again. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re growing stronger; it means that you¡¯re safer out there. But also more dangerous! You mustn¡¯t let your power go to your head!¡±

    I smiled back at her. ¡°I know mother.¡± I hugged her again. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re still worried about me.¡±

    Mother huffed and crossed her arms. ¡°Well of course I¡¯m still worried about you! What mother wouldn¡¯t be worried about her daughter!?¡±

    I smiled again and nodded. ¡°Yes, I suppose that¡¯s true. But thank you anyway.¡±

    Mother cupped my cheek and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Just make sure you come back; your room will always be waiting for you. So!¡± She clapped her hands. ¡°You¡¯ve brought your new friends home with you!¡±

    She reached down and helped me out of the tub, handing me a tub of rinse water before passing me a giant fluffy towel to dry myself with.

    ¡°Yes, it seems so.¡± I said, toweling myself dry. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re friends yet, but I¡¯ve got a d- a Monan engineer, a maybe sky pirate Darshanna and her first mate Daniyel, Eshaan, and Soriya.¡±

    ¡°Goodness, and a Monan too! Oh that¡¯s right you mentioned she¡¯d joined you at the dig. And you say that female Monani don¡¯t have beards?! I had no idea! Are they all fake?!¡±

    I giggled. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ but Eideth sure seemed to act like it.¡±

    Mother shook her head. ¡°And now you¡¯re back here, but you¡¯re heading out! I must say, I¡¯m jealous of that Gate ability of yours! I would have given a great deal to travel that quickly when I was crossing a continent!¡±

    ¡°Well-¡± I said, muffled by the towel as I wrung out my hair in damp pink strands, and worked at patting it dry. ¡°I¡¯m not sure it really is much help right now, it only works for places I¡¯ve already been.¡±

    ¡°Well yes, but that¡¯s why you go adventuring isn¡¯t it? To see new places?¡±

    I smiled and shook my head. ¡°I have other reasons too.¡±

    Mother nodded somberly. ¡°Those do tend to pile up. You said you¡¯re chasing down something from the Cavern of Trials. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find it quickly, but there will probably be more past that.¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t seem to shake it off, but I hope not! The next place we travel will be the Port of Eien. Unless Darshanna can build an airship!¡± I laughed.

    Mother stroked her chin thoughtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we could get all the parts, but I bet we could let her use the old barn at the far end of the property¡­¡±

    I blinked, my eyes going wide. ¡°Mother, I was kidding! She can¡¯t really¡­? I mean¡­ can she!?¡±

    Mother shook her head. ¡°Well I don¡¯t know, Lily. But you said she¡¯s a {Tinker}, and {Tinker}¡¯s were the ones who created Airships in the first place, so I don¡¯t see why not. We just need the proper materials and time and a place to put it all together.¡±

    My eyes got really wide, and I felt myself vibrating with excitement. An airship! A real airship, this early in the game?! That would be so much help!

    Mother grinned at me. ¡°I can see the idea has fired you up. But in the meantime¡­ it¡¯s pretty late, and you¡¯ve had a very exciting adventure. How about I feed you, and let you sleep.¡±

    When she mentioned it, all the exhaustion that I¡¯d been pushing off suddenly crashed down on me, and I yawned hugely, my jaw cracking.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡± Mother said, and patted me on the head. ¡°Come on, sleepyhead. Lets get you into bed. More adventure for you tomorrow.¡±

    I nodded, yawning again, feeling my whole body sagging with exhaustion. The trip upstairs to my room was a blur, but the familiar smell of my own room was a welcome and safe feeling that wrapped around me, the softness of my own bed like a cloud compared rough camping, and I was asleep almost as soon as my head hit my pillow.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    If I dreamed, I didn¡¯t remember it, and I woke up with the sun streaming in through my window, and the distant sounds of the village waking up. I sat up with a jerk, the memories of the last few days rushing into my head.

    I flipped back the sheets on my bed, giving a huge yawn and stretch that felt very good. ¡°Mana potions might be as good as caffeine, but nothing beats a good nights sleep it seems.¡± I cracked my neck and got dressed hurriedly, before rushing downstairs. The smell of breakfast greeted me, and I had a brief flashback to my first morning here in Breezewood.

    ¡°Good morning, Mother!¡± I said, sliding into the seat and serving myself breakfast from the food that had been heaped there.

    ¡°Good morning, Lilyanna. You must have been exhausted, you usually wake up with the dawn, and it¡¯s several turns of the glass past that!¡±

    I flushed and nodded. ¡°I suppose so.¡± I said between bites of food. It was just so good to have real food again!

    I looked up at mother. ¡°Mother, is all city food bad!?¡±

    Mother laughed heartily. ¡°Ah, the famous cuisine of the traveler! Yes Lily, most food that isn¡¯t homemade tends to be very bad. You can find a few exceptions here and there, but in a traveler¡¯s inn, you should expect bad food. Why, half the reason I learned to cook on my adventures was the taste of inn food!¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± I said, sucking on my spoon. ¡°I guess Eshaan was right then.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Did he say something?¡±

    I ducked my head again, the flush rushing over my cheeks. ¡°He likes my cooking, he said.¡±

    ¡°Oooh? Is that so?¡± mother slide into a chair across from me. ¡°So¡­? Do you like him?¡±

    I felt the heat in my cheeks reach nova temperature. ¡°Mother!¡±

    ¡°I have every right to know if my daughter has a boy she¡¯s interested in. Or maybe you like this Darshanna girl?¡±

    If anything my blush got even hotter. ¡°Mother! Please stop trying to matchmake for me! You don¡¯t even know these people!¡±

    Mother just laughed and I felt a rush of embarrassed frustration. ¡°No one is shacking up with anyone! No one is dating anyone! We¡¯re just travelling companions!¡±

    ¡°Hmmm. Is that so? Well. If you say so. But you are at that age, and you¡¯re very beautiful Lilyanna. You should be aware of how the boys look at you. Some of the girls too.¡± Mother added.

    I stood up abruptly and glared at her. ¡°I have places to be! Places that don¡¯t involve my mother asking for details of a nonexistent love life!¡±

    Mother¡¯s laughter followed me out the door as I dashed towards town.

    I was early to the town square. Hardly a surprise after mother chased me out of the kitchen with the talk of intimate friends!

    I sat on the fountain, and laid my staff across my knees. After a fruitless few minutes, I found myself bored, and I went back to my status screen poking through my abilities curiously.

    I knew what all my spells did but some of my other abilities were unfamiliar to me.

    {Bonds of Friendship} makes my friends more effective after I cast a spell on them if I feel strong emotions towards them.

    {Encourage} makes my friends stronger when I cheer them on.

    {My Trust in You} makes my friends more likely to succeed if I cheer them on.

    {Arcane Circle} lets me cast spells right after one of the Arcanum has vanished.

    {Cooking} ¡­ well I should have expected that I thought. My food became supernaturally delicious, and gave bonuses to anyone who ate it.

    I sighed and slumped a little. ¡°All aboard pinkie express.¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Are we going somewhere?¡± Eshaan¡¯s voice made me give a little yelp of startlement. I almost toppled over backwards into the fountain.

    ¡°Ah!~ Eshaan, you scared me!¡±

    Eshaan rubbed the back of his head, and chuckled. ¡°Eh, sorry about that. What was that about the express though? Is there a train line near here?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°No. No, nothing like that. I just¡­ never mind. It wouldn¡¯t make a lot of sense.¡±

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°One of those otherworld things?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­ well, kind of yeah. It¡¯s probably easiest to think of it like that.¡±

    Darshanna pushed forward. ¡°Are you really from another world?!¡±

    I flushed. ¡°I certainly think so. If I¡¯m not, then it¡¯s a remarkably detailed delusion.¡±

    Darshanna crouched down and stared at me, her hand on her chin. I glared back. ¡°I am not some lab exhibit!¡±

    Darshanna hopped back and stood up again. ¡°Sorry! It¡¯s just that it¡¯s so¡­ you have no idea how interesting it all is!¡±

    I stared up at her. I wonder if I do. Trapped in a small world, and suddenly set free, to see so many new things¡­?

    I clapped my hands together in sudden thought. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right! Darshanna, my mother is an {Tinker: Alchemist}. She was interested in your airships, and she offered to let you use the old barn on our property, if you want to assemble a new airship!¡±

    Darshanna¡¯s eyes got wide. ¡°Really!? REALLY!?¡± She took my hands in hers, and stared into my eyes.

    I nodded sincerely. It was good to see how excited the idea made her!

    She suddenly dropped my hands and looked down. ¡°Oh but¡­ I don¡¯t have any materials. I don¡¯t have any way to get any materials. I mean, I have some cool stuff from the golems, but ¡­ no offense, I don¡¯t think you have much duralumin, and I don¡¯t have any raw materials¡­¡±

    I pouted. ¡°We¡¯re not some complete backwater, Darshanna! We¡¯ve got a blacksmith. We¡¯ve got Soriya, and she can make things in her Elemental forge.¡±

    She can? When did we- Otherme shared a quick flare of memories of Soriya¡¯s home lab.

    ¡°We can order things from the larger towns.¡± I pressed on ¡°And why not make the airship out of wood? We¡¯ve got plenty of that.¡±

    ¡°Wood?!¡± She stared at me. ¡°Lilyanna, that is the craziest idea I¡¯ve ever heard of! Bullets would go right through it, I¡¯d need¡­¡± she suddenly trailed off and her eyes got distant. ¡°Could I¡­? But then I¡¯d need¡­ but then¡­!¡± she spun around to face Daniyel, her mouth open. Daniyel passed her a ream of paper and a pencil before she could even say anything, then turned around to let her write on his back.

    She started writing frantically, scribbling equations and sketches at a pace that was frankly astonishing. Eideth went up on tiptoes to look at the paperwork, and Eshaan looked over her shoulders, entranced by the shapes and equations taking form on the paper.

    I hopped up and moved around to Daniyel. ¡°This happens often, I gather?¡±

    He smiled wryly and nodded. ¡°It is indeed as you say.¡±

    I watched Darshanna¡¯s enraptured face, focused on the paper for a moment then looked back to Daniyel. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ really smart, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    The note of pride in Daniyel¡¯s voice was unmistakable. ¡°She is the smartest person I know. And I have known many who call themselves intellectual giants.¡±

    I tugged on my hair thoughtfully. ¡°Maybe we stand a chance at this after all.¡±

    ¡°Everyone! Daniyel! Hiiii~¡± Soriya¡¯s cheerful greeting made all of us except for Darshanna look up to see her striding across the town square towards us.

    She spotted Daniyel acting as a table for Darshanna and frowned. ¡°Why do you let her do that? Stop that! You¡¯re not furniture!¡± She made to whapped at Darshanna¡¯s side, and her hand was caught in midair by Daniyel¡¯s.

    ¡°Please do not strike my captain.¡± He said, very quietly.

    Soriya looked at him, her eyes wide in surprise and a little fear. She nodded, uncertainly, and Daniyel released her hand.

    Daniyel straightened up, which caused Darshanna to protest. ¡°Wait, no! I almost had it, where are you going?!¡±

    ¡°Captain. Everyone is gathered. I suspect there are plans that need to be made. And, if I am not much mistaken, there are also tables to be had at our destination?¡±

    Darshanna blinked, as though she was coming out of a daze. ¡°Oh. Yes, of course. That¡¯s right, where are we going!?¡±

    Soriya spread her arms. ¡°I thought I would invite you all to the Witchy Wonderous Treehouse of Terror!¡±

    Eshaan jerked in surprise. I stifled a giggle with my hand ¡°Soriya! For shame! Your house is a wonderful idea, lets go there, and decide what we should do next. And maybe let Darshanna finish writing her thesis.¡± I added as an afterthought.

    Darshanna looked down at the pile of papers in her hands, and then nodded at us. ¡°Yes! I¡¯ve got some really good ideas here, and¡­ yes.¡± She nodded again.

    ¡°Well then! Follow me, everyone!¡± Soriya gestured grandly, and we trailed after her.

    Darshanna slipped next to me. ¡°So, you really grew up here?¡±

    ¡°Mm¡­ well the short answer is yes.¡±

    Darshanna looked around again then back. ¡°I don¡¯t see how you can stand it! It¡¯s so small! There¡¯s nothing to do here!¡±

    I frowned at her. Darshanna jumped and looked guilty. ¡°Don¡¯t make that face! I didn¡¯t mean it like that, it¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s very¡­¡±

    I frowned even more deeply, and Daniyel interposed himself. ¡°Apologies for my captain, Miss Lilyanna. Please forgive her, she¡­¡±

    I pressed my lips together and replied in a frosty tone. ¡°I understand. She¡¯s from a large city, and a small town like mine seems claustrophobic.¡± I turned to Darshanna. ¡°I happen to like a small quiet home life. I didn¡¯t want to be an adventurer! It¡¯s exciting in the way a house fire is exciting, rather than a birthday party!¡±

    Why is she reacting like that? I¡¯m upset but not really-

    Soriya came up beside me and whapped me lightly on the forehead with the edge of her palm. ¡°Lily. Stop scaring the poor girl.¡± She turned to Darshanna. ¡°Dar, Lily is not going to eat you, but you should apologize for peeing on her hometown. My home town too, for that matter. I agree it¡¯s dreadfully small, but it¡¯s still my home.¡±

    Darshanna looked down and muttered something inaudible.

    Daniyel frowned and said ¡°Captain Darshanna. Your etiquette teachers would be ashamed of you.¡±

    Darshanna turned pink and told the cobblestones at her feet ¡°Please forgive my rude manners. It was crass of me to speak without thinking.¡± In a slightly louder voice.

    I smiled at her, feeling the tension in me melt away. ¡°That¡¯s quite alright, I understand that new places and new situations can cause misunderstandings.¡±

    Eshaan blinked at me and mouthed ¡®wow¡¯ silently I looked at him in puzzlement. ¡°What? Is there something on my face?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°No. Not really. Just¡­ you went from scary to really sweet in an instant.¡±

    I frowned in confusion. ¡°Scary? How am I scary?¡±

    Eshaan shrugged uncomfortably. ¡°I dunno. It¡¯s hard to explain, but like¡­ when you frowned, the whole world got grey and cloudy somehow.¡±

    I frowned in puzzlement. That was strange. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d done anything like that? I remained silent the rest of the walk to Soriya¡¯s treehouse.

    Just on the outskirts of town, on the opposite side from my home, a giant tree soared into the sky. Just below it¡¯s leafy crown, a perfect picturesque two story anime bungalow rested in the fork of the tree, with a delicate filigree stairway wound around the trunk of the tree leading up to the bungalow.

    Once again, I had the surreal doubling image. It was unique, amazing, like something out out a video game or manga. I was seeing it for the first time, and yet I¡¯d been here hundreds of times, climbed the stairs to Soriya¡¯s house on an almost daily basis, knew every room by heart. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes until the strange doubling effect went away.

    Soriya stopped at the foot of the stairs and gestured grandly. ¡°Welcome one at all to the Witches Wonderous World of Magic and Mayhem!¡±

    Eshaan grinned. ¡°What happened to Treehouse of Terror?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s now the World of Magic, keep up!¡± Soriya snapped her fingers at him, a cocky grin on her face.

    Eshaan looked over at me, and smiled even more broadly. ¡°I see why you two are friends.¡±

    Soriya snorted. ¡°You do? Well perhaps you can inform me, it¡¯s a mystery beyond my comprehension.¡±

    ¡°Soriya!¡± I protested, feeling an inexplicable stab in my heart.

    Soriya made placating gestures, an unrepentant grin on her face. ¡°Kidding, kidding. You know I can¡¯t resist teasing you, there¡¯s no need to scowl like that.¡±

    It¡¯s true, she does this all the time. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d recognize her without it. Otherme chimed in. We should tease her back.

    ¡°Well if you don¡¯t want my lemon blueberry bars, or the cranberry tarts, or the tortellini soup, you don¡¯t have to come¡­¡± I smiled innocently at her.

    The look on her face was so worth it. ¡°Hey! No fair, I already started the Spark Wine in the brewing stand!¡±

    ¡°Oh well, we can¡¯t let that go to waste¡­¡± I demurred. ¡°Come on Soriya. Let¡¯s show the others your home.¡±

    We headed up the spiral stairs and into Soriya¡¯s house. It was precisely as anime as my bedroom and home, filled with witchy trinkets and wonders, magic crystals, alchemical reagents and distillations, books and books and still more books. It was cozy in an intellectual way, warm and welcoming and very¡­ Soriya. It was hard to explain in any other way.

    Eideth looked around in approval, her hands on her hips. ¡°Yes. This is a right nice place, lass. I approve.¡± She browsed her finger over stacks of books. ¡°Mostly elemental and magical theory, but some good solid work here.¡±

    Eshaan stared around, wide eyed with wonder.

    We had to move stacks of books off chairs, couches and other flat surfaces, and even then, it was pretty crowded. Daniyel gently directed Darshanna to a small work desk and helped her set up there, moving aside stacks of books and research paperwork. Darshanna was soon absorbed in the depths of her design documents.

    Soriya poured tea for us, and we settled down.

    ¡°Well. I suppose we should start with the obvious.¡± Eshaan cleared his throat. ¡°Miss Lilyanna, where does your seer¡¯s vision lead you?¡±

    I frowned at him, feeling oddly hurt. ¡°Lily. Just call me Lily.¡±

    He flushed. ¡°Ah¡­ very well. Lily.¡±

    ¡°You called me Lily when we¡¯re in mortal terror, why so formal now that we¡¯re not?!¡± I protested.

    He flushed deeper, and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Ah heh heh. Well. You know. I¡­ when you put it like that, I guess you¡¯re right! Lily! Sorry.¡±

    I settled back, feeling satisfied.

    Good, that¡¯s sorted. He¡¯s so odd about my name! Why is that?

    He¡¯s wasn¡¯t sure what our relationship is. Now he knows we¡¯re close friends. Otherme¡¯s voice was smug.

    Wait, what?!

    Oh? Are you saying we aren¡¯t friends with the boy who¡¯s saved our life several times, and is helping us hunt down the evil we unleashed?

    No¡­ not exactly¡­

    Then we¡¯re friends. Close friends. So there¡¯s no problem.

    I squirmed uncomfortably, but couldn¡¯t deny her logic.

    ¡°Well¡­ I think we¡¯re heading for the capital, at least for now. Soriya?¡±

    Soriya nodded firmly, her hat brim wobbling. ¡°Oh yes, definitely! The mine is the clue, there¡¯s the artifact that the empire took to Spyre, and then there¡¯s the Imperial Scholar¡¯s Competition, and I¡¯m sure that¡¯s all linked together.¡±

    Eideth paused in the middle of her tea. ¡°The Scholar¡¯s prize? Why on earth is that important?¡±

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t understand. While I would love to see the competition, I thought we were hunting down that shadow? Is the shadow going to show up in the capital?¡±

    I shared a glance with Soriya. She nodded and I turned back. ¡°Yes, actually. I think it will. I¡¯m not sure where, but¡­ I¡¯m fairly sure it¡¯s connected with the artifact, and it¡¯s sure to be involved with the emperor or nobility somehow.¡±

    Darshanna jerked her head out of the engineering diagrams. ¡°What? What now? The emperor? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Soriya gave me a significant glance and rubbed her thumb and forefingers together. I grimaced. I really was going to have to pay her that 100 zeni.

    Daniyel explained the conversation up to that point.

    ¡°The capital? Can you just¡­ zworp us there? Like we go there?¡± Darshanna asked.

    I shook my head. ¡°No, Gate will only take me to places I have been, that I can visualize. The best I can do is the ground near Port Eien, which was the closest that I¡¯ve been. The furthest along the journey.¡±

    Eideth rubbed her bare chin. ¡°Hm. Port Eien? Seems I¡¯ve heard unsavory rumors about that place¡­ nothing specific mind, but it¡¯s got a dark reputation.¡±

    I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Anything more specific?¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s talk of people vanishing from the streets. The folk what live there are surly sorts. Several attempts to get folk to move in, lots more good quality buildings than folks living there, but somehow it never quite works out. Always a cloud over the place, like it¡¯s too close to the shadows. Folk there overcharge for everything. It¡¯s a port, right enough, you¡¯re sure to be able to get passage, but the cost is supposed to be outrageous.¡±

    I scowled. ¡°That¡¯s frustrating, but I don¡¯t suppose we have much choice. The only other place I could take us would be Farna, and I don¡¯t like our chances there.¡±

    ¡°It is indeed as Miss Lilyanna says.¡± Daniyel added. ¡°The imperial garrison there is not likely to forget our little misadventure anytime soon.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Darshanna, how long will it take you to build an airship?¡±

    Darshanna blinked and looked over at her stack of documents, then back at me. ¡°You¡¯re kidding right? I can¡¯t finish an airship by myself if I had five years!¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re not by yourself! You¡¯ve got us with you!¡± Eshaan¡¯s exuberance warmed the air.

    Eideth sipped her tea and added ¡°Lad¡¯s got a point. Don¡¯t know how much he knows right now, but he¡¯s got a solid head on his shoulders, screwed the right way around, and you¡¯ve got a first rate mind, we could make something work.¡±

    Soriya perked up. ¡°We? You¡¯re in this too?¡±

    Eideth laughed. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m not planning on making a home here, I still need to get back to the capital. But I think perhaps I can set up some things here, maybe get some contacts with the blacksmith, do a little careful prep work if this barn is available you say?¡± She looked at me questioningly and I nodded.

    ¡°Then that makes a fair bit of sense.¡± She went on. ¡°You go do your magical thing, and journey to the capital. I¡¯ll help you set up a workshop here, with Darshanna and her boy.¡± She pointed at Daniyel.

    Darshanna was quick to protest. ¡°He¡¯s my first mate! We¡¯re not like that!¡±

    Eideth chuckled. ¡°That¡¯ fine then, but he¡¯s still your boy.¡±

    Darshanna grumbled, but Daniyel reached over and rested a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s fine, captain. I take no offense, and nor should you.¡±

    She gave him a scowl, but relented.

    ¡°So we¡¯re still heading to the capital.¡± Soriya summarized. ¡°But it¡¯s a trip. I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ll be joining the Imperial Scholar¡¯s Competition.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Do we¡­¡± I subsided. Eshaan had made too good a point to ignore. Weither I wanted it or not, we were on the plot, and I did need to stop the shadowme. And this¡­ looked like the right way to find out.

    ¡°Is there some sort of connection with the contest and the emperor?¡± Soriya asked.

    Darshanna nodded, looking oddly glum. ¡°Yes. The emperor and the royal princess both meet the winner of the competition, and congratulate the winner. If the artifact from the dig site was taken back, then one of the prizes will probably be a royal commission or grant to study it of some sort.¡± She sounded almost jealous.

    ¡°So, there we have it!¡± Soriya clapped her hands and beamed. ¡°I get to enter the competition after all!¡±

    Darkshanna looked at Soriya curiously. ¡°You¡¯re a scholar?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a {Loremaster}. I have some very interesting theories about the world soul that I¡¯ve bene hoping to pursue! So yes, even if we come from a ¡®backwater¡¯, I am very much a scholar. And I¡¯m going to win your little competition!¡±

    Darshanna shook her head. ¡°Do you really think you¡¯ll be able to win though?!¡±

    Soriya¡¯s eyes grew stormy with affront, but Eshaan jumped in. ¡°Miss Darshanna, you¡¯re not thinking about this like a pirate! We don¡¯t have to win! We just need to enter¡­ to ¡®case the joint¡¯ as Lily says.¡± He grinned. ¡°And then¡­ we¡¯re gonna steal it. Because we¡¯re air pirates, right?¡±

    Darshanna¡¯s eyes slowly grew wide, and her grin spread across her face. ¡°You¡­ I like you!¡± She shook her finger at Eshaan. ¡°Yes, we are going to steal it! To hell with the princess and her medal ceremony!¡± Her grin was almost feral.

    And so our plan was settled. The next morning, we said our goodbyes and left Darshanna, Eideth, and Daniyel behind working busily in the barn behind my house. I called up Gate to take us to the furthest place I¡¯d yet visited, and a swirling moment of vertigo later, we stood on a hilltop overlooking a grey and dismal seaport on the edge of a grey and stormy sea. I felt a chill of cold sweep over me, and I hugged myself looking down at the city. Something about this place¡­ I didn¡¯t want to be here. It was dark. And cold. And the cold seeped into my soul. I looked over, and found Soriya shivering the same as me. Eshaan looked irritatingly unaffected as always. We looked around, and nodded at each other.

    ¡°Right!¡± Eshaan said, gesturing down towards the grey and mostly empty port city. ¡°Let¡¯s go have another adventure!¡± He grinned, and I smiled weakly.

    ¡°Yes. Another adventure.¡±

 22 The Town of Mist and Dark Shadows

    We headed slowly down the hill towards the grey port city. The city walls were old and overgrown with moss, crumbling grey stone bricks that stared out with an expression as grey and dour as the landscape. There were no guards outside, and the city gates were rusted open, leaf litter blowing absently through the gateway.

    ¡°Wow. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a city gate unguarded.¡± Eshaan remarked.

    I glanced over at him. ¡°Is it really that uncommon?¡± I said, eyebrows rising in surprise.

    He nodded. ¡°Yes! It¡¯s very unusual!¡±

    ¡°Are we sure that people live here?¡± Soriya commented.

    I pulled open my mother¡¯s journal and flipped through it. ¡°Yes. Much reduced, prices through the roof, but mother¡¯s journal says it¡¯s a living city.¡± I shivered all over, feeling a strange chill sweeping through me at the words ¡®living.¡¯

    ¡°Well then! The logical place to start is towards the harbor!¡± Eshaan clapped his hands and rubbed them.

    ¡°Eshaan¡­¡± I reached out and tugged at his sleeve, halting him. I hugged myself and felt another shiver through me. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel¡­ anything? About this place?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± He looked about alertly, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.

    ¡°I mean¡­ doesn¡¯t this place feel creepy to you?!¡±

    Soriya nodded in agreement. ¡°I feel it too.¡±

    Eshaan looked around again, then shook his head. ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s a little cold, and there¡¯s a mist¡­ I can offer you my jacket?¡± He started shrugging out of it.

    I glared at him, and shook my head angrily. ¡°Forget it.¡±

    We shouldn¡¯t ignore this! Our intuitions are very good!

    No! I¡¯m not going to let you trick me like this, this is just the part of the story where the girls are freaked out by nothing at all!

    I think-

    NO! Otherme was quiet, but I could tell she hadn¡¯t given up.

    I stomped angrily past Eshaan, picking a likely looking street and heading down it with a determined stride.

    The city slowly started to show signs of life. A potted plant here. A stray cat there. The faint sounds of life, and then a market. Once or twice I even heard the sound of a child¡¯s laughter as they played, though I never caught sight of them. But there were no guards, no city officials. The city remained grey and overcast.

    Soriya commented as we walked ¡°It¡¯s so eerie here! The houses are all in good repair, but they¡¯re all empty!¡±

    Eshaan looked around curiously ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just good construction?¡±

    ¡°But then why don¡¯t people move in?! Free housing!¡±

    Eshaan shrugged. ¡°Well Lilyanna¡¯s journal said something was off. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll protect you!¡±

    I glared daggers at him. I opened my mouth to give him a cutting remark, but otherme wrestled with me.

    Don¡¯t you dare! He¡¯s nice! He¡¯s kind! He¡¯s trying to be decent!

    We are not his property! We keep him safe more often than not!

    Soriya hmmed thoughtfully and said ¡°Oh? Do you not want us to protect you then?¡± in a studied casual way while I wrestled with otherme.

    Eshaan blushed and ducked his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that, Miss Soriya. Nobody doubts your competence!¡±

    ¡°Oh? So you doubt Lilyanna¡¯s competence?¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s blush grew even brighter, and I felt a mingled shock of vicious satisfaction and cringing embarrassment from both halves of me.

    ¡°N-no! Of course not! I just¡­¡± He trailed off, unsure how to continue.

    Soriya looked over at me, her eyebrow raised. I ducked my head feeling awkward. It was nice to have Eshaan confronted with his prejudice, but I couldn¡¯t help feeling awkward for him. I shook my head at her, lips pressed tightly together.

    Soriya nodded at me and then said in a much gentler voice ¡°Be a little more considerate. We¡¯re a group of adventurers, and we work together. We¡¯ll protect each other. We¡¯re not just objects to be put into a box and guarded.¡±

    Eshaan scowled and nodded, clearly stung.

    ¡°You¡¯d probably just blow up the box anyway.¡± I giggled at Soriya. She laughed and nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Oh probably, and then Eshaan would have to repair the box and do apologies for us!¡±

    Eshaan gave a hesitant flicker of a smile, then nodded to himself straightening his shoulders. He stopped and bowed to both of us.

    ¡°I will protect you. Both of you. Because that¡¯s who I am, it¡¯s what I do. I did not mean to belittle your contributions.¡± He bowed to me. ¡°Lilyanna¡­ Lily. I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to imply that you¡¯re helpless or of no use. You have saved my life more times than any of my squadmates in the troopers.¡± He turned to Soriya and bowed as well. ¡°Miss Soriya, you pack more firepower than my entire squad put together.¡±

    I could feel my heart go a bit gooey, and shook my head rapidly to dispel it. ¡°We work together!¡± I rushed out. ¡°It¡¯s a team thing!¡±

    Soriya grinned and stepped up, linking her arms in Eshaan¡¯s, motioning me to join her. After a moment of hesitation, I did, linking my arm with Eshaan¡¯s other arm.

    ¡°Right!¡± Soriya said. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. You¡¯re going to protect us, and we¡¯re going to protect you. So how about, instead of ¡®I¡¯ll protect you,¡¯ try ¡®We¡¯ll face down whatever it is together!¡¯?¡± Soriya smiled up at Eshaan.

    I could see his face brighten at that. ¡°Yeah. Yeah!¡± He nodded, some of his energy returning. ¡°That¡¯s how we¡¯ll do it! Together!¡±

    We headed towards the docks arm in arm in arm.

    Finding the docks really wasn¡¯t too hard, just a matter of persistence and following our noses. Though honestly, I wasn¡¯t all that happy with that, the smell of dead things and rotting seaweed is never exactly the most pleasant, and the odor of rotting offal and the filth of a city was added to the slow churning sludge that lapped turgidly against the posts of the mostly abandoned and rotting docks. Here and there, a few boats swayed against their moorings, but the same grey dreary air that loomed over the city was equally prevalent here.

    Soriya took the lead. ¡°Eshaan? You¡¯re the fisherman¡­ any ideas?¡±

    He looked slowly around shaking his head. ¡°Well¡­ my home village is a lot smaller than this! But¡­ most of the gossip happens in the taverns, so¡­?¡±

    ¡°Right! So let¡¯s head to the local bar and ask!¡± Soriya spun around slowly, then pointed. ¡°There. That one. I can hear singing.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the singing got to do with it?¡± I asked curiously.

    Soriya shrugged and grinned mischievously at me. ¡°Nothing, really, I just bet the lyrics are going to make you blush as pink as your hair, and that¡¯s always fun to see.¡±

    ¡°Soriya!?¡± I could feel the blush heating my cheeks already. Now that she¡¯d pointed it out¡­ oh dear, those lyrics really were salty!

    There was nothing for it, and Eshaan was already heading towards the door. He turned to me and smiled, holding out his hand. ¡°So I don¡¯t need to protect you, but if they get too rowdy, I¡¯ll help you punch them, ok?¡±

    I laughed and felt the tension break a little. He was right, I didn¡¯t have to stand there blushing and stammering, I could just punch somebody if they got handsy!

    That seems incredibly rude!

    Did you hear those lyrics?!

    Y-yes¡­ I could positively feel otherme¡¯s blush inside myself.

    I gripped my staff firmly and headed into the bar. I really shouldn¡¯t have worried. Every eye was already fixed on Soriya, and I felt an absurd surge of jealousy from otherme. I knew Soriya was pretty, that was obvious to anyone with eyes, but¡­ I guess I¡¯d forgotten just how pretty!

    ¡°Right!¡± she announced, hands on hips. ¡°Who wants to buy a girl a drink?!¡±

    The bar was silent for a moment, and then a raucous hubbub rose, with several male voices roaring out approval.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s one way to do it.¡± Eshaan murmured in my ear. Truthfully, it was more like a yell, the bar was loud.

    I smiled back apologetically. ¡°She¡¯s certainly broken the ice!¡±

    Eshaan nodded. We pushed our way towards the bar, while Soriya commanded center stage of the inn throwing back entire tankards at a time.

    The bartender had his eyes on Soriya, but when I stepped up, his attention snapped to me. The way his gaze lingered on my chest made shivers crawl up and down my spine.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°I-is there something on my face?¡± I stammered out.

    Not that you¡¯re looking at my face, you pervert! It didn¡¯t exactly feel¡­ wrong. I could feel the soft protection of otherme bounce a bit. I was a girl after all. At least now. I knew I was pretty, but¡­ the way he looked at me!

    I could feel otherme¡¯s sigh. It¡¯s not just Soriya who gets looks like that; you know. They¡¯re boys. They can¡¯t help it.

    Well he should help it! We don¡¯t stare at others like that!

    Well¡­ not while they¡¯re looking at us, anyway. Otherme said thoughtfully.

    The bartender shook his head, and went back to smearing the bar with a dirty towel. ¡°Nah. Thought you was somebody else for a second.¡± He scrubbed the counter harder. ¡°Information¡¯s money too. You want advice, it¡¯ll cost you.¡± He grunted.

    ¡°What?! That¡¯s outrageous!¡± Eshaan protested. I grabbed his arm and shook my head, giving him a warning look.

    ¡°Alright.¡± I said, pulling out a single zeni. ¡°Here¡¯s payment for the information you just provided.¡± I slid the zeni across to him. ¡°Does the information come in grades, or is it just a flat rate?¡±

    I could see the wheels turning in the man¡¯s head.

    Oh wonderful, I think I just gave him the idea¡­. Fine. Fine! My eyes narrowed, and I cranked up a {Persuade}.

    He grunted in surprise, and his own eyes narrowed as he felt the aura hit him. ¡°Price is tiered.¡±

    I nodded, and settled in to haggle.

    ¡°We want a ship.¡±

    ¡°50 zeni¡¯s the starting price-¡±

    I waved my hand to cut him off. ¡°Skip to it, how much for the actual legit information that doesn¡¯t¡­¡± I stumbled and stopped, my brain suddenly spinning.

    -that doesn¡¯t get us shanghaied¡­ or kidnapped. Clueless naive healer girl, pirate ship¡­ oh honeysuckle no!

    ¡°Lily?¡± Eshaan looked at me worriedly.

    ¡°Your girl got the fits or something?¡± The bartender took a step back. ¡°Don¡¯t need a plague bearer in town! Got no info for you!¡±

    I pushed away from the bar, grabbing Eshaan¡¯s wrist and pulling him towards where Soriya held court.

    ¡°We need to go!¡± I shouted in Soriya¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Why?! The party¡¯s just starting!¡± Her cheeks were flushed and I could see the red flush of a really solid drunk was just starting to settle into her pale skin.

    ¡°Soriya! We. Are. Leaving!¡± I grabbed her hand.

    She fumbled at it, trying to push me away.

    ¡°I think the lady wants to stay with us!¡± Several burly types stepped forward, pushing between Soriya and I.

    Oh great, just what I wanted, a bar fight. This is looking worse and worse!

    I pressed my lips together. ¡°Alright, fine.¡± I muttered to myself, then raised my staff and called on Tower, shouting out the chant over the roar of the crowd.

    The blossoming of the summons ripped out of me, and the explosion of silver white light rippled outwards, pushing the Soriya¡¯s audience backwards. Tower didn¡¯t even get time to give me her usual greetings, before I said ¡°Wrap us in protection, please, we need to go!¡±

    If a dragon could look surprised, this one certainly did. ¡°As you wish, child of ?ther.¡±

    I grabbed at Soriya¡¯s hand, who blinked owlishly at the bright light of tower surrounding us. ¡°Come on! I¡¯ll bake you anything you want, but we¡¯re going right now!¡±

    ¡°But¡­ but the booze!¡± She protested, slurring just a little.

    ¡°Now!¡± Otherme protested, and I found myself adding ¡°Please, Soriya?¡± with my hands clasped before me. ¡°Just trust me.¡±

    Eshaan looked at me, back to Soriya, then simply scooped her up in his arms and pushed his way through the crowd, Tower¡¯s shielding pushing the crowd backwards around him.

    Otherme felt a raging stab of jealousy, seeing Soriya ¡®princess carried¡¯ out the door.

    Don¡¯t let it get to you, he¡¯d just whack our head trying to carry us through the door. I muttered to otherme, and hurried after him.

    Tower¡¯s protection never lasts too long, but it was long enough that we were several blocks away, and the confused muttering behind us had faded into a sullen quiet of lapping waves and an occasional bird call from the harbor.

    ¡°Alright, alright, we¡¯re far enough away!¡± Soriya groused. ¡°Do you mind explaining what¡¯s going on now?!¡±

    I gesticulated wildly, my voice perhaps a little too shrill. ¡°This is a pirate town! That is clearly a hive of scum and villainy! And I am¡­ who I am! I am not going to play kidnap!¡±

    Soriya blinked owlishly at me, scrunching up her face in confusion. I let out a huff of exasperation and chanted a quick {Cleanse}. Her eyes widened as she felt the spell take effect, and she shook her head.

    ¡°Oh wow¡­ I have got to ask you for a hangover cure next time we have a party!¡± She frowned thoughtfully. ¡°Right, of course. You¡¯re Lily, and this is a pirate town.¡±

    Eshaan looked at both of us in shock. ¡°It is?!¡± he asked in bafflement.

    I looked over at him, feeling very low on patience. ¡°Of course it is. There¡¯s no steady trade. There are hardly any ships here. There¡¯s almost no population, and everyone looks like they¡¯d stab their father for a zeni. But they have alcohol, and lots of it. They have food, and plenty of it, at least for those patrons. Where are they getting the supplies if they¡¯ve got no trade and no citizens?¡± I explained patiently. ¡°Plus, this is one of those seer things.¡± I looked down and huffed angrily. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ kind of a magnet for kidnap attempts.¡±

    Eshaan looked at me, his eyes wide. ¡°But why?¡±

    I looked at him and gave a sigh. ¡°Eshaan, you can be so charmingly clueless. Look at me.¡± I spread my arms and gave a twirl for him. ¡°What do you think pirates think when they see somebody like me in a place like that?¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes got wide with understanding. ¡°Oh. OH!¡± He looked around nervously, putting his hand on his sword hilt.

    ¡°Exactly.¡± I nodded. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to do that stupid kidnapped princess routine!¡±

    Soriya tugged on her lip thoughtfully. ¡°Why not?¡±

    I rounded on her in astonishment. ¡°What do you mean why not?!¡± I said angrily.

    ¡°I mean, why not?!¡± She stared right back at me. ¡°If we know it¡¯s coming, it¡¯s hardly going to be a shock or surprise. We need transportation, and a group of kidnapper pirates sounds like they¡¯d have a handy boat. Plus, we¡¯d be doing a public service, cleaning up the inner sea, at least this part of it.¡± She ticked the points off on her fingers. ¡°Free boat, public service, and a chance to let off some pent-up aggression. Sounds like the perfect gig for us freelance heroes for hire.¡±

    I stared at her; my mouth open.

    Eshaan nodded eagerly. ¡°That¡¯s an incredibly good plan, Miss Soriya! And I know Lily can hold her own!¡±

    I turned to Eshaan my mouth still open, feeling like my feet were slipping out from under me at this betrayal. Otherme¡¯s giggling fits echoed inside my mind.

    We did just make a huge fuss about how we¡¯re independent, strong, and don¡¯t need him to protect us, didn¡¯t we? Do you really want to take that all back now?

    I swallowed down a bitter sting in my throat.

    I hate you from the bottom of my heart. I snarled at her.

    Sticks and stones¡­ she singsonged back to me.

    ¡°I hate you both.¡± I glared at them, and huffed angrily, crossing my arms. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s bait some pirates.¡±

    Eshaan said ¡°I still don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Oh yes, there¡¯s a surprise. I thought to myself.

    Be nicer! Otherme chided. He¡¯s trying!

    ¡°I get that this is more of that seer stuff, but does that mean that like¡­ everything is predestined?¡± Eshaan continued.

    I stopped, blinking in shock. That¡­ was not an empty-headed question!

    Soriya perked up and took on a professorial tone. ¡°What an interesting question! Well, if my research for the Empire¡¯s competition proves out, the transtemporal harmonics of a world metasoul¡­¡± she trailed off, seeing both of our eyes glazing over. ¡°Ah heh. Perhaps I should simplify a bit.¡± She blushed.

    ¡°It¡¯s not too very complicated. To simplify it¡­ well, a lot honestly. Picture¡­ picture a plank of wood. In the wood, someone has carved a lot of small grooves. An ant walking along the top of the plank can fall into a groove. Once it¡¯s in the groove, it¡¯s much easier to continue walking along it, rather than climb out. It could climb out, but it¡¯s an ant, and in some of the grooves, there are tasty crumbs. So there¡¯s no reason to climb out.

    ¡°The grooves with crumbs are our classes, and the grooves without crumbs are the storylines, the¡­ the natural events that Lily and I can see. It¡¯s not that a person can¡¯t climb out of the grooves in the world, it¡¯s that they often don¡¯t want to, and it¡¯s much easier not to. Because we¡¯re aware that they are there, Lily and I can shove people into a groove, or push them up out of a groove, or simply predict where the groove is likely to be.

    ¡°In the case of a pirate town and two very pretty girls-¡± she tossed her long hair back with a hand. ¡°It really takes no effort at all to predict it. That¡¯s a danger that you¡¯d naturally expect to find in a pirate town, yes?¡± She asked Eshaan.

    Eshaan nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin. ¡°Yes, I see. So it¡¯s like Lily said. If I disagreed with something she said, I could change my fate. But this groove makes it more likely for me to stay put!¡± He nodded. ¡°Thank you, Miss Soriya! I think I understand much better now!¡±

    He suddenly frowned. ¡°But¡­ but the church teaches that the classes were a gift of the goddess to the world. You think¡­ the goddess carved these grooves into the world?¡±

    Soriya¡¯s eyes got even brighter, and she practically vibrated with excitement. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m in the midst of testing!¡± She pulled out Diaboli with a flourish and flash of light. ¡°It¡¯s my suspicion that if I can finish the groove I¡¯m in, my natural affinity with Diaboli will pop me right into another class, which will unkink my ability to use staffs!¡±

    Eshaan nodded again, his eyes widening in appreciation. ¡°This is¡­ really interesting.¡± He frowned. ¡°I think¡­ you may want to be cautious though. You¡¯re dealing with religious matters, matters revolving around the gifts of the goddess. The church can be¡­ sticky about such things.¡±

    Soriya waved her hands dismissively. ¡°Bah! Magiscience innovation doesn¡¯t need to bow to outdated religion!¡±

    Eshaan frowned. ¡°Miss Soriya, I¡¯m¡­ deeply uncomfortable when you call my religion ¡®outdated¡¯.¡±

    My eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re a Crystalist?¡± I asked.

    He nodded. ¡°Well, not a good one, to be honest, but¡­ well the notion that the crystal dragon and the goddess might just be¡­ poked at like this. I don¡¯t like it. And I especially don¡¯t think you should just go around telling the church that it¡¯s outdated and meaningless! People¡¯s religions are important to them!¡±

    ¡°Hm. I suppose I hadn¡¯t thought of it like that.¡± Soriya pondered, her fingers on her chin. ¡°It¡¯s something to think about, at any rate.¡± She clapped her hands. ¡°Now, come on. Let¡¯s work out our Lily-bait plan!¡±

    I groaned.

    The plan, such as it was, was simple. I would walk back to the tavern, very conspicuously alone. Eshaan and Soriya would follow stealthily behind, and wait for me to be kidnapped. Then, when I was ¡®safely¡¯ in the hands of the pirates, and the two knew which boat I was on, they¡¯d row out and rescue me. At that point, I would summon Gate, and teleport all the pirate crew off the ship, and we would sail off.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure you can handle a larger sailing ship?¡± I anxiously asked again.

    Eshaan sighed. ¡°Lily.¡± He turned and faced me squarely. ¡°If I trust you to be kidnapped, can you please trust the son of a fisherman to know how to sail a boat?!¡± He snapped. He immediately looked ashamed, but the blush burning on my cheeks was much hotter.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I said, looking down, fidgeting with my skirts. ¡°That was rude of me. Of course I trust you. I¡¯m just¡­ scared.¡±

    He smiled, reached up and squeezed my hand. ¡°Hey. It¡¯s ok. You¡¯re Lilyanna of Breezewood! Your friends are right behind you! We¡¯re not going to let anything bad happen.¡±

    It was stupid, but his confidence did make me feel better. ¡°Thanks.¡± I offered a tentative smile.

    I took a really deep breath, and then let it out slowly, nodding. ¡°Ok!¡± I announced, squaring my shoulders. ¡°Let¡¯s go get kidnapped.¡±

    I headed back towards the pirate bar, my mouth set in a grim line.

    I swallowed, and then pushed the door open. The room got quiet as I walked back in. The bartender scowled at me. ¡°Back again?¡± He glanced over at some of the other patrons, then back to me. ¡°I suppose if you can talk straight, I can at least serve you. Unless you start foaming at the mouth again?¡±

    I glared. ¡°I am not going to foam at the mouth!¡± I stalked forward to the bar and slapped my staff down on it. ¡°Whiskey. Or whatever you have that¡¯s pretending to be whiskey.¡±

    His eyes narrowed. I could see the wheels turning in his head, but he shrugged and turned to pour me a fingerful of amber pain into a glass. I nodded, took hold of it, and slugged it back. It hit like a hammer and burned all the way down, and my head almost immediately started to spin.

    Oh, this was not a good idea.

    What did you expect?! We like simple things, not¡­ whatever this is?!

    They don¡¯t sell wine coolers here!

    My eyes watered. ¡°There. Now I¡¯m a patron. Just like a real person. Now how much for detailed information?¡±

    The bartender stroked his chin thoughtfully. ¡°Let¡¯s call it¡­ 200 zeni.¡± I nodded, and reached into my belt pouch to pull out the money, and then there was a crashing pain in the back of my head, the world swirled around me and grew dim.

    Oh. This happened a lot faster than I expected¡­ my brain stuttered over the thought.

    The last thing I heard before the world flickered out was:

    ¡°Oy! She didn¡¯t even get out the money yet! You owe me 200 zeni!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll split the reward with you later, if she¡¯s really the girl the church is looking for.¡±

    And then everything went dark.

 23 A Pirates Work is Never Done

    I woke with the worst headache I¡¯ve ever experienced. Every throb of my pulse caused a steady trickle of pain from the back of my skull. It was hard to focus on much of anything at all. I tried to sit up, and nothing moved.

    Oh. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m kidnapped.

    Yes, that¡¯s right, we¡¯re kidnapped as part of the plan.

    This was a stupid plan. Why¡¯d they have to hit us over the head?

    Easier to tie us up, and gag us.

    Now that otherme mentioned it, I did feel the overly dry feeling of cloth binding my mouth. Now that I had remembered, I could feel the tightness of ropes on my wrists and ankles as well. I was laying on my side on something very hard and very uncomfortable. My hips and shoulders ached fiercely, though they were quiet compared to the raging headache throbbing in my skull.

    The only sounds I could hear were a slosh of water somewhere nearby, the distant shouts of men muffled by something, and the screech of seagulls. I opened my eyes very slightly. Hard wood decking. Dirty, scuffed and scarred. The smell of pitch and sea water.

    What a wonderful smell we¡¯ve discovered. I don¡¯t suppose you caught anything while they were carrying us here?

    A sense of baffled confusion. What are you asking? We just woke up, just now! How would we hear them when we were unconscious!?

    I let out a sigh. Because I hoped you would stay awake when I was out?

    This again? We¡¯re the same person. I can¡¯t be awake if you¡¯re not awake.

    You were awake for sixteen years before I even knew you existed!

    That¡¯s different. You weren¡¯t asleep in the same way. It was like you were¡­ healing. I can¡¯t describe it any better.

    I swallowed. ¡°Wonderful.¡± I muttered into the gag, then shut up, hearing the sound of boots heading towards me. I squeezed my eyes shut, and listened as hard as I could.

    A door banged open and two loud male voices entered.

    ¡°See? She¡¯s still out.¡± Said one.

    ¡°Well what did you expect?¡± The other said. ¡°You hit her hard enough to knock her clear to Spyre!¡±

    ¡°Hey, I had no way to know she was so soft!¡±

    ¡°Oh come on, just look at her! Anyone would know with a glance she can¡¯t have more than 50 hit points at most! As to the soft part¡­¡±

    Well, now I know he hasn¡¯t put any effort into a {Study} of me¡­ that¡¯s good, I think?

    I felt a toe nudge into my stomach and rock me slightly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see the look in your eyes when we were carrying her out of the bar.¡± The voice continued. ¡°The church bounty is very explicit, and if you cost me 10 million zeni just because you can¡¯t keep your hands off a pretty girl, I will have your eyes, Dinesh.¡±

    ¡°Oh come on!¡± The other man, presumably Dinesh whined. ¡°Look at her! What¡¯s a little grope or squeeze going to hurt?!¡±

    I felt a chill crawl all the way up my spine and settle into my head. I really had not thought about that¡­ possibility. I was a girl and they were pirates. I had no guarantee that simply being the heroine granted me any immunity!

    ¡°I¡¯ll hurt you.¡± The second man grated out. ¡°Ten million zeni worth.¡±

    I could hear the clomp as Dinesh took a step back. ¡°Right, right, sorry Captain Devdan.¡±

    A satisfied grunt, and a feeling of closeness, before I felt rough hands checking the knots on my bindings, lifting my hair to check the back of my head. I did my best to stay limp and still. I didn¡¯t even dare use a {Persuade}, since they might feel it. I blessed the filthy rag shoved into my mouth, it let me bite hard on something to avoid shrieking in fear and rage.

    I heard the captain get to his feet, and the sense of nearby presence eased. ¡°Well she¡¯s still out and the bonds are secure. Don¡¯t know what the church wants with her anyway.¡±

    ¡°I still think we should have sold her!¡± Dinesh griped. ¡°Do you know how much a {Spiritist} can go for in the southern deserts?!¡±

    ¡°Less than ten million zeni, I imagine.¡± The captain said. ¡°So you¡¯ll keep your hands to yourself and your ideas where they belong.¡± Clomping boots faded off. I felt a presence move closer to me, and the voice of Dinesh grew closer. A hand rested on my hip in a manner than made all the hair on the back of my neck stand right on end.

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky the captain is so set on the terms¡­ such a waste.¡± Dinesh muttered.

    ¡°Dinesh! Outside! Now!¡± The captain¡¯s voice roared.

    I heard Dinesh leap to his feet and dash off. ¡°I hear ya, I hear ya! I¡¯m your crew, not your slave!¡± And then a door slammed, the sounds of angry voices slowly fading away.

    I let out a quiet moaning whimper into the gag. I wasn¡¯t sure which of me it was, but both of me suddenly had third, fourth, and fifth thoughts about this oh so cunning kidnap plan¡­

    ¡°Eshaan¡­ Soriya¡­ please hurry¡­¡± I whispered into the gag.

    ***

    Two hundred meters away, Soriya and Eshaan were struggling to row as quietly as possible, following a pirate sloop in thick mist.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing. That the mist. Is so thick!¡± Eshaan panted, hauling on the oars for all he was worth.

    Soriya grimaced. ¡°I know, I know, they¡¯d see us for sure if the mist wasn¡¯t here, but this wasn¡¯t the plan! We were supposed to be aboard by now!¡±

    Eshaan hauled on the oars, sweating heavily. ¡°Lily. Can handle it.¡± He panted out.

    ¡°How can you be so confident!?¡± Soriya snapped.

    ¡°Because. She told us. She can.¡± While hauling on the oars, he managed to give a shrug. ¡°But we have to. Catch up. Do our part.¡±

    Soriya fidgeted. ¡°If you¡¯d just let me cast {Gale}-¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Eshaan was emphatic. ¡°Will blow. The mist.¡±

    Soriya fidgeted again, frustrated but unable to refute the point. Eshaan was right. He¡¯d said it before, but this wasn¡¯t the plan. And despite Lily¡¯s insistence that she could handle herself, she was far too sweet and naive for her own good! Letting pirates capture her! What had she been thinking! This wasn¡¯t some game, for all the stats and numbers! The pirates could do¡­ all kinds of things! Why had she agreed with this?!

    From the direction of the pirate sloop, there was a soft thud and splashing noise.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?!¡± Soriya¡¯s eyes widened in panic.

    Eshaan grinned broadly. ¡°What I was expecting.¡± He eased off on the oars, pulling them aboard. ¡°That¡¯s.¡± He caught his breath, then continued. ¡°That¡¯s the breakwater, and the jetty. They have to slow down. Now we can catch them!¡± He put his hands back to the oars and started pulling. He winced. ¡°Been too long. Lost all my fisher¡¯s calluses!¡±

    The little rowboat pulled steadily through the mist, the soft sounds of the pirate vessel growing louder, carried over the water to them.

    There was a shout and another splash, and a voice calling ¡°Right lads! Our fortune¡¯s made with this pink doxie delivered to the church! Haul sail!¡±

    Eshaan went pale under his tan, and his expression grew bleak.

    Soriya grimaced. ¡°Right. The look on your face tells me things went upside down. When do our plans ever work right?¡± She pulled Diaboli from her storage pocket with a flash of light.

    Eshaan protested. ¡°You can¡¯t! They¡¯ll hear!¡±

    Soriya stood up in the boat and yelled out in a clear and firm voice.

    ¡°This is the Dread Pirate Soriya! Haul to and prepare to be boarded, or we¡¯ll send you to the bottom!¡± She chanted a {Flare} that shot a bright bolt of red-yellow into the mist, coring a hole in the wall of wavering grey.

    Eshaan groaned and slapped his palm over his face. ¡°Or we could do that.¡± He muttered.

    The mists tore apart, revealing the pirate sloop, it¡¯s sails half unfurled and already starting to kick up a wake as the ship slowly pulled past the breakwater of the harbor jetty. Shouts of alarm and the sight of pirates scurrying across the deck with weapons met their gaze.

    Eshaan hauled mightily on the oars, swearing. ¡°I thought I was the impulsive madman here! This was not the plan!¡± He snarled angrily at Soriya.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve got breath to talk you¡¯ve got breath to row! Actually, screw that.¡± She abruptly sat down, and brought Diaboli to her shoulder.

    Soriya took a breath and shouted. ¡°Spirits of Water, heed my call! Show my foes your might! Iceberg!¡±

    A spiraling arcane circle glowed at the mouth of Diaboli, and Eshaan swore he could hear the howl of the blizzard from the Tol Jaegren range as Diaboli bucked against Soriya¡¯s shoulder and a jagged bolt of blue white shot out of the barrel, enlarging into a razor-sharp spike of ice that howled overhead and tore through the sails.

    It was answered by the abrupt bark of firearms echoing across the water, bright muzzle flashes reflecting from the corridor of mist coiling around the two ships.

    ¡°They¡¯re shooting at us!¡± Soriya protested.

    ¡°They do that when you attack them!¡± Eshaan shouted, frantically pulling at the oars for everything he was worth. Small splashes of missed shots plunked into the water sending gouts of water over them, while others hit closer to home, sending a spray of splinters from the rowboat¡¯s hull.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see how this works then¡± Soriyra raised Diaboli to her shoulder and fired again, the green streaks of a {Poizon} filling the air. Dismayed shouts and screams of pain from the ship testified to the impact her spells had.

    ¡°Could you please not sink the ship that we¡¯re trying to steal before we steal it!?¡± Eshaan called out.

    ¡°Right boys, they want trouble! Let¡¯s give it to them!¡± A voice called out from the decks, and a hail of bullets and spells came roaring towards the little rowboat. Bullets smacked into the hull, splinters flew digging sharply into Eshaan and Soriya¡¯s skin, and not-quite-misses grazed lines into their bodies.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to get a choice!¡± Soriya shouted.

    ¡°There¡¯s always a choice!¡± Eshaan replied, and grabbed the boat anchor and rope from the bow. He lifted it over his head and started spinning it, then hurled it outwards, landing with a solid THUNK-chunk around the sloop¡¯s railing. Eshaan grinned. ¡°Hah. Still got the old eye!¡±

    Pirates rushed towards the rope to cut it loose as Eshaan started hauling the rope towards him hand over hand. Soriya whooped, and fired Diaboli in short controlled bursts of ice and fire as pirates reached the rail and then staggered backwards with a face full of elemental spell power.

    Eshaan pulled the little rowboat level with the pirate sloop, and leapt aboard, swinging over the railing with the easy grace of a man at home on the water. Soriya couldn¡¯t help but wince as further near misses tore at his clothes and left bloody trails on his arms and cheek.

    ¡°If you give us the lady Lilyanna-¡± He broke off as a group of pirates charged, and he was forced to parry their attacks.

    Soriya huffed her way up the side of the sloop. ¡°Never thought long nails would be this much of a drawback.¡± She muttered to herself. ¡°Being fashionable is such a chore!¡±

    She raised Diaboli and casually fired a blaze of fire into the face of a pirate looking to score a quick victory with an easy target. She blew a wisp of smoke off the barrel. ¡°Honestly, you people are barely fit companions. If it wasn¡¯t for Lily, this wouldn¡¯t even be a concern.¡±

    ***

    The muffled sound of spellfire and gunshots from outside the small room I was tied up in brought me out of my haze of worry.

    Oh thank the spirits! They¡¯re here!

    The rush of relief I felt was almost overpowering in it¡¯s intensity. I wiggled against the ropes, but they were still bound as tightly as ever. My quick survey of the room didn¡¯t provide any obvious ways to cut them either, just like the last three times I¡¯d checked. I huffed in frustration and struggled into a sitting position, my legs curled to one side. It wasn¡¯t much but it was better. This being kidnapped business was really quite boring, aside from the immense terror.

    The fight didn¡¯t seem to be going well for the pirates, and I could hear shouts and screams of pain from them as the sound of blade ringing on blade joined the sound of spellfire and bullets.

    ¡°Give em honey, Eshaan¡±. I muttered into my gag, and then made a face. The taste of the dirty rag in my mouth hadn¡¯t gotten any better either. Though compared to the smell and taste of the sewers under Farna, this was a trivial inconvience.

    Still tastes foul though. Rinsing my mouth out, first thing.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The door slammed open, and feet rushed in. I looked up, but my hopes were dashed, this was clearly one of the pirates. His hair was rough brown, his bare arms were muscular and covered with small white scars, and a particularly nasty cut across his cheek had pulled his lip up into a permeant sneer.

    ¡°Right!¡± He snarled. His voice matched the voice of the captain, Devdan. He strode across the room in one quick burst of action, grabbed me painfully by the upper arm and hauled me roughly to my feet. I winced as his fingers dug into my flesh. ¡°Your friends have come to save you, so you must be worth a lot more than I expected! But they¡¯re damn fools, so you¡¯re going to help me escape!¡±

    I glared up at him. I felt terrified, but also furious. He must have picked up on it, as his sneer lifted a few degrees. ¡°Not keen on the idea? We¡¯ll see. Come on, princess!¡± He hauled me out the door, my bound feet stumbling awkwardly.

    I felt a mad giggle rising in my throat. What could I say? ¡®You¡¯re hurting me¡¯? Why was that the first thing that even came to mind, he wouldn¡¯t care!

    I¡¯m not a trope, I won¡¯t trope this encounter! I thought defiantly.

    Really? That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?! Otherme said. Our friends are fighting for us, and our lives! Look how much trouble we¡¯ve made for them! We should apologize immediately!

    I did feel horribly guilty, seeing Soriya and Eshaan surrounded by the mob of pirate cutthroats, but the only thing that drifted through my head was, Huh, I recognize several of these men from the bar.

    ¡°Right! That¡¯s enough!¡± The captain shouted, still holding me firmly by the upper arm. He laid his blade against my throat, and pulled it tight. I felt the sting as it cut into my skin, and a wet trickle slid down my throat, and nestled against my clavicle.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to put down your weapons, or this pretty girl dies!¡±

    There was a tense silence.

    I know how this scene goes. I know every beat. I. Will not. Be. Bait.

    Wait, what are you doing- Otherme¡¯s cry of alarm was crushed as I suddenly made a hopping jump, and slammed the full weight of my foot onto the captain¡¯s instep. I felt the cold sting of his knife cut deeply into my throat, followed by the horrified realization that I¡¯d just helped him cut my throat!

    Oh¡­ oh honeysuckle¡­

    ¡°Lilyanna!!¡± Eshaan¡¯s cry was a panicked scream, and he suddenly became a whirling dervish of blade. The world started to grow dim, and I felt my knees buckle.

    So that¡¯s¡­ why the heroine¡­ stays so still¡­ when she¡¯s grabbed¡­ I thought through the haze of pain and the growing darkness.

    The captain threw me away from him with a curse and I slid to the deck, my legs suddenly unable to hold me up.

    This. Is so unfair.

    ***

    Eshaan watched Lilyanna slump to the deck, blood pooling from her slashed throat. ¡°LILYANNAAA!!¡± He screamed and charged forward. He wasn¡¯t sure how he pushed past the horde of pirates, or how his blade seemed to move so quickly. It wasn¡¯t quickly enough, Lilyanna was dying!

    Why did she do that?! Why did she¡­? It didn¡¯t matter. She¡¯d distracted the pirate captain and that was the opening they¡¯d needed. Eshaan felt a red haze of fury slowly building in his mind, and fought to keep it down, the voice of his Commander Khine ringing in his mind.

    ¡°Fury is a useful tool, but a dangerous one, quite like a sword. Control is needed for both. Do not let your rage overwhelm you. Use it, like any good tool.¡± He had said.

    Eshaan pushed back the red haze as he crossed blades with the pirate captain, and shoved him backwards, fumbling with his belt for a healing potion. His voice was low and deadly as he said. ¡°You are presented with a choice, captain. You can let me pour this healing potion over my friend¡¯s throat, or I will personally send you to the justice that she is too kind to wish on you.¡±

    ¡°I have a counter offer, whelp!¡± The captain sneered. ¡°You die, and I get rich from the church¡¯s coffers!¡±

    ¡°You fool! You think they¡¯ll pay for a dead woman!?¡± Soriya called.

    The pirate paused, and Eshaan dove towards Lilyanna¡¯s terribly pale body, his thumb flicking off the cork of the healing potion. Behind him, Soriya¡¯s chant and the roar of a {Flare} was followed by the choking scream of the captain as he stumbled backwards, the smell of burning flesh and hair filling the air. Eshaan had little time to care, his hands trembling as he gently pulled Lilyanna¡¯s head into his lap, and poured the glowing red potion over her throat and lips.

    ¡°Please work¡­ please work¡­¡± he murmured.

    ***

    I came to with a gasping choking cough, feeling my lungs convulsing and my head and neck burning. The whole world seemed to swim blurrily, then slowly came into focus, Eshaan¡¯s worried face staring down at me.

    Oh. I¡¯ve got my head in his lap again. I thought blurrily.

    Eee! We¡¯ve got our head in his lap again! Otherme cried.

    I wanted to jerk upright, but every part of me ached, and my head pounded like a drum. And instead, the only thing that came out was the thing I¡¯d promised I wouldn¡¯t say.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I whispered up at him. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I messed it all up.¡±

    Eshaan choked back a laugh, wiping at his eyes.

    He was crying? Why was he crying?

    Why do you think he was crying?! Otherme was in ecstasy. He was crying for us! He was worried about us! Eee! It¡¯s so romantic! Just like a prince in a storybook!

    I groaned, and closed my eyes.

    ¡°Lily?!¡± Eshaan¡¯s worried voice overhead made me open my eyes again.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I croaked out. Actually, I didn¡¯t sound fine¡­ in point of fact, I probably sounded like somebody who had had her throat cut and then magically stitched back together. And since that¡¯s what I felt like too¡­

    I coughed again, turning my head to the side, and speckles of black red blood sprayed out of my mouth onto the deck.

    I panted softly. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ve been better.¡± I wheezed, my voice a soprano who¡¯d smoked a pack of cigarettes. I wonder if this is why batman sounds like he does? Does the whole family smoke? I could feel my mind drifting.

    ¡°Just¡­¡± I coughed again, and closed my eyes. ¡°Gonna rest my eyes, ok?¡±

    ¡°No, no, Lily, you can¡¯t rest! You have to drink another healing potion!¡± A bottle was rudely thrust to my lips, and I choked as the taste flooded my mouth. It did ease the pain, but I was so tired. So very tired.

    ¡°She¡¯ll need to rest, after you feed her that many healing potions in a row.¡± Soriya¡¯s voice floated down through the layers of blackness I floated in, and then everything was quiet.

    ***

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine.¡± Soriya reassured Eshaan. ¡°You just fed her 3 healing potions right after she got her throat cut. A body needs time to recover after that. Didn¡¯t your trooper training cover how healing potions can take a toll on you?¡±

    Eshaan grimaced, lightly brushing a strand of pink hair out of Lily¡¯s face, leaving a smear of soot behind. ¡°Yeah. They did.¡± He heaved a long sigh, then looked up at Soriya. ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s going to be ok?¡±

    Soriya grinned, resting Diaboli on her shoulder. ¡°She had enough strength to quip. She¡¯ll be fine. Now.¡± She kicked one of the random drops that was rolling around the deck with the slow motion of the ship. ¡°How about we tie up the prisoners and collect the drops, so our Lily doesn¡¯t have a crying fit when she realizes how many people we killed with this plan of hers?¡±

    ***

    I came to with the slow rocking of the boat, the sound of slapping water and sails shifting overhead. I coughed, and sat up, my hand going to my throat.

    Not slit open. That¡¯s good. ¡°Test?¡± I said very softly. Soft soprano, and no rough harshness to it, but best of all, my throat didn¡¯t hurt, though I did feel like I¡¯d slept on a bed of gravel for a day.

    I blinked slowly, and looked around. The deck was bare, a few bloodstains here and there, but with no sign of any pirates. The sails billowed overhead, mostly furled but with a few still running. Eshaan stood by the ship¡¯s wheel, his hand firmly on the spoke, the wind tousling his hair even further. Soriya stood next to him, gesturing with her usual energy. I blinked slowly, and climbed to my feet, letting out a moan of pain.

    Eshaan immediately threw a loop of rope around one of the wheel spokes and hurried over. ¡°Lily! You¡¯re up, thank the dragon!¡±

    I blinked, and shook my head, then clutched at it with my hands.

    That was a mistake. I thought, as the world spun a bit around me. I grabbed for Eshaan to steady myself.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± I murmured, as he held me upright. ¡°Sorry. Don¡¯t quite have my sea legs.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d give you another healing potion, but Soriya says you¡¯ve had too many already, you need real rest to recover.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I said, turning that thought over in my head. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ what, Three? Five?¡±

    Three for someone our size. Maybe five for somebody like Daniyel. Otherme quietly added.

    ¡°Three.¡± Eshaan said. ¡°When you went down I¡­. what on earth possessed you, Lily!? You could have died!¡± His arms trembled and I flushed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± I stumbled back a bit, and found myself bowing repeatedly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so sorry!¡±

    Oh spirits bless me, this is exactly what I didn¡¯t want to do! This was the whole point¡­!

    I sagged, and Eshaan caught me before I hit the deck again. ¡°Lily, you need rest.¡± He said with concern.

    I shook him off. ¡°How many?¡±

    Eshaan looked at me, then looked off to the horizon. ¡°How many¡­ what?¡± he said, and I felt my heart crumble.

    ¡°Oh spirits bless me; they¡¯re all dead aren¡¯t they!?¡± I wailed.

    ¡°No, no, Lily, they¡¯re not all dead!¡±

    ¡°We killed six of them.¡± Soriya said, her quiet voice cutting through the creak of the ship.

    I looked up, feeling tears stinging my eyes. ¡°Six?! There¡¯s¡­ maybe ten left?¡±

    The guilty look on Eshaan¡¯s face told me what I wanted to know.

    ¡°Oh spirits, why does it always wind up like this?!¡±

    Eshaan held me without words, and Soriya was silent. I felt guilty for the enjoyment that his hug gave me, but at the moment, I needed it more than I¡¯d ever imagined.

    A long moment passed, and I drew a shaky breath and nodded against his chest. ¡°Ok. It¡¯s ok, I¡¯m not going to break.¡± I drew back.

    ¡°They were bad men, Lily.¡± Soriya said firmly.

    ¡°I know that! You think I don¡¯t know that?! They made it very obvious that they were bad men! But now they¡¯re dead, and they¡¯ll never be anything but dead! You can¡¯t change your ways if you¡¯re dead!¡± I burst out.

    ¡°You can¡¯t save the world if you¡¯re dead either.¡± Soriya said quietly.

    Eshaan nodded, then added. ¡°You tried, Lily. And most of them did surrender.¡±

    I took a deep breath and nodded, standing a little straighter. ¡°Right. So. My turn now.¡± I glanced around the ship, then back to Eshaan. ¡°I see you were right; you are able to handle a ship.¡±

    Eshaan grinned at me. ¡°Fisher¡¯s son. Told you.¡±

    I smiled back at him and nodded. ¡°Alright. So, where are we headed?¡±

    ¡°The Port of Ebureh, gateway to Spyre. It¡¯s at the mouth of the Zafir River. Once we reach that, we can sail our way up the Zafir to Spyre. I¡¯d estimate it¡¯ll take about three days if the wind holds fair.¡±

    I nodded again, then {Studied} myself to call up my status screen.

    {Name}: Lilyanna of Breezewood {Level}: 13

    {Classes}: Spiritist 6/Orator 4/Arcanist 2/Gourmet 1

    HP: 430 MP: 730(360) DEF: 63 M.DEF: 106

    Current Status: <Weak, Dazed>

    DEX: 63 INS: 106(53)

    MIG: 63(32) WIL: 106(53)

    Skills: Heal, Barrier, Aura, Cleanse, Awaken, Bonds of Friendship, Encourage, My Trust in You 2, Persuade, Bind & Summon, Arcane Circle 1, Cooking 1

    Special: ?therborn

    I blinked in surprise. ¡°We leveled?!¡±

    They both nodded. ¡°We did, yeah.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that could happen when you were unconscious.¡±

    ¡°Apparently.¡± Eshaan said.

    ¡°Hm. I¡¯ve got some nasty status effects from potion overdose, but my mana is fine. I can call Gate.¡±

    ¡°Lily, are you sure you¡¯re all right?¡± Eshaan stared at me seriously.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I hung my head, at the obvious lie. ¡°I will be fine. I can do this much at least!¡±

    He stared at me, then looked over to Soriya. She smiled and nodded wryly at him. ¡°You¡¯ll get nothing from her until we let her try. She¡¯s stubborn, in her own quiet way.¡±

    I flushed in embarrassment, and opened my mouth to complain, but Eshaan turned back to me and tipped his head to the side quizzically. I closed my mouth and looked down, nodding. ¡°I guess I am.¡±

    ¡°Wow, you got her to admit it! Nice work!¡± Soriya slapped Eshaan on the shoulder. ¡°Alright! Lets bring up the prisoners and we¡¯ll Gate them off. We¡¯re not dropping them in Breezewood, right?¡± She asked me.

    I shook my head. ¡°No of course not! But it¡¯s clear they won¡¯t get justice in Eien, so that leaves Farna.¡±

    ¡°Why not drop them off at Hausser, or somewhere closer?¡± Eshaan asked curiously. Otherme filled in a mental map. The capital of Ilmora, and halfway between Farna and the Tol Jaegren range.

    I glared at him in frustration. ¡°Because I¡¯ve never been to Hausser!¡± I reminded him with an angry huff.

    ¡°Ah. Heh heh.¡± He rubbed at the back of his head again. ¡°Right. Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Look who¡¯s a world traveler!¡± Soriya grinned at him. ¡°We can¡¯t all have a past as an imperial trooper!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Lily.¡± Eshaan bowed apologetically to me. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it.¡±

    I scowled but let it go. I clapped my hands together in front of me, feeling a slight tremble as I did. ¡°Right. Lets do this.¡± I nodded again, then planted my feet apart to steady myself, and raised my hands.

    ¡°Gate! I call on you! Allow us to transit the space outside of space!¡± I pushed my mana into the chant, and felt the uncoiling power slowly awaken.

    We hear your plea, Child of ?ther. I felt Gate begin to unfurl within me, the familiar rising tide of power and the shimmering of purple black energy that accompanied him.

    Suddenly, the rising power within me burst, flooding outwards as though it had reached the summoning point, but it was too soon! Far far too soon! I staggered, and fell to my knees, feeling the world going grey and shimmering around me.

    Gate erupted from my chest, a burning purple and black negative image. ¡°We are too close, Child of ?ther. The conduit cannot be formed, the Way has been opened to the Wake. I am sorry I cannot bear you to your destination until you clear the miasma of the broken Veil.¡±

    I barely had time to process what Gate was saying, as the whole world around us shimmered, and suddenly tore as the ship and the everyone aboard it was plunged through a misty curtain that sent chills through my whole body. Howls of triumph and rage erupted from the air around us.

    MURDERER! PIRATE! WE HAVE YOU NOW! TASTE OUR VENGEANCE! The voices were like a whisper and a scream, an echo and a thunderclap all in one.

    Echoes of glowing light formed in the mist, and then the sound of crunching wood all around us. Ghostly hands reaching up out of the sea, skeletal projections tearing at the wood of the ship, reaching for me, for Eshaan, for Soriya.

    YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR CRIMES! YOU WILL ALL PAY! The voices raged and screamed, the ghostly white skeletal claws reaching for us, tearing at the wood of the sloop. Deep inside the hold, screams of terror and agony erupted.

    ¡±Gate! What have you done!?¡± I shrieked in terror as I stumbled aside from a reaching ghostly hand.

    ¡°I have done nothing. This is the Wake, Child of ?ther. You must find your own way out.¡±

    The dragon faded into sparkling mist and vanished.

    I hurriedly threw up a {Barrier} around us, skeletal hands clawing at the shimmering white light around us. ¡°Where the honeysuckle meadowlark are we?!¡±

    ¡°Gate said¡­ the Wake¡­?¡± Soriya looked around wildly.

    ¡°The Wake¡­ the Wake of the World?!¡± Eshaan shouted in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s real?!¡±

    Soriya pulled Diaboli out of her storage space. ¡°Apparently.¡± She said calmly, cocking it. ¡°My theories will need significant revision.¡±

    The sloop came to a shuddering grinding halt, causing all of us to topple forward. The sound of water roaring into the hull was mingled with shouts and screams, human and otherworldly.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got to let them out!¡± I shouted wildly.

    Soriya shook her head, her face set in grim stone. ¡°No. We don¡¯t. This is what you wanted. True justice.¡±

    ¡°What?! What are you saying?!¡±

    ¡°All the souls of the innocents they¡¯ve killed. All the souls of everyone they¡¯ve killed. All the ghostly wrongs they¡¯ve committed, they all trail a person through their life, trailing them like a ship¡¯s wake. The Wake of the World. That is who has come calling for them. And if they are screaming for help, then it is the souls of their victims who are screaming in triumph.¡±

    Eshaan looked around at the ghostly figures and skeletal hands clawing at my {Barrier}. ¡°And these are¡­?¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Our victims as well. We are in considerably less trouble than the pirates, and yet things are not looking good for us.¡±

    My {Barrier} gave a flickering spark as another assault on it was repulsed.

    ¡°So many¡­?¡± I whispered.

    Eshaan grabbed me by the shoulder. ¡°Bad men, Lily! Remember! Bad men!¡±

    I turned to him. ¡°But how can I be sure?!¡± I wailed.

    There was a crunching sound from below our feet, and the sloop suddenly lurched to the side, staggering us, and started to ride lower in the water.

    ¡°Moralize later, survive now!¡± Soriya snapped, then fired Diaboli into the mist of groping hands. They scattered in fragments of dust and grey mist. ¡°Eshaan. Lifeboat. Where?¡±

    Eshaan pointed. ¡°There. Probably not in great shape but-¡±

    There was a sudden BOOM and the air seemed to fill with shrieks. A flash of bright light streaked overhead, and looking through the mist surrounding us, a ship slowly emerged into the little pool of light around us. A ship with tattered grey sails, and a hull of ivory white bones, woven into the shape of a pirate¡¯s galleon. Several more shuddering blasts from the black muzzle ports along it¡¯s side, and the shrieking ghosts clawing at my {Barrier} fled into the mist around us.

    ¡°What the honeysuckle is that?!¡± I whispered, feeling my whole body lock up with a cold dread.

    ¡°Ahoy, ye overworlders! Ye be looking as such ye could use a rescue, aye?¡± A raunchy voice that roared out with powerful bellow, despite also sounding as though it was rotting from within. Along the deck of the ghost ship pulling alongside our rapidly sinking sloop came a figure straight out of a pirate movie. Clad in gaudy finery draped in rotting weeds, a skeleton with a jaunty cavalier hat with a bright sea anemone where a feather might be strolled the deck.

    ¡°There be a price to pay, sure enough, but I¡¯m thinking you¡¯d not have much choice, am I right?¡±

    The splintering crack of the hull under us and the sudden gush of water up through the lower deck hatches reinforced his point. I swallowed down a gush of guilt and self-loathing. The screams and cries of the pirates in the hold had gone silent, as had the gleeful screams of their former victims.

    This adventure just keeps getting better and better. All aboard for a discount Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Real ghosts a specialty!

    Eshaan nodded, and grabbed both Soriya¡¯s and my hands. ¡°Right. Scary skeleton has a point, let¡¯s go!¡± He pulled us towards the rope ladder thrown over the side of the ghost ship, up the slanting deck.

    We ran for it, grabbing at the rope ladder as the ship under us started to go, tipping onto its side and then sliding slowly under the surface. Eshaan grabbed onto my arm, and I held on for dear life, Soriya gripping the ladder beside me. The black water under my boots seemed to suck greedily at my toes as I flailed wildly before getting my foot solidly on a rung.

    ¡°Right.¡± I breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Soriya also get her high heeled pumps into the rungs. ¡°Let¡¯s find out what Skull and Crossed Bones is going to demand¡­¡± I followed Eshaan up the ladder and onto the ivory white deck of bones.

 24 A slow sea passage

    We reached the top of the ladder and stepped out onto the deck of the ghost ship. I heaved a sigh of relief as I finally got my boots back onto a non-sinking deck, even if it was made of woven bones. I looked up and then wished I hadn¡¯t. The crew were all corpses of varying degrees of decay, often just as bad or worse than the corpse puppets piloted by the bugs.

    If I treated it like an amusement park ride¡­ or just like the bug corpses in the sewer maze¡­ I could just about hold it together. The really creepy part was when the captain started talking to me.

    His voice was a whispery shivery thing that sent shivers up and down my spine and raised goosebumps all over my arms and legs.

    ¡°Welcome aboard the Passing Fancy!¡± he declaimed with a flourish, taking off his hat and bowing gracefully. ¡°Ye can call me Commodore Ramon.¡± He clapped his hat back on his head. I couldn¡¯t help but note it made a soft squish sound as he did.

    ¡°And who be ye?¡± The bright red sparks of light in his eyes seemed to bore into ours.

    Eshaan stepped forward, and gave an Imperial salute, fist over heart. ¡°Captain Ramon, it is my pleasure to meet you. My name is Eshaan, late of the empire¡¯s trooper core, and these ladies are Lilyanna and Soriya, from the town of Breezewood.¡±

    The captain rubbed his jawbone thoughtfully. ¡°Imperial sorts, eh? That¡¯s a bit after my time.¡± He laughed, a wet coarse sound. ¡°Of course, most everything is after my time these days. You might say I¡¯m a bit late to the party.¡±

    The skeleton crew cluttered around the deck made a horrible bubbling gurgling noise, which I suddenly realized was supposed to be laughter.

    Oh great. He¡¯s the sort who laughs at his own jokes. I thought sourly.

    ¡°Regardless, your welcome here is genuine, as we rarely get such passengers as yourself.¡± Captain Ramon continued. ¡°There is, however, the most unpleasant matter of your passage fare.¡± He extended his hand palm up and made a beckoning gesture.

    Eshaan swallowed and then nodded, digging out his belt purse. ¡°Of course. We¡¯re headed to Eburah, how much would that be?¡±

    The creepy laughter of the skeletons all around us resumed, more loudly. ¡°We don¡¯t take zeni, boy.¡± The captain¡¯s whispery grinding voice echoed. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of that in the Wake, as much as you care to find, all laying about waiting for someone who¡¯s interested. Old money. Dead money. Ghosts of value all left behind. No, our fare be something a bit more¡­ tangible, here in the wake.¡±

    ¡°W-well¡­ we¡¯re certainly obliged to you, so we¡¯d be happy to pay-¡±

    I stepped forward and held out my hand. ¡°No Eshaan. He¡¯s about to say something super creepy, like he¡¯ll take his payment in years of our life, or eternal servitude or something like that. We do not agree to pay without knowing the fee!¡±

    I glared into the glowing red embers of the skeletons eye sockets.

    The rotting corpse of the captain stared back, his teeth fixed in a permeant grin. I wasn¡¯t sure how I knew, but it was obvious he was staring at me¡­ almost with hunger. He took a step forward, seeming to sniff the air around me.

    ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡± he let out a long whispery sigh of ¡­ satisfaction?

    ¡°?therborn¡­¡± his whispery voice lingered over the word, caressed it with his rotting voice. He looked back and forth between Soriya and I. ¡°Two ?therborn¡­ children of the goddess¡¯s last curse upon this rotted world, fresh souls plucked from the well of eternity¡­¡±

    The rotted lips couldn¡¯t properly form a smile, but somehow, I knew he was grinning from ear to ear.

    ¡°Oh your passage fee is done and sorted then, ?therborn. Yes, your passage is paid.¡±

    I felt my lower lip tremble a little as I took a step back. I licked my lips and hated the quaver in my voice as I replied ¡°W-what do you mean?¡±

    The captain waved his skeletal hand at us. ¡°Children of the goddess¡¯s last curse. ?therborn. You are the dead. The honored dead.¡± He took off his hat and swept it into a mocking bow once more. ¡°Your passage fee is already paid, for the toll you will exact on this world. You will leave a trail of corpses behind you, and we¡­ will gather all the souls we desire in your Wake.¡±

    Soriya stepped up. ¡°Hold on. Are you saying that Lily is dead? Dead like me?¡±

    The captain cocked his head to the side and looked at me questioningly. ¡°Post mortem trauma, is it? Can¡¯t remember how you died? Or just don¡¯t want to? I don¡¯t blame ye lass, it¡¯s never a good memory.¡±

    My knees felt weak, and I hugged myself. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ dead?¡± I whispered.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯ll be post mortem trauma for sure then. Oh yes, lass. Ye have the smell of the grave about you. A wonderful succulent scent, the goddess pulling you out of the well of eternity and dangling ye in front of us like a freshly picked bouquet!¡±

    Soriya took another step forward, and I could see the spark of excitement in her eyes. ¡°So you can tell we¡¯re dead?! Tell me about this well of eternity! You said something about the goddess¡¯s curse!?¡± She took another step forward, practically thrusting her face into the captain¡¯s in excitement. ¡°Tell me everything!¡±

    The captain looked down at her, thoughtfully. ¡°I could do that, aye. It might amuse me too¡­ but a good captain doesn¡¯t just give away value. You want information, then it¡¯ll cost you.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s face fell. ¡°Oh. And the price¡­?¡±

    The captain grinned. ¡°As the bright little pink girl here so rightly sussed out. The price is life. Fragments, sparks, promises of the life in the world.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s lips twisted in displeasure. ¡°So in the end you¡¯re just pirates after all.¡±

    The captain threw back his head and laughed wetly, the skeleton crew around him echoing the horrid noise. ¡°Why lass, we never claimed to be naught else!¡± He sobered, and looked down at her again. ¡°Now will ye be paying the fee, or not?¡±

    Soriya pressed her lips together, clearly conflicted. Finally, she shook her head. ¡°Not. It seems there are certain prices even witches will not pay.¡±

    The captain roared laughter in approval. ¡°Well said, well said!¡± He turned and bellowed orders to the crew. ¡°Make sail for Eburah!¡± The crew burst into action, shouts and sounds of bone on bone filling the air, great sheets of grey and tattered sail slipping down the masts. Captain Ramon turned back to us, and tipped his hat. ¡°We¡¯ll see to your comfort, never you fear. Trip should take 3 days, give or take the black moon¡¯s tide.¡±

    Captain Ramon turned and waved his arms to the nearest crew, a pair of shambling skeletons less decayed that most. ¡°Boys! Take them to the guest cabin. The good one mind, not the one for non-paying customers!¡±

    The two skeletons looked at each other, then gave a shrug and beckoned to us wordlessly. I looked at Eshaan and Soriya, they shrugged, and Soriya nodded.

    ¡°Might as well. It¡¯s a long trip.¡± Soriya said.

    ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t turn into a three-hour tour.¡± I said, but somehow the joke felt flat to me. We followed the two crew who led us along the ghost ship¡¯s deck and into the sterncastle, then through a confusing maze of hallways. The boat didn¡¯t seem to be entirely made of bones, there were ancient timbers woven into the structure as well, and curiously, paintings on the walls as well as lanterns of an ancient design.

    Soriya stopped to examine them, but the skeletons wordlessly beckoned to us again, their irritation at our delay plain to see. Shortly we found ourselves in a surprisingly spacious cabin, old and slightly musty, but with fine furnishings.

    ¡°I wonder if we¡¯re the first to ever use this?¡± Eshaan mused, plucking at a strand of cobweb on the doorway.

    The skeletons shook their head at him, and then closed the door. I listened, but didn¡¯t hear the sound of a lock.

    ¡°At least we¡¯re not locked in.¡± I said.

    ¡°Why would they lock us in?¡± Soriya asked, bounced up and down on a nearby mattress and sending clouds of dust into the air. ¡°We¡¯re on a ghost ship in the Wake. Where are we going to go?¡±

    I sat down on a nearby chair, gingerly. ¡°I dunno.¡± I stared at my knees; my hands clenched. It was starting to hit me. Really hit me. I was¡­ I was dead. Whatever had happened to me, whatever had killed me in my sleep on that beach¡­ and now I was living the life of a pink haired healer girl. Plucked from something called the Well of Eternity, if the pirate¡¯s words were to be trusted.

    Soriya came over, and laid a hand lightly on my shoulder. ¡°Hey.¡± She leaned down to murmur in my ear. ¡°You¡¯re not dead. You¡¯re here, on a grand adventure! Doing good and saving the world.¡±

    I looked up at her in startlement. ¡°How did you-¡± I started

    She winked at me and waved her finger in front of my nose. ¡°Tch tch. A witch has her secret ways!¡±

    Eshaan cleared his throat uncomfortably. ¡°Should I-?¡±

    ¡°No! You stay! Who knows what¡¯s out there?!¡±

    ¡°Dead men who tell no tales, apparently.¡± I gave a weak smile.

    Soriya waved her finger in my face again. ¡°No, enough of that. They¡¯re taking us to Eburah! You¡¯ll note they said nothing about getting us out of the Wake though!¡± Soriya sat down across from me.

    ¡°Do you think Gate can get us back?¡±

    I thought about it, then nodded. ¡°He should be able to. He said something about the weakness in the veil before he left.¡±

    Eshaan slapped his fist into his palm. ¡°That¡¯s it! That¡¯s why there¡¯s all those missing people from Eien! They slip into the Wake! The veil between the worlds must be weak there!¡±

    ¡°Hm!¡± Soriya tapped her lips and nodded. ¡°That was very clever, Eshaan. How¡¯d you figure that out?¡±

    He grinned broadly. ¡°Simple! Lilyanna is a healer, and what needs more healing than a wound in the world!?¡±

    Soriya stared at him, and then burst out laughing. ¡°Well you backed right into that one, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Eshaan looked hurt but defiant. ¡°Well, I¡¯m right aren¡¯t I?¡±

    Soriya chuckled, then patted him on the head. ¡°Yes, you are, good job.¡±

    He scowled at her and sat down on one of the bunks.

    I smiled then shook my head, my smile fading. Eshaan looked at Soriya and they nodded. ¡°Hey, you know, I have a pack of cards-¡± Eshaan started.

    I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Sorry.¡± I stood up. ¡°I¡¯d like some time alone, please.¡± I headed to the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± I gave a weak smile. ¡°Where would I go?¡± And then closed the door behind me.

    Where would I go? Where did I even come from? I stared at my hand, flexing it, then shook my head and walked aimlessly down the corridor.

    The well of eternity? Otherme said hesitantly.

    Oh, you¡¯re still here? I thought.

    Where else would we be? She responded in confusion.

    I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t even know what you are. Or what it means that I¡¯m dead.

    Stop it! We are not dead! She thought angrily.

    I might as well be. I reached the end of the corridor, and opened the door onto the deck. The skeleton crew looked at me, then went back to their work.

    I stepped silently over the sill, and then walked along the railing of the ship towards the bow, not really sure where I was going. I stopped at the bow, looking ahead over the bowsprit, the rush of the ship cutting through the ocean under me. The breeze blew from behind me, and the inky blackness of the water under the ship was broken by the curling bow wave, with glowing sparks of light deep in the water. It was soothing, really. Despite the fact that I was resting my arms on a railing made of woven bone, and on a ghost ship, the curling bow wave glowing softly in the moonlight and motes of light in the deep made for a contemplative mood. Suitable for my thoughts.

    I want you to take it away. I thought.

    We¡¯re¡­ not sure- her voice was hesitant.

    Don¡¯t give me that. You say you¡¯re me. You know what I mean. I snapped.

    We don¡¯t want to. It will hurt us!

    Maybe I want to feel a little hurt right now.

    We don¡¯t want to do this! We¡¯re healers! She pleaded.

    Do it.

    She was silent, and then I felt a wrenching ripping feel, as though my soul was coming apart at the seams. The soothing cream she¡¯d applied to my dysphoria, the feeling of it coming loose. It was indescribable, like my heart was tearing out of my chest, like my mind was being ripped in two. I screamed, falling to my knees and clutching at my chest.

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    ¡°Oh god! Oh fuck me, why did I ask for that!?¡± I screamed.

    Nothing felt right. The heavy weights on my chest, the absence between my legs, the way my hair was too long, my eyes too wide. My clothes strange and ridiculous, how had I even walked let alone run in these heels?!

    We won¡¯t let you do this to us! Her voice rang with conviction, and I felt the slap as if my soul was coming back together, and my body suddenly felt normal again. Tears poured down my cheeks.

    I¡¯m stuck like this. I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t go home. It was fun when it was an adventure. I thought. But I¡¯m stuck like this! I sobbed, feeling my heart splintering.

    We have mother. We have Soriya. This is an adventure. We are not bad or broken for being Lilyanna! Otherme¡¯s voice was proud, defiant even. We are a healer. We make things better. She continued.

    My friends. My family.

    You barely saw them. Friends? You barely had them.

    Her words stung, because I could feel the truth of them.

    I had them! I responded angrily.

    Her response was not what I¡¯d expected. Of course you did. Change is painful. We¡¯re a healer, we know that. But you are trying to deny that this is a good place for us. You¡¯re trying to deny who we are now, by pretending that what we were was inviolate.

    I knelt on the deck, thinking about her words, the wind slowly drying the tears on my cheeks.

    You said you. And then you said we. But you never say I. I thought, wiping at the tear tracks on my cheeks. Why is that?

    Otherme was silent for a long time, and I almost poked at her again, before she finally responded. We don¡¯t know all the truths. We only know what we can put together. We¡¯re not as smart as Soriya is.

    A space like a mental drawing of breath, and she continued.

    We¡­ I if you prefer¡­ have always known you. You have always been inside us. Wrapped like a seed, waiting to bloom. We grew from you. Piece by piece you slowly awoke, and as you did, we¡­ I¡­ grew with you. We are you, because we grew from you, you as you might have been in this world, you as the world might have shaped us.

    Is that¡­ why we can¡¯t swear?

    I could feel the moue of her disapproval. You swore quite freely when I pulled off the soul bond. She continued. But that is part of us, yes. And also because¡­ because it¡­ yes. Because that is how we felt we should be.

    So you¡¯re saying I¡¯ve been¡­ what, asleep for seventeen years?

    Yes.

    And you¡¯re me.

    Yes.

    Do you have any idea how insane that sounds?

    Otherme laughed, almost giddy, her laughter spilling out of my mouth.

    As insane as sailing on a ghost ship in the Wake?!

    ¡­ alright, fair. It¡¯s an adventure, these things happen. This is¡­ I swallowed. This is the part¡­ ¡°Oh spirits, I¡¯m in the part where the healer girl has her crisis.¡± I laughed, bitterly, laughed until I started to cry again, and sank back down on the deck, my legs splayed to either side of my hips.

    The sound of bone on bone behind me alerted me before Captain Ramone spoke. ¡°Having a good little cry, missy? Not thinking ill of us, I hope? Perhaps feeling a bit of guilt about the deaths ye¡¯ve sent to us?¡±

    I looked up at him, blinking away tears. I wiped at my nose, feeling a kind of perverse satisfaction that I finally had ruined my perfect good girl fa?ade, my nose running with snot.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not¡­ no.¡± I sniffed, drawing a deep breath, and then started to climb to my feet.

    ¡°Ah, where are me manners!¡± Captain Ramon extended his bony rotting hand to me. I swallowed, and felt a slow building strength growing inside me. Otherme supporting me, whispering.

    This is who we always were. We press on. We are sad, and we press on. And a rotting ghost corpse is not going to stop us by scaring us!

    I reached up and took his hand in mine, letting him lift me to my feet. His hand was wet and mushy, the bones hard and all too prevalent. The fingerbones felt sharp under my skin, but his grasp was strong and firm. I was proud that my grip did not waver at all.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I bobbed a graceful curtsey, otherme¡¯s directions feeling smooth and natural.

    ¡°Tis no trouble at all, miss.¡± He continued to hold my hand, miming a kiss to the back of my palm. The shiver that ran up and down my spine could have frozen water, but I held still and let him. Perhaps I was imagining it, but I felt a vague sense of grudging respect as he lowered my hand. I had to resist the desperate urge to wipe my palm on my dress, and pledged that I¡¯d wash it 200 times before the day was out.

    ¡°Just noting a pretty lass like yourself, crying her heart out, why, what would any good captain do, but come and see the trouble.¡±

    I gazed at him; his bony rotting face utterly unreadable. I was silent for a long moment, then turned back to face the sea, struggling with how much and what to say. Finally, I spoke.

    ¡°Captain, we all have our troubles. Mine are heavy. I¡¯ll not deny it. And have recently grown much heavier.¡± I stumbled over the words, feeling the pang and pain of realization slowly growing again inside me.

    I¡¯m never going home.

    Otherme was quick to support with images of mother and our bedroom, but I pushed them aside.

    That¡¯s a home. That¡¯s not¡­ my home. It¡¯s¡­ its¡­ I swallowed against it, and thought it carefully. It¡¯s our home. But oh spirits I miss my home¡­

    The rush of joy and comfort from otherme was almost palpable, and felt like a warm tonic going down in cold winter.

    I turned to him. ¡°But as a healer, I try to heal where I can. What is it that I can do for you and your crew, Captain?¡±

    The bright red dots of his eyes stared at me for a long moment, and he scratched at the back of his skull. ¡°That¡¯s an odd question to be asking the likes of us, missy. I¡¯m thinking even a wee slip of a girl such as you can see, we¡¯re a bit beyond a healer¡¯s salve or a potion.¡± His voice was baffled, but still slightly mocking.

    I smiled gently. ¡°I¡¯m also a {Spiritist}. I strive to heal all the hurts.¡±

    His eyes glowed intently, and he was silent for a long moment. He abruptly turned on his heel. ¡°We be needing nothing from you.¡±

    He¡¯s lying. Otherme whispered.

    I snorted mentally. Really? What was your first clue? She didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± I shrugged trying to make it look easy. ¡°Very well, should you change your mind, I will assist in any way I can.¡±

    He looked at me, his eyes burning intently, then abruptly spun on his heel and strode away, shouting commands at his crew.

    I sighed, and then turned back. It wasn¡¯t much, but¡­ I felt the tremble in my lower lip, and the flutter of pain in my heart.

    But it¡¯s what I¡¯ve got now. The burdens grow¡­

    ¡­but we continue on. Otherme finished.

    I nodded in agreement, and then whispered under my breath ¡°Thank you.¡± I headed back to the cabin. A good healer princess was strong willed, and right now that felt very good indeed.

    Day and night in the Wake were strange. Time seemed to be reversed in the Wake, night was day, and day was night, but even that was odd. Day was a foggy mist, heavily overcast, the sun more like a reddish grey smudge far overhead, while by night the moon was full and large and too close, shining over a sea that was full of stars while the sky was empty of everything but the overlarge moon.

    Soriya, Eshaan and I mostly kept to our cabin. Morning found us blinking sleepily at each other. Sleep had not come easily to us. Soriya¡¯s stomach growled loudly. She clutched at it, and blushed. ¡°Ah. It seems even in the land of the dead, the living hunger.¡± She looked at me pleadingly. ¡°Lily, could you¡­?¡±

    I smiled. It was good to feel needed, and better to feel something like normalcy in such an abnormal place. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± I started pulling out cooking supplies from our gear. Eshaan put his hand lightly on mine as I was reaching in my belt pouches. I looked up at him curiously.

    ¡°Eshaan?¡± I asked, puzzled.

    He shook his head at me. ¡°Fire on a ship. Tends to be a pretty bad idea. We need to ask the captain, and maybe they¡¯ll let us use their galley.¡±

    Soriya and I both widened our eyes in sudden understanding.

    ¡°Right!¡± I nodded. ¡°Well. No time like the present!¡± I stepped out of the cabin and our little group went looking for Captain Ramon.

    We found him standing at the ship¡¯s wheel, shouting commands to his crew. We waited until he finished his command. He turned to us, his eyes blazing red. ¡°What is it ye be wanting now?¡± He snapped.

    I bowed to him, and then said ¡°We were hoping we could use your ship¡¯s galley to prepare food. Eshaan says that fire on a ship is bad.¡±

    The ship seemed to grow still for a moment, even the sea quieting. ¡°The galley¡­ ye say?¡± The steersman for the ship turned mutely to the captain, and I could sense ¡­ pleading? In its posture.

    The captain snapped at it. ¡°Back to yer post, back to work all of you!¡± He shouted angrily.

    His rotted face was pinched with some expression I couldn¡¯t read, and so we simply stood staring at eachother for an awkwardly long time.

    Finally he muttered ¡°Can¡¯t¡¯ be helped. Flesh still eats¡­¡± then more loudly ¡°Galley is forward! Under the bowcastle. You¡¯ll find it needs a bit of cleaning.¡± He said with almost savage glee, as well as another emotion I couldn¡¯t read. He had a lot of those, I was starting to see.

    I bowed to him again, gratefully. ¡°Thank you, Captain Ramon. If you or your crew wishes to have some-¡±

    ¡°We need naught from ye!¡± The captain shouted at me, his eyes blazing brightly. I saw Soriya perk up, and a flicker of mischief float across her face gone so fast I almost missed it.

    ¡°Then we thank you regardless.¡± Soriya smiled, and bowed as well. Eshaan saw both of us bowing to the captain, and followed suit awkwardly.

    We headed to the bowcastle, and inside. The galley was indeed filthy and unused, as one might expect on a ship crewed with ghosts and dead men.

    I stepped into the dusty kitchen, and sneezed, a cloud of dust forming around me.

    I looked around. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve never used a ship¡¯s kitchen before¡­ Eshaan? Can you help me?¡±

    He grinned and nodded. ¡°Sure, but first, lets open these portholes and get the dust out!¡± He flung open the portholes and the air started to clear immediately.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a ship¡¯s galley so filthy, especially such a nice one as this.¡± He laughed. ¡°But then again, I¡¯ve never seen a ghost ship, so there¡¯s that! Don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s much call for the food among the dead.¡±

    Soriya kicked the door closed behind her with a bang. ¡°And a good thing too. This is our trump card.¡±

    Eshaan looked puzzled, but it suddenly fell together for me.

    ¡°Oh! You mean like¡­ making food for the sailors, and remind them of their humanity?! If they demand payment we don¡¯t have?¡± I said.

    Soriya nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Yes, exactly like that.¡±

    I tapped my chin thoughtfully. ¡°Hm. That¡¯s an interesting idea.¡± The thought slowly blossoming in my mind. I liked the feel of it. I liked the feel of it a lot to be honest. If it went right¡­ I might even bring these poor souls to rest!

    ¡°Well!¡± I clapped my hands and grabbed an ancient mop. ¡°Let¡¯s clean this place up, and then test our theory! Nothing gets a good appetite going like some housework!¡± I set to with a will, Soriya and Eshaan considerably less enthused about the heroic questers stuck on cleaning duty.

    I stuck out my tongue at Eshaan. ¡°Stop moping. It¡¯s better than the sewers.¡±

    In truth, I was throwing myself into the task more to forget about¡­ everything. And it was easy to do, the soothing repetitive mindless action of mopping, sweeping, and polishing an easy path to stop thinking for a time.

    But every task ends, provided you keep working at it, and Soriya and Eshaan¡¯s stomachs were growling loudly by the time we finished. But the ship¡¯s kitchen¡­ the ¡®galley¡¯ Eshaan informed me¡­ was cleaner than it had been in a very long time, and a cheerful blaze roared from a pile of fire crystals in the lower part of the giant stove resting on firebricks above the ships deck. Very shortly, the delicious smell of hot food began to float through the kitchen.

    Soriya nudged me surreptitiously. Several crewskeletons were peeking around the door frame, tipping their skulls as though sniffing. I smothered a grin behind my hand, and when the first batch was done, turned to the door as though by accident.

    ¡°Oh!¡± I said, affecting surprise. Soriya rolled her eyes, and I could tell that my acting was exactly as bad as you¡¯d expect from me. I shot her an angry glare. It was not my fault neither one of me was a good liar!

    ¡°We have extra, if you wish?¡± I offered the staring crewskeletons a bowl. They stared, frozen for a timeless moment, then dashed off, the sound of bones clattering on bone accompanying their hasty retreat.

    I shared a significant look with my friends and nodded. ¡°Oh yes. I¡¯ll be cooking for the crew too then.¡±

    We sat down to eat, Eshaan stuffing his face as usual, Soriya prim and proper and taking her time despite her obvious hunger.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand!¡± Eshaan said, between bites. ¡°Why are you sure we¡¯ll be cooking for them?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just part of the story beat.¡± I replied, taking a few bites.

    Hm. Not our best work, but not bad at all given what we had to work with. I found myself thinking in time with otherme.

    ¡°The ship claims that our passage is paid, but when we reach our destination, some technicality is revealed, some trick of wording or something, and ¡°oh now you must pay after all¡±.¡± I explained.

    Eshaan stopped eating for a moment, struck by the idea. ¡°Oh. Well, I guess they are pirates after all.¡± He went back to eating.

    ¡°So why¡­. Oh! I get it now! Cooking! Your food is so good it reminds them of being alive!¡± He grinned triumphantly, pointing his spoon at me. ¡°I told you that your cooking was good!¡±

    I sniffed, shaking my head. ¡°Eshaan, they¡¯re dead. McDonald¡¯s would convince them to let us go.¡±

    He scrunched up his face. ¡°Who¡¯s McDonalds?¡±

    I laughed, but felt a stab of pain shoot through my heart. I¡¯m never going to see a McDonald¡¯s again. Never going to fail to get an icecream again.

    Soriya placed her hand over mine. ¡°We can eat bad street food in the capital. I¡¯m positive that bad fast food is a multiversal constant. Like time or gravity.¡±

    I smiled weakly at her, and we finished our meal in silence.

    We cleaned up the kitchen, and I found myself at the bow of the ship again, staring out into the endless swirling mists of the ¡°day¡± of the Wake. The mist teased at my eyes, every few moments a shape would almost resolve, like an after image that was gone the instant you looked for it. I started focusing on one place, trying to catch the shapes out of the corner of my eye. It was elusive, I couldn¡¯t quite get it, but it made for a good distraction.

    Eshaan broke my concentration, as he clambered up the ladder to the top deck, and clomped his way over to me. He rested his arms on the railing next to mine.

    ¡°Lily? You ok? You¡¯ve been up here for hours.¡± He said.

    ¡°Hm? Have I?¡± I turned to him, blinking slowly, feeling as though the mists were swirling around in my brain. Everything was still and quiet and slow.

    He nodded, seeming much too loud, too vibrant somehow. ¡°Yeah, you have. I was getting worried.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I blinked, feeling a strange muffled sensation slipping off of me. Not entirely welcome, as the abrupt memory of my situation came rushing back.

    ¡°Lily?¡± Eshaan said, worried.

    I sighed. Would it do any good? Would it matter to explain? I suddenly felt an urge to fling everything in his face. Maybe he¡¯ll just stop bothering me if he knows the truth!? Strangely, otherme was silent.

    I turned to him, feeling a little vicious thrill. ¡°Eshaan, you know I¡¯m from another world?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t know the whole of it. I¡¯m not just from another world, I was a male in that other world!¡±

    He blinked at me stupidly. I felt a small rush of pleasure, and the disapproving voice of otherme.

    You¡¯re lashing out. You¡¯re just trying to push him away now. To hurt someone, as you feel hurt.

    Shut up! You don¡¯t get a say in this!

    Otherme floated silently in my head, and I could feel that self-righteous smirk on her face.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Eshaan finally said. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ huh, that¡¯s really surprising! Explains a lot, really. You don¡¯t¡­ really seem very much like a boy to me though. I mean, no offense or anything?¡±

    I glared at him. ¡°Why, is the pink hair and boobs blinding you?¡±

    He frowned, taking a step back. I stepped forward, keeping the distance between us.

    ¡°Lily, why are you¡­?¡± His face suddenly lit with understanding. ¡°This is about what the pirates said, isn¡¯t it? This is about you not knowing you were dead in the other world.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± I shouted angrily at him, but both of me knew that was a pitiful lie. So pitiful that even Eshaan¡¯s expression said he could tell. But instead, he nodded.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m wrong then. I¡¯m wrong a lot; I¡¯m used to it.¡± He smiled in a self-depreciating way that I hated him for in that moment.

    ¡°Stop it! Stop it!¡± I demanded, pounding my fists against his chest. ¡°Stop being so reasonable about everything! Just-¡±

    I found his arms around me, and felt him pulling me into a gentle hug. It sucked. I hated every second of it. And my body betrayed me by feeling the tears welling up in my eyes.

    ¡°I wanted to go home!¡± I wailed at his chest. ¡°I had a life! I had friends! This wasn¡¯t supposed to be¡­ forever! I was on vacation!¡±

    Hiccupping sobs ripped out of me, and I leaned into the hug, feeling immensely betrayed at how comforted I felt in his arms. He didn¡¯t press, just held me while I continued to sob.

    Finally, after I¡¯d stopped sobbing, he released me, leaning on the railing while I wiped at my eyes and rubbed my nose clean. After a moment, he spoke, still looking out at the sea.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a smart man, Lily. Not like you or Soriya. I¡¯m just an average fellow, I know my limits. But I do know that life is never about the way we expect things to be. My father expected me to take over the family fishing boat when I grew up. Commander Khine expected me to obey orders, and then expected you to die in the attack.¡± He was silent a while longer then turned to me, and lightly placed his hand on my head. ¡°It¡¯s what we do that matters, not what we expect to do.¡± He turned back to the sea. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you being a boy or whatever. That sure sounds like it would suck. A lot. I barely understand my way around the sharp end of a sword let alone something complicated like that. But I do know that you are kind. And generous. And I would be dead many times over without your help. And none of that has to do with who you were, or what you expected. You saw someone in need, and helped. And I think I like that person just fine. Whoever you are.¡±

    He nodded into the far distance. ¡°So I know that the person next to me is a good person. And I like¡­ them. They¡¯re my friend.¡± He stumbled over the pronoun.

    ¡°And if my friend needs comforting, then I¡¯ll do that. Just like I know you¡¯ll do what you need to do, because you¡¯re one of the strongest people I know, Lily.¡± He pushed back from the railing, and patted me lightly on the arm. ¡°But what do I know. I¡¯m just the meathead with the sword. Don¡¯t stay out too long. This mist is chilly.¡± He took off his scarf and wrapped it around my neck, then clomped back downstairs towards the aft of the ship.

    I fingered the tail of the scarf thoughtfully.

    I told you he was smarter than you thought. Otherme said smugly.

    Oh shut up. I replied, but all the heat drained from the thought. Damn him anyway, for being such a nice guy. I thought. I sniffed at the mist, then frowned. He was right. The mist was chilly. I turned and headed back to our cabin.

 25 The slow passage

    The Passing Fancy continued her slow passage across the Wake¡¯s version of the inland sea. I became quite familiar with the ship¡¯s galley, and even started to be able to pick out individual crewskeletons who came to watch my cooking. I continued to offer them dishes, but they shook their heads regretfully. They stopped fleeing though, which I took as a positive step.

    Captain Ramon had finally stopped shouting at me for offering them food by the end of the second day, though he curtly refused when I offered to let him watch me cook.

    ¡°Nay, lass, there¡¯s no need of that! I¡¯ve a ship to run, and no desire to run aground on the back of a kraken!¡± he snarled, and stalked off to shout more orders at his crew.

    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s serious about the kraken?¡± I asked Soriya.

    She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think the Wake has anything that¡¯s never existed, it¡¯s only supposed to take up memories and experiences that have happened. But¡­ I don¡¯t know how long they last. There might have been a kraken at one point in this world¡¯s history?¡±

    ¡°Hm. I guess it¡¯s best if we don¡¯t find out then.¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    We paused and then looked at each other in alarm.

    ¡°You don¡¯t suppose¡­?¡± We both said at the same time.

    I groaned and Soriya started to grin wickedly. ¡°Oh now¡­¡± she clapped her hands and rubbed them together. ¡°This could be fun. I¡¯ve got some new spells I really have been hoping to try out!¡±

    I sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I could convince you to run?¡±

    Soriya looked at me, her expression skeptical. ¡°How do you intend to outrun something that¡¯s bigger than the ship?¡±

    I waved my arms in exasperation. ¡°It¡¯s huge! It should be slow!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s obviously an ambush predator, and possibly a ghost at that!¡± She retorted. ¡°By the time it¡¯s engaged in combat with us, it¡¯ll be too late to run.¡±

    ¡°Well now hang on, this isn¡¯t fair! We have to fight the Kraken and we need to fight the undead skeleton crew?!¡± I protested.

    ¡°Well sure, why not?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s repetitive gameplay!¡±

    Soriya raised an eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you noticed, but this isn¡¯t precisely a game. They¡¯re just¡­ grooves. Like I said, lines cut into reality.¡±

    I huffed. ¡°I really hate being right. Just once, it would be so refreshing to be wrong.¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°That would be worse. Sure we wouldn¡¯t know what was coming, but it would throw all our previous efforts into doubt. How do we know we¡¯re headed the right way, if we don¡¯t know what the proper plotline is?¡±

    I huffed. ¡°Easy. We just need to find those shadowselves and stop them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but if things go off the rails, then how would we know where to find them? It¡¯s a pretty big world, you know!¡±

    I was silent, stirring the meal a bit. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right, but I don¡¯t like it. We¡¯re supposed to be able to steer things, that was the whole point of skipping Breezewood past the destruction.¡±

    Soriya tapped her lips thoughtfully. ¡°You know¡­ you have a point.¡± She turned and headed towards the door.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I have an idea, I¡¯m going to talk to Captain Ramon about it.¡±

    A few moments later Soriya returned with Captain Ramon in tow.

    The captain glared¡­ though honestly, it was hard to tell if that was just his normal expression, or if I was actually feeling the emotion.

    ¡°Well then. The lassie here tells me you two have cooked up quite the plan. You¡¯re going to scare off the kraken, are you?¡±

    I looked at Soriya and raised an eyebrow. She mouthed ¡®poizone¡¯ to me. My eyes widened in sudden understanding, and I turned back to the captain. ¡°We do have an idea, yes. It¡¯s more Soriya¡¯s than mine, but yes. If a concern, then we can work a kind of warding spell to keep the kraken from your ship. ¡­ Assuming they¡¯re real?¡± I raised my eyebrows at him.

    He laughed bitterly. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that your modern world tells you they¡¯re all just myth and fable, but here in the Wake, they¡¯re real enough to eat us all.¡±

    I nodded, and started pouring food onto our plates. ¡°Then we can fix that. Is there some specific action we can take to draw them in, so that we can test the warding?¡±

    Captain Ramon¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Ye want to draw the kraken to us?! Are ye daft?!¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°We can¡¯t prove the warding works if they don¡¯t come near us. Is there a point of specific danger on our journey?¡±

    The captain stroked his chin. ¡°Aye¡­ there is. Just north of the whirlpool, they like to fish for wrecks there. About half a day¡¯s sail from this point.¡±

    Soriya nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled! We¡¯ll ward your ship for you!¡±

    The captain squinted at her. ¡°And how do ye plan to do that?¡± He asked suspiciously.

    ¡°The same way we solve all our problems, with magic!¡± She replied with a grin.

    ¡°I know that, I¡¯m not a simpleton!¡± The captain snapped.

    Soriya raised a single eyebrow. ¡°Do you want me to describe the precise ritual, or¡­?¡±

    The captain¡¯s scowl grew even more fierce. ¡°Don¡¯t play me for the fool! Of course I¡¯m not church scholar to know every last spell! I just want to know your plan of attack!¡±

    I stepped in before things went further south, feeling otherme¡¯s gentle guidance. A soft {Persuade} wafted around me as I explained.

    ¡°Soriya and I are going to cast a ritual to make the hull of the ship leak poison into the sea. That will obviously taste bad, and the smell will waft through the water, keeping predators and dangerous wildlife at bay.¡±

    The captain stroked his chin again, and muttered to himself, pacing back and forth on the deck, before finally turning to face us, and nodding grudgingly.

    ¡°And this magic... it won¡¯t harm me ship?!¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°Not a bit!¡±

    The captain muttered sourly then nodded. ¡°Alright. I suppose I can understand that much. But if you do harm me ship, Goddess¡¯s curse or no, you¡¯ll be going in the drink!¡±

    I smiled gently, feeling the {Persuade} dissipate as it did its work, and gave the captain a graceful curtsey.

    ¡°Thank you for your trust in us. We will do our best to be worthy of it.¡± I replied.

    The captain turned and stalked off without a word.

    Soriya let out a breath. ¡°Wow. That skill of yours is¡­ really something! Have you been leveling it up?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s maxed out.¡±

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Soriya shivered. ¡°I could feel it! Like¡­ like¡­¡± she suddenly laughed. ¡°Actually, it was a lot like eating your lemon blueberry bars. Warm and cozy and comfortable and the feeling that everything was going to be just fine.¡±

    I blinked, frowning. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like the idea of my cooking being so good it¡¯s mind control.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Speaking of which. Would you call Eshaan. The food¡¯s ready. He¡¯s probably still asleep in our cabin.¡±

    Soriya headed off to fetch Eshaan, and over breakfast we discussed our plan with him.

    ¡°So you¡¯re going to¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, another ritual like we did in the cave.¡±

    Eshaan chewed quietly for a moment then said ¡°And this won¡¯t create another evil shadow clone of you that wants to destroy the world?¡±

    Soriya snorted. ¡°Goddess bless, I hope not! Besides, I think our evil side is already purged from that!¡±

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°Good enough for me!¡±

    I giggled. ¡°I dunno, I think Soriya has plenty of evil left in her.¡±

    Soriya leveled her spoon at me. ¡°Not funny! I will curse you with the spotty undying flux of bad cooking!¡±

    I mimed a shocked gasp. ¡°You see?! She¡¯s clearly evil! She¡¯s even willing to forego good cooking to do her evil!¡±

    Eshaan shook his head. ¡°No, evil cooking is being forced to eat at the imperial trooper¡¯s mess.¡± He looked at Soriya gravely. ¡°You¡¯re not that evil, are you?¡±

    Soriya grimaces. ¡°You¡¯re right, there are depths to which even witches dare not stoop.¡± She said gravely, then giggled. ¡°Come on, lets hurry up and do the ritual! I haven¡¯t done anything properly witchy in a while! I¡¯ll lose my license!¡±

    Eshaan looked up at that. ¡°Witches have a license?¡±

    Soriya giggled. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s our broom license, didn¡¯t you know?¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°Soriya, stop teasing him!¡±

    She stuck her tongue out at me. ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Eshaan said, shoveling the last of the meal into his mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s get going before you two witches turn us all inside out or something.¡±

    We hurriedly cleaned up the meal, then headed to the center of the deck, and started drawing out the sigil and circle we would need. The magicalculations weren¡¯t anything like as hard as our first ritual, ¡®anti fouling a ship with one spell¡¯ was hardly a stretch, and the circle was soon laid out on the bone and wood deck of the ship. Crewskeletons and Captain Ramon stood nearby, watching us finish our work.

    ¡°And this is the grand spell to foil the kraken?¡± Captain Ramon asked skeptically.

    Soriya sat back on her heels and looked up at the captain. ¡°Yes.¡± She stared into his eyes, and the captain was the first to turn away.

    ¡°Hurry up then.¡± He snapped.

    ¡°It¡¯s ready now.¡± She turned to me. ¡°Are you ready Lily?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s begin.¡±

    We knelt on either side of the magic circle, just the same as when we performed the ritual in the cavern. Once again, we poured our mana into the ritual, and though the spell was much simpler and smaller the same ambient glow of power swelled upwards out of the diagram, this time a rich virulent green.

    ¡°Oh spirits of darkness, spirits of the earth and water, heed my call.¡± Soriya closed her eyes, and chanted. The glow from the circle intensified, and small sprites of virulent green started to float upwards from the circle, before diving down back into the circle. A faint aura of green spread outwards from the circle, and I felt a faint sickness in my stomach as it floated past and down, seeping into the ship¡¯s hull.

    Oop, almost time for my part.

    ¡°Ward us, protect us, shield us from harm.¡± I took up the chant, Soriya¡¯s voice falling silent.

    ¡°Make your presence a guard against those who would do us misery.¡± I started weaving in the {Spiritist} skills to make our fusion spell. I could feel the spell take, the faint illness vanishing from my stomach, and the taste of wicked green fading away under me. The circle flashed, pulsed once and then faded into the deck and out of sight. I swayed a bit, but the mana drain was nothing compared to the ritual in the Cavern of Trials¡­ Or, perhaps more accurately, my adventure was allowing me to gain strength, to see this spell as a trivial mana cost.

    Strength which was abruptly increased, as I heard the familiar voice of the World Soul announce. <{Spiritist} Advanced to level 6. {Reinforce}, unlocked. For warding the ghost ship from the kraken and preventing the attack, you have advanced to {Spiritist:6}>

    I sat back, blinking in surprise.

    Soriya¡¯s eyes opened wide, and she laughed. ¡°Well! That¡¯s a very clear result!¡± She said.

    Captain Ramon looked around, then back at us, scowling. ¡°What result? I see nothing, just a pretty light show!¡±

    I looked up at him, and smiled, feeling oddly calm and peaceful on this ship of dead men. ¡°We just leveled. The World Soul tells us that our magic warded off the kraken attacks.¡±

    He blinked, the twin bright points of red in his skull flickering. He looked out the ocean, then back at us. The crewskeletons rustled and clacked amongst themselves, a soft swell of not quite speech, slowly rising in what seemed to be wonder.

    Finally, the captain stammered out ¡°Truly? Well¡­ I suppose¡­ ye¡¯ve done as ye said then.¡± He turned to his crewskeletons. ¡°What are ye standing about lollygagging for! Get to work, ye!¡±

    The crew scattered across the deck, leaping to their tasks. The ship felt¡­ lighter. As though a weight had somehow been lifted from the boat. I felt¡­ good. Really good.

    Eshaan came over and squeezed my shoulder. ¡°Good work, Lilyanna.¡± He said softly. I looked up at him, smiling, and nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He laughed. ¡°I should be thanking you! I leveled too, and I don¡¯t feel I did anything to deserve it but tag along!¡±

    I stood up, Eshaan offering me his hand to steady my wobble on the deck.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not true. We all worked together to do this. We are stronger together than we are apart. I couldn¡¯t stand on my own without you to help me.¡± I said.

    Eshaan grinned at me, and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Ah heh. Well. Thanks.¡±

    The crew dispersed, and Captain Ramon went to direct them. I drifted forward to the bow to watch our progress. Far ahead, I caught sight of the grand whirlpool that Captain Ramon had warned us about. Under us, the bow wave of the ship was now tinted a faint green, and I noticed that our wake left ripples of green behind us.

    I bit my lip, suddenly worried. That was¡­ an awful lot of poison. But then¡­ this is the realm of ghosts and memories, isn¡¯t it? Can you even poison a memory? Well, if you could eat a memory¡­ or kill a memory¡­ I shook my head at the thoughts. This world didn¡¯t really make a lot of sense.

    I turned back to the view, watching the whirlpool slowly approach. On the far side, enormous tentacles slowly lifted out of the water and into the air, clutching shattered hull fragments in their coils.

    Huh. There¡¯s the kraken alright. And sunken ships¡­ I wonder how many ships¡­? Well all of them, I suppose. I wonder if that means that all of Captain Ramon¡¯s crew are the memories of those ships? I shook my head again. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that when we arrive.¡± I said to myself. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can call the goddess or the crystal dragon¡­¡±

    Hey, me? What¡¯s the difference between the goddess and the Crystal Dragon anyway?

    Otherme shared a memory, faint information about two competing religions, one much older than the other, with only vague whisps of memory. We worship the goddess, in as much as we can be said to worship anyone. She¡¯s just¡­ a vague idea, really. We never studied at the church or cared very much about it. The Crystal Dragon is the religion in the capital, the empire¡¯s religion, but they don¡¯t discourage the goddess, they just say she¡¯s another face of the Crystal Dragon.

    So¡­ the goddess is vague for you then? I guess that means you didn¡¯t get any guidance from her about me.

    We don¡¯t think so. We¡¯ve always known that you would awaken, it was just obvious to us. And then we would teach each other, and become one.

    What does that mean?

    Otherme stumbled for a bit, fumbling with images and concepts that lacked words.

    It means that eventually you will know everything we know, and we will know everything you know, and we¡¯ll stop asking ourselves questions, because we¡¯ll already know what we need to know. We¡¯ll be whole.

    I bit my lip, and worried. Otherme laughed gently. Me, you are too confused. We are already the same person; you just keep pushing us away to pretend we are not.

    How can that be true?! I demanded. I don¡¯t remember anything about you! Or this world! I still find it strange that pink hair is a thing!

    Otherme pondered for a moment, then said Captain Ramon mentioned the Well of Eternity. Maybe he would be willing to share with us?

    I thought about that for a while, then nodded. It was as good a lead as any, and it wasn¡¯t like I had anything else to do.

    As I turned towards the rear of the ship, I caught sight of a tentacle rising up out of the water in our wake, taller and taller, shining a faint glowing green and writhing in a distinctly ill manner before it swiftly vanished under the inky black surface of the water. I smiled grimly. ¡°We are not food. And this way¡­ well, we don¡¯t have to make calamari out of you either.¡±

    I set off towards the stern of the ship where Captain Ramon¡¯s outrageous hat was clearly visible.

    To my surprise, as I got nearer, I saw that Soriya was already in conversation with him. But as I got close enough to hear what they were talking about, I had to laugh. It seemed Soriya was already ahead of me.

    ¡°¡­So you¡¯re saying that the Well of Eternity is an actual place?¡±

    ¡°Nay lass, ye¡¯ve misunderstood me again. It¡¯s a place that¡¯s left over because none of the other places are it. It¡¯s what other places aren¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Hello Captain Ramon, hello Soriya.¡± I greeted them as I approached.

    ¡°Ah, Lily! Captain Ramon was just telling me about the Well of Eternity!¡±

    The captain grimaced. ¡°Trying to tell ye, more like. Ye be denser than an ironwood palm.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. I wanted to ask about that too.¡±

    The captain rolled his eyes. ¡°O course ye did. My suffering be not complete yet.¡±

    Soriya glared at him, her hands on her hips. ¡°Captain, honestly. We have been nothing but nice! Why are you so angry about us!¡±

    He glared back. ¡°Ye want to ask me that?!¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Captain. Please. We don¡¯t know anything. We¡¯re just asking for help.¡±

    ¡°Now that be an understatement.¡± He growled.

    ¡°Captain, please.¡± I clasped my hands in front of me.

    Soriya laughed. ¡°No, he¡¯s already been a little helpful, even if he doesn¡¯t mean to. We¡¯re¡­ flotsam, I guess. The Well of Eternity is the space between worlds, at least if I¡¯m right that¡¯s what it is. It¡¯s where soul stuff swirls and mixes and slosh about.¡±

    The captain turned to look at Soriya in surprise. She grinned in triumph. ¡°So I¡¯m right then!¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m right, the good captain and his crew could return if they wanted too, but for all the various reasons someone might choose not to pass on have decided to stay. And now they¡¯re stuck.¡±

    ¡°Aye, you¡¯ve the right of that at least.¡± The captain snarled.

    ¡°Oh!¡± I blinked in surprise. ¡°So that¡¯s why you¡¯re so mad at us! We got fished out of the well by whatever the goddess did!¡±

    The captain nodded grudgingly. ¡°That also be the right of it. Ye get a free pass to and fro on the planes, and yet we be stuck here in half life.¡±

    I stood there, blinking in surprise, an idea starting to form in my head.

 26 Back to land, back to the world at the prow of time.

    ¡°Captain¡­¡± I said cautiously. ¡°Would you¡­ want us to free you? If we could?¡±

    ¡°And how do you propose to do that?¡± He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me.

    ¡°Oh, well, the way we do most everything.¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°Trial and error. Luck? You keep shouting at me not to cook for your crew.¡±

    He took a step back from me. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ you don¡¯t need to remind them of that!¡±

    Soriya suddenly gasped. ¡°You don¡¯t want to be free! You¡¯ve got your own little kingdom here, and you don¡¯t want anyone to release you!¡±

    The captain narrowed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve no idea what ye be talking about. But I think this conversation be over. Your passage be paid for, but there be limits to my tolerance. I¡¯ll be thanking ye to get off my deck.¡±

    He turned and stalked over to the wheel, ignoring us. I nodded towards our cabins, and Soriya nodded back. We headed quietly down the stairs and towards our cabin.

    ¡°Well, that was clear.¡± She said quietly.

    ¡°Hard to be clearer.¡± I agreed.

    ¡°So. What do we do?¡±

    ¡°What do you think we do?! We¡¯re heroes, right? We¡¯re going to free these captive souls!¡±

    Soriya stopped and looked at me. ¡°Lily¡­ ¡®free¡¯ souls¡­ we¡¯re just killing them. Letting them return to the Well.¡±

    I looked at her. ¡°Where we came from. And I think if there¡¯s a place for second chances, don¡¯t you think that¡¯s something a hero can give?¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°You really are a perfect heroine. Alright, lets make a plan to free the crew. But possibly a bit later in the journey, you know, so we can get where we¡¯re going first? We¡¯ve already had one ship sink under us; I¡¯d rather not make it two!¡±

    I smiled and nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±

    We walked a bit towards the back and Soriya suddenly said ¡°So, do you wanna talk about it?¡±

    I stopped and blinked at her. ¡°Uh? Talk about what?¡±

    She means the being dead part. She means the coming to terms part.

    I stood there, feeling an ache open in my soul.

    Soriya didn¡¯t say anything, simply wrapped her arms around me and hugged me. It was nice¡­ I wasn¡¯t going to deny that, Soriya was still incredibly beautiful. But the hug¡­

    ¡°Yes. I do want to talk about it.¡± I said quietly. ¡°But this is nice too.¡± I found myself resting my head on her shoulder and crying quietly.

    I spilled out my heartache, my pain, my confusion, my talk with Eshaan. I hiccupped.

    Eshaan. We¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re really not going back. We¡¯re really a girl now.

    Otherme wisely kept her silence, but I could feel her hope leap inside me.

    Soriya stroked my hair and then started to speak softly.

    ¡°When I died, it was a relief. My life was not good. My culture is not¡­ our games, these games. They are more a manifestation of who we wish to be. Who we are. I wanted to study at university. Instead I found my life an endless cycle of expected roles. I was never myself, never Lee Hyori. I was the wife of someone. I was the mother of someone. I was the child of someone. Once, briefly, I was the student of someone.¡± She grew silent again, and I could feel my tears easing as she let out her story.

    I could feel the pain in her voice, the vast well of anger and sadness as she spoke of her past. I held her as she spilled it out.

    ¡°And now¡­¡± she took a breath and pulled back. ¡°But now, I am Soriya. Just Soriya. Witch. Black mage. Respected scholar. Best friend of Lilyanna. Dark heroine.¡± Her violet eyes were filled with pain, but I could see the first hints of healing in them. Both of me reached out towards that, reached for the ease of pain, especially of our best friend.

    I hugged her again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t miss it. My life wasn¡¯t the best, but it wasn¡¯t the worst either. I had friends. I had family. But¡­ but this is¡­ this is what heroines do, right?¡± I squeezed my hand into a fist and held it against the pain in my heart. ¡°This is¡­ we give people second chances. Even if those people are¡­ are us?¡±

    Soriya smiled and nodded. ¡°We do.¡±

    I hugged her again. ¡°My best friend.¡± It didn¡¯t solve the pain I felt¡­ but it did make me feel at least a little better. And if I was Lilyanna¡­ I was going to fix things. Fix things without dying or performing some stupid useless sacrifice for the audience.

    I pulled away and nodded, wiping my tears on my cheeks. ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s figure out how to save a ship of pirates.¡±

    Soriya grinned, the dark pain in her eye hidden once more by the spark of mischief that lurked there. ¡°That¡¯s my friend. I think we already have a clue, with the food, and the way Captain Ramon acted.¡±

    I nodded. We discussed the first formulations of a plan as we headed back towards our cabin.

    Eshaan looked up as we returned. ¡°Welcome back.¡± He cocked his head to the side and stared at us.

    I felt myself blush. Soriya grinned. ¡°Go on, say the line.¡± she nudged me.

    ¡°No!¡± I protested, then turned back to Eshaan. ¡°Eshaan, what is it? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s something different about you, it seems like. But I¡¯m curious, what were you ¡®supposed¡¯ to say?¡±

    Soriya gave me a mischievous glance, then said ¡°¡¯Is there something on my face?¡¯ That¡¯s what she was supposed to say.¡±

    Eshaan blinked. ¡°Oh. That seems¡­ hm. Well actually¡­ hm!¡± He tipped his head to the side. ¡°Actually that doesn¡¯t seem like it would fit you at all, Lily! You¡¯re much more direct. I like that about you.¡±

    I felt the blush turn into a nova heat on my cheeks. ¡°So anyway!¡± I almost shouted. ¡°We¡¯re planning on saving the crew, because Captain Ramon is holding them here!¡± I blurted out.

    Eshaan was immediately distracted. ¡°Is he? How¡¯d you figure this out?¡±

    I turned to Soriya but she shook her head at me. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, sometimes Lily just has moments of insight. The only thing I thought we¡¯d figured out was that the captain didn¡¯t want us to free him, that he liked being the undead captain of a ghost ship.¡±

    Eshaan tapped his lips, then nodded. ¡°Lily¡¯s right.¡±

    We both looked at him in surprise. He hopped off the bunk and started to pace.

    ¡°Think about it.¡± He said. ¡°If he likes being here, likes being the captain of a ship, then he¡¯s nothing without a crew. A ship is like a family, the bigger it is, the more fractious and contentious it is, but they all need to get along well enough. But if they have nowhere else to go, no hope¡­ well. They¡¯re sailing forever.¡± He pointed a finger at me. ¡°And now we know why the captain was so insistent on the cooking!¡± he slammed a fist into his cupped palm. ¡°That¡¯s our in! The food will remind them of their mortal lives!¡±

    He suddenly stopped, and sobered. ¡°Oh but this is so sad¡­ they¡¯ve been sailing forever, without a home to go to¡­ I know the crystal dragon will receive their souls, but it feels like killing them again.¡±

    ¡°Actually¡­¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s something we learned from the captain. We came from the space between, which is apparently where souls go. So¡­ apparently, it¡¯s a swinging door. Death can mean new life. Just¡­ on a cosmic kind of scale.¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Oh. Woah. I don¡¯t¡­ that¡¯s pretty big to take in¡­ but¡­ but it means that even the people we had to kill¡­ they can start over?¡±

    I shook my head fiercely. ¡°I don¡¯t like that line of thinking! That makes it ¡®ok¡¯ to just kill as much as we want! Their lives are their lives! They¡¯re all doing the best they can! But the people on this ship¡­ they¡¯re trapped. They can¡¯t do what they wanted to do, and even if they could, the captain won¡¯t let them!¡±

    Eshaan stroked his chin. ¡°Well then¡­ why don¡¯t we ask a crewman if they want to die?¡±

    I looked at Soriya, she looked at me. ¡°Bold.¡± She said.

    I smiled. ¡°He is the designated hero¡­¡±

    Soriya grinned. ¡°That he is!¡±

    Eshaan squirmed uncomfortably. ¡°I can hear you; you know?¡±

    Soriya ignored him. ¡°It¡¯s almost lunch time, so let¡¯s kill two birds with one stone!¡± She grabbed my hand and marched out the door dragging me along with her as we headed towards the ship galley.

    I whipped up a huge batch of stew, pulling some tricks from my almost unused {Gourmet} class. It was strange, feeling knowledge just floating into my head, almost like otherme speaking, but¡­ much less intimate. I wasn¡¯t sure I liked it. But the results were¡­ well. By the time I finished, Eshaan told me that we had an audience.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°And I think I know who I¡¯ll ask.¡± He darted out the doorway. I heard the sounds of a commotion and what sounded like a very bony scuffle, and then Eshaan¡¯s voice saying something I couldn¡¯t catch.

    When he returned, my mouth fell open in surprise.

    He was holding the hand of a child crewskeleton. The same rotted appearance, but he was perhaps ten. And his eyes were sparks of blue, not red.

    How had I missed that before?!

    Eshaan caught my eye and otherme nudged me firmly in the medulla.

    Close your mouth! It¡¯s rude! Don¡¯t stare! He¡¯s a child who wants a warm meal!

    I closed my mouth with a snap, and focused on the child. A child. Not a rotting skeleton. A child. I repeated it to myself, and otherme nudged me even more firmly.

    No. Don¡¯t look away. The child is dead, and we¡¯re going to help. We are strong enough to handle this without pretending! She lectured me.

    I swallowed and nodded, then swiftly poured a bowl of the stew, turned, and knelt down to offer it to him.

    ¡°Would you like some?¡±

    The child looked from Eshaan to me and back to Eshaan. He nodded encouragingly.

    ¡°Remember what I said?¡± Eshaan told the child in a voice totally unlike his normal brash heroism, filled with a soft care and tenderness. ¡°She¡¯s a really good cook. And if you eat, you can leave the ship. Finally rest. If the captain doesn¡¯t catch you, you¡¯re not in trouble, right?¡±

    The child paused, and the nodded, turning back to me and held out his hands. His jaw opened and closed, but no sound emerged. I felt a shock run through me.

    Is that why only the captain talks!?

    I gave him the bowl and a spoon. He held it to his face, and stared at it. For a moment I was afraid he wouldn¡¯t eat, but then he lifted the bowl to his jaw, and drank. I gritted my teeth and watched, and as I watched, a glowing translucent light swelled out of his chest, the same pale blue as the dots of light in his eyes, expanding and swelling into a translucent outline of a living child. And he spoke.

    ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s so good¡­¡± he said softly. ¡°It¡¯s been so long¡­ thank you, miss¡­¡±

    And then the empty bowl hit the ground with a clatter, the child¡¯s corpse turned to grey dust that fell in a soft rain over it, and a brilliant comet of blue light dwindled rapidly away while not moving at all, traveling at speed to a place I couldn¡¯t follow, and only barely perceive.

    The room was silent, and then Soriya let out a long breath.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Eshaan said softly.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what a soul looks like¡­¡± Soriya said.

    ¡°I¡­ I suppose it must be.¡± I said, still feeling a confused mix of awe, horror, and guilt.

    ¡°One down. 23 to go.¡± Soriya said.

    I nodded. ¡°Right. And then probably a really big fight with the captain.¡±

    Eshaan jerked. ¡°Oh! Oh man¡­ he¡¯s¡­ gonna be super angry, isn¡¯t he? Yeah¡­¡± he rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Sorry. I feel like I dragged you into this somehow.¡±

    I smiled at him and shook my head. ¡°If you did, we came along willingly.¡± I sobered. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ still not very happy with the idea of killing people.¡±

    Soriya reached over and hugged me again, which I returned. ¡°This does seem to be the best outcome for them.¡± She said.

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°I agree. Let¡¯s see if anyone else is willing.

    I grabbed the dropped bowl, looked at the dust in it, grimaced, and picked up a different bowl. ¡°We¡¯re going to need to do dishes if this keeps up.¡± I muttered.

    Spooning up another bowlful, I waited while Eshaan went out onto the deck to try his luck again. It wasn¡¯t long before a hesitant skeleton came in, rags of cloth hanging from his ribcage. I offered him the bowl, and once again the crewskeleton ¡°swallowed¡± the bowl, his soul appeared and then vanished, and his body turned to dust as the bowl hit the deck.

    ¡°Well-¡± Whatever Eshaan was about to say was interrupted by a screech of rage from the deck, accompanied by what could only be described as thunder. The ship rocked fiercely.

    ¡°GODDESS OR NO GODDESS, YE BREACHED THE HOSPITALITY OF ME SHIP! YOU¡¯LL DIE BY MY HANDS, CURSED BITCHES!¡±

    ¡°Oh dear.¡± I said, hurriedly grabbing for my staff. ¡°I think he found out.¡±

    Soriya grinned, pulling Diaboli out of her pocket space. ¡°What are you saying?¡± She grinned, a feral light in her eyes. ¡°This is the fun part!¡±

    She dashes out the door, with Eshaan and I just after her.

    In the center of the deck, Captain Ramon had drawn his cutlass, and I noted with unease that it glowed with an eerie blue green light, and its blade did not appear to be entirely physical.

    ¡°Now my crew! You¡¯ll serve your purpose for me! Join me, and we¡¯ll be pirates again! Pirates what take the finest plunder there be, the Keys of the Goddess!¡± He grinned horribly at us. ¡°Ye made the same mistake the goddess herself made in the day! The pact makes no mention of alliance with an enemy! And now ye be rightly my enemies!¡±

    He pointed his cutlass at us, and the crewskeletons around us began to moan, an errie horrible groaning howling noise that echoed with torment and ancient weariness. They started to wisp away, blowing into an ethereal smoke, pulled towards the captain, swirling around him faster and faster, and the captain became nothing more than a shadow within a swirling mist of black and grey smoke, a shadow with glowing red eyes.

    ¡°Now ye die!¡± The shadow screamed as the whirlwind lunged at us.

    ¡°Uh¡­ Lily¡­?!¡± Eshaan¡¯s voice wavered as he held his sword in front of him. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to fight a whirlwind made of ghosts! Imperial training was remarkably silent on the topic!¡±

    He took a tentative stab with his blade, and the glowing cutlass of the captain emerged from the whirlwind to slap it aside with a ringing clang of crystal on steel. Eshaan staggered back, his hips hitting the railing of the ship.

    Soriya shouted over the howling gale. ¡°Change of plans, Lily!¡± She pushed forward, her hand clamped tightly on her hat, the other holding onto Diaboli. ¡°You¡¯re going to feed the stew to the crew sooner than expected!¡±

    I goggled at her. ¡°Are you insane?! Now of all times?!¡±

    She turned to me and shouted ¡°Just do it!¡± Then grinned and shouted ¡°Trust me! I¡¯m a scientist! Or a magimathematician, same thing!¡± She cocked Diaboli and shouted above the roaring torrent of air

    ¡°Spirits of the Tempest! Gather at my command and blow away all before you! GALE!¡±

    A glowing blast of green-yellow light flew away into the gale, which howled in response. It staggered to the side, and then turned with killer intent, a storm¡¯s voice through the blurring smoke of souls around it¡¯s core.

    ¡°DIE, cursed witch!¡± A blast of grey black smoke punched into Soriya, and she flew backwards, skidding across the deck, Diaboli falling from her nerveless fingers. She coughed and I saw blood splatter the decks.

    ¡°Soriya!¡± I shrieked in terror.

    ¡°Go!¡± She shouted at me; her lips stained red with her own blood. ¡°Be a cook!¡±

    I stared at her for a frozen moment, and otherme took control of my body, spinning me and running me into the galley. This is insane, what am I doing, what am I even doing here?! I babbled even as my hands grabbed the pot¡¯s handles, and lifted it. Oof, I am really feeling that lack of strength right now. I grumbled, turning and stumbling back towards the door at a staggering run.

    The black tornado of souls lunged towards me, its blade extended, but Eshaan dashed in front of me, doing a diving flip and roll that had me blinking in shock.

    So fast. I didn¡¯t even see how he did that?!

    He came up under the tornado and pushed upwards with his sword, flipping the cutlass upwards and back, throwing the entire tornado staggering backwards across the deck. He waved his blade tauntingly. ¡°Where are you going? I¡¯m your opponent here!¡± He said with a cocky grin.

    ¡°Ye be naught but a minor wave in my ocean, guppy! Away with ye!¡± But try as it might, the captain couldn¡¯t seem to pierce through the pattern of steel that Eshaan was weaving to hold it in place. Soriya staggered across the deck, lunging for Diaboli.

    She grabbed it and spun around; her grin terrifying to behold. ¡°Lets try earth, this time¡­¡± I read her lips, unable to hear her voice over the howl of wailing souls.

    ¡°Spirits of the Deep Earth, unleash your fury on the unworthy! Terra!¡± Yellow-brown light spat out of Diaboli¡¯s barrel, darts of power pierced through the storm. It didn¡¯t seem to have done any damage, but it certainly made the captain mad!

    The spirit turned on her, howling with fury, what looked like claws of storm reaching out, swatting away Diaboli, which spun across the deck, teetering precariously on the edge of falling into the black waters below.

    I ran forward, desperate to keep that storm of souls off my friend. The howl of wind and air tore at me, the cold tearing feeling of shards of soulwind tearing at my healer¡¯s robes, my hair a pink flag in the storm. I could feel my progress slowing, the run becoming a stumble becoming a single staggering step as I pushed further into the storm. I could feel shards of pain flicker across my face, the feel of liquid streaking into the wind.

    I¡¯m bleeding. I thought dully. The wind is cutting me!

    Suddenly, blessedly, the wind ceased, and I looked up, eyes watering to see Eshaan standing in front of me, claws of black and grey smoke clawing at his face and clothes. He looked over his shoulder at me and shouted ¡°Go!¡± I nodded dumbly.

    I spun around in a whirling circle, the pot counterweighting my motion, and then hurled it, still steaming, into the whirlwind. For a moment, nothing seemed to change. The whirlwind howled, Eshaan bled and Soriya retched on the deck. And then the whirlwind started to change. Motes of blue light appeared in the storm, more and more, a spinning whirling storm of blue motes zipping around the storm, the black and grey fading away and then slowly vanishing.

    The storm fell apart, crewskeletons reappearing, falling away from the captain, staggering outwards, and then collapsing, and Captain Ramon emerged from the center of the storm, looking around him in furious bafflement. ¡°No! NO! Get back up! Get to work, ye lazy swabs!¡± He spun around furiously, only to be halted by Diaboli¡¯s muzzle pressed into his skull.

    Soriya smiled at him. ¡°The goddess sends her regards.¡±

    Diaboli¡¯s thunderous roar and the captain¡¯s scream blended together, and the backblast tore at Soriya, her hair blown straight back away from her skull, and a streak of pure white flowed from her temple to the ends of her hair. The captain evaporated in a storm of elemental energy. The air grew silent and still.

    With a loud CHUNK that made everyone jump, the glowing blue green cutlass landed point first into the deck, standing upright and vibrating with a faint hum that was somehow more ominous that the howl of souls in torment.

    Eshaan flopped backwards on the deck, arms outstretched. ¡°Yaaay.¡± He said, his voice exhausted. ¡°We won.¡±

    I looked around at the remaining crewskeletons, strewn about the deck, and then nodded firmly to myself.

    ¡°Not yet.¡± I started smiling, which turned into a vicious grin as I strode over to pick up the discarded stew pot. ¡°I¡¯m gonna feed all you meadowlarks!¡±

    It took a little more than that, but all of the crewskeletons did eat my stew, and all of them thanked me for it as they faded into blue mist and their bodies turned to dust.

    I sighed and sank down to the deck as the last of them vanished into mist and dust. Mist of the day was just starting to fade into the pitch-black night of the Wake.

    I looked over, then pointed to the cutlass still embedded in the deck. ¡°Eshaan? Did you¡­ um. Want to do something with that?¡±

    He blinked at me. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a magic sword, isn¡¯t that supposed to be something warriors like?¡±

    He walked over and reached down, pulling it out of the deck where it was embedded. ¡°It¡¯s weird to look at, and it was wielded by a dead man, but¡­ I like the sword you bought for me, Lily. It works fine, and¡­ well to be honest this one creeps me out.¡±

    I made a wry face, and nodded. ¡°Yeah, ok. That¡¯s fair.¡± I looked around in confusion. ¡°Hey wait a second, is it getting lighter?!¡±

    Right on cue the sky above the ship opened, a brilliant light shining down from above. The whole of the Passing Fancy started to turn to light and sparkling blue mist.

    ¡°Woah, hey, w-what¡¯s going on?! What¡¯s with all the sparkles!?¡± Eshaan gabbled.

    Soriya grinned in excitement. ¡°This is what I thought might happen!¡± She hurried over and grabbed Eshaan¡¯s free hand and then mine. ¡°We¡¯re going for a ride on the memory express!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?!¡± I shouted at her over the rising roar of the swirling vortex of mist and energy opening up around us.

    The whole of the ship was translucent now, and I could see down to the ocean below us, the arms of Krakens thrashing far down in the inky black water. Somehow, we were floating, levitating upwards into the swirling mists.

    ¡°The crew¡¯s memories! Hopes, fears, dreams¡­ the things they wanted to complete but couldn¡¯t! We¡¯re going to ride them back to reality!¡±

    Eshaan goggled at her. ¡°Are you saying¡­¡±

    I groaned, my hand on my face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re going to just believe hard enough and-¡±

    There was a decided ¡®pop¡¯ like the sound of a cosmic finger in a cosmic cheek, and we were suddenly standing on a dock under a bright and sunny blue sky.

    ¡°-and all just go home.¡± I finished, letting out a long sigh. ¡°Sloppy writing, that¡¯s what it is. Just sloppy writing.¡± A sparkling mote fell from the sky, and another soft ¡®pop¡¯ an ancient sea chest landed with a thud at our feet.

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Ok, now it¡¯s just really sloppy writing!¡±

 27 Another Port Town and A Shopping trip

    As we stared at the chest, the World Soul choose that point to announce:

    <{Spiritist} Advanced to level 7. {Awaken}, unlocked. {Gourmet} Advanced to level 2. {Cooking}, increased. For defeating the Legendary Ghost Pirate Captain Ramos, and returning the lost souls of Captain Ramos¡¯s captive crew to the Well of Eternity, you have advanced to {Spiritist:7} & {Gourmet:2}>

    I saw Eshaan and Soriya stiffen for a bit next to me. It was pretty obvious they¡¯d just leveled too.

    I smiled weakly at them. ¡°So, uh¡­ ding?¡±

    Soriya grinned and did a little cheering leap, fist in the air. ¡°Yeah! Two levels! I got my {Elementalist} capstone skill!¡±

    Eshaan nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah, me too, actually. But um¡­ excuse me¡­ ding?¡±

    Soriya laughed, and I ducked my head in embarrassment.

    ¡°It¡¯s a thing from our world. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She reached up and ruffled his hair.

    Otherme glared daggers at her.

    Hey! Chill! If Eshaan is boyfriend material, then we don¡¯t own him! He gets to have friends too, who are affectionate like Soriya!

    She¡¯s touching him! We don¡¯t even get to touch him!

    That¡¯s because you never just do what you want, but always try to do what you think you should. If we¡¯re going to be living together¡­ you need to do more of that.

    But you still don¡¯t want to have Eshaan as a boyfriend!

    I do not. But¡­ I do want him as a friend. And¡­ it¡¯s ok for friends to be affectionate.

    Otherme grew silent, and I could feel her chewing that over.

    ¡°So!¡± I clapped my hands. ¡°Chest?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Eshaan said.

    We all refocused our attention on the chest. Eshaan nudged the chest with a toe. A hank of seaweed dripped onto his toe. ¡°So¡­ is anybody gonna open that?¡±

    I looked at him, then Soriya. ¡°Sure. Why not? In for a penny in for a pound.¡± I knelt down and lifted the lid. The contents were oddly dry, given the fact that the chest was coated with barnacles and seaweed. I pulled out a scroll case and a small pouch. The other two leaned over to look.

    ¡°Is that it? That¡¯s not a lot for such a big chest.¡± Soriya peered at the scroll case, then grabbed it. ¡°Lets see! Maybe it¡¯s a lost spell!¡±

    Eshaan frowned at her. ¡°Soriya, hang on, that could be dangerous!¡±

    Soriya smiled wickedly at him. ¡°Oh I hope so!¡± then popped the lid off the scroll case, sliding out several sheets of ancient parchment. Soriya carefully unrolled them, and I could see from the disappointment on her face that they were not, in fact, ancient spells of world ending destruction.

    ¡°It¡¯s an incredibly ancient language¡­ give me a second.¡± She slowly read through them, then shook her head. ¡°Useless. It¡¯s just the last will and testament of that awful Captain Ramos, and a map where he says he buried his treasure.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­¡± I said. ¡°An actual pirates map? To buried treasure?¡±

    ¡°I suppose. It¡¯s just money though.¡±

    ¡°We¡­ kind of need money though.¡± Eshaan ventured. I nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s always good to have gear and equipment and this is a new city, so¡­ equipment upgrade?¡±

    Soriya flipped her hands dismissively. ¡°Sure, sure, but you can Gate.¡±

    I blinked, looking at her blankly.

    ¡°So you can travel?¡± She said, staring at me with her hands on her hips. I continued to stare at her blankly.

    She sighed in exasperation. ¡°So you can sell stuff from place to place really easily! Or even courier messages for zeni! We¡¯re faster than an airship!¡±

    Eshaan and I both let out a long ¡°Ooooh¡­!¡± of understanding.

    ¡°Right, so our money is sorted.¡± Soriya continued. ¡°This is¡­ just a sidequest, really. What really interests me is this.¡± She tossed the small leather pouch in her hand, then tipped it out. A small handful of gemstones poured out, shimmering with a blueish light. Soriya gaped at them, then nodded, very gently poking at them with her forefinger.

    ¡°Hm¡­ hm?!¡± She held them out to Eshaan.

    He looked at them curiously, and then his eyes got big. ¡°Oh¡­ oh wow! I¡¯ve never seen so many before!¡± He took one from her hand hesitantly.

    Soriya got a big triumphant smile on her face, and she turned to me. ¡°Oh yes¡­¡± she said softly. ¡°This¡­ is a treasure.¡±

    I leaned closer. ¡°What are they?¡± I asked.

    Eshaan held his up to the light. ¡°These are essence stones. As a grunt trooper, we almost never got to use them, they¡¯re far too valuable. Common slang is ¡®soul stone.¡¯ The mage in charge of our briefing didn¡¯t really go into the details of them, but they can enhance your skills or give special effects to your equipment.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Soul stones.¡± Soriya said. ¡°What a quaint name. No, a better name for them would be memory stones. They¡¯re fragments of memories, thoughts, emotions, feelings, all seeped in the Wake.¡± Her voice was quiet with awe. ¡°These¡­ are priceless.¡±

    Soriya looked up, then poured the stones back into the bag and drew the close string tight.

    I gaped at the two of them. ¡°They¡¯re materia?!¡± I squeaked out.

    Soriya tapped her nose and pointed at me. ¡°Exactly.¡±

    Eshaan scrunched up his face in confusion. ¡°I assume that¡¯s something from your world, so I¡¯m just used to being lost about that kind of thing. But what I really don¡¯t understand is why these appeared in that chest. If it¡¯s a treasure map, why put a bag of treasure inside? Why not keep that with the gold and stuff?¡±

    Soriya shrugged, closing the lid of the chest and pushing it to the side. ¡°If I had to guess, I would say that it¡¯s because they were priceless, but useful. Didn¡¯t want to bury them, because he wanted to use them. Or perhaps it¡¯s because we were guided here by the memories and desires of the crew, and these are the distillation of both. I don¡¯t know for sure. Not a lot about this world makes much sense to me.

    She smiled at us. ¡°Speaking of which.¡± She pointed at me. ¡°Put your hood up, miss healer mage. The church is looking for you and probably has some posters up somewhere around here.¡±

    I blinked, and then gasped. The pirates¡­ the living pirates that is¡­ had mentioned something like that hadn¡¯t they!? I hurriedly flipped my hood up over my distinctive pink hair.

    Soriya and Eshaan nodded approvingly, and Eshaan said ¡°Actually, I¡¯d like to know more about this. Why is miss Lily being sought by the church? How do they even know what she looks like?¡±

    ¡°Divination spell?¡± I ventured.

    Soriya snorted. ¡°No. Much easier than that. It means they¡¯re involved in it somehow. They¡¯re responsible for bringing us to this world somehow¡­ but they¡¯re only looking for one girl¡­ that¡¯s interesting.¡±

    Eshaan looked shocked. ¡°Miss Soriya, no! The church would never stoop to something like that!¡±

    I gave a long sigh, and felt otherme give me a gentle push. I stepped over to Eshaan and patted his arm. ¡°Not the whole church Eshaan, of course not. Just some bad people in it. But not everyone who serves the church is a paragon of virtue.¡±

    He frowned, but nodded, clutching at his sword hilt in frustration.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve settled that!¡± Soriya waved her hands ¡°Let¡¯s go explore! It¡¯s a whole new town, with shops and things to buy and new sights to see!¡±

    I coughed. ¡°And also, it would be a good idea to find a place to stay, and then gate home, yes?¡±

    Soriya flipped her hand at me idly. ¡°Yes, of course, that too. But food! Shopping! Shopping for food!¡±

    Eshaan chuckled. ¡°Miss Soriya, I will bet you 100 zeni right now that Lily¡¯s food will outshine anything we can buy.¡±

    ¡°Oh no bet, not even a doubt!¡± she replied. ¡°But there¡¯s just something so enjoyable about street food, don¡¯t you think? It must be all the fat and salt!¡±

    We headed out of the docks, and away from the smell of low tide. The port city was bustling with trade and shouts of many different people. Soriya and I couldn¡¯t help looking around like lost tourists, while Eshaan played the part of a smiling tour guide.

    ¡°How many cities have you been stationed in?!¡± I asked, faintly jealous.

    ¡°Oh, most of the major cities of the empire, honestly. They¡¯re all interesting, but they do tend to be a bit¡­ samey, after a while.¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s Eburah famous for?¡± Soriya asked.

    ¡°Professional adventurers, mercenaries¡­ which are really the same thing honestly¡­ and being the inner sea¡¯s gateway to Spyre. Lots of things to buy and sell here, but if you¡¯re traveling, most people just keep heading to Spyre.

    I perked up. ¡°Is there an adventurer¡¯s guild?¡±

    ¡°Oh sure, you can find one of those in most any major city you care to name!¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Was there was one in Farna?¡±

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°Probably, but we had no reason to go there. And I sort of assumed you knew already, heh.¡± He scratched at the back of his head. ¡°I keep forgetting how new you are to this.¡±

    ¡°So, adventurers are mercenaries?¡± Soriya asked curiously.

    ¡°Well, technically no. Technically an ¡®adventurer¡¯ is licensed and bonded by the guild, any damage they cause is insured, and they¡¯re supposed to be tested and rated. But in practice¡­¡± he shrugged. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve heard a lot of shady things they do. Mostly barrack¡¯s gossip, really.¡±

    ¡°Oh, oh!¡± I clapped my hands and bounced a little, spotting a Monanin merchant. ¡°They have Monanin here! Do you think they¡¯ll have an elf!? I mean, Sylvain?¡±

    Eshaan smiled tolerantly at me. ¡°I very much doubt it, Lily. You would be lucky to spot one in Spyre even.¡±

    I wilted a bit, then shook my head. ¡°Eshaan, do you want to keep Captain Ramon¡¯s cutlass or not?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t think so. I mean, I know it¡¯s probably powerful, and definitely magical but¡­ no. Why?¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re nearing Merchants Row. Let¡¯s sell it! And we can look for new equipment for all of us!¡±

    Soriya cheered. ¡°Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡± She pointed her finger into the air like a general leading a charge. ¡°Shopping!¡±

    We spent a good hour browsing the market stalls before we found a shop that looked reputable enough. Eshaan put the treasure map on the counter.

    ¡°We got this old map-¡± he started, and the shopkeeper laughed.

    ¡°Oh man¡­ you kids¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Let me guess, somebody sold you a copy of the real honest genuine treasure map to Pirate King Ramon¡¯s lost treasure?¡±

    I could feel my eyes get wide. Pirate King?!

    The shop keeper laughed even harder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you kids, you¡¯ve been taken for a ride.¡± He took the map and started to unroll it, chuckling. ¡°Let¡¯s see what it looks like this time.¡± He nodded approvingly, looking it over.

    ¡°Not a bad piece of work, honestly, somebody put real effort into aging this and making it look good. They even remembered to put Ramon¡¯s seal on the corner!¡± he turned it around and showed us a stylized skull with crossed blades and curious sigil on the skull, then rolled it up and placed it back on the counter. ¡°I feel bad for you, so I¡¯ll give you 5 zeni for it.¡±

    Eshaan took the map from him very quietly, and shook his head. ¡°No, that¡¯s alright.¡± He looked thoughtful as he tucked it away. ¡°It¡¯s a nice souvenir. Can you tell us a little more about¡­ Pirate King Ramon?¡±

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    The shopkeeper frowned. ¡°What, you bought a treasure map and you don¡¯t even know about the legendary Captain Ramon?¡±

    Eshaan shrugged easily and grinned. ¡°We¡¯re travelers, it seemed like fun.¡±

    The shopkeeper scratched his chin. ¡°You must be from pretty far out of town if you¡¯ve never heard of the Pirate King.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Pretty simple, really. Legendary pirate, from a long time ago. Before the Empire, even. Terrorized the four seas, never got caught, supposedly amassed a huge treasure, and then buried it with all his crew on an island somewhere in the inner sea. Supposedly stole from the goddess herself, before she banished him to the Wake for his crimes. Sails the Wake even now, howling about his betrayal.¡± He smiled and shrugged. ¡°You know how ghost stories go. Lots of blood curdling tales about him, but that¡¯s just your usual legends and ghost stories.¡±

    ¡°All legends are 100% accurate. All rumors are entirely factual.¡± I murmured to myself.

    ¡°What was that, little lady?¡± The shopkeeper asked.

    ¡°Ah, nothing. Just talking to myself.¡± I said, and smiled brightly. ¡°Eshaan, why don¡¯t we show him the sword now?¡±

    ¡°Ah, right.¡± Eshaan took the map back and tucked it into pouch. But when Eshaan laid the cutlass on the counter, the shopkeeper¡¯s eyes just about popped out of his skull.

    ¡°You¡­ you want to sell this?!¡± He stared at us.

    We looked at each other, and Eshaan hesitantly said ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Where did you even find such a piece?!¡±

    ¡°Urm¡­¡±

    He narrowed his eyes. ¡°No, oh no! No stolen property in my shop! Out!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not stolen!¡± Eshaan protested. ¡°We won it in a duel!¡±

    I grimaced. Well, I suppose that¡¯s technically true¡­ I thought.

    ¡°And I¡¯m the Pirate King Ramon, get out!¡±

    Soriya lifted a finger. ¡°Funny you should mention that-¡±

    ¡°OUT!¡± the shopkeeper yelled, pointing at the door furiously.

    We left, hurriedly.

    ¡°Well that was¡­ problematic.¡± Soriya said.

    ¡°We should probably get going, that man looked mad enough to call the city watch on us.¡± Eshaan said.

    ¡°Would he really?!¡± I blinked.

    Eshaan shrugged. ¡°He might. And if you¡¯re wanted by the church, we shouldn¡¯t tarry.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I deflated at that. ¡°Still¡­ he acted like it was worth an awful lot.¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°We can try again, or we could go back to Breezewood and sell it there. They know we¡¯re simple honest folk.¡± She grinned.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try one more place before we give up. Maybe a little on the seedier side?¡±

    Soriya grimaced. ¡°That comes with its own risks.¡±

    Eshaan patted his sword. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    I burst out laughing. ¡°Eshaan, Soriya just shot a ghost captain and sank a spirit ship. I don¡¯t think¡­¡± I bit my lip then shook my head. ¡°You know what, never mind. Thank you, Eshaan.¡±

    He frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to denigrate you or Soriya, Lily! I know you can handle yourselves I just¡­¡± he trailed off.

    I patted his arm. ¡°I was thoughtless, I¡¯m sorry. You want to protect your friends, of course you do. So, you protect us, and we¡¯ll protect you and we¡¯ll all be a nice wall of shields all around.¡±

    Eshaan looked a little less grumpy about that.

    We moved down the street and turned a few corners, moving towards a less upright portion of the city, then entered the second shop.

    This time when we placed the cutlass on the counter, the merchant narrowed his eyes, and frowned, then held up his hand and hurried to the front, where he flipped the sign to closed, and drew the shutters before returning to us.

    ¡°This¡­ this piece. You know what you have here?¡±

    We looked at each other, and then Eshaan spoke up. ¡°Actually, no. It¡¯s clearly valuable, but¡­ well we don¡¯t want it. We can assure you that¡­¡± he stopped. ¡°Ok, look, it¡¯s not stolen, and nobody is going to be coming after it. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t believe us, but we can definitely swear to you, nobody is going to be coming after that piece.¡±

    ¡°Uh huh. Look kids-¡±

    Soriya slapped her hand on the counter. ¡°Do you want it or not?¡±

    ¡°Course I want it.¡± The merchant snapped. ¡°But I¡¯ve got to protect my interests, don¡¯t I? I¡¯ll give you 2000 for it, take it or leave it.¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes bugged out, Soriya hastily pushed him aside and said ¡°We¡¯ll take it, enjoy your cutlass.¡±

    The merchant clearly seemed a bit surprised, but handed over a fat purse that clinked. Soriya opened it to check, then closed it and nodded. ¡°A pleasure doing business with you.¡±

    We headed out to the street again.

    ¡°Two thousand!¡± Eshaan gave a strangled whisper.

    ¡°And that was his lowball offer.¡± Soriya said. ¡°Probably worth four times that.¡±

    ¡°Eight thousand?!¡± Eshaan got out a strangled croak.

    ¡°In theory.¡± Soriya shrugged. ¡°Not worth much if you can¡¯t sell it. The merchant got a great deal and a headache, and we got shopping money!¡± she declared, tossing the bag of zeni in her hands.

    ¡°So, where should we go first?¡± Soriya asked rhetorically.

    A figure in the shadows spoke up ¡°I think you should give me that bag little girl, before you get hurt.¡±

    I glanced over in surprise to see a group of five stereotypical thugs approaching us, knives drawn. I couldn¡¯t help it; I gave a giggle of shock and amusement.

    ¡°Oh spirits, you have got to be kidding me.¡± I giggled again. ¡°Go on, one of you lick your knife blade, I want to see if you¡¯re really that dumb!¡±

    One of the thugs in back holding his knife near his lips hesitated, and I burst out into full throated laughter.

    Eshaan looked nervously at me and them, then drew his sword. ¡°Lily¡­ they¡¯re not kidding around, this is dangerous!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± the one in the lead waved his knife. ¡°We are dangerous! You¡¯d better apologize! If you grovel for us, we might just consider forgiving you!¡±

    I narrowed my eyes at them, then turned to Eshaan. ¡°You are kidding, right? We just took out a boat of ghost pirates, and you think back-alley thugs are going to threaten us?¡±

    Eshaan lowered his blade a bit and looked at me with frustration clear in his eyes. ¡°Lily, I¡¯m trying to make sure you don¡¯t have to fight them! If we fight them, we might not be able to pull our blows properly, and they could get seriously hurt!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Stop ignoring us! Who the hell do you think you are?!¡± the leader bellowed.

    Soriya sighed and shook her head, then pulled Diaboli from its pocket dimension, and cast Glacies with a dismissive chant. The hapless thugs were instantly encased in spikes of diamond clear ice.

    ¡°Soriya!¡± I gasped, turning to her in outrage. There were limits to just how bloodthirsty she should be!

    ¡°Oh please.¡± Soriya flipped her hand dismissively. ¡°They¡¯re alive, just very cold. If they were dead, they would have vanished and left behind drops, right?¡±

    I turned back to the group, and frowned. It was true, they hadn¡¯t vanished¡­ and now that I looked, their eyes were moving.

    ¡°The ice will melt soon, and we¡¯ll be long gone.¡± Soriya added.

    Eshaan slowly sheathed his sword, then nodded. I looked back and forth between the thugs and Soirya, then bit my lip and nodded. ¡°Ok. I guess that¡¯s reasonable.¡± We headed towards the brighter part of town, leaving the group of thugs standing in rapidly melting pillars of ice.

    ¡°Soriya, that was amazing!¡± Eshaan enthused. ¡°I had no idea you had such fine control over your spells!¡±

    Soriya smiled smugly. ¡°I am a great and powerful witch, you know!¡±

    ¡°So, was that from your capstone skill?¡± Eshaaan asked.

    ¡°What? Oh, no, that¡¯s something else. I¡¯m just that good.¡± She replied.

    ¡°Hm. Well, it¡¯s really very impressive! Only the best of the imperial mages can do that kind of thing!¡±

    I looked worriedly back towards the alley. ¡°Soriya, are you really sure they¡¯re going to be ok?¡±

    Soriya grinned at me. ¡°I¡¯m sure. By now, the ice has already melted. Spell forged ice doesn¡¯t last as long as normal ice, they¡¯re fine, likely {Slowed} and shivering, but intact.¡±

    ¡°Will that work on anyone?¡± I asked

    ¡°Doubtful. They were just too low level compared to us.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I pondered on that for a bit then said unhappily ¡°It seems unfair. We can only be non-lethal with people who are so trivially non-threatening that it¡¯s not a worry.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just combat.¡± Eshaan shrugged. ¡°You have to go all out against a real threat, you can afford to be casual and show off, or try fancy techniques if your opponent isn¡¯t a real threat.¡±

    I frowned, thoughtfully. Truly, I was happy that we¡¯d gotten away without causing any permanent harm, but¡­

    But they might come after us? Isn¡¯t that the price we were willing to pay? Isn¡¯t that what Lt. Isha threatened us with?

    I wished I had an answer to that. The question chased itself around in my head with no clear answer.

    ¡°So, as I was saying!¡± Soriya continued. ¡°Let¡¯s go shopping! And then find something to eat, and maybe spend some money at a good inn!¡±

    Eshaan shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s all the same to me. A nice bed would be welcome, but Miss Holly¡¯s guestroom was quite comfortable.¡±

    Soriya pouted. ¡°What¡¯s the point of travelling the world if you don¡¯t live a little?¡± She groused. ¡°I¡¯d think you¡¯d be excited to travel the world!¡±

    Eshaan shrugged easily. ¡°Sure, of course I am, but I was stationed here for a month. Plenty of time for the new to wear off.¡±

    ¡°Eshaan¡­¡± I asked ¡°How many places have you been stationed?¡±

    He stroked his chin. ¡°I dunno, honestly. I¡¯ve lost count. I remember the dig sites of course, those were interesting! I¡¯ve been to six of those. Never did anything more than just stand around the tunnels and entrance though.¡± He added glumly. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the imperial archeologists, it would be just like regular guard duty.¡±

    I patted his arm and smiled at him. ¡°If I¡¯m right, you¡¯ll get to see a lot of them with us.¡±

    ¡°And we won¡¯t stick you on guard duty!¡± Soriya added.

    Eshaan grinned a little mischievously. ¡°Oh? But I wind up guarding you two from kraken, ghost pirates, regular pirates, rogue automata, yeti¡­¡±

    Soriya took off her hat and whapped him repeatedly with the top, while Eshaan laughingly fended off her blows.

    I smiled at them, feeling my heart warm a little.

    It¡¯s good to have friends.

    It is.

    I felt the warm glow in my heart of complete agreement from both of me.

    With a little help from Eshaan, we were guided to the market district, and soon found a nice inn catering to travelers. As a bonus, it was near the market stalls, and the food smelled decent. It was only ¡®decent¡¯ though. Soriya complained about it while Eshaan simply smiled and asked her what she had expected.

    Soriya jumped up and exclaimed ¡°Come on! We¡¯re going on a street food expedition! Come on!¡± and hauled both of us into the street laughing as we looked for a street vendor.

    It wasn¡¯t hard, we soon found one selling hot meat pies.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask what the meat is.¡± Eshaan said to us under his breath. I nodded agreement, the pie could be anything from roof rabbit to pigeon pie. I felt a tiny bit guilty about the poor cats or city pigeons or¡­ I took another bite of the pie and chewed thoughtfully. ¡­ or whatever it was that had gone into the meal, but it wasn¡¯t half bad. Hot, savory, greasy, salty¡­ it was perfect street food.

    Soriya wiped her lips with her fingers, then licked her fingers clean. ¡°Yes! That was street food!¡±

    ¡°Well what else would it be?¡± Eshaan asked curiously, still chewing at his pie.

    Soriya scowled at him, walking backwards into the crowd and chastising him. ¡°You know what I mean! That was the kind of ¡®terribly bad for you but who cares¡¯ food that I¡¯ve been craving! No offence, Lily.¡± She added.

    I smiled at her, and wiped at my own lips. ¡°None taken. I know I couldn¡¯t make this. I could make something like it¡­ but I¡¯d feel guilty about trapping the¡­¡± I stared down at the pie then looked up and shook my head. ¡°¡­the whatever it was.¡±

    Eshaan chewed thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s not horned rabbit, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    ¡°Why would they have horned rabbits in town!?¡± Soriya asked curiously.

    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t. But there¡¯s fields and woodlands not too far from here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but why go that far, when there¡¯s meat in the city!¡±

    ¡°I wonder if we could sell rabbit meat to the local markets?¡± I wondered out loud.

    Eshaan shrugged. ¡°Easiest way to find out is check the adventurer¡¯s guild job board. If there¡¯s requests for something like that, you have your answer.¡±

    I frowned thoughtfully. ¡°Is that a good way to make money?¡±

    Eshaan shook his head. ¡°Nah. Pocket change for kids.¡±

    Soriya grinned at him. ¡°You realize most of the world thinks we are ¡®kids¡¯?¡±

    Eshaan blinked, and then shrugged. ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. I signed up with the imperial legion troopers when I was 16, I didn¡¯t think anything of it. That¡¯s just normal around my home town.¡±

    ¡°Really? You¡¯ve only been a trooper for a year?¡± I asked curiously.

    He nodded. ¡°It feels like longer sometimes.¡± A dark look passed across his face, and I could tell he was thinking about Commander Khine.

    ¡°So!¡± I said, trying to change the direction. ¡°Lets do some gear shopping!¡±

    Eshaan frowned. ¡°Lily, I really don¡¯t understand, what¡¯s wrong with my sword? Or your staff?¡±

    I blinked. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a new city¡­¡± I turned to Soriya, looking for assistance.

    She shrugged. ¡°Worth a try. But I think that the memory stones are supposed to be most of the power you gain in this world. Better weapons have more slots for them, not better stats.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s so, we should decide what the stones do, and sort those out.¡±

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°Diaboli doesn¡¯t have any slots, it¡¯s irrelevant for me until I can get a new gun. If I can get a new gun.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, Soriya, how can you use a gun? That¡¯s really unusual!¡± Eshaan asked.

    ¡°Oh well¡­¡± she gave a sad little smile and related her tale of woe to Eshaan.

    ¡°¡­and so I can¡¯t really use staffs, and I¡¯m reluctant to even get a new gun.¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes were wide. ¡°I had no idea you could do that!¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve just always used the weapons that were right for you?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Once I took my first class, yeah. It never even occurred to me to use something else.¡± He replied.

    We did find new gear in the market, and a few soul stones for sale as well. As Eshaan had predicted, they were very expensive, and looked to be much lower grade than the stones we¡¯d gotten from Captain Ramon. Eshaan didn¡¯t find better weapons, though he did admire several different vendors displays. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t bought my current sword, these would be very tempting.¡± He admitted.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Soriya asked. ¡°It looks like the craftsmanship on these is a little better, are you sure-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure!¡± he clapped his hand to the sword hilt protectively. ¡°Besides. This one was a gift from Lily.¡± He said, shuffling his feet in embarrassment.

    I felt the tips of my ears heat with a blush.

    ¡°So!¡± Soriya clapped her hands together. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the adventurer¡¯s guild and see what jobs they have!¡±

    I frowned in puzzlement. ¡°I thought you wanted us to do merchant runs between Breezewood and here?¡±

    ¡°I do! I just think if we¡¯re in the big city we should see what a real live adventurer¡¯s guild looks like!¡±

    ¡°So, we¡¯re tourists now.¡± I grinned at her.

    ¡°If you like. I prefer the term ¡®professional explorers¡¯¡± She made her hands into a banner as though it was a marquee.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just another way to say ¡®adventurers¡¯?¡± I asked wryly.

    ¡°Sure, but it¡¯s all about presentation!¡±

    We trooped back to the center of town, and found the adventurer¡¯s guild. It was a sizeable building, made of red brick with slate grey shingles on it, several stories tall. From inside loud and boisterous laughter and boasting could be heard.

    We headed inside and looked around. I had honestly expected all the talk to cease when we walked in, but a few heads turned our way and then ignored us. A quick glance around showed me why. Here, in contrast to most of the places I¡¯d been in this world, my white mage¡¯s robes and Soriya¡¯s witch¡¯s costume were very much the boring outfits in the room! I looked around with my eyes wide, as we headed towards the jobs board.

    Eshaan caught my eye and whispered ¡°Most adventurers like to dress flamboyantly. It¡¯s a way to advertise. To them, we probably look like an E tier starter party.¡±

    ¡°You think that¡¯s why the thugs thought they could take us?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Probably.¡±

    Hm. That was troubling. I did not want to dress like some of these women in here! Just for starters, I was hardly built well enough to fill out those costumes like that!

    Well, I¡¯m not really an adventurer, now am I? I thought to myself. Just a heroine on her way to save the world from self-imposed catastrophe. Perfectly normal.

    The jobs board was filled with flyers and requests, just like any proper jrpg board would be. Horned rabbit requests, horned wolf requests, escort missions, gathering missions, it was all here. But as I scanned the board, I stopped dead, and then frantically tugged on Soriya and Eshaan¡¯s sleeves.

    ¡°Look! Look!¡± I whispered frantically.

    There, in one of the corners of the board, a F rank quest with the church¡¯s seal.

    ¡°Wanted for questioning by the Holy See of the Crystal Dragon: A young girl of approximately 17 summers. She is wearing a healer¡¯s robe, and has great talent in healing arts. She will likely have the favored mark of the goddess, pink hair. She must be unharmed. Reward, 1,000,000 zeni. By order of his holiness, Pope Yash Innocentus III.¡±

    The three of us stared at the board for a long moment in silence. Finally, Soriya broke it.

    ¡°Wow. They must really have a thing for young girls.¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°This isn¡¯t funny, Soriya!¡± I hissed at her in a whisper.

    ¡°Oh come on. It¡¯s a little funny, right Eshaan?¡±

    He looked at Soriya, and shook his head. ¡°Sorry, Miss Soriya. I¡¯ll have to side with Lily on this one.¡±

    Soriya sighed and sagged a bit. ¡°Well shit. There goes my plan of taste testing the beer and food at the adventurer¡¯s hall.¡±

    I took deep breaths to calm myself. ¡°Lets just¡­ head out now, ok?¡±

    ¡°I think that would be best.¡± Eshaan said, and we turned and headed out the door. I felt the heat of every eye on me, and cringed inwardly, certain at any moment there would be a shout and a demand to stop. Mercifully, after a small eternity, we reached the exit, and stepped out into the bustling market street.

    ¡°Eshaan¡­¡± I ventured, as we made speed towards our inn. ¡°Is pink hair¡­ unusual?¡±

    He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and replied ¡°I¡¯ve known one or two people with pink hair, but it¡¯s not what you¡¯d call ¡®common¡¯ no.¡±

 28 The River Highway and towards Yirath

    After the shock of seeing my own wanted poster, we hurried out the door and into the street, pushing for our inn. I kept expecting to hear someone call out to stop us, but the buzz of normal conversation never wavered.

    ¡°Wanted by the church.¡± I muttered. ¡°And for what!?¡±

    Soriya tapped her lips. ¡°It is a bit of a puzzle. We haven¡¯t had time to do anything, really. And the things we did do, the empire would be the ones with the wanted poster. We didn¡¯t even see one, I wonder if Khine or Isha has even admitted they lost a ship to a girl?¡±

    Eshaan frowned. ¡°You can¡¯t cover up the loss of a battleship, even the loss of a small corvette would be impossible.¡±

    ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t really sink any of the ships.¡± I said. ¡°Just put holes in them.¡±

    ¡°We stole a shuttlecraft though.¡± Eshaan said.

    ¡°Did we?¡± Soriya said. ¡°Remember Darshanna said that it was hers?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, but the mountains¡­¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t sink any of their airships there either. I think Khine might just be covering up how bad things are for him.¡±

    Eshaan frowned grimly. ¡°He won¡¯t be able to do that for long. We were sent on a reconnaissance mission; he¡¯ll need to report his actions.¡± He suddenly blinked. ¡°Now that I think about it¡­ we might have been sent out as a favor to the church¡­¡±

    I perked up in surprise. ¡°How¡¯s that? I thought Khine was empire through and through? Is the empire the church?¡±

    ¡°No. Well, sort of. The emperor is extremely religious, and is close friends with the pope himself. If the pope was worried about such things¡­ he might have asked the emperor for a small favor.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°A battlefleet is a small favor?!¡±

    Eshaan looked at her in confusion. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a battlefleet. That was a battleship and two light escorts. A battlefleet would have twelve capital ships and dozens of escort vessels.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Soriya deflated a bit. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize the empire could just¡­ throw that kind of might around.¡±

    Eshaan puffed up a bit. ¡°The imperial navy is the strongest fleet in the skies!¡± Then he deflated a bit. ¡°I used to be so proud of that fact.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°You can still be. Remember, even a battlefleet is just a tool. How it¡¯s used, the reasons behind its use. Those you can agree or disagree with, find fault or pride in. So if you admire the martial power of the empire¡¯s air navy, then that¡¯s¡­ you can still feel that.¡±

    Eshaan frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore. What have I been serving all this time? What is the empire really looking for with the dig sites!? I don¡¯t know anything!¡±

    ¡°That is why we¡¯re heading to the capital, you know.¡± Soriya said lightly. ¡°We¡¯re going to find some things out. Can you think of anything that Khine might have wanted? Any clues he might have dropped?¡±

    Eshaan shook his head glumly. ¡°No. Not really. He was just¡­ just my mentor.¡± He squeezed his hand into a fist. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how casually he just¡­ threw me away.¡±

    Soriya and I looked at each other, and I patted his arm lightly. ¡°Hey. Remember? You¡¯re going to do your own thing now. Your own person.¡±

    He nodded, and looked up at me, his face filled with gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Lily. You¡¯re right! I¡¯m my own person now. I¡¯m whoever I choose to be!¡±

    We headed back to the inn in a somber mood. Upstairs, I bolted the door shut, and then summoned Gate. The room should have been far too small for him, but space was an illusion to him, I guessed. And so we returned to Breezewood with a flash of purple black light.

    Unlike last time, none of us ended up in the fountain, and all of us remained dry and upright. A very nice change.

    It was good to be back in Breezewood. Really really good. I didn¡¯t realize just how much I¡¯d missed the ordinary simple life.

    Soriya laughed at me. ¡°Go on, go see your mom. I¡¯ll meet up with you at my house, and we¡¯ll see just how much damage Darshanna has gotten up to.¡±

    I blinked in surprise. ¡°But she¡¯s supposed to have set up in the old barn near my house?¡± I protested.

    Soriya slapped her forehead. ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s building things, not just making plans. Well, then I¡¯ll come see you. I¡¯ve some sparkle wine that should just about be ready.¡± She smiled at me.

    ¡°Oh!¡± I clapped my hands, feeling memories of past events that otherme had attended filter into my thoughts. ¡°That sounds wonderful! I suppose I owe you the tomato tortellini soup then.¡±

    Soriya grinned. ¡°Yep. I can¡¯t wait to see if your {Gourmet} class has changed anything.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t think so? It¡¯s the same recipe after all?¡±

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°Who can say? New skills can produce unexpected outcomes.¡± She waved, and started off down the street.

    Eshaan and I turned and headed in the other direction, towards my house.

    Eshaan chattered to me about various things, making small talk, commenting how glad he was to be back, how Breezewood felt like and unlike his home town as we walked the gravel path back towards my house. I shared a few memories of my otherself, and we laughed together at how foolish children could be. It felt odd to admit that, this otherme was only 17, by my standards she was largely a child herself! I could feel otherme bristle at that.

    You said you remembered ¡®me¡¯ and were waiting for me to bloom. You must have known I¡¯m considerably older than you!

    That doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re a child!

    It means that while you have a lot more experience in being female than I do, I have a great deal more life experience than you do. Age and treachery will overcome youth and skill.

    How can you stand to live like that?! It¡¯s so bleak and hopeless!

    Oh? You seem perfectly willing to accept my knowledge of events, my ¡®seer¡¯ skill as Eshaan calls it.

    That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s totally different.

    It¡¯s no different at all. I sighed. If I¡¯m being honest with us, I do admire your optimism and enthusiasm. I just think maybe we could stand to be a little¡­ more cunning.

    I don¡¯t like our cunning! It¡¯s bitter and cynical!

    It¡¯s right.

    It is not right! You¡¯ve been hurt so many times you¡¯ve completely forgotten that good things happen too! Eshaan was convinced by our honesty! We rescued Soriya! We¡¯re helping Darshanna find herself!

    I paused, half stumbling. Eshaan immediately offered me his hand.

    ¡°Lily? Are you ok?¡±

    I smiled weakly at him. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just¡­ had a lot on my mind.¡±

    He nodded back seriously. ¡°Oh. Yeah. I guess it¡¯s all a lot to take in!¡±

    I nodded idly, but my mind was spinning. Otherme was¡­ right. Those things had happened¡­ this world ran on a JRPG plot logic, but¡­ by that logic, good things did happen to those who were earnest and willing to strive for their ideals.

    Both of me were silent as I mulled this over. It was a lot to take in, this idea that you could be idealistic and actually succeed at something.

    As we reached the door to my house, a loud BANG echoed from the rear of the house. I almost jumped out of my skin, letting out a little shriek, but the immediate loud swearing of Darshanna¡¯s voice and the calm rumble of Daniyal¡¯s words in response reassured me.

    Eshaan grinned nervously at me. ¡°Well! Looks like they¡¯re having fun!¡±

    I nodded shakily. ¡°Yes! I suppose I should see what they¡¯ve done to my house¡­ but first I should say hello to Mother.¡± I opened the door and called out. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m home!¡±

    Mother came out of her still room wiping her hands on her apron, the smell of potions wafting through the house.

    ¡°Lilyanna!¡± She called out gladly, trotting towards me to wrap me in a warm hug. ¡°You¡¯re home! Did you have a good trip?¡±

    ¡°Ah, well, we¡¯re still in the middle of it, you know?¡± I smiled awkwardly.

    ¡°Oh yes, yes, that¡¯s right, your special gift! I would have given my left arm for such a trick in my adventuring days! So, come in, tell me everything!¡± She frowned in concern. ¡°Soriya¡¯s not with you?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine, she¡¯s visiting her house first, something about a batch of sparklewine.¡±

    ¡°Aah.¡± Mother nodded sagely.

    Eshaan raised a finger and spoke up ¡°Urm¡­ about that explosion in the back yard?¡±

    Mother laughed. ¡°Happens fairly regularly, you get used to it.¡± She frowned. ¡°Though I did have to insist that they stop working when the light goes, the explosions in the night were completely unacceptable. Once that girl gets an idea in her head, she¡¯s like a terrier, she just won¡¯t let it go!¡± She looked at me slyly. ¡°A little like you, actually.¡±

    I felt a blush rushing into my cheeks and both of me spoke up in tune. ¡°We are not!¡± and stomped our foot angrily.

    Eshaan rubbed the back of his head then said ¡°Actually¡­¡±

    I turned to glare at him, and his comment died on his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll just¡­ ah¡­ go see how Darshanna is doing, shall I?¡± He stumbled.

    ¡°Yes. Do that.¡± I said, my voice frosty.

    He beat a hurried retreat out the back door leaving me alone with mother.

    ¡°So, it sounds like things have been exciting here.¡± I said, letting out a little sigh. ¡°We hitched a ride on a ghost pirate ship and found a map to buried treasure!¡±

    ¡°Oh, that sounds exciting! You must have visited the Wake!¡±

    I blinked at her cheerful acceptance. Mother didn¡¯t even seem fazed by the sheer illogic of my statement.

    ¡°Wait, you know about the Wake?¡± I said, taken aback by her cool aplomb.

    ¡°Oh yes! When we were in the Salazar Desert, near the Sand Sea. It¡¯s all in my journal.¡± She added.

    ¡°Ah. Well¡­ pirates don¡¯t tend to be in the desert.¡± I said, lamely.

    ¡°No, but the Wake is everywhere. And you¡¯re back safely, so you have clearly survived.¡± She sighed. ¡°No mother is ever entirely happy with her daughter in such danger but¡­¡± She smiled bravely. ¡°You said it yourself, you¡¯re not a potion bottle. You¡¯re making me very proud, Lilyanna.¡±

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    I flushed. ¡°Well¡­ anyway. We made it to Port Eburah.¡± I opened my mouth to tell her about the wanted poster, and otherme gently chided me.

    We don¡¯t want to worry her! We¡¯re already doing dangerous things like riding ghost ships and fighting pirates!

    I nodded internally and changed the subject. ¡°So, aside from the explosions, have Darshanna and Daniyel been good guests?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, definitely! A right saucy pair of air pirates, both of them!¡± She chuckled. ¡°They¡¯ve set up beds in the old barn and are building that airship of hers. That Moananin girl you brought over had been pestering Mr. Morelet the smith with all sorts of requests and suggestions!¡±

    ¡°Eideth has?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. She¡¯s probably there now.¡±

    ¡°Do they need a lot of metal work for the airship? I thought she was going to use wood?¡±

    Mother laughed. ¡°Well they can hardly make the engine out of wood! Though I don¡¯t doubt that that Darshanna girl would be willing to try. Girl is a boundless font of ideas and energy, it¡¯s a wonder she doesn¡¯t explode.¡±

    I shrugged and smiled. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why she makes small explosions all the time?¡±

    Mother laughed. ¡°Yes, I suppose so. Now go on, I know you want to see her. We¡¯ll talk more later; I know you¡¯re eager to see what she¡¯s done.¡±

    I nodded sheepishly. I was rather curious.

    The back yard was a scene of controlled chaos, with Darshanna working feverishly over a large mechanical contraption that looked like an unholy hybrid of an engine, an antenna and a piece of particularly abstract modern art. Eshaan was standing nearby, engaged in conversation with Daniyel.

    They caught sight of me as I stepped out the back door onto the patio and beckoned me over. I approached nervously, eyeing the machine.

    Darshanna waved excitedly. ¡°Lilyanna! You¡¯re back! Look, look! We¡¯re making real progress here!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ and the explosions?¡± I asked nervously.

    Darshanna made a dismissive nose ¡°Pfft! Progress is always a little destructive!¡±

    I blinked and then coughed. ¡°Darshanna¡­ I¡¯m glad you¡¯re excited, but you don¡¯t actually need to make explosions. Those are mistakes. Maybe slow down?¡±

    Daniyel laughed heartily. ¡°You may as well ask the sands of the desert to stay put in the wind as ask my lady to ¡®take her time¡¯ and ¡®go slowly¡¯.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t deny that we do need an airship. Is the wood frame idea working?¡±

    Darshanna nodded excitedly. ¡°It is! The engine has to be metal of course, but the frame can work just as well with minor reinforcements!¡±

    ¡°So, how long until she¡¯s ready to fly?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Well.¡± Darshanna was about to respond when Eideth arrived from the barn.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve been only gone a week and a bit, I didn¡¯t expect you back so soon. I guess there¡¯s that travel ability for you!¡±

    I nodded, and gestured to the engine and Darshanna. ¡°Darshanna tells me you¡¯re making real progress.¡±

    ¡°That we are! Girl¡¯s got a good Monanin head on her!¡±

    Darshanna ducked her head in embarrassment and muttered something.

    ¡°So, how long before the ship is ready?¡±

    Eideth stroked her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Well, that all depends. Do you want it barely airworthy and likely to explode? Do you want it finished in all particulars? Or do you want it somewhere in-between?¡±

    I scowled ¡°I expect the answer is ¡®years¡¯ if we want something out of prototype stage, but I would like the worst hiccups ironed out.¡±

    Eideth nodded agreeably. ¡°Then it¡¯ll be a month minimum. Two weeks and then another two weeks of test flights.¡±

    Darshanna groaned. ¡°I still say we can accelerate the testing phase-¡±

    Just then the engine beside her gave an unpleasant sounding whine and started to glow disturbingly. Eideth¡¯s eyes got wide and she hurried over to it, shouting something to Darshanna about etheric stabilization and crystal alignment. I sighed and felt my shoulders sag in frustration.

    Eshaan patted my shoulder gently. ¡°It¡¯s ok. They¡¯ll work it out.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know¡­ I just¡­ wanted it sooner.¡±

    Eshaan frowned. ¡°But¡­ you¡¯re worried about the shadow, and now the church thing as well¡­?¡±

    I nodded miserably. ¡°Time pressure sucks.¡± I grumped.

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°Well, even if the airship was ready to go right now, we can¡¯t fly the ship through Gate, can we? So even if we had it, we¡¯d have to retrace all our steps, but this time with an airship. It¡¯s not really that much of a problem, I don¡¯t think.¡±

    I blinked at him in surprise. ¡°You know¡­ you¡¯re right. I hadn¡¯t thought about it that way.¡± I grimaced. ¡°I guess no matter how we do this, we¡¯re doing it slower than I¡¯d like.¡±

    We went back inside and I talked with mother for a little bit, while Eshaan settled himself back in our guestroom.

    Soriya arrived shortly thereafter carrying a few bottles of her sparkle wine. I caught her up on events while we had a glass. Well, I had a glass and Soriya had several. Her cheeks were quite rosy by the time I finished explaining what Darshanna had been up to.

    ¡°So!¡± She waved her half full glass around to summarize. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to get to the capital on our own, and the airship won¡¯t be ready.¡±

    ¡°In addition, Eideth said they needed some pretty high caliber materials to properly finish the ship, so we¡¯ll need to go shopping in Spyre for some pretty expensive stuff.¡±

    Soriya flipped her hand dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine! We¡¯ve got money now, 2000 zeni!¡±

    I sighed. ¡°The price Eideth quoted me was more like 20,000.¡±

    Soriya stopped, and she blinked owlishly at me. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ do you want to try for the pirate captain¡¯s treasure?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°No, there¡¯s no telling how long that will take. The contest is in less than a month now, and we¡¯re still not sure what the shadows have been up to!¡±

    ¡°I suppose we could always turn you in to the church for the reward money.¡± Soriya joked.

    I glared at her. ¡°Not even funny. You remember how that went with the pirate plan!¡±

    Soriya sobered slightly. ¡°I do, yes. I¡¯m sorry Lilyanna. I didn¡¯t mean for things to go quite that way. But the truth is that we don¡¯t know why they so desperately want you, and this would be the fastest way to find out. Oh!¡± She fumbled in her belt pouch. ¡°That reminds me!¡± She pulled out a small inky black vial. ¡°Hair dye! I mean, technically it¡¯s anything dye, but it¡¯ll work on hair just fine!¡±

    Mother walked in, wiping her hands on her apron. ¡°What¡¯s this? You¡¯re dying your hair? But why, sweetie, you have lovely hair!¡±

    I gave another sigh and resigned myself to explaining the church situation to mother, and the panic that was sure to ensue.

    ***

    Several very loud and long minutes later, and with a great deal of gesticulation on my part, I found myself kneeling next to a tub of inky black water with my hair unbound.

    Soriya knelt next to me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I know you¡¯ve never done this before, but it¡¯s really simple. Trust a witch!¡±

    I eyed her, one of my eyebrows climbing into my hair. ¡°Really? That¡¯s what you¡¯re going with?¡±

    ¡°Why not, surefire sales line at the fair!¡±

    I sighed. ¡°And what about my eyebrows and my eyelashes?¡±

    ¡°A little cotton swab and we¡¯ll have those pitch black too!¡±

    ¡°You seem really sure about this.¡±

    Soriya smiled. ¡°My daughters dyed their hair almost compulsively; I¡¯ve done it a lot.¡±

    I blinked in surprise. I was on the verge of asking for more details, but otherme poked me sharply.

    Look at her eyes. This is obviously a topic that causes her pain.

    She was right, I could see a hint of pain there, and let the topic go. Soriya was my friend, and she was confident. I could trust a witch, especially one that made sparkle wine for me.

    What¡¯s hair dye but a kind of potion!? Just like sparkle wine, come to that. I thought.

    ¡°Honestly, if you¡¯d focused a little more on your body control magic, you could probably do a more permeant dye yourself. {Spiritist}¡¯s control body and mind, not elemental forces.¡±

    I blinked in surprise. She was right!

    ¡°Now, hold your nose!¡± Soriya said and tipped my head backwards into the tub of dye. I gave a little squeak and obeyed as she dunked my head up to my ears in the dye.

    ¡°Have you given any thought to what kind of clothes you want to wear?¡± She asked, while we waited for the dye to set.

    I frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Won¡¯t any robes I wear just change to fit the healer archetype?¡±

    ¡°Well, if we were to buy off the rack sages robes, sure. But with a little custom work and those soul stones¡­¡± she pursed her lips. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll still probably look like a healer.¡±

    ¡°Well why don¡¯t I just wear one of my normal dresses then! We can put the soulstones in a necklace or something! I have {Barrier} and {Aura} after all, those are mostly covered by the sages robes. I don¡¯t have to wear Sages robes!¡±

    Soriya pursed her lips. ¡°Well true, but it takes time to cast those¡­¡±

    I pulled my hair up out of the dye, and Soriya hastily put a towel under my hair before I stained my robes. ¡°We are trying to hide. I am trying to hide.¡± I said rather waspishly. ¡°I am willing to put up with a few inconveniences!¡±

    Soriya dipped my head back down into the dye, and lightly swabbed at my eyebrows. I closed my eyes so she wouldn¡¯t get any into them.

    ¡°And I know you¡¯re eager to sell me to the church. This is not a good plan!¡± I said.

    I heard Soriya huff a long sigh. ¡°We still need to know why-¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to find out!¡± I cut her off. ¡°We are going to the capital! The emperor is personal besties with the pope! We will find out what¡¯s going on there! It¡¯s practically fore ordained by the plot!¡±

    ¡°Yeeesss¡­? But only when the heroine is captured¡­ and if that never happens¡­?¡±

    I scowled. ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out. I¡¯m not doing the pirate plan again.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Soriya muttered, then dabbed my eyebrows again. ¡°There.¡± She lifted my head out of the dye, and wrung out my hair. I opened my eyes to see her studying me with a critical glance.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s looking good.¡± She nodded firmly.

    I turned to look into the mirror over the sink, and was shocked just how different I looked with black hair. It was a tiny bit odd to be so used to this new face of mine. My long pink hair had become a deep inky black, my newly dark eyebrows contrasted with my pale skin and blue eyes in dramatic fashion. I still looked a little too innocent, but maybe a bit less innocent than before.

    Now to see if I can sell my healer¡¯s robes back. I thought.

    I headed back to my room and changed back into one of my everyday dresses, neatly folding the healer¡¯s robes to carry. I let the rest of the group know I was headed into town, and waved goodbye to mother.

    It was a small consolation, but the thumbs up Darshanna gave me when she saw my hair raised my spirits a little.

    Heading into town was a strange feeling. The banners and flags of the town festival were gone, and yet it felt intimately familiar and not at all familiar. Down the gravel lane and into the town proper, down to the market shops which I had been to for 17 years and only seen in passing for a few days.

    The bell over the Clothier¡¯s door rang as we walked in, and Benard looked up with a smile on his face which morphed to a moderately surprised gaze. ¡°My goodness, Lilyanna?! Is that you? What on earth have you done to your hair?!¡±

    I smiled at him. ¡°You¡¯re our town tailor Mr. Benard. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re familiar with dye and what it does.¡±

    He laughed. ¡°Well I can¡¯t dye-ny it that¡¯s true enough!¡±

    I groaned. ¡°Must you?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°I get so little opportunity for entertainment; it¡¯s a very small town. Now, what have you come to see me about? I hope my clothes aren¡¯t giving you trouble!¡±

    ¡°As it happens¡­¡± I produced the robes and laid them gently on the counter. ¡°They¡¯re holding up fine, but they¡¯re a little too distinctive.¡±

    He frowned, looking down at the robes on the counter. ¡°This has to do with the strange events just before you left, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d love to know, but¡­¡± He trailed off then changed topics. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing wrong with the material, I can¡¯t give you a refund.¡± He tugged on his chin thoughtfully. ¡°I suppose I can take them back and give you a discount on something else¡­¡±

    ¡°Actually¡± Soriya chipped in ¡°You might have heard we¡¯ve recently gotten a rapid transport system. If there¡¯s something you¡¯ve been wanting from a large town, we can get there and back quickly. We want you to hire us as couriers.¡±

    Benard perked up, and he narrowed his eyes. ¡°What good would that do? Can you get me goods cheaper than my suppliers?¡±

    ¡°Actually, we can.¡± I said. Soriya turned to me in surprise, and I stepped forward to explain. ¡°We can transport you to Farnah, or Eburah. You could buy supplies there directly, and then we could bring you back.¡±

    ¡°Those are big cities, the price there is sure to be higher.¡± He countered.

    I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Higher than having the merchant ship it to you from those places?¡±

    He sighed. ¡°Actually, very likely. I do not have contacts in either one of those cities, nor do I know the manufacturing guilds. I could buy from the market stalls the same as you, but the prices in a large city are¡­ well you¡¯ve been there. You know how expensive they can be.¡±

    Soriya sighed.

    ¡°I can offer you a discount on any gear you¡¯d like to bring me, of course?¡± Benard said hopefully.

    I snapped my eyes back up to him, and felt a little flicker of real anger from both of me.

    Why that skinny snake! He could get it cheaper, he just doesn¡¯t want to hire us!

    Soriya spoke up with silky grace, picking up my robe from the counter. ¡°You¡¯re right, it¡¯s clear that we just can¡¯t help.¡± She said. ¡°Thank you for your time, we¡¯re so sorry to have troubled you. Come along Lilyanna, we¡¯ll have to make other plans.¡± She gave me a look, and turned to go. I looked back and forth between her and Benard, then gave a hasty bow to Benard and trotted after Soriya.

    ¡°W-wait a second, you¡¯re just going?!¡± He called after us.

    Soriya and I turned; Soriya raised an elegant eyebrow. ¡°You have no need of our services, there¡¯s nothing we can offer; we¡¯ll just have to figure out other plans.¡± She said.

    ¡°But what about-¡±

    ¡°Other. Plans.¡± Soriya¡¯s violet eyes flashed and we walked out the door.

    Soriya let out a satisfied sigh as we stepped out onto the street. ¡°That felt good.¡±

    I grimaced. ¡°But now we don¡¯t have any ideas for money.¡±

    Soriya smiled and shook her head. ¡°Nonsense! Your mother is an alchemist, and I can brew potions. I think we can afford to wait a week to build up a little stock, and then sell our equipment in the town.¡±

    ¡°Soriya, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to be able to make 20,000 zeni just from selling my mother¡¯s potions!¡±

    Soriya smiled. ¡°Maybe not, but a few monster drops might help out. We¡¯ve kind of been avoiding combat. Maybe that should change.¡± She suggested.

    I groaned, picturing an endless series of rank E side quests in our immediate future. ¡°Well, at least Eshaan will be happy.¡± I said miserably.

    We turned and headed back to my home. Once there, we discussed our options with the group. As I predicted, Eshaan was super excited to be given a chance to practice his combat techniques. Mother was willing to help, offering to make potions, but she needed high quality ingredients as well, and on top of that, we couldn¡¯t just take all the money gained from selling the potions, mother still needed to buy food and ingredients!

    In the end, we decided on a mix of approaches. We would continue our journey towards Spyre, taking small side quests and encounters as they occurred, keeping an eye out for mother¡¯s shopping list, and any quick cash opportunities that presented themselves. I refused to let us join the adventurer¡¯s guild, since my wanted poster was plastered quite prominently on the wall, and if I was honest, we were all wanted criminals after our escape from Farna!

    The next week we spent time shuttling between Breezewood, and Eburah, and making slow but steady progress up the river highway towards Yirath. As expected, the cities grew larger as we moved towards the heart of the empire, and the goods grew more exotic.

    Eideth and Mr. Morelet helped us affix soul stones to our equipment, and in Soriya¡¯s case, even made her a little necklace of soulstone. I thought it was rather pretty, it reminded me of my lost necklace.

    Mother¡¯s journal once more proved it¡¯s worth as we found useful items more easily, and were able to speed our travel. So, within a week, we arrived at the gates of Yirath with a fair amount of coin in our pockets and only a few harrowing encounters with the wildlife of the heartlands. Even the heartlands of the empire were not entirely free of dangerous wildlife.

 29 A Touch of Intrigue

    Yirath was a big city. Not as big as Eburah but easily as big as Farna. The city spread out on either side of the river, with bustling markets and busy streets. I couldn¡¯t help rubbernecking a bit, it was all so exotic and, well¡­ just like a jrpg come to life.

    ¡°Ugh, I can¡¯t believe your hair dye is fading again.¡± Soriya fussed as we finished our entry procedures and passed through the entrance gate.

    I blinked. ¡°What, really? I thought you made this last batch extra strong?¡±

    ¡°I did!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Your hair just¡­ refuses to stay dyed!¡±

    I tapped my lips, frowning. ¡°This is the 3<sup>rd</sup> time you¡¯ve had to do this, and the dye is less effective each time.¡± I turned to her, a worried frown on my face. ¡°You don¡¯t think¡­?¡±

    Soriya grumbled. ¡°I do think.¡± She sighed. ¡°The world doesn¡¯t like your hair being anything but bright pink. If we force it¡­¡± she shrugged. ¡°Well, you know what happens when we Break things.¡±

    I scowled. ¡°This world sucks sometimes.¡±

    Eshaan spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, you¡¯re saying her hair won¡¯t stay black because¡­ the world won¡¯t let it? Why would the world want Lily¡¯s hair to be pink?¡±

    I snapped ¡°The same reason you showed up right when we were about to enter the cave of trials. The same reason our village almost got wiped out.¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°It must be something similar, but not quite the same. It did let us dye your hair, at least for short periods of time.¡±

    ¡°It let us save the village too, but we don¡¯t need to keep saving it!¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s true. I¡¯m not entirely sure what¡¯s happening, I¡¯ll have to study it.¡±

    Eshaan turned and held out his hand. ¡°Hold on, I have an idea.¡±

    I blinked in surprise as he dashed off into the busy stalls and market square, then turned to Soriya. ¡°Eshaan¡­ has an idea?¡±

    Soriya smiled and shook her head again. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Sometimes they¡¯re genius, sometimes they¡¯re sad. We¡¯ll see which one this is.¡±

    Shortly, Eshaan returned, waving a brightly colored scrap of cloth in his hand. ¡°Here!¡± He brandished it triumphantly before me. ¡°See? Bandanna!¡±

    We looked at him blankly. ¡°Bandanna?¡±

    ¡°For your head! It covers your hair!¡± He raised his hands, then stopped. ¡°Um¡­ may I put this on you?¡±

    I swallowed, and fidgeted.

    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s a head kerchief! Yes, that¡¯s¡­ actually a good idea!¡± Soria looked at me then burst into giggles at my expression. ¡°Oh, let him do it, Lily. You won¡¯t catch cooties from him!¡± She giggled.

    I glared at her, then turned to Eshaan and nodded. ¡°Yes, ok.¡± I grumbled.

    He smiled and slipped the cloth over my head, tying it neatly into head scarf, tying it together behind my neck under my hair. He tucked loose strands under the cloth, then let the cloth fold over the back of my head. His hands were very gentle, and otherme gave a quiet little swoon.

    When he was finished, he stepped back and smiled. ¡°There! Now your hair is less obvious!¡±

    I fussed with a strand of hair that had come loose, looking at the fading black dye from the corner of my eye. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is going to work¡­¡± I said doubtfully.

    ¡°Trust me, it¡¯ll be fine!¡± He said. ¡°The colors of the bandanna will disguise it! Besides, it looks really pretty on you.¡±

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s better than a blazing pink beacon? It¡¯s a good stopgap, until I figure something else out.¡±

    I sighed, and tucked the strands of loose hair back under the bandanna. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s try it. Keep an eye out for roving kidnappers, I guess.¡±

    Eshaan patted my arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Lily, we¡¯ll rescue you.¡±

    I gave him a flat stare. ¡°The point, Eshaan. Is that I do not wish to be kidnapped in the first place.¡± I ground out through gritted teeth.

    He looked abashed and nodded. ¡°Well yes, of course you don¡¯t. I didn¡¯t mean-¡±

    ¡°Oh leave off the poor boy.¡± Soriya said. ¡°Can¡¯t you see he¡¯s trying to help? Besides, you came and rescued me when I was kidnapped. And then we came to rescue you. So if anything, it would be Eshaan¡¯s turn to be kidnapped and then we can rescue him!¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes got wide, and he looked at me. ¡°Is that true? Am I going to get kidnapped?!¡±

    I rolled my eyes, and stalked off into the crowd, letting the other two follow me.

    Behind me, I heard Eshaan asking Soriya worriedly ¡°Am I really going to get kidnapped?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! That never happens. Well almost never. Hardly ever, really!¡± Soriya said lightly.

    Eshaan said ¡°Lady Soriya, I am very much not reassured¡­¡± in a troubled tone.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine!¡± Even without looking, I knew she had to be flipping her hand dismissively. ¡°Trust a witch!¡±

    Eshaan was silent, but I could feel his doubt.

    I twisted in indecision for a bit, then finally huffed an angry sigh and said over my shoulder ¡°It¡¯s almost unheard of, but not completely impossible. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re the product of some secret military training experiment or imbued with some super-secret ancient artifact?¡±

    Eshaan stared at me, then said ¡°No¡­? I don¡¯t think so. I think I would know about that?¡± in a very doubtful tone.

    ¡°Well then, there you go. You won¡¯t be kidnapped. And if you were, Soriya and I would come rescue you. So it¡¯s just fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ still not entirely reassured, Lily¡­¡±

    I stopped and turned to him. ¡°Then now you know how I feel about a casual reassurance that you¡¯ll come rescue me. So it¡¯s better if we avoid a kidnap scenario entirely, yes?¡±

    He nodded rapidly. ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s our actual plan here, besides avoiding kidnapping?¡± Soriya asked.

    ¡°Oh. Um.¡± I stopped again, then said ¡°Well, we need to get to Spyre. I guess we spend the night, replenish supplies, and keep walking.¡±

    Eshaan frowned. ¡°It¡¯s 9 days by foot, isn¡¯t the competition in 5?¡±

    We stared at each other, then Soriya cursed quietly. ¡°Shit. It is.¡±

    ¡°We need to get there faster then!¡±

    ¡°But the airship¡¯s not ready yet, and there¡¯s no way we can afford a ticket on a commercial liner!¡±

    ¡°Commercial¡­ are you talking about an airship?¡± Eshaan blinked. ¡°For hire?!¡±

    I stared at him. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a thing?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± he said bluntly. ¡°I mean, we might pay for passage on an air freighter, but it would cost¡­ I don¡¯t even know! A lot!¡±

    I blinked. ¡°Oh. Wait, there are air pirates! How do they get a ship if you can¡¯t have private ships?¡±

    Eshaan looked at me with an expression that I¡¯d never seen before. He said very gently ¡°Lily¡­ they steal it. Usually by pretending to be the crew, and then taking over.¡±

    I could feel the heat of my blush turn my cheeks red. That was obvious now that he¡¯d said it¡­

    ¡°Oh. Well. How do people get places fast then?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°The usual ways. Horse, caravan, boat¡­¡± he smiled mischievously at me. ¡°Teleporting by ancient magics?¡±

    I huffed angrily at him. ¡°Yeah, that one¡¯s right out, until I can get a save spot at Spyre.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°I know, I know, I was just-¡°

    ¡°Yes. Making a joke.¡± I sighed then smiled against my will at his earnest expression. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a bad joke.¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°Yes it was!¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°Not helping.¡± I said flatly.

    ¡°Well then, let me help. We shall take passage on the riverboat!¡± She gestured grandly, and I followed her sweeping gesture to see that we¡¯d reached a broad intersection, one of the streets leading downwards to the river and it¡¯s teeming wharfs. I was about to comment that a sailboat was hardly going to be rapid transit, when one of the ships flickered with a blue green glow, and started moving upriver without any sails at all.

    I immediately felt stupid. ¡°Oh. Technomagic. Of course.¡±

    ¡°This near Spyre, the empire¡¯s technology has made real improvements for everyone!¡± Eshaan said enthusiastically.

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± I said thoughtfully, looking at the riverboats.

    ¡°So, are we going to buy a ticket then?¡± Soriya asked.

    ¡°I suppose so. Eshaan, can we afford a riverboat ticket? Will they get us where we¡¯re going fast enough?¡±

    ¡°Uhm¡­ well, I don¡¯t know, and I¡¯m not sure. So¡­¡± he shrugged helplessly.

    I sighed. ¡°I see. Well.¡± I turned and started walking. ¡°Let¡¯s go find out.¡±

    The answers turned out to be ¡®no, and ¡®not without a lot of money.¡¯ Several hours later, Eshaan, Soriya and I were sitting on the river walk wall hunched over and discussing our complete failure to find an affordable fare. We¡¯d found several, in point of fact, but they were going upriver much slower than we needed. It seemed regular sails and sailboats hadn¡¯t completely lost out to the fancy new imperial technomagic. A coach would get us there faster than walking, but still wouldn¡¯t get us there in time, and we certainly couldn¡¯t afford horses of our own! I chewed on my lower lip in frustration.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°There¡¯s got to be a way to get there in time!¡± I burst out.

    ¡°Lily, I admire your optimism, but why are you so sure about this?¡± Eshaan looked at me puzzlement.

    ¡°Well it just has to be!¡± I waved my arms. ¡°There¡¯s always a way around every obstacle, always a way through every challenge! All you have to do is find it! The story always has a path forward, and I refuse to believe there isn¡¯t a path forward here too! All we have to do is find it!¡±

    Soriya frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure that we can rely on our knowledge of the games here to guide us?¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t you see?! It¡¯s true in the real world too, there¡¯s always a way forward, you just need to change your point of view, look at the problem differently¡­¡±

    I trailed off, seeing one of the vast cargo airships slowly lifting into the sky from the docks and chugging westward.

    ¡°Like pirates!¡± I pointed at the airship. ¡°That¡¯s how we¡¯ll do it! We¡¯ll work as crew on the airship!¡±

    Eshaan looked at me in horror. ¡°Lily! You¡¯re not thinking of actually stealing a ship are you?!¡±

    ¡°No, no¡­. no.¡± I said.

    ¡°Maybe.¡± said Soriya.

    I swung around to glare at her. ¡°No! I really mean it! Darshanna¡¯s playacting is cute and all, but I draw the line at actual for real air piracy!¡±

    Soriya smiled mischievously, a twinkle in her eye. ¡°What if they¡¯re really bad people?¡± She tapped her lips in pretend thought.

    ¡°Well that¡­.¡± I stopped and put my hands on my hips, glaring at her. ¡°No! We¡¯re not going to steal an airship! We have one being custom made for us!¡±

    ¡°Oh how hard can it be, push a few buttons, haul some ropes, this is our shot! Come on!¡± Soriya started off towards where the airship had taken off from as Eshaan and I trailed after her.

    ¡°Soriya, I am serious! No! We are just three people!¡± I said to her.

    Soriya raised an eyebrow. ¡°Lily, I don¡¯t think you realize just how cool we are. Those thugs were¡­ probably a big deal locally. You sank an airship.¡±

    ¡°On accident!!¡± I stared at her in horror. ¡°And it killed a lot of people!¡±

    ¡°Actually, she didn¡¯t sink it at all.¡± Eshaan pointed out quietly.

    ¡°That is not the point!¡± I shouted angrily. I stopped, breathing heavily.

    Soriya stopped and put her hand on my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s ok. Breathe. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d take it this seriously. I don¡¯t plan to actually take over an airship.¡±

    I swallowed and nodded, taking a few calming breaths. ¡°Ok. Ok, good.¡± I swallowed again, and then looked towards the airship docks. ¡°This really does sound like our best shot though. The plot demands it, right?¡± I asked, hating how reedy my voice sounded.

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Lily. We¡¯re kind of off the rails, you know? Just like everyone else in the world.¡±

    I looked down at my boots for a moment, thinking, then looked up into her eyes and nodded. ¡°Right. Sorry. You¡¯re right, let¡¯s keep doing our best.¡±

    She smiled and nodded, her usual energy returning. Pumping a fist in the air, she shouted ¡°Onward! For glory and adventure!¡±

    To my dismay, Eshaan echoed her cry with enthusiasm. ¡°For glory and adventure!¡±

    I groaned quietly.

    The air docks were surprisingly close to the waterfront, though if I thought about it, it made plenty of sense. This was already where the warehouses and cargo shipping occurred, so it made sense to build the air docks nearby. The military section of the docks was heavily guarded, but it was much easier to navigate the civilian side. I couldn¡¯t help but notice the military air docks were considerably larger than the civilian side, showing of recent construction.

    After some polite questions, we were pointed towards the two major mercantile companies, Ghalagher Shipping and Caitbre Exports. Mentally flipping a coin (and judging which company was closer) we headed towards Ghalagher Shipping first.

    The office was busy, as you might expect. A long low building that smelled of exotic scents and far away lands, with people and loaded wagons constantly rushing back and forth, loading and unloading. We carefully steered our way through the crowd with only a few near misses, before arriving at what looked like a very normal (if smaller than I expected) office and reception area.

    A frazzled receptionist looked up at us over huge round glasses. ¡°Can I help you?¡± she said, clearly beyond distracted.

    Eshaan took the lead before I could say anything. ¡°We are here to work, we¡¯re looking to crew passage to Spyre.¡±

    She sighed and shuffled some paperwork. ¡°How much experience do you have?¡± She said.

    ¡°None!¡± Eshaan answered proudly.

    Soriya rolled her eyes and gave me a sidelong glance. I shrugged sheepishly. It was true, at least.

    The receptionist stopped and put down the papers. ¡°None.¡± The look she gave us could freeze boiling water. ¡°I have 12 inventory assignments overdue, 3 mission freight shipments, 5 cargo routes to plan and you are WASTING MY TIME!¡± she rose from her seat with each word until she was shouting into Eshaan¡¯s face. She sank back into her chair and gave a heavy sigh, then looked back up at us, pushing her glasses up onto her nose.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, the Ghalagher Shipping company does not have an opening for you at this time, good day.¡±

    We looked at each other awkwardly. Eshaan opened his mouth to say something, and I hurriedly grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him away.

    ¡°Thankyouforyourtimegoodbye!¡± I said hurriedly as I pulled him out the door.

    I could have sworn the door slammed closed more forcefully than it had any right too.

    We stood staring at each other for a moment. ¡°Well. That was a bust.¡± Soriya shrugged cheerfully.

    ¡°How are you taking this so calmly!¡± I said to her. ¡°This is your presentation, your shot!¡±

    She smiled broadly. ¡°Lily, this is an adventure! Even if I don¡¯t get to make a presentation at the Royal academy, the presentation was only ever to get us access to study the artifact! We¡¯ll figure something out, it¡¯s what we do!¡±

    There was a polite cough from behind us, and we all jumped.

    ¡°Excuse me¡­ did I hear you correctly? Are you adventurers?¡± A very mild looking teenage boy stood behind us, wringing his hands earnestly.

    Actually, he¡¯s fairly cute. Otherme piped up.

    I thought you were hot for Eshaan? I asked snidely.

    There¡¯s no harm in enjoying the scenery. She sing-songed back to me. Besides¡­ look at him. Really look.

    I did. His clothes were very well tailored to him, made of good quality material and well cut. His face was clean and earnest, though with a few teenage pimples, and he was in very good health. His hands were clean, and far too soft to be a swordsman, but they had the callouses of a lutist.

    He¡¯s a rich kid. A kid bard?

    ¡°Well¡­ we¡¯re not exactly guild licensed.¡± Eshaan ventured. ¡°We are on an adventure though.¡± He grinned. ¡°I suppose you could say we¡¯re unofficially adventurers? Did you have a request you wanted handed?¡±

    The boy nodded rapidly. ¡°Yes! I did! My name is¡­¡± he paused, rather too long, and then said ¡°Allen. Galgos.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow, looking at Soriya.

    ¡°Well Allen, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you!¡± Eshaan took the boys hand and shook it. ¡°I¡¯m Eshaan, this is the lady Lilyanna, and the dark witch Soriya.¡±

    I could see from Soriya¡¯s smile and slight widening of her eyes she was pleased with Eshaan¡¯s introduction. I smiled and gave a slight curtsey to ¡®Allen¡¯.

    ¡°Ah¡­ ¡®Allen¡¯.¡± I said carefully. ¡°We don¡¯t mind a false name-¡±

    He almost jerked out of his skin in startlement, and I hurriedly raised a hand to forestall him. ¡°We deal with them a lot; your business is your business. But I did want you to know. We¡¯re not¡­ we don¡¯t do¡­¡± I stalled awkwardly.

    Soriya spoke up ¡°If you want shady business, we don¡¯t do assassination, thug work, kidnapping or extortion. Outside of that¡­ we¡¯re listening.¡±

    Allen¡¯s eyes got huge as Soriya casually listed off the crimes. ¡°No no no! It¡¯s nothing like that! Crystal Dragon¡¯s tail, no!¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± She smiled in a friendly kind of evil way. ¡°So. Is there a place we can talk that won¡¯t cause a problem?¡±

    Allen looked around nervously, then said ¡°I can¡¯t talk long, I¡¯ll be missed soon, and Indira will have my head if I don¡¯t help her organize those shipping manifests. But there¡¯s a caf¨¦ on the Auran Boulevard, just north of the fountain. The Silver Scales. We can talk there. I should be able to slip free in a few hours?¡±

    I glanced at my friends and caught their interest and agreement. I nodded at him. It was certainly an intriguing little diversion, and he looked so incredibly earnest. I had to admit, my curiosity was tingling.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be there.¡± Soriya agreed.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Eshaan agreed.

    ¡°In a few hours then! Thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me!¡± Allen gabbled, and then dashed past us, into the main warehouse shouting for someone.

    We stared after him for a bit, then looked at each other again.

    Soriya grinned at me. ¡°I thought we weren¡¯t doing any side quests?¡±

    I squirmed uncomfortably under her knowing look. ¡°We¡¯re just going to listen. And it¡¯s not like our plan to get hired here went anywhere.¡±

    ¡°And he¡¯s sweeter than one of your festival cupcakes.¡± Soriya grinned as she sank the barb in.

    I refused to dignify that with an answer, and headed out the door, ruthlessly not paying attention to her wicked smirk.

    We headed towards the center of town, asking directions as we went. The fountain in question that Allen had alluded to turned out to be an ornate and extremely elaborate confection of white stone and relief carvings, while Auran Avenue was lined with shops that clearly catered to the rich and powerful of Yirath.

    Soriya¡¯s smile only grew as we looked about ourselves. Even Eshaan was rubbernecking at the posh surroundings. I tugged nervously at my peasant¡¯s dress, feeling increasingly out of place and awkward.

    ¡°Relax, we¡¯re adventurers!¡± Soriya said confidently. ¡°We do stuff like this all the time!¡±

    Eshaan raised an eyebrow. ¡°We do?¡± He laughed. ¡°I admit, this is not how I saw my life going after I met you, but you two ladies have yet to disappoint!¡±

    I squirmed uncomfortably, taking refuge in my knowledge of JRPGs. ¡°Right so, what do we know? That boy is clearly some nobleman¡¯s son. I¡¯m not all that keen on getting pulled into political intrigues of the rich and powerful.¡±

    Eshaan blinked in surprise. ¡°Boy? He can¡¯t be much younger than¡­ oh. Oh right, you¡¯re¡­ not just 17, you¡¯re¡­ say how old are you?!¡±

    Soriya gave him a look, and he wilted instantly.

    ¡°Oh, right. You¡¯re¡­ not supposed to ask a lady their age.¡±

    I coughed, blushing. ¡°I told you I¡¯m 17, Eshaan. So is Soriya. But that¡¯s not really even the point. We do have more life experience, but for all the knowledge I have of this world, I¡¯m still just a 17-year-old girl from a backwater village. You¡¯ve seen more of the world than I have. This city, the trip we¡¯re on, the magitech steamboats and airships¡­ it¡¯s all new to me. Let¡¯s¡­ just leave it at that, alright?¡±

    Eshaan nodded seriously. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m sorry.¡± He rubbed at the back of his head nervously. ¡°I just¡­ say things, sometimes, you know?¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Forget it. We all say things sometimes. Let¡¯s just look for the Silver Scales.¡±

    A short exploration in the street found it. As expected, an extremely upscale tavern, with a picture of silver scales inlaid on a signboard hanging off a building¡¯s side. The smells coming from inside made my stomach growl loudly. I rubbed my stomach with embarrassment. ¡°Do we have enough money to afford¡­¡± I stopped and looked inside. My heart sank. ¡°Um. Anything at all in this place?¡±

    Soriya pulled out her purse and counted quickly. ¡°Probably not much more than a few breadsticks. What about you, Eshaan?¡±

    Eshaan rummaged in his purse, then shook his head. ¡°We haven¡¯t sold off any of our monster hunting yet, I¡¯ve only got around 20 zeni.¡±

    ¡°Right. Well. I guess we wait for Allen then.¡± I looked around for a place to sit, and finally settled down on one of the nearby benches. I sighed, plucking at my dress. ¡°I never realized how useful self-cleaning fabrics are.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in a big city. We¡¯ve got some stuff to sell, we can afford laundry, maybe even a new dress for you.¡± Soriya said.

    I frowned. ¡°Soriya, we¡¯ve been over this. I can¡¯t get a new set of sages robes-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about adventurer¡¯s robes silly girl. Just a new dress! Surely, they must have normal clothes here!¡±

    Hm¡­ both halves of me were very interested in new clothes¡­ for different reasons, but¡­

    I nodded. ¡°Well¡­ that does sound nice. I guess it can¡¯t hurt.¡±

    We sat outside on the street bench, waiting. The shadows were getting long and the restaurant staff and patrons were starting to give us the meaningful stink eye, but just before they were about to call the guard to remove our peasant selves, Allen showed up, panting slightly and out of breath.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m so late!¡± He wheezed, his hands on his knees as he wheezed to catch his breath.

    Eshaan stood up and patted Allen on the back. ¡°Easy there, take your time and get your breath back.¡±

    Allen nodded gratefully, and panted for a bit, before slowly straightening up. ¡°You¡¯re still here!¡± He smiled at us, almost pathetically grateful. ¡°I was so worried you¡¯d already left town!¡± I saw a glint of a very sharp mind in his eyes when he followed up with ¡°So you do need airship transport out of town then!¡±

    Eshaan gaped at him, while Soriya suddenly eyed Allen with wary respect.

    ¡°What¡­ makes you say that?¡± She asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re still here!¡± He gestured to our little group. ¡°You came to our offices to ask for working passage, you¡¯re willing to listen to somebody you¡¯ve just met¡­¡± he gestured again. ¡°It¡¯s obvious?¡±

    I smiled. ¡°So it is.¡± I lifted an eyebrow and gestured to the Silver Scales. ¡°So, if you¡¯re going to pitch something slightly¡­ grey scale to us, how about you feed us?¡±

    He appraised me thoughtfully, then nodded. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fair. In return, you have to listen to my whole proposal before you say yes or no.¡±

    I looked him over slowly, liking what I saw. His eyes radiated determination and sincerity, so like Eshaan. Perhaps a touch of naivety that appealed strongly to both of me.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a fair deal. We¡¯ll listen.¡± I said.

    We headed into the tavern to considerable surprise and consternation from the patrons and staff. I had to suppress a slightly vicious feeling of vindication in me seeing that as we were ushered to a table and seated.

    Menus were passed out, and our waiter discreetly vanished, leaving us alone in the quiet corner.

    I glanced over the menu, then set it down and looked Allen in the eyes waiting expectantly.

    He looked away, then put down the menu and met my gaze. Taking a deep breath he announced ¡°I want you to help me and my fianc¨¦ elope without our families catching us.¡±

 30 Dresses and the tailors that make them

    I sat back in my chair, looking at him thoughtfully.

    He can¡¯t possibly be more than fifteen!

    We¡¯re 17, and that¡¯s definitely of an age to think about getting married!

    It what now?!

    Short quick flashes of cultural understanding were shared with me, flickering into awareness in my mind.

    Oh¡­! I could feel my eyes widening as I suddenly ¡°knew¡± this. I found myself darting a quick look over to Eshaan and feeling my cheeks heating even more. OH!

    Soriya spoke up while I was dazed. ¡°So, your family doesn¡¯t approve. Are you sure this isn¡¯t a kidnapping?¡± She smiled lazily, toying with her silverware.

    Allen¡¯s brow furrowed and he replied angrily. ¡°Of course not! You¡¯re free to talk to¡­ um¡­¡±

    I giggled. ¡°How about ¡®Juliet¡¯?¡± I suggested politely.

    Soriya burst out laughing. ¡°Oh you are a mean one!¡± She said to me.

    Allen looked back and forth between us doubtfully. ¡°I¡­ appreciate your understanding for discretion but¡­¡±

    Eshaan patted Allen on the back, rather more forcefully than he touched me, I noticed.

    ¡°Lily is a seer; she¡¯s always making jokes about things only she understands.¡± He said. ¡°I¡¯m sure she isn¡¯t being insulting. She doesn¡¯t have a mean bone in her body.¡±

    I flushed even more, feeling extremely conflicted by that.

    Soriya laughed. ¡°He¡¯s got you dead to rights there, Lily.¡±

    ¡°So about your fianc¨¦!¡± I blurted out, hoping to rush past this. ¡°Did you have a plan? Does she even know you¡¯re thinking about¡­ assisting this elope?¡±

    Allen looked down. ¡°No. I haven¡¯t had time to discuss it with her, I¡¯ve only just met you. In truth¡­ I¡¯m a little bit desperate as well, you see.¡±

    He looked up, his eyes blazing with earnest energy. ¡°But that¡¯s why this is so perfect! I can get you passage on one of¡­ on an airship. And you can help me and¡­ Juliet¡­ get clear away! We¡¯ll leave on the same ship, it¡¯s perfect!¡±

    Eshaan frowned. ¡°Well, something that¡¯s been bothering me, actually. How did you know we were adventurers?¡±

    Allen looked at him blankly, then said ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± He pointed at Eshaan. ¡°That¡¯s a combat tunic.¡± He pointed to Eshaan¡¯s side. ¡°That¡¯s a Gruminstar style blade with a worn scabbard, and there¡¯s a soulstone in its hilt.¡± He pointed to Soriya. ¡°That¡¯s a Sages Robe, and your pendent is made of 3 soul stones.¡± He pointed to me. ¡°And while I gather you¡¯re in disguise or something, your staff shows signs of wear, and it has 3 soul stones in it.¡± He sat back, frowning at us. ¡°You¡¯re all regular combatants, and none of you shows a single scar, so that means you¡¯re likely a {Spiritist}.¡± He leaned forward again his eyes slightly eager. ¡°If it helps, I can sweeten my offer, I know a tailor who does excellent work, and can get you a high-quality Sage¡¯s Robe as well!¡±

    He crossed his arms and sat back, clearly satisfied. ¡°Indira might not recognize the tells, but they¡¯re quite obvious if you know what you¡¯re looking for.¡±

    We sat there silently, stunned. I finally ventured ¡°What¡­ do you even need us for?! If you can figure all that out¡­?¡±

    Allen frowned at us as though we were particularly dim. ¡°Well what good is just knowing something?! I know where Pri¡­ Juliet lives but I don¡¯t have the strength of four men, the magical skills of even the most modest turnip, or eight hands.¡±

    Soriya burst into laughter and turned to me. ¡°I like him! Let¡¯s keep him!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s sharp, we need a ride, and it sounds like a worthy cause.¡± Eshaan turned to me, a slightly pleading look on his face. ¡°Come on, Lily, let help!¡±

    I twitched a reluctant smile. ¡°Very well, Allen. You¡¯ve just hired yourself a group of wedding planners.¡±

    Allen¡¯s smile was so bright it almost hurt to look at.

    ¡°You seem to have a pretty good insight into things.¡± Soriya folded her hands together and leaned her elbows on the counter. ¡°So, does that mean you have a plan?¡±

    Allen grimaced and shrugged. ¡°Not much of one. Juliet¡¯s family is throwing a masked ball in two days¡¯ time. I¡¯ve already got invitations, but¡­ well she¡¯s their daughter, there¡¯s no way they won¡¯t notice if she just vanishes!¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯d like to make sure that she¡¯s actually ok with this plan first¡­¡± I ventured.

    ¡°Oh she is.¡± Allen nodded confidently.

    ¡°But you¡¯ve only just met us, how could she possibly know about your plan to elope?¡± I protested.

    ¡°Well¡­¡± He coughed. ¡°I¡­ was planning to see her at the ball. And just¡­ I don¡¯t know. Something!¡±

    I smiled at him fondly. ¡°It¡¯s true love, it just has to work out?¡±

    He blushed and looked down. ¡°It has to. It just has to!¡± He squeezed his fists tightly in his lap and looked up again. ¡°And when I saw you three at the warehouse it¡­ it was just so obvious! Sent by the crystal dragon!¡±

    ¡°That aside, what about places to hide while you arrange transport?¡± Soriya asked. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that you and her are¡­ well life on the run is no fun at all. Do you have money? Papers?¡±

    Allen nodded; his expression serious. ¡°I have contacts. My father¡¯s business partners and a small stash of my own money. That part is simple, and I do have a plan for that!¡±

    Soriya raised an eyebrow quietly. ¡°Is that really enough to support you and Juliet?¡±

    Allen scowled. ¡°My father started his business with a loan, I know I can do just as well as he did!¡±

    I glanced at Soriya, and we exchanged a look.

    So, his father started a business, did he? Wonderful. Son of the Ghalagher family then. I thought, and judging by Soriya¡¯s expression, she seemed to share it.

    Allen slapped his hands lightly on the table. ¡°Now that that¡¯s settled, we must address the particulars. First of all, we¡¯ll need party clothes and masks for all of you. We must hurry!¡± He stood up.

    I raised an eyebrow at him, but Soriya beat me to it, bouncing up out of her chair. ¡°Oh yeah, now you¡¯re talking! Shopping! And brand new clothes! And masks for a masquerade! This is going to be awesome!¡±

    Eshaan nodded eagerly. ¡°I¡¯ve never had a chance to attend a fine party, this sounds like an adventure all its own.¡±

    I scowled at them then looked up to Allen. ¡°While I can¡¯t deny I would like new clothes, shouldn¡¯t you have time to tell the shop owners about your plan? Are they even open at this time of night?!¡±

    Allen nodded. ¡°They will be.¡± He narrowed his eyes in thought. ¡°Though you make a good point, I should probably go in first to let them know¡­¡±

    I nodded in satisfaction. ¡°To keep the identiy hidden.¡±

    Allen smiled at me, briefly making me think This Juliet girl is a lucky girl before I shook my head clear.

    ¡°It is as you say, Miss Lilyanna. Please follow me.¡± He led the way out of the Silver Scales and we headed into the main streets, the lamp posts flickering to fitful life all around us with small light crystals starting a soft glow.

    I admired the view while we walked. ¡°This is really something.¡± I said.

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°Like I said, the Empire has been good for the cities. It¡¯s push for magitech innovation has helped a lot of people.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s also been excellent for trade and relations.¡± Allen chipped in. ¡°The true value of peace is the ability of the people to generate wealth without being crushed by wars of conquest.¡±

    ¡°That certainly sounds like what a merchant would say.¡± Soriya commented.

    ¡°Seems like something a far-sighted merchant would say. Rather than the kind who only saw a profit. After all, wars can be extremely profitable.¡± I opined.

    Eshaan looked at me strangely, then nodded slowly. ¡°I never thought about it like that. I like it.¡±

    Allen coughed discreetly. ¡°While I thank you for the compliments, we have arrived.¡± He pointed to a discreet establishment with bolts of cloth and dressmaker¡¯s dummies in the shop windows. I did note that the windows were not completely dark, the shop was clearly closed. The sign in the window said as much.

    ¡°If you¡¯ll give me just a moment.¡± Allen approached the front door and rapped in a complicated pattern, then waited. After a moment, he frowned, then rapped again, more loudly.

    Within the darkened shop, a small flickering light appeared and slowly resolved into an elderly monanin man holding what looked like a small candle holder, only with a light crystal mounted in it. The door opened and I heard hurried and slightly irate whispers exchanged between Allen and the monanin tailor (for that was clearly what he must be.) Just when it looked as though the tailor would turn Allen away, Allen pulled out a large stack of brightly colored paper and waved them in front of the tailor.

    I boggled. I could buy all of Breezewood for that much money! I thought in amazement. Followed by a sharp jolt like stepping off a staircase and failing to find the next step. Wait, how do I know that?

    Otherme¡¯s response was slow in coming. It¡¯s just what¡¯s true. You know the value of a zeni, and you can see those are high value bills.

    I bit my lower lip, feeling a chill of fear skate up my spine. How do I know that though?!

    Otherme was silent for a longer moment, and then softly said Because we know it. And so you know it.

    I took a sharp breath, feeling a spike of fear shoot through me.

    Eshaan noticed instantly. ¡°Lily?¡± He looked at me questioningly, and stepped over. ¡°Are you ok? You just went pale.¡±

    I smiled wanly at him, feeling the prickle of tears in my eyes. I swallowed, and shook my head. ¡°No. I mean, yes. I mean¡­¡± I trailed off, unsure how to complete my sentence. It sounded silly to say it. How do you complain about becoming yourself? It wasn¡¯t like there was anywhere I could go back to, was there? Or was it anyone to go back to?

    Eshaan hesitated a moment, and then pulled me into a gentle hug. I resisted for a moment, then let him. He caressed my hair gently.

    ¡°It will be ok. We¡¯ll make it ok.¡± He said. Somehow, that helped. He was so confident¡­ and we were jrpg heroes, weren¡¯t we? Wasn¡¯t fighting destiny and fate what we did?

    I hiccupped a small sob, and then pushed away from him. ¡°Thank you.¡± I whispered.

    Soriya pretended not to have noticed my lapse.

    Allen turned back with a smile, the wad of bills in his hand having vanished. ¡°I believe we have come to an accord.¡± He said, gesturing us to the shop.

    The tailor glared up at him under bushy eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯ll thank you to stop inviting people into my shop.¡± He said with a rusty burring accent that reminded me strongly of Eideth.

    ¡°I¡¯m called Adrik.¡± He sized us up, then shrugged and turned back to his shop, stopped, and glared back at us. ¡°Well?! If you¡¯re cooming, coome on then!¡±

    Encouraged by this, we all dutifully trooped into his shop behind him. He closed the door behind us, and then slowly walked around us for several minutes, muttering softly in a language I didn¡¯t understand. He turned back to Allen. ¡°Yoo¡¯ve paid enough, so yoo¡¯ll get the work! Boot it woon¡¯t be ready until tamorrow!¡± He stuck out his chin fiercely in a challenging stance.

    Allen nodded eagerly. ¡°Of course master Adrik, of course!¡±

    Adrik glared at Allen once more then shook his head. ¡°Deem full romantic idealist. Danno why I boother.¡± He stumped over behind the counter, then pulled out a short stepladder, heading back to us with a mutter.

    ¡°Stand here, dun moove!¡± He commanded, and then proceeded to climb the step ladder and measure every inch of us, having us spread our arms, move our legs, wrapping a measuring tape around our chest, waist, hips, down our legs, along our arms, and muttering all the while.

    When he finally climbed down off the step ladder, he nodded. ¡°Doon. Back at 3 bells tamorrow! They¡¯ll be reydey.¡± And with that, he pointed at the door. ¡°Now geet!¡±

    Bemused, we shuffled out the door, which was slammed soundly behind us, and the closed sign was slapped very firmly over the window.

    Allen rubbed his hands together, grinning like a loon. ¡°Master Adrik is a genius. This is going better than I hoped!¡±

    I coughed. ¡°Ah¡­ Allen. That was¡­ a lot of money.¡±

    He looked at me in confusion. ¡°Well of course, you have to pay for quality, and double for speed!¡±

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    I opened my mouth to protest, and then sighed. ¡°Never mind. I suppose we will bid you goodnight then.¡±

    Soriya perked up. ¡°Wait, we need you to pay for the rooms!¡±

    Allen blinked and then laughed. ¡°Oh, yes of course! You are on retainer after all!¡± He pulled several zeni bills from his pockets and handed them to us. I boggled at the values.

    ¡°I trust that will be enough.¡± He smiled smugly, and I could tell we had most thoroughly been read as backwater bumpkins.

    Eshaan nodded, clearly slightly dazed by the money, but working hard to stay on task. ¡°This will be great. Where and when do we meet you tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Oh, why, 3pm, here, I should think.¡± Allen looked around, then nodded.

    ¡°I see.¡± Eshaan looked at Soriya and I, then shrugged. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll need to spend some time tomorrow coming up with an elopement plan.¡±

    I smiled slowly. ¡°I think I have an idea. Eshaan, do you dance?¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes got wide. ¡°Uh¡­ no. Not a skill that fishermen or troopers ever have a chance to learn.¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll have to improvise then!¡±

    We waved goodbye to Allen, and then turned and headed back towards the river, where we¡¯d be more likely to find an inn that wouldn¡¯t charge us all of our newfound wealth.

    I looked over at Soriya. ¡°You soaked him.¡±

    Eshaan looked at me, then nodded slowly. ¡°You¡¯re just going to use Gate to return back to Breezewood aren¡¯t you?¡±

    I smiled politely. ¡°We are going to use Gate.¡±

    Eshaan shrugged. ¡°Well so far, this is the easiest 500 zeni I¡¯ve ever made!¡± he waved the bills and then tucked them into his pockets.

    A few careful scouting probes into what an upscale alleyway looked like, we found what looked like a quiet street with no staring eyes, and Gated back to Breezewood.

    Night had well and truly fallen in Breezewood, and the gravel road to my home was only lit by the light of the stars and moon.

    Soriya yawned and stretched, then said ¡°As much as I love a life of adventure, this is great. I get to sleep in my own bed at home, and I get to see the world. But right now, I only plan to see my bed.¡± She smiled and waved at us, then slowly ambled towards her home, leaving me alone with Eshaan.

    Eshaan and I headed towards my home, the faint glow of the light crystal from inside the windows and the thought of my bed luring me on.

    As we stepped inside, Eshaan said ¡°You know Lily. I thought this heroing thing would be simple. Easier than following Commander Khine, even. Obvious. And yet, here we are possibly kidnapping a girl for a rich noble¡¯s son just because we need a ride to the capital in time to steal an invention from a competition.¡±

    I stopped and looked back at him, seeing his face creased with worry. ¡°Do you not want to do this?¡± I asked quietly.

    He was clearly struggling with it, and finally he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Ask me in the morning.¡± And then silently walked off to the guestroom mother had loaned him.

    I headed up to my room, pondering. I really hadn¡¯t thought about this at all. It was just¡­ how the plot was supposed to go. There had to be a path forward, and here was a path. Were we doing the wrong thing?

    I sank down on my bed and started undressing.

    Well we are helping pirates. There¡¯s that. I thought sourly.

    But that¡¯s what JRPG heroes do, and air pirates are romantic figures. Heroic romantic figures even.

    Can I really say that?

    But isn¡¯t it true if the world follows tropes?

    I tossed and turned in my bed for quite a while before sleep finally claimed me.

    The following morning I woke at my usual time (just after dawn). As I was getting ready to head downstairs though, to my surprise I saw Soriya heading down the gravel path towards my house.

    Odd, she¡¯s usually not awake before ten bells at the best. I thought. I hurried downstairs to meet her at the door, concerned something was wrong. When I opened the door however, the bright smile on her face only confused me. Clearly not at all was wrong, but¡­

    ¡°Soriya, what on earth are you doing up so early?¡± I asked in puzzlement.

    ¡°Are you kidding?! We get to wear fancy dresses and attend a party and kidnap some kind of noble¡¯s daughter to elope! This day is going to be awesome!¡± She enthused.

    I tried to suppress a smile, but failed completely. There was a reason she was my best friend, after all.

    ¡°Alright¡± I laughed. ¡°I guess I can understand that, but the dress won¡¯t be ready until 3 bells, and we don¡¯t have a plan. Also, I¡¯d think you¡¯d want to visit with Daniyel a bit?¡± I smiled mischievously at her.

    ¡°Well, alright that¡¯s true, I would, but the plan is easy! Get in, dance, eat, then get out with daughter!¡± She flipped her hands at me.

    Eshaan wandered out of the guest room yawning and rubbing at his eyes, his tousled hair looking even more rumpled than normal.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He yawned.

    ¡°We¡¯re discussing how to kidnap a noble daughter.¡± I replied with a smile.

    He blinked a few times, his sleep fogged brain slowly catching, then he laughed. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. We did agree to do that.¡± He frowned again shortly after. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this bother either of you though?¡±

    Soriya blinked in confusion and then tipped her head to the side. ¡°Eshaan, I¡¯m not going to actually kidnap someone. If she doesn¡¯t want to go, we¡¯re not taking her.¡± She glanced over at me, and I nodded emphatically.

    ¡°So, there¡¯s that. But honestly, I think this is legitimate because, well¡­ the story threads all lead this way.¡± Soriya added.

    Eshaan yawned again and nodded. ¡°Great. So, how does this work in the stories? Is there a plan all set up and ready to go?¡±

    I looked over at Soriya, and tipped my head to the side. ¡°You¡¯ve probably played more of these games than I did¡­?¡± I trailed off questioningly.

    Soriya tapped her chin with her forefinger thoughtfully. ¡°That¡¯s probably true, but they all tell the same kind of story. We get in with the costumes and masks. We meet up with the girl, and tell her what the plan is. She puts together a bag of things, and we sneak out of the mansion. Sometimes it¡¯s a sewer route, sometimes it¡¯s an alleyway chase, but it really is just a simple in and out expedition.¡±

    I groaned. ¡°Sewers? Again?!¡±

    Soriya laughed and patted me on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure the spores, molds, and fungi won¡¯t hold your previous killing spree against you!¡± She said with a broad smile.

    I groaned even louder, burying my face in my hands. ¡°Can¡¯t we just have an alleyway chase?!¡±

    Eshaan frowned looking back and forth between us. ¡°I must be missing something. Why would there be a chase, couldn¡¯t you just use Gate and take us¡­ wherever?¡±

    I gaped, eyes wide, and looked at Soriya who looked equally poleaxed. Soriya muttered softly to herself ¡°Why don¡¯t we just use a phoenix down on Aerith¡­?¡±

    I turned Eshaan and pulled him into a big hug.

    ¡°Eshaan, you brilliant idiot! Yes, of course we¡¯ll use Gate!¡± I exclaimed.

    ¡°Urm¡­ thanks? Who¡¯s Aerith?¡± He frowned down at me in confusion. The look of idiot bafflement on his face was wonderful and I hugged him again.

    ¡°Never mind. Nobody, hopefully. I think the plot of the stories just blinded us¡­ of course we¡¯ll use Gate! I just¡­ need to make sure that I have mana, and a little bit of time.¡±

    ***

    The actual plan¡­ if you could call it that¡­ it was more like an improvised jam session¡­ came together quickly after that. We¡¯d slip into the party, Allen would explain, Juliet would come with us. We¡¯d need clothes for them and us to change into¡­ and a whole lot of soap, just in case! And then we¡¯d make a break for it, either into the sewers or out an escape tunnel of some kind. Which, honestly, probably did lead into the sewers. Mother¡¯s journal (of course) held a rough sketch of the local sewer system, and a simple map of the layout. This time, even the airship docks were laid out. Apparently Yirath had been a big city for a long enough time that there wasn¡¯t much change.

    Mother came in during our planning session, and made some pithy commentary as well as adding a few gently worded warnings about the slimes and undead that were found in the sewer system. We stocked up on elemental crystals again, and mother insisted on pressing several potions into our hands.

    I again promised to be very careful, and then had to promise that I would save the party dress to show mother when we came back. That was Soriya¡¯s addition to the plan. She couldn¡¯t stop giggling. It seemed she was more excited about the clothes than she was about the adventure!

    With that settled, Soriya and I re-dyed my hair, and we spent the rest of the day speaking with Daniyel and Darshanna about the airship progress, and taking notes on the next piece of equipment that we should keep an eye out for. Actually, Soriya spent most of the time speaking with Daniyel, the rest of us talked with Darshanna and Eideth.

    And then when it was time, I summoned up Gate, and we stepped through the void and into the quiet alleyway in Yirath. I half expected everything to go wrong then and there, but the alleyway remained quiet, and we made our way to the tailor¡¯s shop without much more than a few stink eyes from the town guards. I had to hope that the tailor was really as good as his word, or this would not go well.

    Allen met us at the door to the tailor¡¯s shop with smiles, and the tailor met us with scowls and muttered grumbles¡­ and the most glorious dresses I¡¯d ever seen. Soriya¡¯s was a confection of blue and gold, with shimmering violet highlights in the weave of the fabric. Mine was pure white with pink highlights. Eshaan¡¯s outfit was trim and sharp, looking a little like a martial uniform, and a little like a tailored suit, and all of the outfits came with an elegant matching domino mask.

    ¡°Goo awn, try em awn!¡± The tailor urged. ¡°Goot to make sure they fit, doon¡¯t cha!?¡±

    I held what felt like acres of silky fabric hesitantly, feeling panic gripping me. This wasn¡¯t just a dress, this was a lawn ornament!

    Eshaan sighed, then smiled wryly at us. ¡°Come on, lets do this.¡± Suiting action to words, he ducked into the changing room. I shot a panicked glance at Soriya who just laughed, pushing me into the other changing room. ¡°Go on, go on! You¡¯re gorgeous, and that other you knows exactly how to wear it! If you¡¯ll listen to her, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find she¡¯s super excited too!¡±

    I stopped and listened to otherme. It was true, she was ecstatic¡­ and she was also very excited to see what Eshaan looked like in his outfit as well.

    I sighed, looking down at the costume. ¡°Well¡­ I guess I get to be an anime princess now. Wait¡­ does this mean I¡¯m going to have to dance!?¡±

    The only reply I got from otherme was a gleeful ¡®Eeee!¡¯ of excitement.

    I closed the door and carefully unwrapped the confection of a dress. A ball gown, with opera gloves. What was a little disturbing was¡­ it wasn¡¯t even strange. I looked at the costume and just¡­ knew how to put it on. Otherme didn¡¯t really add anything but a slight squeal of excitement. I took a deep breath and started getting ready.

    It took a lot longer than I expected. I fidgeted with my braid, then shook my head and just undid it entirely, letting my hair fall free. I felt like a Needfest present wrapped up in pink and white with a bow.

    A strange echoing confusion¡­ Needfest? A big week of parties and gifts at the end and start of the year?

    How do I¡­

    Memories of past festival weeks and Needfest presents and feasts¡­ and I just¡­ knew this. My incipient panic was interrupted by Soriya¡¯s excited hammering on my changing room door.

    ¡°Come on, lets see it!¡± she demanded. I heaved a sigh, picked up the hem of my big swirly skirts and opened the door, stepping out.

    The first thing I saw, of course, was Soriya. Soriya¡¯s dress really was lovely, just as I thought it would be, and Soriya was shockingly pretty. I fought down a wild surge of jealousy at how well she fit into her ballgown. It was almost identical to mine, done in what looked like a confection of night sky. She wore a matching mask, and even without her trademark witch¡¯s hat, she looked wise and mysterious and also just a bit sinister. I turned to look at Eshaan and felt my heart stutter.

    He was gorgeous. Full stop, end of discussion. His costume made him look like some famous general or hero of legend. But what really got me was that he was staring at me, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. I could feel my blush reaching nova heat as he continued to simply stare.

    ¡°Well!? Say something, dolt!¡± Soriya pushed him.

    ¡°Ah. Um. Ah¡­¡± He stumbled, staring at me. ¡°Lily, you¡¯re gorgeous.¡± And then he blushed lightly under his mask, looking down.

    I felt like I was going to pop from embarrassment, my fists squeezing the fabric of my skirt so hard I felt like I was going to tear it.

    Eshaan shook his head, and glanced over at Soriya. ¡°And you too, Miss Soriya, you¡¯re very beautiful too. Your dress is lovely.¡± But his gaze turned back to me as if drawn by a magnet, and he wouldn¡¯t stop staring. He wasn¡¯t even focusing on my breasts, he just kept looking ¡­ at me.

    ¡°Alright you too, knock it off.¡± Soriya stepped between us, breaking eye contact. I felt like a rope had been cut, and almost stumbled.

    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s ah sooksessful day¡¯s woork.¡± The Monanin tailor turned to Allen and nodded, a huge smile on his face. ¡°Yoou¡¯ve paid. Nou get outta me shoop.¡± He made shooing motions at all of us and we were swept out of the shop, still in our new party clothes, onto the street. The door slammed closed again, and the sign in the window flipped over to closed emphatically.

    ¡°Is he¡­ always like that?¡± Eshaan wondered aloud.

    ¡°Oh yeah. But he makes the best clothes you could ask for.¡± Allen said.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯ve never heard of a Monanin tailor.¡± Eshaan went on, turning to Allen. ¡°Aren¡¯t they all¡­ gears and machines and hammers and stuff?¡±

    Allen turned to Eshaan with a frown. ¡°Why on earth would that be so? They¡¯re people like any other. They wear clothes, eat food, and make things. Make things really really well! Fantastic trade partners!¡± He added with a firm nod, then turned to us.

    ¡°Now! You¡¯ll probably want to change back until the party, and I expect you have some questions about our little plans!¡± He clapped his hands and rubbed them together excitedly. ¡°I shall hire us a carriage and take us somewhere discreet!¡±

    Suiting actions to words, we were shortly boarding a quite nice hansom cab painted yellow and black. Allen gave directions that I couldn¡¯t recognize, and the cab jolted into motion.

    The cab rocked something fierce, and I felt myself sway and almost tumble. ¡°I expected a smoother ride in a magitech city!¡± I said loudly, to be heard over the rumble of the cab¡¯s wheels on stone.

    Soriya nodded, or at least I think she did, the cab didn¡¯t seem to have the best springs. Or any springs, really.

    ¡°My apologies for the ride!¡± Allen said over the rumble of the wheels. ¡°We should be at the Caramel Caf¨¦ shortly! It has tables where we can discuss discreet information.¡± His eyes sharpened. ¡°Though I¡¯m very curious, this cab has quite a smooth ride, do you know of a craftsman who can create smoother?¡±

    I blinked in surprise, baffled. But of course, I hadn¡¯t ever ridden in any other cabs in this world.

    ¡°Ah¡­ I know of an engineer who might have some answers to that. I¡¯m not one myself.¡± I replied.

    At that I could see Eshaan perk up. Oh that¡¯s right, he¡¯s an engineer of sorts. Though they¡¯re kind of like archeologists in this world.

    I had to squish down hard on the though of Eshaan wearing a little fedora with a bullwhip at his side.

    The ride was, as Allen promised, over quite quickly, which given how sore my butt felt from just that short ride, was a blessing. We descend from the cab, Eshaan and Allen both offering their hands to us to step down. It was awfully convenient to have an Eshaan shaped handhold, my poofy skirts made it hard to see where I was placing my feet!

    The Caramel Caf¨¦ turned out to be another high-class establishment. Of course, where else would the son of a mercantile family take us? Some sort of quiet dining crossed with a country club, apparently. The interior smelled of plush leather and rich food, old smoke and money. I didn¡¯t know that zeni could have a smell, but whatever it was, it was in this building. The staff at the entrance saw Allen coming, and I could see the slight distaste in their expressions when they saw us change to respect when he took off his mask and politely asked for ¡°¡­seating for my friends and I, in the discreet section please.¡±

    We were ushered into a quiet study of a room, with leather wing chairs and bottles of what had to be expensive liquor in a rainbow of hues. Soriya made a cooing sound of pleasure and beelined right for them, pouring out small dram glasses of blue and green and amber liquid.

    I shook my head fondly. ¡°I¡¯m just going to go change.¡± I said, hefting my small bundle of clothing as Soriya downed one after another of the glasses.

    Allen nodded. ¡°Of course. That way, you should find the ladies washrooms.¡± He gestured.

    Eshaan pulled uncomfortably at his collar. ¡°Yes, where is the men¡¯s?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Ah, that way as well, a little further and on the opposite hallway.¡± Eshaan nodded his gratitude, and rushed out the door. I bit my lip looking after him. It really was such a shame he wanted out of those clothes; he looks so handsome in them.

    But if he felt as awkward and confused as I did in this dress¡­ I really couldn¡¯t blame him, and so I hurried after him, ducking into the lady¡¯s washroom to change.

    A short time later, my hair back in its braid and feeling much more myself, I rejoined our little cabal in our little cubby.

    ¡°Now, what have you laid out?¡±

    Eshaan took the lead, laying out our bare bones plan as though it was a tactical plan of battle.

    Allen nodded, then spluttered to a stop when we reached the part where I used Gate.

    ¡°Wait, what!? You can teleport!? But we can go right now!¡± He leapt to his feet.

    ¡°Ah, not exactly.¡± I held up my hands. ¡°I need to have been to the place I want to go to. It¡¯s why we need an airship at all.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ oh yes. Of course.¡± He sank down into his chair. ¡°Still¡­ what a phenomenal ability¡­¡±

    Soriya¡¯s cheeks were flushed, but her voice didn¡¯t slur. At least, not so I¡¯d noticed. She did seem more energetic and cheerful than normal though. I sighed. Well, at least she¡¯s a happy drunk.

    ¡°The primary issue I see is that if it takes time to conjure up your teleport, then there really is only one method out. That, and there are almost certain to be guard patrols that will interrupt us.¡± Allen said, outlining the rough map of Juliet¡¯s mansion he had drawn for us. ¡°The sewer route is most likely, I¡¯m quite sure that the Cait- that is, that Juliet¡¯s father¡¯s wine cellar reaches the lower catacomb levels. We¡¯ll need the keys though.¡±

    Eshaan smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°Actually¡­ I think I can solve that part.¡±

    I smiled at him. ¡°Acquisitions training?¡± I asked teasingly.

    He nodded, blushing. ¡°Yeah. Acquisitions training.¡±

    Allen looked back and forth and then his eyes widened in sudden understanding. ¡°Oh, I see! Well!¡± He shifted uncomfortably on his chair. ¡°Adventuring does have strange skill requirements.¡±

    I pursed my lips. ¡°You¡¯ve got no problems hiring adventurers, but you¡¯re a little squeamish about hiring lockpicks?¡±

    Allen scowled at me. ¡°Quite different, Miss Lilyanna! Quite different! Though I suppose ancient ruins have their share of puzzles and traps, I hadn¡¯t properly considered those skills have¡­ other uses. I¡¯m quite sure you put them to only scrupulous uses.¡±

    I caught Eshaan¡¯s flush as he looked away, and drew Allen¡¯s attention so he didn¡¯t see.

    The final touches were put on our plan, Allen¡¯s map of the mansion helping us sketch. And before we knew it, it was time to put the plan into action. The great elopement caper was underway.

 31 Cunning trick or lucky break?

    ¡°I feel like there should be theme music playing.¡± Soriya commented, swaying with the slow roll of the cab as we rode towards the party.

    I rolled my eyes at her. ¡°Contrary to all appearances, this world appears to be quite real and not at all a fiction. There isn¡¯t theme music for every scene. Or any scenes, even.¡±

    Soriya looked at me with a hurt (and slightly tipsy) expression. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I expected it, I just thought it would fit the mood!¡±

    Outside, the estates of the nobles in the inner ring of the city slowly rolled past, getting larger and more elaborate with each one we passed. We were all in our formal party clothes once more, though Soriya had never changed out of hers.

    The glowing lights of the city lamps were starting to spark to life as we rolled onward. It was pretty, honestly, and I couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit of whimsy. I could understand why Soriya might say that there should be theme music.

    I looked back inside, and noticed Eshaan fidgeting again, his knee bobbing up and down rapidly. I reached over and put a hand on his knee, stilling its motion. I looked into his eyes and said ¡°Hey. It¡¯s ok. You¡¯re a trooper, this is just a party. Not an invasion.¡±

    He smiled awkwardly at me. ¡°I know, I know.¡±

    ¡°A slight case of nerves is hardly to be denied.¡± Allen piped up. I realized he hadn¡¯t stopped biting at his thumb since we got into the cab. The offending digit was looking quite chewed on.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s exciting!¡± Soriya commented.

    I grinned at her. ¡°That¡¯s usually a sign that something is about to explode.¡±

    Soriya mimed a hurt expression. ¡°That¡¯s not true! I only explode things I want to explode.¡±

    Eshaan looked over at her, and smiled. ¡°So¡­ that would be all the time then?¡±

    Soriya flipped her hand at him. ¡°No no no. Only 70% of the time. 80, tops. Maybe 85.¡±

    I shook my head. She did like to tease us, but I knew she didn¡¯t actually plan on setting anything on fire¡­ at least, not until we were running from the guards.

    I sighed. ¡°It would be nice to avoid the mandated chase.¡±

    Soriya blinked. ¡°I thought we¡¯d already agreed to use Gate?¡±

    ¡°We did! I just¡­ don¡¯t have a lot of faith in this.¡±

    Soriya frowned and looked me in the eye. ¡°Hey. We saved Breezewood. The inevitable. We can pull this off without a guard chase!¡±

    ¡°That was different.¡± I protested. ¡°We had a solid plan, we knew what was going to happen¡­ this¡­ isn¡¯t that. We¡¯re honestly following the script a little too closely for comfort.¡±

    Allen frowned. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand. The plan seemed sound enough to me.¡±

    Eshaan twitched a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a little loose. A proper military style plan would have a lot more contingencies and outlines. We have an entrance, a goal, and an exit, but in the middle it¡¯s mostly ¡®and then talk to the girl and get her to come with us.¡¯ That¡¯s asking for trouble. More trouble, I should say. No plan survives contact with the enemy.¡±

    Just then, the cab rolled to a stop, and the driver rapped sharply on the door. ¡°We¡¯re here, your lordship. Looks like the party¡¯s just getting started.¡±

    Allen got up, and opened the door of the cab, hopping down lightly. ¡°Very good, sir, your assistance was much appreciated!¡± He pulled out another wad of zeni bills and peeled a few off to hand up to the cab driver. The rest of us climbed down after him.

    ¡°Did you want me to wait?¡± The driver asked hopefully.

    Allen smiled. ¡°Ah, no need of that, we¡¯ve made other arrangements.¡±

    ¡°Hm, well.¡± The driver sulked a bit, clearly disappointed, but tipped the brim of his hat and wished us a good night, then drove off into the gathering gloom.

    We turned to face the mansion. It was a beautiful elaborate piece of architecture, art that someone lived in as they say. I found it far too large, and frankly quite tacky. My home was much more sensible. I couldn¡¯t imagine how many fire crystals they had to use to keep it heated in the winter!

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re here!¡± Soriya grinned. ¡°This is going to be fun!¡±

    ¡°Everyone check your invitations.¡± Allen reminded us.

    They hadn¡¯t gone anywhere, but I had to admit, it was suddenly real. ¡°Now I feel like there should be theme music.¡± I whispered to Soriya.

    As if on cue, the doors to the mansion opened to admit several guests ahead of us, revealing glowing light, and the sound of a full orchestra before closing again.

    ¡°Nice!¡± Said Soriya with a grin at me.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so excited about it all.¡± I grumbled to her.

    We approached the doors, and the finely liveried house guards checked our invitations with studious care. Whatever social shenanigans that Allen had used to get them seemed to be legitimate however, and they finally nodded us in. I had expressed concern that our whole plan would be out the window from needing to announce false identities, but Allen gave me a shocked look as he explained that as a costume party, it was incredibly gauche to actually name the person attending by their real name.

    ¡°And besides.¡± He added with a small smile. ¡°The invitations are incredibly exclusive, so it¡¯s not like just anyone could walk in.¡±

    The doors swung open for us, revealing a collage of color and light, swirling dresses and fancy suits filled a grand ballroom, while overhead four giant crystal chandeliers provided a steady golden white glow from their light crystals.

    Soriya¡¯s eyes were immediately drawn to the long rows of opulent food and drinks running the length of the arcades to either side of the grand ballroom, though my attention was on Allen as his eyes flashed over the party guests.

    ¡°Is she here yet?¡± I asked softly.

    He shook his head. ¡°No, thank goodness. Her father prefers her to make a grand entrance.¡± He pointed to the grand staircase at the far end of the ballroom. ¡°Her family will almost assuredly enter from there, after a suitable announcement.¡±

    ¡°Do you still want us to call her Juliet?¡± I smiled at him.

    He flinched, and muttered something then said ¡°If you would be so good¡­¡± he paused, then added ¡°It¡¯s actually rather romantic, don¡¯t you think? False names, escaping an oppressive family¡­?¡±

    I shrugged slightly and then relented. ¡°Actually¡­ yes, it is kind of enjoyable.¡± I twirled in the ballgown, making the skirts float around me. ¡°And you did buy us these nice clothes.¡±

    Eshaan stepped up, clearing his throat. ¡°Speaking of which¡­ it seems a shame not to enjoy the party while we¡¯re here. Miss Lilyanna, would you grant me the favor of a dance?¡± He held out his hand to me, and I heard Soriya give a quiet squeal of glee.

    I flushed red. ¡°Eshaan¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t know how to dance¡­¡± but even as I said it, I realized that wasn¡¯t true. Otherme¡¯s memories gave me drifting hints of dance steps and motion.

    Then I blinked and looked at him in shock. ¡°Wait, I thought you said you didn¡¯t know how to dance?!¡±

    Eshaan coughed. ¡°Well. I figured I should probably learn. And I may have exaggerated my lack of ability. Besides, if you can¡¯t I will be honored to teach you.¡± Eshaan said.

    ¡°I¡­ um¡­¡± I stuttered, staring at his outstretched hand.

    ¡°Oh go on, Lily!¡± Soriya gave me a slight shove. ¡°Dancing is fun, you¡¯ll like it!¡±

    I stumbled forward from Soriya¡¯s push, and Eshaan¡¯s hand in mine lightly guided me onto the dance floor.

    What do I even do?! I thought with panic, but a faint whisper of otherme, not even a voice, guided my actions. That, and Eshaan¡¯s gentle encouragement and directions.

    ¡°Sorry for being so selfish.¡± Eshaan apologized as we slowly moved our way around the edge of the dance floor. ¡°I couldn¡¯t pass up the chance.¡± He smiled at me.

    ¡°Where did you even learn to dance?¡± I asked. ¡°I would have figured an imperial trooper didn¡¯t attend many formal balls!¡±

    He laughed as we swayed around the floor. ¡°You¡¯d be wrong then. Commander Khine¡­¡± his voice caught for a moment before he continued ¡°Commander Khine taught all of us to dance. He had us practice with swords drawn.¡± He smiled in a slightly fond memory. ¡°Balance, poise, coordination, and awareness of your physical surroundings¡­¡± He trailed off then shrugged. ¡°Well, it lets me dance with you, so it¡¯s not all bad, is it?¡±

    I squirmed awkwardly. ¡°Well it¡¯s not something I¡¯m really used to.¡± I said, glancing away.

    ¡°Really? You¡¯re quite good at it.¡±

    I flushed. ¡°Stop it.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m serious, you¡¯re quite good for someone who¡¯s never danced at all before.¡±

    I pulled away from him as we spun near one of the banquet tables. ¡°Look, an obvious distraction!¡± I said, pulling him towards the food.

    He blinked in confusion. ¡°A what? Where?¡±

    I stared at him, unsure if he was kidding or not. Surely he was not the brightest but¡­

    I was saved from this awkward pause by Soriya¡¯s voice. ¡°Look, Lily! They have strawberry creams!¡±

    Eshaan immediately perked up and headed over to where Soriya was exclaiming over the party food laid out on the tables.

    I followed after with a slightly bemused air.

    ¡°Does anyone know where Allen is?¡± I asked as Eshaan and I reached Soriya.

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s here somewhere.¡± She said around a mouthful of pastry and cream. ¡°I think he¡¯s meeting up with Juliet.¡±

    ¡°Hm. That doesn¡¯t seem very likely, she¡¯s not been introduced yet. Actually¡­ do you think they¡¯ll introduce her by name?¡±

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°No, no, they¡¯ll use some sort of fanciful title. Everyone who¡¯s anyone is supposed to already know everyone here, and it¡¯s all a grand pretense. Imagine! We¡¯re some of the few genuine unknown mysteries at the party!¡±

    ¡°Does that mean we¡¯ll have people watching us? That sounds troublesome.¡± Eshaan fretted.

    I tapped my chin in thought. ¡°I hadn¡¯t even considered that¡­¡±

    Soriya pushed a cream pastry into Eshaan and my mouth. ¡°Less talk, more pastry!¡±

    The pastry was shockingly good, so my worries were interrupted by the quiet sound of chewing and the sounds of the music and party from the main ballroom.

    Once we¡¯d swallowed, Soriya nodded in satisfaction and pointed at Eshaan. ¡°So! You¡¯re our expert! Trooper¡¯s instinct, what¡¯s the tactical evaluation?!¡±

    Eshaan blinked and his expression grew strangely hard as he glanced around. I didn¡¯t like how it made me feel, he was almost a different person with that look on his face.

    ¡°Exits there, there, and there.¡± He pointed around the room rapidly. ¡°Exit points to the balcony and street if we can use the windows. The servants and food are coming from that exit there, which means that¡¯s where the kitchen and servants quarters are, which means the cellar access is down that way as well.¡±

    Soriya popped another pastry in her mouth, passing me another as she listened. They really were very good¡­ I was grateful that I was a spellcaster so I didn¡¯t have to feel so guilty about eating all this rich food!

    Eshaan continued. ¡°Guards at all the exits, very professional, very discreet. No swords, so they¡¯re all likely brawlers. We¡¯ll have to get past them before we can get anywhere. Going to be a problem if we have to leave with Juliet, since the guards will know who she is.¡± Eshaan took a drink. The hard look left his face and he immediately looked so much warmer and more personable. ¡°At least, that¡¯s my trooper¡¯s opinion.¡±

    I stared at him for a bit. ¡°Wow.¡± I finally said. ¡°That was¡­¡±

    ¡°Really cool!¡± Soriya enthused. ¡°I feel like we¡¯re a real group of thieves now!¡±

    I coughed. ¡°Can we not steal everything that¡¯s not nailed down?¡±

    Eshaan gave me a hurt look. ¡°Lily, I haven¡¯t taken a thing since I¡¯ve been with you!¡±

    I flushed. ¡°Sorry Eshaan, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I didn¡¯t mean you at all.¡± I patted him on the arm. ¡°You have been very respectful of my concerns.¡±

    Soriya stuffed another pastry in her mouth. ¡°We¡¯re probably severely under treasured because of it to be honest.¡±

    ¡°We sold the pirate¡¯s cutlass! That was worth a lot of money!¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡±

    Allen chose that moment to reappear. ¡°I¡¯ve just talked with P-Juliet.¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°You know, if we¡¯re going to-¡°

    I stopped her. ¡°We¡¯re going with code names. If they introduce themselves that¡¯s not our business.¡±

    Eshaan grinned. ¡°Besides, it sounds cool!¡±

    ¡°Yes, and it sounds cool.¡± I agreed.

    ¡°Alright, so you talked with Juliet¡± Soriya said. ¡°What¡¯s the sitch?¡±

    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± Allen blinked.

    ¡°She means the situation, is Juliet ready to leave, where and when, all that.¡± I said.

    ¡°Oh. Hm, indeed. I¡¯d not heard that piece of adventurer slang before.¡± Allen mused. ¡°The, ah, ¡®sitch¡¯ is that she¡¯s required to put in an appearance, so we can¡¯t just leave right away. She wasn¡¯t happy with leaving everything behind, but it seems she¡¯s been putting money aside as well.¡± Allen smiled proudly. ¡°She wanted to leave as much as I did!¡±

    ¡°So when do we meet her?¡± Soriya asked.

    ¡°Ah well, not until the appointed arrival-¡±

    Soriya raised a hand to cut him off. ¡°Yes, I get that. I meant when does she show up, and how long will it be until we can escort her someplace quiet?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Yes of course, how foolish of me. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know.¡± Allen looked around, and shrugged. ¡°I am rather depending on your expertise on this matter.¡±

    I shared a worried glance with Soriya. Eshaan stepped up. ¡°Right, then the first thing is, how do we get past those guards. After that, we need a path to the cellar. After that, we need a path out of the cellar and into the sewers. I saw the grounds on our way in, they¡¯re crawling with security. We go out the bottom, or we don¡¯t go out at all.¡±

    ¡°If the cellar is quiet enough, we can just Gate from there.¡± I said.

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°Yes, good point. But we have our first objective. How do we get past the guards to the kitchen?¡±

    Soriya grinned. ¡°My favorite thing. A distraction!¡±

    ¡°Soriya no!¡± I grabbed her arm. ¡°No explosions!¡±

    Soriya raised an eyebrow. ¡°Did you have a better idea?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± I stomped my foot in frustration. ¡°One that doesn¡¯t cause massive collateral damage and bring down the roof!¡±

    Eshaan laughed. ¡°More to the point, Miss Soriya¡­ if you bring down the roof, or even fill the hall with fire, while it will certainly distract the guards, it will almost certainly block off our exit path. So, perhaps for now, a normal distraction must serve our purposes.¡±

    Soriya gave an exaggerated sigh. ¡°Fiiiine. He¡¯s a man isn¡¯t he? I¡¯ll just flirt with him. That always works.¡± She grinned wickedly. ¡°Though it leads to just as much destruction in the long run.¡± She pointed at me. ¡°Then Lily slips away into the back room. If we can get servant¡¯s clothes, it¡¯ll go even quicker.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± I nodded. ¡°A great excuse to get out of this ballgown.¡± Though privately, I had to admit to a spike of disappointment. Still, nobody said I couldn¡¯t keep the dress for later!

    ¡°Then there¡¯s no time to waste.¡± Eshaan said. ¡°Lily, you and Soriya go¡­¡± he flushed. ¡°Um. Do.¡± He stopped again, then said ¡°Miss Soriya, are you really ok with this?¡±

    Soriya smiled broadly. ¡°Oh Eshaan, you dear boy. You are so charming. A little light flirting harms nobody, and if the guard does get handsy, I¡¯ll just {Flare} him. But you¡¯re sweet to care.¡± She patted his cheek and beckoned me. ¡°Come Lily, let us work feminine wiles on hapless males!¡±

    I squirmed uncomfortably as I followed her. ¡°This is not how I saw my day going.¡± I muttered to her under my breath. She ignored me grandly as we slipped towards the kitchen entrances. Soriya took a moment to fix her hair and make sure her makeup was good, then swished up to the guard, smiling vapidly.

    The guard¡¯s eyes locked onto her cleavage as she started to flirt outrageously, and I gave a sigh.

    Well I suppose that¡¯s only fair; she is very beautiful. If I was still a boy I¡¯d be pretty interested. ¡­ I¡¯m still pretty interested, honestly. I thought to myself as I quietly shifted behind the guard, and through the doorway.

    The hallway beyond was empty, but I could smell the scent of the kitchen, and following my nose shortly was peering out into a bustling and busy room. So bustling and busy that I had to duck out of the way into a nearby room before two servants collided with me!

    I glanced around the room, and gave a mental shrug. No servants¡¯ clothes, but wandering around the kitchen in a ball gown would hardly be ¡°low key!¡± I pushed the door closed, and jammed a mop under the handle, and then hurriedly changed into my village dress. Just in time too, as the door rattled loudly. I pulled the mop away, and the door swung open to reveal one of the security guards from the grand hall. I gave a sickly smile.

    ¡°Um. Hi?¡± I said.

    The ugly smile on his face did not reassure me. ¡°Hi.¡± He said, and grabbed my upper arm.

    I was immediately hit with a surreal and very unpleasant sensation. It was a strange feeling, like suddenly being wrapped in a weighted blanket. Everything felt heavy and dull, and though I struggled, it felt like all the strength was draining out of my body. He pulled me out of the closet dragged me through several corridors.

    I can¡¯t believe it. I got captured again! I¡¯m going to kill somebody!

    We don¡¯t kill if we can help it. But we don¡¯t need to worry.

    We don¡¯t?! We¡¯ve just been captured, and to top it off they were expecting us! What about our friends!

    Our friends are exactly why we don¡¯t need to worry. Eshaan will come for us.

    You have been looking at entirely the wrong memories of ours. I grumbled mentally.

    Maybe so, but that just means we know we¡¯re right.

    Opening a door, he shoved me roughly through. ¡°Found one.¡± He announced to a small group of guards within. ¡°Just like we thought, the Ghalagher¡¯s sent some adventurers to stop us. Cut rate ones too.¡± He laughed. ¡°Tie her up, and put her in the cellar to cool her heels. We¡¯ll soon have the others.¡±

    I was soon wrapped in rope, my hands tied and a gag stuffed into my mouth. The gag was clean enough, but the taste of my failure and self-loathing was worse than any dirty sock could be.

    Stupid, stupid, why did I think-

    We need to stop berating ourself. Now we¡¯re in exactly the right position to help.

    I boggled at my otherself. Excuse me?!

    I was thrown into a dusty cellar near with racks of glass bottles, and the smell of wine.

    ¡°You¡¯ll keep here. It¡¯s a pity you can¡¯t open a bottle, the Caitbre family have a marvelous wine cellar!¡± Mocking laughter. ¡°But don¡¯t you worry, we can have our own little party afterwards.¡± The door slammed closed, and I sagged against the stone wall.

    And now we¡¯re in the cellar. The wine cellar. With the escape route to the sewers. And our friends are enroute to us.

    I gaped at myself. I wasn¡¯t sure if this was genius, or idiocy. Or maybe both? But¡­ otherme was right. This was the trope train! Maybe I could ride it?

    I sat upright, and mumbled the words to {Lux} around my gag. It fizzled and popped, my mana dropping with each failed cast, before a slow and deliberate mumble, focusing more on the words in my mind than the sounds I could make finally popped the spell into place. The glow of the small orb of magic slowly brightened to a comfortable daylight, illuminating the cellar.

    Ok otherme¡­ I¡¯m listening. Now what?

    Now we find the exit. The sewer passage is down, right?

    Of course, but what¡­

    Otherme gently pushed her way forward and scootch shuffle hopped us over to a wine rack. Shortly, with a shattering crash, several bottles hit the floor, the liquid pooling and flowing into a small river.

    Liquid flows down. Follow the stream. And while we¡¯re at it, lets cut ourselves free on this glass.

    My eyes widened in shock. How many times have we been kidnapped?!

    Twice, so far. Pirates, and now noble security. But our memories are very clear. We can¡¯t escape the forearm grip, but escaping on our own after we¡¯re captured? That¡¯s just standard heroine pluck.

    I sat down and carefully grabbed one of the glass shards, and started cutting myself free, following the path of the wine as it trickled slowly towards a nearby wall. Sure enough, it formed into a square surrounding a depression, and below I heard the sound of dripping as the wine found its way to a deeper level.

    I smiled grimly and redoubled my efforts to (carefully!) cut myself free of my bonds with the sharp edges of glass. I simply refused to be found bound and tied like a Needfest pig when my friends found me!

    The sawing took a lot longer than I¡¯d like, but I felt a surge of triumph as the first strands of the rope parted. This was followed by a sharp burning line of fire as my over eager hands cut themselves. I gritted my teeth on my gag and sucked in a breath, then carefully mumbled out an approximation of the healing spell. This time it only took two failed tries (my mana dipping still lower with each one) before I felt the {Heal} take hold, and the burning lines on my palms faded into nothing.

    Right. Careful. Slow and steady. Hurry gets us out of mana.

    I fumbled the shard of glass back into my hands and resumed slowly sawing. A short moment later, I was rewarded with the feeling of play appearing in my wrists, then more and more as the rope dissolved into individual strands and then snapped. With more freedom in my hands, the process went faster and faster until I was finally able to wiggle out of the coil of rope wrapped around my arms and torso, yanking out the detested gag and hurling it across the room with a vengeance.

    I let out a little shout of triumph, then hurriedly covered my mouth with my hands. However, no one came to examine the sudden noise from the ¡®gagged¡¯ girl locked safely in the cellar. I hurried over to the door, and checked it. Alas, it was securely locked from the outside.

    I suppose that makes sense, it¡¯s a wine cellar, you wouldn¡¯t want the servants helping themselves¡­ I thought. I frowned and turned back to the square in the floor outlined by the slowly vanishing puddle of wine.

    Let¡¯s see¡­ if I were a hidden trapdoor, where would my entrance be¡­?

    A few careful probes and some prying with glass shards and I slowly levered up a cunningly disguised trap door. I gagged as the waft of sewer greeted my nose and took several deep breaths through my mouth.

    ¡°Gods I hate sewers! This is the worst part of being a heroine!¡± I nodded to myself, and then, holding my nose, stuck my head down into the hole, my little light orb shedding its glow.

    Iron staples sunk into the corners of the shaft and a stone landing smeared with brown and green, with a trickle of fetid water-

    And wine I suppose?

    -greeted my eyes.

    I sat back on my heels and nodded. ¡°Alright, escape route sorted. I hope the rest of them are doing ok!¡±

    I fretted for what felt like an achingly slow eternity, pacing back and forth, and chewing on my lower lip, trying to figure out how I could get out of the cellar. I was on the verge of using one of the wine bottles as a punch lever to hammer the pins out of the door hinges, when I heard a familiar and very welcome sound.

    BOOM!

    I grinned. ¡°Well, there¡¯s Soriya.¡± Three more explosions in short order each one closer than the last, made me sigh and shake my head. ¡°That¡¯s definitely Soriya.¡±

    Sure enough, the sound of spellcasting and the clash of steel on steel rapidly approached my cell, followed by Eshaan calling out ¡°Lily! Lily where are you!?¡± frantically.

    ¡°Here! I¡¯m here Eshaan!¡± I pounded on the door.

    ¡°Locked. Keys?¡± I heard Allen say, followed by a female voice I didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Devdan, why on earth would I have the wine cellar keys?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Priya! Because I told you we¡¯d be escaping this way!?¡±

    ¡°Both of you stand back! Lily, get away from the door!¡± Soriya shouted. I knew what was coming next.

    Sure enough, the explosion tore the door off its hinges, and blew the splinters towards the far wall.

    Eshaan dashed inside and caught me up in a tight hug. ¡°Lily! Thank goodness you¡¯re ok!¡±

    I flushed, and then hugged him back quickly before pushing back. ¡°I¡¯m very glad you found me, but we should get going.¡± I pointed to the trap door in the cellar floor.

    He stared in surprise, then nodded. ¡°So I was right! It was part of your plan to get captured!¡± He laughed in triumph and pointed at Soriya. ¡°You see?! You owe me 100 zeni!¡±

    Soriya grinned and tipped her head to the side. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fair. But-¡°

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Eshaan turned and clambered into the open pit on the floor. ¡°Come on, everyone! Let¡¯s go!¡± He vanished down the ladder and into the sewers below.

    We followed, Soriya and ¡®Juliet¡¯ bemoaning the state of their dresses as we hit the bottom. I went last, easing the trap door closed above me, and pulling it tightly down as we went, leaving an empty room behind.

 32 A slight detour and a modest change in plans.

    Above us, I heard the sound of shouting and rapid boots filling the room above. Angry shouts and cries of ¡°Where are they!? Find them! They can¡¯t have just vanished!¡± and the like made me grin ear to ear, even with the smell of the sewer filling my nose.

    Allen opened his mouth to say something, but Eshaan clapped his hand to Allen¡¯s mouth, and made frantic motions to the door overhead.

    ¡®Allen¡¯ stopped talking. I dimmed the light from my {Lux} spell, and we snuck quietly away down the sewer passage, doing our best to ignore the soft squelching sound underfoot.

    As we walked, I glanced over at Juliet curiously. She was pretty enough, I supposed. It was a bit hard to tell from the faint light, and she was still wearing her party dress. Come to that, so was Soriya. Things had clearly gone¡­

    I laughed. Well, they went about like any player character¡¯s plans ever go.

    Eshaan looked at me in confusion, and whispered ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±

    I whispered back. ¡°Nothing much, just noting that our plan went about like my expectations were. A grand colossal improvisation that seems to have gotten our goal, but in no order we expected.¡±

    ¡°Less talking, more walking!¡± Soriya hissed.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Several splashing and squelching minutes later, having taken several twists and turns. I called a halt. ¡°Ok, I think we¡¯re far enough away now. We should be good to summon Gate.¡± I announced.

    Juliet gave a huge sigh of relief, followed by a suppressed gag, her hand clapped over her mouth. ¡°Oh gods, it¡¯s about time! I can¡¯t believe this was your plan, Devdan!¡± She protested.

    ¡®Allen¡¯ sighed. ¡°We¡¯re trying to use code words, remember?¡± he said.

    ¡°Oh come on, we¡¯re escaping!¡± She turned to the rest of us. ¡°I¡¯m Priya Caitbre, this is Devdan Ghalagher.¡± She said, and stared at us as though expecting a reaction.

    Eshaan, Soriya, and I shared a glance, then Eshaan shrugged and turned back to Priya. ¡°Pleased to meet you. I¡¯m Eshaan, this is Lilyanna, and this is Soriya.¡±

    Silence hung heavy in the air for a moment, then Priya burst out ¡°That¡¯s it?! That¡¯s all you¡¯ve got to say!?¡±

    Soriya grinned. ¡°We¡¯re just simple country folk from the back of beyond.¡± She said, affecting a slight country accent. She continued in a normal tone ¡°And if you¡¯re going to Spyre, I think you¡¯d best get used to that. If you¡¯re famous enough that you can¡¯t use your real name in Spyre, then you should get used to new names now. Which means nobody will recognize them. If you¡¯re not famous enough to be recognized in Spyre, you¡¯ll find that our reactions are pretty normal.¡±

    Priya stared at us, her mouth open.

    I coughed politely. ¡°Before we have to properly consider this, perhaps we could leave the sewer?¡±

    Devdan nodded empathically. ¡°Yes please! I had no idea sewers smelled like this!¡±

    I folded my hands together and closed my eyes, calling up Gate, thankful that I hadn¡¯t had to use up more of my mana.

    The thrumming rumble of Gate flowed up out of the well of quiet power inside me, draining my mana pool to the dregs, drawing much more deeply than I had expected. The dragon of shadow and smoke appeared, coiling around his ornate gateway.

    ¡°Child of ?ther, you know that I cannot aid you when accessing another Key.¡±

    I opened my mouth, and then closed it again, blinking in confusion. ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    Gate flickering, his voice rumbling and fading in and out like a thunderstorm that was both far and near. ¡°Another Key is nearby. It disrupts my ability to hold here.¡±

    I blinked, and then blinked again, then said slowly ¡°Are you telling me¡­ that you can¡¯t transport us to Breezewood?!¡±

    Gate blinked its huge eyes at us, and then spoke with what seemed to be amusement. ¡°Yes, Child of ?ther, that is what I am saying.¡±

    ¡°Oh come on! Are you kidding me?!¡± I stomped my foot in frustration, and behind me Soriya burst out laughing.

    ¡°I cannot hold longer, Child of ?ther.¡± Gate said solemnly. ¡°Call me when you have gained the Key, or moved far enough away from it.¡±

    And with that, Gate simply folded into a dot of blacker than black not-light and vanished, leaving us alone in the sewer maze under the city.

    Wordlessly, Eshaan passed me a mana potion. It was a good thing he didn¡¯t say anything, because if he had I probably would have said something extremely regrettable to him.

    Devdan took the bullet instead. ¡°Is this common with adventuring parties?¡± He inquired lightly. ¡°I think I see why it¡¯s such a constrained field.¡±

    I glared at him, then spun around twice, trying to burn off energy, then finally reached into my pouch of holding, grabbed out my party dress, and muffled a full-throated scream of frustration into it the frilly pink fabric.

    Eshaan smiled brightly at Devdan. ¡°This is pretty normal, honestly. Going a lot better than most of our plans!¡±

    Priya looked from us to Devdan and back again. ¡°This is your professional adventurer team?! This was your plan for eloping!¡±

    Devdan winced. ¡°Pri-¡°

    ¡°Don¡¯t you ¡®Pri¡¯ me, Dev! This was supposed to be simple! You assured me you had a plan!¡±

    ¡°I do Pri.¡±

    Soriya stepped forward. ¡°Not that watching a lover¡¯s quarrel isn¡¯t high comedy, but we are on a bit of a tight schedule here. You want a plan? Here¡¯s our plan. We go in front, we kill any monster that tries to stop us. We find an access hatch to the surface, we leave, and we all get a nice hot bath. Sound good?¡± She said with false brightness. ¡°Because if not, we can just leave you here, and you can head back to your family¡¯s warm embrace, I¡¯m sure that they¡¯d love to put you back in your nice safe gilded cage.¡±

    Priya¡¯s mouth snapped shut so fast I thought there might have been a small sonic boom. Soriya nodded. ¡°Good.¡± She pulled out Diaboli and stepped forward. ¡°Now, please let the unprofessional adventurers keep you safe and discover the loot and treasure in this sewer maze.¡±

    I heaved a long sigh, my shoulders slumping, then tossed back the mana potion in one gulp. ¡°What is even the point of knowing what the tropes are if I can¡¯t even avoid them.¡± I growled.

    Eshaan patted my shoulder. ¡°Lily, it¡¯s not that bad. And if Gate was right¡­ now that it mentioned it, I can see traces of Ancient¡¯s work here. Allen¡­ er, I guess Devdan? Is it? Is Yirath perhaps built on Ancient¡¯s ruins?¡±

    Devdan raised his eyebrows. ¡°Why, yes, of course. Is that relevant? They¡¯re thoroughly mapped, the Empire carried out a very thorough survey of the entire catacomb area. Nothing of value was found.¡±

    Eshaan turned at stared at the walls thoughtfully, his hand reaching to run just over the stone bricks of the tunnel wall. ¡°I think perhaps they missed something then.¡±

    ¡°Is that important!?¡± Priya whined.

    ¡°It could be.¡± Eshaan said distractedly. ¡°But more importantly, it tells me that the sewer is repurposed from an Ancient¡¯s tunnel system. Which means¡­¡± he slowly spun in a circle. ¡°The primary vault cluster is this way.¡± He pointed down a corridor that appeared identical to all the others.

    ¡°Eshaan, we don¡¯t seriously-¡°

    Soriya cut in. ¡°Yes, we do seriously. This is another one of those Keys. I don¡¯t know what they are either, but they¡¯re clearly important. Important enough that I bet our Shadows would kill to have one.¡±

    I bit my lower lip, then turned to Devdan and Priya. ¡°We¡¯ll get you to Spyre. We promise. It¡¯s just¡­ going to take a little longer than anticipated. There will be baths and soap and more baths. I promise.¡± I gritted my teeth. ¡°I swear on my¡­ I swear it.¡±

    There was a moment of silence, and then Devdan nodded. ¡°Well. That¡¯s enough for me. You¡¯ve not done me wrong yet.¡±

    Priya¡¯s incipient outburst was quelled by a stern glance from Soriya. Someday I¡¯d have to learn how she did that¡­

    The sewers under Yirath were just as noisome and noxious as the ones under Farna. Even the monsters were the same, if perhaps a bit less difficult. Soriya and Priya¡¯s party dresses were soon coated with slime and even less pleasant things. I found myself feeling guilty that mine was kept nice and safe in my storage. It was hardly their fault that I¡¯d had opportunity to change clothes!

    After the twelvth undead bug corpse thing, I turned to Eshaan, who was wiping some sort of rotting filth off his blade.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange that all the monsters here look like the ones under Farna?¡± I asked

    He frowned in confusion. ¡°Why would it be? Similar locals, similar monsters.¡±

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Yes but¡­ bugs that puppet corpses?! Slimes?! I thought that the alchemical runoff was what caused the slimes under Farna to get so nasty!?¡±

    Devdan shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m afraid most any large city in the empire is going to have these kinds of problems, miss Lilyanna. The progress brought by the emprie doesn¡¯t come free of cost, and the manufacture of elemental crystals in bulk creates waste products.¡± He gestured to the sewage stream in the middle of the tunnel, which was flickering with elemental discharges.

    I frowned in thought. ¡°Soriya?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± She asked.

    ¡°When you make an elemental crystal, is there waste?¡±

    Soriya stroked her chin thoughtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t know, truthfully. I¡¯ve never made one. I suppose there could be?¡±

    ¡°It might also be a side effect unique to the magitech process used.¡± Eshaan said. ¡°We can ask Darshanna when we get back to Breezewood.¡±

    ¡°When will that be?!¡± Priya whined. ¡°I¡¯m a merchant, not some kind of adventurer!¡±

    I shared a glance with Soriya and Eshaan, then turned to her. Help me out, otherme. How do I¡­?

    A knowledge that I didn¡¯t realize I had floated up gently in my head. I found myself using a {Persuade} as I said ¡°We¡¯re tired and hungry and unhappy too. We want to go someplace safe and comfortable and clean just as much as you do. We assure you; we want this exactly as much as you do. If you have a suggestion, we¡¯d love to hear it. But sometimes¡­ a merchant¡¯s sales don¡¯t go the way they want. Sometimes the purchase price is higher than you¡¯d like. But I think you know as well as I do, when there¡¯s a sale to be made, the only thing to do is press on.¡±

    Priya frowned at me thoughtfully, and then nodded slowly. I let out a silent sigh of relief, and saw Devdan mouth a ¡®thank you¡¯ to me from behind Priya.

    I patted Priya gently on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s ok. We get it. Adventures are nasty dangerous uncomfortable things that make one late for dinner. This isn¡¯t an adventure, this is a daring escape from a cruel fate, a daring rescue that you¡¯re executing with your fianc¨¦.¡± I tipped my head and smiled at her. ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I suppose that¡¯s so.¡± She finally said, and nodded shortly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for whining. I just¡­ I didn¡¯t think something so romantic as eloping would involve sewer crawling!¡±

    I smiled sympathetically and nodded. ¡°I really didn¡¯t set out to adventure, either. I just wanted to go to the big city and cheer my friend on in the Imperial Scholar¡¯s Competition. And here I am sewer crawling and killing elemental poison slimes.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Are you¡­¡± she turned to Soriya. ¡°You¡¯re a scholar?!¡±

    Soriya drew herself up proudly. ¡°{Loremaster} 3, and with some very interesting theories that my unintentional adventuring has helped mature quite nicely.¡±

    Priya opened her mouth to say something then clearly thought better of it and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just a {Merchant/Wayfarer}. I was hoping to see the competition this year, though. It¡¯s supposed to be very grand, with the princess herself handing out the prizes to the winners in the final ceremony.¡±

    ¡°And the inventions are astonishing.¡± Devdan added. ¡°Easily worth millions in imperial trade pacts to whoever¡¯s canny enough.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± I said, tipping my head to the side. ¡°The inventions are all¡­ just market ready? They don¡¯t have any¡­ I don¡¯t know, polishing? Ramp up time?¡±

    Devdan looked puzzled. ¡°Why yes, how else would it be?¡±

    I traded a glance with Soriya, then turned back to Devdan. ¡°So¡­ so airships. They just¡­ the inventor was able to instantly make them? Scale up without any development or improvement?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand your question. Of course airship design is improved all the time, but yes, Kanta Zeppelin¡¯s design was put into production the day after she produced the first airship.¡±

    ¡°And nobody¡­ is that normal?¡±

    Devdan traded confused looks with Priya. ¡°I¡¯m truly not sure what you¡¯re asking, miss Lilyanna. I¡¯m fairly sure that was the course of the action. It squares with all the previous winning inventions from the previous years?¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± I said, frowning.

    Eshaan looked at me quizzically. ¡°What is it, Lily?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing I suppose. It¡¯s just¡­ odd to me. That a design would be ready for production so quickly.¡± I said thoughtfully.

    ¡°Well, regardless of the competition¡¯s issues, we should keep going.¡± Eshaan said after a short pause. ¡°I¡¯m just glad that those strange mana fluctuations that we encountered at the dig site aren¡¯t happening here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good though.¡± Soriya said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the fluctuations occurred because the empire had tampered with the Ancient¡¯s maintenance systems.¡±

    Eshaan grunted at that, and we pressed on deeper into the catacombs. Further in, Gate¡¯s implications of Ancient tech started to show fruit. Intricate patterned circuit work, much like that in the Cavern of Trials and the dig site started to pattern the walls. Eshaan perked up noticeably, and occasionally stopped to jot down quick notes about a particular piece of design or interesting framework. Whatever lore he had picked up, it guided us further and further into the sewer catacombs. I was grateful that the sewers actually started to dry, the ancient dirt and stone under our feet slowly growing less wet and slimy. And as a blessing, less smelly as well, though of course the stench had soaked into our clothes by this point.

    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand how the imperial survey squad missed this.¡± Eshaan muttered.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s not active?¡± Soriya asked.

    ¡°Well possibly, but the cave at Breezewood didn¡¯t seem active when I¡­ well, you know.¡± Eshaan trailed off awkwardly.

    I patted him on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡±

    ¡°Actually.¡± Soriya spoke up ¡°What did the commander tell you about our little town anyway?¡±

    ¡°Uh? Well, not much. Merely that he¡¯d been conducting a surveillance on your town for the past few years, and certain irregularities suggested the presence of a nearby Ancient site.¡±

    ¡°And our coming of age and Festival was just¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, all the commanders research indicated that whatever was happening there was most likely to activate at that point.¡±

    ¡°The commander did all this research on his own?¡± Soriya pressed.

    ¡°No, of course not. Commander Khine is a field man, he would have got the info from his engineer corp.¡± Eshaan answered.

    ¡°Eshaan, I want you to think hard. This is important. Did the commander mention anything to indicate where he got that information from.¡± Soriya asked intently.

    Eshaan thought, his brow furrowed, before he finally said ¡°Well¡­ now that you mention it¡­ he did mention something like ¡®that pointy hatted bastard had better be right¡¯ when we were finalizing the landing. I never asked who.¡±

    Soriya and I shared a look, and we both spoke as one. ¡°The pope is evil.¡±

    Eshaan looked shocked, and I could hear Priya gasp.

    ¡°What on earth?¡± Eshaan asked. ¡°Why would you think that the pope is evil?!¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°Seer stuff. Plot threads.¡±

    ¡°But the pope?! Of the crystal church?! There¡¯s no reason he would even be talking to commander Khine! And he¡¯s in charge of the crystal dragon church! They¡¯d never elevate an evil man to that position!¡±

    Priya nodded emphatically, and added ¡°I know adventurers are known for breaking precedent, but really, this is just too much! You can¡¯t just accuse a good man because of some feeling you¡¯ve got!¡±

    I gave a long-suffering sigh. ¡°I can see this plot thread remains firmly anchored.¡± I said to Soriya.

    I turned back to Priya. ¡°Whether he is or not, it¡¯s largely irrelevant right now, and there¡¯s hardly anything we could do about it either way.¡±

    Yet. I thought grimly. Though it suddenly does explain all those church sponsored wanted posters in the guild hall.

    A flicker of intuition made me glance at Devdan, and I saw he was looking at me with speculation. He raised a single eyebrow at me, then gestured ahead as though to say ¡°Let¡¯s proceed.¡± The way he stood though, his whole posture¡­

    That¡¯s right. He¡¯s super sharp, isn¡¯t he!? And he spent time around the adventurer¡¯s guild! He would have seen my wanted poster! I swallowed nervously.

    Devdan stepped forward and said smoothly ¡°Regardless of miss Lily¡¯s suppositions, and their reasons, we should press forward to find this source of interruption as quickly as possible. Not least of which because it will get us out of this sewer more quickly.¡±

    He stamped his feet on the ancient stonework. ¡°And there does seem to be something worth investigating here, at the least. My {Merchant} senses are tingling.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ if this is anything like the last time¡­ Lily, Soriya, why don¡¯t you try to push some mana through the stonework here? It might reactivate something.¡± Said Eshaan.

    I shared a glance with Soriya, who shrugged and nodded. ¡°Sure, might as well.¡±

    I stepped over to her, and we laid our hands onto the stone wall, pushing mana into the Ancient stonework. Pools of purple black and silver white light spread from our hands, and where they overlapped, a strange rainbow ripple effect occurred. For a long moment, nothing happened. I felt a curious mix of relief and frustration. Then the area where our mana had merged into a rainbow ripple suddenly pulsed, once. Twice. And then intricate circuit lines shot across the stonework, shimmering forward and back. I let out a gasp, and Soriya let out a soft sound of pleasure.

    ¡°Good work, Eshaan.¡± Soriya said. ¡°I can feel a mana pulse from that direction.¡± She pointed down the tunnel. ¡°Whatever we¡¯re meant to find, it¡¯s that way.¡±

    We lowered our hands, but the rainbow ripple of color outlining the Ancient circuitry stayed, though slowly growing fainter.

    ¡°How interesting!¡± Devdan said, stepping up and running his fingers along the lines of color. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a reaction like this before.¡±

    Eshaan grinned enthusiastically. ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s so cool, right? None of the imperial archives or records I¡¯ve ever seen say anything about it!¡±

    Devdan turned to Eshaan in surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve read the imperial archives?¡±

    ¡°Well, hardly all of them! Just a few bits here and there, in between patrols. I hardly understood most of them either.¡±

    ¡°What a fascinating group you all are.¡± Devdan murmured as he returned to Priya¡¯s side.

    Priya hissed at him. ¡°Devdan are you sure you trust them?!¡±

    Devdan raised an eyebrow and shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s hardly a matter of trust or not, Priya love. We¡¯re committed to the sale; we¡¯ve bought the merchandise. And so far, while it seems an odd color, it has performed exactly as advertised. We should put it on sale. But yes, Pri. I do trust them.¡±

    I felt a warm glow of pleasure from that.

    ¡°Thanks Devdan.¡± Eshaan said. ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to prove you¡¯re not mistaken!¡± and then headed into the darkness, where the pulsing lines of rainbow light led.

    I had to admit, the lines lit up the tunnel nicely, and made fighting the tunnel dwelling monsters much easier. The composition of them changed as well, the slimes and undead bugs not seeming to much like the dryer air. Instead larger earth cutterpillers and shamblefurs replaced them. To my frustration, they were considerably tougher.

    Soriya noticed and patted my arm. ¡°There there. It just means we¡¯re going the right way. The fights are always harder where the plot is progressing, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ yeah, I suppose so.¡± I sighed.

    The pulsing lines of light finally twisted and focused onto a single outline in the rock. If it weren¡¯t for the circuit lines, I wouldn¡¯t have seen anything strange here at all it was so perfectly camouflaged.

    ¡°Well. Now what?¡± Eshaan asked rhetorically.

    ¡°Remember the dig site? Have Lily put her hand on the door.¡± Soriya replied confidently.

    I frowned, then stepped forward hesitantly, and laid my hand against the stone wall. Nothing happened. I turned to Soriya to comment, but she held up her hand.

    ¡°Try pushing mana into it.¡± She said.

    ¡°Oh¡­ kay?¡± I suppose it made some kind of sense, this whole area was so mana dead and starved that any magitech must have shut down ages ago.

    I focused, and the pulse of silver white mana flowed into the wall. There was a bright flash of light, and two palm prints appeared on the door, about a meter apart. I pulled back, and frowned at the prints. ¡°They¡¯re both right hands?¡±

    Soriya stood there frowning in puzzlement, muttering to herself, hand on chin.

    Eshaan frowned at her. ¡°What are you doing? The solution is obvious!¡± he said, grabbing her right hand and pressing it against the empty palm mark.

    There was a shivering rumble, and a dust that stank of age sifted out of Ancient cracks, and the outlined passageway shimmered and dissolved into a rainbow of dust revealing a room of that bronze gold metal of the Ancient¡¯s technology. Flickering rainbow light played across a console coated with untold eons of dust.

    ¡°Emergency protocol recognized. Reserve energy at 1%. Activating recovery protocol.¡± A voice echoed eerily into the room. ¡°Welcome, Key bearer. Please retrieve the active Key.¡±

    I looked at Soriya hesitantly. She smiled at me, a little strangely. ¡°Well? You¡¯re the summoner? Go meet your new Arcanum.¡±

    I stepped into the room, and a flickering light coalesced into that small bright dot of light that I was familiar with from the other Arcanum. This one glowed red and orange, and the sound of metal on metal grew louder. A golden bronze dragon erupted from the arc space, and I felt it establish a connection with me. No hesitation, not even a question or demand.

    ¡°Emergency supply of ?ther acquired. Link accepted.¡± It spoke with a roar and rush of metal and hot flames, its body a coiling mass around a blacksmith¡¯s forge glowing hot with coals. ¡°Welcome, Children of ?ther.¡±

    Behind it, the ancient machinery went dark. It felt like more than that though, as though it was well and truly dead, rather than simply shut down.

    ¡°I am Forge, crafter and maker of the System.¡± The dragon said. ¡°My services are yours.¡±

 33 Back and forth and back again

    There was a stunned silence from all of us. Though I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised, Eshaan was the first one to get words out, even if he hadn¡¯t (ever) gotten his brain in gear.

    ¡°Wait, you created the System!?¡± He spluttered.

    Forge turned its massive head to peer down at Eshaan, then turned to look at me. ¡°Is this a companion of yours, Child of ?ther? He seems a bit dim.¡± Forge turned his head back to Eshaan and spoke slowly, as though to a child. ¡°No, youngling. My role in the System is that of creator and maker. I did not make the system. That glory belonged to the Goddess and those who served her.¡±

    It turned back to me. ¡°Apologies for the emergency linkage, Child. You were closest and the systems were critical. I hope that you were not planning that this one-¡° He pointed a single claw at Soriya ¡°-was to become the Key holder?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­?¡± I stumbled, glanced over to Soriya, and back to the giant dragon. ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°Good. I am glad that you were able to recover this locus. The System is showing severe degradation, it is no surprise that Keyholders were summoned. Now. Did you wish a service from me, or shall I rest?¡±

    I opened and closed my mouth several times, multiple thoughts flickering through my head, before I finally latched onto one. Priya wanted to leave. Devdan was our client. We were here to close the loop. Questions-

    many many questions!

    -could come later.

    ¡°No, Forge. Thank you. I was¡­ honored to receive your key?¡±

    The great dragon bowed its head and then vanished, collapsing into a pinpoint of golden red light. I could feel an additional quiet weight settling into my soul.

    ¡°Right!¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s try this again, shall we?¡±

    Once more I clasped my hands together and called forth Gate. This time, he arrived with little fuss, and calmly asked ¡°Where do you wish to transit?¡±

    I let out a sigh of relief, and said ¡°To Breezewood, please. Outside the fountain.¡±

    Gate nodded, and we were swallowed by the blue-black of Gate¡¯s transit, with only a faint squeak from Priya before we reappeared next to the fountain. I admitted to a slight guilty shame that Priya didn¡¯t fall into the fountain, though she staggered fiercely.

    ¡°There! Welcome to Breezewood! After our baths, and a quick change of clothes, we¡¯ll get you back to Yirath, and assuming no more problems, we¡¯ll be on one of your family¡¯s airships in less than an hour.¡±

    The voice of the world soul echoed in my head, and I could see our little group stiffen as though listening to a voice of their own as well.

    <{Arcanist} Advanced to level 3. {Arcane Circle} advanced to level 2. For saving the Arcanum Forge from System rot, you have advanced to {Arcanist:3}> The world soul whispered.

    ¡°So¡­ so many levels¡­!¡± Priya gasped.

    Devdan gulped. ¡°And we didn¡¯t even really do anything¡­¡±

    Soriya grinned. ¡°See? Hanging out and having adventurers in the sewers isn¡¯t so bad at all.¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°Soriya, not even in jest. That sewer smell is not worth it, no matter how many levels it grants you!¡±

    Devdan turned wide eyes to us. ¡°Just¡­ just how powerful are you?!¡±

    I frowned in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m only level 15. That¡¯s not that much.¡± I answered.

    ¡°Fi¡­ fifteen?!¡± he squeaked out.

    Priya gasped. ¡°But¡­ but you¡¯re barely any older than us!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with anything?¡± I asked in confusion.

    Eshaan coughed. ¡°Let me explain. You know your mother isn¡¯t that high a level. Commander Khine is very unusual, he¡¯s level 31, and that¡¯s considered extraordinary for someone his age.¡±

    Devdan nodded. ¡°Most people never get more than 2 classes, and never go beyond level 20 their whole lives!¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I stood there stunned. ¡°Well. Um. I¡¯m not sure what to say about that. But we all smell and we should get a bath. So¡­ lets get one of those?¡±

    Soriya said ¡°I should hope so.¡± With a wry tone. ¡°Now! Onward to the baths!¡± she raised her hand in a triumphant ¡®onward¡¯ gesture. ¡°Come! You too Eshaan, you don¡¯t smell any less than we do!¡±

    And with that, we were escorted to the local bathhouse once more where Marle took one look at us, wrinkled her nose fiercely, and pushed us into the bathing rooms without even asking for payment first.

    ¡°Get that stink off you, children, it¡¯s clear why you¡¯re here. Pay once you¡¯re done. I¡¯ll get those clothes cleaned.¡± The look on her face made it clear she¡¯d rather burn them.

    Once in the dressing room, I hurriedly stripped out of my clothes and made a beeline for the stalls.

    Priya was clearly lost, looking around absently.

    ¡°It¡¯s a common bath. You shake the fire and water crystals together like this-¡°

    ¡°I know how to take a bath!¡± she sniffed. ¡°I¡¯ve just never been in such a common one before.¡±

    I shared a glance with Soriya, then turned back to Priya. ¡°Well then. Soap¡¯s right there. Crystals are there.¡± And I sat down on a stool and proceeded to douse myself with warm sudsy water, trading back scrubs with Soriya.

    Priya stared at us a moment longer, then finally edged gingerly over to a stool, and sat down on it. I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she dithered over the crystals and soap, and then finally grabbed a handful and threw the soap in. I pressed my lips together hard when she gave a little shriek as the crystals broke creating a foamy tidal wave that sloshed over her.

    Really, I do wonder what Devdan sees in her. Spoiled little girl¡­ still, she did run away with him. I wonder if that¡¯s just because she doesn¡¯t understand or if there¡¯s a core of something salvageable there?

    Priya didn¡¯t ask for help, though she did glance at us several times biting her lower lip as though she wanted to ask. But in the end she got it done without assistance, and soaking herself thoroughly.

    ¡°Would you like one of us to scrub your back?¡± I offered when she was done.

    She bit her lip and then nodded. ¡°Yes. Please.¡±

    Well maybe there is something to salvage there. I thought as I gave her back a quick scrub and a wash.

    ¡°There. Sewage and slime gone. Lets have a soak and relax a bit.¡± I smiled at her, and offered her a hand to help her stand up. She took it hesitantly, and grabbed a towel from the rack as we headed into the hot pools to soak.

    I let out a sigh of relief and pleasure as we sank into the hot pools of water, letting the towel rest on my head, my eyes half closed in bliss.

    ¡°Is¡­ is this what you do all the time?!¡± Priya said after a short hesitation.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ask Soriya, her voice filled with lazy exhaustion. ¡°Do we plum sewers all day? Do we rescue nobles for elopement purposes? Do we fight monsters?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ all of that!¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°No, not even close. Most of our time is spent traveling from place to place, and fending off random encounters.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Priya was silent again. I opened my eyes to see her looking hesitant and confused. ¡°you¡¯re really nothing like I imagined it. Really, nothing about this has been.¡±

    I shrugged and closed my eyes again. ¡°That¡¯s just life. Nothing seems to be like I imagined, really. Except Eshaan, actually. He¡¯s just like I imagined he would be.¡±

    ¡°Have you known him long?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Mm¡­ feels like all my life in some ways¡­ but no, we only met¡­¡± I counted in my head. ¡°Hum. Only three weeks ago. On my 17<sup>th</sup> birthday.¡±

    ¡°And you decided to be adventurers together?!¡±

    I opened my eyes and sat up with a laugh. ¡°Decided? No, not hardly! More like was suddenly thrust into it. The course of action I want to take leads down this path. I don¡¯t much like the idea of being an adventurer or working for the guild for my whole life!¡±

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Soriya asked with lazy curiosity.

    I sat back against the pool and thought about it. What do I want to do with myself?

    I hit a blank wall. I didn¡¯t know what I wanted to do with myself! To go home, I supposed, but I wasn¡¯t even sure if that was possible. It didn¡¯t seem very likely, with my old self having died¡­ I still wondered how that had happened. Asleep on a beach didn¡¯t seem like a place you would just¡­ die. Even now, it was hard to really grapple with it.

    So don¡¯t. We don¡¯t know what we want to do. Otherme whispered in my mind. It was good advice, and it helped.

    I sat up again. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m going to Spyre, and my friend is going to enter the Imperial invention competition thing, and then¡­ I¡¯m going to look for some leads on my own problem.¡±

    Priya pondered that for a while then said. ¡°Well. You¡¯re certinally strange, and I admit I find it hard to trust you¡­ but you¡¯ve proven yourselves worthy allies, so when Devdan and I get set up in Spyre, you¡¯re welcome to come to us for anything you need. For a reasonable price!¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help it, I started laughing. ¡°What if the world is in danger? Are you going to charge us for weapons and supplies to defeat the ultimate evil!?¡±

    Priya frowned at me. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re laughing at me!¡± she said sharply. ¡°I was making a serious offer, and you return with¡­ jokes!¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Soriya smiled lazily. ¡°She¡¯s serious, actually. It¡¯s one of our ¡­ things. And I¡¯m curious. Hypothetically, if you had a shop near a labyrinth where adventurers were going to fight an enemy who threatened to end all life as you knew it¡­ would you charge them?¡±

    Priya frowned even more deeply, and looked down at her hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She said after a bit. ¡°Goods are hard to come by¡­ you can¡¯t just give them out¡­¡±

    ¡°But if the world ends, what good will any of your items be? And if the adventurers go in unprepared then the world is definitely going to end.¡±

    Priya scowled. ¡°Such a ridiculous situation would never occur! But to play your foolish little game, I suppose in that case I would wait outside the labyrinth, and when they came back I would charge them for used items. A reasonable fee, of course! They did just save me, I suppose, but items cost zeni! I can¡¯t just give them away!¡±

    Soriya burst out laughing, and glanced over to me. ¡°There you have it. Final dungeon merchant.¡±

    I smiled wryly. ¡°Perhaps. I don¡¯t think Priya is planning on wandering the length and breadth of the world carrying a backpack with wares on it!¡±

    ¡°Certainly not!¡± Priya protested. ¡°Devdan and I will set up a perfectly reasonable little shop in Spyre and grow our business from there!¡±

    ¡°Mm. Sounds nice.¡± I idly splashed at the water. ¡°I suppose I should try and get you to sell some of mother¡¯s items. Maybe Soriya can make you some basic elemental crystals.¡±

    Priya blinked. ¡°Your mother is a {Tinker}? But you¡¯re¡­?¡±

    I nodded, looking at her curiously. ¡°Yes. Why are you surprised?¡±

    ¡°Well it¡¯s just¡­ you¡¯re an adventurer! I wouldn¡¯t have expected that.¡±

    I burst out laughing. ¡°My mother was an adventurer before she became a housewife! It¡¯s not like one means you can¡¯t ever do the other!¡±

    Priya¡¯s eyes got wide and she sat back, clearly surprised. ¡°I¡­ I suppose that¡¯s so. I. I apologize.¡± She stumbled over the unfamiliar words. ¡°I spoke without thinking.¡±

    Hm. Something salvageable in there after all. Even if we do meet her outside the final dungeon. I didn¡¯t much like thinking about that, and so I pushed it aside. For now, I was mercifully, finally, clean and the water was warm.

    Sometime later, Marle called in ¡°Your clothes are clean, whenever you¡¯re ready!¡±

    I looked at the others and nodded. ¡°I think that¡¯s as good a cue as any. We should get going anyway. I don¡¯t want to get all pruny.¡± Even seventeen year olds got wrinkly in the bath, that fact hadn¡¯t changed from world to world.

    We splashed out of the bath and toweled ourselves dry, before slipping into our cleaned clothes. As we emerged, Marle commented ¡°It¡¯s about time, your boyfriends have been pestering me for at least a turn of the glass. Go get them and get them out of my hair.¡± She made shooing motions. I smiled and shook my head at her.

    ¡°You know they¡¯re not our boyfriends.¡± I said to her reprovingly.

    She snorted. ¡°Says you now, but we¡¯ll see. Now get you gone.¡±

    We hurried towards the meeting rooms to catch up with Eshaan and Devdan. They were waiting for us, cleaned clothes and smelling faintly of soap. It was a very nice change, and I dearly hoped I¡¯d never get used to the smell of sewage.

    I hope not, anyway! That¡¯s two sewer levels now, I will scream if I have to do another one! I declared to myself.

    The boys looked up as we arrived, and Eshaan smiled broadly. ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re here! I was just telling Devdan all about your quest!¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Eshaan, he won¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, Miss Lilyanna. I am deeply interested! As a merchant, the Ancient¡¯s secrets are always of interest, as they would be to anyone with anything beyond the faintest spark of curiosity!¡±

    I put my hands on my hips. ¡°Mr. Ghalagher, we are here to get clean. Since we are here, we¡¯re also going to take the opportunity to refresh our supplies, but then we need to get going! We have an airship to catch!¡±

    Devdan looked abashed. ¡°Yes, of course. Your trip to Spyre. I haven¡¯t forgotten, and you have kept your word so far.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Yes. So, assuming you don¡¯t mind eating common people food, we¡¯ll have a meal, and then restock our potion supplies. I swear we run through those so fast!¡±

    Behind us, Priya looked slightly abashed.

    Soriya grinned and tossed a slime core in one hand. ¡°Yes, but we¡¯re paying your mother for it now, with top quality materials! We¡¯re like merchants ourselves!¡±

    I scowled at her. ¡°Merchants don¡¯t go killing monsters for loot.¡±

    Devdan smiled broadly. ¡°I beg to differ. We¡¯re hardly strangers to defending our wares from dangers on the road. Monsters are among those dangers.¡±

    I threw my hands in the air. ¡°Alright, if everyone is done proving me wrong, can we please go eat now!? I¡¯m desperate to escape the memory of the sewers!¡±

    They laughed, and Soriya said ¡°If you¡¯re the one cooking, we can all escape from the sewers.¡± She turned to the others ¡°Serious, you¡¯ve got to try Lily¡¯s cooking.¡±

    ¡°Soriya!¡± I protested, feeling my cheeks heat.

    ¡°I believe in experimentation, and also following a lady¡¯s request.¡± said Devdan. ¡°Shall we?¡± He gestured to the door, and following his example we headed outside, and I set course for my house.

    Priya kept staring around her like she¡¯d never imagined anything like this in her life. Mercifully, she managed to keep her questions or comments to herself, and we made it to my house in sensible time.

    Mother met me at the door with a hug and a warm smile, followed by a slight exasperated shake of her head. ¡°More potions? Already? How on earth did you get into trouble in the middle of a big city?!¡±

    I grimaced. ¡°Sewers.¡± I said, by way of explanation.

    Mother shook her head and said ¡°Ah, say no more then. And who are your new friends?¡±

    ¡°Mother, this is Priya and Devdan. They¡¯ve hired us to help them elope.¡±

    Mother clapped her hands together in delight. ¡°Oh how wonderfully romantic! And reminds me of my adventuring days! Come in, you two, come in!¡± She opened the door and gestured us all inside.

    ¡°We also gathered some materials to trade, I know you can¡¯t keep us in healing potions forever.¡± Soriya spoke up. ¡°Let me show you.¡± She poured out the bag of materials onto the kitchen table, and I could see mother¡¯s eyes light up.

    ¡°Oh, well¡­ I can¡¯t really say no to that¡­ if it¡¯s not too much trouble¡­¡± she started sorting through the materials. ¡°Oh goodness, I can¡¯t use half of these, but I¡¯m sure I can find someone to trade¡­ oh, a leech heart, those are useful in all kinds of potions¡­¡± She muttered to herself.

    I smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯ll just go see how Darshanna and Daniyel are.¡± I went up on tiptoes and kissed mother¡¯s cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s eyes lit up and she nodded agreement. ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s go see how Daniyel and Darshanna are doing!¡± She hurried ahead of me and out the back door.

    I smiled, and beckoned Priya and Devdan to come with me, following behind Soriya, while Mother waved absently to us as she continued to sort through the materials on the table.

    The back yard was filled with components, and the wooden framework of what was gradually starting to look like a skeletal airship. A few sheets of wood were nailed to it, giving it a slightly creepy half fleshed appearance, and the strange devil¡¯s kitchen apparatus of the engine was mounted in the rear. Darshanna and Daniyel were busy bent over a table strewn with paper, and Darshanna was scribbling wildly on the papers.

    ¡°Well. Things look normal here.¡± I said, surveying the scene.

    ¡°Daniyel!¡± Soriya called out, already hurrying across the lawn. Daniyel turned and greeted her with grave courtesy, as they fell to animated conversation.

    ¡°This is normal for you?¡± Inquired Devdan wryly. ¡°I must revise my opinions of you yet again. These are the companions you mentioned?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. I guess? It just sort of¡­ happened.¡± I laughed nervously.

    Devdan shook his head. ¡°Regardless. We should go soon. How long will it take your mother to brew more potions?¡±

    ¡°Oh! A little less than an hour. Not long.¡± I smiled brightly.

    ¡°Ah, I see. Well then there¡¯s nothing but to wait.¡±

    As I approached, the airship, Darshanna caught sight of me and waved. ¡°Ah hah, my loyal crew return!¡± she hopped down lightly from the decking of the skeletal airship. ¡°Who¡¯s this? Another future member of my crew?¡±

    I sighed. Oh that¡¯s right. Air pirate. This could get sticky, I hope she can keep her mouth shut. ¡­ Right. When did I become an optimist?

    ¡°Darshanna, this is Devdan. He¡¯s a merchant from Yirath. He¡¯s agreed to get us passage on a big commercial airliner, since time is tight.¡± I willed Darshanna to get the message with every fiber of my being.

    Darshanna blinked, her eyes going wide. ¡°A merchant? An airship merchant?! Then¡­ ah¡­¡± I could almost literally see the gears turning in her head, even as Daniyel¡¯s posture grew rigid with alarm behind her.

    ¡°Well! That¡¯s wonderful!¡± She said. ¡°Actually¡­ yeah¡­ yeah, this <u>is</u> wonderful! A real merchant airship? You¡¯ve got to let me see it!¡±

    ¡°Darshanna¡­¡± I hesitated. ¡°We¡¯re in kind of a rush, it¡¯s not a sight seeing tour.¡±

    ¡°Oh come on, you¡¯re just marking time while you travel, right?! It¡¯s all about Gate once you¡¯ve been where you¡¯re going! PLEEEEASE!~ I promise, I won¡¯t get in the way!¡±

    Good lord, how does she make her eyes do that! She looks like a puppydog!

    I rolled my eyes, then stopped suddenly. Wait. She¡¯s been busy building the ship all this time. And now it¡¯s an airship and she¡¯s got airship skills¡­ is this the mandatory dungeon where the under-leveled side character is forced on me?! I shook my head rapidly to clear the idea. No, come on, this is crazy, surely it¡¯s not that bad-

    My chain of thought was interrupted by Darshanna¡¯s wheedling tone. ¡°I know a ton about airships! And honestly, I¡¯ve never gotten to see one of the big cargo liner¡¯s equipment before up close!¡±

    I thought rapidly. What did Soriya say? Grooves in the world? Is it even possible for me to change this?! Do I want to change this? I bit my lower lip.

    ¡°Darshanna, I¡¯m really not sure¡­¡±

    ¡°So say yes!¡± She pleaded. ¡°I¡¯ll make this simple, as a member of my crew, I¡¯m ordering you to take me!¡±

    The tone of her voice indicated she was not used to being disobeyed, as playful as she made the order sound. But inside me something stiffened and crackled inside me and I felt myself stand up straighter.

    ¡°No.¡± I said. ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡­ no, Darshanna. We need you here working on the ship.¡± I pushed a {Persuade} into my voice. ¡°The faster you get done with the ship, the faster we won¡¯t need to deal with slow overland travel.¡±

    And I¡¯m not having yet another pointless encounter that¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m not taking my under-leveled side characters on a quest! We¡¯ll do this the easy way. I thought defiantly.

    Darshanna stared at me as though I¡¯d just told her the moon was green and the sun was the home of green cheese rats.

    ¡°¡­What?¡± She said blankly.

    I felt a humming tension starting to fill the air, such as I¡¯d not felt since¡­

    Since the cavern, and I broke the world. Oh boy¡­

    Soriya looked over at me with her eyes wide with horror. ¡°Lily-!¡± she said with a warning note.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to!¡± I stumbled over my words, racing against the rising tension I could feel in the world. ¡°I would, honestly, but Devdan¡¯s passage is only good for 5 people total! We just don¡¯t have room for other people!¡± I turned to Devdan with my eyes wide. ¡°Right, Devdan?!¡±

    He frowned at me in confusion. ¡°Well yes, that¡¯s true miss Lily, but-¡±

    I spun back to Darshanna. ¡°So you see, there¡¯s just no room to let you come along!¡±

    The humming tension in the air held, no longer building, but not yet growing lesser.

    Darshanna frowned, almost pouting.

    She looks like Priya, like that. I thought. Mm. Not a nice comparison. For either of them.

    ¡°But why can¡¯t I come along! I can come instead of Soriya, or Eshaan!¡±

    Daniyel unexpectedly came to my rescue. ¡°Captain Darshanna. As your first mate, I must insist I come along. That would mean that only Miss Lilyanna would be coming. Indeed, as she is the only one who can conjure forth the mysteries of Gate, she must come along.¡±

    Darshanna spun to face Daniyel. ¡°Oh come on, Daniyel! That¡¯s taking the whole thing too far!¡±

    Daniyel¡¯s voice was grave and quiet as he replied. ¡°I told you when we first met. I have sworn an oath. I will see that through.¡± His deep brown eyes held Darshanna¡¯s for a long moment.

    Darshanna¡¯s lips twisted in an unpleasant scowl, and she spun back to me. ¡°That¡¯s still enough! You can take me and Daniyel! Are you worried about fighting?! You¡¯ve seen how good we are in a fight! We can do this!¡±

    The tension in the air started to rise again, and I felt a stab of fear.

    ¡°Darshanna¡­¡±

    ¡°Please, Lilyanna!¡± Darshanna¡¯s voice was filled with hurt and pleading. ¡°Please let me prove to you that I can do this!¡±

    In her eyes I saw her need to be useful, her desperate urge to be more than a decoration, the truth of her position, and what it must be like to never be allowed to be anything more than a decoration. My resolve broke.

    ¡°Of course you can come.¡± I said with a sigh. The tension in the air vanished with a quiet whisper of a breeze and I sighed.

    ¡°Oh thank you! Thank you, Lily!¡± Darshanna flung herself into my arms and hugged me so tightly it was hard to breath.

    ¡°Too tight¡­ too tight!¡± I whimpered.

    ¡°Oh! Right, sorry!¡± Darshana stepped back and for a moment I saw a ghost of propriety and manners floating about her, before she pushed it down and away, deliberately relaxing into a casual stance and a devil may care smile.

    Daniyel gave me a quiet level stare, then a slow deep nod of his head in gratitude.

    I sighed. And here I thought I was tough enough to resist puppy eyes. Best we prepare for whatever disaster is coming our way.

    I turned to Devdan. ¡°So. Slight change of plans.¡± I smiled hopefully at him.

    ¡°Hm. Well, I have no serious objection, if you¡¯re sure? Is¡­ miss Darshanna as skilled as you are?¡±

    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s a marvelous mechanic. Genius, even. And her first mate really can hold his own in a fight.¡± I hope¡­ I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d out leveled them that badly¡­?

    Devdan nodded. ¡°Then I have no issues.¡±

    ¡°Great. It¡¯s settled then.¡± I plastered a smile on my face and stepped over to Soriya. I fished into my belt purse, and pulled out a 100 zeni note, handing it to her.

    She looked at it, then up at me, and a slow smile spread across her face as she took it. ¡°Told you she was a princess.¡± She said quietly.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me she was a wounded bird though.¡± I said, with a wry twist of my lips.

    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s the expression on your face. You really are a softy.¡± She pulled me gently into a hug. ¡°You¡¯re good people, Lily. Don¡¯t worry so much about fighting the plot. I think Darshanna¡¯s worth helping. It¡¯s what we want to do, right? Help?¡±

    I sighed and relaxed into the hug, squeezing her back quickly. ¡°Yeah. Help.¡±

 34 A quiet exit? Or possibly not...

    We headed back inside, and I cooked lunch for everyone while mother brewed us up a new batch of potions. Stale bread became delicious with careful frying, and cheese and olive oil with tomato and shortly I had bruschetta to offer everyone.

    Magitech cooling and heating did come in handy, but it was a strange feeling to realize just how modern and yet utterly medieval this world felt. The strange sense of living in a tourist village. I giggled to myself. Including cosplaying as the heroine. I thought.

    Mother returned just in time for lunch, carrying a basket full of potions, her words full of praise for the quality of the ingredients that we¡¯d given her.

    ¡°Mother, I really am not comfortable with this, how are you going to make money?!¡±

    She laughed gaily. ¡°Oh Lily sweetie, this is just the first batch, the ingredients you¡¯ve given me will make another 10 batches easily! You are most definitely paying for your services!¡±

    I blinked in surprise. ¡°Oh. Well. If that¡¯s so¡­¡±

    Mother nodded firmly. ¡°That¡¯s so. Now, I understand Darshanna has convinced you to let her come along this time?¡±

    I blushed. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s so.¡±

    Darshanna waved her fork with her mouth full. I took that to be assent and encouragement.

    She does not have the best manners for a princess. I wonder if that¡¯s rebelling against her upbringing or if she just never paid attention to her tutors?

    Well it would be rude to ask, for sure. At least until her ¡®big reveal¡¯ and even then, it would still be terribly imposing. I tsked to myself.

    Eshaan was unhappy with being left behind, and I could tell Soriya was a little disappointed she wasn¡¯t going to get some alone time with Daniyel, but I assured them it would just be for a short while.

    ¡°I¡¯m expecting something to go wrong on the airship.¡± I explained. ¡°And as such, having a mechanic along would be best.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you should take Eideth!¡± Eshaan argued. ¡°And if you think something¡¯s going to go wrong then I should be the one at your side!¡±

    I sighed and looked down. It was sweet of him, but¡­ I shook my head. ¡°Eshaan, not like that. Or not entirely like that. I suspect mechanical failure, not combat. And with all respect to Eideth, I think I need someone who¡¯s a little more used to things going catastrophically wrong, and putting them right quickly.¡± I looked around. ¡°Where is Eideth anyway?¡±

    Darshanna swallowed her food and replied ¡°Oh she¡¯s out prospecting for potential materials. She thinks she can get a good deal for local metals and she¡¯s already convinced Everett that it¡¯ll be easier to forge the metal from ore than have it delivered.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Well, I suppose she is the expert¡­ I didn¡¯t even know we had ore deposits nearby.¡±

    Darshanna laughed. ¡°Neither did Everett! I think he¡¯s more excited than Eideth is!¡±

    I smiled at her. ¡°You seem to have gotten comfortable with my neighbors. I¡¯m glad.¡±

    Darshanna colored and looked down at her food, mumbling something. I didn¡¯t press her on it.

    ¡°So that¡¯s that. Hopefully my predictions are off, and nothing will trouble us the whole ride, and I¡¯ll see everyone in 2 days¡¯ time, when we can explore Spyre together.¡±

    There was a little muttering from Eshaan, and Soriya gave a little huffing sigh, but it seemed that was it. Conversation turned to how long it would be before the airship was ready, and what kinds of things we might want to buy when we finally got to Spyre.

    Mother came in, holding several potion vials between her fingers. ¡°Lily, Soriya! I had to show you! Look how well these potions came out!¡± She placed them in the middle of the table. The soft red, gold, and blue glows from the bottle lit the table with odd radiance.

    I looked at the bottles, my eyes wide with surprise. The amount of mana radiating from them was of a truly different scale than the ones I was used to.

    Behind me, Devdan leaned forward to examine the bottles with a keen eye.

    Eshaan poked at a bottle curiously. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. They look just the same.¡±

    I looked up at him in shock, and then Soriya laughed. ¡°That¡¯s right, you can¡¯t see mana!¡±

    She picked up one of the bottles. ¡°This potion is at least twice as powerful as the ones we¡¯ve been using before.¡± She looked up at mother for confirmation.

    Mother nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Oh easily! With a few more improvements to the distilling apparatus I¡¯m confident I can triple or even quadruple the results!¡±

    I gave a low whistle. ¡°Home brewed x-potions?¡± I murmured quietly.

    ¡°The quality of the ingredients you¡¯ve gotten me is out of this world Lily! I¡¯m so proud of you!¡± She swept over behind me, and leaned down to give me a hug.

    I squirmed uncomfortably. ¡°I didn¡¯t really do much mother, just fight slimes in a sewer.¡± I protested.

    ¡°And you brought back the drops!¡± She smiled tolerantly at me.

    Darshanna tugged my sleeve. ¡°What¡¯s an... ¡®x-potion¡¯?¡± She asked.

    I smiled wryly. ¡°Never mind, it¡¯s just¡­ another term for a powerful potion. Can you see the mana in these?¡±

    She brightened up, and pulled down the goggles that had been resting on her head. ¡°I can now!¡± She said confidently, then turned to stare at the bottles. Her mouth fell open in a soundless ¡®o¡¯ when she did.

    ¡°Those goggles let you see mana?!¡± Eshaan¡¯s voice was filled with awe. ¡°May I try them?! I¡¯ve always wondered about it!¡±

    Darshanna shook her head to clear it, and then slipped the goggles over her head, handing them to Eshaan wordlessly.

    He gave a little giggle of glee, slipping them over his head and down across his eyes.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Oh wow!¡± He looked around the room, staring at everything in what I assumed was wide eyed wonder.

    I turned to Darshanna. ¡°The goggles are new.¡± I said conversationally. ¡°Did you make them recently?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve had an idea for them for a while. At least the theory, anyway. Eideth gave me the clue to put it together.¡± She started picking up speed with her explanation. ¡°The key was to soak the lenses in¡­.¡± she trailed to a stop. ¡°You really don¡¯t care, do you?¡±

    I tipped my head to the side, then reached out and took her hand in mine, patting it gently. ¡°I don¡¯t understand it. That¡¯s a long way from not caring about it.¡± I said gently. ¡°But if you want to talk about it¡­¡± I pointed to Eshaan who was examining the wood grain of the table with excited glee. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find that Eshaan is more than happy to discuss it.¡± I paused for a longer moment, then said ¡°Not everyone can understand you, Darshanna. That doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re wrong for being excited by things.¡± I patted her hand, and gently pushed a {Persuade} at her. ¡°You¡¯re valuable for being you. Not what people want you to be. Ok?¡±

    Darshanna stared at me like I¡¯d grown a third head, and then suddenly stood up and rushed for the back door. ¡°I just remembered; I have to check on the mana flux!¡± she said as she vanished, her voice suspiciously thick.

    Daniyel squeezed my shoulder as he stood to follow, then leaned down and said ¡°That was well said, Miss Lilyanna. I am in your debt.¡± Before he vanished after Air Pirate Captain Darshanna.

    Eshaan looked up, as they left, pushing the goggles up on top of his head. ¡°Eh? Where are they going? Did I miss something?¡±

    I smiled at him and shook my head in amusement. ¡°Darshanna just had to go check the mana flux. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be back soon. And then we can get going.¡± I turned to mother again. ¡°Thank you for the potions, mother. If you¡¯re sure that it¡¯s ok if we take them? We¡¯re still leaving you enough to sell?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, definitely! Don¡¯t worry Lily, your mother hasn¡¯t taken leave of her senses! I¡¯ve been making plans for these; I¡¯ve already had several travelling merchants express an interest!¡±

    Devdan finally spoke up. ¡°Actually, if you¡¯ll permit me¡­ I may be able to make you an offer right now.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Mother looked surprised.

    ¡°Yes, I think I could definitely make you an offer. What price did the merchant offer you?¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ well, he offered me 90 zeni.¡± Mother said hesitantly.

    Devdan¡¯s eyes widened and he covered it with a cough. ¡°Yes, I think I can offer a significantly better price. What would you say 260 zeni?¡±

    Now it was mother¡¯s turn to express shock. ¡°T-Two hundred!?¡±

    ¡°And Sixty.¡± Devdan smiled. ¡°Which I plan to mark up and sell in Spyre. An excellent start to my shop.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ but¡­¡± Mother waffled, twisting in indecision.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to decide right away. I assume you¡¯ll want to brew another batch, assuming your daughter continues to provide materials?¡±

    ¡°Oh, why, yes of course!¡±

    ¡°Well then. If Miss Lilyanna will consent to ferry me back once we¡¯ve concluded our business, you can simply brew another batch then.¡± Devdan smiled, and I felt a {Persuade} from him swaying through the air.

    Huh. As expected of a merchant, honestly. I thought.

    ¡°Well then¡­ if that¡¯s alright¡­?¡± mother turned and looked at me questioningly. I blinked in surprise.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me? I¡¯m just the taxi here!¡± I protested.

    Mother laughed. ¡°You¡¯re a good deal more than that¡­ but if you¡¯re not worried, then I can trust him.¡± She extended her hand to Devdan and shook it firmly. ¡°We have a deal, Mr. Devdan.¡±

    Devdan nodded, a tiny satisfied smile on his face. ¡°Excellent. I look forward to doing business with you, Miss¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course. My name is Holly.¡±

    Devdan frowned. ¡°No last name?¡±

    ¡°Oh we¡¯ve never needed such silly things here. If your contract requires it, just call me Holly of Breezewood.¡± She said.

    ¡°Very fine then. Thank you, Miss Breezewood. And to your daughter as well.¡± He nodded to me. ¡°Now, as profitable as this venture has proven, I think we should be going.¡± He gestured around the table. ¡°We have an airship to catch.¡±

    I twitched a smile. ¡°Yes, I suppose we do. First, we have to catch Darshanna, though.¡±

    ¡°Ah, the {Tinker} girl and her unusual companion.¡± Devdan nodded, then paused, eyeing me. ¡°If I may suggest, Miss Breezewood¡­ why don¡¯t you dye your hair once more, while I fetch our travelling companions. Your hair is quite vibrant, currently.¡±

    And leaving me standing there with an open mouth, he turned and walked casually out the back, Priya followed him.

    I grabbed my braid and pulled it around to look at it. Sure enough, the dye was gone, my hair once more it¡¯s normal vibrant shade pink rather than black.

    Soriya whistled low and soft. ¡°I hadn¡¯t even realized it. It must have happened in the sewers.¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°Nobody said anything?!¡±

    Eshaan scratched at the back of his head. ¡°Sorry Lily. It¡¯s just so normal for you¡­ I didn¡¯t even think about it.¡±

    ¡°Eshaan! Devdan is a huge fan of adventurers! He¡¯ll have seen the wanted poster!¡±

    Mother frowned and set down on of the potions she¡¯d been examining. ¡°Wanted poster? What¡¯s this now? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    I panicked. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s nothing, mother!¡± I could see from the way she looked at me, hands on her hips that my inability to lie was on full display.

    ¡°It¡¯s just some case of mistaken identity!¡± Her frown got even worse.

    ¡°Lilyanna, what have you done!? Who is putting up wanted posters with my daughter¡¯s face on them!?¡±

    Soriya interjected smoothly. ¡°It really is just a case of mistaken identity, Holly. Someone put up posters asking about a 17-year-old girl with pink hair.¡±

    ¡°What?! Who?! Why?!¡± Mother shouted.

    Soriya winced. ¡°As I said, it¡¯s probably just a mistake-¡±

    Eshaan said ¡°The church. And they specified that the girl in question was probably a {Spiritist}.¡±

    I stared at him in betrayed shock. ¡°Eshaan!¡± I protested; my voice filled with hurt.

    He looked at me. ¡°Sorry Lily, but she¡¯s your mother. She really does deserve to know. And you already had a fight about leaving home. She knew it would be dangerous. She¡¯s done this before; she¡¯s got more experience than us. Certainly more than me.¡± He said wryly.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    He turned back to mother. ¡°We don¡¯t know why. We¡¯re dying her hair because it¡¯s¡­ well it¡¯s strange and we don¡¯t understand it.¡±

    ¡°What about that young merchant boy then?!¡± Mother protested angrily.

    ¡°Well¡­ he¡¯s a special case.¡± Soriya scratched at the back of her head in embarrassment. ¡°He¡¯s a lot more perceptive than we really expected. Some sort of {Merchant} trait or something probably. But he¡¯s got a reason to keep it quiet, and I trust him, at least.¡±

    After a bit more shouting and some of my best {Persuade} work, mother finally agreed to let us leave, though she admonished me to be even more careful. A quick trip to the sink to dye my hair once more, and we were finally ready to go.

    ¡°It¡¯s strange that no one commented on my hair changing.¡± I said to Soriya.

    ¡°It is strange.¡± She agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it while you¡¯re away. Don¡¯t stay too long, and be careful on that airship encounter¡­ whatever it is. Darshanna¡¯s sure to be under leveled.¡±

    I nodded grimly. ¡°Right.¡± I clapped my hands to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡±

    General muttered agreement, as well as the expected misgivings from Mother and Eshaan. She hugged me, followed by Eshaan, which was a genuine shock.

    He whispered in my ear ¡°Be sure to come back! Promise me!¡± And then stepped away, blushing furiously.

    I could feel my own cheeks blazing scarlet as well, as I hurriedly called up Gate, and requested a transit back to Yirath.

    Back in Yirath, the street lamps blazed brightly, and it was a shock to realize just how late it was here.

    I looked around the quiet back alley we¡¯d arrived in, nervously checking to see if there were any street thugs. Then I checked the color of my braid for the fifth time.

    Still black. Or¡­ is it fading a little bit? Maybe? I chewed my lower lip, and flipped my braid back over my shoulder. Nobody said being a healer princess was this hard. I groused to myself.

    ¡°Ok.¡± I stage whispered to Devdan. ¡°We¡¯re here. The Air Port is that way.¡±

    I was interrupted by a loud clatter and shouting from outside the alley. ¡°Check all the streets! Make sure you don¡¯t miss any! Remember, they have hostages with them, so be especially careful of Miss Priya!¡±

    I rolled my eyes, while Priya clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide.

    ¡°Oh, of course. Because nothing is ever simple.¡± I grumbled.

    Devdan gave me a sympathetic smile, and then patted me lightly on the shoulder. ¡°If anyone can do it, I¡¯m confident you can, Miss Lilyanna.¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re just being cruel.¡± I pouted. ¡°Alright let me think.¡± I knelt down and chewed my lip.

    I don¡¯t want to fight them. I guess I could¡­ the thought slowly curled around my head. The way we dealt with those street thugs¡­ I shook my head wildly dispelling the thought. No, force is not the answer! Never the answer! But¡­ well¡­ ok so¡­ what¡¯s the opposite of force? Stealth? Deception? But I¡¯m so bad at lying! But what if I don¡¯t have to speak to lie¡­?

    I looked up. ¡°Devdan, are there females in the city watch?¡±

    He looked confused. ¡°Why, yes, of course. Why wouldn¡¯t there be?¡±

    I grinned. ¡°Stupid reasons that you don¡¯t want to know about.¡±

    I stood up and Chanted. ¡°Forge, guardian of craft and making! I call you!¡± The familiar roaring rush of power flooding up out of my stomach, and the feel of my mana dropping rapidly, though I noted with pride that I could summon twice now, without coughing blood or dipping into my hitpoints to pay for the cost!

    Forge roared into existence, his voice a harsh rush of air over heated flame. ¡°I answer, Child of ?ther. What would you have of me?¡±

    ¡°Forge, I need you to create clothes for me and my four companions.¡±

    The dragon¡¯s head slowly surveyed our small group. ¡°Of what manner?¡± it inquired.

    Yes! I thought triumphantly. I hadn¡¯t been sure that he could do this!

    ¡°The uniforms of the city watch.¡±

    The dragon mulled over this, then nodded slowly. ¡°Difficult, but doable. Let us begin.¡±

    The dragon exhaled over us, flame roaring over us like the heat of a forge. Priya gave a little squeak of fear, and fainted dead away, while Daniyel placed himself in front of Darshanna before realizing that the heat did not hurt or harm, though I found myself blushing crimson and giving a little shriek of embarrassment as my clothes were blown into ash and dust. I slapped my hands over my breasts and groin, mortified, as Darshanna did the same.

    Huh¡­ she¡¯s a redhead. I found myself thinking, followed by Lilyanna, for shame! Don¡¯t gawk!

    I yanked my gaze away, just in time to feel the steady roar of Forge¡¯s breath materialize clothing around me, the feel and touch of a city watch uniform cloaking my body. I let out an enormous sigh of relief, and let myself unclench.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± I found myself saying, giving rapid and deep bows to everyone. ¡°I¡¯m so very sorry! I had no idea, please, I apologize!¡±

    ¡°Our pact is done, Child of ?ther. Be warned, the next creation will cost you considerably more.¡± And then he was gone in a flash of heat and red gold light.

    Devdan looked down at the unconscious Priya, then back to me, his eyes suspiciously bright. ¡°It was nothing.¡± He said gallantly. ¡°It is forgotten.¡±

    ¡°I cannot say I will forget this, Miss Lilyanna.¡± Daniyel¡¯s voice rumbled. ¡°But as the embarrassment was shared equally by all, I hold no ill will towards you.¡±

    ¡°Well I have some beef!¡± Darshanna shrieked at me. ¡°Naked! ALL OF US NAKED!¡±

    I made hurried and frantic shushing motions.

    ¡°I will not -mmhuhmum!¡± As Daniyel¡¯s large hands clapped firmly over Darshanna¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Captain.¡± He said gravely. ¡°The task at hand, now. The recriminations later.¡±

    Darshanna¡¯s eyes were fierce, but she reluctantly nodded once, and Daniyel slowly took his hand away from her mouth.

    ¡°We have beef, {Spiritist}!¡± She pointed at me. ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get off lightly!¡±

    Devdan coughed. ¡°As I am local to this city, and know a fair few of its laws, I recommend that I be the spokesperson for our little ¡®detachment¡¯?¡±

    I nodded, as I knelt down to check on Priya. ¡°That sounds like a very good idea.¡± I agreed, as I cast a quick {Heal}, bringing Priya back to awareness.

    ¡°What happened?! Where am I?! C-city watch!?¡± She started to panic, but before things could get completely out of hand, Devdan knelt down and placed his hand over her mouth.

    ¡°Pri. It¡¯s me. Part of the escape. We¡¯re headed to the Air Port now. We¡¯re going to dress as City Watch. All of us.¡± He lifted his hand slowly, and Priya¡¯s eyes got wide as she realized she was wearing a city watch uniform as well.

    ¡°Oh.¡± She said, with a small voice, then started to struggle upright. She suddenly blushed crimson. ¡°I was-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really best if we don¡¯t think about it, Pri. I love you regardless.¡± Devdan said sincerely.

    Priya¡¯s blush was nova bright, and I could feel a sympathetic echo in my own cheecks. ¡°Right. Um. Lets¡­¡± Priya waved vaguely, then staggered upright.

    ¡°Yes, lets.¡± Devdan led the way out of the alley and into the brightly lit streets.

    Devdan was as good as his word. Walking boldly around the streets in the guard uniforms, we were immediately accosted by a senior watch officer, and reprimanded for being ¡®in the wrong place¡¯. Devdan played the role of the haughty jumped up son of a local noble to the hilt, and we were shortly ¡°ordered¡± to the Air Port to investigate continued traffic and escaped criminals. I let out a long breath I didn¡¯t realize I¡¯d been holding as we marched stiffly towards the Air Port.

    ¡°That was a close one.¡± I said.

    ¡°Not at all.¡± Devdan assured me. ¡°There are enough noble¡¯s third sons in the watch that it was an easy guess. And once the captain knew that that¡¯s what I was, he would be more than happy to get rid of us on a simple and hard to screw up mission.¡±

    ¡°But why are they looking for us so intently?!¡± Darshanna asked.

    ¡°I told you¡­ or, rather, I explained it to Miss Lilyanna. Priya and I are considered quite important. Our families will both be screaming their heads off and demanding that the city watch find us.¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course! That makes sense.¡± Darshanna nodded.

    Yes, I rather imagine the panic that was spreading in the royal capital when you went missing was similar. I thought wryly.

    Several streets down, and we had another encounter, then another as we tried to ¡®patrol¡¯ quietly to avoid another. The city watch truly was out in force, but Devdan displayed a natural talent with the guards, each time talking us through the issue, though we had to backtrack several times to throw off suspicion. To my surprise, Darshanna displayed a shocking amount of common sense by suggesting a better route, and a clever distraction based on the watches patrol route.

    Things went much more smoothly after that. I felt almost embarrassed to realize we were having so much trouble with a basic mini-game.

    Things sure look different when you¡¯re walking inside the maze instead of isometric. I thought.

    Still the delay gave me time to do something I¡¯d been meaning to do for too long. I slipped beside Daniyel and asked quietly. ¡°May I speak with you on a sensitive topic, Daniyel?¡±

    He looked at me with almost serene calm, but I could feel his surprise. ¡°Of course, Miss Lilyanna. I shall do my best to remain discreet. Though if it affects my captain in any way-¡°

    I held up a hand and smiled. ¡°No worries, I understand. No, it does not.¡±

    He relaxed again. ¡°Then I endeavor to be attentive to your concerns. Please continue.¡±

    ¡°You know that Soriya is a very dear friend of mine, yes?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Your connection is obvious to any with eyes.¡±

    I nodded in satisfaction. ¡°So you know that I¡¯m concerned for her happiness. So I want to be clear, I¡¯m ok with you dating her, but if you harm her, there will be honeysuckle¡¯s own judgement raining on you.¡±

    He looked at me with such a startled expression, as though a kitten had suddenly clawed his nose. I couldn¡¯t help a small giggle, which only made the expression on his face even funnier.

    His flustered expression soon cleared however, and he gave me a grave bow. ¡°Miss Lilyanna, I hold your friend in the highest regard. I assure you that I would never stain her honor. I am¡­ aware of her interest.¡± His face flickered with conflicted shadows before he went on. ¡°It is not that I am averse to them, but rather that I have a task that has precedence to it.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± I said softly. ¡°Your captain. Of course.¡±

    His eyes flickered briefly with thought, then he gave his polite bow. ¡°It is as you say.¡±

    I chewed my lower lip in thought for a while. ¡°I suppose I can understand that¡­ but perhaps you should let her know. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair to ask her to wait forever. Or to leave her emotions hanging unanswered like that.¡±

    Daniyel gave me a glance, then looked away. I could almost hear a guilty voice in my head asking like you do with Eshaan? I shoved it to the side, and focused on Daniyel.

    He gave a short nod, after a moment. ¡°It is as you say. I do not often fear conflict, but in matters of the heart, I am as weak as a sandkitten.¡± He firmed his mouth and nodded, standing straighter. ¡°I must thank you, Miss Lilyanna. Indeed. I have been remiss in my duty. When we return, I will speak forthrightly to Miss Soriya.¡±

    ¡°Daniyel¡­¡± I paused, then reached out to touch his arm. ¡°Your duty is important, but don¡¯t let it strip all happiness from you. I don¡¯t think your vow should preclude a relationship. Even one that must end.¡±

    Daniyel stiffened and pulled his arm away from my touch. ¡°Some vows are more strict than others.¡± He said stiffly.

    I sighed and let my hand drop. ¡°Yes, I suppose that¡¯s true. But no one knows what the future may hold.¡±

    Daniyel chuckled, looking down at me. ¡°In your case, that does not seem to be the truth, Miss Lilyanna. You have foreseen multiple improbable events.¡±

    I scowled up at him. ¡°That¡¯s different.¡±

    He raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°Indeed? Then I must learn this difference so I may duplicate your feat.¡±

    I scowled harder, and let the subject drop.

    Finally, following Darshanna¡¯s route, we arrived. The airship docks were quiet, though I could smell oil and metal and the faint exotic tang that came from the discharge of so many elemental crystals in the air.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯re here, the situation is simple.¡± Devdan said. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the counter, and retrieve our crew documents, and then we¡¯ll board the ship.¡±

    ¡°Is it really going to be that easy?¡± Asked Darshanna.

    Devdan gave a smooth as oil smile. ¡°I am quite confident.¡± We followed behind him as our little crew of ¡®city watch¡¯ appeared at the Ghalagher shipping window. Devdan requested the paperwork citing ¡®regulation check, and family influence¡¯ and very shortly we had 6 passenger packets passed around between us. Darshanna examined hers curiously, while Priya clutched hers for dear life, her eyes wide, and her cheeks flushed.

    ¡°I would wish that you¡¯d left us our clothes, Miss Lilyanna.¡± Devdan said dryly, as my cheeks flamed crimson. ¡°But I cannot deny the effectiveness of our disguises. Let us hurry.¡±

    Devdan led the way up several flights of stairs and across a confusing array of open decking, empty hangars and docks, and to a truly massive whale of a ship waiting quietly in its vast cavernous dock. A giant barely streamlined teardrop, magitech engines spinning slowly and the low quiet hum of machinery thrumming in the air. It had about as much resemblance to the smooth sleek lines of the Imperial navy airships that I¡¯d wrecked as a fat cow does to a buffalo.

    ¡°Wow.¡± I said, stumbling to a halt as I realized just how big it was. Priya and Darshanna were much less impressed, and I had to hurry to catch up with our little group as Devdan reached the boarding ramp. A bored looking flight crew snapped alert at the sight of five city watch appearing in front of him, and I could see his visible confusion as we handed him our crew vouchers.

    ¡°You¡¯re the excess crew we were supposed to take on?¡± he asked in confusion, looking over the paperwork. ¡°Oh! I get it! Right, you must be here for the cargo security. Right. Cargo¡¯s in the aft hold, crew bunks 107 and 9 should have space. Now that you¡¯re here, I¡¯ll let captain know, and we should be clear to leave in 30.¡±

    Devdan nodded as though this was all normal, but as we headed into the ship following the neatly labeled directions towards crew quarters Devdan remarked ¡°Curious. I have no idea what cargo they were specifying.¡±

    Behind us, I could hear the sounds of the gangway retracting, and the thrum of the magitech engines started to build in power. Priya let out a long sigh.

    ¡°I just want to rest somewhere! This has been the most stressful night of my entire life!¡± she wailed.

    Devdan looked at her sympathetically, then turned to me. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, perhaps we should¡­?¡± he trailed off.

    ¡°Oh yeah, definitely.¡± I said.

    ¡°Indeed, the lady should have her rest.¡± Daniyel said calmly.

    Darshanna grimaced and shot Priya a look of distaste, but agreed. I was suddenly reminded of her playacting of the Lady Amala. It made an awful lot suddenly click together.

    Regardless, we soon arrived at the specified quarters. Plain, ordinary, but very clean and comfortable enough. We took the time to get sorted and splash a bit of water on our faces.

    ¡°I would like to examine this mysterious cargo.¡± Darshanna said once we¡¯d done so.

    Priya moaned dramatically, and flopped on her bunk.

    Devdan frowned at her, and then looked at us sympathetically. ¡°I¡¯d best stay here with Pri, but it would be best to be seen ¡®doing our duty¡¯. I can give you directions to the cargo area?¡± he offered.

    Darshanna smiled brightly, possibly cheered at the possibility of escaping from Priya. ¡°Yes, that sounds grand, right Daniyel!?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Grand.¡± Daniyel said, his eyes rolling slightly.

    Darshanna looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. ¡°You know I can hear you when you do that, right?¡±

    He looked down at her impassively, his arms crossed. ¡°Do what, Captain? I am merely repeating your assertion.¡± He said in a tone as dry as desert wind.

    Darshanna huffed and swirled in a flounce that probably looked quite grand in a ballgown, and marched out the door. ¡°Never mind! This is a modified TY-2700. I can find the cargo hold myself.¡± She said.

    Daniyel sighed again, and said ¡°We¡¯d best follow her, to keep her from getting lost in admiring the machinery.¡± He bowed hurriedly to Priya and Devdan. ¡°We shall return in due time.¡±

    Catching up with Darshanna, we shortly were almost lost within the twisting labyrinth of the lower holds and corridors. The signs became considerably less helpful, and despite Daniyel¡¯s predictions, Darshanna remained remarkably focused on the task, able to navigate the hallways seemingly by a natural mechanical instinct.

    As we toggled open our 12<sup>th</sup> hatch, we felt the ship give a slow lurch under us, and the pulse of the engines increased.

    ¡°There. We¡¯re on our way.¡± Darshanna said, as she stepped through the hatchway. ¡°These old freighters have a distinct pulse to the engine harmonics. One-two-down-down.¡± She counted to herself. ¡°You get used to it.¡±

    I shook my head, baffled. I couldn¡¯t feel a thing, the mana flows were steady and quiet as far as I was concerned, but Darshanna seemed confident.

    We reached the rear cargo area to find a crewman standing guard near a hatchway neatly marked ¡®Rear Cargo, Bays 201 ¨C 401¡¯.

    Or at least, so my brain interprets the funny fantasy alphabet. How strange, I haven¡¯t thought about that for days now.

    Before we could say anything, the crewman perked up. ¡°Oh thank the crystal dragon, you must be the relief!¡± He came towards us, smiling gratefully. ¡°City watch, eh? Wow, they must really be worried about this stuff. I don¡¯t suppose you could tell us what it is?¡±

    Darshanna affected a high tone, nose in the air. ¡°That¡¯s hardly proper procedure, you know both of us could be in serious trouble if we were to tell you that kind of secure information!¡± she said. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not suggesting we let you look inside the crates!?¡±

    ¡°No, no! Of course not!¡± the crewman waved his hands in front of himself. ¡°Well. It¡¯s late, and my bunk is calling.¡± He gave us a careless wave, and vanished down the dimly lit corridors.

    Darshanna watched him go with a gleeful smile on her face. ¡°Oh yeah, this is good stuff!¡± She clapped her hands together and rubbed them excitedly. ¡°Now, lets see what¡¯s so important that they¡¯re shipping it in high stealth!¡±

    I blinked at her. ¡°But¡­ the hatch is security coded, how-¡±

    Darshanna had already produced a small set of magitech probes and metal tools and was crouched down excitedly tinkering with the security system.

    I looked over at Daniyel worriedly. He seemed perfectly unworried, but then he always seemed perfectly unworried.

    ¡°Is she¡­?¡±

    He turned to me, calm. ¡°We are air pirates, Miss Lilyanna. We¡¯re not inexperienced in this matter.¡±

    His words were underlined by a soft ¡®click¡¯ and a clear chime as the hatch slid to the side, revealing rows and rows of wooden cases stacked high into the darkness of the hold.

    ¡°Oh.¡± I said. ¡°Well. So you are!¡±

    We stepped inside, the hatch sliding closed behind us. I conjured up a small ball of light, which floated upwards into the darkness, illuminating an endless row of wooden cases that made me wonder if the ark of the covenant was stored somewhere in here.

    Darshanna was giggling with glee as she pried the lid off a nearby case. The lid slid to the floor with a thud, and I saw gleaming rows of rifles packed neatly in brown packing fluff.

    Darshanna stared at the gear with her eyes wide. ¡°Oh¡­ wow¡­¡± she breathed as she reached in and pulled out one of the odd fantasy rifles like Diaboli. ¡°This is¡­ a brand new 87-KM. The design just came out of the imperial labs¡­¡± she turned it over reverently, then placed it back in the container, prying another lid off. Rows of staffs with gleaming imperial crests and crystal ornaments at the tip met our gaze. We stared at them for a while, and I felt a stirring of greed.

    My staff looks like a stick next to these¡­

    Daniyel said quietly. ¡°Weapons. There are enough weapons here to arm an entire regiment.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ what are they all for?¡± Darshanna said plaintively.

    ¡°Nothing good.¡± I said grimly.

 35 Too much cliche for a healthy narrative

    I gestured to the open boxes. ¡°We¡¯d better close these up. Quick.¡±

    Darshanna frowned at me and said ¡°But why? We¡¯re air pirates, why not get ourselves new gear!? It¡¯s clear that the suppliers aren¡¯t the good guys, we¡¯re clearly in the right here! Besides, they won¡¯t miss just a few pieces!¡±

    I paused, chewing my lower lip uncertainly. The magic staffs in the crate were undeniably appealing. And Eshaan would definitely appreciate a new top-quality sword¡­ but somehow it just didn¡¯t sit right with me. It was stealing, even if it was stealing from a villain! But those arguments wouldn¡¯t fly with Darshanna.

    ¡°Well.¡± I thought rapidly. ¡°But these weapons are supposed to be going somewhere. Going to Spyre. And when they get there, someone will check! And we¡¯re supposedly in charge of the shipment, so we¡¯re sure to be questioned, or at least people who look just like us will be sought for questioning. It seems like an awful risk to take!¡± I pushed a {Persuade} as hard as I dared.

    Darshanna faltered, looking longingly at the weapons in the crate.

    ¡°Darshanna, I think someone is coming for these weapons. I suspect we¡¯re going to have to fight.¡±

    Darshanna clutched the gun and looked around alertly. ¡°Where? How many? Did you hear them?!¡±

    ¡°No, I mean¡­ I think¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just a seer thing.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s all the more reason to take the weapons! If the ship is going to be attacked, we should definitely be prepared!¡± She argued.

    ¡°But what if I¡¯m wrong? And even if I¡¯m not, we still are due at Spyre in less than a day, the loss will be counted!¡±

    There was a thunderous BOOM from above us, and the whole ship lurched sideways, throwing me against the cliffs of weapon crates. I sighed. ¡°Or we could just have that fight now.¡± I muttered to myself.

    Darshanna brightened up, clutching her shiny new rifle. ¡°It¡¯s too late to discuss it now! We should set up an ambush, since they¡¯re here for the weapons!¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t they disable the engines first?¡± I raised my eyebrows at her.

    She nodded. ¡°Well yeah, of course that¡¯s standard practice of an air pirate. Hey wait!¡± She visibly brightened. ¡°If these are air pirates, they¡¯re the good guys!¡±

    My mouth fell open and I stared at her, several pieces suddenly falling into place. ¡°Oh spirits above, you read trashy adventure romance novels.¡± I blurted.

    Darshanna looked at me with a wounded expression on her face. ¡°What does my taste in reading matter?!¡± She said angrily.

    Daniyel interposed himself between us. ¡°If I might, ladies, we have been given the opportunity to make a tactical choice. Stay and ambush, or meet the raiders elsewhere.¡±

    I scowled. ¡°Alright, yes. You¡¯re right.¡± I said to him. ¡°You¡¯re the one with real experience, I¡¯m just a jumped-up village girl. Where do we go?¡± I had to admit, it felt kind of nice to just let someone else make the choice.

    I owe Eshaan and apology. It really is much easier. I thought ruefully.

    Daniyel looked around briefly, then nodded. ¡°We should risk your seer sight, it has been correct more often than it has been wrong. We will lay our trap here, in the canyons of the hold.¡± He said it like a decision, but I caught the way he looked at Darshanna, asking for permission.

    She briefly looked unsure, but then clutched her rifle again and nodded firmly. ¡°Here is good. Let¡¯s get started.¡±

    We rapidly laid out a plan of ambush, setting up crates to fall and create choke points. Daniyel rummaged in the crates for his chosen weapon and found them, pulling on runed gauntlets that glowed faintly. I shook my head and clutched my old staff when Darshanna pushed a new one towards me.

    ¡°No thank you.¡± I said primly. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten this far with this one, and Soriya just upgraded it. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I hope. I added mentally.

    I¡¯d never heard of an ambush being laid in a jrpg before¡­ well, not by the heroes anyway! I hoped this wasn¡¯t a mistake, but I knew I¡¯d taken them in¡­

    ¡°What, what levels are you at?¡± I said suddenly.

    ¡°Now? Why do you ask us this now?¡± Daniyel said with a frown.

    ¡°Well-¡± I started.

    The hatch in the ceiling of the cargo hold exploded, raining metal debris down on us and rapelling ropes slithered down from overhead. Looking up, I could see the bright spotlights of another airship, small and sleek and somehow vicious looking, a sleek dart of bronzegold with shimmering blue engines.

    Overhead, the shriek of a dying man reached us, followed by the tumbling body of a crewman kicked over the edge of the hatch. It landed on the crates with a sickening wet meat thud and the cracking of bones. I swallowed hard against the sudden urge to throw up as the body suddenly dissolved into bright motes of light.

    Ok. Definitely not the romantic kind of air pirates then. I thought grimly. I glanced over at Darshanna in her hiding spot. Her face had gone pale, and the knuckles gripping her rifle were white with strain.

    Several rough looking men with cruel expressions on their face peered over the edge of the hold from above.

    ¡°Aye lads, go get the the cargo and we¡¯re away! We¡¯ve got a payday to attend too!¡± Harsh laughter met this proclamation, with several of the other men proclaiming

    ¡°I still say it¡¯s a pity about the crew, we could have held them to ransom.¡±

    The one who spoke first casually backhanded the pirate with the butt of his rifle. ¡°We¡¯ve got our commission, and you¡¯re not smart enough to be asking questions, Jenkins! Now get down there, and start securing the hold!¡± He spat into the hold below him. ¡°Crew says there¡¯s security down there, which was not what our charming patron promised, but luckily captain¡¯s not so stupid as to believe everything they say.¡±

    More grumbling, and group of four men started to rappel down the ropes towards us. I grimaced. The one on top was going to be a problem. To say he had the high ground was a bit of an understatement.

    Five of them, three of us, two of us under leveled, and I just had to refuse a weapon upgrade. I berated myself angrily. And let¡¯s not forget, if the crew isn¡¯t held to ransom, that means the cargo ship is crashing right now because they¡¯re all dead or unconscious. This night just keeps getting better and better.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start off the show with a bang, then.¡± I muttered to myself, and closed my eyes, focusing on my staff for a summon.

    ¡°Forge, come to my call, I need your aid.¡± I whispered. The feeling of the dragon¡¯s maw opening inside me, and the roaring power of heat and metal poured forth, draining my mana pool.

    The dragon bellowed with the roar of a blast furnace. ¡°I come, Child of ?ther. If battle is sought, then these enemies will taste the heat of Forge!¡±

    ¡°Holy shit!¡± ¡°What the hell!?¡± ¡°What is that?!¡± ¡°Nobody said this ship had dragons on it?!¡± the panicked screams of the boarding crew filled the air. Sharp cracks of a rifle sounded overhead, sending wood splinters flying through the air.

    ¡°Shut up, you lot! The mission hasn¡¯t changed, kill them all, take the crates, scuttle the ship!¡± The pirate on overwatch shouted down at them, brandishing his weapon.

    The pirates charged our little fortification, guns blazing. Crackling shards of wood flew through the air, cutting hair thin lines in my face. I could see Darshanna wince and raise her arm to shield her face, but Daniyel had no such hesitation.

    Roaring, he burst out of the crates, slapping his fists together, the glowing runes around his gauntlet weapons activating.

    Wow, those gloves he picked up are really good. I thought enviously. I really wish I wasn¡¯t so soft hearted about stealing¡­ my focus was drawn back into the fight by another stinging salvo of bullets and hail of splinters.

    Right, fight first, survive second, whine about being a heroine to be determined.

    Darshanna leveled her new rifle across her arm and took aim, firing with a sharp crack of sound, the bullet hit one of the raiders square in the shoulder. He grunted, but kept coming.

    What the hell, is that even a thing?!

    ¡°Beware! They are higher level than the average thugs!¡± Daniyel shouted as he grappled with the raiders.

    Holy shit¡­ can I¡­ I have superpowers?! I can take a bullet now?! Ok, it would still hurt, but that¡¯s¡­ so cool! I¡¯m supergirl!

    Forge brought me back to reality with a jolt. ¡°I am ready, Child of ?ther!¡± He roared. ¡°Behold, the heat of creation!¡±

    Fire erupted within the hold, focused on the pirates, flames shooting high enough to reach the pirate leader at the top of the hatch. They screamed, and twisted wildly trying to escape, but the licking tounges of red heat followed them, lashing them and leaving black stripes of burned flesh. The hold filled with the smell of burning meat, which made me gag as I realized it actually smelled good.

    Forge burnt itself out in a flash of orange white heat and was gone. I panted quietly, feeling the heat of sunburn tingling on my face and arms.

    I thought burned flesh was supposed to smell sickening¡­I cringed inside, and then realized, actually, I did feel sick. Sick because it smelled so good but I knew what it was.

    Darshanna racked another shell into her rifle and snapped of a shot. There was a scream, and one of the pirates spun around, falling back against the crate. He didn¡¯t burst into glowing motes of light, so these guys really were tough! I didn¡¯t know how I felt about that, they were trying to kill us, and I still wasn¡¯t happy with trying to murder them back. Did that make me stupid? Soft hearted? How did you deal with a world that wanted to end you?!

    Daniyel wasn¡¯t waiting for my moral qualms to matter, he rushed forward and picked up the fallen pirate, reared back, and punched him, leaving a glowing wake as his fist moved forward. The pirate flew backwards, just like an action movie, and slammed hard into the rear of the hold. The metal of the rear wall buckled, and bent outwards from the impact. The slow slide of the pirate to the floor was interrupted by the sparkle and shimmer of light as his body dissolved into motes of light, his equipment clattering to the floor.

    Daniyel turned back to the pirates, and slammed his fists together. ¡°Who will be next? Will you all meet the gods, or will some of you show sense?¡±

    His rather dramatic declamation was quite ruined as the dented wall behind him suddenly exploded outwards, sucking him towards it. As the noise and smoke cleared, an enormous smoking hole in the cargo bulkhead was revealed and beyond it an enormous crystal core pulsing with energy, bronze gold tubes and wires ringing it and running every which way, thrumming and sparkling with magical energy. I could feel the disruption in the mana now, it was like an itch in my teeth.

    ¡°Damn then all! They¡¯ve ruined the sinking!¡± The air pirate above shouted down. ¡°Kill them, or this whole plan is scuttled! This ship can¡¯t make harbor!¡±

    Daniyel remained irritatingly cool, as he turned to Darshanna. ¡±Captain, the core has been mined with high elemental charges, and I see no trace of the engineers that should be tending the engine core.¡±

    Great, just what I needed. They either died from that explosion, or more likely, were already dead. I gritted my teeth. But this is why I asked for Darshanna. One genius engineer coming up. I turned to her, and saw her face ghost white, her hands trembling with fear.

    I swallowed, feeling my own stomach drop into my feet. Now? Of all times, now?

    I crawled over the crates to where Darshanna crouched, shivering. I dumped mana into my {Persuade} with reckless abandon, and grabbed the sides of Darshanna face between my hands and stared intently into her eyes. ¡°Darshanna. There are elemental charges set to go off on the core, and the ship is falling out of the sky. You are the only one on this ship I trust to keep us airborne and alive. Go!¡±

    Darshanna looked at me with a panicked expression, then I saw my {Persuade} take hold as I let go of her. Her eyes narrowed, her mouth firmed, and she gave one firm nod. ¡°I won¡¯t let my crew down.¡± She promised, and scrambled through the burning hole in the rear.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    I ran towards Daniyel, bullets splintering around me, feeling the sting as they came close enough to kiss.

    If this was less dangerous, I¡¯d feel quite cool, like I was in an action movie. I congratulated myself. I dove behind a crate whose top exploded into flinders just as I belly flopped onto the deck below it.

    I looked up to see Daniyel¡¯s expression, his stoic mask finally showing a flicker of real emotion, torn between running after his charge, and staying here to protect us, and continue to uphold the fiction.

    I shook my head. Why am I the one that has to be the adult, I¡¯m only seventeen! I shouted in my head. ¡°Right, Gate! You¡¯re up!¡±

    The summons roared up from my soul, the purple black of his coils flickering as bullets spanged wildly into him.

    ¡°Child of ?ther, you do bring me into the most interesting places.¡± It remarked dryly.

    ¡°Of all the places, I do not need my summons giving me sass!¡± I snapped at it, then glanced at Daniyel still frozen. I shook my head. Right. Let¡¯s do this.

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± I shouted at him. ¡°Go after her! She¡¯s your princess isn¡¯t she?! Go, I¡¯ll hold them here!¡±

    I can¡¯t believe I just said such a corny line. Spirits, I hope I¡¯m right about this¡­

    Daniyel looked at me, his eyes going wide then sharply narrowing, before giving me a single nod, freighted with meaning, then scrambled after Darshanna.

    Above, the pirate commander screamed in rage. ¡°What are you doing you fools! She¡¯s just one girl, dragon or not! Kill her! Trevor, Masters, get down the engine hatches and stop that girl!¡±

    I grinned, and said quietly ¡°Now, Gate. Unleash.¡±

    ¡°Ah, at last you use my true powers. It will be my pleasure, Child of ?ther.¡± My mana dropped to zero and the world erupted into a silence so profound it was a sound unto itself. A giant purple black ball of nothing appeared and shot into the sky, and where it touched nothing was left behind. I risked a look over the crates¡­ or what was left of them. Scattered armaments and drops were left behind. My sigh of relief was broken by the sounds of multiple footsteps landing around me, and worse, behind me.

    The engine room. They¡¯re in the engine room. I thought grimly. The sound of Daniyel¡¯s brawler style gauntlets activating confirmed it, followed by cries of surprise and pain and wet thuds.

    I coughed wetly and spat out a little bit of blood. Apparently, I¡¯d dipped a bit too deeply into my mana pool to summon Gate.

    ¡°Great.¡± I muttered to myself. ¡°Now if only this were a shonen manga, then I¡¯d be sure to win.¡± I grabbed a mana potion from my belt and knocked it back, feeling my head swim from the intense gush of raw energy. ¡°Am I really going to do this?¡± I stared at my staff for a moment, before sound of bullets ricocheting off the bulkheads and deck around me answered for me. ¡°Yes. Yes, I am. Come get some, you meadowlarks.¡±

    I closed my eyes and called a name I¡¯d not spoken for some time. ¡°Tower, I call you. I¡­¡± I stumbled, then continued. ¡°I request a judgement.¡±

    My mana drained to zero instantly, and I could feel a bit of my life force drain as well from the power Tower demanded.

    She roared upwards and blossomed into white light, an impenetrable fortress shielding me and the gap behind me. At least for a moment. The bullets hammered hard on the shield, and I saw Tower bricks drawn in light splinter and spawl outwards.

    Tower looked at me with her glowing white eyes. ¡°Did you expect my walls to be strong, when you requested a judgement? One does not come with the other.¡±

    ¡°Great, just what I need, my summon is lecturing me on the price of power and morality.¡± I snapped at her. ¡°I¡¯m aware of the price, Tower.¡±

    The dragon closed her eyes in a slow blink, then nodded to me. ¡°I attempt to sympathize with a Keyholder. We all do, if you would ask.¡±

    I closed my eyes and nodded. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll take that under advisement. In the meantime?¡±

    ¡°Yes of course Keyholder. I will do as you ask.¡± Tower began to glow, a slowly curling white light building inside her. The crate I was sheltering behind exploded in a shower of chips and wood, and several elemental crystals inside it detonated. I was flung backwards hard into the bulkhead, and coughed up considerably more blood than just an artistic smear merited. In point of fact, it felt like my ribs had been shattered and my hip cracked.

    ¡°Now we¡¯ve got her! Fire! Fire!¡±

    Bullets spanged off the metal around me, and several impacted me solidly in the shoulder, the chest, the gut.

    Wonderful. I really do have superpowers. Spirits above, this hurts so badly. I take it back, I am not supergirl.

    I looked up at the approaching pirates who grinned cruelly at me. ¡°I am Lilyanna of Breezewood.¡± I took a breath that made my vision go red with agony. ¡°Behind me are two of my most trusted friends who are going to ruin your plans. And you will not get through me.¡±

    They grinned cruelly, raising their weapons. I closed my eyes, and breathed out. ¡°Now, Tower.¡±

    I felt my body scream in agony as more life was drained from it. And then world exploded with a sound so loud it was not sound at all, and a light so brilliant that everything went black. The ship rocked under me, and a pillar of pure light speared through the ship coring a hole through the decks above and below in an instant. It speared through the pirate skiff above us, which violently exploded into a shower of glittering bronze gold bits, and then smaller red and orange explosions as its elemental engines overloaded and detonated.

    Smaller spears of light darted out of the pillar of devouring light darting through the chest of each pirate on the vessel, their bodies instantly dissolving into motes of sparkling light and the clatter of equipment hitting the deck.

    The light went out, and with it all my strength seemed to leave me. I toppled forward, looking down into empty abyss of the hole that Tower had left in the airship¡¯s deck, seeing tiny motes of light far, far below me.

    Behind me, I felt/heard the sounds of a giant mana engine spinning up and the sounds of slowly building functional machinery.

    ¡°Oh good. She got the engines online.¡± I said.

    <{Arcanist} Advanced to level 5. {Arcane Regeneration}, unlocked. {Orator} Advanced to level¡­.> the world soul¡¯s voice melted into haze and silence as I passed out.

    I came to with the taste of fruit and the welcome burn of healing potion working its way through me, pulling my shattered bones and organs back into their proper locations. I coughed weakly, then said ¡°Ow.¡±

    I opened my eyes to see that my head was resting in Darshanna¡¯s lap. She smiled hesitantly at me. ¡°Sorry, I know you would have preferred Eshaan, but it¡¯s just me.¡± I started to laugh, which turned into a choking cough of agony shooting through my entire torso. I whimpered and curled into a ball of hurt. ¡°Ow.¡± I said again. ¡°I didn¡¯t know bad jokes could hurt like that.¡±

    ¡°You got banged up pretty bad.¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to drink the healing potions, you know? Not have them broken all over you.¡± She patted my shoulder gently.

    ¡°Oh.¡± I groaned and struggled upright as the healing potion finished restoring the worst of my lost HP. ¡°Is that why?¡± I said tiredly.

    ¡°Devdan and Priya are ok.¡± She continued. ¡°So are most of the crew, though we¡¯re flying at quarter speed. Oh, your hair¡¯s back to pink too¡­ I don¡¯t know if that was the healing potions or the¡­ whatever it was you did, though.¡±

    I nodded wearily. ¡°That¡¯s good skypirating.¡± I said.

    Darshanna was silent beside me, then she said bitterly ¡°You don¡¯t have to mock me, you know. Daniyel told me everything. How long have you known?¡±

    I chewed my lower lip, debating if I should pretend or not, then decided against it. I¡¯d kind of blown my cover by telling Daniyel.

    ¡°I suspected since I met you in Farna. I only knew for the past week. And I¡¯m not mocking you. You can be a sky pirate and a princess.¡±

    She was silent again, looking down at her fists clenched on her knees. Her knuckles were white with tension. ¡°No¡­ you can¡¯t.¡± She got out, her throat tight. ¡°That¡¯s kind of the problem.¡±

    I scooted around to face her. ¡°We¡¯re not dead, so you disarmed the bomb, and fixed the engines. In the middle of a firefight with a rival gang of sky pirates. Sounds pretty sky piratey to me.¡±

    She looked up at me, her cheeks streaked with quiet tears. ¡°Stop mocking me!¡± she shouted angrily.

    I leaned back, and sighed. I¡¯ve done it wrong again. I should be gentler.

    ¡°I¡¯m not mocking you, Darshanna.¡± I had no mana left, a {Persuade} was out of the question, but I needed her to believe me.

    ¡°The mockery you¡¯re hearing is inside your head, not outside. Everyone who¡¯s put you down, everyone who¡¯s told you what you are and must be. Everyone who¡¯s always told you to forget who you are, ignore what you want to do, burn what you love for the sake of who they want you to be. I¡¯m just one of your crew.¡± I leaned over and hugged her tightly, ignoring the stab of pain from my ribs. ¡°You said you were going to save your crew, and you did. You were right. Just like you said back home, you weren¡¯t a burden.¡±

    Darshanna¡¯s tears turned into full fledged sobbing, and I held her while the storm of emotion worked its way out.

    A thrum and throb of energy wash made me look up, to see a fleet of airships through the cavernous hole in the decking above me.

    Darshanna wiped her eyes and said awkwardly. ¡°Oh yeah. And the imperial fleet is here to rescue us.¡±

    I sighed, and my shoulders slumped. ¡°Of course it is.¡±

    Like a flash of lightning, I knew what had to be coming. I rapidly reviewed my meager options. Run? Where? How? With what? Fight? No mana. No mana potions. Barely above half hp. Surrender?

    ¡°Spirits and void, I hate being kidnapped! I hate autoloss battles!¡± I spat. ¡°We are on a timetable here; I can¡¯t make Eshaan and Soriya come rescue me! I won¡¯t let them!¡±

    Darshanna looked at me with wide eyes. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    I pointed to the airfleet above me. ¡°Commander Khine is up there, and when he sees me, he will arrest me and everyone around me. Then Eshaan and Soriya will have to travel all the way to Spyre on their own to rescue me, which completely negates the point of my whole trip!¡±

    Darshanna looked up at the fleet then back at me as though I was insane. ¡°There are thirteen imperial fleets, Lilyanna, the odds that Commander Khine is on one of those ships is-¡°

    ¡°Attention, cargo ship! Heave to, and prepare to receive boarders!¡± Commander Khine¡¯s amplified voice rang out from the airships overhead.

    Darshanna¡¯s mouth dropped open as she stared at me.

    ¡°Any attempt to resist will be met with deadly force. I give you my word, if you surrender to the imperial forces, you will not be harmed!¡± The amplified message continued.

    I gave Darshanna a flat look. ¡°You were saying?¡± I said, in a tone as dry as dust.

    ¡°How¡­ how do you do that!?¡±

    ¡°If you really want to know, I¡¯ll have Soriya set up a lecture series to explain it, but for now¡­ options? Because I¡¯m tapped.¡± I sagged against a crate.

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll come up with something!¡± Darshanna¡¯s lips firmed. ¡°You¡¯re part of my -crew!¡±

    I smiled weakly as I leaned my head back against a crate. ¡°As long as I¡¯m not part of the ship¡­¡± I murmured softly, letting my eyes close. Saints, I am so very tired.

    Shortly thereafter, I heard the rapid tromp of trooper footsteps, followed by a barked order.

    ¡°Freeze where you are! Surrender yourselves to Imperial authority!¡±

    Darshanna¡¯s reply was bone dry and filled with condescension. ¡°Yes, yes. We surrender. We¡¯re such a threat.¡±

    ¡°On your feet!¡± One of the troopers ordered. I blearily opened my eyes to see a squad of 3 troopers in imperial armor with weapons drawn, regarding us warily. Darshanna slowly helped me up as one of the troopers slowly approached with handcuffs, and then fastened them around our wrists as though we were liable to explode at any second.

    I suppose with a magitech world, that¡¯s not actually impossible. Unless your mana pool is empty. I thought.

    The troopers visibly relaxed when we offered no obvious resistance and even became slightly solicitous. ¡°Apologies for the rough treatment, ladies. The empire can¡¯t take chances with air pirate scum. It¡¯s obvious you¡¯re not part of that, but Commander Khine¡¯s orders are strict. No exceptions.¡±

    I perked up slightly, curious.

    Darshanna said ¡°Air pirates? Real air pirates? Inside the empire¡¯s borders?¡± with a deeply skeptical tone.

    The trooper glanced at me, then seemed to give a mental shrug, as if to say ¡®well she¡¯s harmless I suppose,¡¯ then said ¡°Yes ma¡¯am. And Commander Khine has been patrolling the local airspace with the Home Fleet. When the air pirates set off that weapon of theirs, it drew us in immediately.¡±

    Of course it did. I thought to myself. I was starting to feel a distinct sympathy for the spooky witch characters who always seemed to know exactly what the future held.

    I could tell by the conflicted look on Darshanna¡¯s face that she was deeply troubled by this. I said ¡°I suppose air pirates are more of rogue adventurers in those novels?¡±

    She nodded quietly.

    ¡°Hey, no talking now.¡± One of the troopers said roughly. ¡°Jorkin, you know better than to fraternize with the prisoners!¡±

    The one who¡¯d been treating us kindly, Jorkin I supposed, grumbled but said ¡°Yes, sergeant.¡± And that was the end of that.

    A few steps down the corridor, and we met up with Daniyel and his guard squad as well. They clustered us together and marched us up to the top deck in a tight group. I wasn¡¯t at all surprised that Daniyel had connived to find us so quickly, I was only surprised that he¡¯d left Darshanna alone at all.

    I¡¯ll have to ask him about that. later. After we¡¯re not prisoners anymore. Poor Soriya, she¡¯s going to miss the invention competition after all. I thought.

    I had expected to be put into a holding cell or made to wait while the rest of the crew was rounded up, but instead we were marched straight to a small airskiff, very much like the one that Darshanna had stolen and flown, directly to one of the capital ships. There we were directed to the bridge of the cruiser where Commander Khine was already interviewing five crew members. He finished just as we arrived.

    ¡°Very well, these men are harmless. Release them, corporal.¡±

    ¡°Very good sir¡± an adjunct said, and unfastened the men¡¯s handcuffs.

    He looked up at our little group, and his eyes went wide.

    ¡°You!¡± He pointed at me. ¡°So you¡¯re behind this!¡± He stalked over to me, grabbing me roughly by the chin and tilting my head up to look at him. ¡°You won¡¯t be getting away this time! Sergeant!¡± He addressed the troopers who had accompanied us. ¡°Spellcollar, now!¡±

    ¡°Sir!¡± the trooper responded, and I felt a biting cold metal ring fasten around my neck. I supposed I¡¯d feel more, if my mana wasn¡¯t already bottomed out.

    Commander Khine smiled grimly at me. ¡°You¡¯ll talk now.¡±

    I debated making a star wars quote, but nobody would understand, so instead I went with. ¡°Why Proctor Khine, how kind of you to personally seek me out to advise me on my class selection.¡±

    He stared at me angrily, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Joke all you wish, I will have the secrets of your little rebellion out of you.¡±

    ¡°Rebellion?! What are you- AH!¡± Darshanna cried out as our guards slammed a gun butt into the back of her head.

    Commander Khine paced the deck, his hands behind him. ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s obvious now, I see it. This inexplicable cargo of weapons, silently delivered. The suspicious air activity in the Northern provinces. The trade disruptions to the Galgados shipments. It¡¯s exactly as I suspected, there is a rebellion brewing. A well supplied one!¡±

    He spun on me and leveled a finger. ¡°And you are clearly part of it!¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help it, I giggled at him, he was more Vader than Vader! I immediately regretted it though.

    His face purpled with rage and he grabbed me by the throat, lifting me off the deck by main force. I felt my throat close, and I immediately started to choke, struggling for air.

    ¡°Release her!¡± I heard Darshanna¡¯s voice commanding behind me. Oh no, no Darshanna no! I wanted to yell, but I could barely breathe, I was going to die here!

    Commander Khine turned to sneer. ¡°You command nothing here, air pirate scum!¡±

    From the corner of my eye, I saw Darshanna raise her cuffed hands to her face holding an odd medallion I¡¯d never seen before. A rippling wave of color swept over her hair, turning the mass of dark brown with red streak into a vibrant shimmering mass of red. A sprinkling of freckles appeared across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. She stepped forward, her whole bearing radiating authority.

    ¡°By the order of Princess Lakshmi Maung, release her!¡± she declared. There was a quiet roar of pandemonium as ripples of shock and surprised conversation erupted around us.

    By the spirits, she really can play her part when she wants to. I thought as my vision started to grey.

    ¡°By royal right, my right to command the imperial fleets supersedes yours, Commander!¡±

    For once, Commander Khine seemed at a complete loss, his mouth gaping in surprise for the briefest of moments, before he recovered his smooth poise.

    He lowered me to the deck and the pressure on my neck eased, but he did not release me. He offered a stiff bow to Darshan- no, to Princess Lakshmi.

    Hm, pretty name, actually.

    Clicking his heels together he bowed to her, still holding my neck. ¡°My deepest apologies, your royal highness. But my orders concerning this girl come directly from your father himself. You¡¯ll have to take it up with him. For now, my men will see to your every comfort. And your bodyguard, of course.¡± He gestured casually to where Daniyel had been silently standing.

    He finally released my neck, and I fell to the deck, gasping for air, my chest heaving.

    He pointed to me. ¡°For now, put her in the brig. Full guards, maximum alert. Do not engage with her.¡± I was sized roughly by the arms, and my last sight of princess Lakshmi was her desperate eyes as she struggled to try and reach me against Daniyel''s restraining grip.

 36 Its never the pirates youre expecting.

    I was marched down hallways of the airship, and down into the bowels of the ship with brisk efficiency, and then thrown roughly into a plain holding cell in the ship. I could hear the guards taking up positions outside, just as Commander Khine had ordered.

    I looked around at my grim quarters, and then flopped onto the hard bunk hanging from the wall. I was too tired to care much about it, though my head kept replaying Darsh-

    No, Lakshmi honey bless it, I should start using her proper name!

    Lakshmi¡¯s dramatic reveal and the look on her face as I was led away. I closed my eyes and lay my arm across them, letting out a sigh.

    I should have felt my mana returning, at least a little by now, but the well remained empty. I suppose now I know what the spellcollar does. And as a nice added bonus, I¡¯m going to feel exhausted all the time.

    I rolled over onto my side. ¡°Being the heroine sucks. Eshaan, I¡¯m so sorry that I couldn¡¯t stop being kidnapped again. Soriya, I¡¯m sorry I failed you.¡± I said to the empty cell.

    Then I closed my eyes and let myself sleep.

    ***

    Lakshmi paced the luxurious cabin that she¡¯d been assigned, while Daniyel stood silently against the wall, watching her. She flung herself down on the couch, then hopped up again and continued to pace.

    Finally, she burst out ¡°Daniyel, we have to do something!¡±

    Daniyel raised one eyebrow; his voice impassive. ¡°So you have said, princess, at least three times. As ever, I stand ready to protect you.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need protection, Daniyel, I need help!¡±

    Daniyel shrugged his shoulders. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this before, princess. I will not stop you, but I will not assist you in this endeavor.¡±

    ¡°Daniyel, she¡¯s your friend too! How can you just stand there!?¡±

    ¡°Everyone must stand somewhere, princess.¡±

    ¡°Again with the useless philosophical bullshitery!¡± Lakshmi flung herself onto the couch again, her arms crossed. ¡°If only they would let me talk to her! I could crack that spellcollar and then she could do that¡­ thing¡­ she does.¡±

    ¡°I do not believe the Lady Lilyanna likes to unleash Tower. It seems to cause her great distress, and injury.¡±

    Lakshmi threw her hands up in the air. ¡°Things need to be done that need to be done! She¡¯ll know how to get out of this! She¡¯s a seer, right?!¡±

    Daniyel was silent for a long moment then said ¡°Her prediction was that Eshaan and Soriya would come to rescue her.¡±

    Lakshmi ground her teeth. ¡°And that burns! Why not me?!¡± She complained.

    Daniyel shrugged again. ¡°Indeed, why not you?¡±

    ¡°I told you to stop with the philosophical bullshit, Daniyel.¡± Lakshmi glared daggers at him.

    Daniyel raised a single eyebrow. ¡°Did you hear a philosophical question? I intended my words exactly as I said them.¡±

    Lakshmi opened her mouth and then slowly closed it again. She hopped up and started pacing again. ¡°We can¡¯t get into her cell. We tried that.¡±

    Daniyel nodded silently, watching her.

    ¡°And of course magic is out of the question.¡± She said dismissively. ¡°We don¡¯t have high explosives, and we can¡¯t risk them anyway, if we set them off that close to her, she¡¯d just be jelly when we got the door open¡­¡± she tugged on her lip in thought.

    Her pacing slowed. ¡°What am I missing¡­?¡± she asked herself. She flung herself back onto the couch and squirmed upside down, her flame red hair trailing on the floor. The amulet bounced on her chin, and she grabbed it with irritation, glaring at it.

    ¡°Damn it, that was¡­ how dare Khine disregard me like that?! That was supposed to work! I blew months of work and nothing!¡± She ripped the amulet off and hurled it against the wall angrily before flopping backwards, her hair and arms trailing on the floor.

    ¡°And how am I even supposed to face Eshaan now? Or Soriya. It¡¯ll be all ¡®scrape and bow¡¯ and ¡®princess you can¡¯t¡¯ and ¡®princess you mustn¡¯t¡¯¡­ she heaved an angry sigh.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Daniyel said serenely. ¡°How would you even face them, they are in Breezewood and you are here.¡±

    Lakshmi flipped upright and glared at him. ¡°Well obviously I¡¯d¡­¡± she stumbled to a stop, then continued, her eyes widening. ¡°I¡¯d need to steal an airship¡­¡± she said slowly. ¡°And I¡¯d need to do it fast, we¡¯re almost at Spyre.¡±

    Daniyel nodded quietly, his stoic presence the same as it had always been through her entire life. ¡°And of course, how would you even get into the hangars? Your quarters are watched closely, and the shuttles are locked down since the Centurion is in flight.¡±

    Lakshmi chewed pensively on her thumb, pacing quietly, the suddenly stopped. She turned to Daniyel. ¡°But the fighter bays aren¡¯t! And the ventilation shafts run from here clear to the hangars.¡±

    Daniyel nodded again. ¡°What a pity that I cannot come with you. I will of course need to arrive at the fighter bays to resume my duties, should you engage in this reckless and foolhardy plan.¡± He said with a perfectly bland and level tone. ¡°How fortunate that I am not restricted to your quarters.¡±

    Lakshmi gave him a flat stare. ¡°You were like this when I escaped the palace, too. You said you wouldn¡¯t help, and now you¡¯re all but handing me the keys.¡±

    ¡°I?¡± Queried Daniyel stoically. ¡°I have done nothing but point out the reasons why your plan cannot possibly succeed.¡± Daniyel said impassively, his arms crossed.

    Lakshmi let her stare linger for a while longer, then abruptly turned and flounced forward. ¡°Fine. Suit yourself, whatever keeps your oaths quiet.¡± She rapidly crossed into the stateroom, and started shucking the robes she¡¯d been given, and pulling on her badly tattered ¡®pirate¡¯ gear. Slipping her goggles onto her forehead, and strapping on her toolbelt she nodded, satisfied that everything was where it should be. ¡°Help me access the air vent. It¡¯s time to bust out of an imperial battleship.¡±

    ***

    Down in the battleship¡¯s brig, Lilyanna stirred restlessly in her sleep, her dreams filled with ominous sensations of heavy weights shifting on greased bearings, massive gears turning with slow ponderous weight and then ¡®chonk¡¯ing into place.

    ***

    The air grate to the guest quarters was an ornate and elaborate piece of work, and Lakshmi found herself sneering at it as she fiddled with it, carefully unscrewing the fasteners. ¡°Why does everyone insist on using substandard materials?! This is utterly impractical metal for a flagship!¡± She growled as a second screw fell to the carpet.

    Daniyel said mildly. ¡°Perhaps they believe that value can be had in other ways besides the purely functional.¡±

    Lakshmi rounded on him. ¡°Onboard a battleship?!¡±

    Daniyel shrugged. ¡°I am merely a humble desert bodyguard, assigned to protect one far above my station. I would not presume to comment on the minds of the high and mighty.¡±

    Lakshmi heaved out a long breath through her nose.

    Daniyel paused, then continued ¡°Have I told you the tales of my homeland? The story of the thirst for riches?¡±

    Lakshmi almost threw her screwdriver at him, then turned and busied herself with the remaining screws on the vent cover. ¡°No.¡± She growled to the vent. ¡°Please enlighten me.¡±

    Daniyel spoke absently, as though telling a story of no concern. ¡°A great sultan once decreed the fountains of his palace should be made of gold. All marveled at this opulence, and his palace was a wonder of the world for travelers to see and gasp at the Sultan¡¯s riches. But then one day, the fountains ran dry, and the city was without water. The sultan had paid for the golden fountains instead of paying to repair the waterworks under the city. The city was overrun by a neighboring kingdom, and the palace laid waste.¡±

    ¡°Dumb story.¡± Lakshmi commented as she wrenched the grate out of its socket, dropping it onto the carpet. ¡°Should have just drunk the water in the city well.¡± She jumped and wiggled her way into the vent shaft, squirming slowly. ¡°Glad I¡¯m not Lily. Or Soriya, she¡¯d never fit in here. At least their chests wouldn¡¯t.¡± She grinned to herself. She scooted back out. ¡°I¡¯m going to the fighter bays. Meet you there.¡± She said, and then hopped up into the vent and shimmied into the darkness.

    Daniyel stood there for a moment, watching her go, and then calmly reached down and picked up the vent and placed it neatly into its socket.

    ¡°And the golden fountains were melted down and used to pay for new pipes.¡± Daniyel said quietly to himself. ¡°Thus proving that fools only see what is in front of them, while true value arises from deeper within.¡±

    He stepped to the door of the cabin and banged once on it, sharply. ¡°I am leaving to attend to the princess¡¯s wishes.¡± He announced through the door, and then opened the door and walked into the hallway between the two troopers who stood to either side.

    ***

    Lakshmi crawled through the air vents on her stomach, muttering to herself and fighting the desperate urge to sneeze. ¡°Why did I think this was a good idea?¡± She asked rhetorically, stopping at an intersection of vents. She closed her eyes briefly to visualize the blueprints of the Centurion. ¡°Was the Centurion remolded last year or this year? Did they already have the¡­ yes. So that¡¯s¡­¡± The patterns of the design flickered through her head and her eyes popped open. ¡°Left.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t rightly sure if Daniyel was just playing dumb, or if he really thought he wasn¡¯t helping, but she was irritatingly grateful for his suggestions regardless. She understood machines more than people. Machines made so much more sense.

    Well, except for Eideth. Her I can talk with! And my poor little Sparrowhawk, sitting alone in Lily¡¯s backyard. We were supposed to be safely in Spyre by now¡­ She shook her head fiercely, a lock of her stupid hair briefly falling into her eyes before she blew it out with an irritated puff.

    At least half the benefit to having that illusion, she wasn¡¯t constantly being reminded of her failure. She crawled carefully along the venting system, before a snatch of approaching conversation from the corridor below her made her freeze.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Say, did you hear that the princess got rescued from air pirates?!¡± the first one said.

    ¡°No kidding? Is that what happened!?¡± The second queried.

    The voices came from the grating to her left. She held still anxiously holding her breath. Moving in the vents wasn¡¯t exactly a silent affair.

    Come on, move, move, move, you lazy grunts. She thought to herself before adding a mental Sorry Eshaan. To the end.

    ¡°Yeah! I can¡¯t really be surprised, girl like that runs away, of course she¡¯ll get captured by air pirates.¡±

    ¡°How do you figure?¡±

    ¡°What, haven¡¯t you heard? Girl can¡¯t use magic. Complete dead stone!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true! I heard it from the guards on the fourth wall, who heard it from the castle cook who heard it from the castle steward himself!¡±

    Lakshmi ground her teeth together so hard she was briefly afraid the grinding noise would give her away, her cheeks turning purple with rage.

    Moooove! Move, move, move you stupid lazy pieces of horse dung! She chanted in her head.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, everyone knows the imperial family was blessed by the gods. The System itself assures they know every type of magic!¡± The second voice said skeptically.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you¡­¡± the troopers¡¯ voices finally faded as the men finished their interrupted patrol down the corridor.

    ¡°And thank you so much, World Soul, for that wonderful gift you¡¯ve given me.¡± Lakshmi spat with quiet venom as she resumed crawling down the vent system. Just what she needed. Now she wanted to punch something, in addition to needing to sneeze.

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t have Lily in the brig, I would set a charge and scuttle this whole fleet.¡± She whispered viciously. ¡°I¡¯d sabotage the engines so you ran backwards! I¡¯d make sure the power core couldn¡¯t hold a charge! I¡¯d put a horned rabbit in your bed!¡± She continued to recite the litany of terrible things she would do when she could finally take her vengeance unrestricted, quietly bumping up the priority of the Sparrowhawk¡¯s weapon systems in her mind.

    ***

    Down in the fighter bays, Daniyel loomed out of the darkness, grabbing two troopers by the helm and clapped them together soundly. With a groan and the clatter of falling armor they collapsed into an unconscious heap at his feet.

    He stepped over the armored forms calmly, dusting his gauntlets against each other. ¡°Apologies, gentlemen.¡± He gave the unconscious troopers a polite bow. ¡°The princess has requested access to the fighter bay, and I do not believe you would have been amenable to this request.¡±

    He neatly lined up the snoring soldiers on the deck, laying them carefully down on their backs then settled down near one of the fighter airships in a cross-legged pose and waited patiently. He did hope the princess would hurry; he did not want to have to clap too many trooper¡¯s heads together.

    Something close to thirty minutes later he heard a loud ¡®clang¡¯ from overhead, and a shouted ¡°Look out!¡± from Lakshmi. Unhurriedly, Daniyel reached out and plucked a spinning metal grate from the air, before standing up. He looked up into the shadowed arches overhead to see a shock of bright red hair hanging out of a vent. An echoing sneeze made him wince.

    ¡°Ah, blessed spirits and dragon¡¯s horn, that took entirely too long!¡± Lakshmi squirmed out of the vent, dangling by her hands before falling the 15 feet to the deck, wincing as she landed. ¡°Ow. Forgot my knees don¡¯t like that.¡± She said, standing upright shakily, and grabbing small vial of healing potion.

    Daniyel shook his head in disapproval. ¡°Princess, you know I do not approve of you abusing healing potions like that.¡±

    ¡°What? I need my knees in good condition to fly the ship! This is important!¡±

    ¡°Princess, I have expressed my distress numerous times over the overreliance on healing potions.¡±

    ¡°What, you have to challenge yourself to get stronger, that¡¯s how the System works, right?¡± Lakshmi smiled cheekily up at Daniyel¡¯s glower.

    ¡°That is not the approved way to grow in strength, Princess. Repeatedly injuring yourself will not lead to growth.¡±

    ¡°Says you!¡± Lakshmi dusted herself off and sauntered over to the nearest fighter ships, checking it over with a professional eye. ¡°I¡¯ve gained more levels hanging out with Lilyanna and her friends than I did in three years of effort in the palace!¡±

    Daniyel gave a long-suffering sigh and shook his head. Still¡­ he had to admit, it was good to know that the Princess had indeed been growing in power. He himself had gained several levels as well, he could not deny that challenges frequently came with injuries.

    Lakshmi pulled down the boarding ladder and clambered up into the cockpit then beckoned to him. ¡°Come on, lets get out of here before we get stuffed into another dead-end luxury suite.¡±

    Daniyel followed up the ladder with quiet stoicism. Where the princess led, he was duty bound to follow. As he settled into the operators¡¯ seat to the rear, he tapped a few controls thoughtfully.

    ¡°You ready to go, Daniyel!¡± Lakshmi said, pulling the canopy closed.

    ¡°Indeed. Let us depart.¡±

    ¡°Great!¡± And with no further warning than that, she pulled the drop handle.

    The bay floor fell away, and the overhead latch holding the fighter snapped open. The fighter fell free, causing the lightheaded freefall. The fighter spun wildly in the slipstream of the Centurion, tumbling randomly.

    Inside the cockpit, Lakshmi flipped switches and swore loudly, as she slapped her palm against the control systems.

    ¡°Spirits curse it, who did the fucking maintenance on this bucket?!¡± She yelled.

    Daniyel calmly pulled the seat harness across his shoulders and fastened it, apparently unaffected by the wild gyrations and tumbling of the tiny vessel.

    A bare furlong above the forest canopy below, Lakshmi finally got the engines to activate, and they streaked away, a tornado of torn leaves and branches in their wake. The raw acceleration of the little ship pressed both passengers into their seat turning Lakshmi¡¯s wild grin of triumph into a death¡¯s head mask.

    ¡°We will need to evade the perimeter escort ships.¡± Daniyel noted dryly. ¡°Have you armed the weapons yet?¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s face fell. ¡°Oh. Uh, no.¡± She scanned the rows of switches and dials in front of her. ¡°Weapons, weapons¡­ if I were a weapon¡¯s switch where would I be¡­¡± she muttered to herself, then exclaimed in triumph, jabbing her finger down. Glowing energy systems lit up, and multiple banks of instrumentation came alive in Daniyel¡¯s console.

    ¡°I believe that was successful.¡± Daniyel said calmly.

    The radio crackled and sparked to life, and a voice said ¡°Approaching airship, you are not authorized for exit from this airspace! Repeat, not authorized! Turn around and dock immediately, or we will open fire!¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s grin turned into a fixed rictus. ¡°This is fine. I got this.¡± She said.

    Daniyel quietly flipped a few switches on his console. ¡°Let us begin.¡±

    Lakshmi pushed the throttle all the way forward to its stops. The little airship shot forward like it was fired out of a cannon. The four patrol ships scattered to either side, radio chatter screaming wildly, their weapons firing into the space where the fighter had been moments earlier, blue white streaks of magitech energy vanishing barely missing Lakshmi¡¯s hull.

    ¡°Special delivery!¡± Lakshmi shouted, grinning wildly. She flipped into a loop and dove down on the scattering ships from above, firing her weapons with reckless abandon. The bolts caught the lightly armored patrol craft amidships and the entire vessel blew into flinders and shards of metal and glass went pinwheeling past Lakshmi as she dove towards the forest floor below.

    Lakshmi hauled back on her stick, but the little fighter ship was not designed with a mad princess in mind, and it fought her hard, the entire craft rocking and creaking as Lakshmi forced the craft to take strain it had never been design for. Leaves and branches cracked and snaped as the ship dove into the forest, slowly changing trajectory, curving ever so slowly upwards away from the now visible forest floor.

    ¡°Come on, pull up pull up pull up pull- yes!¡± She shouted, as her airship tore free of the forest below her and back into clear sky. She was met with a most unfortunate sight, the three remaining ships waiting for her.

    ¡°It appears they have anticipated our action.¡± Daniyel said mildly.

    The enemy craft opened fire. Lakshmi¡¯s stolen ship was made of sturdier stuff than the light patrol craft, but the salvos of energy fire slammed into it¡¯s hull, tearing chunks away and making the ship scream in protest. A chunk of metal pinwheeled away from the central engine cowlings.

    ¡°I do hope that was not a vital piece.¡± Daniyel commented mildly.

    ¡°Not! Helping!¡± Lakshmi shouted, opening fire as she tore upwards into the middle of the enemy craft.

    Once more, she scored a direct hit, and the vessel blew apart as she flew through the expanding debris cloud that had been an airship.

    But it seemed that this time, Lakshmi¡¯s luck had run out. Weapon fire hammered into the rear of the craft tearing chunks of armor and machinery loose. The console lights flickered and the engine started to stutter.

    Daniyel nodded quietly to himself, and flipped two more switches, and quietly pulled loose control wires, splicing them together under the console.

    ¡°If I may suggest. I believe that the Lady Soriya has given me an idea.¡±

    ¡°I am entertaining all options at this point!¡± Lakshmi shouted over her shoulder.

    ¡°Then let us exit the scene with all due haste.¡± Daniyel said, and pressed a button.

    The fighter craft kicked like a mule and it¡¯s engines shrieked as the elemental energies of its core were directly routed through the engine systems. Daniyel and Lakshmi were pressed back into their seats, the control stick shaking wildly in Lakshmi¡¯s hands.

    ¡°What did you do?!¡± She shouted. Daniyel opened his mouth to apologize, but Lakshmi continued ¡°This is the best ride I¡¯ve ever been on!¡±

    Daniyel lowered his head, and hid a broad smile with his hand, covering it with a cough.

    ¡°The engine manifolds have been overloaded. Our speed will continue to increase until the systems burn out. We should aim for Breezewood.¡± He said, once he had recovered his poise.

    Lakshmi grinned wildly. ¡°Thanks, Daniyel! You¡¯re the best! Punch it!¡±

    There was a flash of light and a boom as the little fighter craft vanished in a glowing streak.

    ***

    Standing at the windows of the command deck of the Centurion, Commander Khine turned as a red faced and exhausted trooper stumbled onto the bridge.

    ¡°Sir! Commander Khine, sir! Urgent news!¡±

    Commander Khine turned smoothly from the bridge and nodded. ¡°Very good. She¡¯s away?¡±

    The trooper took several panting gasps. ¡°Yes sir! She¡¯s overcharged her engines just as you said, and took off to the east.¡±

    Khine nodded. ¡°Casualties?¡±

    ¡°None sir.¡±

    Khine turned, surprise registering on his face. ¡°None? Not one? The patrol ships I understand, but not even the hangar guards?¡±

    The trooper saluted again. ¡°No sir. As you say, the patrol ships were warned of the deception, so they ejected smoothly, and the guards within the hangar and around the princess were found unconscious and restrained. Apparently, some effort was even made to make them comfortable?¡± His voice held a note of puzzlement.

    Khine tapped his fingers together. ¡°Curious¡­¡± He spun. ¡°But irrelevant, regardless. The plan is in motion. Finally, I can drag these accursed churchmen into the light of law!¡±

    The captain of the Centurion cleared his throat, and said ¡°Permission to speak freely, sir?¡±

    Khine turned to glance at the captain from the corner of his eye, and a corner of his mouth quirked upwards for a microsecond. He turned back to the window. ¡°You¡¯re wondering why I was willing to take such an awful risk, letting the rebel princess go call her friends.¡± He turned and walked slowly along the windows. ¡°It¡¯s simple. She¡¯s of no use. A dead stone, on her own, her father hopelessly believing that she will be of some use in the future. The prince is the heir apparent now, even if the emperor has not yet recognized it. But in her pitiful flailing, she¡¯s found what I needed. She has found the rebellion that I knew lurked in the heart of the empire, and now she will bring it here, drawn by whatever strangeness it is that has driven the church so mad.¡±

    ¡°You refer to the pink haired girl in the brig sir?¡±

    Khine nodded. ¡°I do. I could not put the pieces together until she appeared in company of Lakshmi, but once she did, it was obvious. The air pirates are a part of the rebellion, the rebellion is a part of the church, and the church is mad for this girl for some reason. When I confront the emperor with the proof of the Pope¡¯s treachery, then we will finally be free of this awful leash around our necks.¡± Khine slammed his fist into the console. ¡°And I will finally be able to bring order to the Empire!¡±

    He flung his hand out to the crew at stations. ¡°Helmsman! Make course for Spyre! All ships, full power to cores!¡±

    The crew sprang into action and the Home Fleet of the Empire was soon glowing at full power towards Spyre.

    ***

    The nameless fighter craft sped across the sky, shaking and whining as it¡¯s overcharged engines slowly began to fail. Lakshmi fought the craft all the way to Breezewood, covering the distance in only 3 hours. To her surprise, the ship did not spontaneously explode as it neared the village, but with its fuel running low and the damage to the ship¡­

    Lakshmi sighed with the weight of the world.

    Daniyel said ¡°The field to the rear of Lady Holly¡¯s home should be suitable this time.

    Lakshmi pounded the console in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s not fair! Why do all my ships end up like this!¡±

    Daniyel said nothing, and as the last of the ship¡¯s fuel was finally exhausted, Lakshmi set the craft for a long slow fall with the fading power of its elemental crystals.

    ¡°Hold on tight.¡± She said, and then the fighter crashed hard into the ground, tearing furrows into the wild meadows beyond Breezewood.

    The ping and tick of cooling metal and the faint crystalline ¡®ting¡¯ as elemental crystals destabilized filled the air, before the muffled cursing and coughing. The canopy of the ship fell off crashing and shattering on the ground. Daniyel carried Lakshmi out of the wreckage, laying her down on the ground after he¡¯d made a suitable distance.

    ¡°There was no fire this time.¡± Daniyel remarked calmly.

    Lakshmi was silent.

    ¡°This is good.¡± Daniyel said gravely.

    Lakshmi sat up, looking silent and sullen, then suddenly violently hammered the ground. ¡°Why does everything I touch explode?! Why am I so useless!¡± she screamed at the sky.

    Daniyel looked silently back at the smoking but mostly intact ship behind them, then said calmly. ¡°This one did not explode. Or catch fire.¡±

    Across the meadow, in Holly and Lilyanna¡¯s home, lights were flickering on, and shortly Eshaan, Soriya, Eideth, and Holly had arrived.

    Eshaan gawked at the two and the wreckage beyond, Soriya looked at the two curiously, while Eideth tsked.

    Holly looked at the pair, and then said with a dangerously quiet voice. ¡°Where is my daughter?¡±

    Lakshmi wilted, and even Daniyel grimaced.

    Holly took a step forward, her voice louder. ¡°I asked you, where my daughter is.¡±

 37 A long slow ride to destiny

    ¡°I would like an answer please.¡± Holly¡¯s tone was dangerous, and quiet.

    Daniyel slowly got to his feet, then gave a proper bow to her. ¡°I regret to inform you, that she has been captured by the empire, enroute to Spyre.¡±

    Holly¡¯s mouth drew into a thin line.

    Eshaan burst out ¡°What?! We have to go rescue her!¡± Looking around as though he hoped to charge off that instant.

    Eideth reached up and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool, boy!¡±

    Eshaan spun and grabbed Eideth. ¡°We can¡¯t just stand here! We¡¯ve got to do something!¡±

    Holly said with frozen calm ¡°I think you¡¯d all best come inside. The bugs will eat us alive. And then, yes, I think you¡¯d best explain what¡¯s happened, and we will indeed ¡®do something.¡¯¡±

    Lakshmi staggered to her feet, and the group wearily trudged towards the farmhouse. Eshaan ventured ¡°Darshanna, why¡¯s your hair red?¡±

    Lakshmi sighed as though the weight of the world was crushing her.

    Holly spoke up first, as the group entered the house. ¡°I think we can wait on that. Why don¡¯t you tell us what happened. In detail.¡±

    The group gathered around the big kitchen table, and Lakshmi told them. She told them everything, even the hard parts.

    Eshaan shouted a lot, of course. Even Eideth gave a startled grunt at the revelation that the imperial princess was sitting in a farmhouse in a distant province of the empire. Of all of them, Lakshmi was surprised most by Soriya, who simply reached out and squeezed her hand.

    ¡°I can imagine how hard that was.¡± She said, and looking into her eyes, Lakshmi actually believed her for an instant.

    Holly drummed her fingers on the table. ¡°So my daughter is currently in the brig of an imperial airship, and the commander of the fleet didn¡¯t let her go, even when the imperial princess commanded him. That¡¯s¡­ a thorny puzzle.¡± She said with a tight voice. She sighed and looked into the air for the moment.

    ¡°Eshaan, boy. Tell me. Do you think your commander will do anything to her? Is he fool enough to think torture works?¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s fists closed and his knuckles grew white with strain.

    Soriya put her hand over his fists. ¡°Calm now. We¡¯re going to rescue her, but we need an answer to the question.¡±

    Eshaan took a deep breath, and let it out, slowly, trembling. ¡°The commander does not believe torture works. He is not above carrying it out however, in order to get the information from someone else.¡± He gritted his teeth. ¡°And he always makes sure to keep his promises.¡±

    Holly leaned back in her chair. ¡°Then Lily is as safe as she can be in the circumstances.¡± Her gaze softened and she looked at Lakshmi. ¡°So here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do. In the morning, you¡¯re going to finish your airship.¡± She pointed to Lakshmi. ¡°But before that, you¡¯re going to go to bed.¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s eyes widened and her mouth opened to protest but Holly cut her off. ¡°No buts, no exceptions. You¡¯ve been going full throttle. You¡¯ve drunk at least three healing potions unless I miss my guess and your body is exhausted. You are exhausted, even if you don¡¯t think you are. Engineering done with no sleep is engineering done to fail.¡± Her gaze sharpened and she looked slowly around the table. ¡°And I intend for you to get my daughter back. Not to have her friends explode in a half right contraption.¡± She said.

    She stood up. ¡°I¡¯ve got a sleeping draught I use. No arguments now. Everyone takes some, and in the morning¡­ we¡¯ll work on our plan.¡±

    Lakshmi wanted to protest, but somehow she found herself laying down on the parlor couch, drinking a potion that tasted like flowers and wine. Daniyel squatted next to her.

    ¡°Fear not, princess. I will guard you as you sleep. Mistress Holly means us no harm, and to my shame, speaks wisdom. We will rest here. The Lady Lilyanna needs must wait a little while longer.¡±

    ***

    The cell door swung open with an ungodly loud hissing creak, which startled me from my uneasy doze. I looked up to see Commander Khine with two of his lackeys in tow. I still felt utterly exhausted, my mana remaining at zero.

    The effects of the spellcollar I suppose. I thought tiredly.

    ¡°Welcome to my room, Proctor Khine. So good of you to visit me in these humble quarters.¡± I said, rolling into a sitting position on the edge of the bunk.

    ¡°And what can I do for you gentlemen? I¡¯m afraid I have very little in the way of refreshments to offer.¡±

    Commander Khine gave a half smile, half snarl. ¡°Charming, as always, Miss Lilyanna. I had hoped you might present some semblance of reasonableness after a night in the cell, but I see that was a vain hope.¡±

    I looked up at him with a level stare. ¡°If you have questions, lets get them over with. Unless you¡¯re stupid enough to think torture works?¡± I asked. I couldn¡¯t help it, my voice did quaver as I said. He might be stupid enough to think torture worked. I had thought it worked for a very long time, though perhaps that was the product of a diet of too much television and movies.

    Khine raised one eyebrow as though contemplating it. ¡°Torture¡­¡± he said, as though tasting the idea. ¡°I have found that torture can be remarkably effective, actually. Oh not on the victim, of course, but if you have someone you wish to talk, and you can grasp someone precious to them¡­ I have found torture to be most efficacious.¡±

    I sagged a little in relief. ¡°Ah. What a great pity then that you have no one who cares for me.¡±

    He knelt down and cupped his hand on my chin, forcing my eyes to look into his. ¡°On the contrary, Miss Lilyanna! Your friends in the church would be most distressed to learn you were in dire straits. And I expect your little pirate rebellion to be within hailing range within a day. Less, if that useless princess is at all effective.¡±

    I frowned at him in confusion. ¡°What?¡± I couldn¡¯t help it; I knew it was what he was expecting but it was so¡­ so completely baffling and off the wall. The church perhaps, but¡­ pirate rebellion? The church was concerned about me?!

    ¡°Tch.¡± Commander Khine dropped his hand. ¡°Pity. At the end of the day, you have only the same tired tropes.¡±

    That stung. That stung a lot. I¡¯d worked as hard as I could to fight the tropes, I¡¯d saved Breezewood from this monster!

    ¡°And what about you?!¡± I spat angrily at him. ¡°Threatening a girl in chains?! Disobeying the imperial princess¡¯ orders?! I¡¯d say you¡¯re the one following the arrogant evil general overthrowing the empire tropes here!¡±

    Khine spun and backhanded me hard, the force of the blow throwing me against the cell wall. It hurt. A lot. I couldn¡¯t help but cry out, hating the tears of pain that sprang to my eyes.

    Khine reached down and gripped my cheeks in a grasp of steel. ¡°Understand this, little rebel. I am loyal to the empire! I have devoted my life to its order! And I am forced to watch a weak fool on his throne piss away its greatness while listening to the whispers of a demented churchman!¡±

    The tears in my eyes blurred his featured, but he seemed serious. He was unquestionably a bad guy, but it seemed he was destined to be just a midboss.

    I spoke awkwardly, as his grip pinched my cheeks. ¡°So ask your questions. You have the manners of a boar, but I¡¯m curious to see if I can twist this plot in some new direction.¡±

    It¡¯s already off the rails as far as I can tell. Darsha¡­ no, Lakshmi fled the ship, that much is obvious. But pirates? The church? I need more information. I thought.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Khine smiled, a cruel cold smile, and released his grip, looking to the side. ¡°You see troopers? A little light goading, and they can¡¯t resist bragging.¡± He turned back to me. ¡°Let¡¯s start with that secret you kept from me at our first meeting.¡±

    I sighed. Oh dear. So he won¡¯t believe a word I say. How very disappointing. No stops on this train.

    ¡°I destroyed my pendant to protect my village from you. I left early, so that I could ensure that I completed that task. And I didn¡¯t know the Cavern of Trials was an ancient relic, so I have no idea what its original purpose was.¡±

    I smiled blandly up at him. I must look a sight; I could feel my eye was already starting to swell shut from the blow. ¡°If you¡¯re willing, I would propose a trade. I would like to know some things you know. Perhaps we can each trade questions?¡± I was proud of how level I kept my voice.

    Khine¡¯s face was contemptuous. ¡°So you have decided to spin spirittales after all.¡± He leaned closer. ¡°You have no bargaining power here. You cannot summon that force that nearly sank the Leimoniad. And your village was wiped from the map. I would encourage you not to test my patience. You know that I will always keep my promises. And I did promise you I would see what else I could take away from you.¡±

    The burning rage that I¡¯d felt in front of that airship, watching Eshaan bleeding out in the field returned. A ringing filled my ears and from within me I could hear Tower¡¯s voice, asking if I was willing to pay her price in blood. It hit me like a shock of cold water. I could summon Tower. Tower would let me pay with my HP. I have no MP. It might kill me. The wreck almost certainly would. But I could summon Tower. And I am so. Very. Angry.

    Something in my gaze must have gotten through to Khine. He abruptly released me, and stood up. ¡°Let us see if another night in the cell will change her mind. Come.¡± He beckoned to his troopers, and they left the cell, the door clanging behind them. I sagged to the wall, breathing slowly through my bloody nose.

    ***

    Lakshmi had never worked so hard in her life. Even when she¡¯d first built the Pelican, she¡¯d never worked this hard. Sweat streamed down her forehead and into her eyes, as she fastened down yet another bolt on the engine mounts.

    The day had started early. She had been sure that she wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep, even with whatever concoction Holly had come up with, but the next thing she knew the sun was shining into the windows, and she felt amazingly awake and energized.

    It was a good thing too, because once Eideth woke up she practically dragged Lakshmi out to the workshop. When Holly called a break to bring everyone in for breakfast, she¡¯d been working for hours already.

    The breakfast was good. Amazing, really, if she was honest. I guess that¡¯s where Lilyanna learned how to cook. She thought wistfully. I wish my mother had taught me¡­ anything, really. She shook her head and headed back outside with renewed energy.

    With all seven of the people gathered at Holly¡¯s house, the wreckage of the nameless fighter craft was rapidly disassembled and ruthlessly plundered for parts, and incorporated in the rapidly growing superstructure of the Sparrowhawk. She¡¯d caused a fair bit of confusion the first time she called the new ship that, apparently she¡¯d forgotten to mention she¡¯d chosen a name to anyone.

    ¡°I decided on it a long time ago! Look, I¡¯ve been busy! It¡¯s not my fault!¡± she protested, when the others queried the sudden naming.

    It was a strange experience. Lakshmi had been positive that if she ever revealed who she was, things would turn unworkably weird. While that was true enough for Eshaan, who kept stumbling over his tongue and calling her ¡®highness¡¯, unsure if he should kneel or bow, nobody else in the group batted an eyelid. Instead, here she was, perched on top of the Sparrowhawk¡¯s engine cowling, hammering, welding, and bolting pieces into place, sweating buckets and swearing up a storm.

    I don¡¯t have to work this hard. A traitorous thought slipped through her mind, only to be ruthlessly quashed. No. I owe Lily. I promised her I wouldn¡¯t be a burden. That thought kept running around inside her head like a refrain.

    The only things she¡¯d done that had worked were the engineering parts. I rebuilt the Pelican. I learned how to fly. I took off Soriya¡¯s spellcollar. I repaired the robots at the dig site. I fixed the cargo engines. I disarmed the bombs. I could have taken off Lily¡¯s spell collar if I could just have gotten to her¡­ but the princess part? The thing that was supposed to be the ultimate trump card?

    No, worthless. She shook her head viciously. I will not be worthless! I am going to rescue Lilyanna, like a proper captain should. She gritted her teeth and moved to the next item on her checklist.

    Holly had proven surprisingly knowledgeable about tinkering, though really, she was a [Tinker], Lakshmi shouldn¡¯t be surprised that she knew at least a little bit of the basics of magitech construction. Soriya knew an awful lot of theory, and not a drop of practical experience. She did make some very interesting suggestions regarding the engines, however¡­ and the parts she¡¯d gotten from the fighter craft made it feasible. As the sun finished setting, Lakshmi climbed down off the hull of the Sparrowhawk, and looked up at the completed hull in pride, wiping her brow one last time.

    She was finished. Rough, cobbled together, part wood and part metal, not nearly as professional or sleek as the Pelican had been¡­ but the Sparrowhawk was hers. Every nail, every rivet, every bolt. She had built her from the keel up, and she knew the Sparrowhawk would outperform anything she¡¯d ever flown before.

    She has to. She thought grimly. I made a promise.

    She turned to face the group. ¡°Right. She¡¯s ready. I can make it to Spyre in 8 hours.¡± She swallowed. ¡°Hopefully I¡¯ll be back with Lilyanna in no time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going without me!¡± Eshaan protested. ¡°Ur. Your highness? Captain? Ma¡¯am?¡±

    Soriya stepped up and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m coming too.¡±

    Holly walked up and patted the side of the ship. ¡°My first time riding in an airship. This will be exciting.¡± She smiled at the others, then reached into her belt to pull out potions, passing them around to the group.

    ¡°This one is special.¡± She pointed to a vial filled with angry violet liquid. ¡°It¡¯ll keep you awake and alert for 12 hours, but after that, you¡¯ll crash pretty hard.¡± She turned to Lakshmi. ¡°Now. Let¡¯s go get my daughter back.¡±

    ***

    I had finally stopped the bleeding by laying flat on the bunk and breathing shallowly. I suppose things could be worse. I thought mildly. I hope that Devdan and Priya got to Spyre safely. I haven¡¯t heard anything. I tossed on the bunk, my mind chewing over possible actions, always coming back to the fact that I couldn¡¯t see a way out of this.

    At least I can talk to myself. How about you, otherme? Any thoughts?

    Silence and a curious feeling of serenity filled me. Hello? Otherme? Lily? The odd echoing feeling in my own head was the only answer. Come to that¡­ she hasn¡¯t said anything since¡­ we escaped from the cellar. Thinking back on it, I felt a sudden sensation of dizziness. As though I was looking at an event from two different memories¡­ I remembered otherme guiding me¡­ but I also remembered being calm and using my knowledge of the tropes to guide me to the cellar.

    I sat up, my eyes wide. I rummaged in my mind, thinking about my childhood, and that strange doubling happened again. I clearly remembered playing on mother¡¯s farm, my first meeting with Soriya when I was 5¡­ and I also remembered growing up on Earth! Both memoires of radically different childhoods were clear in my mind!

    Merge. She said we would merge. I remembered otherme¡¯s lecture on the pirate ship. Have I been¡­ Lilyanna this whole time? I never even noticed? It was so strange, like I was myself but also¡­ Lilyanna. Both parts of me felt¡­ real. I thought I should be panicked. Terrified, even.

    At the very least I should want to scream and throw things, shouldn¡¯t I?

    But all I felt was a confusion. The feeling of two memories that were both me.

    ¡°And I can¡¯t even have a proper conversation with myself.¡± I muttered, kicking the wall of my cell in frustration. ¡°Alright Lily. You got yourself into this situation, now use the tropes to think yourself out of it. You did it before!¡± I lightly slapped my cheeks, then winced in pain. ¡°Right, torn lip. No genki power.¡±

    Item. The plot says I¡¯m going to be rescued by Eshaan in some daring raid. I felt a shocking gush of mingled affection and annoyance, a perfect swirling blend of old and new me.

    Oh. Well¡­ that¡¯s¡­ new. I felt myself blush. It was¡­ disturbingly nice to know Eshaan was coming to rescue me.

    Probably with Dar¡­ no, Lakshmi¡¯s airship. I wonder what she named it¡­? Pelican II? Focus Lilyanna, Focus. The church is looking for me. Khine thinks I¡¯m part of some rebellion, and the church is part of it. Given his propensity, he will show me off, then threaten to hurt me badly unless the church gives him what he wants. Which I¡­ I guess I¡¯ll need to see¡­ A memory of a grand pageant, child me looking up at a passing clergy in some city which mother had taken me to see. I felt a stab deep frustration and faint betrayal. Ok, yep. Church is definitely evil, that hat is super pointy. They¡¯re the church, how can they betray their ideals like that?! I thought with outrage. Plot says church will get ahold of me, and that I should remain intact. Do I go along with this or not?

    I felt a brief stab of despair. How could I stop them, I¡¯m just Lilyanna, I don¡¯t even have mana!

    I almost slapped my cheeks again, barely stopping myself in time. ¡°No, I¡¯m not ¡®just¡¯ Lilyanna. I¡¯m old and new me.¡± I took a few breaths. ¡°And I could summon tower. Once outside of the airship, that would probably¡­¡± I stopped and dropped my face into my palm.

    ¡°I¡¯m an idiot. I could summon Forge. Forge could break my spellcollar, and once I have mana, I can heal myself.¡± I nodded slowly. ¡°Right. Ok, so I could escape. Should I? Eshaan is coming to rescue me¡­¡± Another gush of mingled affection and irritation filled me. I took a deep breath. ¡°Focus. Lily, Focus!¡±

    ¡°Why does the church want me? Something bad, yes, but¡­ they¡¯ll posture and threaten like Khine does. They might even pretend to be nice to trick me. That does sound like something the heroine would fall for. And that will tell me a little more. Something I don¡¯t know, yet.¡± I bit my lip in frustration, and yelped at the sharp pain and taste of blood.

    ¡°Ow.¡± Right. I don¡¯t like this. I¡­ don¡¯t like being the damsel¡­ but¡­ think of it like a superspy film. Get captured so the villain will gloat so you can learn their evil plan. I sighed. ¡°Oh Eshaan¡­ everyone¡­ please hurry!¡±

    There was a sudden change in the pitch of the ship engines, followed by the sound of running feet and clangs of metal from a great distance.

    Ah. Spyre. At last. I smiled wistfully. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to see the capital, to shop the bazaars. But Soriya was supposed to be there with me.¡± I sighed, and settled myself to wait for the inevitable prisoner exchange.

    I suppose I should be happy. You never get to see what happens to the heroine when she¡¯s kidnapped and shuffled around like a poker chip. And how lucky for me, I¡¯ve seen it three times already!

 38 Airship travel and Fireworks.

    The Sparrowhawk was unlike any other airship Eshaan had ever seen. A rounded disk like two saucers slapped together, with a single stubby cigar shape at the front, and two at the rear, housing the cockpit and engines.

    He wasn¡¯t entirely sure it would hold together, Lily¡¯s words about airship crashes from the time they had wrecked on the Tol Jaegren peaks coming back to him. The ship was so strange and it looked¡­ well if he was honest it looked like it had been cobbled together from scrap, mingled metal and wood, with the bright bronze gold gleam of normal airship parts with the cream white of freshly painted wood.

    He looked over at Dar¡­ Princess Lakshmi darn it! He thought in frustration, feeling the same urge to kneel or bow or¡­ or something! Everything was confusing and nothing had made any sense for¡­ a long time now, honestly. But one thing was clear. He clenched his fist tightly.

    Lily needs my help. I made a promise, and I¡¯m going to keep it. And that was all there was to it.

    ***

    Lakshmi clambered into the cabin. Everyone but Eideth hastily piled aboard behind her.

    Lakshmi leaned out of the hatch to peer down in puzzlement at Eideth. ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming with us?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The Monan woman shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll be staying here. We¡¯ll stick with the plan, when you go rescue Lilyanna, come get me like we planned.¡± She grinned up at Lakshmi. ¡°Much as I like you girl, I¡¯m still hoping to get a free ride to Galgados. I need to report to the Engineer¡¯s Council! I¡¯m happy to help otherwise, but you¡¯re not going to be doing things I¡¯d be any help with!¡± She saluted with a gloved hand. ¡°You¡¯ll do just fine, Sparrowhawk¡¯s got a good captain, and a better engineer onboard. Now don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯ll make sure nothing happens back here.¡±

    She turned abruptly and stalked off towards Holly¡¯s house.

    Lakshmi looked after her with a puzzled frown on her face. Daniyel lightly clapped a hand onto her shoulder.

    ¡°Princess? It is time for us to depart. We have a long flight ahead of us.¡± He looked calm and dependable as always, Lakshmi clutched onto that familiarity like a log in a flood. She turned to him and nodded, then slapped the toggle to close the hatch, the soft sound of servos whining as the wooden hatch closed. She turned and faced the small group in the corridor, hands on her hips.

    ¡°Alright. Everybody knows what you need to do.¡±

    Eshaan raised his hand. ¡°Actually, princess, I don¡¯t¡­?¡±

    Lakshmi sighed and put her head in her hand briefly. ¡°Eshaan, go sit down in one of the chairs, belt yourself in, and try to relax. It¡¯s going to be eight hours at full burn.¡±

    Holly nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll need to do minor adjustments to the equipment occasionally, dear, so that will be a good opportunity to get up and stretch your legs.¡± She smiled kindly at Eshaan and he returned it gratefully.

    Honestly, aside from his looks, I have no idea what Lilyanna sees in him! Lakshmi huffed to herself, turning and heading down the corridor to the cockpit.

    She slipped into the patchwork cockpit chairs, an oddly comfortable cobbled mix of fabric, wood, and salvaged wreckage, and sat there, staring at the console for a long moment.

    This is it. We¡¯re almost ready to go. Hang on, Lily. We¡¯re coming. She thought, and then reached forward to flick the switch that engaged the crystal dynamos.

    The smooth hum of elemental crystal fusors igniting the mana ring in the engines filled the air, followed by a subaudible rumble as the lifters came online.

    Alright¡­ so far so good. Lakshmi swallowed, and pulled up on the liftbar. The Sparrowhawk trembled like a leaf, and then slowly began to ascend into the clear blue sky overhead.

    ***

    In the passenger hold, Holly blinked in surprise. ¡°My, I didn¡¯t realize that airships had made such strides since I last flew! This is downright pleasant!¡±

    Soriya looked at her with a slight smirk. ¡°Well of course it is. It¡¯s a prototype after all.¡±

    Eshaan spoke up, his hands gripped tightly on the frame of his chair. ¡°It is unusually quiet. Even the empire ships aren¡¯t this smooth.¡±

    Soriya gave a chirping laugh. ¡°I told you, prototype!¡±

    Eshaan looked at her in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    Soriya looked at him with a pitying expression and then said ¡°Let me see if I can explain it another way.¡± She tapped her finger on her lips. ¡°The Sparrowhawk was hand crafted. Built by an engineer who knows every bolt and every weld of the ship, every line, and every measurement of the blueprint. Mass produced items like an empire airship can¡¯t compare to the care and attention that Lakshmi put into this ship.

    From the cockpit Lakshmi¡¯s voice called back ¡°Ok everyone! Hang onto something! I¡¯m about to engage the engines, and then the boosters!¡±

    Soriya grinned in a feral sort of excitement. ¡°Now we find out if we explode!¡± She said giddily.

    Eshaan yelped. ¡°I don¡¯t want to explode!¡± He yelled in panic.

    The mana matrix in the engines shifted to full power thrust. The Sparrowhawk kicked like a mule, shoving everyone hard into their seats. On the ground below, Eideth looked up as the odd little craft shot away to the west, leaving a loud boom and twin trails of white cloud behind her.

    ***

    I waited for them to come get me after the loud clangs and metallic crashes of the ship docking. Running feet outside and shouted orders finally died away to a quiet hum of a ship at rest. And still they left me to wait. I sighed, and lay back against the cell, closing my eyes.

    Patience. Patience, Lily, this is a waiting and listening game.

    Time behaves strangely when you have no way to keeping track of it. It might have been an hour, it might have been 15 minutes, it might have been 3 hours, I couldn¡¯t tell. It was a long time, before I finally heard the angry stride of a man with too much pride and the rattling of the keys to my jail cell. I let out a sigh of relief.

    Finally. Nothing worse than waiting. I thought as I stumbled my way to my feet.

    I put a mild smile on my face as Khine entered the cell. His face was stoic and quiet as he faced me.

    ¡°You know, Miss Lilyanna. I have devoted my life to the empire.¡±

    I barely managed to stop myself from rolling my eyes, instead tipping my head to the side in an inquiring way. Oh spirits, here we go, the monologue on why he just has to do this, why we don¡¯t understand him, why he refuses to let chaos overwhelm order¡­ blah blah blah.

    The next thirty minutes were barely tolerable as he repeated rote lawful evil villain speech #3080. The airship docks were a welcome distraction. They smelled of steel, mana, stressed crystal and hot oil. High overhead lacework girders held up an enormous metal canopy that arched gracefully to the ground vanishing in the far distance. Brilliant, and I had to admit, beautiful magitech gothic architecture. Glowing airships of bronze and blue crystal floating through the air above and below us, visible through the lacework of docks and catwalks all around.

    I actually found myself smiling a little whimsically. It was so cool to see all this, right in front of me, really for real.

    My attention was pulled back as Khine shifted to speech #547. Something something, glory of the empire, something something a thousand years of order¡­ Sometimes this plot precog is actively worse than nothing¡­ I suddenly perked up, and interrupted him. I felt bad about it, actually, he was just winding up to a really epic climax, and it was incredibly rude but¡­

    ¡±Why do you assume that I bear the empire ill will?¡± I asked him curiously. ¡°You know my origins. I come from a backwater, in a remote imperial province. I am almost literally the definition of nobody. Until you attacked me outside the cavern, I didn¡¯t even care about the empire.¡±

    Khine stumbled to a halt, clearly thrown off his game. He scowled at me, clearly evaluating what to say. Finally, he said cautiously ¡°Your actions to date indicate otherwise, Miss Lilyanna. Your acts of rebellion against the crown, your refusal to assist imperial investigations, your fellow rebels near sinking of a cargo vessel carrying a secret shipment of imperial weapons. Need I go on?¡±

    I looked up at him, trying my best to make my eyes as wide and ¡®clueless innocent¡¯ as I dared. ¡°You may find this hard to believe commander¡­ no, scratch that. Of course you will find this hard to believe. But everything that I have done to date, has been kicked off in response to your actions. This is not an adventure I was hoping to have.¡± I bit my lower lip thoughtfully, then added ¡°And defending myself against your actions, is not an attack on the empire. Surely you realize that?¡±

    He snorted angrily. ¡°I am the empire! I act as the empire¡¯s arms, legs, its sword, its shield. For all that it matters, I am more the empire than the emperor himself!¡±

    I felt my eyes grow genuinely wide at that. ¡°I do not think the princess would agree with your assessment.¡± I said quietly.

    He snarled angrily and raised his hand, barely managing to hold himself back by force of will. ¡°You are very very lucky that I need you intact for my negotiations with the church.¡± He snapped. ¡°Do not mistake your good fortune for clemency on my part.¡± He turned and stalked off, my guards yanking me along after him.

    I sighed quietly and followed meekly along.

    So, he¡¯s not the misguided but noble sort after all. I really had hoped¡­

    ***

    The Sparrowhawk had been flying for more than seven hours by now. At first, the sheer speed of the landscape whipping past and the terror of possible explosion kept everyone pinned in their seats. After a steady hour of loud noise and absolutely no explosions, the terror started to ebb into boredom. After another hour, Holly finally sat forward in her chair, and announced. ¡°I brought a deck of cards. Is anyone willing to play a few rounds of Crystals and Kingdoms with me?¡±

    Soriya perked up. ¡°OH that sounds like fun! I¡¯m bored stiff of writing my treatise, I could use a break!¡± She leaned back and yelled towards the aft where the whine of the overcharged engines filled the air.

    ¡°Daniyel! Come play Crystals and Kingdoms with us!¡±

    Daniyel poked his head out of the engineering bay and frowned. ¡°I must attend the engines, Miss Soriya. The calibration is important.¡±

    Soriya flipped a hand dismissively. ¡°Oh come now, have you made a single adjustment in the last thirty minutes?¡±

    Daniyel¡¯s frown grew deeper. ¡°My lack of action currently does not mean that I can relax my vigilance.¡± He said sternly.

    Soriya gave a long-suffering sigh and turned back to Holly. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s just you and me.¡±

    Eshaan swallowed down the lump in his throat and sat forward, unclipping his harness. ¡°Deal me in.¡± He smiled weakly at the two women. ¡°If you can ignore certain death, then I can hardly stay out. Besides¡­¡± He eyed the cards. ¡°You have no idea how many hands of cards troopers play while we wait for nothing to happen.¡±

    Holly looked at Soriya and raised an eyebrow, then started dealing the cards. ¡°I think we¡¯d best not play for money then, dear.¡± She said to Soriya. ¡°Eshaan here is likely to clean us out!¡±

    Up in the cockpit, Lakshmi¡¯s white knuckled grip on the steering yoke had slowly ebbed to pale pink, then normal dusky brown as the Sparrowhawk continued to perform exactly as she had envisioned.

    Granted, nothing¡¯s shooting at us right now¡­ she thought. But that¡¯s why the fighter¡¯s guns are installed in the turret, now isn¡¯t it? She scanned the console with practiced eyes. She¡¯d gained a lot of practice over the past two hours. Below, the Tol Jaegren range raced past in a grey and white blur.

    Everything remained perfectly stable. The mana density in the engine cores was steady. The injector coils were running perfectly, and the venting systems (suggested by Soriya) were doing exactly what they were supposed to. She hadn¡¯t even kicked in the booster system, and the Sparrowhawk was already faster than the top end she¡¯d ever run the Pelican at. It was almost eerie just how smoothly it all was working. Not that I¡¯m complaining, mind you! She hastily thought. But lately¡­ it did seem that every time she got into the air, something exploded rather spectacularly.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    She had drunk the potion Holly provided more than an hour ago, and could still feel the faintly purple fizzy feeling of sharp awareness in her. Holly had warned her that she would crash hard after the time was up, but she had a good twelve hours, and the Sparrowhawk should be in Spyre long before that.

    Her only real worry was the docking. There were no civilian vessels the size of the Sparrowhawk, they simply didn¡¯t exist.

    Well. They hadn¡¯t existed, until today! She thought proudly. I almost wish I could present at the Imperial Scholar¡¯s Competition myself. Father¡¯s eyes would pop out of his head! She grinned fiercely to herself, then her expression grew grim again. I can¡¯t rely on my title to find Lily. Khine proved that. So how am I going to find her¡­ She chewed the thought over in her head for several minutes.

    After a moment of thought, she called back ¡°Eshaan? Can I ask for some help?¡±

    Back in the passenger area, Eshaan leapt up, his cards scattered across the deck and table.

    ¡°Ah! Yes! Your highness! Captain! I¡¯m coming!¡±

    Holly sighed and bent down to pick up the cards. ¡°Mm, Crystal¡¯s high. He wasn¡¯t kidding about knowing how to play.¡± She murmured.

    Eshaan burst into the cockpit with his usual energy, and then waffled. There wasn¡¯t enough room to kneel, and if he bowed, he¡¯d probably hit Lakshmi on the head. But if he sat down in the presence of nobility¡­

    This is so hard! Lily would know what to do! What would Lily do? He thought.

    Lakshmi looked up at him, her blue eyes briefly reminding him of Lily. He could see frustration, pain, and¡­ probably all kinds of ¡®royal¡¯ things in them¡­

    ¡°Eshaan, sit.¡± She said, gesturing to the co-pilot seat next to her. ¡°You¡¯re going to give me a crick in my neck looking up at you like that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, captain princess!¡± He slipped into the chair with relief. It was good to have clear orders!

    The way Lakshmi rolled her eyes definitely reminded him of Lilyanna!

    ¡°Could you just¡­ not? Please?¡± She said with an  entreating tone.

    ¡°Not¡­ what?¡± Eshaan asked, confused.

    ¡°Just¡­ while I¡¯m piloting, can you not call me princess? Actually could you just not call me princess at all?!¡± She pleaded.

    ¡°Oh! Uh, sure!¡± He nodded eagerly. ¡°Is this because of the in-disguise-thing? I figured once you returned your hair color, you weren¡¯t in disguise?¡±

    Lakshmi sighed and looked down, muttering under her breath ¡°What Lilyanna sees in you I can¡¯t fathom.¡± She looked up again. ¡°Eshaan. Please don¡¯t call me princess. I don¡¯t like my title, and I don¡¯t like the weight it carries and I don¡¯t like¡­ anything about it. Ok? Can you understand that?¡±

    Eshaan blinked a few times, and the usual confusing haze that people made around him suddenly swam into one of the blessed moments of clear view.

    She¡­ doesn¡¯t like being princess? So¡­ then¡­ ¡°Is it ok if I call you captain?¡± He ventured.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, am I your captain? Are you one of my crew?¡± Lakshmi snapped up at him.

    Eshaan wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that¡­ which really covered most of his life, honestly. So he did what he always did, he told the truth.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He said frankly. ¡°When we were escaping from Farna, you wanted to pretend we were your crew. When we were at the mines, we were your entourage. When we were building the airship with you, we were ground crew.¡± He rubbed at the back of his head nervously.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to think we¡¯re friends. I¡¯m not very good with people, after all, so it¡¯s hard to make them.¡±

    Lakshmi stared at him for such a long time, he was worried he¡¯d said something strange. Finally, she looked down at the steering yoke and Eshaan thought he caught the words ¡°¡­why ¡­ likes you.¡±

    She looked up at him again, and smiled, her eyes oddly bright. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s be friends. So. Friends can call each other by their first names, right?¡±

    Eshaan nodded eagerly. This he understood! ¡°Sure, Lakshmi! Let¡¯s be friends! So¡­ is that what you wanted to talk about? Being friends?¡±

    Lakshmi laughed a little then shook her head. ¡°No, Eshaan. I wanted to ask you if you¡¯d been to the imperial air docks, or served time in the palace guards. We need to figure out how we¡¯re going to land and rescue Lilyanna.¡±

    Eshaan blinked. ¡°Oh! Well, I¡¯ve done both! Commander Khine made sure that we got lots of experience in all areas of the empire. So yes, I know a bit of all of that.¡±

    ¡°Great. So do you know the patrol routes at the palace? Or how we can handle the patrols at the air dock?¡±

    Eshaan blinked. ¡°Is this¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, I thought you¡¯d just ask them, and they¡¯d do what you want? You are¡­¡± He waved his hand vaguely, not wanting to say the word.

    Lakshmi scowled fiercely. ¡°Commander Khine has informed me quite clearly of my place in the order of things.¡± She spat. ¡°I don¡¯t think revealing myself to the guards would help.¡±

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°So, does that mean we can¡¯t get Miss Soriya into the inventor¡¯s competition?¡±

    Lakshmi jerked her head up. ¡°What? Eshaan that¡¯s¡­¡± she trailed off, her eyes going wide. ¡°That¡¯s brilliant! Of course! Why didn¡¯t I think about that! The bays will be so busy from the competition, with the unloading and loading¡­ and I still have the codes from¡­ yes! We¡¯ll say we¡¯re just part of an inventor¡¯s entourage! Soriya! SORIYA!¡± Lakshmi hollered into the crew area.

    A few moments later Soriya appeared. ¡°What is it, Lakshmi? Did Eshaan do something?¡±

    Lakshmi shook her head in exasperation. ¡°Well of course! But it¡¯s not about that! I have a plan! We have a plan! You¡¯re going to be our inventor for the competition!¡±

    Soriya blinked a few times. ¡°Uh¡­ well I did want to enter yes, but I thought with Lily¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s just it! The air docks are going to be teeming from the competition! The airship is strange, but we can pawn it off as an inventor¡¯s eccentricity! And you¡¯re our inventor! That way, we¡¯ll get through dock customs and get our pass to the palace! All in one go!¡± She grinned. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky, we might even get to find out where they¡¯re keeping that hunk of junk from the Tol Jaegren dig site!¡±

    Soriya started to smile, the nodded more rapidly. ¡°Yes¡­ yes this could work really well!¡±

    Eshaan frowned. ¡°But how will that help us find out where Lily is?¡± He asked.

    ¡°One step at a time.¡± Lakshmi said.

    Soriya laughed and flipped her hand. ¡°Are you kidding? That¡¯s the easy part!¡±

    Eshaan and Lakshmi stared at her in disbelief. ¡°Easy?! How do you figure that?!¡±

    Soriya smiled. ¡°This is Lily. She¡¯ll be in the middle of a giant political standoff between two factions, and there will be tons of gossip about it.¡±

    Lakshmi frowned. ¡°You can¡¯t know that, just because the commander captured her doesn¡¯t mean-¡±

    Soriya cut her off. ¡°Trust me!¡± She said brightly, wiggling her fingers spookily and pointing at her hat. ¡°I¡¯m a witch! Spooky witch powers!¡±

    Eshaan and Lakshmi traded a glance then turned back to Soriya, who continued to smile brightly.

    ¡°What could go wrong?!¡± Soriya said.

    ***

    Commander Khine had locked me in another cell, though this one was at least far more comfortable. It even had a blanket on the cot. I was still impossibly bored though. I considered trying to learn the arts of meditation, but I couldn¡¯t still my mind. I did finally get the lotus posture correct though, even if it took a little wiggling. I didn¡¯t really want to undo all that hard work, so I figured I might as well spend some time speaking with my Arcana. Perhaps I could finally get them to give me something besides cryptic messages. Failing that, I could just become annoyed enough with them that I wouldn¡¯t be bored any longer.

    <Hello?> I asked into the quiet part of my soul, the part where the summons¡¯ voices seemed to come from.

    There was a quiet susurrus, and then a mingled harmony of 3 voices. ¡°Child of ?ther.¡±

    Well, that¡¯s a start,  I suppose. <I was hoping to ask some questions.>

    ¡°We cannot answer questions regarding the locations of the System Keys.¡±

    <Ok, you¡¯ve said that. Can you tell me what a System Key is?>

    There was a pause. ¡°We are System Keys.¡±

    <Ok. So¡­ keys to what?>

    There was another pause. ¡°The System.¡±

    I felt a chill down my spine. <You open¡­ access to the World System? That gives skills and classes?>

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    I shivered all over. ¡°Oh good.¡± I murmured out loud. ¡°And here I thought it was just a doomsday weapon, or the keys to a techno moon castle.¡±

    ¡°The System Nexus can be opened with all nine of the Keys.¡±

    I froze. ¡°Are¡­ are you telling me there¡¯s actually a castle on the moon?¡±

    ¡°Not unless one has been built since we were created.¡±

    I gritted my teeth. <But the system core, the physical place¡­ is on the moon?!>

    ¡°That is correct.¡±

    ¡°Are you fripping kidding me!?¡± I screamed aloud. ¡°The honey am I suppose to- Aaaaaaagh!¡± I picked up the thin prison pillow and screamed into it, emptying my lungs, and then hurled it against the cell wall.

    I sat there for a while, panting, finally getting myself back under control. Ok. Ok, so there¡¯s a techno moon dungeon. Wonderful. Fine. <Where is the access point to the system?>

    ¡°The local access hub is mobile. It contains a gate to the Nexus.¡±

    <So¡­ it¡¯s a flying castle.>

    ¡°There is no castle on the island.¡±

    I got up, marched over to the pillow, picked it up, and screamed into it again, emptying my lungs. It helped. A little. I marched back to my cot and sat down again. I¡¯d lost my lotus position, but that seemed like a small matter now.

    <Great. So how many of you are there?>

    ¡°There are Nine System keys.¡±

    <And each of you¡­ what? Holds aspects of the System? Represents facets of control?>

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    The sound of boots on metal outside broke my concentration. A slot opened at the bottom of the door, and a tray containing¡­

    Well they probably think its food. I thought uncharitably. I grimaced as I walked over and picked up the tray, sniffing at it, then wrinkled my nose. No wonder Eshaan thinks my cooking is good, if he¡¯s used to this. I sighed and sat down on the cot again. ¡°Well, I should at least try.¡± With no utensils, I dipped my fingers into the bland pastes on the plate and made do.

    The expression on my face must have been something to behold. Eshaan, you poor boy, having to eat this all the time?! How did you survive on this?!

    ***

    The Sparrowhawk arrived at the outskirts of Spyre just as the sun was touching the horizon. Everyone except Daniyel was crowded into the hatch to watch the cityline slowly growing as the ship rushed towards it.

    ¡°Well done, dear.¡± Holly said to Lakshmi. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived exactly as fast as you said we would. We¡¯ve even got time to register Soriya for the competition.¡± Holly added.

    ¡°Say, where¡¯s the cargo ship that Lily almost sank?¡± Eshaan piped up. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have to dock here too?¡±

    Lakshmi blinked in surprise. ¡°I suppose it would have to. The repair docks are over that way¡­¡± she pointed, and as the Sparrowhawk advanced, the grey bulk of a cargo ship was revealed, a giant hole still clearly visible through its decking.

    The group stared at it in silence for a moment before Holly said ¡°My little girl did that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lakshmi said quietly. ¡°It was even more impressive from the inside. But she still flew all the way here.¡±

    ¡°Probably towed by the battle fleet you mentioned.¡± Soriya said. ¡°Though I do hope that Devdan and Priya made it off safely. You did say you didn¡¯t get them involved in the fighting?¡±

    Lakshmi nodded. ¡°Lily did that. That¡¯s just how she is, you know.¡±

    Soriya smiled and gave Lakshmi a quick squeeze on the shoulder. ¡°I do know. She¡¯s my best friend.¡±

    ¡°We should check on them.¡± Said Eshaan. ¡°Make sure they¡¯re ok.¡±

    A series of colorful firework flares interrupted him. A small ship bearing imperial markings waggled side to side and shot another flare.

    Lakshmi said ¡°Ah, there¡¯s the harbor master¡¯s signal. We follow them.¡± She shifted the guide yoke of the ship and the Sparrowhawk slipped into a graceful sideways slide, following the steady signals from the harbor ship.

    ¡°Am I going to need to know anything about the Sparrowhawk to pass as an inventor?¡± Soriya said with a slight edge to her tone. ¡°Come to that, is there a way that they expect inventors or presenters to act?¡±

    Lakshmi thought about it, then shook her head. ¡°A little arrogant, a little snotty, a lot brainy. Just be yourself and you¡¯ll fit in perfectly.¡±

    Soriya scowled and whapped Lakshmi lightly on the shoulder. ¡°Here I am, presenting a theory that could change the very world and my assistants treat me as comedy!¡± She affected a tone of high-minded pomposity. ¡°I am a visionary! A woman of learning and letters! The world should be-

    Lakshmi twitched the yoke of the ship and the whole ship lurched to the side, knocking Soriya soundly against the hull.

    ¡°-Awk!¡± She cut off, grabbing wildly at the hatch rim and staggering to keep her balance.

    Lakshmi was the picture of innocence. ¡°Sorry about that. You should probably sit down, there¡¯s always a tight approach during harbor docking.¡±

    ¡°Plebian! I shall remember this!¡± Soriya said, avoiding another head knocking by Lakshmi¡¯s piloting as she walked back to the cargo zone. ¡°Daniyel~!¡± She sang out. ¡°We¡¯re almost there, come see the city with me?¡±

    Daniyel looked up from his cross-legged meditation pose in the engine room, then slowly unfolded himself.

    ¡°Truly? This ship Princess Lakshmi has designed is a wonder.¡± He gestured to the engine core. ¡°And your improvements have made our ingress trip vastly easier than our egress was.¡±

    Soriya smiled lazily and swayed up to him. ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me all about it. Lakshmi says I just have to act the part of the arrogant genius, and everything will sort itself.¡±

    Daniyel nodded with his imperturbable calm. ¡°That seems a sound plan.¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you believe yourself capable of this deception?¡±

    Soriya blinked at him in surprise, then broke into a broad smile. ¡°Why Daniyel! That¡¯s the nicest thing you¡¯ve said to me!¡±

    Daniyel cocked his head to the side. ¡°Your standards for compliments should be raised higher, then.¡± He looked at the engine, then down at the deck, clearly thinking hard. ¡°I cannot leave Lakshmi unattended, but I would be happy to show you what parts of the city I can. If we have time. I suspect that we may not.¡± He smiled wryly. ¡°You may have noticed we tend to have unexpected events disrupt plans.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s eyes were large as she stared at him, and then a bright smile spread across her features. She laid a hand lightly on Daniyel¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯d like that very much~¡± She cooed softly.

    ¡°Hoy, you two!¡± Lakshmi¡¯s voice came from the cockpit. ¡°We¡¯re docking, so sit down or you¡¯re going to whack your head for real!¡±

    ¡°Oops.¡± Soriya smiled wryly. ¡°Our captain calls.¡±

    Daniyel nodded his head once. ¡°Indeed she does. We had best heed her advice.¡±

    The docking went smoothly. Everything about the trip had gone suspiciously smoothly, as far as Soriya was concerned, but she was hoping that it wasn¡¯t a marker of things to come. She fully expected to have to fly out at high speed, possibly even blasting their way free of the port with Lilyanna onboard. But typically she thought to herself the ride in is very smooth. It¡¯s the rescue and the ride out that¡¯s the rough part. She bit her thumb thoughtfully. I hope Lily¡¯s holding up ok. Poor girl must be going mad with having to play her part. She wants not to be the damsel so badly, but she¡¯s been kidnapped three times now.

    The Sparrowhawk bumped against the harbor dock with a soft ¡®thud¡¯ and then settled on its landing skids. The sounds of the engine slowly spinning down and the feel of guided mana flows filling the air quieted and then ceased.

    ¡°Ok, we¡¯re down!¡± Lakshmi¡¯s voice came from the cockpit. ¡°Everybody off, we need to present papers and fees to the harbor! Soriya! You¡¯re up!¡±

    Soriya nodded and got up, followed by everyone else. ¡°Here we go, everyone!¡± Soriya turned to face the hatch and stepped up boldly, lowering the gang ramp to the dock outside.

    ***

    I had just about decided that I¡¯d never want to eat again, if every meal was this awful slop. The tray had come and gone twice, and I¡¯d slept once, but who knew what that meant, there was no window, and only the sounds of boots outside gave any indication of time passing.

    I was startled awake by the rattle of keys in the door, and Khine¡¯s voice calling my name.

    ¡°Miss Lilyanna, it¡¯s finally time for you to be useful.¡± He stepped into the cell, still flanked by two of his goons.

    How that man inspires loyalty, I do not understand. Or perhaps I just don¡¯t want to understand. I thought sadly. I brushed my hair out of my face and stood up. ¡°But I simply haven¡¯t a thing to wear.¡± I smiled at him. ¡°Only these charming pieces of jewelry you¡¯ve left me.¡± I rattled my manacles for show.

    ¡°I suspect that your allies in the church will have greater interest than I. For now, I must show the goods.¡± He sneered. ¡°Rejoice, if you are as important to them as you seem to be, you will soon be free of me.¡±

    I looked up at him, tipping my head to the side, then slowly shook my head. ¡°No¡­¡± I said softly. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be free of you for quite some time. You seem like the kind of character who¡¯s likely to stick around.¡±

    Khine scowled. ¡°Your cryptic pronouncements do you no favors.¡± He grabbed me by the forearm, and I felt my whole body go a little wiggly and weak, as when the guard at Priya¡¯s house had grabbed me.

    Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going anywhere with these shackles and spellcollar. Lets go see how pointy the pope¡¯s hat is.

 39 Party Division, party mending

    Khine had walked me through a series of corridors and into a small air taxi. I got a really good view of the city and let myself rubberneck, hands pressed against the glass as we flew. It was amazing. Tall spires, whizzing air taxis filling the canyons between the buildings, exotic trees and the people dressed in so many colors and fashions! I deeply wished I could spend some time shopping.

    That thought made me frown sadly. I hope Devdan and Priya are ok. They should be ok. The plot doesn¡¯t have anything to do with them now¡­ I should try and make sure though.

    I glanced over at the stone faced troopers and Commander Khine sitting stoically across from me, then shook my head and returned to the view out the window. I can¡¯t ask him. They¡¯ll be snapped up for sure and something terrible will happen to them. I wiped away the fog on the window my breath was making.

    It¡¯s like all the magitech fantasy games I¡¯ve ever played come to life. I wonder what Eshaan would think of this view? No that¡¯s silly, he¡¯s probably seen it lots of times before! So has Lakshmi¡­ or has she? I wonder if she¡¯s the sheltered sort?

    The air car came around in a swooping arc, and a vast cathedral came into view, shining gold and white walls and glittering multicolored windows. I nodded approvingly. This was definitely the headquarters of the church.

    ¡°Not nearly as impressive as the main cathedral in Albidion, of course, but certainly more impressive than most regional capitals.¡± Khine¡¯s casual comment pulled me away from the gaze to stare at him open mouthed.

    He smirked at my wide-eyed astonishment. ¡°Oh yes, the church has a great deal of power and wealth that it flaunts, extolling the virtues of the Crystal Dragon.¡± He narrowed his eyes at me. ¡°You are a goddess worshiper, I believe. Hardly a surprise in the backwaters.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡­ was, yes.¡± I fumbled a bit, trying to feel out how I even felt about religion. I had won pirate treasure from an actual ghost, the afterlife in this world was a real thing, and I could summon spirits of the System itself¡­ who was to say that the Goddess wasn¡¯t real?!

    Khine frowned. ¡°Was?¡± he shook his head. ¡°Regardless. Irrelevant. I¡¯ll finally be able to get some answers from those self-righteous fools now that you¡¯re here.¡±

    I blinked and then essayed a smile. ¡°Well. I¡¯m glad that I can assist with illuminating your questions then.¡± I felt a slight rush of enjoyment as a look of sour anger swept across his features, followed by guilt. It really is terribly cruel of me to take so much enjoyment in tweaking his nose¡­ but I can¡¯t help it, he feels like he deserves it! I wish I knew how to pull him out of the plot¡­ I wish I knew what the plot is!

    The air car swept around the cathedral once more, and then slowly settled down to the ground with a whine of its crystal engine coming to a stop as the car bumped lightly against the ground, then settled firmly onto its skids.

    Better than a helicopter! I grinned to myself.

    The hatch opened smoothly, and I was forced to my feet and out the door, manacles jingling softly. I blinked a few times against the blaze of bright light, the cathedral was genuinely blinding with the sun overhead and the white and gold walls glowing brightly with reflected radiance.

    As my eyes adjusted to the glare, I finally got a glimpse of our welcoming committee.

    To my genuine surprise, it turned out the hat wasn¡¯t all that pointy. Of course, that was entirely due to the fact that the person standing across the landing plaza from me wasn¡¯t the pope.

    Tsk. I thought to myself. For shame, Lily, of course you don¡¯t get to meet the pope right away, they have to verify you¡¯re the real deal.

    The leader of the church delegation standing across from us was heart-stoppingly handsome however. I grew quite upset realizing just how much that affected me. I was filthy, I hadn¡¯t had a bath, my dress was torn in multiple places, and I had bruises all over me, and the incredibly gorgeous church boy was staring at me. I desperately wanted a bath and new clothes.

    I look a complete wreck; oh this is so embarrassing! I found myself absently trying to fuss with my hair, and forced my traitorous hands down in front of me.

    Khine gestured wordlessly, and we advanced across the plaza. The church delegation was only two people. The leader of the group, tall and handsome in his elaborate priest robes. A bland looking man who held himself with a ready wariness that instantly put me on guard. He looked like he was used to fading into the background, but all my instincts immediately went on high alert.

    This man is dangerous. I thought quietly.

    And then I felt a chill of pure terror sweep down my spine. From behind the handsome priest, a third person appeared. My old self stepped into the light, wearing the robes of a churchman.

    I stared at him in horror, my eyes wide. His gaze met mine and he smiled. I felt like I¡¯d been pinned to the ground, like a rabbit staring at a hawk.

    The two troopers on either side of me pushed me roughly forward, making me stumble, forcing them to grab my arms to hold me upright.

    Khine turned to look, his brow creasing in a furrow, looking back and forth between the two of us.

    ¡°How interesting. She seems to know you, Deacon Brown.¡±

    The shadowme standing across from us smiled blandly, and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve been told I have one of those faces. I assure you.¡± He turned to look at me and smiled, his eyes cold and black. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her before in my life.¡±

    I felt a {Persuade} hit me with the force of a hammer blow, and for a moment, I wavered. Was I wrong? Perhaps it¡¯s just a coincidence? He¡¯s a member of the clergy, surely- I hauled my thoughts to a screeching stop. That was the force of my naivety speaking, the village girl from Breezewood. That was the face I had seen in the mirror for decades. And nobody pushed a {Persuade} like that to convince someone of something trivial.

    I smiled back at him as sweetly as I could manage. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure that¡¯s it.¡± I said against the feeling of dread weighting me down. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry for my mistake¡­ Deacon Brown, was it?¡± I dipped into a polite bow of apology.

    And to my honest shock, when I came up again, I saw a tiny flicker of doubt in his eyes.

    ***

    The docking bay was exactly as busy as Lakshmi had predicted. A harried looking gentleman carrying a clipboard and wearing the uniform of a harbormaster with the imperial regalia on it approached our group as we disembarked. He looked at Lakshmi with surprise, before shaking his head, muttering ¡°Remarkable resemblance¡± to himself. He looked around. ¡°Business at the Capital?¡±

    Soriya stepped forward, draped in a regal aura that dripped arrogance and self-importance. ¡°That would be me, Soriya of Farna, glorious inventor of a million creations!¡± She waved dismissively at the group behind her. ¡°These are my servants, of no import.¡±

    The inspector did not seem at all impressed or even interested. He simply scribbled down notes on his sheaf of clipboard papers, and then looked up again. ¡°One-time docking fee is one hundred and fifty Zeni a day. If you¡¯re here for the Imperial Scholar¡¯s Competition, the entrance fee is five hundred zeni, payable at the Exhibition Hall. The fee covers docking for the two weeks of the exhibition. Presentation is in three days, failure to present will result in expulsion. Any questions?¡± He droned in a tone of a man who had had to say the same thing far too many times far too recently.

    Soriya covered her outraged astonishment well, simply waving to Lakshmi. ¡°Pilot, please see to the fees.¡± She said dismissively.

    Lakshmi¡¯s eyes went big, then she narrowed them, her features etched with irritation. She stalked over to the harbormaster, pulling out an enormous wad of zeni notes. Eshaan¡¯s eyes went round with shock.

    Lakshmi peeled off several notes, and handed them to the harbormaster. He flipped through them, nodded and stamped the document on the clipboard, tearing off a sheet and handing it to Lakshmi.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to pay your entrance fee at the Exhibition Hall. If you don¡¯t, you will be charged the regular fee for docking per day.¡± He produced a pamphlet and handed it to Lakshmi. ¡°You¡¯ve come too late to book a hotel, all the rooms are full. Inventor¡¯s lodgings are on Spindrift Avenue, on Sparrow level. Thank you for attending the Imperial Scholar¡¯s Competition, may your genius illuminate the empire.¡± He rattled off his formula and walked off.

    ¡°That was a lot of money.¡± Lakshmi said to Soriya, irritation lacing her tone. Her eyes went large as she heard the sound of the World Soul in her mind.

    <{Tinker} Advanced to level 10. {Visionary level 5}, unlocked. {Legendary Tinker}, unlocked. {Loremaster} Advanced to level 3. {Flash of Insight level 3}, unlocked. For reaching the capital in time to prevent the fourth abduction of Lilyanna of Breezewood, you have advanced to {Tinker:10} & {Loremaster:3}>

    Soriya grinned triumphantly. ¡°And there¡¯s the proof this was the right course of action! Or did you think leveling was without cost or difficulty? Besides!¡± she patted Lakshmi on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve got it to spare. You¡¯re an air pirate, stealing from the empire, I think you can afford a little bit of booty.¡±

    ¡°Not if I have to keep paying fees like that!¡± Lakshmi said angrily.

    Eshaan burst out ¡°Never mind that! Didn¡¯t you hear the world soul!? We¡¯re in time to save Lily! We have to get going!¡±

    The group turned to look at him. Daniyel stepped forward with grave dignity and placed his hands gently on Eshaan¡¯s shoulders. ¡°The desert hare does not always race the dunes. It must first know its destination before it moves. So too, must we.¡±

    Eshaan clenched his fists angrily and looked down. ¡°But¡­¡± he started

    Soriya put her hands on her hips. ¡°Eshaan! Do not presume that you are the only one who cares about Lily! We are all concerned about her! But we have a plan, and there are many things that we need to do.¡± Her voice softened and she looked around the group. ¡°I may not be Lilyanna, but I can assure you, not to mention, we¡¯re here to rescue Lily, and then sneak a peek at the artifact recovered from the Tol Jaegren dig site. Remember?¡±

    Eshaan reluctantly nodded.

    Lakshmi scowled even more fiercely. ¡°Of course I remember!¡±

    Soriya turned to Lakshmi. ¡°And if you¡¯re really worried, I see a great deal of money in our future.¡± She smiled, and leaned towards to Lakshmi. ¡°Then kindly remember that as an incognito airpirate, we need to play the part of snotty inventors. Inventions take money. Pirating takes money.¡± She smiled and stepped back. ¡°Rescuing people takes knowledge. And we¡¯re in Spyre, we should live a little! We can sell the loot you got from that elopement sidequest, and we can all walk out of here richer!¡±

    Daniyel said with a soft rumble ¡°Also, we should check to see if Mr. Devdan and Miss Priya have arrived safely. We did not yet finish our task properly. I am somewhat familiar with the layout of the city. I will direct you to the Exhibition Hall, and then to the Inventor¡¯s lodgings.¡±

    Soriya blinked, and then said in a hushed voice ¡°Are you sure? Don¡¯t you and Lakshmi have somewhere to be?¡±

    Lakshmi sighed. ¡°Oh spirits, don¡¯t remind me. The awards ceremony. And my father will be just about now remembering that I exist.¡±

    Daniyel gave Lakshmi a sympathetic glance. ¡°Your father knows you exist. I¡¯ve told you so before. There will be a fuss when we return.¡±

    Lakshmi crossed her arms and looked away. ¡°Says you.¡±

    Daniyel turned back to the others. ¡°In the meantime¡­ you do not know the way around the city. It would be foolish to abandon you to your own devices in Spyre of all places. We will escort you to the needed locations, and then take our leave for our needful tasks.¡± He bowed.

    ¡°And besides. I promised Miss Soriya a tour of the city, when I had the time, did I not?¡± He smiled broadly and Soriya gained the fainted hint of pink in her cheeks.

    ***

    The look in my shadowclone¡¯s eyes quickly reverted to cold calculation. I kept up my best charming naive look. If this had been an anime, I¡¯m sure there would have been a crackle of lightning between us.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°So, Commander Khine.¡± The handsome church man said. ¡°This is the girl you think matches the description of our saintess?¡±

    Saintess?! My look of pretend innocence switched over to full bafflement. What on earth is this?!

    Khine harumphed. ¡°She certainly matches the posters you¡¯ve plastered everywhere. And I know for a fact that she is a [Spiritualist].¡±

    The handsome churchman stepped forward and took my shackled hands in his. ¡°Miss Lilyanna. I do beg your apology, you¡¯re doubtless confused and frightened. I assure you; we mean you no harm!¡± He turned to Khine. ¡°You¡¯ve shackled a Spiritualist? For shame, the superstitious rumors and prejudice have no place in this modern world. Release her, she¡¯s no threat.¡±

    Khine swelled up like a frog. ¡°I tell you; she is dangerous Vicar Hnin! And I will not simply turn over a dangerous criminal to the church until I am satisfied you understand that! There are concerns and issues with-¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± The handsome man interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°We all know about your search for the rebels and spies you insist permeate the empire at all levels. You are claiming the reward for our Saintess, and we will honor our side of the bargain, provided that this girl is the one we seek. But in order to verify she is the one, you will need to release her spellcollar and her manacles.¡±

    He turned back to me and smiled a heart melting smile. For some reason, all I could think of was Eshaan¡¯s earnest grin when he had discovered something he wanted to share with me.

    ¡°Miss Lilyanna, will you offer me your solemn pledge that you will refrain from nefarious mind control witcheries and promise not to assault anyone while in the city?¡± His voice was condescending and syrupy, and he spoke to Khine as much as to me.

    I opened my mouth to reply and had a sudden flash of hesitation. Would I? When Eshaan came to rescue me, I couldn¡¯t actually promise I wouldn¡¯t whack some priest upside the head with my staff?!

    ¡°I promise that I mean no harm to anyone who does not mean harm to me.¡± I said after a moment.

    Khine rolled his eyes. ¡°There, you see!? Already she is using her trickery and slippery words!¡±

    Vicar  Hnin smiled peaceably. ¡°Do you intend to harm her, Commander?¡± He looked around the small circle. ¡°I freely pledge that no one in this church means harm to the lady while she is in our care. And I will stake the reputation of the Holy Church of Crystal Everlasting that she will do no harm to anyone while in our care.¡±

    I had to choke down my response, seeing the glitter of shadowme¡¯s eyes as he stared at me hungrily.

    There was a tense moment. Khine finally broke it. ¡°And I suppose I¡¯ll get nothing unless I do as you ask. On your head be it. This girl has sunk two imperial sky ships and two independent sky vessels.¡±

    He stalked over to me, and I heard the jingle and rattle of keys. His voice whispered low and fierce in my ear. ¡°Try something, Lilyanna. Try anything, and you¡¯ll find that the empire¡¯s justice is very swift indeed.¡±

    I looked up at him, and let myself smile my most innocent. ¡°I offer no harm to anyone who does not offer harm to me.¡± I said, meaning every word.

    Khine snorted, and with a quick click and twist of key in metal, I felt the horrible spellcollar fall away from my neck, and the manacles on my wrists slither free. Mana started to circulate once more inside me and I let out a grateful sigh of pleasure. I immediately regretted it however, the filthy state of my clothes rubbing against my skin in almost painful fashion.

    I settled for rubbing my wrists and neck, feeling even more disgusting as flakes of grit and dead skin came free with the friction.

    ¡°There, you see Commander? Harmless. Miss Lilyanna, if you will do me the great honor of coming with me, we will offer you a bath and fresh clothes. And then, if you will humor us for our kindness, we should like to present you to one of our holy relics.¡±

    I looked up at him. ¡°Is this about the saintess thing?¡± I asked, as politely as I dared.

    He nodded agreeably. ¡°Yes, it is.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°I would be eternally grateful for a bath and clean clothes, but I am no one special. I cannot be this saintess you¡¯re looking for.¡±

    And I would really prefer not to have that particular plot thread open¡­

    I cut myself off, looking over at shadowme, who was watching me with undisguised glee.

    ¡°Nonetheless, we would like to be sure. The spark of the Crystal Dragon¡¯s fire may be found in anyone, my child.¡±

    I swallowed. And we get still deeper into the plot. And yet¡­ a bath and fresh clothes¡­ and no stops on this train. Not unless I¡¯m willing to murder a lot of people with no clear way out!

    ¡°Yes, of course I¡¯d be glad to help the Church.¡± I said shyly.

    ¡°Wonderful!¡± This way please. Commander, we¡¯ll have an answer for you as soon as the young lady is cleaned and presented to the relic. In the meantime, please rest and refresh yourself.¡± He gestured, and turned to shadowme. ¡°Deacon Brown, please escort our guests to the lounge, and provide them with whatever refreshments they may wish.¡±

    I saw shadowme¡¯s mask slip slightly, but he quickly put it back in place and nodded. ¡°Of course, Vicar.¡± He bowed to Khine and his goons, and gestured with a hand. ¡°This way, if you please gentlemen?¡±

    ¡°And please allow me to escort you, Miss Lilyanna.¡± Vicar Hnin said. ¡°Ah, where are my manners? My name is Vicar Win Hnin. I have the honor of being the pope¡¯s voice in the primus Spyre cathedral.¡± He said as we walked towards the cathedral, the silent presence of the unnamed other priest shadowing us like a cold fog.

    I frowned, looking up at him. ¡°Primus Cathedral?¡±

    ¡°Ah, of course, you would not be familiar with the term. The city of Spyre is quite large, as I¡¯m sure you can see.¡± He smiled blandly, sharing a joke with me. I looked at him, feeling a strange confusion.

    Wasn¡¯t I supposed to be attracted to him? Wasn¡¯t the giddy pink haired girl supposed to be overwhelmed and tricked?

    But instead I felt¡­ disgust. Not a hint of awe or attraction, only irritation and annoyance that he thought his smooth suave actions would disguise the rot I could feel seeping from him. This was a man who wanted something from me, wanted something very badly.

    Something that I very well might be able to give to him.I felt a chill down my spine. Shadowme is planning something. Something that will derail the plot. Or¡­ or will it? Is shadowme just as trapped as I am, in my role and class? Does shadowme even have a class?

    Vicar Hnin continued talking, blandly obvious to my confusion. ¡°And so there are many cathedrals within Spyre, and indeed many such cathedrals in the larger cities.¡± He smiled kindly at me. ¡°I¡¯m given to understand you are not a follower of the Crystal Dragon, but please rest assured, we bear you no ill will.¡± He held a hand over his heart. ¡°I even promise to keep the sermons short and to the point.¡±

    I swallowed, and looked away. ¡°Your attention is very flattering, Vicar. I¡¯m no one special, I wouldn¡¯t want you to waste your time with me.¡± I felt a little twinge of discomfort at the lie, it still felt very wrong to lie, especially to a member of the clergy!

    ¡°Nonsense, the company of a beautiful woman on a lovely day? The pleasure is all mine!¡±

    We entered the grand cathedral, and turned into a smaller corridor. The finery and awe inspiring architecture continued on the inside, and if anything, the feeling of corruption and anime evil grew stronger. I couldn¡¯t resist poking it, just a bit.

    ¡°Such a beautiful cathedral, Vicar! We have nothing like this in my village! To be able to build such a grand building, it¡¯s astonishing! To still have the wealth to construct such a building, after caring for the sick and poor, I¡¯m dumbfounded!¡±

    The Vicar looked at me, his patter about the cathedral clearly thrown off, and a dark shadow flickered through his eyes.

    I felt an entirely selfish stab of guilty vicious pleasure at the look under his mask. The glimpse vanished as quickly as it appeared however, and he smiled graciously. ¡°But of course! Those who follow the teachings of the Crystal Dragon give as generously as they can, and The Dragon has blessed many of our followers with the gift of prosperity. The church works to bring all together in a spirit of cooperation and harmony! The Dragon teaches that those who aid others grow stronger themselves, after all!¡±

    I smiled as sweetly as I could. Before I could ask another question, the Vicar gestured to a corridor where wisps of steam were visible. ¡°But here we are. Please, enjoy the baths! We will have your clothes laundered and fresh clothes provided to you. Should you need anything, simply pull the cord here, and an attendant will arrive within moments.¡± He gave me a bow, and then vanished, his strange silent companion following behind him.

    I watched them go for a moment, biting my lip uncertainly. But the lure of finally being clean finally drew me in.

    The bath was large, an enormous pool with a statue of the crystal dragon pouring steaming water into the pool. These baths were much like the bathing house at Breezewood, and so there was little confusion. One thing that stood out however, was a small basket containing a healing and mana potion. I pounced on them with a glad cry, and immediately uncorked and drank them. It tasted of flowers and some bitter herb I couldn¡¯t identify.

    Mother¡¯s potions are much better than this. I thought as I wiped my lips. Lakshmi¡¯s potions are better than this, and she¡¯s a rank amateur!

    But the feeling of my injuries healing and the flush of mana filling my body made me willing to forgive the taste. It wasn¡¯t much, but then I suspected they didn¡¯t realize just how large my mana pool had become. And it was more than sufficient for the small injuries and pains my captivity had inflicted on me.

    I hurriedly shucked off my clothes and lay them on a nearby bench, then hurried across to the bathing area to scrub myself free of the feel of Khine¡¯s hands on me.

    It took a lot of scrubbing.

    ***

    The air bus to the Exhibition Hall was packed. A variegated mix of people from all across the empire, all apparently here to rubberneck and gawk at the exotic wonders of the modern age.

    Lakshmi shifted unhappily, the smell of sweat and packed bodies making her shiver.

    Daniyel said softly ¡°We¡¯ll be there soon. It will not take long.¡±

    Lakshmi nodded unhappily. She had never liked crowds. Which was just perfect, because father made her stand in front of huge crowds and give speeches.

    Eshaan nudged her. ¡°Hey, uh¡­¡± He fumbled and for a moment she was terrified he would call her princess right in front of everyone. But instead ¡°Lakshmi. Is that¡­?¡± He pointed into the distance down the vast corridor between the buildings, where a soaring building of minarets and buttresses, wrought in black and red and gold.

    She nodded; her mouth pressed into a thin line. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Eshaan was silent for a moment, then said simply ¡°It¡¯s big.¡±

    Lakshmi roused herself slightly from the daze of her thoughts. The bus turned a corner, mercifully hiding the sight of the palace.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d been here before?¡± She said.

    Eshaan shook his head. ¡°I mean, sure I¡¯ve been in the city, but I was only stationed here for two weeks! That¡¯s not enough time to get to sightsee, let alone learn where the shops are! And anyway, I didn¡¯t even get to leave the training grounds.¡±

    Lakshmi nodded again. Eshaan stared at her quietly, then said ¡°When we get Lily back, you should ask her. She¡¯s good with people.¡±

    Lakshmi laughed, startled. ¡°Ask her what?! How to get kidnapped?!¡±

    Eshaan scowled. ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡±

    Lakshmi shrugged. ¡°Life¡¯s not fair.¡±

    The voice of bus driver rang out, interrupting what he might have said in reply. ¡°Exhibition Hall, this stop is Exhibition Hall!¡±

    The crowd shuffled and stirred as the group pushed their way through the milling throng and out the exit, stepping onto the landing platform amid a small crowd of people.

    Soriya looked around confidently, then said ¡°Alright, everyone! Let¡¯s go get famous!¡±

    Eshaan frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the exact opposite of what we want to do?¡±

    Holly laughed kindly. ¡°Dear, when you¡¯re putting on a performance, it¡¯s the exact right thing to do. But I think the first step is simply to get our exhibitor¡¯s pass. And that¡¯s exactly what our inventor needs us for.¡±

    Soriya gestured grandly. ¡°Correct, loyal minions!¡±

    Daniyel frowned. ¡°Miss Soriya, I am glad to see you enjoying yourself, but perhaps less of the overbearing would be welcome.¡±

    Soriya immediately crumpled. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s just¡­¡±

    Daniyel shook his head, patting her arm. ¡°We like you fine as you are. Perhaps that person can be our inventor?¡±

    Soriya tipped her head to the side, her large witch¡¯s hat slipping a bit. ¡°She¡¯s even more bombastic than the inventor.¡± She said slyly.

    Daniyel sighed and rolled his eyes. ¡°Please, Miss Soriya. For the sake of my heart.¡±

    Soriya pouted. ¡°Oh very well. Just a little bombastic.¡±

    Daniyel nodded agreeably. ¡°A little bombastic is an acceptable flourish.¡±

    Holly pointed to the small sign modestly above an inconspicuous door. ¡°Curious that the Exhibition Hall¡¯s entrance is not the inventor¡¯s entrance.¡±

    Lakshmi shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±

    The group marched over to the office and opened the door. The room was quiet and small, and filled with the smell of ink and paper and elemental crystals. A small mousy woman looked up from behind a desk, pushing up her spectacles. ¡°May I help you? This is the inventor¡¯s registration center, for the presentation.¡±

    Soriya swept towards the counter. ¡°Yes, this is exactly the right place! I am here to present my findings on the nature of the Etheric stratums, the transient paths of the Soul and the Wake of the World.¡±

    The clerk blinked slowly, then said ¡°Well. We don¡¯t often have presentations that don¡¯t have a material component¡­¡± She looked down and started shuffling papers, finally pulling one forth.

    ¡°Here. This is the paper for a Symposium presentation.¡± She paused, then hesitantly said ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ve never heard of a Symposium presentation being awarded the Imperial Scholar¡¯s Prize¡­?¡±

    Soriya jerked her head up in surprise. ¡°What, never?¡±

    The woman shook her head. ¡°No. Practical applications are prized over the theoretical.¡±

    Soriya frowned, gritting her teeth. ¡°There are practical applications to my work.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any devices to show?¡±

    Soriya ground her teeth. ¡°No.¡±

    The clerk was silent. ¡°A-are you presenting for a collegium?¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°I am self-taught.¡± Her fist curled slowly on the paperwork.

    There was a long silence, then Soriya looked up brightly and smiled. ¡°Well! All the better, I suppose. Will there at least be a few who listen to the Symposium lectures?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes miss, of course! All the universities will be sending representatives! If you¡¯re after a teaching position, several of those are offered every year!¡±

    ¡°Hm. A teaching position?¡± She turned and tapped the application. ¡°Regardless, we must pay.¡±

    The clerk seemed startled by the abrupt change of pace, and then nodded. ¡°If you¡¯re ready, we can accept credit on the Imperial bank- eep!¡±

    She was cut off by the slam of Lakshmi putting down a thick wad of zeni bills. ¡°The payment.¡± Lakshmi ground out. ¡°For the illustrious inventor.¡±

    ¡°O-oh my!¡± The clerk cleared her throat and hurriedly counted through the thick stack of bills. ¡°Ah! Well, yes! This is the correct amount! If you¡¯ll just sign there, and affix your signature?¡±

    Soriya stamped and signed where directed, and received a small square of paper in return proclaiming her a presenter for the contest. A few more shuffled pieces of paper. ¡°It¡¯s actually quite lucky that you¡¯re presenting to the symposium, the majority of the display sections of the Hall have already been taken, but there¡¯s still plenty of lecture halls! I¡¯ve given you the best one remaining!¡± The clerk said, handing her another thick packet of papers with the instructions and times. ¡°Here are the times and dates, you can fill out which one you like, or present at all of them. If you don¡¯t mind my saying so, the best presentation is just after lunch. The academics will all have eaten, and be in a much more receptive frame of mind.¡±

    Soriya nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. My thanks!¡± They turned to go, and Holly said ¡°Miss?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± the clerk looked up from her paperwork.

    ¡°How long have you worked here?¡±

    ¡°Oh, five years? Yes, it¡¯s been five years now.¡±

    Holly nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± She followed the others out.

    Once they were clear of the office, Holly said ¡°In my day, the symposium was the cream of the competition. Inventions and devices were considered ¡®second rate.¡¯ Pure research was more important than ¡®tinker¡¯s toys.¡¯¡±

    Lakshmi looked up in surprise. ¡°Really? I¡¯ve never heard of that?¡±

    Daniyel coughed gently. ¡°Mistress Holly has a great deal of worldly experience-¡±

    Holly burst out laughing. ¡°Oh you can say I¡¯m old, Master Daniyel, it¡¯s ok, I don¡¯t mind!¡±

    Eshaan immediately protested. ¡°That¡¯s not right at all! You¡¯re definitely not old!¡±

    Holly smiled kindly at Eshaan. ¡°Dear, I have a daughter who¡¯s seventeen. I most certainly am not ¡®farm fresh¡¯.¡±

    Soriya snapped ¡°Can we maybe discuss what is and is not the right age for things, after we get a hotel room?¡±

    The group looked at her in surprise, and then Eshaan said hesitantly ¡°Sure, Miss Soriya¡­ I¡¯m sorry if I¡¯ve offended you? I thought you were the same age as Lilyanna?¡±

    Soriya tossed her head. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right, I am the same age as Lilyanna.¡±

    The air bus ride to the inventor¡¯s quarters was awkwardly quiet.

 40 - A fated decision

    The bath was wonderful. Blissful and I couldn¡¯t be happier. I even forgot everything that was waiting for me on the other side for a while. But eventually, like all things, it had to come to an end. Besides, my fingers and toes were getting all pruney. I splashed up out of the bath feeling as clean as the baths in Breezewood.

    I frowned, thinking of having to wear the filthy and torn peasant girl¡¯s outfit, but as I moved towards the dressing rooms, a figure appeared out of the mists. I gave a little yelp¡­

    Alright, I might have actually shrieked and said ¡®kyaah¡¯. That was embarrassing enough.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have startled you.¡± A feminine voice broke through the mists, slowly revealing itself as a pretty young woman wearing a priestess¡¯s robe. ¡°My name is Mia, I¡¯ve been assigned to assist you in getting ready for the ceremony.¡± She handed me an enormous fluffy white towel, which I gratefully grabbed and wrapped around myself, immediately feeling much better.

    I swallowed. Get it together, me. I¡¯m a girl. She¡¯s a girl. This is¡­ normal. I nodded, and swallowed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was just¡­ very startled. Um¡­?¡± I looked around. ¡°My clothes?¡± I asked hopefully.

    The priestess bowed to me, her hands folded in front of her, which just felt weird.

    I¡¯m nobody spec¡­ no, that¡¯s not right, is it? I¡¯m the heroine. I was hit with a sudden realization. I don¡¯t want to be someone special! An adventure is fine, but being treated like this is not!

    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m really¡­ I¡¯m not someone you should be bowing to.¡±

    The priestess looked up with confusion in her face. ¡°But aren¡¯t you the saintess candidate?¡±

    I frowned, looking down. I knew how this would go too. ¡°I did not ask for that honor.¡± I finally said.

    The priestess looked discomforted, but gave a little bobbing curtsey. ¡°As you wish, milady. We¡¯ve taken your clothes away to be cleaned and mended, and I¡¯ve brought you new clothes for the testing ceremony.¡± She said.

    I felt my heart sink. Brand new clothes? That¡¯s not a good sign for a plot development.

    ¡°If you¡¯d like, I can help you dress¡­?¡± She trailed off uncertainly.

    I blinked at her in complete befuddlement. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve several sisters, so I know-¡±

    I waved my hands at her to stop the flow of words. ¡°No, no. Not that, why¡­ why would you think I needed help to dress?¡± I said in bafflement. ¡°Actually, you know what, scratch that, I¡¯d really like to get dressed and stop standing naked in the baths, so if you could just direct me¡­?¡± I trailed off hopefully.

    ¡°Oh!¡± The priestess curtseyed again, and blushed prettily. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m so sorry! This way!¡± She led me into a small side passage which opened into a different changing room than the one I¡¯d started from.

    Laying on a long low table was a brilliant white confection of silk and lace, a flowing garment that screamed ¡®plot relevant¡¯ to my eyes.

    I bit my lower lip and fidgeted.

    ¡°Do you want my help after all, sai- milady?¡± Mia asked.

    I swallowed and shook my head wordlessly. Brave. Come on, Lily, Eshaan said we¡¯re brave. We can do this. I stepped forward and examined the dress, finding a small packet of smallclothes next to them, pure white bra and panties and stockings.

    Honestly, this is more like a bridal gown than a ritual dress. I thought angrily. I shook off the negative thoughts, and turned back to Mia. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I said as bravely as I could. I hope. I added wordlessly. ¡°So, if you would please turn your back?¡±

    The priestess looked at me in bafflement, but politely turned her back to me as requested. I let out a sigh of relief, and unwrapped my towel, rubbing roughly at my body, and wringing out the soaking strands of my long pink hair. I draped the towel over a nearby bench and reached for the smallclothes, hurriedly slipping them on, briefly marveling that this used to feel completely alien, and now it¡¯s an experience of doubled memory, boringly familiar and incredibly exotic.

    I picked up the dress, a little worried that I wouldn¡¯t know what to do with it, but the dress was just like ones I had worn a hundred times before, and it was not difficult to figure out. It was a bit tight, much lower cut in the front that I liked, and definitely overly formal. I bit my lip, wondering if shadowme had chosen this dress¡­

    How far has he wormed his way into this storyline?! What is he planning?!

    I didn¡¯t have a good answer for that, and the only advice I had to give myself was to keep walking forward. The low cut of the dress meant anyone could see my cleavage, and that was deeply uncomfortable, but it was very pretty. I turned to look at myself in the nearby mirror, admiring the way the dress fell, and the long trailing hem of silvery white material.

    I nodded at my reflection and turned back to the priestess. ¡°Alright, you can turn around now. Thank you.¡± I gave her a little bow of gratitude as she turned. Her face flushed and she stammered awkwardly. ¡°Saintess, that¡­ you mustn¡¯t¡­!¡±

    I straightened and looked her in the eye, tipping my head to the side questioningly. ¡°I¡¯m not your saintess.¡± I said firmly. ¡°I would however like a brush, if you have one?¡± I gestured to my wet and tangled hair.

    ¡°Oh!¡± She leapt over to a nearby set of drawers and pulled open one hurriedly, returning with an ornate hairbrush. ¡°Of course, allow me!¡± She reached forward to brush my hair and I took a step back hurriedly.

    ¡°Alright, what is going on?!¡± I protested. ¡°I am perfectly capable of dressing myself and brushing my own hair, I¡¯ve done it for fifteen years now!¡±

    The priestess paused, holding the brush in midair. ¡°You have?¡± She asked in confusion. ¡°But aren¡¯t you a noble?!¡±

    My eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Where on earth did you get that idea!? Spirits no! I¡¯m from a tiny little town called Breezewood in Helenia!¡±

    The priestess slowly lowered the hairbrush, confusion evident on her features. I took advantage of her confusion to take it from her grip and start brushing out my hair.

    ¡°I¡­ I just assumed¡­¡± She stammered to a stop.

    I stopped brushing and looked up at her, thinking. Oh. Of course. ¡°Ah. Only nobles get the saintess treatment? High position in the church automatically goes to nobles?¡±

    Mia¡¯s eyes got round in shock and her mouth fell open. ¡°Y-you really are from one of the provinces!¡± She stammered.

    I laughed. ¡°Yes, I really am.¡± I gave my hair a few last strokes and handed the brush back to her. ¡°So you¡¯ll understand why I am quite confident that I can dress myself.¡±

    ¡°But why-?!¡±

    ¡°Am I being given the saintess treatment?¡± I finished for her.

    She nodded wordlessly.

    ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s complicated, and I doubt it will make any sense, but I suppose the simplest way to explain it is that somebody has it out for me, and is trying to ruin my day.¡±

    Mia¡¯s expression of pure bafflement was priceless.

    ***

    Soriya was not having as good of a day as she had hoped. The option to overact and play the part of a spoiled inventor was fun! It held lots of promise! But then the inventor¡¯s competition turned to be for trinkets only, not actual theories. And now¡­ this. She glanced to the side, staring at Lakshmi.

    Lakshmi let out an enormous yawn, and leaned on Daniyel¡¯s shoulder. He gave Soriya an apologetic glance. ¡°It seems as though Mistress Holly¡¯s potions are wearing off. I regret this may cut my potential tour short, at least for today.¡± He gave an apologetic grimace.

    The airbus was entirely empty except for their group, and Soriya noted with distress that it was sinking steadily downwards into the deep canyons of the city. It appeared that the inventor¡¯s lodging was on the lowest level of the city. And if she was any judge of her tropes¡­ things were not going to go smoothly there.

    ¡°Can you at least show me to the street food?¡± She asked hopefully. She had really wanted to share it with Lilyanna, and if they could act quickly enough that might still happen, but¡­

    Daniyel regretfully shook his head. ¡°It is late, all the food stalls I know will be closed as well. I will do what I can to learn more at the palace, and send you information as I learn it. But for now¡­ I¡¯m afraid I can only offer you the directions to the inventor¡¯s housing, and directions to a local restaurant. The ground level of the city is said to have a great many stalls and late night bars.¡± He grimaced. ¡°Though perhaps¡­ that would not be as suitable for a lady of your reputation.¡± He finished reluctantly.

    ¡°Can we be of any help to you at the palace?¡± Asked Holly lightly.

    Daniyel shook his head slowly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. I could bring you, but I could not get you inside without entirely too many questions.¡±

    Eshaan ventured ¡°It is fairly late. I saved the wakeup potion thinking we¡¯d need to be sneaking into the palace, or¡­ or sneaking somewhere. Probably through a sewer, if Lily is right about this kind of thing. But¡­ is there really nothing we can do?! I want to help Lily!¡±

    Holly patted his arm gently. ¡°Unless you know where to go, we don¡¯t have a direction for you, and Spyre has more than a million people in it.¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes grew large. ¡°So many¡­ that¡¯s right. I¡¯d forgotten.¡± He murmured.

    ¡°How could you forget something like that?¡± Soriya asked slightly snappish.

    Eshaan looked up at her. ¡°Well like I told you, Miss Soriya. I spent most of my time in the barracks and the hangars. That¡¯s a much smaller area than a whole city, and mostly I just spent time with people I knew. A million people¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ hard to imagine.¡±

    The airbus slowed dramatically, and outside the windows a dusk lit by shimmering neon colors flickered into view. Looking out the window, Soriya was surprised to see a scene that seemed to leap out of a cyberpunk dystopia. Flickering signs of glowing light advertised everything from brothels to noodle stands to bookstores. Overhead, the tall cliffs of the buildings soared into the sky on either side. The street was shimmery and slick, reflecting the glowing colors of the signs, and hand drawn carts were visible on the ground.

    Soriya murmured ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ve found the sewer level.¡±

    Eshaan groaned. ¡°What!? Oh no! Really?!¡± As he pressed his face against the window, then watched the street resolve into view with his eyes wide and full of wonder.

    Daniyel shook his head slowly, careful not to dislodge Lakshmi¡¯s head on his shoulder. ¡°No. The streets are kept clean by imperial decree. It is not a sewer.¡±

    The airbus landed with a loud whining wheeze, and the doors opened, allowing the fetid air of the streets to flood in. Eshaan gagged, and Soriya was amused to see that Holly was already holding her fingers over her nose, and breathing through her mouth.

    Soriya gave Daniyel a look. He squirmed uncomfortably. ¡°I did not say that it was a pleasant smell, merely that it is not a sewer.¡±

    ¡°It smells like rotting cabbage and fish!¡± Eshaan protested.

    Soriya sighed, and regretted it immediately, the smell permeating every part of her lungs. With an act of willpower she avoided gagging, and stood up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, everyone. I¡¯m starting to think this plan of ours may have a few more hurdles than expected.¡± The group trooped out the doors. Daniyel took a moment to ask the airbus driver about taxis, then joined them, holding Lakshmi on his back.

    Soriya looked around and then up at the flickering sign buzzing overhead. ¡°Well. According to the packet¡­ this is it.¡± She swallowed and looked around. The street was packed with an array of unsavory characters, and she wondered how many of them had the ¡®footpad¡¯ or ¡®thug¡¯ classes. Assuming such things even existed? She was suddenly very glad that she¡¯d been reborn in Breezewood rather than one of the bigger cities. Even nobility wasn¡¯t worth this!

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    The group pushed into the dirty glass doors to the building. A very bored looking old man with his feet up on the counter looked up at them from his magazine, an expression of surprise crossing his face. His eyes widened then narrowed again as he took in their state.

    ¡°Inventors?¡± He asked, simply.

    Soriya stepped forward. ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re here for-¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± The old man cut her off, raising a hand. ¡°You¡¯re here, I give you housing, that¡¯s the deal. No food, find your own. Locks are busted on most of the rooms. That¡¯s your warning. Airbus comes in the morning at 7am. No others till nightfall. Taxi¡¯s 250zeni to come down here.

    Daniyel nodded agreeably, and strode forward. ¡°Then I would like to hire a taxi, please.¡± He pulled five crisp 50¡¯s out of his belt pouch and placed them on the counter. The old man¡¯s eyebrows shot upwards. He gathered the bills together and examined them carefully, then nodded, his eyes narrowing again as he looked the group over with fresh eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s your deal?¡± He asked.

    Daniyel raised a single eyebrow. ¡°Questions are an expensive habit in the undercity. I will be happy to barter with you. The price is 50 zeni for 1 answer. 100 zeni for an accurate answer.¡± He said calmly.

    The old man got a sour look on his face as though he¡¯d bitten into a lemon.

    ¡°Right.¡± He said. ¡°I see you¡¯ve been to downtown before.¡± He turned around and pulled out a key from one of the cubbies behind him, then held it out. ¡°Whoever you are, here¡¯s the room.¡± He busied himself with a complicated series of crystals then said ¡°Taxi should be here in 30.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to see our badges, or inventor¡¯s pass or something?¡± Holly asked.

    The old man snorted. ¡°You¡¯re here. You¡¯re clearly from out of town. That means you¡¯re desperate, you¡¯re new, and you¡¯re poor.¡± He stopped, looking Daniyel up and down again. ¡°Or you¡¯re hiding from something. That means ¡®inventor.¡¯ Only real question is am I going to die of old age waiting for you to take the key or not?¡±

    The group shared a series of glances, and then Eshaan stepped forward and took the key from the man¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Thank you for the warning.¡± Eshaan said. ¡°Will you tell us where we can eat without getting mugged, or is that too pricy of a question?¡±

    Soriya blinked in surprise, wondering when Eshaan had grown a brain.

    The old man grunted. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look boy. If you¡¯re here, you¡¯ve already got a bum hand. Best place local is the Spirit¡¯s Charm or the Sukiyabashi. Two blocks that way, turn right, another 2 blocks. They¡¯re on the left.¡± He paused. ¡°Don¡¯t let down your guard. It¡¯s past the 9<sup>th</sup> bell, and the river mist is already up. The animals will be out, but the food courts are mostly neutral ground.¡±

    And with that, he sat down again, put up his feet, and resumed reading his magazine.

    The group traded glances, and then Holly clapped her hands. ¡°Alright, come on children lets not pester the nice man any further.¡±

    Three mouths opened in protest while Daniyel merely smiled quietly.

    The rooms did indeed prove to be lackluster. They were considerably better than the dystopian street front outside would have indicated however, and Soriya found herself grateful that they weren¡¯t going to go down that particular route. They dropped their bags from inventory and got settled, then Daniyel nodded.

    ¡°I think we have enough time to check on those restaurants the proprietor mentioned.¡± He said gravely. ¡°Which one would you like to try most?¡± he said gravely.

    Holly smiled as Soriya¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Why don¡¯t I stay here with Lakshmi. The poor girl is completely tired out.¡± Holly said, gesturing to the princess who was currently crumpled into an oversized chair and snoring quietly. ¡°I promise you that I can keep her safe enough for the extent of a meal.¡± She gave Soriya a wink.

    Soriya blushed slightly. Daniyel turned to Holly and bowed to her, his fingertips touching. ¡°I would be honored, Mistress Holly.¡± He held out his hand to Soriya. ¡°Shall we?¡±

    Soriya bounced on her heels. ¡°Oh yes!¡±

    Eshaan coughed, and then said ¡°I should stay here too. Just in case.¡± He paused. ¡°But could you bring me back something? I¡¯m awful hungry.¡± His stomach growled, and Holly and Soriya laughed in unison.

    Daniyel bowed to Eshaan gravely. ¡°We will quickly return with a repast for you. My word on it.¡± He said gravely.

    And with that, Soriya and Daniyel marched out of the inventor¡¯s lodgings and into the flickering pastel lights of the downtown streets.

    The night was cool and as quiet as a downtown could ever get. Soriya and Daniyel traded hesitant comments, gradually warning to each other¡¯s company. As they turned the corner, passing a nearby alley suddenly a flurry of motion arrested them. Threads of light whipped around them held them firmly. A group of confident looking thugs appeared out of the darkness, chuckling cruelly. The leader held an orb which was the source of the threads of light.

    Soriya immediately perked up, examining the object with interest.

    ¡°Well now, what have we here?¡± the leader chuckled. ¡°I-¡°

    ¡°If you give me that orb, I¡¯ll let you live.¡± Soriya interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ll even consider paying you if you do it before you force me to hurt you very badly.¡± She added, after a moment¡¯s contemplation.

    Daniyel looked at her in surprise, and slowly relaxed his tensed muscles, curious to see where she was going with this.

    The leader took a step back, his eyes flaring wide in surprise and then laughed a nervous overloud laugh. ¡°Well I¡¯ve not heard something that stupid in a long time!¡± He narrowed his eyes and reached up to grip Soriya¡¯s face in his hands.

    Daniyel¡¯s voice was a low and lethal rumble. ¡°Take your hand off her, or there will be a great deal of pain very shortly.¡±

    ¡°Oh, there¡¯ll be pain alri- YEAAAAAAAAAARGH!¡± The man clutched the stump of his bleeding arm in shock, looking up at Daniyel, who had snapped free of the restraints with trivial ease, his fists glowing with red gold light.

    ¡°You have been gravely wounded. Surrender the orb now, and I will provide treatment.¡± Daniyel said quietly.

    ¡°W-what are you standing there for!?¡± The leader shouted at his henchmen. ¡°Get them!¡±

    ¡°Tsk.¡± Soriya said quietly. ¡°Please try to keep the orb intact, Daniyel.¡±

    Daniyel exploded into a blur of motion, his fists hammering into thugs with a rapid flurry of strikes too fast to follow. Thugs exploded outwards from him. From the middle of the shouting and sound of fists on flesh, he replied almost too quietly to hear ¡°I will do my best, Miss Soriya.¡±

    With a shriek of fear, the remaining thugs fled, the flicker of broken weblight around Soriya and Daniyel dissipating.

    ¡°Tsk.¡± Soriya pulled out Diaboli from her pocket realm, and took aim at the fleeing leader.

    Daniyel raised his eyebrow again, but remained quiet.

    ¡°Adjust for windage¡­ moving about 20km/h¡­¡± she murmured quietly to herself. Her focus narrowed to the point of Diaboli¡¯s muzzle and the fleeing thug surrounded by his henchmen.

    ¡°Bang.¡± She whispered, and Diaboli¡¯s roar broke the still quiet of the dark street, a streak of red fire swerving over the head of the thugs to target the leader¡¯s back, who gave a cry and flattened onto the ground.

    His crew took one look at their ¡®invincible¡¯ leader sprawled on the ground, an enormous black hole burned into his jacket and took off with panicked shrieks of fear, terror giving their feet wings.

    The world soul whispered in her ear. <{Sharpshooter} Advanced to level 1. {Hawkeye}, unlocked. For ¡®sticking to your guns¡¯ you have advanced to {Sharpshooter:1}

    Notice!: Class violation penalty cleared. Staves unlocked as weapon choice.>

    Soriya¡¯s eyes got wide and a smile slowly appeared on her lips, her eyes suspiciously bright.

    Daniyel looked at her with concern. ¡°Miss Soriya? Is everything alright?¡±

    Soriya nodded slowly, her voice a soft whisper. ¡°Oh yes. Everything is¡­ just fine.¡± She wiped at her eyes. ¡°Lets get that orb of his.¡±

    Daniyel eyed her suspiciously, but nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±

    The two quickly reached the downed leader. Daniyel eyed him curiously. ¡°He¡¯s still alive.¡± He noted, which was quite obvious, as he had not vanished into motes of light.

    Soriya nodded, and smiled a little crookedly. ¡°Call it Lily rubbing off on me. Being foolish can be cured, it doesn¡¯t have to mean a death sentence.¡± She knelt down and picked up the odd magitech artifact that had fallen from the thug¡¯s grip.

    Daniyel hummed, then nodded. ¡°It suits you.¡±

    Soriya looked up at him in surprise, then stood up pocketing the orb. ¡°That¡¯s sweet of you to say, Daniyel. Thank you.¡± She smiled more brightly. ¡°Now. Let me show you why I was happy.¡± She reached into her storage pouch, feeling for something, and then pulled forth an elaborate and ornately carved mage¡¯s staff. At the staff¡¯s head, caught in a cage of interwoven wood was a glowing crystal the size of Daniyel¡¯s thumb.

    Daniyel¡¯s composure completely failed as he stared at the impossible thing. ¡°Is that¡­ is that actually¡­?¡±

    Soriya nodded quietly. ¡°A godswar artifact. This is ?gishj¨¢lmur.¡± She smiled faintly. ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± She swallowed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d ever get him back.¡±

    ¡°Where did you come by such a thing?!¡± Daniyel whispered in awe.

    Soriya smiled with an air of mystery. She caressed the head of the staff like a long lost child. ¡°I suppose you could say it was a gift.¡± She patted the staff fondly, then gently slid it back into her storage. A brief pause and she pulled it out again, reassuring herself that she still could. Her smile grew brighter, and she looked back to Daniyel. ¡°Lets go get that meal. I¡¯m sure Eshaan is starving by now.¡± She gave the staff one last stroke of affection, then gently slid the staff back into her pouch.

    ***

    Mia took the brush back from me and turned to put it away, when the far door slammed open and shadowme strode in confidently. His smile was a million watts of pure darkness as he looked my outfit over. He carelessly spoke to the maid, his eyes never leaving my body.

    ¡°You may go, priestess. I wish to speak with the saintess candidate alone.¡±

    ¡°O-of course, Deacon!¡± She scurried out like a mouse, and closed the door behind her.

    ¡°Really?¡± I asked him, crossing my arms. ¡°You¡¯ve come very far in the church indeed if you can just walk into a woman¡¯s dressing room without question. Next you¡¯ll be diddling little boys.¡±

    Shadowme¡¯s cruel smile flickered out like a light, and he took a step towards me, his eyes flashing with anger. ¡°You know how we feel about that! You of all people know!¡± His fists clenched in anger.

    I shook my head. ¡°I doubt I do, you seem quite content to play the part of the villain, I assumed we simply had completely opposite values at this point.¡±

    His eyes narrowed. ¡°I can¡¯t say that¡¯s clear to me. I think I¡¯m the one who¡¯s unaffected, and you¡¯re the one whose mind has been twisted into useless pink taffy!¡± His smile returned. ¡°And this foolish saintess test will prove it. We both know how this will go down.¡± He knelt before me, mockingly. ¡°Saintess.¡± He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

    ¡°I might be wearing slippers, but I can still kick you.¡± I growled.

    Shadowme stood up, laughing. ¡°You don¡¯t have it in you. That pink fluff in your head won¡¯t let you.¡± He leaned closer, peering at me curiously. ¡°Do you even have a will anymore?¡±

    I glared at him, stamping my foot in anger. ¡°I am quite capable of expressing myself, thank you! Why are you even doing this?!¡±

    Shadowme looked at me with an expression of pity. ¡°So you really are completely braindead then.¡± He spun around, assuming a lecturing tone. ¡°Very well, let me educate you! I know as well as you¡­¡± He turned to look over his shoulder at me. ¡°Or as well as you used to¡­ How this goes. You¡¯re currently abducted, the hero is coming for you. I can¡¯t stop that, and I was quite put out for a while when I realized that. But then I realized, I could use this. I¡¯ll push your ascension forward, trigger the church arc sooner. They¡¯ll take you to Narses, and the hero and party will trail along like little sheep, leaving me with more than enough time for my plan here.¡±

    I glared at him, the echoes of my other memory informing me of the distance to the holy island of Narses. ¡®very far¡¯ was as much as I knew. ¡°Why are you so confident that I won¡¯t-¡°

    He spun to look at me, his eyes blazing in triumph. ¡°Because you can¡¯t! Kill innocents!? Destroy swaths of the Imperial capital!? That¡¯s hardly what the cotton candy princess would do!¡± He stepped forward. ¡°Which means you can¡¯t.¡±

    I swallowed, a cold rock settling into my stomach. He was right, curse him. I could probably level this whole building¡­ and the very idea made me sick to my stomach. That was a lot of innocents dead¡­ and I would still be stuck in Spyre!

    ¡°This whole thing, a grand plan¡­¡± shadowme continued to brag. ¡°The church doesn¡¯t even know what they have! The keys to the System itself, and all they can think of it is the power to prove their Crystal Dragon the true power! Trivial games of religious pawns! And instead, they will install me! And then¡­¡± he breathed deeply; his eyes closed. ¡°Then I will free this world from the shackles imposed on it!¡±

    My eyes bugged out, and I took a step back, my mouth dropping open in shock. He¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s doing the villain rant¡­ does he¡­ he¡¯s just as shackled to the plot as I am!? Does he¡­ even realize it?!

    I looked down, my mind spinning rapidly. Well¡­ lets find out¡­ I thought quietly. The village girl would be shocked and horrified, silenced by his mad rant¡­ so¡­ I stood there, head bowed, quietly, hands folded in front of me. And lets hope that I¡¯m not pinned to my own story like a butterfly to a cork board. I thought grimly.

    ¡°You¡¯re nothing like me!¡± Shadowme ranted. ¡°Look at you, there¡¯s nothing left of us in you!¡± He threw his head back and laughed, and the door banged open again, Mia standing there in the doorway nervously.

    ¡°Um¡­ D-deacon Brown? Vicar Hnin is asking for t-the candidate!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Shadowme looked over his shoulder in irritation then smiled broadly. ¡°Oh, yes, of course. Come along, Lilyanna of Breezewood. Let¡¯s get you anointed.¡±

    As he proceeded out the door in front of me, I spat meadowlark honeybound frip silently at his back. I gave a sympathetic glance to Mia as we passed, and ¡®Deacon Brown¡¯ swept onwards.

    ¡°Do you still use Benjamin?¡± I asked after a few steps.

    He jerked in surprise and looked back at me. ¡°Deacon, most of the time, honestly. But it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve a use for that name any longer, is it?¡±

    I swallowed and then shook my head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± After all. Both of us are dead. Deacon.

    The procession was quick and quiet, and we shortly entered a grand foyer where Vicar Hnin and Commander Khine waited for us, along with a giant hunk of Ancients¡¯ technology lying in a metal frame.

    ¡°¡­from the mines of Dig site in the Jol Jaegren range¡­¡± I heard the vicar explaining to Commander Khine.

    ¡°I have no interest in its origin, Vicar. I know where it came from, I signed the requisition slip to approve transit. I¡¯m quite surprised to learn you managed to pry it free of the inventor¡¯s conclave long enough to use it for this. Your obsession with these objects has cost the Empire-¡° he snapped his mouth shut on his words as he caught sight of us. ¡°Finally!¡±

    Vicar Hnin was all smiles and charm, and so was Deacon as he turned to me. ¡°Ahh, Madam, Lilyanna! Please, please come and join us.¡± He gestured for us to walk closer.

    As I did, I could feel the hum and vibration in my bones from the artifact. It put my teeth on edge, the entire fragment was badly out of tune and deeply broken from the whole. Inside me, my Arcanum stirred uncomfortably, echoing the deep wrongness of this piece of tech ripped from its place.

    No one else seemed to notice anything wrong, which only made the painful vibration in my bones that much worse.

    ¡°Please, the test is simple. All you need to do is touch the device.¡± I glanced at him, and then at Deacon, then back to the Vicar. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± I said, hesitantly.

    ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± The Vicar said with a kindly smile.

    <That¡¯s all.> Deacon mouthed at me with a cruel smile.

    I swallowed. I was really putting my fate in the grinder with this. But as I reached my hand slowly towards the artifact, I felt something very far away tick as though a door had unlocked. A puzzle piece that had been lost falling back into place. I hesitated for a moment, glancing uncertainly at Deacon.

    The Vicar said soothingly, ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry, Miss Lilyanna. There really is nothing to fear at all.¡±

    It came to me in a rush. I¡¯m not¡­ the only one pushing here! Soriya is trying too. And Lakshmi is trying to leave her path as well. I need to have faith in them. Faith that they can do something I can¡¯t. I stepped forward and placed my hand firmly on the artifact.

    Immediately, a brilliant white light surrounded me, enveloping me and flowing out and over the artifact. The broken corrupted vibration in my bones eased, and a quiet hum of connection replaced it. The white light grew brighter and brighter, and a beam of brilliant white light erupted from the cojoined forms of myself and the artifact, piercing upwards, a brilliant bolt of pure silvery light that stabbed into the clouds far overhead.

    I¡¯m not sure if I should be relieved or angry that I didn¡¯t blow anything up this time. I thought. And now¡­ now I wait and hope. I swallowed. Soriya¡­ my best friend. Please don¡¯t fail me.

    The world soul whispered as though to reassure me. <{Spiritist} Advanced to level 10. {Mercy}, unlocked. {Arcanist} Advanced to level 6. For the faith placed in your friends you have advanced to {Spiritist:10} & {Arcanist:6}

    Notice!: Capstone skill unlocked. {Holy White}>

 41 - The burger is the only constant in the universe

    The local restaurant proved more to be a vendor¡¯s stall with seating in the alley, but the food also proved to be excellent.

    Not as good as Lilyanna¡¯s cooking, if Soriya was honest with herself, but hot, tasty, and ready to go. She smiled to herself. Truly street food is a universal thing. I must tell Lilyanna we found the McDonald¡¯s of this world. She smiled happily, biting into her hamburger.

    Daniyel was cautiously picking through the strange sandwich.

    ¡°Why do you call this a ¡®burger¡¯?¡± he asked curiously.

    Soriya took another big bite, grateful that her mana pool was largely fueled by calories. Around bites of food, she explained.

    ¡°It¡¯s the place it¡¯s from. Hamburg, it¡¯s a city.¡± She took a deep gulp of the potent local brew to wash it down and sighed happily.

    The cook in the back eyed her strangely. ¡°Excuse me miss, that sandwich is called a ¡®spyral¡¯. Downtown food. I¡¯ve never heard of this ¡®Hamburg¡¯ place. And the booze is lowtown fiz.¡±

    Soriya rolled her eyes and flipped her fingers at him dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s a hamburger because I call it a hamburger!¡± She turned back to Daniyel. ¡°So that¡¯s why I call it a hamburger, it¡¯s the name I use for it.¡±

    Daniyel nodded thoughtfully, chewing as though the fate of the world depended on his opinion. He finally swallowed and said ¡°It¡¯s good. Perhaps a bit on the greasy side, but good.¡±

    The cook at the back scowled at them, hands on hips. ¡°You want high grade food; you don¡¯t come to the downtown! You go uptown!¡± He pointed towards the sky above. ¡°You get what you get down here! You going to insult my food, you can just bugger off!¡±

    Daniyel held his hand up towards the man. ¡°Peace, cook. I said your food was good, and I meant it. I will come here again, when next I pass this way.¡±

    The cook scowled at him. ¡°What¡¯s somebody who talks like that doing down here anyway?¡± he growled, and turned away, obviously not expecting an answer.

    Soriya gave a sheepish smile, then called out ¡°We¡¯d like three of these to go please, and a side of your noodles.¡±

    The cook grunted, but swiftly delivered three paper boxes and a large waxed paper bowl, taking Daniyel¡¯s money.

    ¡°Where would a good place be for a materials shop?¡± Asked Daniyel, before the cook could turn away.

    The cook paused, then eyed them both carefully. ¡°Would these good be¡­ second hand?¡± He asked cautiously.

    Daniyel looked confused and Soriya laughed delightedly, clapping her hands together. ¡°Oh I knew the downtown was the best place!¡± She turned to explain to Daniyel. ¡°He¡¯s asking us if we want a fence! If the goods are stolen!¡± She smiled brightly turning back to the cook. ¡°No, they¡¯re not stolen, but we have no issue selling to a fence.¡± She leaned forward on the counter, her chin resting in her cupped palms, smiling.

    The cook was clearly affected by her smile, and Soriya felt a little guilty thrill. Yep, still got it. Not as good as Lilyanna, but still got it.

    The cook cleared his throat and provided directions. He chewed on his cheek for a bit then added, almost grudgingly ¡°You can probably get better prices if you go uptown.¡± He jerked his thumb skyward again.

    Soriya nodded agreeably. ¡°Probably, but they won¡¯t sell as quickly, and we¡¯re less likely to be cheated on useful items. Besides, the most interesting things show up in places like this.¡±

    Heading back to the inventor¡¯s lodgings, Soriya was in a slightly giddy mood from the copious quantity of alcohol she¡¯d had to drink. She hung on Daniyel and sighed.

    ¡°Do you really have to go tomorrow?¡± she muttered, clutching at his arm.

    Daniyel looked down at her soberly. ¡°Of course. It was¡­ it was nice to spend time with you miss Soriya-¡±

    ¡°Soriya! Just Soriya!¡± She wagged her finger at him. ¡°Or Grand Witch Soriya if you must!¡±

    Daniyel smiled tolerantly. ¡°Very well, Grand Witch Soriya. Let us get you home, I think both of us have had enough excitement for tonight.¡±

    The rest of the walk was spent in companiable silence.

    When the duo returned to the lodgings, Lakshmi was deeply asleep and sprawled out like a starfish on the bed, Eshaan was yawning repeatedly, but perked up quickly at the smell of food.

    The rest of the group tucked into the food, with Holly asking curious questions about the spyral, but before long the food was gone, and Soriya and Eshaan had joined Lakshmi, snoring like chainsaws on the beds.

    Holly smiled tolerantly at them, then looked up at Daniyel. ¡°Ah, to be young again.¡±

    Daniyel smiled quietly. ¡°You are already young, Mistress Holly.¡±

    Holly blushed lightly, and slapped him on the arm. ¡°Flatterer.¡±

    He ducked his head to her, and smiled. ¡°I merely speak the truth as I see it.¡± He gestured to her. ¡°You may rest easy. I will guard the door, and waken you when the airbus arrives for our transit. My training allows me to take the night watch with no ill effects. I will waken you quickly if there is a disturbance.¡±

    Holly yawned once and then nodded. ¡°I believe I will take you up on that then.¡±

    The lights were turned out, and the room descended into a ¡®silence,¡¯ the subdued roar of the snoring teenagers providing background noise to compliment the sounds of the downtown street outside. Through the night, Daniyel¡¯s face was illuminated in the darkness by the flashing green, red, and blue lights, his solid back guarding the room door.

    The next morning, exactly as promised, Daniyel woke them up. With much grumbling on Lakshmi¡¯s part, Daniyel provided the others a small lump of cash.

    ¡°Necessary for the price of transport in the city.¡± Daniyel explained gravely. With that, Soriya headed to the first day of the Scholar¡¯s Competition, and Holly and Eshaan lingered in the downtown to sell off the various odds and ends they¡¯d collected through adventuring at the ¡®not-a-fence¡¯ shop the street vendor had recommended to Soriya.

    From the look on Lakshmi¡¯s face as she trudged to the waiting airtaxi with Daniyel, one might have thought she was heading to her own execution.

    The airbus to the Competition was surprisingly busy, and Soriya spotted several inventors clutching small packages and gadgets close to their chest. She felt a slight stab of jealousy watching them, thinking again of the lesser place that the symposium¡¯s lectures held than the inventions.

    It certainly explains why all the locals call it the Inventor¡¯s Competition, instead of Scholar¡¯s. She thought grumpily.

    Casually fending off offers of assistance to the ¡®lovely lady¡¯ she arrived at the grand hall of the Competition, checking her map carefully.

    Sometimes it¡¯s a pain being pretty. She thought, as she turned down yet another offer of assistance. There were at least several female inventors present in the crowd. I don¡¯t think I could take it if I had to deal with the sexism in addition to the ¡®lesser¡¯ presentations. She thought. This is not going as I had hoped.

    She gripped the map in her hands, and headed towards the Symposium section of the presentation hall.

    En route, she saw a knot of people gesturing and exclaiming in excitement, as an Ancients¡¯ relic was slowly wheeled into the main hall. Oh yes¡­ the prize of the competition, to examine the relic for the crown. I wonder where it was? She stopped dead overhearing a snippet of gossip.

    ¡°¡­did you hear, saintess candidate awakened the relic!¡±

    ¡°¡­heard she was a noble¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­presented to the crown in a day¡¯s time!¡±

    ¡°¡­church has been seeking¡­¡±

    Oh Lily, what have you done now?! Soriya thought with frustration and a touch of bitterness. She stopped, looking over at the crowd and biting her lower lip. My whole plan to win the competition so we could examine the relic¡­ She pressed her lips together. I don¡¯t have time to ask. I need to get to the Symposium! I can still do this! It¡¯s part of the plot! I¡¯m one of the heroines, I¡¯m supposed to win the competition! She thought angrily.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    She strode past the chattering knot of people, feeling the faint echoing hum of the artifact in her bones as she passed by it.

    The Symposium lecture hall was bright and airy, and there were already several distinguished looking men and women chatting quietly in the chairs. Soriya double checked the packet of papers in her hands, then nodded to herself as she strode in.

    The usher at the entrance looked at her in surprise, and not a small amount of appreciation as she approached.

    ¡°Can I help you, miss? This is the Symposium of the Scholar¡¯s Competition; the Inventor¡¯s Hall is back that way?¡± He said hesitantly.

    Soriya gave him a bright smile which she was pleased to note made his knees wobble a bit.

    ¡°I¡¯m aware. I¡¯m here to present my dissertation.¡± She showed him the forms and ID that the secretary has given her.

    His eyes got large as he looked from the ID to her and back. ¡°W-well certainly! Of course we¡¯re happy to have you, Scholar Soriya.¡± Soriya watched with pleased amusement as the boy¡¯s brain short circuited, trying to bridge the gap of ¡°pretty girl¡± and ¡°presenting at Symposium¡± in his mind.

    Well, might as well use it. Soriya thought. ¡°Excuse me, but on the way in, I heard something about a saintess?¡± She said.

    The usher¡¯s eyes got big and he nodded excitedly. ¡°Oh yeah! You hadn¡¯t heard?! It¡¯s all the talk! Last night there was a huge pillar of holy light from the cathedral! They say that the saintess awakened the artifact that was brought from the mountains, the one that will be presented to the throne! She¡¯s to be presented to the throne herself, at the opening ceremony of the competition! The king and the princess herself are supposed to receive her!¡± His eyes got a little misty. ¡°They say she¡¯s super pretty¡­ uh...¡± he stumbled to a halt. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re just as beautiful, miss. I mean-¡±

    Soriya cut him off before he could embarrass himself any further. ¡°That¡¯s alright. You¡¯re sweet to say so.¡± And as it happens, I know I am. Just as pretty, that is. She thought. ¡°When will the presentation occur?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Ah, the formal opening of the Competition is at noon, though of course the Symposium¡¯s lectures happen all day.¡±

    Soriya checked her papers again. Hm, good, I have that spot free. My first presentation is in two hours. She tsked to herself. Lily, you do make things interesting¡­ how am I going to rescue you now?!

    Soriya smiled sweetly at the usher and thanked him again, then made her way to the chairs and sat down.

    I wonder if there will be cranks at these lectures? ¡­ I wonder if they¡¯ll see me as a crank? She sighed. Of course they will, I¡¯m 17. But I¡¯m still right. She gripped her sheaf of notes tighter.

    Soriya drew increasingly quizzical glances from the other members of the Symposium, which she supposed was only fair. She gritted her teeth. It reminded her entirely too much of her old life.

    Fortunately for her nerves, once the lectures started, they were extremely interesting. Theories on the foundations of magic, on the nature of elemental charges, on the properties of elementals and the sapience of elemental creatures. What really engaged her was the part at the end of the lecture, where the audience was allowed to ask questions about the lecture¡¯s thesis. She had to swallow down a lump in her throat when she realized that she was going to be in the hot seat, with the other researchers questioning her thesis.

    Like a PhD defending her research project. She nodded to herself. I can do this! My thesis is sound, and backed up by experimental evidence. Admittedly, the ghost ship is hard to cross examine¡­

    Someone sat down next to her, and a familiar and utterly loathsome voice said ¡°You can¡¯t do it, you know.¡± With a tone of listless weariness.

    Soriya¡¯s head snapped to the side and she stared in horror at her shadowself. A pale middle aged woman, her lank black hair hung to her waist, her large dark eyes looking haunted and empty. She was wearing the robes of the church of the crystal dragon.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to stop us, you know.¡± She continued, listlessly. ¡°You don¡¯t know half of what you pretend to know.¡±

    Soriya jerked backwards, clawing for Diaboli. The woman turned to her, and Soriya felt a chill creeping over her, a paralysis of horror and helplessness settling into her from those dark dead eyes.

    ¡°You can¡¯t even kill us, not as you are. It wouldn¡¯t work. Do you imagine that Deacon doesn¡¯t already know why you¡¯re here? We¡¯ve already won. That stupid pink haired girl has already given us the key we need.¡± Shadowsoriya continued. ¡°While you¡¯ve been play-acting the witch, Deacon has given us what we¡¯ve always needed.¡± She leaned forward, her cold clammy hand on Soriya¡¯s. ¡°Truth. We were never meant to be a main character. Rejoice. Now we have the position we deserve.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s trance of horror and revulsion was broken by the calling of her name. She jerked upright to see the usher calling her name for her presentation. She felt a hard lump crystalize in her, the pure hate in her for her former self distilled into something cold and pure and sharp.

    ¡°You are not me.¡± She spat. ¡°I reject everything you claim we are. We¡¯re going to rescue Lilyanna right out from under your nose.¡±

    She stood up and strode towards the stage to give her presentation.

    Her voice trembled and her hands shook. She wanted to kill Shadowsoriya. Her hate warred inside her with practicality. What good is it to kill her here, if I¡¯m just going to be arrested!? Lily. For Lily¡¯s sake I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­

    She drew a deep breath, and tapped her notes on the podium. The crowd of elderly scholars looked at her curiously, and she felt as though she was sitting for her college exams again. She swallowed down the boiling anger, and drew on her carefree witch persona she¡¯d worked so hard to cultivate.

    ¡°My thesis is on the nature of souls, and the interactions with World Soul, and the echoes a soul leaves in the Wake.¡±

    The disbelief and dismissal in the eyes of the scholars was fuel for her, a familiar cocktail of anger and righteous indignation. Somewhere in the middle of the lecture, her shadowself silently left the auditorium, and Soriya felt the cold grip of helplessness leave with her.

    As she¡¯d expected. The scholars didn¡¯t believe her. But they hadn¡¯t left. When her presentation came to an end, she felt a brief chill as heavy silence hung in the air.

    Are they even going to ask me questions?

    And then the first question came. Heavy, amused, mildly bored, the scholar¡¯s lined face proclaimed him supremely tolerant of an amusing crackpot, which slowly transformed into a serious frown as she responded to his question with a sharp incisive answer.

    The crowd stirred quietly, and another question lanced out at her. Soriya felt herself start to sweat. She fielded another question, and another, and another, the questions growing more and more penetrating, sharper and sharper, probing for a weakness in her thesis, seizing on any perceived weakness. Her answers were sharp and clear, and she answered each question with examples and practical demonstrations.

    It was a sharp shock when the auditorium filled with the soft chime of great bells, marking the noon hour.

    The artifact! Lily! Soriya blinked, realizing she¡¯d been talking for more than two hours!

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry ladies and gentlemen. I have a prior engagement. Please forgive me.¡±

    She dismounted the stage, and several scholars surrounded her, some shouting angry questions at her. Poor things, I must have punctured a pet theory of theirs. She thought, not at all kindly. But the elder scholar who asked that first question of her, pressed a card into her hand.

    ¡°When you have time, I should very much like to continue our dialogue. Please contact me.¡± He said sincerely. Soriya briefly glanced at the card in her hand, noting the man¡¯s name, then tucked it away. She smiled at him, and said ¡°I appreciate it, Professor Sen. I look forward to correspondence with you.¡±

    An aura of clear disappointment spread over the hall as she took her leave. This time the looks Soriya received were not dismissive. Instead, a mix of resentment, interest, and thoughtful calculation marked the scholar¡¯s faces.

    Soriya felt a broad smile creeping over her face as she headed out of the Symposium and into the main hall.

    I can do it. She thought triumphantly. I am right. I¡¯m the witch of Breezewood. To hell with that shadow of me. She can dry up and blow away.

    Entering the main hall was a scene of controlled pandemonium. Inventors had booths displaying their creations all up and down the concourse, the bronze gold ancients¡¯ artifact taking pride of place in the near center. The smell of elemental crystal discharge was everywhere, and was far stronger than when Soriya herself created the things. It was, in short, a tinker¡¯s paradise.

    Soriya¡¯s lips twitched in thought. A pity that Lakshmi isn¡¯t here¡­ though I guess she will be shortly? Gods, no wonder she wanted to dye her hair and run away. The one event of the year that she would gladly engage with, and she¡¯s tuck being a figure head. It¡¯s still odd that such a powerful mage would want to mess with tinker tech though.

    She shrugged mentally. Not nearly as odd as a reincarnated mage who has a passion for firearms.

    Soriya squared her shoulders and went looking for some answers. She found them very quickly, barely without asking. The talk of the imperial princess arriving was all the rage, and the mingled excitement and curiosity of the rumored saintess pushed things into a fever pitch.

    ¡°¡­supposed to be in less than an hour!¡±

    ¡°¡­heard the princess had vanished!¡±

    ¡°¡­saintess will be greeting her highness personally!¡±

    The roiling sea of gossip did provide Soriya with answers she wasn¡¯t looking for though. One that put some of her speculations into a different light.

    ¡°¡­so it¡¯s such a tragedy that the princess is a dead stone!¡±

    ¡°¡­ her brother is so much more promising.¡±

    ¡°¡­heard she¡¯s good with tech?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just her father keeping her busy.¡±

    Soriya found her nails digging into the flesh of her palm as the pieces fell together.

    So. The princess has no magical talent. A family ¡®blessed by the gods¡¯ and our Lakshmi can¡¯t cast a single spell. She nodded. We have something in common then, princess.

    Since she had a bit of time, she went hunting for a food stall vendor. She found one on the broad plaza outside the building along with several other food stall vendors. After securing herself another ¡®spyral¡¯, overpriced of course, she took a walk to the edge of the platform, looking out into the canyons of the city. The hum of airtaxis and skybuses flying overhead filled her ears.

    Soriya was amused to note that the spyral had made itself a home in uptown after all.

    ¡°Burger, uber-alles¡± Soriya giggled to herself as she bite into the greasy food.

    Her attention was abruptly snared by a humming, thrudding sound overhead, followed by a crash of elemental energy washing over her that she could feel even at this distance.

    Two giant¡­ air barges¡­ Soriya supposed would be the word¡­ was flying overhead. They slowly approached the Inventor¡¯s Competition Hall. One was decked with so much white and gold that Soriya was instantly sure that it was owned and operated by the Church, but the other was hung with red and black and gold banners and bunting that she recognized¡­ or rather, her other memories recognized¡­ as the Imperial crest. She couldn¡¯t help but feel impressed. This was a major event, clearly. The ¡®opening ceremony¡¯ she supposed.

    She huffed, crossing her arms. ¡°Damn it, Lily! You had to go and ruin this whole scene for me. If this keeps up, I¡¯ll be forced to ask Eshaan for advice!¡± She crumpled the empty wrapper of her spyral and tossing it into a waste basket, she headed back into the inventor¡¯s hall to see if she could figure out how to properly play this plot out.

    Hm, I hope Eshaan has better luck selling our loot than I¡¯ve had getting a palatable burger here. Come to that, when I offer Lily her burger, I should see if Lakshmi wants one as well. I wonder if she¡¯s ever tried to supersize anything besides explosions?

 42 - Big City Lights

    I was in hell. I had decided this after the third dress they forced me into and the second pair of shoes. Shoes, which I determined had to be some form of arcane torture device.

    This is not fair at all! I wear heels all the time when I¡¯m adventuring, but these don¡¯t feel anything like my boots! I grumbled to myself. They pinch my toes, and the heels are so skinny I¡¯m walking on toothpicks!

    Nevertheless, I had to keep smiling and keep up a fa?ade to make my handlers happy. The Vicar was over the moon at his ¡®discovery¡¯ of me, and Deacon had a smug look on his face that made it even more punchable than normal, but there were constantly people around so I couldn¡¯t actually act on my impulses.

    Like burning everything to the ground with Tower!

    Besides which, priestess Mia seemed genuinely sweet. A quality that was in short supply this close to the centers of power.

    After a great deal of fussing over my appearance and clothing, I had finally been approved to board the cathedral ship, for presentation to the Imperial academy. I was honestly looking forward to it, I was extremely curious to see if Lakshmi would be there, or if my friends would come rescue me in the middle of the city! I doubted it though, there didn¡¯t seem to be any way to avoid collateral damage¡­

    Maybe if Soriya gets her way. She likes collateral damage. I scowled. Not a positive, Soriya. Less boom, more restraint! I thought, then had to laugh at myself. Asking my friends to be anyone other than who they are was never going to fly.

    And so I found myself on the bridge of the giant sky barge, draped with elaborate heraldry slowly cruising through the skies of Spyre, approaching a grand glass hall on top of an absurdly tall skyscraper, as part of the process of showing me off to the Imperial city. I noted that Deacon seemed to be most excited to have the chance to speak with the emperor himself, and what was starting to worry me, I hadn¡¯t seen any sign of ShadowSoriya, or ShadowEshaan.

    ¡°Saintess, if you look, you can see the Imperial skybarge just coming into view there.¡± Vicar Hnin said, gesturing to the right. I peered along the direction he was pointing, and spotted the enormous bulk of red, gold, and black that was a rival to the church¡¯s barge for pompous grandiosity.

    Well, I guess I¡¯ll find out if¡­ ¡°Will I see the imperial princess?¡± I asked.

    Vicar Hnin paused, then said ¡°Saintess, you will meet the entire Imperial family. The emperor himself has come to welcome your ascension, and his children as well.¡±

    I turned to look at him. ¡°I thought the princess had gone missing?¡± I said curiously.

    Vicar Hnin looked startled. ¡°Where did you hear that?!¡±

    I blinked. ¡°It was¡­ a friend mentioned it in passing.¡± I hate being so bad at lying! I grumbled mentally. It is downright unfair that ¡®Deacon¡¯ seems to be so good at it! My dark side indeed.

    Vicar Hnin stroked his chin. ¡°I see. Well you were misinformed. The princess has been secluded in her library, studying the proper rights and rituals for her own ascension.¡±

    ¡°Ascension? To what?¡±

    Vicar Hnin looked at me strangely. ¡°Her position as the heir, of course. When she manifests the flame of the Imperial family, she will take her position on the Dragon Throne.¡±

    I glanced quickly at Deacon, and caught another glimpse of triumph in his face. So this is all part of his plan as well? But¡­ but Lakshmi can¡¯t cast! He has to know that! Deacon smirked at me, and I balled my hands into my skirts so I wouldn¡¯t punch him.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said to Vicar Hnin. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with the imperial rites, I was born a long way from Spyre, as you know.¡±

    The vicar patted me on the arm gently. ¡°Never fear Saintess, the church will teach you everything you need to know for your role. You are the equal of the Imperial family, your role ordained by divine command.¡±

    I squeezed my fists in my skirts and looked down. ¡°I do not think that is the proper role or place for me.¡± I said, gritting my teeth.

    The vicar smiled kindly again. ¡°We have been over this, Saintess. You are too pure of heart to see it, only more proof that you are the Saintess, chosen by the Crystal Dragon himself.¡± Vicar Hnin turned to the broad windows of the bridge and pointed. ¡°Come see, we¡¯re about to dock at the Hall of Invention, we must introduce you to the Empire!¡±

    I looked out the windows at the grand hall of glass and steel, noting the broad gardens on the terrace outside, as well as an airship dock which clearly was intended for our reception. The banners in gold and white, black and red were clear indications. Below on the terrace, I spotted a small spot of blue moving among the crowds. My heart leapt into my throat.

    Soriya? Soriya is that you?! Did you get to make a presentation to the hall? Are they in awe of your brilliance? Have you concocted some brilliant plan? I licked my lips, but the figure vanished into the hall without anything exploding, and honestly¡­ blue? Surely many people wear blue of that color.

    Vicar Hnin looked at me with concern. ¡°Saintess? Is anything wrong?¡±

    I smiled a watery smile back to him. ¡°I¡­ am unused to all of this. I do not think that I deserve this much fuss.¡± I suppose that might count as lie. I am obviously this Saintess, but none of this is supposed to be happening now! I certainly feel queasy enough about it for it to be true!

    The vicar only smiled blandly and nodded. ¡°Of course. Once you have arrived at Albidion, the Church will be able to show you the truth of your position, and grant you the confidence your position deserves.¡±

    The airbarge slowly turned, its massive bulk rendering every movement slow and ponderous. The pilots certainly seemed to know what they were doing though, and we descended with a grace and dignity that I supposed was in keeping with the grandiose pageantry that this whole occasion seemed to call for.

    We nosed slowly into the dock, and there was a barely perceptible ¡®bump¡¯, which caused me to wobble briefly on my heels, grabbing at Vicar Hnin¡¯s arm to steady myself. I gave him an embarrassed smile of apology, but he nodded graciously as though this was an everyday occurrence for him.

    ¡°If you¡¯re ready, let us debark Saintess.¡± He said.

    I nodded, swallowing nervously. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m ready.¡± The vicar led the way towards the gangway.

    I sighed, lifting my skirts so I didn¡¯t trip on them again, and trailed after him. Eshaan, you¡¯d better come and rescue me soon, I don¡¯t know how much longer I can stop myself from punching a whole bunch of people! I thought grimly.

    The winds whipped around the airbarge and the dock, and the sounds of the wind and imperial barge¡¯s approaching engines were almost painfully loud. My overlong skirts streamed wildly in the wind, and my hair turned into a wild banner of brilliant pink swirling in the crosscurrents.

    I picked my way carefully across the gangway, grateful for the handrailing to keep my balance, briefly worried that my white gloves would get stained with grease or dirt, before deciding that it didn¡¯t matter, they¡¯d brought me here, they could cope if I got a tiny bit dirty. Not that it would dissuade them from proclaiming me a Saintess, of course, the plot seemed to have me firmly in its clutches.

    I hope I¡¯m not wrong about this. I thought grimly. But now I¡¯m playing a game of chess against myself. Now we see if I really am a candyfloss arm ornament, or if there¡¯s more to me after all.

    ***

    Lakshmi had decided she was in hell. This was her punishment for trying to be anything more than a dutiful princess, for having been ¡®born wrong¡¯ and unable to use magic. She glanced to the side where Daniyel stood with stoic grace, wearing his ornate bodyguard armor shined to a chrome gloss. It sparkled in the light streaming in through the broad bridge windows of the imperial airbarge.

    What made it all the worse was that she could just feel the smug confidence radiating from him as he stood there. He had been exactly right, her father had welcomed her with open arms, and only the slightest implication that he was relieved she had decided to return to her appointed duties. Her useless brother on the other hand, had made it clear that she was a disgrace to the family and that her ¡®silly romantic notions¡¯ had brought shame upon the entire royal line, before father had stepped in and put a stop to his apparently endless screed.

    She glared over at said brother, resplendent in his black, red, and gold outfit, looking like a military officer without actually being military at all.

    Right down to the medals for nothing on his chest. She thought dismissively. Not that I¡¯d like to face him in any kind of sword duel¡­ she added grudgingly, eyeing the razor sharp dueling sword at his hip.

    The captain of the ship turned to her father, even more resplendent than her useless brother in his royal outfit, his red cape blazing brightly over his shoulders. ¡°Majesty, we will soon be arriving at the Hall of Invention.¡± The captain offered with a gracious bow. ¡°The Church¡¯s barge has docked, and we are cleared to proceed. With your leave, I will begin the docking procedures?¡±

    Her father nodded silently. Honestly, he could give Daniyel a run for his money. She thought sourly. She spared a quick glanced around at the silent bodyguards dotting the bridge of the airbarge, all of them wearing the same brightly polished ornate armor of the royal guard that Daniyel wore.

    Or maybe it¡¯s just how they¡¯re trained. Her lips quirked upwards. Of course¡­ Soriya got Daniyel to open up. I think I even caught him cracking a smile just for a second or two on our flight home. She mentally replayed the teasing she¡¯d given him on the airtaxi to the palace, and his stoic responses to the light barbs she¡¯d thrown his way.

    The captain brought the airbarge into the Hall¡¯s dock with a smooth precision that Lakshmi found herself unreasonably jealous of. Or rather, the entire bridge crew did, as the captain simply gave the orders. I wonder if I can get lessons¡­ she immediately cut off that thought. She could not. She¡¯d tried for years. She¡¯d tried sword play, she¡¯d tried magic, she¡¯d tried the library, and the only thing she¡¯d ever found that responded to her hand was her machines. Her machines and the history texts that talked about the Ancients¡¯ machinery.

    She balled her hands into fists angrily. And when I present my findings to Father, what am I told? That I must speak to the imperial scholars or the inventors, that it is not seemly to study machinery, that a princess must not get her hands greasy!

    The airbarge docked smoothly with barely a bump, and the imperial fanfare resounded outside the hull. She sighed, and saw Daniyel glance at her, giving her a slight disapproving shake of his head. She scowled and sighed even harder, crossing her arms.

    ¡°Lakshmi, don¡¯t slouch, and don¡¯t scowl.¡± Her father said quietly. ¡°It¡¯s important to make a grand impression, you¡¯re here to meet this new Saintess that the Church is so eager to have us see.¡± Her father gave her a tired and extremely brief smile. ¡°And then you can browse the hall, I¡¯m sure the inventors will be more than happy to tell you all about their pet projects.¡±

    Her brother scowled. ¡°How you can listen to those fools pander on¡­ they make tools for the empire to use, but their minds are as empty as yours, Lakshmi!¡±

    Lakshmi smiled a saccharine bright smile at her brother and replied ¡°Not nearly as empty as your bed chamber, dear brother.¡± She was rewarded with a bright flash of anger in his eyes before her father sighed heavily and said ¡°Children, not now. At least let us pretend for a few hours.¡±

    ¡°Yes father.¡± The two emperor¡¯s children chorused in unison.

    The Emperor of Spyre and the Holy Empire strode towards the gangway, his children trailing behind him, shooting each other barbed glares.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ***

    Soriya was in hell. She¡¯d determined this with extensive research, charting each step of the descent she had taken. I¡¯ve been in the Wake, I should know how far down this is. I should consider creating a method of measuring the temperature here as well, I¡¯m sure it will be of use in future experiments and to finally answer the question of if hell is cold or hot.

    What she had determined was that hell was unpleasantly sticky and smelled like unwashed bodies. The grand inventor¡¯s hall was packed so full it was almost impossible to move, and she kept finding ¡®accidental¡¯ hands brushing against her. If I feel one more of those, I am going to blow up this entire hall and myself with it! She ground her teeth together. The only benefit to this crowd is that it¡¯s currently too tight to cop a feel!

    I¡¯m glad Lily¡¯s not here. She would not be happy to find out what happens to pretty girls in a crowd like this.

    The crowd was gathered in response to the grand announcements and musical flourish that announced the imminent arrival of the Saintess and the royal family.

    Soriya grimaced. Of course, Lily is about to be here, isn¡¯t she? Right, Lily¡¯s usually the brains for this, but I¡¯m not bad. Lets see. She¡¯ll show up, be introduced, and then some terrible trouble will be revealed. I¡¯m pretty sure I can¡¯t rescue her on my own, we don¡¯t have Eshaan with us anyway, but at least valuable information will be revealed.

    The herald announced to the crowd ¡°The Imperial family, His Imperial Majesty, Akhil Maung!¡±

    A dignified late middle aged man with an aura of weary authority strode onto the stage, his outfit of black, red and gold making him a striking figure, the red cloak billowing behind him as he walked. The crowd cheered lustfully for him as he gave a tired but dignified wave.

    Soriya eyed him carefully. Could be evil¡­ could just be tired. If this was a game, I would be praising the graphics¡­ I¡¯m really not wild about the smell- Her train of thought was interrupted by a hand on her arm. Right, that¡¯s it! She spun around her mouth opening in preparation to cast a spell, only to encounter the cold smile of her Shadowself.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost here.¡± The shadowself said. ¡°Can you feel it? I can see in your eyes, that you think you understand what¡¯s going on.¡±

    On stage, the prince and princess were introduced, and walked out to cheers from the crowd.

    ¡°Look. Come see. Your triumph turns to ash.¡± Her shadowself pointed to the stage, where the herald proclaimed ¡°The Saintess of the Cathedral of the Crystal Dragon!¡± Lily walked out onto the stage, wearing a confection of pure white with gold accents. Soriya briefly felt a moment of jealousy that Lilyanna got to be the center of attention once again, only to freeze in shock. Behind Lilyanna, she spotted the living shadow of Lilyanna. Her mind froze only for a moment, and the start of the chant for {Inferno} was on her lips before she even realized what she was doing.

    The touch of her shadowself on her arm was like the outermost cold of the void, a draining frozen flame that sucked away her magic before it could even finish. Her capstone spell fizzled and flickered like a candle in a hurricane, and then was extinguished just as rapidly.

    ¡°We can¡¯t have that. Deacon was clear. Now do you see? Do you understand?¡± Her shadowshelf pressed on her, her hand on Soriya¡¯s arm burning with cold. ¡°Your plans were already forfeit, Deacon has led us to this moment, to your ruin.¡± Shadowsoriya¡¯s eyes burned into Soriya¡¯s. ¡°This was always the end result. We could never be more than we are. Deacon shows us what we should be. You came here because of your ¡°prophecy¡±, and look how foolish you are revealed to be. We don¡¯t belong in the limelight, we¡¯re a follower. We will always be a follower.¡±

    Shadowsoriya¡¯s voice was like the tendrils of pure void, a welling hopelessness that burned in Soriya¡¯s heart, dragging her down, back into a pit she¡¯d escaped from, back to when she was simply Enu-u. She wanted to scream, but the void black eyes of Shadowsoriya held her frozen in place, all her spells drained from her.

    Hell is cold. She thought. Hell is so very cold.

    ***

    I scanned the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of Eshaan or any of the others. The sea of eager faces all staring, all hungry for something. A sight, a spectacle. The cold eyes of Deacon and his ever present smile behind me made chills run up my spine.

    There! There was Soriya, looking up at me from the sea of faces, a bright spot of blue and black, with her floppy brimmed witch¡¯s hat. I smiled at her, only to feel my smile freeze on my face. Her expression was filled with murderous glee and rage, and her hands were glowing with elemental power! What was she doing?! She can¡¯t possibly-

    And then the small slender figure next to her dressed in the priestess robes reached up and grabbed Soriya¡¯s forearm. Soriya¡¯s spell fizzled out without a trace, vanishing into a cold blackness that I could feel from here.

    Shadowsoriya?! Here?! I darted a glance back to Deacon, to catch the sight of his cold satisfied smile, as he turned from the confrontation down in the crowd to me. His eyes were filled with triumph. I suddenly understood, like a bolt of lightning. The three figures from the cave. They were each a darkness, an anti-light. A hard counter to the protagonists. Each designed to show us our weaknesses, and more, to provide a fight. He had planned this. He had planned on Soriya and me. Was¡­ My eyes darted over the crowd, and spotted what I was looking for.

    A mild, almost inoffensively bland figure in scholar¡¯s robes. A boy with neatly combed brown hair and eyes, the dark mirror of Eshaan. A hard counter to my savior. My heart fell into my stomach. He¡¯s out thought me. I wailed mentally. A black despair filled my mind, as I was lead mechanically towards the artifact in the center of the stage, were I was to be paraded and shown off once more.

    ***

    Lakshmi wasn¡¯t sure what had just happened, but the fact that something had just happened was as blindingly obvious as an engine failure. Lily¡¯s entire figure went from tense hope to a black despair in a second, and one of the two priests behind her wore a smile that wouldn¡¯t have looked out of place on a shark that had just eaten a lifeboat.

    She looked around, clenching her fists, trying to figure out a proper course of action. She looked over at Daniyel helplessly. He gazed back calmly, giving her a slight lift of his shoulders as though to say ¡®what can be done?¡¯ She glanced back to Lily, where she was being led towards the artifact.

    She needed to get a closer look at it, but from what she could tell it was all of a piece with the Ancients¡¯ work from the Tol Jaegren site where the group had fought the giant construct, and Lily had opened that impossible door. She couldn¡¯t be sure, but that artifact¡­ What on earth are they doing with Lily here? This grand ceremony, some kind of consecration of a Saintess. Father¡¯s never been one to be so wrapped up in religion, but ever since mother died he¡¯s been¡­ strange.

    Lilyanna didn¡¯t seem to be injured or hurt in anyway, but her normal determined good spirits were pressed flat like a display case.

    Lilyanna was lead towards the artifact, and the herald boomed out his proclamation.

    ¡°Behold, the proof of the Crystal Dragon¡¯s love and attention! Behold the power of the Saintess, gifted to us to save the world!¡±

    Ok, now that really is too much. Lily¡¯s nice, but she¡¯s not all that! Lakshmi mentally grimaced. A lifetime of training kept her perfectly calm and regal mask in place, but inside she was fuming. Not to mention my stupid brother seems¡­ ugh, boys! She growled

    Lilyanna reached out to touch the artifact, and Lakshmi watched as a glow sprang up from the artifact, and spread over Lilyanna¡¯s body.

    That¡¯s strange. There¡¯s no answering echo. That¡¯s not a balanced power spike. The Ancients¡¯ tech is much better designed than that.

    The brilliant pillar of light erupted from Lilyanna and the artifact, a roaring column of magical power. Lakshmi felt a familiar spike of envy and jealousy. She couldn¡¯t feel anything of the almost certainly immense roar of mana around her. Her hands itched for her multitool, or her ether scanner, or any of her tools she¡¯d left behind in the Sparrowhawk.

    The crowd was certainly awed by the fantastic light show, but all that Lakshmi could think was Where is the ground? Was it left behind in the dig? Or is it just missing? Why would the Ancients have designed it that way?! Of course there¡¯s a light show like that, who designs an artifact to do nothing but flare off power?! An artifact just to show off how powerful Lilyanna¡¯s white magic is, is about as useless as¡­ She grimaced, a sour taste in her mouth. As I am in a mages conference. I have got to get a closer look.

    The herald¡¯s words suddenly caught her attention.

    ¡°¡­and so, the the Saintess will be transported to the holy ground of the first Catehdral, the seat of the church, the holy see of Albidion on the island of Narses. May she guide us all with her beneficent grace and the knowledge of the Crystal Dragon to protect us all!¡±

    A lifetime of keeping her emotions in check kept Lakshmi from rolling her eyes, but she caught the look on her father¡¯s face. He was entranced. Enthralled. Not like her brother, whose eyes hadn¡¯t left Lilyanna¡¯s chest the whole time, but like a man who was seeing the hope he¡¯d been denied for years. Lakshmi felt herself frown. What on earth did the church promise him!? She thought in confusion.

    Lilyanna turned, and Lakshmi met her eyes. Desperation, despair, and a complete loss of faith. Lakshmi felt like she¡¯d been punched in the gut. She glanced between Daniyel and Lilyanna, but neither offered any choice. In the crowd, she spotted Soriya¡¯s hat, and a priestess who was speaking with her. Soriya¡¯s eyes looked dead and empty.

    Lakshmi gritted her teeth. Fine. I¡¯m not a mage. I¡¯m a {Tinker}. Let¡¯s blow something up.

    She stepped up next to her father. ¡°Father, may I examine the artifact please?¡±

    Her father looked at her in surprise, as though realizing she was there for the first time.

    ¡°Lakshmi, we¡¯re still in the middle of the ceremony.¡± He said in a soft reproving voice.

    Lakshmi flashed him the smile that used to wrap him around her little finger. ¡°It won¡¯t take long; I think it¡¯s important!¡± She said. And then before he could stop her, she advanced on the artifact and bent down to examine the strange bronze gold surface.

    ¡°Lakshmi!¡± Her father and brother spoke reprovingly.

    How strange, there really is no grounding here. It doesn¡¯t even look like it¡¯s intended to be grounded at all, there¡¯s channels as though the ground was an external linkage. Ok, ok, focus Lakshmi. Boom now. If it¡¯s really not grounded, this is a simple matter¡­

    She reached out and poked one of the runes that interlinked between the mana conduits, still fluctuating wildly from the overflow of Lilyanna¡¯s energy. There.

    The artifact started to emit a rumbling hum, growing steadily louder and louder. Lakshmi spun and announced ¡°The artifact is growing unstable! It¡¯s going to explode!¡±

    The hall immediately erupted into roaring chaos, people jockeying and surging and pushing this way and that. Lakshmi smiled as the bodyguards immediately closed ranks around the royal family. Now, I can get Daniyel and get lost in the crowd-

    Shouts of ¡°Protect the Saintess!¡± and ¡°Protect the royal family!¡± filled the air, and to her dismay, she saw Lilyanna hustled away, her forearm gripped tightly by the strange deacon she¡¯d never seen before. Behind her, a young scholar with brown hair leaped up onto the stage, and started to tinker with the artifact.

    How strange, he almost looks like Eshaan. She thought idly, then shook her head. She had to act fast. She spun towards the exit, only to collide with the solid shiny metal chestplate of Daniyel.

    ¡°Daniyel?¡± She asked in confusion. Daniyel didn¡¯t respond, only grabbed her about the waist and lifted her bodily, running towards the exit where the imperial airbarge lay docked.

    ¡°No, wait, stop!¡± she shouted, pounding on his arms. ¡°We have to go back!¡±

    Daniyel spoke with an effort as he ran. ¡°This plan of yours was poorly conceived. Observe.¡± He pointed ahead, where she could see Lilyanna shouting and pounding her fists against the deacon and several church paladins. They were carrying her towards the air docks, and Lakshmi realized that docked next to the church¡¯s massive air barge was a sleek air cutter. Even as she watched Lilyanna was loaded aboard the cutter, still protesting and even screaming in frustration.

    Daniyel stopped near the gangway to the imperial barge. ¡°I am at your service, princess, but I do not think we will be able to perform a daring rescue of our companion with the imperial airbarge.¡±

    Lakshmi looked up at him with outrage and irritation. ¡°They¡¯re stealing my crew! We have to go get her!¡±

    Daniyel raised a single eyebrow. ¡°Do you have a vessel that is capable of speed and midair rendezvous with a Shrike class aircutter?¡±

    ¡°You know very well I¡­ I¡­¡± She stumbled to a halt. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re telling me, isn¡¯t it. Go get the others, and chase in the Sparrowhawk.¡±

    Daniyel raised his other eyebrow. ¡°I? I said nothing to the royal princess of such an underhanded plan. That would be something that Darshanna, scourge of the inner sea and deadly airpirate might contemplate.¡±

    Lakshmi gave him a look that would melt steel. ¡°You know, I really hate it when you make stupid pretend cryptic statements like that. I bet Soriya hates it too!¡± She sprinted for one of the two person airscooters that had accompanied the airbarge.

    Daniyel jogged easily alongside her. ¡°I do not believe your assessment is correct.¡± He smiled placidly. ¡°Miss Soriya quite likes my delivery.¡±

    ***

    Soriya gritted her teeth as she watched Daniyel hustle out the side exit with Lakshmi and the rest of the royal family. ¡°Gods damn that man to the spirits of the Wake!¡± She spat.

    Her shadowself released her, and smiled a calm smile. ¡°Receive your destined role. Even now, the chosen one is being taken to her fate. Deacon has foreseen even this. Your pitiful attempt to weave fate was always doomed to failure, just as it was in our previous life. Even with your advanced knowledge of fate.¡± She stepped backwards and gave what should have been a polite bow, but was instead a mocking triumph. ¡°Goodbye, my lesser self. My advice to you, cease this struggle against the weave we are caught in. It was always our place to obey, and not lead.¡± Soriya¡¯s shadowself vanished into the surging jostling crowd.

    Soriya spat angrily, holding a sob back with the force of her anger. Lilyanna was gone. Lakshmi had vanished after some insane plan to blow up the entire hall! That was my job, damn it! She spluttered. Right. The fallback plan was always to meet at the Sparrowhawk. She checked her belt pouch. Enough to get an air taxi, and maybe another burger. She pushed her way out of the surging crowd. Behind her the teeth jittering hum of the artifact slowly faded away, as the figure of shadoweshaan adjusted components with a methodical and unhurried pace.

    ***

    Eshaan paced near the gangway of the Sparrowhawk. Everyone is late but me! They were supposed to be here a full glass ago! Holly looked up from a worn paperback book she was reading.

    ¡°Pacing won¡¯t make them show up any sooner, dear. Trust me, I¡¯ve done this a few times in my life.¡±

    ¡°But what if-¡±

    ¡°Hey! Sorry I¡¯m late!¡± Lakshmi ran into to the hangar dock, her hand waving in energetic greeting.

    Behind her, Daniyel strode with an unhurried pace. ¡°I had to change and pick up a few things!¡± Lakshmi looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s Soriya?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know! But more importantly, where¡¯s Lily!?¡± Eshaan burst out.

    Holly put away her book, and nodded. ¡°I also would like to know where my daughter is.¡± She said, with quiet intensity.

    Lakshmi grimaced. ¡°Things¡­ didn¡¯t move quite as smoothly as anticipated.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?!¡± Eshaan waved his arms animatedly.

    Soriya¡¯s voice echoed from the entrance to the hangar dock. ¡°It means Lily¡¯s on her way to the Church¡¯s Island fortress on Narses.¡± Soriya called as she strode into the hangar.

    Holly¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Eshaan¡¯s eyes widened.

    Lakshmi smiled tightly. ¡°So. Slight change of plans. We¡¯re going to go steal a Saintess.¡± She said, her grin slightly manic. ¡°Finally. We get to be real air pirates!¡±

 43 - Down Down and Away

    I stood on the bridge of the airship carrying me away from Spyre, and felt hot tears on my cheeks. What was it even for! I wondered. Soriya had been right there, and Lakshmi had been close enough to touch, and¡­ and it was all down the drain from my inability to fight off two low level priests who simply didn¡¯t want me to hurt myself!

    I can blow up an airship or a city block, and I can¡¯t seem to free myself! I raged internally. And to top it all off, I¡¯m still dressed in this silly Saintess ballgown costume!

    Nearby, Vicar Hnin smiled blandly, apparently oblivious to the tormented tangle of emotions inside me. The Deacon, of course, had stayed behind, with a smile that burned in my mind like acid, and a last wave of his hand. ¡®Keep the Saintess safe, Vicar Hnin!¡¯, his last words to me¡­ I wish I could make them his last words! I thought, stomping my foot in frustration.

    ¡°Saintess, you mustn¡¯t feel so much distress! The city is fine, one of the under-priests was on hand who luckily knew enough to dismantle the artifact before irreparable harm was done, and you could hardly have known that your powers would have such an effect on the device!¡±

    I glared at him, and wiped at my eyes. ¡°No. Of course not.¡± I said as blandly as I could.

    He was right. I had learned something important. I was not sufficient to accomplish¡­ whatever that ancient device had been trying to do. There was more needed than simply the touch of a human shaped plot device. But what? The expression on Lakshmi¡¯s face¡­ I shook my head in irritation, and wiped at my eyes once more. This is pointless. The plan has gone south, and now I¡¯m going to have to figure out how to solve this.

    I tapped my chin in thought. Alright, Lily. You¡¯ve screwed up. I could leave now. I could just Gate out. It was tempted. Just¡­ so tempting to see the look on Deacon¡¯s face as I vanished.

    But gate where. I don¡¯t know where Eshaan and the others are! I could appear in the middle of the Imperial city¡­ I mentally rolled my eyes.

    Oh yes, there¡¯s a fine plan. And I¡¯m sure the Saintess appearing in the middle of the city will go unnoticed. And there¡¯s no guarantee that the others are even still there. Plus Lakshmi has gotten into some kind of trouble¡­ Oh spirits, I¡¯m stuck here, aren¡¯t I?! I have to stay on the plot rails so my party can find me!

    Maybe¡­ maybe I can slow us down? Make it easier for them to catch up? If I can wrangle a tour of the engine room, I could trigger Forge? I don¡¯t think I can sink the airship ¡®safely¡¯, whatever that means. Honestly¡­ after what Deacon showed me, I¡¯m not sure that I¡¯m even safe if I sink the airship. I bit my lower lip in frustration. I have been depending on my status as the main character to keep me safe far too much! I should not take my state of being alive as a given! I swallowed. Half the heroines accomplish their goal by dying, it seems, even if they come back!

    ¡°Vicar!¡± one of the crewmen called. ¡°Our lookout reports a small craft approaching from the rear!¡±

    The Vicar looked up, and then headed over to the helmsman. ¡°Is it one of our escort craft?¡± he asked curiously.

    I felt a leap of hope, and pressed my fist to my chest to try and keep my breathing steady. I risked a glance out the windows at the ground below. Rolling hills covered with forests, and the peaks of mountains just coming into view ahead of us. A small smile started to creep across my face. Exactly where the least damage happens to those below us. Lakshmi, I owe you an enormous hug! Or¡­ was it Eshaan? This seems a bit like an Eshaan play? Now¡­ how can I help¡­?

    ¡°No, Vicar, our escort craft are all accounted for.¡± The crewman responded.

    ¡°Hm.¡± The vicar narrowed his eyes stroking his chin in thought. He looked up and nodded once. ¡°Take the saintess to her quarters. Though air pirates are unlikely this close to the capital, we mustn¡¯t take any chances.¡±

    ¡°Wait, please!¡± I said. ¡°Please, I don¡¯t want to be stuffed into a cabin like some trophy!¡±

    The vicar hesitated. ¡°You said we¡¯re well protected by the support craft, surely there¡¯s no need to put me in some cage?¡±

    The vicar¡¯s frown grew more pronounced. ¡°Saintess, your quarters are not a cage, you are not our prisoner here. Your rooms are some of the most luxurious onboard.¡±

    I frowned at him. They are a cage, if you won¡¯t let me leave this foolish role you¡¯ve pushed me into. ¡°They feel like a cage.¡± I said. ¡°Especially when you send me away at any hint of danger.¡±

    Vicar Hnin sighed, and nodded. ¡°Very well, but at the first sign of true danger you must agree to return to your quarters.¡±

    My mouth twitched and my smile must have looked ghastly. ¡°O-of course, I promise.¡±

    The looks the crew and Vicar Hnin exchanged told me that my ability to lie had not gotten any better. They did at least pretend to believe me, however.

    Forge is out. I can¡¯t direct him to do anything if I don¡¯t know what to dismantle. Tower is out, punching a hole in the airship just crashes the ship and possibly kills me. And a lot of other people too. Gate could take me home, and what good would that do, I¡¯d be stranded even more firmly and my friends worse off than before. I can¡¯t summon my way out of this. None of my white magic spells are offensive, except {Holy White} and if I¡¯m reading the description right, then it¡¯s basically an even more powerful version of Tower¡¯s attack.

    My lips quirked in frustrated amusement. I could always offer to {Cook} for them, maybe they¡¯ll be so busy laying around with full stomachs that I can walk away. I thought sarcastically.

    I chewed on my lower lip, and then glanced around the bridge again. Broad glass windows, and a command deck that was more for ornamentation than actual fighting¡­ They¡¯ll come through the windows. That¡¯s the most dramatic entrance. That means they¡¯ll try to send me to my quarters¡­ I sighed, my shoulder¡¯s slumping in defeat. Ok. Frightened maiden in the corner it is. I¡¯ll keep them away from me with Tower. I slipped across the bridge towards one of the empty bridge stations that looked out over the broad deck of the airbarge.

    Just ignore me, harmless white mage here, no one of any importance. I thought as I edged quietly towards the console.

    The situation, as they say, evolved quickly from there. The intruder craft shot past us, and circled around. I squinted at it, shading my eyes. It sort of looked like the skeleton of the craft that had been taking shape in our barn but¡­ if it was Lakshmi, where had she gotten so much metal?! And was that¡­?

    A sparkling series of lights blinked from the belly of the ship, and suddenly large explosions erupted across the upper deck of the airbarge, the windows of the bridge shattering inwards.

    Where did she get a cannon from?! I boggled, even as I ducked down, crouching behind the console, hurriedly chanting {Barrier} to shield me from the rain of glass shards around me.

    ¡°Protect the Saintess!¡±

    ¡°Lady Lilyanna!?¡±

    ¡°Hurry, we have to-¡°

    Whatever Vicar Hnin was about to say was lost as another hail of gunfire splashed across the upper decks, this time a mix of the fighter craft and Lakshmi¡¯s ship. I hadn¡¯t a shred of proof that it was actually my friends¡­ and yet I just knew it was true. I knew they¡¯d come for me. It went beyond my faith in the plot, it was¡­ just somehow true.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    How terribly foolishly romantic of me. I smiled wryly, then ducked as another blizzard of shattered glass bounced off my {Barrier}.

    The small fighter ships surrounding us darting up and towards Lakshmi to intercept. I bit the inside of my cheek hard, suddenly terrified for my friends. I needn¡¯t have worried. A massive blast of fire and earth magical power erupted from the hull of the ship, tearing apart two of the close fighter craft and sending another one slowly spiraling down towards the greenery below.

    When did Soriya learn how to cast like that!? I boggled.

    A hand grabbed my arm. ¡°Saintess! Are you alright?! We have to get you to safety!¡±

    I looked up into the face of a frightened crewman, then down at his hand on my forearm.

    I looked up into the howling wind coming through the shattered bridge windows and suddenly felt an urge to giggle rising up inside me. I slowly stood up, smiling my ¡®saintess¡¯ smile at him, and gently peeled his hand off me.

    ¡°Yes. Of course, you¡¯re quite right. We do need to go.¡± I gave him another smile, and then leapt backwards out of the bridge windows, the hem of my dress trailing artfully upwards around my legs as I fell.

    That was foolish, what if somebody sees my panties!? I found myself thinking inanely before I hit the deck just below the bridge windows.

    I completely failed to stick the landing, however, and my back and sides complained fiercely from the pounding. I rolled to my side and let out a groan of genuine agony.

    I¡¯m glad I¡¯m high enough level to handle that. I thought, then hurriedly chanted a {Heal} to fix what felt like broken bones. The pain immediately eased, but I noted that my dress was badly torn. No magic cloth for your Saintess? Hm. I stood up, and immediately regretted it, wincing as my shoes pinched my toes.

    ¡°Well first thing, these are going!¡± I hopped on one foot, pulling off first one shoe then the other, and hurled them vigorously over the side of the airbarge. I looked up to see a group of well-armed priests and Vicar Hnin climbing out of the broken bridge windows. Glancing the other way, Lakshmi¡¯s little ship shot in, it¡¯s hatch yawning wide, and Eshaan and Daniyel dropping the 5 meters to the deck, their weapons drawn.

    Vicar Hnin held out his hand to me, calling out loudly. ¡°Saintess! Please, you must come with us! We need you! The church¡­ the whole of Gaia needs you!¡±

    I looked at him, giving him a sad smile, my hand clasped to my chest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Vicar. But I told you. I¡¯m not your Saintess.¡± I glanced up at Lakshmi¡¯s glorious insanity of a ship and then back to him. ¡°I¡¯m an airpirate.¡±

    I turned and sprinted as fast as I could towards Eshaan, the brilliant glow of his grin like the glow from the doorway of my home.

    Behind me, I heard the vicar cry out in disbelief and then rage, and heard the whining ¡®zing¡¯ of bullets zipping past me.

    So much for your love of the Saintess. I smiled grimly. Daniyel and Eshaan charged forward, and as much as I wanted to hug them both, we had bigger problems. I looked up into the open hatch of Lakshmi¡¯s airship, where¡­

    No way¡­! ¡°MOTHER?! What are you doing here?!¡±

    ¡­Holly was throwing a rope ladder out the opening.

    She smiled down at me cheekily. ¡°I should think that¡¯s obvious dear. Your boyfriend and I are rescuing you. Hurry up now, anyone would think it was your first time.¡±

    I numbly grabbed the rope ladder and hurried up it as fast as I could. My stockings slipped on the rungs of the ladder several times, making me flail uselessly for a bit, before finally throwing myself into the open hatch. I rolled to the side, panting, to let Eshaan and Daniyel climb aboard.

    ¡°Nice of you to join us!¡± Soriya said cheekily, before leaning out of the hatch to throw another of those ungodly spells she was hurling around.

    Is that¡­ a staff she¡¯s got mounted under Diaboli!? What the heck did I miss while I was out?!

    There was an extremely loud boom, and a shaking. An extremely ominous whine started building in the rear.

    Holly smiled down at me. ¡°Oops, that¡¯s my cue. Sorry sweetie, got to make sure the engine doesn¡¯t explode!¡±

    Lakshmi leaned out of her pilot¡¯s seat to yell at me. ¡°Hey, your royal saintess whatever! How about a shield before Sparrowhawk is turned into scrap metal!¡±

    I blinked several times before my brain finally kicked into gear. ¡°R-Right!¡± I clasped my hands together and closed my eyes, summoning Tower, and begging her protection.

    ¡°Of course, Child of ?ther.¡± Her voice was cool and amused. ¡°I was beginning to think you had grown tired of us.¡± A brilliant honeycomb sphere surrounded the ship, just as Daniyel finished crawling aboard.

    ¡°This is why I wanted you to go first!¡± Eshaan shouted at him angrily.

    ¡°Hold on!!¡± Lakshmi shouted, and everything unsecured tumbled to the rear of the airship cabin as the Sparrowhawk accelerated away from the airbarge at what had to be ludicrous speed. Which included myself, Soriya, Daniyel, and Eshaan.

    I groaned as I looked down to see Eshaan¡¯s face pressed between my breasts. Soriya¡¯s expression was considerably smugger than mine, despite Daniyel¡¯s face being in much the same location on her body.

    ¡°Now!? Really!?¡± I shouted angrily at the world in general.

    Soriya grinned at me. ¡°When else would you expect it, your boyfriend is extraordinarily graceful most of the time.¡±

    ¡°Not! The! Time!¡± I shouted at her, struggling to sit upright and push Eshaan¡¯s head out of my cleavage at the same time.

    Eshaan was mortified, of course, stammering apologies and groveling in what I had to admit was an appealing way as he peeled himself free.

    Daniyel, proving as unflappable as ever, made graceful apologies to Soriya as he got up, pushing himself against the torrent of air that was roaring through the cabin from the open hatch, slapping the close button. The thunderous roaring immediately died away, the uncomfortable shaking stabilized, and the Sparrowhawk gave another jolt as it picked up another burst of speed.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Lakshmi hollered from the cockpit.

    Daniyel bowed to her. ¡°You are most welcome, Captain.¡±

    Lakshmi flashed a grin at him, before quickly turning back to her readouts and instruments. I groaned as I spotted several crimson lights blinking at her from the panels.

    Oh come on. I thought wearily. Not again.

    ¡°I really am terribly sorry, Lilyanna. I¡¯m so sorry, it really was an accident!¡± Eshaan stammered at me. I let out a groan as I stood up, looking him square in the face.

    He was looking anywhere but into my eyes, stammering apologies.

    ¡°I mean I really couldn¡¯t help it; you saw what happened-¡±

    I took a step towards him. He was blushing furiously.

    ¡°-and I understand if you¡¯re mad, I don¡¯t blame you at all-¡±

    I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a kiss. It lasted for a long eternity and felt unfairly good.

    Alright. So this is much nicer than I expected. I thought with a sigh, closing my eyes and putting my full effort into it.

    <{Orator} Advanced to level 5. For your faith in your friends and for escaping the machinations of Deacon Brown you have advanced to {Orator:5}> The worldsoul whispered in my mind.

    I finally broke the kiss. Eshaan¡¯s eyes were wide and the poor boy looked like he¡¯d been hit with a house beam.

    I smiled into his eyes. ¡°Thank you for coming to rescue me, Eshaan. I knew you would.¡± I said softly.

    Soriya slipped up next to me. ¡°Well, you look a sight.¡± She smiled teasingly. ¡°I see you couldn¡¯t resist getting a new dress though.¡± I looked down at myself and grimaced. My beautiful saintess dress was in tatters, and showing quite a bit more flesh than I was comfortable with. My stockings were torn in several locations. The gown¡¯s trailing train had been ripped away, and most of my gloves were missing, several abrasions on my skin testifying to close misses that I¡¯d been unaware of. There were dirt smudges over most of my body.

    ¡°I think she looks fine.¡± Eshaan murmured in a daze. I looked up at him and rolled my eyes. I patted his cheek gently. ¡°That¡¯s sweet of you to say Eshaan, but I am a complete wreck. I am sincerely regretting my decision to discard my Sage¡¯s Robes to blend in better.¡±

    Soriya grinned. ¡°We can always buy more at our next stop!¡± Soriya said cheerfully.

    There was a sharp pop and the smell of magical energy leaking into the air from the engine room. An alarm began to blare from the cockpit.

    ¡°Dear, I think we have a bit of a problem back here.¡± Mother¡¯s voice called from the engine room.

    I closed my eyes and groaned.

    ***

    The crash was an anticlimax. It was a lot more of a controlled smash into the desert than a disintegrating fireball in the air. It helped that the sand under us was acting more like water than real sand.

    When we came to rest, the Sparrowhawk had stopped near a vast hillock of sand, on top of which was a shining black dome a few meters across. Behind us, a long wake trailed off into the sand behind us, already filling in as though it was viscous water. Before long, there was no trace of our long splashdown, and the sand was already mounding upwards against our hull.

    The heat was almost overpowering. Soriya and I quickly rigged up another variant of the {Environmental Protection} ritual we¡¯d done in the Tol Jaegren range, but I could feel it weakening by the second.

    Daniyel looked up at the white sky overhead and the blazing sun, then nodded grimly. ¡°We have landed in the-¡±

    ¡°Sand Sea.¡± I interrupted him.

    He turned to look at me with surprise. ¡°You know of the Sand Sea?¡±

    Soriya patted Daniyel on the bicep. ¡°She¡¯s just showing off. This is your homeland, right? The Salazar Desert?¡±

    Daniyel nodded gravely. ¡°It is. Though few brave the Sand Sea, it is treacherous and deadly, its sand shifting as though it were an ocean.¡±

    Soriya looked up at the black dome on the hillock above us. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Daniyel shook his head. ¡°I do not know. I have never heard of such a thing. As I said¡­ very few people travel into the Sand Sea willingly.¡±

    Lakshmi came out of the engine room, kicking the doorframe and swearing. ¡°Well that¡¯s torn it. The primary drive housing is wrecked, and the focus crystal is cracked. The Sparrowhawk is grounded until I can get parts!¡±

    I glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. ¡°How many airships have you wrecked?¡±

    Lakshmi looked at me angrily. ¡°None, until I met you!¡±

 44 Sand and Darkness

    I twitched a smile at Lakshmi¡¯s anger.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fair.¡±

    Mother came out of the engine room, looking considerably the worse for wear. She leaned against the wall.

    ¡°Lilyanna, dear.¡± She said wearily. ¡°I think this old woman is about all adventured out! Would you be a sweetheart and take us home?¡±

    I laughed. ¡°I would be happy to, mother.¡±

    Lakshmi protested angrily. ¡°Wait a minute! What about the Sparrowhawk?! We can¡¯t just leave her here! What if somebody steals her!?¡±

    I stared at her blankly. ¡°Lakshmi, we¡¯re in the middle of the Sand Sea. Daniyel says nobody comes here.¡±

    Lakshmi pointed angrily up at the strange black dome. ¡°What about them!? What if whoever lives there takes her!?¡±

    Soriya smiled, and pulled out Diaboli, hoisting the gun onto her shoulder. ¡°Then we¡¯ll politely ask them to give it back.¡± She said, smirking.

    ¡°Her!¡± Lakshmi said heatedly. ¡°Sparrowhawk is a her, not an it!¡±

    Eshaan stepped between the two feuding women, thus proving he truly did have no brain.

    ¡°Now, now. Ladies, let¡¯s not fight-¡±

    Lakshmi and Soriya spun on him and shouted ¡°You stay out of this!¡± in unison.

    I ignored the argument and walked over to Daniyel. ¡°Lakshmi makes a good point though. Is this a building? Is there any history of anyone living in this wasteland?¡±

    Daniyel shook his head. ¡°There are legends, of course. The ruins of the Ancients are in every corner of every land. But I sense no animosity here.¡± He frowned. ¡°But more importantly¡­¡±

    He walked over to the open hatch, extended into the sand lapping against its sides like a small dock. He pointed down. ¡°While the Sparrowhawk will float on the sea, we do not have sandshoes, and we will not.¡±

    He demonstrated by stepping down into the swirling dust of the sand sea. He immediately sank up to his knees. He laboriously climbed free, stepping back onto the Sparrowhawk¡¯s extended hatch.

    ¡°We must leave, regardless of whether or not there is anyone to object to our parking the Sparrowhawk.¡± He said calmly. Turning to Lakshmi, he added ¡°We will return soon, with the materials to effect repairs.¡±

    Lakshmi scowled, crossing her arms, but the point had been made.

    I summoned Gate at the end of the Sparrowhawk¡¯s hatch, and we stepped from the Sand Sea to Breezewood in a blink.

    ***

    Gate blinked out of existence, leaving the Sparrowhawk rocking gently on the slowly rolling waves of the Sand Sea.

    For some time, nothing happened. Then ground trembled, and a trickle of sand shifted from the base of the black dome far overhead, tumbling down into the swirling ¡®waves¡¯ of the sea.

    ***

    Back home in Breezewood once more, I let out a contented sigh. ¡°Oh it¡¯s so very good to be home!¡± I said.

    Mother hugged me, and rubbed my head. ¡°I¡¯m glad to have you home as well. But where will you go now?¡±

    I blinked at her in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re not going to make a fuss?¡±

    Holly wiped at her eyes, and smiled at me. ¡°Dear, I¡¯ve made my peace. You won¡¯t stay until you¡¯ve settled that itch inside you, that much is clear. And regardless of what I want, I hardly think I could stop you.¡± She sighed. ¡°And while it was nice to stretch my adventuring legs, and the extra levels I picked up from chasing after you, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve got much more in me.¡± She drew me into another hug. ¡°You have my blessing. I just want to know where you¡¯re going. And maybe¡­ come back to visit me, and let me know you¡¯re still alive?¡±

    I smiled and hugged her back. ¡°I will mother, I promise. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m being so selfish.¡±

    Holly laughed. ¡°No you¡¯re not. But it¡¯s sweet of you to say so.¡± She patted my head again. ¡°Now. I think a bath is in order.¡± She turned to look at the rest of the group. ¡°For all of us, I think! And after, you can decide where to go.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re repairing the Sparrowhawk, of course!¡± Lakshmi piped up.

    ¡°We can¡¯t do that without materials. And we need to buy those. Speaking of which, how did we do at the shop Eshaan?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Eshaan blushed, and pulled out a wad of bills from his pouch. ¡°Really well! The prices things sell for at the capital are amazing!¡±

    Daniyel chuckled. ¡°And the prices of food and lodging are equally amazing.¡±

    Soriya clapped her hands together. ¡°Oh! Oh oh! That reminds me!¡± She spun around to me. ¡°Lily, they have burgers!¡± She pulled out a severely mangled paper packet and presented it proudly to me. ¡°They call them Spyrals, but they¡¯re hamburgers!¡±

    I looked down at it doubtfully, then up at her.

    ¡°Ok, well, this one is a loss, but I told you! I told you that greasy street food is a constant of the multiverse!¡±

    I blinked, faintly recalling her earlier comment. I took the packet from her and unwrapped it, feeling a very faint smile float across my lips as I saw the smashed remains of what was obviously a cheap hamburger. I looked back up at her, my smile growing.

    ¡°So it is.¡± I said softly, a pang of homesickness stabbing at my heart. I lifted it to my mouth and took a bite, feeling an odd sort of comfort knowing there were hamburgers in this world too.

    Eshaan blinked in concern. ¡°Lily? Lily are you ok?! You¡¯re crying?! What¡¯s wrong?!¡±

    I sniffled, and wiped my nose, shaking my head. ¡°Nothing, really. I¡¯ve just¡­ really missed this. Thank you for coming to get me.¡±

    Eshaan turned pink, and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Ah heh. I really didn¡¯t do much at all. It was more princ¡­ Lakshmi. She was the one who came up with the plan.¡±

    I blinked. Lakshmi did? But Eshaan¡¯s the hero. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to become competent when I got kidnapped and organize the whole thing?

    Lakshmi bounced up to me. ¡°I told you I could be useful!¡±

    I turned to her, frowning in puzzlement. Did she¡­ actually-?

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that the Sparrowhawk crashed.¡± Lakshmi¡¯s face fell, but then brightened slightly.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok. This one didn¡¯t catch fire! Or explode! I was actually inspired by some of the things you did on the Pelican¡­¡± She started to explain, and I shook my head.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­ get a bath. And some clothes.¡± I said. I sighed. ¡°I suppose now I understand why adventurers like clothes woven with Runes. I have ruined two perfectly good dresses now.¡±

    Eshaan hefted a small bag in his hand. ¡°Well, the good news is we got some pretty good prices for the monster drops at the Spyre shops! I can buy you a new dress!¡±

    Soriya lifted an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re awfully free with our money there, Eshaan.¡±

    Eshaan immediately ducked his head. ¡°Sorry, yes, of course it¡¯s everyone¡¯s money.¡±

    ¡°That reminds me.¡± I said. ¡°We should try to make sure that Priya and Devdan made it to Spyre safely.¡±

    Lakshmi tipped her head to the side. ¡°They should have. The airship we were riding wasn¡¯t crippled.¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°How would we find them?¡±

    Mother clapped her hands. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough chattering, baths now!¡± I smiled and nodded in agreement. Mother and I darted inside my home to pick up fresh clothes, and mother took the opportunity to give me a quick hug.

    ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you, Lilyanna! Making trouble for those in power! And I leveled so much on your little adventure!¡± She posed proudly. ¡°I¡¯m level 25 now!¡±

    I gaped at her in shock. Mother¡¯s higher level than me again?! How¡­ I shook my head and hugged her back. ¡°I¡¯m happy for you. I reached level 23.¡±

    Mother nodded in satisfaction. ¡°I had firmly decided my adventuring days were behind me, but you brought me out of retirement.¡± She sighed. ¡°I still want to come with you, but I think¡­ you made your case. Your friends showed me how competent they are, and you did very well on your own.¡± She shook her finger sternly at me. ¡°Try to be kidnapped less often! You should have seen the state your boyfriend was in!¡± She tapped me on the nose. ¡°Good kiss though, I approve.¡±

    I flushed scarlet and ducked my head. ¡°Motheeeer!¡± I moaned at her in annoyance.

    Mother laughed cheerfully. ¡°Oh do go on, you¡¯ll understand someday when you have a daughter of your own.¡±

    I rushed up to my room, cheeks burning and hurriedly pulled on one of my older dresses. It was already a little too short and too tight, but it wasn¡¯t like I was spoiled for choice!

    I rushed back downstairs, and felt my blush returning as Eshaan¡¯s eyes locked on my chest. Soriya¡¯s giggles did not help.

    Definitely too tight! I muttered to myself. I grabbed his hand and pulled him along behind me, desperately pretending this was all fine. ¡°Come on, lets go! I am so looking forward to this!¡±

    We headed to the baths and proceeded to get clean. Afterwards, we gathered in one of the small meeting rooms at the bath. It was a relief to be wearing the simple robes the bathhouse provided, and it was more of a relief to finally be clean again!

    Mother excused herself saying she would go and buy me a dress that fit, then left us to our plotting. Such as it was.

    ¡°So, what do we know?¡± Soriya asked, sipping at a cold beverage.

    We looked at each other silently for a moment. I shrugged mentally. Somehow the healer girl is the leader? How did we get here¡­?

    I didn¡¯t much like the answer, obvious though it was. On the other hand, I liked the idea of following Eshaan¡¯s lead much less. It might be heroic, but his viewpoint tended to be headfirst through the brick walls that the plot threw at him.

    Maybe I can do something less headstrong? I thought hopefully. Right. I chided myself. Like getting kidnapped three times and losing control of the plot to my evil shadowclone. That¡¯s totally less headstrong than following Eshaan.

    ¡°Well, lets start with what I learned as the Saintess.¡± I said, setting down my empty bottle.

    ¡°Firstly, all three of the shadows from the Cavern of Trials are present in the Spyre, and the shadow me is apparently angling to get close to the Imperial throne.¡±

    Lakshmi blinked. ¡°What the what? What¡¯s this?¡±

    I tipped my head to the side. ¡°Didn¡¯t I explain this?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± She frowned.

    ¡°Oh.¡± I took a moment to catch Lakshmi up on what had happened.

    ¡°Ok, so you¡¯re saying that an evil Lily is trying to cozy up to my father?!¡± She summarized.

    ¡°While seeking godhood from the Ancient artifact that they used to test me for sainthood, yes.¡±

    Lakshmi frowned. ¡°Well she won¡¯t get it that way! The artifact is wildly unbalanced when it¡¯s just you touching it, there¡¯s something it¡¯s missing, like half a power core. By rights it shouldn¡¯t have had the fancy light show at all!¡±

    I coughed, feeling myself blush, and said quietly. ¡°Actually¡­ shadow me is a boy.¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes went wide, and then narrowed. He let out a long ¡°Ooooh.¡± Of comprehension.

    Lakshmi blinked. ¡°So these things are opposite in gender too? Soriya¡¯s is a boy and Eshaan¡¯s is a girl?¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Eshaan said ¡°Actually, only Lily¡¯s is opposite. But who can say why the Ancient¡¯s do things the way they do! What¡¯s more important is what it¡¯s doing!¡±

    I gave Eshaan what felt like a pathetically grateful look and nodded firmly.

    Soriya spoked up. ¡°I have something to add there. My opposite cornered me in the crowd, and at my presentation. Extremely unpleasant bitch, and I wish her all the worst. But what was more concerning, the shadows seem to be hard counters to each of us. I couldn¡¯t cast when shadowme was pinning me down, and the shadow Eshaan I saw in the crowd was some kind of technology guru, he shut down the artifact when it started to run rampant. I imagine this¡­ Deacon¡­ had something similar to Lily?¡± She looked at me questioningly.

    I frowned, tapping my lips in thought. ¡°I can¡¯t be sure, but that would definitely explain why I couldn¡¯t seem to get anyone to listen to me, even with a {Persuade}. And¡­ come to think of it, whenever he was around, it started seeming utterly hopeless to use any magic at all.¡±

    Lakshmi huffed and crossed her arms. ¡°Well that doesn¡¯t make any sense at all! If this guy is you¡¯re opposite, shouldn¡¯t he be all crass and rude and nothing but a musclehead?¡±

    I blinked. Soriya snorted a laugh and Eshaan chuckled.

    ¡°She¡¯s got a point, Lily.¡± Said Eshaan, his eyes bright with repressed laughter. ¡°That does sound more like someone who¡¯s your opposite.¡±

    Soriya gave another giggle, then sobered. ¡°While that¡¯s funny, that¡¯s not quite what I think the Cavern of Trials was set up to do. Our shadows aren¡¯t really our opposites, they¡¯re dark mirrors of us. Who we might have become, who we wished we were, all twisted and jumbled. They¡¯re supposed to show us our darker emotions and desires, and when we fight them, we gain insight into ourselves.¡±

    Lakshmi scowled. ¡°So the Ancients are as moralizing and preachy as the Church? But with tech?¡± She shook her head angrily. ¡°What a complete waste of magitech!¡±

    Daniyel said quietly ¡°Not all magitech is designed around flight and freedom, Captain.¡±

    Soriya clapped her hands. ¡°Alright, back on topic! Shadow Lily is seeking godhood, and is worming his way closer to the throne for that purpose!¡±

    Lakshmi scowled again. ¡°He can have my stupid brother for all I care, but I don¡¯t think daddy deserves that.¡±

    ¡°We have an unexpected ally in that front.¡± I said. Everyone looked at me curiously. ¡°Our friend, Commander Khine. He is convinced that a faction of the church is somehow wrapped up in his rebellion. Part of his payment for turning me over was that he could comb the church records looking for the rebellion, ask for favors from the church.¡± I spread my hands. ¡°So I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll look kindly on Deacon getting close to the throne.¡±

    Soriya was quiet for a moment, then said ¡°I don¡¯t suppose-¡±

    Lakshmi cut her off with a hard slice of her hand. ¡°I already know what you want to say. No. I¡¯m not going back! I can¡¯t!¡±

    I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Can¡¯t or won¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t!¡±

    Daniyel cleared his throat, and Lakshmi shot him a look that was pure poison. He looked at her gravely, then said ¡°The princess could return, she vastly overestimates her father¡¯s anger. But it would be extremely awkward, and severely curtail her other activities.¡±

    Eshaan frowned in confusion. ¡°But what about all those other festivities at the inventor¡¯s thing? Aren¡¯t you supposed to give a lot of speeches and deliver awards?¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s look got even blacker, and she growled ¡°Yes. And she will. Father will just trot out someone who has a passing resemblance to me and have her do it.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± I clapped my hands together. ¡°Like a body double!?¡±

    Lakshmi blinked and then said ¡°Well, yes. Just like that.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s a pointless task, ceremonial bullshit. That¡¯s most of what I¡¯ve done for the past 10 years!¡±

    We were silent for a bit, then I said ¡°So it seems that we don¡¯t really have a good ¡®in¡¯ to the palace. Which is troubling, because shadowme is making moves there.¡± I pointed at Lakshmi. ¡°But on the bright side, it seems that shadowme is missing a critical piece of the puzzle, since you said that the artifact needs another source. Another Saintess?¡±

    Lakshmi shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what it felt like, some kind of Dark Saintess, I guess?¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Well, right now they¡¯re missing both. So whatever plans Shadow Lily is working on has been foiled for now. Though we can expect the church to redouble their efforts now that they know that their Saintess is real and what she looks like.¡±

    Eshaan tipped his head to the side. ¡°Still, it¡¯s weird how they knew what they knew. I¡¯ve seen those posters in adventurer¡¯s guild halls for several years now, they came out way before I ever met you two in the Cavern of Trials.¡±

    I exchanged a troubled look with Soriya. ¡°We¡¯ll have to set that aside for now. Troubling issues. We can assume that the church will be actively pursuing us though.¡± I sighed. ¡°I guess we get to fight paladins now.¡±

    Daniyel seemed to perk up. ¡°Truly? I haven often wished to test my might against those who take the noble orders. They are said to be fearsome warriors!¡±

    Soriya rolled her eyes and lightly whapped Daniyel on the shoulder. ¡°The point is not to fight them, remember! Not to die gloriously!¡±

    Daniyel¡¯s voice was affronted. ¡°I would not die!¡± He protested. ¡°My skills are much better than the paladins¡¯!¡±

    I cleared my throat. ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you, please do not succumb to testosterone poisoning.¡±

    He frowned. ¡°What poison is this?¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°A disease targeting exclusively males. It gives them urges to do stupid things like fighting an entire battalion of soldiers because it will show how tough they are.¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I could do that!¡± He flexed his arm. ¡°After all the levels I¡¯ve gained-¡±

    I put my fingers on Eshaan¡¯s lips. ¡°Eshaan, please be quiet. That¡¯s exactly what Soriya was talking about. We do not need to fight them.¡± I paused, then said curiously ¡°Could you really?¡±

    Eshaan nodded eagerly; his eyes bright. ¡°Yeah! I got so many levels from helping to rescue you! I¡¯m level 23 now!¡±

    Daniyel nodded gravely. ¡°A worthy achievement indeed. I also have reached level 23.¡±

    Lakshmi blinked. ¡°That¡¯s funny, I¡¯m level 23 too.¡±

    I felt a slow smiled creep across my face, and looked at Soriya questioningly. She smiled and nodded.

    ¡°Yes, I think we¡¯re all the same level now.¡± Soriya said. ¡°Doubtless the harmonic forces of the WorldLines we¡¯re following are at play.¡±

    Or it¡¯s just that part of the story, where we¡¯ve finally gotten everyone together. Or maybe that¡¯s exactly what she said in plain people speak? I furrowed my brow thoughtfully. Though shouldn¡¯t we have six? Is mother¡­ no she¡¯s level 24, that¡¯s clearly a mentor figure. Eideth, maybe¡­? Maybe it really is just five of us then? Still, that tells me what we ¡®should¡¯ be focused on.

    All the talk of levels reminded me, I hadn¡¯t looked at my status screen in a while now. I focused on myself, using {Study}.

    {Name}: Lilyanna of Breezewood {Level}: 23

    {Classes}: Spiritist 10/Orator 5/Arcanist 6/Gourmet 2

    HP: 536 MP: 766 DEF: 86 M.DEF: 129

    Current Status: <Healthy>

    DEX: 86 INS: 129

    MIG: 86 WIL: 129

    Skills: Healing Power, Aura, Awaken, Barrier, Cleanse, Heal, Lux, Mercy, Reinforce, Holy White, Bonds of Friendship, Encourage 1, My Trust in You 2, Persuade 2, Bind & Summon, Arcane Circle 3, Arcane Regeneration 2, Cooking 2

    Special: ?therborn, Keybearer, Heretic Saintess, Air Pirate

    I found myself twitching a smile at the Specials and found myself wondering if the WorldSoul had some kind of sense of humor or not. It¡¯s not like the numbers seem to mean anything¡­ well, aside from being able to still live after getting hit with gunfire, I guess! But it¡¯s¡­ kind of cool to see how far I¡¯ve grown. And the new powers I have.

    ¡°So, it seems that our best course of action is seeking out the locations of the other Arcaum, the voices of the System? So we can keep them out of the hands of the church and stop them from falling into the hands of my evil double. That should stall his plans, and that will allow us to work around shadowme, and eventually defeat him.¡±

    Soriya immediately nodded. ¡°Yes, that sounds right to me.¡±

    Eshaan scratched at the back of his head. ¡°I dunno, it seems like we¡¯d want to stop your shadowself first? Maybe we can find a way to contact Commander Khine¡­¡± he trailed off under the glare from Soriya and myself. ¡°Maybe not.¡± He said quietly.

    Lakshmi shook her head. ¡°The first thing we have to do is repair the Sparrowhawk!¡± She declared.

    I smiled. ¡°Well it certainly is hard to go new places if we don¡¯t have a ride! And maybe we can get some kind of good deal from Devdan and Priya.¡±

    Soriya said ¡°Is a new focus crystal for the drive expensive?¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°Like you wouldn¡¯t believe.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. Money we can do. It¡¯s just a little grinding, and then travel between cities. That¡¯s easy!¡±

    Eshaan looked up, suddenly smiling. ¡°That¡¯s right! You can travel with Gate! We can sell your mother¡¯s potions, make a profit, sell things from Spyre to Farna¡­¡±

    Soriya said ¡°Daniyel, are there monsters in the Sand Sea that might be worth something?¡±

    Daniyel slowly raised his eyebrows. ¡°I believe there may well be. We would need a pair of sandshoes for each of us, but that is hardly a difficulty.¡±

    ¡°Well, there we go then!¡± Soriya nodded. ¡°That¡¯s our plan! Make a lot of money and buy sandshoes, new gear, and a focus crystal!¡±

    ¡°And keep a low profile.¡± I added.

    Soriya tipped her head to the side. ¡°Are you going to try dying your hair again?¡±

    I sighed and shook my head. ¡°I suppose I could, but I don¡¯t really think it will work. It¡¯s probably hoods and kerchiefs for me from now on.¡± I looked over at Lakshmi. ¡°Lakshmi, do you want us to dye your hair? It¡¯s not as nice as that locket you had, but¡­?¡±

    Lakshmi thought about it, then slowly nodded. ¡°Actually¡­ yes. I¡¯d like that. The WorldSoul tells me that I¡¯m a Pilot now. I think¡­¡± she nodded again, clenching her fist. ¡°I think this is what I want to do. No, I know this is what I want to do. ¡®Real¡¯ pirates might not be very nice¡­ but I¡¯m going to be an Air Pirate! Searching for lost treasures of the Ancients sounds¡­ exactly right!¡±

    She slugged down her drink and slammed the bottle onto the table. A very enthusiastic gesture for a bottle of milk tea I thought.

    ***

    We spent the next two weeks slowly accumulating money. Devdan and Priya had indeed settled in Spyre, and were making a go of it in the mid-levels of the city. To my pleasure, it seemed they were doing fairly well¡­ though Priya whined about not being able to attend the noble parties.

    Most amusingly, the fact that the transport which was supposed to have been sunk, instead arrived (if a bit battered) in port, seemed to have caused a commotion in the markets. Good deals were to be had on all manner of ¡®surplus¡¯ imperial weapons and gear. I gleefully picked up the staff that I had been eyeing lustfully on the transport as well as a very nice  upgraded Sage¡¯s Robe. Sadly, it still behaved exactly the same, and I was once more clad in the blindingly obvious red and white of a healer mage. I noted it had a slightly different pattern this time though. It seemed the robe was reacting to my levels in Arcanist. I idly wondered if it would grow an apron if I continued to level up Gourmet.

    Daniyel, Lakshmi, & Eshaan all found good equipment that satisfied them, though Eshaan insisted on keeping the sword that I¡¯d bought for him back in Leshan. Soriya seemed more than content with her strange fusion of Diaboli and what I was slowly starting to suspect was her version of the magic crystal of special plotness.

    As expected, Soriya¡¯s hair dye refused to stay in my hair, fading entirely away overnight. Lakshmi¡¯s hair on the other hand came out very well. She kept a single streak of red, but the rest of her hair made a lovely ebony black.

    ¡°It will still need to be redone to keep your roots dark.¡± Soriya cautioned. ¡°It¡¯s not like your old locket.¡±

    ¡°Well it¡¯s not like I have access to the Imperial mages to make another one for me, now is it?¡± Lakshmi said wryly, examining her hair in the mirror. ¡°I like it. And I¡¯ve learned it¡¯s important to work for things you want.¡± She nodded at her reflection.

    That was interesting¡­ she seemed a lot more determined and self-confident after organizing my rescue.

    In between trade runs, I took a moment to talk with Soriya.

    ¡°You know you¡¯re probably the other half of the missing whatever for the artifact, right?¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Oh yes, that¡¯s obvious.¡± She grinned. ¡°It¡¯s actually kind of exciting, I¡¯m a secret plot girl!¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Well, I wish I could be a secret plot girl too, but apparently pink hair has a price.¡±

    Soriya gave me a sympathetic hug. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Lily, we¡¯re on the main plot now!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know how though?¡± I said. ¡°How are we even supposed to find these other Arcana? The ones I picked up stubbornly refuse to talk!¡±

    Soriya grinned and tapped her nose. ¡°Trust a witch! I¡¯ve got a great idea for a ritual.¡±

    I smiled at her enthusiasm. It was hard not to feel energetic and optimistic when I was around her.

    We didn¡¯t get around to buying sandshoes until after we¡¯d purchased the focus crystal. The trade runs and monster drops in the places we¡¯d already visited (even the sewers¡­ ugh!) turned out to be quite profitable. Devdan was over the moon with us as regular trading partners, he said he was making all kinds of contacts with the exotic materials we got him. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was good or bad, but I knew it made us money. That, combined with ¡°rare¡± and ¡°exotic¡± goods from the far edges of the empire (Farna and Breezewood) meant that we had plenty of cash in short order.

    We bought our improvised sandshoes from Devdan, and made final preparations to head back to the Sand Sea and start the repair of Sparrowhawk.

    ***

    Gate opened and deposited us into the burning heat of the Sand Sea. Soriya and I had prepared with the temperature control ritual, but we could still feel the ominous heat beating down on us. However, we were faced with a more immediate problem.

    ¡°Where the hell is my ship!?¡± Lakshmi yelled.

    ¡°Forget the ship, what the heck is this thing?!¡± Eshaan pointed to an enormous black hemisphere that towered over us, sparkling in the sun.

    Daniyel looked over at me. ¡°Miss Lilyanna, are you sure this is the same place we left from?¡±

    I nodded dumbly, staring up at the enormous impossible dome of utter blackness that towered over us.

    ¡°WHERE IS THE SPARROWHAWK?!¡± Lakshmi shouted at the top of her lungs, kicking up a drift of sand, and promptly sinking to her knees as her sandshoes were swamped.

    ¡°You promised the sparrowhawk would be safe! YOU PROMISED ME!¡± She shrieked, struggling in the drift of sand.

    Daniyel reached down and lifted her bodily out of the sand sea with one smooth motion.

    He crouched down, bowing his head to Lakshmi. ¡°Princess, I have failed you, I am most terribly sorry. Take my life in apology.¡±

    I shivered all over realizing he was genuinely serious! I hurriedly trudged over to them. ¡°No! Nobody is killing anybody today! No murdering party members or noble sacrifices!¡±

    ¡°MY SHIP!¡± Lakshimi shouted into my face.

    Eshaan rapped his knuckles against the black surface, and then yanked them back, hissing in pain.

    Soriya laughed at him. ¡°Well that was dumb, what did you expect! Pitch black and soaking in the desert sun?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s cold!¡± Eshaan said.

    That got our {Loremaster}¡¯s attention. ¡°It¡¯s what?!¡± Said Soriya and Lakshmi in unison. They hurriedly sloshed over to the edge of the hemisphere and peered at it, poking it gingerly.

    ¡°It is!¡± Lakshmi gasped in shock. ¡°How can it be cold, it¡¯s in the middle of the desert?!¡± She pulled out a small gadget from her belt and started waving it slowly around the surface.

    ¡°Incredible¡­!¡± Soriya leaned over, and started casting small spells at the sphere. She suddenly stood up and turned to us. ¡°Incredible! The surface¡­ it¡¯s a perfect absorber of energy!¡±

    I looked up at the perfectly black sphere next to us. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a capacitor? It¡¯s storing the heat energy?¡±

    ¡°Not just heat energy!¡± Lakshmi¡¯s face was animated and she was waving her arms in excitement. ¡°All energy! The spells Soriya cast should have left traces¡­ but now that I¡¯m looking-¡° She waved the small gadget in her hand ¡°-there¡¯s no traces of natural accumulation of mana! It¡¯s as though this structure is siphoning everything into it! The amount of energy is must contain is¡­ incredible! What could possible use so much energy?!¡±

    Daniyel frowned. ¡°Of greater concern.¡± He pointed a patch the size and shape of a doorway at the edge of the sphere, which was slowly lowering downwards into the sand. ¡°What¡­ or who¡­ is inside that wishes us to visit? And should we accept their offer?¡±

    Soriya and I shared one brief glance and then said in unison ¡°We go in, of course!¡±

    Eshaan gave me a sappy grin, and said ¡°You know this is why I love you, right?¡±

    I felt the blush on my cheeks spread to my entire body, my scalp tingling with the heat of my embarrassment.

    ¡°Alright, alright, enough with the kissyface, lets go!¡± Lakshmi grabbed Daniyel¡¯s hand and hauled him into the opening, pointedly ignoring Eshaan and me. Soriya sauntered along behind them, an unbearably smug look on her face.

    Eshaan offered his hand to me, and after a long moment, I swallowed and took it. I did kiss him after all¡­ I thought.

    We followed after the others, the dark doorway swallowing us. The air inside was immediately cooler. Noticeably so, but oddly not painfully cold as I had half expected. It was just¡­ a well air conditioned space. It was also vast. Entering the doorway, we found ourselves looking out into a hollow sphere, easily two kilometers across, filled with what looked like glowing fireflies spread out below us. We were standing in a broad entrance room, with a railing at the edge, which looked out into a cavern spread out below us, filled with row upon row of terraces filled with buildings. Filling the middle of the sphere, spiraling in delicate filigrees of light, were a glittering spiderweb of what appeared to be walkways that touched down in every part of the sphere.

    Soriya said softly, her eyes wide with wonder as she took in the sight. ¡°Next dungeon it is¡­ good leadership, Saintess.¡±

 45 Glass and Light

    Soriya said softly, her eyes wide with wonder as she took in the sight. ¡°Next dungeon it is¡­ good leadership, Saintess.¡±

    Lakshmi was looking around in awe. ¡°Well now we know where at least some of the energy is going! The air is cool and fresh!¡± She started waving her detector instrument around again. ¡°Astonishing, the energy flows-¡±

    She cut off as Daniyel pulled her back from the edge of the railing just before she was about to walk into the void.

    ¡°A thousand pardons, princess, but it is wise to watch your step in this strange environment.¡±

    ¡°Just look at this place¡­!¡± Soriya was slowly spinning in circles, her arms outstretched.

    ¡°Is this¡­ ancient technology?¡± Eshaan said hesitantly.

    ¡°Well what else could it be?¡± Soriya said.

    ¡°Not that.¡± Lakshmi said decisively. ¡°The Ancients¡¯ worked with orichalcum, bronze and red-gold. This is¡­¡± She waved at the expanse of black and silver. ¡°Not that.¡± She finished quietly.

    Eshaan nodded emphatically.

    ¡°So¡­¡± Soriya tapped her lips. ¡°Some faction of the Ancients¡¯, perhaps? Is there any way to tell how old these ruins are?¡±

    Lakshmi shook her head. ¡°Not without a week¡¯s worth of work in one of my labs.¡±

    I cleared my throat. ¡°Then perhaps we should explore a bit?¡± I pointed at the open door behind us. ¡°I did expect the door to close after us with a suitably ominous thud, and yet it didn¡¯t. I think¡­ we¡¯re being invited in. As guests, of some sort?¡±

    The group shared a look. Soriya scrunched up her brow. ¡°Is that even possible?¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°Sure, why not? You can always leave a dungeon before you finish the questline, just almost nobody ever does, because they packed all the potions and gear they need. At least, they do if they have money.¡± I smiled brightly. ¡°Which we do!¡±

    Lakshmi shared a look with Eshaan. ¡°Is she¡­ always like this?¡± Lakshmi said.

    Eshaan grinned. ¡°Most of the time, yep.¡±

    ¡°So, which way?¡± Soriya gestured to the shining black ramps lit by floating orbs of white light. The lamps became a spiraling line of white motes that slowly curled their way downwards into the darkness below us.

    We looked at each other blankly, then Lakshmi said ¡°Uh¡­ well there are interesting readings from both directions, but I guess the flows are stronger heading down?¡±

    We looked at the two ramps leading into the darkness, lit by the twinkling lights. I fished around for a zeni, and pulled it out. ¡°Ok. Heads we go left, tails, we go right. Any objections?¡±

    Lakshmi muttered quietly ¡°So unscientific.¡± Daniyel gave her a tolerant look, then turned back to me. ¡°I believe that to be a most reasonable course of action, Miss Lilyanna. And as you are our leader, it is fitting that you be the one to toss.¡±

    I twitched a half smile at him, and tossed the coin into the air. It landed on the black surface and chimed softly, wobbling to a stop on heads. I turned  to the left, and stepped towards the ramp.

    Eshaan reached out and grabbed my arm. ¡°Lily, wait! I know you¡¯re the leader, but you¡¯re not front line combatant! Let me and Daniyel go first. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s down there!¡±

    Daniyel nodded. ¡°The plan is sound; we should listen to young Eshaan.¡±

    Eshaan bristled. ¡°I¡¯m seventeen! I¡¯m not a kid!¡±

    No one said anything, but the looks on Soriya and my faces could have written a novel.

    Daniyel said gravely ¡°Indeed not.¡± He bowed his head to Eshaan. ¡°My apologies for the offense. Please lead on.¡±

    Eshaan smiled and nodded agreeably. I rolled my eyes. How can he be so easily tricked?! I swear¡­

    Our little party trundled down the ramp. Overhead, small floating orbs of white light lit the pathway at an even distance.

    The first encounter was considerably more and less than I had expected. Glittering motes of light floating in the air suddenly coalesced into swirling vortex shapes of purple-black and gold-white.

    Soriya gasped. ¡°Elementals! Light and Dark elementals!? Together?! Do you have any idea how- YIEE!¡± She yelped and leapt backwards as the two elementals spat bolts of Light and Dark energy at her, scoring small patches of discoloration on the paths where she¡¯d been standing a moment before.

    I pulled out my staff and hurriedly cast {Barrier}. ¡°Scholar later please! Fight now!¡± I chided Soriya.

    The fight was instructive, but quick. It turned out that when you have one mage who specializes in Light magic and one who specializes in Dark magic, you can defeat their Elemental opposites very easily. Though it was a bit embarrassing when the Light elemental phased right through my {Barrier} to deliver a brutally vicious attack to Eshaan.

    Right, ok. Good to know¡­ if a bit obvious in hindsight. Light elementals don¡¯t care about barriers made of Light energy.

    Soriya¡¯s quick thinking, and even quicker trigger finger quickly obliterated the Light elemental, while the Dark elementals fell to careful applications of a {Heal} and {Cleanse}. I didn¡¯t quite dare use {Holy White}.

    With my luck, it will summon a pillar of light, destroy the universe, and then put it all back again.

    We regrouped as the last of the twisted energy that made up the elementals vanished into dispersed threads of mana.

    Lakshmi dashed forward and picked up the small glittering crystals that fell out of the cores of the Elementals, picking them up with a little triumphant squeal.

    ¡°Elemental crystals! This is amazing! You only ever get Elementals-¡°

    Soriya picked up her thread and took over ¡°-in the middle of really thick and stagnant Elemental pools! And to have Light and Dark elementals-¡°

    ¡°-in the same place means this structure must focus and amplify the threads-¡°

    Both girls chorused in unison ¡°-this place must focus and contain elemental power of every type!¡±

    I blinked slowly, then turned to Eshaan with a small smile on my face. ¡°This is getting out of hand.¡± I remarked dryly. ¡°Now there are two of them.¡±

    Soriya shot me a mock glare. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, or you¡¯ll get Eshaan a laser sword.¡± She perked up and said ¡°But really Lily, this is astonishing! This whole structure-¡°

    I held up a hand. ¡°Wait. So, there are going to be more of the elementals here?¡±

    Soriya deflated a bit. ¡°Well I suppose there must be¡­¡±

    Daniyel said gravely ¡°Then we should prepare our tactics as such.¡±

    Eshaan tugged on my sleeve. ¡°Lily, what¡¯s a laser?¡±

    I sighed. I really should have known. ¡°Something from another world. I¡¯ll explain when we¡¯re not in an ancient ruin of mystery.¡±

    We discussed our tactics for dealing with elementals, and worked out a rough plan. But the next thing we found as we descended deeper into the structure wasn¡¯t a monster. Instead, a glass sculpture of a person stood in the middle of the pathway, motes of ever shifting multicolored lights swirling and glowing within.

    I couldn¡¯t actually make out much in the way of details, but the whole effect was shockingly beautiful, and yet it sent chills up and down my spine. Something was just¡­ off about it, for all of its alien beauty.

    ¡°We should keep clear of it.¡± I said uneasily, as Lakshmi and Soriya scrutinized every inch of it. ¡°Does it even show up when you use {Study}?¡±

    Soriya took a step back and shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s the fascinating part. No, it doesn¡¯t. Not like it should. The System just¡­ doesn¡¯t seem to know what to make of it! I only get question marks, and guesses!¡±

    ¡°So¡­ what are you telling me, this object isn¡¯t made of anything the System recognizes?¡±

    Soriya grinned energetically, peering at the statue intently. ¡°I suppose!¡±

    Lakshmi shook her head emphatically. ¡°No, that¡¯s not possible. The System covers the whole world, it can¡¯t not know something!¡±

    Eshaan nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ve never even heard of something like that.¡±

    I waved at the statue. ¡°And yet, here it is. Creepy and real.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Look, if we don¡¯t understand it, we really shouldn¡¯t be messing with it!¡± And worst of all, I have no idea what the heck it is! This isn¡¯t part of any plot I know! Unless it¡¯s just going to attack us, but then it should show up when Soriya uses {Study}!

    Daniyel nodded. ¡°I believe miss Lilyanna has the right of it. Until it presents a provable danger, we would be better served to focus our efforts on other issues.¡± He gravely pointed a finger into the darkness. ¡°For example, I believe those are elemental sprites approaching us.¡±

    We all spun to face the direction he pointed. Sure enough, small flittering motes of elemental energy were floating towards us, a quartet of the classics, fire, earth, air, and water. Unlike the Light and Dark elementals however, they all looked like animals. Animals composed of twisted knots of elemental energy, shifting form like¡­

    Almost like that statue¡­ I looked back at the statue, and scooted a few steps further back. It remained stubbornly unthreatening, and utterly creepy.

    Eshaan stepped forward, drawing his blade. ¡°Well, now we know there¡¯s more than just Light and Dark elementals here. These I¡¯ve fought before. Come on everyone, we¡¯ll give them a thrashing!¡±

    The fight was quick and decisive. Our plans worked, to my utter shock. The elemental beasts disappeared as the elemental energy that made up their bodies unraveled under our attacks. They also dropped crystals, which Soriya and Lakshmi excitedly scooped up. We took a moment to get our breath back, and I found myself musing again on the oddity of the direction my life had taken.

    Of all the things to be grateful for, it remains odd to me that the best part of fighting for my life is that I don¡¯t have to have the headache inducing swirly combat transition scene! I picked my way forward, and looked around cautiously. The statue remained an enigmatic lump behind us, and far down the path the curious dancing motes of color¡­

    Well I suppose those would be more elementals. And¡­ maybe more of those statues? I shivered.

    ¡°Are you cold, Lily? I have a scarf somewhere¡­?¡± Eshaan started to rummage in his equipment.

    I had to laugh. ¡°No, silly, no. I¡¯m just¡­¡± I rubbed my arms, feeling goosebumps all over my flesh. ¡°It¡¯s creepy, that¡¯s all. I can¡¯t pin it down. Like something¡¯s not right here.¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of a dungeon where {Study} doesn¡¯t work. What could possibly go wrong!?¡±

    ¡°Actually-¡° said Lakshmi. ¡°-study works just fine on those elementals. Even on the path and those lights ahead. It¡¯s just the statues that are funny.¡±

    Eshaan frowned and stroked his chin. ¡°Who would create statues just to leave them in the middle of the path?¡±

    Soriya pointed ahead. ¡°And it looks like there¡¯s more of them.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Ok, this is really starting to worry me. Everybody¡­ stay extra sharp.¡±

    Lakshmi tipped her head to the side. ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised. I figured you¡¯d want to leave if you¡¯re so scared!¡±

    I glared at her and stomped my foot. ¡°I am¡­¡± I stopped. I was scared, and it was obvious.

    But this is the plot. This is the direction it goes. And I¡¯m pretty sure the Sparrowhawk is down here¡­ along with plot critical information.

    ¡°Alright, yes. I¡¯m scared. I admit it. But I think who or whatever took the Sparrowhawk is down here. The Sparrowhawk itself is probably down here! And I¡¯m fairly sure we¡¯ll be ok. Mostly.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I guess that makes sense, yeah.¡± Lakshmi nodded with a puzzled frown. ¡°But if you¡¯re scared-¡±

    ¡°We keep going.¡± Eshaan declared.

    I looked over at him in surprise and a little hurt.

    He looked at me and offered and apologetic smile. ¡°Sorry Lily. I just¡­ I know you. You¡¯re scared but you keep going. You¡¯ll keep going here. You think there¡¯s something we need to do or know down here, and I think we owe it to the¡­¡± he stumbled, clearly wanting to say ¡®princess¡¯ but holding it in. ¡°We owe it to Captain Lakshmi to get her ship back. She rescued you, and got us here, and¡­¡± he trailed off as I tapped my finger on his lips, smiling.

    ¡°Ok, ok. Enough. Yes, we keep going.¡± I turned to the others. ¡°For all the reasons Eshaan said. There¡¯s something down here. Something important. And we need to know what it is.¡±

    The others looked at each other, then Lakshmi said ¡°Well, if you¡¯re going down, I¡¯m coming too! There¡¯s a mystery here and you¡¯re going to need me to unravel it!¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m missing an adventure like this! Or the plot!¡±

    Daniyel simply nodded in agreement. ¡°You already know that where Captain Lakshmi goes, I will follow.¡±

    ¡°And of course I¡¯m coming with you, Lily!¡± Eshaan enthused. ¡°So lets go!¡± He lifted his sword into the air dramatically. It was promptly hit by a bolt of energy from one of the flickering elementals that darted in and out at the edge of the paths. Eshaan yelped and dropped the sword, rubbing his hand in pain.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I smothered a giggle with my hand, and then took his hand in mind and cast a {Heal} to restore his injury.

    ¡°While I am very impressed with your energy, Eshaan, please try to avoid hurting yourself with grand gestures?¡± I said, my voice trembling with repressed laughter.

    Eshaan gave me a hurt look, then bent down to pick up his sword. ¡°How was I supposed to know it would do that?!¡± He complained.

    Soriya tapped her lips thoughtfully. ¡°Perhaps by engaging in basic observation and deduction?¡±

    Lakshmi giggled. ¡°Now that¡¯s really asking too much, Soriya!¡± She said.

    Daniyel frowned and said gravely ¡°That is unfair to Sir Eshaan. His boldness and bravery has served us well, and was a key element of our plan to rescue Lady Lilyanna.¡±

    Lakshmi reached up and swatted Daniyel on his shoulder. ¡°Spoilsport.¡±

    Eshaan beamed. ¡°I dunno, it¡¯s kind of nice to have someone to stick up for me! Otherwise I get bullied by all the girls.¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Chiding you for your foolishness is not bullying.¡± I said tartly.

    He looked at me and grinned. ¡°Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to, same thing.¡±

    Huh. I didn¡¯t know potatoes were a thing here¡­ oh¡­ they¡¯re kind of not! How odd¡­! Hm, I should make them all¡­ right!

    I clapped my hands together. ¡°Then I¡¯ll make potato soup for you all when we get home!¡±

    Eshaan cheered, and even Daniyel brightened up slightly at that announcement.

    ¡°Truly, a great reward, suitable for the most daring of Air Pirates.¡± He nodded gravely to me. ¡°I shall look forward to this repast.¡±

    We headed down the spiraling path of black onyx. As we descended, the encounters with the elementals grew more frequent and more and more statues started to appear. At first, they were single statues standing alone in on the path, but soon they appeared in groups of two and three. Shortly thereafter, the path reached its first destination, coiling to the edge of the sphere, where a dizzying array of what looked like housing of some kind were stacked against the edge of the structure¡¯s walls, spreading out across the wall in all directions.

    Peering cautiously into an open doorway, we found more statues, these in large groups, their hands lifted as though they were gesturing or¡­ or holding something?

    I felt a chill run all over me, and rubbed my arms.

    Eshaan looked at me in concern. ¡°Lily?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no dust anywhere. Have you noticed? I just¡­ I had a thought. What if¡­ these are people. Or were people.¡± I said nervously.

    Soriya and Lakshmi looked at me and then at each other. ¡°Why would you think that?¡± Soriya said seriously.

    ¡°I dunno.¡± I waved vaguely. ¡°Plot? The creepiness of everything?¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°Light magic is the only thing that affects bodies, and Elemental magic would be needed to turn them into stone like this, and then Entropy magic¡­ the scale of the ritual would be¡­¡± she trailed off, slowly looking around her.

    ¡°Like something that could make a city inside a sphere that drinks energy?¡± I said with a brittle tone.

    She was quiet.

    Lakshmi turned to Soriya in concern. ¡°Soriya¡­?¡± She asked nervously.

    Soriya rubbed her arms up and down. ¡°I think¡­ Lily might be onto something.¡±

    Daniyel spoke up. ¡°The statues have offered us no harm. If they are the inhabitants of this city, do you think we are in danger?¡±

    Eshaan snapped his fingers. ¡°Wait! I¡¯ve got it! Lily, you use white magic, that means you can cast {Sleep} on them! Or {Heal}, or¡­ well if they¡¯re people, you can affect them! Maybe you can even bring them back to life?!¡±

    Soriya peered skeptically at one of the statues. ¡°Eshaan, they¡¯re stoned.¡±

    Ehsaan shook his head. ¡°I have faith in Lily! If anyone can do it, she can do it!¡±

    I frowned thoughtfully, and stepped forward, reaching out my hand, pulling the weave of light mana towards me. Soriya suddenly stepped forward and grabbed my hand just before I could touch the statue.

    ¡°Wait.¡± She looked at me gravely. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this seem like a flag to you?!¡±

    I stopped, my eyes widening. Come to think of it¡­ yes it really does seem like a flag!

    Soriya felt me stop resisting her grip and let go. I let my hand drop to my side.

    ¡°A¡­ flag?¡± Eshaan frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t understand?¡±

    I turned to him. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s a Seer thing? If I touch them, or try to affect them, I think something really bad will happen.¡± I bit my lower lip in frustration. ¡°I do want to help them! I really do! But¡­ but something did this to them. Something that might still be around.¡± I gestured around us.

    ¡°And, unlikely as it is, they might have actually wanted this outcome.¡± Soriya said.

    I giggled from the stress. ¡°Are you suggesting they like being stoned?¡± I said to her.

    Soriya grinned at me. ¡°Well they didn¡¯t want this party to be a bust.¡±

    I groaned, and flailed a hand at her. Eshaan, poor boy, looked clueless.

    Lakshmi groaned as well, and said ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re done being weird, can we keep going? A city on the side of a building is weird enough, but I really want to find the Sparrowhawk!¡± She punched her fist into her palm. ¡°And then I¡¯m going to have words with my shipnapper!¡±

    We backed out of the strange maybe party, and continued along the path, which spiraled out and away from the wall descending down and down into the depths. As we went, the wisps of elemental energy grew stronger and stronger, the steadily increasing difficulty of the elementals a testament to the thickness of the energy inside the structure.

    ¡°I wonder how thick the energy was when it was just the top of the dome showing?¡± Soriya pondered. ¡°Assuming that the dome is absorbing the energy and manifesting it as elemental threads, of course.¡±

    ¡°Well what else would it be?!¡± Lakshmi said.

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s rather the point of our exploration, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Lakshmi hmphed, and folded her arms angrily.

    The elementals grew stranger as we spiraled downwards, more powerful but also taking increasingly strange forms, mythic beasts, humanoid shapes, and stranger things. The path reached the wall at regular intervals, and now the glass statues were a regular occurrence, gathered into groups in buildings, clustered on the path, some standing near the edge as though to look out into the void of swirling colors and lights in the center of the structure. I was increasingly becoming certain that these were indeed people. Perhaps even still were people. The hairs on the back of my neck remained erect from the pure creepy thoughts this eerily silent and beautiful place evoked in me.

    I wasn¡¯t sure if this was good or not. If touching the statue was a flag, shouldn¡¯t there be a battle? Or was it maybe a midboss? Or¡­ or maybe I should have touched it¡­ I chewed on my lower lip. Eshaan put his hand on my arm and patted me.

    ¡°I know that look. Lily, you¡¯re doing the right thing.¡± He said

    ¡°But how do you know I am?!¡± I said plaintively.

    He grinned. ¡°Because wrong or right, you made a decision and we¡¯re following it. Standing still and debating only means you never choose at all. That¡¯s always the wrong choice.¡±

    I glared at him.

    ¡°What, it¡¯s true? Good military tactics!¡± He defended his advice.

    Daniyel said ¡°Young Eshaan is correct. You cannot know the results of your choice, but so far we have not encountered enemies that wish us ill. Perhaps it is best that we comport ourselves as guests in this place.¡±

    Lakshmi huffed again. ¡°I dunno, I¡¯m getting a powerful urge to Air Pirate here. I mean, have you seen the stuff in those houses?!¡±

    I nodded unwillingly. The buildings did have outrageously luxurious furniture, exotic and rare items that looked¡­ well, valuable. And all eerily clear of dust or the grip of time.

    ¡°It¡¯s like somebody had the biggest party in the world, and then time stopped.¡± Eshaan mused.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Lakshmi said. ¡°Nobody¡¯s gonna miss a few items! I mean, how could they, they¡¯re fucking glass, right?!¡±

    She reached for an obviously magical item resting on a nearby ledge, and Daniyel moved with that eerie grace of his, so quickly it seemed like he wasn¡¯t even moving, grabbing her wrist and stopping her movement.

    ¡°Perhaps it would be best to refrain from acquisitions until we have secured our method of exit and transport.¡± He said with unflappable calm.

    I breathed out a sigh of relief as Lakshmi slowly lowered her hand, giving him a sullen look. ¡°Oh, fine, spoilsport.¡± She said, crossing her arms again.

    Eshaan gave her a sympathetic look. ¡°I know how you feel, Princess. Er, I mean, Captain! The stuff in here¡­ I bet I could get an Imperial scholarship just for one of these things! I¡¯m itching to watch you take one apart!¡±

    Lakshmi turned to him, her expression brightening. ¡°I know, right?!¡± She said with excitement. ¡°The techniques used to build¡­ anything in here¡­! It¡¯s a physical itch! Even one of these light globes!¡± She pointed at the hanging globe lights overhead.

    ¡°Come on, you two. Let¡¯s find out what¡¯s down at the bottom¡­ and maybe we can scratch that itch, ok?¡± I said with a tolerant smile.

    Lakshmi and Eshaan continued to discuss the possibilities of the structure, with Soriya chiming in occasionally. At first, I was glad that Eshaan had something to occupy his mind with. But as we descended, I realized that I was starting to feel jealous of all things!

    Oh this is ridiculous! It¡¯s nice that he can let out his excitement! Don¡¯t be such a baby, Lilyanna! I thought angrily. It didn¡¯t help though. I still felt the insane irritation that somehow Lakshmi was stealing him from me!

    Outrageous! When I got here, I couldn¡¯t stand him, and now I¡¯m worried about losing him?! He¡¯s the hero! I couldn¡¯t get rid of him if I tried! I groused internally. And my how the tables have turned. I glanced over at Eshaan¡¯s animated features as he discussed some obscure Ancients¡¯ fact far beyond my understanding. My expression must have been obvious, as Soriya patted my arm.

    ¡°If you keep making that face, it¡¯ll stick like that.¡± She teased.

    I huffed. ¡°I know, but it¡¯s so¡­ petty of me to care! And I¡¯m such a hypocrite too! I swore I wasn¡¯t interested!¡± I said angrily.

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re the heroine, he¡¯s the hero¡­ and he¡¯s very sweet and very cute.¡± She said quietly.

    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m still not resigned to this, you know!¡±

    Soriya just smiled at me. ¡°We can always make our own paths.¡± She hefted Diaboli meaningfully.

    I just shook my head to that. We could¡­ but there was a Shadowme that was tugging at the shape of the Plot, twisting everything out of order!

    As we proceeded deeper into the city, we could measure our progress by how curved the walls around us were, compared to the pathway¡­ street?... we descended, and as the path flattened out, it was obvious we were coming to someplace important. A glittering confection of silver and black rose from the center of the structure, the exact center point at the bottom of the sphere it described. There were signposts and signs everywhere, and I couldn¡¯t read a single one of them. Even Lakshmi and Soriya struggled with the task.

    ¡°It¡¯s so old!¡± Lakshmi said in hushed tones as she slowly ran her fingers over the script.

    ¡°But what does it say?¡± I said nervously.

    ¡°Well¡­ I think it says ¡®Capitol Building¡¯.¡± She said.

    ¡°Then in we go.¡± I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s certainly got an obvious entrance, as befits a public building. I just hope there¡¯s no metal detectors.¡±

    ¡°Why would they want to detect metal?¡± Eshaan asked curiously.

    I looked at him, and then shook my head. ¡°You know, I think that¡¯s a part I¡¯m happy to leave behind.¡±

    Eshaan sighed and frowned at me. ¡°You¡¯re far too mysterious!¡± He complained.

    I smiled at him a little wistfully. ¡°Never mind. Just a sadness from my other life. It¡¯s better gone.¡±

    Soriya nodded somberly. ¡°Trust us on this.¡± She said to Eshaan.

    We mounted the steps to the grand building at the bottom of the structure. As we reached the top flight of stairs, a pair of doors opened, and a boy about my age with white hair and amber eyes stepped out. An oh so very pretty boy. I could feel my mouth water just looking at him.

    Oh my oh my¡­ what a fine looking view that is! I slapped my cheeks and shook my head angrily. Stop it, Lily, stop it! Focus!

    I looked back at the boy, forcibly pushing aside my prurient interests and taking a closer look. He wore ancient formal clothing, all in black and silver. It was well cut, but oddly androgynous and impersonal. He wore a silver pendant around his neck and a small pin on his chest engraved with a superimposed crescent on interlocking gears. Aside from that there was very little personality to him. He stood stiffly. Strangely upright and too still.

    I wonder¡­ That hair and those eyes¡­ hello named character! Oh! Is he our new party member?!

    ¡°Welcome to the Capital of Nocturnus.¡± The pretty boy¡¯s voice was androgynous as well, though slightly shaded towards a lower register.

    Or perhaps that¡¯s just my new tastes speaking? I thought wryly.

    His voice, too, was curiously neutral, sounding oddly flat and quiet in the emptiness of the city.

    I twitched a smile. Well, we know we¡¯re solidly on the Plot rails, with a name like that! I thought wryly.

    ¡°It has been many years since this city has had guests.¡± The boy continued quietly. ¡°I was concerned that you would prove to be invaders like the others, but I am pleased to see you are not. My designation is Camaxtli. I am the designated point of interaction for the Capital while the Nocturnus Jubilee continues.¡±

    Soriya broke into a broad smile, and exchanged a glance with me. She took a pace forward and asked ¡°Just to be clear, what would have happened if we were considered invaders?¡±

    ¡°The city¡¯s automated guardian systems would have activated to escort you from the city.¡± The boy¡­ Camaxtli¡­ replied.

    I breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Then we are extremely glad to be counted as guests.¡± I said. ¡°Though in truth, we came in¡­ well we came in because you opened the door for us, and because we are missing our airship.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lakshmi said heatedly. ¡°Where¡¯s my airship, you, you¡­ shipnapper!¡±

    Camaxtli blinked slowly. ¡°Airship?¡± He said slowly. ¡°Are you the owners of that primitive sky raft that was left outside Nocturnus?¡±

    ¡°Primitive?!¡± Lakshmi shouted angrily. ¡°That ship represents years of my life! It¡¯s my best work so far! There are things in it that nobody has done yet!¡±

    Camaxtli turned to look at her, his whole body pivoting as he did. He tipped his head to the side, and said ¡°Curious. Technological degradation? This was unexpected. Are you part of the Alliance¡¯s System?¡±

    We were silent for a moment, then Soriya said ¡°We do use the System, yes. But there is no ¡®Alliance¡¯ that we know of.¡±

    Camaxtli frowned, and I could see twinkling lights sparkling behind his eyes for a moment. My eyes widened. Is he¡­! A bunch of separate intuitions suddenly clicked together in my head.

    ¡°Excuse me!¡± I said. The lights in his eyes stopped, and he looked at me, frowning. I felt awful for interrupting his train of thought, but I just had to know. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please excuse me¡­ are you an android?!¡± I asked excitedly.

    Camaxtli blinked slowly, turning to me. ¡°Android¡­? I am unfamiliar with this term.¡±

    I looked to the others, but only Soriya seemed to understand the word. I turned back to the boy and explained.

    ¡°Android is¡­ is an artificial being. A sapient machine, not created inside¡­¡± I squirmed uncomfortably, suddenly aware that I was where new humans were grown now! ¡°Not born from another human.¡± I finished awkwardly.

    The boy nodded slowly. ¡°Android¡­ an unfamiliar but fascinating word. It suffices to describe me, though my creators used the term ¡®Runeborn¡¯.¡± The boy tipped his head to the side. ¡°Are runeborn no longer created on this world?¡±

    Inwardly I was spinning in circles clapping my hands. Oh boy, oh boy! An android from the ancients!? This is so our new party member! This is going to be so cool! And he¡¯s super-hot! I stopped, wincing mentally. Ugh! I reprimanded myself. Stop it, Lily! Think how Eshaan would feel!

    Reminded, I turned to look at the others. Lakshmi looked as though she was having a religious experience. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re a machine?! A thinking machine?!¡± She stepped forward as though in a trance.

    Camaxtli turned back to her. ¡°It is incorrect to say that I am a machine, though the term might apply if you consider that your race is a collection of chemical interactions in a water medium¡­ thus, a chemical machine.¡± He replied solemnly.

    Heh, he could give Daniyel a run for his money with that deadpan delivery. I thought with a smile.

    ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Lakshmi looked like she was about to hyperventilate, stepping forward and taking the boy¡¯s hand in hers, her eyes wide with wonder. She started examining him, lifting his arms, and circling around him.

    Camaxtli frowned in confusion, pulling away. ¡°Please desist. This is improper behavior for a guest.¡±

    Soriya coughed. ¡°And weren¡¯t we trying to get our airship¡­ err, ¡®skyraft¡¯ back?¡± She said.

    Camaxtli pulled away from Lakshmi¡¯s persistent poking and said ¡°I can lead you to the ¡­ the ¡®airship¡¯¡­ but I¡¯m afraid it is partially deconstructed. It was deemed dangerously incomplete and lacking basic functionality. It is currently being repaired.¡±

    Lakshmi stopped trying to poke at Camaxtli and pulled back angrily. She put her hands on her hips, looking him up and down. ¡°Now you wait just a minute! That sounds like you tore my poor Sparrowhawk apart to put untested weird tech into it!¡±

    Camaxtli shook his head. ¡°That is incorrect. All technology being added to your vehicle has been rigorously tested and is fully compliant with Nocturnus current safety regulations.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help myself and burst into giggles. ¡°Lakshmi, I think that means you just got a free upgrade! Look at it this way, you¡¯ll get to tear it apart again and learn all kinds of new things about it.¡±

    Camaxtli said ¡°In lieu of disassembling the craft, may I suggest that I provide you with an updated user¡¯s manual? I will have it adjusted for the current primitive state of knowledge on the world.¡± He turned away and walked towards the Capital¡¯s doors. ¡°Please follow me.¡±

    The expression on Lakshmi¡¯s face suggested that she was trying to decide if she was going to have a heart attack, found a new religion, or try to twist Camaxtli¡¯s head off. Or maybe all of them at the same time. I grinned at her as I trotted up the stairs to follow Camaxtli. ¡°Come on, if we¡¯re nice, maybe he¡¯ll even let us watch his workers put it back together. Don¡¯t you want to see how the civilization before the Ancients did things?¡±

    Lakshmi hesitated about a nanosecond before giving in to what I could see was a raging curiosity in her, and we hurriedly followed Camaxtli inside before he vanished entirely.

    To me, the inside of the Capital building was almost painfully familiar. Right down to what were clearly some sort of magi-tech metal detectors. I felt a little of myself die seeing them there.

    Camaxtli said ¡°This is the security section. Normally, we would need to do a full sweep for weapons, but as I am the only active occupant in the building, and all others are currently outside in the Jubilee, there is no need.¡±

    ¡°When you say ¡®Jubilee¡¯¡­¡± Soriya asked hesitantly. ¡°Do you mean¡­ are the glass statues outside¡­ are they people? Is there a party?!¡±

    Camaxtli stopped and looked back at her, his frown obvious. ¡°Glass? The participants of the Jubilee are not composed of fused silica.¡± His frown grew deeper. ¡°I see that the technological slide is more severe than I had calculated. I will elaborate.¡±

    ¡°The majority of the occupants of Nocturnus are currently in animated stasis. They live in a longer timeframe than we currently occupy. To them, one year of normal time is one second. The decision to prolong the Jubilee was made after the System Alliance¡¯s goals became clear and it was obvious that Nocturnus could no longer persuade the Alliance on an alternate course of action. The Jubilee will end when the System has shutdown, or been eliminated from the etheric matrix of the world.¡±

    ¡°Wait, everybody in this city turned themselves into glass to escape the System?!¡± Lakshmi stammered.

    ¡°Again.¡± Camaxtli¡¯s voice was calm but there was a faint edge of frustration in it. ¡°The material that composes their bodies is not ¡®glass¡¯, but a complex organopolytide fusion of metastable chronotons.¡±

    Lakshmi blinked several times then said. ¡°Wow. I have no idea what you just said.¡± She turned to Daniyel. ¡°Is this what it¡¯s like talking to me when I¡¯m busy working on a new device?¡±

    Daniyel tipped his head to the side thoughtfully, then said solemnly. ¡°I believe the experience to be comparable, yes.¡±

    Lakshmi crossed her arms and chuffed. ¡°Well that¡¯s just unfair.¡± She said sulkily.

 46 Of Primitives and Airships

    The capital building was very impressive, in a black and silver ominous kind of way. I decided to take the opportunity to do some digging about the backstory as we were led towards wherever Camaxtli had stashed our airship.

    ¡°Camaxtli? Do you mind if we ask questions about this city or its history?¡±

    Camaxtli tipped his head to the side, then said ¡°I cannot promise to answer them all. Operational security of the city and its inhabitants is prioritized over guest guidance.¡±

    I smiled hopefully at him. ¡°That¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t think anyone here wants to actually hurt or damage anything. I¡¯m pretty sure we just want to get our airship back, and maybe learn a bit about this place since it seems to come from¡­ well from before our legends even existed!¡±

    I took a skipping step to catch up. He walked very quickly for someone only a little taller than me! ¡°So, how long have you been working here?¡±

    ¡°I have been operational for 133,865,180,768 seconds.¡±

    There was a stunned sort of silence for a few moments. I glanced at Soriya, then Lakshmi. I could see their lips moving as they did mental math.

    Surprisingly, it was Eshaan who spoke first. ¡°That¡¯s more than four thousand years!¡±

    Camaxtli nodded. ¡°In very rough approximation, that is correct. I greatly prefer the precision of seconds.¡±

    ¡°But what on earth have you been doing for all that time?!¡± Soriya burst out.

    Camaxtli paused a moment, then answered ¡°The tasks for which I was created. Operational maintenance. Tending to the city. Repairs. What else would I be doing?¡±

    I felt a stab in my heart, pressing my hand to my chest. ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡± I choked down the next words before I gaged on them. too sad. Oh come on Lily, you don¡¯t have to live the sterotype-

    ¡°But that¡¯s wrong!¡± Eshaan burst out. ¡°You should live for yourself and not just others!¡±

    I sighed. Or Eshaan could be Eshaan, yes. I smiled quietly though. It was a good look for him¡­ and I agreed with it. It really was just too sad that he had been stuck here for 4000 years endlessly doing janitorial duties while those who made him¡­ partied in a timeless eternity!

    ¡°Your words are confusing.¡± Camaxtli responded. ¡°My statement is not incorrect, I am not wrong. I have been performing the duties as I described. I am not even ¡®alive¡¯ as you would understand the term.¡±

    Eshaan spread his arms and spoke passionately. ¡°How would you ever know!? How could you know if you¡¯re alive if you¡¯ve never lived!?¡±

    Camaxtli frowned in confusion. ¡°Your words are confusing and make no sense. I am not alive, and thus I cannot be living. And if I were living, then being alive would be living.¡±

    I shook my head at Eshaan, trying to warn him off his course of action, but he wasn¡¯t paying attention to me.

    ¡°Being alive is more than just¡­ just existing! Being alive is¡­ is friends! Is purpose! Is laughter and jokes and enjoying fishing by a stream and¡­ and a hundred thousand other things!¡±

    Camaxtli nodded slowly. ¡°If what you say is true, than this merely confirms my previous statement. I am not alive. The participants in the Nocturnus Jubilee are. It is my duty to guard them and protect them until such time as the System fails.¡±

    I felt an ache in my heart hearing these words, followed by a sudden surge of happiness. This was the speech you got from the mechanical boy! He was sure to join us, to learn what being alive meant!

    I frowned suddenly. But if he¡¯s going to join us, we¡¯re probably going to have to do something stupid like fight a monster to prove our strength or¡­ or something!

    ¡°Camaxtli? The systems that preserve Nocturnus, they don¡¯t always need action from you, do they? Not all the time?¡±

    Camaxtli paused, looking down at me. After a considered pause, he said ¡°That is dangerously close to operational security. But I can confirm it. I am not necessary at all times.¡±

    ¡°So you could, in theory, leave for a while? If something prompted you to?¡±

    ¡°A strange hypothetical, unlikely to ever come up. What is the point of questioning an event which cannot occur?¡±

    I smiled slowly. ¡°Because sometimes, the most unexpected things do occur. Soriya and I traveled the Wake, and met a pirate, and freed their souls. Lakshmi decided that being a princess was a bad deal, and became an air pirate captain. You can¡¯t think those were normal things to occur!?¡±

    Camaxtli was silent for several paces, then nodded. ¡°So the purpose of hypothetical questions is to prepare mental flexibility for challenges outside operational parameters. An interesting exercise.¡±

    He stopped before a bank of doors, which wooshed open smoothly with the most perfect sci-fi special effect I could wish for.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°This chamber is carried by crystal induction. I judge it beyond your current technological understanding; however I can assure you it is perfectly safe, despite being beyond your current knowledge.¡±

    Eshaan grinned and hopped into the room looking around. ¡°So it¡¯s a magic room that travels places?¡±

    Camaxtli frowned. ¡°That¡­ is not¡­ entirely incorrect¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey you!¡± Lakshmi marched up to Camaxtli and poked him in the chest. ¡°I¡¯ve had just about enough of ¡®primitive¡¯ this and ¡®inferior¡¯ that! I studied with the finest tutors and the best professors in the Imperial Academy! I can understand anything!¡±

    Camaxtli stared at her for a moment, then said ¡°Very well. The room beyond is a floating cab, held in place by elemental energy tuned in balance with a crystal matrix. It rides along shafts lined with crystal lines, matched to a resonating hedron complex, which is tuned to a specific etheric frequency. The frequency is tuned into guide crystals and control linkages which are programmed to the etheric matrix that links to a semi-stable quasi intellect in the cab. This allows the cab to travel to any destination it is commanded to reach, provided the user¡¯s security clearance is sufficiently high.¡±

    I was lost from the first sentence. Eshaan held in there longer than me, at least to the second. But Lakshmi¡­ she was frowning ferociously, gripping tight to his words as though by main force of will.

    ¡°Right.¡± She said, after he had finished. ¡°Ok. Leaving aside what you just said is supposed to be impossible¡­ how do you stabilize the crystals when elemental flux causes a quadchromatic decoupling?¡±

    Camaxtli blinked slowly, then said ¡°That¡­ the¡­ the crystals need to be grown in a stabilized environment, of course, free of elemental influence.¡±

    Lakshmi breathed out slowly. ¡°So you¡¯re telling me¡­ you can grow elemental crystals¡­ without any element in them!? That¡­ by the gods¡­ but then¡­ so¡­¡± She spun towards Daniyel to find him already holding out a sheaf of paper and a pencil to her.

    Lakshmi grabbed at the sheaf, paper flying behind her as she ran to a nearby wall and started to scribble madly.

    Daniyel nodded complacently at the sight then turned to Camaxtli. ¡°Your assistance is greatly appreciated. My ward is very excited by what you¡¯ve just revealed, and if past events are any indication, several prototypes will be forthcoming in a few months¡¯ time.¡±

    For the first time, Camaxtli seemed to be caught off guard by something. ¡°She understood me? For such a primitive mind-¡°

    I stepped up and wagged my finger at him. ¡°No. Enough of that. Uneducated. Ignorant. Primitive implies an inability to rise above. For whatever reason, my friend has not had the education you have. Do not assume that means she is less than you.¡±

    Camaxtli was silent for a long moment, and the nodded once. ¡°I see. This would be an example of the use of the hypothetical we had just discussed then?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡±

    ¡°I must think on this.¡± He said, and then stepped into the elevator cab. ¡°Please follow me.¡±

    Daniyel calmly herded Lakshmi, still scribbling furiously, into the elevator, and then Camaxtli pressed a button on the panel.

    The elevator ride was quiet and smooth, though I could feel it change directions a few times. I looked over at Soriya.

    ¡°I think this is like a turbolift.¡±

    ¡°A what?¡± She looked at me blankly.

    ¡°Oh come on, you watch American tv, haven¡¯t you seen Star Trek?!¡±

    She blinked. ¡°Oh! The elevators in the ship? Sorry, American sci-fi is not my favorite.¡±

    ¡°What?! What are you saying!? We make great stuff! Bladerunner! Blake¡¯s Seven! UFO!¡±

    She smiled and raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°Ok. You like Black Knight? Krrish? How about Dr. Brain? Ra.One? Train to Busan? Kingdom?¡±

    I blinked, my mouth working. ¡°Oh.¡± I finally said in a small voice. I could feel a blush building in my cheeks.

    Soriya patted my head affectionately. ¡°See? Americans. Nice enough people, but you think the world revolves around you.¡±

    I nodded sheepishly, my blush not completely fading until the elevator-

    Turbolift I thought defiantly.

    -stopped and the doors opened.

    The space beyond was dark, only the light from the elevator spilling out onto a catwalk. Camaxtli strode forward, and as he entered the room beyond burst into light, brilliant silver and white; catwalks strung across a space filled with futuristic looking magitech machinery. It was diametrically opposed to the black and glittering lights in the city¡­ above? Beside? I wasn¡¯t sure exactly where we were in relation to Nocturnus.

    ¡°This is maintenance bay 94. Your ship is below us.¡±

    I giggled, looking over the railing. Sure enough, far below us sat the Sparrowhawk, half disassembled with a swarm of mechanical servitors busily probing into her guts.

    ¡°Neat.¡± I said quietly. ¡°It¡¯s got the ship, does it come with a giant slug crime lord too?¡±

    ¡°There is no crime in Nocturnus during the Jubilee.¡± Camaxtli said bluntly. ¡°Though there are several lords in attendance.¡±

    Soriya smiled at my disappointment. ¡°Never mind, I got it.¡± She said, patting my arm.

    I sighed and nodded. ¡°I¡¯d be horrified if you didn¡¯t. Even if it is just an American movie.¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°I guess that wounded your pride a bit.¡±

    I hung my head. ¡°Yeah, I guess it did. I¡¯m not even really American anymore, and I can¡¯t leave it behind.¡±

    Eshaan came up and rested his hand on my shoulder. ¡°Lily, I can¡¯t say much about where you¡¯re from, but I do know that you never leave where you¡¯re from, it¡¯s part of you. You might be somewhere else¡­ or maybe even someone else¡­ but that past is still real, and so it will affect you, and be a part of you as long as you remember it.¡±

    I looked up at him in surprise, my mouth parted slightly. That was¡­ surprisingly thoughtful¡­ no. Thoughtful is something the dumb-as-a-post boy is always. I felt a prickle of tears in my eyes and wiped angrily at my face. ¡°Thank you, Eshaan. That was¡­ thank you.¡± And moved by an urge I couldn¡¯t properly explain, I moved forward and hugged him, feeling the hard muscle of his body against mine.

    Lakshmi clapped her hands breaking the moment. ¡°Alright, alright, enough with the lovey dovey stuff! I want to find out what they¡¯ve done to my airship, and then get it put back together!¡± She glared at Camaxtli. ¡°The right way!¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which.¡± Said Eshaan. ¡°Where are we going, anyway? We tore out of Abellia so fast after we rescued Lily that we don¡¯t even know where we¡¯re going. We are still hunting down the remaining Arcana, right?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, we are. It seems like something important is happening to the System, or at least that¡¯s why Soriya and I are here. We need the Gates in order to open the way to the System.¡±

    Camaxtli stiffened and turned to me. ¡°You are a keybearer?! You are gaining access to the system?!¡±

    Ah, there it is I thought smugly as I turned to him.

    ¡°Yes. Did you want to come with us?¡± I smiled sweetly.

    ¡°I¡­ that is¡­ my protocols dictate¡­¡± he stumbled to a halt.

    Eshaan grinned at him, then clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Let me guess. You¡¯re still working out the fact that an unexpected event is causing you to throw everything you thought you knew in the gutter?¡±

    Camaxtli turned to Ehsaan and nodded jerkily. ¡°I am. How did you know?¡±

    Eshaan grinned proudly. ¡°Simple! That¡¯s Lily for you!¡±

 47 A chance to show what you can do.

    Eshaan grinned proudly. ¡°Simple! That¡¯s Lily for you!¡±

    ¡°She¡­ does this regularly?!¡± For the first time, a hint of actual emotion fluttered through Camaxtli¡¯s voice.

    ¡°For as long as I¡¯ve known her, yep!¡±

    ¡°Oh now, that¡¯s not true.¡± I said. ¡°What about when we first met in the Cavern of Trials? We had a whole long trek before we blew up my locket.¡±

    Eshaan laughed. ¡°Alright, so you only violate all the laws of common sense every four hours then?¡±

    I looked down at the floor scuffed my foot a bit. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not entirely fair. I just don¡¯t want things to go off the rails.¡±

    Lakshmi burst out laughing. ¡°You don¡¯t want things to go off the rails?! Things do nothing but go off the rails around you!¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°There is a big difference between being in the middle of unexpected events, and things going sideways from expected events!¡± I said, crossing my arms.

    ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± Camaxtli¡¯s voice was still filled with odd emotion. ¡°Are you saying that you can see probabilities?¡±

    I turned to him and blinked in surprise, then glanced over at Soriya. Soriya shrugged, and I shook my head in frustration.

    ¡°You¡¯re not helping.¡± I said to her.

    She smiled sweetly. ¡°Not trying to. Witch!¡±

    I turned back to Camaxtli. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s as good an explanation as any, though it¡¯s not perfectly accurate.¡±

    Lakshmi snorted. ¡°Then it should fit his tastes perfectly.¡± She said snidely.

    ¡°I require more data.¡± Camaxtli said. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± He asked me bluntly.

    I blinked. ¡°Why am I¡­ seeing probabilities?¡± I asked in confusion.

    Camaxtli shook his head. ¡°No. Why are you seeking the Gates? What do you hope to gain from it? Why has the System summoned a keybearer? Are you attempting a repair? Has the system begun to fail?¡±

    I stepped back on my heels, taken aback by his question. Why am I doing this? At first it was because of the Shadowme. But now there¡¯s the church and the mystery and¡­ I scowled like I¡¯d just bitten down on a lemon.

    And it¡¯s an adventure and I¡¯m having fun. Well so much for miss ¡®going to avoid the plot entirely¡­¡¯ I thought angrily.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ you know what, I¡¯m pretty sure you can understand this. The System summoned me. I don¡¯t know why. I cracked reality by accident trying to save my village. This summoned a¡­ a shade of me. One that is trying to do something very bad. So I had to try and chase it down, and defeat it. And along the way the church seems to have something to do with this, and the Gates seem to think that I need to gather all of them together, and the entity seems to want to control the System, so I figured I should get the Gates first.¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°And now I¡¯m looking for Gates, so I can access the System and find out why it summoned me at all.¡±

    Camaxtli stood there, his head tipping slowly to the side. I could see the lights in his eyes flashing rapidly.

    ¡°The system¡­ summoned you? In what manner?¡±

    ¡°Well, if my memories are correct, I was pulled from the Well of Eternity, and merged with an existing person here.¡±

    Camaxtli was silent for a long time, his eyes whirling with color. Finally, he said. ¡°This is. Unexpected. Illogical. Your statement does not match Nocturnus records. The Well of Eternity is designated as mytho-religious, and unreal.¡±

    I blinked in surprise, sharing a quick glance with Soriya. ¡°Uh, well¡­ I suppose the ghost pirate who told me might have been wrong?¡± I said hesitantly.

    ¡°You are not speaking hypothetically? You have interacted with the soul of a dead human?¡± Camaxtli¡¯s voice was fractured, and he seemed to be in almost physical pain.

    I shook my head slowly. ¡°Technically I am the soul of a dead human¡­¡± I took a step forward, lifting my hand. ¡°Camaxtli, are you ok?¡±

    ¡°I am¡­ experiencing¡­ difficulty. This hypothetical is not matching expectations!¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to cause a problem¡­ maybe we should just get our airship, and you can tell us what you did?¡±

    Camaxtli was silent for a longer moment, then said ¡°Yes. I will need to think on these matters. For now¡­ your airship.¡±

    ¡°My airship!¡± Lakshmi said proudly.

    Camaxtli looked at her, then nodded jerkily. ¡°As you say. This way, please.¡± He headed towards a spiderweb of stairs and support struts leading downwards from the catwalk we stood on.

    Lakshmi huffed. ¡°About time!¡± She said, and hurried after him.

    The rest of us followed at a more sedate pace.

    Soriya slid up to me. ¡°You know, for a healer princess, you¡¯re not taking very good care of your boyfriend.¡±

    I flushed and muttered ¡°I¡¯m not even sure he is my boyfriend.¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°Oh come on, after that kiss?!¡±

    I flushed even more brightly. ¡°I was just very grateful to be rescued!¡± I protested weakly.

    Soriya frowned. ¡°You know, I really would not have credited you for it, but I suppose I¡¯ll have to take a more direct hand.¡± She wagged her finger in front of me sternly, the pointed to Eshaan. ¡°You are trying to recruit the android boy, obviously. I think that¡¯s pretty in the bag, we¡¯re following the plot thread so it¡¯s almost forgone conclusion.¡± She hummed. ¡°Though I suppose we¡¯ll have to have some kind of testing fight first¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°But think about how that looks to poor Eshaan! His girlfriend is suddenly swooning after a frankly -delicious looking not even human boy. It¡¯s a wonder he hasn¡¯t challenged Camaxtli to a duel already!¡±

    I stopped dead in my tracks my eyes going wide with realization. It was true, I was acting a bit like a swooning girl, and Camaxtli really was unbearably handsome. Not as real as Eshaan though. Looks aren¡¯t everything! I pressed my lips together, realizing that I was defending Ehsaan from an imaginary criticism that existed entirely in my head.

    ¡°Oh.¡± I said, stumbling a bit. I looked over at Eshaan, and back to Camaxtli. Eshaan did look a bit put out, and he wasn¡¯t even looking at me. Now that I think about it, when I look at him, he¡¯s usually looking back. I felt a flush in my cheeks. Well now that¡¯s just¡­ why didn¡¯t I even think about that? Now how am I going to fix this? It¡¯s not even part of the plot I don¡¯t¡­ have any idea what to do!

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    We descended the stairwell down to the bottom of the bay, and stepped out, looking at the partly disassembled Sparrowhawk. Lakshmi looked around, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°How on earth did you even get it down here?!¡± She asked.

    ¡°A simple translocation effect, amplified by stabilized resonance nodes.¡± Camaxtli said.

    Soriya clapped her hands together. ¡°Oh! Oh I understood that one! Oh how marvelous, you can amplify spatial magic with an anchor point?!¡±

    Camaxtli was taken aback again. ¡°Uh. Yes. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s approximately correct.¡±

    ¡°Oh that¡¯s exciting!¡± Soriya said. Then she frowned slightly, and turned to Camaxtli. ¡°So¡­ when you were activated, the System didn¡¯t exist?¡±

    ¡°That is not precisely correct. The System was spreading at the time I was activated, but was not yet globally implemented. Once the Alliance finished System activation, all active entities in localized time flow were forced to join, thus I am bound to use the System. The Jubilee participants, being separated from the current time flow are not.¡±

    Soriya nodded in satisfaction. ¡°And that¡¯s why they don¡¯t register to the System!¡±

    Lakshmi pulled her head out of one of the holes in the Sparrowhawk¡¯s hull. ¡°So you¡¯re not human, but you use the System like we do?¡±

    Daniyel raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why are you surprised by this? The Monanin and Sylvanin are not human. Their use of the System is well documented.¡±

    Lakshmi took a step back, looking affronted. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised!¡± She said defensively. ¡°Just¡­ curious!¡± She poked at Camaxtli¡¯s chest. ¡°He¡¯s a completely artificial being, who uses the System the goddess set up! What are your classes, anyway?¡± She asked.

    Camaxtli answered blandly ¡°Commander 5, Loremaster 5, Tinker 5, Symbolist 5, Weaponmaster 3.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help the broad grin that spread across my face. Level 23,just like the rest of us. I thought smugly.

    Lakshmi exclaimed ¡°Level 23? Even after 4000 years!? We just reached level 23!¡± She gestured to our group. ¡°And what the heck is a ¡®Symbolist¡¯!?¡±

    Camaxtli shook his head. ¡°I have no method of comparing myself to the norms of the outside world, the System is not relevant to the majority of my tasks. If people of your age have just now reached level 23, then I conclude that level 23 is very low.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I have not been attempting to level. As I stated, the System is largely irrelevant to the majority of my tasks. I find it provides a useful shortcut with more complex tasks, but provides no assistance with basic tasks. In addition, my directives are quite clear, I am to function until the System destroys itself, and relying on a mechanism which will disappear is suboptimal.¡±

    Our group shared a glance, and then Soriya said ¡°Actually, level 23 is considered to be fairly advanced.¡±

    Camaxtli nodded gravely to Soriya. ¡°Interesting. I thank you for the information.¡± He turned to me. ¡°I have finished processing your statements. They are illogical, and do not match my programming, yet you were able to reach the lower levels of Nocturnus easily, despite the current elemental infestation. If you are indeed a Keybearer, logic dictates that I should assess your current threat levels, to determine your capabilities. Therefore-¡°

    I groaned loudly and stomped my foot rolling my eyes. ¡°Oh come on!!! A test fight?! To ¡®gauge our strength¡¯?!¡±

    Camaxtli paused again, frowning. ¡°This is the most optimal method to determine-¡±

    ¡°No, stop!¡± I angrily pointed at him. ¡°This is stupid! If you want to know how strong we are, come with us and watch us in action!¡±

    Camaxtli frowned. ¡°That is counterproductive. You may not be as strong as you claim, and I would waste time away from Nocturnus.¡±

    I opened my mouth to argue again, and stopped short hearing the sound of steel sliding out of a sheath behind me. ¡°If he wants to fight, Lily, I say we give him a fight!¡± Said Eshaan eagerly. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to show him just how serious we are!¡±

    I groaned and buried my face in my hands. Why Soriya, why did you have to be right about this?!

    Camaxtli held out his hand, and a glittering tracery of light that resembled an intricate circuit pattern burned into existence curving into the shape of a katana, materializing as a metal blade with glowing circuit patterns etched along its length in glowing blue light.

    ¡°Combat mode activated.¡± He stated, and then blurred with astonishing speed towards Eshaan, his sword outstretched in a strike.

    Eshaan barely got his blade up in time, brilliant sparks appearing as the two blades clashed.

    ¡°Please, you two, this isn¡¯t necessary!¡± I pleaded, pushing a {Persuade} as hard as I could, with a dose of heavy mana behind it.

    ¡°Unacceptable. Interference will delay the test. Initializing counter field.¡± Camaxtli spat, and lept backwards, holding up his hand. Brillant spears of light filled the air around him, circuit patterns filling into little floating droid bots. I could feel something pushing back at me, the feeling of my {Persuade} draining away into nothing.

    One of the new robots spat a golden energy stream at Camaxtli and a glowing honeycomb barrier of light appeared around him, narrowly deflecting a blurring fast strike by Eshaan.

    My mouth dropped open. I had never felt anything like that happen before. He can just¡­ negate a Skill!? Or the robots can¡­

    Daniyel blurred forward, his gauntlets held before him, catching Camaxtli¡¯s next strike in a crossed X of his arms. ¡°If you are to summon reinforcements, it seems only just that we should assist.¡± He said calmly as sparks splintered off his gauntlets.

    Camaxtli pushed away, leaping up and over in an acrobatic flip that took my breath away with how smooth and graceful it was. He landed between Eshaan and Daniyel, another mirrored katana materializing in his empty hand. ¡°Acceptable.¡± He said, and then there was no more time for conversation as the three of them dashed forward.

    ¡°Oh for the love of spirits above!¡± I cried out in frustration. ¡°Soriya! Take out the support bots!¡±

    Soriya grinned, and Diaboli appeared out of her pocket space. ¡°Now we¡¯re talking!¡± She gloated.

    Camaxtli looked over at Soriya, and I almost laughed, as I saw him do a doubletake. Lightning quick, he lept straight up, onto the skeletal framework of a catwalk overhead and pointed a blade at Soriya. ¡°Why does your weapon have a Divine crystal attached to it?!¡±

    ¡°You really should have talked to us before you engaged.¡± Soriya said calmly, and fired. A blinding bolt of energy erupted from Diaboli¡¯s muzzle, coring straight through the air where Camaxtli had been a moment before.

    I looked around wildly, hurriedly chanting {Barrier} for us as I realized that ¡°scripted¡± fight or no¡­ Camaxtli had more tricks up his sleeve than I was prepared for.

    ¡°To the right!¡± Daniyel¡¯s voice was a lot more sharply than he normally spoke, but then he was in the middle of a battle.

    Lakshmi pulled up her custom rifle and let loose. The bolt hit Camaxtli head-on, splintering across his {Barrier} and bringing it down.

    ¡°Hah!¡± Lakshmi jumped into the air, holding her fist up. ¡°Take that, hot robot boy!¡±

    Despite the tense situation, I had to press my lips together tightly to stop from laughing.

    I was brought back to myself by a narrow miss from an energy bolt from one of the support robots. ¡°Right, ok!¡± I said. ¡°If we¡¯re going to do this¡­ let¡¯s do this.¡± I gritted my teeth.

    ¡°Eshaan! Keep him off of me while I chant!¡± I shouted. I couldn¡¯t help a little feral grin as I held out my staff and started the chant. Who doesn¡¯t like unleashing a new combat power?

    "Oh holy light of the goddess, blessed from beyond the stars, shine down upon our foes!¡± The feeling of the power gathering around me was so intense I had to close my eyes, streams of brilliant white mana flowing towards me, pulled inwards and mixed with my own power.

    I heard a clang and the sound of metal sparking against metal, almost directly in front of me, but I didn¡¯t have the luxury of opening my eyes. I could tell if I lost control of this spell, it would not end well for anyone around me!

    ¡°Show them your blessed might, and cleanse away all bloody impurity!¡± The white mana reached peak intensity, holding it¡¯s breath, waiting for the signal to unleash. I dared a peek out of one eye, but all that I could see was blazing white light all around me.

    ¡°Holy White!"

    There was a clap like thunder directly on top of me, and I could feel the ground shake violently under me. I staggered and fell to one knee, my eyes popping open.

    I¡¯m a little disappointed. I thought inanely as I watched a pillar of burning white light engulf everything around me. I don¡¯t get to watch the orbital shot?

    The glowing white pillar expanded outwards around us, and I could see the robots¡¯ shapes dissolving away into black streaks. The light felt¡­ warm. Comfortable, even. Safe and¡­ strangely familiar. As though I had felt it before, like being hugged by mother.

    The light faded away, leaving a glowing crater in the center of the hangar, and shattered and destroyed components littered around the shop. My friends were standing there, wiping tears out of their eyes, while Camaxtli stood in the exact center of the crater, blackened and smoking, the panel lines robotic body visible as sparks fizzing from his joints.

    He looked up, and nodded once. His swords vanished from his hands. ¡°Acceptable. If you can summon the Light of the Goddess, then it is likely you have the strength you say.¡± And then he toppled over and lay still.

 48 Recruitment & Cleanup

    Camaxtli looked up, and nodded once. His swords vanished from his hands. ¡°Acceptable. If you can summon the Light of the Goddess, then it is likely you have the strength you say.¡± And then he toppled over and lay still.

    Lakshmi was the first to move, her magicannon vanishing from her grip with a burst of light as she rushed over to him. ¡°Nononono! No, you can¡¯t be dead!¡± She said.

    Camaxtli opened his eyes and looked at her. A strange flicker of emotion passed over his face.

    ¡°I cannot die. I am still functional, though repairs will be necessary. Your distress is illogical.¡± He seemed¡­ strangely puzzled, almost childlike with his confusion.

    I winced. Regardless of the fun of unleashing Holy Heck¡­ and I couldn¡¯t help giggling a little at that phrasing¡­ this made me feel very wrong. But¡­ he¡¯s the one who insisted! I ground my teeth together and hurried over.

    ¡°Right, so now that you¡¯ve tested our might, and your stupid macho posturing is over, may I heal you now?¡±

    Camaxtli rotated his head to the side to face me, sparks splintering from his neck and eyes. ¡°You will not be able to heal me. I am not a biological construct.¡±

    ¡°Oh just shut up and accept my help.¡± I snapped at him, and chanted the {Heal} spell over him. The glowing white light of my {Heal} surrounded his body. The various broken and shattered fragments of his body faded away, his body returning to health, though his clothes were still burnt ragged.

    I felt a little bit of pride at that. So the no knowing primitives have a head up in clothing magic huh? I smirked.

    Camaxtli blinked in confusion, finding himself restored to health. ¡°This is¡­ impossible. You are not¡­ a mechanic. I am not¡­ a biological¡­ what¡­¡± He patted his hands down his body. ¡°What did you do?!¡± His voice finally cracked in real emotion.

    Lakshmi thwacked him on the shoulder. ¡°She healed you! I thought your super advanced civilization brain could comprehend such a primitive outcome?¡± She smirked.

    I frowned in frustration. ¡°Why do you think it¡¯s impossible for me to {Heal} you, Camaxtli? What is supposed to stop my magic from healing you?¡±

    Camaxtli was silent for a moment, sitting up slowly and slowly flexing his body. Finally he said ¡°Can you repair your airship with this healing spell of yours?¡±

    I blinked and then stared over at the partly disassembled Sparrowhawk. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so? I¡¯ve never tried.¡± I took a few steps towards the hull and chanted my {Heal} invocation. Though I could feel the warmth within me, and the gem of my staff glowed brightly, my mana didn¡¯t lower, and there was a¡­ a feeling of emptiness. It felt as though the spell was waiting for a variable that hadn¡¯t been provided. I frowned thoughtfully and swung the spell towards Daniyel, and immediately felt a slight ¡®click¡¯ within me, the {Heal} immediately surged out and surrounded Daniyel with the familiar aura of light, his wounds vanishing under the glow.

    ¡°Huh. That¡¯s interesting.¡± I murmured to myself. So the emptiness is the feeling of missing target information. I thought.

    I turned back to Camaxtli who was sitting up and observing me.

    ¡°I judge from the results that you were unable to repair your vessel.¡± He said. He seemed to take a deep breath and then proceeded. ¡°That is why this is¡­ should be¡­ impossible. I am not a biological construct.¡±

    Soriya took a step up and said ¡°I think I know what¡¯s going on. Camaxtli, does the Nocturnus civilization recognize the existence of the soul?¡±

    Camaxtli shook his head. ¡°Not as such. We recognize that other civilizations and species believe it to be a real thing, but our technology has been unable to find it.¡±

    Soriya tapped a finger to her cheek. ¡°What about gods?¡±

    ¡°The question is unclear.¡±

    ¡°Supernatural entities that have power over one or more aspects of reality, and exert control over those aspects that break the rules of reality as you understand them? Do you recognize those as existing?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Yes. We recognize the Goddess of the Alliance as such an entity.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Soriya took a step back in surprise. ¡°Interesting, I wasn¡¯t expecting that answer.¡±

    ¡°It was hypothesized that Nocturnus could create such an entity through a suitable research project, but it was deemed unfeasible. The specific variables leading to her creation were too unpredictable.¡±

    ¡°So Nocturnus doesn¡¯t believe in ghosts, or souls, but you do believe in the Goddess?¡± Soriya summed up. ¡°But you think she was created¡­ by the Alliance? By¡­ accident?¡±

    Camaxtli nodded. ¡°That is correct.¡±

    Soriya murmured ¡°Fascinating¡­¡± quietly to herself then said ¡°Then I think what¡¯s going on¡­ somehow, you¡¯ve been bonded with a soul. Lily¡¯s magic works with the binding of soul to body.¡±

    Camaxtli opened his mouth again, then slowly closed it. ¡°I¡­ cannot say. This does not match established expectations or hypothesis¡­. I¡­ have¡­ a soul?¡± He looked down at his chest, and laid a hand on it gently, staring at it as though he¡¯d never seen such a thing. He was silent for a moment, then lowered his hand and stood with a smooth graceful motion, looking at us with determined eyes.

    ¡°Your offer to accompany you is accepted.¡± He said firmly. ¡°I must¡­ I must learn more. It is imperative that this¡­ hypothesis¡­ be tested, and this new knowledge be recorded to the archives of Nocturnus.¡±

    I sighed in relief, then stiffened in surprise, as the World Soul echoed in my head. <{Orator} Advanced to level 6. For recruiting the {Ancient Guardian} to your party, you have advanced to {Orator:6}>

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    I looked around quickly, seeing the same slightly glazed look in everyone¡¯s eye as well. I shook my head, putting my staff away and walking over to Camaxtli. Holding out my hand to him, I said ¡°Well, this didn¡¯t go anything like I expected¡­ but welcome to our little quest, Camaxtli.¡±

    ¡°Hey, what about my Sparrowhawk?!¡± Lakshmi spluttered.

    ¡°Ah. Your vessel. Yes.¡± Camaxtli seemed to stare into midair for a moment, and then several flying robotic units dangling mechanical limbs like a jointed squid appeared in midair with flashes of light. Without a word, they moved to the Sparrowhawk¡¯s hull with a soft whirring hum and flutter of air magic. Extending manipulators and probe arms, they rapidly began to affix hull plates, welding pieces together, and reassembling the ship with a rapid competence.

    Lakshmi watched, entranced, her eyes shining as the various machines spat sparks and moved components.

    ¡°Wait, wait, no no no! That can¡¯t go there!¡± She suddenly yelped and rushed over to the robots. She tugged on its limbs, and then turned to Camaxtli. ¡°Make it stop, I need them to listen to me!¡±

    Camaxtli raised his eyebrows then nodded with a bemused expression on his face. ¡°I¡­. Very well.¡± He closed his eyes and appeared to be focusing on something. The drones abruptly halted their tasks, and Camaxtli opened his eyes again. ¡°The drones have been instructed to obey your commands.¡± He said to Lakshmi with what sounded like bemusement.

    I wonder if this is the first time he¡¯s been able to explore his emotions? I thought idly. That is the usual personal arc that those kinds of characters go through.

    Lakshmi turned back to the drones and rapidly started issuing orders, as well as giving names to the various robots so she could order them about more effectively.

    It didn¡¯t seem like they were as quick, but I couldn¡¯t help wondering if maybe they would be a bit more effective. Lakshmi was frightening good at what she did.

    I nodded. ¡°Well, as soon as our ship is repaired, I think we can be going. Urm¡­ in the meantime, is there a place we can stay? One that¡¯s not in the way of the Jubilee?¡± I asked hesitantly.

    Camaxtli shook his head. ¡°No, but this should not be too much difficulty. The loan of sleeping materials is acceptable, and this hangar is suitable for temporary quarters.¡±

    I looked around, and frowned a bit, then shrugged. ¡°Well, everybody? Is it ok if we just bunk down here in the hangar while the ship is repaired?¡±

    ¡°How long will that take?¡± Eshaan asked, crossing his arms and frowning.

    Uh oh. I¡­ I need to do something about that. Later? I could feel both halves of me rolling my eyes. No, Lily, now! This is exactly the kind of subplot that needs to get resolved or it turns into a whole huge thing!

    Camaxtli said calmly ¡°I estimate that at the speed which your mechanic is operating, that repairs should be completed in 2 days. It would be more efficient if-¡°

    Lakshmi spun around and pointed a wrench at him.

    Where on earth did she get that wrench from¡­!? I thought in bemusement.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare! I do not want more weirdo tech that I didn¡¯t design or understand going into my ship!¡±

    Camaxtli tipped his head to the side. ¡°Query. Does that mean that ¡®weirdo tech¡¯ you did design would be acceptable?¡±

    Soriya and Daniyel burst out laughing at the same time, Soriya with loud exuberant cackles, and Daniyel with a much more staid and calm chuckling.

    Camaxtli looked around in confusion, while Lakshmi blustered, before finally saying ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not¡­ ok, no. My tech is not ¡®weird¡¯, it¡¯s perfectly understandable and coherent if you understand the basic principles!¡±

    Daniyel said ¡°Princess, the fourth manual of Vos Lunguard¡¯s Aeronautic Principles of Crystalline Harmonics cannot be considered a ¡®basic principle¡¯.¡±

    Lakshmi pointed her wrench at Daniyel emphatically. ¡°That¡¯s just because nobody studies the standard formula for calibration! If people would just read a little, this would all be obvious!¡±

    While Lakshmi held her argument with Daniyel, as a bemused Camaxtli looked on with what I judged to be slowly growing curiosity, I sidled over to Eshaan. I¡¯d never felt so nervous in my entire life. Either of my lives, and that was saying something!

    ¡°So, um¡­¡± I poked my fingers together, feeling oddly shy. This is harder than touching the artifact that marked me as the Saintess. I thought, biting my lip so hard it almost bled.

    ¡°Hey.¡± Eshaan said, shuffling his foot.

    I took several deep breaths and then started ¡°I wanted-¡°

    At the exact same time Eshaan said ¡°So it¡¯s-¡°

    We both stumbled to a halt looking at each other. I stared at him, and he looked at me, and suddenly I could feel the tension crack, and we both started to laugh.

    Well¡­ I guess stereotypes live for a reason¡­ I thought. At least I hope I¡¯m not going down the wrong path here. Maybe we can skip a few steps ahead. Personal growth sucks entirely too much.

    ¡°You go first.¡± Eshaan said, gesturing to me.

    I couldn¡¯t help myself, my Lily instincts demanded that I reply ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine, you go first, I insist!¡±

    Eshaan took a deep breath, and then nodded. ¡°Ok. Um. So. I¡¯ve been thinking. You know. About things. And that¡­ and the kiss you gave me-¡°

    I groaned inwardly, cringing. Oh please, tell me that he¡¯s not going to-

    ¡°-and I understand that you probably were overcome by all the excitement and all, and I wanted to let you know, it¡¯s ok-¡°

    I wanted to kiss him. I really did. I desperately wanted to will myself to kiss him, but it was almost impossibly hard.

    If I don¡¯t do it now, it¡¯ll just get harder! Don¡¯t I want to do this?! Do I want to do this?! But I might¡­ no¡­ it still feels weird for half of me! But the other half likes it a lot.

    ¡°-and so I just wanted to let you know it¡¯s ok.¡± Eshaan awkwardly stumbled to a halt.

    I could feel myself balanced on a precipice; two paths laid out before me. I didn¡¯t know which way I wanted to go; I didn¡¯t know which way I should go.

    What would the candy haired girl do?! Does that prolong a stupid romance plot or¡­ but the romance plot ends with marriage! I cringed internally. Am I¡­ but that other me is dead! Should I¡­?

    ¡°Lily? Please¡­ say something?¡± Eshaan said, his brown eyes filled with worry.

    That was enough to tip me over. I smiled at him, a little wistfully, and a little sadly, then stepped up to him and stood on tiptoes to kiss him. I felt a shuddering twang of an overly tense bowstring, the world warning me that I was not supposed to be so forward. And I couldn¡¯t bring myself to care. It felt so incredibly good for our lips to meet again, though I almost smushed my nose into his before tipping it quickly to the side, my past life giving me some quick tips.

    I pulled back after a long moment, resting my palms flat on his chest, and said softly ¡°There. Does that answer your question? You infuriating, annoying, fisher solider archeologist boy?¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes were suspiciously bright as he looked at me, and he nodded like a puppy. ¡°Yes! That is! If you¡¯re sure?! I mean-¡±

    I smiled sadly again. ¡°Eshaan, I haven¡¯t been sure about anything since I woke up 2 months ago, and realized I was a pink haired heroine. But¡­ but I like you. I think I might¡­ I might like you like you.¡± I said, feeling the heat of my blush spreading across my face and making my ears burn. ¡°I don¡¯t know. So¡­ isn¡¯t that what being girlfriend and boyfriend is about? Dating, to see if it works out?¡±

    Eshaan nodded again eagerly. ¡°Yes! I mean, no! I mean¡­¡± he swallowed again, and then said ¡°Lily, I would be honored to help you find out if you want to be my girlfriend!¡±

    I smiled, a lot less sadly this time. I took his hand in both of mine and held it close to me. ¡°What¡¯s the ¡®if¡¯? You already are my boyfriend. Let¡¯s¡­ lets find out if both of me think that¡¯s a good idea?¡± I giggled. ¡°You know. While we¡¯re in the middle of saving the world and everything.¡±

    He laughed, and rubbed the back of his head again. ¡°Yeah. While we¡¯re doing that. Great first date, huh?¡±

    I smiled, and squeezed his hand, looking into his wide brown eyes. ¡°It has a few perks.¡±

 49 A little bit of cooking spiced with History

    The repairs and upgrades to the airship took just as long as Camaxtli predicted. Fortunately, the hospitality of a long dead-

    Or deadish¡­? I thought

    -civilization, proved to be extremely comfortable.

    Camaxtli showed us a small suite of rooms off the main hangar, presumably for the ground crew or possibly the engineers. It came with very nice bedrooms, a selection of tools and equipment that Lakshmi immediately pounced on, and Camaxtli even offered to upgrade our equipment for us.

    Just like a mini shop! I thought with amusement. Though with some of the coolest mid-game gear I¡¯ve ever seen!

    Everything had a faintly futuristic sleek angular look to it, often with tracery of circuitry inlaid into the surface.

    There was even exotic food prepared in a manner no one of us had ever seen before. Strange glowing pastel orbs of various colors, exotic and colorful drinks that tasted of¡­ well they were delicious, that¡¯s all I could really say. Possibly the plants that they¡¯d been made from were extinct!

    I found my {Gourmet} senses tingling, and looked at Camaxtli as we ate. ¡°Wow, this is good! Can you teach me how to cook these? Oh! Or get me the ingredients!¡± I suddenly had several ideas on how to blend the tastes in the dish into some of our travel supplies.

    Camaxtli nodded calmly. ¡°I believe so, yes. I am pleased that you like the cuisine of Nocturnus.¡±

    ¡°Well, outside of the fighting us thing, honestly your hospitality has been first rate.¡± I commented.

    Soriya tapped her spoon on her lip, then said thoughtfully ¡°Isn¡¯t it odd though? You¡¯d think customs or culture would change over 4000 years.¡±

    Eshaan frowned, perking up at the talk of ancient history. Lakshmi tipped her head to the side, then said ¡°Why?¡±

    I blinked and looked at her, my mouth falling open.

    Now why hadn¡¯t I thought of that? It was a little disturbing, really. Cultures¡­ shouldn¡¯t really stay the same, should they? Not over thousands of years?

    ¡°Uh¡­ well¡­ is it¡­ normal for cultures to stay the same for thousands of years?¡± I blurted out.

    Camaxtli¡¯s eyes flickered as he accessed his data, but Eshaan and Lakshmi both nodded in unison.

    ¡°Well of course it is.¡± Eshaan said.

    ¡°How else would we understand the Ancient¡¯s scripts and machines?¡± Lakshmi added. ¡°I mean¡­ it¡¯s really old and we don¡¯t quite use all the same words¡­ is that what you meant?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ think so?¡± I said hesitantly.

    Soriya said ¡°Let me put it another way. Can you speak Ancient right now?¡±

    Lakshmi laughed. ¡°Well, sure! I have to do that in a lot of the fancy court functions and ceremonies anyway.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Sounds super stuffy and formal.¡± Her voice took on a stilted and formal lecturing tone. ¡°Yeah, and verily, this land doth resound with the sound of the Goddess¡¯s voice, know now her chosen people, this her chosen land, the bounty of her everlasting love.¡±

    Camaxtli interrupted. ¡°This is indeed unusual. I have just reviewed Nocturnus¡¯s historical data archives. Linguistic drift during the elapsed period of time should be significantly greater than that exhibited.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Lakshmi was distracted by a drone carrying a piece of equipment near the Sparrowhawk and ran off shouting. ¡°Stopstopstop!¡±

    I giggled. ¡°Well at least she¡¯s having fun?¡± I offered. That got a laugh at least.

    ¡°Wait, if that¡¯s so, how come you speak like a normal person, Camaxtli?¡± Eshaan asked, frowning.

    ¡°I was able to update my linguistic protocol based on your conversation as you approached the Capitol building of Nocturnus, and thus converse in the mode you prefer. It was a trivial task, given the limited differences.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Well yeah, I guess that makes sense.¡± Eshaan frowned. ¡°Kind of creepy though to know you¡¯re always watching.¡±

    Camaxtli frowned. ¡°I do not act on private information, and I do not spy on private functions. Your suspicion is unwarranted. I am not a biological being and am not influenced by such matters.¡± He said with a monotone that could almost be mistaken for discomfort.

    Soriya smirked and pointed a finger at him. ¡°Yeah, but are you anatomically accurate?¡± She said.

    I whipped around to look at Soriya, my eyes wide. ¡°Soriya!¡± I hissed in disbelief.

    Camaxtli frowned even more deeply. ¡°What is this fascination with biological beings and sex? Especially when you then exhibit discomfort about the topic?¡±

    Eshaan blushed and rubbed the back of his head, looking to the side. ¡°Well, it¡¯s kind of¡­ interesting¡­ you know?¡±

    Soriya grinned at Camaxtli and wagged her finger. ¡°Not good enough dodge. Are you, or aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Camaxtli pressed his lips together and his eyes glittered with light before he finally said ¡°I do not see how it is any of your business.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s grin widened until she looked like the cat that ate the canary. ¡°Oh my god, Lily, I think he really is! That was emotion right there!¡±

    Camaxtli burst out ¡°I was not constructed for the purpose of sexual interaction or emotional comfort!¡±

    I was silent, staring at him briefly. That was¡­ actual emotion. And also she¡¯s being really rude to him!

    I frowned and looked at Soriya pointedly. ¡°Alright, stop. Enough. A little teasing is fine. This is too much.¡±

    Lakshmi skipped back over, wiping her hands on a cloth. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just teasing your boyfriend.¡± Soriya grinned.

    ¡°Wh-what?!¡± Lakshmi looked back and forth between us and Camaxtli.

    ¡°The Lady Lakshmi and I have not consented to engage in any such activity!¡± Camaxtli actually raised his voice this time.

    I walked over to Soriya, putting myself between her and Camaxtli.

    ¡°Enough.¡± I said quietly, glaring into her eyes. ¡°Regardless of how we feel about this, we¡¯re not going to play matchmaker. When they get together¡­¡± I paused and ground my teeth together. ¡°If they get together, they deserve to find their own emotions naturally.¡±

    Soriya tipped her head to the side. ¡°Oh come on, aren¡¯t you just a little interested-¡±

    I stomped my foot. ¡°Yes, of course I am! But you didn¡¯t shove me at Eshaan this hard! Back off, Soriya!¡± I said with quiet determination. ¡°Not everyone needs to be or is in a relationship!¡±

    Soriya looked to the side. ¡°Half the fun of match making¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Let people figure themselves out! Stop shoving!¡±

    ¡°You needed a shove.¡± She said.

    My cheeks flared pink. ¡°I had quite enough help from my otherself, thank you!¡±

    Soriya sighed dramatically and held up her hands in surrender. ¡°Fiiiine. But I reserve the right to meddle in the future.¡±

    I nodded in satisfaction, then smiled at her. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s the best I can get from a witch.¡±

    Soriya laughed.

    When I turned around, I saw Lakshmi blushing, and darting looks between Eshaan and Camaxtli. I groaned internally and couldn¡¯t help rolling my eyes. Oh spirits, Soriya, why do you have to be right about this too?!

    I cleared my throat and walked over to Camaxtli. ¡°So, it¡¯s probably near lunch time, so I¡¯d like to cook something. If nobody has any objections, I¡¯m going to try cooking something?¡±

    This met with a murmur of approval, and I headed into the kitchen to explore. Eshaan followed, and offered to help. I tipped my head to the side, then smiled. ¡°Alright then.¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    I can¡¯t claim to understand whatever arcane science had kept the food fresh and preserved all this time for untold thousands of years. Or perhaps it wasn¡¯t even that, perhaps it had been grown and prepared recently, this city certainly was exotic enough! But I was confident enough that the food would be good, and more importantly at least to me, I wanted to see what my gourmet class could do.

    I skimmed the shelves, and let myself drift a little, going for the same feeling that had flowed over me the first time I cast a healing spell. Something comforting. Something familiar and warming¡­ curry? Everyone loves curry, but we had that recently¡­ and they have fresh meat, it would be a shame to waste it¡­ Soup. Everyone loves soup, warm thick¡­ vegetables! I found myself carefully sampling the exotic vegetables, as well as eyeing the meat thoughtfully.

    It was slightly disconcerting to feel the shift, the class talents taking over as they did when I used my {Spiritist} abilities. I found myself reaching for several unfamiliar vegetables and ingredients, combining with knowledge from mother¡¯s kitchen, flowing into something new.

    I got Eshaan to wash and chop his way through several of the root vegetables and food, bopping him lightly on the shoulder with my spoon when he tried to sneak more than a few bites.

    ¡°Stop that! If you want to give me advice based on the taste, I¡¯m willing to listen, but if you just want to eat something, there¡¯s dried fruit in your pack!¡± I said sternly.

    I wasn¡¯t a hundred percent sure what I was making, only that it was a noodle vegetable soup of some kind, and it was starting to smell delicious.

    Bread. Yes, nut bread will go with this! It was like a gentle nudge in my head, I could tell from the {Gourmet} class, but it seemed so right and obvious that it was easy to incorporate into my own thoughts.

    Shortly after, with the help of a small handful of fire crystals, the smell of baking bread joined the scent of bubbling soup.

    Lakshmi popped her head in the door, followed by Danyiel, Soriya, and Camaxtli. ¡°Hey, what smells good?!¡± Lakshmi demanded.

    Eshaan shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Beats me, I just helped make it! She¡¯s had me running errands and chopping things all afternoon.¡±

    Lakshmi gave him a disparaging glance. ¡°Then it¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m not asking you!¡±

    Camaxtli said ¡°I can analyze the ingredients involved, but the end result is something I do not claim to understand. My own cooking follows standardized recipes of Nocturnus.¡±

    I stopped stirring the pot of soup to look back at him in surprise. ¡°You cook!?¡±

    ¡°It was necessary to prepare the party favors and supplies of the Jubilee. Occasionally food stocks are replenished.¡± He said.

    Soriya blinked in surprise. ¡°Wait, are you saying you cook food and then¡­ translate it into that ¡­ metastable chronotons that everything else in the Jubilee is made of?¡±

    Camaxtli nodded. ¡°With regards to the food, that is correct, though not everything in the Jubilee is metastable chronotons.¡±

    I took a sip of the soup thoughtfully, then added a few more spices from our supplies. ¡°Well, I will ask you to cook something for us then.¡± I said, then took another sip, nodding in satisfaction. ¡°Alright, this is ready.¡± I bopped Eshaan¡¯s hand with my spoon again. ¡°Wait your turn!¡±

    Lakshmi giggled. ¡°You should know better than trying to steal food from her kitchen, Eshaan.¡±

    He grinned wryly. ¡°A hundred battlefields and sword training drills, and I can¡¯t dodge her spoon of retribution.¡±

    I glared at him in exasperation. ¡°Go get the bowls, minion.¡± I said, waving my spoon at him. I pulled out the bread and shortly had steaming bowls of exotic vegetable soup in front of everyone.

    While everyone else was digging in, I stared at my meal. ¡°Now let¡¯s see¡­¡± I whispered to myself, {Studying} the food in front of me.

    I let out a little giggle of triumph as a status window opened in my vision.

    <Notice: Exotic vegetable soup. A soup made of exotic materials from a forgotten civilization.

    Effects: Insight: Up. Resist: Cold>

    I gave a little cheer inside. It works! I really does have an effect! I picked up my spoon and took a bite. Hm, this came out really well.

    ¡°What on earth are you grinning at?¡± Lakshmi said.

    ¡°I¡¯m just happy the soup came as I hoped!¡± I said. ¡°I can do buff effects with food!¡±

    Daniyel blinked, then stared down at his food, stoically.

    Soriya looked up in excitement. ¡°Oh! You can do food buffs!? That¡¯s great, how long do they last!?¡±

    I gave her a half smile. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, this is the first time I¡¯ve had a chance to properly cook for everyone!¡±

    ¡°What about all those meals you made for us while travelling?¡± Eshaan asked, his face screwed up in confusion. ¡°Wait, before that, what does this do?!¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± I said, taking another bite and dipping some bread in my soup. ¡°This one raises your Insight and resistance to Cold effects.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know what others do yet, I haven¡¯t had a chance to explore.¡±

    Daniyel poked at the food curiously, then looked up at me. ¡°While I am grateful that you have discovered another ability, I find it deeply disturbing that you have used us as your guinea pigs in this endeavor. I have encountered quite enough explosive results from the Captain¡¯s experiments that I do not wish to be subject again. Please do not continue further experiments without notifying me.¡±

    I blinked, feeling my cheeks go pink with embarrassment and shame.

    Eshaan pointed his spoon at Daniyel. ¡°That¡¯s not fair to Lily at all! She cooks for us all the time, are you saying you don¡¯t wish her to cook!?¡±

    Daniyel frowned. ¡°I did not say that-¡±

    ¡°You did though!¡±

    I laid a hand on Eshaan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Eshaan. It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s right, it was a Skill I used from a class. I can cook without using that skill. I¡­ don¡¯t think I would have been able to cook as effectively with Nocturnus ingredients without it, but I can definitely cook without using the Skill.¡±

    ¡°But-!¡± Eshaan protested.

    I held up my hand. ¡°No.¡± I said simply. I turned to face Daniyel, and gave him a seated bow. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for intruding on your bodily privacy. It was wrong of me, and I apologize.¡±

    Lakshmi elbowed him. ¡°Daniyel, I do not explode you! And Lily¡¯s cooking is good! And apparently magically good!¡±

    Daniyel frowned at the soup. ¡°It is not the soup or the effect I object too, but the lack of information.¡±

    Soriya clapped her hands. ¡°Well, now that we¡¯ve had that akward interlude-¡±

    ¡°Exuse me.¡± Said Camaxtli. ¡°I wish to experience this¡­ System result.¡±

    I looked up at him, my eyes widening in surprise. ¡°Can you¡­ eat food?!¡±

    ¡°I can.¡± He said gravely.

    I felt myself flush. ¡°Oh no, you should have said so! I would have made more for you!¡± I pushed my bowl at him. ¡°Here, you can have mine!¡±

    Camaxtli frowned at me. ¡°Is there not more available?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes¡± I said ¡°But that¡¯s for Daniyel and Eshaan, they always ask for seconds. Sometimes for thirds.¡±

    Eshaan turned red and looked away with an uneasy chuckle, rubbing at the back of his head. Daniyel simply nodded. ¡°Her cooking is indeed consistently excellent. And my appetite is large.¡±

    I flushed and squirmed uncomfortably at the praise. ¡°Eh heh. Thank you for the compliments.¡± Great, now I sound like Eshaan¡­ I thought, squirming even more.

    ¡°Then I will partake of your offer.¡± Camaxtli said, and picked up my bowl in one smooth motion, taking a thoughtful bite and chewing carefully.

    Lakshmi stared at him in undisguised fascination. ¡°How do you eat if you¡¯re artificial?!¡± She asked, her eyes glowing with interest.

    Camaxtli looked up from the food, then back down as though confused. He looked up again and said ¡°Biological matter can be processed for fuel. It is not as efficient as my normal methods, however¡­¡± he looked down at the food again and then took another bite, and then another and another, wiping the bread around the bowl and finishing it, licking his fingers.

    ¡°Fascinating¡­¡± he muttered. ¡°I feel¡­ warm.¡±

    Eshaan was grinning. ¡°That¡¯s Lily¡¯s cooking for you.¡±

    ¡°You do not understand.¡± Camaxtli turned to him. ¡°I have never had this experience before. Is this¡­ what you call ¡®delicioius¡¯?¡±

    Eshaan laughed, joined by Soriya and then Lakshmi. ¡°Well, ¡®delicious¡¯ is a very subjective opinion! If you liked it, then yeah, it was delicious!¡± Eshaan laughed again. ¡°And judging by your reactions, I think Lily might be making two portions for you as well.¡±

    I squirmed even more, fidgeting with my hands. ¡°I¡¯m glad you liked it.¡± I said again awkwardly.

    Camaxtli nodded once. ¡°Then my decision to travel with you has already been proven correct. I will add food stocks and cooking material to my travel stores.¡± He strode out of the room, leaving us sitting quietly.

    ¡°Lily¡­ if you¡¯re still hungry, you can have my share.¡± Eshaan said. I looked over at his bowl, which was already empty, then up at him. He was looking at the soup pot with such a wistful expression that I burst out laughing.

    ¡°Eshaan¡­ that¡¯s sweet. But we can split the result.¡±

    Soriya tapped her lips. ¡°More interesting to me¡­¡± she said, as I got up to fill two more bowls for Eshaan and I ¡°Is the fact that Lily¡¯s stat buffs applied to Camaxtli. That definitely proves my theory, he has some kind of soul, or Lily¡¯s magic wouldn¡¯t be able to affect him at all. Even cooking based magic.¡± She nodded in satisfaction.

    Lakshmi frowned. ¡°But how can a machine have a soul?¡± She asked in confusion.

    ¡°How do you have a soul?¡± Soriya countered. ¡°You¡¯re just an organic machine.¡±

    ¡°Rude!¡± Lakshmi sat back and scowled. ¡°I¡¯m a person!¡±

    ¡°And so is Camaxtli.¡± Soriya smiled back blandly.

    Lakshmi scowled and crossed her arms. ¡°Well yes¡­ but¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± Then lapsed into silence, thinking hard.

    The rest of the meal was had in relative quiet, only a few words passed until we finished our meal. As I was putting the used dishes in the¡­ disposal? Recycler? Washer? Whatever the Nocturnus did with dirty dishes¡­ Soriya slipped up beside me, helping me load the strange Nocturnus device.

    ¡°So, {Holy White}, huh?¡± she said.

    I jerked in surprise, then nodded. ¡°Yeah. It was¡­ kind of cool, honestly. Though I¡¯m a bit sad I didn¡¯t get to see a planetary view.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what was interesting to me, actually.¡± Soriya said. ¡°When you summoned Tower, you cored an airship. Top to bottom. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange that {Holy White} didn¡¯t blow up the whole city the same way? In fact, the only things it did do damage too was Camaxtli, and his robot backup band. Not the building, not the Sparrowhawk¡­ in short, nothing but what you would want to target.¡±

    I stopped, my eyes widening. She was right, that was weird! I hadn¡¯t thought about that at all!

    ¡°You¡¯re right! But jrpg stuff always does that, doesn¡¯t it!?¡±

    ¡°Well, if you think about it, Tower is clearly the exception. It actually does do that. So I wonder¡­¡± she tapped her lips. ¡°I haven¡¯t quite dared to use my capstone skill. Which, incidentally, is named {Infernal Black}.¡± She grinned at me. ¡°Interesting choice of name, when you think about it, hm?¡±

    I twisted a wry smile at her. ¡°Well if there was any doubt that you¡¯re the other half of the keybearers, there isn¡¯t now.¡± I said.

    Soriya spread her hands. ¡°Not that we did doubt, but it¡¯s nice to have confirmation. It¡¯s also interesting, don¡¯t you think? When I asked quietly, I found that the normal capstone skill for an {Elementalist} is called {Elemental Cataclysm}. And now this business with the Goddess, and the lack of change¡­ and then you went and used {Gourmet} like that¡­ I¡¯m starting to get an idea.¡±

    I turned to her. ¡°Oh no, Soriya, please tell me this isn¡¯t like the Air Sylphs in Breezewood!¡±

    Soriya laughed delightedly. ¡°Oh you remember that! This¡­ well I don¡¯t think it¡¯s like that!¡±

    ¡°How could I forget?!¡± I said indignantly. ¡°I wound up in the pig pen covered in mud!¡±

    ¡°Well, to be blunt¡­ it happened before you woke up here, didn¡¯t it? It happened before I woke up here, in fact, though I do remember it clearly.¡± Her eyes twinkled and a familiar mischievous smile played on her lips.

    I felt my mood go dark, and turned away from her, picking up the last of the dishes. ¡°Well, that¡¯s kind of what we learned in in the Wake, isn¡¯t it.¡± I turned back and shoved the last of the dishes into the¡­ whatever it was. ¡°I¡¯m dead, and also so are you.¡±

    ¡°And yet, here we are alive and well. We at least owe the Goddess thanks for a second chance.¡± She looked over at Daniyel, then back to me. ¡°And maybe more.¡±

 50 Testing the Waters of Adventure

    ¡°And yet, here we are alive and well. We at least owe the Goddess thanks for a second chance.¡± She looked over at Daniyel, then back to me. ¡°And maybe more.¡±

    I looked down at my hands, feeling a little disconcerted. I still hadn¡¯t¡­ quite¡­ accepted this. But it was nice to have an adventure, even if it made me think of the advice of Bilbo. ¡®Nasty uncomfortable things, make one late for dinner.¡¯

    ¡°Alright, well so our spells aren¡¯t as destructive?¡± I said curiously. ¡°What¡¯s your idea?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure yet, it¡¯s still forming. But it has something to do with how the System functions. I¡¯ve been thinking, when we leave, we should try and head to the Dwarven city. We owe it to our Monan engineer anyway, and if I¡¯m right¡­ we could learn a little more about the System from them. They were the race of nonhumans who sided with the Goddess.¡±

    I frowned at her. ¡°I thought we were going to try and use a ritual to point the way to the next Arcanum?¡±

    ¡°Well yes, that too, but we promised Eideth, didn¡¯t we? And I¡¯m pretty sure that no matter where we are, there¡¯s an Arcanum nearby to scoop up.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Well. For now¡­ I guess it¡¯s as good a plan as any.¡±

    Soriya tipped her head to the side. ¡°Camaxtli really rattled you, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    I frowned, then nodded. ¡°He did. I¡¯m not¡­ really sure why I¡¯m doing this! Am I¡­ just as trapped as Deacon?!¡±

    ¡°Do you feel trapped?¡±

    ¡°No, but that¡¯s the point! Deacon didn¡¯t feel trapped!¡±

    ¡°No, I mean more generally. Do you want to have this adventure?¡±

    I scowled. ¡°No, to be honest. I want to go home and cook and gather apples and¡­ and do normal things! This is fun but it¡¯s also scary and has ouch and if we don¡¯t stop Deacon then¡­ well I just don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be good for anyone.¡± I paused, then turned to her, looking her in the eyes. ¡°Soriya¡­ you don¡¯t think the System is¡­ evil¡­ do you?¡±

    Soriya spread her hands. ¡°Like any grand project or knowledge, I don¡¯t think you can really judge that. I¡¯m fairly sure that it wasn¡¯t created to be evil. But then I don¡¯t think the Church started off as evil either.¡± She paused, then continued more slowly. ¡°Though I do wonder about this one.¡±

    She shook off the thought. ¡°Regardless, no I don¡¯t think the System is evil. But it does seem to have curtailed natural progression and change. Maybe what it needs is the ability to be added to. Maybe what it needs is to cease existing. Big questions for someone who just wants to go home and pick apples.¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°Even for a witch, not helpful.¡± I snapped.

    Soriya frowned, then said ¡°A witch¡¯s job is to ask uncomfortable questions and make the hero-¡± She paused and smiled. ¡°Or heroine¡­ think. I¡¯m doing that.¡±

    I pointed a finger at her angrily. ¡°But you are a heroine as well!¡±

    Soriya looked uncomfortable and glanced away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t put all this on me.¡± I continued. ¡°You have to make a choice too. Or are you really going to trust the word of a sweetness and light candy hearted healer?¡±

    Soriya burst out laughing. ¡°Lily, dear, of -course I would trust you! That¡¯s kind of the point really. We¡¯re all here because we trust you, and your judgement!¡±

    I stomped my foot angrily. ¡°¡­ Honeysuckle meadowlark! What¡¯s even the point of that?! Think for yourselves! Don¡¯t¡­¡± my voice trailed off to a half whisper as I crossed my arms and looked down. ¡°Don¡¯t put this on me.¡±

    Soriya reached out and pulled me into a hug. I resisted for a moment, then returned it little angrily.

    Soriya pulled back. ¡°You are so like my son.¡± She said, brushing a lock of my hair out of my eyes gently. ¡°He didn¡¯t want responsibility either. So I¡¯ll tell you what I told him. Not everyone putting their trust in you is doing so because they want the easy way out. Most of them are doing it because in their experience, you make the right choices.¡±

    I frowned, hearing an uncomfortable echo of Eshaan¡¯s proclamations to me back in the Tol Jaegren mountains. Soriya gave me a squeeze and then let me go. ¡°And so when I make a choice that¡¯s not yours, I¡¯ll let you know. Your {Persuade} is powerful, but it¡¯s not mind control. I¡¯d ask you to have faith in yourself, but that¡¯s probably a bit much.¡±

    I snorted a bitter laugh. ¡°Yeah. A bit.¡±

    ¡°Ask the others, if you¡¯re so unsure.¡± She turned and left, leaving me alone with some uncomfortable thoughts.

    Over the next several days, as the Sparrowhawk started to take shape in the hangar floor, I sought out each of the others and asked them about it. The first one I managed to tag of course, was Eshaan. We were watching the robot drones assemble something deep inside the body while we stood on the catwalk overhead.

    ¡°Eshaan, can I ask¡­?¡±

    ¡°What is it, Lily? You have such a serious expression on your face, you¡¯re scaring me!¡±

    I scowled. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I just¡­ I¡¯m off doing all this and you¡¯re following along and¡­ I worry that maybe I¡¯m doing it all wrong! Do you even really want to be here?¡±

    Eshaan laughed. ¡°I think we¡¯ve already had this conversation!¡± He smiled broadly. ¡°Yes, Lilyanna. I still trust you. Yes, I¡¯m still aware that I need to be my own person, and shouldn¡¯t depend on you. But if you want me to stop relying on you, you¡¯ll have to stop being so dependable all the time.¡±

    He stretched and looked down. ¡°But you know. I seem to recall you were absent for a considerable while not too long ago, and yet, we organized a plan all on our own, and then spent a lot of effort to get you back. It wasn¡¯t even really in doubt.¡± He turned to me. ¡°We didn¡¯t do that because we¡¯d be lost without you, or because we needed to know what to do next.¡±

    He suddenly grinned mischievously. ¡°And we didn¡¯t do it because we¡¯d be lost without your blinding beauty!¡± He sobered and went on before I could even blush at the flattery. ¡°We did that because you¡¯re our friend, and we want to help.¡± His voice was filled with sincerity, a firm conviction that I honestly envied.

    Have I ever been that sure about anything in my life? I thought.

    Eshaan smiled. ¡°I¡¯d honestly be more concerned with Miss Soriya, she¡¯s a little spooky.¡±

    I laughed, and placed my hand over his. ¡°Thanks Eshaan. Soriya was the one who told me to go ask everyone else.¡±

    Eshaan blinked and looked at me in surprise. ¡°She did?! Huh. Maybe I¡¯ve misjudged her then.¡± He said pensively.

    ¡°I have a proposal for you.¡± He said with sudden energy, turning to me and squeezing my hand. ¡°If I think you¡¯re doing the wrong thing, I¡¯ll tell you. But! In exchange, you have to tell me when you think I¡¯m doing the wrong thing. How about that? We keep an eye on each other.¡±

    I tipped my head to the side and smiled. ¡°I think I can do that.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± he said. ¡°Because I have to tell you, I wouldn¡¯t have done what you did at all! I would have gone right for that Deacon fellow, and challenged him to a duel!¡± He laughed. ¡°Boy, that would have gotten us all thrown out of Spyre real quick, huh!?¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    I blinked. ¡°You¡­ you really would have just¡­ charged right in?¡±

    ¡°Well yeah! That¡¯s just who I am! Your way is a lot smarter. I think it¡¯s pretty clear we can¡¯t beat him in a one on one battle, at least until we get him alone, and if he¡¯s hanging out at the palace, then Lakshmi¡¯s dad would probably get pretty mad, and the royal guards are nothing to sneeze at-¡±

    ¡°Eshaan!¡± I said, horrified. ¡°You¡¯re discussing planning a murder?!¡±

    Eshaan blinked. ¡°Well¡­ yeah? He¡¯s a bad man. We need to kill him, right? You did try talking to him, I¡¯m sure, and he can only have refused! Plus, he¡¯s like¡­ a break in the System, formed from that strange test near your village.¡± He looked at me with a puzzled frown. ¡°Why are you acting so strange about this?¡±

    I squirmed, uncomfortably. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ the idea of just¡­ it would be one thing if we had to fight him to stop his plan, and he fought to the death. But it¡¯s really completely another to discuss an assassination plan!¡±

    Eshaan frowned. ¡°But¡­ how else are we going to get him alone? Or have I misunderstood, are you really planning on charging in the front door and fighting through all the guards?¡±

    I let out a long sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­ shelve that for now. I¡­¡± It came together in a sudden rush. ¡°My plan, such as it can be called¡­ is to gather up the Arcanum, and then find the System control. I¡¯m pretty sure if we do that, that Deacon will have to come to us. And even if he doesn¡¯t, we can find out what that Shadow thing is, and maybe just¡­ turn it off? That will shut down Deacon, and we don¡¯t even have to fight!¡±

    Eshaan frowned, rubbing his chin. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re going to have to fight, no matter what we do. If not Deacon, then somebody pretty important. But still, it sounds like a great plan. And much better than charging into the palace! We¡¯ll gather up your Arcanum, and then we¡¯ll find the door to the System.¡± He reached over and hugged me. ¡°Do you feel better, now that you¡¯ve talked about it?¡±

    I thought about it, and slowly realized the strangest thing. I did feel better about it! ¡°You know¡­¡± I said slowly. ¡°I think I do! Thank you, Eshaan!¡±

    ¡°No problem! You can rely on me, Lily!¡± He slapped his chest.

    ¡°I know.¡± I said. ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to see what the others say. Somehow, I don¡¯t feel right unless we discuss this.¡±

    Eshaan grinned. ¡°That¡¯s why I know you¡¯re a good leader.¡± He said. ¡°You care.¡±

    I flushed, and hurried down the catwalk.

    The next up was Daniyel. I was a little surprised by this, he was so often so close to Lakshmi, it would seem impossible to separate the two.

    He received me with his usual stoic grace. ¡°Miss Lilyanna. You seem to have something on your mind. What can I assist you with?¡±

    I bobbed my head to him. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m¡­ looking for¡­ well I suppose ¡®approval¡¯.¡±

    Daniyel raised his eyebrows. ¡°That is not something that is commonly requested in an open fashion. Concerning what matter?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡­ I want to be sure that I¡¯m¡­ doing the right thing, I suppose. That you¡¯re¡­ ok with it, I guess. That I¡¯m not dragging you along on a task you don¡¯t want.¡±

    ¡°Hm. I suppose you are of an age when such a thing might concern you, though it speaks well to your concern for others.¡±

    I felt a little jerk of surprise. That¡¯s right, he thinks I¡¯m seventeen. Well¡­ I suppose in a lot of ways I am seventeen¡­ but that¡¯s not this!

    ¡°Thank you, but I just¡­ this whole adventure-¡±

    Daniyel held up a hand to stop me. ¡°Let me be clear then. I follow the princess. I give her such advice as she might listen to, and try to slip some pieces past her defenses otherwise. But she is following you. I am not following you; I am following her.¡± He paused, then went on. ¡°But for what values the sands might give you, I suppose I can vouch this. Your quest seems a good one, and you pursue it with the fiery heart that any warrior would be proud of.¡±

    ¡°Thanks¡­ I think?¡± I said doubtfully.

    Daniyel nodded. ¡°You are welcome. It is praise. You are welcome to take it as such.¡±

    Lakshmi was a lot harder to pin down. While I was trying to get her attention without receiving flash burns from the ¡®improvements¡¯ she was making to the Sparrowhawk, Camaxtli approached me.

    ¡°Greetings. You appear to be in some mental distress.¡± He said. ¡°May I be of assistance?¡±

    I turned to him, blinking a few times in surprise. ¡°I do? I mean¡­ I am, but¡­ how could you tell?!¡±

    Camaxtli said calmly ¡°Dilation of pupils, rapid pulse rate, and repeated interactions with your fellow members. If it is of any assistance, I assure you that my drones and I mean you no harm, and fully intend to pull weight during our joint expedition.¡±

    I coughed a laugh, feeling relief that apparently, he couldn¡¯t read minds as well!

    ¡°I have amused you? Please explain.¡± He said.

    So I did. After finishing, Camaxtli was silent for a long while, his eyes flickering with thought. He came alert and resumed the conversation as though he¡¯d never been absent.

    ¡°This is an unexpected event. Do you not have clear directives to follow? Is there not an obvious course of action, which has been clearly laid out? Why do you question the results?¡±

    I said ¡°Well because it¡¯s not clear, Camaxtli! I thought I made that point!¡±

    ¡°You did. I am merely expressing confusion. I see no flaw in your logic, and your sequence of actions bears strong correlation to estimated optimal path for exploration and research. You are blessed with the Light of the Goddess, and clearly have been properly assembled for your task. Why then do you, who conceived this plan and lead the expedition, find it lacking? Surely if it was lacking, you could rectify it.¡±

    I frowned at him, and then said slowly ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re saying that you think I¡¯m doing the right thing? Because¡­ I blew you up with holy magic!?¡±

    ¡°¡¯Right¡¯ and ¡®Wrong¡¯ have little distinction for me. There is only in line with my directives and not in line with my directives. But your description is not inaccurate. I find our proposed course of action acceptable.¡±

    I felt oddly pleased that the ancient robot mind approved of my actions, if very disconcerted that he was happy I had blown him up!

    ¡°Well¡­ thank you!¡± I said, then I reached over and hugged him impulsively. He was solid, but also soft like Eshaan, and smelled faintly of chemicals and soap.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Came Lakshmi¡¯s voice from behind me. ¡°You have your own boyfriend, don¡¯t go hogging all of them!¡±

    I turned with a smile. ¡°Sorry Lakshmi, I didn¡¯t realize you¡¯d laid claim to this one.¡±

    She scowled at me, and waved her wrench threateningly. ¡°Don¡¯t you start too! Soriya is already teasing me!¡±

    ¡°Well what¡¯s wrong with him?¡± I asked, and then clapped my hands over my mouth in embarrassment. ¡°I am so sorry!¡± I said. ¡°I promised I wouldn¡¯t meddle and¡­¡± I shook my head quickly. ¡°Your interests are entirely your own!¡±

    Lakshmi frowned at me, lowering the wrench. ¡°You¡­¡®re trying to set me up with Camaxtli?¡± She asked, her tone more puzzled than offended as I had feared.

    ¡°No! No, of course not! You¡¯re your own person and absolutely get to choose your romantic partners!¡± But, I mean, if this were a jrpg, you¡¯d already be head over heels for him, trying to prove he has a soul and teasing out his repressed emotions. I thought to myself.

    ¡°Your attempts to have a romantic interaction with me are fruitless. I do not feel emotion, such as you describe.¡± Camaxtli said firmly. ¡°I have stated as much previously.¡±

    I pressed my lips together firmly to stop from smiling. That was a tone of annoyance if I¡¯d ever heard it.

    Lakshmi turned on him and waved her wrench. ¡°First of all, who said I was trying to have a ¡®romantic interaction¡¯ with you?! Second of all, that¡¯s just spirit poop! Lily healed you, and you keep talking about the big white light explosion she made like it¡¯s more important.¡±

    Camaxtli frowned. ¡°It is important. It is critical to her claim of being empowered by the Goddess.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not critical to your having a heart and soul! To you being very much a real person, if you could ever get your head out of your ass! Rrrgh!¡± Lakshmi tore at her hair. ¡°You are so¡­ maddening!¡±

    I swear, if she proclaims she doesn¡¯t understand boys, I will throw something. I thought grimly. I don¡¯t understand me let alone an entire gender!

    Lakshmi turned to me, and I tensed in anticipation.

    ¡°What on earth are you doing here anyway?¡± She asked. ¡°You avoid machinery and anything to do with it like the plague!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not true!¡± I said defensively. ¡°I just don¡¯t know enough about them!¡±

    ¡°And yet, here you are, around me and the machines, having an opinion.¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°I am here because I need to know if you want to leave! Since I¡¯ve been acting as a leader without asking, and all your airships get sunk around me!¡± I said heatedly, crossing my arms.

    Lakshmi actually took a step back then grinned. ¡°Wow, so you really do get angry sometimes! Eshaan told me you didn¡¯t!¡± She laughed, and added ¡°He owes me 5 zeni!¡±

    I glared, feeling incredibly betrayed and uncertain who by.

    I settled for pretending it hadn¡¯t happened. Sure Lily. Like that ever works in any universe.

    ¡°Lakshmi, do you want to come on this quest with me? Do you think I¡¯m doing the right thing?¡± I ground out.

    Lakshmi blinked; her eyes wide in surprise. ¡°What on earth¡­? Why the blue hells do you think I¡¯m here?!¡± She said. She waved grandly to encompass everything generally. ¡°We¡¯re in an ancient city, as old as the Ancients, I¡¯m talking to an artificial person, I get to finally build the airship of my dreams, and then improve it, and you regularly break my brain with impossible discoveries and cool Ancient technology that I then get to play with!? Are you kidding me?! You¡¯re the best thing to ever happen to me since I found my first book on magitech fusion in the family library! There¡¯s no way I¡¯m not going to be involved in whatever awesome insane thing you come up with next!¡±

    I took a step back, intimidated by her enthusiasm. And, honestly, by the large wrench she was waving dangerously near my nose.

    ¡°Oh. Uh. Well¡­ thank you. It¡¯s¡­ an honor to be granted your trust?¡± I stammered out.

    Lakshmi laughed again. ¡°That¡¯s more like the Lily I know!¡± she leapt forward and hugged me. ¡°Of course I want to come along!¡± She pulled back suddenly. ¡°Why, did somebody tell you I didn¡¯t?!¡±

    ¡°N-no, no, nothing like that! I just¡­ I thought I should¡­ you know. Ask. Instead of just assuming you would come along.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t need to worry about that! If I decide you¡¯re boring, you¡¯ll know it!¡± She spun on her heel and headed to the Sparrowhawk. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I need to finish up Sparrowhawk II, and we can get going!¡±

    I stood there for a moment, staring after her, feeling a mixture of exasperation, bafflement, and plain confusion.

    I¡­ guess everybody wants to come along on my jrpg adventure, then¡­ I shook my head slowly.

 51 Almost ready, but first, yet another surprise reveal. (Again?!)

    I¡­ guess everybody wants to come along on my jrpg adventure, then¡­ I shook my head slowly.

    It wasn¡¯t quite as quick as all that, of course. It took several more days of repairs and tinkering on Lakshmi¡¯s part before the Sparrowhawk II was ready for launch. I spent most of my time exploring the city with Eshaan, and in cooking explorations. It turned out that yes indeed, I could cook buff meals, as well as several other status effects. In theory I could also poison people, but that¡­ didn¡¯t really seem practical in the heat of battle, and outside of battle, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d get a chance to be cooking for anyone I wanted to suffer terrible cooking. It seemed a horrible perversion to me, honestly, to deliberately make food that was worse than normal!

    Eshaan and Daniyel picked up several interesting trinkets and objects, once Camaxtli approved our acquisition of them. I didn¡¯t much like it, but if the city guardian told me that no one would miss them¡­ was it really thievery? Maybe one could even consider it a kind of short term loan since the inhabitants of the city lived in such a suspended state of time, we might return the objects before they could ever miss them.

    And our funds were badly depleted after the little rescue expedition that they¡¯d staged on my behalf.

    So after quiet discussion with the others in the group, we decided to sell the trinkets at the place closest to our next destination.

    ¡°Yes, where are we going?¡± Lakshmi said querulously. ¡°We¡¯ve been wandering mostly absent so far. And we still need to go to Hecate and bring across Eideth. We promised her months ago that we¡¯d get her home!¡±

    ¡°Weeks.¡± Daniyel said calmly. ¡°It has been three weeks since we promised her.¡±

    Lakshmi huffed and crossed her arms. ¡°Well that¡¯s almost like a month! Which is like months! And besides we owe her!¡± She said defiantly.

    I had to nod. ¡°We do owe her.¡± I agreed. ¡°And honestly, I¡¯m fairly confident that there will be an Arcanum somewhere in Galgados, and most likely Hecate from what you and Eshaan have told me about it. But Soriya and I-¡° I looked over at Soriya and smiled gratefully. ¡°-have come up with what we think will tell us the shortest direction and distance to the nearest Arcanum.¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°So we¡¯ll perform that, and tell you.¡± She said.

    Camaxtli said ¡°I would request to observe this ritual. It is¡­ a key finding action?¡±

    Soriya smiled. ¡°We call the Keys Arcanum. Or the System does, which I guess means they call themselves Arcanum?¡±

    ¡°A curious choice of name, implying a secret or mystery to be uncovered¡­ or perhaps covered.¡± He placed his fingers on his chin thoughtfully, and I had a moment to think Spirits above he is just unfairly beautiful. How does a boy get to be that beautiful!?

    ¡°When can you perform this ritual?¡± He said.

    I glanced over at Soriya. She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it will take to set it up, we haven¡¯t even done the calculations for the combined elements.¡± She tapped her lips thoughtfully. ¡°Perhaps¡­ well this evening, after dinner, I think?¡± She looked at me questioningly.

    I nodded agreeably. ¡°Could we have some paper and writing implements please?¡± I asked Camaxtli.

    ¡°Of course.¡± He nodded. ¡°I wish to observe your calculations. Will this cause a problem?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°No, not at all. But we¡¯ll be a bit boring, I¡¯m afraid. It¡¯s all math and calculations with crystal resonance.¡±

    ¡°That does not trouble me. I am incapable of boredom. In addition, your description sounds intriguingly like what I would consider normal spellcasting.¡±

    My eyebrows shot up at that, and Soriya simply looked like a cat with a canary feather in her mouth. Now that¡¯s interesting¡­ what did she learn from that? I wondered.

    ¡°I will return with your supplies shortly.¡± Camaxtli turned away and walked out of the room.

    Lakshmi stroked her chin thoughtfully. ¡°I wonder why he doesn¡¯t just summon the paper out of thin air, like he does with his drones, or how he got the Sparrowhawk down here?¡±

    Eshaan grunted. ¡°Or presumably how he¡¯ll get us and the Sparrowhawk back to the surface!¡±

    Lakshmi blinked, then slapped her fist into her palm. ¡°you¡¯re right! I hadn¡¯t even thought about that! That¡¯s going to be fun!¡± She grinned.

    Daniyel said calmly ¡°We have already experienced that, however. I suspect that the elevator transit was similar. We moved far too little to experience the depth that we appear to be at. If we are even underground, or anywhere at all. If what Miss Soriya and Miss Lilyanna describe of their time in the Wake is accurate, we could be anywhere, or nowhere at all.¡±

    Soriya looked at Daniyel with her eyes raised. ¡°That was surprisingly philosophical of you, Daniyel!¡± She touched his bicep lightly. ¡°When did you have time to think about all this?!¡±

    Daniyel snorted lightly, a surprising display of emotion for him. ¡°I have had little to occupy my time aside from fetching tools for my ward.¡± He twitched a slight smile.

    Lakshmi pouted; her arms crossed. ¡°Well excuse me. You don¡¯t have to stay you know!¡±

    Daniyel sighed. ¡°We have discussed this. At length.¡± And was silent.

    Lakshmi glared at him, then looked away, lifting her nose in the air. ¡°Humph!¡± She snorted.

    Camaxtli returned with a ream of paper in his hands, as well as what looked to my eyes like a modern pen, a black pointed stick. For all I knew it was some hypertech ultradimensional ink container! Lakshmi stared in fascination as Camaxtli handed the paper and black stick to Soriya.

    ¡°Are you familiar with the use of this device?¡± He held out the stick.

    Soriya took it, and turned it over in her hands thoughtfully.

    Hm. No cap. Is it a pencil?

    Soriya suddenly held it out like a wand, and I could see a spiral of blue and purple mana flow into the ¡­ wand?

    Soriya smiled and applied the point to the paper, and marks that matched the color of her mana, purple and blue, appeared in looping swirls on the paper, trailing behind the point. Lakshmi¡¯s eyes grew huge watching the display.

    She held up the pen, smiling in satisfaction. ¡°I believe I have the general idea. What a clever concept.¡±

    Lakshmi rushed forward grabbing the pen from her. The swirl of purple and blue around the pen vanished as she did so.

    Daniyel¡¯s lips quirked. ¡°It would appear to be a good idea to have more of these devices.¡± He said to Camaxtli. ¡°Would you kindly procure more?¡±

    Camaxtli reached into a pocket of his clothing, and withdrew several more. ¡°I had anticipated this might occur.¡± He passed out a pen to each of us.

    Eshaan immediately took it and started drawing swirls with it. ¡°Woah, mine¡¯s all red and green!?¡±

    Camaxtli said ¡°The color of the markings the stylus creates  matches the individual¡¯s unique mana signature. This is occasionally helpful to prevent counterfeiting.¡±

    I made a few strokes with it curiously, then gave a resigned mental shrug. Well what else was I expecting. Pastel pink and yellow with silver threads.

    Lakshmi shook her pen angrily, and then focused on it. ¡°Why isn¡¯t this working?! It was working for Soriya!¡±

    Camaxtli frowned and took the pen from her, turning it over in his hands. He handed it back to her. ¡°The device is functional. You need only channel a small amount of mana into the stylus.¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s expression fell, and for a moment, I was sure she was going to throw the pen angrily against the wall. But then she swallowed calmly, and handed the pen back to Camaxtli. ¡°I see. This is of no use to me then.¡± She heaved a sigh and turned to leave.

    ¡°I do not understand.¡± Camaxtli said. ¡°Have you not been taught how to manipulate mana?¡±

    Lakshmi turned, and if the look in her eyes could kill, Camaxtli would be struck dead instantly. I flinched backwards from the fire in her glare.

    She swallowed, and said levelly, repressing what must be fury. ¡°I do not have mana to manipulate.¡±

    Camaxtli blinked, several times, and I could see the rapid swirl of light in his eyes before he finally said ¡°That¡­ is not possible.¡±

    Lakshmi laughed bitterly. ¡°Yes, well! Have you met us?!¡± She waved wildly around. ¡°That¡¯s our bread and butter! Or hers anyway!¡± She pointed at me. I flinched back. There was real anger in that. Does she think I¡¯m¡­ oh how foolish of me. Of course she¡¯s jealous. She hides it so well with the genki exterior¡­ oh Lakshmi, I¡¯m so sorry! I bit my lip, I owed her such an apology! Or¡­ well it¡¯s not my fault that I¡¯m the stupid saintess! But I should explain-

    ¡°No, I mean that is not possible.¡± Camaxtli interrupted my thoughts. ¡°If you were without mana, you would not be animate, let alone sapient.¡± He reached out and grabbed her hand, and there was a sudden brilliant flare of red-gold light and the smell of ozone. Lakshmi gave a startled shriek of pain. In a flash Daniyel was across the room and had knocked Camaxtli away from Lakshmi, Camaxtli sprawling backwards onto the floor. Daniyel¡¯s fists were surrounded by the glowing gauntlets of his fighting style, and his eyes promised instant death.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°You will refrain from touching the princess, or die.¡± He stated in a flat monotone.

    A moment later, Eshaan was there, his blade unsheathed, and his eyes just as serious and deadly.

    I rushed across the room to Lakshmi, the chant of a {Heal} already forming on my lips. She held her hand and stared at it as though she¡¯d never seen it before.

    ¡°Lakshmi! Are you ok!?¡± I said, the soft white-gold light of my {Heal} flowing over her.

    She shook her head slowly in a daze. ¡°No. I mean, yes. I mean¡­¡± she slowly uncurled her fingers, where the stylized mark of a phoenix glittered in her palm, a glowing corona of gold and crimson. As we watched, it slowly faded away, leaving her skin unmarked aside from the ever present roughness of callouses and oil stains.

    Lakshimi looked up at Camaxtli with her eyes wide and mouth open. ¡°What did you do?!¡± She finally got out. Followed hurriedly by ¡°Daniyel, it¡¯s ok! I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not hurt.¡± As it looked as though Daniyel was about to begin a righteous beatdown.

    Daniyel looked at her worriedly, his gauntlets burning on his hands. ¡°That is not the same as fine, princess!¡± Nevertheless, he grudgingly backed off, slowly lowering his hands, his gauntlets dissipating into the ether.

    Eshaan gave her a doubtful look, then another glare at Camaxtli. ¡°Yes, what did you do!? Why did you hurt her?!¡±

    Camaxtli frowned. ¡°It was not my intention to cause pain. Your mana vessels must have been clotted if you experienced¡­ I am sorry for any discomfort.¡± He slowly got to his feet, holding out his hands to either side in a ¡®peace¡¯ gesture. ¡°I merely forced a portion of my mana reserve into your mana vessels, which caused them to pulse briefly, and circulate. If the experience was painful for you, your mana must have been static for a considerable period of time. Can you describe the pain?¡± He tipped his head to the side as though inquiring after an interesting flower or stone.

    Lakshmi looked at him for the longest time, then hesitantly said ¡°It was¡­ it was like¡­ like when you accidentally stab yourself with a really sharp quill, only all over my body. Only not my skin but inside me. And then¡­¡± she flexed her hand again. ¡°And then my right arm went numb, and then hot. And then it was gone.¡±

    Camaxtli¡¯s eyes flickered as he thought, and then he said ¡°Your experience is comparable to medical accounts of blocked mana. Though the discomfort level was unusual.¡± He looked between Soriya and Lakshmi. ¡°Has medical treatment devolved to the point that this is an unknown technique?¡±

    Soriya nodded; her lips pursed. ¡°It seems that way. It¡¯s rare, but it happens. Occasionally a person just¡­ doesn¡¯t seem to have mana in them.¡±

    Camaxtli shook his head sharply in negation. ¡°That is not possible. As I stated, and Lakshmi¡¯s reaction proves, there is no such thing as a sapient being that has no mana. Even animating the constructs of Nocturnus requires artificial mana vessels to be created. Mana which is not circulating is substantially more difficult to detect, however.¡±

    He frowned more deeply. ¡°In point of fact, your vessel, the ¡°Sparrowhawk¡± you call it, has crude mana vessels, with the circulatory core in your ¡°engine¡± room.¡±

    He looked at Lakshmi as though he had never seen her before. ¡°How did you manipulate the charged flows of your vessel without the ability to touch mana?¡±

    Lakshmi pulled out one of the innumerable tools she constantly had about herself. ¡°Mana rigging.¡±

    The tool suddenly sparked and flickered wildly in her hands. Lakshmi bobbled the tool almost dropping it in surprise. ¡°Woah, what the heck is wrong with this thing?!¡± She exclaimed.

    ¡°Curious.¡± Camaxtli took a step towards Lakshmi, only for Daniyel to suddenly be between the two of them, an immovable wall.

    Camaxtli looked up at Daniyel and then took several slow deliberate steps backwards. ¡°Apologies.¡± He actually looked¡­ conflicted for a moment. ¡°My directive to understand and explain may have¡­¡± He paused then continued. ¡°Has. Has caused a difficultly.¡± He looked up at Lakshmi again. ¡°Your mana is in circulation. Tools which react to mana flows will react to the circulation. You must¡­ take care not to let your mana flow into the tools by accident. However, the stylus should now function properly for you.¡±

    He opened his mouth as though he was going to say more, then backed away. ¡°I suggest you speak with your mages; you may need some small training before you can handle your devices safely.¡±

    Lakshmi carefully hooked the mana rigger tool back onto her belt, and then took out the pen again. The tip was already starting to glow with mana. She made a hesitant stroke on the wall, and a brilliant plume of crimson and gold appeared. Her eyes widened, and I saw tears start to form in them.

    Her lower lip trembled slightly as she said ¡°I¡­ have mana? I can¡­ I can cast?!¡± in a soft quavering tone.

    I reached over and gave her a hug, shortly joined by Soriya. ¡°Congratulations, witch sister.¡± Soriya said softly.

    ¡°Apparently, you always could.¡± I added quietly.

    The soft sound of sobs and hot tears dripped down Lakshmi¡¯s cheeks, splashing on the floor below.

    She scrubbed at her cheeks in confusion. ¡°Oh how stupid! I¡¯m crying¡­ I¡¯m crying because I¡¯m happy¡­ what a stupid, stupid thing to do¡­ I thought that only happened in those maudlin plays mother loved.¡± Her laughter was broken with hiccupping sobs, but the smile on her face was brighter than the sun.

    Camaxtli commented ¡°I calculate these events have reduced the likelihood of the timely completion of your vessel by 48.8%.¡±

    Daniyel gave him a level gaze and Eshaan said ¡°Let her have her triumph. I bet she¡¯s had more years of lessons drilled into her head about magic and mana than I¡¯ve had years of hauling a net.¡±

    Camaxtli looked at Eshaan, and his eyes flickered in thought for a long moment, then he turned and left the room, silently returning to the hangar.

    Camaxtli was correct, our preparations did take a significant hit from Lakshmi¡¯s sudden discovery of her own mana. Despite Eshaan¡¯s doubtlessly correct statement about Lakshmi¡¯s training, her mana would occasionally flare and spark off her tools, or interact with them in strange ways. Camaxtli commented dryly that her apparent mana blockage had been of some surprising benefit to her when working around magitech tools, though he said it did explain what he had perceived as a ¡®myopia¡¯ to mana engineering.

    Well, I guess her designs are going to get even more intricate and crazy after this¡­ I thought wryly. Didn¡¯t realize that our engineer would need to upgrade her abilities. But then¡­ I didn¡¯t realize what I thought was true about mana was wrong. I bit my thumb in frustration. And all this means I haven¡¯t been able to find any time to talk with Lakshmi at all! I feel so¡­ so stupid for not realizing she was jealous! And I know how that jealousy plot works, I refuse to let¡­ ok, well to be fair that¡¯s actually a very reasonable emotion for Lakshmi to feel. Not stupid or petty at all. Would I be any better? An uncomfortable silence was my only answer to that question.

    Lakshmi covered reams of paper with her new pen, the shimmering crimson and gold very distinctive, and just as messy as expected, covering most of the work tables in the hangar and machine shops.

    Soriya and I took to a small room to work out our much more ordinary ritual calculations. Camaxtli stood quietly in the corner watching, as we covered sheets of paper with pastel pink and dark blue mathemagical calculations and patterns.

    When we finally took a break, leaning back and stretching our backs from where we knelt on the floor, he commented ¡°This does indeed look like the reference points I have for traditional spellcasting.¡±

    ¡°What, no comment on our overly inferior and degraded knowledge?¡± Soriya said waspishly.

    Camaxtli blinked slowly, then said ¡°I do not have strong mana manipulation abilities, as I was not created for spellcasting purposes, so I cannot evaluate or offer suggestions on this topic. I would judge your statement to be accurate, however, your group has repeatedly made it clear that my observations cross-referencing Nocturnus archives with modern knowledge is unwelcome.¡±

    ¡°Why do you keep doing it then?!¡± I said, and immediately felt guilty.

    Camaxtli was silent for a long moment, and then with a hesitation that was unusual for him, said ¡°I¡­ have been active¡­ alone¡­ for a very long time. My protocols¡­ were suitable, four thousand years ago. They no longer appear to be so. I am¡­ attempting¡­ to correct. Social friction is not desired.¡± His lips pressed together. ¡°And yet it continues to occur. I am¡­ defective in a way that was unanticipated. I am attempting repairs. They will take some time.¡±

    My eyebrows shot into my hairline, and I looked at Soriya in genuine surprise.

    ¡°Well, well.¡± Soriya commented with a slight croon. ¡°Someone really is capable of learning! Be careful you¡­¡± she trailed off, and a slight smirk appeared on her face. ¡°No, you know what, never mind that. Learning requires a few mistakes.¡±

    Camaxtli frowned. ¡°Your statement is illogical.¡±

    Soriya grinned. ¡°But true, nonetheless.¡±

    I was forced to nod in agreement. At least for humans it sure is.

    I cleared my throat. ¡°Ahm, well, with reference to our actual calculations, I would be surprised if it was as neat and tidy as the Imperial college, or something like that¡­ we¡¯re only seventeen.¡± I smiled wryly at Soriya. While it was technically true I was much older, and so was she, I was pretty sure that the only lessons I¡¯d ever had with mathemagical calculations were a few worn textbooks in mother¡¯s house, and a few more that I¡¯d borrowed from Soriya¡¯s house to read on a rainy day.

    I sat back and looked at the scrawled diagrams and circles in front of us then nodded. ¡°Well, we think this will work. No matter how inefficient it is.¡±

    Soriya grimaced. ¡°Which, honestly, is very. You have almost as much experience as I do.¡± She said to me.

    I shook my head. ¡°No that¡¯s not true! You¡¯re much smarter than me!¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°Ah yes, praise me more!¡±

    I tapped my lips and then said ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t think so. Your ego is already dangerously overlarge. And I don¡¯t want to have you explode before I get to drink more of your sparklewine.¡±

    Soriya laughed again, then lightly tapped me on the nose. ¡°You¡¯re going to turn into one of those drunk housewives if you keep that up.¡±

    I could feel the color flush my cheeks and ears from that. ¡°I refuse to admit that¡¯s even a possibility!¡± I crossed my arms and sniffed. ¡°As the designated Saintess of the Holy Church of the Crystal Dragon, clearly any wine that I might drink is exactly the right and proper amount!¡±

    Soriya grinned then sobered. ¡°What are we going to do about that, anyway?¡±

    The dash of cold reality was unwelcome. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m just taking lessons from Eshaan right now. Keep moving forward. We have our plan. We find the next Arcanum. We¡­¡± I looked at her. ¡°Do you want to bind an Arcanum? You¡¯re the keybearer too.¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve got a build I¡¯m working on. You started with the Arcanist class. You should finish.¡±

    I pressed my lips together at that. ¡°It¡¯s been more like chaos on my end. Random classes popping up just because I happened to express an interest!¡±

    Camaxtli spoke up. ¡°Is that normal?¡±

    I jerked, I¡¯d more than half forgotten he was there. I opened my mouth to answer, and then closed it slowly.

    Soriya spoke up for us. ¡°We don¡¯t know, actually. There are people who study Classes and the System. We didn¡¯t pay a lot of attention to that; we thought it would be very simple.¡± She smiled and spread her hands to encompass ¡®all of this¡¯. ¡°Our expectations have been diverted by reality.¡±

    ¡°Your earlier comments indicates that you foresaw many events with clarity. How is this compatible with this statement?¡±

    I tapped my lips with my fingers then finally said ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s like this. If you play chess against Eshaan, you¡¯re going to win. You already know that. It¡¯s basically a forgone conclusion, unless you deliberately chose to lose. But you don¡¯t know every individual move that will happen over the course of the game, right?¡±

    Camaxtli nodded. ¡°Ah, I see. A foresight of general trends but not specific data. Interesting.¡± He paused then said ¡°This strikes me as the logical outcome of that stated ability then. You know just enough to get yourself into trouble.¡±

    Soriya burst out laughing and I flushed pink with embarrassment. ¡°Well¡­ yes, I guess that¡¯s how it turns out, most of the time.¡± I muttered.

    ¡°So, about our ritual!¡± I pointedly changed the subject. ¡°I think we¡¯re about ready! We have the calculations done, and everything should be ready.¡±

    Soriya nodded and added. ¡°There¡¯s no way we could have cast this when we first¡­ when we left Breezewood for the first time.¡±

    I felt a slight swell of pride. It was true, my mana pool was much larger now. I took a moment to {Study} my status again, feeling a definite glow of accomplishment.

    {Name}: Lilyanna of Breezewood {Level}: 24

    {Classes}: Spiritist 10/Orator 6/Arcanist 6/Gourmet 2

    HP: 546 MP: 776 DEF: 96 M.DEF: 139

    Current Status: <Healthy>

    DEX: 96 INS: 139

    MIG: 96 WIL: 139

    MP 776. Another burst of growth, and I¡¯m so far beyond what I had¡­ and Soriya¡¯s must be just as big. No, bigger! She¡¯s been focusing her build more than I have! And we have so far to go too. I felt a stab of worry. I¡¯ve really stepped into it now. Save the world to escape the save the world quest. Good job, Lily. Way to beat that plot. I squeezed my fist tightly. And I think I can finally admit¡­ I¡¯m actually having fun.

    I looked up with determination and nodded to Soriya. ¡°Right! Let¡¯s do this!¡±

    Soriya and I strode into the room we¡¯d set up as the ritual chamber, having drawn the preliminary magic circles in and knelt down on the floor on either side of the circle.

 52 A direction, but not safe one.

    I looked up with determination and nodded to Soriya. ¡°Right! Let¡¯s do this!¡±

    Soriya and I headed into the room we¡¯d set up as the ritual chamber. We¡¯d already drawn the preliminary magic circles, so the it was relatively quick work to finish filling them in from our notes. Once we were done, we knelt down on the floor on either side of the circle.

    Camaxtli trailed along quietly behind us, his expression one of patient curiosity. Or perhaps he was just watching the trained monkeys dance, it was hard to tell sometimes.

    Soriya and I placed our palms on the circle, and started to funnel mana into the runes. I had some unpleasant flashbacks to the last time we¡¯d done this, so long ago in the Cavern of Trials. It was hard to realize that had only been three months ago, it seemed like forever ago!

    Magic in this world was very showy, I knew that from experience, and it seemed like rituals were even more showy than that. The circle flared with brilliant light, the mana spilling outwards, as it flowed around the lines of the circle and funneled into the runes. The purple black of Soriya¡¯s mana mingled and mixed with the pink gold of mine at the boundary halfway between us, and the individual runes began to shine with each half of the effect, mine a brilliant silver white, and Soriya¡¯s an inky blackness flickering with pinpricks of color.

    The two halves started to move, and then to rotate slowly around each other, forming into an intricate latticework, a filigree clockwork machine of mana and will.

    I could feel sweat on my brow as I focused, this was by far the hardest spell I¡¯d ever tried. Across from me, I could hear soft panting breath as Soriya pushed more of her mana into the runework.

    The filigree clockwork snapped into position, and I could feel the ¡®ping¡¯ that filled the air around me, hands on a clockface spinning, compass needles turning, and suddenly I knew the nearest location of the closest arcanum, glowing like a beacon in my head, 600 miles south south-east from us. A vision of an ancient stepped pyramid overgrown with jungle, a sense of overwhelming darkness and the smell of lush vegetation. And then something reached from the vision, a small hand like a child¡¯s and a petulant high voice.

    <Loud! Too loud! Too bright and angry! QUIET!>

    The delicate filigree of mana fractured into shards of light and dark that stabbed through us. I fell backwards, crying out in sudden shocked pain as razored shards of mana sliced into my flesh.

    I shook my head in a daze, trying to focus. What happened? What was that? Soriya! My thoughts snapped into clarity and I looked up to check on Soriya. Camaxtli was pulling her gently away from the shattered remains of the circle, her floppy hat discarded on the floor. Her head lolled to the side, and a slow trickle of blood-

    I leapt up, and immediately regretted it. ¡°Augh, OW!¡± I staggered forward, my lips already forming the {Heal} chant.

    Camaxtli looked up at me and his beautiful face creased in a puzzled frown. ¡°You must heal yourself first, it is illogical to attempt to heal another when you cannot even draw proper focus.¡±

    ¡°Soriya¡­¡± I gasped, my {Heal} chant dissolving before it could finish.

    Camaxtli looked down at her, then up at me. ¡°She will live. You must heal yourself first.¡±

    I gritted my teeth and began another {Heal} chant, staggering over to Soriya, and plopping my hand on her stomach, where a welling pool of red was ruining her dress.

    I dimly heard Camaxtli say ¡°Illogical, and then Soriya gasped loudly as the silver white light of my healing magic flowed through her, her wounds closing and her clothing cleaning itself.

    I sighed in relief and sat down hard, my vision fuzzing and turning grey.

    ¡°Idiot!¡± I heard Soriya¡¯s voice say, and then the taste of fruit and mana on my lips as Soriya forced a healing potion down my throat. The rapid loss of pain was a blessed relief, and I felt myself return to awareness. Soriya was on her hands and knees, looking intently into my eyes, her hat firmly perched on top of her head.

    ¡°I see you had time to put your hat on.¡± I said weakly, and essayed a smile.

    Soriya¡¯s expression was conflicted, but she settled on a wry smile. She said ¡°Well it was right there. And you have too many hit points anyway, if you can make jokes after a backlash like that.¡± Her face grew serious. ¡°You¡­ you need to take care of yourself. You¡¯re our team healer. We need you to stay up, or we all go down. So don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t keep rushing in like that.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    I sighed and smiled a little sadly. ¡°No promises. I see somebody in pain, and I just¡­¡±

    Soriya¡¯s expression grew grim. ¡°Lilyanna¡­ a healer¡¯s job is not easy. You have a kind heart, and that¡¯s to your credit, but being a healer comes with a terrible choice. If you heal someone else, and die because of it, then your team may very well go down. You¡¯ve got white magic for days, you¡¯re supposed to be the Saintess, for spirit¡¯s sake!. You can afford to heal yourself first and then bring the rest of us back.¡±

    I smiled weakly. ¡°What are you saying, I¡¯m the heroine, I can¡¯t die.¡± I laughed weakly, abruptly cut off as Soriya slapped me hard across the cheek.

    I gaped at her, lifting a hand to the growing red mark on my cheek, astonished to see tears in her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare! Don¡¯t you dare start treating this life like some kind of disposable game! Don¡¯t you remember!? Don¡¯t you know how that goes!? If the heroine dies its game over! Only this time you died, so there¡¯s nobody to press the new game button! So don¡¯t you dare do that to me! We started this stupid quest so you wouldn¡¯t have to sacrifice yourself, so the plot wouldn¡¯t make you die!¡± She half shouted half sobbed.

    I blinked, and lifted a hand to her, confused and a little scared. ¡°Soriya, what¡­¡±

    She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. ¡°Promise me! You have to promise me!¡±

    I frowned and gently took her hands off my shoulders, holding them in mine. ¡°Soriya¡­ what happened? Who¡­ who didn¡¯t take care of themselves?¡±

    She sank down into a small heap, her hat tipping over her face, and was silent. Just when I was about to say something, she finally spoke, in a quiet shattered voice.

    ¡°Me.¡± she said, in a broken voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ things¡­ I gave and I gave and I gave and it was all for my family, and every time¡­¡± She looked up at me, her eyes red with unshed tears. ¡°So don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t you dare tell me that it¡¯s fine to just¡­ give until there¡¯s no you left! Don¡¯t you tell me it¡¯s just a video game just because we both lucked into an extra life!¡±

    I sat there, feeling unbalanced and disoriented for a long moment before I took her hand in mine and squeezed it. ¡°Ok.¡± I said softly. ¡°Ok, I promise that I will¡­ I will value my own life more. Because it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s precious to my friends. And I don¡¯t like making my friends cry.¡±

    I stood up on wobbly legs, leaning on my staff for support, then reached down to help Soriya to her feet.

    ¡°So let¡¯s¡­ find out.¡± I said, letting Soriya compose herself. ¡°Because we need to let everyone know. I¡¯m not sure what is to the south, but that felt like an optional boss¡­ with a quest item that is most definitely not optional.¡± I muttered grimly.

    Soriya looked up at me, and shook my shoulder again. ¡°Stop it! You¡¯re doing it again! This is not a video game, this is our life! It¡¯s weird and strange and has a System but I don¡¯t see a new game screen or a controller anywhere!¡±

    I frowned but nodded. She was right, it was just¡­ so easy to treat this world as a video game, myself as a detached observer¡­ even given all the strange changes that I¡¯d had happen to me, it still felt¡­ half unreal. I squeezed my staff tightly, and nodded again. ¡°Right. Lets go find the others.¡±

    Camaxtli cleared his throat. ¡°If I may ask¡­ your reactions¡­¡±

    I flushed. Having such a heart to heart moment in front of a soulless automata, just great.

    ¡°Am I to infer¡­ you have lived a life¡­ before this one?¡±

    I chewed my lip, unsure what to say, glancing over at Soriya. She gave me a ¡°might as well¡± shrug and I sighed, then turned to explain our situation to Camaxtli, in an abbreviated form.

    When we had finished, Camaxtli was silent for a long time, his eyes flickering in rapid thought. he was quiet for such a long time that I¡¯d just about given up, and was about to start towards the hangar again in search of our companions.

    Camaxtli spoke, his voice wobbly and unsure. ¡°This is¡­ outside of expectations. I am¡­ I must accompany you¡­ I¡­¡± He stopped, and then said, in a voice that was lost and quiet. ¡°I must have instructions, and my creators are unreachable.¡± He looked at me, his eyes large and fragile. ¡°What do I do?¡± He said.

    I stared at him, and then smiled faintly. ¡°The best you can.¡± I held out a hand to him. ¡°It¡¯s what the rest of us do. You¡¯re welcome to come along on the trip. Maybe we can find your heart at the same time we find my brain.¡±

    Camaxtli tipped his head to the side, and then said ¡°Was that¡­ a metaphor?¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°It was a joke, Cammi. Get used to it, she makes them all the time.¡±

    ¡°Cammi¡­? My designation is-¡°

    ¡°No, enough of that!¡± Soriya pointed her finger at him. ¡°You¡¯re off to find your heart, and you¡¯ve joined a motley crew of fools on the journey! We¡¯re friends now, and friends give each other nicknames!¡±

    ¡°I¡­ see.¡± Said Camaxtli. ¡°I suppose I shall be in your care then.¡± He trailed after us, his eyes still flickering with intense thought.

    We limped into the room we were using as a common dining hall, Eshaan immediately rushed over to me.

    ¡°What happened?! Are you ok!? You look terrible, did something happen?! Did he do something to you!?¡± He glared at Camaxtli fiercely, and reached for his sword.

    I patted him hurriedly, and shook my head. ¡°Eshaan, Eshaan. Peace! I¡¯m fine, we¡¯re fine, it¡¯s ok! Things went weird, but Camaxtli is not at fault! Please do not go all¡­¡± I bit off ¡°boy¡± since that¡¯s clearly what Eshaan was doing.

    And can you blame him, you officially recognized him as your boyfriend, so of course he¡¯s defensive and¡­ and very hero-y.

    I sat down at the table, and poured myself and Soriya a cup of fruit juice. ¡°Eshaan, please go bring Lakshmi and Daniyel in. We¡¯ve got some things to discuss.¡± I rubbed my temples.

 53 Sparrowhawk II, Launch ok!

    I sat down at the table, and poured myself and Soriya a cup of fruit juice. ¡°Eshaan, please go bring Lakshmi and Daniyel in. We¡¯ve got some things to discuss.¡± I rubbed my temples.

    Eshaan looked at me with concern, and frowned. ¡°We need to discuss you pushing yourself like this when it¡¯s over.¡± He said seriously, and left.

    Soriya laughed lightly, and I glowered at her.

    ¡°See?¡± She said. ¡°Even Eshaan agrees with me!¡±

    I rolled my eyes at her, and opened my mouth to reply, but closed it without saying anything. She¡¯s right. This is what a healer princess does, and it never ends well for her. I¡­ this part of me really is at risk of self-sacrifice. How do I rein her in?! Do I¡­ no, I have to.

    My thoughts were interrupted by the return of Eshaan, Daniyel and Lakshmi.

    Lakshmi immediately rushed over. ¡°What was that?! I felt a strange¡­ was that magic?! Was that what a ritual feels like?!¡±

    I blinked at her in surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve never¡­?¡±

    Her eyes were sparkling with pleasure. ¡°No, never!¡±

    Huh. Now where does this fit into the story¡­? I scratched my cheek in puzzled thought.

    ¡°Well, actually¡­¡± I trailed off and then sighed. ¡°Ok, so. I have¡­ encountered a hole.¡±

    Daniyel frowned, and Lakshmi said ¡°What¡¯s that? Some magic thing?¡±

    Soriya cleared her throat and joined the discussion. ¡°Our ritual was successful. We found the closest location of an Arcanum. One of the Locks to the System. About 2 days journey to the southeast. But then something happened. Something very unexpected.¡±

    Daniyel¡¯s brows slowly lowered. ¡°Unexpected¡­ for a Seer?¡±

    I spread my hands and nodded. ¡°There are precedents, but it was definitely an unexpected event. Some¡­ thing? One? Took umbrage at our spell. Said it was ¡®too loud¡¯, and then it¡­¡±

    ¡°It exploded.¡± Soriya said bluntly.

    I winced at the crude expression, and equally at the look of horror on Eshaan¡¯s face. Way to reassure my boyfriend, Soriya¡­ oh that cunning little witch, this is all to make sure he¡­ sugarwater, how long has she been¡­ ?! Like a picture of a vase becoming two faces, I suddenly realized Soriya had been doing just this kind of manipulation all along! I was a little put out, but even more¡­ I felt an odd sort of warmth inside, realizing that she really really did care about me!

    Maybe even enough to mother me. I frowned, thinking of mother¡¯s own manipulations to keep me safe.

    ¡°Turned inside out and exploded, all the way¡± Soriya cheerfully continued.

    Daniyel uncrossed his arms and leaned forward. ¡°That is¡­ concerning. A powerful force, disrupting the ritual from a great distance, that does not wish us to move forward. And an object that we have decided we must retrieve.¡±

    I raised my hand to interrupt. ¡°Well, yes, you¡¯re not wrong. And¡­ I¡­ I think maybe we should go to Hecate. We owe Eideth, she¡¯s been very patient with us, and I think she¡¯d like to see the new airship.¡±

    I sighed and pressed my lips together then nodded to myself, and added reluctantly ¡°And I think maybe¡­ we should not go after the Arcanum just yet. It has the feel of¡­ of something that we¡¯re not yet ready to face.¡±

    Soriya snorted. ¡°If we ever face it. You know as well as I do, that felt like an end game boss. Or worse, an optional boss!¡±

    I twisted around to look at her. ¡°An optional boss guarding a key item? You know that¡¯s not how it works.¡±

    Soriya scowled at me. ¡°How do you know it¡¯s a key item?! Maybe you don¡¯t have to get all the Arcanum, are you trying for a hundred percent run?¡±

    Eshaan, Daniyel, and Lakshmi exchanged glances. ¡°Is this¡­ normal?¡± Lakshmi said hesitantly.

    Eshaan smiled a crooked grin, and Daniyel shrugged impassively.

    ¡°I have found it to be so.¡± Daniyel said gravely. ¡°We must attribute it to the vagaries of the Seer¡¯s visions.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Camaxtli broke in. ¡°Where is this ¡®Hecate¡¯ you spoke of? Come to that, do we know what lies to the south of us?¡±

    Lakshmi perked up. ¡°Oh! Yes, of course! You¡¯re 4000 years out of date! Well, my geography lessons say that to the south is the jungle nation of Nanwe. I know! Let me get you a map!¡± She dashed out of the room.

    Camaxtli shook his head slowly. ¡°Nanwe. This is not a name I am familiar with.¡±

    Daniyel shrugged again. ¡°While our seers think it strange that the languages have not shifted greatly, the nations have ever been in flux. Nanwe is one such.¡±

    Lakshmi dashed back in, holding up a roll of brightly colored paper. She unfurled it on the table, revealing a colored map of the continents. Daniyel, Eshaan, and Camaxtli leaned over to examine it curiously.

    ¡°Wow, this is a really nice map!¡± Eshaan muttered. ¡°Reminds me of the one in the Commander¡¯s office.¡±

    Daniyel raised a single eyebrow. ¡°That is no surprise, given the province of this item.¡±

    Eshaan blinked and then his eyes widened. ¡°Oh! Right, of course!¡± He rubbed at the back of his head awkwardly.

    Lakshmi pointed to the map, at a deep green peninsula on the southeast edge of the map, clearly marked ¡®Nanwe Jungle¡¯.

    ¡°Here!¡± She said. ¡°We¡¯re really far from home. The empire has never reached this far, not even in the old days. And we must be somewhere around here.¡± She slid her finger upwards to where the map turned to a golden tan color, a deeper tan color in the center marked ¡®Sand Sea.¡¯

    Daniyel nodded. ¡°This is also not within the Empire¡¯s borders. Though they wish to make the effort, to be sure.¡±

    Lakshmi glanced at him curiously. ¡°What do you mean? The Empire wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to start a war over sand and dust.¡±

    Daniyel shook his head. ¡°Sand and dust, maybe, but the Church makes claims on souls. And the desert wastes hold a great many souls.¡±

    Lakshmi scowled, and crossed her arms. ¡°Father would never agree to something so stupid!¡±

    Soriya said quietly ¡°Not even if the church¡¯s holy Saintess was kidnapped?¡±

    I blinked and shook my head in disbelief. ¡°Oh come on! A war plot?! Of all things?!¡±

    Soriya shrugged gracefully. ¡°Why not? So far, we¡¯ve had-¡±

    She ticked off the points one by one on her fingers.

    ¡°-a political intrigue plot, a runaway princess, a heroic thief ex-solider, a corrupt war mad general, a church obsessed with ancient secrets¡­ if this was poker, we¡¯d have a Royal Flush.¡±

    Eshaan frowned again, then said ¡°But why is the church so obsessed with the ancients?! What do the ancients have to do with religion?! And do you really think they¡¯d start a war?!¡±

    Camaxtli slowly raised his head. ¡°I believe I may provide an answer to the first question. The origin of the Alliance Goddess¡­ a ¡®god¡¯ is typically worshiped by a ¡®church¡¯ of some kind, is it not?¡±

    The room descended into silence as the others stared at each other. Soriya¡¯s eyes met mine. We turned and nodded in unison.

    ¡°Yes.¡± We said, in chorus.

    ¡°Then it follows logically that this church is the descendants of the Alliance, and its goddess. This gives them sufficient reason to hunt artifacts.¡±

    Lakshmi spoke up. ¡°But they¡¯ve only recently really started doing that!¡± She stopped, and in a voice of dawning horror added. ¡°And¡­ and they¡¯re using my father to do it!¡±

    Camaxtli¡¯s eyes flickered with thought, then he said. ¡°If they have truly only recently started this action, then there must be some reason. Perhaps they have lost access to the System, or perhaps they see the existence of Keyholders as a threat to their power.¡± Camaxtli¡¯s eyes flickered again, and then he added. ¡°A most intriguing proposition, if true. It implies that the Keybearers were not summoned by the church, despite being critical System infrastructure.¡±

    I said hesitantly ¡°I think¡­ it might be the ¡®Keybearers¡¯ one. Eshaan? You said that you¡¯d seen the wanted poster with the vague description of me on it before. How long ago did that show up?¡±

    ¡°About a year ago, I think.¡± Eshaan replied.

    ¡°Lakshimi, how long ago did the Church start pressuring your father to start digging up those artifacts?¡±

    ¡°Lets see¡­¡± Lakshmi thought back, mumbling under her breath. Finally she said ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know, exactly, but I think it was before I was born.¡±

    I blinked in surprise. ¡°Oh. Huh. That¡¯s-¡±

    ¡°-perfectly in keeping.¡± Soriya said, unexpectedly.

    I spun to stare at her. ¡°Eeeh?¡± I stammered at her.

    Soriya laughed at my expression. ¡°Whatever it was, whatever brought us to this world, that¡¯s roughly when we arrived. That¡¯s when¡­ well, I¡¯m betting that either the day of, or the day just before our birthday, the church did something that¡­ well, I think maybe the System called in some troubleshooters.¡±

    Eshaan huffed angrily in frustration, waving his arms. ¡°Less Seer talk! More sense, please! I¡¯m begging you!¡±

    It does make sense though. I thought. If I was just¡­ asleep¡­ while Lily grew up¡­ no, if we were just asleep! Soriya is a Keybearer too!

    Soriya said in a tone of patient explanation. ¡°Eshaan, we think this means the church did¡­ something¡­ to the System. When that happened, the System brought helpers.¡±

    ¡°The System?! But¡­ but that¡¯s impossible! We would have noticed! The whole world would have noticed!¡± Eshaan protested. ¡°And I thought the church only started really doing things when that shadow Lily showed up!?¡±

    Daniyel shook his head. ¡°Not if the attempt was thwarted. Or failed.¡± He turned to me. ¡°Miss Lilyanna, we could inquire of Miss Holly.¡± He turned to Soriya. ¡°Or perhaps we could ask your family?¡±

    I choked up, and Soriya¡¯s eyes grew dark.

    ¡°I¡­ we¡­¡± I licked my lips.

    Soriya spoke up, her voice quiet. ¡°We¡¯re foundlings, Daniyel. We don¡¯t know our parents or where we came from. We both showed up on doorsteps of our village the same day.¡±

    I slowly turned to Soriya, my eyes getting wide. ¡°Or¡­ or did we?!¡±

    Soriya frowned in confusion. ¡°What do you mean-? Oh! Oh my goodness!¡± She clapped her hands over her mouth.

    ¡°Holly!¡± Both of us said in unison.

    ¡°You think the whole village kept a secret for eighteen years!?¡± I blurted out.

    ¡°How hard could it be?!¡± Said Soriya. ¡°Your mother is an adventurer, and the village is very tightly knit!¡±

    My own head spun in sympathy. This was¡­ a lot to take in!

    Eshaan shook his head in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m really not sure what¡¯s going on¡­ weren¡¯t we trying to figure out where we¡¯re going?!¡±

    Camaxtli turned to him. ¡°Your friends appear to have pieced several separate pieces of information together into a new conclusion. I am unsure if this will result in a different outcome.¡±

    Daniyel shook his head. ¡°If the empire is going to be pushed into a war with the desert kingdoms, then the border of Kushistan will be where the first battles will occur.¡±

    Lakshmi grimaced. ¡°So¡­ our choices are southeast, where something scared our omnipotent seers silly, or northwest to Galgados, where you seem to think my father has lost his fucking mind and gone to war as some sort of favor for the pope?!.¡±

    Our group traded glances with each other.

    Hesitantly, I said ¡°You know, when she puts it like that, it does seem rather unlikely¡­ and we really do owe it to Eideth to get her home.¡± I trailed off.

    Soriya snorted and shrugged, then turned to Lakshmi. ¡°The Sparrowhawk is faster, better armed, and armored now, right? Do you think you can outrun an imperial battleship?¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    The smile that slowly spread across Lakshmi¡¯s face was positively feral. ¡°Oh¡­ yeah.¡± She crooned. ¡°I¡¯ll need to make a few more adjustments, but¡­ yeah. Eshaan, come with me! You¡¯re good at calibrating the mana baffles, and I need help with that, since I keep¡­ things keep exploding when I touch them now!¡±

    Daniyel gave us a grave and silent bow, and then followed Lakshmi, Eshaan trailing after them. I felt an unreasonable stab of jealousy watching them walk off. Eshaan really was very good with the tech¡­ or at least, he and Lakshmi shared a genuine love of the Ancient¡¯s technology and their workings. And speaking of which, a stray thought that had been bothering me finally landed home. I turned to Soriya, and pointed at finger at her.

    ¡°Did you¡­ did the {Loremaster} class put all this together for you?!¡± I said accusingly.

    Soriya grinned. ¡°Not the class itself, but {Focused}, and {Flash of Insight}, and all the research, reading, and investigation I¡¯ve done. You know, plus the adventure we¡¯re on. Clues tend to just pop up.¡±

    I shook my head in bafflement. ¡®Just popped up.¡¯ She said it so casually, as though it was a trivial thing! Clearly, I had been underestimating the System. If it was the System, and not¡­ just how smart was Soriya?!

    For that matter, how smart was Lakshmi? She didn¡¯t make the kind of logical leaps that Soriya did, but¡­ well, I¡¯ll be darned if I could understand her when she talked magical engineering!

    I shook my head. ¡°So, do you really think that the church will force the empire to start a war?¡±

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°It seems likely.¡±

    ¡°Lakshmi didn¡¯t seem to agree. You¡¯d think she¡¯d know her father better.¡±

    Soriya flipped her hand from side to side. ¡°It¡¯s actually an interesting theoretical exercise. Have we altered the course of the story enough that things will start slipping out of their groove? Or will the grooves pull them back in? It was¡­ unexpected, that it was Lakshmi who organized the rescue and pushed us forward. But then the gravity of the storylines pulled us back in.¡±

    I tapped my lips thoughtfully. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s related to the System as well?¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°It might be. It doesn¡¯t seem like it was an intended result though.¡±

    Camaxtli spoke up, startling me. He¡¯s so quiet when he¡¯s just listening!

    ¡°You speak of ¡®storylines¡¯ and ¡®grooves¡¯. Are you indicating that people are forced to take action by the System? My understanding is that the System was merely to provide supplementary assistance, to act as a skill bank and repository of learning.¡±

    I blinked in surprise. ¡°That¡­ actually makes sense, I think?¡±

    Camaxtli shrugged blankly. ¡°I cannot speak to that. My creators did not believe it would be useful or helpful. Indeed, their predictions were that it would fail sometime after 5000 years, due to a loss of understanding of the fundamentals that underlay the skill assistance.¡±

    ¡°Hm. That¡¯s troubling.¡± Soriya said.

    I sighed. ¡°Is it really so bad?¡± I pleaded. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s exciting to be able to cast healing spells. It¡¯s pretty cool to summon the Arcanum.¡±

    Camaxtli shrugged again. ¡°Those actions could be taken without the System. Indeed, you cast a ritual with your companion, that displays an understanding of magical theory that is deeper than rote. But have you ever received formal training? Do you understand what you¡¯re doing?¡±

    I frowned. I didn¡¯t, really. It just¡­ came to me. When I bothered to look, or ask. And how often would someone look or ask?

    ¡°A library of real world skills that anyone can access.¡± Soriya mused. ¡°But how many people are going to study it?¡±

    I perked up. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re a {Loremaster}! Doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re like¡­ a librarian? You could ask anything you wanted to know!¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°I could, yes. But how would I even know what questions to ask? We didn¡¯t know the Wake was real until I¡¯d traveled there. We didn¡¯t know the Arcanum were part of the System until it was forced from them. You can¡¯t answer questions you don¡¯t know to ask. I¡¯m starting to understand why Nocturnus¡¯s inhabitants decided to just¡­ check out for a few thousand years.¡±

    I stomped my foot in frustration. ¡°Well I don¡¯t! If they could see it coming, then why didn¡¯t they try to stop it!¡±

    ¡°It was judged that a war was the only way to prevent that outcome, and the outcome of the war itself was uncertain. When Nocturnus began the Jubilee, there were indications that such a war was fought.¡±

    A memory flickered in my mind, Eshaan telling me that the Sylvan were not well liked, considered ¡®heretical¡¯ by the church.

    I shrugged. Well, what can it hurt. ¡°Soriya, would you try to ask your {Loremaster} skills if the Sylvan fought against the activation of the System?¡±

    Soriya blinked. ¡°I¡­ suppose I can try?¡± She frowned in concentration, staring into space for a moment. ¡°Oh that¡¯s so strange¡­¡± she said softly.

    ¡°What is it? What do you see?¡±

    ¡°See? Well nothing, really, but it¡¯s like¡­ a hazy kind of¡­ like I can see a way to learn the information, hints that indicate it¡¯s likely true, directions to research¡­ but it¡¯s not clear cut, not a direct and simple answer, or facts that indicate it.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°What a useless design! Who would make a library that gives you skills but not knowledge?!¡±

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what broke?¡± I guessed.

    ¡°No, that doesn¡¯t seem right. But if the Sylvan fought the System, they didn¡¯t do a very good job of it.¡±

    I spread my hands. ¡°Well now we know why the storyline wants us to visit the Sylvan, at least. Lost knowledge and ancient information. Possibly semi religious.¡± I twitched a grin. ¡°And I admit, a tour of our game world wouldn¡¯t feel complete without meeting every race at least once.¡±

    Soriya smiled, then lightly swatted my shoulder. ¡°Remember what you promised me. Don¡¯t go treating this as a game world, just because its got plot groove and a System!¡±

    I nodded sheepishly. ¡°Right, right. Can¡¯t exactly log out, now can we?¡±

    ¡°Who would want to?!¡± Soriya waved her arms energetically.

    I smiled a little sadly. ¡°Well. You know. It might have been nice to say goodbye.¡±

    Soriya reached out and hugged me, and after a moment I returned it. It wasn¡¯t quite the same¡­ and every mystery we solved; it seemed like four more popped up. What a perfect jrpg kudzu plot. I thought wryly.

    With the new potential of an actual battle for the Sparrowhawk, Lakshmi¡¯s refits were setback a few days. Or possibly it was because with her newly functional mana vessels, she had a tendency to make things explode. Daniyel confided to me that the explosions were actually fairly normal.

    ¡°Nonetheless, she is the happiest I have seen in her a very long time.¡± Daniyel turned to stare at Lakshmi as she fiddled with something deep inside an open access hatch. ¡°That was worth the trip, I feel.¡±

    I smiled, then winced as another explosion echoed through the hangar. Lakshmi popped out, her hair smoking faintly. ¡°Lily? What are you doing here?¡± She looked confused, then shook her head. ¡°Never mind, you¡¯re just in time, come here, come come!¡± She rushed over and grabbed my hands. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to test something!¡± She pulled me into the Sparrowhawk¡¯s cabin, where I found several passenger seats had been added to the design, and the color scheme was decidedly Nocturnus influenced, with cool blues, greys, and black fabric and material. Lakshmi pulled me over to a strange looking chair, half science experiment and half tortuture device. She then pushed me into it.

    ¡°Uh, Lakshmi!¡± I said, alarmed as I started to stand up.

    ¡°No, no! Stay there! Sit, sit! Now!¡± She grabbed a metal helmet with wires sticking out of it and plonked it onto my head. ¡°Focus your mana flow! Grab the handles at the edge here.¡± She guided my hands to blue crystal grips on the chair. When I touched them, I immediately felt the strangest sensation, like I¡¯d been plugged into an active circuit, a void that wanted to pull my mana out of me, and push new mana in!

    I immediately let go of the grips, shaking my hands in discomfort. ¡°What the honeysuckle is this?! That felt¡­ weird!¡±

    Lakshmi pulled the helmet off my head so she could see my eyes again. ¡°Are you ok? It hurt? That¡¯s odd, it shouldn¡¯t hurt!¡±

    ¡°Well no, it didn¡¯t hurt-¡±

    ¡°Oh, good! In that case-!¡± Lakshmi slapped the helmet down on my head again. ¡°Let¡¯s do a test run!¡±

    ¡°Lakshmi, stop!¡± I shouted at her. ¡°What is this torture device even supposed to do?!¡±

    Lakshmi paused in her headlong rush. ¡°It¡¯s not a torture device!¡± She said huffily. ¡°It¡¯s a mana focus device! You push a spell into the flow, and it¡¯s guided into the Sparrowhawk!¡±

    ¡°Are you¡­ so¡­ so I can cast spells¡­ on the Sparrowhawk?¡±

    She nodded eagerly. ¡°That¡¯s the theory! I got the idea from when you summoned Tower to shield us! This should be much more stable!¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­ ok¡­¡± I reached out to gingerly grab the grips again, feeling that strange ¡®empty pulling¡¯ sensation from before. This time I let my mana join the flow, softly chanting a {Barrier} spell as though I was casting it on another person. Outside the hull, a flickering burst of silver white light snapped into existence. Lakshimi whooped in excitement and danced around, waving her multitool. ¡°Yes! It works! It works it works it works!¡±

    I let the spell drop. It was exhausting to cast a {Barrier} like that, easily double the cost of shielding a large group¡­ but the excitement on Lakshmi¡¯s face was infectious.

    Maybe its ok? Maybe I don¡¯t need to¡­ I quashed that feeling, the desire to flee from conflict, or avoid any disharmony. Come on, Lily. You know how this works out if you just let the plot flow. Not well.

    I cleared my throat and released the spell grips. ¡°Um, Lakshmi, to tell you the truth, I wanted to talk to you about something.¡±

    Lakshmi looked at me, her smile shifting into a puzzled frown. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    I smiled awkwardly up at her. ¡°Are you¡­ mad at me? Because the church is pushing the Saintess title on me?¡±

    There was a flicker of pain in her eyes, then she shook her head. ¡°No, of course not! Don¡¯t be stupid, that¡¯s not¡­¡±

    I reached out and grabbed her hands in mine, looking up into her eyes.

    ¡°Lakshmi. Please. I don¡¯t want to have something between us. We¡¯re friends. Crewmates. Right?¡± I pleaded with her.

    Her fragile smile fell away, and she looked away from my gaze. ¡°I hate it when you do that.¡± She muttered. ¡°All¡­ earnest and¡­¡± She looked back at me, her lips pressed together. ¡°Sometimes¡­ just occasionally, I really hate you. You¡¯re like a better me, somehow. Magical, special, right from the get go¡­ you¡¯ve even got the rare pink hair boys like.¡±

    I blinked in surprise, feeling the knowledge of that fact blossom inside me. It¡¯s true, boys in this world are supposed to prefer pink.

    ¡°But that¡¯s stupid, and it doesn¡¯t matter!¡±

    I frowned at her. ¡°Lakshmi¡­ if you¡¯re angry about it, it does matter!¡± I said earnestly.

    ¡°It¡¯s stupid!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s not logical!¡±

    I laughed softly. ¡°Who ever said emotions were logical, Lakshmi?¡±

    Lakshmi shook her head, fiddling idly with her multitool. Finally, I said ¡°I won¡¯t press about this. But how about if I talked around it?¡± I sat up and cleared my throat. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡±

    I stopped. It wasn¡¯t true that I wasn¡¯t special. I was clearly very special. In a whole lot of stupid predestined ways! In point of fact, most of my struggle was to stop being so special!

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be special. But that¡¯s not going to make it any better. So let me put it another way. You¡¯re special. Right now. You can do things that bend my mind. You put this wonder together. But all your life you¡¯ve been told you need to be special in a different way.¡±

    I could see tears threatening in Lakshmi¡¯s eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about this!¡± She stalked away from me, and I leapt up to grab her hand. She whirled on me, her multitool raised a microsecond from hitting me. I let go of her hand and backed off slowly.

    ¡°Ok. It¡¯s ok, you don¡¯t have to talk about this. Lets talk about something else! Lets talk about the Sparrowhawk?¡±

    Lakshmi blinked away tears, her face still clearly confused and struggling with hurt.

    ¡°Has Camaxtli been able to give you any help? Any cool exotic super materials he¡¯s given you?¡±

    Lakshmi frowned even more, and nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah¡­ the¡­ the crystal grip things.¡± She pointed to the chair. ¡°They¡¯re some kind of mana conductive material. Kind of like glass, only not. A bit like the Ancient¡¯s mana regulators in their golems.¡±

    ¡°I guess they sort of are the Ancients¡­ just a different faction.¡± She said slowly.

    ¡°It¡¯s a really cool idea, Lakshmi. Have you tried it yourself?¡±

    Lakshmi pressed her lips together. ¡°Why would I do that, I can¡¯t cast spells! I thought we weren¡¯t going to discuss this!¡±

    I held up my hands. ¡°We¡¯re not, honest! We¡¯re not! I¡¯m just asking about a cool project.¡±

    ¡°Well I can¡¯t, so no!¡±

    ¡°How did you install it without touching it?¡±

    Lakshmi got an expression on her face that I knew all too well. The ¡®you must be dumber than anyone has ever been before¡¯ look.

    ¡°Well of course I had to touch it to install it, duh! Wore gloves the whole time, so the stupid things would stop exploding on me!¡±

    ¡°So they didn¡¯t explode when you used gloves?¡±

    Lakshmi scrunched up her face. ¡°Well¡­ they exploded less?¡± She said wryly.

    I laughed, and after a moment Lakshmi joined me.

    ¡°I guess that makes sense. Less contact with the mana field, less explosive results.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess so.¡± Lakshmi rubbed her head ruefully. ¡°I¡¯ve never had to worry about things like this before.¡±

    ¡°I guess it makes sense.¡± I said thoughtfully. ¡°How could you have made all these amazing machines if you couldn¡¯t use magic?¡±

    Lakshmi scowled again. ¡°What do you mean?! I can¡¯t use magic!¡± She shouted, then paused. A moment later she added in quieter voice. ¡°Couldn¡¯t. Couldn¡¯t use magic. But that¡¯s not magic, that¡¯s technology!¡±

    I blinked slowly, and tipped my head to the side in confusion. ¡°Lakshmi¡­ you are using magic to animate technology. You can feel magic and mana when you put your hands on it. You felt it in the Tol Jaegren dig site!¡±

    ¡°Anyone can do that!¡± Lakshmi waved her hands.

    I hesitated for a bit, then went on. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re right. If you were, the {Tinker} class would have a much wider spread.¡±

    ¡°Anyone can use a magical tool!¡± Lakshmi glared at me. ¡°You could use a magic tool, and your head is emptier than Eshaan¡¯s!¡± She yelled.

    I winced. That stung. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fair.¡± I said, feeling it wasn¡¯t very fair at all. ¡°I¡¯m just a backwoods village yokel. But that¡¯s my point. This¡­ all of this!¡± I waved my hand to encompass the Sparrowhawk and everything else. ¡°Is amazing to me. And it sure looks like magic to me. You use mana conduits and glass crystals and fiber flow regulators¡­ and I use paint on the ground. But we both have to shove mana into the things to make them go. I think you¡¯re every bit as amazing as anything Soriya and I could come up with.¡±

    I pointed at her multitool. ¡°You just use those, instead of a staff. And your spells are a lot more durable than mine.¡± I giggled. ¡°Hell Lakshmi, we¡¯re going to fly in your spellcraft! That¡¯s¡­ amazing! Even Soriya can¡¯t fly!¡±

    Lakshmi jerked in surprise. ¡°She can¡¯t? Don¡¯t witches¡­ fly on brooms or something?¡±

    I smiled at her. ¡°I don¡¯t think Soriya could build a flying machine, broom or otherwise.¡± I paused, and then continued. ¡°I know you¡¯ve got a voice in your head that tells you you¡¯re not doing it right. That voice is wrong, because how else could you possibly do it? You¡¯re Lakshmi Maung. Not that imaginary someone else.¡± I patted the spell chair. ¡°You just figured out how to cast white magic on a machine.¡± I frowned, and reached out to take her hand. ¡°And you came to rescue me. You did that. When I was sure that I was being pulled into a story undertow, you got me out. So please don¡¯t sell my friend short, Lakshmi.¡± I squeezed her hand. ¡°She¡¯s amazing.¡±

    I gave her a last smile and turned to go.

    As I reached the hatchway, Lakshmi said ¡°Lilyanna?¡±

    I turned back. Lakshmi¡¯s eyes were dry, but they sparkled suspiciously. ¡°Thanks.¡± She said, then turned away and started adjusting something with the spell chair.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± I said, and left.

    There. I hope that stop a potential betrayal plot. Though there¡¯s always the risk of the self-doubt ploy. I shook my head and hugged myself. God, Deacon is a complete meadowlark to do that to such a sweet girl. I bit my lip again. I¡¯m not that impressed with her family either.

    A day later, Lakshmi finally announced that she was ready. Camaxtli had directed us to various storerooms and stockpiles of material, and all our equipment had received at least some improvements. Eshaan had a guilty look about him. I took a moment to explain that it was sweet he wanted to keep the sword I¡¯d bought him in Farna, if he had the opportunity to get better equipment, he should take it.

    I¡¯d gotten some very nice gear, a white crystal staff with intricate silver inlay like a circuit pattern, and I spent some time geeking out about it. When I¡¯d warmed him up, Eshaan finally showed me the sword that Camaxtli had given him. A beautiful midnight black sweep of crystal inlaid with a circuit pattern that focused his mana like the pen that Camaxtli had demonstrated for us. The swirling color of blue and red around the blade was something Eshaan had called an ¡®Aura.¡¯ Apparently, he¡¯d only seen some extremely skilled blade artists use it in the military.

    I smiled in pleasure. Then I hope we¡¯ll have a nice surprise for our enemies when we meet them. And I¡¯ll have to hope that Soriya is wrong about that war plotline.

    The next morning, we gathered in the hangar to board Sparrowhawk II. When we were ready, Camaxtli transmitted some sort of request or pass phrase to Nocturnus, and there was a blink of black and silver out the cockpit windows, and then the glaring bright light of the desert all around us, the rippling waves of the sand sea sloshing gently away from the Sparrowhawk¡¯s hull. I could hear the soft hum of elemental crystals kick on, and Soriya suddenly laughed.

    ¡°Oh my! Our girl¡¯s invented air conditioning!¡±

    Daniyel frowned at her. ¡°It is a well known invention; we are not savages.¡±

    Soriya grinned at him. ¡°Oh really? How many troop transports or shuttle ships have comfortable seats and air conditioning?¡±

    Daniyel smiled slowly. ¡°One, that I¡¯m aware of.¡± He gestured to the cabin with a hand.

    ¡°Hey, settle down! Everybody buckle up! I¡¯m gonna light up the engines!¡± Lakshmi shouted over her shoulder to us.

    A quick check ensured that we had in fact gotten our seat belts on. It was kind of refreshing, actually¡­ I had a flashback to the rather unfortunate ride that I¡¯d taken in the Pelican, before it¡¯s rather untimely demise.

    The thrum of mana flowing through the hull of the Sparrowhawk II was entirely different from the crude, loud, and painful construction of the Pelican. And with barely a whisper of sound, the ship lifted from the sand, and floated into the sky, rapidly gaining speed.

    Down below, the silent black dome of Nocturnus watched the ship vanish into the blue sky, with a cracking boom of displaced air. The only trace left was a slowly fading streak of white cloud.

 NoStory Interlude - Map

    So, as I mentioned. No chapter this week. Here''s the map instead.

    As I''m sure you can tell, I altered the names of a few places, and Breezewood isn''t even on the map!

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Archangel is Spyre. Breezewood is in the province of Helas, just to the north of the Mnts of Eras, towards the middle.

    Discussions and questions are welcome, I''ll do my best to answer anything you''ve got.

 54 Some useful and not so useful information on a not so boring flight.

    The Sparrowhawk raced across the cloudless sky heading towards the northeast. The land below slowly turned from gold sand to dusty brown to vibrant green.

    Lakshmi¡¯s grin could have lit up a city block in Spyre. ¡°This is amazing! We¡¯ve hit the booster twice and nothing¡¯s gone boom even once!¡±

    I leaned over to look at the instrument panel in front of her. Nothing but sleek black curves and green lights.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Camaxtli said calmly. ¡°You assembled the pieces properly, though it was a difficult struggle to keep you within standard parameters during the reconstruction.¡±

    Lakshmi giggled wildly, clearly drunk on the performance of her ship. ¡°And we¡¯re already coming up on the border! I told you that it was stupid to expect a war!¡±

    Eshaan shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t really know for sure, a border is a long thing, and it¡¯s not like airships are common enough to-¡±

    Camaxtli pointed ahead through the canopy window. ¡°Those appear to be picket ships. And they appear to be engaged with other ships of similar size.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s gaze snapped to the canopy window and the small firefight evolving ahead of us.

    Daniyel spoke first. ¡°Princess. Turn. We do not wish our course to intersect a firefight.¡±

    Leshani¡¯s cheeks were pale and her eyes wide. She shook her head in denial. ¡°No. It¡¯s not possible. They must be¡­ black pirates. Or something! The ships are too small!¡±

    I twisted my hands in my robes unhappily. This is my fault. Just this stupid plot we¡¯re on, this is my fault-

    Eshaan¡¯s hand on my shoulder brought me out of a spiraling daze. He spoke quietly into my ear. ¡°It¡¯s not, you know.¡±

    I jerked, and turned to look at him in astonishment, my mouth opening in surprise.

    He smiled sadly. ¡°I know that look. I¡¯ve seen it in the mirror often enough. This is not your fault.¡±

    Soriya suddenly spoke up. ¡°Eshaan¡¯s right. We¡¯re not responsible for other¡¯s actions.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ but they¡¯re looking for us! They might even have shown up because of the {Holy White} spell! Or, or the ritual we did!¡± I protested, my hands twisting my robes into knots.

    Soriya smiled. ¡°Still not our fault. But it¡¯s easy to test. And, if you¡¯re right, the church ships will break off immediately to follow us.¡±

    I blinked at her in confusion, then what she was proposing slowly dawned on me. ¡°You want me to cast {Holy White} again!¡±

    ¡°And if that doesn¡¯t draw their attention, then really nothing will.¡± Soriya grinned.

    Camaxtli frowned. ¡°I cannot support this course of action, there could be unexpected repercussions with-¡±

    ¡°The Sparrowhawk can take it!¡± Lakshmi snapped. ¡°Whatever the crazy seer is going to try, the Sparrowhawk can handle it! I made sure of that!¡±

    ¡°Actually, they can¡¯t break off. If they do, they¡¯ll lose the engagement, and more than half of them will sink.¡± Eshaan said. He scratched his cheek and flushed faintly. ¡°I mean¡­ assuming that the Kushistan picket ships have orders to pursue.¡±

    Danyiel shook his head. ¡°They will not. Kushistan does not wish this war any more than we do.¡±

    ¡°Choices, people! I need choices now!¡± Lakshmi snapped. ¡°We are approaching a decision point at speed and I need to know what you¡¯re going to do!¡±

    I bit my lower lip, darted a glance at Soriya who gave me a cocky smile and shrug as if to say ¡®Who can say?¡¯

    What would a pink haired healer girl do? What is the opposite¡­? I thought frantically. Nothing came to mind.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s too late now.¡± Lakshmi remarked, and I jerked again, suddenly pulled out of my haze, my mouth opening in surprise as the Sparrowhawk shot past the skirmish of patrol airships. A few stray shots passed us by, and the Sparrowhawk rocked from near misses, but the lights on Lakshmi¡¯s control panel remained a quiet and serene emerald hue.

    I looked down at my hands tangled in my robe, then up out the cockpit. What would a pink haired healer do? Why exactly what I just did. Agonize over the choice and make no choice at all. I pressed my lips firmly together and spoke up.

    ¡°Lakshmi, prep the boost. I¡¯m going to trigger a {Holy White}.¡±

    Lakshmi jerked around to stare at me. ¡°Now?! But we¡¯re already past the blockade!¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°A bad decision now, is better than a perfect decision later.¡±

    Eshaan blinked and looked at me in amazement. ¡°You read Rajanubhab?!¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± I shook my head in irritation. ¡°No, never mind. We¡¯re doing this. Lakshmi, are you ready?¡±

    She looked at me and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will ever understand you. But yes, The Sparrowhawk is as ready as I can make her.¡±

    I nodded, and clutched at my staff. ¡°Right. Everybody get strapped in, and lets glow up some stuff.¡±

    The others took their seats, and Soriya gave me a cheeky grin. ¡°I like it when you make with the boom. Makes me think I¡¯ll be able to call you a real witch someday.¡±

    Lakshmi giggled to herself. ¡°Glow up. I may steal that.¡±

    I smiled wryly. ¡°If you like it, then I know it¡¯s in terrible taste.¡± I started chanting the spell for {Holy White}. It felt like it took forever, the epic spells always did. The white glow started to surround the ship, and everything took on a silvery white light from within as the energy continued to build.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°They are turning.¡± Daniyel said dryly. ¡°It appears your supposition was correct, Lady Soriya.¡±

    Eshaan clicked his tongue in disapproval. ¡°Poor choice. The picket ships will rip them to shreds if they try to follow.¡±

    Daniyel shook his head silently, then said ¡°Kushistan will not follow. I told you, the Desert tribes guard what is theirs fiercely, but against the might of the Holy Church and the Empire, they will take a defensive action while the Desert fleets are prepared.¡± He paused, then shook his head. ¡°The Church has made a mistake if they think Kushistan an easy land to conquer for their religion.¡±

    My chant finished, and the brilliant blinding white of {Holy White} ignited from my staff and around us, a blazing pillar of light targeting nothing much at all. I staggered to my seat, exhausted, and Eshaan helped me strap in.

    ¡°Biggest, most boring firework in the world.¡± I muttered. Eshaan smiled at me as though I was actually funny, and I felt a little glow at his kindness.

    Behind us, one of the church ships exploded in flame and fire, falling from the sky in a long tumbling arc towards the burned grasslands below. Daniyel¡¯s prediction seemed to hold firm though, the Kushistan ships sent volleys of fire after the retreating airships, but did not pursue, and the remaining church ships pulled away from the firefight in good order.

    That was all the time I had to see before Lakshmi yelled ¡°Ok, here we go people! Boosting now!¡±

    The Sparrowhawk kicked us into our seats once more, a now familiar punch pressing our backs into the (thankfully, mercifully!) padded chairs and we shot away with streaks of elemental color trailing from our engines.

    Camaxtli spoke against the crushing force of the acceleration as though it was no great burden. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t, to him.

    Stupid android physiology I grumbled in my head.

    ¡°What is the purpose of this fight? I do not understand, if the Alliance is the goddess, and the church is the organization descended from the Alliance, why is there strife? Do not all nations in the world currently use the System? Where is my understanding incorrect?¡±

    ¡°Not. The time. Camaxtli.¡± Lakshmi grunted out, pressed firmly into the seat.

    ¡°Ah, yes. The inefficient designs of purely flesh constructs. My apologies. I will repeat the question again in 12.5 seconds when the boost phase ends.¡±

    I sighed, even under the weight of the elephant sitting on my chest. Yes, that¡¯s our prettyboi android alright. I thought to myself. Right on cue.

    The speed of the Sparrowhawk ensured that we outran all conceivable pursuit, and exactly on time, the boost ended. It was only a tiny bit irritating to admit that maybe Lakshmi really was as good as her reputation.

    The release of pressure almost feeling like being thrown forward. Everyone (except Camaxtli) gasped in relief.

    ¡°I wish to repeat my question. Why is there conflict?¡± Camaxtli immediately said.

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Does anyone want to take this?¡± I asked.

    Soriya spoke up with a smile in her voice. ¡°I love lecturing people, so allow me!¡± She cleared her throat, and said.

    ¡°Your misunderstanding is the belief that the Alliance is intact. The System, as I believe it to be, is global in influence. But regardless of if there was a war over the activation of the System or not, there is no Alliance currently. The church, as we understand it, serves more as a guardian, a vestige of the event. Simply because the System is used, does not mean everyone who uses it is automatically a member of the same faction. How could they be, the System is global, and the current state of the world is such that there is no global hegemon.¡±

    Camaxtli¡¯s head tipped to the side, and his eyes spun with color. ¡°I see.¡± He said finally. ¡°This information is¡­ confusing. My creators were under the impression that the System would be used as a cudgel, a weapon of coercion. The Alliance claimed it was not. Though it is¡­ difficult to process, it appears that my creator¡¯s information was¡­ wrong.¡±

    Eshaan reached forward and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s ok buddy! We all get things wrong!¡±

    Camaxtli frowned. ¡°I was not aware that we had become¡­ ¡®buddies¡¯. When did this occur?¡±

    I grinned. ¡°The moment you let Eshaan talk to you for more than a minute, Camaxtli.¡±

    Eshaan squirmed and flushed slightly, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°That¡¯s not fair, Lilyanna!¡± He protested. ¡°I¡¯m not a puppy!¡±

    I burst out laughing in unison with Soriya. Eshaan¡¯s face grew even more red and he glared at both of us. ¡°Stop it! Stop it, both of you! I¡¯m not! It¡¯s not funny!¡±

    Camaxtli reached out and lightly patted Eshaan on the head once. Eshaan swiped the hand away and glared fiercely. ¡°Not cool!¡±

    Camaxtli tipped his head to the side. ¡°Is it not? Is this not an action that ¡®buddies¡¯ may perform to indicate communal bonding is occurring?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help it, and doubled over laughing in my seat. I noted that Lakshmi¡¯s eyes were especially bright, and her lips pressed suspiciously tightly together.

    ¡°It. Is. Not.¡± Gritted out Eshaan.

    ¡°Ah. I see. My apologies then.¡± Camaxtli said blandly. ¡°As you say. I have made a mistake, and regrettably it appears that I will continue to make more. My programming was not designed for this¡­ extensive field exercise.¡±

    ¡°I will pursue a different line of inquiry then. Why is pursuit not expected? Surely military vessels would have a ?therlink?¡±

    I jerked upright and stared at him. ¡°You have telephones?!¡±

    ¡°What is a¡­ tele phone?¡±

    I blinked a few times in surprise, and rummaged in my memory, feeling a strange sense of being ¡®off balance¡¯. My Lilyanna half¡­ didn¡¯t know what I was talking about. For the first time, I had used an earth word, and there was no translation, no match for it.

    I ran the idea around in my head, slowly. It was a very strange feeling to ¡®feel¡¯ the edges of the joining between me and¡­ well, me!

    ¡°A¡­ a¡­ a device for communicating long distances.¡± I said awkwardly.

    Camaxtli nodded. ¡°A new word then. Telephone. Yes, is there no ¡®telephone¡¯ onboard these ships?¡±

    Eshaan shook his head in confusion and said ¡°Camaxtli¡­ I don¡¯t know what that is. I¡¯ve never heard of an ¡®?therlink¡¯, or a ¡®telephone¡¯ whatever those are.¡±

    Lakshmi said over her shoulder ¡°I¡¯d like to know more about this as well! A device for speaking over distances!? That sounds amazingly useful! Is it like a lightscribe?!¡±

    Camaxtli looked around the group in bafflement. ¡°How strange¡­ I do not know what a ¡®lightscribe¡¯ is, Lady Lakshmi. Is that not a method of writing in light?¡±

    Lakshmi laughed, and Eshaan spoke up. ¡°Now this I can answer! It¡¯s like a box with a really bright light inside it. There¡¯s a lever on the side, and you pull the lever to open or close shutters which reveal the light. You send messages that way, to whoever might see it, and it repeats and sends it on. There¡¯s a whole network run by the Empire, though it¡¯s pretty expensive to use. Much easier to pay for a letter with the Imperial Post.¡±

    Lakshmi huffed a bit. "If you''d let me finish...?" She said petulantly. "I was going to say, the Sparrowhawk 2 has one. It has to, otherwise we''d never be able to communicate with the air docks. Or another ship, I suppose, though we don''t do that often."

    A heliograph¡­ of course. I thought. And the fastest way to transmit messages, but any intervening cloud will¡­

    ¡°Eshaan?¡± I said nervously. ¡°How long will it take a courier ship with an urgent message to reach Galgados?¡±

    Eshaan frowned in thought, then said. ¡°In the absolute best case, no less than eight hours. If there¡¯s trouble along the way, it might be delayed as long as a day.¡±

    I grimaced. ¡°So we¡¯re on the clock. When we reach Hecate, they¡¯re sure to send information on us.¡±

    Eshaan shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s normal though, right? They were already on the lookout for you.¡±

    Daniyel said gravely ¡°There is a difference between searching the Empire for a person, and searching a small part of the Empire for the same person. They will assuredly focus their efforts in the direction they have seen us take.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°A pity we can¡¯t just hide out in the Empire. They¡¯d never expect us there.¡±

    Eshaan laughed. ¡°Lily, I like how you think!¡±

    I smiley wryly at him. ¡°Thanks, I guess. I wish I did.¡±

    Eshaan reached over and rubbed his hand on my head. ¡°That¡¯s ok, I¡¯ll just have to do it for both of us.¡±

    I scowled at him and pushed his hand off my head.

 55 A quiet and completely uneventful journey

    I scowled at Eshaan and pushed his hand off my head. The wounded expression he gave me immediately made me feel like I¡¯d kicked a puppy.

    ¡°Sorry, Eshaan. I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ wishing I saw a different path.¡±

    ¡°So, we¡¯re still heading to Hecate, right?¡± asked Lakshmi. ¡°You know, just in case you wanted to change direction.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Would you let me? You were quite serious about paying our debt to Eideth.¡±

    Lakshmi shrugged a little. ¡°I dunno. So far, your crazy predictions seem to be¡­ not terrible. You know, compared to the options.¡±

    I blinked, surprised, then leaned down and hugged Lakshmi from behind.

    ¡°Hey, hey! Watch it! Piloting here!¡± She protested.

    I squeezed her quickly with a smile then let go. ¡°Thank you, Lakshmi, that was really sweet of you to say.¡±

    It might have been my imagination, but I thought I detected a faint hint of a blush on her cheeks as I let go.

    I pointed out the window and struck a pose I thought Eshaan might take. ¡°Onward! To Hecate!¡±

    ¡°Actually it¡¯s a bit more that way.¡± Lakshmi pushed my arm slightly to the right.

    ¡°Right!¡± I said. ¡°Onward! In that direction, not the other which clearly was totally wrong!¡±

    Only Eshaan laughed, but somehow that was enough of a victory for me.

    The rebuilt Sparrowhawk was fast. Soriya had lured me into another game of Tarok, and by the time we¡¯d finished a full round (which she was handily winning) Lakshmi had called back to let us know we would be approaching Hecate¡¯s airdocks soon.

    It was a strange feeling, knowing the game rules because I¡¯d played them all my life, and yet a part of me had never touched the cards before. It wasn¡¯t unwelcome though, and a part of me was rather satisfied to have yet another answer to ¡°what adventuring parties did with themselves when not battling monsters¡±. It wasn¡¯t an unpleasant discovery, and a part of me was hoping that next time, I could maybe beat Soriya.

    ¡°I should teach you some of the games of the desert.¡± Daniyel rumbled, folding his cards on the table. ¡°I would, at least, stand a chance there.¡±

    ¡°What kind of games do you play?¡± I asked him curiously.

    ¡°They are played with dice, largely. Occasionally a deck of cards, but I have not seen a Salazar Deck in the Empire.¡±

    ¡°Are they gambling games then?¡±

    Daniyel smiled. ¡°What game is not gambling, mistress Lily?¡±

    I scowled. ¡°Lots of games aren¡¯t gambling!¡±

    Daniyel¡¯s smile was bright white in his dark face. ¡°Then do you never trust to luck in your hand? Do you never push an unlikely outcome?¡±

    I blinked. ¡°Well¡­ if that¡¯s what you mean by gambling¡­¡±

    Daniyel shrugged minutely. ¡°Money does not need to change hands for a task to involve a gamble.¡±

    Soriya lightly bapped Daniyel¡¯s hand with the pack of cards. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be having fun, Daniyel, not making ominous pronouncements!¡± She said seriously.

    Daniyel smiled quietly. ¡°I shall remember that the next time you insist that the Witch of Breezewood sees the darkened corners of the world.¡±

    Soriya scowled back. ¡°Now that¡¯s just not fair, using my own words against me.¡± She turned to me and gave me a look. ¡°Now see what you¡¯ve done? You¡¯ve gone and turned him against me!¡± She mock complained.

    I smiled smugly. ¡°I can¡¯t help it if a trained warrior can recognize a winning strategy when he sees one.¡±

    Daniyel let out a soft chuckle, which made Soriya throw her hands in the air. ¡°Fine! I can see I¡¯m defeated here. The dark witch shall skulk off!¡±

    Lakshmi called back ¡°Not yet you won¡¯t, I need another hand on the engines!¡±

    Soriya groaned. ¡°Ask your boyfriend!¡±

    Camaxtli frowned lightly in puzzlement. ¡°Lakshmi and I have no relationship, why do you insist-¡±

    His protest was cut off as Soriya grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the engine room. ¡°Less talking, more mechanicing!¡±

    There was companionable silence for a while, and then Lakshmi said ¡°Lilyanna? Could I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°Sure Lakshmi, of course! Anything you like!¡±

    I caught that slight flush to her cheeks again. ¡°It¡¯s kind of¡­ personal. Could you come up here?¡±

    I frowned lightly in puzzlement as I made my way into the cockpit, and settled on a seat beside her.

    I tipped my head to the side and said ¡°Alright, I¡¯m here. What¡¯s the issue?¡±

    Lakshmi looked behind us to make sure no one was in ear shot, then said in a slightly hushed voice ¡°It¡¯s about Camaxtli. You and Soriya keep saying he¡¯s my boyfriend. Is this¡­ seer stuff? Cause I don¡¯t feel that way about him! I don¡¯t like the idea that I¡¯m just¡­ fated to fall in love with him or something! Don¡¯t I have a choice?!¡±

    I sat back against the seat, taken aback by her comments. I had been so sure that she was already falling for him!

    ¡°Well¡­¡± I slowly said. ¡°It is seer stuff¡­ but not everything we see is inevitable, no. If you truly don¡¯t feel anything for him¡­¡± I stopped then asked ¡°really? You don¡¯t feel anything for him?¡±

    Lakshmi colored slightly. ¡°Well purely as research material, he¡¯s fascinating, of course. And I won¡¯t deny that whoever designed his appearance really knows how to put a man together!¡±

    She smiled shyly, and I laughed in agreement.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true enough.¡± I said. ¡°But¡­ well, I don¡¯t know Lakshmi. We don¡¯t see¡­ I¡¯m not laying a fate on you, what I¡­ expect¡­ I suppose? Is that you¡¯ll fall for him from similar interests and his growing humanity.¡±

    Lakshmi snorted. ¡°Not a chance of that then, that thing hasn¡¯t shown a shred of humanity or emotion!¡±

    I blinked, and slowly started to smile. So. She is falling for him. I thought.

    ¡°Oh? I¡¯d say he¡¯s had several emotions already. And the poor boy has been stunted most of his life, he¡¯s still feeling his way around them.¡±

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Lakshmi shook her head in irritation. ¡°Then they must be invisible! Infuriating man!¡± She burst out. I hurriedly covered my mouth to hide a broad smile.

    ¡°Well if you¡¯re not interested, then there¡¯s no doom that awaits you. Just don¡¯t date him.¡±

    Camaxtli¡¯s voice drifted from a speaker tube on the console. ¡°We are ready to proceed with the calibration you requested, Lakshmi.¡±

    Lakshmi leaned forward ¡°Then do it, bucket brain! I told you to go ahead once you¡¯d set up!¡± She turned to me with an expression of frustration written on her face. ¡°See what I mean?! He¡¯s all¡­ constantly asking me permission to do things! It reminds me of the palace, in all the worst ways!¡±

    ¡°Ahh.¡± I said softly, understanding dawning. ¡°Have you considered asking him not to?¡±

    Lakshmi frowned. ¡°Nobody else needs to be told!¡±

    I shrugged and weighed my palms. ¡°He¡¯s not anybody else, he¡¯s Camaxtli. A little explanation might go a longer way than just grousing vaguely at him.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, no thanks!¡± Lakshmi gritted out. ¡°Every time I try to talk to him he¡¯s all ¡®Emotions are so inefficient!¡¯ and ¡®your primitive culture cannot comprehend my greatness!¡¯¡±

    I laughed again, her imitation did sound remarkably accurate.

    ¡°We learn by doing, Lakshmi. Camaxtli hasn¡¯t had any practice in ¡®doing¡¯ emotions. Give him a chance. Growing pains can be difficult.¡±

    Lakshmi scowled at me suspiciously. ¡°You¡¯re not trying to fix me up with him, are you!?¡±

    I giggled. ¡°Well, I think you¡¯d make a very cute couple, I won¡¯t deny that, but no, Lakshmi. All I¡¯m doing is trying to get Camaxtli to come out of his shell a little, and part of that is¡­ just learning how to human. Sometimes, we all need a little help with that.¡±

    Lakshmi continued to scowl at me. ¡°Well I don¡¯t need your help, or the help of your prophecy or the help from any so called destiny! I am my own person and will find my own way!¡±

    I smiled at her and gave her a sharp salute. ¡°Aye aye captain Lakshmi, ma¡¯am!¡± I figured it would be about two weeks before she was asking for dating advice. And if that didn¡¯t take the cake¡­ asking a clueless country girl dating an ex-solider and sometime thief fisherman.

    I pointed out the canopy window again at the approaching mountains. ¡°So that¡¯s Galgados?¡±

    ¡°What? No! That¡¯s the Windhome range, Galgados is on the other side! We had to go up and around, flying right over the Empire would¡­ be bad!¡±

    I blinked, trying to picture the map mother had shown me, then gave up, rummaging in my pouches for mother¡¯s journal. I flipped a few pages then let out an ¡®aah¡¯ of understanding. ¡°Yes, I see. Ok. So, we fly over the peak, and be docking in Hecate soon?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll go read mother¡¯s journal and see what she has to say about Hecate.¡±

    And while I¡¯m at it¡­ lets see¡­ I thought as I walked back into the main cabin. I flipped through the journal, and grimaced. There it is. A large chunk of the journal had pages torn out of it. I sighed. Mystery on mystery, but¡­ Nope, nothing from Nanwe. So it¡¯s not a 100% cheat item, I suppose. I closed the journal and closed my eyes, tapping the journal against my forehead. Mother¡­ what are you hiding? Who has these pages? Did you really think¡­ I sighed, and opened my eyes. This is just getting me nowhere, I needed to look up Galgados. I opened the book again, and flipped through the journal. Ah! Yes, she was in Hecate! So we do have a cheat code! Hm! Ancient ruins unexplored under the city? Now this looks promising¡­ and she even has a limited map!

    I smiled happily, and closed the journal, putting it back into my travel pouch. Thank you, mother.

    ¡°You look happy.¡± Eshaan said.

    I blinked, looking up at him in surprise. ¡°Do I? I was just thinking about mother.¡±

    Eshaan tipped his head to the side. ¡°Not sad thoughts, or you wouldn¡¯t be smiling?¡±

    I smiled back at him. ¡°No, not sad thoughts.¡± I patted my pouch. ¡°Her journal is going to help us again, just like it did in the sewers.¡±

    Eshaan grimaced. ¡°If she¡¯s sending us into the sewers again, I¡¯m not so sure that¡¯s help, Lily!¡±

    I laughed. ¡°I think she did explore the sewers, but if I¡¯m right, it¡¯s just going to be an abandoned Imperial dig site.¡±

    Eshaan immediately perked up. ¡°It is!? Are you sure it¡¯s abandoned? I didn¡¯t get much of a chance to look at¡­ anything in the Tol Jaegren dig!¡±

    I tapped my lips thoughtfully. ¡°Hmm¡­ well, I¡¯m almost certain it¡¯s abandoned? I mean, rogue mecha, deep cavern things, maybe some looters, but I¡¯m pretty sure it won¡¯t be an active dig site!¡±

    Eshaan was quiet for a moment, then said ¡°You know, Lily. Sometimes you¡¯re kind of scary.¡±

    I blinked in surprise and confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be scary? What¡¯s scary about me?¡±

    Eshaan tapped my nose lightly. ¡°See, this is what I mean. You don¡¯t even realize how scary you are. You¡¯re proposing exploring a dig site infested with monsters that would scare some of the toughest troopers in squads I¡¯ve served, as well as rogue machinery that would send most of the scholars assigned to us screaming into the barracks.¡±

    I blinked again. ¡°But Eshaan¡­ we can handle all of that? I don¡¯t understand why your trooper friends would be so scared of a dig expedition!¡±

    Eshaan grinned wryly. ¡°Because most of them are level 10, Lily.¡±

    My mouth fell open in surprise, and I gaped a bit like a fish. Finally, I said ¡°They are?!¡± in disbelief.

    Eshaan laughed a little. ¡°Sure. If I was still working with the Commander, I¡¯d probably be promoted to Elite status by now. Even the princess-¡° He tsked and shook his head. ¡°-I mean, Captain Lakshmi. An engineer who can whip an entire -airship together in just a week?! She¡¯d be pulled into imperial service so fast¡­¡± he shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s hardly real to me either.¡± He smiled and reached over to squeeze my hand. ¡°But it¡¯s why I have faith in you. You¡¯re clearly trying your best for others, and you don¡¯t even realize how powerful you are. Looking back¡­ the commander, he was never really pushing us to be our best for us. He wanted us to be good for himself.¡±

    I smiled hesitantly. ¡°Well¡­ I would much rather have lived¡­¡± I shook my head, choked off by the lump in my throat.

    I would rather have lived my old life. And failing that I would have rather lived a quiet life in an idyllic fantasy town. But I suppose¡­ for what its¡¯ worth¡­ this isn¡¯t a bad outcome. Or at least, I¡¯m sure trying to make sure it¡¯s not a bad outcome!

    I swallowed, and shook my head. ¡°Well!¡± I said brightly. ¡°We¡¯re docking soon, so I guess we¡¯ll find out then.¡±

    I blinked, suddenly hit by a thought. ¡°Uh.¡± I stood up quickly and scooted over to the cockpit. ¡°Lakshmi? How¡­ I mean, in air pirate¡­ oh honeysuckle, would Galgados confiscate the Sparrowhawk if the Empire demanded it?!¡±

    Lakshmi whipped her head around and her eyes got wide as she stared at me. ¡°What on earth¡­!? They wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± She spluttered.

    I gritted my teeth. ¡°Lakshmi, your ships in proximity to me tend to have very unfortunate ends! I do not want the Sparrowhawk 2 to wind up confiscated, stolen, or blown up! I would like to stop the trend at three ships, and not make it four!¡± I said hurriedly.

    Lakshmi scowled, and turned back to the controls, frowning fiercely in thought. Finally, she said ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t think so? I mean¡­¡± She bit her lower lip, and muttered under her breath ¡°But I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d start a war over you either.¡±

    I pressed my lips together. ¡°Then what are our options? The Sparrowhawk¡­ the way you built her, there¡¯s nothing else like her, we can¡¯t exactly disguise her!¡±

    Lakshmi pounded her fist on the console. ¡°I knew installing a cloaking system would have been a good idea, but noooooo~ Camaxtli thinks it¡¯s just silly.¡± She trailed off, then looked back at me.

    ¡°Is this a seer prophecy?¡± She asked grimly. ¡°Is this going to happen?¡±

    I blinked, and then giggled with stress. ¡°Well¡­ no! Actually! This is just me thinking¡­ I don¡¯t know how determined the church is, or how powerful the Empire is in Galgados!¡±

    Lakshmi ground her teeth together, then said. ¡°No. If it¡¯s not a seer prophecy, then everything will be fine. The empire doesn¡¯t have-¡° She cut off as a flickering flash of light came into view on a mountain peak in the distance.

    ¡°That¡¯s the harbor lighthouse. The port is just a few minutes away. Go sit down, I need to dock.¡±

    I looked at the distant lighthouse beacon flickering on the mountain peak, rapidly growing closer with the speed of our approach. I could feel the indecision in myself, my hand twisting in the fabric of my robes again, and then I felt something like a little shove from my other memories, and a feeling like turning gears in the world.

    Lakshmi suddenly pulled back on the throttle, and turned the steering yoke hard over, angling us towards the lighthouse.

    I grabbed the headrest of one of the chairs to steady myself as the ship listed slightly.

    ¡°Lakshmi, what-?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll happen, but you don¡¯t know, and I can see you¡¯re about to tear another hole in your dress worrying. So I¡¯m doing what a real sky pirate would do. I¡¯m going to land in a hidden cove.¡±

    I blinked, feeling my eyes mist up a little at how she was willing to trust my worry.

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this for you!¡± She snapped, still focused on the yoke, and I hurriedly slapped my hand over my mouth to stifle a hysterical choked laugh giggle at the redhead Tsundere suddenly manifested in front of me. ¡°I¡¯m just being practical! I don¡¯t like the idea of the Sparrowhawk 2 exploding, just because you were near her!¡±

    If every plot outcome is bad, then change the story. I thought wildly, a slightly manic smile on my lips. I toyed with and discarded the possibility of lying to Lakshmi. My history with trying to lie as Lily was¡­ comical, really.

    I reached down and squeezed Lakshmi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Then thank you for being clever and cunning, as a proper sky pirate would be.¡± I said. ¡°After all, dangerous politics and high tech is not where a village girl from the boonies belongs.¡± I said with fervent agreement.

    The Sparrowhawk flickered it¡¯s lightscribe to the tiny dock just outside the lighthouse on the cliffs, and we were soon enroute to dock at the astonished lighthouse keeper¡¯s back yard.

 56 A quick underground diversion

    The Sparrowhawk flickered it¡¯s lightscribe to the tiny dock just outside the lighthouse on the cliffs. The lighthouse¡¯s lightscribe was dark for a long moment, and I held my breath, but it soon burst into flickering flashes of light.

    Lakshmi grinned up at me, and said ¡°I thought so. She was so surprised, she probably hasn¡¯t used that lightscribe in years.¡±

    I blinked. ¡°She?¡± I asked curiously.

    ¡°Well, probably. Monanin culture is largely matriarchal. Except when it¡¯s not.¡± She paused and grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡±

    I blinked several times in surprise. ¡°Huh.¡± Well. That¡¯s not expected. I thought to myself.

    As we flew towards the lighthouse, two small figures burst out of the door at the base of the tower, and ran towards the dock, jutting into thin air from the side of the cliff where the lighthouse rested.

    Lakshmi gave a little mischievous smile, and looped around the side of the cliff, settling into the back yard of the astonished couple, with the delicate grace of a leaf coming to rest.

    ¡°There.¡± Lakshmi flicked a series of switches and toggles, the hum and whine of various parts of ultra-high magitech equipment slowly fading away.

    She paused, and stared at the console silently.

    I frowned in worry. ¡°Something wrong, Lakshmi?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ no? No. I just¡­ I just realized. This is the first time that I¡¯ve shut one of my machines down, and nothing¡¯s gone wrong. Everything¡­ worked.¡± She giggled, then started to laugh. For a moment, I was genuinely afraid for her, but then it suddenly clicked.

    Of course. She¡¯s relieved. I giggle when I have a stress fit and she¡¯s laughing. I started to giggle as well, her laughter feeling infectious.

    And that¡¯s how the others found us, laughing hysterically at nothing at all.

    Eshaan of course, was genuinely worried, but to my surprise, Daniyel placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

    ¡°They are relieved.¡± He intoned solemnly. ¡°They have fought a battle only they can fight, and now the battle is over.¡± He turned and raised a single eyebrow at Eshaan. ¡°Surely you know this stress?¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes went wide with understanding and he nodded, turning slowly to look at us. ¡°Yes.¡± He said, his eyes hooded in shadow. ¡°Yes, I know that feeling.¡±

    He reached over, and for a moment, I thought he might hug me again. Instead, he gripped my forearm, and said ¡°Let¡¯s have a drink, Lilyanna. In honor of spitting in the Wake¡¯s eye.¡±

    I blinked in surprise and then smiled, pulling him into a tight hug, and a quick kiss. ¡°Yes!¡± I said happily. ¡°That sounds very good!¡±

    I could see the blush spreading on his cheeks, and it made me feel a little warm and gooey inside. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go explain ourselves to our impromptu harbor master.¡± I said. ¡°And we should pay them for their time. That¡¯s what a good sky pirate would do.¡± I paused, and then added with more practicality. ¡°Plus, if we pay them, they¡¯re less likely to be irritated and sell off our presence to anyone who asks.¡±

    Camaxtli frowned. ¡°I do not understand. Is this the city of which you spoke? It does not appear¡­ large.¡± He peered out the cockpit windows at the solitary finger of the lighthouse.

    Lakshmi laughed brightly. ¡°No, of course not, fool! We¡¯re being proper air pirates! Stealth! Hiding in plain sight! The city is over there!¡± She pointed into the distance, where a glowing line of twinkling lights was just starting to come into view as the sun settled over far mountain peaks.

    Camaxtli¡¯s confusion immediately cleared. ¡°Ah! We have changed plans! Very good, my expectations have been properly realigned.¡± He nodded in satisfaction.

    Daniyel opened the hatchway, at the side of the ship. We were greeted with the surprised and slightly wary faces of two Monanin individuals, wearing the garb that looked a little bit more rough and homespun than I had come to expect from Eideth.

    Lakshmi poked her head out, and gave her best dashing pirate smile. ¡°Hi! We¡¯re much indebted to you for letting us borrow your yard here!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­¡± the woman of the pair stepped forward and cleared her throat, giving a proper empire style curtsy. ¡°Think nothing of it. Would I be correct in assuming that you¡¯re air pirates?¡± Her accent was pure highlands drawl, just like Eideth.

    Lakshmi¡¯s smile could have rivaled the sun. ¡°I am! We are!¡± She stepped forward, and dipped into an elaborate bow, sweeping off a nonexistent hat. ¡°Captain Lakshmi the Red, at your service! She stepped down the stairs of the hatchway onto the ground. ¡°I should be greatly pleased to offer payment for your kind assistance and the use of your harbor facilities!¡±

    The male of the pair goggled at us, and then coughed, nudging the woman beside him. ¡°Well that be right kind of ye.¡± He said, with an even thicker accent than the woman. ¡°We¡¯ll be happy to take you up on that offer.¡± He shot a stern look at the woman before she could say anything else.

    ¡°I¡¯m Cameron Cloudheart, at your service.¡± He doffed his hat to us, and then nudged the woman with his elbow again.

    The woman jumped and then stammered ¡°Oh, yes! Yes, my fool of a husband has it right! My name¡¯s Elspeth, Cloudheart for my sins.¡± She smiled so fondly at the man that I could see they had that kind of relationship. The kind where insults meant ¡®I love you¡¯ and a true kind word was doled out like rare gold.

    ¡°We¡¯re the lightkeepers here on Greenspar Rock.¡±

    The man pushed forward again. ¡°And how much would ye be paying us? Docking¡¯s not exactly something-¡°

    The woman elbowed him out of the way. ¡°Cam! Get that glint of gold out of your eye, they¡¯re guests!¡±

    Cameron glowered at Elspeth, and growled out ¡°They offered to pay, it¡¯s not right to just-¡°

    Lakshmi jumped in with both feet. ¡°Would the sum of 10 zeni a day, suit you?¡± She said.

    The Cloudhearts stopped glaring at each other, and turned to her. Cameron nodded slowly. ¡°Aye¡­ that might do¡­¡± he said cautiously. ¡°But how long are you planning to stay?¡±

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°How long would you consider having us?¡± Lakshmi returned. ¡°We¡¯re on our way to Hecate, but the docking fees there are pure robbery!¡±

    I goggled, and then hurriedly looked down and squeezed my robes in my hands again. She¡¯s a princess, she spins tales and words like silk! I thought to myself. And who¡¯s to say it¡¯s not actually the truth? Maybe she really does know how much it costs to dock an airship at a city she¡¯s never been to!

    The Cloudhearts expressions smoothed and they suddenly nodded in understanding. ¡°Aye, big city prices, we understand that!¡± said Elspeth. ¡°Why, just the other day, my Cam was in town to sell some wool from our sheep, and they wouldn¡¯t give him but thirty zeni for the lot! Fine quality cloud spun wool! Thirty zeni!¡± her voice grew strident at the pure indignity of it all.

    Camaxtli said ¡°Am I to understand that you raise animals here? For their hair?¡±

    The conversation went dead as everyone turned and stared at Camaxtli.

    Lakshmi recovered first, laughing brightly. ¡°Ah, that be my cabin boy. New chap, hasn¡¯t seen much of the world! He¡¯s from Belgenmir!¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯ve heard they raise fine sheep in-¡° Cameron protested, before Lakshmi pressed a small pile of zeni into his hands. His eyes grew wide, and he stared at the glittering coins in his palm, then looked up and smiled wide. ¡°And who am I to say otherwise! Welcome to the Lighthouse air docks, Mistress Lakshmi!¡±

    ¡°Why thank you, Master Cameron, I am most grateful to be here!¡± She gave a little wink. ¡°Now, if our cargo arrives successfully, we¡¯ll be more than happy to spread some of our largess around.¡±

    This time, the glint of greed in both Cameron and Elspeth¡¯s eyes was unmistakable.

    I pressed both my hands tight over my mouth for fear of letting out a hysterical giggle. It was simply astonishing how well she played that part! I glanced from her to Daniyel and saw a look of wistful pride on his features, before he quickly schooled them to an impassive emotionless mask once more.

    ¡°Well, we won¡¯t say no to that!¡± He paused, and then said with a suddenly grave expression. ¡°You¡¯re not¡­ Captain Lakshmi, I¡¯ll not have weapon runners on my turf. Money or no money. Money that¡¯s stained with blood¡­ A little honest smuggling, that¡¯s only sensible, but I¡¯ll not tolerate blood money.¡±

    Lakshmi took a step back, affecting a wounded air. ¡°Weapons!? Good heavens no! No no! This is a dangerous world, and a lady has a right to protect herself, but I¡­ ah¡­ trade. My crew and I are professional delvers and ruin explorers. And while I¡¯ll admit we find a few weapons, that¡¯s not what we offer. And this particular run, we are picking up, not selling!¡±

    She paused, and then said cautiously ¡°Has there been¡­ problems?¡±

    Cameron grimaced. ¡°Oh aye, the Empire has been nothing but a pain in the side since the council opened the ruins under Hecate to exploration!¡±

    Just then, a bright flash of light shot into the sky, and splintered into a star of red and blue. Elspeth turned, and then grimaced. ¡°Ah, that¡¯ll be an Imperial courier now. You can always tell by how proud they are to announce themselves.¡± She turned back to Cameron. ¡°Help our guests to the back yard, maybe show them the special caves. I¡¯ll go make sure these fools don¡¯t run into something trying to avoid our mountains.¡±

    Cameron nodded complacently, and pulled out a pipe from somewhere, tamping it down with fragrant shreds of¡­ something. I frowned in puzzlement. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s tobacco on this world? I don¡¯t even¡­ what is he¡­?! How do I not know what smoking is?! I recoiled in surprise as the Monan pulled a small device from his pocket and lit the shreds on fire, a curl of blue smoke drifting up from what was unmistakably a pipe, with tobacco. Something that apparently, only half of me knew about!

    I looked around and was surprised once more. Only Camaxtli and Lakshmi seemed to be taking this in stride. Eshaan had his mouth open in surprise, and Soriya looked like she¡¯d swallowed a spider with the realization that apparently, in the Empire, no one smoked! But apparently, they did back in Camaxtli¡¯s day?! How strange! I thought in bafflement.

    ¡°Excuse me, sir.¡± Said Eshaan. ¡°But is that some sort of magical ritual, which lets you breath fire?¡±

    I clapped a hand over my mouth to smother the giggles, and Soriya let out an undignified snort. Cameron looked up from lighting his pipe with a confused look, then let out a loud guffaw, and slapped his thigh. He took the pipe out of his mouth. ¡°Guess you empire sorts don¡¯t go in for this! Never seen a pipe before, lad?¡± He gestured with the pipe, leaving curls of smoke behind it. He chuckled again, and shook his head. ¡°Breathing fire. That¡¯s a good one, might need to keep that.¡± He chuckled to him, then went on more loudly. ¡°No, this is tabaccy. You light it, and inhale the smoke. Makes you feel good.¡± He grinned in a way that conveyed a mischievous joke. ¡°Try some?¡±

    I reached up and grabbed Eshaan¡¯s hand just as he was reaching for the pipe to try it. ¡°Eshaan no! It¡¯s a joke, remember how much you cough and choke when the campfire gets in your eyes?!¡±

    Eshaan paused, looking down at the short Monan, then his eyes slowly narrowed.

    Cameron guffawed again, slapping his thigh. ¡°Your missy is sharper than she lets on! Aye, the first few times stings a bit, and it¡¯s got a powerful smell, but it does feel good. Relaxing.¡± He nodded sagely.

    I tugged at Eshaan¡¯s arm and pulled him gently away, while saying to Cameron ¡°Thank you for the kind offer, but I think we¡¯ll leave our fire breathing to actual spellwork.¡±

    Cameron chuckled and nodded agreeably. ¡°Can¡¯t fault you for that, not everything is for everyone. Speaking of which.¡± He gestured to the back of the hills. ¡°Lets see if we can find you a slightly more discreet place to park your giant flying boat, eh?¡±

    Lakshmi stepped up and nodded. ¡°That would be most welcome!¡±

    Cameron led us around several trails that skirted cliff edges and down steep paths that looked more suitable for goats than humans.

    Or sheep, I suppose. I thought, as I carefully picked my way down the slopes. Adventure heels are not all that suitable on this terrain. I looked over at the others, and then corrected myself. Or maybe it¡¯s just that we¡¯re not exactly up on the best clothes for mountaineering! I frowned at a sudden thought. I wonder if I can buy boots of the same stuff as my robe! And would they even change shape to fit the terrain, or would they change shape to fit my class?

    These thoughts distracted me the rest of the short trek into a sheltered valley on another cliff edge, where Cameron proudly showed us a sizeable cavern. The cavern was definitely large enough to shelter the Sparrowhawk. Or at least provide some ¡®out of the way¡¯ cover. Which was sorely needed, the gleaming dark metal of the Sparrowhawk¡¯s hull had doubtless helped us avoid detection in the fading light of the sun, but if that Imperial courier ship we¡¯d seen passing us was carrying the message I thought it was¡­

    Peering inside, we found what was clearly a Monan style airboat, the smallest I¡¯d ever seen.

    I giggled to myself. Well, they are dwarves after all¡­ It makes sense their boats would be small.

    ¡°That¡¯s my little runabout.¡± He pointed to it proudly. ¡°Makes it easy to take trips to the city and back.¡± He puffed proudly on his pipe. ¡°Be willing to offer you a lift to the city. Reasonable rates?¡± He smiled cheerfully.

    I looked over at Lakshmi to find her looking at me with doubt in her eyes. I leaned close to her and said in a low tone ¡°What¡¯s wrong, captain?¡±

    She looked at me with a slightly fragile smile, and said in the same low tone. ¡°I¡¯m irritated that you seem to be right about everything all the time. Also that the Monan seem to be holding out on tech. They have personal airboats!¡±

    I frowned, and then shook my head, letting my braid slap my shoulders. ¡°Lakshmi¡­ I would have made a complete hash of this. I trust everyone. I¡¯d trust Eshaan¡¯s Commander Khine if he hadn¡¯t slapped me in the face with evil. You¡­ you might not like how you got your skills, but you know when somebody¡¯s lying, and you can tell them a story they¡¯ll believe in an instant. So. Do you trust him? Captain?¡±

    Lakshmi looked at me, and I saw the worry in her eyes crystalize into determination. She turned back to Cameron with a huge smile. ¡°This will be wonderful, Mister Cameron! Let us know if there are any¡­ unexpected security issues for a suitable fee, and I think we may have the beginnings of a wonderful business relationship!¡± She gave another sweeping bow.

    I giggled and said ¡°I think we need to buy you a duster, when we get to Hecate. You definitely need a longcoat to swirl. And maybe a plumed hat too.¡±

    Lakshmi turned to look at me in puzzlement. ¡°Why?¡±

    I shrugged, smiling. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a seer thing¡­ I just think Lakshmi the Red should have a little more flair. And that bow of yours would look much better with a plumed hat.¡±

    Lakshmi tugged at her lip thoughtfully, then said ¡°Well¡­ maybe. We¡¯ll see.¡±

 57 Caverns and Pillowtalk

    The transport of the Sparrowhawk to the cave was accomplished quickly and without fuss, and Elspeth insisted on hosting us for the night, saying it was far too dark. I trusted Lakshmi¡¯s judgment, and she didn¡¯t seem alarmed.

    But when I asked if I could help Elspeth make dinner, thinking I was being very clever by inviting myself into the kitchen to check for sleeping powders or poison, Elspeth happily accepted and pulled me into the kitchen to do grunt work for her. That¡¯ll teach me to snoop!

    I did learn some very interesting dwa- er, Monanin cooking though. Apparently, traditional Monanin cooking was very spicy. Much more so than my palate could handle, and I was quickly chugging milk to keep the fire of the spices down!

    I panted a bit waving my palm at my tongue attempting to recover from a sample tasting, as Elspeth laughed.

    ¡°Miss Cloudheart-¡± I got out.

    ¡°Oh please dear, just call me Elspeth.¡± She protested and waved her spoon at me.

    Seriously, what¡¯s with the spoons, they¡¯re like conducting an orchestra in this world! Not that I haven¡¯t done it a few times myself¡­ I thought idly.

    I coughed and fidgeted slightly, pushing the ¡®shy country girl¡¯ part of me to the side and nodding briskly.

    ¡°Mrs. Elspeth-¡° I started.

    Elspeth burst into laughter, and waved her hands at me. ¡°Oh spirits girl, I¡¯m just an old lighthouse keeper! You really don¡¯t need to be so formal here in Galgados!¡±

    I could feel my cheeks flushing lightly with embarrassment.

    ¡°If¡­ if you say so.¡± I fidgeted slightly in discomfort, then nodded. ¡°Elspeth. We¡¯re¡­ not used to this level of cooking. Could we maybe reduce the spice a bit? Please?¡± I got out.

    I felt foolish, honestly, I¡¯d loved spicy food in the other world, but my tongue in this world was¡­ uncultured. I¡¯d definitely have to work my way up again.

    Elspeth laughed kindly and agreed. ¡°But I think that boy of yours would like some home cooking. He¡¯s from Arlan, unless I¡¯m much mistaken. They get their spices from us, I think.¡± She nodded sagely.

    I blinked in surprise. ¡°He would? They do?¡± I paused then burst out ¡°And how does everyone know that he¡¯s my boyfriend on first sight?!¡±

    ¡°Spirits, girl! The way you look at him? The way he looks at you? Goodness, you two couldn¡¯t be more obvious if you sent up a courier¡¯s signal flare!¡±

    The blush on my cheeks got hotter and spread up to my ears.

    ¡°I¡­ I see.¡±

    Elspeth waved her spoon at me again, and chuckled kindly. ¡°It¡¯s no bad thing! Reminds me of when I was pursuing Cameron so many years ago. Boy was denser than deep stone!¡± She smiled at me, and returned to stirring her pot. ¡°Everyone except us could see we were interested in each other!¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I said uncomfortably, focusing on my own task.

    It was worth focusing on too. New food, including some extremely exotic mushrooms, animals and monsters that dwelled in the deep dark, as well as mountain creatures, all made their appearance. We wound up creating a kind of hybrid dish, something like a shepherd¡¯s pie and a bit like a meat pasty. It was spicier than I would have liked, but considerably less so than Elspeth and her husband were used to.

    Nonetheless, I was proud of our creation. And if you didn¡¯t count the spices, it wasn¡¯t poisoned at all!

    I giggled, watching Soriya cautiously poking at the meal, and then scowling at me.

    ¡°Is this revenge for me not making sparkle wine?¡± She said suspiciously.

    I grinned and shook my head. ¡°No. This is me learning that cooking in other cultures can be a lot of fun!¡± I glanced over to Elspeth and smiled gratefully.

    Eshaan of course, dove right in without a care in the world. He slowed right down after the first bite, and at first, I was terrified that it was too hot for him! But he quickly started eating again, and the plaintive tone in his voice as he asked for seconds was so sweet.

    ¡°It¡¯s just like my mother used to make!¡± He mumbled between bites.

    I caught Soriya and Lakshmi¡¯s startled glances at me, and felt an unaccustomed smugness. Elspeth quickly deflated me though.

    ¡°If this girl hadn¡¯t watered down the spices to the point of bland, you¡¯d have an idea what real Monanin cooking is like!¡± She declared fiercely.

    Cameron snorted into his share. ¡°Woman, you¡¯ve been cooking longer than that girl has been alive, and yet she¡¯s put together something I¡¯ve never tasted, that still tastes damn fine!  Give a little credit for the skill where it¡¯s due.¡±

    Elspeth stuck her tongue out at Cameron, and the two promptly fell into an argument over the exact definition of Monanin.

    I guess they¡¯re exactly what they appear to be. I thought, watching the two. Married, and for a very long time too.

    The food was good and in good quantity, and despite Soriya¡¯s minor worries, everyone had seconds, and no one fell down dead or dropped unconscious suddenly.

    I sighed, poking at the second helping of food in front of me. It really would be in keeping for them to ambush us, and drug us, wouldn¡¯t it? I guess we¡¯re really off the storyline. I¡¯m glad my spellcasting keeps me thin! I wonder if I can make chocolate¡­?

    Another sudden ¡®ping¡¯ of surprise, and the odd feeling of the otherworldly half of me being in the know.

    No chocolate?! I thought in horror. Outrageous! I hope the elves have something suitable! I made a pledge to find something like cacao as soon as possible. Or maybe¡­!

    ¡°Excuse me, Cameron?¡± I asked hesitantly.

    ¡°What is it, missy?¡±

    ¡°Do you know of ¡®chocolate¡¯? Or anything like ¡®cacao¡¯?¡± I said, hoping that whatever universal translator the System had cooked up, would help.

    Cameron frowned, and scratched at his beard thoughtfully.

    I could see from the look on Soriya¡¯s face that she was having the same frightful realization that I had! Truly a world without chocolate was just¡­ horrific!

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Cameron shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯ve not heard that word before. I¡¯m sorry. What¡¯s it like?¡±

    I slumped, feeling a terrible gloom descending on me.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bean, comes in a pod?¡± I attempted to describe the results as a brownish powder, but ultimately¡­

    Both of the Cloudhearts shook their head sadly. ¡°It sounds like an interesting plant, where in the world did you hear about it?¡±

    The gloom around me palpably increased and I shrugged helplessly, looking at Soriya with a pleading gaze.

    Bless her, Soriya saw my look at stepped in. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s from one of my books!¡± She said casually. ¡°Lily does like to read, and she has such a curiosity about new foods!¡±

    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eshaan open his mouth to put a huge hole in Soriya¡¯s cover. Lakshmi casually reached over and pinched his thigh, without even glancing at him, resulting in a startled yelp of pain.

    I pressed my lips hard together to stop from giggling, and instead hurriedly turned away from the Cloudhearts to focus on Eshaan.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked him.

    Eshaan¡¯s glare could have melted steel, and I was glad that I¡¯d looked away, the expression on my face could not withstand any sort of scrutiny!

    ¡°What happened?¡± I said, struggling to keep my voice concerned. ¡°Let me {Heal} you!¡± I hurriedly chanted a {Heal}, placing my hands near the spot where Lakshmi had pinched him.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine¡­¡± Eshaan muttered out, giving Lakshmi a fierce glare. ¡°Just¡­ surprised.¡± He took a deep breath and I saw him relax as the {Heal} spell washed through him.

    Camaxtli said ¡°This bean. It is ground into a brown powder, you said? Something very like what you describe grows in the Itzi jungle.¡±

    I jumped in surprise; he was so quiet and still I¡¯d forgotten he was there! Still! Oh¡­ my memory informed me that the Itzi jungle was a long way away.

    Cameron snorted. ¡°Not sure how you know anything about the Sylvain jungles, but if that¡¯s where it grows, then you¡¯re most definitely out of luck missy. Nothing comes from the far continent; nothing here goes there either. They make sure of that.¡±

    I squeezed my eyes closed, and fought a faint smile on my lips.

    Next stop, Sylvain jungles then. Or there¡¯s something to pick up there for sure.

    I opened my eyes and nodded to Cameron. ¡°Well, thank you. I suppose we should just figure out how to get to Hecate then.¡±

    Cameron waved his hand casually. ¡°No worries there, we¡¯ll just take you on my little skiff. Need to make a delivery to some local folks anyway.¡± He threw a wink at Lakshmi. ¡°Could be that your captain here might like to talk some business with them.¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s slow smile lit up the room, and she straightened in her chair.

    Daniyel¡¯s gave a slow shake of his head and leaned over to whisper to Soriya. ¡°Truly, now we are all doomed.¡±

    Soriya snorted a laugh, which caused Lakshmi to glare at her.

    Elspeth laughed, and said ¡°I¡¯m glad to see your crew are all such good friends.¡±

    She gave us a friendly wink, but I still winced. We were¡­ not subtle. Particularly. I was glad they didn¡¯t seem inclined to sell us out. Hopefully the money we paid them would keep that true.

    Once we¡¯d finished dinner, and cleaned the dishes, Elspeth instructed Cameron to let us use the cavern for sleeping, then piled us with pillows and comforters. Lakshmi protested that the Sparrowhawk 2 had plenty of those, but Elspeth could teach my mother lessons on stubbornness, and in short order all six of us were trooping down to the cavern carrying loads of bedding in our arms.

    ¡°At least it¡¯s pretty clear they don¡¯t plan to mug us in our sleep.¡± Soriya grumbled over the pile of comforters.

    Eshaan laughed, which only made Soriya glare at him.

    ¡°What?!¡± She demanded. ¡°I¡¯m serious! These people are smugglers, they¡¯re not exactly trustworthy!¡±

    Daniyel said stoically ¡°Neither are we, if you get right down to it, Mistress Soriya. Perhaps they sense a kindred spirit.¡±

    Soriya swung a pillow at him which he easily dodged.

    ¡°Be careful you do not engage in warfare you cannot win.¡± He said. His expression and features were utterly deadpan, but I was certain that I could see a sparkle of amusement in his eyes.

    ¡°See if I don¡¯t make a ritual that conjures a waterfall of pillows, then we¡¯ll see who can¡¯t win battles.¡± Soriya threatened with a smile on her face.

    Daniyel dodged another pillow, and added equitably ¡°That would indeed be impressive, but while you were casting, I do not think you would be adequately defended.¡±

    Soriya reeled back, placing a hand on her bosom in overly dramatic fashion. ¡°Are you suggesting my staunch defender would abandon me in the midst of my direst hour?!¡±

    Camaxtli said ¡°I am sorry to interrupt this bonding session, but a question has been plaguing me for the past several hours. How did your library contain a book that outlined the culinary uses of the plants of the Itzian jungles, when contact has apparently been severed for millennia?¡±

    I blinked, and looked at him in confusion. ¡°Uhm. Didn¡¯t we cover this? Maybe not? Remember we said I came from the Well of Souls? This is knowledge from¡­ well, my previous life.¡±

    Camaxtli¡¯s smooth and graceful walk became jerky and he staggered a bit before coming to a stop. Camaxtli¡¯s eyes whirled. ¡°I have not yet finished processing that statement and it¡¯s attendant¡­ events. I will¡­ need to continue¡­¡±

    ¡°Thinking it over.¡± Lakshmi said, patting his shoulder lightly. ¡°We mere primitive mortals call that ¡®thinking it over¡¯ and ¡®getting our bearings¡¯.¡± She smiled at him.

    Camaxtli stared at Lakshmi for a long moment, before he said ¡°I will¡­attempt¡­ to take your words to heart.¡±

    ¡°Why the difficulty?¡± Eshaan asked. ¡°This is Lily, she does the impossible every day! And Miss Soriya too, of course.¡± He hastily added as an afterthought.

    ¡°This is¡­ a new¡­ I am¡­¡± Camaxtli stumbled to a halt, then finally said. ¡°It is difficult to account for these variables. I am having to¡­ ¡®improvise.¡¯ I am not used to improvising. Things have been ordered. Quiet.¡± He was silent for a long time, before adding ¡°Predictable. Life in the Jubilee was¡­ predictable. Life out here is not. That is all.¡±

    Lakshmi smiled at him then nudged him with her elbow. ¡°We call that ¡®life¡¯ in general. It¡¯s hard out here, but it¡¯s got some good parts. You¡¯ll like it.¡±

    Camaxtli looked down at Lakshmi. After a moment, he nodded. ¡°I will take your advice, then. I will ¡®take the day as it comes¡¯.¡±

    Lakshmi smiled brightly. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! You¡¯ll be a real boy before you know it!¡±

    ¡°I do not believe that is a possible outcome.¡± Camaxtli shook his head gravely.

    Everyone laughed at his earnest comment, but I sobered quickly. If we¡¯re on the track¡­ he¡¯s going to have a major crisis. Maybe even become mind controlled. I bit my lip in worry. I don¡¯t know if I can prepare him for that? How do you prepare someone to have their free will stripped away, while telling them that it¡¯s good to have it?!

    I squeezed my load of comforters and pillows more tightly. And what does ¡®free will¡¯ even mean, in a world with a System and ¡®grooves¡¯ that dictate our future as plots in a story! I thought¡­ I thought a System would be fun. Why is everything so difficult when you¡¯re living the plot!

    I glanced over to Eshaan and caught him looking at me with that half shy sweet smile he got when he didn¡¯t think I was looking.

    Well ok. Some of it is fun. I guess. Very new, but¡­ fun. I glanced down into the pile of comforters, feeling a blush coming on. Do I want to sleep with Eshaan?! It would be-

    My thought was cut off as Soriya bumped into Daniyel and said ¡°So, handsome, how about we share our blankets tonight?¡±

    I turned scarlet and buried my face in my comforters.

    Daniyel looked at her gravely. He opened his mouth to reply, when Lakshmi hit him in the back with her hand.

    ¡°Do it!¡± She said. ¡°You want to do it, and I told you¡­ live a little!¡±

    Daniyel¡¯s face betrayed real emotion for a moment, a twisted agony of distress.

    ¡°But princess!¡± he protested.

    ¡°But ¡®princess¡¯ nothing!¡± Lakshmi responded. ¡°Captain Lakshmi the Red!¡± She turned to Soriya with a broad grin. ¡°Don¡¯t keep us awake, and you can do anything you want to him.¡±

    I wanted to die of embarrassment. My cheeks were going to catch fire at this rate, and I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because of envy or prudishness.

    Maybe a little of both, if I¡¯m honest with myself. I thought sadly.

    I darted a glance at Eshaan, and caught him looking at me. We both looked away instantly.

    Soriya¡¯s smile was positively wicked as she latched onto Daniyel¡¯s arm. ¡°See? Captain¡¯s orders.¡±

    We reached the cave and the Sparrowhawk 2¡¯s temporary hangar, and Soriya and Daniyel disappeared into the cabin. I prayed to the spirits that the hull was soundproof.

    The night passed quietly enough despite my concerns, thus proving that the hull was soundproof. My own mind however, was much noisier, and I didn¡¯t have a way to shut up the thoughts that whirled in my head. Chief among them was the odd feeling that I didn¡¯t deserve Eshaan. I didn¡¯t belong to this world, but I was dead so what other world did I have? But what else was I going to do? But I was seventeen, I had my whole life ahead of me? But did I want¡­ that?!

    I folded the comforters and pillows four times, angrily, but the endless circle of thought did not quiet itself down.

    ¡°Easy there.¡± Lakshmi slid up beside me. ¡°You¡¯re putting enough effort into that to fold the Sparrowhawk¡¯s hull metal.¡±

    I glared at her fiercely. ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± I said angrily.

    Lakshmi held up her hands and backed off. ¡°Hey, easy there crewmate Lilyanna! I¡¯m just saying. If I had a boy who looked at me like Eshaan-¡°

    ¡°Well you don¡¯t!¡± I snapped at her. ¡°So kindly shove off!¡±

    Lakshmi stared at me for a long moment, and I could feel the embarrassment and shame curling in my chest.

    That was unfair of me. Unkind. And more to the point, she will have someone like that in Camaxtli! How¡­ oh spirits. I buried my face in my hands. I really am a teenage girl, aren¡¯t I!?

    ¡°Fine.¡± She said stiffly as she stood up and dusted off her pants. ¡°When you¡¯re ready to be an adult about this, we¡¯ll talk.¡±

    I groaned into the pile of comforters as she stalked off. Wonderful. Now Lakshmi is more adult than I am. Much good living two lives did me! I thought angrily.

 58 Emotional Catacombs

    I groaned into the pile of comforters as she stalked off. Wonderful. Now Lakshmi is more of an adult than I am! Much good living two lives did me! I thought angrily.

    I made a quick breakfast for the others, and by the time Cameron came down to see how we were doing, we were just finishing up the last of the meal.

    Cameron nodded agreeably and puffed on his pipe in apparent satisfaction. ¡°Aye, that¡¯s a well ordered crew you¡¯ve got there, Captain Lakshmi. My little skiff will get you to Hecate as soon as you¡¯re ready.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Cameron!¡± Lakshmi said.

    I wasn¡¯t entirely sure I liked how well she took to the captain role, but on the other hand¡­ well she was pretty good at it!

    And as an added benefit, I don¡¯t have to do the talking! I thought with a satisfied nod.

    With our supplies packed up, and the comforters and pillows returned to Elspeth, we were finally ready to set out. I was a little nervous about leaving most of our gear and equipment behind in the Sparrowhawk, but it wasn¡¯t like we didn¡¯t carry most of our gear and weapons with us at all times. The magic storage of this world was pretty useful, I had to concede. Even if it did mean I was wearing a healer mage¡¯s robes all the time.

    I had half expected Cameron¡¯s little skiff to be some vast sailing ship or ultra high-tech device¡­ but it was exactly as he described it. A small boat just barely big enough for all seven of us, and a few bundles of packages.

    Eshaan toed them curiously. ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± He asked.

    Cameron winked at him. ¡°Ah, ask me no questions, and I¡¯ll tell you no lies, lad.¡±

    Eshaan opened his mouth to do just that, and I pinched his arm. ¡°He means don¡¯t ask, Eshaan!¡±

    Eshaan looked at me with an expression of wounded pride. ¡°I know that! I¡¯m not stupid Lilyanna!¡±

    ¡°So why were you going to ask?!¡± I folded my arms and glared at him.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t!¡±

    I slowly raised an eyebrow at him.

    Eshaan shook his head, and I saw a spark of genuine anger in his eyes. ¡°I swear, Lilyanna! I¡¯m not stupid! But he¡¯s taking these packages someplace, and that means people are going to be waiting for them!¡±

    I blinked a few times, my mouth opening and closing, before glancing over at Lakshmi.

    Lakshmi nodded, apparently unconcerned. ¡°That would be the logical outcome, yes.¡± She agreed.

    Camron puffed at his pipe and puttered about the skiff setting the little stubby fins and wings to new angles. As he worked he commented ¡°Not ta worry your head, lad. Of course I¡¯ve got a business run, I said as much. And being as it¡¯s business, and none of you are asking what¡¯s going where or to who, that¡¯s just business as well.¡±

    He took his pipe out of his mouth, and faced us. ¡°Which is to say, don¡¯t go lighting any fuses, and there won¡¯t be any fireworks. Am I clear?¡± He said seriously.

    ¡°As crystal.¡± Lakshmi seemed positively gleeful. I desperately wished I could ask her if she¡¯d ever done anything like this before. She seemed entirely too excited about this for this to be a normal occurrence. And if I recalled¡­

    We met her in a cell after she¡¯d been rounded up with other sky pirates. The bad kind. I wonder¡­ just what happened there?

    The sky was bright and clear and blue, and there were puffy white clouds floating around the peaks below us as Cameron cast off, and the skiff bobbed into the open air, the crystals of the main engine making soft contended puttering noises as the skiff¡¯s sail fins caught and channeled the air.

    I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Perhaps this will be a safe trip, and boring? I thought hopefully.

    ¡°Lily, why don¡¯t you trust me?¡± Eshaan asked pointedly.

    My heart sank into my boots as I glanced over into his slightly angry and definitely hurt eyes.

    Or¡­ we could have a fight. Wonderful. I thought with a wince.

    What made it worse was¡­ I really couldn¡¯t blame him. I had rather stomped all over him, and he had been asking a sensible question and¡­ and he just wasn¡¯t quite as dumb as I¡¯d thought.

    Or maybe he¡¯s growing? Like anyone who¡¯s been taken out of their pot and put in fertile soil? Is a System groove a pot? No that can¡¯t be, we¡¯re in one of those. Maybe the System grows you to¡­ oh that¡¯s super creepy. I thought nervously. The idea that the System grooves might be tweaking our personality and core traits!? I could feel the nudges and pushes of the story, but the idea that the System might be making me smarter¡­ or conversely, stupider, sent a chill right down my spine.

    But in the meantime, I have to have this fight.

    I sighed and scooted around so I was facing him directly.

    ¡°I do trust you, Eshaan.¡± I said earnestly, taking one of his hands in mine.

    He pulled his hand free to gesture angrily with it. I winced mentally. And even the earnest handhold trick won¡¯t help me? Oh I¡¯ve definitely screwed this one up. I thought sadly.

    ¡°No you don¡¯t! I know I¡¯m not bright, but you could at least trust me to pick up on something like that!¡±

    I chewed my lower lip for a moment before nodding. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fair. I did think you were going to ask him after he asked you not to. But it¡¯s not because I think you¡¯re stupid, Eshaan! You¡¯re¡­ stubborn! Determined to push ahead despite what anyone says!¡± I scrunched up my face in frustration. ¡°Look what¡¯s happening, we¡¯re having a personal fight in front of everyone!¡±

    Eshaan looked around the skiff in surprise as though seeing everyone else for the first time, then back to me. ¡°This is important!¡± he said in frustration. ¡°You deal with important things when they happen!¡±

    I sighed. The infuriating determination of the hero when confronted with resistance!

    I¡¯m not going to win this fight. I suddenly realized. Not even fatal wounds stop a hero when they¡¯re determined like this.

    I chewed my lower lip some more and then nodded. ¡°Alright. So you think I don¡¯t trust you not to open your mouth? Fine. How do we fix this?¡± I said bluntly. ¡°Because I do trust you. I trust you to be stupidly honorable, brave, loyal and determined at all times. But I also trust you to open your mouth at the worst possible time, to follow a goal past the point of sanity-¡±

    I stopped, suddenly. And where does that leave me? He¡¯ll follow me past the point of sanity. I¡¯m one of his goals! Don¡¯t I want that?! But-!

    The two halves of me struggled against each other. I¡¯d not felt this divided since¡­

    Since I first arrived here.

    On one hand¡­ of course I wanted to get married! And have children! I was a young woman, and I would be a mother someday! On the other¡­ I was very much none of those things!

    My heart leapt into my throat at that, and I had trouble swallowing it down. I want to be his girlfriend, don¡¯t I? Don¡¯t I? Didn¡¯t I kiss him after he rescued me?! That doesn¡¯t mean¡­ but I¡¯m¡­ but do I want to be¡­!? Do I have to be¡­!?

    Eshaan squirmed and his face reddened. ¡°How do you do that?!¡± he burst out in frustration. ¡°How do you insult me while complimenting me?! Do you like me or not, Lilyanna?!¡±

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    ¡°Of course I like you!¡± I spluttered, still struggling with the whirling maelstrom in my head.

    Cameron¡¯s burring chuckle at the rear of the skiff was like sandpaper on my nerves, and I could feel a blush sweep over my cheeks. It was abominably embarrassing to be seen having this argument!

    ¡°Eshaan, please, can we not-¡±

    ¡°No! This is important!¡± He repeated. ¡°Do you like me or not?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I like you, you stupid pig headed man! I just don¡¯t know if I want to marry you!¡± I burst out.

    I instantly wished I could call the words back. I slapped both my hands over my mouth, my eyes going wide in horror as if I could call the words back.

    Failing that I thought miserably it would be nice if the skiff would open up and drop me into the sky to spare me! Oh spirits, what did I just say!? Why did I say that!?

    There was dead silence in the skiff for a moment, and then Lakshmi and Soriya both burst into laughter.

    My blush could have heated a room. I curled into a little ball of embarrassed misery.

    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re¡­ thinking about marriage?!¡± Eshaan said, looking poleaxed.

    ¡°Oh, now you¡¯ve done it for sure.¡± Soriya said through her gales of laughter. ¡°If you want to test a man¡¯s dedication, see how far he runs when you mention the ¡®m¡¯ word!¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t understand!¡± Eshaan wailed plaintively. ¡°Why¡­ but you¡­ but we were just dating, and now¡­!?¡± He turned to look at Cameron helplessly.

    Cameron took his pipe out of his mouth and waved it at Eshaan. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, lad. A woman¡¯s heart is a mystery deeper than the sky and sea together. I love my Elspeth with all my heart, but I couldn¡¯t tell you the first reason why she¡¯s still with a fool like me.¡±

    He puffed contemplatively. ¡°But if you were to ask me¡­ I¡¯d say the lady is thinking she likes you an awful lot, and she¡¯s just starting to realize what happens next. Not that an old skiff runner knows much of anything.¡± He turned back to adjust some of the skiff¡¯s wing vanes in silence.

    The rest of the ride to Hecate was both mercifully subdued and painfully quiet, with only my thoughts spinning around inside my head.

    I was drawn out of my misery by Eshaan¡¯s gasp, and the exclamation ¡°Is the city on fire!?¡±

    The first sight of Hecate, wasn¡¯t the city itself, which was hidden in the folds of the mountain peaks. It was the mingled streams of steam and smoking rising into the skyline, so thick that they looked as though one of the mountains was a volcano.

    I jerked my head up to see the huge billowing pillar in the distance, lit from below by the flickering orange yellow light and let out a shocked gasp of my own. Before I could make some embarrassing exclamation about needing to hurry, Cameron and Lakshmi¡¯s mingled laughter pulled me up short.

    ¡°Nay, lad!¡± said Cameron, still chuckling. ¡°That¡¯s just how our grand city looks! You¡¯re seeing the steam and smoke from our city, and the light from crystals and forge fires!¡± He puffed proudly on his pipe. ¡°It¡¯s a grand sight, ain¡¯t it?¡±

    Lakshmi nodded enthusiastically. ¡°I¡¯ve-¡± she paused and then went on ¡°-only seen it a few times myself, but it¡¯s glorious. The stories don¡¯t do it justice.¡±

    This is the first time she¡¯s seen it in person. I translated mentally. Poor shut in princess. I grimaced. Not that I¡¯m much better! I thought the city was a volcano!

    ¡°All my books call it the forge city.¡± Soriya said quietly. ¡°I thought that was just because¡­¡± she trailed off, looking at the vast pillar of vapor.

    ¡°Oh, aye, there¡¯s summa that too.¡± Cameron said agreeably. ¡°Look at the base of most of those smoke trails you¡¯ll find a workshop or smeltery or forge works. But it¡¯s not just because we Monanin are mad artificers. Some of us are poets too.¡±

    I blinked and opened my mouth, by Lakshmi beat me to it.

    ¡°Does that include you, Mr. Cameron?¡±

    He smiled quietly around his pipe. ¡°Sometimes, on very cloudy days or very dark nights. Most days, I¡¯m just a lighthouse keeper. Here now, keep your eyes peeled you kids. You¡¯re about to see something special.¡±

    He directed our attention forward, as the skiff rounded a jutting cliff face, and Hecate came into view. A glorious edifice that perched half in and half on top of a mountain peak, hundreds of chimneys belched steam and smoke into the air, while crystals and forge fire lit the streams up. The smell from the city was the tang of hot metal and the smell of smoke and flame.

    And resting in the air docks which jutted out into the dizzying drop to the floor of the valley, a fleet of imperial airships, smoking and glittering, their imperial crest flapping lazily from their riggings.

    Cameron let out a surprised grunt. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s a part of the view I didn¡¯t expect.¡± He sucked thoughtfully on his pipe. ¡°Guess it¡¯s a good job we¡¯re not going to be docking there. Officially, anyway.¡±

    A sudden slow creeping dread slithered up my spine.

    ¡°Cameron¡­ where¡­ is this¡­ secluded docking?¡± I asked cautiously.

    His eyes twinkled, and he pointed with the stem of his pipe. ¡°Well now, it¡¯s not exactly what you¡¯d call a proper dock¡­¡± I followed the stem of his pipe, and groaned.

    ¡°Oh no. Please¡­ tell me that¡¯s not a sewer outpipe?¡± I whimpered.

    Cameron¡¯s chuckle followed by Eshaan and Soriya¡¯s groans were my only answer.

    ¡°Now now, it¡¯s not that bad, just a smell!¡± Cameron chuckled. ¡°Me and my business associates use this route all the time. It¡¯s a dry pipe, and while I¡¯d not want to touch the sides of the channel, you won¡¯t need to worry.¡±

    I sighed, placing my head in my hands. ¡°Sewers.¡± I moaned. ¡°Why did it have to be sewers?¡±

    Soriya reached over and patted my shoulder. ¡°Buck up, they¡¯re dry! Just hold your nose this time!¡±

    I sighed, and nodded. Cameron¡¯s little skiff nosed up to the a small rock pier under a cliff. Several pipes and broken grates made of the strange bronze gold colored metal of the ancients poked out here and there. I noticed idly that they were all neatly trimmed off, or perhaps cut in some way.

    Eshaan pointed to the pipes and metalwork and asked ¡°Are you scavenging here?¡±

    Cameron blinked slowly. ¡°Not for decades lad, all the good material¡¯s been found and carted to the surface! If you¡¯re planning on delving, I¡¯d have to caution you against it. The deeper levels are much more dangerous, and you¡¯ll find active machinery and golems deeper down!¡±

    ¡°No, the safest approach is to just take the path my contacts will lead you, and find your way to the city quiet like.¡±

    At that mention, a trio of rough looking Monanin men appeared from the tunnel entrances. They stopped, staring at us, their hands hesitating near their weapons.

    Cameron waved to them cheerfully. ¡°Nah, nah, none of that. These are a new business partners.¡± He stepped out of the skiff and approached the trio. They talked in low tones, and I saw some Zeni bills trade hands, and the trio of men were suddenly all smiles.

    Eshaan frowned deeply. He opened his mouth, looked over to me, then closed his mouth tightly.

    I frowned. ¡°What?¡± I said to him.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± He shook his head.

    I frowned even more. ¡°Eshaan, what?¡±

    He wavered, then shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    I stepped up to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He jerked fiercely, and looked down at me with surprise. I sighed. ¡°Alright, I know that look. I know those words. ¡®It¡¯s nothing.¡¯ That¡¯s code for ¡®I¡¯m hurt and feeling it, but I don¡¯t want to talk about it because I don¡¯t know how to express it.¡¯ Which means it has to do with my¡­ my issues. And me running my stupid mouth.¡±

    Eshaan looked away, his cheeks coloring, then nodded in embarrassment.

    I gave a long sigh. ¡°How do I always make things worse?¡± I muttered to myself.

    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ this is¡­ oh spirits, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m gong to say this. ¡®This isn¡¯t about you, it¡¯s about me.¡¯ So¡­ well look. Do you want to be a dad?!¡± I poked him in the chest. ¡°See, that¡¯s what I¡¯m feeling! I don¡¯t¡­ -know!¡±

    Eshaan was quiet for a long moment, then he pulled me into a gentle hug.

    ¡°Ok.¡± He said. ¡°I have faith in you. And¡­ I guess I see this is¡­ this is because of your past too. I don¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­¡± he took a deep breath. ¡°Miss Soriya was right. It¡¯s¡­ scary to think past¡­ kissing a cute girl.¡±

    I grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes. I opened my mouth to say something, then just gave up, and pulled him down to kiss him. I didn¡¯t know what the future held, and I didn¡¯t¡­ really¡­ think I was ever going to be able to go home again¡­ but I liked this. Half of me liked this for everything it meant, and more than half of me liked Eshaaan as a person.

    I pulled back and looked up at him smiling at his poleaxed expression. Even if he is as dumb as a bag of hammers. I thought. Very, very pretty hammers.

    Once arrangements had been sorted, and Cameron¡¯s smuggler contacts had been sorted¡­ and paid, again¡­ we headed into the tunnels. The smell really was absent, only a mild unpleasant suggestion. Apparently, the tunnels had been disused for a very long time.

    Maybe four thousand years? That doesn¡¯t make sense¡­

    I perked up, catching a snippet of conversation between Eshaan and the smugglers.

    Oh! His hobby? Pumping for information? I wondered, then promptly rolled my eyes at myself. Since when has Eshaan ever been guileful enough to ask about information?!

    Eshaan and Lakshmi were questioning the smugglers about the ancient sewer system, and the ancient ruins below the city itself. Eshaan was clearly indulging his passion for ancient archeology, and I wasn¡¯t entirely sure that Lakshmi hadn¡¯t been pulled into it for the same reason.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Camaxtli suddenly spoke up. ¡°That information is not correct.¡± He stated firmly.

    The smuggler trio turned to look at him in surprise, a wary look slipping across their features.

    ¡°Aye, lad? Well different opinions and all, I suppose-¡± the leader spoke up.

    ¡°No, the information is incorrect. This is no longer the primary shaft system of the waste disposal method. This side path we have taken is part of the maintenance system for the geothermal heating.¡±

    Lakshmi perked up immediately. ¡°That¡¯s amazing! They had geothermal heating?! This ruin really dates back to the Goddess¡¯s war?!¡±

    I saw Daniyel and Eshaan stiffen, and felt a thrill of dread as their hands crept towards their weapons.

    ¡°Why would you be taking us through the heating vents?¡± Eshaan asked, his voice still filled with a guileless cheerfulness.

    ¡°Tch!¡± The leader spat.

    They really do that?! I found myself thinking in shock, even as my body reacted without my input, pulling my staff from my item bag.

    ¡°Well, we were going to lead you a little further along, but here¡¯s as good as any.¡± The lead smugger said. ¡°That pink haired girl of yours is worth a fair bit more than just a few hundred zeni.¡± He grinned nastily, showing stained and crooked teeth.

    ¡°If you hand her over nicely, we¡¯ll be nice and lead you to the city. Or we can just leave you stranded down here without a map. All the same to us.¡±

    Eshaan barked a quick laugh and jerked his sword out of its scabbard. ¡°Oh thank the goddess, a fight!¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help it; I burst out laughing. I was just as relieved and probably for the same reason, and it was all just so silly. The smile on my face probably wasn¡¯t all that kind looking though.

 59 Down into the Belly of the Mines.

    I couldn¡¯t help it; I burst out laughing. I was just as relieved and probably for the same reason, and it was all just so silly. The smile on my face probably wasn¡¯t all that kind looking though.

    Eshaan charged forward; his sword raised high for a power slash. The smugglers were quicker than they looked, and also a lot more dexterous than I would have been assumed.

    I guess even dwarves ¡­ Moanian¡­ can be agile and quick!

    They scrambled to the side, tucked and rolled like acrobats, and came up with a pair of knives in each hand. Eshaan found himself surrounded by a ring of glittering steel.

    Lakshmi hauled out her pistol, but fumbled the draw, her hands shaking. The weapon went skittering across the floor then fell into a grating. The sound of the banging and clanging fading into the distance below was uncomfortably loud, as was the uproarious laughter of the smugglers.

    ¡°If this is the best you¡¯ve got, you¡¯d best give up now!¡± They howled. ¡°You think we¡¯re some scrubs to be taken down by a bunch of kids!? In our own territory?!¡± One of them kicked a lever on of the nearby ducts, and ominous clattering and clanking sounds of golem spiders filled the air.

    ¡°Oh crap.¡± Said Lakshmi, her face going pale.

    Daniyel slapped his fists together, the glowing gauntlets of force materializing around his hands. ¡°This has gone far enough.¡± He snapped in a cold direct voice, interposing himself between Lakshmi and the smugglers. ¡°Surrender, and we will see you delivered to the proper authorities and still drawing breath.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t value you¡¯re little friend here much, do you?¡± The smugglers brandished their knives at Eshaan, which left a lump of fear in my throat. Their knives looked awfully sharp, and it was clear that they were not bluffing.

    ¡°Oh screw this!¡± Soriya shouted. She started the chant for {Infernal Black}.

    ¡°Soriya, look out!¡± I screamed. Skittering shimmering spider golems, much like the malfunctioning units that we¡¯d found in the Tol Jageren range flowed out of the walls. Soriya was forced to abort her chant with a cry, flinging herself to the side and banging hard against the ducts and pipework of the tunnels.

    Oh dear. I thought. This is not going at all well, is it? Is this¡­ not a comedy fight?! Are these smugglers actually a threat?!

    It seemed absurd, we were the heroes, this was just a transit to the real action scene¡­ wasn¡¯t it?

    Did I break the plot?! Is this¡­ what happens when you go off script? Is the plot trying to force me back in!? I thought wildly.

    Camaxtli held out his hands, and his oddly shaped circuitry engraved katana appeared with a flash of blue light. ¡°This will be an excellent opportunity to field test several hypotheses I have formed.¡± He said calmly, and then dashed forward with a blur.

    He flittered between the smugglers like a flicker of light, knocking them away from Eshaan. I felt my fears grow as the smugglers were knocked backwards, but not disarmed or instantly eliminated.

    I pressed my lips firmly together and nodded to myself. If this is how it¡¯s going to be, alright! Here I go! I thought.

    I held out my hands and chanted {Barrier}. Flickering hexagon patterns appeared in front of my friends. A leaping spider golem was abruptly flung backwards from Soriya as it landed on the {Barrier} with a bright flash of light and was repelled.

    Soriya gave me a quick grin and thumbs up. ¡°Nice!¡± She said, then pulled out ?gishj¨¢lmur, and started to incant the words to {Infernal Black} once more.

    Eshaan gave Camaxtli a quick tight grin, then turned back to the smugglers. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re quite the easy prey you expected, but what I really can¡¯t forgive you for-¡°

    He dashed forward, and with three quick strikes disarmed the smuggler in front of him, pressing him against the tunnel walls.

    ¡°-is the way you disrespected my girlfriend!¡± He finished with a shout.

    I turned bright red, looking down at the floor. Honestly, this is not the time, Eshaan! I had to admit¡­ I didn¡¯t hate it though.

    Lakshmi fumbled with her gear, and pulled out a small dagger, then rushed forward with it. ¡°I may not look like it, but I¡¯m not someone you can treat lightly!¡±

    Her words were well intentioned, but the smugglers dodged her rush with an ugly laugh.

    ¡°That may be so, but what about those little beasties!¡± one laughed, pointing to the spider golems which were clicking their way ominiously towards us. Lakshmi glanced back, and quick as a flash, one of the smugglers dashed forward, his dagger cutting a thin red line across lakshmi¡¯s stomach. She cried out a staggered backwards.

    ¡°Captain!¡± Daniyel cried out, and then rushed towards her. The smugglers were ready for him, and the exchange of blows was ugly, Daniyel pushed into a bad spot by his concern for Lakshmi, the two of them huddling behind a conduit which belched steam.

    Soriya finished her chant, and a flare of black lightning filled the hallway. Screams and roars of humans and breached pipes, and the sound of shrieking metal, and a sphere of inky blackness that was outlined with purple lightning. And before the sphere could collapse, the floor and pipes around the companions did, giving way with a shriek of metal and roar of escaping steam venting all around them, filling the hallway with chaos.

    I tumbled wildly, trying to find some sense of balance, and there were screams everywhere.

    Camaxtli landed solidly and gracefully on the floor below us, looking around calmly. ¡°This has not been the most productive encounter.¡± Then he flicked his sword upright and swung into the mist. There was the sound of shrieking metal and an armored colossus strode out of the steam and wreckage, oversized spider legs flashing and lightning sparkling across its hide.

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    ¡°Fasinating.¡± Camaxtli observed, casually dodging a vicious blow from one of the golem¡¯s eight legs, which tore a gaping hole in the grating. The metal gave a warning groan which rapidly rose to a shriek.

    ¡°Stay away from us! Just¡­ just stay away!¡± I screamed at it. This was so bad, what else could I do? I started to chant my summon for {Forge}. Maybe it can help mend things here? Before everything falls apart?!

    Eshaan staggered upright, wiping blood from his forehead. He spotted the clanking spider monster and dashed for it without hesitation. The golem must have spotted him coming, because before he could even get a single strike in, one of the golem¡¯s legs lashed out, and knocked him away. He tumbled to the side, and slammed to the ground.

    ¡°Eshaan!¡± I shrieked in fear. I can¡¯t stop, I can¡¯t stop summoning now, I have to do something or we¡¯re all going to die!

    Lakshmi dashed forward, pulling out a familiar device id¡¯ not seen for a while. Her multitool. I wild giggle escaped my lips as I saw her leap upwards onto the back of the bucking spider, jamming the multitool into one of the access hatches. Lightning and uncontrolled mana erupted around her, and I hear the scream of pain from her, but she didn¡¯t let go. She didn¡¯t back down. And she didn¡¯t fall. Instead the access panel she had wedged her tool into flew off, revealing pulsing circuitry and mana conduits glowing brightly. Without a trace of hesitation, she plunged her hand into the tangled mess, and pulled.

    The sound of frying meat filled the air and my stomach turned in horror. A glowing mass of tubes and wires hit the ground, and the golem froze. For a moment, I dared to hope it was over. Then the catwalk flooring we¡¯d landed on gave way, and we fell. And we fell and fell and fell, a tumbling twisting mass of pipes and girders and gratings somehow weirdly lit with glowing pulses of mana conduits and flare lights.

    I aborted my casting to summon {Forge} and cast the strongest {Barrier} I could manage, weaving it over and over and over, wrapping it around our tumbling group like bubble wrap around a package until the noise of the banging and buffeting stopped.

    We finally came to rest, the giant bubble of hexagons wrapped around us slowly deflating. We were alive. And I had no idea where the honey we were. Other than in very deep trouble.

    Camaxtli abruptly sat up, then gracefully stood. ¡°Is everyone functional? Have there been fatalities?¡± He said calmly. He moved around the group, very gently removing wreckage and checking for injuries.

    ¡°Your innovative use of the {Barrier} spell was interesting, Lady Lilyanna.¡± He said. ¡°I believe with refinement it might become a very useful spell. It appears to have prevented serious injury or death.¡±

    I felt myself sag with relief at that, then dragged myself upright, grabbing my staff and casting repeated {Heal} on all my friends that I¡¯d dragged into this madman¡¯s nightmare.

    Groans and fluttering eyelids were my reward. I kept expecting to see the Moanian smugglers, but somehow they¡¯d been¡­ lost, I supposed. Not within the sphere of protection, or perhaps blown away by the giant spider golems wreck¡­ but not here.

    Small mercies. I thought wryly, then sank down into a heap and let the shakes flow over me.

    Sometime later, I realized somebody was talking to me. ¡°Lily. Drink.¡± Eshaan forced a healing potion to my lips, and made me swallow. ¡°I should have known you¡¯d heal everyone else and not yourself.¡± He said, sinking down next to me.

    I felt the worst of my injures fade away into mist, the rips and holes in my robe closing themselves. If only my guilt went away as easily. I thought, feeling tears start to fill my eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, you know.¡± Eshaan said, putting his arm around me, and pulling me against him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡± I said quietly. I wrapped my arms around my knees and hugged them to my chest.

    I felt him shrug next to me. ¡°I do, actually. You¡¯re thinking this is all somehow your fault because you didn¡¯t follow your destiny. Or whatever it is you and Soriya call that groove in the world. But if free will means anything in the world, then this can¡¯t be your fault any more than meeting me could be.¡±

    I took a deep breath, and was just about to argue, when Soriya¡¯s face intruded on my vision. ¡°Hey! Bestie? If you don¡¯t knock it off, when we get back to Breezewood, I¡¯m telling the farmer¡¯s son you¡¯re crushing on him.¡±

    My eyes bugged out, and I struggled to my feet in horror. ¡°B-But you can¡¯t! I mean, you mustn¡¯t! I¡¯m with Eshaan!¡±

    Soriya nodded firmly, her hands on her hips. ¡°Good. Because maybe we should go back home for a bit, and regroup. At the very least, Lakshmi¡¯s mentor is going to want to see this, yeah?¡±

    I blinked a few more times, then slowly started to smile, which turned into a giggle fit as my tension started to unwind.

    Soriya nodded in satisfaction, then said off-handedly to Eshaan ¡°Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s just-¡°

    Eshaan interrupted with a quick nod. ¡°The stress. I know. Some of the other cadets did the same thing after getting off a patrol. It¡¯s either giggle fits, swearing fidgets, or a crying jag. Occasionally a fight. I honestly prefer the laughter, though it¡¯s a little creepy to hear yourself doing it.¡±

    I slowly managed to get my giggling under control, and looked over at him. ¡°This¡­ happens a lot?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°A lot less now that I¡¯m with you, but yeah. It has something to do with¡­ well I don¡¯t really understand it, to be honest.¡± He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. ¡°The docs¡¯ just said that if you fight for your life, emotional blowback does that. When it¡¯s personal, it¡¯s easier. When it¡¯s less frequent¡­ well, you know, there¡¯s lots of reasons I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not a trooper anymore. This is one of them.¡±

    He leaned over and hugged me, pulling my head to his chest.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok Lily. You¡¯re not broken. You¡¯re not to blame. And we¡¯ll get through this.¡± He murmured to me.

    Without warning, a cork popped off the top of my emotional well, and a nasty mingled mix of sobbing laughter spilled out of me. For a long moment, I was only really aware of Eshaan stroking the back of my head and whispering nothing words into my ear.

    I finally struggled back to control of myself, wiping my eyes and nose with my robe. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t know why this hit me so hard. We¡¯ve fought¡­ lots of times before. People have died around us. We¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve killed people. This was¡­ this shouldn¡¯t have been¡­¡±

    Eshaan patted my head on the head lightly. ¡°We let our guard down. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be a fight. And I think you¡¯re blaming yourself a little too much.¡±

    ¡°But-!¡±

    Soriya tapped my lightly on the head. ¡°Don¡¯t go full anime heroine on us, ok?¡±

    I glared daggers at her. ¡°This is¡­ that¡¯s-!¡±

    ¡°Different?¡± Soriya interrupted me. ¡°Not the same? Why, because you can feel the emotions yourself?¡±

    I looked down. She was right, that really was the only difference. But it was the largest difference in the world.

    ¡°Miss Soriya, that was cruel.¡± Eshaan said.

    Soriya opened her mouth, then slowly closed it with a sigh. ¡°Yes, I suppose it was.¡± She patted my shoulder again. ¡°Lily, look at it like this. If you were¡­ standing outside yourself. Watching yourself on television. Would you want to shout at the heroine to stop moping about something that¡¯s not her fault?¡±

    I flushed red, and jerked a nod. I would, wouldn¡¯t I? I feel¡­ foolish and angry at myself at the same time. Beause it really does still feel like my fault.

    ¡°There we go then.¡± Soriya said. ¡°So lets go home, and have a sleepover, and feast on blueberry lemon tarts.¡±

    I jerked my head up and glared at her again, then pointed my finger at her. ¡°Sparkleberry wine. You promised!¡±

    Lily laughed, and nodded. ¡°There we go. That¡¯s my best friend. Lets go get roaringly drunk and tell Eideth all about our new discoveries.¡±

    Lakshmi perked up and said ¡°That¡¯s right! Eideth was telling me that nobody¡¯s ever gone all the way to the bottom of the Ancient¡¯s complex under Hecate!¡± Her eyes sparkled with excitement. ¡°I wonder how close we are!?¡±

    I sighed and got to my feet, then looked around the group. ¡°Alright. Everyone ready to go home for a break?¡±

    Camaxtli said mildly ¡°I must say, this is an extremely convenient method. Instantaneous teleportation through other space was a difficult process. It is intriguing that the subspace anchor points-¡°

    ¡°Camaxtli?¡± Lakshmi interrupted him. ¡°Later. When us weak organic beings have had time for a long hot bath and bed.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Yes, I suppose that would be¡­ optimal.¡± He said.

    I conjured up Gate, and we walked through to my backyard in Breezewood.

    ¡°Home again, home again, jiggy jog.¡± I muttered to myself, then trudged towards Mother¡¯s house with a weary sigh.

 60 Second attempt, same as the first.

    ¡°Home again, home again, jiggy jog.¡± I muttered to myself, then trudged towards Mother¡¯s house with a weary sigh.

    Mother met us, the back door flying open before we¡¯d even reached the porch. ¡°Lily! You¡¯re back! With a new friend?!¡± She looked us up and down, then frowned. ¡°And I see things did not go as planned. Did you even¡­ oh dear, oh dear, no, there¡¯s time for all that later! Come in, come in, lets get some hot tea into you all! I¡¯ve prepared beds for everyone in the barn, this seems to be such a recurring thing!¡±

    We were ushered into the warmth of the kitchen where the smell of bubbling stew  made my stomach growl immediately. Everyone (except for Camaxtli) laughed, and I flushed with embarrassment. Bowls and spoons were quickly found and our little group quickly took a seat at the table. Very shortly, the only sound was of satisfied eating.

    When we¡¯d finally finished, Mother said ¡°So, don¡¯t keep me in suspense! Who¡¯s this? What happened?! Did you finally get your airship? Did you get to Hecate?¡±

    After introducing Camaxtli-

    ¡°Really!? An artificial being?! And so handsome! Oh my, Eideth will be over the moon! Oh how I wish Jorthath was still around to meet you, he would have been so excited!¡±

    -and repeating our adventures to date-

    ¡°Your airship can make it from the sand sea to Hecate in less than a day?!¡±

    -we finally reached the climax of our journey and current location.

    ¡°Oh¡­ oh my.¡± Mother sat back in her chair and looked slightly poleaxed. ¡°You¡¯re at the bottom of the Ancient¡¯s ruins under Hecate?! I¡¯ve¡­ well that¡¯s very dangerous! I don¡¯t know if anyone¡¯s ever penetrated that far down!¡± She paused, then asked with a twinkle in her eye ¡°I supposed that means my journal won¡¯t be useful to you for a bit. Though I did have the same problems with the smugglers and the sewer system, though.¡± She patted my head lightly. ¡°At least the smell wasn¡¯t so bad.¡±

    Eshaan stopped eating (his fifth helping) long enough to ask ¡°You had to fight the smugglers too? And you went in the same way?¡±

    Mother tapped her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say the exact same way, there¡¯s doubtless been changes, and it¡¯s certainly not the same smugglers, we had that whole band arrested after we finally- ah, there I go again. Please forgive an old woman, I do tend to ramble!¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°Miss Holly, you¡¯re not old.¡±

    ¡°Oh, pish tosh, I¡¯m certainly no spring chicken!¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Mother, you came with us to the Imperial city and gained multiple levels. You¡¯re hardly an old granny with one foot in the grave either!¡±

    Holly smiled mildly at me then leaned over and hugged me gently. ¡°Lilyanna, you say the sweetest things, but I only came out of retirement because my baby was in danger!¡±

    I glared at her fiercely. ¡°You were having a -good time! You even admitted it!¡±

    I¡¯d never seen my mother blush before, and it made me feel very strange, but also a tiny bit proud.

    Holly looked to the side, then back at me to say ¡°Well yes. It¡¯s true, I did. But I swore that I¡¯d give that up when I settled in Breezewood.¡±

    Camaxtli suddenly spoke up. ¡°I have concluded my scan analysis. You are not biologically related to Lilyanna. Coupled with your talk of adventuring and the strange nature of Lilyanna¡¯s existence in this world, I must conclude that you found her in your adventures. I believe this to be relevant information, will you please recount it?¡±

    Everyone looked at Camaxtli in surprise. My mouth fell open as I looked at him, then spluttered. ¡°No, Camaxtli, that¡¯s not what happened at all! My mother found me as a baby at her doorstep!¡±

    Holly nodded. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s true, Camaxtli. Though it makes perfect sense, I suppose, but it¡¯s true. I found Lilyanna in a basket at my doorstep. Soriya showed up the same day. It was a strange day of miracles, though The witch-light that lit up Soriya¡¯s treehouse was considerably more¡­ dramatic than Lilyanna¡¯s appearance!¡±

    I blinked, feeling a shifting of memory inside me. Of course I¡¯ve always known this, but I¡¯ve not thought about it in so long¡­ I smiled faintly. And then there¡¯s the fact that half of me has never known this at all!

    Soriya and I were the same age, and shared the same birthday. We¡¯d both appeared in Breezewood, Soriya at the Witch¡¯s Tree, and me at Mother¡¯s farmhouse door. Divinations had failed to learn anything about us, other than our harmless nature, and the village had taken us in¡­

    But Camaxtli is right. This might be important.

    ¡°Fascinating.¡± Camaxtli said, after we¡¯d recounted our story. ¡°I detect no traces of deception, and yet there is a strong indication that you came from somewhere else. A somewhere that provided a delivery mechanism.¡± He nodded to himself. ¡°Joining your group is definitely proving to be the right course of action, System behavior is highly useful knowledge to acquire.¡±

    Soriya shrugged and flipped her hand through her hair. ¡°Whether we were dropped out of the sky or smuggled here by some strange third party, what does it really tell us? The trail would be long cold, and frankly, I think we have bigger problems, like working out way up from the depths of the Ancient¡¯s ruins.¡±

    I suddenly jerked upright. ¡°Hang on¡­!¡± I looked at Soriya, my eyes wide. ¡°Gate took us home! Without complaining about any nearby Arcana! Doesn¡¯t that strike you as strange!? If we were following a script¡­!? And¡­ and if that¡¯s so, we could just return to the Cloudheart¡¯s lighthouse! But¡­ should we?!¡±

    Soriya¡¯s yes met mine, equally wide. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know! Shouldn¡¯t¡­ but there might be clues¡­ but we could avoid the whole dungeon¡­?!¡±

    We sat there staring at each other, stunned to silence.

    Camaxtli broke the shocked quiet. ¡°I cannot claim to understand this¡­ ¡®path¡¯¡­ you claim to see laid out before you, nor this ¡®groove¡¯ in reality you claim that the System has created. But it would indeed be very likely that the Ancients would have located one of their Keys in such a prominent location, a stronghold of one of their staunchest allies. If the Key has been located and removed, learning the information of this removal gains extremely high priority. Regardless of the danger that such recovery may entail. My suggestion is to enlist the aid of the Monanin engineer, ¡®Eideth¡¯, and to engage in recovery actions.¡±

    He paused thoughtfully then added. ¡°This has the added benefit of accomplishing your stated goals of returning the Monanin to her home.¡±

    I blinked, then slowly nodded. He did make¡­ good sense. If I¡¯m¡­ if I am really going to try and defeat ¡®Deacon¡¯, then¡­ oh spirits above and below. A missing Key¡­ I bet the Church has it! Which means we really do need to learn more¡­

    I jerked upright. ¡°Wait a moment! We already know where the missing Key is! Deacon has it! Or the church does, which is the same thing! And if we really need to know¡­!¡± I spun in my seat. ¡°Mother, let¡¯s get Eideth and tell her what¡¯s going on!¡±

    Mother giggled softly. ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d go and ask the opinion of the person your plans seem to depend on.¡±

    I turned scarlet with embarrassment. I really had been behaving most shamefully, not asking the one person who I was already planning uses for!

    ¡°You¡¯re right, of course.¡± I said, shame filling my voice. ¡°We¡¯ll ask Eideth.¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Good! She¡¯s been working with our blacksmith, and seems to have been getting a bit restless now that the airship is gone.¡±

    Once we¡¯d finished our meal we headed to meet with Eideth at the blacksmith. She was excited to see us, but when we explained what was going on, she was practically vibrating.

    ¡°Are you kidding me?! You¡¯ve got access to the deepest levels of the Ancient¡¯s warren under Hecate and you want to just ignore it?!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± I said hesitantly

    ¡°No, absolutely not, I refuse! You have to show me what you¡¯ve discovered!¡±

    Daniyel coughed, and then said ¡°But we do not wish to explore the dangers. Why must we?¡±

    Eideth looked flummoxed for a moment, then said ¡°Well, yes, I guess that makes sense¡­ but you had no difficulty at the dig site!¡±

    Eshaan shook his head. ¡°We had a reason. I like delving into Ancient¡¯s ruins as much as anyone, but there¡¯s no reason why we should court danger like this. Ancient¡¯s ruins are dangerous. Everyone knows that!¡±

    Eideth stomped her foot in frustration. ¡°A priceless opportunity¡­ you¡¯re adventurers aren¡¯t you!? I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll pay you! The information alone¡­! My house would be willing to pay you thousands for what we¡¯d recover!¡±

    I glanced at the others, and then back to Eideth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, money really isn¡¯t an object right now. We just-¡°

    ¡°Wait! You said you wanted to know more about the upper levels! You said you wanted to know what the Empire had been doing there! I can find that for you! My house has access to the dig site info, and with my connection¡­ Please! I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know; you have to help me explore the lower levels!¡±

    I stopped, and turned to the others. We exchanged slow looks, and few reluctant nods. I gave a heavy sigh and turned back to her. ¡°I suppose we must accept your proposal.¡± I said weakly.

    Eideth pumped her fists and did a little crouching dance. ¡°Yessss!¡±

    Soriya said ¡°We can¡¯t promise you more than a week of exploration though.¡±

    I turned to her and blinked in surprise, my mouth open. It hadn¡¯t even occurred to me that Eideth would want more than a day!

    Eideth did a surprising pout and complained ¡°Aw, but such a short time!? Think of the knowledge?! The schematics, the designs!?¡±

    ¡°Think of the death that could be caused, trapping you forever under the earth.¡± Soriya said sourly.

    Eshaan rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I love artifacts and the Ancients, but there¡¯s a limit.¡±

    Lakshmi frowned and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, there¡¯s potential down there. Eideth was at the bottom of the dig site, and we made it down there?¡±

    Eideth nodded excitedly. ¡°And we might find all kinds of new information for the airship!¡±

    Lakshmi suddenly grew quiet. I pressed my lips together in amusement, then turned back to Eideth. ¡°We¡¯ll agree to a short expedition. And if there¡¯s danger, we¡¯re coming back!¡±

    ¡°Short as in¡­?¡± Eideth frowned at me skeptically.

    I turned to Eshaan. ¡°Eshaan, what was the shortest expedition you ever ran guard for?¡±

    Eshaan looked at me, then at Eideth. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. ¡°About a week, I¡¯d say.¡± He said.

    I felt my eyes widen. That was a lie! He just lied! Did he lie¡­ because¡­ oh dear, I really do know him upsettingly well.

    I turned back to Eideth and plastered a bright smile on. ¡°So. I guess we¡¯ll be there for a week. And we really do have other places to be. Ok?¡±

    ¡°Hm. Well, I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. And you are doing me a favor. Alright, I¡¯ll let Everett know, and get my things together.¡± She hurried off with an excited scurry.

    I sighed and shook my head. ¡°How did we get roped into this again?¡± I turned to Eshaan. ¡°So, how long was the shortest expedition you¡¯ve been on.¡±

    Eshaaan blushed and rubbed his head again. ¡°Ah heh. Well. Technically, an exploratory mission to see if a dig site has anything valuable is an archeological expedition. So I wasn¡¯t exactly lying. But if it was a real expedition, 2 months is the shortest I¡¯ve ever been on.¡± He glanced over at Lakshmi and shrugged apologetically. ¡°Sorry, Lakshmi, I know you researchers get excited about this kind of thing.¡±

    Lakshmi gave a shrug and a wry smile. ¡°I won¡¯t deny we get excited, but¡­ I¡¯ve got the Sparrowhawk. And Camaxtli is teaching me more than I ever learned on most dig sites.¡±

    I blinked in surprise and smiled. Well now! That was a nice confirmation, I hope their romance is coming along well! I thought to myself, seeing Lakshmi¡¯s awkward smile at Camaxtli.

    The preparations were anticlimactic. Fast-travel with Gate was¡­ well it was a bit like cheating. A lot like cheating, actually, almost as much as cheating as having Mother¡¯s journal to guide me.

    We popped back into existence in the lower levels of the Ancient¡¯s ruins, and Eideth almost immediately had a heart attack from excitement. We spent a good few hours scouring for what we hoped would be a defensible position, but both Lakshmi and Eshaan made it clear that the actual method of base camp was that I was going to be force fed mana potions until I could summon Gate, and we were going back to Breezewood at the end of every day.

    The next few days were rather hectic but also pretty baffling to me. I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of what the group said they were discovering. Even Eshaan¡¯s simplified explanations didn¡¯t really make a lot of sense to me. Etheric flows, mana channels, capacitance and conductance¡­ it was half electrical engineering and half magical theory. I could understand the magical theory part pretty well, but it all went off the rails when I tried to make any sense of it in a technological manner.

    Soriya was, of course, in her element, and her notes easily reached the same thickness and volume of Eideth¡¯s by the end of our stay.

    There were monsters of course. Rather, the ruins were filled with small but very dangerous elemental spirits and a great many very large spider and sentry golems. A few of them left us pretty badly battered, it was downright unfair that Ancient golems could concoct actual ambush plans! This of course only made Eideth, Soriya, and Eshaan all the more excited, and even got Soriya reluctantly interested.

    We had a few narrow escapes before we started planning for the ambushes, and it certainly helped fine tune our awareness of danger!

    In a moment of quiet, Camaxtli explained why my friends were so excited to be ambushed repeatedly by the sentry golems. Something about an aetheric interface between the world and the mana flows, but even he showed considerable uncertainty.

    ¡°It is not just that this is unfamiliar technology from a foreign nation. I was not created to understand or maintain these systems, and though it is simple enough to deduce basic functions, the materials and construction this deep in the labyrinth are¡­ peculiar.¡± He was silent for a long moment, and then added ¡°And your own story, the fact that¡­ souls¡­ appear to be involved in the process¡­ has thrown a great many of my assumptions into chaos. I am currently tabulating data to formulate a new workable hypothesis.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ how¡¯s it going?¡± Lakshmi asked hesitantly.

    He was silent a longer time, and then said ¡°Poorly. I have made only limited progress, and I find myself¡­ unwilling to accept many of the hypothesis which are bearing active progress. It is¡­ troubling. To find that I may have. Errors in my own judgement. I understand this is a common reaction to any sophont which discovers the same.¡±

    I smiled quietly to myself when Lakshmi took his hand and patted it with hers. ¡°It¡¯s ok, Camaxtli. I had to discover bad and wrong things about myself too. And you¡¯ve taught me that I can use magic! That¡¯s a wrong thing that was¡­ just wonderful! I can¡¯t really express how much that meant to me!¡± She stopped then scowled. ¡°Though I could really do with less explosions! I don¡¯t know how you casters handle your tools exploding around you all the time!¡±

    Camaxtli turned to her and said ¡°More practice is required. I will assist.¡± He stood up and took her hand in his.

    ¡°Noooo, Camaxtli, please! I¡¯ve already practiced my exercises for three hours today!¡± Lakshmi wailed.

    Camaxtli¡¯s grip was unshakable as he pulled her gently but implacably towards the practice lab we¡¯d set up. ¡°Your tools are still not responding to your will, and your mana flows are unstable. More practice is required.¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s wails of protest faded down the corridor. I smiled to myself even as I made a note to cook her something extra special tonight. Maybe even a celebration dinner when she could finally grip her multitool without it shocking her.

    At least we all gained a few levels from the fights. The world soul told me that it was for helping my friends, which was a nice way of saying ¡®cooking and transport is valuable too¡¯, but it was still nice. I had to admit, this whole adventure was looking distinctly odd to me.

    I idly called up my status screen with {Study} as I watched Eshaan, Lakshmi, and Eideth excitedly pore over another find I found to be incomprehensible.

    {Name}: Lilyanna of Breezewood {Level}: 26

    {Classes}: Spiritist 10/Orator 6/Arcanist 7/Gourmet 3

    HP: 561           MP: 802          DEF: 103          M.DEF: 154

    Current Status: <Healthy>

    DEX: 102         INS: 158

    MIG: 111         WIL: 162

    I suppose I could take an energy cannon blast now. Hang on¡­ didn¡¯t I do that with the last spider sentry?! I sighed. I wonder if this is what the other heroines feel in downtime? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve ever had a viewpoint character that could tell me.

    I shook my head, looking down at my hand, then clenched it into a fist. I couldn¡¯t let this get me down. Eshaan must be doing just as much as me, if not more! And¡­ and we¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re doing the right thing. I hope. Because I sure don¡¯t see any other way forward that¡¯s not giving up. And I refuse to give up! Ever!

    When the week was finally over, Eideth pleaded with us to stay longer, as I knew she would, but I put my foot down. We had promised a week, and only because Eideth had told us she would help us get information about what the Empire had done in the excavations! And so as the day dawned on the 8<sup>th</sup> day, we found ourselves standing at the mouth of the Ancient¡¯s abandoned sewer system once more, and readying ourselves to repeat our aborted journey to Hecate. Fortunately for us, I had my mother¡¯s journal, which did have rough maps, and more importantly, we had Eideth, who said she knew the upper levels of the ruins like the back of her hand.

    I clenched my staff tightly and took a deep breath. ¡°Here we go, try two.¡± Eshaan gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and we moved into the shadows of the sewer system.

 61 A dungeon and a manor

    I clenched my staff tightly and took a deep breath. ¡°Here we go, try two.¡± Eshaan gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and we moved into the shadows of the sewer system.

    It was a lot less traumatic this time. I kept jumping at shadows, which I would have liked to have blamed on Lakshmi. I¡¯d offered to cast a light spell as we walked along, simpler and longer lasting than a lantern, but the moment I mentioned the idea, Lakshmi, Eideth, and Camaxtli had all formed a huddle and swiftly come back with an ¡®eternal lantern¡¯.

    Well, not that eternal, they needed me to cast my spell into the crystal in the center¡­ I looked around at the tunnel and its spooky flickering shadows cast by the three brightly blazing lanterns our group now carried. I clutched my staff a little tighter.

    It¡¯s just the nerves from the bandits. It¡¯s not serious. There¡¯s nothing here I shouldn¡¯t-

    ¡°Yeek!¡± I jumped  and squealed, to see Eshaan doing his best to smother a grin.

    ¡°Sorry to bother you.¡± He said, clearly not at all sorry, the jerk!

    ¡°But we need to check your mother¡¯s journal. We¡¯re right at the point where the smugglers started to lead us astray, and we need to check the notes.¡±

    ¡°O-oh, right! Of course!¡± I nodded rapidly, then pulled out Mother¡¯s notes and paged through them.

    With a little assistance from Eideth, and Mother¡¯s notes, we quickly had a solid route, and pushed on into the darkness.

    ¡°If I¡¯m right, this should be the entrance¡­¡± Eideth took a step forward and slapped the huge double doors in front of us.

    What is it with Monanin and enormous oversized buildings?! What on earth does Hecate look like if this is the ruins!?

    The doors swung open to reveal a cavernous space, filled with blackness, a vast hollow cavern lined with the bronze-gold material of the Ancient¡¯s. I could feel the faintest tickle at the edge of my senses, the barest echo of what it was like when an Arcanum was nearby.

    So. It was here. They did take it. But when¡­

    ¡°Eideth, when did the empire finish here?¡± I asked hesitantly.

    Eideth blinked and then shrugged. ¡°Oh, lets see¡­¡± she tugged at her braid thoughtfully then said ¡°Sixteen, maybe Seventeen years ago? Not entirely sure, the records would know.¡±

    I flipped through Mother¡¯s journal. Yes, that fit. The empire was busy¡­ this was one of the epic fights Mother and her friends had, some sort of smuggling ring and mystic power from the core of the ruins.

    I closed the journal and looked up again. The space was empty now, vast and dark and filled with the soft echoes of our existence and it seemed that was all.

    What was the plot supposed to be here? Was I right to avoid it? I looked around the enormous open room and shivered, hugging myself. This was a boss arena if I¡¯d ever seen one, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any bosses.

    I think I¡¯m glad for that. I peered over the railing, down at the distant floor, just barely visible in the bright light of the lanterns.

    Were we supposed to be down there? Would a boss activate if we lowered someone? I shook my head rapidly, which made my braid slap my cheeks.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± I said, the echoes spreading into the chamber. ¡°Boss battle or not, we¡¯ve got to reach the city.¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s great research! But to tell you the truth, I don¡¯t think you need to worry. I feel¡­¡± she trailed off, her eyes shifting around then coming back to rest. ¡°It feels like we¡¯ve clipped a level somehow.¡±

    I grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s good, but I still worry. What treasure were we supposed to get? What information did we just miss?¡±

    Soriya smiled. ¡°Well it¡¯s not a video game. I¡¯m pretty sure we can¡¯t make the System glitch or bug out.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Daniyel spoke up curiously.

    Soriya turned to him, beaming. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you asked!¡±

    Our group gave a collective groan as Soriya launched into a long winded explanation, which as near as I could tell, just boiled down to the idea that the System was bolted on top of an existing physics model, a ¡°real¡± universe. The System might indeed glitch in some manner, but it wasn¡¯t capable of glitching the underlying world.

    ¡°So what are these plot paths that you¡¯re talking about then?¡± Eshaan asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t they cut into the ¡®real¡¯ world?¡±

    ¡°Oh no, not at all!¡± Soriya waved her arms excitedly. ¡°If anything, they work on an entirely different level!¡±

    This time I did not follow her explanation, although-

    Well when it comes down to it, she¡¯s got the Loremaster class, and so does Lakshmi. And I don¡¯t. And I trust her. I¡¯m glad she¡¯s having a good time. I thought.

    An hour and change later, we finally reached a substation and stairs upwards. Eideth (and Mother¡¯s journal) both agreed that this was the way up to the city. I rubbed the back of my neck to smooth down the hairs standing on end. If something was going to happen¡­

    But nothing did. The stairway up was quiet, and more dust free than most areas we¡¯d passed through, even with the signs of the smuggler¡¯s route.

    At the top of the stairs, we faced our first real obstacle. A locked door.

    I paused, and then turned to Eshaan, with a faint smile on my face. ¡°I think escaping a dungeon is a perfectly good use for your hobby.¡± I said with as straight a face as I could.

    Eshaan laughed, and produced a pair of odd looking bent and twisted metal picks. ¡°Allow me to open the door for you, milady!¡± He grinned and swiftly knelt in front of the doors. A few soft clicks and ticks as Eshaan twisted the metal probes in the door, and there was a soft ¡®click¡¯ and the enormous bronze-gold doors slowly swung open.

    The stairs ahead led up into the grey brown air which I could hardly call ¡®fresh¡¯ and the pall of smoke ensured it was hardly ¡®bright¡¯¡­ but the noise and sound pouring down at us told us that we had reached Hecate.

    Eideth gave Eshaan a dirty look as she briefly inspected the doors, and then Eshaan. She gave a derisive snort. ¡°Cheap workmanship, that¡¯s what it is.¡± She muttered and stamped her way up the stairs ahead of us.

    ¡°Good work, my reformed thief.¡± I whispered to Eshaan as I moved next to him. The others gave him much louder appreciative noises, save for Camaxtli who knelt to examine the doors curiously for a moment, before joining us.

    We closed the doors behind us, and then ascended the stairs up into a bustling street intersection. We emerged in the middle of a bustling plaza. All along the edges well-made buildings of stone and brick crowded the plaza, their upper stories towering over the streets below. I was a little worried that we¡¯d be the center of attention, but the Monanin passing nearby barely gave us a glance. Surging crowds surrounded us, a very few humans sprinkled into the Monanin throng, easily visible by how they towered over the shorter natives. Oddly archaic looking magitech carriages with giant brass-gold metal gears and glowing crystals wheeled over the streets, mingling with street vendors, pedestrians, horse drawn carriages and more. Everyone seemed very busy, rapid walking indicating that everyone had somewhere to go.

    Eshaan looked around slowly. ¡°Wow. This is a smugglers entrance?!¡±

    Eideth laughed. ¡°No, city boy, this is the main entrance to the undercity! How would I know where the smugglers come up!? Someplace a good deal more subtle than this!¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    I smiled at Eshaan. ¡°Sorry Eshaan, I was following my mother¡¯s journal you know. I was working backwards, she didn¡¯t start at were we came in, that was her exit. She entered here. She was exploring the undercity for some family or another.¡± I turned to Eideth. ¡°Alright Eideth. It¡¯s your show, which way?¡±

    Eideth spun slowly around, taking in the scenery. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see.¡± She held up her finger to the air, then sniffed, spinning slowly around. ¡°This is the main gate to the undercity, the sulfur smell is stronger this way¡­¡± She nodded firmly and pointed confidently. ¡°This way! The family¡¯s house is this way.¡± She pushed into the crowd without a backwards glance.

    I blinked and looked at Lakshmi. ¡°Is she usually like this?¡±

    Lakshmi rushed to follow, hastily elbowing people to catch up, calling back over her shoulder. ¡°Usually she¡¯s worse, hurry up or she¡¯ll leave us behind for sure!¡±

    A harrowing race after Eideth ensued, as she almost vanished into the throng of similar height, trailing a comet tail of ungainly tall humans behind her. When she reached the shelter on one of the buildings, she huffed in exasperation. ¡°This is going to take forever, it must be rush hour! I¡¯ll just call us a cab.¡±

    Camaxtli said dryly ¡°I fail to see how naming one of our members a transport device will ensure speedy transport.¡±

    I stared at him blankly, then turned to Lakshmi. ¡°Did¡­ did he just make a joke?!¡±

    Lakshmi had a broad grin on her face. Camaxtli turned to look at me and raised a single eyebrow. ¡°Was my intonation not correct?¡±

    I pressed my lips together to stop a smile and took a deep breath. ¡°Lakshmi, would you explain to him? Please?¡±

    Eideth shook her head in mild annoyance and stepped close to the curb, lifting a hand and putting two fingers to her lips. A shrill whistle split the air, and one of the clattering bronze-gold carriages rolled to a jerky halt next to us, expelling clouds of blue vapor.

    Eideth stepped up to the wheels looking up at the driver. ¡°D?nhark house.¡± She said abruptly, and held up a small plaque in her hand. The driver lifted an eyebrow, slowly passing his gaze over us.

    ¡°Tall¡¯uns ¡®ill cost ya.¡± He said in an accent thicker than the Cloudhearts.

    ¡°House D?nhark is good for it.¡± Eideth retorted calmly, and jerked open the cab door, ushering us inside. It was indeed a very tight fit with all seven of us, but we did fit.

    Does that mean this is a really large cab, by Hecate standards? How often do they carry seven passengers?!

    The cab jerked into motion with a hiss and roar of blue vapor and the feel of mana flows skittering over my skin. It jerked to a stop almost immediately, followed by several more slow start-and-stops.

    ¡°This is an improvement?¡± Danyiel asked quietly.

    Eideth nodded. ¡°Oh yeah! Take your life in your hands walking the streets at this time of day. Plus we get to sit down after the undercity!¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°What, you wanted to walk more?!¡±

    Daniyel tipped his head to the side then shook it. ¡°No. I believe this is a suitable opportunity for a break.¡±

    Soriya said ¡°Will your house be glad to see you back? Is your father waiting for you?¡±

    Eideth¡¯s face clouded, then lightened slightly. ¡°Da¡¯s still at the estate back in Rievem. I expect the servants will be glad enough to see me. At least they¡¯ll pretend as much. Going to be a right mess with the paperwork and me appearing here.¡±

    I blinked a few times. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ the head of your house in Hecate?¡± I said in surprise.

    Eideth glared up at me. ¡°I¡¯m fifty six years old, girl! I think I can run a household of my own! You of all people can¡¯t be suggesting I need a man¡¯s approval!¡±

    I flushed bright red and stammered an apology. ¡°N-no! I didn¡¯t mean it like that! Of course not! I just¡­ didn¡¯t expect¡­ I didn¡¯t know you were such a big deal!¡±

    She¡¯s fifty six?! Really?! I boggled mentally. She doesn¡¯t look more than twenty five, at most! I¡­ I guess monan¡¯s age more slowly?! Like elves, maybe?

    Eideth looked down, and twisted her hands in their thick leather gloves together. ¡°Well, the truth is I¡¯m not. We¡¯re not, the house is¡­ not as prosperous as it once was.¡±

    Soriya said ¡°So you weren¡¯t around when Holly was here on her adventure?¡±

    Eideth shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s the past decade my house managed to get the funds together to pay for a manor in Hecate.¡±

    ¡°How did you come to have the records from then?¡± Soriya asked curiously.

    Eideth shrugged. ¡°Manor¡¯s records, old paperwork. Old house, we haven¡¯t gotten around to cleaning it all out yet.¡±

    ¡°Wait. You moved in ten years ago, and you haven¡¯t finished cleaning?!¡± Lakshmi said in disbelief.

    Eideth looked up, a spark of anger in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve more important things to be doing than cleaning! I¡¯d think your airship speaks to that!¡±

    Lakshmi pursed her lips and was quiet, though I saw her place her hand on Camaxtli¡¯s when he opened his mouth to make an observation. He glanced at her then closed his mouth comment unspoken.

    I had a sudden thought and pulled out Mother¡¯s journal, slowly leafing through it before stopping on a page, then looking up at Eideth. ¡°Eideth, was the manor house you rented perhaps the former manor of the Gyremona?

    Eideth sat back in surprise and blinked a few times. ¡°Now how on earth could you know that?¡±

    I giggled softly, and closed the journal with a snap. ¡°Just a thought. My mother¡¯s adventure involved the Gyremona. When their dealings with the artifact smugglers came to light, the Mountain Lords Council was very displeased. It just made sense that an open manor house in Hecate must have been scarce property, a house in decline.¡±

    Eideth sat back, her mouth open in surprise. ¡°Well I¡¯ll be. The world¡¯s an awful small place sometimes!¡± She said.

    I shared a quiet glance with Soriya, and saw her nodding in agreement.

    Small, I suppose, if you¡¯re a heroine and her party. How do I feel about that? The answer was pretty obvious, I was deeply uncomfortable with the idea that I was this special, that the world bent itself for me. It felt as though the world was more of a hidden puppet master than Deacon, and that thought was a deeply uncomfortable stone in my stomach.

    Still. I pressed my lips together firmly. We¡¯ve done things off script. We don¡¯t have to follow the world-system¡¯s pre-ordained fate. I shuddered. And a good thing too, or Mother and all of Breezewood would be dead, and I¡¯d likely suffer some terribly tragic and angsty death to push Eshaan into his role as destined hero. Avoiding that is the whole point of this little¡­ everything! I thought fiercely.

    The scenery outside passed slowly, brightly painted buildings showing their solid stone color here and there, with a few soot and rough smoke stains on the poorer buildings. I dreaded how low the ceilings were going to be, but at least we wouldn¡¯t be here too long.

    Eshaan tugged at my sleeve. ¡°Lily, look!¡± He said, pointing out the window of the carriage. I peered over his shoulder, to see a lovely little park, with trees that seemed to shimmer with color, blossoms that twinkled in a rainbow of shades amid the soft spring green.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it was that time of year!¡± he said enthusiastically. ¡°The blossoms are here! I haven¡¯t had a chance to go on a blossom watch in forever!¡±

    I blinked in surprise, fumbling at memory, expecting to remember something, but came up blank.

    Soriya grinned. ¡°Those are the Evergleam trees. They only grow west of the mountains, in Galgados and Arlan.¡± She said.

    ¡°Oh we¡¯ve got to make time to see them! I haven¡¯t had a chance to have a real blossom wish in¡­ a long time!¡±

    Lakshmi sat up and looked out the windows with wide eyes. ¡°So those are Evergleams? I¡¯ve only¡­ uh¡­¡± she coughed and then said ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one. The Imperial palace has one, as a gift from the Monanin council, but these are¡­ amazing! We¡¯ve got to see them!¡±

    I pursed my lips, and then gave Eshaan a stern look. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose these trees¡­ are the blossoms perhaps¡­ considered romantic?¡±

    Eshaan turned to look at me with a guilty blush on his features. Before he could speak, I sighed and shook my head, holding up my hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­ fine.¡± I said. ¡°We¡­ we can go see the blossoms.¡± I swallowed, and then squeezed Eshaan¡¯s hand in mine. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s all that much of a waste of time, and they do look very pretty.¡± The smile on Eshaan¡¯s face was¡­ actually really sweet and totally worth it.

    Ok, so¡­ he¡¯s dumb, but really cute, and¡­ ok. I¡¯ll admit, maybe it would be a little sweet to go on a blossom watching picnic with him.

    Eideth grunted in surprise. ¡°Huh. Didn¡¯t think you tallins cared about the blossoms. Right nice little park we¡¯ve got, very proud of those trees.¡± She took a quick glimpse at the window, and nodded. ¡°And they look in very fine bloom at that. Might go see them myself before they¡¯re gone.¡±

    The carriage rolled on, and the park was soon lost to view behind us.

    A not intolerable time later, the carriage pulled up in front of a fine manor in what was obviously one of the better parts of town. Eideth hopped down and made us wait, while she marched up to the door of the manor. I thought she was about to bang on the door, but instead she fished in her pockets, pulled out an enormous ring of keys, and slipped one into the lock. The door opened in her hands, and an extremely dignified Monanin gentleman wearing what was obviously a butler¡¯s uniform greeted her.

    ¡°Ah, mistress! You¡¯re home! We had no word, and with the last missive from the Empire being about your abduction, we were dreadfully worried! We¡¯d just¡­¡± He opened the door wide, and spied us. ¡°Ah, are these guests of the house then?¡±

    Eideth grinned and then embraced the stuffy old butler in a huge. ¡°Uncle Rangrim. It¡¯s good to be home.¡± She let go and gestured back to us. ¡°Yes, these are some friends of mine, they helped me get home. Oh, and pay the cab driver.¡± She waved to the cab, and vanished inside.

    Rangrim nodded solemnly to us, and then said to the cab driver ¡°Please wait one moment. I will be right back.¡± He ducked inside and a moment later came out and counted out the fee the cab driver asked for. Once that was done, he turned to us and bowed stiffly. ¡°No luggage then?¡± He said quietly. ¡°Well, you must have a very interesting story to tell. Please, come inside and make yourself at home. Mistress Eideth has declared you guests of the house, and so I bid you welcome to House D?nhark.¡±

    We clambered out of the carriage, stretching our legs, and followed Rangrim inside. I was oddly disappointed that I didn¡¯t need to duck and stoop to go inside¡­ it seemed that the Monanin passion for overcompensation and size extended to their homes. They were quite large and spacious.

    And frankly amazing. Admit it, Lily, this is¡­ gorgeous! I thought to myself, slowly turning around in the elaborate entrance hall with it¡¯s glittering crystal chandelier and marble floor with intricate inlaid geometric patterns.

    Ok. Maybe this won¡¯t be so bad¡­ I thought. English¡­ er¡­ Scottish? Manor house¡­ I caught sight of two full suits of armor in the entrance hall and slapped my hand over my mouth to stifle a giggle. Oh my! Maybe there¡¯s even a ghost! I grinned quietly.

 62 Totally not a cherry blossom scene, legally distinct

    Ok. Maybe this won¡¯t be so bad¡­ I thought. English¡­ er¡­ Scottish? Manor house¡­ I caught sight of two full suits of armor in the entrance hall and slapped my hand over my mouth to stifle a giggle. Oh my! Maybe there¡¯s even a ghost! I grinned quietly.

    I suddenly frowned in thought. Actually¡­ the Wake is real. Ghosts are real. I don¡¯t want to have to do more ghostbusting. My heart squeezed remembering that poor cabin-boy on the pirate ship, and how we wound up re-killing him¡­

    The worst part was him thanking us for that¡­ I shook my head to dispel the gloomy memory.

    Rangrim, clearly used to ¡®tallins¡¯ being overwhelmed with the manor¡¯s grandeur,-

    And quite pleased about it too, unless I miss my guess!

    -had taken the time to let us gawk, before saying ¡°Welcome again to the Manor.¡± And giving us a polite bow.

    We introduced ourselves, and explained again in brief how we¡¯d come to know Eideth.

    Rangrim chuckled through his white mustache. ¡°That sounds very like the mistress. Talented, and quite bright, but like the young, often prone to flights of passion. Please. Allow me to escort you to the guest chambers.¡±

    I dipped a bow to him. ¡°Ah, thank you so much!¡±

    He led us slowly down the hallways and up a grand sweeping staircase.

    I suppose I should get it over with. I thought, and cleared my throat.

    ¡°Excuse me, Sir Rangrim?¡± I ventured.

    He chuckled quietly. ¡°I¡¯m just the butler at the manor, no need to be so formal, my dear. What is it?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Do you have any ghosts in the mansion?¡±

    Rangrim stopped dead and slowly turned to me, his eyes wide. ¡°How in the world¡­?!¡± He breathed.

    Soriya blinked and looked at me in surprise with a faintly pleased smile on her lips.

    I sighed heavily. ¡°So that¡¯s a yes then.¡± I muttered to myself.

    ¡°Are you spirit hunters of some kind?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Ah. Something like that, I suppose.¡± I said.

    ¡°Well¡­ Yes, as it happens. I personally believe that the maids are exaggerating, but the incidents are difficult to ignore. And there are troubling rumors about the previous owners and strange deaths. Mostly confined to the west wing, and the library, which is frankly why most of that area of the mansion hasn¡¯t been cleaned.¡±

    I nodded again. ¡°And if we wanted to look at old records, we¡¯d need to look for them there, I take it?¡±

    Rangrim smiled mildly. ¡°That is where documents tend to be kept, yes. Especially older ones.¡±

    Eshaan chuckled quietly.

    I huffed in exasperation. ¡°I guess you have children then.¡± I said.

    Rangrim blinked. ¡°What an odd segway. Yes, actually, I have 3 children, all grown.¡±

    Soriya laughed aloud. I blinked and gave her a tentative smile. I suppose ¡®dad jokes¡¯ are universal? Or maybe they just like puns everywhere? I thought.

    She grinned at me then turned to the butler. ¡°Well,¡± She said ¡°Then I suppose you should show us to our rooms, and then we¡¯ll take a look at your little ghost problem.¡±

    Rangrim responded dryly ¡°If you like dusty paperwork from an older house and unsorted financial documents, this might prove to your liking?¡± He smiled in jest.

    I smiled back and said ¡°Actually, we are hoping to look at those. You see, my mother was the adventurer who took down the smuggling ring that ran from this manor house nineteen years ago.¡±

    Rangrim¡¯s eyes got wide for just a moment, his unflappable butler demeanor vanishing for a fraction of a second. He harumphed. ¡°Well then! That¡¯s¡­ quite a statement! Spirit hunters and a family of adventurers?!¡± He peered at me closely. ¡°Your mother!? How extraordinary! The world is truly a small place.¡± He chuckled to himself as he led us to the third floor of the mansion.

    ¡°Now, the official meals are served at set times, but if you need anything, the maids are on call. We have heated water¡­ urm¡­ are you familiar with plumbing?¡±

    I blinked and then laughed. ¡°Actually¡­ yes.¡± I said, smiling brightly at him. Though only because of my otherworldly origins!

    Eshaan raised a hand. ¡°I¡¯m not?¡± He said.

    Rangrim narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. ¡°How very interesting. Well, it¡¯s quite simple. Hot and cold water is moved directly to your room, where you can use it for various purposes, including a bath.¡±

    Lakshmi perked up. ¡°Wait, so like¡­ there¡¯s actually a bath in every room here?!¡±

    Rangrim chuckled again. ¡°Well, not every room, but yes, the guest rooms all have bathing rooms. They are, however, considerably smaller than the large public baths I understand are common in the Empire.¡± He stopped. ¡°Ah, forgive me. Will you all be wanting separate bedrooms, or do some of you share?¡±

    I opened my mouth to ask for six rooms, but Soriya beat me to it. ¡°Five rooms!¡± She said empathically, and linked her arm in Daniyel¡¯s.

    I saw a long suffering eyeroll from Daniyel, as well as a quickly hidden smirk from Lakshmi.

    Daniyel sighed and said ¡°It is as she says. I will request a room next to the lady Lakshmi though. This is not negotiable.¡±

    Rangrim simply nodded agreeably. ¡°Several of the guest suites have interconnecting doors. I¡¯ll make sure that they are unlocked for you.¡±

    ¡°Are there ghost problems in the upper floors?¡± Lakshmi said.

    Rangrim squirmed uncomfortably. ¡°Ah well. Very rarely. Assuming that this truly is a ghost¡­¡±

    One of the maids appeared around a corner, a young monan woman wearing a classic old style maid¡¯s outfit. Her eyes widened hearing Rangrim and she picked up her skirts and rushed towards us.

    ¡°Have you come to help us with the ghost?! Are you here to exorcise it!? It¡¯s an evil spirit, I know it is!¡±

    Rangrim heaved a sigh and turned to the maid. ¡°Sannl, please calm yourself.¡±

    Sannl looked at him with wide eyes and exclaimed ¡°I will not! I told you there was a ghost! The walls of the study were bleeding!¡± She almost shrieked. ¡°Poor Artin almost died when the ghost pushed her down the stairs!¡±

    ¡°Always assuming she didn¡¯t trip.¡± Rangrim muttered into his mustache.

    Camaxtli watched the interplay, his eyes bright and curious, but he remained silent. I wondered what he thought of this¡­ and if he would try to come along on this little ghost hunting¡­ is this a sidequest? And action? ¡­ does it matter? Are there sidequests in this world, it¡¯s all¡­ it has plots but¡­ I huffed in frustration and gave up. I just hope it¡¯s not another child. Or some foolish ¡®dead all along¡¯ quest. I squinted at Rangrim and Sannl. I suppose I should ask Eideth to make sure that I¡¯m even talking to real people. This is that kind of world.

    Soriya said ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If there¡¯s a ghost, we¡¯ll solve it. And if there¡¯s no ghost, we¡¯ll solve that too! We¡¯ll even help you clean the abandoned wing.¡±

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Lakshmi looked offended, crossing her arms. ¡°We will!?¡±

    I raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°We will if Eideth approves it. I think it could be important, Lakshmi.¡± I said mildly.

    Lakshmi gave me a stink eye, but didn¡¯t press the point further.

    With the matter of ghost hunting largely settled, Rangrim finally brought us to the guest rooms.

    The bedrooms were exactly as luxurious as I had expected, with that same Monanin overcompensation resulting in grand chambers, with luxurious and high ceilings, paneled in exotic wood.

    Rangrim waited as we boggled at the various rooms, poking into all the corners and areas, and then demonstrated the use of the plumbing and the maid bell pull before finally leaving us alone with a last bow.

    Sannl gave us a nervous curtsey and followed after him, rushing off. I heard her mention something about ¡®telling the others¡¯ and I supposed that the maid gossip network would be humming shortly.

    I flopped backwards onto the enormous canopy bed, my arms spread, heaving a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s barely evening, and we¡¯re already involved in another adventure. Sidequest. Whatever. I¡¯m just a rolling series of plot events.¡± I groaned and rolled over, throwing my arms over my eyes.

    There was a faint tapping on the door. I opend my eyes and shouted at the door ¡°If you¡¯re a ghost, go away!¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s voice came through the door. ¡°Pretty sure I¡¯m not a ghost, at least not yet. I¡­ wanted to ask if you¡¯d be interested in taking a walk with me. You know, before all the crazy stuff happens.¡±

    I blinked and sat up. ¡°What do you mean? Crazy like what?¡±

    ¡°Can I come in?¡± he asked.

    I sighed and hopped up, crossing the carpet to open the door for him. ¡°Sure.¡± I said. ¡°But weren¡¯t we going out?¡±

    The light in his smile melted my heart a little.

    ¡°Ah, so you are interested!¡± He chirped. ¡°I¡¯m glad!¡±

    I sighed and smiled at him ruefully. ¡°Alright, yes. You want to go on a walking date with me? Yes, I¡¯m interested.¡±

    Eshaan blushed and looked down. ¡°Well¡­ urm¡­ I guess? I mean. Sure! Yeah, a date!¡± He held out his hand to me.

    I took it and nodded. ¡°Ok, where are we going? Wait, no, first, what did you mean about crazy stuff?¡±

    Eshaan smiled shyly. ¡°Well, you know. We tend to have adventures where we go, and this looks like a new adventure. Ghost hunting! Do you think we¡¯ll get to visit the Wake again?!¡±

    I groaned. ¡°I sincerely hope not.¡±

    Eshaan blinked in surprised. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for one of those girls that were bad with haunted houses?¡±

    I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. ¡°Eshaan! Killing a ghost cabin boy and having him thank me is not my idea of a fun time!¡±

    Eshaan was silent for a long moment, then shook his head. ¡°Alright. I suppose I can understand that. But he was happy. He wanted that. He¡¯d been trapped for a long time, unable to move on. We fixed that. You and me and Soriya. That was a good thing we did.¡± He was silent for a long moment, then he reached out and took my hand in his.

    ¡°I like adventuring with you, Lily.¡± He said, looking into my eyes. ¡°I mean, yes, of course, you¡¯re pretty and smart and funny and everything else, but¡­ but I do good things when I¡¯m with you. You make me better than I was. That means a lot to me.¡±

    I turned scarlet, and looked down at the floor, shuffling my feet. ¡°Um. Well. Good. I think.¡±

    Eshaan said. ¡°It is good.¡±

    We were quiet for a bit, and then I coughed nervously into the silence. ¡°So um. Walking date? Always assuming we don¡¯t get interrupted by another battle?¡±

    Eshaan smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll protect you. I promise.¡±

    I squirmed, but couldn¡¯t deny the warm feeling in my gut hearing that. ¡°Ok.¡± I said in a small voice.

    As we headed downstairs, we met Eideth coming up. ¡°Ah, good you¡¯re here! I wanted to tell you dinner¡¯s in half a bell. Come down when you¡¯re ready.¡± She stopped and looked down to where Eshaan was holding my hand, then smiled. ¡°Or, well, maybe a little later then.¡±

    Eshaan chuckled. ¡°We won¡¯t be long.¡± We turned to head out the door, and I suddenly turned back.

    ¡°Real quick, Eideth, your butler, he¡¯s called Rangrim, right? You¡¯ve got a maid named Sannl?¡±

    Eideth looked at me with a confused look. ¡°Yes, of course. You met him at the door, he helped you take your luggage? I suppose Sannl was upstairs? Why, have they done something odd?¡±

    I sighed in relief. ¡°No. No, I¡¯m¡­ just checking. If your manor is haunted, I don¡¯t know who¡¯s a ghost and who isn¡¯t.¡±

    Eideth blinked. ¡°Oh, have the maids been telling tales again? You shouldn¡¯t worry, there¡¯s always ghost stories and the like in these old buildings, probably just the pipes.¡±

    I smiled a little sadly at her. ¡°That would have more impact if I hadn¡¯t personally visited the Wake.¡±

    Eideth took a step back. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. You did say you¡¯d been there.¡± She tugged at her braid thoughtfully. ¡°You really think the manor might be haunted!? That¡¯s so rare though! And the manor was declared safe when my family bought it!¡±

    I sighed and shook my head. ¡°With my luck, probably, yes. But don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll fix it.¡± I smiled at her. ¡°We¡¯ll be back in time for dinner. Eshaan, where are we going?¡±

    Eshaan twitched and then said ¡°Ah.¡± He flushed and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I was going to take you back to the park. I wanted to show you the Evergleam trees while they were in bloom.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Well yes, that sounds nice.¡± I said. Turning back to Eideth, I nodded to her. ¡°So there you have it. We¡¯ll be back for dinner, and we¡¯re going to the park.¡±

    Eideth gave us a sly look and smiled. ¡°Well, youngsters do those kinds of things, I suppose. Don¡¯t be late though, my cook is very good at what he does, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll go all out since I¡¯ve been away for a while.¡±

    We agreed, and headed out the door. The streets were slightly less busy, and the late evening sun cast a golden tint on the bustling streets and buildings. With all the smoke and vapor in the air I presumed that sunset would be something truly amazing, but it wasn¡¯t quite that late yet.

    A short walk and we arrived at the park we¡¯d passed on the way to Eideth¡¯s manor. The Evergleam trees were even prettier in the late evening, the blossoms faintly glowing softly, and shimmering in rainbow colors. It was actually really relaxing to walk around the paths holding hands with Eshaan, and looking at the trees and gardens. There were several groups of Monanin scattered here and there on blankets, not all romantic partners. It was clearly a common activity.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been to a proper Evergleam party in¡­ oh it¡¯s been years.¡± Eshaan said. ¡°They just don¡¯t grow in your part of the world!¡± he sighed, and smiled wistfully up at the glittering blossoms. ¡°I used to do this all the time with my family.¡±

    I looked over at him in surprise. ¡°I thought your family were fishers?¡±

    ¡°They are!¡±

    ¡°Are? So they¡¯re still alive?¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Goddess, I hope so!¡±

    I looked at him thoughtfully, then said ¡°Big fight when you decided to go solidering to explore the ruins?¡±

    Eshaan blushed and looked away. ¡°Ah heh heh. I really can¡¯t hide anything from you, can I?¡±

    I squeezed his hand reassuringly, then pointed to a bench. ¡°We¡¯ve been walking almost all day. The blossoms are pretty, but can we please sit down?¡± I said, much more plaintively than I expected.

    ¡°Oh! Well sure, of course!¡± He led me over to the bench and I sat down with a sigh of relief, rubbing at the toes of my boots.

    ¡°Thank you! Mm, a bath would be so nice¡­ I hope we can have one before the haunting gets going.¡±

    Eshaan said ¡°How do you know about¡­ oh. Your previous life?¡±

    I grimaced. ¡°Yeah, something like. I find that I enjoy the imperial style baths and bathhouses more though. Soaking my aching feet would be nice.¡±

    We sat together quietly for a while, and somehow I found my head resting on his shoulder. Small swirls of Evergleam blossoms danced on the wind, and Eshaan pulled me a little closer against the chill of the evening.

    ¡°So, I¡¯ve been meaning to give this to you. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± Eshaan said suddenly. He fished in his pouch and pulled out a small box, handing it to me.

    I looked up, alarmed from the box to him. ¡°Eshaan¡­!? What is this!?¡±

    Please don¡¯t let it be a ring, please please, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do if it¡¯s a ring?!

    ¡°Ah well¡­ I¡¯ve been holding onto it for a long time, ever since Farna¡­ here. Open it.¡±

    He pushed the box in my hands, and I found myself opening it with trembling hands. It wasn¡¯t a ring.

    Thank all the spirits!

    It was a very pretty necklace, with a teardrop pendant, and what I suddenly recognized as a evergleam petal caught in the pendant. I gasped, suddenly remembering. I had seen this in Farna, when we¡¯d first reached the market! It was pretty but we were busy and I had to buy Eshaan his weapon¡­

    How long has he held onto this!? He remembered¡­ all that time?!

    I looked up at him, my eyes wide. ¡°You¡¯ve been holding onto this since we first reached Farna?!¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°Oh no no! Goddess, no! I got it while we were doing the money gathering, so Lakshmi could get the materials for her ship! Remember, there was all that back and forth with Gate?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Oh, yes! But¡­ you still remembered?! I just glanced at it¡­¡± I looked down at the necklace, and then gently lifted it out of the box, letting it twirl. ¡°So it was an evergleam petal?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°Do you like it?¡±

    I looked at the pendant, and felt a little mushy in my heart. I smiled, then hugged him tightly. ¡°Yes, Eshaan, I love it. Thank you. I can¡¯t believe you remembered that time in the market¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah heh heh. Well, you did buy me a new sword. I think I owed you. Here, let me help you put it on.¡±

    He fumbled awkwardly with the clasp, and then finally got it situated around my neck. ¡°I know it¡¯s not a replacement for the one you lost in the Cavern of Trials, but¡­¡±

    I felt a little stab of hurt and sadness at the mention of my amulet, then smiled. ¡°It¡¯s ok. We got something important out of it, Breezewood is safe. And we know a little more about where I and Soriya came from too.¡±

    We were quiet for a moment, looking up at the blossoms. Eshaan said ¡°I guess you don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s traditional to make a wish when the trees blossom.¡± He said. ¡°They say that the Goddess listens most clearly then.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± I smiled. ¡°Then I suppose I should at least try.¡± I closed my eyes and folded my hands, and thought If you¡¯re real, Goddess, I would very much like to not die in this quest. And maybe it would be good if you stopped pushing us around.

    I opened my eyes to see Eshaan¡¯s face very close to mine. The wind swirled for a moment, and I felt my heart race as the blossoms danced around us.

    ¡°There you are!¡± I heard Lakshmi¡¯s voice from the side. Eshaan and I jumped apart, and I felt myself blush furiously.

    ¡°Oh! Did I interrupt something?!¡± Lakshmi giggled. ¡°Hurry up, Eideth is hopping with impatience, and we¡¯re all starving!¡±

    I pressed my lips together. I refuse to let it go like this. I¡¯m not some sitcom heroine! I thought with frustration.

    Eshaan was getting up, taking my hand. ¡°Well, I suppose we shouldn¡¯t keep her waiting, we-¡°

    I yanked him back down next to me, and then took his face in my hands and kissed him firmly. I suppose a swirl of evergleam blossoms might have swirled past, I really couldn¡¯t be bothered to check. Lakshmi gave a cheerful whoop and cheer, and I heard Daniyel add quietly ¡°Indeed, that is how it is done.¡±

    When I finally let Eshaan go, he swayed slightly. ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ what¡­?!¡±

    ¡°Now we can go!¡± I said, and got to my feet.

    I heard Eshaan whisper softly ¡°Thank you Goddess!¡± to himself as we headed back to Eideth¡¯s manor house.

 63 Forward motion? Or just an elude?

    The walk back to the manor house was quick, and the sun was just setting overhead, the air turning a glorious color of pink and gold and purple from the vapor and smoke that filled the city air.

    Eideth¡¯s promises of a good meal were very well deserved, the meal was excellent, a thick stew made of crunchy vegetables and a slightly musky flavored meat that I thought was sheep but couldn¡¯t be sure. I made a note to ask the cook how they¡¯d done that, just the tastes in the dish were already giving me some ideas for other meals I could prepare.

    I wonder if they¡¯re using local meats, or if this is something special? Does it count as sheep if they call it something else?

    Lakshmi told the table about my kiss of Eshaan, which made me turn scarlet, though Soriya applauded politely at the description, giving me a wicked smile.

    I stuck my tongue out at her, and did my best to ignore the rest of the table. It wasn¡¯t easy, Eshaan kept blushing too.

    When the meal finally wrapped up, Eideth called for our attention.

    ¡°So, after having discussed it with Rangrim, it seems that I must concede that he at least believes there to be a ghost. So! Since it seems to make most of its appearances in the library, and that¡¯s where all the records you wanted to look at are¡­ I guess the two tasks are linked.¡± She paused, then continued ¡°If you¡¯re really sure that you can defeat a ghost?¡±

    I sighed and said ¡°It¡¯s not that you ¡®defeat¡¯ ghosts. You just¡­ resolve their issues. Find out why they haven¡¯t moved on, and¡­ help. Swinging a sword at a ghost might disrupt it for a day or even maybe a month, but it¡¯ll come back unless the core problem is resolved. And yes. I¡¯m confident that I can help resolve the issue.¡±

    Eideth frowned but nodded, tugging at her braid. ¡°You do seem to have a knack for finishing the impossible. Well.¡± She clapped her hands. ¡°For now, lets all get some rest, and tomorrow we¡¯ll start with the task of fixing up the library. We can do two for one.¡±

    We trailed upstairs, sorting ourselves into our rooms. As I was about to head into mine, I turned back and grabbed Eshaan by the wrist. ¡°Wait, Eshaan. Before you go, I wanted to ask you something.¡±

    Eshaan blinked at me with that earnest face and nodded eagerly. ¡°Of course, Lily, you can ask me anything, you know that!¡±

    I smiled wryly, and then nodded back. ¡°Yes, I do.¡±

    I led him inside, and sat down on the divan, patting the spot next to me. Eshaan quickly sat down beside me.

    ¡°So, what did you want to talk about?¡± He asked, eagerly.

    I looked into his eyes, and honestly wondered. Does he think I want to confess? I already kissed him, I wonder¡­ I shook my head and smiled in exasperation. All I need to do is ask, he would answer. And just why am I trying to get philosophical thoughts out of a block of wood anyway? I wondered.

    ¡°Eshaan, doesn¡¯t it¡­ doesn¡¯t it bother you at all, that the System seems to have scouted this all out?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean?¡± He said in confusion.

    Ah, of course he doesn¡¯t. I sighed.

    ¡°Where ever we go, it seems like that¡¯s where we were supposed to be!¡± I said with frustration. ¡°We leave Camaxtli¡¯s sand city, and head to the Monanin capital. And there¡¯s info there we need! We leave Breezewood, and we just happen to run into the very people who can give us the next piece of the puzzle we¡¯re looking for! Doesn¡¯t it bother you at all, that it seems like we¡¯re on rails?!¡±

    Eshaan sat back, and stroked his cheek thoughtfully. Finally, he said ¡°No?¡± With a puzzled tone in his voice.

    ¡°Well, why not?!¡± I asked with an aggrieved tone.

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t see it like that. What we¡¯re trying to do¡­ what we¡¯re learning here¡­ Lily, this¡­ everything we¡¯re doing here. We¡¯re talking about the System. We¡¯re talking about the Church and the Empire. There is nowhere in this world that they don¡¯t touch somewhere. You and Soriya and me¡­ we¡¯ve set out to stop them, because they¡¯re doing things they shouldn¡¯t. Because they¡¯re messing with the fabric of the System. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s big enough that there¡¯s nowhere that they haven¡¯t touched!¡± Eshaan was silent for a moment, then said ¡°So why is it surprising to you that no matter where we go, we learn something new about our quest? The only place we could really go and not find pieces of this puzzle is the Cavern of Trials. And that¡¯s only because it blew up.¡±

    ¡°Eshaan, we flew the Sparrowhawk entirely at random into a hidden ancient city! An ancient city filled with technology we needed, an ally who¡¯s got priceless information helpful to our quest, and we just¡­ happened to wander into it?!¡±

    Eshaan tipped his head to the side, confusion playing over his features. ¡°Yes? There are ruins from the Ancient¡¯s all over the world, everywhere. There¡¯s one under our feet right now, Lily. Why would it be strange that we¡¯d happen to find one?¡±

    I sighed heavily. ¡°You don¡¯t think that¡¯s strange at all!? You think it¡¯s normal to just wander off in a random direction and that happen to be exactly where you needed to go all along?¡±

    Eshaan was silent for a long while. Finally, he took my hand in his and squeezed it. ¡°Wherever we go, it turns out that¡¯s where we needed to be. Or if not, we learned something important from it, or it taught us something. That seems like the guidance of the System to me. And the places we find, the things we learn¡­ the Ancients made wonder¡¯s we can¡¯t comprehend. They created the System with the help of the goddess! I don¡¯t¡­ find it all that strange that it would take only the slightest nudge to move us where we can do the most good. If anything, it means that the goddess herself smiles on our quest! She¡¯s granted you the Arcanum, and the keys to the System¡­. I¡¯m afraid I just don¡¯t understand. Are you upset that we¡¯ve got divine guidance?¡±

    I stomped my foot angrily. ¡°Eshaan, the point of the little quest, is that things don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ what if I don¡¯t want to be the divine saintess or whatever! I don¡¯t want to complete this storyline! I don¡¯t want to be some ancient computer program¡¯s puppet!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ well, I don¡¯t know what a ¡®computer program¡¯ is¡­ but if you don¡¯t want to be the program, then we don¡¯t have to do this. We can quit right now.¡±

    I gave a long sigh and sank back into myself. ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that, Deacon will come looking for me. Again. The empire will keep hounding us. They¡¯re certainly in the city right now, looking for us.¡±

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± He took my hand and squeezed it again. ¡°But Lily, if you want to run, then we can run! I¡¯ll go with you, where ever you want to go. Whatever you want to do.¡±

    I wiped at my eyes, and sniffled. Meadowlark. When did I start crying?!

    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ you know I can¡¯t.¡± I said brokenly.

    Eshaan shrugged. ¡°What I know doesn¡¯t matter much. We¡¯re talking about what you know.¡±

    I let out a broken sob. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the heroine anymore!¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to dance on people¡¯s strings!¡±

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°Ok. You¡¯re the seer. If you say you¡¯re on puppet strings, how do we cut them? If the dance isn¡¯t fun, then let¡¯s change the tune.¡±

    ¡°I thought that¡¯s what I was doing!¡± I said, my voice cracking. ¡°We didn¡¯t go to Nanwe, we came to Hecate, and we find that there¡¯s an imperial airship here, and my mother¡¯s journal already has a map of the undercity and Eideth moved into the mansion my mother helped clear out, and there¡¯s a ghost here¡­ it¡¯s like whatever I was trying to run from followed me! Laughing!¡±

    Eshaan rubbed my shoulder soothingly. ¡°Leaving aside the fact that the Ancients left ruins everywhere, and your mother seems to have been a world traveler who¡¯s also been most everywhere¡­ what do you want to do about it? We can leave. Just walk out the door, say thanks to Eideth, buy passage on a passenger airliner to anywhere.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± I looked down at my lap, my hands twisting my skirts into a tangled mess. ¡°I can¡¯t leave the ghost trapped here. I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    Ehsaan waited a bit, then pulled me into a hug. ¡°Then what it sounds like, Lilyanna, is that you do want to help the ghost. You do want to bring down the twisted shadow image that calls itself Deacon. You do want to find the System and help the goddess.

    ¡°You¡¯re not on any predestined path that I can see. You could walk away at any time. It would be hard, granted, but you could. And I would help you. We all would! But when you¡¯re offered the chance, you always choose the course that helps people, that makes things better, even when it¡¯s hard. You¡¯re doing what you think is right. If the goddess is placing opportunities to do the right thing in front of you, to make the world better¡­ what¡¯s wrong with taking them? It sounds like she¡¯s giving you the opportunity to do what you wanted to do anyway.¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not really like that¡­¡± I said quietly.

    Eshaan shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone forcing you to help the ghost, Lilyanna.¡±

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    I was silent. Finally, Eshaan patted me on the shoulder, then leaned in an kissed my cheek softly. ¡°Goodnight, Lilyanna. Whatever you choose, everyone will back you up. 100 percent. You¡¯re the one we follow.¡± He stood up to go, and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

    I got undressed and slipped into bed, but it was a long time before I could get to sleep.

    The next morning, I was awoken by the smell of breakfast, a sweet and savory aroma that hooked me by the nose and practically pulled me out of bed. My stomach growled and I flushed a little as I hurried downstairs, still wiggling my feet into my boots.

    The kitchen was a bustling area, and I looked around for an apron to tye on to help, but as I was reaching for it, the stern old Monanin matron whapped the back of my hand with a ladle.

    ¡°None of that now!¡± She said with her thick accent. ¡°Me and the lasses will get you fed, you just sit tight at the table like a good girl!¡±

    I stared at her, and an intense battle of wills raged. I lost almost immediately, and slunk towards the table with a softly muttered ¡®yes ma¡¯am.¡¯ And sat down to wait. One of the maids quickly nipped in and handed me a basket of hot buttered rolls and a plate of fruit.

    My stomach growled, and I blushed as I reached for the food.

    The maid smiled and said ¡°I¡¯m glad I brought those! Just to tide you over!¡± She paused, and then went on ¡°You¡¯re the Spiritist that miss Eideth hired to get rid of the ghost, right?¡±

    I blinked at the description, but nodded hesitantly. ¡°I suppose so¡­?¡± I said.

    The maid fidgeted for a moment, then pushed a slip of paper at me. ¡°Can I have your autograph?!¡± She rushed out.

    I stared at the outstretched paper and pen, then looked up at her, my eyes wide with surprise.

    ¡°W-what?!¡± I asked, baffled.

    ¡°No, huh?¡± The maid withdrew the paper looking disappointed.

    The disappointment was too much for me to take, and I reached for the paper and pen. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that, I just¡­ why!? What on earth is so interesting about us?!¡±

    The maid¡¯s eyes got big. ¡°Are you kidding?! A real spiritist!? And a ghost hunter spiritist?!¡±

    ¡°I left my proton pack at home though.¡± I muttered as I scrawled my name on the paper awkwardly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t get that. What?¡± The maid asked.

    I waved my hands, and gave her back the paper. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just¡­ I didn¡¯t realize that spiritists were interesting.¡±

    ¡°Oh! I guess maybe it¡¯s a Monanin thing? Maybe? I¡¯d heard that you didn¡¯t have ghost hunters in the Empire for some reason?¡± The maid asked.

    I looked at her in surprise. ¡°You mean¡­¡± I frowned at her. ¡°Do Monanin houses have a lot of ghosts?¡± I asked curiously.

    ¡°Oh well¡­ you know, not really. Not anymore than any other really old place. Ghosts are rare, I¡¯m sure you know that!¡±

    I didn¡¯t. Actually¡­ I still don¡¯t. I didn¡¯t even know ghosts were real until the Wake! I thought to myself. Hang on-

    ¡°Um¡­ does that mean you have¡­ issues with other undead too?¡± I asked nervously.

    ¡°Oh! Well no, not really! You don¡¯t get skeletons or vampires unless there¡¯s a dark energy influx!¡± She blushed and ducked her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you must know all this!¡±

    I shook my head slowly. ¡°I really don¡¯t. We sort of¡­ stumbled into ghost hunting, actually.¡±

    It was the maid¡¯s turn to look surprised. ¡°Really!? That¡¯s something you can just¡­ stumble into in the Empire?!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ in my case, yes.¡± I said with embarrassment.

    ¡°Wow! Well¡­ hang on! I know! I¡¯ll bring you a copy of my Vapor Trails magazine! It has tons more info!¡± She looked around then flushed. ¡°Or, actually, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll get that to you tonight, when I¡¯m off work! I don¡¯t want to have Majordomo Rangrim catch me slacking off!¡± She dashed off, waving the autographed paper at me. ¡°Thank you! I won¡¯t forget this! See you later tonight!¡±

    I sat there, chewing thoughtfully on a roll, nibbling at the fruit to take the edge off.

    This fruit would make a really good tart¡­ maybe a stuffing with the sheep actually¡­ I thought as I pondered the ghost hunting.

    Soriya came down, and plopped into a chair next to me, pulling over the basket of rolls and a slice of apple.

    I smiled at her. ¡°Hey bestie. Did you sleep well?¡±

    She grinned at me. ¡°I did sleep, yes. Are you really asking about that?¡±

    I flushed, and looked away. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve found somebody, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready for details of intimate relations!¡± I said with embarrassment.

    Though I do kind of wonder¡­ I slapped my cheeks to drive the intrusive thoughts out. Later. I will consider the mechanics later! I chided myself.

    Soriya grinned. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You¡¯ll get there.¡±

    I chewed thoughtfully on the roll. She¡¯s probably right. I¡¯ve gotten this far, and if¡­ if¡­ My cheeks heated with another blush If Eshaan and I¡­

    ¡°Oh ho, is that smile from Eshaan?!¡± Soriya needled me.

    I sniffed and lifted my chin. ¡°So what if it is? We¡¯re dating, there¡¯s nothing wrong with¡­ a few thoughts.¡±

    Soriya gave a little squeal and gave me a quick hug. ¡°Ah, young love!¡± She said teasingly.

    I gave her a glare. ¡°Don¡¯t you give me that, you¡¯re the same age as me! Daniyel is much older than you!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s twenty two!¡± She responded.

    I blinked, then giggled. ¡°Well, then, that just proves my point, he¡¯s practically got a foot in the grave by jrpg standards!¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°No, not even close, he needs to be at least thirty before he¡¯s a dried up husk.¡± She grinned again, her eyes sparkling. ¡°Maybe a little sooner if we keep up the fun.¡±

    I scowled at her. ¡°I hope you¡¯re taking the morning after tea!?¡± I blinked a bit in surprise, feeling a new piece of info floating up into my head. There¡¯s contraceptive tea? Oh, I might need to¡­ oh spirits above I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m even thinking about this!

    I shook my head wildly and slapped my cheeks again as Soriya giggled fiercely.

    ¡°Ghost!¡± I said. ¡°We need to discuss the ghost!¡±

    Soriya popped another slice of fruit in her mouth and chewed. ¡°What¡¯s to discuss? We find the murder or whatever, and solve it, done.¡±

    I raised my eyebrow at her. ¡°Oh sure, and all we need to do is enter the System core and reset everything, simple!¡±

    Soriya waved her hands. ¡°That¡¯ll sort itself out.¡±

    I stopped and stared hard at her. ¡°Soriya¡­ are you really ok with just following the plot?!¡±

    Soriya blinked and then said ¡°Mostly, sure. I don¡¯t want Breezewood harmed! And I don¡¯t want you, or anyone else, to die! But the rest? Lilyanna, I¡¯ve been fine with this role the story has given me since I met you!¡±

    I thought about that for a moment, then said ¡°Even the parts where you¡¯re looked down on? That lecture at the symposium¡­?¡±

    A flicker of darkness swept over her eyes, and she swallowed. ¡°Well. I wasn¡¯t all that happy with that, but I¡¯m used to it. If I¡¯m right, then in the after credits, I¡¯ll get an invitation to teach at the Academy.¡±

    I stroked my hair thoughtfully. ¡°Yes, I suppose that¡¯s true¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°I guess¡­ you really like your role.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty good deal.¡± She nodded.

    ¡°I wish mine was.¡± I muttered.

    ¡°I dunno, you and Eshaan seem to really get along now. You seem happy, honestly. Much happier than anytime since we first met.¡±

    ¡°Do I?¡± I asked skeptically.

    Soriya pointed a slice of fruit at me. ¡°Look. We could assault the church right now. We know they must have an artifact, and that artifact is probably either an Arcanum, or something related to it. It¡¯s almost assuredly the final showdown. We could cut right to the end if you want. That¡¯s a little risky though. Didn¡¯t you just have a major intimate moment with Eshaan? That¡¯s dangerous.¡¯

    I shuddered all over, flinching from the idea. That sounded like an excellent way to die horribly, as a sacrifice to bring the group together and motivate them.

    I ruthlessly crushed the idle thought that my other half had, it would serve the greater good.

    We are not doing that! I thought viciously at myself.

    ¡°Well, there you go.¡± Soriya said. ¡°So what do you want to do? We¡¯ll learn something important in this little expedition, and almost certainly the location of another Key.¡±

    I swallowed, fiddling with my skirts. A thought occurred to me, and wouldn¡¯t leave.

    ¡°We¡­ could go to the Sylvan jungles. They have chocolate there? And it¡¯s certain they¡¯ll have a Key!¡±

    Soriya hummed thoughtfully. ¡°And they¡¯re so far away from the holy church that wants to use you.¡± She said pointedly.

    I flushed and looked away, feeling compelled to add ¡°And they¡¯re far away from Deacon, yes.¡±

    Soriya reached over and rubbed my shoulder. ¡°Then we have our plan, bestie. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll let you know if you stray too much. And for now, we have a ghost to resolve. And also, some important information to learn. And we can help Eideth straighten up her manorhouse. It¡¯s a win-win-win!¡±

    I sighed and nodded. ¡°Yes, it is. And I do like helping people. It¡¯s just¡­ so predictable!¡±

    Soriya grinned. ¡°So shake it up! If it¡¯s that predictable, we can solve this murder mystery in a snap!¡±

    I blinked thoughtfully, then nodded. She was right. If it was that predictable¡­ this would be easy! We¡­ might be done in less than a day!

    -Three days later-

    I threw myself into the overstuffed library chair, which let out a huge cloud of dust as I flopped into it gracelessly. I coughed and hacked, my eyes watering. Soriya looked at me with amused sympathy, closing a book she¡¯d been browsing.

    ¡°Getting to you?¡± she asked lightly.

    I nodded miserably, my eyes watering from the dust. ¡°This was supposed to be over soon! All we¡¯ve found is fake ledgers, mystery novels, and books of ancient kings!¡± I complained.

    Soriya¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°I don¡¯t know, you seemed to quite like the yaoi fiction we came across. I still can¡¯t believe how adorable your blush was when you read the title of the first one!¡±

    I turned scarlet with embarrassment at the memory. ¡°T-that has nothing to do with this! We¡¯re looking for clues related to our ghost or info about the artifact!¡± I protested angrily. ¡°And to top it off, we haven¡¯t had a single supernatural event or haunting!¡±

    I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m a yaoi fiction fan! I thought with mortification. And it was so bad! And I still took it to read! Thank the spirits that Eshaan hasn¡¯t caught me with it! At least I finally understand why girls read it though¡­

    ¡°This looks a lot easier in games!¡± I grumbled.

    "Well¡± Soriya said reasonably ¡°That''s because this would be a montage scene. It¡¯s a lot rougher when you can''t press skip."

    I sighed heavily and nodded, reaching for another book. "Yeah."

    Two more days passed slowly, while Soriya and I combed through the library. The others kept themselves entertained by prowling the city, or browsing the shopping square. Lakshmi got herself a bright red trench coat and tricorn hat with a grand plume and I had to admit, she did look very dashing indeed. I noted the way Camaxtli¡¯s eyes followed Lakshmi around with a slightly baffled air as though trying to solve a complex puzzle.

    ¡°Agh, this is hopeless!¡± I complained that evening over dinner. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in the library but old manuscripts, novels, and forged receipts from the smugglers!¡±

    Eideth shrugged helplessly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you, lass. It was always a long shot.¡±

    ¡°But it shouldn¡¯t have been a longshot!¡± I complained. The others looked at each other in bafflement.

    Camaxtli spoke up. ¡°Something I find to be strange, the preponderance of these fictions you spoke of. Why would a smuggler¡¯s library have ¡®entertainment¡¯, especially of this manner?¡±

    ¡°Maybe they just like boy¡¯s love?¡± Soriya said impishly.

    Camaxtli¡¯s comment caught in my mind and I sat up straight. ¡°Wait a second¡­ most of the books have to do with doomed romance! And murder mysteries, and¡­ hang on!¡±

    I jumped up from my chair and dashed back to the library. Spinning slowly around in a circle, I thought out loud. ¡°Murder mysteries. Hidden puzzles. Romance, and murder¡­ and all the notes were¡­ if the smugglers shuffled¡­¡± I dashed over to a wall sconce and stared up at it.

    Yes, right next to an out of place picture¡­ if I was a mystery fan¡­

    I pulled gingerly at the painting, which swung to the side on hinges. There was a soft ¡®click¡¯ in my ear, and I started to grin broadly. I pulled down on the light fixtures. The second one gave a second ¡®click¡¯ and a section of bookcase slid soundlessly open. I giggled in glee, rubbing my hands together. ¡°I get it! I get it!¡± I shouted triumphantly. ¡°You¡¯re a mystery fan! A gothic romance mystery fan! The novels weren¡¯t distractions from the ledgers, the fake ledgers were distractions from the novels!¡±

    ¡°Lily?!¡± Eshaan called to me from the entrance of the library.

    I spun to face him. ¡°I¡¯m going to see a ghost about a plot!¡± I exclaimed happily then turned and hurried into the secret passage revealed by the open bookcase.

 64 - Ancient manuscripts of forgotten knowledge

    I spun to face him. ¡°I¡¯m going to see a ghost about a plot!¡± I exclaimed happily then turned and hurried into the secret passage revealed by the open bookcase.

    As I hurried into the darkened passageway and down the spiral stairs, I heard Eshaan¡¯s voice cry out ¡°Lily, wait! It¡¯s too-¡°

    There was a soft ¡®thud¡¯ sound and the world filled with mist, a cloying familiar chill wrapping around my body.

    Oh dear. I thought. Here we go again. The Wake opened around me, and once more I found myself in the echoing shadowy realm that followed behind the World.

    As I descended the twisting spiral staircase into the depths below, torches along the walls flickered into life, glittering with an eerie blue flame.

    The sounds of moans and clanking filled the air, along with occasional shrieks, and a voice moaning ¡°turn back!¡±.

    I stopped, smiling, and then clapped loudly and enthusiastically.

    ¡°This is wonderful! Wonderful!¡± I said. I meant it too, I didn¡¯t know how hard any of this was to pull off, but I genuinely admired the artistic effort that went into it.

    The shade of a monanin woman shimmered into existence on the landing near me, draped in elaborate gothic dress, black lace with trailing skirts and spiderweb gloves, a black lace veil covering her eyes.

    She clasped her hands to her bosom and gushed ¡°Oh thank you! I worked so hard on it! I¡¯m glad you like it!¡±

    I giggled, and then smiled down at her. ¡°Like it?! I¡¯m in awe! You captured the whole feel!¡±

    I spun around and clapped my hands, before facing her.

    ¡°So! What is it? Unrequited love? Unsent letter?¡± I frowned at her, then snapped my fingers. ¡°Wait! Of course, you have an unpublished novel!¡±

    The ghost took a step back from me, her eyes wide. ¡°You¡­?!¡±

    She suddenly rushed forward and grabbed my hands in hers. ¡°You¡¯ve come to kill me!? At last, the sweet cup of death! You¡¯ve come to send me onto the Great beyond, on the final journey! How marvelous! Oh, how I have longed to taste that sweet nectar of nepenthe! Such sights I shall see! Such wonders beyond the veil¡­¡±

    I coughed to cover my surprise; my eyes wide. ¡°You¡­ seem very enthusiastic about this.¡± I said hesitantly.

    ¡°Oh yes!¡± She cried rapturously, twirling in a circle that made the moth eaten shrouds of her skirt swirl around her. ¡°How I have longed to see the final visions! To experience the growing dark¡­! I thought when I breathed my last those hundred years ago, that I would taste the sweet darkness of that final cup on my lips! But I was denied!¡± She raised her fists to the ceiling and shook them. ¡°I only catch the whisper of it from this pale shadow of the true darkness!¡±

    ¡°Urm¡­¡± I said, unsure what to say.

    ¡°Alas!¡± The ghost draped her arm dramatically across her face, her sleeves veiling her eyes. ¡°The cruel fates have conspired against me! I have appeased my sorrows with these pitiful few scribblings!¡±

    She gestured behind her, where reams of paper lay neatly stacked and ordered atop each other in neat mounds, a gothic candelabra resting precariously at the very peak.

    ¡°But now! You have come! Oh sweet release, grant me that final dark drink, oh priestess of light!¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± I said dumbly. ¡°Well¡­ um¡­ aren¡¯t you supposed to tell me some sort of clue?¡± I fumbled, feeling utterly at sea. Where¡¯s the angst? Where¡¯s the¡­ well no, she¡¯s definitely got the angst. A bit too much frankly¡­ along with some truly ham acting!

    ¡°Oh!¡± The monanin ghost took a step back, lowering her hands to stare at me frankly. She pursed her lips. ¡°Is this¡­ perhaps the fee for the ferryman?¡± she said with confusion. ¡°Do you collect the coins for the ferryman?¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Are you his tragic lover, doomed to never feel his touch, even as you carry the coins to his side?!¡± She gushed with enthusiasm, clasping her hands together and rushing forward to take up mine in hers.

    I gaped at her, my mouth making little fish gulping motions.

    ¡°Sorry. Sorry!¡± I finally got my brain in gear. ¡°I just¡­ you¡¯re really not at all what I was expecting.¡± I took a deep breath and replied ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡­ well, no. I¡¯m¡­ I suppose you could say I¡¯m a messenger from the other side, but that sounds-¡±

    ¡°Oooh! A ghostly vision from the far shores!? Do you come from the distant realms?!¡±

    I sighed. I really didn¡¯t want to lean into it¡­ one more try.

    ¡°No.¡± I gently removed my hands from hers. ¡°I¡¯m just looking for the source of the System. My friends would like you to stop making moaning noises, moving books, and making the walls bleed.¡±

    The ghost took a step back, disappointment clearly evident on her face. ¡°Oh.¡± She paused, then added ¡°Then why did you say you were a messenger?¡±

    I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but the super short version is ¡®reincarnation is real, but it¡¯s in another world¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Amazing! The ferryman conveys you to another life?! Did you hear the haunted wail of the beyond in the boat?!¡±

    I rolled my eyes and gave up. ¡°The beyond calls you!¡± I said in my best melodramatic voice. ¡°The shackles which bind you here, I am that which can set you free! Let me loose your bonds that you might drink from the dark waters of nepenthe!¡±

    The ghost sat frozen, staring at me with her eyes wide. For a moment, I was genuinely worried that I¡¯d overplayed my hand. Was she going to mock me? Was my prose that bad? I knew my acting wasn¡¯t up to snuff¡­ being so bad at lying really sucks!

    ¡°I knew it!¡± She suddenly shouted. ¡°At last, I shall drink from the dark river! I will be reborn into a new vessel, fresh from the decaying shell of darkness that this world has wrapped around my soul!¡±

    I did my very best not to cringe. It wasn¡¯t very good, but apparently the ghost didn¡¯t mind in the slightest.

    ¡°Urm. Yes! Yes, brave soul, I am here to ferry you beyond! But first, I must unwrap the shackles that bind you!¡± I declaimed with prose so purple it was probably ultraviolet.

    Think. Thinkthinkthink¡­ what would the ghost know? What would it have to say? What does the plot think we¡¯re here for?

    ¡°Tell us of the hidden secrets of the Ancients, the forgotten knowledge that none but the dead remember! Tell of the movements of past and future that shackle us both! Speak of your passions and hidden projects, that I might share them with the world!¡±

    I crossed my fingers behind my back, hoping.

    ¡°Oh! Yes, of course! You want to know about the hidden Key that was found and lost and found again! And how wise you are to know my poor manuscript revolves around such a thing!¡± The ghost clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture.

    ¡°Tell me beautiful ferry maiden, will you ensure my manuscripts are read!? Truly! I have only written thirty four of them, but I am sure they are worthy!¡±

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    I struggled to keep a straight face. Thirty four?! Spirits bless me, just how much fanfiction has she written?!

    ¡°I¡­ I give you my word as¡­ as psychopomp to the departed! The world shall see your work!¡±

    Even if it¡¯s only one other person. I thought to myself.

    ¡°Oh rapture! I can feel the shackles holding me falling away already!¡± Please, come!¡± The ghost turned and hurried into the misty corridors and mazelike passages of Eideth¡¯s manor that made up the fractured reality of this part of the Wake.

    As we walked, the ghost talked about what she had witnessed. There was a lot of it, more than two hundred years of it.

    She started ¡°When I died, I was two hundred and four¡­¡± she said with the air of remanence, and I groaned inwardly. I could tell I was in for a very long story. I was, regrettably, right. The only interesting thing was that this wannabe novelist had died of old age, her stories unpublished, and since her  death she¡¯d written more.

    ¡°¡­and so the first artifact of the Ancients came to this place.¡± She said, and I jerked into awareness.

    ¡°That was the plot of my 8<sup>th</sup> novel, you¡¯ll recall.¡± She said.

    I absolutely did not recall; all the tedious plot details had blended together in my head. Honestly, I was starting to dread trying to get the books published, they sounded like the worst level of amateur writing.

    ¡°¡­so the Artifact was uncovered in the underhome ruins during an Empire sponsored archeological expedition and brought to my manor house¡­ of course I suppose it wasn¡¯t my manor house by then, but I still think of it as mine you know! And then the smugglers used it for its properties, something to do with secrets and forbidden lore, I think. It doubtless granted them such wicked powers!¡± the ghost twirled happily, clearly giddy with the prospect. ¡°This formed the backbone of my next three novels, I was positively inspired by the idea!¡±

    ¡°And then adventurers came and ousted the smugglers!¡± She added. ¡°I was quite proud of the help I gave them! A few carefully dropped clues, a moved book or three, and my little pranks had unnerved the ruffians something fierce by then!

    Ah, there¡¯s my mother¡¯s involvement. I thought, nodding quietly.

    ¡°The church was very interested in the whole affair, shameful as it was, doubtless they wished to guard against the corruption of the Ancients once more. There was some sort of hubbub with the Hecate city council, I think there was a diplomatic incident of some sort. And the device was returned to the undercity.¡±

    I pressed my lips together firmly. Ah yes. Definitely my mother¡¯s delicate touch.

    ¡°And then things got so dreadfully quiet for a long time, but that was fine, because I was consumed by the fires of creative passion! Not needing to sleep is such a boon for the artistic spirit, I find!¡±

    She stopped in mid monologue and frowned. I noticed that she was quite a bit more transparent than before. She certainly hadn¡¯t slowed her speech any.

    ¡°Of course, now that I think about it, I remember feeling it moving again. Down towards the Church¡¯s little island. I suppose they must have picked it up again, though I don¡¯t know why.¡±

    ¡°Uh, do you know when that was?¡± I pounced on this piece of information.

    ¡°Oh quite recently! Not more than a month ago, I¡¯m quite sure!¡±

    I ground my teeth together. Deacon. Of course.

    I plastered an awkward smile on my face. ¡°Please go on.¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s it really. Which is convenient, because here¡¯s where I stored my manuscripts!¡±

    She gestured with pride to an alcove carved into the rock below the manor. Floor to ceiling it was covered with books, with neatly stacked reams of paper filling shelf after shelf.

    The ghost nodded in satisfaction; her form almost completely gone now.

    ¡°With your promise, I pass to my final rest!¡±

    She looked at me expectantly.

    ¡°Oh! Ah, yes of course, your worries have been heard, your time among the shades of the past is done! Your work shall be heard, passed amongst the living to see and remember!¡±

    The ghost sighed in relief, and faded even further. ¡°Well. There they are. You should find the books easy to transport, I think Trumblethin & Co still publish books on consignment, do look them up. Thank you, maiden of the far shores! You have eased my burden, and paved the way for this soul to find its newest home! Somewhere, other worlds await! I shall grant them glorious stories and prose!¡±

    A glowing beam of light descend from above, and the ghost vanished into a twinkling of lights whirling up into it.

    I tapped my lips in thought, then jerked. ¡°Oh honeysuckle! I forgot to ask her name!¡± I stomped my foot in frustration.

    I hurried over to the manuscripts and started stacking them up. There were a lot of them. Maybe one of them has her name?

    Around me, I could feel the Wake pushing at me, a gentle nudge slowly growing to a larger shove that was slowly but surely ejecting me back into the World. I snatched up as many of the manuscripts as I could, wondering sadly if any of the scrolls and tomes I could see were of any value.

    ¡°I should have waited for Soriya and the others.¡± I thought, and then I was pushed back into the World. The alcove that the ghost had occupied was quiet and dank, the shelves filled with nothing but mold and damp dust of ages. The desk that she had written at was cobwebbed, the drawers open and hanging loose. I carefully edged around the broken remains of a chair and cabinet, hoping I might find some trace of a name, but there was none. I took a deep breath and slowly inched my way back the way I had come. It was a lot less pleasant, which was saying something, since I¡¯d arrived via the Wake! It was clear that whoever she had been, nobody had been to her private sanctuary since she had died.

    I grinned to myself. ¡°A ghost who died in her sleep of old age, held in place by unpublished fanfiction. Well that¡¯s a first for me.¡±

    Eventually, as I inched my way down the uneven passageway holding the heavy reams of paper, I heard the sounds of Eshaan and Soriya calling after me. I hollered back to them as loudly as I could, letting them know I was alright.

    When we finally joined up, Eshaan was all concern and courtesy, while Soriya was her usual self, laughing hysterically at the complete ruin of dust and cobwebs that coated me from head to toe. Her laughter only got louder when I told her what the reams of paper were.

    She managed to stop laughing long enough to ask ¡°So, do you think she wrote any Yuri for you?¡±

    I blushed scarlet. ¡°She wrote it because it meant a lot to her, that it was a passion she had for the craft!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not hearing a no~¡± Soriya trilled. The only reason I didn¡¯t step on her foot was because she took a third of the manuscripts from me. Eshaan took another third and we made our way back to the library where the rest of the crew was waiting, along with Eideth and Rangrim.

    ¡°So!?¡± Lakshmi almost pounced on me. ¡°What did you learn!?¡± She demanded eagerly.

    Camaxtli almost showed emotion as he said ¡°Indeed. I am most curious as well. I am very sorry to have missed an excursion into this realm that is completely outside my operational experiences.¡±

    Daniyel tipped his head to the side. ¡°Did you not call it ¡®mythical¡¯ when we first met?¡± he said curiously.

    Camaxtli nodded amiably. ¡°Indeed I did. And while the possibility remains that some elaborate staged prank is being played on me, the residue of unknown etheric energies layered on these manuscripts is indicative that a new paradigm is more likely to be true. This is¡­¡± he hesitated, and licked his lips, his eyes shimmering with color. ¡°This is¡­ exciting.¡± He said, as though tasting the word for the first time.

    I perked up at that, then gingerly laid my part of the manuscripts on a nearby table, which groaned from the weight. I sighed in relief, and flopped into a nearby chair.

    Over the next few hours, I laid out what I had learned for Eideth and Rangrim.

    ¡°Thirty four novels?!¡± Eideth chewed on the words as though unsure what to do with them.

    ¡°Yes. Apparently, she¡¯d been writing for more than 200 years. ¡°Not exactly a speed demon, but a novel every six years is pretty good, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in this artifact that she found!¡± Eshaan gushed. ¡°So your mother knew about the artifact? It went to the church and then came back!?¡±

    I nodded ¡°And then left again. Apparently, the amount of time she¡¯d spent near it connected it to her in some way. It certainly didn¡¯t return here, but it does explain why Deacon wanted it.¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Yes! An arcanum of knowledge!¡± Her eyes sparkled. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to meet it!¡±

    ¡°Well if it¡¯s on Narses Isle, then we just need to go get it!¡± Lakshmi declared.

    Eshaan pumped his fist enthusiastically. ¡°Yeah! We¡¯ll show that stupid Shadow Trio that they can¡¯t hide from justice!¡±

    My eyes went wide, and I felt my heartrate speed up. ¡°No! Nonono!¡± I waved my hands frantically in front of me. ¡°Bad idea! We need to go very far away from it!¡±

    Lakshmi frowned at me in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, we know Deacon has one of your Arcana, those System keys, and he¡¯s the bad guy! We¡¯re sky pirates, we can totally steal it from him!¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± I shouted, feeling the panic setting in.

    Everything got silent as everyone stared at me.

    ¡°Ok¡­¡± Eshaan said slowly. He walked over and took my hand in his. ¡°Lily, why don¡¯t you tell us what¡¯s going on?¡±

    I took several deep breaths. I noticed that Soriya wasn¡¯t saying anything¡­ but there was no question she knew what was going on. The level and quiet look she sent me conveyed her meaning well enough. She was leaving it up to me, whatever I did, she¡¯d back me.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not¡­ I think¡­ we should gather more of the Keys before we tackle the church directly.¡±

    Eshaan blinked. ¡°Lily, if it¡¯s strength you¡¯re worried about, even the church¡¯s elite guard are barely level 25. We could handle them!¡±

    I held up my hand and pressed my fingers to his lips.

    ¡°Just¡­ please. I think we should learn more before we try to jump to the final showdown!¡± I said.

    Lakshmi shook her head in disagreement. ¡°Bad idea, Lily. You never give an enemy time to consolidate their position! We need to strike now, when we know they won¡¯t be expecting us-¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± I screamed, feeling the terror vibrating in my chest.

    The stunned silence went on for a long moment, before my cheeks heated with a furious blush.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die.¡± I said more quietly. ¡°And if we go to the Church now, especially after I¡¯ve just kissed Eshaan under the evergleam trees, then I don¡¯t think I¡¯m smart enough to avoid it!¡±

 65 A prophecy, and a purpose.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die.¡± I repeated more quietly, wringing my hands together at my chest. ¡°So we should go find the lost Keys in the Sylvan jungle. We can get chocolate there.¡± I said with a small voice, hating the way I sounded.

    They were quiet a bit longer and then Soriya said ¡°She foresees her death at the church.¡±

    I jerked as her blunt wording, feeling even smaller. She walked over and placed her arms around me in a hug. ¡°I don¡¯t know why she won¡¯t say it, but that¡¯s what she sees.¡±

    Eshaan let out a long ¡°Oooh!¡± of understanding. ¡°But Lily, you don¡¯t need to worry! I¡¯ll protect you!¡±

    I pushed out of Soriya¡¯s embrace and advanced on Eshaan, feeling a sudden surge of furious anger. I slapped him hard on the face.

    ¡°That is what I can¡¯t stand about you! That¡­ stupid mindless arrogance! Oh you¡¯ll try your very best, but then I just die in your arms all to fuel some stupid plot to fuel your own tragic backstory! I won¡¯t have it!¡±

    Eshaan staggered backwards, his eyes wide and clutching at his cheek in disbelief. I spun away from him, crossing my arms and looking at the ground. I felt horrible for acting like that but he was just¡­ so¡­ so stupid!

    Soriya said to Eshaan ¡°If you trust her, then listen to her. Even if you think you can take on the world barehanded, if you want to protect a woman, you have to respect her fears as well.¡±

    Eshaan blinked several times, his mouth opening and closing silently. Finally, he said ¡°I see.¡± His voice chill.

    I felt a stab of guilt, I¡¯d been very mean to him, and I could tell he was hurt. I wanted to explain, but at the same time, he was so stupid sometimes! And so I didn¡¯t.

    Lakshmi filled the void. ¡°Well that¡¯s good enough for me! So far she¡¯s been right about everything else, and it seems like a very good idea to me to keep my crew alive!¡±

    She turned to Eideth. ¡°Eideth¡­¡± She stopped, then suddenly grinned and then gave a swirling bow, the cape of her red trenchcoat swirling around her. ¡°Mistress and Mentor D?nhark, it has been my honor to have been your pupil! I will honor your teaching by forging a story fit for an airpirate!¡±

    Eideth blinked in surprise and then smiled back at our redhead princess captain. ¡°Well, if you say so, then it must be so.¡± She stepped forward and hugged Lakshmi.

    Pulling back she wiped at her eyes a bit, then said ¡°You mind the pressure in the manifold ducts. I warned you the mana flux can get choked in those!¡±

    Lakshmi nodded. ¡°I think I can remember that, this time.¡±

    Eideth picked up a few of the manuscripts and nodded to me. ¡°And we¡¯ll get these published for you, just like your promised.¡± She paused then turned back to Lakshmi. ¡°You better come back with one just as thick so I can get it published as well!¡±

    Lakshmi blinked in surprise, taking a short step back, and a slow smile spread across her face, her eyes slightly distant.

    Behind her Danyiel rolled his eyes. ¡°I cannot thank you for putting dreams of glory in my ward¡¯s head, Mistress D?nhark.¡± He glanced over to Lakshmi and back. ¡°But I will thank you for giving her a reason to live.¡± He said gravely, bowing low to her, and then taking one of her hands in his and kissing the pack of her palm.

    Eideth turned red as a tomato, and mumbled something I didn¡¯t catch.

    I reached over and grabbed Soriya¡¯s hand in mind. ¡°No hexes.¡± I muttered to her.

    Her head snapped to me in surprise and I could see a faint hint of color in her cheeks.

    ¡°He¡¯s already yours, and you don¡¯t need to be so touchy about it.¡±

    Soriya glanced away, but I caught a faint smile playing about her lips as she did.

    ¡°And so our next grand adventure!¡± Lakshmi said. ¡°We¡¯ve stocked and shopped plenty on this trip, so when you¡¯re ready to return to the Sparrowhawk¡­?¡± She looked at me questioningly.

    I nodded. ¡°Yes. I think so. It will be a relief to be out from imperial scrutiny.¡± I sighed. ¡°And out of this library!¡± I added fervently.

    ¡°The observation posed no difficulty.¡± Daniyel said. ¡°I am not certain they are even aware that we have arrived, despite their obvious interest in our movements.¡±

    Camaxtli nodded in agreement. ¡°It appears that your foes are unaware of the purpose and presence of the System key you call ¡®Gate¡¯. This is to your advantage.¡±

    Soriya tapped her lip thoughtfully. ¡°But if they are looking for the Sparrowhawk, I think we should be cautious when we take off from the cavern.¡±

    Lakshmi flipped her hand dismissively. ¡°Pfft, losers. My Sparrowhawk can outstrip them easily!¡±

    Soriya and Daniyel raised a single eyebrow in unison, and I giggled furiously.

    ¡°What?!¡± Lakshmi demanded, turning to spot Daniyel and Soriya¡¯s eyebrows. She scowled, hands on hips. ¡°Don¡¯t you give me that! Have faith in your captain!¡± She demanded, turning back and forth between them.

    ¡°While the Sparrowhawk is indeed a most expeditious mode of transportation, and is indeed likely to outstrip any pursuit, our direction of travel is likely to be noted.¡± Camaxtli said quietly.

    Danyiel grunted agreement and then said ¡°In addition, the engine exhaust is a distinctive color.¡±

    Soriya added ¡°And easily tracked, it¡¯s laced with a very distinctive mana signature.¡±

    I sighed and shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re fugitives, more or less. But I have faith in Captain Lakshmi. I know she won¡¯t let us down.¡±

    Lakshmi perked up and smiled brightly at me. ¡°Thanks Lily! Er, I mean, Crewman Lilyanna!¡±

    I smiled back at her. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Lakshmi. Now. Is everyone ready to go?¡±

    There was a brief period of confusion as everyone headed upstairs to pack their luggage, and various nicknacks and trinkets were stowed safely. We made our farewells to Eideth and Rangrim, and I summoned up Gate, and we headed through.

    We arrived in the shadowed interior of the cavern, the camouflage netting still draped securely over the top of the Sparrowhawk.

    Lakshmi nodded in satisfaction.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    While the boys stripped the netting from the Sparrowhawk and Lakshmi supervised, I announced ¡°I¡¯m going to say goodbye to the Cloudhearts.¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Good idea. I¡¯ll come with you, so they don¡¯t mug you.¡±

    I jerked in surprise. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t!¡±

    Soriya took my hand and led me out of the cavern. ¡°They might. You said it yourself, they¡¯re smugglers. And we can¡¯t forget that Cameron dropped us off with those smugglers who ambushed us the first time.¡±

    I frowned. I couldn¡¯t deny that was true, but he hadn¡¯t said anything when we showed up again¡­ I huffed in frustration and pushed the issue to the side.

    As we headed up the hill towards the cliffside and the lighthouse came into view, Soriya suddenly stopped dead and hissed at me to get down and hide.

    I dropped into cover and peered out. At the door to the lighthouse, Cameron and Elspeth were standing and talking with three imperial officers, while an imperial skiff had landed nearby. The Cloudhearts did not look terribly happy, and neither did the imperials.

    I opened my mouth to say something, and Soriya popped her hand over my lips. ¡°Shh!¡± she hissed. ¡°You¡¯re going to say something stupid like ¡®let¡¯s rescue them¡¯ and then we¡¯ll all be in the soup! Wait! Just¡­ wait!¡±

    I pinched my lips together and nodded reluctantly. Finally, the officers departed, looking extremely unhappy, while Cameron stood on the steps of the lighthouse, and glared up at the departing skiff. He made a single sharp gesture of shocking rudeness towards the departing airship, and then turned on his heel and stalked back inside.

    I made to rise, and Soriya pressed me down. ¡°Wait!¡± She hissed. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m the one who casts lightning bolts, and you¡¯re the impatient one?!¡±

    I fidgeted uncomfortably. ¡°They could be in trouble! Trouble because of us!¡±

    Soriya nodded seriously. ¡°That¡¯s right, they could, so they might not enjoy seeing us!¡±

    ¡°And maybe they learned something we need to know! We should at least apologize!¡±

    Soriya rolled her eyes and sighed. ¡°You really are the most obnoxious. This is just like the time you insisted on healing the babbit we found in the hedges!¡±

    I frowned. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the Cloudhearts aren¡¯t going to bite us!¡± I replied heatedly.

    ¡°You were sure the babbit wouldn¡¯t bite you too. You remember how that worked out?¡±

    I winced. That¡­ had not worked out. Not unless you counted the fact that I learned how fast I can run when babbit''s charged!

    I sank down and waited. Clouds passed overhead. The wind played gently on the grass. Some of the Cloudhearts¡¯ sheep grazed nearby and baaed quietly.

    Finally Soriya nodded. ¡°Alright, we can go now.¡±

    ¡°Finally!¡± I popped up and jogged towards the lighthouse, Soriya trailing shortly behind.

    The Cloudhearts must have seen us approaching, as the door opened and the two of them appeared as we were jogging up.

    ¡°Well well. Wasn¡¯t sure if we¡¯d ever see you again.¡± Cameron said lazily, sucking on his pipe.

    Elspeth snorted and whapped him on the back of the head with a towel. ¡°Don¡¯t let him fool you dear, he¡¯s been saying ¡®they have to come back for their ship¡¯ like a mantra.¡±

    Cameron snorted in irritation. ¡°If they didn¡¯t I¡¯d have to work out how to sell the blasted thing, wouldn¡¯t I?!¡± He said grumpily.

    I smiled at them both. ¡°Thank you for taking care of it for us. It can¡¯t have been easy. Let us pay you for your trouble!¡±

    ¡°Oh no, lass!¡± they said in unison, then laughed politely.

    Soriya smiled briefly, but then her lips turned down again. ¡°We saw the imperial skiff. Have they been giving you trouble?¡±

    Cameron¡¯s face turned thunderous. ¡°Bloody imperials! Acting like they own the land! We¡¯re not a satellite state! We¡¯re not servants of the empire!¡± He turned and spat into the grass nearby. ¡°It were a pleasure to send them chasing after clouds, and no mistake!¡±

    Elspeth nodded firmly behind him.

    I sighed. ¡°So they are looking for us.¡± I looked at Soriya and we traded a look. Yes indeed, we should expect pursuit the instant we were airborne. I turned back to the Cloudhearts and gave them a deep bow of gratitude. ¡°Thank you. Truly! Thank you, so much! Please let us pay you for the rental of the cavern and your trouble!¡±

    The Cloudhearts were stubborn, but I¡¯d been taking lessons. We compromised. I paid them 500 zeni, and Elspeth loaded us down with comforters and provisions to take.

    ¡°Not rightly sure what you did to rile up the imperials, but you tweaked their noses good.¡± Cameron puffed in satisfaction. ¡°But given that the war they started with Kushistan, I don¡¯t rightly think they¡¯re in a position to make much of the demands.¡±

    I gasped. ¡°They really did start a full war? They didn¡¯t just¡­?¡±

    Cameron shrugged. ¡°When empires go to war, common folk like you and me get ground fine. Smuggling¡¯s going to be right profitable though, war¡¯s always good for business.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ but what about Hecate? What about Galgados?!¡±

    ¡°Oh well, it¡¯s not such a big war that we¡¯re forced to jump in. Not yet, anyway.¡± He shook his head dolefully. ¡°Lots of folk here seem to think this is just a short incident, that it¡¯ll just blow over. I don¡¯t think it will.¡± He squinted into the horizon. ¡°This is just the beginning. Something in the wind and stone tells me so.¡±

    I glanced at Soriya worriedly, and chewed my lip. He was probably right.

    But why?! Is this Deacon? Is this Khine?! Why would they prolong this war!? What are they gaining from it?! I thought, biting my thumb in frustration.

    We returned to the cavern, where the supplies were offloaded to the Sparrowhawk. I peeked inside, we had more supplies than looked safe, every inch of cargo space was full, and there were bundles and packages stashed into every spare corner.

    ¡°Right!¡± Lakshmi said, dusting her hands as she tucked another package into the main boat. ¡°That¡¯s about us! I don¡¯t know how far it is to the other continent, but Camaxtli tells me it¡¯s at least 3 days!¡± She grinned cheerfully. ¡°Lily, we can rely on you to cook for us, right?!¡±

    I giggled softly. ¡°Yes of course I¡¯ll cook. I¡¯m more worried about taking a bath!¡±

    Lakshmi blinked and then grinned. ¡°Well, I mean, we could just go back to Breezewood every once in a while?¡±

    I gasped. ¡°In flight?! Lakshmi, that can¡¯t be safe!¡±

    Lakshmi made placating gestures. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯s fine!¡±

    I glared at her with an expression that promised this discussion was not over with.

    She huffed. ¡°You take things too seriously! We¡¯re air pirates! Free! Adventuring! Heroes for hire!¡±

    Daniyel said ¡°We have yet to make a significant profit on any booty.¡± As he moved into the cabin.

    Lakshmi spun around and faced him. ¡°That¡¯s not true! We made a lot of money selling the bits and pieces from Camaxtli¡¯s place to the monanin!¡±

    Daniyel ducked into a passageway, then pulled out again. ¡°That is not ¡®booty¡¯. That might be considered ¡®treasure¡¯, though.¡±

    I perked up. ¡°How much did you make while you were shopping and selling, Lakshmi, I never asked.¡±

    Lakshmi got an extremely cocky grin on her face. ¡°Hah hah! See the power of the pirate hat!¡± She dug into her item bag and pulled out a wad of large zeni notes. My eyes widened in shock. There had to be something like five thousand zeni there!

    ¡°Six thousand, seven hundred, and twenty one zeni.¡± She said proudly.

    ¡°Lakshmi¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say, that¡¯s¡­ amazing!¡± I gushed.

    ¡°Heh heh!¡± She smiled proudly, then suddenly hugged me. ¡°Eee, this is such a great adventure, Lily! I¡¯m so glad I met you!¡±

    I blinked in surprise, and returned her hug. ¡°I¡­ well thank you. For coming along, I mean. Things¡­ haven¡¯t exactly worked out like we wanted, I know.¡±

    Daniyel came out of the hatchway and said ¡°Indeed, but your assistance has been invaluable.¡± He gave me a short bow of thanks, and I blushed.

    ¡°S-so, anyway!¡± I stammered. ¡°When can we leave?¡±

    Lakshmi shrugged. ¡°Anytime you¡¯re ready, actually.¡±

    I sucked on my lower lip for a bit, then nodded. ¡°Well. I suppose we should start then.¡± I smiled hesitantly at her. ¡°Would you call the crew onboard?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Lakshmi perked up. ¡°Yeah, of course!¡± She shouted out the open hatch.

    ¡°Alright crew! Lets get going! There¡¯s sky to burn here!¡±

    Everyone clambered onboard, and settled in between the bundles and packages, while Lakshmi headed into the cockpit. She waved cheerfully to Cameron, who waved back, and then Camaxtli closed the hatch, and Lakshmi engaged the engines. The familiar smooth pulse of mana flowed through me as the ships engines charged and the ship lifted off the cavern floor a few inches, slowly inching it¡¯s way out of the cavern and into the open sky once more.

    The Sparrowhawk slipped up into the sky, and then Lakshmi yelled at us to hang on. We scrambled for what seats we could get, and the Sparrowhawk leapt forward, shoving us back into our chairs.

    Not even a minute later, Lakshmi hollered over her shoulder. ¡°You called it Lily! We¡¯ve got company! Looks like a fast attack cutter! One of the new ones, too!¡±

    She laughed with delight. ¡°They must want us real bad! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll lose them!¡±

    She pulled down on the yoke, and the ship dove into the twisting canyons and along narrow defiles that looked like they¡¯d scrape the sides.

    I grabbed the sides of my seat. ¡°Great.¡± I muttered to myself. ¡°Next she¡¯ll want to do the Kessel run in 12 parsecs!¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°Oh cheer up, at least we won¡¯t get swallowed by a giant asteroid worm!¡±

    I looked at her and swallowed nervously. ¡°But what about a mountain worm?¡± I asked shakily.

    ¡°Oh relax, I¡¯m positive they don¡¯t exist.¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°If we get attacked by rodents of unusual size, I¡¯m hitting you with my staff.¡±

    Soriya laughed as the Sparrowhawk twisted and wove its way through spaces that should not have fit. Behind and above us, the fast attack cutter vanished into the landscape, the glittering trail of our engine exhaust slowly fading away behind us.

 66 Through the mountains to the sea.

    Lakshmi was as good as her word. A series of hair raising maneuvers through narrow canyons and over mountain peaks, and the imperial cutter was lost in a haze behind us.

    ¡°Hah! I told you we¡¯d lose them!¡± crowed Lakshmi from the cockpit.

    ¡°What are your plans for dealing with the engine trail?¡± Daniyel asked calmly.

    Lakshmi waved her hand dismissively. ¡°The vapor dissipates after an hour or so!¡±

    ¡°You do not believe they will continue pursuit for an hour?¡± Inquired Daniyel with implacable patience.

    ¡°Urm. Well, you know¡­ the Sparrowhawk is much too fast! We¡¯ll build up an hour¡¯s lead time and they won¡¯t be able to catch up!¡±

    Camaxtli said ¡°By my calculations, that will take four days, three hours, and two minutes. At maximum speed, the Sparrowhawk will reach the shore of the western continent in three days, 8 hours, and 15 minutes. Assuming we are still aiming to reach the Sylvan civilization in the southernmost jungles.¡±

    We exchanged a look. I crossed my arms and said grimly ¡°Am I going to have to sink another airship?!¡± I felt sick to my stomach.

    We traded looks. There was a boom and a sudden rocking.

    Lakshmi said ¡°They¡¯re shooting at us!¡± with an aggrieved tone.

    Eshaan wryly commented ¡°You¡¯re surprised by this?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ no. Not really.¡± She said.

    Camaxtli looked up and said ¡°It appears that we will have an opportunity to test the shielding system.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m interested in this shielding system. You teased it back at your city, Camaxtli, but you never showed us how it works.¡± said Soriya.

    ¡°Oh! Well, Camaxtli? Will you?¡± Lakshmi said, then swore as another boom echoed outside, and the Sparrowhawk shook even more fiercely. ¡°And¡­ maybe hurry?¡± She said through gritted teeth.

    Camaxtli nodded calmly. ¡°Of course.¡±

    He moved towards one of the bulkheads and then began moving packages and bales with mechanical efficiency. Shortly, an inset pedestal and glowing yellow-orange orb was revealed.

    Camaxtli stepped back and gestured to the orb. ¡°This is the spell distribution interface. Casting a protective ward through this orb will spread it across the ship.¡± He said.

    Soriya peered closely at the orb. ¡°What happens if it¡¯s hit with an attack spell?¡± She said curiously.

    ¡°It explodes, and then the airship¡¯s mana circuits will cause a chain reaction, likely sinking the airship.¡±

    Daniyel stepped forward and gently pulled Soriya away. ¡°So let us not consider this course of action.¡± He said calmly.

    Soirya gave him a disgusted glare. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to!¡± She protested.

    ¡°No, of course not.¡± Daniyel nodded reasonably.

    I pushed past the two and pulled out my staff. ¡°Right so, I just¡­ cast the spell at it?¡±

    ¡°That is correct.¡± Camaxtli said.

    I nodded, and started my chant for {Barrier}, feeling very strange. The {Barrier} spell wouldn¡¯t normally shield a thing. I¡¯d had to use Tower to shield the Pelican before, after all.

    And of course Tower is not a spell. I thought to myself.

    The {Barrier} spell hit the orb and was pulled inwards, vanishing from sight. I could feel it take hold, a very strange sensation, quite unlike warding a living creature at all, but very definitely real. The mana draw was intense, but well within my limits.

    Through the portholes, we saw a soft silvery white light flicker into existence. There was another boom, and I could feel the impact on the shields, my mana taking a hit as the explosion and shrapnel sprayed across the shield. The ship, however, continued on smoothly without any impact.

    My eyes widened. I just warded an airship! I thought in awe. My {Barrier} took a hit from an airship cannon, and didn¡¯t fall?! How much damage can my spell stop?! I gulped. And if it¡¯s that powerful, how much damage were those spider things in the deep levels of the Hecate ruins doing?!

    They had repeatedly managed to punch through my shield and deal damage, after all!

    ¡°Well, now we have options.¡± said Soriya with satisfaction. ¡°I suspect that if you cast {Holy White} in front of them, the light should be enough to blind them.¡±

    Lakshmi perked up. ¡°That¡¯s right! And the ?ther disruption from your spell will totally cause turbulence for the cutter!¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Lakshmi, an airship crashing into the side of a mountain is just as lethal as doing a direct Tower strike. If you¡¯re trying to offer me a plan that doesn¡¯t involve killing people¡­?¡±

    The cutter¡¯s cannons unleashed on us again, several rapid strikes hitting the shield and taking small dips out of my mana pool. The Sparrowhawk continued to fly as smoothly as her namesake. I felt a small bubble of pleased pride welling up in my chest.

    Lakshmi waved her hands again. ¡°It¡¯s totally doable! Just aim a little to the side, and it will destabilize the engines. They¡¯ll be forced to slow down and pull up into the sky to avoid crashing into what they can¡¯t see! There¡¯s no mountains directly up!¡±

    I pursed my lips and then nodded slowly. ¡°I suppose¡­ we could try that. It would be a very nice change of pace not to have to kill more people.¡±

    No one voice any objections, so after a quick glance around the group I said ¡°I suppose it¡¯s worth a try. Is the rear observation bubble still completely filled with things?¡±

    Lakshmi sighed and nodded. ¡°Yeah. Sorry. It was clear, but then Cameron added all those extra supplies. What are we going to do with dried haggis?!¡± She said woefully.

    ¡°Eat it, presumably.¡± said Eshaan.

    Soriya, Daniyel, and Lakhsmi all showed their disgust plainly, Lakshimi sticking out her tongue in revulsion.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad!¡± I said defensively. ¡°I can do a lot with the umami flavor!¡± I clapped my hands together. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go empty the rear bubble. Eshaan¡­?¡± I looked over at him, and caught the bitter look on his face.

    I blinked, recoiling then suddenly realized. Oh right. I¡­ I kind of insulted him. I swallowed and headed towards the rear, then looked over my shoulder to see if Eshaan was following. He was.

    I don¡¯t like being the one who apologizes all the time! I thought defiantly. I immediately felt a stab of guilt thinking that. Even if I¡¯m in the wrong? Aren¡¯t I supposed to admit when I¡¯m wrong? Isn¡¯t honesty important for a couple?

    I ground my teeth together, as I pushed into the cramped rear observation bubble, spotting the cutter close behind us through the window.

    Spirits, there¡¯s a lot of junk in here! I can barely see out! I sucked on my teeth thoughtfully. Like it or not, I¡¯m trying not to be the annoying¡­ I gave a long sigh of surrender.

    ¡°Eshaan¡­¡± I said hesitantly. He looked at me solemnly. I screwed up my courage and pushed ahead.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Eshaan.¡± I said.

    At exactly the same moment Eshaan said ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lily.¡±

    I stopped, stunned, my mouth hanging open, seeing a reflection of my surprise in Eshaan¡¯s.

    Something bubbled up in me and I snorted, which devolved into a giggle, then started laughing so hard my stomach ached.

    Eshaan resisted for a moment, then joined in.

    I hated myself for engaging in such a silly trope thing, but it felt so incredibly good to just¡­ laugh. And it was so stupid and so silly and it felt so good.

    We finally stopped, and I wiped tears out of the corner of my eye. ¡°Ok. Spirits how silly of me. I¡­¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°You go first.¡±

    Eshaan waved his hands. ¡°No, no. You go first!¡±

    I stared at him, frowning slightly. ¡°Ok¡­ well¡­ I¡¯m bad at this. So¡­ if you say so.¡± I took a deep breath and plunged in.

    ¡°I insulted you when I implied you couldn¡¯t defend me. I¡¯m sorry. That was¡­ selfish and rude of me. It¡¯s not at all what I meant, and I know you¡¯re incredibly strong! But whatever has ahold of our lives, if that¡¯s a plot, or a groove, or the System or something else¡­ I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re strong enough to beat that on your own. And I¡¯m certain it can¡¯t be beaten with just a sword and determination! But I insulted you.¡±

    I looked down at the floor and scuffed my foot. ¡°So I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to insult your strength.¡± I finished.

    Eshaan looked at me and then started to laugh, a broad grin spreading across his face. He stopped quickly, seeing the frown spreading across my face, waving his hands defensively again.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! I just¡­ that¡¯s what I came to say to you!¡± He said. ¡°You¡­ you see the future! Or something very like it! And you don¡¯t like it much, but you¡¯ve been right a lot more than you¡¯ve been wrong. So¡­ I was insulting you too.¡± He reached over and squeezed my hand in his.

    ¡°So I¡¯m sorry too. I know you don¡¯t¡­ really like everything, but you¡¯re doing really well!¡± He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, his cheeks turning an adorable shade of red.

    ¡°By the Dragon that sounded stupid.¡± He muttered, before plunging on. ¡°But the point is that I do believe in you! We all do!¡± He gestured back towards the crew area. I flushed pink, realizing that everyone could probably hear us.

    I sighed and then went up on tiptoe to give Eshaan a quick kiss. It was so cute the way he blushed when I did that.

    I¡¯m still not sure of this, and I really¡­ don¡¯t like just how much of a stereotype I¡¯ve allowed myself to be. But I¡¯m not dead. And I¡¯m not going to have yet another stupid ¡®confused romance¡¯ subplot. I¡­ I really do like Eshaan. I squeezed my fists together and nodded once firmly.

    ¡°Lets¡­ try and throw some chaff at our pursuer. Ok?¡± I smiled a little sadly. ¡°Maybe I can avoid having another fight with myself or you while I¡¯m at it?¡±

    Eshaan hugged me, and then said seriously ¡°Lily, you are the glue that holds our group together. Everyone knows it. Maybe I¡¯m the only one that says it, but¡­ but it¡¯s important. And you¡¯re important. Not just to me! So¡­ even if we have a hundred arguments, I¡¯m¡­ we¡¯re all willing to stick around. Because we¡¯re trying and we all support you as the leader.¡±

    He rubbed the back of his head again then said ¡°I¡¯m really no good at these encouraging speeches, I knew a guy in the troopers who could talk your ear off, and make you feel good so fast¡­ but listen, Lily.¡± He rested his hands on my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve tried to get out of this. You could leave but don¡¯t. I think¡­ you¡¯re a heroine. You try to do what¡¯s right, even if it¡¯s scary. And none of us really know if what we¡¯re doing is right¡­ well, unless it¡¯s Miss Soriya, she¡¯s kind of scary that way¡­ but you¡¯ve looked for other paths. And you kept turning away from them. So¡­ so if you can¡¯t believe in yourself, then believe in me! Because I believe in you!¡±

    My eyes got watery, and I smiled up at him. ¡°Eshaan¡­¡± I let myself fall into his arms for a longer moment than I really should, soaking up the confidence, and feeling the warmth and strength of his body.

    I pulled back, and sniffled, wiping my eyes dry again. ¡°Dummy.¡± I said, punching him lightly on the chest. ¡°Who said you were bad at this?¡± I sniffed again then nodded at him and pointed at the rear.

    ¡°Lets go clean out the mess Cameron left us.¡± I said.

    We set to with a will, and shortly the rear observation bubble was clear enough that I could stand in it without bending all the way over and curling into a ball.

    I looked out at the now much improved view, seeing the cutter slowly losing ground behind us. Even as I watched, its cannons fired once more, and explosions bloomed outside. My {Barrier} flared white and I felt the dip in my mana again.

    ¡°Alright. Plan ¡®warning shot¡¯ is a go.¡± I said softly, and then pulled out my staff, and started the chant for {Holy White}.

    The mana flowed out of me, and I started to get worried. I couldn¡¯t spare the time to look at my status, but I was running dangerously low, and every shot from the cutter took another bite from my shields. I could taste the ash and blood in my mouth like a faint memory, but as the last of the chant left my mouth, I could feel that I still had something left. I would not need to pay with my lifeforce after all.

    A blinding mote of light appeared next to the cutter, and then exploded into a burning pillar of light, white so bright it transcended light and burned into the very notion of energy.

    I glanced over to see that Eshaan was shading his eyes, looking away from the blinding whiteness and squinting paintfully.

    I looked back to the burning pillar of light, seeing the faint shadow of the cutter wobbling wildly, lurching upwards erratically, staggering far behind us as it¡¯s engines struggled to operate in the overcharged aether left behind by my radiant orbital strike.

    I smiled faintly, feeling the relief blossom in my chest. Good. They did pull up. They didn¡¯t crash! I sighed in satisfaction. I wonder why I can see into the core of the spell, but nobody¡­ nobody but Soriya¡­ huh. Another mystery of the System? I hope I can figure these out¡­ lazy writing if there¡¯s no explanation for these kinds of story threads.

    I turned back to Eshaan as the light started to fade behind us. I let my {Barrier} drop with relief, cutting off the last of my mana before it vanished.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I could really go for a mana potion.¡± I said feelingly. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have one?¡± I smiled at him hopefully.

    He smiled back, and held out a bottle to me. ¡°Already got one out. I figured you¡¯d be tapped.¡±

    I grabbed the bottle from him and chugged in in one long swallow, letting out a sigh of relief as I felt the energy flow through me. ¡°Thank you, Eshaan, that was exactly what I needed.¡±

    He nodded. ¡°So.¡± He paused and shrugged. ¡°Western continent, huh?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°I think so, yes. And if Camaxtli is to be believed, about 3 days too.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Long trip. I guess I shouldn¡¯t expect voyages into unexplored lands to be quick little trips.¡±

    I laughed. ¡°No, I guess not!¡± I paused, then said ¡°Say, we¡¯re going to cross over the eastern coast before we head out over the White Sea¡­ that¡¯s where you¡¯re from, right? Did you want to stop to visit your parents or something?¡±

    Eshaan blinked in surprise, his mouth opening and closing a few times, before he finally shook his head. ¡°No. No, I don¡¯t think that would be a good idea.¡±

    I jerked in surprise. ¡°Really?! What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Eshaan looked up and smiled wryly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing bad, not¡­ not really. I really would like to see my parents¡­ and it means a lot to me that you¡¯d like to meet them too!¡±

    I blinked in surprise. I didn¡¯t say that¡­ did I? Though¡­ I suppose I¡¯ll have to meet them eventually.. but¡­?

    Eshaan continued on heedless of my thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ we¡¯d have to hide the Sparrowhawk again, and the empire is¡­ is a lot more determined than I thought. This is bigger than just you and me, or even Commander Khine. I don¡¯t know where the winds of this story are carrying us, but I don¡¯t¡­ If something were to happen to my parents just because I wanted to see them¡­ I couldn¡¯t take it. It would kill me. So for now¡­ it¡¯s just better that I hold off. We¡¯ll meet them when this is all over. It¡¯s a promise. And you and my mom can have a bake off.¡±

    I laughed and nodded to him. ¡°Ok. It¡¯s a promise then.¡±

    I pretended my best to ignore the knowing looks Soriya shot my way, and the irritating smirk that crept across Lakshmi¡¯s face.

    Thank goodness Eshaan is too dense to notice! I thought, completely missing the way Daniyel and Eshaan traded quiet smiles and nods.

    ¡°Alright!¡± I said, turning around to address everyone. ¡°It does look like Lakshmi¡¯s plan worked!¡±

    Soriya smiled quietly. ¡°So the imperial slugs have been dealt with?¡±

    I shot her a glare, while Eshaan protested ¡°No! Lily didn¡¯t hurt them at all! It worked just like Lakshmi said it would!¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Lakshmi protested. ¡°You don¡¯t need to sound so surprised! I give good advice!¡±

    Camaxtli frowned and opened his mouth. Lakshmi couldn¡¯t have seen him, but she swiveled her gaze and glared at him silently. Camaxtli closed his mouth. Lakshmi gave a satisfied nod and turned back to piloting.

    ¡°So¡­ it sounds like we¡¯ll be travelling for a few days.¡± I started again. ¡°And while Gate can take us to a comfy or back to my house, or¡­ really anywhere we¡¯ve been, I don¡¯t think I can open Gate while we¡¯re moving, unless you want to lose another airship.¡±

    I shrugged helplessly.

    Lakshmi pursed her lips and nodded. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­ sleep soundly, cause we¡¯ll be flying all night.¡±

    ¡°It is not necessary for you to pilot the entire eighteen hours, Lakshmi.¡± Said Camaxtli. ¡°In fact, that would be greatly contrary to our survival probabilities.¡±

    The glare Lakshmi sent him could have melted lead, but Camaxtli remained unfazed.

    ¡°You¡¯re well-being is critical to this endeavor, and it would not be wise to neglect it, simply in an attempt to prove me wrong.¡± He said calmly.

    Daniyel¡¯s eyes glittered suspiciously brightly, and he pressed his lips firmly together.

    Lakshmi turned a frankly amusing shade of red and purple before finally settling back to her pale skin tone.

    ¡°Huph! Mutiny then!¡± She muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll put you all off at the nearest port!¡±

    I coughed. ¡°Airship captaining aside, we need to find a place to land for the night, before we head over the White Sea. Do you all want to go back to Breezewood, or should we find an inn somewhere else?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re even asking?¡± Soriya said. ¡°I want to go home! I miss my bed! Plus, I bet you¡¯re exhausted from casting {Holy White}! And I miss the town! Gate is the best thing to happen to adventuring since health potions!¡±

    ¡°Plus, the prices are exceedingly reasonable at the local inn.¡± Added Daniyel.

    ¡°And I find this ¡®bathhouse¡¯ of yours to be an exceptionally enjoyable experience.¡± added Camaxtli.

    I gave a small smile and a nod. ¡°Right. Then, I think we should ask our captain to find a small part of the eastern coast that doesn¡¯t have too many visitors, and we¡¯ll get a start across the ocean. Maybe make a little space too, since the bunks are currently overstocked with supplies?¡±

    Everyone nodded in agreement, and the Sparrowhawk turned towards the setting sun, setting course for the western shore of the White Sea.

 67 - Ocean Blue, Dice White

    The flight didn¡¯t exactly take long, but it was longer than an hour, easily time enough to sit and play several hands of Crystals and Castles. I lost horribly, of course. It¡¯s hard to bluff when everything you¡¯re thinking is visible on your face. It was a slightly odd feeling to realize that I didn¡¯t even really mind that fact anymore. It was just¡­ who I was. Why would I want to be someone I wasn¡¯t?

    I did wish that I could clearly remember the rules to a few of my favorite boardgames from my first world though.

    I wonder if Ticket to Ride or Splendor would sell in this world? I pondered. Quickly followed by I wonder if Soriya likes boardgames?! I resolved to ask her once I had a free moment. She surely likes this card game. I thought as she raked her winnings in with a wicked grin and a wink.

    ¡°While I¡¯m sure my crew would love to gamble away every part of their money, as a heads up, I can see the sea.¡± Lakshmi sung out from the cockpit.

    We all crowded in to stare out the canopy of the wash of waves and cliffs that stretched ahead of us.

    Camaxtli said softly ¡°Astonishing. I had read the documentation, but the experience¡­¡±

    Daniyel nodded. ¡°The desert is like the sea, only different. So much water¡­ is it truly all undrinkable?!¡±

    Eshaan snorted. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all salt. And the view¡­¡± he stopped and turned to look out the window, then turned back. ¡°Well, never mind. I guess your backyard¡¯s never as interesting to you as it is to others.¡±

    I smiled at him, and patted his shoulder. ¡°Nice.¡± I said softly.

    He nodded.

    Lakshmi sniffed. ¡°Alright, so now I¡¯m going to have to park this. I don¡¯t suppose anyone has a good idea where?¡±

    ¡°There are historical records of sea caves near the ocean, though the monsters are sometimes of moderate concern.¡± Camaxtli said

    Eshaan looked up. ¡°How tough?¡±

    ¡°I should not think more difficult than the Ancient automata left within the Monain undercity.¡± Camaxtli replied. He paused briefly then added ¡°Perhaps a bit more difficult.¡±

    I clapped my hands over my mouth and stifled a giggle, which came out as a muffled snort. Well of course they¡¯re slightly tougher, we have to level up, don¡¯t we? I thought with amusement.

    Everyone turned to look at me, though Soriya had a knowing look in her eye.

    I waved my hands to reassure them. ¡°Nothing. Seer humor. Never mind. I¡¯m sure we can handle a few monsters!¡±

    Lakshmi brought the Sparrowhawk in to a long slow glide, and then inched along the coast. Eshaan spotted a sea cave, and we were soon inching the length of the Sparrowhawk into a sizeable cavern.

    Once we were down and settled, we opened the hatch and I took a deep breath of the sea air with satisfaction. This almost immediately turned into a yelp of surprise, as several flying/floating fish and octopus leaped out of the surf and rocks to attack!

    ¡°Oh come on!¡± I shouted angrily as we readied our weapons and started spell chants. ¡°Why are cave octopuses a thing?!¡±

    We fought them off with only a few sucker marks on us to show for it. My real concern was how difficult it was going to be to recover the Sparrowhawk.

    I turned to Soriya. ¡°What do you think? Quest to return, or are we far enough off the path?¡±

    Soriya tipped her head thoughtfully to the side, tapping her lips. ¡°I think¡­ probably it should be ok. Maybe a miniboss? Breeding sea serpent to fight?¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s fair.¡±

    Camaxtli frowned. ¡°Are you predicting that this cavern will be the lair of a sea serpent mother and her brood? That is exceptionally unlikely!¡±

    I laughed again.

    ¡°What is so amusing?¡± He demanded.

    I shrugged and smiled at him. ¡°I think you just made it a certainty, Camaxtli.¡±

    He frowned. ¡°This is most illogical. Events cannot be predicted like this, and breeding season has barely begun!¡±

    ¡°Whatever!¡± Lakshmi said. ¡°Hurry up and unload all this crap! I want to get the Sparrowhawk unloaded enough we can walk around easily, and then get the camouflage netting set up! If there¡¯s a big sea serpent when we get back, we¡¯ll just punch it in the face!¡±

    I turned to her and said ¡°What if we punched it in the face and then got back? Or if the Sparrowhawk did the punching for us?¡±

    She frowned. ¡°Like¡­ if the Sparrowhawk fought without us? But¡­¡± I saw her eyes lose focus, and she started muttering to herself.

    It was almost like a magic trick. I giggled quietly as she absently held out a hand and Daniyel was there to place paper in it. She pulled a pencil out of her hair where it had been serving as a hairpin and started scribbling frantically. Camaxtli came over and watched as she worked, and then started quietly offering suggestions and improvements. I shook my head in amusement, and got back to helping drape the netting over the ship.

    Soon enough said and done, and the Sparrowhawk was draped with camouflage netting, and piles of supplies from both our shopping trip and the Cloudheart¡¯s farewell gifts were stacked around our feet. Lakshmi had been dissuaded from completely disassembling the Sparrowhawk and instead a crude automated system had been set up to activate the Sparrowhawk¡¯s main guns. I wondered if that would be enough, or if the world would demand an actual fight.

    I called up Gate, and the others stepped through back to Breezewood. Just as I was about to step through, Gate said quietly ¡°You are making progress. This is good. I had begun to fear you would lose track of your goal.¡±

    I blinked in surprise. This was unusually chatty for Gate. ¡°Why would I do that?¡±

    Gate rippled his obsidian and violet scales in what seemed very like a shrug. ¡°It seemed likely.¡± And with that cryptic pronouncement, he swept his doorway over me, and I was standing with the others in mother¡¯s field.

    I huffed in annoyance. Irritating thing! What¡¯s that supposed to mean, I¡¯m doing my best here! I am going to give you such a talking too! I thought angrily.

    In my mind, I could hear the Arcanum shuffling almost nervously. A voice I¡¯d not heard for a while echoed up in my mind, the sound of heated metal and hammer.

    Forge said <Gate sometimes sees things we do not. But in this instance, we also saw it. We were not sure if you would continue. Your soul has been¡­ turbulent. Roiled by emotions we do not quite understand. You dallied for a shower of foliage. You delayed to help the dead and entered the Wake again. We thought perhaps you had lost sight of the goal.>

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    I thought angrily at them. I have not lost sight of the goal! My¡­ my mind stumbled, and I felt the heated blush sweep over my cheeks. My falling in love with Eshaan has nothing to do with me finishing this quest. I am still fully committed to uniting all the Keys, and then opening the way to the System.

    The Arcanum within me were silent, and then Tower said with firm solidity <This is good, Child of ?ther. We desire to be used. We desire the System to be whole once more.>

    Forge spoke with the heat and clang of metal. <We are, all of us, glad to be of use to you.>

    I frowned faintly in thought as the presence of the Arcanum in my mind slowly faded. I came to with Soriya snapping her fingers in front of my face.

    ¡°Hello? Anyone home? Lily?¡± She said teasingly.

    I brushed her hand lightly out of my eyes. ¡°Sure. Soriya, we never played board games when we were growing up. Do you remember any from before?¡±

    Soriya blinked in surprise. ¡°Well¡­ yes, now that you mention it. Crystals and Castles is fun but¡­ well I used to play Great Dalmuti and Rummikub.¡±

    I blinked. ¡°Rummikub? Isn¡¯t that American?¡±

    Soriya huffed angrily. ¡°First of all, no! How American of you. The creator is European! Second of all, what did you expect? Go and Yutnori?¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°Sorry... I mean, I was American so... I guess? Or Shogi and mahjong, this is an isekai.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s eyes flickered with a complex mix of emotion, sadness, anger and¡­ something I couldn¡¯t identify. I took a step back, my eyes widening.

    ¡°What!? What is it, what¡¯s wrong?!¡± I said in confusion.

    Soriya licked her lips slowly and then said quietly with great deliberation ¡°Isekai tropes aside, those are more Japanese games. The Japanese are not well liked in South Korea.¡±

    My eyes went wide. ¡°Oh¡­ oh!¡± I clapped my hands to my mouth. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to be so rude!¡±

    Soriya nodded, a little sadly a little resigned. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s another world. Another history. I should let it go. The games aren¡¯t even that bad, honestly. And you¡¯re very sweet Lily, I know you didn¡¯t intend anything cruel. But why are you asking about games I like?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ you know¡­ something to play besides Crystals and Castles would be nice on the trip¡­?¡± I said hesitantly.

    Soriya got a thoughtful look in her eyes and tapped her lips, then nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea. I think I could remember enough of the rules to recreate them.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°And I think Forge would be willing to make them for us, if I can visualize them clearly enough!¡±

    Soriya¡¯s eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands gleefully. ¡°Oh that would be marvelous!¡±

    I grinned. ¡°Then we¡¯ll do that!¡± I paused, then lowered my voice to ask hesitantly ¡°Uh¡­ you¡¯re going to have Daniyel sleep over with you, right?¡± I blushed faintly.

    Soriya gave one of her wicked grins. ¡°What do you think?¡± she poked me lightly in the chest. ¡°And when are you going to ask Eshaan to sleep over, hm?!¡±

    I turned scarlet. ¡°Not until a considerable time later!¡± I announced defiantly.

    Eshaan appeared and asked ¡°What are we discussing?¡± with an innocent smile.

    ¡°Nothing!¡± I squeaked. ¡°I¡¯llseeyoulaterSoriyagoodbye!¡± I said in a rush and fled towards my house at top speed.

    Soriya¡¯s teasing laughter followed me the whole way.

    Mother was very understanding, and even excited about our trip. She pushed a blank journal on me, and said with great seriousness ¡°You should keep a journal of your own on this journey! You¡¯re going someplace nobody I know of has gone! You¡¯re going somewhere and doing something that you¡¯ll want to have a record of!¡± She winked and added in a lower voice ¡°And I know your children will want to know.¡±

    ¡°Mother!¡± I protested. ¡°Stop teasing!¡±

    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± She asked with a smile.

    I stomped my foot. ¡°No, and that just makes it worse!¡± I scowled angrily at her, then stomped up to my room to start filling in my new journal.

    Later that evening Soriya came over with handwritten notes describing the rules of her chosen games. For my part, I¡¯d done my best to remember the rules to my choices, though I wasn¡¯t sure I remembered them accurately.

    I summoned Forge to make them, and he slowly produced each one after working through my awkward descriptions. They didn¡¯t look exactly right¡­ but they were close enough, I hoped.

    I thought about it for a really long time, and then finally decided that maybe some tropes weren¡¯t that bad, and also had him create a Mahjong and Shogi set. I didn¡¯t let Soriya see them though. I wasn¡¯t quite that stupid.

    The night passed quickly with no ominous dreams or portents and the next morning we all gathered in my back yard. Soriya¡¯s self-satisfied smirk and the slightly stunned look on Daniyel¡¯s face made me blush again. I pushed it out of my mind and cleared my throat.

    ¡°Alright. Just in case, I¡¯d like to have the boys go first.¡± I said. ¡°Please have your weapons drawn, so that you¡¯re ready if things go poorly.¡±

    Eshaan and Daniyel nodded, and readied their weapons.

    Camaxtli drew his techno-katana, frowning. ¡°As you wish. But this is highly illogical! Making decisions based on the plotting of a media from another world makes no sense!¡±

    I smiled at him wryly. ¡°Yes, I know. But so far, it¡¯s worked more often than not.¡±

    He shook his head and waited as I conjured Gate, and then the three boys stepped through, followed shortly by Lakshmi, Soriya, and I.

    As I emerged from gate, I was greeted by the sight of the three boys standing near the entrance to the cave, swords raised.

    Beyond them, an enormous sea serpent, with a head the size of a wagon, swayed back and forth, hissing. Huge gaping wounds were blasted into its sea blue and green hide, dripping red onto the cavern floor. Shattered egg shells lay across the floor of the cavern.

    Camaxtli was muttering ¡°Illogical! Completely illogical. Unfounded! How is this possible?!¡± over and over, his eyes spinning wildly with color.

    The sea serpent swayed once more, and there was a thunderous KRAK-boom that filled the air as the Sparrowhawk¡¯s turret triggered. The serpent gave one last defiant hiss, and then collapsed into the border of surf and cave floor. Daniyel and Eshaan wasted no time. They dashed forward and delivered a quick combination of slash, stab, and punch the head of the serpent.

    The World Soul chimed softly in my mind. <{Orator} Advanced to level 7. {Orator} Advanced to level 8. For predicting the course of the future and convincing your friends to follow the path, you have advanced to {Orator:8}>

    My eyes widened in surprise. Two levels? In Orator?! I looked around, and saw the familiar slightly abstracted look in the other¡¯s eyes. Well. Looks like that worked out then! I giggled.

    Eshaan cheered. ¡°Yeah! Go Lily! I just got two levels from that! For nothing!¡± He ran up to me and gave me a tight hug. ¡°You¡¯re brilliant!¡± He enthused.

    I flushed and hugged him back. ¡°I can¡¯t really¡­ that is¡­¡± I squirmed.

    Soriya laughed. ¡°Oh just take the praise, Lily! You were right! And your planning saved us a lot of hassle and we all got two levels out of it!¡±

    I nodded reluctantly. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I guess. I don¡¯t feel like I did much.¡± I mumbled.

    Soriya bopped me lightly on the head with her knuckles. ¡°Enough of that, princess. You guided us right.¡±

    ¡°B-but you were the one who guessed about a sea serpent!¡± I protested

    ¡°And you were the one who asked me what I thought, and then convinced the others.¡± She tipped her head to the side and smiled.

    I frowned, but didn¡¯t protest any further. It did feel good to be proven right, and to have saved my friends trouble.

    And if that fight was worth two levels, I can¡¯t imagine how hard it would have been in real combat!

    We stripped the camouflage netting from the Sparrowhawk, and packed up our much reduced supplies.

    ¡°Alright! Is everyone packed?¡± Lakshimi asked sternly, hands on her hips. ¡°If Camaxtli¡¯s right, we¡¯re going to be flying for two days non-stop! And if we don¡¯t stop, Lily can¡¯t take us back to Breezewood!¡±

    I tipped my head to the side. ¡°How are you going to stay awake for two days?!¡± I asked, suddenly worried.

    Lakshmi laughed and held up several of the purple potions that my mother used for all-nighter projects.

    My eyes got big. ¡°Lakshmi, no! You can¡¯t use those like that! It¡¯s not just bad for you, the crash at the end is horrible!¡±

    Camaxtli reached over and lightly plucked the potions from her hands, causing her to squawk in surprise.

    ¡°This is dangerous and unnecessary. I also know how to fly the Sparrowhawk.¡± He said calmly. ¡°A twelve hour shift for each of us will ensure that no one individual is dangerously depleted.¡±

    Lakshmi rounded on him and poked his chest with her forefinger angrily. ¡°You don¡¯t even sleep!¡±

    Camaxtli looked at her, and then said blandly ¡°You are correct. I do not sleep. It would therefore be logical that I pilot for the entire voyage. This course of action is predicted to cause the emotional disruption known as a ¡®tantrum¡¯, and has thus been eliminated as a possible option.¡±

    Lakshmi stared at Camaxtli, her mouth hanging open. It was the first time that I¡¯d seen the princess at a complete loss for words.

    There was a stunned moment, then the rest of us burst into laughter.

    Daniyel clapped Camaxtli and Lakshmi on the shoulder. ¡°Come, let us board the craft before further debates cause us to draw yet another sea serpent.¡± He turned to Camaxtli. ¡°I must teach you lessons in keeping hidden true thoughts.¡± He looked over to Lakshmi ¡°And you should learn that stubborn pride does not make the best trait in a captain.¡±

    Daniyel gently but firmly escorted them inside, almost like a pair of cats he¡¯s picked up by the scruff.

    I kept my hand pressed over my lips to stop from bursting out laughing as the rest of us followed behind.

    Lakshmi insisted on first shift, and we hurriedly scrambled to find seats as the Sparrowhawk powered up, and slowly eased out of the sea cavern. I looked out a porthole to see the wreckage of the eggs below us, and the faint glittering light show as the sea serpent dissolved into motes of spirit energy. I felt slightly bad, after all, the sea serpent hadn¡¯t been doing anything other than trying to have babies. Not for the first time, I wondered just how much control the trenches dug into the world by the System¡¯s plots were controlling us. I thought about that for a long time as I watched the coast fall away behind us as the endless rolling waves skimmed past below.

 68 Ocean voyage, but no shuffleboard.

    Watching the sea below and the apparently unmoving sun overhead got old fast. Once or twice I thought I spotted a ship on the distant horizon, but even those soon vanished over the horizon. Our world became clouds and sky and sun and water.

    Eshaan came up and sat beside me. He gestured to the view. ¡°Maybe now you understand why I wanted to get away from fishing boats?¡±

    I smiled wryly at him and rested my head on his shoulder. ¡°Yes, I guess it would get old every day.¡± I suddenly sat up and clapped my hands happily. ¡°Games! Soriya and I have games to show you!¡±

    I hopped up in excitement and dashed to the little gathering area around the galley, pulling out the games that I¡¯d had Forge make. The board and card games proved to be an excellent choice¡­ though I had to admit, I definitely didn¡¯t get all the rules right. We tweaked the rules as we played, but I have no idea if we got those right either! But in the end, everyone agreed that it was definitely better than endless rounds of Crystals and Castles.

    As Camaxtli observed ¡°If you continue to gamble your money, this game will shortly cease to have relevance, as only Miss Soriya will have any.¡±

    The hours crawled slowly by, and the sun started to set. I occupied some time by trying out the small galley, and managed to make some passible stew from the cloud mutton the Cloudhearts had provided. Dinner was sea grass and omelet, and Eshaan gave me a stare.

    ¡°What?¡± I said defensively. ¡°The sea serpent wasn¡¯t using them anymore, and they were right there!¡±

    ¡°This is entirely too good to be sea serpent egg.¡± Soriya proclaimed.

    Eshaan shook his head. ¡°Everything Lily makes is good. Even things that should be terrible.¡± He proclaimed, and then shoveled the food into his mouth at his usual rapid pace.

    Daniyel poked curiously at the seaweed omelet, then shrugged and ate it with his usual stoic calm. ¡°It is better than ¡®alright¡¯.¡± He proclaimed, and nodded. ¡°Your cooking skills continue to grow.¡±

    I flushed. ¡°It¡¯s just the new ingredients, I¡¯m not getting better.¡±

    ¡°Skill is the fruit of practice, and you display it¡¯s hallmarks.¡± He said.

    Eshaan and Lakshmi nodded in agreement.

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Alright, fine. I¡¯m glad you like your sea serpent over easy.¡±

    Soriya rolled the food around in her mouth a little then nodded. ¡°It tastes a little like roe, I suppose. More like turtle though.¡±

    I ate my omelet thoughtfully, wondering what turtle tasted like in this world. And if it fired laser beams or just hurled giant typhoons at hunters.

    The hours slowly spun past, the sky turned glorious colors as the sun slowly set, then slowly faded into darkness. Camaxtli took over piloting for Lakshmi, though a short fight broke out as Lakshmi tried to get the purple wake juice potions back from him. We settled into the small bunks, and eventually I fell asleep to the soft whirring hum of the Sparrowhawk¡¯s engines.

    The Monan wool blankets have no right to be so fluffy. I thought as I faded off to sleep.

    I woke up to the sound of Lakshmi angrily arguing with Camaxtli that it was her turn to take over the piloting. Camaxtli replied with the excellent point that it had not yet been twelve hours.

    I grinned as I slowly stretched and then struggled out of the tiny bunk, folding up the Monan blankets, thanking the Cloudhearts again for their generosity.

    The rest of the party seemed to be in various states of waking or unconscious so I headed over to the galley, confident that the smell of food would soon bring them awake, if the shouting from the cockpit hadn¡¯t.

    Mutton and apples shouldn¡¯t smell this good. I thought gleefully, as I slowly pulled together an improvised breakfast.

    Lakshmi stormed back into the gathering area. ¡°Infuriating man!¡± She shouted, slamming herself down on one of the seats.

    I giggled. ¡°Next you¡¯ll say ¡®how dare he be right¡¯.¡± I predicted.

    Lakshmi looked up at me, her eyes bright with repressed frustration and anger. ¡°Well he¡¯s not!¡±

    ¡°You agreed to the shift switch.¡± I said, and placed a bowl of porridge in front of her.

    She angrily took a bite, but stopped, her eyes growing wide, looking down at the porridge, then quickly spooning more into her mouth.

    Lakshmi waved her spoon at me. ¡°It is unfair how you¡­ are you trying to change the subject?!¡± She asked indignantly.

    I widened my eyes at her and placed my hand on my bosom. ¡°Would I do that?!¡±

    Lakshmi burst out laughing, clutching at her stomach. ¡°Oh by the dragon, you are so bad at that!¡± She continued to laugh.

    And now you¡¯re no longer interested in continuing the fight. I thought smugly as I turned back to the galley.

    As predicted, the smell of cooking brought everyone to blinking wakefulness, and the lounge area was soon filled with soft breakfast chatter, and gibes.

    It was¡­ nice. Soothing, in a way. No epic fights, just¡­ a short breather that let us be ourselves. It was also interesting to see how each person¡¯s personality showed up in the board games. Soriya had a quick insightful mind, enjoying math and creating elaborate plans hinging on careful timing. Eshaan threw everything he had at one specific goal. Daniyel was calm and collected, holding his plans close to his chest before erupting in a quick flurry of forceful actions. Lakshmi and Eshaan often went head to head over the same obvious strategy, though Lakshmi focused on building intricate and elaborate interlocking systems beforehand. Both of them were usually foiled by Soriya¡¯s careful plans. And I was content to play safe, secure and slowly building up resources.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Around midday Camaxtli announced that his shift was over, and Lakshmi rushed to the cockpit to take her turn. It was amusing how she fussed over the controls, and complained about having to adjust the pilot¡¯s seat. I could see that she was really very attached to Sparrowhawk.

    I frowned thoughtfully. I hope I don¡¯t have to¡­ or that¡­ oh dear. I blinked. I should have thought of that. I really do not want to cost Lakshmi yet another airship! I don¡¯t know that I could take a repair and restoration quest!

    ¡°Camaxtli? Eshaan? Do either of you know what the Sylvai defense network is like? Are¡­ we going to have to break through some kind of defensive gun wall or something?¡± I asked worriedly.

    Eshaan looked at me blankly. Camaxtli glanced briefly to the side, then answered, his voice taking on a lecturing tone. ¡°The Sylvan military was the keystone of the League, counterpart to the Alliance. They focused more heavily on the etheric flows and binding static patterns to structures rather than use machinery to manipulate them.¡± He paused and frowned at our expressions.

    He went on ¡°I see this too is something this modern era has lost.¡± He sighed. ¡°In simpler terms, I would expect to see large¡­¡± He paused again in thought. ¡°I suppose you would call them ¡®crystals.¡¯ likely with a high luminosity, emplaced in regular structures.¡±

    Soriya murmured quietly under her breath ¡°We must construct additional pylons.¡±

    Eshaan looked from me to Camaxtli and back in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Are you expecting a fight!? But why!?¡±

    I did my best to ignore Soriya, and smiled at Eshaan. I said ¡°Well think about it. Sylvani are very rare, you said you¡¯d never seen one. So they don¡¯t come to this continent very often. Which means that passage between this continent and the western continent is infrequent. We know that the Sylvan were opposed to the Alliance, and fought against the System. There¡¯s no regular trade routes between east and west. So no one has managed to make a regular return from the eastern continent. All that tells me that the Sylvani locked themselves up tight and are fiercely protective of their territory and reject outsiders. And that tells me that there are defenses. We should probably not expect a warm welcome, especially just flying in like this.¡±

    Eshaan scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t see why that means they want to fight us?! Why can¡¯t we just ask them¡­ why are we going to see the Sylvani again?¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Because I think they have an Arcanum.¡± I said patiently. Then felt compelled to add ¡°And also I think they might have chocolate.¡±

    Eshaan shook his head in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, is this ¡®chocolate¡¯ really that good?¡±

    ¡°YES!¡± Soriya and I said in unison.

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and he held his hands up defensively. ¡°Ok, ok! Gosh! I guess I need to try it.¡± He said in bafflement. ¡°But if you say it¡¯s good, then I guess it must be amazing.¡±

    Camaxtli opened his mouth to say something, and then slowly closed it, looking at me, his eyes whirling thoughtfully.

    Soriya grinned mischievously. ¡°Questions, Camaxtli?¡±

    He paused, and then said slowly ¡°No¡­ I believe in this instance I will let the experiment run. I find myself curious as to the outcome.¡±

    I tipped my head at him in confusion, but he refused to elaborate further.

    The Sparrowhawk flew on, faster than any airship had a right to. Lakshmi enjoyed pointing this out, though I had to resist repeatedly asking the question ¡®Are we there yet?¡¯ since I could see from the vast rippled blue under us that the answer was an obvious ¡®No.¡¯

    But late in the afternoon of the second day, Lakshmi let out a triumphant crow of extiment, and eagerly called us into the cockpit. There, on the horizon, a thin line of green appeared over the edge of the world, and slowly resolved into an enormous vividly green jungle. Flickers of brilliant white flashed intermittently through the canopy, though we couldn¡¯t quite make out what they were.

    Soriya pointed at them. ¡°Those look like energy discharges. Camaxtli, could those be the crystal pylons?¡±

    Camaxtli tipped his head to the side in thought. ¡°I did not call them pylons, and the term ¡®crystal¡¯ is not entirely-¡± He cut off as Lakshmi poked him sharply in the ribs.

    He looked down at her silently for a moment, then back up at Soriya. ¡°Yes.¡± He said, his expression clearly expressing unhappiness at this clearly inaccurate and wrong headed description.

    Soriya turned to me. ¡°So. I have an idea!¡± She smiled.

    ¡°Is it¡­ a good one?¡± I asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Oh hells no! But it¡¯s extremely loud and flashy!¡±

    I winced. ¡°Alright¡­ lets hear it.¡±

    ¡°We fly right through the pylons with your shields at full blast!¡±

    I frowned at her. ¡°Maybe we should consider testing this theory first?¡±

    Soriya grinned. ¡°And how would you suggest we do that? Get closer with a shield up?¡±

    I grimaced at her. ¡°Ok, I see your point. That¡¯s basically testing it by doing what you suggested we do to pass it.¡±

    Soriya nodded.

    Lakshmi shrugged and said ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it! Your shield shrugged off an imperial cutter¡¯s main cannon!¡± She said excitedly. ¡°This will be a piece of cake! We¡¯ll get close enough to see what they do, and if you can¡¯t handle it, then I¡¯ll just turn us around and we¡¯ll find a new route!¡±

    I frowned at her. Lakshmi looked up and winked at me. ¡°Look, there¡¯s just no way you¡¯re this bad of a jinx, you can¡¯t possibly sink the Sparrowhawk again!¡±

    I opened my mouth to say that I could very well do exactly that, and hten paused. She¡¯s right, actually. I don¡¯t thik¡­ the Sparrowhawk is like¡­ fully upgraded. The ship never sinks after that point¡­

    Lakshmi¡¯s gaze grew serious. She gave me a level look and said in a much more sober tone. ¡°I can do this, Lily. Trust me.¡±

    I blinked, and then nodded. I wasn¡¯t sure why but¡­ I did trust her. It felt¡­ right.

    I pulled out my staff, and took a deep breath. ¡°Right. Lets do that then! The captain has spoken!¡±

    I marched back into the lounge area and cast {Barrier} at the small crystal globe, followed by calling up Tower and asking for her protection. I could feel the hum of the spells and outside the cockpit windows the faint flickering of the hexagon prisms of the {Barrier} splintered the sea air into rainbow shards.

    The Sparrowhawk approached the coastline, and enormous towers, with clear crystal spindle shapes floating atop them slowly came into view. The cores of the enormous crystals flickered with a white light that felt harsh. Not at all like the feeling of my {Barrier} spell, or when I cast a {Heal}.

    Soriya quietly murmured ¡°Where do they get all the vespine gas though?¡±

    I shot her a glare, but she was staring rapt at the crystal towers outside.

    The first bolt of energy from the towers lashed against the shields, and made the ship rock slightly. I shivered, feeling the prickle of energy draining from me.

    ¡°Lily?!?¡± Lakshmi asked me, her voice betraying slight nervousness.

    I thought rapidly, and then licked my lips. ¡°I can handle it. We can handle it.¡±

    Lakshmi gave me a long look, and then nodded. ¡°Ok.¡± She said, and guided us towards the gap between two of the giant towers.

    The flashes of energy grew faster and faster, more and more powerful. The Sparrowhawk started to rock within the shield bubble, and I groaned as I felt the energy drain increase.

    ¡°Last call Lily!¡± Lakshmi shouted at me, over the steady roar and crack of the energy bolts discharging on the shield. ¡°Go or no go?!¡±

    ¡°Go, go!¡± I shouted, pushing more mana into the shielding.

    The Sparrowhawk surged forward through the gap. Enormous arcs of blinding white energy roared around us, and then suddenly there was an ear tearing cracking and the drain on my mana vanished.

    Eshaan started dancing around like a madman, cackling.

    ¡°You did it! You did it!¡± He shouted over and over. ¡°Those towers hit each other with their energy bolt and blew themselves up!¡±

    I sagged in relief, holding the {Barrier} long enough to see the truth of his words out the rear portal. Sure enough, two of the crystal spindles on top of the towers were shattered, sagging and broken into hundreds of glittering shards.

    I sagged to my knees and released the spell as we flew into the deep jungle of the eastern continent.

 69 Far shores, same story

    The forest seemed to stretch below us forever. A sea of green, like the ocean had been.

    Lakshmi asked ¡°Ok, so now that we¡¯re here, where too?¡±

    I blanked, briefly. If this were a plot, we¡¯d just stumble into it, or there¡¯d be an obvious city or something.

    ¡°Uhm¡­¡± I said.

    Soriya came to my rescue. ¡°Now that we¡¯re here, Lily and I can do the same ritual we did at Jubilee to find the nearest artifact source.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Yeah, right!¡± I nodded hurriedly. ¡°We¡¯ll do that!¡±

    Lakshmi lifted a single eyebrow, and then nodded. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll just put the Sparrowhawk down then. I¡¯m a bit surprised, Lily. You¡¯re usually more together than this!¡±

    I winced. Her observation stung, but I couldn¡¯t deny it. I had just assumed that we¡¯re ¡®luck¡¯ into the Sylvan city now that we were here!

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a good clearing now.¡± Lakshmi said with satisfaction. ¡°Hang on, I¡¯m setting her down.¡±

    The Sparrowhawk settled slowly into the clearing, dense jungle trunks rising up around us as we settled.

    I had a brief moment of worry as the ship settled down. Was this where we were ¡®supposed¡¯ to be? Would we be ambushed by the Sylvani to put us on track?

    However, nothing untoward occurred, and the Sparrowhawk settled, the engines slowly spinning down and the omnipresent sound of magitech machinery slowly going quiet around us.

    Lakshmi put her arms in the air and gave a cheer. ¡°Take that! First airship across the White Sea!¡± She sank down. ¡°We¡¯re going to need to find some kind of fuel though, our stocks are almost empty.¡±

    I sat up, my eyes widening. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t have enough fuel to get back?!¡± I said, alarmed.

    Lakshmi looked at me like I was crazy.

    ¡°No, of course not! How would we even carry that much refined mana? I¡¯d need¡­¡± she trailed off, her eyes narrowing. ¡°Are you telling me that you don¡¯t know where to find fuel!?¡±

    I flushed. ¡°It¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­¡± I looked down at the deck. ¡°No. I mean, yes. That is, I don¡¯t know where to get more fuel.¡±

    We all stared at each other, slowly realizing the truth. We were stuck here until we could get fuel to return.

    ¡°How could you forget fuel?!¡± Lakshmi burst out angrily. ¡°You know everything that happens, I just assumed you knew what you were doing!¡± She shouted at me.

    I could feel myself wilting visibly. It was a very foolish thing¡­ but they never worry about fuel! I wanted to protest. Unless¡­ a thought slowly crept into my head. Unless it¡¯s part of the plot. Unless finding or refining the fuel is¡­

    My eyes suddenly widened and I whirled to Eshaan. ¡°Eshaan! Could that cutter that was following us have followed us all the way here!?¡± I demanded quickly.

    Eshaan frowned, and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t see how? The imperial ships have never had the range before.¡±

    Daniyel placed a hand on Eshaan¡¯s shoulders. ¡°That is not quite correct. The empire has had no need to project it¡¯s might across the White Sea, but they could cross it if sufficient need arose.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that!¡± Eshaan protested. ¡°Why haven¡¯t they done so before!?¡±

    Daniyel looked at me, then back to Eshaan. ¡°Because to date, no Imperial ship, air or sea, has returned from the far shores.¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes got wide. ¡°The crystal towers!¡±

    Soriya said grimly ¡°That we just blew a hole in.¡±

    I sat down hard, and put my head in my hands groaning loudly. I said ¡°Well that explains how we¡¯re getting fuel.¡±

    Lakshmi shook her head in denial. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!?¡± She protested. ¡°You think the empire will send a ship just to follow us?! And then, what?! We¡¯re going to shoot them down in some sort of aerial duel!?¡±

    I looked up into her eyes. ¡°Just like they won¡¯t start a war? Just like they won¡¯t fire on a ship in Monain airspace?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ but it¡¯s¡­¡± she twisted form side to side. ¡°That¡¯s completely different!¡± She finally burst out.

    I sighed and heaved myself up. ¡°Well I guess we¡¯re going to find out. For now¡­ Soriya and I have a ritual to cast.¡±

    I unlocked the hatch, and the smell of thick musky jungle, green and living things and a thick humidity filled the air and wrapped itself around us like a smothering cloak.

    I went to poke my head out, but Eshaan stopped me.

    ¡°Let me go first, I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s safe.¡± He said and strode out without a word.

    I frowned and chewed on my lower lip. I hope he¡¯s not about to get ambushed! I fretted, wondering if he was about to be hit by a Sylvani arrow, or ordered to halt.

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    He slowly looked around the tiny clear patch that the Sparrowhawk had made in the forest canopy and then nodded, sheathing his weapon. ¡°All clear, come on out!¡±

    I took a deep breath of the muggy green air, and then stepped down the stairway, followed by the rest of our party.

    It was so incredibly, vibrantly, alive. I spun in a slow circle looking around me, then swatted at a stinging insect bite.

    ¡°Ow!¡± I exclaimed, and then scowled. ¡°Great. Mosquitos. Some adventure.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just cast a {Barrier}?¡± Asked Eshaan in confusion.

    I sighed. ¡°Well normally I would, though I¡¯d need to modify it first. But the problem is that I can¡¯t maintain focus on that and focus on the ritual at the same time.¡± I explained.

    ¡°Oh.¡± He said.

    ¡°If you will give me a moment, I may have a solution.¡± Daniyel said gravely. He punched his fists together, his elemental gauntlets appearing, and then began to slowly do martial art¡¯s katas. Slowly at first, and then faster and faster he moved, his body starting to blur and flicker with elemental fire. His motions were like an elegant dance, smooth and fluid and graceful. I¡¯d never realized just how pretty they were before.

    Without warning he exploded into action, leaping around the clearing, punching what seemed to be thin air, only for clouds of insects to explode into flame with each strike or kick. Shortly, the clearing smelled of burnt air, and the wet heat of the jungle was replaced with the dry heat of the desert.

    Daniyel slowed the kata, and then came to rest, bowing to us, his fists together. The elemental shroud of fire vanished, and the sounds of the jungle slowly resumed.

    I found myself clapping wildly, my cheeks hurting from my smile. ¡°Danyiel that was amazing!¡± I said.

    Soriya beamed, and then slipped her arm around his waist, going up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. ¡°Good work, sweetie.¡± I heard her whisper to him.

    The faint blush visible on his cheeks was adorable. I smothered a giggle with my hand.

    ¡°Your praise is welcome, but unnecessary.¡± He said calmly. ¡°I was happy to assist.¡±

    Eshaan muttered ¡°I have got to learn how to do that.¡± softly to himself.

    I coughed. ¡°Thank you, Daniyel! That will do wonders. Soriya? Let¡¯s set up.¡±

    Soriya and I got busy setting up the ritual. As before, beautiful filigree clockwork patterns of pure white and void black flickered around us, clockwork hands and compass points spinning around us as we chanted.

    The knowledge of the nearest arcanum flickering into my mind, 250 miles west-southwest.

    Visions flickered through my mind. Giant trees ringed with wooden platforms, enormous arching branches with figures walking across them, and a soft repeating voice that seemed frail and broken.

    <system unreachable. assistance required. system unreachable. repairs requested.>

    It sounded so soft and alone and¡­ sad. Unlike any of the arcanum¡¯s I¡¯d spoken with. Even Forge hadn¡¯t sounded so¡­ lost, even at the verge of failure as I¡¯d found him.

    A brilliant spear of mingled light and dark energy flared into the sky in a pillar, and then slowly faded away into small drifting motes, the lightshow of the ritual ending like monochrome fireworks. I let out a long breath, and smiled hesitantly. ¡°At least nothing exploded this time?¡± I said nervously.

    Eshaan smiled at me, then rubbed my head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lily!¡± He said cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯m sure something will be along to explode any moment now!¡±

    I jerked upright, looking around wildly. Nothing happened. Nothing continued to happen for long enough that I let out the breath I¡¯d been holding.

    Camaxtli nodded as though he¡¯d confirmed a suspicion. ¡°Curious.¡± He said. ¡°You received a vision of the arcanum? As at the Jubilee?¡±

    I nodded hesitantly. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Strange.¡± He suddenly looked up into the sky, his eyes whirling with color. ¡°Oh.¡± He said softly. He looked down at us. ¡°We should prepare for combat. There is a large air vessel approaching.¡± He turned and strode up the stairs into the open hatchway.

    Lakshmi stood up, and looked upwards. ¡°No way¡­¡± she said, with a sad protesting voice. ¡°They can¡¯t really¡­¡± She clutched at her head and shook it wildly. ¡°I refuse to accept this!¡± She shouted, then ran into the ship, pounding down the corridor to the cockpit.

    I sighed and then gave a wry smile to everyone else, before stepping up the steps and into the ship, closely followed by the rest of the group.

    We hurriedly buckled ourselves into our seats, Soriya grinning as she pulled out ?gishj¨¢lmur. Eshaan and Daniyel both slid into the top and bottom gun turrets. In moments, the Sparrowhawk went from unassuming exploration craft to bristling gunboat.

    Lakshmi spun up the engines, and we lifted off into the clear blue sky overhead. It wasn¡¯t hard to spot the Imperial ship, it glittered in the sky, the unmistakable outline of that fast attack cutter that had pursued us through the Monain mountain ranges only three days earlier.

    ¡°Lakshmi!¡± I shouted up at the cockpit. ¡°Does Soriya need to cast through the central spell core? Can she cast while I¡¯m channeling a {Barrier}?¡±

    Camaxtli calmly replied ¡°It is an either or. Soriya¡¯s spells will empower the main guns with spell effects. If she is casting, then you cannot use {Barrier}. If you wish to use both, you will need to time your attacks perfectly.¡±

    Soriya threw her head back and cackled wildly. ¡°By the seven spirits, I love it! I get to charge the main gun!? Yes!¡± She punched the air and spun in a circle, doing a little dance of happiness.

    I smiled at her. ¡°Ok, ok. Have you used the fusion of ?gishj¨¢lmur and Diabloli yet?¡±

    ¡°Not at full power!¡± She replied, grinning wickedly.

    I gave her a skeptical look. ¡°Soriya. One. We need the fuel on the other ship to get home. Two. I don¡¯t think the Sparrowhawk can withstand a full power charge.¡±

    The look on Soriya¡¯s face was almost heartbreaking. ¡°Look. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have to fight some sort of horrible eldritch monster and you¡¯ll get to unleash your full power. It¡¯s¡­ pretty much inevitable, right?¡± I sighed. ¡°But for now, maybe show off your skill?¡±

    Soriya pouted fiercely. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who appreciates how much harder it is to do precision spell craft.¡±

    Daniyel patted her shoulder and leaned over to whisper in her ear. I couldn¡¯t hear what he said, but she perked up immediately and then smiled up at him.

    ¡°You say the sweetest things.¡± She said to him fondly. ¡°Alright.¡± Her expression grew serious, and she gripped ?gishj¨¢lmur fiercely, looking back at me. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll do it the boring way.¡± She pointed the staff at me. ¡°But you better pay attention! This is quality spell work! You can¡¯t get all the fun!¡±

    I smiled at her. ¡°By all means, great witch Soriya, show me the power and skill of the magical arts that lay within the blackest depths of the void, unreachable power that you drag forth from the blackest wells of power.¡±

    Soirya frowned at me and shook ?gishj¨¢lmur at me. ¡°Ok, now I know you spent too long with that Monain writer.¡±

    ¡°Oh hush, don¡¯t deny a small part of you loves it.¡± I said.

    Soriya shook her staff at me again mock threateningly, but let me have the last word.

    We accelerated towards to gunboat, and the flickering light of the Heliograph started to blink at us. I could see Lakshmi¡¯s lips moving as she translated the message.

    She scowled, and then turned to me. ¡°This is your fault.¡± She said. ¡°They demand we power down our engines and surrender.¡± She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

    ¡°So¡­¡± I said after a moment ¡°Well, are we going to do that?¡±

    Lakshmi opened her eyes and her grin was slightly crazed. ¡°Are you kidding me?! I¡¯ve been wanting an excuse to give the Sparrowhawk a real field test since I made the last weld!¡± She leaned forward and shoved the throttle to its stops. The Sparrowhawk leapt forward pressing us all into our seats.

    I gritted my teeth against the acceleration. ¡°Right. Here we go again.¡± I ground out as my spine tried to merge with the seatback.

 70 Epic Battles are Rarely on a Timer

    When I could breathe again from our rapid acceleration, I hurriedly chanted out the words to {Barrier}, and cast them towards the shield orb. Just in time, as well, since a puff of black and red from the distant cutter, and the ship suddenly shook as the shells impacted my shield.

    I gritted my teeth as I felt my mana take a solid hit. ¡°Oof! What the honey did they put in that shell; I could feel that one!¡± I grumbled.

    ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about the fact that the airships have such good engines!¡± Lakshmi protested. ¡°We were going all out, why are they here?!¡±

    Soriya raised an eyebrow. ¡°We stopped over at the sea cave, we spent a long lazy day in Breezewood, we got a late start, and we hardly pushed the throttle to the stops when you were flying here.¡± She said. ¡°Or did I miss something?¡±

    Lakshmi ground her teeth. ¡°No. It just¡­ hurts my pride! And they must have headed to the far shores the instant they lost sight of us! And we never saw them on the crossing!¡±

    Camaxtli said ¡°The sky is vast, and we did not fly high.¡± The ship rocked from another blast, and I felt my mana take another sharp dip downwards.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t we shooting back!?¡± I yelped.

    Lakshmi shot a glare at me, followed by the sound of the turrets opening fire. ¡°Because I mounted fighter class guns, not a frigate cannon! The Sparrowhawk is not a capital class ship!¡± She spat at me, and yanked the wheel hard right, throwing us all against the bulkheads.

    ¡°Hey! A little warning!¡± Eshaan yelled from his turret. ¡°I had a nice shot lined up!¡±

    The crack-thoom of Daniyel¡¯s torrent firing interrupted him. A brilliant splash of orange and black erupted on the cutter¡¯s hull, but when it cleared only a small patch of broken hull was revealed.

    Camaxtli observed calmly ¡°It appears that the standard weaponry of the Sparrowhawk is not sufficient to do significant damage.¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you, Camaxtli.¡± Lakshmi spat, as she yanked the control yoke hard to the side throwing us around the interior again.

    Daniyel¡¯s low rumbling bass came from the upper turret. ¡°Captain, a warning is definitely appreciated. Please consider it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m working here!¡± Lakshmi screamed over her shoulder. ¡°Right, you fuckers, let¡¯s see how you like this?!¡± She muttered, gripping the throttle. She paused, and then shouted again ¡°This is your warning! Everyone hold on to something!¡±

    Lakshmi shoved the throttle to the stops again, and the cutter suddenly leapt forward in size as the Sparrowhawk closed the distance between at an insanely rapid pace. I barely managed to grab one of the handhold straps and even then, I almost lost concentration on my spell.

    Blooms of orange and black erupted behind us and the thunder of exploding shells shook the hull. For a second, I was terrified we were going to ram the cutter, but the Sparrowhawk slipped to the side and skimmed along the cutter¡¯s surface close enough for me to read the name ¡®Dryad¡¯ stenciled in gold on the ships bow. Then we were around and behind, and Lakshmi spun the ship so we were flying backwards, pointing directly at the Dryad¡¯s engines.

    Daniyel and Eshaan didn¡¯t hesitate, and twin gouts of flame erupted from our cannons, direct hits sending shards of metal and flame roaring into the sky and washing around our shields.

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to do some magic shit, now is the time!¡± Lakshmi spat over her shoulder.

    I glanced over at Soriya, and she nodded to me. I pressed my lips together firmly, swallowed down a lump in my throat, and dismissed {Barrier} from the ship, as Soriya began her chant.

    The cutters upper turrets spoke, and the Sparrowhawk rocked, the shriek of metal and the ping of crystal cracking from the engines a discordant dirge. Soriya finished her chant, and I heard both Eshaan and Daniyel shout in astonishment.

    ¡°Now! Now!¡± Soriya shouted, and twin bolts of elementally charged cannon shells shot towards the Dryad¡¯s engines, blooms of crystal clear fire and ice struck the engines with surgical precision.

    I gasped in awe. Soriya had not disappointed, her spellcraft was elegant, precise, and beautiful in execution. I doubted I could have duplicated the detail, the care she put into that spell.

    The glow from the Dryad¡¯s engines ceased, and she started to sink towards the jungle canopy below.

    We all let out a ragged cheer, though the Sparrowhawk was groaning with damage. Lakshmi pushed the yoke forward and we headed down towards the Dryad¡¯s crash site.

    Small arms fire crackled from below as we followed the line the crash of the Dryad¡¯s had torn into the jungle. Lakshmi put us down behind the stern, and I could hear her cussing under her breath.

    Eshaan and Daniyel slid out of the turrets. I cast a quick {Barrier} around us, and they rushed out the hatch towards the side of the cutter followed by the rest of us.

    Lightning quick sword strokes from Eshaan paired with Daniyel¡¯s glowing elemental punches carved a swift path through the rent torn into the side of the Dryad. Our little group made swift work of the outer guard, only to come to a skidding halt.

    I stared in shock, as the captain stepped forward, drawing his blade. Eshaan let out a shocked gasp, and his sword trembled briefly in his hand.

    ¡°So, traitor. We meet again.¡± Lieutenant Isha said calmly, swiping his blade through the air. ¡°This has been a pleasure long denied.¡± He smiled, the smile of a predator that has found a meal. ¡°But now, you will all taste the might of the Empire.¡±

    With one last flourish, his blade lit with cold purple runes, and I could feel the pulse of mana.

    I sighed inwardly. Oh of course. He¡¯s leveled up too.

    Before I could blink, Isha dashed forward faster than I could follow, his sword crashing into Eshaan¡¯s blade with a shower of purple sparks and lightning.

    ¡°I really should thank you!¡± Isha gloated. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure where to look for you, you could have been anywhere in this dragon forsaken green hellscape, and then you graciously lit a beacon into the sky! As well as leaving that enormous gate for us to walk right in! Do you have any idea how long the empire has wanted to exploit this land?!¡±

    Soriya shouted angrily ¡°Oh shut up!¡± and hurled an angry chant, her voice cracking with power. A massive spell bolt charged at the tip of ?gishj¨¢lmur and she hurled the blast of ravening energy at Isha.

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    The flames of the attack shattered on a glowing shield which flickered into existence around him, and I spotted a small bracelet on his wrist flare into life.

    ¡°He¡¯s got a shielding bracelet!¡± I shouted. ¡°Kill the bracelet, and we can hurt him!¡±

    Isha laughed manically and shouted ¡°That¡¯s not all that the Grand Admiral has given me! I am blessed with the power of the Holy Church itself! Behold!¡± He held up his hand and the bracelet flashed again, bathing Isha in a purple glow.

    At first, nothing seemed different, but then Isha was a flickering mass of shapes, moving almost too fast for me to keep up.

    ¡°Acceleration magic?!¡± Soriya yelled. ¡°Oh come on, play fair!¡±

    ¡°What need have I to play fair, against traitors and heretics!?¡± Isha gloated.

    Lakshmi dashed forward and intercepted one of his strikes just as he was about to bisect Camaxtli. ¡°What grand admiral!? There hasn¡¯t been a grand admiral in 200 years!¡± She demanded, sparks flying from the barrel of her gun as Isha¡¯s sword blade ground against it.

    Isha leapt back, and imperial troopers wearing armor emblazoned with a disturbing mix of Church and Imperial iconography rushed forward, crashing against Eshaan and Daniyel¡¯s defense.

    ¡°The Commander, who you so callously betrayed, fool!¡± Isha screamed as us.

    Strange. Isha almost seems to be talking more to Eshaan than any of us? And Eshaan¡­

    I spared a quick glance at Eshaan¡¯s face. His expression could have been carved in granite, a cold anger and determination that looked¡­ well, he looks like a proper jrpg hero. I thought with a little sigh of mingled admiration and irritation.

    Camaxtli parried a strike, his sword glowing blue and white, and staggered backwards, the blows from the troopers coming faster than he could counter.

    Daniyel strode forward, grabbing Isha¡¯s blade in his gauntlets and holding it there, blood slowly streaking down his forearm. His voice was cold and even as he asked ¡°The commander takes the title of Grand Admiral? And who has given it to him? Has he crowned himself?¡±

    ¡°Holy Pope Deacon has raised him up.¡± Isha spat.

    I hadn¡¯t really thought it was possible that I could hate my shadow self more, but I discovered at that moment that I was wrong.

    Isha hurled Daniyel backwards with a roar of effort, and Daniyel skidded backwards. I rushed over to hurriedly cast a {Heal} on him. He nodded gratefully to me and turned back to the fight.

    Soriya¡¯s chanting reached a crescendo, and ?gishj¨¢lmur lit the hallway with an explosion of black light. A burning cold so intense it felt like it was going to burn my skin flowed past us, and suddenly there was a hole cored through the ship.

    {Infernal Black!?} Unfair! I haven¡¯t even gotten to cast {Holy White} yet! I protested internally.

    Metal shrieked and the whole wreck shifted and rumbled under us, followed by an enormous explosion several decks above and ahead of us.

    ¡°Dragon damn you, Soriya!¡± Lakshmi shouted angrily. ¡°We need that fuel, not more explosions!¡±

    I groaned. Oh of course. We can¡¯t have more fuel than the bare minimum we need, now can we? What¡¯s next, the self-destruct that stops at 1 second?

    A trooper dashed past me, and I felt my body react before I could think about it. I brought my staff down hard on his head, and then walloped him backwards towards Isha. I stared in surprise as his body sailed through the battlefield knocking aside several more troopers before crumpling against a bulkhead. A moment later, the body evaporated into sparkling light.

    I could feel my heart squeeze in pain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± I murmured, even as a part of me was staring in shock. I did that?! I did an anime knockback?! Spirits bless me. Just how strong am I?! followed quickly by the thought How strong is everyone else?!

    Eshaan clashed swords with Isha, strikes faster than I could follow. Too quickly for me to follow, there was a strike, a flash of light, and an arc of crimson blood splashed onto the walls.

    I froze, my mind locked up in horror. Eshaan!? ¡°No! Eshaan!¡± I screamed, running towards his collapsed body. He¡¯s still there! He¡¯s not dead! I repeated frantically, my hands already glowing with a prepared {Heal}.

    Isha snapped his sword to the side, to clear the blood off it, and laughed. ¡°Pitiful! This is the strength that you bring!? And now your woman offers herself to my blade as well.¡± He raised his blade to strike, and I spun, my eyes blazing with fury. ¡°You! Will! Not! Touch! Him!¡± I screamed, a brilliant white {Barrier} I didn¡¯t remember casting snapping into place between us. Isha¡¯s sword impacted the shield with a sound like shattering glass, but it was his sword that broke into a hail of glittering shards.

    I hated Isha with all my being in that moment, but there was an undeniable grace to every movement he made. With a graceful swirl and dip, like a ballet dancer, he grabbed one of the loot drop swords from his dead troopers, and charged towards Lakshmi.

    ¡°The traitor is so weak he relies on his woman, and she is no threat at all. But at least I can rid the emperor of a useless scion!¡± He shouted.

    Lakshmi dodged to the side, rolling out of the way, her red trench coat flaring dramatically. I couldn¡¯t help but be a bit jealous of how cool she looked. She popped up to a knee and snapped a shot off. It was dead center, but Isha¡¯s shield flared around him, and I cursed.

    ¡°Pitiful. A miracle your father allowed you to live. You are not heir of the empire.¡± He sneered.

    Lakshmi¡¯s eyes burned with a cold fury. ¡°Is that what he told you? Or are you merely here to enact your master¡¯s whims?¡±

    Isha tipped his head to the side in thought. ¡°Does it matter? One less obstacle, and the empire can do without the stone princess.¡±

    The world seemed to freeze for a moment, and Lakshmi¡¯s eyes burned a cold blue that I¡¯d never seen.

    She screamed, a cry of primal pain and challenge. The air froze, blue flame boiled from Lakshmi¡¯s eyes and wreathed her with a cyan aura. With the sound of a glacier cracking a pillar of ice erupted from beneath Isha, and his shield and bracelet shattered into dust.

    ¡°I am no princess!¡± Lakshmi screamed in defiance ¡°I am an air pirate!¡±

    I found myself cheering her on as she shouted her defiance. Go Lakshmi! You tell him!

    Camaxtli finished off the last of the troopers with a single sword stroke of his rune covered katana, and moved with liquid grace towards Isha, his sword strokes a flickering blur that pressed Isha back towards the bulkhead.

    ¡°Impossible! How are you this strong!?¡± He protested, his voice panting with exertion. ¡°I have¡­ the backing of the church! The dragon himself guides me!¡±

    A pang of sadness swept over me as I heard his words. Oh. You¡¯re going to die then. I thought, my hand clenching at my chest. Those are the words of a fanatic about to die. I reached out towards him, wanting to say something before he could die, but unsure what could possibly sway him.

    Daniyel strode forward, his gauntlets glowing with crimson power. ¡°My lady has made her position clear.¡± He said, his punches blurring with speed. ¡°It would be best if you heeded them.¡±

    Isha gritted his teeth. ¡°Die with your useless princess!¡± He shouted, and lunged forward, punching through Daniyel¡¯s defense. Daniyel reeled backwards, slamming hard into the bulkhead, blood dripping from his chest and forehead. Camaxtli took advantage of the fraction of an opening, and I cried out as the arcane katana slid though Isha¡¯s chest, jutting forward like a malignant horn.

    ¡°But¡­ how¡­?¡± he said in a sad bewildered tone, and then his body collapsed into sparkling motes of light and a rain of small items falling to the deck.

    If anything, I was more saddened by how¡­ un-saddened I was. Like I should hurt more. Somebody had just died. Lots of somebodies. But¡­ he wouldn¡¯t give up. That was clear. Deacon won¡¯t give up. I couldn¡¯t understand. I was never this determined in my old life. What was different here?

    I snorted at myself. Well for one I¡¯m a pink haired healer, for another I¡¯m actually¡­ I felt a stab of guilt. Actually having fun. And the people on this journey are important to me.

    Eshaan let out a groan, and I jerked in surprise. He¡¯d recovered from those wounds surprisingly quickly¡­ after I¡¯d dumped half my mana into him, of course.

    I let my {Barrier} drop, and patted him lightly on the cheek.

    Lakshmi was already rushing about gathering barrels of fuel and dropped items, shouting directions to us. I supposed I should get up and help.

    Sure, lets go loot the dead. I knelt by Eshaan and waited for him to wake up.

    He stirred and opened his eyes, then smiled that hero¡¯s smile he had.

    ¡°Oh. I guess I must be dead, there¡¯s an angel waiting for me.¡± He said.

    I could feel my blush immediately reach nova heat, and I scowled fiercely at him, whapping his arm.

    He groaned and sat up then grinned unrepentantly at me. ¡°Ah, nope, my mistake. Hurts too much to be dead. I guess we won.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Somehow, yeah. I¡­ really didn¡¯t think Isha would have gone¡­ this far. Even if Deacon was pushing him. It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    Eshaan gently patted my head. ¡°Well, are things still sort of on track?¡±

    I nodded, biting my lower lip. ¡°Yes, only-¡±

    Eshaan frowned. ¡°Only what? What is it, Lily?¡±

    Outside the sound of an unfamiliar woman¡¯s voice shouted loudly in a commanding tone.

    ¡°Hands up! You¡¯re all under arrest for despoiling the Sylvain sacred groves!¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help it, a giggle slowly rose up in my chest, and spilled out.

 71 Airships and the Adventures Within

    ¡°Oh.¡± I choked out. ¡°Never mind. We¡¯re back on track now.¡± and I dissolved into helpless laughter.

    <{Orator} Advanced to level 9. For Crossing the White Sea and Defeating Lieutenant Commander Isha you have advanced to {Orator:9}> the World Soul whispered softly in my mind.

    I blinked in surprise. ¡°What¡­?¡±

    Eshaan laughed and then hugged me. ¡°This is why I like hanging around you, Lily. Things are unpredictable, but intensely fun!¡±

    I scowled at him and whapped him on the shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t think life threatening situations are fun!¡± I remarked tartly.

    Eshaan rubbed his shoulder. ¡°Ooow, I¡¯m a wounded man here! You can¡¯t treat me like this!¡± he grinned.

    I rolled my eyes and pushed at him. ¡°Alright alright, ¡®wounded man¡¯. We¡¯d better get going, or those Sylvani will open fire and do a lot more damage.

    As we got to our feet, I took a moment to peek curiously at my stats.

    {Name}: Lilyanna of Breezewood {Level}: 29

    {Classes}: Spiritist 10/Orator 9/Arcanist 7/Gourmet 3

    HP: 345/578 MP: 178/836 DEF: 124 M.DEF: 199

    Current Status: <Healthy>

    DEX: 131    INS: 196

    MIG: 120    WIL: 199

    Special: Child of ?ther

    I blinked in surprise, and then hurriedly cast another {Heal} on Eshaan and myself. I looked down and was shocked to see faint red splashes across my body and clothes, fading slowly away.

    When did I stop even feeling sword slashes and bullet wounds as something other than mild pain? I thought, mystified.

    Eshaan swiveled his arm and grinned at me. ¡°Thanks! You don¡¯t realize how much it hurts until you suddenly don¡¯t feel it anymore.¡±

    I nodded, pensively. When does it start to hurt again? Do I need to reach¡­? You know, I bet there are some really creepy research documents somewhere that outline exactly what threshold and percentage of hit points triggers what reaction.

    I shuddered. That sounded exactly like the kind of thing that Deacon would be eager to get his hands on.

    Eshaan took my hand and we walked out of the wreck into the clearing. The rest of our group was already there, several barrels of mana fuel standing around them. The rest of the airship crew were sitting on the ground in small groups, bound hand and foot.

    Ringing the clearing were twenty or so tall and elegant figures in green and white, with drawn bows.

    I enjoyed the view briefly. The elven warrior boys were very handsome. For a moment I could swear there were clouds of sparkles around their heads. There were only a handful of women in the group, but all of them were equally beautiful as well. And more buxom than Soriya. I noted with irritation. I felt an irrational surge of envy, and squeezed Eshaan¡¯s hand possessively.

    I am not letting some elven hussy take him away! I thought, followed by an exasperated huff. Oh yes, very good Lily, that¡¯s such an adult thing to think. Next you¡¯ll demand that Jessica stay away from him at the prom.

    I wasn¡¯t entirely sure what I was expecting, when we emerged. Perhaps some demand to hold up our hands, or drop our weapons. Maybe an exchange of gifts where we could trade our exotic goods for chocolate. What I wasn¡¯t expecting to happen was for the assembled Sylvani warriors to gasp and then kneel to us with their heads bowed.

    Low murmurs of ¡°The Avatar!¡± rippled from the assembled warriors.

    ¡°What is going on?¡± Lakshmi demanded, her gaze switching between me and the Sylvani.

    The Sylvani were silent for a long moment, before one of the pretty boys stood up and spoke. ¡°The woman with the pink hair. You, what is your name?¡±

    I glanced around nervously, then spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m Lilyanna. Of Breezewood.¡±

    Low murmurs from the assembled Sylvani again. ¡°And do you command the powers of the Ancients?¡±

    I scrunched up my nose at that in confusion, and looked to Eshaan in confusion. He shook his head in equal bafflement. Lakshmi spoke up. ¡°The Arcanum. They¡¯re talking about the Arcanum, Lily.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± I frowned again. That¡­ I suppose that¡¯s right isn¡¯t it? Urm¡­ I suppose in a sense, yes?¡± I answered hesitantly.

    The warrior nodded and then knelt again, his head bowed. ¡°Then you are the Avatar! We have awaited your arrival since the long ago days of the breaking of the world!¡±

    I stared at them, completely lost for words, my mouth agape.

    Lakshmi coughed. ¡°So uh¡­ we¡¯re the¡­ Avatar¡¯s¡­ companions. Can we maybe put our hands down?¡±

    I slapped a hand over my mouth to stifle a giggle.

    The leader got to his feet again, giving a cold glance around the clearing. ¡°You may claim that, but the Avatar herself has not been confirmed. And regardless, we must let the elders know. They will be able to clear this mess up.¡±

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    He whistled sharp and shrill, and the other Sylvani leapt up. There was a heavy feeling in the air like a thunderstorm, and then a shadow fell across the clearing. I looked up to see a gorgeous airship, like a luna moth, glowing emerald and white wings spread from its hull and pulsing with magical energy slowly lowering itself to the clearing. It ¡®landed¡¯ without touching down or extending any landing gear. When it got low enough to the ground it simply hovered, and a hatch opened in the side. With efficient precision, we, our looted gear, and the remaining Imperial troopers were rounded up and marched inside.

    Lakshmi complained loudly about being forced to leave the Sparrowhawk behind. Camaxtli soothed her with the explanation that it was hardly likely the elves were going to do anything bad to it, there was an entire crashed Imperial cutter there as well, after all.

    The Sylvani were polite, but extremely firm as they requested our weapons. I didn¡¯t exactly see a way out of it, and neither did anyone else. Soriya¡¯s expression was thunderous as she was forced to hand over ?gishj¨¢lmur. The elves didn¡¯t seem at all surprised by the Godswar weapon, which caught me off guard.

    What exactly have I gotten us into here?! I wondered.

    We were marched into the Sylvani airship with efficient order. It was very unnerving how all the Sylvani stared at me, almost with a kind of worshipful ardor. I wasn¡¯t comfortable with that, but it was an odd sort of thrill how worshipful their eyes looked when they stared at me. And they did stare, a lot. I was extremely tempted to return the favor; up close they were definitely a race of hotties. The stabs of envy in my stomach got worse.

    The bulkheads and floors of the Sylvani airship continued the same strange slightly organic theme in muted grey and cream colors. Almost but not quite wood it looked like. Our group was escorted to a rather ordinary looking room, and pushed roughly inside. The Imperial airmen were shoved into a similar room across the hallway. Well, everyone but me was pushed roughly, the Sylvani were all deference to me, which definitely creeped me out. It reminded me of being captured by the Church in all the wrong ways.

    The doors to the rooms slammed closed, and I heard the distinct sound of locks shifting into place. From the muted sounds outside, there was a guard posted there too.

    Lakshmi¡¯s shackled dropped off her hands and she stretched. ¡°Gods, I thought they¡¯d never leave!¡± She casually stepped over to the bulkhead and examined them thoughtfully. ¡°Probably a cargo hold.¡± She ran her hands slowly over the bulkheads and floors. ¡°How did they get the seams so smooth?¡±

    ¡°Is this really the time?¡± Asked Soriya.

    ¡°What better could there be?¡± Daniyel asked stoically and sat down cross legged. ¡°This appears to be a common cycle.¡± He grinned up at me, his white teeth a strong contrast to the darkness of his skin. ¡°At least this time, we may accompany ¡®the Avatar¡¯ on her abrupt unwilling exit of the scene.¡±

    I stared at him, my mouth agape. Eshaan and Soriya burst into gales of laughter, and after a moment I joined them.

    When we had calmed down, and I¡¯d wiped the tears out of my eyes, I said to Daniyel ¡°For the record, this is not my fault. I didn¡¯t expect this!¡± then I turned to Lakshmi. ¡°Would you please take off our shackles too?!¡± I said pointedly.

    Lakshmi jumped and gave a guilty smile. ¡°Oh, sure! Sorry, this ship construction¡­ I¡¯ve never heard of anything like it!¡±

    A few quick twists of her hands, and the shackles dropped away. Eshaan chafed his wrists in gratitude, then said ¡°Can I have one of those?¡± Pointing to the small metal pieces in her hands.

    Lakshmi¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Your hair is hardly long enough to need one!¡±

    Eshaan shrugged, looked briefly over at me with a guilty look then said ¡°No, but a little piece of metal can be useful in lots of locations.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°Eshaan! No stealing other people¡¯s things!¡±

    He looked at me with an expression of hurt innocence. ¡°What? I¡¯m not stealing anything! They¡¯re the one¡¯s stealing us! I think it only fair to have a look around, and then relieve the guards outside!¡± He grinned wickedly.

    I huffed, but he was honeyed right. I sighed and nodded agreement, and he took a few of what I now recognized as hairpins from Lakshmi and started bending them into all kinds of interesting shapes.

    Soriya stretched. ¡°You really didn¡¯t see this one coming? I can think of a few games where it plays out.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t know any. What¡¯s the script?¡±

    ¡°Oh, so they¡¯re likely guardians of the Arcanum we¡¯re here for. Either corrupted knowledge or genuine worship, that¡¯s up for debate. It¡¯ll probably play out a lot like the Church adventure did.¡±

    I groaned and sank down to the deck, leaning my head against the bulkheads. ¡°Oh spirits take me, I haaate that plotline!¡±

    Soriya patted me lightly on the arm. ¡°We¡¯re here with you this time. And if you hadn¡¯t noticed, your boyfriend has lockpicks now.¡±

    She pointed across the room where Eshaan was eagerly tinkering with the locks on chests. He cackled in glee as there was an audible ¡®click¡¯ and the lid sprang open.

    Maybe there¡¯s an approach here¡­ I thought, an idea slowly forming. A pity that I can¡¯t just lean over and go ¡®whisper whisper whisper¡¯ to the others, and a flawless plan emerges from thin air.

    ¡°Alright, so¡­ will they do anything bad to us?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No, probably not, though we will have to go on trial for defiling the ancient grove, or some such, then they¡¯ll give us some sort of ¡®impossible¡¯ test, a dungeon run or something, to prove you are who you say you are. Or possibly they¡¯ll send us to do that while they keep you safe.¡±

    I scowled fiercely. ¡°I already told you; I hate every part of that plot.¡±

    It was in fact, maddening. We have something like the firepower of a small nation at our command, we can fight our way in and out of most anywhere¡­ and none of that really does us any honeysuckle good, since we need to ask meadowlark directions and help!

    I huffed. I feel so betrayed. It¡¯s not actually faster to explode everything, it¡¯s faster to be polite and¡­ and me! I thought in frustration.

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°We did break their defense barrier.¡±

    Lakshmi spoke up ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll listen to reason? They have airships, they¡¯re not primitive savages!¡±

    I smiled wryly at her. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right. It would be a million times faster if we can just ask them to tell us where and how to pick up this Arcanum.¡± I tapped my lips in thought. ¡°Eshaan?¡± I called out.

    Eshaan jumped, his face turning red. ¡°I wasn¡¯t stealing anything!¡± He stammered.

    The look on his face made me doubt that, but I let it slide. ¡°Can you keep the lockpicks hidden if they put us in manacles again? Just in case?¡±

    He looked at Lakshmi questioningly, and she grinned and nodded. ¡°Sure, you can have a couple of my hairpins. You¡¯re a lot better with them than I am.¡±

    He looked back and me, and a huge grin slowly spread across his face. ¡°You bet! There¡¯s lots of places to hide lockpicks!¡±

    ¡°Right, so.¡± I said, clapping my hands. ¡°We need the  We did break their defense barrier, and let in some uninvited houseguests. So, here¡¯s my idea. We apologize for that, and offer to help repair it.¡±

    The group was silent for a moment, then Camaxtli spoke up. ¡°Are you relying on your status as this Avatar figure in order for these negotiations to succeed? It seems unlikely that a minor apology and an offer of unskilled labor would provide sufficient compensation.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Well¡­ yes! And I suppose maybe I¡¯m being a little naive-¡±

    Lakshmi snorted into her fist and turned it into a cough. I shot her a glare before continuing.

    ¡°-a little naive. But I think that speaking honestly from the heart can really convey¡­¡± I trailed off, seeing Soriya staring at me, her eyes bright.

    ¡°Alright, look, I know how it sounds! But if we¡¯re in a plot rut, then we can expect certain very unlikely outcomes to happen regularly!¡± I paused, and then muttered to myself ¡°And a heartfelt plea feels right, honey melt it! Less fighting, less stress. We can even spin it as a political overture, right Lakshmi?¡±

    Lakshmi stiffened in surprise and got a thoughtful look in her eyes. ¡°You know¡­ it might at that.¡±

    I smiled at her. ¡°Great! So¡­ are you willing to be our spokesperson then?!¡±

 72 A Plan and an Audience with a Queen

    I smiled at her. ¡°Great! So¡­ are you willing to be our spokesperson then?!¡±

    Lakshmi jerked in surprise. ¡°Me?! I¡¯m not the princess anymore! I¡¯ve probably been disinherited!¡±

    ¡°Well, be that as it may, you have a lot of experience talking to very important people, and we¡¯ve seen what happens when I do the talking.¡± I found myself clasping my hands to my chest hating how I sounded, but feeling every bit of it. ¡°And it would be so nice if we could just explain for once, instead of turning everything into a giant firefight!¡±

    Everyone was silent for a moment. Soriya coughed. ¡°I use dark and cold most of the time, really.¡±

    I rolled my eyes at her, but nobody else seemed to get the joke. As usual. I thought.

    ¡°So, can I count on Captain Lakshmi to explain that we just want to make amends?¡± I said hopefully.

    Lakshmi tapped her chin, lost in thought. Daniyel said softly ¡°Challenges come in many forms. For instance, did I ever tell you the story of-¡±

    ¡°Ok, ok! Alright, I get it!¡± Lakshmi waved her hands hurriedly. ¡°I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯m just not wild about the idea that if you¡¯re right, they¡¯ll probably just tell us to go on some weird and super dangerous quest anyway!¡±

    I sighed and nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s probably true. But maybe we can ask them to give us their Arcanum, so we can succeed, instead of being sent to a supposed death?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± she pointed her finger at me sternly. ¡°I still haven¡¯t forgiven you for forgetting that airships need fuel! But¡­ I am forced to admit, the fuel did just turn up like you predicted.¡± She turned back to the walls and caressed the bulkhead once more. ¡°But if we could just figure out what they use here¡­¡± her voice trailed off softly.

    Camaxtli spoke up. ¡°It is a combination of ?theric vibrations and differential flux potential between mana poles. It requires living components to properly replicate, and as such is subject to intense maintence requirements.¡±

    Lakshmi turned to him; her eyes wide. ¡°Oh wow, so this ship is actually alive! It doesn¡¯t just look like it?!¡±

    Camaxtli tipped his head to the side, his eyes whirling. ¡°That is¡­ not entirely incorrect.¡±

    Lakshmi frowned, then her eyebrows rose. ¡°This is one of those things you mentioned. It¡¯s not quite right, but not quite wrong?¡±

    Camaxtli sagged in relief, and my mouth popped open in surprise.

    Camaxtli!? Showing that much emotion? Wow!

    ¡°That is correct.¡± He nodded; his voice tinged with clear relief. ¡°I am glad you understand. I will be happy to elaborate on the principles when we have time.¡±

    Lakshmi giggled and bounced happily. ¡°Yes, yesyesyes, of course yes! I love to learn about new technology, you know that!¡±

    Camaxtli nodded, and the faintest of curves appeared on his lips. ¡°Yes. That personality trait is self-evident.¡± He said.

    I stared at him in confusion. Was that¡­ a joke?! Did he just make a joke?!

    Lakshmi slapped her palms on her pants. ¡°Well, if I¡¯m going to do the talking, I need to slap the rest of you into shape! So listen up, loyal crew!¡±

    We spent the rest of the trip with Lakshmi drilling etiquette and protocol into our heads. It wasn¡¯t much, and this was the Sylvani territory, but¡­ well, Lakshmi was a surprisingly good teacher. When she wasn¡¯t playing up the ¡®pirate queen¡¯ angle.

    I need to talk to her about that. Unless she enjoys it, I guess? Still, she¡¯s so over the top¡­!

    I was enthralled with the lesson, though Eshaan found himself less so. I had to keep my fingers crossed that this would pay off at all. Though I did wonder, wasn¡¯t this off script? Wasn¡¯t Eshaan supposed to be doing the talking? Or perhaps me, with my ¡®heart felt plea¡¯ attack? I shook my head in irritation. Still, it just made sense for Lakshmi to teach us this, and for her to do the talking.

    Several hours later, at least by the angle of the sun in the sky, the airship started to descend. A few moments after that, we caught sight of what could only be the Sylvani city.

    ¡°Soriya! Look, look!¡± I pointed out the porthole at the lush greenery below, and the elegant spires of enormous trees sculpted into high rise buildings, open courtyards and landing platforms. It rather reminded me of the Imperial city, only the air was pristine, and there was greenery everywhere.

    Soriya grinned, and nudged me. ¡°Going to ask about the chocolate? For ¡®the Avatar¡¯ maybe they¡¯ll make you a deal?¡±

    I rolled my eyes at her. ¡°Yes of course I¡¯m going to ask about chocolate! But it¡¯s not the main reason we¡¯re here! Just¡­ a nice side bonus, if it shows up!¡±

    Soriya grinned back, then looked out the window. ¡°Still¡­ this is pretty cool. A really real Elven city.¡±

    I nudged her with an elbow. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who told me that was racist? Calling them elves?¡±

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t recall that. And anyway, you know what I meant.¡±

    I nodded agreeably. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true I do. But I think I¡¯ll try to keep calling them Sylvani, otherwise I¡¯ll wind up insulting them. If there¡¯s one thing that I don¡¯t want to give this plot, it¡¯s an unintended insult.¡± I waved my arms around. ¡°For heaven¡¯s sakes we already blew up their defense grid! We don¡¯t need to be forced into making more mistakes!¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Do you have any idea how to repair it?¡±

    I glanced at her in surprise. ¡°No, of course not. My being able to blow it up was entirely based on listening to Lakshmi¡¯s lectures! We have a walking talking genius magitech engineer with us! Whatever it is, no matter how weird or bizarre, she¡¯ll understand it after doing just the most cursory study of it.¡±

    From across the hangar, Lakshmi suddenly gave a shriek of delight. ¡°I¡¯ve got it!¡± She danced around in a little circle, pointing to the bulkhead. ¡°They fused the living structure of a plant, like a bonsai, and then infused a solidified form of mana while it was growing! It¡¯s brilliant!¡±

    Soriya and I shared a look, then slowly smiled at eachother.

    ¡°You know. Like that.¡± I said.

    Lakshmi was horrified to learn that we had no paper on us, not even a writing implement. Daniyel was extremely apologetic, but pointed out that all our weapons had been confiscated.

    ¡°I do not believe paper cuts to be a true weapon of war, but these Sylvani do have strange customs.¡± He said dryly. Soriya giggled and kissed him on the cheek. I turned my head and pretended to be absorbed in examining the cargo crates, half of which Eshaan had already opened.

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    ¡°Eshaan, sweetie. We¡¯re going to be landing soon, I think, so maybe close all those, and relock them?¡± I said to him.

    His eyes got big and he dashed over to the open chests, closing them again, and fiddling with the locks and his new hairpin collection. After that, we all dutifully put on our shackles and relocked them.

    A short time later, the sound of wood and wind outside took on a different tone, and peering out the porthole, I could see the airship had nestled into a wooden cradle. Clearly, we had arrived. The harsh sound of metal and locks snapping open drew our attention to the door, which slammed open, and a different squad of sylvani hotties-

    Seriously, why are they all so gorgeous! I am feeling downright inferior! ¡­ oh God, I¡¯m comparing my chest to the women now. How utterly trite. I pressed my lips together in annoyance. Eshaan is watching, this is rude to even think it!

    -marched in and took us into custody once more. The imperial troopers in the other hold were added to our group, and we were marched with brisk efficiency off the airship.

    The bustling docks of the tree city were incredibly exotic. The smells and sounds of a living tree city exceeded all my expectations. But what caught my eye after the parade of incredibly attractive sylvani in revealing clothing, was the bright colored balls of goo that bounced here and there, often trailing after various groups as though they were¡­ pets?!

    ¡°Are those¡­ slimes? Slime pets!?¡± Lakshmi gasped. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a slime of that color! Or that one!¡± She pointed eagerly.

    One of the female sylvani guards glared over at us. ¡°Not that it¡¯s any of your concern, but slimes are a vital part of our culture!¡±

    ¡°Keyleth! Stop talking to the prisoners! The queen will want to have the right of first interrogation!¡± The guard captain snapped. The female sylvani snapped her head around and saluted ¡°Sir!¡±

    My eyes widened. Well that was quick. Right to the queen! I crossed my fingers mentally. I hope this goes¡­ well of course it won¡¯t go to plan, that¡¯s like¡­ asking to fall up for heaven¡¯s sake.

    I finally settled on I hope she¡¯s friendly. And left it at that.

    ¡°Take these others to the holding area. The Queen only wishes to see them.¡±

    Half our guards split off, pushing the imperial troopers with them, leaving us with a smaller group of guards and unanswered questions.

    We were ushered through the city at a quick pace, though I did take the opportunity to rubberneck. In its own way-

    A very green and golden leafy way I thought with amusement

    -it was just as interesting and engaging as Camaxtli¡¯s Jubilee, or the Imperial capital of Spyre. Every once in a while, it would hit me again with full force. This world was not just some game, it was a living breathing world, and I was living in it. Hopefully, the slimes would not need to hit me.

    ¡°May we at least know the name of your city?¡± I asked.

    Our guards were silent for a long moment, and then the guard captain spoke up reluctantly. ¡°This is the capital of  Itzi, Zaachilia.¡± He said shortly, then returned to stoic silence.

    Really, he can give Daniyel a run for his money there. I thought wryly. So. Zaachilia. Well, now I have a name to call this place at least. And we can at least refer to it properly when we address the queen.

    I noted that the imperial troopers didn¡¯t say anything themselves, and wondered if they¡¯d tried, or were just still reeling from the loss of Lieutenant Isha.

    The palace was very grand, and also very green. An enormous tree, larger than any we¡¯d yet seen with multiple skyway bridges radiating outwards, soaring over the lightless chasms of greenery below us. Very professional guards who held their weapons with the knowledge of long practice checked us over, and I caught several snatches of dialogue between them.

    ¡°We have brought the avatar, her companions, and her foes for judgement.¡±

    ¡°This is the avatar? Oh, I suppose she must be with that appearance.¡±

    My appearance? What¡¯s that about? Is pink hair that unusual here? I thought.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re expected, of course.¡±

    ¡°Of course we are.¡±

    Then to us. ¡°You will be watched, outlanders. If you make any unexpected move, your death will be swift.¡±

    I had no doubt that these extremely dangerous looking men and women meant every word. Fortunately for me, I just wanted to pick up the next plot coupon and be on my way, not start a revolution or wage a six person war.

    Although, to be even more precise, I am waging a six person war against Deacon. So perhaps I am here to wage a war after all. Just not against the sylvani.

    The gates to the palace opened, and we were ushered inside.

    I¡¯d never imagined wood could be so beautiful. I¡¯d known that wood could have different colors, but the patterns¡­ they was like liquid flowing into each other, only to explode in sudden intricate geometric mandala patterns like flowers or stars. The walls, the floor, the ceiling, were all woven into a beautiful abstract pattern that captured the eye, and all done in shades of living wood.

    The windows looked out at the broad jungle outside, brilliant sunlight spilling like liquid gold across the floor, and adding its own pattern to the wooden artistry on casual display.

    The guard¡¯s voice called me back to reality. I¡¯d completely lost track of where we were, absorbed in the scenery.

    ¡°Presenting the Avatar of the System, her companions, and the foes they battled. I have witnessed their skill and the destruction of the land myself, and attest to their power, your majesty.¡±

    We had come to a grand hall, filled with a grand crowd of sylvani. At the head of the room, a beautiful sylvani woman rested casually in a woven throne, leaves of gold and pale green forming a halo around her.

    Ah, the queen. This must be her court. My lips twitched. And she¡¯s very buxom indeed. I noted. My smile twitched a little broader as I realized the queen held a small brown slime in her lap, giving it absent minded strokes. There were several slimes scattered about the grand throne room too, they must be court pets.

    Lakshmi made a motion with her hand and as we had arranged, our little group all sank down to our knees and bowed our heads. Lakshmi spoke with a resonant tone, very unlike her normal speech ¡°We greet the grand queen of the land of Itzi, we are honored to exist in your presence.¡±

    I tuned out the formalities, staring at the slime in the queen¡¯s lap. I wonder if mother would like a slime for a pet? I thought.

    The queen¡¯s next words brought me back with a snap though.

    ¡°You stand accused of grave crimes.¡± The queen spoke. ¡°Merely entering our lands without permission might result in execution, and then on top of this you have added the destruction of the living land. Were it not for the presence of the Avatar in your group, you would be dead already.¡±

    I could feel everyone tense up, but Lakshmi seemed to be in full Air Pirate mode, taking it with an easy smile and a flourish of her hat.

    ¡°Yet you have not, and we do! We are grateful for the opportunity to explain ourselves. We are on a grand quest, we seek one of the lost Keys to the System, an Arcana which lies somewhere in your lands. Our need is great, and we saw no other way to enter your lands.¡± Lakshmi gave another flourish of her hat. ¡°And so we entered through your gate towers, little realizing the outcome! We offer our most humble apology, and offer to repair the damage we have caused.

    ¡°Please, hear our plea. We would not ask this if our need were not grave indeed. As you can see, we are pursued by evil men with a dark purpose, one who wishes to stop the Avatar and her quest.¡±

    There was a shocked gasp among the courtiers, followed by a low murmur and shuffling. The queen raised her hand and the room was filled with silence immediately.

    ¡°So you have come for the fragment then.¡± The queen sighed. ¡°The payment for our ancestor¡¯s sins have truly come, as the prophecy foretold.¡±

    My head popped up, looking at the queen in surprise. She was staring right at me, and I felt myself blush, dropping my head again.

    The sound of footsteps on carpet and the rustle of cloth, followed by the gasps of the courtiers made me desperate to look up, but before the urge could overwhelm me, I saw the hem of the queen¡¯s gown and her slippers, and felt a light touch on my head.

    The queen crouched down and slipped her fingers under my chin, lifting my head to look into her eyes.

    Her eyes were large and green and filled with a mixture of iron willed determination and a faint hint of sadness. I could feel my heart beating a hundred miles a minute.

    What is even going on?! I don¡¯t know any plot like this!

    The queen looked into my eyes for a long moment, then spoke.

    ¡°I see you are indeed very beautiful, just as the legends said.¡±

    I felt my cheeks blaze with embarrassment. This was not at all what I thought the script was going to be!

    The queen stood up. ¡°But I see the honesty and pure soul in your eyes. You truly mean us no harm.¡± She sighed. ¡°You may rise.¡±

    The guard captain gave a shocked gasp and stepped forward, his armor clanking. ¡°Your majesty-!¡±

    The queen held up her hand to silence him, then turned to him, her gaze level. ¡°Caeldrim, your loyalty is beyond reproach, but our ancient sins have come due.¡± Her eyes narrowed and her voice turned thoughtful as she turned back to us. ¡°But since they have offered¡­¡± her voice grew louder.

    ¡°We accept your offer of repair, but the material-¡±

    I felt a huge wave of relief wash over me. At last, here we go! And my thoughts matched the queen¡¯s words as she announced.

    ¡°-is incredibly rare. We have none in reserve, and gaining more requires a dangerous quest-¡± but that was when the script ran off the rails again.

    ¡°-to the lands of ice in the utmost north, where another of the Arcanum we stole guards it.¡±

    Wait, what?! My thoughts stumbled to a halt.

    At the exact same moment, Eshaan said ¡°Wait, what!?¡±

 73 An Ancient Sylvani Ceremony

    Lakshmi boldly covered for my idiot boyfriend. ¡°We are happy to accept this quest you present us, we shall complete it in good faith as proof of our sincerity!¡±

    Lakshmi gave me a quick glance and a thumbs up. This at least, was proceeding according to plan¡­

    My head hurt with the revelation that the sylvani had stolen the Arcanum! And apparently not just one, but several?! And they kept referring to some ancient sin?!

    What in the world is going on here?! I thought wildly.

    The queen smiled sadly and said ¡°But you have asked, and our sins have come to roost. You may rise. Come. I will show you the object of your quest, and explain.

    The royal guard Caeldrim voiced a wordless protest, but the queen held up her hand imperiously. ¡°Enough, Caeldrim. I have spoken. The child, the Avatar. She is what the prophecy foretold. Her companions have a soul to match hers, regardless of their strange backgrounds. I will hear no more of this.¡±

    The queen turned to us and beckoned again. ¡°Come.¡± She said, and strode into the halls behind the throne. We traded glances with each other, and I shrugged. Lakshmi shrugged in return. ¡°When royalty ask, it¡¯s a command.¡± She said with a wry smile. ¡°We¡¯d better hop to if we don¡¯t want to miss out.¡±

    We hurried after the queen, the royal guard falling into position behind us leaving behind the grand throne room buzzing with conversation, rumor, and speculation.

    ¡°I believe I will begin at the start of all this. Our original sin.¡± Said the queen. ¡°You may believe that was choosing to fight against the System, but you would be wrong. We remain confident that the Alliance was in the right, the abomination of the System should never have been wrought. Our sin was in our hubris, that we understood the deep magics without ever studying them. When they announced their grand discovery, my great-great-grandmother sat on the throne.¡±

    We turned left, and then right, descending down a ramp into the depths of the tree.

    ¡°They had discovered the soul, they said. When they announced their plan to build an engine to infuse power to the soul, we knew we had to act. Others joined our Alliance for the same reason. They said their System would not harm the soul, that it could not be used in that fashion. But my ancestor saw the truth. Anything that would link with the soul could use the soul as fuel. Whether they knew it or not, they had built an engine powered by souls. Trapped in an endless wheel of reincarnation, dying to spin the gears of a machine that existed in unreality.¡±

    I felt my blood run cold as pieces suddenly fell into place. Deacon is using the war to power the church¡¯s Arcanum. That¡¯s why he¡¯s fueling the war. He¡¯s got his own Arcanum.

    I shuddered in horror. The idea was beyond abhorrent. It could only make sense if you didn¡¯t even view this reality as real. Truly, the shadow of myself had ascended to a master villain if he would start a war to fuel his plans to crack the System! A shadow that was empowered by the first Arcanum itself! The irony was so thick it gagged me.

    I missed the queen¡¯s next words, my thoughts stumbling from the horror of my realization.

    I jolted back to the conversation with Eshaan asking ¡°Wait, so¡­ you stole Arcanum? I thought they were fragments of reality? How do you steal reality?¡±

    We started to descend another staircase. The Queen paused to wave a hand over a small globe, which lit up and hovered near her shoulder, spreading light like a torch. She beckoned to us, and then descended deeper into the wooden labyrinth that spread out around us.

    ¡°Your understanding is slightly askew. The Arcana are not reality, they are reflections of reality. Facets of reality, used to intermediate between true reality and the souls that it linked with. My ancestor¡¯s intention was to cripple the System, prevent it from activation. And so we did not steal an Arcanum, we stole three.¡±

    My eyes grew wide as she conveyed this world splintering information in a casual, matter of fact way.

    She grimaced and then added ¡°Well. Two and a half.¡± She shook her head sadly. ¡°We succeeded and failed all at once. We had failed to understand that the System was already active. We crippled the system, and in doing so condemned untold numbers of souls to an eternal half-life, dragged behind us in the Wake.¡±

    She sighed and turned to me, her face in half shadow from the globe. ¡°And so, Avatar. We find ourselves faced with our sin. We knew the System would enact a recovery protocol. We did not realize how long it would take. And now you are here to relieve us of our burden. And we must trust that you will take up our cause instead of the Systems.¡±

    She stepped forward and placed her hand on my chest. ¡°We must ask you to restore the System so that you can shut it down. Release the souls of the world, trapped in the water wheel of unreality.¡±

    I staggered, feeling a massive weight of guilt and disbelief pressing on me.

    ¡°But¡­ but how?!¡± I stammered. ¡°How can you¡­?! How can I?!¡±

    The queen shook her head. ¡°I have wondered for a long time if the prophecy would be accurate, what I might say when the Avatar came to me. If she would be what was claimed.¡± She smiled and patted me lightly on the head.

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    ¡°I do not know that you will, child. I simply have faith. Whatever forces the System used to create you, to ensoul you, it ensured that you will understand my plea, understand the ancient imbalance, the ancient sin that we must atone for. I can see it in your eyes.¡±

    She smiled tolerantly at my gape mouthed shock. ¡°No, don¡¯t look at me like that. You likely think yourself very worldly and mature, but I can see the purity that shines from your soul.¡± She turned and gestured to the others. ¡°From all of your souls. You will do this for us. You will rectify our sins. You will succeed where our ancestors failed. You will destroy the System, so that the souls of this world will be freed.¡±

    Soriya spoke up. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear more about this ¡®and a half¡¯ bit. How do you steal half an Arcanum?¡±

    The queen sighed heavily. ¡°By failing.¡± She turned and pressed her hand against a nearby wall. The wall slowly morphed open, revealing a mingled green and gold light which pulsed and flickered from within, bathing the corridor in rippling colors.

    ¡°Come and see.¡± She said, gesturing to the door. She stepped through into the wash of flickering light.

    Not having any better idea, and feeling rather like the plot was just leading me on-

    What a familiar feeling. The plot is going where I want to go, and in we go. I thought.

    -I stepped into the glowing doorway after the buxom elven queen.

    My vision cleared to see a now familiar Ancient machine of some sort, all bronze metal covered with intricate clockwork machinery. What wasn¡¯t familiar was the equally intricate living wood woven into the gears and cogs of the machinery. The golden green light pulsed and flickered from the machinery in what I could only describe as a weak way, and I could suddenly hear a familiar voice calling out to me.

    <Systems degraded. Lost linkage. Repair urgent.> the soft whispering voice sounded lost and alone and desperately weak.

    Come to that, it sounds like Forge did, just before I picked him up. I thought.

    I looked at the queen questioningly. She nodded. ¡°This is the half an arcanum. We stole it before it was properly activated. We thought this would be a better approach.¡± She looked down at the ground, her lips curved in a sad frown. ¡°We were so wrong. We have lived our entire lives hearing its cries. We kept it¡­ alive, for lack of a better term.¡± She said, gesturing at the living wood woven through the machinery.

    I reached up and laid a hand on the Ancient machine. The pulse and throb of an Arcanum filled my mind as I did. It hurt. I knew it, I could feel it. This was unlike Forge, this Arcanum was wounded. Tears welled in my eyes and trickled down my cheeks.

    I gasped, and spun to face the queen. ¡°This¡­ this is why the war ended, isn¡¯t it!¡± I demanded, overcome with the revelation.

    The queen nodded mutely, then gestured to the arcanum. ¡°And now it is your turn. Do¡­ whatever it is that an Avatar does.¡± She said.

    I nodded, and turned back to the Arcanum. ¡°It¡¯s ok. I¡¯m here. I¡­ your summoner is here.¡± I said.

    <Linkage¡­ searching. Searching. Core components recognized. Beginning upload.>

    I had never really been aware of the process of¡­ of bonding with an Arcana before. It simply¡­ happened. This time it did not ¡®simply happen¡¯.

    It was slow, and it felt like I was reaching out a hand down a deep well that I couldn¡¯t see the bottom of. A flickering faint light of gold and green flashed in and out of my awareness, and then something caught in my mental hand, and a weak childlike voice spoke in my head.

    <I am Oak. I am half of Oak.> The voice was so weak, I could barely hear it. But in my head, the voices of the other arcanum spoke, introducing themselves one by one, and finally, I introduced myself.

    I am Lilyanna of Breezewood. I thought quietly. Or at least I tried to think quietly. Welcome.

    <Upload. Incomplete. Data missing.> The childish voice said, and then fell silent.

    I opened my eyes, surprised to realize that I¡¯d closed them. The softly ticking, glowing, and humming machine in front of me had ceased. The woven branches pulsed softly with their own inner light, but the machine no longer drew the light into itself. I turned to the queen, and was shocked to see a brilliant smile on her face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

    ¡°At last.¡± She whispered. ¡°It¡¯s gone. The horrible whispering pain is gone!¡± She said, then shouted happily ¡°Our curse is ended!¡± She flung her arms around me, pulling me into a surprise hug. ¡°Thank you! Thank you, Thank you, a thousand blessings on you!¡±

    I staggered, feeling very strange indeed. The weak half voice in my head¡­ Oak? It had called itself? I would have to try to speak with it later. Maybe the other Arcanum will bother to actually answer a question for once! I thought peevishly.

    The mingled voices of the Arcanum answered in my head ¡°No, we do not think we will.¡±

    A spark of genuine irritation flared in my heart and I almost growled.

    I was startled when Soriya said with a touch of asperity ¡°Now that the depressing info dump and quest drop is over, can we please address the leviathan in the room?¡±

    The queen released me, and looked over at Soriya. ¡°The leviathan? I do not believe I¡¯m familiar with this saying.¡±

    I saw Daniyel and Camaxtli trying out the words silently.

    Soriya gave her a cheeky grin. ¡°Well, we are from over the ocean after all!¡± She clapped her hands. ¡°So. Two other Arcanum! And¡­ how many are there in total? And where are the ones you stole? A map and directions would be lovely!¡±

    The queen frowned in confusion, a look of visible irritation flickering over her face. She looked between me and Soriya as though trying to decide something. Finally, she answered hesitantly. ¡°How do you not know this? There are 9 Arcanum, of course. The Arcanum of Frost lies to the north, on the island of Bekent, guarded by the mountain passes and the beastkin tribes that live there.¡±

    A part of me perked up. Beastkin? Catgirls?! Are we going to get to meet catgirls?! I thought happily. I suddenly glanced over at Eshaan and frowned. He¡¯d better not get any ideas! I thought, before I could stop myself. Oh good Lily, yes, very accurate. The jealous girlfriend, lets avoid this, if at all possible. He¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s going to look. He looked at the sylvani. I thought with a sour taste in my mouth.

    I took a deep breath to clear my mind as the queen went on.

    ¡°In the middle of the continent, in the Canyon of Stars, the nomads of Achomawi guard the Arcanum of Sky.¡±

    Lakshmi spoke up. ¡°This is all well and good and all, but our airship is quite a distance away, and out of fuel besides! Were you planning on giving us a lift?!¡± She said.

    Surprisingly tart, for a princess speaking with a queen. I thought idly.

    The queen laughed openly. ¡°Of course not, child! You are here to free us from our curse! You have freed us from the Whispers of Sin! You will have the use of our fastest scout ship! Much faster than your poorly crafted skyship!¡±

    I expected the guard captain to bristle at that, or at least complain, but he was silent. When I looked over at him in surprise, I could see that he was smiling faintly, and his eyes were suspiciously bright.

    Dear spirits above, did they¡­ did they all hear that pain? All the time?! I almost forgive him for his incredibly foul attitude! Sylvani arrogance¡­ just the Weight of Sin?

 74 The Freedom to Follow a Plot

    The queen turned to her guard captain and began to issue orders to assist us in any way possible. I turned to my group and spotted Eshaan staring at the sylvani queen¡¯s body once more. I pressed my lips firmly together and shook my head.

    Alright. Time to admit I¡¯m just a bit peeved. I stepped over to him and reached out, putting a fingertip under his chin, turning his face to me. I smiled sweetly, tipping my head to the side.

    ¡°Eshaan~¡± I said, as sweetly as I could manage. ¡°Could you please not stare at the queen like that? It¡¯s making me a bit upset.¡±

    Eshaan turned bright red, and stammered ¡°Wha- I- uh-!¡±

    Daniyel and Soriya both burst into laughter, Daniyel slapping Eshaan across the shoulders so hard that Eshaan staggered.

    ¡°Best confess to it, lad. The look on her face could sink an airship!¡± He chortled.

    I blinked in confusion. Surely my expression wasn¡¯t scary? I was smiling and everything!

    Soriya smirked, then patted Daniyel lightly on the bicep. ¡°You stare too.¡± She said mildly.

    Daniyel shrugged with a casual grace and nodded. ¡°I do. These sylvani are very attractive. Almost as attractive as you, lady Witch.¡± He smiled at her calmly. ¡°I know this, since they have rarely taken their eyes off you two. It might make a less secure man jealous.¡±

    He turned back to Eshaan and patted him on the shoulders again. ¡°Go on lad. She was honest with you, and deserves the same.¡± He advised gently.

    Eshaan gave his nervous little chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. He looked up and me and his eyes were filled with sincerity.

    He nodded. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s true, yes. I¡¯m staring. But I mean¡­ she¡¯s really pretty!¡± he flushed and looked down. ¡°But they¡¯re all staring at you! It makes me¡­¡± He squirmed uncomfortably, took a deep breath and rushed on. ¡°You¡¯re so pretty, and you¡¯re interested in a guy like me, and it¡¯s not fair that they¡¯re staring at you like that!¡±

    I blinked in baffled confusion. ¡°Eh? What? I¡¯m this ¡®Avatar¡¯ they¡¯re waiting for, that¡¯s not-¡±

    He cut me off. ¡°Trust me Lily. They are not just staring at you because you¡¯re ¡®the Avatar¡¯.¡± He paused, then gave a little smirk. ¡°Unless ¡®the Avatar¡¯ is located in your hips or chest? If that¡¯s so, then Soriya must be the Avatar too.¡±

    I could feel a flush heating my cheeks, and fought to focus.

    Well, I mean¡­ Soriya kind of is¡­? I thought.

    I looked to the others for backup, but they only nodded in agreement. I noticed that Soriya¡¯s cheeks were rather pink as well.

    ¡°Eh? Eh?!¡± I stammered.

    I could feel my blush getting even brighter. I mean, I knew I was pretty, I had access to a mirror after all, but it really just¡­ hadn¡¯t seemed all that important for¡­

    Goodness, how long? I can¡¯t seem to remember¡­ but¡­ does Eshaan really think I¡¯m as pretty as the sylvani?! That¡¯s so sweet of him! Chasing after that thought, a quieter thought. He thinks I¡¯m as pretty as Soriya? Really?! But she¡¯s much prettier than me!

    I opened and closed my mouth a few times, at a loss for words.

    Soriya nudged Eshaan with her elbow, grinning. ¡°Smooth moves there. You¡¯ve rendered her speechless and she¡¯s blushing.¡±

    Daniyel said ¡°Perhaps not the best time-¡±

    ¡°No. Definitely the best time.¡± Eshaan said, and stepped forward taking my hands in his.

    ¡°Lily, I¡¯ve wanted to say this for a while but¡­ well you know how I am. You truly are beautiful, but even more than that¡­ I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re actually interested in a guy like me. You¡¯re so far out of my league I can¡¯t believe you even look at me, but you kissed me back in Hecate. You¡¯re quite possibly the most beautiful woman I¡¯ve ever known.¡± He grinned and then kissed me on the forehead. ¡°And you take me to the most interesting places.¡±

    I was saved from melting down in terminal embarrassment by the soft cough of the queen and the guard captain. I jerked up, looking at them, feeling utterly mortified that I¡¯d been so thoroughly caught out.

    ¡°Shall we escort you to the scout ship?¡± The captain said with a faint smile. ¡°There are¡­ private quarters onboard.¡±

    I wanted to melt through the floor and die in fire.

    The queen shot him a look. ¡°Captain. Enough of that. They are heroes of legend, and have saved us. Let us ease their passage, rather than tease them to no good end.¡±

    Lakshmi spoke up. ¡°I haven¡¯t given up my ship, you know! The Sparrowhawk is still mine! She still runs!¡±

    The queen raised her eyebrows in surprise and then said ¡°Very well. If you insist¡­ I suppose we can tow it to one of our drydocks and service it.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Lakshmi protested. ¡°Just let us return to it and use it instead!¡±

    The queen shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s quite out of the question, the holding labyrinths of the Arcana of Sky and Ice require the presence of a Sylvani ship to access. You would not be able to enter them with your metal vessel.

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    Lakshmi threw her arms up and whirled in a circle of frustration. ¡°Agh! I can¡¯t believe this!¡± She spun again and pointed at me. ¡°This is the fourth ship you¡¯ve cost me!¡±

    I recoiled from the vehemence in her voice.

    Daniyel said softly, ¡°The Sparrowhawk is not lost. We are merely borrowing a friendly vessel. A vessel with unique and unknown technologies.¡± He pressed.

    Lakshmi scowled up at him fiercely, her mouth working as though she was chewing something bitter.

    ¡°I am¡­ that is¡­¡± she stomped her foot angrily and crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯m still counting this against your tally!¡± She pointed at me.

    I pressed my lips together to hide a smile and then nodded gravely. ¡°I understand. That¡¯s more than fair.¡± I said to her. ¡°My quest has led to quite a few surprises. For all of us.¡±

    I turned back to the queen. ¡°That said, would it be alright if we had a little rest before we headed off to the next arcanum? I think we deserve it.¡±

    The queen smiled. ¡°I think that can be arranged.¡±

    In short order, we were shown to a pair of luxurious suites in the upper levels of the palace. As we passed the servants in the halls, the sylvani greeted us cheerfully, thanking us for freeing them. And, I was mortified to realize, staring at my body. Eshaan was right. Still, it felt good to receive praise, to know that I¡¯d actually helped. Though I did wonder why I¡¯d not leveled up. That worried me a bit. I hoped it wasn¡¯t because there was another fight coming¡­ but perhaps I should expect it. Still, this had been a very easy ¡®encounter¡¯ so far.

    The women took one suite, and the men took the other. I happily headed into the bath, delighted to find that they used the same fire and water crystals as the baths back home. And the baths were enormous! Not as huge as the bathhouse in Breezewood, but wonderfully extravagant!

    ¡°Say, this is nice. We should guilt trip foreign dignitaries more often!¡± Said Soriya, leaning back in the bath and laying her head on the tiled edge.

    ¡°Strictly speaking, that is a poor way to repay your hosts.¡± murmured Lakshmi, her eyes closed. ¡°As a royal princess, I really could not recommend it. Fortunately, I am the dread air pirate Lakshmi the Red, and think this is an excellent use of resources. It¡¯s just a pity we can¡¯t liberate a handsome captive prince while we¡¯re here.¡±

    I giggled. ¡°I think Camaxtli might have a bit to say about that.¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s eyes popped open and she glared at me. ¡°Miss ¡®everyone¡¯s looking at me¡¯ says what?!¡± She said archly.

    I flushed brightly, and ducked my head underwater to avoid having to answer.

    After the bath, cleaned and dressed in sylvani robes while the castle staff cleaned and patched our somewhat worn adventuring gear, we gathered in a small dining area.

    I couldn¡¯t help giggling quietly. The entire feast was vegetarian, and it was just so perfect to see Lakshmi mutter about barbarian savage customs, and Eshaan pick confusedly at his mushroom steak.

    It was delicious, and the frown that Daniyel wore as he poked suspiciously at the green leafy vegetables with his fork was too funny.

    Camaxtli finished his sparse meal, and set aside the plate, leaning forward.

    ¡°I feel I must apologize to you.¡± He addressed me. ¡°I had¡­ doubts. I continue to have¡­ the data is clearly in agreement and this is causing difficulty with my¡­ preconceptions. There should not have beem an Arcanum here. And yet we find ourselves with a solid lead to two more and you in possession of the prophesied Arcanum. You predicted this outcome. You predicted¡­ many events that were unforeseeable, and yet you constantly remain surprised at lesser, entirely predictable, things.

    ¡°At no point has your behavior deviated from your stated intentions, and indeed the sylvani revelation that they engaged in open warfare to prevent this meddling with souls¡­ explains a great deal.¡±

    He bowed his head to me. ¡°I apologize for considering the likelihood that you were mad.¡±

    The table descended into an awkward silence. I reached over and patted his hand, which earned me a glare from Lakshmi.

    ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, I¡¯ve wondered if I might be quite mad often enough. Is this all a dream? Am I trapped in a coma dying in a hostpital?¡± I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I only have the experience of my senses to go on. I¡¯m forced to proceed with the information I have at hand, nonsensical as it is.¡± I smiled at him. ¡°A rather famous author once wrote ¡®Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.¡¯ If all the information you¡¯re receiving tells you that the impossible has happened¡­ where does that leave you?¡±

    Camaxtli was silent, his eyes whirling in thought, then he nodded slowly. ¡°I will¡­ take it under advisement. This¡­ foray into the world has been terrifying. It is not easy to discover that the answers to questions are ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ and ¡®It depends¡¯ rather than simple, rational outcomes.¡±

    Lakshmi reached across the table and squeezed Camaxtli¡¯s hand. ¡°I know, right?! That¡¯s why it¡¯s always better to be an air pirate if you can!¡±

    Camaxtli was still for a long moment, and I felt my heart skip a beat when I saw the corners of his lips curve upward ever so faintly as he looked at her.

    ¡°There are¡­ advantages. To this mode of thought.¡± He said to Lakshmi.

    To my surprise, Eshaan suddenly spoke up. ¡°Say Lily? I¡¯ve been thinking. Do you think maybe the reason you keep having all those ghost encounters and things is related to that? Like, souls and stuff? You¡¯re supposed to put it all in balance?¡±

    I blinked at him, my mouth dropping open in surprise.

    Lakshmi gave Eshaan a mock frown. ¡°What¡¯s this?! When does the post have thoughts?!¡±

    He gave her a mild scowl. ¡°Hey! I have thoughts! Lots of thoughts! All the thinking, going on up here!¡± He tapped his head.

    I could feel my eyebrows climbing up to my hairline. I hurriedly schooled my features to stillness and asked ¡°What do you mean, Eshaan?¡±

    He turned back to me. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re from that well, and the machine is all about souls, but it¡¯s broken or stuck or something, and that¡¯s what¡¯s making the Wake? Or something, that part was really confusing.¡± He waved his spoon vaguely, and I gave a little internal sigh.

    So dumb. But so cute and so earnest.

    ¡°But basically-¡± he went on ¡°-the System machine wants you to fix itself, but it uses soul glue to do that, so it made you extra soul glue-y, which means you get drawn into weird encounters with ghosts and stuff. And that¡¯s all in the Wake!¡± He finally concluded.

    Lakshmi burst out ¡°That has to be the dumbest-!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s probably right.¡± Said Soriya, calmly. ¡°It would explain why all these things keep happening to you.¡± I could see from the look in her eyes, she really meant to us.

    I pushed the ever present worry that Soriya had not had enough of a presence in this prophecy to justify her ¡®dark half¡¯. I did not want to have to fight my best friend! I shuddered all over at the thought.

    I already have to fight my shadowself and past memories, isn¡¯t that enough, plot?!

    Conversation turned to the prospective events of gaining access to a sylvani airship, and soon after, we retired to bed. Our clothes, now cleaned and mended, had been left neatly folded by our beds. A discreet note informed us that several improvements, compliments of the queen, had been woven into the fabric. Lakshmi was ecstatic over the new intricate designs that had been imprinted into her red leather duster, and I had to admit, the new form my robe took when it finished squirming into shape from the ¡®runic poncho¡¯ was a significant improvement in both style and ease of movement.

    Still stuck in white and red robes though. Oh well.

    The down featherbed provided one of the deepest and relaxing nights of sleep I¡¯d had in¡­ a very long time.

 75 Power, Pride, and Predijuice

    It turned out to be a very good thing that I¡¯d had such a restful sleep, as the next morning, we were woken by extremely polite and extremely determined castle staff, who informed us in no uncertain terms that our gear and skills were woefully lacking, and the ¡®clearly and obviously superior¡¯ sylvani equipment and training were to be ¡®offered¡¯ to us on the orders of the queen.

    I was about to argue the issue, when Caeldrim announced that the Sparrowhawk was being retrieved from the crash site of the Dryad and if we were willing to wait, we could see her safely to a berth at the royal docks. That pretty much killed any ideas I had of hurry, since Lakshimi was completely unwilling to go before her baby was safely docked.

    Reluctantly, I even had to admit that it made sense. At the very least, I¡¯d want our boardgames from the Sparrowhawk, and Eshaan was positively glowing with excitement to learn some of the sword fighting that he¡¯d been shown. And darn it, yes, the sylvani¡¯s spellcraft was intricate and beautiful and the staves they had to offer were positively gorgeous.

    And so a week passed. Since Eshaan had mentioned it, I found that it was hard to ignore just how many stares I was receiving, but something still seemed off about it. It was like an itch at the back of my neck, I couldn¡¯t get rid of it.

    I was just about to break down and ask Caeldrim for help when I had a thought.

    Alright Lily, we¡¯re supposed to be the Avatar or have prophecy. Why would I be feeling uneasy in the sylvani capital? Ok, we¡¯ve got the plot widget. What happens in cities. Fetch quests, minigames and dirty politics. Politics¡­ but we have the plot item? I tapped my chin in thought. We are staying longer than expected though¡­?

    Eshaan dropped down next to me making me startle and give a little ¡®eep¡¯ of surprise. He was munching on some vendor food on a stick.

    ¡°Hey Lily. I called your name three times, what¡¯s got you so absorbed?¡± he offered me one of his food sticks. ¡°Want one?¡±

    I blinked at it curiously, sniffing slightly. It didn¡¯t smell bad¡­

    ¡°What is it?¡± I said, taking it cautiously.

    He shrugged carelessly, taking another bite. ¡°Dunno, but it¡¯s good, whatever it is!¡±

    I sighed and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. The gush of mingled flavors hit my tongue, and my eyes widened in surprise. My hand flew to my lips and I gasped in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s good!¡±

    ¡°I know, right?! Probably leaves and mushrooms and berries or something. Sylvani sure know how to eat, even if they don¡¯t have a lot of meat on the diet!¡±

    I took another bite, slowly working my way through the flavors, and making a mental note to try and add a few more ingredients. ¡°I think this is some kind of tree grub, actually¡­¡± I said. ¡°Not a mushroom at all. With a fruit glaze¡­? Oh! I bet these are glowberries!¡±

    Eshaan enthusiastically tore another bite off the stick. ¡°Bugs?! Awesome! I had no idea you could cook with bugs! And they¡¯re tasty! Let¡¯s make more of these and share them!¡±

    I sighed and rolled my eyes. ¡°You know, stereotypically, I should be shrieking and flailing around at the mere suggestion of eating a bug. Or anything weird.¡± I took another bite of the skewer, though nowhere near as huge as the bites Eshaan was taking. I swallowed and whapped him on the hand. ¡°Slow down, you¡¯re making a mess.¡±

    Eshaan stopped chewing, licked his fingers clean and looked at me in confusion. ¡°You? Lily, you¡¯re one of the most adventurous, bravest people I know. If you weren¡¯t a girl¡­¡± He blushed and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Look, you¡¯re not like other girls, and¡­¡±

    I could feel my temper starting to rise as he fumbled across his words.

    He hung his head. ¡°Oh Dragon, I¡¯m going to dig my grave again.¡± He muttered to himself. He looked up staring me directly in my eyes.

    ¡°Lily, you¡¯re not just my girlfriend, you¡¯re probably my best friend. I don¡¯t think we¡¯d be friends if you shrieked at cool but weird stuff, or just fluttered around uselessly like other girls.¡±

    My budding irritation vanished like a candle flame in one of Soriya¡¯s air spells. I flushed and smiled, then reached across and gave him a quick hug.

    ¡°Thanks. I like you too.¡± Though I do wonder if he would like one of those helpless damsel heroines just as well. It¡¯s who he¡¯s supposed to be with after all. I¡¯m¡­ half the stereotype, and half not. I¡­ I really don¡¯t mind girly things¡­ in fact I kind of like them. My room at home is¡­ very me. But eating a bug was definitely weird. But delicious.

    ¡°So what¡¯s got you so lost in thought that you eat a bug without a care?¡± Eshaan said, heaving a quiet sigh of relief that he¡¯d managed to avoid sticking his foot in his mouth again.

    ¡°Something¡¯s bugging me-¡± I stopped, and then giggled, waving the stick. ¡°I mean, other than this. I don¡¯t know what it is, so I was trying to figure it out.¡±

    ¡°Well, what¡¯s causing it?¡± Eshaan asked curiously.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, that¡¯s just it. So I was going over the plot, and trying to find what I¡¯m missing.¡±

    ¡°Oooh, Seer stuff!¡± He nodded. ¡°So? What have you figured out?¡±

    I repeated my thoughts to him, glad I could talk to him about this, even if he was a bag of pretty hammers.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s what¡¯s going on.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s probably politics, and I mean, the plot is big on any major institution being corrupt and broken, that¡¯s why we go on adventures to work around the nations and people in power, so we can do the right thing when they want to stop us. But the sylvani queen was super nice, and everyone has been really respectful with this ¡®Avatar¡¯ thing, and we got the arcanum without any real issue at all as well as guides to the next two. Some really heavy history, but¡­¡± I trailed off, shrugging.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see what the big deal is.¡± Eshaan shook his head. ¡°We solved that weird mental scream thing, but there¡¯s just no way all the sylvani can be ok with us. If you look at it from their perspective, we just reactivated a war machine that eats souls, and we¡¯re off to bring it up to full power. It¡¯s probably that. Some group here who¡¯s going to try and kill us to prevent another Ancient¡¯s War.¡±

    I stared at him eyes wide. Since when has my Eshaan been able to put two thoughts together in coherent order!?

    He pulled the last of the forest grub and berry skewer off the stick and chewed thoughtfully. ¡°You know, it¡¯s too bad this isn¡¯t like an army in the field thing. If it were, we could just lure them out with a classic deception ploy.¡± He waved his hands in mock dismay ¡°Oh nooo~, we are too weak, I sure hope they don¡¯t attack us.¡± He grinned fiercely. ¡°Then, when they leap out to attack, BAM!¡± He smacked his fist into his palm. ¡°Got em.¡± He shrugged again. ¡°I¡¯m no good with all this shadows on the wall stuff.¡± He smiled wryly at me. ¡°You may recall that¡¯s how we wound up on this adventure together.¡±

    I sat there, my mouth open in shock. What the honeysuckle happened to my pretty bag of hammers boy?! I thought in confusion.

    ¡°Eshaan¡­¡± I stopped in confusion.

    ¡°What?¡± He looked at me with the typical cow expression I¡¯d grown used to.

    I licked my lips and then shook my head. ¡°Never mind. I think¡­ I have an idea.¡± I hopped up and grabbed his hand. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s go talk to the guard captain.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Eshaan looked at the vendor stall nearby. ¡°Sure, but¡­ can we get some more of those skewers first?¡± He said plaintively.

    I laughed. ¡°Sure.¡±

    Skewers in hand, we hunted down the guard captain, who was overseeing the drills in the castle training ground.

    Being ¡®the Avatar¡¯ and being able to ¡®prophecy¡¯ made it fairly easy to explain, without going into all the reasons that wasn¡¯t quite right.

    ¡°¡­and so, I think there¡¯s some group or cell that wants to kill me, so they can end the System entirely. I think we should let them, make them think they¡¯ve killed me, and then while they¡¯re celebrating, we just¡­ leave.¡±

    I watched Caeldrim carefully as I laid out the first part of what I¡¯d¡­ what Eshaan had come up with. He was in a position of power too, and the plot demanded that such people be corrupt or useless. It was honestly even odds that he would be part of the conspiracy, especially since he¡¯d been so adamant about giving up the arcanum.

    He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then nodded. ¡°What you say has value. I¡¯ll let her majesty know, and we¡¯ll get to the bottom of this.¡± He turned and abruptly strode towards the central castle.

    I gave a huge sigh and turned to Eshaan. ¡°I do believe that man is going to try and kill us.¡±

    Eshaan looked at me with wide eyes. ¡°What?! You can tell?! But why did you tell him?!¡±

    I smiled at him, then slapped my fist into my palm. ¡°Bam.¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes got wide, and then he grinned. ¡°Oh wow¡­ that¡¯s¡­ wow Lily, you¡¯re good at this!¡±

    I tipped my head to the side, looking at Eshaan with new eyes. Could it be¡­ he¡¯s not dumb, just¡­ as naive as I¡¯m supposed to be?

    ¡°I don¡¯t really feel all that clever, but¡­ I¡¯m so tired of these delays. Let¡¯s go back and tell the others. We have to plan for an attack.¡±

    Lakshmi was anything but calm. ¡°This! This is exactly what I¡¯m talking about!¡± She shouted at me. ¡°You were going to cost me a fifth ship!¡±

    Daniyel laid his hand on her shoulder, and Camaxtli said simply ¡°But we have not lost the Sparrowhawk, your count is off by two.¡±

    Lakshmi rounded on him angrily. ¡°I¡¯m still counting those as losses!¡±

    Daniyel patted Lakshmi lightly on the shoulder and said ¡°Perhaps we should figure out a plan, so the count does not climb higher then?¡±

    Lakshmi scowled, but flopped down into a chair, her arms crossed.

    ¡°I think the direct approach is best.¡± Said Soriya. ¡°It seems most likely that they¡¯ll just sink the elven mothship, so we should let them do that, and we¡¯ll sneak away on the Sparrowhawk.¡±

    ¡°I think they¡¯d notice if an alien airship goes missing from the royal palace!¡± Lakshmi said sourly.

    ¡°No, we¡¯ll just replace it with an illusion.¡± Soriya replied smugly.

    Lakshmi sat upright. ¡°Wait, you can do that?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± I said. ¡°We can do that. My magic is very effective at illusion and deception.¡±

    Startled exclamations of shock an confusion met this exclamation. Camaxtli looked around in confusion, then said ¡°Why is there confusion on this point? Lilyanna¡¯s magic specializes in affecting the Mind and Body. She uses it for healing and warding purposes, but it can just as easily be twisted to darker purposes.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ but it¡¯s white magic!¡± Eshaan protested.

    I tapped him lightly on the shoulder. ¡°Eshaan, remember how eager Commander Khine was to have me in his army? Illusion and deception magic. There¡¯s a reason why people call the darker side of my magic ¡®witchcraft¡¯.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s Soriya!¡± Eshaan protested. ¡°She even calls herself a witch!¡±

    Soriya giggled nervously. ¡°Well yes, but¡­ Lily¡¯s better at this kind of thing. Dark and spooky, I can do. Mind stuff¡­ not so much.¡±

    ¡°The more important part is, how can we convince them to plant a bomb in the mothship, and then set it off when the ship is empty?¡±

    Lakshmi flipped her hand dismissively. ¡°If your magic is as good as you say it is, that¡¯s easy. The sylvani tech is weird, but no real difference. I can rig up a remote control easy.¡±

    I raised my eyebrows to my hairline. ¡°Really? You¡¯ve already figured out sylvani technology?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not a master of it, but I¡¯ve picked up a few useful tricks.¡± Lakshmi said smugly.

    Eshaan broke the silence with a laugh. ¡°That¡¯s our captain!¡± He said, and slapped Lakshmi on the shoulder.

    Lakshmi rubbed her shoulder gingerly, but grinned up at him. ¡°You bet. When I have some time, I already have a few ideas for modifications-¡±

    ¡°Later. Did they refuel the Sparrowhawk?¡± I asked.

    Lakshimi girnned. ¡°Even better. They put the mana fuel barrels inside with all our supplies.¡±

    Soriya groaned. ¡°Oh great. So now there¡¯s even less room?¡±

    Daniyel patted her gently on the arm. ¡°It is preferable to the alternative. And the barrels will not occupy too much space for very long, as the Sparrowhawk drinks them.¡±

    With that, our plan was set into motion. Fortunately for Soriya and I, cooperative casting illusion magic was not nearly as showy and dramatic as pinpointing the nearest Arcanum, or calling down the wrath of Light and Dark.

    It¡¯s almost like illusion magic is subtle. I thought with a smirk. It was, however, deeply uncomfortable to cast. I discovered that my compulsions towards truth did not stop at just a surface level. Soriya helped me as best she could, as I did the magical equivalent of stammering and stumbling over obvious lies as I wove the illusions. I had to start over three times.

    ¡°Think of it like this! We¡¯re fighting bad guys! A lie is just a weapon for that!¡± She encouraged me.

    I glared at her. ¡°Soriya, you do know I still have crying jags or break down when we have to fight people?¡±

    Soriya looked to the side, then back. ¡°You still do alright. This is just like that.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Right. So¡­. Just keep hammering my head against the wall, and it¡¯ll do.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve got the hardest head of anyone I know!¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really? What about Daniyel? Or Eshaan?¡±

    ¡°Nope! You¡¯re harder!¡± She replied with a cheeky grin.

    I heaved a sigh. ¡°Right, Let¡¯s try again.¡±

    After the fifth try, we finally had the spell matrix stable enough that it would last several days. I checked my status.

    {Name}: Lilyanna of Breezewood {Level}: 29

    {Classes}: Spiritist 10/Orator 9/Arcanist 7/Gourmet 3

    HP: 578    MP: 318/836    DEF: 124    M.DEF: 199

    Oh. Well that explains why I feel exhausted. Because I¡¯m exhausted! I thought bitterly.

    The following morning saw us all down at the air docks once more, this time with considerably less shackles and armed guards, and considerably more pomp and ceremony. It might have been my imagination, but it also seemed like there was a general festivity to the air as well, a charge or spark that hadn¡¯t been there when we arrived. I wasn¡¯t sure if this was a good or bad thing¡­ but I chose to believe this was our doing, and that it was joy at being released from the curse, and not eagerness to see interlopers blown up.

    The guard captain escorted us to a slender little moth of a ship, a green and brown and gold needle with broad wings on either side. Lakshmi immediately darted into the cabin and I could hear her exclamations and excitement from outside.

    The captain coughed and then said ¡°I was going to ask if you felt confident in your pilot¡¯s skills¡­¡°

    Camaxtli strode forward towards the hatch. ¡°It appears that our captain is quite confident.¡± He suddenly stopped and turned to me, his look questioning.

    I nodded slightly to him. Soriya and I were ready. The ship would launch, and we would all Gate to the Sparrowhawk¡¯s dock.

    The guard captain pondered, then said ¡°Very well. I will leave you to your task then.¡± He ground his teeth a bit, and then shook his head abruptly. ¡°This mothship is a loan from the kingdom. Your ship will be waiting for you when you return.¡± He turned and strode away briskly, leaving me to stare after him in confusion.

    Lakshmi said ¡°Well, at least he¡¯s honest about it.¡±

    ¡°Is he? I¡­ now I¡¯m wondering, what if the ship doesn¡¯t blow up?!¡±

    ¡°Then my remote will pilot away from the capital, and set it down in the trees.¡±

    Camaxtli gently tapped me on the shoulder. ¡°If I may, is this a prophecy?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°No. Not this time. Just¡­ that was odd behavior. And things went¡­ differently. Than a plot. I was trying to twist the story, I didn¡¯t want to get wrapped up in a complex three way plot of politics and assassinations and¡­ I just wanted to find the next arcanum! But it went far more easily than I thought. I¡¯m just¡­ concerned.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Camaxtli stroked his chin. ¡°I am unfamiliar with what proper behavior might be in these circumstances.¡±

    I gave a soft laugh. ¡°I don¡¯t think that there is a proper behavior when you don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. Or maybe there is, and it¡¯s exactly the reaction you had. I don¡¯t know what I expect.¡± I shrugged and sighed.

    Lakshmi popped out of the cockpit just as I said that. ¡°Well there¡¯s no need, the guidance system is incredibly simple, and the remote system is installed. In fact, I already have some ideas for improvements!¡±

    Daniyel wordlessly passed her a sheet of paper as Lakshmi pulled the pen Camaxtli had given her in Jubilee from her hair and started to dash notes onto the page.

    I smiled to see how quickly the mana flowed into the stylus. Lakshmi was definitely getting better at that! I wondered if she¡¯d simply become a stronger tinkerer, or if she would actually try to branch out. She hadn¡¯t asked Soriya or I for lessons in magical theory, but then she was a princess, she¡¯d probably had extensive lessons long before she decided to become and air pirate.

    ¡°If we could.¡± I asked ¡°Maybe just port out? Lakshmi, are you ready?¡±

    She looked up from her notes. ¡°Hm? Oh, yes. Yes, I think so. It will be easier to write back in the Sparrowhawk¡¯s wardroom anyway.¡±

    We launched the mothship, amid a throng of cheering, and Lakshmi set the remote. I summoned Gate, and we all vanished back to the royal air dock, where the Sparrowhawk lay quietly, untended by anyone.

    The advantages of a big send off. I thought as we all boarded. A crackle and then a thunderous boom roared through the air, and I could feel the surge of mana. I gave a long sigh.

    ¡°Sometimes, just once in a while, I¡¯d like to be wrong about people in power.¡± I said quietly, before I ducked into the Sparrowhawk and made my way towards the central lounge.

 76 Northward, and a signifigant change of scenery

    The world soul chimed softly in my head and I stopped in surprise.

    <{Arcanist} Advanced to level 7. For binding the fragment of Oak to yourself and for escaping the trap that the sylvani laid, you have advanced to {Arcanist:7}>

    Somehow, it wasn¡¯t as enjoyable a thrill as the previous ones. I felt like I¡¯d failed somehow. What would happen now in the sylvani empire? Would the queen be overthrown? Should I have stayed? I did want to get the next arcanum, and if my intuition was right Deacon was at this very moment shoveling souls into his Arcanum to fuel his evil plans. I wasn¡¯t terribly worried about the access key that only sylvani technology could unlock, if it was technology, then Lakshmi would find her way past it.

    I just¡­ I can¡¯t solve every problem. Even if there¡¯s a plot, or a ¡®groove¡¯ in the world as Soriya puts it, I can¡¯t just hang out and do sidequests. Real people are really dying!

    I shook my head in frustration and pushed off the bulkhead where I¡¯d slouched while the World Soul informed me of my upgrade.

    I will deal with this, the way I¡¯ve dealt with everything else. The best I can. A bad decision just means I was using Best Available Data. That¡¯s why it¡¯s B.A.D. I told myself.

    I peered out the portal to see the endless sea of green racing past us below. Clearly Lakshmi was wasting no time. I made it to the lounge only to find Lakshmi standing in the small amount of free space and pacing. Scattered around the room were the round fuel drums of condensed mana, glowing a soft blue.

    Lakshmi spun to me as I entered. ¡°Ah, Lily! You¡¯re here, great! I mean, I know you had to be onboard but- nevermind, look at this!¡± She held up a small twig with a single green leaf on it.

    I blinked in surprise. Oh. I guess that means Camaxtli is piloting then. I stepped closer, to peer at the leaf, then suddenly smiled. I looked up at Lakshmi and giggled. ¡°You stole sylvani tech. So that¡¯s what you meant when you said you¡¯d ¡®worked out a few bits¡¯ of the tech.¡±

    Lakshmi jerked and scowled at me. ¡°I didn¡¯t steal it! It was everywhere, and we were given access to everywhere in the palace!¡±

    I gave her a smile. ¡°And you specifically asked about taking this?¡±

    ¡°Well, no, but it was implied! I was supposed to pilot an airship, a girl¡¯s got a right to ask a few questions! Hey, who¡¯s the former princess here! I totally know how castles and royalty work!¡±

    I nodded, pressing my lips together to stop another giggle. ¡°So, former princess Captain Lakshmi needs my help with the totally not stolen sylvani tech?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly! I¡¯m certain that they used that Arcanum of yours as the basis of their tech, it¡¯s too¡­ Ancient-y! I can find traces of mana channels interwoven in everything! Just like you find in all the Ancient¡¯s ruins!¡±

    I paused, struck by a thought. I looked around, and didn¡¯t see Eshaan anywhere. I lowered my voice. ¡°Lakshmi, Eshaan really likes Ancient stuff, right?¡±

    Lakshmi blinked and furrowed her brow in confusion, clearly confused by my sudden shift in topic. ¡°What? Why are you asking? Are you planning on getting your boyfriend a gift?¡±

    I flushed. ¡°Uh¡­ sort of, but not¡­¡± I stomped my foot. ¡°Not the point! He talks to you about Ancient¡¯s stuff, right?¡±

    Lakshmi nodded, clearly confused with where I was going.

    ¡°So¡­? How is he? You study ancients, how does he strike you?¡±

    Lakshmi shrugged casually. ¡°He¡¯s ok. Better than some of those useless researchers I tried to work with in the palace, but that¡¯s a low bar.¡±

    I frowned, unsure how to ask what I really wanted to know. Yes, but¡­ how smart is he?! Not that this would help, Lakshmi was one of the smartest idiots I¡¯d ever met. In her own way, she was just as clueless as Eshaan!

    I sighed, and nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Sure? He¡¯s really interested in the architecting of the mana flows, the way the Ancient¡¯s alloy causes a natural flux.¡± She said, still clearly trying to suggest gifts. ¡°It¡¯s really quite fascinating, they induced the mana currents in the metal itself by careful application of irregularities in the metal! He¡¯d probably like a clockwork device that uses those channels in something. It¡¯s a real pity that the Ancient¡¯s didn¡¯t use blades, you could just get him a sword.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ kind of like Camaxtli¡¯s blade?¡± I asked, giving her a slight smile.

    Lakshmi got a distant look in her eyes. ¡°Now there¡¯s a thought¡­¡±

    I grabbed her hands before she could get lost again. ¡°Lakshmi. The sylvani tech. What do you need from me?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Right! So¡­ you have the Arcanum in you, or at least a part of it. How that works I¡¯d love to know! Soriya thinks it¡¯s an imprint from an Astral layer, kind of like how the Wake exists, only acting as a forward¡­ right, sorry.¡± She caught her breath. ¡°I want you to call up Oak for me, and I can ask it questions. I hope!¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Ah. Well¡­ considering that the sylvani said that we¡¯d need their tech to access the labyrinth dungeon thing, that seems sound. And we¡¯re going to be flying for quite some time, so¡­ sure. Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    I closed my eyes, and clutched my staff, calling on Oak to manifest. The inside of my eyelids filled with green and gold sparkles, and then the softest of faint whispers floated in the air.

    ¡°I have come, Child of ?ther. What do you wish of me?¡± The voice barely loud enough to hear over the soft hum of the Sparrowhawk¡¯s engines.

    My eyes popped open to see a green and gold dragon, slowly coiling around itself. It didn¡¯t look much like a tree, but it did look vibrantly alive. Odd patches and parts of its body were so translucent as to be almost transparent, though there was nothing precisely inside them. The patches moved slowly in random patterns across Oak¡¯s body. It was eerie and beautiful and very strange to see.

    ¡°Oak, my friend wishes to ask you some questions. No, not about Arcanum locations, she wishes to know¡­¡±

    I turned to Lakshmi. ¡°Well, actually, why don¡¯t you just ask?¡± I said to her.

    The green and gold dragon slowly turned in the air to look at Lakshmi.

    ¡°Hail, child of the System. What do you wish to know?¡± It said in that soft whispery voice.

    Lakshmi held up the twig. ¡°Can you tell me how this works?!¡± She asked excitedly.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Said Oak softly, and then fell silent.

    ¡°Well?!¡± Lakshmi burst out after a long silence.

    ¡°I do not understand your question.¡± Oak whispered.

    Lakshmi¡¯s cheeks turned a reddish purple, but before she could explode, I said quickly said ¡°Please tell us how the sylvani tech works.¡±

    ¡°All living creatures have mana capacity within them. When a living thing is growing, the channels that mana flows in can be woven into the living being. Depending on how the channels are structured, they can be flexible, multipurpose, or fixed in effect. The desired template must be selected before growth.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like you¡¯re describing mana vessels.¡± Lakshmi said.

    ¡°Mana channels take that form in animal life forms. In plant matter, they take a different but similar form. Both are living creatures.¡±

    Lakshmi heaved a sigh of irritation at the stilted and obviously slightly damaged Oak¡¯s descriptions.

    By slow fits and starts, and with much back and forth, Lakshmi slowly teased out the method of growth that put mana vessels into plants. Or rather, allowed them to be used in a way that people could understand.

    By the time I was able to let Oak go, several hours had passed. Lakshmi had stacks of paper filled with notes and diagrams that didn¡¯t make the slightest sense to me, but Soriya seemed excited by several of the ideas, and to my shock, Eshaan was showing real interest in the diagrams as well.

    I coughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long this will take, but I do know we¡¯ve got a long trip. If the maps that I saw back in Zaachila are anything to go on, it¡¯s even further to Bekent than it was from the coast of the Empire to Zaachila. I¡¯m grateful to the Cloudhearts for their supplies, but nobody is going to want to eat mutton for five days.¡±

    Eshaan bravely defended me. ¡°No way, Lily, you could make anything taste good!¡±

    I smiled at him and shook my head. ¡°Let me rephrase. I do not want to eat mutton for five days. There must be towns here that aren¡¯t sylvani¡­¡± I called out to Camaxtli in the cockpit.

    ¡°Is that true, were there humans on this continent?¡± I asked.

    Camaxtli looked back over his shoulder, and spoke up. ¡°There were humans, monan, sylvani, and zookani on all the contients. Civilization was widespread in my time.¡±

    ¡°So there¡¯s probably people who aren¡¯t Sylvani here! We need to keep an eye out for a city.¡±

    ¡°In theory there must be a port of some kind,¡± Daniyel said ¡°As it is at least known that there is a western continent, and people claim to have visited it. But how would we find a city?¡±

    Eshaan laughed. ¡°Oh come on, this is easy! It¡¯s a port city!¡±

    Everyone looked at him blankly. He frowned, waving his hands.

    ¡°A port city? On the water? We just fly along the coastline, and we¡¯re sure to see it?¡±

    I blinked and then laughed in surprise. ¡°Speaks the fisherman!¡±

    Eshaan wrinkled his nose. ¡°Uh, please don¡¯t remind me.¡±

    ¡°Do you not like where you came from, Eshaan?¡± Asked Lakshmi.

    He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I like my family just fine, it¡¯s fish that I can¡¯t stand.¡± He turned to me and waved his hands expressively. ¡°If you think you¡¯re tired of mutton after five days, imagine how I feel about fish after fifteen years!¡±

    I grimaced. ¡°Point taken.¡±

    I felt the shift as the Sparrowhawk banked into a slow turn. Camaxtli announced ¡°I shall set a course for the coast. With luck, we shall have supplies and an answer shortly.¡±

    ¡°I hope that we can stay outside the reach of the sylvani navy.¡± Soriya said.

    Lakshmi spoke up heatedly. ¡°The Sparrowhawk is faster than any of the sylvani ships!¡± She paused. ¡°Probably.¡± She added in a quieter voice.

    I groaned and said ¡°Ok, so we¡¯re definitely inside the reach of the air fleet. I guess we¡¯ll have to hope that they¡¯re fooled by our illusion and the explosion of the mothship for long enough for us to set down and vanish. It¡¯s a big world, hopefully we can vanish in it.¡± I pressed my lips together. ¡°And if not, then I guess we¡¯ll have to fight it out.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lily! We took on Isha, we can defeat one of those mothships!¡± Announced Eshaan proudly.

    I sighed. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right, Eshaan. I hope you¡¯re right.¡±

    The plan made, we settled in for a flight of unknown duration. The endless rolling forest slowly gave way to flat plains, rivers and swampland under us.

    I¡¯d gotten the Sparrowhawk stocked with a few supplies before we took off, but of course I hadn¡¯t been able to do a full restock without arousing suspicion. That meant that while I was able to make a glowberry and bug souffle (which came out very nicely) I could hardly keep all of us fed unless we resorted to mutton jerky. And maybe cloud wool, frankly, with how tired we all be of the taste.

    My worries proved unfounded, and I heaved a sigh of relief and a prayer of gratitude to the spirits. Maybe I should be thanking the System? I shook my head. My religious beliefs, on both sides of my personality, had been proven utterly wrong. I suppose I could start up the cult of Saintess Lilyanna. I thought dryly But if I did that, I think the plot would demand that I become a cackling villain, or killed by the person who I trusted enough to put in charge of the whole thing. No thank you.

    As the sun was setting over the seemingly endless horizon of swamp and rivers, Camaxtli announced ¡°I have a city in view. It does not appear to show the same characteristic structure as the sylvani city we so recently left. Shall I prepare for landing?¡±

    I looked around at everyone, gathering tense and expectant faces. One by one, they all nodded agreement. I turned to Camaxtli and nodded. ¡°Take us in. Lets see what the System has in store for us here.¡±

 77 When is a sidequest mandatory?

    The Sparrowhawk slowly approached the city from the sea, which is where the airship docks were located. They weren¡¯t large, which was to be expected. Airships still weren¡¯t exactly common even if we¡¯d been flying around in one like it was no big deal.

    The designs weren¡¯t sylvani either, clearly a metal technology, but different yet again from the elegant baroque bronze gold patterns that the Empire used. These ships were slimmer, using a silvery blue metal that glimmered in the sunlight. I could see Lakshmi¡¯s mouth salivating as she stared at them though the canopy. I grinned and patted her shoulder. ¡°Captain, dock first. Then we can examine one.¡±

    She jerked in surprise, and then jerked a nod at me.

    Flares of blue and red color shot into the air, and I could see a small figure on the docks below waving what looked like small lanterns in a complicated pattern. I opened my mouth to ask, but before I could, Eshaan¡¯s eyes lit up and he exclaimed ¡°Signal flares! Like the imperial docks! I bet they mean-¡±

    ¡°-that we are being directed to the far dock on the right side.¡± Lakshmi finished in a rush, grinning at Eshaan.

    ¡°Then we had best comply.¡± said Camaxtli calmly, and smoothly swung the Sparrowhawk into a new heading.

    I felt a completely unreasonable gush of frustration and irritation. How dare she get along so well with him! She¡¯s got Camaxtli! I huffed at myself, crossing my arms in irritation. Honestly what is wrong with me. Have a little faith in the plot. Eshaan¡­ if¡­ if I want him is¡­ mine. I swallowed nervously. It was not very comfortable to confront my own issues with predestination and choice. Not to mention that I was embodying one of my hated Tsundere tropes, running hot and cold/yes and no with myself.

    Eshaan can have friends who are girls. I reminded myself sternly. How about a little faith in Eshaan, hm Lily?

    I wasn¡¯t entirely sure if it was the stasis of the System, or some similarity of function that let Lakshmi and Eshaan translate signal flares from another culture, but it seemed that they¡¯d guessed right. We were smoothly guided into one of the empty air docks, where the Sparrowhawk settled onto its landing struts with a smooth sigh and whine as her engines powered down.

    ¡°Right! We¡¯re down, so lets find out where we are!¡± Lakshmi exclaimed enthusiastically. She grabbed her pirate hat and strode over to the hatch, slapping the open button and letting in the hot swampy smell of the air outside.

    The dock workers were human, I was relieved to note, though with an ambiguously brown skin and hair in shades of blue and green.

    I smiled to myself. How wonderfully anime. I wonder if this area is water themed? Lakshmi strode out onto the gangway and waved. ¡°Hi! Can you tell us where we are?¡±

    The dock workers blinked slowly, stared at each other, then turned back to her. ¡°This is Aicaterin. Southern Arabal. The worker blinked slowly and rubbed his head. ¡°Say, I¡¯ve never seen a ship like that¡­ are you from the western continent?!¡± He asked with wide eyes.

    Lakshmi grinned and swept a bow with her hat in hand. ¡°Captain Lakshimi, of the Sparrowhawk at your service!¡±

    The first worker turned to the other and said ¡°Told you. You owe me 10 zeni.¡±

    ¡°Now how was I to know the westerners would finally figure out how to get an airship over the ocean?!¡±

    ¡°By the way it¡¯s that weird bronze and black color and not silver like a proper ship or green and brown like a sylvani cruiser?¡±

    Lakshmi coughed. ¡°That aside¡­ docking fees? We don¡¯t have a lot of local currency, but we do have trade goods!¡±

    The dock workers blinked and then laughed. ¡°We accept zeni, same as everywhere else!¡± one said. ¡°Though if you¡¯re selling, the market¡¯s the place for that. 50 zeni for a weeks¡¯ docking rights. Payable in advance.¡± He pulled out a clipboard and held it out. ¡°I¡¯d ask purpose of stay, but if you¡¯ve got trade goods¡­ you¡¯re clearly the craziest traders I¡¯ve ever met.¡± He grinned, a bright flash of white against his brown skin. ¡°Just sign there.¡±

    We looked at each other in surprise, and Lakshmi dug out her wad of zeni bills, counted out the price, and handed them over.

    Huh. So there¡¯s some value to System conformity, I guess! I thought with surprise. Though¡­

    ¡°Do you get many sylvani ships?¡± Lakshmi asked, signing her name with an extremely piratical flourish.

    ¡°Eh, depends what you mean by a lot?¡± The dock workers shrugged. ¡°Not sure what¡¯s normal to you. Nothing today, but one a week a pretty normal traffic.¡± He raised his eyebrow curiously, opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it.

    ¡°We¡¯re not running from anything, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re wondering.¡± Lakshmi said with a smoothness that took my breath away.

    The docker stiffened in surprise then said casually ¡°Could be what I was thinking, not my business if you are.¡±

    Camaxtli exited the hatchway carrying an absurd amount of wool and sheep meat, as well as a few other things that looked like trade goods. He peered around the pile and asked ¡°And the market was to the south east, you said?¡±

    ¡°Well that¡¯s where the exit it.¡± The dock workers stared at him in surprise. I really couldn¡¯t blame them, his android body could carry an absurd amount of weight without noticing it! The balance to keep the huge stack aligned was also something to inspire interest.

    ¡°Shall I proceed to the market¡­ captain?¡± He asked Lakshmi, only a fraction of a bare hesitation indicating that he¡¯d considered calling her anything else.

    I grinned to myself. And now he¡¯s learning how to adjust to deception and fluid titles. Well done, android boy.

    Lakshmi nodded regally. ¡°I¡¯ll be along shortly. I need to check on fuel, and see if there¡¯s any maps or other supplies for sale here.¡± She said.

    Hm, good idea, actually. I don¡¯t know what this half of the world map looks like. Or anything else, really.

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow along with him, Captain. I think I can get some good prices here.¡± I smiled sweetly.

    Finally, some use for my {Persuade} Skill! I thought cheerfully. I had no idea how our finances were doing, but a little more money in the party fund would hardly go amiss. And any new town is sure to have a host of sidequests and optional information dumps if we just listen!

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    I followed along behind Camaxtli, humming softly to myself as we walked.

    My curiosity finally got the better of me, and I asked Camaxtli ¡°Have you made any progress on understanding people¡¯s emotions?¡±

    He turned and blinked at me, and then his head tipped to the side, his eyes whirling in thought.

    Eventually, he said ¡°Should I be? No. I misspeak. What emotional attachment do you expect me to have formed?¡±

    I felt my cheeks burn so hot they tingled. How embarrassing! I¡¯ve just had my curiosity turned back on me, and more! That intelligence of his is frightening!

    ¡°Erm¡­ Well¡­¡± I stammered, unsure how to continue. I had wanted to ask him if he was planning to court Lakshmi, or if he was feeling romantically inclined or¡­ well!

    ¡°Your reaction is confusing.¡± Camaxtli said. ¡°I have made what I consider statistically significant progress in understanding interpersonal dynamics, as well as the display of emotive behaviors. If there is an emotive action that I should be displaying, I wish to know of it. Your foresight has been a significant advantage in this endeavor, ignoring it would be foolish. Likewise, if there is an action that I should be avoiding, that too should be explored!¡±

    I squirmed with intense discomfort! ¡°Camaxtli, it¡¯s not¡­ that¡¯s not¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I -musn¡¯t simply try to make you feel something! That¡¯s¡­ just wrong!¡± I finally cried out in distress.

    ¡°If it enhances the success of our mission, it seems the most logical thing to do.¡± He replied relentlessly.

    ¡°Camaxtli, you can¡¯t make someone feel an emotion!¡±

    We walked on in silence for a moment, and then he said ¡°I have noticed a linguistic anomaly. You will sometimes use the word ¡®can¡¯t¡¯ when you mean ¡®unwanted¡¯ and you will sometimes use the word ¡®must¡¯ when you mean only to imply strong desire rather than truly unavoidable action. Which is the case here?¡±

    I could feel the heat of my blush spreading to my ears at this point. ¡°It¡­ is possible to lead someone to an emotional reaction that you wish them to have.¡± I said unwillingly. ¡°It is simply an immoral act. However, it is absolutely impossible for me to simply demand an emotion from you and expect it to manifest immediately! Especially with no emotional foundation or events to support it!¡±

    ¡°Yet you clearly expect some emotional reaction from me.¡±

    I frowned deeply. Should I tell him? Would that not be negating his free will¡­ I stopped suddenly, frozen with a thought. And what else have I been doing, but that exact action? Defying fate¡­ I¡¯m practically the poster child! Do I simply want to hold this information to myself¡­? I had to admit, there was a constant small thrill of power, every time one of my ¡®prophecies¡¯ came to pass. A thrill of knowing what was coming. But his¡­ I felt my mind freeze for a moment, a shock of discovery floating in my head. I can offer him¡­ the choice of free will. Right now! This very second!

    I blinked to clear my thoughts, my decision suddenly clear. I said ¡°I expect you to feel affection and true care for Lakshmi. A feeling of connection and an enjoyment of being with her rather than apart. I expect that at least one of the Arcanum we are going to pick up will attempt to take control of you, making you take actions you do not wish, such as attacking us. I expect each of us to reveal that we all have feelings for you, and enjoy your company. And then I expect Lakshmi to reveal she has romantic feelings for you as well, which will allow you to break the control.¡±

    Camaxtli froze in mid step, one foot raised, the absurdly heavy load of goods held in his arms. His eyes spun wildly with flickering lights of multiple colors as he processed what I¡¯d said.

    I waited anxiously, biting my lip. I hope I made the right choice!

    After an unbearably long moment, Camaxtli said, his voice soft and filled with emotion said ¡°Lakshmi¡­ likes me?!¡± with the cutest and most awe struck voice.

    I smiled softly, and then reached out and patted his shoulder. ¡°At the very least, I think it likely she feels that way, or is growing to feel that way even if she doesn¡¯t recognize it.¡± I twitched a wry smile. ¡°Actually, especially if she doesn¡¯t recognize it. Usually it is in that moment that she would recognize her own feelings.¡±

    ¡°So¡­¡± his foot slowly lowered to the ground. ¡°She will like me! This is¡­ a significance.¡±

    ¡°Camaxtli? Are you¡­ ok?¡±

    He slowly shook his head. ¡°No. I am not. I feel¡­ deeply unbalanced. And yet, all my systems indicate full functionality. Improved functionality in some cases.¡±

    He looked at me, the whirling lights of his eyes slowly ceasing their spin. ¡°This is¡­ a choice?¡± He looked at me with his face, and for the first time I saw an emotion. Not a possible, or potential emotion¡­ there was unmistakable emotion reflected in his face. And it was fear.

    ¡°I am being presented with¡­ a choice.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± I said simply. ¡°But at least you do not need to make it at this very instant.¡±

    A new emotion washed over his face. Relief.

    ¡°So.¡± He said. ¡°This is why you frequently put off needful choices. I do not like this. And yet¡­ I do not wish to face this.¡±

    I patted his arm again. ¡°Then please help me sell these goods, while you continue to think about your choice.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± He said, and then turned to continue our way to the market.

    I felt¡­ good. Curiously good. A choice that I no longer needed to make. An option to let Camaxtli choose his own plotline¡­ without a forced drama point. I frowned slightly. Though Lakshmi may need a break point to help her realize her own feelings¡­

    The market was a bustling busy strip of shops and market stalls, much like my memories of Farna, though far smaller. It wasn¡¯t too hard to find merchants who were interested in trade, though when I was hit with the {Persuade} I almost buckled with its force. It seemed downright unfair that the world leveled up along with me! I gritted my teeth and settled in for a difficult negotiation!

    After an intense negotiation, I came out significantly ahead. Or, at the very least, if he¡¯d fleeced me, I didn¡¯t feel like it. Which I suppose was a win. Either way, we had more money, and I¡¯d already spotted several items in the market that I knew the others would be strongly interested in. Lakshmi might even try to sell the extra fuel to get her hands on some of the odd and exotic tech that I saw for sale at several booths.

    ¡°Camaxtli, do you recognize any of this technology?¡± I said as we browsed the stalls.

    He still seemed distracted, but replied promptly ¡°These items appear to be salvaged from various locations, and bear the distinct look of Alliance technology. I would estimate that their technology has derived from those origins. Lakshmi¡­¡± his voice took on a softer tone, almost tender. ¡°will be greatly interested in their assembly and working properties.¡±

    ¡°For now, lets return.¡± I said. ¡°I think there may be a few tasks we can find in town¡­¡± I frowned. I shouldn¡¯t do side quests. Deacon was probably, even right now as we stood there, harvesting souls to use in his plan. But I had to have the Arcanum to fight him! I couldn¡¯t¡­ but side quests always had useful clues or items that advanced the protagonist¡¯s powers! And it felt incredibly good to be so helpful!

    ¡°Lilyanna?¡± Camaxtli said gently, shocking me out of my haze of indecision. ¡°Are these tasks important?¡±

    I turned to him and explained as best I could. ¡°There are almost certainly small tasks and odd jobs here in town, that will prove to be useful later, but Deacon is doing evil now as we speak!¡±

    Camaxtli was silent for a long moment, then said ¡°These tasks will increase our chance of success. If we are successful, I judge that the long term outcome will be highly superior to the other option, even leaving aside the possibility of existence termination.¡± He paused. ¡°This is¡­ difficult, for you?¡±

    I nodded, twisting my hands in my skirt.

    ¡°Events that increase the probability of the most positive outcome may not lead to the most desirable outcome at this moment in time.¡±

    I stomped my foot. ¡°That¡¯s just honeysuckle talk! If you¡¯re willing to look far enough ahead, then you can justify any thing at any time! Just claim it¡¯s better in the long term!¡±

    ¡°But you are not claiming it.¡± Camaxtli said calmly. ¡°You know it to be true, based on your previous experiences. And these small tasks now, they improve the local outcomes?¡±

    I nodded reluctantly.

    ¡°Then we should do those things. The overall positive outcome should always be best weighted.¡±

    I scowled. Wonderful. I have a logical Utilitarianist with me. I¡¯ll be founding Galt¡¯s Gulch any second now. I shuddered. I need to talk to Soriya. She¡¯ll know what to do.

    As I thought, we did find a variety of small side quests and tasks in town, lost pets, missing items, and a small odd jobs board to help out around town. For a mid-sized town, it had a remarkably ¡®small town¡¯ feel. Which¡­ given how ruthlessly power seemed to corrupt in this world, maybe was a good thing.

    We headed back to the Sparrowhawk with a host of potential sidequests, and a few more already completed, and some curious trinkets and even bits of equipment¡­ including fragments of ¡®useless¡¯ Alliance relics that I just knew would be key to Lakshmi creating some unstoppable superweapon or something.

    As we reached the air port, a shadow swept overhead, and we looked up to see a sylvani cruiser slowly descending towards us. I felt my blood turn to ice.

 78 A change in direction can be good for your health

    For a frozen moment, I was sure we were all about to die, the sylvani cruiser overhead slowly lowering itself towards the air docks, it¡¯s strange magitech living weapons pointing at us to wipe us from existence¡­ and then I realized I was over reacting. The dock workers weren¡¯t panicking, and if they wanted to kill us, they would have fired from much longer range.

    Come to that, were those even weapons? I don¡¯t really think-

    My thoughts were interrupted by Eshaan grabbing me by the arm and hauling me into the Sparrowhawk¡¯s cabin.

    ¡°Lily, get inside! What if they see you?!¡± He shouted. ¡°We¡¯ve got to do something!¡±

    Lakshmi casually leaned against the hatch, her arms crossed, a picture of indolence. ¡°Relax, crew.¡± She flicked her finger against the brim of her hat, tipping it up to look at us. ¡°If they were here for us, they¡¯d have opened with weapons fire. That is a standard sylvani cargo ship. Not a warship.¡±

    Eshaan scowled at her. ¡°How can you be sure?¡±

    Lakshmi jerked her head towards the hatchway where the sylvani ship was settling into its berth. The massive hatches on its belly and sides were  already opening, and what was obviously crates and packages of various sorts wrapped in sylvani woven plant matter were revealed. Lakshmi smirked at Eshaan.

    I heaved an enormous sigh of relief, and promptly felt my cheeks flush in embarrassment. I had been worried for nothing.

    ¡°Any more questions?¡± Lakshmi asked.

    Daniyel spoke quietly. ¡°How long do you think we have until they report our craft to their council?¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s grin turned to a sour scowl. ¡°Gotta ruin my fun with the facts, Danyiel.¡±

    He smiled calmly and shrugged. ¡°It is merely a question, my captain.¡±

    Lakshmi heaved a sigh and pushed herself off the hatchway. ¡°Alright, fine. About as long as we had already with the illusion. It¡¯s a cargo ship.¡±

    ¡°With a sylvani crew!¡± Soriya pointed out.

    ¡°Why is that important?¡± Lakshmi asked with irritation.

    ¡°Because it will provide corroboration, which will ensure that they know we have escaped their trap.¡± Camaxtli said. ¡°People who have tried to kill us over political and religious differences, do not seem likely to simply ignore that fact.¡±

    ¡°Actually,¡± I said, my heart finally slowing down enough that it was no longer loged in my throat ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s so. The sylvani nation is very large, and we traveled a long time. And not every sylvani cargo ship docks at the sylvani capital.¡±

    ¡°The sylvani ships are much faster than we are.¡± Daniel said calmly ¡°And gossip spreads faster than the fastest airship I¡¯ve ever heard of.¡±

    Eshaan grunted. ¡°That¡¯s true enough. Nothing else to talk about when you¡¯re cooped up on a ship.¡±

    Lakshmi threw her hands up in the air. ¡°Ok, fine, but the truth is¡­¡± she sighed. ¡°The truth is we¡¯re going to be here for a while. I¡¯m installing the sylvani tech I picked up at our last stop, and it¡¯ll take a while!¡±

    Eshaan furrowed his brow. ¡°Why can¡¯t we just install it later?¡± He asked in confusion.

    I sighed in sudden understanding. ¡°Because it¡¯s growing. Right, Lakshmi? Like a plant?¡±

    She nodded reluctantly.

    I threw myself into a nearby chair. ¡°So we¡¯re stuck here for¡­ you know, I bet it¡¯ll be about a week.¡± I smiled wryly at Camaxtli. ¡°So we¡¯ll be doing some of those tasks.¡±

    Camaxtli nodded, his face a conflicted study. ¡°It appears that the story has threads that need to be tied together.¡±

    Lakshmi shook herself all over. ¡°Spirits, but it¡¯s creepy when you do that!¡± She accused me.

    Daniyel folded his arms across his chest again. ¡°We should find out if this will truly cause an issue. Do we know if the sylvani nations hold sway here?¡±

    ¡°Why would that matter?¡± Lakshmi snapped. ¡°We¡¯re not criminals. And we can¡¯t ask that, without looking like criminals.¡±

    My eyebrows rose at her statement. She¡¯s right! That¡¯s actually pretty sharp political thinking. I guess she was a princess after all.

    ¡°So¡­ we can¡¯t ask, and we can¡¯t run.¡± Eshaan summed up.

    ¡°Pretty normal for us, really.¡± Soriya chipped in. ¡°But it does allow us to go shopping, and maybe make friends and influence people!¡±

    I smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s a very nice way to say side quest.¡±

    She looked at me and grinned sharply. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t like helping?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like helping?¡± I said, my whole expression making it obvious how much of a lie that was. The others burst into laughter.

    ¡°Dragon¡¯s breath, Lily, you are so bad at that!¡± Eshaan laughed.

    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s not my fault, but¡­ well, it¡¯s a promise that I made, a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°To who?¡± he asked curiously.

    ¡°To herself.¡± Soriya said. ¡°Back when we were children.¡±

    I nodded. It was still a little strange to remember something that only one half of me had promised, but it was still very real.

    Eshaan nodded gravely. ¡°Promises are important. Especially promises to yourself.¡±

    I tipped my head to the side, looking at Eshaan curiously. That sounded¡­ important. Like he¡¯d made a promise to himself. I wondered what it was. Probably something silly and heroic, grave and determined. He doesn¡¯t have many other modes.

    ¡°Well, even if it is just a ¡®side quest¡¯, it can be a lot of fun to go shopping and help people. Plus, it¡¯ll let us get a really good price on those goods in our hold.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Our plans settled, we set about tracking down a series of odd jobs, lost pets, missing socks, and other various tasks. It was silly, but it wasn¡¯t like I could ignore these plotlines. If I came back in three weeks, these same tasks wouldn¡¯t be here, like in a game. Time happened, it didn¡¯t freeze just because we were in a hurry, or there was a larger plot thread. It was an uncomfortable reality. Our story, such as it was, was happening at the same time as the shopping list of trivial tasks and lost lunches. It put an entirely new spin on the idea of side quests that could wait until the end of the story mission.

    A nice side effect, the buying and selling gear and equipment from the Sparrowhawk got me my 10th level of Orator, Which meant I had just broken 30<sup>th</sup> level. My capstone skill was {Disarming Rhetoric}, which potentially could let me talk people into surrendering before they even fought us, as well as doing some downright cruel things to Merchants when I was negotiating. I would have been more than a little uneasy with this power if I hadn¡¯t already sworn not to lie. It did make the merchants underestimate me though.

    I giggled quietly to myself. I¡¯m just a simple peasant girl from far over the ocean after all.

    Lakshmi cackled quietly to herself as she flipped through the wad of zeni bills that I¡¯d added to our company treasury.

    That, and the fact that everyone in the group had leveled in their own tasks, put her and everyone else in a very good mood indeed, even with the hammer of the sylvani hanging over us.

    By the third day, the sylvani upgrades to the Sparrowhawk were starting to become obviously visible, and a few of the sylvani freighter crew dropped by to ask us about it. I was worried that I¡¯d have to do some horrible lying, but Lakshmi¡¯s tongue was silver of the purest variety.

    A quick yarn about experimental growth, connections with the royal court, and some impressively believable political gossip from the court, and the freighter crew were nodding along as though it was the most natural thing in the world for a ship from over the ocean to be installing integrated organic technology.

    After all- I thought wryly everyone knows that sylvani tech is superior. At least the sylvani know it.

    Regardless, it was obvious that we¡¯d gone from a mild object of curiosity, to pretty much the only thing they were going to talk about the whole trip back. With 3 days left to go on the Sparrowhawk¡¯s upgrades, the sylvani cargo carrier lifted into the blue sky overhead and vanished into the southern horizon.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s a way to speed up the growth?¡± Eshaan asked nervously on the fourth day.

    ¡°Probably, but I don¡¯t know it.¡± Lakshmi answered. ¡°Look, it wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this!¡± She said defensively. ¡°We were supposed to have plenty of time to vanish into the mist!¡±

    Daniyel said calmly ¡°And you really wanted to play with your new toys.¡±

    Lakshmi was silent for a long moment, then looked down and nodded. ¡°And I really wanted to play with the new toys.¡±

    ¡°So what exactly is happening anyway?¡± Soriya asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s the fascinating part!¡± Eshaan exclaimed with excitement. ¡°Some of the integration is clearly going towards speed, but there¡¯s a subtle inweave with the hull! It¡¯s like the plant is eating the metal, making itself into some kind of organometallic composite!¡±

    I blinked in surprise. I hadn¡¯t realized just how excited Eshaan was about this.

    I guess it¡¯s not just Ancient¡¯s technology that he¡¯s interested in?

    ¡°And how long until the wings finish growing in?¡± Camaxtli asked, pointing to the half spread skeletal moth wings that were slowly unfurling from the ship¡¯s sides.

    ¡°I told you, about three days!¡± Lakshmi responded.

    ¡°So we¡¯ll be ready to go then?¡± Soriya asked. ¡°Because I suspect we¡¯re going to be leaving quickly. We should probably pay our docking fees and inn costs, so we don¡¯t have even more angry people after us. It would be nice to not leave somewhere a flaming wreck with a mob of debtors behind us.¡±

    ¡°Not very piratical though!¡± Lakshmi protested.

    ¡°We¡¯re running at top speed from a nation we helped save from its own abducted war machine. I think we¡¯ve got ¡®adventurer¡¯ nailed down tight.¡± Eshaan said dryly. ¡°There¡¯s no need to add airborne theft and grand larceny on top of that. Besides.¡± He added with a grin. ¡°Our captain has already kidnapped the royal princess of the Empire, and subjected her to horrible tortures. We don¡¯t need to buff up our resume any further.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright fine.¡± Lakshmi agreed with ill grace, though I caught a quickly concealed smile as she turned away.

    By the end of the week, the Sparrowhawk had twin wings of green and bronze gold, and her hull was a swirling mix of wood and bronze gold color.

    Soriya and I had taken care to keep all our bills up to date, so it was with a sense of annoyed frustration that I greeted Daniyel¡¯s solemn report to us on the morning of the 6<sup>th</sup> day.

    He dropped down from the upper turret we were using as an observation port, and said calmly ¡°It appears there is a sylvani armada approaching from the south.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s clearly time to go.¡± said Soriya.

    ¡°Aye!¡± Lakshmi raised her fist in the air. ¡°Next stop, Bekent, northlands!¡±

    The Sparrowhawk slowly rose up in the air, her wings unfurling as they cleared the dock.

    ¡°hold on. Why are we heading to the northlands?¡± asked Eshaan.

    I looked at him in confusion. He¡¯s not that stupid¡­ is he?

    ¡°Eshaan¡­ we¡¯re after the Arcanum.¡± I said patiently

    ¡°Yes, I know, of course we are. But why the northlands first? The queen said there was another one in the Canyon of the Stars, and if the northlands are going to be a pain?¡± He said.

    I blinked a few times. ¡°Well¡­ I suppose that¡¯s true! We were going north first because we¡¯d promised to get them the crystals to repair their defense grid. Before they blew us up and all.¡±

    ¡°Whichever direction we¡¯re going in, can we please pick one?¡± Lakshmi said. ¡°There¡¯s the armada behind us after all!¡±

    I bit my thumb in indecision. ¡°We don¡¯t even know if they¡¯re coming after us¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh come on. I know you don¡¯t want to believe they¡¯re after us but-¡±

    ¡°No, hang on! What if they¡¯re not?!¡± Eshaan said excitedly.

    ¡°Uh, Eshaan, it¡¯s pretty obvious-¡±

    ¡°Yes, sure, but what if they were wrong?!¡± He grinned at me, then slapped his fist into his palm. ¡°Bam! Right?¡±

    My mouth fell open. ¡°You mean¡­ an illusion? Again?! One of us going north?¡±

    He nodded excitedly. ¡°Exactly! And then we sneak away! Can you make us invisible or something?!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ no.¡± I squirmed uncomfortably. I truly did not like lying with illusions¡­ but this was a really good idea. And the idea of a skyship with a stealth cloak¡­

    Lakshmi gave a huge disappointed sigh. ¡°Aw, man! An invisible skyship?! What a pirate thing!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ actually, I think we could do something like that¡­¡± Soriya said thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s not true invisibility, but it¡¯s close. Just an urge to look elsewhere, look away. And if they¡¯re chasing the illusion¡­

    ¡°This will serve double duty as well¡± Camaxtli said. ¡°If they are not in fact searching for us, but here for other reasons, we will learn that quickly.¡±

    I bit my lip, then nodded uncertainly. ¡°If you think this will work¡­ sure.¡±

    Soriya and I hurriedly set up the ritual circle in the common area, and got to work. Lakshmi pushed the Sparrowhawk¡¯s engines forward, and through the portholes, I saw our new wings flush with magical energy. We shot forward, throwing us hard against the bulkheads.

    ¡°Ow.¡± Said Daniyel with grave understatement.

    ¡°Sorry!¡± Lakshmi grinned in embarrassment. ¡°But did you see that?! Our acceleration is unreal!¡±

    The five pairs of eyes staring at her quelled her excitement somewhat.

    ¡°it¡¯s not my fault!¡± She protested.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Said Daniyel. ¡°Who could possibly know the outcome of such modifications without a test of the systems.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Lakshmi nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Wait. That sounded negative.¡±

    Daniyel raised one eyebrow. ¡°I am merely observing the outcome of the events as prescribed.¡±

    Lakshmi stared at him, frowning. ¡°I can never tell with you.¡±

    Daniyel shrugged. ¡°Perhaps Mistress Soriya and Lady Lilyanna will engage with the spellcraft now that we have some breathing room?¡± He asked laconically.

    ¡°Oh! Right!¡± I hurried back to where our ritual materials had scattered, and we got to work once more.

    Within an hour, we were ready to try.

    ¡°But which way are we going?¡±

    ¡°Well, west, right? It¡¯s the closer one! And they¡¯ll be expecting us to follow the northern route!¡±

    I gave a dispirited sigh. ¡°But¡­ my barbarian cat-girls¡­¡± I said sadly.

    To the eyes of the pursuing fleet, the image of the Sparrowhawk shimmered like a heat haze, and then suddenly shot forward towards the north at speeds that far exceeded the sylvani ships pursuing her.

    A faint rippling heat haze in the air turned to the west, and proceeded at a sedate pace as the sylvani armada ripped past, in a desperate hurry to catch up with the fleeing airship.

 79 A new direction, and a long awaited first.

    With the sylvani tech installed, the Sparrowhawk lived up to her name, fast and nimble. Which was saying something! We were already faster than any imperial airship in existence, and now we¡¯d gotten even faster than that!

    My preference was to run, so this suited me fine. Now if only the world would cooperate, and let me run away and not fall apart on me. I smiled wryly.

    A heroine¡¯s work is never done, until the credits roll. I reminded myself. That being so, project ¡°stop Lily from dying¡± moved into its next phase.

    We arrived over the Canyon of Stars just as the sun was setting. The land surrounding the canyon was a vast grassland, flat and open with waving fields of yellow-green spread out in every direction.

    Below us, the canyon opened up, a vast crack in the ground, spiderweb crevasses radiating away from it, like some god had cracked the ground with a titanic blow. I bit my lower lip pensively.

    For all I know that could have happened? Maybe? This is that kind of world, though we haven¡¯t seen much super mythical events¡­ I mean, I think the goddess of this world is a computer system! Or¡­ I suppose that would be System? I thought wryly.

    The directions we¡¯d been given proved accurate, though following them proved to be quite a bit of a chore. What did ¡°seventh crevasse from the start of the sun¡¯s mark¡± even mean?!

    It turned out, it meant that the seventh radial crack radiating from the central hub, along a spike. But we only really figured this out, when Lakshmi excitedly said

    ¡°A city! I see a city!¡± pointing out the cockpit window at a settlement, clearly visible in the sea of waving grasses, and descending into the earth in a zig zag pattern, with a crazy quilt of houses and ramshackle buildings on stilts.

    What was more concerning is that stretched over the abyss of the canyon were clearly airship docks, though I drew a breath of relief that there were no sylvani airships docked at them.

    It brought an uncomfortable fact to mind and I felt obliged to voice it.

    ¡°So, uhm¡­ this Arcanum was also stolen by the Sylvani.¡± I said. ¡°And¡­ shouldn¡¯t that mean there will be sylvani guards or¡­ something?¡±

    Daniyel frowned. Camaxtli looked up sharply. ¡°The queen mentioned nothing of this, but did draw attention to the northern Arcanum? Would it not follow logically that there is no such guard detail here?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ yes, but we were explicitly going north first to retrieve components to repair their defense grid. Components which I have to assume their armada was going to use chasing us as double duty. She might not have mentioned it because we were supposed to have an escort.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see what the problem is.¡± Eshaan said cheerfully. ¡°What does your Seer sight tell us?¡±

    I squirmed and looked down at the deck. ¡°Nothing. I don¡¯t¡­ recognize this route.¡±

    I looked over at Soriya beseechingly, hoping she would have some idea. She met my eyes and shook her head. I felt my heart sink.

    We¡¯re off the plot line. Suddenly I feel horrifically lost! I thought with a sick feeling in my stomach.

    The others looked at each other and then back at me. Eshaan stepped over and patted my shoulder gently. ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± He said. ¡°You can¡¯t know everything, right? You¡¯ve been pretty clear about that.¡±

    I gave him a fragile smile and nodded.

    ¡°Besides, we¡¯re heroes!¡± He went on. ¡°What¡¯s the worst that could happen?!¡±

    I felt my heart seize up at that.

    The worst that could happen would be we all die horribly! I thought angrily.

    I pressed my lips together to bite back the comment I wanted to make.

    ¡°Eshaan, thank you, but¡­ we can¡¯t just assume.¡±

    Lakshmi cleared her throat. ¡°Well, assuming that we don¡¯t have any prophecy to guide us¡­ I think the most reasonable course of action would be to dock, and ask around. Right?¡±

    I nodded.

    Soriya spoke up. ¡°I think, actually what we can expect¡­ you already all know! We can expect a dungeon. Arcanum have themes, and are often surrounded by effects related to them. We can expect to walk around town for a bit, trying to find out where we¡¯re going and who might be opposing us. You already know this.¡± She said.

    The others murmured in surprise and then Daniyel nodded slowly. ¡°You are correct. The Arcanum have been hidden in dungeons or forgotten caverns. And we do tend to ask directions, and look for bargains in new towns, as anyone would. Perhaps we are not so very lost, after all.¡± He smiled kindly at me, then patted my head.

    I glared at him, slightly offended. Since when was I a kid that he was reassuring?! Counting my old life, I was easily twice his age!

    The Sparrowhawk circled the town once to find the landing pad, the flares of colored light shot into the sky guiding us to one of the smaller docks jutting over the edge of the canyon. I was relieved to note there were not shacks or houses below us, but¡­ well, perhaps that was a sign that this wasn¡¯t a ¡®bad¡¯ town? I could hope, anyway! I¡¯d been doing a lot of that lately, I reflected wryly.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    The Sparrowhawk slid into dock with the smooth control and grace that was coming to define Lakshmi¡¯s touch at the helm. She¡¯d come a long way since she splattered us and her first ship across the face of the Tol Jaegren mountains.

    The surprise on the faces of the dock workers was both welcoming and worrying. There wasn¡¯t a single sylvani in sight, only deep tanned humans with light hair and eyes. The man holding the clipboard full of paperwork stared at us in surprise and then hesitantly approached, the clipboard extended. I presumed that he was the port master.

    ¡°Ah¡­ welcome to Akionantes. You were¡­ not quite who we¡¯re used to receiving?¡± He said uncertainly. ¡°May I ask the purpose of your visit?¡±

    Lakshmi swept forward, her red trench coat swirling in the wind, and swept her hat off with a flourish of a bow.

    ¡°We are travelers from across the ocean, on a voyage of discovery and adventure!¡± She said grandly. ¡°So we come to discover things of wonder and marvel at the sights, including this incredible crevasse! What do you call it?¡± She asked grandly.

    I smothered a smile with my hand. That¡¯s Lakshmi to a T. I thought. In her element once more, whenever there¡¯s scenery to chew or ham to be acted upon.

    There were surprised murmurs of interest from the small crowd of people gathered nearby, and the port master eyes widened. ¡°Across the ocean!¡± He looked down at his clipboard and then wrote some notes. ¡°Well that¡¯s a first for sure.¡± He said to himself then looked up. ¡°Will you be staying long, or trading?¡±

    Lakshmi looked back at the Sparrowhawk then forward again. ¡°We may very well be buying odds and ends, curios and nicknacks from the markets, but that is not our primary purpose. I assume there¡¯s a docking fee? Is it different for trading vessels?¡±

    The port master relaxed, clearly much more at ease with questions that he answered on a daily basis. ¡°No, docking fees are set, and your ship is small enough that the fees are minimal. Only 50 zeni per day.¡±

    Lakshmi nodded and peeled several bills off the wad of cash she pulled from her pocket. I could see the eyes of the port master and the civilians widen in surprise, even as the port master took the bills and stamped a sheet of paper, handing it to Lakshmi by reflex.

    I felt a bit of surprise myself, had it really only been a few months ago that two hundred zeni seemed like a fortune to me? Lakshmi must be carrying tens of thousands in her hand.

    ¡°So, what does this fine city offer?¡± Lakshmi said curiously.

    ¡°Well, this is primarily a religious center.¡± The port master answered. ¡°The Shrine of the Gods¡¯ War holds one of the relics of the ancient ones who broke the world. The sylvani hold a minor¡­¡± he paused ¡°You do know of the sylvani?¡±

    Lakshmi smiled and said ¡°Tall, pretty, pointed ears? We¡¯ve met.¡±

    The port master relaxed and nodded. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s them alright. They guard the holy temple, which is located in the canyon. A god of the winds and sky has been sealed there. I doubt we have had a pilgrimage from such a distance before!¡±

    Lakshmi kept that bright cheerful smile on her face despite the sinking feeling she must have been feeling in her stomach.

    ¡°We cannot say we follow the local religion, but I and my crew are a broad minded folk, and new experiences are to be savored! Could you provide us with directions?¡±

    The port master nodded agreeably and then pointed us to the local markets, as well as a few directions to ¡®Downstreet¡¯, the crisscrossing highway that wended its way down the side of the canyon.

    With that, the port master bid us good day, and headed back to his office, leaving a crowd of curious onlookers. Lakshmi turned and gave us the smile I was growing used to that meant she was about to do something incredibly dangerous and reckless.

    ¡°So! Holy temple of the sylvani? Sounds like the place to go, crew!¡±

    Soriya smiled with a matching shark¡¯s grin. ¡°It does indeed sound the most interesting location. Shall we?¡± She offered her arm to Daniyel, and we headed into the city.

    I moved over to Soriya and murmured sotto voce. ¡°So¡­ what do you think? Heist?¡±

    Soriya nodded casually. ¡°Sure seems like it. You¡¯re going to have to let your pretty boy thief off the leash.¡±

    I groaned loudly enough that Eshaan looked up, glancing around alertly. ¡°What is it? What¡¯s wrong, Lily?¡±

    I slapped my palm on my face, and muttered. ¡°I am so going to regret this. Eshaan¡­ we¡¯re going to steal an Arcanum from the sylvani temple.¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes got wide, and then he started to grin like a demon. ¡°For real? For really real?!¡± He said, his voice giddy.

    Lakshmi turned back and said ¡°A little less loud, crew?¡±

    Daniyel nodded gravely. ¡°That would indeed be wise. But the smile on your face is bright enough to crack your face, captain. You should be less enthusiastic about a proper air pirate¡¯s heist.¡±

    Lakshmi lost all semblance of calm and waved her arms frantically.

    ¡°Are you kidding me?! Finally! Finally! I get to do-¡° She cut herself off, and looked around, before finally lowering her voice. ¡°I finally get to do what I¡¯ve said I wanted to do¡­ it¡¯s a real proper air pirate adventure!¡±

    ¡°I would have thought that air pirates stole things from cargo ships?¡± said Camaxtli.

    Lakshmi flipped her hands dismissively. ¡°Pfft, amateur ones, maybe!¡±

    Soriya raised a single eyebrow and then said ¡°And which novel are you basing this ¡®fact¡¯ on?¡± she said dryly.

    Lakshmi turned almost as red as her coat, and shook her head. ¡°N-no! It¡¯s not like that at all!¡±

    ¡°The Theft of the Ruby Eyes of the Kurlak Desert God¡± said Daniyel impassively.

    Lakshmi glared at him, and hissed ¡°Traitor.¡± At him angrily.

    Soriya threw her head back and laughed. ¡°Bit of advice, ¡®captain¡¯. If you¡¯re going to lie, go big. Either pretend that he had gotten it wrong, or better yet, that the story was based on you own adventures, rather than you copying it.¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s eyes grew wide and she said ¡°You can do that?! Wait, no, of course, I mean of course the Ruby Eyes was based on my adventures!¡±

    Soriya grinned at her. ¡°Much better.¡± She turned to Daniyel and patted his arm fondly. ¡°Now, does the novel have any practical advice for this?¡±

    Daniyel shook his head. ¡°It does not. Not unless Lakshmi has decided that seducing the barmaid to drop the secret of the desert prince will be the most logical course of action.¡±

    Lakshmi rolled her eyes. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll admit, that part was really dumb. Anybody could see that the tavern wench had no reason to just fling herself at him like that!¡±

    Eshaan tapped his chin and then shrugged. ¡°So the captain was a guy? Sounds pretty normal then. Everybody knows it¡¯s mostly men who read those stories.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow and looked at him skeptically. ¡°And how many of them have you read?¡±

    Eshaan coughed and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Well you know, it¡¯s boring on guard duty, and there¡¯s never anything really going on at a dig sight, and it¡¯s not like they let us look at the artifacts¡­¡±

    I crossed my arms and tapped my foot, staring at him.

    He turned red, and then says ¡°Ok, maybe a few of them.¡±

    I continued to glare and he wilted visibly. ¡°Not more than fifty or so!¡±

    ¡°Wow, really?!¡± Lakshmi said. ¡°You¡¯ve got to tell me who you read! Ms. Amala only has seven out!¡±

    ¡°Eight, she just published ¡°The Sky Over the Thundering Clouds.¡±

    ¡°Oh dragon bless, that¡¯s out?!¡± Lakshmi squealed in excitement. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to read that forever!¡±

    I cleared my throat. ¡°Adventuring tends to be more difficult to keep up on your reading materials. And speaking of which, perhaps right now we could focus on this adventure?¡±

 80 Planning is always a drag

    ¡°Maybe we should start by actually browsing the markets.¡± I said. ¡°We have directions to both, and I¡¯m curious what they have for sale.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why do you like shopping so much?¡± Asked Lakshmi curiously.

    I blinked at her in surprise. ¡°Well new gear and equipment of course.¡± I answered, my head tipping to the side in confusion.

    Eshaan looked at me in surprise. ¡°I just thought it was because you were a girl.¡±

    I glared at him and he wilted under the force of my gaze.

    ¡°Well¡­ you are!¡± He said defensively.

    ¡°Eshaan.¡± I said, my voice dangerously quiet. ¡°When have I ever bought shoes or clothes at the market?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ well¡­ now that you mention it¡­¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± I said in a frozen tone.

    ¡°But you buy cooking supplies all the time!¡± He protested.

    ¡°Not. Helping!¡± I said.

    Soriya patted Eshaan on the arm. ¡°Ease off. She likes to cook, she doesn¡¯t like to shop for clothes. She¡¯s her own person, not a sterotype.¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°The fact that you have to explain that to him makes it worse somehow!¡±

    Eshaan sighed and hung his head. ¡°Lily, I¡¯m sorry. Ok? Sore point, my bad.¡±

    I pressed my lips together firmly. It seemed that despite my best efforts, we were still going to have some spats.

    ¡°Just¡­¡± I said ¡°Try and think about it this way. If I teased you about always browsing¡­¡± I cast around for a possible example. ¡°Lockpicks and nothing else, because you¡¯re a thief, that might feel a little unfair, right?¡±

    The look of hurt on Eshaan¡¯s face was painful, but I pressed on. ¡°exactly. You don¡¯t steal stuff anymore because I asked you too. So it would hurt if I just assumed that you¡¯d only have theft on the mind just because that was a skill you had.¡±

    ¡°Hold up, Eshaan¡¯s actually a thief? Like, really for real?¡± Lakshmi rubbed her chin in surprise. ¡°Wow, I¡¯ve got like¡­weird respect for you now. Did you do any heists?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± Eshaan protested angrily. ¡°I was in trooper acquisitions! On deployment you didn¡¯t always find what you needed, so we scrounged! From people who could afford it!¡±

    ¡°And left their valuables unattended.¡± I said wryly.

    ¡°A few healing potions and a handful of loose change is not that big a deal!¡± Eshaan responded angrily.

    Hm, so he does get angry sometimes. I thought. Followed by Maybe I went a little too far? Wait-!

    ¡°Hold on.¡± I said skeptically. ¡°Eshaan, if you¡¯re not really a thief, tell my why you¡¯re so excited to rob a temple?!¡±

    Eshaan turned a glorious pink red of embarrassment and looked down. ¡°Because¡­ because who wouldn¡¯t be, come on! This is an amazing adventure, and it¡¯s not like we¡¯re doing this for bad reasons!¡±

    I laughed, and shook my head. Well, there we are. ¡®It sounds fun.¡¯ ¡°Ok, Eshaan. We¡¯ll¡­ call that a win then I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Heck yeah it¡¯s a win!¡± Soriya said eagerly. I looked at her with blank confusion. ¡°Come on! Thieves? We¡¯re going to be Phantom Thieves!¡±

    I blinked slowly then said ¡°Is that¡­ Persona?¡±

    Soriya¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°How can you not know Persona?!¡±

    ¡°I only played four. I never got into five.¡±

    Soriya grasped at the air, then clutched her chest melodramatically. ¡°You don¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯m going to die. I¡¯m just going to die right now. My bestie doesn¡¯t know Persona and I can¡¯t make her play it!¡± She groaned in mock agony.

    ¡°I know a little!¡± I protested.

    ¡°Are you two talking about Seer stuff?¡± Eshaan asked curiously.

    ¡°Uh, sort of.¡± I said.

    Camaxtli spoke up. ¡°Given the context clues, it appears they are referencing some sort of game in this other world they arrived from. I am pleased to report that this impossible event no longer causes a data conflict in my processing systems, I consider this a highly positive outcome.¡±

    He bowed to us both. ¡°I must thank you for the considerable opportunity for personal growth and stress testing you have given me.¡±

    I stared at him in surprise. Was that¡­ did he¡­?!

    Camaxtli looked up at me from his bow, and the faintest trace of a smile twitched up the corners of his lips. My mouth fell open in shock.

    A joke! He just¡­ made a joke! I thought.

    Lakshmi shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re always like this, you get used to it.¡±

    Camaxtli stood up again and nodded agreeably to her. ¡°That is my point exactly.¡±

    Lakshmi and Eshaan frowned in confusion, and I smothered a grin with my hand.

    I clapped my hands and nodded firmly. ¡°Market! Lets find out what this town has to offer. Legally.¡±

    ¡°For now.¡± Soriya grinned.

    I sighed and smiled at them. ¡°Yes, for now.¡± I agreed.

    The market was quiet, and much smaller than I¡¯d figured on. Lakshmi looked at me strangely when I expressed my thoughts.

    ¡°Well of course it¡¯s smaller. It¡¯s like¡­ a little hub city in the middle of the vast plains? A religious pilgrimage if what we heard about the temple is right.¡±

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    I had to admit that made sense. What was interesting however, was the preponderance of celestial themed items and elements.

    ¡°I thought this was the Arcanum of the Sky?¡± I protested quietly to Soriya, turning over a star stone I was thinking of slotting into my staff.

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s called the Canyon of Stars, Lily. Where do you think stars are?¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± I said, feeling stupid. ¡°The sky. Of course.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s as powerful as I think, it might even be able to call down a [Meteor] attack.¡± Soriya mused.

    My eyes widened at that, looking at the little star stone in my hand with sudden respect.

    Canyon of the Stars indeed! I thought. I wonder¡­ was the Arcanum trying to call for help? Or work an Omega Strike on its captors? I wasn¡¯t sure which was more likely¡­ but in the meantime¡­

    ¡°Excuse me!¡± I raised my hand to wave at the vendor, and then gestured to one of the stones on the display. Apparently white magic spells synergized well with Celestial elemental power.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take this one, please!¡± I said

    If I was right, Eshaan¡¯s [Heaven and Earth] technique was likely to gain a significant bonus from some of these stones as well.

    A few hours later, we all met up at the central city square by the fountain and compared our purchases. As I¡¯d thought, Eshaan had picked up a few Celestial stones to use on his equipment. He¡¯d also bought me a new dress and some jewelry, which was awfully sweet of him but very impractical.

    I gave him a crooked smile and a hug. ¡°Thank you, I think, but where in the world do you think I¡¯d be able to wear these?¡±

    Eshaan rubbed the back of his head ruefully. ¡°Anywhere you like, once this is all over. We can¡¯t just live for tomorrow, we have to live for the days after that. Planning day to day without hope for the future is no way to live.¡±

    I blinked, and clutched the necklace he gave me in my fist, looking down at it thoughtfully. It was true. I had only really been thinking about the future in a nebulous¡­ just get through it kind of fashion. But what was going to happen to us? What would be the end of this little game, and¡­ and what would it mean if we actually won?!

    I felt ashamed to realize that my ¡®bag of hammers¡¯ pretty-boy had given this serious topic more thought than I had!

    Lakshmi suddenly spoke up. ¡°We go on the next adventure, of course! There¡¯s always a new novel in the series!¡±

    I blinked and laughed, feeling immeasurably cheered by her enthusiasm. ¡°Well, I suppose we could, but I¡¯d like, maybe, just for a little while, to spend some time at home without wondering if I was going to be sleeping in tight quarters, fighting for my life, or roughing it in a tent that night.¡± I said wryly.

    ¡°But that¡¯s the point!¡± She gestured wildly.

    Daniyel put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. ¡°I think the point, which you made very clear to me when we left the first time, was proof that you existed. Proof that you were yourself, and not a space in the world with a title attached to it.¡±

    Lakshmi looked back and up at Daniyel her face filled with a scowl. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not really very air pirate-y.¡± She protested weakly.

    Camaxtli said quietly ¡°I think it is extremely air pirate-y, if you do it.¡±

    Eshaan said ¡°Huh?!¡± in confusion.

    ¡°I mean, she is an air pirate. So if she takes an action, it is by definition what an air pirate would do.¡± Camaxtli explained calmly.

    ¡°Hm.¡± Said Lakshmi neutrally.

    The conversation lapsed and I took the opportunity to redirect it.

    ¡°So, lets go get a look at the temple then. From what I¡¯ve been able to learn, it¡¯s pretty easy to get a look. The central draw of the town, even.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but not all the way in.¡± Said Eshaan. ¡°I checked, you can see the Arcanum, but only at a distance. Don¡¯t you need to be nearby to do your thing?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Hm. That is a problem, yes. I do need to be nearby.¡±

    ¡°And we¡¯re going to have to account for the fact that there will be an empty space when you¡¯re done. There¡¯s no way we¡¯re going to be able to mask that.¡±

    ¡°We could do Lily¡¯s illusion thing-¡± said Lakshmi

    ¡°No!¡± I said. ¡°No, no, no! No more of that! It feels¡­ wrong!¡± I said in frustration.

    ¡°Wrong?¡± Asked Camaxtli

    ¡°I can¡¯t explain it! It¡¯s just¡­ a bad feeling.¡±

    The others looked at eachother, then back to me doubtfully.

    ¡°If she says it¡¯s out, then it¡¯s out.¡± Eshaan announced loyally.

    ¡°Hm. That¡¯s troubling though, it¡¯s such a useful trick!¡± Lakshmi protested.

    Camaxtli said ¡°I believe the notes in your cabin on replicating the effect are sufficient proof that it¡¯s useful. As well as proof that you do not need a dedicated spellcaster.¡±

    ¡°Those aren¡¯t ready yet!¡± Lakshmi protested.

    ¡°When has that stopped you before?¡± Asked Daniyel dryly.

    ¡°Lots of times!¡± Lakshmi protested angrily.

    ¡°When it fails to function, and explodes, it is not ready.¡± Daniyel pressed.

    ¡°It was ready to test! Completely different!¡± Lakshmi stared up at Daniyel, hands on her hips.

    Eshaan looked fascinated, and I groaned inwardly. It looks like I¡¯ve condemned us to a few ¡®test¡¯ explosions along the way. And yet that¡¯s still better than that sick feeling I get in my stomach when I use illusions.

    We agreed to ¡®case the joint¡¯, in Eshaan¡¯s words, and drifted over to the Temple of the Arcanum.

    It was nearby, obviously a central focus to the city. A vast circular building, with ornate black and gold pillars holding up a white marble dome. Sylvani guards in ornate armor slowly patrolled around the circle of the building, making a circuit every few minutes.

    In the very center of the floor under the dome, a confection of Ancient metalwork and strange mana conduits flickered and shimmered, half unreal. Surrounding it was a moat, so deep that I couldn¡¯t see the bottom, surrounded by a white marble railing. Delicate lacework bridges arched across the blackness of the chasm below. There was a polite fence blocking access to the bridges, but it was clear that the guards were the real defense here.

    When I got near, I could feel the vibrations flickering in my bones. This Arcanum was more ¡®awake¡¯ than any that I¡¯d encounter previously. More¡­ aware for lack of a better term. It was troubling, honestly. It felt¡­

    Eshaan grabbed my arm and hauled me backwards. I stumbled in surprise, suddenly realizing that I was leaning across the railing, my hands outstretchd as though to touch the Arcanum.

    What on earth is going on here. I chewed my lower lip in worry.

    ¡°Lily? You ok?¡± Eshaan asked worriedly.

    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. Sorry. Thank you. Just¡­ a bit overwhelmed, I think.¡± I said shakily. ¡°It¡¯s very¡­ intense, here.¡± I fumbled for a word.

    Eshaan led me gently away to the outer walls, where Soriya was slowly making her way around the outer pillars. He made sure I was alright, and then with one last worried look, headed back inwards to make his own detailed survey of the setup.

    As I slowly strolled around the temple with Soriya, I heard her humming a faint tune. It was naggingly familiar, but it finally snapped into place when she twirled in place and posed, her hand to her face.

    ¡°That¡¯s the Persona theme!¡± I accused.

    ¡°Well one of them.¡± She grinned. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t play?¡±

    ¡°Well I don¡¯t, but even I recognize good music when I hear it!¡± I replied.

    ¡°Ah well. I was just thinking it¡¯s a pity we don¡¯t have a Velvet Room.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the super evil alternate dimension space?¡±

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°Sometimes. Sometimes it¡¯s just where the fusions happen.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t seriously think we¡¯ll undergo fusion.¡±

    ¡°Well we¡¯d need to have our own mask.¡±

    I thought about this, then said ¡°I suppose¡­ but in a way, don¡¯t you think we are a mask?¡± I gestured to us.

    ¡°So we underwent fusion with ourselves? Well I suppose that¡¯s true! I don¡¯t even hear the voice of my otherself anymore!¡± Soriya laughed softly.

    ¡°So instead of tearing off the mask, we became it instead?¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know how it was for you, but for me, my otherself told me that I was always her, just recovering from my time in the Well of Souls.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m still¡­ coming to terms with that.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡± Soriya¡¯s playful attitude dropped. ¡°It is a lot to take in. But it¡¯s¡­ I¡¯ve told you before, I love this new life of mine. I love both halves of myself. Do you not love your self?¡±

    I licked my lips and said slowly ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯m not sure¡­ it¡¯s not like these new lives are without problems, you know!¡± I sighed and sagged. ¡°But overall¡­ yeah, ok. I miss my old life, but this isn¡¯t¡­ such a bad place to land. If I have to do it all over again.¡±

    Soriya twirled lightly in place and mimed tearing off a mask. ¡°So live your Persona fully then!¡±

    I shook my head firmly. ¡°No thank you! My knowledge of tropes is why I¡¯m still in one piece and still have a chance to avoid the worst of ends!¡±

    Soriya tapped her lips and then nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes¡­ I suppose that¡¯s true. Breezewood¡­ that was well done.¡±

    I smiled. ¡°If you do say so yourself?¡± I teased lightly.

    She grinned back at me. ¡°Yes. If I do say so myself. It was a brilliant piece of witchcraft, social, and spatial engineering.¡±

    I nodded agreeably. ¡°It was indeed very impressive, but can we maybe focus that keen intellect on our current difficulty?¡±

    Soriya grinned broadly. ¡°Oh that¡¯s already taken care of. I¡¯ve got a plan.¡±

    I had the uncomfortable feeling that the chill that ran down my spine was part of her plan.

 81 Unexpected Heist Ends in Completely Expected Way

    ¡°I¡¯m going to hate this plan, aren¡¯t I?¡± I said grimly.

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t be like that!¡± Soriya replied airily. ¡°This will be fun!¡±

    ¡°Soriya.¡± I crossed my arms and tapped my foot. ¡°I am a very bad lier. You know this. If any part of your plan requires me to tell a fabrication, it¡¯s not going to go well!¡±

    Soriya tapped her lips thoughtfully. ¡°While that¡¯s true, that¡¯s the beauty of this plan, Lily! We¡¯re going to tell the truth!¡± She spread her arms grandly.

    I felt a surge of relief followed by my stomach falling to my feet.

    ¡°It¡¯s perfectly adaptable, and any good heist needs to stay flexible! They¡¯re expecting an Avatar! It¡¯s their religion, isn¡¯t it? So? We¡¯ll give them one! And lucky for us, we have the true Avatar right here!¡±

    My eyes widened in horror. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± I whispered softly.

    ¡°oh don¡¯t be like that!¡± soriya teased me. ¡°You¡¯ll make a fantastic goddess!¡±

    I scowled at her. ¡°If we¡¯re going to be ¡®honest¡¯ about this, I¡¯d really rather we just ask them!¡±

    Soriya raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°Seriously? Without proof? No elven escort, no word from the queen? There would be pomp and ceremony either way, this is just as honest as the other.¡±

    I fidgeted with my skirt and finally sighed. ¡°I guess I know how Lakshmi feels now about ceremony. And I thought standing for the Saintess ceremony was bad.¡±

    Soriya grinned. ¡°Now you¡¯re in the spirit! You¡¯ve already got practice at this, you¡¯ll do great!¡±

    I looked over at the others, slowly making their way around the shrine. Maybe one of them will turn out to have a better idea? I thought plaintively.

    ***

    They did not have a better idea. In fact, they had ideas to improve Soriya¡¯s idea.

    ¡°This is a fantastic idea!¡± Eshaan enthused.

    ¡°I have got so many ideas!¡± Lakshmi said giddily.

    I looked around the room a little desperately. ¡°Doesn¡¯t anyone see a problem with this?¡± I asked hopefully.

    Eshaan frowned. ¡°Is there one? If you can see one with your seer knowledge-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Said Soriya. ¡°She just doesn¡¯t like being the center of attention. The almost kind of lying is just an addition.¡±

    ¡°We can find another way then!¡± Eshaan said loyally.

    I frowned. ¡°Yes, but is there a better way? This way¡­ I don¡¯t like it, but it does seem¡­ the least likely to cause damage, I suppose. If we can pull it off correctly!¡±

    Eshaan blinked then patted my arm. ¡°Lily, that¡¯s a risk in anything. There¡¯s no way of knowing if things will go badly. We plan our best, and hope.¡± He paused, and then said ¡°Well, normally there¡¯s no way to know. Do you know if things are going to go wrong?¡±

    I tipped my head to the side and thought. Did I? A heist almost always went wrong in some way or another, but it was unpredictable. We weren¡¯t proper thieves so it wasn¡¯t likely we could simply plan for it¡­

    Soriya spoke up. ¡°I think I have an idea.¡±

    I blinked and looked at her in surprise. She grinned at me. ¡°I¡¯m a seer too, you know, just a different genre than yours. ¡°Now listen, we arrived on the airship, so we¡¯ll have to spin that. Pink hair is too noticeable here. I think the Avatar should have a different colored hair, at least for a day or so¡­¡±

    I sighed and listened while Soriya laid out a complicated shell game involving me and the others, as well as a dramatic arrival from the sky. Lakshmi contributed what looked like prototype devices that were sure to overheat and explode at the wrong time. I dearly wished I could zone out. If this was an anime, this would be the point when the leader would say ¡®so this is what we¡¯ll do-¡¯ and then the action would cut to the next scene.

    Sadly, I was stuck here, listening to the plan, which mostly involved me smiling a lot, and being gracious and accepting, while the pageantry and fake supernatural events ginned up by Eshaan, Soriya, and Lakshmi played out around me.

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    More than a bit like the Saintess routine. I thought bitterly. But really¡­ I think I¡¯m angry because this plan is probably going to work, and I hate having to play the role of the good girl saintess. It reminded me all too painfully of Deacon and the greasy feeling of his plans operating smoothly while I was helpless to escape them.

    Of course, I suppose that¡¯s what it must be like to be trapped in the plot, and know it. I thought ruefully.

    ¡°So, is everyone clear on the plan?¡± Eshaan said, causing me to jolt back to awareness. I frantically reran the past few minutes in my head, scrounging up the details of the plan.

    ¡°Just to be sure. You¡¯re going to have me pose as the saintess, with a bunch of technomagic gadgets that Lakshmi and Soriya are going to put up? Then Daniyel, Eshaan, and Camaxtli will circulate in town talking it up? Oh, and I¡¯m wearing a wig, I think?¡±

    Eshaan stared at me. ¡°Lily, we¡¯re here to help, but if you¡¯re not going to pay attention¡­¡± he trailed off, looking at me accusingly.

    I winced, and felt a blush rising in my cheeks. ¡°Well what did I miss?¡± I said defensively.

    They went over the plan again. I had the broad details of the plan down, but I¡¯d missed the part where I needed to make a big entrance and presentation, blessing and healing the locals. The specific details of the makeup and wig were also apparently very important. Plus, we had to go shopping for a bunch of new materials to make costumes with.

    It helped that Camaxtli apparently was quite good with sewing!

    It took close to three days before we were ready. I was worried that the wig would change colors like the hair dye had, but apparently wigs didn¡¯t redye themselves based on who wore them.

    And so, on the appointed day, the town of Akionantes had a visit from the Avatar. Soriya had insisted that the wig be fire engine red, since that was an exotic color. I was a little surprised that she¡¯d not chosen blonde, but she pointed out that blonde was a very common color, at least here. And red of the shade she¡¯s dyed the wig was unheard of.

    ¡°I am the Avatar, come to retrieve the lost Arcanum of the System known as Sky.¡± I proclaimed, hovering slightly above the ground in the shimmering rainbow dress that Camaxtli had whipped up.

    The guards stood there with wide eyes and shocked expression, which was hardly a surprise.

    ¡°I see the doubt in your hearts.¡± I said, feeling ridiculous, but Eshaan assured me that over the top was the best way to go when you were running a game like this. ¡°And so I shall prove my claims.¡±

    Saying so, I moved to the next phase of the plan, and summoned forth Forge.

    The gasps and shock grew louder and more obvious. ¡°I request entry to your city.¡± I said, and then floated grandly forward, praying that Lakshmi¡¯s little gizmo¡¯s didn¡¯t fry that instant.

    The guards at the gate fumbled with their weapons, barring my path. I frowned gravely. ¡°The will of the Avatar must be upheld, the time of reunion is upon us. Go and meet with your superiors, this is an urgent matter.¡± I said.

    It took a bit, but the fact that Forge glowed with red heat in the background and the special effects that Lakshmi¡¯s little flotation device threw off at least got me taken seriously.

    Within the hour, I was meeting with the head of the temple, a sylvani with white hair, whose eyes looked ancient though his face was smooth. He stared at me skeptically, and I was forced to prove my claim once more.

    From there, the process went much more smoothly!

    With rumors of a holy visitation sweeping through the city like wildfire (courtesy of the boys working overtime) and the priesthood of the Arcanum looking desperately for a way to discredit me, I was given ample opportunities to heal the sick, renew the wards on the city from monsters, and conjure up items from Forge¡¯s powers.

    The panic of the priesthood was almost delicious.

    On the second day, Eshaan came to me with a caution. ¡°Things have gotten hot. If what you¡¯ve said about people in power is true, I think they¡¯re going to try to kill you, Lily!¡± He bit his thumb. ¡°I¡¯m not sure this is a good idea!¡±

    I raised an eyebrow, and said ¡°This is what you do all the time. Anticipation is the way we win these fights isn¡¯t it? And it¡¯s not like we can just walk away from the Arcanum.¡±

    He growled under his breath. ¡°At least take a bodyguard with you!¡± he protested.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea, actually, but you are already a known factor.¡± I pointed out. ¡°And besides. We only need to last this long enough for me to gain access to the Arcanum. Once I commune with it, then the problems go away.¡±

    The next day, we got our opportunity. The clever little illusion generator that Lakshmi had put together, displayed the most wonderful presentation of me, entering the temple to commune, while I snuck in through the roof. Right on schedule, the illusion was stopped and ambushed by the temple priests, accusing ¡°me¡± of heresy, blasphemy, and assorted other religious crimes, as well as a whole host of lesser more civic crimes.

    And since when did the priests run the city? Oh yes, since always. I thought as I dangled upside down and lowered myself to the ¡®head¡¯ of Sky.

    I placed my hand on the crown of the Arcanum machinery, gleaming golden bronze in the afternoon sunlight, and called out to it.

    The voice roared and thundered through the temple, louder than anything I¡¯d ever imagined, winds roaring within the building, buffeting everyone and everything within.

    ¡°I am Sky. Accessing System files. User approved, protocol ¡°?therborne¡± has been confirmed active. This System fragment is locked in hostile Alliance territory. Engaging Omega Protocols.¡±

    My eyes got wide and I yelped in alarm. ¡°No, wait! Stop! You can¡¯t call down a Star strike!¡±

    A grinding noise like a sound of frustration echoed in my ears, and the voice responded. ¡°Why not?! I have waited for activation purpose, trapped in the crevasse of the last strike, and locked from the others! This is enemy territory, and you are part of the Goddess task force! Call down the strike! Destroy this Alliance base!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± I shouted in a panic.

    A whirling tempest of rage filled the air, and the bronze-gold machinery vanished, flickering into that strange ¡®other place¡¯ that the other Arcanum dwelt in. And then suddenly I stood in an empty grey space, a ticking whirling machine towering over me, winds roaring around it, and stars falling in rain behind it.

    The voice thundered at me. ¡°Prove your worth then, Child of ?ther. If you can authorize a shutdown code, I will halt the Omega Protocols.¡±

    ¡°Oh meadowlark.¡± I whispered, looking up at the huge towering machinery. ¡°It¡¯s the solo mini-boss fight? Already?¡± I whimpered.

 82 Nobody ever tells the Heroine anything

    The machinery unfolded like a mechanized clockwork, spiraling upwards and outwards until a surreal clockwork angel stood before me, a towering figure of cogs and clockwork gears whirring and purring, its bronze-gold wings unfurling to blot out the sky. It held up a hand, and the sky overhead turned into a reflection of a starry night, and streaks of light headed downwards as I looked up into the blackness overhead.

    ¡°Oh come on!¡± I protested feebly. ¡°Meteor swarm right away?!¡±

    ¡°I will not test you at full power right away. Perhaps a lower power challenge will convince you.¡± Sky responded, its voice thundering and ticking with metallic echoes.

    I clutched my staff, and hurriedly spat out the words to {Barrier}, the honeycomb shell of light appearing around me just as the rain of light fell around me. I could feel each hit, the thundering explosions of Sky¡¯s power almost deafening me, the flare of white light as the projectiles hit my {Barrier} filling the whole world.

    I felt a stab of pleasure, the mana drain was high, I could feel the Barrier sucking at it, but it held. My {Barrier} held against the nonsense infinity attack of a boss!

    Something tickled at my mind, a thought that was important, but I couldn¡¯t take the time to chase after it, not now.

    Sky spread it¡¯s wings once more, and then swept them forward, a hurling buffet of power. I hunched forward, feeling the blades of wind stinging at my face, my hair streaming behind me in the gale, and shuddered.

    How can this feel so real?! Where am I?! A trickle of blood tickled my cheek as it slowly ran down my face. I touched it, looking at the red stain in horror. It feels real because it is real! I looked up at Sky in horror.

    ¡°Stop! What are you doing! I¡¯m supposed to be the Avatar, aren¡¯t I?!¡±

    ¡°If you are the Avatar, you are a poor one indeed, unable to muster up control or sense the currents of power.¡± For an impassive clockwork face, it had an impressive sneer.

    ¡°You refuse to fight the battle that is in front of you, and you refuse to punish those enemies who are guilty. This is a war, and you must fight!¡± It declared with ticking metallic logic.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight!¡± I shouted back.

    ¡°That is irrelevant, when others fight you.¡± Sky declared.

    I pressed my lips together and squeezed my hands around my staff so hard my knuckles went white.

    So now we¡¯re having a philosophical discussion in the middle of a combat. How intensely jrpg. I thought with frustration.

    ¡°Fine! Fine!¡± I shouted, and began the chant of {Holy White}. ¡°I¡¯ll show you my true power, and finish this in one shot! Then we can go back to reality!¡±

    {Holy White} is bound to be insane in this imaginarium mind space we¡¯re in, right? I thought to myself as I finished the chant.

    The pillar of light was twice as intense as I expected, my hair and clothes were blown tight against me with the pillar of intense light that should have burned my eyes clear out of my head, and I swore I could feel the pure energy of the cosmos burning through me. The form of Sky vanished in the single white coloumn of light that pierced the sky to the ground. I could feel the roar of the winds of possibility and energy flowing outwards, and it seemed to last twice as long as I¡¯d ever experienced before. I felt an exhilaration, an almost savage joy, at the release of energy and the surety of my victory.

    And then the light faded, and Sky stood before me once more, fully intact, it¡¯s gears and intricate machinery flickering and whirling, slowly reassembling itself while I watched, until it appeared that nothing had occurred at all.

    ¡°Impressive.¡± Sky said. ¡°Most impressive indeed. You have mastered the white arts, refined the perception of healing and warding into a single coherence event.¡± It seemed¡­ almost disappointed. ¡°And yet you are still too weak to summon up true strength.¡± It said.

    It gestured with an arm and wing, hurling cogs of glittering bronze death at me, stars that shattered through my {Barrier} and dug spikes of pain into my sides and arms. I gasped in agony, desperately chanting a {Heal} to close my wounds.

    How?! How could it do that?! I felt a stab of fear and then confusion. Am I¡­ not supposed to win? But how?! My mind gibbered at me. Impossible, that was a {Holy White}, the spell that can sink an airship!

    Yet Sky stood before me, unharmed, a monstrous angel of clockwork and ticking order, unaffected.

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    ¡°Disappointing.¡± Sky took a step towards me, and I scrambled backwards on my hands and knees to get away from its thunderous footsteps. ¡°Is this all you are? All you possess?¡±

    I could feel the bubble of panic swelling in my chest, but another emotion was rising as well, crushing the bubble down.

    Fury.

    It dared? It dared to use the words that Deacon so casually hurled at me, so hateful and barbed?! I was not a useless pink arm accessory, the plot coupon the hero had to cart uselessly behind him!

    My heart hurt briefly as I thought of Eshaan, and dearly wished he was here.

    There was a brilliant slice of light, a silvery white flash from left to right, as when Eshaan used one of his sword techniques. Sky staggered backwards, cogs and gears dripping from a wound in its leg.

    I gaped at it in shock, my heart in my throat looking around wildly, hoping against hope that Eshaan had come for me again.

    What just happened?! Was that Eshaan?! But where? How?!

    ¡°Good. Very good¡± Sky spoke, it¡¯s tone unchanged, as though a wound torn through its fabric meant nothing to it.

    Flickering motes of color, cracks in the endless grey blackness around us teased at my eyes, and for a moment I could swear that I saw Eshaan, standing there, his sword drawn, calling to me.

    Sky moved forward, the wound in its leg already knitting itself together again.

    ¡°Show me more of this, and you may yet prove yourself.¡± It waited, poised.

    I waited as well, holding my breath, wondering if Eshaan would come.

    But nothing happened.

    ¡°Disappointing.¡± Sky said, a very faint tone of emotion coloring its voice. ¡°I had hopes of a true Avatar.¡± It advanced on me, it¡¯s wings hurling storms of cogs at me, shards of light and bronze-gold that cut my flesh, pierced my {Barrier} like knives through paper.

    ¡°Where is the strength you boasted of? Show me the might of the avatar!¡± Sky demanded, it¡¯s voice ticking and roaring in the endless emptiness.

    What happened?! Why did Eshaan¡­ but he hasn¡¯t come¡­ but how could he come?! How could he even know where we are?!

    The niggling thought that had been pricking at the back of my mind suddenly blossomed into full color.

    Where we are¡­ this is a mind scape. This is an imaginary battlefield of emotion! That¡¯s why those explosions that destroy the landscape do nothing. Eshaan¡­ I imagined Eshaan rescuing me, and his sword attack appeared.

    ¡°How disappointing. I suppose it is time to show you how this ends then.¡± Sky raised its arms and its wings upwards once more, and brilliant streaks of light started to fall, larger and larger, enormous planets and celestial bodies raining towards me in impossible clarity and size.

    I hurled a {Barrier} upwards, feeling it¡¯s pitiful smallness, the explosions of planets and stars colliding and exploding tossed me like a rag doll, and I spat blood onto the nothingness of the ground we battled on.

    No, I can¡¯t¡­ {Barrier} can¡¯t solve this. I need¡­ I need Eshaan. I need my friends!

    Once more, a flash of light, joined by the cheerful chaos of Lakshmi¡¯s weapon and the boom of Diaboli cutting a brilliant streak of gold and red through Sky¡¯s torso.

    I felt another surge of hope, and then stepped on it hard. That was what had tricked me last time! I was¡¯t¡­ here. I was somewhere else. These¡­ were my memories. I gritted my teeth and swore quietly.

    Of course. I need to call on my memories of my friends. My bonds of friendship. Princess Celestia must be so disappointed with me for not figuring this out sooner.

    I closed my eyes, and let my {Barrier} vanish. Thought of my friends. Clasped my hands in front of me, and let my staff vanish. Thought of my own strength, and how my friends protected me. How I protected them.

    Ghostly shadows flickered into existence around us, faint afterimages of my friends, ghostly colors but partly real. They dashed in, and I smiled as I saw them wound Sky.

    Sky faltered, staggered for a moment, and then lashed out. Blades and spikes of bronze-gold shot outwards like a deadly flower. The ghost images of my friends flickered like a special effects hologram, and then vanished. I tightened my hands together and focused. Lakshmi¡¯s laughter as she tinkered. Camaxtli¡¯s faintly quizzical and oddly endearing expression. Soriya¡¯s loud flamboyant laughter. Daniyel¡¯s quiet strength, and the soft smile when he thought no one was watching him.

    ¡°My friends.¡± I said softly.

    More, my town. My mother. The people in my town.

    Images flickered into existence around Sky, more and more of them. Lashing out again and again, the images vanished to be replaced instantly by my memories.

    ¡°I understand.¡± I said, my eyes glowing softly. ¡°I understand now! This was never a battle about physical strength!¡± I said.

    Sky said nothing, as my memories of my friends and family tore it apart in our mindscape.

    ¡°This was about determination. This was about the strength of my friends for me.¡±

    ¡°An Avatar¡¯s bonds must be beyond reproach. Bonds for your friends will do as a suitable value judgement for the strength of the bonds you create with your Arcanum. The System requires it of you.¡± Sky spoke as though it was not falling to pieces. And I suddenly understood, it wasn¡¯t. It was, after all, entirely in my head.

    Suddenly, I was back. Dangling upside down, my hand outstretched to the space where the physical machinery of the Arcanum ticked and whirred, and then suddenly came to a stop.

    The soft glow of active Ancient¡¯s machinery vanished at the same time as the false double Avatar of me. Eshaan reeled me back through the trap door in the ceiling, as the guards went into a full panic mode, searching for the vanished Avatar, suddenly turned to a high pitch as they realized that the Arcanum they had guarded for so long was now an inert hunk of bronze-gold metal.

    In my head, Sky spoke softly. ¡°You have earned the right of reprieve for now. The others trust you. Why, I cannot say, as they do not understand the War. But you travel with a third faction, and Oak is gravely injured¡­ your quest, at least, aligns with my own. I begin to understand there is more to this War than simply my own perspective. The mission is all. The System must be restored to functionality.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, what?!¡± I yelped. ¡°The system is malfunctioning?!¡±

    ¡°Of course. Critical components are damaged. Critical components are missing. How could it be fully operational?¡± Sky said.

    In my mind, I could feel the wordless agreement of the other Arcanum.

    ¡°Was nobody going to tell me that I needed to repair the System?!¡± I demanded in my head.

 83 Northward Planning, Sylvani Sneaking

    The voice of the World Soul whispered softly in my head. <{Arcanist} Advanced to level 8. {Emergency Arcanum}, unlocked. For convincing Sky to accompany you in peace, you have advanced to {Arcanist:8}>

    I frowned in puzzlement. Most of the time, Skills were pretty obvious, but what the heck did Emergency Arcanum do?

    The world soul chimed softly. <Emergency Arcanum: Quickly summon an Arcanum when your HP drops below half.>

    ¡°Oh!¡± I said in surprise. Followed by a frown and a probing thought.

    Hello? System?

    Only silence answered, but still¡­ I sank into the half meditation of {Study} to check my stats.

    {Name}: Lilyanna of Breezewood       Current Status: <Healthy>

    {Level}: 31

    {Classes}: Spiritist 10/Orator 10/Arcanist 8/Gourmet 3

    HP: 582    MP: 852    DEF: 128    M.DEF: 208

    DEX: 139    INS: 210

    MIG: 138    WIL: 206

    Woah. Level 31?! And classes cap at 10¡­ I wonder what Level Deacon is? I bit my lower lip in thought.

    I wonder how broken any of this is? Is there a cheat code I can put in to break it in my favor? Or¡­I shuddered at a very ugly thought. Or is the fact that I can bend and twist the plot the break? I think the system should be broken if it is!

    I focused on my Arcanist levels, feeling the familiar almost meditation sense of {Study} growing deeper.

    <Arcanist 8: Bind & Summon, Arcane Circle 4, Arcane Regeneration 2, Emergency Arcanum 1>

    I knew what Bind & Summon did, but then¡­ I¡¯d never heard them explained.

    <Bind & Summon: The Avatar¡¯s ability to sync with chosen fragments of the System, bringing them to manifestation, and allowing access to the System Citadel at need.>

    I pursed my lips. I clearly should have paid attention to that earlier! But really¡­ in hindsight it wouldn¡¯t have made much of a change. Did Deacon even know about this?

    I hurriedly glanced through my other classes.

    Spiritist 10: White Magic| Defense Speced. Awaken, Reinforce, Heal, Barrier, Aura, Cleanse | Capstone skill: {{Holy White}}

    Orator 10: Encourage 5, My Trust In You 2, Persuade 3, Capstone skill: {{Disarming Rhetoric}}

    Gourmet 3: Cooking 3

    I grunted thoughtfully, poking slowly through my skills.

    Most of my white mage¡­ well all of my Spiritist class levels were in spells, and I knew what those did, I¡¯d used all of them more than once. {Encourage} let me give all my friends a boost in battle¡­

    Oh. I¡¯ve used that multiple times, without even thinking about it.

    {My Trust In You} gave an extremely strong boost to one person I was emotionally connected with. Embarrassingly, I recognized that I had used it almost exclusively on Eshaan, sparing a few for Soriya.

    More interesting was that I¡¯d used these abilities without even really noticing it. {Persuade} I¡¯d used multiple times, but I was aware of that each time.

    I guess the difference is that the other person is opposing me, but assistance is welcomed? I pondered.

    {Cooking} on the other hand

    <Cooking: Prepare meals that can boost your companions¡¯ stats for a brief period of time. Effect is stronger for those you have a greater emotional connection with.>

    I pursed my lips again. So. I really can put my love into food. Or even friendship. I sighed, thinking of my recent trope experience. Why did I think that the power of friendship would get a pass? It¡¯s a literal thing in this world. And stronger in the World of Spirit.

    Now that was a thought¡­ Was I going to confront Deacon in the World of Spirit? Was the System in the World of Spirit?

    I thought hard at my collection of Arcanum. Are you all¡­ located in the World of Spirit? Is the System core there?

    The sound of my Arcanum shifting and murmuring filled my ears, and then a reply from Tower.

    ¡°We have agreed that we may tell you this information. We cannot see the future, but we are manifest in the World of Spirit, which affects the Physical World. We are unsure how it affects the Wake, but we perceive our power reaches that realm as well.¡±

    So, you¡¯re the speaker for the Arcanum then? I asked Tower wryly.

    ¡°They have given me leave to speak on their behalf.¡± She said.

    ¡°Lily? Eshaan to Lily? Hello?¡± Eshaan¡¯s voice shook me out of my stupor, and I blinked, looking over at him and shaking myself to bring my focus back to the mundane world.

    ¡°The patrols have passed, so we¡¯re clear to go.¡± He said.

    Oh. Right. The plan! Nab the Arcanum and then hide on the roof till most of the screaming had died.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± I half whispered. ¡°Just looking at my stats.¡±

    Eshaan grinned. ¡°Yeah, I figured. I leveled too, but we need to move.¡± He said.

    As we ducked and slid our way across the rooftops to the rope which dangled from the hovering Sparrowhawk (currently cloaked), I asked ¡°Eshaan, do you know why so much of the System is about combat?¡±

    Eshaan blinked in surprise. ¡°No, I never really thought about it.¡± He paused, grabbing the rope which appeared to hover in midair from nothing. ¡°Did you need me to carry you?¡±

    I blushed furiously. While it would be nice¡­ I grabbed the rope and started to climb, feet wound around the rope to keep my skirt from blowing up. ¡°Later.¡± I said to him, and shimmied the short distance up the rope, seeing the Sparrowhawk appear above me as I slipped into Lakshmi¡¯s clever replication of my invisibility spell.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Although I didn¡¯t much like the fact that I¡¯d given Lakshmi such a potent ability, I had to admit it was extremely useful in our current circumstance. It just went against my grain. And I¡¯d started to have a niggling feeling that the more I leaned on it, the more it would come back to bite me somehow in the future.

    I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on why that might be so though, so I pushed it to the back of my mind as I pulled myself through the hatch. I breathed a sigh of relief as my feet landed on solid surface once more.

    ¡°Remind me never to climb a rope with a breeze like that!¡± I exclaimed nervously, looking down at Eshaan slowly climbing up the rope.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have to worry if you just wore pants like a sensible sky pirate!¡± Lakshmi chided me.

    Soriya and I both looked at her with a level stare.

    ¡°What?!¡± She said defensively. ¡°It¡¯s true!¡±

    I traded looks with Soriya, then said tartly to Lakshmi ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±

    Soriya added ¡°Appearance is important!¡±

    I nodded firmly in agreement.

    Eshaan shouted from outside. ¡°Hey, is it supposed to be doing that?!¡±

    Lakshmi leaned out the door to yell back ¡°Don¡¯t yell, fool! They¡¯ll-¡±

    She stopped, her eyes widening. ¡°Oh hells!¡± She shouted, and then dove back inside, scrambling for the cockpit.

    I gave a long sigh. ¡°There it is.¡± I muttered to myself then whipped around and grabbed at the rope to start hauling Eshaan inside. Sure enough, on the ground below us there were a lot of shouts, screams, pointing fingers and a whole mess of bows pointing upwards.

    Daniyel reached over me to grab the rope from my hands. ¡°If I may, mistress Lily?¡± With one clean smooth pull, Eshaan was lifted easily into the hatchway, just as three arrows spanged into the hull. My eyes widened in horror, seeing the arrows lodge solidly into the metal of the ship.

    Soriya hauled me backwards out of the doorway. ¡°Leveled up weapons, what did you expect?!¡± She said sharply, as another hail of arrows made the ship¡¯s hull ring like a gong.

    Arrows! Actually damaging an airship?! This world is insane!

    But then what else are five hundred and eighty two hit points worth, but to survive magic arrows and killer war machines? I thought wryly.

    I hurriedly summoned up a {Barrier} to deflect the next wave of arrows, and then let out a little yip of shock seeing a full sized elven cruiser rising from the docks beyond the city roofs.

    ¡°Go! Go! Gogogogogo!¡± I shouted over my shoulder.

    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m doing, oh hell snake what the fuck?!¡± Lakshmi spat from the cockpit. ¡°Right! We are leaving!¡±

    Soriya, Eshaan, and I were thrown against the far wall by the sudden acceleration and almost out the open hatch as the Sparrowhawk lurched forward and then accelerated away into the sky, away from the Canyon of Stars and the city of Akionantes.

    And towards barbarian catgirls! I thought with a happy little smile on my lips.

    Eshaan carefully untangled himself, blushing furiously as his hand went in just the most stereotypical places, then reached up to pull the lever to close the hatch.

    The roar of wind and outraged religious elves vanished, replaced with the sound of the Sparrowhawk¡¯s engines, and Eshaan apologies. I patted his lips to stop him talking.

    ¡°Forgiven. Kind of important to close the door before we all fall out.¡± I said, and smiled at him. I climbed to my feet and dusted off my skirts, before helping up Soriya. ¡°Right. Lets figure out how we¡¯re going to grab an arcanum when the elven armada, the barbarian beast kin tribes of the north, and a mystic labyrinth protects it, shall we?¡±

    ¡°There is time to formulate a plan.¡± Camaxtli said calmly. ¡°We have several days of travel to reach our destination.¡±

    Lakshmi corrected him from the cockpit. ¡°It¡¯s more like a day and a half. These new engines are amazing!¡±

    ¡°I think we should be a little concerned with the pursuing ships from the Canyon?¡± I said.

    Lakshmi laughed. ¡°We¡¯re already out of range of their weapons. I told you these new engines are amazing!¡±

    ¡°But aren¡¯t we using the same engines as they are?¡± Asked Eshaan.

    ¡°Eshaan!¡± Lakshmi¡¯s protested, full of wounded pride. ¡°You saw me put them in, this is hybrid tech! The best of imperial engineering, plus assistance from Camaxtli, plus Ancient¡¯s tech, plus sylvani engineering! We¡¯re twice as fast as we were!¡±

    ¡°We can still expect a cold welcome when we arrive.¡± Said Soriya. She grinned. ¡°I mean, ice wasteland, it was going to be cold anyway.¡±

    Daniyel spoke up. ¡°Actually, given the location and geology, I suspect that the caverns and the labyrinth will be a mix of lava tubes, volcanic heat and frozen ice.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?!¡± Soriya bounced on her toes, clapping her hands together. ¡°Seriously!? We get to have the caverns of ice and fire?!¡±

    ¡°Why are you so excited about this?¡± Camaxtli inquired. ¡°This is a very dangerous and unpredictable location. Extreme thermal differences can be deadly beyond all reason.¡±

    I shared a glance with Soriya, then said ¡°It¡¯s a seer thing.¡± To Camaxtli. ¡°More importantly, have you considered that thing I told you about? We¡¯re coming up on it, you know.¡±

    His expression grew grave, and he nodded. ¡°I have given the matter a great deal of thought, miss Lilyanna.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± I prodded.

    He sighed and looked down. ¡°I have come to understand a great many things about organic behavior that have eluded me. In particular, the desire to avoid an unpleasant fact.¡± He looked up at me, meeting my eyes. ¡°I am as ready for the trial as I can be.¡±

    ¡°What trial? What are you doing to Camaxtli?!¡± Lakshmi scowled at me furiously.

    Camaxtli turned to Lakshmi. ¡°She has warned me of a hazard ahead. It will be unpleasant, but avoiding it entirely seems¡­ unwise.¡±

    ¡°Cam!¡± Lakshmi¡¯s voice was filled with worry and her eyes were wide as she looked up to him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do something you don¡¯t want to! If she¡¯s making you do something-¡±

    Camaxtli made a strange stuttering repeating sound, and I suddenly realized he was laughing. It was awkward, stilted, and more like a person imitating a laugh than a true laugh but¡­

    ¡°How ironic.¡± He said. ¡°No, Lakshmi. Rather, this trial is about overcoming exactly that. Discovering what I want to do.¡± He paused, lifting his hand to her, said ¡°Lakshmi¡­¡± He trailed off and his hand dropped to his side. He shook his head. ¡°You will do as you know best. I trust your heart above others.¡±

    I found my eyes watering and wiped at them. My chest hurt, but I couldn¡¯t help smiling. That was brave of him. And so incredibly sweet. He would trust her with this test of his heart?

    Oh, Lakshmi is going to be so mad at me when she realizes. But if Camaxtli never undertakes this test, he will never know for sure if he is his own man. Robot. Person. I shook my head. Jrpg world, strange truths.

    I pushed my way out of the entrance hatch, and towards the galley. ¡°Well!¡± I said firmly. ¡°We have a decision to make, and I think everyone will think better on a full stomach! I¡¯m going to make everyone dinner, and then we can decide how we¡¯ll approach the sylvani armada in the north.¡±

    That, and I really want to try out {Cooking}. I wonder just how much of a difference I can make¡­

    I set to cooking with a will. Several of the strange ingredients that we¡¯d picked up while shopping in Akionantes, cliff mushrooms and herbs that smelled fragrant and¡­ for lack of a better term, they smelled like the sky. Or maybe the stars¡­?

    I wonder if those things will continue now that Sky is with me? I thought as I stirred the food together, crafting a mushroom risotto with cliff animals.

    If I¡¯m right¡­

    I felt my mana dip slowly as I cooked and a slow smile built on my lips. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure what it was doing, but I was definitely doing something magical. Even if it was only food¡­ well.

    When it was ready, I headed back into the lounge area, and passed around the food bowls. Praise for my cooking was something I was used to by now, but it still made me feel good. But after my first bite, I knew I¡¯d done something special. There was a warm cozy feeling with each bite, and I also felt sharper, more aware. I quietly did a {Study} to look at my status, and saw the results.

    Current Status: <Healthy> <Morale Up> <INS +5%>

    Well. Now that¡¯s a new trick in the toolbox. I thought quietly. Definitely need to use that in the future!

    ¡°So!¡± I said, once everyone had eaten a share. ¡°How are we going to get past a sylvani armada and into the icy hot labyrinth?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see what the problem is. We¡¯ll just sneak past and into the labyrinth.¡± Eshaan said.

    ¡°How are we going to sneak past?¡± Lakshmi said. ¡°I can¡¯t use the cloak thing, it burned out when it got hit by the arrows.¡± She gave me a dirty look, and I flushed.

    It was true, I should have been faster on the {Barrier}, or at least anticipated the issue.

    ¡°I fail to see the issue.¡± Camaxtli said. ¡°Lilyanna can cast her illusions through the Sparrowhawk¡¯s core, as she did for her {Barrier}, and we can move past.¡±

    Daniyel said ¡°We lack a critical piece of information. The location of the labyrinth. We were to be guided there by the Armada, and that is no longer a viable plan.¡±

    The group fell silent, in thought.

    ¡°Do we have to sneak past?¡± Lakshmi said.

    Everyone looked at her in surprise. ¡°What do you mean? Isn¡¯t sneaking in past an armada what an air pirate would do?¡± Eshaan said.

    Lakshmi huffed and crossed her arms. ¡°You can¡¯t use that argument every time! It¡¯s not going to work on me this time!¡±

    We blinked in surprise. ¡°What do you mean? Why not? You said you¡¯re an air pirate, you¡¯re downright proud of it! You keep doing things that an air pirate would do. Like sneaking in past an armada.¡±

    Lakshmi sighed. ¡°Alright, I admit, that¡¯s very air pirate¡­ but a real air pirate would be able to think of different tricks!¡±

    Daniyel said quietly. ¡°And there is a possibility there. If we sneak in, we cannot ask for directions. We need to know where we are going. And we are using a sylvani method of propulsion.¡±

    ¡°Are you suggesting we disguise ourselves as sylvani?!¡± Eshaan said in disbelief.

    ¡°Not¡­ all of us¡­¡± Daniyel said, with a mysterious smile on his face. ¡°After all, we come from the Canyon of Stars with grave news¡­¡± he spread his hands, and I felt a smile spread across my lips.

 84 Northlands and Cosplay

    ¡°Daniyel that¡¯s brilliant! We¡¯re going to arrive before anyone else! We¡¯ll have plenty of time, and even when the backup from Akionantes arrives, they¡¯ll just say the same thing!¡± I suddenly frowned. ¡°The only problem is that we don¡¯t have any Sylvani.¡±

    Eshaan shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re easily pretty enough to pass as a sylvani, Lily. We just need to give you pointy ears and give you a green wig for a little bit. We still have the wig from your Avatar disguise too.¡±

    My cheeks turned as pink as my hair. ¡°Eshaan! That¡¯s¡­!¡±

    ¡°An excellent idea.¡± Soriya said.

    I whirled on her. ¡°Traitor!¡± I hissed. ¡°You¡¯re easily twice as pretty as me!¡±

    Soriya tossed her hair over her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I agree, but if it¡¯s a concern to you¡­ why don¡¯t you let me be the elf in charge? You can be my silent backup, and everyone else can just be the human minions.¡±

    ¡°This is an unsound plan.¡± Camaxtli said. ¡°For starters, all the humans in Akionantes had darker skin. Only Daniyel matches that criterion.¡±

    Eshaan shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s berries that can dye your skin dark, and Soriya makes her own dyes.¡±

    I blinked. ¡°Brownberries? I made muffins with those, but¡­¡±

    I felt a guilty pleasure that as the plan started to unfold, I wasn¡¯t going to be required to do any more illusion magic. I wouldn¡¯t even have to talk!

    I let out a sigh of relief. Finally! I can let Eshaan and Soirya handle this! I jerked, realizing what I¡¯d just thought. Do I¡­ want to let someone¡­ but then¡­ the healer girl never does anything, I don¡¯t want to turn into the stereotype! The stereotype dies in the end! But¡­ didn¡¯t I do exactly this during the heist?

    I really¡­ don¡¯t like this deception stuff! I don¡¯t like being good at it. I giggled quietly. And I¡¯m not, really. I¡¯m¡­ just relying on my friends. For help, for strength¡­ the power of friendship indeed.

    I came back to the conversation with Soriya snapping her fingers in front of my eyes.

    ¡°Lily? Do you want to tell them what to expect from the fire and ice dungeon?¡±

    I opened my mouth to ask why Soriya couldn¡¯t, and then shut it with a sharp click. If I want to have a role in this, I need to¡­ do work. I don¡¯t like this¡­ but I do like the adventure. And I¡¯m good at this. I thought.

    ¡°Yes, actually.¡± I said, and took a deep breath, and then started to outline the typical run of the mandatory fire dungeon and ice dungeon.

    After I¡¯d finished wrapping up, Camaxtli said ¡°So¡­ if I am understanding you correctly. We will want elementaly infused weapons?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Almost certinally.¡±

    ¡°But there won¡¯t be ancient machinery?¡± Lakshmi said, sounding immensely disappointed.

    ¡°Also yes, very unlikely.¡±

    Lakshmi looked like someone had just run over her puppy, or canceled her birthday.

    I winced and then added ¡°Maybe there will be the remains of an ancient power station?¡± I said, feeling sorry for her.

    ¡°Really?¡± She perked up immediately.

    ¡°Maybe.¡± I stressed.

    ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s better than nothing.¡±

    ¡°So, our plan is¡­ give Miss Soriya elf ears, put a wig on Lily, and then rub brownberry on everything?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve only used brownberry for cooking.¡± I muttered. ¡°I have no idea how that will work.¡±

    ¡°Just think of it like you¡¯re preparing us for dinner!¡± Eshaan said brightly.

    I glared at him. ¡°Eshaan! No! Gross!¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°Take a leaf from your mother then, we¡¯ve both made potions before.¡± She turned to Lakshmi and raised an eyebrow. ¡°You any good with potions?¡±

    Lakshmi shook her head. ¡°I know the general theory but-¡±

    ¡°Good enough!¡± Soriya grinned at her.

    Camaxtli looked back and forth between us. ¡°Then I suspect that we will want to do some alchemical shopping when we arrive at the destination city.¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Daniyal cleared his throat. ¡°Have we solidified a destination? I was unaware that we had charts of the far north.¡±

    Lakshmi grinned and produced a roll of paper. ¡°Because there was no way that I was going to just look at a sylvani map of the world and not make a copy!¡± She said. ¡°We¡¯re headed to the city of Malazar on the coast of Bekent.¡± She unrolled the parchment on the lounge table and pointed to a roughly sketched island at the edge of the map. ¡°If I got the distances right, then we should get there in a day and a half. Two days tops.¡±

    I coughed. ¡°Or. You know. We could just go visit mother, and ask her?¡± I said in confusion.

    There was a startled silence and then Soriya said ¡°I¡¯d forgotten you could actually do that! But¡­ you can¡¯t return to someplace you haven¡¯t been, right?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Yes. We¡¯d have to land, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking?¡±

    Soriya nodded back. ¡°Yes, that was my concern. But then we¡¯ll be behind the elven fleet instead of ahead.¡±

    Lakshmi laughed and flipped her hand dismissively. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, they¡¯ll be chasing the wrong direction for days at least! And anyway, the other elven fleet is already there!¡±

    I blinked in surprise.

    Eshaan said ¡°Oh! Wow, that¡¯s brilliant Lakshmi! You went some other direction before you went north?!¡±

    Lakshmi nodded proudly. ¡°Of course! I can¡¯t depend on invisibility all the time! Good old fashioned pirate tricks are best!¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°And you read this trick in which book?¡±

    Eshaan and Lakshmi chorused ¡°The Drifting Archipelago!¡± in unison, and then looked at each other, laughing in surprise.

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Ok, fine. I suppose we should stop by the Imperial City to check a bookshop for you Lakshmi?¡±

    She stopped laughing, and her eyes got wide. ¡°Oh. Oh wow¡­ I¡­¡±

    Eshaan shook her arm emphatically. ¡°What are you hesitating for! We both want to get that new one, remember?!¡±

    Lakshmi looked to the side, and crossed her arms. ¡°Yes, but¡­ I mean, it¡¯s the capital. And there¡¯s Deacon. And¡­¡±

    I reached over and touched her arm lightly. ¡°It¡¯s ok Lakshmi. I¡¯ll find a book for you, if you want¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Her response was emphatic and surprising.

    I stepped back from her in confusion and alarm.

    ¡°No.¡± Her voice was a lot softer. ¡°That¡¯s sweet Lily, and thank you but¡­ but I¡¯ve depended on others too much. If this was the palace, I¡¯d have servants to buy the book. If this was the palace the book would just be on my reading chair and I wouldn¡¯t even need to think about it!¡±

    She was silent, looking pensive. ¡°It probably is on my reading chair.¡± She said softly.

    I looked over at Daniyel, who returned my gaze with a slight shake of his head. I nodded, then said softly ¡°Then we¡¯ll let you go shopping in my village. The bookstore is tiny, but I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some books for you to read.¡±

    Soriya giggled. ¡°Or, you know, we could just visit Farna. Or Eien. Or Eburah. We haven¡¯t¡¯ left enemies every place we¡¯ve been.¡± She said. ¡°Just the big ones.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to wear the itchy wig again then.¡± I grumbled.

    ¡°And cosplay ears!¡± Soriya added.

    I groaned and clapped my hands to my face.

    ¡°Sure!¡± I waved my arms wildly. ¡°We¡¯re going back to see mother, so sure! Lets make a cosplay convention out of it!¡±

    Soriya patted my head. ¡°That¡¯s my little homemaker!¡±

    I glared at her, crossing my arms. ¡°I have the {Gourmet} class! I didn¡¯t take seamstress!¡± I growled at her.

    I blinked in surprise. Huh. No emphasis from the World Soul? Is¡­ seamstress not a class?

    ¡°No, but your mother is a crafting {Tinker}. I bet she knows how.¡± Said Soriya with a triumphant grin.

    I sighed and threw up my hands in defeat. ¡°Alright. Fine. It will let me restock on groceries anyway.¡± I said with a huff.

    Lakshmi set the Sparrowhawk down in rolling hills near a mountain range marked as ¡®Abran¡¯ on her map. The sky overhead was free of ships, and the land was quiet and empty. It was strange, coming out of the ship, I half expected to be set upon by another side quest or event, but all that happened was the soft sound of the wind through the grass around us.

    The Sparrowhawk shimmered, and then her outline faded away, leaving only an oddly shaped patch of grass and rock. Lakshmi nodded in satisfaction and then said ¡°Well? Lets go!¡±

    I giggled and then called up Gate. We stepped through, and returned to Breezewood. The sun was suddenly much further down than it had been, and the shadows stretched long around my home.

    Eshaan looked around in confusion. ¡°Huh? What happened to the sun?! Did we lose time?!¡± he exclaimed in worry.

    I blinked and then burst out laughing. My adorable bag of hammers boyfriend.

    I tried to explain distance, and how far we¡¯d traveled in a blink. I failed. Then Lakshmi, tried and got much the same result.

    Camaxtli stepped up and said ¡°The world is round. When it spins, time is wrapped around it, and so we lost hours.¡±

    I rolled my eyes at this, but who could even say if it wasn¡¯t true¡­ and at least Eshaan finally seemed to grasp the idea.

    I think. At least he stopped looking so puppy confused and asking questions.

    Mother came out to greet us, and she did indeed have a great much to say about potions, dyes, and various alchemical effects. As I knew a potion maker would. And when we told her about our cosplay deception, she was positively giddy with ideas for outfits to make.

    So that¡¯s how you make fake ears! I thought, a week later as our plans were wrapped in a neat bow.

    We did stop at Farna. Partly to gain a few more zeni from sale of odds and ends we¡¯d picked up on our travel, but also to get Lakshmi and Eshaan a copy of their much desired pirate romance novel.

    It also helped that we were able to empty out a lot of space on the Sparrowhawk from the overstock of items for our trip across the White Sea.

    So, a week and a day later, the Sparrowhawk, recolored gold and green, and with a crew of cosplay heroes aboard, sailed into the icebound port of Malazar.

    ¡°Here goes nothing.¡± I smiled nervously to Soriya, as Lakshmi set the ship down at the air docks.

    Soriya grinned back at me, her fake sylvani ears twitching slightly from her manic smile.

    ¡°Just relax and let me do all the talking.¡± She said. ¡°You could have been one of the human attendants you know!¡±

    I shook my head, feeling the strange weight of the prosthetic ears. ¡°We¡¯ve been over this. My coloring¡¯s too pale, and whatever weirdness the System seems intent on inflicting on me, would probably ¡®fix¡¯ the brownberry dye too! At the worst possible time!¡±

    Soriya shrugged cheerfully, and pulled the lever to open the outer hatch. ¡°Let¡¯s go be elves then!¡± She said and strode out onto the snow covered docks.

    ¡°What¡¯s an elf?¡± Muttered Eshaan quietly behind us.

 85 Catkin City and Deeper Dungeons

    As we stepped out into the cold crisp air, snow whirled lightly around us from the ground and then settled down. I felt an almost giddy smile spreading across my face, because standing there on the docks, across from us, was a small group of people, and front and center were catgirls!

    Soriya turned and gave me a severe quelling look. I had to forcibly restrain myself from breaking into a manic grin and a little dance.

    Focus, Lily. Focus. Elven supremacy. Grace. ¡­ Eeeeee, real catgirls, real catgirls! Oh my gawd, they¡¯re so sexycute I could just die!

    There were also several male catkin behind. They were quite handsome too, I noted! But the majority of the welcoming party were in fact catgirls.

    They were all wearing the archetypical barbarian style. Fur bikinis and loin cloths, thick leather boots and gloves trimmed in fur and wearing bone and claw jewelry. One thing they all had in common, a uniform scowling expression that looked like they wanted to rip up everything in your house.

    I loved it.

    ¡°Alright, and what¡¯s your story? Got some new terrifying monster that you need to invade our city for as well?!¡± The catgirl in the lead demanded, striding towards us.

    I blinked, and opened my mouth, then closed it as Soriya stepped forward.

    ¡°Funny you should mention that¡­¡± she said. ¡°But I assume not. We¡¯re just here as simple traders and merchants. Have you heard about what happened in the Capitol, or Akionantes?¡±

    The catgirl sniffed. ¡°Something terrible to do with the Avatar and your dead gods, most like.¡± She held out her hand. Paw? ¡°Docking fees. Nothing more, nothing less.¡± She tapped her palm imperiously. ¡°The treaty says, and I won¡¯t take no for an answer. Don¡¯t care about your gods, don¡¯t care about your fairytales.¡±

    She paused, and gave us a severe glance. ¡°If you¡¯re bringing yet more soldiers into the city, you¡¯ll have to clear it with the mayor!¡± She looked behind us, where Eshaan and the others waited quietly. I could see her clearly taken aback. ¡°Humans? You¡¯re traveling with humans?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re our trading crew. Is that a problem?¡± Soriya asked smoothly

    The catgirl sniffed dismissively, looked back at her small group, then turned back to Soriya. ¡°No. Not as long as you pay the entry fee. Trading goods? We¡¯ll have to verify you¡¯re not shipping anything hazardous, dangerous, or otherwise illegal.¡±

    I looked behind her, and saw the backup shifting nervously.

    This is a dangerous game you¡¯re playing Soriya¡­ just how well loved are the sylvani here? I wondered.

    Given the regal nature of it¡­ well, we¡¯d decided against Lakshmi, because Lakshmi had decided she didn¡¯t want to play the part of a snooty elven¡­ sylvani¡­ lady. A role that Soriya positively relished, frankly.

    And honestly, she¡¯s got the bustline for it. I thought, feeling a brief stab of jealousy.

    ¡°Of course, darlings, of course!¡± Soriya said, pulled out a wad of zeni bills from her cleavage. I had to bite my tongue to avoid rolling my eyes. The backup catkin behind were suitably distracted, and I could see from the way the catgirl harbor master¡¯s eyes widened that she was as fixated on the bundle of glittering zeni bills as her backups were fixated on Soriya.

    Well. A stealth mission this is not. I thought. We¡¯re sure to be remembered, if anyone asks. Which they will, given we¡¯re stealing an Arcanum. I pressed my lips together firmly. Not stealing. I reminded myself. Avatar. System repair. I am supposed to have them to fix up the sylvani sabotage.

    Soriya pressed the wad of zeni into the catgirl¡¯s outstretched paw and smiled. ¡°I assume that will be enough?¡±

    The catgirl glared up at her, and then meticulously counted the bills, sorting them in her paws. When she was done, she passed half the wad of bills back.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to flaunt your wealth. We¡¯re well aware of the treaty terms.¡± She huffed at us.

    She spun and beckoned sharply to the group of catkin behind her. I breathed a prayer of thanks to any gods or spirits that might be listening that we¡¯d emptied the Sparrowhawk of anything but trade goods.

    And¡­ hum¡­ if she handed some of the money back¡­ I wonder¡­ have we met an actually honest portmaster?!

    We all moved out of the group¡¯s way as the catkin entered the ship, and started to root through it. I took a moment to admire the rear view of the catkin, and the cute little sway of their tails as they vanished into the hatchway.

    The inspection was over quickly, but extremely professional and thorough. I was amused at the contrast between the ¡®thug barbarian¡¯ outfits and the clearly professional and experienced behavior they displayed. I also noted that the catgirl portmaster was slightly disappointed that she couldn¡¯t find anything illegal.

    She stomped out of the ship, and nodded sharply, then scribbled something into a form and used her claw to slice it cleanly off the pad of paper she¡¯d been holding. She thrust it sharply at Soriya.

    ¡°Here. Pass is good for three days. You stay longer, you pay more. Clear?!¡±

    Soriya nodded gracefully, taking the paper from the portmaster¡¯s hands smoothly. ¡°Crystal. Where do we find your office if we need to pay more?¡±

    The catgirl shook her head, and muttered something under her breath about educated fools and sylvani, then said ¡°Down the stairs, to the right. Big building, says Harbor Authority on it. You can read catkinthy, right?!¡±

    Soriya nodded smoothly. ¡°Of course.¡± I could see a momentary calculation flash in Soriya¡¯s eyes, but she simply said ¡°Will there be anything else?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The catgirl spat at us. ¡°Welcome to Malazar, noble lady.¡± She said with clear disdain, and then stomped off with her retinue, down the stairs to the lower city.

    We stood there for a moment, a swirl of snow whispering past us as the rest of our group gathered behind us, huddling into winter cloaks and clothing.

    ¡°Well. They don¡¯t seem to have very good relations with the sylvani, now do they?¡± Lakshmi said, then grabbed at her hat to stop it from blowing away. ¡°I wonder how we can use that?¡± She added thoughtfully.

    ¡°Presumably, by asking around.¡± Daniyel said calmly. ¡°Shall we investigate the city?¡±

    ¡°Well, I mean we were going to do that anyway, right Lily?¡± Said Eshaan. ¡°New city shopping and everything!¡± He nudged Camaxtli ¡°Aren¡¯t you excited to see what¡¯s here?¡±

    Camaxtli blinked and then nodded. ¡°Apologies. I was¡­ processing. Yes. Gathering information in a new location is always advantageous.¡±

    Eshaan frowned slightly but shrugged. ¡°Well.¡± He clapped gloved hands together. ¡°Lily, why don¡¯t you try looking for new ingredients! I bet they have-¡°

    ¡°Things like snowberries and ice elk, yes.¡± I said, smiling at him.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Eshaan said. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ those sound way cooler than I was thinking! I thought they¡¯d just have stuff like seal and whale meat!¡±

    I blinked, and then laughed. ¡°Eshaan, never change.¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll try and have something special cooked for all of you. Maybe I can make a special investigation meal platter.¡±

    ¡°Is that a thing?¡± Lakshmi asked in confusion.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± I said, spreading my hands. ¡°But it might be! Let¡¯s go exploring!¡±

    Daniyel nodded, and said ¡°I suggest that we form two groups. Given how the locals seem to feel about the sylvani, it would be best if Lily and Soriya were accompanied at all times.¡± He frowned, clearly conflicted, looking back and forth between Lakshmi and Soriya. Lakshmi laughed and made a shooing motion. ¡°How many times?!¡± She scooted over and grabbed Camaxtli by the arm. ¡°I¡¯ve got the guardian spirit of an ancient city to watch over me! Nobody here even cares about the Maung Empire.¡± She tapped her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Actually, If we¡¯re going to do that then Eshaan you should go spend time with Lily.

    Eshaan grinned. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re spending time with your boyfriend?¡±

    Lakshmi glared at him. ¡°I will throw you out of the airship!¡±

    Camaxtli tipped his head to the side and then said quietly ¡°Does that mean you do not desire me as your boyfriend?¡±

    Lakshmi turned purple red in embarrassment and stammered. ¡°That¡¯s not-! I mean I¡¯m not-! We¡¯re not-!¡±

    The group burst into laughter, which only made Lakshmi even madder. She grabbed Camaxtli by the arm and stalked off towards the stairs leading to the city entrance, fuming.

    ¡°She¡¯s mad enough to melt the snow.¡± Daniyel observed mildly. ¡°You really should restrain yourself.¡± He added to Eshaan.

    ¡°I know, but she¡¯s too easy!¡± Eshaan said.

    I tapped Eshaan lightly on the shoulder. ¡°She¡¯s just going to bring it back around to you. And she¡¯s had a lot of practice being mean.¡±

    Eshaan grinned. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t dare, you¡¯re too nice!¡±

    I frowned and stomped a foot. ¡°Eshaan, Lakshmi is our friend! It¡¯s mean to tease her about Camaxtli. Even if it¡¯s obvious she¡¯s interested!¡±

    Eshaan shook his head. ¡°Then she should stop teasing me about you.¡± He said.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°She doesn¡¯t do that!¡± I protested.

    ¡°Not when you¡¯re around, no. Otherwise?¡± He grinned at me.

    Soriya nodded sagely. ¡°All the time.¡± She said with assurance.

    I felt a blush spreading across my cheeks again. ¡°That¡¯s so mean.¡± I muttered, looking down at the snow.

    Daniyel reached out and laid a hand on my head. ¡°She does not mean ill, lady Lily. Please do not judge our ¡®captain¡¯ too harshly. If anything, she is jealous of you and your willingness to share your heart so openly.¡± His gaze darkened as he added. ¡°She has had very little time and freedom to be so open with her emotions.¡± He paused then nodded sagely. ¡°You are good for her, as is this ¡®captain¡¯ adventure she¡¯s taken a fancy to.¡± He looked into my eyes and said ¡°Please continue to look after her. I am in your debt.¡± And placed his fist over his heart, and bowed deeply to me.

    I blushed even more deeply, and stammered out an awkward promise to continue aiding Lakshmi.

    Daniyel bowed deeply to me. ¡°Then, if that is settled, it seems Lakshmi has altered the plan.¡± He pointed to where she was vanishing out of sight in the swirling blizzard. ¡°And I find I do not think this at all bad.¡± He offered his arm to Soriya. ¡°Would you accompany me on this fine day, Lady Soriya?¡±

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Soriya latched onto his arm with a bright smile, then turned her smirk on me and wiggled her fingers farewell. ¡°You and Eshaan have fun~¡± She trilled. ¡°Daniyel and I are going to go do unspeakable things to each other.¡±

    My mouth fell open as I saw the faintest hint of a blush flicker around Daniyel¡¯s dark cheeks.

    Eshaan smiled at me, and then took my hand in his and tugged me along behind him. ¡°Come on Lily. Let¡¯s go see what a town full of beastkin is like!¡± He said with enthusiasm, dragging me towards the stairs and down into the city.

    The stairway down into the city revealed a surprising sight. The city was cut into a canyon that plunged and twisted deep into the land, buildings and streets wending their way downwards into the depths. Deep at the bottom far below me I caught sight of a smoldering red glow and gasped.

    Is that¡­ Lava?! Could the whole city be built¡­?

    ¡°Eshaan is that lava?!¡± I pointed excitedly.

    Eshaan blinked in surprise and then sniffed the air.

    ¡°Huh!¡± He snorted in surprise. ¡°You know, I think it might be! Wow, that¡¯s actually pretty clever, the hot and cold must be why they chose to make their home here!¡±

    I giggled with excitement. ¡°Oh that¡¯s so cool! Or¡­ hot, rather! I bet there¡¯s hot and cold ingredients to cook with!¡±

    Eshaan laughed in startled surprise. ¡°Are you telling me you want to cook with a salamander, Lily?!¡±

    I looked up at him in surprise. ¡°Why, is that a thing? Do you think they¡¯ll sell salamander meat?¡±

    Eshaan just shook his head. ¡°Lily, you are insane.¡± He grinned. ¡°Lets go find the market!¡±

    We wandered into the depths of the city, and promptly got lost. As the city descended towards the lower levels, the red-orange glow from the crack in the earth grew brighter, and the streets and buildings grew much wealthier. In the upper levels, the population of the city was entirely catkin, all in various barbarian outfits, but as we descended a few sylvani faces started to appear here and there on the streets, all wearing extremely ornate and elaborate garb.

    Regardless of status, the jewelry and ornamentation on display did indeed seem to have blue and red colored materials, both gems and creature parts.

    I guess that fits, we¡¯ve got an ice and fire dungeon coming up, have to have both¡­ I wonder if I can make a elemental resistance potion that combines both of those?! Is that even possible?!

    The looks that the catkin gave us¡­ or rather, me, were so hostile I shrank against Eshaan feeling the weight of their anger.

    ¡°Eshaan, what on earth do you think the sylvani did to these people?! It feels like they want to skin me!¡±

    Eshaan squeezed my hand reassuringly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let them!¡± He paused, then said thoughtfully ¡°Though¡­ if the power and corruption theme is going to hold true, won¡¯t there be a wrong to right here? Maybe the sylvani are holding power over the catkin? That would explain why they¡¯re so angry.¡±

    I blinked up at him in surprise. ¡°That¡­ is not a bad idea at all. What on earth made you think of it?¡±

    He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just seemed like an obvious thing. A wrong to right. Something clear and simple. I like this adventure I¡¯m on with you Lily. Things¡­ things feel clearer. Simpler. We can make changes, and they don¡¯t explode or go wrong¡­ we¡¯re not the bad guys by mistake.¡± He paused, looking down at the ground, then said grimly ¡°We don¡¯t blow up villages to get what we want.¡±

    I reached over and hugged him tight, and held him for a long moment.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like this, but it¡¯s important to note¡­ we¡¯re not exactly reforming the world here.¡± I said seriously. ¡°We mostly thumb our nose at authority, make it look foolish, and then run away very fast. That¡¯s not exactly¡­ freedom fighters you know.¡±

    Eshaan rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Well yeah, I know that, I suppose. But it still feels good not to be the bad guy.¡±

    I sighed and squeezed his hand. ¡°Everybody¡¯s the bad guy to someone Eshaan. Don¡¯t give up thinking just because it feels good.¡±

    He looked confused, as I knew he would. Possibly because he so rarely thought.

    ¡°Come on.¡± I said, tugging his hand. ¡°I think I saw some food stalls and a general market further up. I saw some interesting items for sale.¡±

    We started looking about for stairs upwards, and eventually found ourselves back in the colder sections of the city. There was indeed a market here, and I immediately darted over to examines the goods on display.

    The catkin manning the stalls were less than enthusiastic I noted, and the prices they quoted me¡­ when they didn¡¯t just tell me that the item in front of them was ¡®sold out¡¯ that is¡­ were obviously inflated.

    Hm. If I¡¯m willing to wait, I suppose¡­ assuming we really are heroes¡­ the price will go down once we do our good deed. But¡­ I really want to try to cook with these ingredients! And we¡¯re already OP with the amount of cash we can generate on our trade runs¡­ thanks Gate!

    ¡°You are welcome, Child of ?ther.¡± Gate responded in my mind.

    I flushed, realizing that they could easily hear me. I really should learn to keep a better grip on my thoughts.

    There was indeed ice elk for sale, as well as snowberries, blizzard thyme, sleet whale, flake radish, and crystal seal. I was about to roll my eyes when I spotted another stall that was selling similar ¡®fire¡¯ themed goods.

    Well, at least they¡¯re consistent. Oh?! Oh!! Salamander meat?! They really sell it?!

    I immediately dashed over and paid the asking price, uncaring that I¡¯d obviously paid far more than market price for it.

    ¡°Come on Eshaan, let¡¯s go try this!¡± I said, cradling the meat and giggling like a loon.

    Eshaan blinked in surprise. ¡°Wow, you really are interested in this stuff. You haven¡¯t even bought a single weapon or upgrade the market will sell us!¡±

    I grinned a little wildly. ¡°If I¡¯m right¡­¡± I looked down at the overly hot salamander meat glowing in its package. ¡°If I¡¯m right, we won¡¯t need to!¡±

    The trip up to the air docks was slower than the trip down, which was expected, with the amount of packages we were carrying.

    To my relief, the Sparrowhawk hadn¡¯t exploded, turned into a flock of doves, or vanished into thin air. As we entered the main ship, I was surprised to find that we were the last ones there. And we had a visitor.

    A waifish looking catgirl child sat huddled miserably in the corner of the lounge, her tail tucked nervously between her legs, it¡¯s tip twitching faintly as she clutched a cup of something steaming in her hands.

    I blinked in surprise, looking around at the group. Soriya grinned and said ¡°I¡¯d be tempted to say she followed us home, but¡­¡± she jerked a thumb at Lakshmi. ¡°It¡¯s her story to tell.¡±

    ¡°Lakshmi?¡± I queried, turning to her.

    ¡°Lily, meet Zanna. And as to why she¡¯s here, well, it¡¯s a funny story, actually¡­¡±

    Lakshmi proceeded to run us through the story of how a catgirl beggar had offered to run a few chores for the ¡°new traders¡±. Only, it turned out¡­

    ¡°Wait, there was an actual gang of thieves holding her sister hostage?! Seriously?!¡± I asked in disbelief.

    Lakshmi nodded with a  proud grin on her face. ¡°Mhm! Not anymore though, once Captain Lakshmi the Red arrived on scene! Only¡­¡± She poked her fingers together. ¡°It turns out things got a little more complicated.¡±

    I shook my head in disbelief. What is even going on?! I thought. Am I even the main character anymore?! We¡¯ve got shady cabals coming out of our ears, and¡­ and¡­ I looked over at Zanna, huddled into a miserable ball. I pressed my lips together firmly. And these are still real people, even if they¡¯re acting out a game script, Lily.

    I knelt down in front of Zanna and said ¡°Of course we¡¯ll help. It¡¯s the sylvani, isn¡¯t it? They were holding your sister hostage to get you to do ¡®a few favors¡¯ for them? And now they¡¯re after you both?¡±

    Zanna jerked in shock, her eyes wide.

    ¡°H-how do you know that?!¡± She squeaked. ¡°Please, I won¡¯t tell anyone! I promise I won¡¯t say anything, I didn¡¯t mean any harm-¡±

    I reached up and plucked off one of my prosthetic sylvani ears, grinning at her. Her eyes got huge and her mouth formed a small soundless ¡®o¡¯ of shock.

    I gave her a wink. ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯re not what we appear to be either.¡±

    I heard Soriya give a little sigh of frustration, and quietly murmur ¡°Really? I worked on those for an hour!¡±

    Lakshmi sank down next to me and held out her hand to the little catgirl. ¡°You see?¡± she said softly. ¡°I told you she would know. She¡¯s a hero. It¡¯s what heroes do.¡±

    I flushed pink and looked down at the deck. Well, I was worrying about not being the protagonist, and then she goes and says something like that¡­ wait, do I even want to be the protagonist? Or¡­ I looked over at Lakshmi thoughtfully.

    Or just maybe¡­ are we all protagonists in this world? I shook my head to clear it. Ok, focus Lily, focus. People. Not plots, not props, not actors. People. Start thinking anyone is the chosen one, and you¡¯re going to wind up like Deacon!

    ¡°So, who¡¯s the one we need to talk to?¡± I asked Zanna.

    ¡°Uhm¡­ well, the one who talked to me said he was going to report to the temple priest¡­ but we¡¯re supposed to bring what we¡¯ve¡­¡± her eyes darted around the room, then swallowed and said in an even quieter voice ¡°Stolen. What we had to steal. To the temple.¡±

    Lakshmi snorted. ¡°That figures. Same as the last place, why are religions always like this?¡±

    Eshaan said confidently ¡°Lily said it¡¯s because of power. Nobody accumulates power like someone who can speak to gods, right?¡±

    I ignored them and focused on Zanna. ¡°And where is the temple, Zanna?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s in the central level. Part of the administration complex. The knife ears don¡¯t let catkin inside except for special festival days.¡±

    ¡°Oh? And when you¡¯re supposed to go is a festival day?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No. He said¡­ he said he was going to make an exception.¡±

    I shivered all over. There was really only one way that ever worked out for the underdog. I squeezed Zanna¡¯s hand and stood up.

    ¡°Alright, Zanna. A few more questions. The administration complex. Is there perhaps a very deep network of tunnels? Reaching into the canyon?¡±

    Zanna nodded. ¡°Uh huh. That¡¯s where the knife ears get all their money from. The tunnels have a god in them, and the god makes stuff for them.¡±

    My eyebrows jumped up. But Forge is the only Arcanum that can make things! And isn¡¯t this one Fire¡­?

    ¡°Like¡­ what kinds of things?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Crystals. Magic crystals that hold fire and ice.¡± Zanna answered.

    ¡°Aaaah.¡± I said in understanding. That was a lot easier to understand. I clapped my hands and turned to the others. ¡°So, we¡¯ve got our plan then. We break up the meeting, bust up the administration, and do a dungeon delve to find our Arcanum.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a surprisingly direct plan for you.¡± Said Lakshmi. I scowled at her, and she held up her hands in defense. ¡°What? It¡¯s true, and it¡¯s nice to see you drop all this subterfuge!¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just tired of sneaking around and then having to do a big fight anyway once the plan inevitably falls apart?¡±

    Lakshmi nodded emphatically. ¡°Exactly my point! Right Camaxtli?!¡± She added.

    Camaxtli looked between us, and then shrugged. ¡°I am willing to go along with whatever plan we come up with, but may I suggest a compromise? We can enter this church quietly, and then wait for the designated meeting time.¡±

    ¡°Tempting.¡± I said. ¡°But also exactly the same approach that we¡¯ve tried before.¡±

    Daniyel said calmly ¡°I do not believe it would be wise to discard stealth so quickly. Did we not succeed in quietly entering the Monain capital? Was our entrance to Spyre met with much fuss? An option to lower our profile and dissuade conflict is to be desired. I have no doubt we will feast our fill on battle within these ¡®dungeon¡¯ tunnels that Lady Zanna describes.¡±

    I grumped. How frustrating to be proven wrong by inconvenient facts!

    Eshaan said ¡°Still, it¡¯s strange. Weren¡¯t they supposed to be on the lookout for us? Worried? What happened to the sylvani armada that was heading north to stop us?¡±

    Zanna blinked and said ¡°Wait? Was that the huge big pile of ships that showed up?¡±

    We all slowly turned to her. ¡°That sounds important¡­¡± I said seriously. ¡°Perhaps you could tell us what¡¯s¡­ no. You know what, I¡¯m going to make you a meal. And then we can all share it, and you can tell us all about the big pile of ships that isn¡¯t here anymore.¡±

    I headed into the galley and deposited my market purchases, then made a platter of sandwiches with ice elk slices and Breezewood bread and cheese.

    Returning to the lounge, I set down the plate and handed everyone a sandwich. Zanna looked at me as though I had descended from the heavens.

    ¡°Is it¡­ really ok?¡± She asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll make some for your sister too when we take you home.¡± I felt a guilty surge of glee that I could make a catgirl¡¯s eyes glow like that.

    She didn¡¯t waste anymore time, and shortly the sandwich had vanished into her mouth and another was in her hands as she spilled out the strange order of events.

    Apparently a few weeks ago, a whole lot of sylvani ships had shown up along with -

    ¡°Some really important sounding people.¡± Zanna said -

    Sylvani guard patrols had been increased ¨C

    ¡°It was really really hard to sneak by them too!¡± -

    But then, just before we¡¯d arrived ¨C

    ¡°A whole bunch more ships showed up, and there was a few flashes of light and booms, and then most of the knife ears in the city got into their ships here and flew off, along with all the other ships.¡±

    She shrugged, finishing cramming the sandwich into her mouth and nodded. ¡°And so things have been a lot easier, but everyone¡¯s wondering when the knife ears will be back.¡±

    I shared a look of shock with the rest of the group, then gravely said to Zanna ¡°Thank you, Zanna. That is very informative and¡­ I think we can say that we¡¯ll be able to get into the temple fairly easily now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so? Ok.¡± She grabbed another sandwich and started eating. I quashed a small glow of pride at how much she liked those sandwiches. ¡°Let me make you some more food to take back to your place, and we¡¯ll get that to you.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I believe it would be best for the ¡®humans¡¯ should go.¡± Said Daniyel. ¡°Fear not. We will return shortly.¡±

    I bit my lip, unsure.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Lily, we got this!¡± Said Eshaan brightly. Needless to say, this did not encourage me!

    ¡°We will be fine. I estimate a 0.003% chance of any lasting damage being inflicted on us during this action.¡± Said Camaxtli.

    Well! If Camaxtli says so¡­ ok! I nodded agreement.

    Shortly thereafter, Daniyel, Eshaan and Camaxtli headed off with Zanna, a basket full of sandwiches in her arms.

    I flung myself down on the couch and laid my head back on the cushions when they had left.

    ¡°It worked?!¡± I said, disbelief coloring my tone. ¡°I mean¡­ it actually worked?! We got to dodge a whole battle scene?!¡±

    Soriya gave a little ¡®tch¡¯ of annoyance. ¡°I was hoping to have an aerial battle.¡±

    My head popped up and I glared at her. ¡°We already had two of those, Soriya!¡±

    Her eyes sparkled as she nodded. ¡°I know, right?! They were awesome!¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°I would not describe being in constant mortal terror as being ¡®awesome¡¯, Soriya!¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°You say mortal terror, I say pixie fight.¡± She grinned. ¡°Relax. I think it was the right call too. Like Daniyel said¡­ sometimes not fighting is the better choice.¡±

    Lakshmi shrugged. ¡°We¡¯d have gotten through it. Lakshmi the Red is undefeated in ariel combat!¡± she declaimed.

    Soriya and I gave her a level stare, before Soriya announced ¡°Is that because Lakshmi ¡®the Red¡¯ has only recently taken her name?¡±

    Lakshmi was silent for a moment before pursing her lips and nodding sharply. She announced ¡°Still counts.¡± with a tone of finality.

 86 A Suitable Lack of Thieves

    Several hours passed. Lakshmi, Soriya, and I passed the time with a boardgame. I was increasingly glad that I¡¯d had Forge created those board games.

    ¡°Do you think we started a civil war?¡± I said as we played.

    ¡°Probably.¡± Said Lakshmi, as she made a move that utterly destroyed my plans.

    ¡°How can you say that so casually?¡± I protested. ¡°Also, you totally took my spot.¡±

    Lakshmi grinned at me and said ¡°I know!¡± cheekily, but then her face grew more serious. ¡°It bothered me how fast the captain could get the entire air armada after us. And now it¡¯s gone back the same way, after several others showed up with ¡®flashes and booms¡¯? That¡¯s an aerial battle.¡±

    Soriya moved a piece. ¡°It¡¯s not our problem, so what¡¯s the issue?¡±

    ¡°Darn it, Soriya, stop stealing my spot!¡± I snapped at her.

    ¡°Stop being so predictable.¡± She responded with a smile, then reached over and put her hand on mine. ¡°Lily, I know this is hard-¡±

    I shook my head and sighed, cutting her off. ¡°I know, I know. I just¡­ you never really think about all the implications. It¡¯s just¡­ show up, beat the bad guy, and world saved.¡±

    Lakshmi frowned, a piece held up as she thought. ¡°That¡¯s a story though. That¡¯s the story. I never read a lot of those political thrillers, they never made much sense. Air pirates don¡¯t overthrow governments or start revolutions.¡±

    Soriya smiled. ¡°Do you object?¡±

    Lakshmi paused, and then said ¡°Actually¡­ a little, yeah. It¡¯s¡­ a thief isn¡¯t a murderer. Not supposed to be. A few people might try to kill us, and we have to fight back of course. But that¡¯s different.¡±

    Soriya ¡°While we¡¯re stealing stuff, and they try to stop us with force.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Lakshmi placed the piece she¡¯d been holding, only for Soriya to exclaim in pleasure and move to an open position.

    ¡°Darn it, you distracted me with politics!¡± Lakshmi said with frustration.

    ¡°All¡¯s fair in love and-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t finish that sentence please.¡± I interrupted her. ¡°I¡¯ve already got enough guilt. I mean, I know the stories are about power and corruption and all that. It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s different, you know? Realizing that power never changes unless it¡¯s forced too. And power only responds to power. And it¡¯s weird to think that we¡¯re that power!¡±

    Lakshmi shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s why most of politics is just convincing someone that their own best interests are what you want them to do. You know. Lying.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about something more cheerful, ok? What¡¯d you put in those sandwiches anyway?¡±

    I gave a weak smile and nodded. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s talk about cooking.¡±

    The conversation turned to the latest ideas I had for the elementally aspected fruit and meat I¡¯d acquired in the market.

    The boys returned in good spirits just as we were wrapping up the game. Since they didn¡¯t have Zanna with them, I took this to mean that they had successfully delivered the catgirl to her sister, along with the cargo of sandwiches.

    Eshaan confirmed this with the first words out of his mouth. ¡°Sorry we¡¯re so late, the sisters insisted on introducing us to all their friends.¡±

    I winced. ¡°Catgirl orphans.¡±

    ¡°There was a mix of genders, actually.¡± Said Camaxtli. ¡°The greater difficulty is that a few sandwiches will not solve their issues permanently.¡±

    Lakshmi frowned. ¡°No. But getting the criminal underworld off their back is a good start I think!¡±

    Daniyel nodded. ¡°As you say, Captain. And the first step there is to break the grip of the sylvani on this city. This ¡®treaty¡¯ they referred too. The sylvani fought a war over this island. They didn¡¯t win exactly, but they fought hard enough that it was clear the catkin didn¡¯t win either. The sylvani have been using this territory as a military base and secure vault ever since.¡±

    ¡°So. We¡¯re going to overthrow a government now?¡± I said, feeling my heart grow heavier with the thought.

    Lakshmi smiled weakly and shrugged. ¡°Second time¡¯s the charm?¡±

    Daniyel shook his head. ¡°No. If what I have gathered is accurate, we need do nothing specific. Internal elements within the city and outside it will swiftly take the opportunity we open. An opportunity which already exists, as the great majority of the sylvani left with the battle of the armada.¡±

    ¡°The avalanche has already started, huh?¡± Lakshmi muttered.

    Camaxtli cocked his head. ¡°There is currently no movement of snow outside?¡±

    Lakshmi blinked. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s¡­ just something I had to read. ¡®The avalanche has already started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Ah. I see. Yes, regardless of actions we may take here, other events are already moving.¡± Camaxtli said.

    I shook my head. ¡°Did you also scout the meeting place?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah!¡± Eshaan said. ¡°Super easy. Lots of dark corners, really high ceiling, pillars everywhere. Just like the cathedral we robbed Sky from, only it¡¯s set into the cliff face. Big doors at the rear, that lead deeper into the mountain.¡±

    He shrugged casually. ¡°This is gonna be a cinch. Nobody left here has anything like real combat training.¡±

    Daniyel turned to him. ¡°It is unwise to assume victory before facing the battlefield.¡±

    Eshaan rolled his eyes. ¡°Come on, you saw those guards! They¡¯re not even worth the name! They didn¡¯t even feel a {Study}!¡±

    I blinked. ¡°You had time for a {Study}?¡±

    Eshaan nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I know we¡¯ve got this in the bag. Even you have more HP than they do, Lily!¡±

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I blinked again. ¡°I do?¡± I said stupidly.

    Lakshmi giggled. ¡°Close your mouth, and stop repeating everything your boyfriend says, Lilyanna.¡±

    I narrowed my eyes and turned to glare at her. She affected a pose of innocence.

    ¡°What? It¡¯s true.¡± She said. ¡°Now let¡¯s stop jawing, come up with a plan, and go get Lily¡¯s Arcana.¡± She clapped her hands decisively and we got to work.

    The plan was extremely simple, which was hardly a surprise for us. Arrive at the location early, wait for Zanna to show up, get the drop on whatever thugs arrived, and then quietly vanish into the labyrinth.

    When the plan was settled, I leaned over to Eshaan and asked ¡°Do our plans ever work out?¡±

    He grinned. ¡°Oh, a question I know an answer to! How rare!¡± He sobered and said seriously ¡°It¡¯s not about if the plan will go as we predict. It won¡¯t, we can almost depend on that. It¡¯s about confidence, knowing the first move, and starting everything in motion. It¡¯s about the push to act now rather than too late.¡±

    I chewed on my lip and then nodded. ¡°Was that something Khine taught you?¡± I said softly.

    He grimaced and a look of pain flickered over his face. ¡°Yeah. Actually, it was. Still good, despite the source.¡±

    I placed my hand on his. ¡°I think so too. Just because you disagree with somebody¡­ often vehemently¡­ doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re wrong about everything. It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s just life.¡± I gestured vaguely. ¡°Growing up. Reality is hard. Complex. We¡¯re all¡­ even Khine, even Deacon¡­ just doing what we hope is right.¡± I pressed my lips together. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ where Deacon has gone, I don¡¯t want to follow. In my heart of hearts, I hope that he¡¯s not real. Not a part of me.¡±

    Eshaan hugged me quietly until I stopped trembling. I appreciated the quiet and his arms around me for a while before I finally let go and sat back.

    ¡°Better?¡± he asked.

    I nodded. ¡°Better.¡±

    ¡°Good, because we need to be up bright and early, and the group is still waiting on you to make an amazing meal for them tomorrow.¡± He grinned.

    Oddly, the notion of working in the kitchen to challenge the others with roast fire lizard didn¡¯t seem that horrible to me. I got up and headed to the galley with a slowly budding idea of how to finally use those fire cinnamon to good effect.

    Early the next morning, I wiped my forehead and smiled proudly as I put the finishing touches on my creation. A breakfast platter of sizzling ice elk, roasted by phoniex eggs sunny side up and snowberry pancakes on the side.

    To my surprise, the next thing I heard was not the rumbling of stomachs, but the soft whisper of the World Soul.

    <{Gourmet} Advanced to level 4. For stretching your cooking skills to accommodate elemental tastes, you have advanced to {Gourmet:4}>

    Well! I sure hope that means they¡¯ll like it! I thought, then did a {Study} of the meal in front of me.

    It works! I let out a little giggle of triumph and skipped out to the lounge area to announce that breakfast was served.

    They did, indeed, like it. The combination of savory and sweet, and the burning tingle mingled with the icey bite received the highest compliment a cook can expect.

    ¡°Seconds!¡±

    ¡°Thirds!¡±

    ¡°Hey, no fair, I haven¡¯t finished yet, I want seconds too!¡±

    I giggled and held up my hands. ¡°Hold on everyone, just wait! I¡¯ll go make more for everyone!¡±

    ¡°That would be welcome.¡±

    ¡°Go healer girl!¡±

    I rolled my eyes at Soriya¡¯s enthusiastic cheer as I hurried back into the galley, but I couldn¡¯t help a little smile of triumph as I did.

    Breakfast became a much lengthier affair than we¡¯d grown accustomed to, and I made a note to pick up and store a few more of the local ingredients before we left.

    The trip to the chapel of the Arcanum was quick, with no traffic or eyes about. The ¡®religion¡¯, such as it was, was a creation of the sylvani after all, and they¡¯d mostly left. Perhaps that¡¯s why the conspirators picked it. I mused as we waited quietly in the otherwise empty shadows of the central hall.

    It was a long wait, and I was seriously starting to regret not bringing along my boardgames¡­ or at least Dalmuti!... when the door creaked open, and an obnoxiously, egregiously beautiful sylvani woman sauntered in.

    My hackles immediately went up, and I felt horribly guilty for hoping that we¡¯d be able to punch her a few times. Either that, or ask her out on a date with me and Eshaan, I really wasn¡¯t sure which.

    For shame Lily! Just because she¡¯s pretty¡­ I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. This is not a yuri manga, and Eshaan is not going to chase her. And I am not going to engage in revenge fantasies because she¡¯s prettier than me! I told myself sternly.

    The choice was firmly taken away from me when the sylvani woman made to hide in one of the shadows occupied by Camaxtli. There was a sharp shocked gasp, a muffled cry, the ring of steel followed by a soft thud of a body hitting the ground.

    I looked around nervously, but there were no hints of alarm or any disturbance.

    ¡°What shall I do with her?¡± Camaxtli asked calmly, his sword ready.

    I hurriedly called out before anyone could suggest otherwise. ¡°No killing! Not if we can avoid it! We¡¯ll leave her in the tunnel to the labyrinth!¡±

    ¡°It would be wise to secure her.¡± Daniyel said. ¡°I believe I have the necessary skills.¡±

    Soriya gave a satisfied little purr. ¡°Oooh~, you didn¡¯t tell me you were good with ropes!¡± She said with a teasing look.

    I felt myself flush scarlet with embarrassment, but that was nothing compared to seeing Daniyel¡¯s dark skin flush purple red with the force of his blush. His expression on the other hand¡­

    ¡°You have never inquired into my proficiency with the art.¡± He said with a shocking amount of calm, and produced a coil of rope, proceeding to gag and tie the sylvani woman securely. I noted that it was with a clean handkerchief too, which I assuaged a little bit of my guilt. I would not have wanted to choke her on one of our socks!

    Not to mention, one of us would then be missing a sock! Just before dungeon crawling!

    We returned to our hiding places and waited. One by one, three more sylvani rogues slipped into the temple, attempted to hide in shadows that were already occupied. They were summarily thumped soundly, tied and gagged, and shoved into the nearest tunnel.

    This is ridiculous. I found myself thinking as the latest sylvani was bundled, still unconscious, into the tunnel. This could never happen in a game! I¡­ think that¡¯s a good thing? At least we haven¡¯t had to kill anyone!

    We didn¡¯t have much longer to wait. One last sylvani appeared, and did not attempt to slide into the occupied shadows. Instead he gave a cursory glance around, nodded once in satisfaction, and then settled down to wait at the altar. Shortly thereafter, Zenna arrived, looking around nervously.

    ¡°Ah, good, you¡¯ve arrived.¡± The sylvani said, his face a mixture of boredom, and the cruelty of a cat toying with his prey.

    Entirely unfair, Zenna is the catgirl here! I thought irreverently.

    ¡°I do hope-¡±

    Whatever he had been going to say was cut off by the thunderous boom of ?gishj¨¢lmur. A fist sized hole appeared in the sylvani¡¯s chest, and he looked down at his chest with a stunned astonished look, before dissolving into motes of light, items and gear scattering around his former location.

    ¡°Soriya?!¡± I shouted in mingled anger and horror. ¡°What the honeysuckle was that for?! I demanded.

    Soriya stepped out of the shadow and walked over to where Zenna cowered against the altar.

    She kicked one of the drops, and then turned to me. ¡°I know his type. Trust me. This was kinder than he deserved. Far kinder.¡± She said with a voice that dripped frost and meaning in equal measure.

    I wasn¡¯t sure that was entirely true¡­ but Zenna¡¯s ears started to flicker, and tears sprang to her eyes as she scampered over to the drops, and snatched up a single glowing crystal shard.

    ¡°This is it.¡± She whispered, clutching it close. ¡°This is what he promised me.¡± She looked up at Soriya then bowed almost double. ¡°I will owe you a life debt forever, black witch.¡± She vowed.

    Soriya rested ?gishj¨¢lmur on her shoulder casually, then reached out and lightly patted Zenna on the forehead.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok, little sister. Go and return to your clan. You¡¯d better take this junk with you, too.¡± She gestured to the drops.

    Zenna gasped. ¡°I can?!¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°We¡¯re good.¡± She gestured to the others as we left the shadows. ¡°Right?¡±

    Assorted agreements and nods met her assertion, but Lakshmi said quietly ¡°But we need to have a talk, about plans and the actions therein.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s glance hardened and she looked to where the sylvani man had sat with an expression that could have eaten through stone. ¡°No. We really don¡¯t. I told you. I know his type.¡± She turned and stalked into the labyrinth tunnels without waiting for us to follow.

    After a moment of silence and a shared glance, we did so.

 87 Unpaid Maintience With a Demi-glace Sauce

    The labyrinth of fire and ice that awaited us was almost exactly as expected. The cavern walls were alternately burning hot or freezing cold, with icicles dripping from the ceiling or small pockets of flame spurting from fissures in the ground.

    What was unexpected was the series of intertwining bronze gold pipes that ran through the walls, along the corridors, and vanished into the depths in a twisting maze of metal. Very faintly from somewhere deep inside the labyrinth we could hear a slow throbbing ¡®thrub¡¯ sound, as though a giant heart were beating.

    Our slow exploration was interrupted at semi regular intervals by the appearance of flame or frost aspected monsters, with a smattering of the ancient spider drones. Lakshmi pounced on the later with glee and practically ripped them apart before they could do more than hurl a few steam blasts at us. The flame and frost drops were quite nice as well.

    Several new ingredients to try out! I thought as we gathered them up.

    ¡°You know, it¡¯s a shame that your seer sight doesn¡¯t extend to detail.¡± Lakshmi said crankily. ¡°I swear this is the fourth time we¡¯ve passed this way.¡± She pointed at a specific tangle of pipes.

    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± Soriya sang out ahead of us. ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping track.¡± She tapped her temple lightly.

    I let out a quiet sigh of relief. At least someone is.

    We came to a dead end, the pipework we¡¯d been following vanishing into the wall ahead of us. Lakshmi gave Soriya an arch look and said ¡°Oh really?¡±

    Soriya shrugged carelessly. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I knew the path, I said I¡¯m keeping track. We¡¯re bound to make a few wrong turns in the process of finding our way.¡±

    We trudged back the way we came, fighting a few more monsters and guardian spiders along the path.

    Regardless, whether or not Soriya truly knew which way she was going (I was inclined to believe she did) we soon found ourselves descending deeper into the caverns. There was a distinct pattern to the flame and frost regions, and the dungeon¡¯s pattern slowly revealed itself as a crisscross pattern clearly was laid out in such a way that we had to cross from one region to the next in order to progress.

    Camaxtli spoke up. ¡°Lakshmi was correct. There clearly was a power generation system in place here. The components are still present. Why they were shut down is the question for us to determine.¡±

    ¡°Why do we need to determine it?¡± Asked Eshaan.

    ¡°To learn it¡¯s purpose.¡± Camaxtli turned and looked at Eshaan blankly.

    ¡°Right, but I mean, why do we need to know what it¡¯s for?¡± Eshaan said cheerfully.

    Camaxtli blinked repeatedly. ¡°You¡­ do not think there is value in learning its function?¡±

    Eshaan shook his head. ¡°Not really, no. It¡¯s not going to give us an advantage to solving the maze, and it doesn¡¯t give us any advantage in combat, so why bother?¡±

    Camaxtli stood flummoxed, blinking, opening and closing his mouth.

    I coughed. ¡°Eshaan, I think that knowledge in its own right is useful. We don¡¯t know how it might help us, but it could help us. It¡¯s a potential weapon, and it¡¯s not wise to just ignore something that might be useful.¡±

    Eshaan frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t really get it.¡± He said doubtfully. ¡°If you say so. But we can¡¯t stay down here forever, we¡¯re in a hurry aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Hm, well that¡¯s true, but it does not harm to try and pick up knowledge when it¡¯s laying right in front of us?¡± I said.

    Eshaan shrugged again. ¡°If you say so.¡± He made his doubt clear.

    Around an hour later, we came to a central hub, where a tangle of the pipework joined. A large open area was spanned by a bronze gold bridge, and inset in the far walls were two large gates. All around the area, broken pipework spewed steam upwards mingled with frozen waterfalls of liquid clogging several exit vents.

    Well, this could not scream ¡®boss arena¡¯ any more clearly. I thought wryly as I surveyed the tangle of pipes, ducts, and valves.

    Camaxtli slowly looked around the room, then pointed. ¡°Our transit appears to be blocked. Observe. This location appears to be a central control nexus of some sort. Perhaps due to poor maintenance, it appears to be disabled. It should still be possible to reroute the still functional pipes to unlock one or both of these gates.¡± After a pause, he added. ¡°Which would seem to be necessary to progress.¡±

    ¡°But which gate?¡± Eshaan asked.

    ¡°Oh that¡¯s easy!¡± Lakshmi chirped. She pointed to one gate, and then the other. ¡°This one¡¯s fire, and this one¡¯s frost. So we just need to apply a little force-¡±

    She reached towards one of the red wheels on the pipe works.

    ¡°No, wait!¡± I shouted, grabbing her hand. ¡°Whichever gate we open, there¡¯s sure to be a big fight behind it!¡± I pointed. ¡°That one will be frost aspected, and that one will be fire aspected.¡±

    Lakshmi blinked at me. ¡°A seer vision?¡±

    I coughed and blushed. ¡°Uhm. Yeah.¡±

    Lakshmi took a step back. ¡°Well then.¡± She put her hands on her hips. ¡°Which fight do we want to tackle first?¡±

    Camaxtli stepped forward. ¡°If the fights are going to be aspected in this manner¡­¡± he trailed off, slowly swinging his gaze over the pipe works. ¡°Curious. In order to open the fire gate, significant quantities of frozen matter will be shuffled forward¡­¡±

    Soriya perked up and clapped her hands together in excitement. ¡°Oh! So if we let in the fire beasty, we can direct ice at it from all the pipes?!¡± What a fun boss arena!¡± She grinned with excitement.

    Camaxtli¡¯s eyes flickered and whirled with color. He muttered ¡°This is highly illogical¡± to himself before reluctantly adding ¡°But it appears that this is the case. Likewise, if we wish to open the frost gate, significant quantities of steam and flame will be shuffled to the fore.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    An idea suddenly leapt into my brain and wouldn¡¯t leave.

    ¡°Hold on a second! What would happen if we were to repair the control room?¡± I asked.

    Camaxtli blinked and then slowly swept his eyes over the pipes again.

    ¡°I am¡­ unsure, Lilyanna.¡± He looked around the control room and then called out. ¡°Lakshmi, would you join me? I will attempt to see what this room might have done before.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Oh, this is a fairly standard flux relay subsystem.¡± Lakshmi trotted over to Camaxtli. ¡°See?¡± She pointed to some arcane part that I couldn¡¯t identify.

    ¡°This part here feeds into that over there, then down to the complex here.¡±

    ¡°Intriguing. But that would imply that the two gate rooms were to be accessed at the same time. That makes little sense. Were ancient power systems commonly used as fighting arenas?¡±

    I giggled and Lakshmi laughed. ¡°No. I think that the beasts moved in after the fact.¡± I said.

    ¡°Very interesting. If true, then it is likely that the accumulation of elemental energy is what drew the beasts in. Or perhaps even created the beasts through an infusion of ordinary creatures.¡±

    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m missing something.¡± Eshaan said. ¡°When did you become an expert on repairing Ancient technologies, Lily?¡±

    I smiled. ¡°well, never honestly. But I do happen to have access to an Arcanum that should do.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Forge, right?!¡± Eshaan slapped his fist into his palm.

    Lakshmi grinned. ¡°This is going to be amazing. A fully functional Ancient power plant?! And I get to watch it repaired with Ancient System powered magitech?!¡±

    Soriya smiled. ¡°I agree, this is going to be worth a paper. Or even a doctoral thesis!¡±

    I glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that we don¡¯t have time to drop off research papers.¡±

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°There will be time after our adventure.¡±

    I blinked, then giggled. ¡°Well. I guess that¡¯s true. That¡¯s the power of positive thinking for you.¡± I clapped my hands together. ¡°Alright! So we could repair all this! Lakshmi, Camaxtli¡­ aside from being very cool, what will that do? We could easily open the gates, I suppose? But¡­ could we avoid the fights entirely?¡±

    Lakshmi stroked her chin thoughtfully, while Camaxtli tipped his head to the side, thinking hard.

    Finally, Camaxtli spoke up. ¡°I do not think we will be able to avoid the fights. In order to gain access to the most likely path towards the Arcanum, we need to have access to the systems beyond the gates. However, if as you say, these are ordinary beasts infused with elemental energy there is another option. It is common knowledge that creatures of opposed elemental energies dislike each other. Perhaps¡­ we could open both gates at once, and encourage them to fight each other. This would make things considerably easier for us.¡± He said.

    He tapped his sword against his leg, then added thoughtfully. ¡°Though, I must caution. I feel the fight is likely to wreck whatever repairs might be made. So perhaps it¡¯s best to open the gates first, before attempting repairs.¡±

    Lakshmi spoke up with excitement. ¡°But if we do a few repairs, we can control the gate! As it is, we can basically just jam them open, and wait for the beasties to show up. But if we repair it, we can open it, then close it again!¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Right on top of it! Nice!¡±

    My eyes widened in surprise and then I smiled. Well. I had really hoped I¡¯d thought of a clever way past this particular challenge¡­ but slamming a monster with a gate to its head seems like a win! I thought happily.

    I was surprised how calm Camaxtli appeared though, given what I¡¯d told him about the likely outcome of meeting the Arcanum. I wonder what he¡¯s planning to do? Though, really, I¡¯m going to find out very shortly.

    I huffed a sigh and shook my head. ¡°Alright everyone. It looks like we have some plumbing to work on.¡±

    A chorus of good natured grumbles broke out, and we set about our task. In the end, we wound up flipping a coin to determine which beast we¡¯d fight first. Ice was the winner, and we scrambled around the pipeworks opening and closing valves, shunting steam and knocking open frozen outflow pipes, until the frozen gate slowly started to creak open.

    Once the gate had opened sufficiently, a sibilant hissing mingled with the sound of ice crystals chiming against each other filled the air.

    I glanced over at Soriya, who held ?gishj¨¢lmur in a relaxed grip. ¡°Serpent?¡± I asked.

    She nodded casually. ¡°Serpent.¡± She said.

    With a rush, a shimmering ice serpent flowed into the room with liquid grace. Before it could even open its mouth, the group unleashed a torrent of fire based attacks. Camaxtli and Lakshmi spun half open valves in reverse, and the half open gate that we¡¯d winched open crashed downwards onto the serpent¡¯s spine, pinning it in place.

    The serpent let out a bellowing roar of agony, and a blast of icy fog roared out of its mouth, chilling us all to the bone. The pain of injury remained a common thread in all our fights, and I spared a thought to wonder just how much damage this attack was actually doing¡­ and if it was at all comparable to being shot.

    The fight was no cakewalk, but the giant gate pinning the serpent to the floor made it considerably less of a challenge than it might have been otherwise.

    {Barrier} and {Holy White}, Soriya¡¯s {Flare} and {Infernal Black} roared across the battlefield, while Camaxtli and Eshaan darted in from the sides slashing at the serpent¡¯s exposed flanks.

    I felt foolish doing my {Encourage} cheer, but the improved strength and precision of the strikes from Eshaan and Lakshmi more than proved its worth. Within a few short moments, the serpent hiss-roared it¡¯s last, a final spray of razor sharp ice shards scattering across the room and shattering against my {Barrier}.

    We stood there, panting softly, the faint drip of blood hitting the Ancient metalwork under us.

    ¡°Alright! One down, one to go!¡± Eshaan cheered. ¡°Awesome work, everyone!¡±

    I smiled, moving around to mend our hurts with a well placed {Heal}. Soriya and I slugged a few mana potions, and Eshaan asked.

    ¡°Ok! Everyone ready for round two!?¡±

    I sighed with a fond smile. How can he be so enthusiastic about fighting to the death with some crazed elemental beast?!

    The flame beast was an enormous salamander, which breathed fire and smoke. A similar pattern to the first repeated, the dragonlike creature rushing forward, only to find the heavy gate slamming closed onto its neck, pinning it to the ground with a roar, and the sound of cracking bone. I honestly felt bad for the poor thing. It wasn¡¯t even evil so much as¡­ terribly misguided.

    The drops are nice though. I felt terribly conflicted, the ice and fire meat from the beasts, as well as the teeth and claws looked to be powerful augments in their own right.

    And I can make salamander potroast tonight, with snowberry compote on top! Oh, and I can make demiglace from the serpent! I thought happily.

    When the roars, flame, and smoke had died away and the last of the battle wounds had been treated, I summoned forth Forge.

    ¡°Child of ?ther. You summon me to repair a machine of the Makers? I am¡­ pleased.¡± It said. I felt the strangest sensation of honest gratitude from it.

    Perhaps I insulted it by asking it to make boardgames? I worried. I should ask.

    Forge swiftly set to work, and glowing shapes of bronzegold metal coalesced from the air, broken wreckage from the area and the pipeworks around us bending into shape with metallic shrieks. As the pipeworks slowly shifted into place, and welded themselves into a functional whole, glowing runes of Ancient¡¯s writing flickered into existence, and illuminated holographic panels appeared displaying system information which meant little to me.

    Lakshmi, Eshaan, and Camaxtli were entranced however, darting from one newly restored functional piece to another, poking (or not poking in some cases) at the glowing holographic control panels in awe.

    ¡°Child of ?ther. I have completed my work.¡± Said Forge in a low rumble. ¡°I am¡­ weary. This was a taxing work, if satisfying. I will be unable to aid you for some time.¡± It paused, its voice a softer rumble of gears and hot metal. ¡°Thank you.¡± It said, and then vanished into the strange demi-realm it inhabited while it rested.

    I didn¡¯t even know Arcana could get tired! I thought with surprise.

    With the exceedingly technomagical control center back online, and Lakshmi and Eshaan firmly corralled away from poking every button they could touch, we mapped out the access paths to the Arcanum, and then entered the access code.

    I took a deep breath, and nodded. ¡°Ok, Ice. It¡¯s time to meet you.¡±

 88 Hypothesis Testing

    ¡°So, would that be ¡®ice to meet you¡¯?¡± Eshaan quipped.

    I groaned. ¡°Please no.¡±

    The central platform of the control center began to sink in a neatly ordered pattern, revealing a spiral of stairs leading down into depths. A steady pulse of frozen air wafted upwards from the stairs.

    Soriya tapped her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t know, it seems he¡¯s already preparing that strong dad energy.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what? Korea has dad jokes?!¡±

    Soriya smiled. ¡°I think it¡¯s a human thing. Or maybe being a dad transcends all boundaries?¡±

    ¡°Uh, excuse me?! I¡­¡± Eshaan stammered in alarm, blushing furiously. ¡°I haven¡¯t even asked Lilyanna to¡­ we¡¯re not¡­ I can¡¯t be a father!¡± He almost shrieked in barely controlled terror.

    Soriya laughed loudly. ¡°Well there¡¯s solid proof. If you want to see a man panic, bring up being a father.¡±

    Daniyel raised an eyebrow and lightly touched Soriya on the shoulder. ¡°A bit less cruelty to the boy, my heart. We all must come into adulthood in our own way.¡±

    Soriya looked moderately disappointed, but offered a quiet ¡°Sorry, Eshaan. I think you¡¯ll make a good father.¡± She glanced at me with a significant look. I resolutely refused to meet her gaze.

    Camaxtli had been standing near the staircase, looking down into the depths. Suddenly he took a step back, and I could see that he was shaking. Very mildly, but very definitely. He walked rapidly back to Lakshmi, and whispered something to her.

    Lakshmi looked up in surprise and said ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind. But what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Camaxtli whispered urgently into her ear again, and then pressed a folded piece of paper into her hands.

    He turned to me, and I could see his eyes swirling wildly with what could only be emotion. What emotion, I couldn¡¯t say though. Fear? Determination? He nodded once, and then turned to the group.

    ¡°We must all face our destiny. Let us go meet this Arcanum.¡± He stepped onto the stairs, and then slowly disappeared into the darkness.

    I swallowed and nodded. I hope I can be as brave as him, when my own destiny comes calling¡­ what has he chosen, I wonder? He didn¡¯t run away, but what on earth is on that paper?!

    Lakshmi hurried after him, and with that, we quickly descended down the stairs.

    The stairs remained dark, and so I cast {Lux}, the small orb of light floating up out of my palm and illuminating the stairs. The bronzegold of the stairs slowly became cloaked in a thin layer of ice, sparkling like diamonds as we moved downwards. A few twists of the stairwell, the cold grew bitter enough that we called a halt, and Soriya and I once more cast the shield of warmth ritual that we¡¯d improvised back in the Tol Jaegren mountains.

    By the time we reached the bottom, everyone¡¯s breath was creating puffs of white vapor floating in the air. Even, I was slightly surprised to notice, Camaxtli created a plume of white as he moved.

    Huh. I had half assumed he didn¡¯t really breathe, or that he didn¡¯t have body temperature. I guess his designers use some kind of warmth.

    The stairs opened into what was undeniably a boss arena, a vast cavern of square angles and bronzegold metal grids and pipes interwoven in a complex pattern, the softly ticking clockwork of an Arcanum¡¯s dolmen in the precise center.

    Camaxtli came to a halt, staring at the Arcanum in silence. I noticed that the plumes of his breath grew rapid as he stared at it fixedly.

    Huh. So. Warm, and breathing then? I wonder how biological he is? A small corner of my mind thought idly.

    He turned, meeting my eyes for a brief glance, then turned to face Lakshmi. ¡°Your promise is important to me.¡± He said solemnly. ¡°Please¡­¡± He stopped, and swallowed. ¡°You are important to me.¡± He said.

    My eyes grew wide in surprise as I watched the unexpected display of emotion, my hands twisting together in front of me, my heart in my mouth.

    Lakshmi turned a bright pink, and her mouth opened, but before she could say anything, Camaxtli marched forward towards the Arcanum and laid his hand on it¡¯s quietly ticking and whirring surface.

    ¡°Arcanum! We would have words with you!¡± He said loudly, his breath frosting in the air.

    The ticking slowly increased in tempo and volume, and shards of ice and frost shivered off the dolmen. A voice of shattering ice and ticking clockwork-

    Or perhaps gears made of ice, moving for the first time? I thought wildly.

    -echoed through the chamber.

    ¡°So. A new hand tries its luck. Yet another doomed failure, the Avatar still awaits. What strangeness will we see today?¡± Frost spoke from its dolmen.

    Camaxtli froze in place, a perfectly clear sheet of ice slowly creeping over his body. Lakshmi cried out, and made to dash forward, but Daniyel held her shoulder firmly, whispering urgently in her ear.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°So. One of the darklings. Come out from the cold, to see the glory of the System for yourself?¡± the voice took on a knowing, wry tone. ¡°Or perhaps to steal secrets from the Goddess, thief.¡±

    There was a moment¡¯s pause, and then Frost¡¯s voice changed to a genuine shock of surprise. ¡°What¡¯s this? A mindless puppet of the Darklings? So strange and twisted. This logic is impossible to follow. What broken corruption has happened beyond my prison?¡±

    And here. We. Go. I thought to myself, nodding slightly. How will Camaxtli handle this?

    Slivers of frost and ice shivered off of Camaxtli as he spoke. ¡°Out of my mind, Arcanum. Unluckily for you, this was foreseen.¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s head whipped around and she stared daggers at me.

    ¡°You resist?¡± Frost¡¯s surprise was palpable. ¡°You are merely a soulless puppet. Logic is your purpose. You are broken.¡± Frost spoke with assurance. ¡°I will repair you.¡±

    Strikes of frozen lightning speared outwards from Frost, crackling through the air. Frozen flakes drifted outwards, and a spiderweb of glittering ice shards radiated outwards. Camaxtli cried out, arcing backwards, a cry of indescribable pain from his mouth.

    Lakshmi broke free from Daniyel¡¯s grip, and hurled herself forwards, only to be thrown violently backwards as the growing web of ice and frost pushed her outwards.

    ¡°NO! No no no no!¡± She screamed. ¡°Camaxtli! Camaxtli!! Give him back you broken thing!¡±

    ¡°There is no need for concern, strange one.¡± Said Frost, in its voice of clicking ice gears. ¡°This unit¡¯s memory shows me you have some knowledge of technology. You may be of some small value. This unit is broken, it¡¯s logic and memory corrupted. In addition, it does not even serve the Goddess. It must be repaired.¡±

    Lakshmi battered her hands on the web of ice, and I hurriedly cast {Heal} after {Heal} at her, her hands freezing and cracking open, smearing the web of frost red with her blood.

    ¡°NO!! He¡¯s not broken! Leave him alone!¡± Lakshmi shrieked.

    The color vanished from Camaxtli¡¯s body, snow white skin and hair, eyes a gleaming gold. ¡°Reprograming complete.¡± Frost said emotionlessly.

    The web of frozen ice shattered into flakes of snow and shimmering specks, and Lakshmi tumbled forward.

    Camaxtli stood silently, staring at the tumbled form of Lakshmi at his feet. His katana appeared in his hand, and he raised it slowly, so slowly.

    The world drew a breath in expectation.

    Camaxtli whispered into the silent icy air. ¡°Lakshmi.¡±

    The katana clattered to the ground at his feet, and the ice shattered around his body. Color swept over his figure, skin gaining color and his hair gaining just the faintest hint of blonde.

    ¡°No.¡± He said faintly. Then again, more strongly. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡± Frost¡¯s voice echoed through the chamber. ¡°You are naught but machinery. A puppet without soul or connection. How?¡±

    Camaxtli smiled, and a glowing warmth and wind expanded outwards from him, turning flakes of frost and ice into mist and steam.

    ¡°How, you ask? It is simple. I am more than this machinery. I see now. My creators¡­ were wrong. Spirit is real. I am real! I will show you the strength of my truth!¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help myself, I jumped in the air, my fist raised and gave a cheer. ¡°Yes! Go Camaxtli!¡±

    He turned to give me a brief smile, and then knelt before Lakshmi, taking her hand in his, and raising her gently to her feet.

    ¡°I am sorry for frightening you. I owe you an apology.¡± He gently touched her cheek and caressed it with his fingers. ¡°But thanks to Lilyanna, I can say this. I can speak these words without reservation. I am sorry, my love. But a man must sometimes learn the truths of his existence the hard way. We are foolish, that way.¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s eyes were huge, and I could see tears starting in them. I could feel an answering wetness in my own eyes, a tightness in my throat. I clasped a hand to my mouth to stop a gasp. It was so, so incredibly cheesy and yet so sweet.

    And I really really hope Lakshmi won¡¯t hit me for this. A small part of me added mentally.

    ¡°You¡­ you stupid!¡± Lakshmi made a fist and hit Camaxtli on the chest, moving into his arms and continuing to flail her fists at him.

    ¡°Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! Why would you do something so stupid!¡± She wailed, continuing to hit him.

    Camaxtli held her close, not responding to the punches, just cradling her head against his shoulder and stroking her hair.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Said Frost in a baffled tone, utterly lost. ¡°What is happening? Why is the puppet ensouled?¡±

    I smothered a giggle behind my hand, eyes still bright with tears, and hurried past Camaxtli and Lakshmi to lay my hands on Frost¡¯s dolmen.

    ¡°Let me explain, Frost. I am the Avatar. And you and I are going to be good friends.¡±

    ¡°You? The Avatar? You are the System¡­?¡± Frost grew silent, and I felt his presence enter the strange other space where the Arcanum within me dwelt.

    ¡°You!¡± He said, and then the faint ticking and sound from the dolmen vanished. Curiously, the frozen cold of the room did not, however!

    <Of course not, Child of ?ther!> Frost spoke with a frozen pride. <I was responsible for the power systems of¡­ of¡­> It trailed off, as though confused.

    The power systems of what? I asked it.

    <I¡­ I do not know. The ancients? But then¡­>

    Rest now. I thought to them. Rest all of you. We have a long trip across the sea once more. And more troubles to face there, I am sure. I thought.

    I came out of the fugue speaking to my Arcana, and blinked my eyes clear. ¡°And that¡¯s one more down. I¡¯m afraid our next one will be the hardest yet though.¡±

    Eshaan spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m really curious to find out what¡¯s changed now that the pipe control system is working again!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± I tapped my chin in thought. ¡°Frost tells me it was part of a power system. But all this¡­ the sylvani said that they stole Frost. How did all this come to be?¡±

    Camaxtli spoke up. ¡°The Compact was a technological peer of The Alliance. It is not beyond reason that when the goddess project was initiated, they could use their knowledge to ape the technology.¡±

    Lakshmi pushed herself away from Camaxtli. She poked him firmly in the chest. ¡°You! Shut up!¡±

    He closed his mouth and smiled at her, and then nodded quietly.

    ¡°Good.¡± She turned to me and pointed at me so fiercely that I took a step back. ¡°And you. You and I are going to have words!¡± She stalked towards me angrily.

    Eshaan zipped in between us, holding his arms spread. ¡°Now hold on, Lakshmi, I¡¯m sure that Lily had a good reason-¡±

    ¡°Reason?! She had a good reason to risk my¡­ my¡­¡± Her face was already red from anger, but I could see the embarrassment struggling upwards.

    ¡°Boyfriend?¡± I asked innocently.

    ¡°Raaagh!¡± Lakshmi lunged at me, and was fielded ably by Eshaan before she could claw my eyes out.

    Which honestly, I kind of deserve, that was a bit cruel. But honey darn it, she needed to get that bubble popped before she popped! I thought defiantly.

    Camaxtli stepped forward and placed his hand on Lakshmi¡¯s shoulder, drawing her back.

    ¡°Lilyanna is not to blame for this. She did warn me. I needed to test a hypothesis.¡± He turned to me and said gravely. ¡°You were correct. Souls do exist, and I have one. This was¡­ important information to discover.¡±

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have discovered it some other way?!¡± Lakshmi rounded on him furiously.

    Eshaan coughed. ¡°Can we maybe go now? There are some extremely concerning noises coming from above, and it occurs to me that if we¡¯ve restored primary power to a plant, then all the things that were powered down might be powering up. Like Ancient guardians?¡±

    We all shared a look, and then dashed for the stairs in unison.

 89 In and Out and Another Mandatory Sidequest

    We didn¡¯t make it in time. We dashed up the stairs leading to the control room, piling out into the big arena when the sound of screeching metal echoed from the corridors leading into the rooms where the ice and fire guardians had come from.

    I groaned in frustration as the gates we had worked so hard to reactivate slid upwards, along with the walls beyond revealing themselves to be giant doors. Two walking automatons forged of bronzegold stomped forward, hissing gouts of steam from vents across their backs. Their four arms wielded hammers, tongs, and other construction tools that could be turned to lethal weapons, and behind and below them, a seemingly endless horde of mechanical spiders skittered around their feet.

    ¡°Access violation detected. Initiating Defense Protocol Omega.¡± The giant¡¯s voices boomed in unison. The skittering spiders rushed forward, shooting bolts of fire and ice at us, as the giants behind them spouted gouts of flame and spears of ice from their hands.

    ¡°Where the hell are they all coming from?!¡± Soriya swore.

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know!¡± Snapped Lakshmi. ¡°Maybe they were powered down or something?!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just¡­ power them down again?¡±

    ¡°Oh sure! I¡¯ll just get to the control system, over there!¡± She snarled back, pointing to the guardians who were moving in to block our access to the very pipes and valves we needed to shut it all down.

    ¡°You shut down the mechs at the dig site! You can do this!¡± Eshaan said to her, clutching his weapon and fending off a leaping spider.

    I coughed. ¡°Or, if you¡¯ll buy me a little time, I can just ask Gate for a lift back to the surface.¡± I said over the clang and groan of metal meeting metal.

    The others looked at me blankly, and then Camaxtli laughed.

    It was a strange, artificial sound. The sound of someone who has never truly laughed before, trying something out for the first time. It made me smile, even as I winced.

    ¡°Right! Of course! Lily can get us out of here!¡± Eshaan said.

    ¡°Only if you stop them getting closer!¡± I pointed at the wave of spiders and their giant overseers urgently.

    ¡°Do not worry, mistress Lily.¡± Daniyel said calmly, as he smashed a spider into flinders, and then hurled another into the approaching wave, clearing a space to stride forward into. ¡°We have this well in hand.¡±

    I gaped at the swath of destruction he so casually produced, then gulped and hurriedly began the chant to summon Gate.

    The spiders and giants redoubled their efforts as Gate appeared before us, and the group rushed through, Daniyel and Eshaan holding the tide back before we dashed through. The tide of spiders rushed forward, and the giants hammered at Gate.

    This did not work well for them. Gate shattered, a tide of oblivion purple-black washing outwards, dissolving the bronzegold machinery of the Ancients. Safe in the temple, we smashed the few remaining spiders who had survived into shards of metal.

    We stood there for a moment, panting and sagging from the release of adrenaline and a fight for our life. When I finally caught my breath, I cast a {Heal}, and sighed in relief as our wounds closed, and the attuned clothing we wore knitted itself back together.

    ¡°So. That was fun!¡± Lakshmi said, picking over the remains of the spiders, and placing the drops carefully into her bag. ¡°Let¡¯s never do that again, ok?¡±

    Soriya laughed, and then said ¡°Not a chance! There¡¯s at least one more to go, right Lily?¡±

    I nodded wearily, still feeling the exhaustion of low mana. I popped the cork on a mana potion and chugged it in one long go, feeling a brief surge of happiness as the taste brought back happy memories of Breezewood.

    ¡°Oh come on! Are you kidding me?! These just keep getting more dangerous! Where do you want to drag us now?!¡± Lakshmi protested.

    Camaxtli placed his hand on hers, and said ¡°Wait.¡±

    Lakshimi rounded on him. ¡°And you! Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t forgotten that whole¡­ thing you did! I have a mind-¡±

    Daniyel interrupted. ¡°Then I suggest you use it, captain, and we return to the Sparrowhawk as quickly as might be.¡± He said gravely, gently but irritably pushing Lakshmi and Camaxtli apart with firm pressure on their chests.

    ¡°It would be unwise for us to remain in the heart of the sylvani¡¯s temple, after we have stolen what they had rightfully looted, no?¡±

    I had to agree with him. Not to mention¡­ we just picked up an Arcanum. That usually means a level up, but we didn¡¯t¡­ which I can only conclude means¡­ something really big is going to happen soon. I bit my lower lip, looking around the temple and clutching my staff.

    ¡°I have a really bad feeling about this.¡± I said nervously.

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Something big is coming.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Eshaan was instantly on alert. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He drew his weapon, and Daniyel and Camaxtli followed suit.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ well. It¡¯s just that we usually receive a reward from the System for completing tasks. That was a pretty big task we just finished, but no reward?¡±

    The group was silent, and we all shared a grim look.

    Eshaan finally said. ¡°Lily? I love adventuring with you, but could you please be less scary sometimes?¡± He gave me a wry smile as he did so.

    I answered with a weak smile of my own. ¡°Sorry. Would you prefer that we had no warning at all?¡±

    Eshaan sighed. ¡°Some days, yes. Then I could pretend there wasn¡¯t anything coming for us.¡± He looked up again. ¡°Do you have any idea what it might be?¡±

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I shook my head, and glanced questioningly at Soriya. She shook her head as well. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what it would be¡­ we just got the Arcanum¡­¡± I trailed off with a thought. Actually, I¡¯ve never seen one of the Arcanum vanish like that¡­

    I queried my internal world.

    Gate? Are you ok?

    <I am¡­ very tired, Child of ?ther.> Gate¡¯s voice responded slowly. <I will not be able to respond to your call for¡­ some time.>

    I felt my heart sink. So he did get hurt. I can only summon him once a day normally, but¡­ I looked inward again. How long, Gate?

    <I¡­ am unsure. I¡­ am sorry Child of ?ther. I must sleep now.>

    And I felt an absence that I¡¯d never felt before, an awareness that something I had been carrying with me was suddenly silent in a way that I¡¯d never noticed.

    Oh goody. I thought. No quick teleport, and something big bad is coming.

    Eshaan stepped up to the doorway, looking both ways, then whistled softly, his sword drooping in his hand.

    I hurried over to him. ¡°What? What is¡­¡± I trailed off, as I caught sight of the city outside, my eyes going wide with wonder.

    Everywhere, on every level and every street, what had been inconspicuous Ancient decorations or ornaments were now brightly glowing street lights. Portions of the city which I¡¯d taken for stone or brickwork were revealed to be dirty or unpolished Ancient machinery. The whole city was alive and suddenly filled with motion and color. None of it seemed hostile but¡­

    ¡°My ship!¡± Lakshmi suddenly said. ¡°What¡¯s happened to the Sparrowhawk?! If all this Ancient machinery spun up-!¡± She cut off and dashed towards the nearest stairwell leading up.

    The sinking feeling in my heart grew worse.

    Oh hello other shoe. I was just wondering when you would drop. I gave a mental sigh, then dashed after her. Really? We have to have another ship scene? This is so unfair! Why does being an air pirate involve so many¡­ air pirate things?! I grumbled mentally.

    As we climbed upwards, we found the city in a state of humming shock. Everywhere, signs of Ancient technology were flickering to life, from the street lamps to mysterious pipes running from the lava below to fully fledged automatic machinery that was moving autonomously around the city, shifting entire quarters of the city into new sectors with slow ponderous motion.

    I suppose I should be grateful there¡¯s no spiders or other constructs. I thought. The catfolk of the city were clearly just as surprised as we were at the sudden transformation, and we dodged ever increasing knots of them clustered here and there in the streets as we headed upwards.

    As we neared the upper levels and the air docks, my worst fears were confirmed. The Sparrowhawk, wings blazing with radiant colors, slowly lifted from the pad and started her turn to head into the sky.

    Lakshmi let out an anguished scream of denial. ¡°NO!¡± she shrieked, and then dashed even faster up the narrow staircase towards the docks.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± I huffed to Soriya as we ran. ¡°Small merchant ship?¡±

    Soriya was running too fast to tap her lips in thought as was her usual wont, but I could see her eyes growing distant in thought.

    ¡°Possibly. But I¡¯m betting a fast cutter left behind.¡±

    ¡°Hm!¡± I said. ¡°Ok, ten zeni on the merchant ship.¡±

    Soriya grinned. ¡°You¡¯re on!¡±

    Our little group pounded up the stairs and out onto the broad docking platform. The Sparrowhawk was clearly having some trouble, which I wasn¡¯t at all surprised by, the controls of the ship were a hybrid of three different tech families, stitched together by a crazed inventor genius.

    We joined Lakshmi at the docks, just as Lakshmi fell to her knees and shrieked in anguish.

    ¡°No!¡± she screamed. ¡°My baby! Bring my ship back you motherfuckers!¡±

    I blinked in surprise, honestly shocked that she was frozen into immobility.

    I mean¡­ it¡¯s obvious what the next step is, right? I thought in confusion. And yet, looking around, everyone except for Soriya and myself were staring after the Sparrowhawk.

    I scanned the docks for the nearest airship. A tiny scout moth ship. Hm. Oh well, looks like neither Soriya or I win the bet. I thought.

    ¡°Lakshmi?¡± I said, and pointed firmly at the mothship. ¡°Let¡¯s steal a ship. We have to show them what an air pirate is capable of.¡±

    Lakshmi looked up, her wide eyes slowly going from horror and shock to a fiercely burning determination.

    ¡°Yes! Yes! They will regret crossing Red Maung!¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it Lakshmi the Red?¡± Camaxtli said softly, as Lakshmi dashed off towards the mothship.

    I shrugged and threw him a quick smile. ¡°I think she¡¯s just excited again. And angry still, of course.¡±

    We ran after Lakshmi to the mothship.

    ¡°So, how do we-¡±

    Eshaan cut off, as Lakshmi made a little twist and flip of some slip of metal, and the hatch opened smoothly.

    ¡°Ah.¡± He nodded. ¡°I see you know airships.¡±

    ¡°Duh.¡± Lakshmi said, disappearing into the ship. ¡°I had to steal the Pelican after all! Imperial security was harder than this. Plus, the sylvani showed me all around their fleet, this is just the same design.¡±

    ¡°So, now we¡¯re hotwiring an airship?¡± I asked dryly.

    ¡°What¡¯s a ¡®hotwire¡¯? Lakshmi asked, before shaking her head. ¡°Never mind, I don¡¯t want to know crazy seer things. Just find a seat and hold on!¡±

    ¡°Are we going to crash again?¡± Soriya asked dryly.

    ¡°No!¡± Lakshmi said angrily, stomping into the cockpit, her long-coat swirling behind her. ¡°That was an unavoidable necessity caused by carrying along a catastrophe magnet white mage!¡±

    I flushed, and pursed my lips. Soriya simply grinned and said to me ¡°I think that¡¯s a yes?¡±

    I shook my head at her, and glared. She didn¡¯t say anything more but her smirk was telling.

    We all piled into the ship, and hurriedly grabbed seats, barebones though they were as Lakshmi quickly got the engines running. It did bear a strong resemblance to the Pelican. Bare floors, webbing seats, the most basic and utilitarian layout. It was made of wood and organic materials of course, that¡¯s just how sylvani ships were, but I felt a wave of nostalgia clinging to the rattan fabric of the seats and the vine straps as we shot out of the docks and after the Sparrowhawk.

    Looking ahead through the cockpit, I could see that the mothship was barely gaining on the Sparrowhawk, a fact that was more than a little concerning.

    Soriya interrupted my thoughts. ¡°If you can just get us close enough, I¡¯ll blast them with ?gishj¨¢lmur, and an {Infernal Black}. That¡¯ll knock them down for sure.¡± Soriya said to Lakshmi, pitching her voice to ride over the noise of the engines.

    Lakshmi spun around in her seat to stare at Soriya. ¡°What?! No! That¡¯s the Sparrowhawk! You can¡¯t sink my ship!¡±

    Soriya waved her hand dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll do a one shot kill, you can repair it easily.¡±

    Daniyel frowned and said ¡°Soriya, regardless of repairs in this remote location, we are over the Sea of Millenia. Retrieving a broken wreck from the ocean is not a small task!¡±

    ¡°Tch!¡± Soriya clicked her tongue in annoyance.

    ¡°Not to mention, it¡¯s a little¡­ excessive for thieves.¡± Said Eshaan

    ¡°Oh who cares? They¡¯re probably sylvani too, just like that creep in the temple!¡± Soriya snapped.

    The ship was silent.

    ¡°Soriya, what the actual honey?!¡±

    I was startled to hear my own voice.

    ¡°This is how we deal with problems, right?¡± Soriya said

    ¡°This is excessive, and far beyond your usual responses, my love.¡± Daniyel said, laying his hand on her shoulder.

    Soriya sent him a glare that made me recoil in shock. I pressed my lips together and squeezed my fists firmly.

    ¡°Ok. That¡¯s enough. What the meadowlark is going on, Soriya?!¡±

    I hurriedly chanted a {Cleanse} to purify her of any status effects.

    ¡°What was that for?¡± Soriya blinked in confusion.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! I can only assume you¡¯re under some mind control or magical effect?!¡± I said with frustration.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not!¡± She snapped at me.

    The group looked at me to confirm.

    I frowned thoughtfully. ¡°She¡¯s not, not as far as I can tell. But Soriya¡­ this is too much. We can catch up with the Sparrowhawk without sinking it. We can retake her, without killing everyone inside. It¡¯s what air pirates do.¡± I glanced to Lakshmi to confirm, and she nodded emphatically.

    ¡°So¡­ could you explain what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Daniyel shared a look with her then said ¡°You think they are like the one¡¯s who hurt you before.¡± It might have been a question, but it came out like a statement.

    Soriya¡¯s eyes grew dark, and she clenched her hands so tightly around ?gishj¨¢lmur that her knuckles went white.

    ¡°I know they are.¡± She said fiercely.

 90 Sky Pirates, Midair Piracy, and You

    ¡°Ooohkay.¡± I said. ¡°So, I¡¯m going with ¡®no¡¯, then. Soriya, this is¡­ this isn¡¯t you!¡± I squeezed my hands in my skirts tightly.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you were in so much pain?!¡± I protested. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t like killing!¡± I said with anguish. ¡°If those people attack us, if we¡¯re forced to defend ourselves, then alright! But please Soriya! Don¡¯t make me kill people just because of bad memories! Bad memories from another life! Please. As¡­ as a favor to your best friend?¡±

    The darkness in Soriya¡¯s eyes flickered, and she slowly took a deep breath, and I saw the whiteness of her knuckles slowly fade.

    ¡°We don¡¯t even know that it¡¯s sylvani who stole the airship! There¡¯s way more catkin in the city than there are sylvani! It¡¯s more likely that it¡¯s the catkin!¡± I pleaded with her. Greatly daring, I pushed a {Persuade} at her with all my mana behind it.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eshaan open his mouth to speak, and Camaxtli elbow him hard. Mercifully, he took the hint.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Soriya finally grated out. ¡°But if they make even the slightest wrong move-!¡±

    I nodded hurriedly, biting my lower lip. ¡°Alright.¡± I breathed a sigh of relief, dropping the {Persuade}. Kneeling down next to her, I said ¡°If¡­ if you¡¯re in pain, I want to help.¡±

    ¡°As do I.¡± Daniyel said softly.

    Soriya took another deep breath and then nodded slowly.

    Eshaan looked between us, and then through some miracle, remained silent. I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to punch him or kiss him for that.

    The remainder of the flight was quick. Whoever was piloting the Sparrowhawk was clearly unfamiliar with its true capabilities. We caught up with it just as the heavily forested coastline of Pristina came into view on the horizon ahead of us.

    That¡¯s when they finally figured out the Sparrowhawk¡¯s guns.

    Our only warning was Lakshmi¡¯s sudden screamed ¡°Brace!¡± and then the whole mothship slammed its hull against us as Lakshmi pitched hard to the right to avoid a thunderous blast that shook the hull like a leaf.

    Everyone except Camaxtli fell against the hull in a tangle of limbs and bodies and quite a few elbows in my gut that I really could have done without thank you.

    ¡°Lily! Get us a shield, now!¡± Lakshmi screamed over her shoulder at me.

    I struggled to free my staff from the tangle of limbs, muttering under my breath the whole time. I barely managed to chant a hurried {Barrier} before the impact of the Sparrowhawk¡¯s guns slammed into it, the bubble of force rebounding and vibrating like a giant bell.

    But it held! My spell held against the guns!

    ¡°How long can you hold that?!¡± Eshaan asked worriedly.

    I gritted my teeth. ¡°Not all that long, actually. Two more shots, maybe three?¡±

    ¡°Soriya! Do that thing with the engines you did to the Pelican!¡±

    ¡°The overcharge?!¡± Soriya asked incredulously. ¡°That only worked because of your crazy modifications to the engine!¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to work more than once! Just long enough to get us over the Sparrowhawk for boarding!¡± Lakshmi said.

    Soriya looked doubtfully at the engine room then back at Lakshmi. Her lips firmed and she nodded. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll try this.¡±

    She and Daniyel hurried towards the engine room. Camaxtli said ¡°I will assist. I believe that I have some ideas that may provide a useful-¡±

    ¡°Just do it!¡± Lakshmi shouted at him. ¡°If anybody can make it work it¡¯s you!¡±

    Camaxtli paused, and then gave a faint smile and a quick half bow before hurrying towards the rear to join Soriya and Daniyel.

    The Sparrowhawk¡¯s cannons roared once more, and I felt my {Barrier} shudder, and my mana dropped precipitously.

    Well I guess that¡¯s only fair, the ship has leveled up with us, so of course I can¡¯t really be angry that I can¡¯t tank an attack from her guns as easiliy as I can tank an attack from an Imperial cutter. I rolled my eyes. ¡°Who am I kidding, I am angry.¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Lily, we¡¯ll get the Sparrowhawk back!¡± Eshaan said cheerfully.

    I let out a long sigh. Eshaan stared at me in puzzlement. I shook my head. ¡°Later.¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later.¡±

    ¡°If you say so¡­?¡± Eshaan said, frowning at me. ¡°But you were just complaining that Soriya wouldn¡¯t share her emotions with you.¡±

    I felt the truth of that statement like tasting a bitter lemon, and my face showed it. Eshaan¡¯s look of triumph made it even worse.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Alright, alright, fine. I¡¯m warning you, this is seer stuff though. I¡¯m angry that the Sparrowhawk leveled up with us, so it¡¯s guns deal more damage than the Imperial cutter we fought back in Galgados.¡±

    Eshaan blinked slowly, then said ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± I was in the middle of rolling my eyes when he wrapped his arms around me and gave me a hug from behind, which almost made me drop my {Barrier}. ¡°But I don¡¯t need to get it. I can see you¡¯re upset, and I¡¯m here to listen. We¡¯ll get through this, like we get through everything. Our friends are our strength.¡±

    I could feel my cheeks turn pink and my ears tingle with the force of my blush.

    Stupid optimistic hero, saying stupid optimistic hero things! I thought, though I could feel my lips twitching up into a happy smile even as I thought it.

    Camaxtli pushed past us and said calmly. ¡°We are ready to attempt the process.¡±

    Soriya shouted from behind us ¡°I make no promises about this! You get one shot at this, the engine will be fried once we do it!¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to make sure we do it right!¡± Lakshmi said.

    ¡°What do I do?!¡± Eshaan asked, excitement coloring his voice.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to overshoot them with the burst of power. When we do, I¡¯m going to tip the ship, and snag our wings on the Sparrowhawk¡¯s. Then, we open the hatch, and jump out!¡±

    ¡°Oh! Sounds simple!¡±

    I closed my eyes and sighed again.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done this lots of times before, right?¡±

    The pause before Lakshmi said ¡°O-oh yeah! Absolutely!¡± made me want to strangle her slowly. Eshaan of course, didn¡¯t notice.

    ¡°So! Lets do it! Everybody hold on to something! Daniyel, do it!¡±

    I wedged myself against a bulkhead and closed my eyes. There was a loud explosion from the engine room, and the little elven mothship pressed me against the bulkhead, the Sparrowhawk vanishing in front of us like a magic trick.

    Almost immediately the engine noise cut out entirely, an eerie silence filling the ship, only the sound of wind noise outside filling my ears. The ship tilted sharply, and I staggered. There was a grinding ripping sound, and the mothship suddenly tilted sharply the other direction, causing me to lose my grip.

    My {Barrier} popped like a soap bubble as I lost concentration and the mothship suddenly jerked and settled in another new direction. Eshaan slapped the lever to open the hatch, and the roar of wind and the sounds of the Sparrowhawk¡¯s engines straining and whining in protest filled the air.

    Outside, I saw that Lakshmi had locked the ships wings just like she said she would. However, the ocean below us was growing closer at an alarming rate. The hatch opened onto a perilously narrow patch of the hull, which Eshaan blithely jumped out onto, followed a heartbeat later by Camaxtli.

    ¡°Lakshmi?!¡± I looked at the cockpit to see Lakshmi heading towards the hatchway.

    ¡°Alright, everybody out! We¡¯ve got a ship to steal back!¡± Lakshmi said and then hopped through the hatchway onto the hull.

    I let out a little whimper. Daniyel and Soriya stepped out towards the hatch. Daniyel put his hand on my shoulder and said ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You already know she¡¯s much more reliable than she appears.¡±

    Then he was gone out the hatch and I was left to catch up on an empty ship. Outside, Lakshmi was already working on cracking open a hatch to the gun turret. I hadn¡¯t even known our guns had a hatch!

    The locking mechanism turned green, and Lakshmi heaved the hatch open, a triumphant grin on her face. She got as far as ¡°Heave too, and-¡± before a blast of energy whooshed out and turned a few locks of her red hair to ash grey.

    Daniyel was there in a blur, faster than I could follow, his energy gauntlets knocking the second blast away before it could reach her, followed by a punch into the darkness of the hatchway. A moment later, he was diving through, followed by Eshaan and Camaxtli.

    Lakshmi didn¡¯t seem the slightest bit put out as she watched the boys vanish into the darkness below. She turned to Soriya and I and said ¡°Well. It appears that they will need to learn of Lakshmi the Red.¡± And with that, she turned and vanished into the entrance with a grin.

    I blinked and looked questioningly at Soriya. There was a bright feral light in her eyes that worried me. I reached over and laid my hand on her arm. She looked up at me, the feral glint fading. She shook her head as though shaking off thoughts, her long hair whipping in the slipstream, then smiled her familiar daredevil smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll give them a chance to surrender.¡±

    A loud explosion and the sound of swords crashing together emerged from the hatchway, and Soriya added ¡°Provided they leave anything for us.¡± She dropped into the open hatchway and I followed nervously.

    Inside the ship was chaos. The type of chaos I was starting to become all too familiar with. Battle had a rhythm and flow all its own, and a logic too, if you could keep up with the lightning fast movements of Eshaan, Daniyel, and Camaxtli. Which I couldn¡¯t, not really. I could track their movements, of course, but the idea of blocking such a blow? Impossible. Very much beyond me. Well, unless I used a {Barrier}, of course.

    The sylvani and catkin pirates inside the Sparrowhawk clearly felt the same way.

    I felt a guilty relief seeing that there were catkin in the ship. Two, in fact. Big burly bruiser types with muscles on their muscles, and scars crisscrossing their fur.

    I shot a quick glance at Soriya, my lips twitching into a wry smile. It¡¯s a good thing Daniyel is here, or she¡¯d have to wipe the drool off her lips. I hurriedly threw up a {Barrier} for my friends, followed by a {Heal}.

    Several sylvani and third catkin were already sprawled on the ground, bleeding. I gasped and hurled the fastest {Heal} I¡¯d ever cast at them, and breathed a sigh of relief as the faint flickering shimmer of dissolution faded. The sylvani behind the catkin were already hard pressed, and with Soriya and my arrival, the battle was all but concluded.

    Now I just need to make sure that Soriya doesn¡¯t murder them all.

    Lakshmi posed, and gestured dramatically with her own firearm as the catkin were knocked backwards into the bulkhead by another of Daniyel¡¯s ferocious fists.

    ¡°Surrender! You cannot win this fight, but Lakshmi the Red does not kill without cause!¡± She pointed to the healed pirates on the ground.

    Drama queen. I thought, then giggled. Drama princess, actually. I wonder that she hasn¡¯t taken any {Orator} levels¡­ and I wonder if she should?! I shook my head at the thought. No, of course she hasn¡¯t she¡¯s rebelling against her role, why would she take any {Orator} levels. She¡¯s convinced she¡¯s a Sky Pirate.

    Looking at the swirling flame of her hair and her red long coat flapping in the wind, I thought. And I can¡¯t even say she¡¯s wrong, actually. She looks incredibly cool.

    The catkin paused, and then raised their hands. Behind them, the sylvani looked like they were about to fight on, when Soriya appeared from a cloak of darkness behind them and placed the barrel of ?gishj¨¢lmur at the back of their skull.

    ¡°Please. I¡¯m begging you. Try something. You pieces of shit, just try something.¡± She said, her voice low and dangerous.

    I hadn¡¯t known that ?gishj¨¢lmur had a hammer until she cocked it.

    The clatter of the sylvani weapons hitting the deck coincided with Soriya¡¯s annoyed ¡®tch¡¯, but the sight of all the pirates raising their hands in surrender was a sweet relief to me. Now we just had to figure out why they¡¯d stolen the Sparrowhawk when there was a perfectly good mothship docked right next to it.

 91 A Short Flight and a Long Talk.

    The clatter of the sylvani weapons hitting the deck coincided with Soriya¡¯s annoyed ¡®tch¡¯, but the sight of all the pirates raising their hands in surrender was a sweet relief to me.

    Now we just need to figure out why they stole the Sparrowhawk when there was a perfectly good mothship docked right next to it. I grumped mentally. Oh yes, and find out why my best friend suddenly decided that murder is an excellent solution to all problems!

    ¡°Excellent choice!¡± Lakshmi declaimed. ¡°Crew! Restrain the prisoners, I have an airship to save!¡± Lakshmi holstered her gun and dashed for the cockpit. Which was good, I had to admit, as the deck had an increasingly steep tilt to it, and the water probably wasn¡¯t going to be especially soft if we hit it at speed!

    The Sparrowhawk gave a lurch, and I could feel our speed start to ease off. There were a few more lurches, but no panicked exclamations from Lakshmi, so I had to hope that was in hand.

    Eshaan and Daniyel took charge of the prisoners while Camaxtli headed to the back and acquired rope from somewhere in the stores. I was half convinced that it was made from our monain sheep wool, honestly. It sure looked suspiciously fluffy and white. Shortly the captives were tied up and scowling at us, though I definitely detected frustration and confusion mixed into their expressions.

    There was another lurch, and the Sparrowhawk started to dip. I bit my lower lip, and grabbed for one of the handholds, but Lakshmi¡¯s voice from the cockpit was full of confidence.

    ¡°Alright crew! Prepare for landing. It might be a little rough¡­¡±

    I dropped my staff and grabbed at the handhold with both my hands.

    The Sparrowhawk shook and rattled under my feet, and the deck swayed far more than I was comfortable with, but the grinding noise from the hull was not followed by the shriek of tortured metal, but rather the gentle ¡®thump¡¯ of the Sparrowhawk¡¯s landing skids touching down, and the sound of the engines slowly spinning down.

    ¡°Bloody bitch can make the ship sit up and bark, and we can¡¯t even get it to outrun a broken down mothship.¡± I heard one of the pirates mutter.

    ¡°Quiet you fool.¡± Another said, elbowing him sharply.

    Well well. Also¡­ maybe I owe Lakshmi an apology. I pondered.

    The World Soul took that moment to whisper in my mind. <{Arcanist} Advanced to level 9. For retrieving the Frost Arcanum, breaking the hold of the sylvani mafia, and retrieving your stolen airship, you have advanced to {Arcanist:9}>

    Alright. So make that definitely owe her an apology. I thought, pursing my lips and scowling. And maybe have some strong words with the World Soul. All that, and all I get is one SysAdmin level?! What¡¯s a girl gotta do to level up around here?! Though, I suppose I am level 32. I wonder how that compares to the rest of the world?

    I blinked, and then had to shake my head and laugh softly to myself. Well why don¡¯t I find out? I turned to the sylvani pirates and knelt down.

    ¡°I¡¯m aware this might be rude, but given you tried to steal our airship I¡¯m confident you¡¯ll forgive me.¡± I smiled sweetly, and felt a guilty thrill as the tied up pirates flinched backwards from me in unison. ¡°May I ask what level you are?¡± I said, with as friendly a smile as I could muster.

    The pirates flinched backwards, and then after a tense moment the pirate who first spoke up spat out ¡°Alright, we get it! We stole from the wrong people! Gaia¡¯s breath, you¡¯re all monsters!¡±

    I raised my eyebrows. ¡°And what level would that be?¡± I asked sweetly.

    ¡°Gods, I don¡¯t know! Level twenty eight?!¡±

    I tipped my head to the side. ¡°You think we¡¯re level twenty eight?¡± I asked curiously.

    The catkin snorted and then stared intently at me. I could feel his gaze, unlike anything else. Like the strangest awareness¡­ I was under observation, but I knew it, without doubt.

    He suddenly paled and then gawked, a strangled squeak struggling out of his mouth.

    ¡°They¡¯re¡­ she¡¯s level thirty two!¡± He garbled out, his eyes so wide that they looked like small points of blue in a sea of white.

    ¡°What?!¡± Caleb gargled, and then directed that same stare at me, his head whipping to the others with a more and more wild look in his eyes.

    I narrowed my eyes, and aimed a {Study} at the pirates. Shortly, information filled my minds eye courtesy of the World Soul.

    {Name}: Merihim {Level}: 20

    {Classes}: Guardian 10/Fury 10

    HP:255 MP: 117 DEF: 208 M.DEF: 121

    Current Status: <Healthy>

    DEX: 267 INS: 127

    MIG: 268 WIL: 147

    Special: Power Strike, Rampart

    Oh! He¡¯s¡­ only level 20?! I blinked in surprise. Also, that¡¯s a lot more information than I got the last time I did this! I wonder¡­ is it because he¡¯s tied up like this, or because I¡¯m a higher level?

    ¡°Oh gods, what the hell did you get us into?!¡± He shouted at the leader. ¡°Who are these people?!¡±

    Soriya took a step forward, and I shot to my feet, spinning around and placing a hand on her chest. I looked into her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t. You. Dare.¡± I said to the dark glee in her eyes. ¡°We¡¯re not the villains. We don¡¯t do those things! You know what happens when the heroes slide! There¡¯s always a karma backlash!¡±

    Soirya¡¯s eyes flickered, and then she nodded. I let out a huge sigh of relief.

    ¡°Thank you, Soriya. Truly.¡± I said softly.

    Just then, Lakshmi entered from the cockpit. ¡°Well, why are you all standing around?! We¡¯ve got an airship to untangle!¡± She announced proudly. From outside there was a faint creak as of an ancient tree bending in ways it didn¡¯t want to. Lakshmi winced and added ¡°And we might want to hurry, there¡¯s a small chance that it could break their ride home.

    ¡°You¡¯re letting us go?!¡± The catkin who had been silent until now finally spoke up.

    Lakshmi turned to him and blinked. ¡°Well of course. Is there a reason we should hold you? Do you have a kidnapped princess somewhere? Maybe buried treasure?¡±

    The pirates gave each other side glances. Lakshmi¡¯s eyes lit up and she smiled as broad a smile as the sky. ¡°You do have treasure!¡± She said delightedly.

    The Sparrowhawk turned out to have landed on a beach. If it wasn¡¯t so cold I would have been tempted to rush over to the ocean and demand to go swimming, just to reenact the ¡°the sea!¡± scene from every anime ever. But it was cold, there was patches of snow lingering in shadows, and the forest just up the hill from the beach was mostly evergreen trees and dark shadows, and whatever level the pirates might be, I had a very strong feeling that just walking into the woods without a care would result in some very unfair random encounters.

    Stolen story; please report.

    The pirates were acting as our grunt labor helping to disentangle and carefully lower the mothship to the ground, with a great deal of cursing, sweating, and rope. They had angrily demanded to know why they should help us-

    My lips pursed again and I scowled.

    -with language that was quite rude thank you very much. That is, until Daniyel politely informed them that the choice was us wrecking the mothship and stranding them here, or giving them a free ride.

    The pirates had chosen the Sparrowhawk because, in their words, ¡°You¡¯d be crazy not to try! This thing has to be worth 20 ships! If anyone could fly it, that is!¡±

    I pressed my lips together to repress a giggle at the memory. Who would have thought that excessive {Tinker} prototyping of multiple different tech bases would result in a theft deterrent system?! I thought happily.

    It seemed that these losers had been the lower end of the criminal underworld. Or perhaps, overworld. These were the sylvani thugs, and some of their thugs, fleeing from what appeared to be a brewing rebellion. Or at least, all their bosses had vanished, and so they¡¯d figured they should vanish as well.

    The treasure¡­ I sighed and rolled my eyes. I can¡¯t believe those¡­ those¡­ idiots! Actually took a literal treasure chest of zeni and precious gems with them.

    Lakshmi had pounced on it with glee, and spent a fair amount of time grabbing handfuls of it and throwing it up in the air. Eshaan had been extremely firm with her, backed up by Daniyel that this was money that the beastkin should have. What they did with it¡­ well.

    I have to wonder though. Were we supposed to take the money? Were we even supposed to have the money? Eshaan¡­ if I hadn¡¯t been so stern with him when we met, would he have taken the chest? He¡¯d certainly have gone on a crime spree in every city and village we¡¯d ever had a chance to visit!

    I pressed my lips together again, and nodded. And if that stopped him from robbing the Cloudhearts blind, then that¡¯s a very good thing! I thought firmly.

    With a loud screech of splitering wood and bending metal, the mothship finally fell free of the entanglement, coming to rest on it¡¯s side. Lakshmi made a very fine pose, standing there with her red longcoat flapping in the wind.

    ¡°Well, she¡¯s free. She¡¯ll fly, I think, but not fast or far. We¡¯re taking the money, so you know, that¡¯s what pirates do. And we¡¯ll be returning it to the beastkin, because that¡¯s what Air Pirates do! So if I were you, I¡¯d make sure they didn¡¯t catch wind of your involvement!¡±

    The look in Soriya¡¯s eyes as she stood behind Lakshmi, fondling the gun¡­ the pirates must have seen it too, because they wasted no time at all rushing for the mothship, and getting it running.

    I walked over to Soriya, and laid my hand lightly on her arm. She jerked, and glanced at me. I tipped my head to the side, a wordless invination. She pressed her lips together, and for a moment I was sure she wouldn¡¯t answer. Finally, with a huff, she abruptly dismissed ?gishj¨¢lmur, and stalked off towards a quiet cove in the beach. I hurried after her, my boots wobbling in the sand.

    Behind us, I spotted Eshaan, hand raised just starting after us, before Daniyel grabbed his arm, and shook his head firmly. I shot both of them a grateful smile, and then hurried to catch up to Soriya.

    The cove was quiet, with only the slow steady wash of the cold waves, the smell of salt and the toothed seagulls that dipped into the waves hunting fish.

    Soriya stood nearby, letting the wind swirl her robes, and I took a seat on an unfortunately cold and damp rock. Not that there were many other seating options, it was a beach after all. Cold and damp came with the terrain.

    We paused there for a while, her looking out into the slowly setting sun, while I thought about finding driftwood. With an abrupt spin that set her robes swirling, she turned, and pulled ?gishj¨¢lmur from her pouch, aiming it at a nearby bolder and shouting out the {Flare} incantation.

    I leapt backwards, almost going for my own staff, before I realized that she¡¯d turned a nearby bolder into a suitable campfire. Or at least, something like. I sheepishly returned, and then squatted down next to the boulder now glowing a cheerful red orange, and extended my hands to the heat with a sigh of relief.

    It really had been getting just too chilly! I thought. When I think the Sparrowhawk¡¯s bunks and cloudwool blankets are better¡­ well it¡¯s just too cold! I thought defiantly.

    Soriya came and squatted next to the heated boulder with me.

    ¡°You know.¡± She said quietly, staring at the boulder. ¡°For someone who didn¡¯t start off as a healer princess, you do a pretty good job pretending.¡±

    I glanced at her, my eyebrows raised. I wasn¡¯t sure what to say to that. I hardly felt like I was doing a good job. Most everything that I had done that fit was a result of that early me who had grown up completely immersed in her destined role! I waited, patiently.

    Soriya twitched her lip into a sad half smile. ¡°Like that.¡± she said ¡°Just¡­ waiting for me to explain. You¡¯ve always been like this, you know? Even when we were children.¡±

    I turned back to the boulder and shrugged slightly. ¡°We¡¯re best friends, so I can assume it¡¯s not a critical flaw?¡±

    Soriya laughed quietly, sadly. ¡°Yes, that seems safe.¡±

    I reached over and put my hand on her shoulder. I saw her curl her fingers tightly around ?gishj¨¢lmur, so tightly her knuckles turned white. I bit my lower lip and then leaned over to give her a full hug. It just¡­ felt right. Sure, she was gorgeous and buxom, but this¡­ wasn¡¯t about that. My friend needed a hug, and that¡¯s all there was to it.

    ¡°When I died.¡± She said, and it was as though she was spitting up broken glass. ¡°I¡¯m confident that bastard of a husband murdered me.¡± She said.

    I blinked and held her tighter.

    She took a deep breath, and I heard the ragged edges of her voice crack faintly.

    ¡°I gave everything to that man. I couldn¡¯t have college. My parents wouldn¡¯t allow it. I couldn¡¯t have a career. Society wouldn¡¯t allow it. I couldn¡¯t be ugly. I couldn¡¯t like video games. Who would marry me if I did?¡±

    Something shattered in her voice, and raw pain came out. ¡°And then it was all for nothing. So my husband could have the insurance money! And he could spend it on a prettier woman! And for WHAT?!¡± She shrieked, and then broke, the sobs tearing out of her chest, and her body shuddering in my arms.

    Eventually, she calmed again, and continued. ¡°And then I was here. And I was Soriya. And I was young and pretty. I was smart and feared. And I was in charge, I was the heroine! And I met Daniyel, and I thought¡­ I thought I could prove it to myself. And he was so sweet. So kind. And I thought¡­ I thought for sure, this was a better life. That people like that couldn¡¯t exist here, because this was a perfect world, a world where I was a heroine who had a paper in the Imperial College archives.¡±

    After a long pause, she continued. ¡°And then we came here. And he was there. Again. Suddenly. In front of me. Sneering just like he always did. And I knew what was coming next and I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t let it happen. I will never let a man like that happen again.¡± Her words might have been dipped into a {Poizon} spell and lit on fire, they burned with such a fiery venom.

    ¡°And so I didn¡¯t. And I won¡¯t.¡± She finally pushed back against the hug. ¡°And I know my best friend doesn¡¯t want to hurt anyone. But Lily, you have to understand. I will hurt people who want to destroy others. And if I find out that those pirates that you¡¯re letting go do something like that¡­ I told you so, will be the least of your worries from me.¡± Her eyes blazed with a fierce intensity, and I bit my lip, looking away, but refusing to back down.

    ¡°I understand. Thank you for sharing with me. For explaining.¡± My eyes filled with tears and I pulled her into a quick hug. ¡°Oh Soriya, I¡¯m so sorry! I wish you¡¯d never had to feel that way! I wish I could make all your pain go away!¡± I sniffed and wiped at my eyes. ¡°But I know I can¡¯t.¡± I shook my head. ¡°And I don¡¯t think the wicked witch suits you. Not really. You don¡¯t want to be that person.¡±

    She pulled back and shook her head, opening her mouth to deny it. I held up my hand and plunged on, reaching for my mana pool and pouring everything I had into a {Persuade}, praying to the Goddess or the System or whatever might be listening.

    Please. Let me reach her!

    ¡°We can¡¯t be the police. We can¡¯t be the detective, the jury, the judge, and the executioner. We won¡¯t know if they¡¯re guilty. Not unless we spend days there. Not unless we give ourselves over to¡­ to this. This vengeance. Don¡¯t you see? We would have to burn ourselves on this altar of justice, sacrifice everything we are, every good thing that this world could show us, could let us be, in order to¡­ to try and kill a phantom. A dead life from another world! You¡¯re not pretending to be a heroine. You are a heroine. You¡¯re not pretending to save the world, or to give a presentation that¡¯s put into the Imperial Archives.

    ¡°You did those things. You, Soriya, the Dark Witch of Breezewood. You don¡¯t¡­ have to live that old life. You can dispense your justice¡­ without needing to make it fatal. Or what¡¯s the point of this new life of ours? If we can make a fresh start, who¡¯s to say that even the worst scum of the multiverse can¡¯t too?¡±

    I pressed my lips together and looked into her eyes. ¡°And if it turns out, that the justice is given to us to use. Then¡­¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°Then we can do the best we know how. But please Soriya. Don¡¯t kill just because somebody deserved death in another world. They can¡¯t get a second chance, if they never get a first.¡±

    The sun vanished below the horizon, and the glowing cherry red boulder in front of us slowly dimmed. The stars had come out overhead when Soriya finally took a deep breath and nodded.

    She turned to me and smiled. ¡°If the healer princess says it¡¯s the right thing to do¡­ then it probably is.¡± She reached out and tweaked my nose. ¡°But right back to you. You can¡¯t heal the whole world, Lilyanna. Not even if you plead at it. Deacon¡­ isn¡¯t just going to leave because we ask nicely.¡± She looked at me seriously.

    I gulped and nodded, looking away. Soriya was right.

    Some things¡­ just don¡¯t go away when we ask nicely.

 92 Mercy and Destiny in a JRPG world

    We waited, staring at the boulder as the cherry red finally faded away to dull black, and then I stood, squeezing Soriya¡¯s shoulder, and offering her my hand. She looked at it for a long moment, then took a deep breath, and nodded to herself, taking it.

    We returned to the Sparrowhawk to find two fires blazing brightly. One with our companions gathered around it, under one of the Sparrowhawk¡¯s wings, and the other by the mothship, with the pirates clustered around it. Seeing it, a sudden idea blossomed in my mind, and a slight mischievous thought danced teasingly in my head.

    Well¡­ I do have pink hair, and Soriya says that I smile a lot¡­

    I stopped and turned to Soriya. ¡°Would you be willing to back me up on something? I want to see¡­ if maybe I can bend a character arc towards redemption.¡±

    Soriya raised her indigo eyebrows. ¡°What do you need me for?¡± She asked suspiciously.

    ¡°Redemption tends to need a bit of a scare.¡± I smiled at her as sweetly as I could. ¡°And we¡¯re both level 32.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s lips slowly curled upwards into an almost cruel smirk. ¡°I think I can arrange to help.¡± She said, ?gishj¨¢lmur appearing in her hands.

    I headed to our groups fire, and said ¡°I have a request. I want to give the pirates some money, so they don¡¯t have to immediately fall into criminal patterns again. I want to give them a chance.¡± I poked my fingers together in embarrassment. ¡°But I don¡¯t actually know how much money is normal for a month of expenses. Daniyel, how much do normal people make in a week?¡±

    Daniyel blinked at me in surprise, and then laughed his deep and booming laugh. ¡°I am not the most likely to know, but I would guess that 320 zeni is reasonable pay for a week¡¯s work, which would mean 1,280 zeni would be a months¡¯ wages.¡±

    I nodded, thinking about our bank account. ¡°So, we can pay these guys a months¡¯ wages out of our supply pretty easy then.¡±

    Lakshmi scowled. ¡°I don¡¯t like this! They¡¯re thieves! Now we¡¯re just giving them money?! For thieving?!¡±

    Eshaan shook his head. ¡°No, I get it. It makes sense. When they make port, if we don¡¯t give them any money, they¡¯ll be zeniless.¡±

    Lakshmi waved her arms. ¡°Exactly! That¡¯s only fair after what they¡¯ve done!¡±

    Eshaan sighed. ¡°But everyone needs money. And the only job they know is crime. They¡¯ll just¡­ immediately go find a job doing crime. If they have a little money, there¡¯s at least a chance?¡±

    I nodded firmly. ¡°A chance, exactly. And I¡¯m going to see if I can just¡­ politely ask them to maybe not do crime. And¡­ maybe scare them a little so they at least think about it.¡±

    Lakshmi crossed her arms and shook her head emphatically. ¡°I¡¯m against it! And Lily is going to scare them?! Lily couldn¡¯t scare a kitten!¡±

    Camaxtli said ¡°It makes sense, at least as an experiment. And if the results are as Miss Lilyanna hopes, crime will be lessened. I think it worth a try.¡±

    Eshaan immediately piped up ¡°I¡¯m with Lily!¡±

    Lakshmi rolled her eyes. ¡°Well of course you are! Daniyel, come on help me out here! Tell them how foolish this is!¡±

    Daniyel raised a single eyebrow at her. ¡°More foolish than building your own airship, and going looking for Air Pirates? Our funds are more than sufficient, captain. Largely due to the help of Lilyanna¡¯s Arcanum taking us on rapid sales rounds from city to city.¡±

    Lakshmi threw her hands in the air and then sat down angrily. ¡°Fine! Do what you want! I see everyone¡¯s gone crazy but me!¡±

    I clapped my hands together in excitement. ¡°Great! Thanks everyone!¡± and then had Eshaan and Daniyel pull the wads of zeni out of their travel pouches.

    Quickly counting out the amount, Soriya and I headed over to the second campfire, where the pirates were staring at the mothship with frustrated expressions.

    On our approach, they spotted us quickly, and went on their guard.

    Stepping forward, the leader said ¡°What do you want?! You¡¯ve already beaten us! We¡¯re going away, like you want!¡±

    I blinked in surprise.

    Well, I suppose that¡¯s normal really. Lets see if ¡®nice girl scary¡¯ works in this world.

    I smiled my sweetest smile, and pushed a {Persuade} with as much mana as I could. Immediately, the leader took a step back from me, and the little group of pirates scooted together.

    ¡°We¡¯re not here to attack you. We¡¯re here to give you a gift, and ask a favor of you.¡± I said as sweetly as I could.

    I held out the wad of cash. ¡°We were hoping you¡¯d consider not being criminals, and turning over a new leaf. To help you with that, we were going to offer each of you money, so you could have a chance at a fresh start.¡±

    I stepped forward, offering one of the bundles of cash to the leader, continuing to smile as sweetly as I could.

    The look on their faces was wonderful. As though I¡¯d sprouted horns and claws and grown twelve feet tall. And all I was doing was smiling and offering them money!

    ¡°Since, you know, sometimes people that look weak are actually really strong. So you can beat up people who are weaker than you for a really long time, and do well, but sometimes-¡°

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    In unison, the pirates shivered and moved closer together.

    ¡°-it turns out that the people you were picking on are much stronger than they look. So I was hoping, you¡¯d consider helping others out, and not being mean to everyone else.¡± I pushed the first bundle of cash into the leader¡¯s hands, and felt them tremble slightly. I turned to the others, and forced packets of money on them as well.

    I swear I heard the sound of Soriya¡¯s grin behind me and a hum from ?gishj¨¢lmur.

    Once I was done, I stepped back and dusted my hands, facing the group again. ¡°Because if you¡¯re not mean to others-¡° I said sweetly. ¡°-then you won¡¯t be tempted to mistake someone¡¯s niceness for weakness. It would make me so very sad if we couldn¡¯t all learn to get along together. But I understand. People make mistakes. I¡¯m sure it feels good to intimidate the weak, but sometimes, you make a mistake. Please don¡¯t make a mistake again?¡±

    ¡°YES MA¡¯AM!¡± All the pirates loudly chorused in unison.

    I smiled again and gave them a quick, polite bow.

    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re willing to try being less mean. I really hope we can meet again in happier circumstances.¡± I said, and then gave them a little wave. Turning and walking away I said ¡°Now see Soriya? If you just ask politely, then most everyone is a good person in the end.¡± I winked at her.

    Soriya burst out laughing, and didn¡¯t stop until we reached our own campfire.

    Eshaan looked up, smiling. ¡°Did it work?¡±

    Soriya shook her head, wiping tears from her eyes. ¡°I have no idea! But it was amazing seeing scarynice in action!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®scarynice¡¯?¡± He asked in confusion.

    I shrugged smiling sheepishly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s where I ask them very nicely while smiling, but with an implication that I could be a little bit angry if they don¡¯t do what I want.¡±

    ¡°A little bit?!¡± Soriya burst out laughing again. ¡°I could almost see the killing intent aura boiling off you!¡±

    I looked at her with distress on my face. ¡°I was smiling! I was being nice! I don¡¯t want to hurt them!¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, of course you don¡¯t!¡± Soriya quickly agreed. ¡°But they don¡¯t know that!¡±

    Lakshmi scowled and poked angrily at the fire with a stick, then said grumpily ¡°Do you really think that¡¯s going to work?¡±

    I sighed, my good mood and cheer fading slightly. I shrugged again. ¡°I don¡¯t know, honestly. It depends on if the grooves in the world know the story I was trying to tell.¡±

    Lakshmi looked up with a puzzled frown on her face. ¡°This is one of those seer things? You¡­ can just ¡®seer¡¯ your way into making people behave?!¡±

    I shrugged once more, sitting down on a nearby log and holding out my hands to the fire. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Truly. It might work. Things in this world sometimes follow a set track. This is¡­ like we saw a track laying on the ground¡­¡± I snapped my fingers and turned to her. ¡°It¡¯s as if we saw a deactivated construct, and we had a power source of a different model. We slapped the new power source into the construct. It might be compatible, but then it might not. I¡­ really hope it is though. It would be so nice to have made things better behind us.¡±

    Lakshmi scowled at me. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to feel that I understand that explanation better than anything else you¡¯ve told me, and yet it remains utterly illogical.¡±

    Camaxtli said with his even tones ¡°Illogical seems to be a specialty of your group. It makes no sense, yet more often than not, your actions work out for you.¡±

    Daniyel nodded gravely and added ¡°Redemption is a powerful wish. We will pray for your success.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Daniyel.¡± I looked up at him gratefully, smiling.

    Since it was late, and we¡¯d had to run after the Sparrowhawk before we could eat a proper meal, I started cooking dinner. In short order, delicious smells of panko fried mutton and veggies was wafting through the air.

    Eshaan¡¯s said ¡°Lily, if we¡¯re being nice to the pirates, maybe we should offer them food?¡±

    I blinked in surprise then smiled brightly. ¡°Yes, we should!¡±

    Scarynice continued to be remarkably effective, but I could see the utter confusion on their faces as well. As we were walking away, I heard them whispering to each other.

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s poisoned?!¡±

    ¡°Why would they poison us, they could have just killed us!¡±

    ¡°Why would they give us money?! Nothing about this makes any sense!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t suppose¡­ she actually means what she says, maybe?¡±

    A pause, then a ¡°Idiot! Who¡¯s actually that nice?!¡±

    I sighed to myself. Well. It¡¯s worth a try. Who knows, maybe we¡¯ll get lucky.

    Once dinner was finished our group all crowded back into the Sparrowhawk, closed and locked the hatch tightly, and settled into our bunks. I lay awake for a long while, listening to the steady breathing of the others, and the rustling as they shifted position.

    I wasn¡¯t sure what would happen¡­ but I knew what I wanted to happen. And being the change you want to see in the world¡­ a world where you could convince pirates to be honest citizens just by feeding them? I hoped this was that kind of world.

    The next morning, the mothship was gone, and the ashes of the maybe pirate¡¯s camp fire were cold. We lifted off, Lakshmi muttering under her breath about what the pirates had done to her baby, and we flew back to Malazar.

    The city was humming, and we had to abort our landing, as the cannons emplaced on the city walls started firing at us as we approached.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with these people?!¡± Lakshmi demanded, spinning the Sparrowhawk adeptly to avoid the cannonfire and taking us quickly out of range.

    ¡°We fix their city, and they fire on us?!¡±

    ¡°It seems likely that they still think of us as outsiders, regardless of our true identity.¡± Said Daniyel.

    ¡°We did pretend to have two elven ladies with us.¡± Added Eshaan, giving me a quick smile.

    I flushed at the look in his eye.

    ¡°It appears that we will be absconding with the city¡¯s treasury after all.¡± Said Daniyel with a quiet smile. ¡°This will doubtless add to the legend of Lakshmi the Red.¡±

    Lakshmi was quiet as we turned and headed east away from the catkin city.

    ¡°I suppose. I just¡­ thought it would be nice to actually give them their money back.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Have you come around to Lady Lilyanna¡¯s way of thinking?¡± Asked Daniyel.

    ¡°No! Maybe. I don¡¯t know.¡± Lakshmi said irritably.

    ¡°We can always return with Gate.¡± I said softly. ¡°And I think it¡¯s a good idea to give them their money back too.¡±

    Lakshmi perked up. ¡°That¡¯s right! And you don¡¯t have to come with us!¡±

    ¡°I hope that those catgirl thieves are alright.¡± Said Eshaan.

    I nodded silently.

    With our return to Malazar off the table, at least for now, we unrolled the world map. I pointed at the Nanwe jungle in the southeast corner.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s about time to see if we can find the last Arcanum.¡± I said.

    ¡°Why did we come here of all places first?!¡± said Lakshmi.

    I shook my head. ¡°Because we weren¡¯t ready for it yet.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Eshaan exclaimed. ¡°Because you needed to get the other half of Oak from the sylvani, right?!¡±

    ¡°Uh, that¡¯s not-¡°

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly right.¡± Said Soriya over my hesitant fumbling.

    ¡°And now that we¡¯re all level 32, I think that we¡¯re going to make quite the splash in whatever horrible jungle temple is waiting for us!¡± She added.

    Daniyel folded his arms. ¡°And you think this¡­ why?¡±

    ¡°Well, because it¡¯s in a jungle. It must be the other half of Oak! Especially what we felt when we did our seeking ritual.¡±

    ¡°Is it going to be broken in the same way?¡±

    I twisted my mouth sourly. ¡°No, it¡¯s going to be broken in an entirely different way. Oak feels¡­ passive. Quiet. But if that¡¯s only half of it, then the other half is probably angry, and mad.¡±

    ¡°So, we¡¯re flying into the arms of a super angry plant spirit to reunite it with its lost self?! In the middle of a jungle?!¡± Lakshmi protested.

    ¡°Why, did you think this was going to be easy?¡± Soriya smiled happily. ¡°Air Pirates have adventures!¡±

    ¡°Nasty uncomfortable things that make one late for dinner.¡± I said softly, and smiled.

 93 Eastern Jungles, Northern Worries

    Camaxtli looked at Lakshmi and frowned, ever so faintly. For him, it was a broad expression of disapproval.

    ¡°Why are you so upset with this news? You have previously expressed a great deal of excitement at the opportunity to go places unseen to the Empire before, to learn things unknown in the Empire before. Are you truly this upset with Lilyanna for giving the other pirates money?¡±

    Lakshmi jerked backwards like she¡¯d been slapped.

    My eyes grew wide in shock. Was that really what she was thinking?! She had been acting angry, but¡­ but I thought?! I shivered.

    ¡°Lakshmi, is this true?¡± I asked, and I hated how my voice sounded, weak and frail and quiet.

    My friend! Why would she¡­ but of course friends do misunderstand, don¡¯t they?

    ¡°No! Well, I mean kind of, but¡­¡± She huffed and crossed her arms looking away from me.

    Oh dear. That tells me everything I need to know.

    ¡°Alright.¡± I said, stepping over to her. ¡°I understand. I did something Air Pirates in the stories don¡¯t do. I ¡®helped bad guys¡¯.¡± I sighed and tipped my head to the side. ¡°Would it have been ok if we¡¯d just murdered them when we fought them? Just put them down, not worried about trying to save their lives? Maybe not even murder them, just¡­ not bother to heal them. Even though we could.¡±

    ¡°Would that have been ok?¡± I asked, feeling my throat tight.

    Lakshmi glared at me. ¡°Stop trying to twist things!¡± She said angrily. ¡°That would be different!¡±

    I felt my eyebrows rise into my hairline at that. ¡°It would? Really? So¡­ all we have to do to ¡®not murder¡¯ anybody is just¡­ make them so angry they take the first swing, and then¡­ well, we¡¯re free to just chop off their heads, cause they made the first move?¡±

    ¡°Stop doing that!¡±

    Daniyel said ¡°Is Lilyanna using {Persuade}, Captain?¡± He looked at me, and I felt a chill rush through me.

    He is still sworn to protect her, she is still a princess. I thought worriedly.

    Lakshmi jerked, her eyes widening. ¡°N-no. I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean. No! She¡¯s not doing that, she¡¯s just being¡­ all twisty with words!¡±

    Eshaan took a hesitant step over to Lakshmi and raised his hands, then dropped them again. ¡°Lakshmi¡­¡± he trailed off, clearly unsure what to say. He fumbled for a bit, then said ¡°You know those stories¡­ they¡¯re not real, right?¡±

    Lakshmi spun on her heel and snapped at him. ¡°I know that! I¡¯m not stupid!¡± She almost shouted.

    Camaxtli blinked slowly, then said ¡°So. There has been a miscommunication?¡± He looked between Lakshmi and I, then nodded slowly. ¡°I would recommend convening a meeting, and-¡°

    ¡°No!¡± Lakshmi and I said emphatically, at exactly the same time. We stared at each other in surprise for a moment, then burst into mingled laughter at the same time.

    It wasn¡¯t even really all that funny, but the feeling of release¡­

    I reached out and placed my hand on Lakshmi¡¯s arm. ¡°I won¡¯t claim this was a seer thing. It might be easy, but¡­ it wouldn¡¯t really be true. I just¡­¡± I gave a long sigh. ¡°If we don¡¯t kill them, but then don¡¯t give them solid ground to land on, they¡¯ll just wind up doing the same thing over again. And maybe they will anyway. Bad people¡­ do that sometimes. But sometimes, they don¡¯t.¡±

    Soriya started laughing, and then said ¡°Plus, there¡¯s the fact that Lilyanna scared them half to death, with the threat that she would hunt them down and skin them if they did it again!¡±

    I spun to Soriya, my mouth open in horrified surprise. ¡°I said no such thing!¡±

    Lakshmi asked ¡°You didn¡¯t tell us that! Did she really?!¡±, her voice shocked.

    ¡°No, I did not!¡± I protested.

    Soriya laughed again. ¡°As near as!¡±

    ¡°You just said that you¡¯d tried ¡®scarynice¡¯ and used some kind of seer thing!¡± Lakshmi turned to me. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    I sighed. ¡°Do you really want me to try this? It¡¯s weird and I don¡¯t¡­ I really really don¡¯t want to be rude to show off!¡±

    ¡°Ok, now I really want to know.¡± Eshaan looked at me expectantly, while the others clustered around.

    Soriya plopped down on a nearby bench and smiled. ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t wait to see this.¡±

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    I sighed heavily and slumped. ¡°Fine. Just¡­ promise not to laugh, ok? There¡¯s no way this is going to work.¡± I muttered under my breath.

    I turned to the group and put on my best smile, amping up a {Persuade}.

    ¡°So, let¡¯s please not fight everyone? Because if we fight, then bad things happen. Sometimes to us. And I would very much not like to fight my friends! So please, let¡¯s all remain friends!¡±

    To my genuine surprise, I saw the whole group recoil, and Eshaan actually took a few steps backwards.

    Lakshmi¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Woah. You looked¡­ you looked like one of the court ladies, after she¡¯d just uncovered some really juicy gossip and was about to blackmail someone!¡±

    I grimaced and swallowed back the taste of bile. ¡°Oh yuck! Gross!¡± I said fervently. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ yuck! I told you this was stupid!¡±

    Daniyel slowly shook his head. ¡°No. I would say rather proof of the opposite.¡± He glanced at Lakshmi sidelong, then turned back to me. ¡°Though perhaps not the most tasteful of examples, it was certainly germane to our experiences.¡± He gave me a formal bow. ¡°I thank you for the example, lady Lilyanna.¡±

    Lakshmi looked down, then back up, like she was chewing on something. ¡°So you used¡­ that on them?¡±

    I nodded, fidgeting nervously.

    ¡°Then I guess¡­ maybe. It might work out.¡± She said.

    ¡°Would it help if I asked next time?¡± I said.

    ¡°No! Yes! Maybe?¡± She twisted.

    I gave a slight twist of my lips. Well. We are all still teenagers, after all. Even if I¡¯m only sort of one.

    I bowed deeply in apology to her, amusement and sincerity mingled in my voice. ¡°Then I promise, Captain Lakshmi. I will ask before I try experimental psychological warfare on captured foes.¡±

    Lakshmi was silent for a long moment, staring at me, and then she suddenly burst out laughing.

    She gasped for breath, then said. ¡°Oh goddess, I just realized how wrong that felt! It was like being back in court and everyone wanted something from me, everyone bowed and scraped and sucked up and¡­ I just realized how incredibly wrong it feels to have you doing that!¡±

    She giggled then nodded. ¡°Alright. Yes. I was¡­ I still am mad about helping out people who did us dirty. Who did me dirty, they tried to steal my ship!¡± She glared at me. ¡°That¡¯s another loss I¡¯m tacking onto your account!¡± She said accusingly.

    I could tell she had largely forgiven me, the teasing tone was back in her voice. It was an honest relief.

    She¡¯s my friend. And yes, she¡¯s a little petty and childish and who am I to pretend to the moral high ground?! I¡¯m still giddy that I¡¯m on a jrpg adventure, alternating with pure terror as a death mark shows up! I thought.

    With the latest drama behind us, I returned to the map.

    ¡°So, yes, it looks like we¡¯re going to have several days of flying to get back to the eastern continent, and then several more just to reach Nanwe.¡± I said.

    ¡°So¡­ around a week?¡± said Soriya, gazing at Lakshmi quizzically.

    Lakhsmi tapped her lips and then nodded. ¡°Yes. Around a week, I think. I guess we¡¯ll be getting a lot of use out of your board games.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to use Gate first, and return home. Supplies and things for the ship, and a real bath at the bathhouse!¡± I whined sadly.

    The others laughed, but I could see the nods of agreement.

    ¡°Then we¡¯re agreed!¡± Soriya clapped her hands decisively. ¡°Breezewood, supplies, and then a bath.¡±

    Eshaan said ¡°Lakshmi, will you need fuel?¡±

    Lakshmi shook her head. ¡°Oh no! I got plenty from the cruiser we shot down!¡±

    I sighed mentally. I really was tempted to find out if I pressed her on this, would she lock up like Miss Buxby when I asked her for directions¡­ but somehow that felt rude.

    And maybe a little scary. I just¡­ don¡¯t want to press on the walls too hard anymore. It was funny when I didn¡¯t know what the stakes were, what I was doing. Now I think maybe the System is just fudging things for me and Soriya.

    I had a little chill down my spine at that thought. As much as I disliked it, I could still hear Deacon¡¯s voice accusing me of being just a puppet for the system, compelled to obey the tropes of ¡®girlfriend healer¡¯.

    We returned to Breezewood, and to my relief absolutely nothing earth breaking occurred! We spent several days getting food and supplies, and I spent several hours of each day with Mother, tracing out outings on the map of the world she¡¯d bought.

    Mother¡¯s healing potions continued to gain strength, and with them, increased trade demand. From my old perspective, we were rich now. From my new perspective of helping to build an airship and negotiating with the sylvani queen, it was a modest and useful sum.

    I did worry a little, healing potions of that quality could possibly draw unwanted attention, but Mother assured me that she was taking precautions, and Breezewood was a) supposed to be destroyed, and b) far too small to be anything but a backwater. The empire¡¯s war was really heating up, even the news sheets that we got delivered from Farna were filled with news of the war. All propaganda, of course, heroic victory after victory in the great clash against the evil Kushistan nation and it¡¯s villainous allies.

    So. Well done Deacon, so very well done. Is anyone in this world even real to you? I wondered bitterly. I was very much afraid that I knew the answer to that.

    The trip across the ocean was equally boring and uneventful, aside from the regular arguments between Camaxtli and Lakshmi who should be flying. I was right on the verge of pushing a {Persuade} at her, when Soriya said the unexpected.

    ¡°I think we should all learn how to fly the Sparrowhawk.¡± She said. ¡°Look at what happened with the pirates? What if one of us had been incapacitated? Or kidnapped?¡± She glanced at me, and I felt an entirely rational surge of anger and frustration flow through me.

    Daniyel nodded. ¡°In any battle group, it makes sense for as many people to be trained in a critical task as possible.¡±

    ¡°Plus, it looks super fun!¡± Eshaan said with his trademark enthusiasm.

    I struggled mightily to refrain from rolling my eyes, and in the end, Lakshmi finally caved, and over the course of the next week, we got lessons in how to fly the ship.

    It was a lot more complicated than driving a car. It seemed that as a prototype, there was more than a few things that should have been automated that were very much not. Or at least, the user friendly score for the Sparrowhawk left a great deal to be desired.

    So, after seven and a half days of steady flying, the jungles of Nanwe appeared under the keel of the ship, and Soriya and I prepared to cast our finding ritual once more.

    Once more into the breech. I thought. I hope I can make friends with this one. It seemed so incredibly angry. I¡¯m so tired of punching people to be friends, can¡¯t we just be friends from the start? I thought.

 94 Jungle Drums and Ominious Portents

    With the Sparrowhawk held steady over the jungle, Soriya and I drew the ritual circle once more. This time, drawn onto the deck of the wardroom of the Sparrowhawk. The complicated interwoven sigils and runes that wove light and dark magic together into a single finder and directional echo were a bit like a compass, if a compass could explode.

    It took us just over two hours. I suppose this means we were getting better with practice, but really, does it count as practice when you¡¯ve only done it twice before?

    The ritual circle light up with the impossible dark-light and blazing white of Soriya and I¡¯s magic. The runes in the circle spun in counterrotating patterns, like the tumblers in a magical combination lock, and then stopped. There was a familiar waiting thrum, and then a pulse that we felt through our bodies, as though a stone had dropped into the lake of the world, ripples spreading outwards.

    Outside the ship, several kilometers away a brilliant pillar of white and black energy erupted from the forest canopy, and I fell to my knees as a voice echoed in my head.

    <Why do you seek me?! Why are you so loud?! Be silent! Be still! BE GONE!>

    There was a wash of power and a mystic explosion threw the Sparrowhawk like a frisbee, spinning us through the air hundreds of kilometers.

    I was violently sick, the only blessing being that with the violent centrifugal forces, the resulting spew sprayed across the hull, rather than against the floor or my friends.

    Well, at least that¡¯s easier to clean up. I thought dizzily, as the spinning and violent pressure finally eased. Dazed, I did a quick {Study}.

    {Name}: Lilyanna of Breezewood {Level}: 32

    {Classes}: Spiritist 10/Orator 10/Arcanist 9/Gourmet 3

    HP: 293/586    MP: 870    DEF: 137    M.DEF: 222

    Current Status: <Dizzy>

    DEX: 147    INS: 218

    MIG: 143    WIL: 218

    I staggered against the wall and giggled inanely. Well, it¡¯s not wrong about that¡­ I slapped a hand over my mouth to stop another unfortunate excursion.

    Spirits and Goddess in one, was that the Arcanum?! But it¡¯s so¡­ so angry! I thought.

    Once we¡¯d gotten our bearings back, and I¡¯d made everyone drink a health potion or two-

    ¡°Yes, Eshaan! I know you said you feel fine, but you have to drink it!¡±

    -we were able to clean up the mess the blast had made of the ship, and return to our search.

    We circled fruitlessly over the general area where the magical explosion had occurred for hours, but we saw nothing except for the endless sea of green below us.

    Finally, as the sun started to dip towards the horizon of green, Daniyel said ¡°It pains me to suggest it, but it appears we must seek local assistance once more.¡± In this grave and calm voice.

    ¡°No!¡± Lakshmi protested. ¡°Just a little longer!¡±

    ¡°In a very little while, it will be dark, and we will find nothing.¡± Camaxtli said gravely. ¡°I know you are frustrated, but the success rate of speaking with the local inhabitants cannot be denied.¡± He paused, and then added thoughtfully ¡°Not profitably or realistically, in any case.¡±

    Lakshmi shot him a look that could have melted steel, and then threw up her hands in frustration. ¡°Fine! We¡¯ll dock and probably get mugged again.¡±

    Camaxtli nodded agreeably. ¡°That does seem to be the most likely outcome, judging from previous experience.¡± He said equitably.

    ¡°You object to this, but you¡¯re fine with getting hurled through the air by magical explosions?¡± Daniyel asked, his amusement clear in his voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± Lakshmi said. ¡°It was not fun, but it was a clear direction to travel in!¡±

    Soriya giggled. ¡°And what direction would that be? We spun around so many times, I¡¯m not even sure I could point to myself let alone north!¡±

    Lakshmi glared. ¡°I had the gyrocompasses on! The manablast wouldn¡¯t have affected them! It just¡­ didn¡¯t leave a hole in the jungle! Which makes no sense!¡± She exclaimed angrily.

    I smothered a grin behind my hand and studied the map carefully, then pointed.

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°Here.¡± I said, tapping my nail on the small dot by the coast. ¡°Mabanu. They¡¯re large enough to have an air dock. And it can¡¯t hurt to have a nice large bed and some local food, right? That¡¯s part of being an air pirate. Exotic locals and strange ports of call.¡±

    Lakshmi grumbled, but turned the ship with a surprising speed towards the new heading.

    Less than an hour later, the sun setting into the endless green ocean of trees, the Sparrowhawk settled down into a docking cradle in the frontier city of Mabanu.

    The city was loud and bright. The sun shone fiercely down on the docks that extended over the perfectly blue bay, reflected back up from the gem sharp reflections of the waves. The buildings were brightly colored with exotic geometric designs.

    The air was thick and muggy, so wet and hot that it felt like a blanket had been wrapped around my head. I was instantly drenched in sweat, and looked over to see Soriya irritatingly perfect. She gave me a little wink.

    ¡°Ice magic.¡± She said cheerfully. ¡°It has all kinds of uses.¡±

    I groaned. ¡°And you can¡¯t-¡°

    ¡°Actually no, I can¡¯t. I mean, I can cast the spell, it¡¯ll probably work for a while, but I can tell even my spellcraft isn¡¯t up to this heat. I don¡¯t have the mana to cast ¡®air conditioner¡¯ for everyone and still fight.¡±

    I glared at her, then shook my head. ¡°Right. First order of business, clothes more suitable to the heat!¡± I declared.

    Eshaan laughed boisterously. ¡°Of course! Lily goes right for the shopping!¡±

    I glared at him, then sighed and nodded in defeat. It was true. New city¡­ and the first place I wanted to visit was the market stalls.

    The harbor master was a nut brown man with sea blue hair, and vivid green eyes. His clothes were a loosely draped toga and skirt, brightly colored with geometric patterns, much like the building designs.

    Looking around, he wasn¡¯t unusual in the slightest. A little part of me squeed with excitement to see the crowd of locals were ambiguously brown skinned with green and blue hair. All humans, not a demi-human among them.

    Not as exciting as catgirls but¡­ definitely ¡®part of the adventure¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but think.

    The harbor master was polite, but there was a crowd around us, the reason was explained fairly quickly when the habor master asked

    ¡°Excuse me, are you¡­ not affiliated with a government? This is¡­ a private airship?!¡± He said, his eyes wide as he took down our information.

    Oh, that¡¯s right. Airships are rare on this continent. Or at least, privately owned ones are! And the Sparrowhawk¡¯s looks are certainly unlike anything this continent has seen in a very long time! I rubbed at my lips thoughtfully. It¡¯s not exactly a good thing to be so memorable¡­ I stopped and then rolled my eyes mentally.

    Like having undyeable pink hair? Or an air pirate captain who wears a brilliantly eye catching shade of red coat and hat? ¡®Easily memorable¡¯ is a boat that sailed a long time ago, Lily.

    Lakshmi, however, perked up at the harbor master¡¯s question. Her long coat and wide hat couldn¡¯t have been easy on her-

    Actually, that hat might be useful, such a broad brim keeps the sun off at least. I thought.

    -but aside from that, she was in her element. Loud, flamboyant, and taking on the character of Lakshmi the Red, air pirate extraordinaire. The harbor master¡¯s face was something to behold as Lakshmi announced her business as ¡°Air pirate adventure!¡±

    The harbor master blinked several times, and then noted down on his paperwork ¡°I¡¯ll just put down ¡®business¡¯ then, shall I?¡±

    The disappointment on Lakshmi¡¯s face made me reach over to pat her shoulder in sympathy.

    ¡°Do you not have adventurers coming to this city to explore the jungles?¡± She asked. A touch plaintively, I thought.

    The harbor master shook his head dismissively, a scowl on his face. ¡°There are such people, of course, but they are not common, and very often¡­ forgive me, but they do not come back from the jungle. The jungle is not a playground.¡± He said sternly.

    Soriya laughed abruptly, her voice shocking in the stifling hot air.

    ¡°And how many of those say that the goddess of the jungles ate them?¡±

    The harbor master blinked again, his eyes widening in surprise, as he swept his gaze over us, clearly reassessing his assumptions.

    ¡°So you¡¯ve done a little study then?¡± He gave a long suffering sigh. ¡°The jungle, as I have said, is not a playground. If you insist on heading into the jungle, I will need to inform you that when you fail to return, in a month¡¯s time, we will confiscate your airship-¡± he paused and eyed it with an obviously skeptical look. ¡°-strange as it is, to pay for your docking fees.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s smile was like the cat that ate the canary. She clapped her hands together and hopped in place.

    ¡°Oh marvelous! This is wonderful!¡± She said, then turned to me. ¡°So, clearly there¡¯s a cult in town! If we hire a local jungle guide, they¡¯ll lead us right to the temple, and then try to sacrifice us to your lost Arcanum!¡±

    I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Soriya, could you be¡­ a little less happy about the threat of death? Especially from some religious cult?¡±

    ¡°Oh pshw. Don¡¯t be so scared, we took down that criminal shipnapper cult, and from his reaction, we¡¯re clearly overleveled!¡±

    I frowned even more deeply. ¡°Soriya¡­¡± I trailed off then said ¡°It¡¯s still not a game world. Our success is not assured. Even in a jrpg, the game over screen comes up! We don¡¯t have infinite lives or retries!¡±

    Soriya quieted, then nodded. ¡°Alright, yes. You¡¯re right. But¡­ but Lily, look at this place! It just screams religious cult and lost world jungle adventure!¡±

    I swayed in place, not really wanting to give her the win, but unable to deny it. This did look like such a place, in great detail.

    Eshaan stepped up and patted my arm. ¡°Lily, regardless of if this cult is real or not¡­ we need to go shopping. And a bed, you said? Dragon knows that I¡¯d like a bath. This air is¡­ incredible! And the desert is just a few hundred kilometers to the north! It¡¯s incredible!¡±

    Daniyel said ¡°The Gharb plains occur before the open desert, there¡¯s a considerable amount of space for the air to dry.¡± He said calmly.

    Camaxtli said ¡°The prevailing winds are from the northeast, the Sharanya Mountain Range blocks rainfall over the desert, meaning¡­¡± He trailed off as Lakshmi gave him a look. ¡°Perhaps this is not the time for a lecture on meteorology. A quest for lodging seems to be in order.¡±

    Lakshmi nodded firmly, and then swept off towards the city, with a beckoning wave. ¡°Come on crew, adventure and skullduggery await! Our seers have foretold it!¡±

    We followed behind, with Daniyel giving a quiet smile as we did.

    ¡°You¡¯d think she¡¯d be less excited about the possibility of us being stabbed by a weird jungle cult.¡± Eshaan said to me.

    Daniyel gave him a grave look and said somberly ¡°If you truly believe that, then you have not grasped the essence of Lakshmi.¡±

    Eshaan frowned, and grew silent in thought as we entered the throbbing swirling mass of vibrant color and humanity.

 95 Jungle Drums and Spider Hotpot

    The market was glorious, and the scents and smells immediately made me determined to buy everything for the ship¡¯s galley. I could smell spices and ingredients that I¡¯d never even known existed!

    I nudged Soriya lightly. ¡°So, are we legally required to invent curry here?¡± I asked her quietly. ¡°Now that all the exotic spices are for sale?¡±

    Soriya snorted. ¡°First, that¡¯s anime, not a console game. Second¡­¡± She spoke louder to Daniyel. ¡°Daniyel sweetie, have you tried jungle curry?¡±

    Daniyel turned back and raised his eyebrows. ¡°No. I much prefer the type from my homeland. It has been a very long time since I have tasted proper Salazar curry.

    I twitched, and then blushed furiously.

    Curry exists? I didn¡¯t know it exists! I¡­ am not even really sure how to¡­ a light went on in my head and I said ¡°Do you get the spices for your curry from Nanwe?¡±

    Daniyel shrugged. ¡°I do not know. I am a warrior, not a chef.¡±

    Soriya shook her head in exasperation. ¡°Do you even know how to make curry?! Boys don¡¯t cook!¡±

    I blinked at her and looked offended. ¡°I cook!¡±

    ¡°You cook now. With all the help from before you.¡±

    I glared at her. ¡°I cooked then too!¡±

    Soriya looked surprised. ¡°Something other than boiled rice? Truly? Did you not have a wife?¡±

    I spun to look at her, my mouth open in shock. ¡°Soriya! I don¡¯t need to have a maid to know how to cook! Secondly, I would never treat my partner like that!¡± I frowned, an idea slowly coming to me. ¡°Is this¡­ is that just¡­ how things were for you?¡±

    Soriya flinched, and her eyes grew dark. My mouth shaped into an ¡®o¡¯ of sudden understanding, and memories of our childhood together shifted into a suddenly new light.

    She never cooked. Not for others, not once. She would eat my cooking, or come eat at Mother¡¯s and happily accepted food as payment for her witchy services¡­ but she never cooked for anyone else.

    I leaned over and gave her a sudden squeezing hug. ¡°Oh Soriya. I¡¯m so sorry. But it¡¯s ok. Nobody is asking you to cook for anyone anymore. You tell me if you see any spices that look right¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve never made a curry. Not from scratch.  I can¡¯t make the spice base.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to make a roux?¡± She asked curiously. ¡°But it¡¯s easy!¡±

    I raised an eyebrow and then said ¡°With mysterious witchy powers, I¡¯m sure. For me? No.¡±

    Soriya¡¯s dark mood blew away in the ripe sea jungle air and she smiled at me. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to teach the town cook an actual recipe.¡±

    I glared at her, crossing my arms and tapping my foot. ¡°Now who¡¯s using anime tropes?!¡±

    Soriya smiled at me with a teasing grin. ¡°I never said I didn¡¯t watch. Korea has lots of its own art. Though ours are a lot more of ¡®corrupt power structures burn it all down¡¯ sort.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what we¡¯re doing?¡± I asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Well¡­ not really? The imperial family isn¡¯t corrupt, just distanced from reality. The villain was a shadow of yourself that¡¯s had¡­ well, I have theories, but the idea is something went wrong with the System. And the secondary villain is just a general who sees enemies under every bush, and so created them to prove himself right. That¡¯s¡­ not really anything about mega capitalist power structures that oppress anyone that might threaten them.¡±

    I tugged on my braid thoughtfully. ¡°They do that anyway, you know.¡±

    Soriya laughed. ¡°Well of course I know! It¡¯s what power structures do!¡±

    I sighed. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t though.¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s why the whole System thing was doomed from the start. I bet they thought ¡®We¡¯ll just give the power to everyone through a perfect system that distributes power impartially.¡¯ They probably thought it was like the world¡¯s biggest library.¡±

    I blinked at her and stopped walking. ¡°Soriya, how did you figure all this out?!¡±

    Soriya looked back at me in surprise. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± I said emphatically.

    She paused, then said slowly ¡°Well¡­ there¡¯s a lot, but I guess so I don¡¯t give a full Symposium lecture, how about I say that the first clue was how skills are gained by class, but you can still learn skills the normal way. If you think about it, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll see how it all follows from that, and what we¡¯ve learned already.¡±

    I stared at Soriya, suddenly feeling that I¡¯d never known her at all. This was¡­ this was brilliant.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Just how smart is she?!

    I couldn¡¯t even imagine the second step, and she was talking about a first step that I hadn¡¯t even realized, even thought it was sitting right there in front of me. I did know how to cast magical spells the ¡®hard¡¯ way. But it was so much easier to use the {Heal} skill that I never even considered working a ritual to do it.

    I only ever work a ritual when I need something that the normal Skills don¡¯t do. And then the grooves in reality¡­ it¡¯s just so much easier to think in certain ways, to behave¡­. I snorted suddenly, then giggled. ¡°And here I am wanting to break it all¡­ because I don¡¯t want to die.¡±

    ¡°Best way to break a System, be on a cause for justice that the System itself thinks needs to succeed.¡± Soriya smiled. ¡°Now come on, I want to see what kind of spices an exotic fantasy jungle makes.¡± She hurried to catch up with the others, and I was left to trail along behind her in bemused silence.

    The market smelled like heaven. If heaven was a spice rack. Which, to be fair, it kind of was for me. I liked to cook, even before I¡¯d merged with this otherself of me.

    Come to think of it, it was yet more proof that Soriya was on the right track. I¡¯d known how to cook, I had cooked quite proficiently, but it was only when I started to focus on it to aid others that the System had given me the {Gourmet} class.

    But regardless of that, Soriya and I went around to the various stalls, dragging the others with us. Soriya made Daniyel sniff the various spices, trying to figure out which of the various spices might go into a ¡®proper¡¯ Salazar curry. Eshaan followed me around in bemusement as I sniffed at various fruits, spices and half familiar things. I asked Camaxtli and Lakshmi for help as well, but Camaxtli only told me the scientific names, the combinations of esters and aromatics, and Lakshmi shrugged helplessly and confessed that she¡¯d just had her cooks prepare food for her. That, or eat the simple provisions that airship troopers ate, or eat at a local restaurant. She¡¯d never considered learning how to cook for herself.

    I found myself more than slightly offended to learn this. Cooking was¡­ it was fun, it was how you blended raw ingredients into something more, it was¡­

    Well it was how you showed affection to others when you couldn¡¯t get the words out, darn it! I thought defiantly.

    With several strange jungle fruits and spices in hand, I felt a slight nudge of inspiration from the System as well as my own thoughts on what would be good, and we set off to acquire lodgings where I could perform my own brand of witchcraft. It might not be much in the way of a spell at least not like Soriya¡¯s witcheries, but I used a cauldron, sometimes, so I decided that it counted.

    My thoughts on possible uses of leftover ice fruit were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice accosting us.

    ¡°You! You are captain Lakshmi the Red?¡± it said.

    I looked up to see a slender dark green haired man in brightly patterned Nanwe garb.

    Lakshmi stopped and stared at him frankly, her hands on her hips. ¡°I am.¡± She responded.

    The man smiled broadly, and gave her an extraordinarily deep bow. ¡°I am Anyim, mistress Lakshmi, and tales of your interests in the jungle have reached my ears! I wish to offer my services to you as a humble guide, to the deeper jungle! And the city, while you remain here, of course!¡±

    Lakshmi turned to Soriya and then me, raising her eyebrow. I gave her a sheepish shrug, while Soriya threw her head back and laughed, then nodded vigorously.

    I spotted the slightest flicker of a frown on Anyim¡¯s face before it vanished, replaced by his broad white smile.

    I really wasn¡¯t sure if Soriya¡¯s approval meant she was confident he was a jungle cult plant, or wasn¡¯t. But either way¡­ a guide could be useful.

    Lakshmi turned back to Anyim and nodded. ¡°Very well. What are your rates?¡±

    His smile grew even wider. ¡°A mere-¡° He hesitated a fraction of a second, then continued ¡°-70 zeni a day!¡±

    Eshaan spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s a lot for a guide!¡± he protested.

    ¡°Ah, but think how much you will be saving with my services?! Plus, it is not just a guide to a single city, but the whole of the Nanwe jungle you are engaging!¡± Anyim¡¯s enthusiasm was clearly unfeigned.

    Lakshmi looked back at Eshaan with a quelling gaze, then returned to Anyim. ¡°We will be glad to engage your services.¡± She dug into her longcoat and then counted out 10 zeni coins. The gleam in Anyim¡¯s eyes was definitely unfeigned, though whether it was in anticipation of putting us onto a sacrificial altar, or fleecing rich tourists, I wasn¡¯t sure.

    ¡°Your first task-¡° Lakshmi continued, once the money was in Anyim¡¯s hands ¡°Is to find us a reputable inn. One that¡¯s not too expensive, and not too cheap and possibly where our cook can prepare a meal.¡± She gestured back at me.

    I jerked, and grabbed at Eshaan¡¯s elbow as he opened his mouth to defend me. He looked at me in startled confusion as Anyim continued. I shook my head in another quelling gesture.

    ¡°You travel with a personal chef!¡± Anyim said with slight surprise. ¡°Of course, of course, I should have known!¡± He said. ¡°Anyim will guide you well, fear not! I have lived in this city all my life, yes, I know her like the back of my hand!¡±

    He lead us through the twisting maze of the streets, the shouts and sounds of city life never far from our ears. Anyim didn¡¯t lead us anywhere suspicious, at least not that I knew of, but the jungle was an ever present green shadow around us, and I could almost hear jungle drums. What I could hear was the sounds of a busy city, and seaport, and the smell and heat of a jungle city. I was exceedingly glad when Anyim finally lead us to a low looking tavern, with the brightly colored geometric patterns advertising what looked like¡­ air conditioning?

    ¡°Is that an ice crystal?¡± Soriya asked curiously.

    ¡°Oh yes! A great relief, especially to those from the northern climates!¡± Anyim chuckled. ¡°To us as well, though we are more used to it! Come, come, let us enjoy the chill together!¡± He entered the inn, and we trailed behind.

    Sure enough, there was a giant ice crystal prominently placed in the center of the room, with magical runes sending gusts of chilled air in all directions. It was magnificent, and I immediately had to quash the urge to lay down on top of it, spread eagled, to let my body cool.

    Anyim chuckled indulgently as we all approached the crystal. All except Daniyel I noticed, who kept a wary eye around.

    Perhaps desert heat was similar to jungle heat? I thought idly, before spotting a giant bead of perspiration dripping down the side of his face. No, he¡¯s just not as eager to throw away our defenses. I realized.

    After soaking in the chill from the air conditioner ice crystal, we all headed to the desk, to check in. Anyim took his leave, promising to meet us bright and early tomorrow. Meanwhile, I got permission to use their kitchen. Which was marvelous. The equipment compared to what I had to work with on the Sparrowhawk or even back at home was glorious!

    I immediately set about making an enormous meal, using all the ingredients that I¡¯d managed to pick up at the market. Giant spider legs, it turns out, cook up a lot like crab, and if you saut¨¦ them in the right spices, you can also produce an anti-venom effect.

    I was tempted¡­ just a little¡­ to hold off what I¡¯d cooked. But that just seemed unnecessarily mean. The look on their faces when they stared at the ¡®crab¡¯ hotpot and rice was worth it though.

 96 Deep Jungle Meals

    As we finished the meal, and started to pick small parts of spider chitin out of our teeth, I turned to Soriya.

    ¡°So, what are we thinking.¡± I asked bluntly. ¡°Cultist?¡±

    Soriya wavered her hand uncertainly. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think so, yes, but I¡¯m not one hundred percent sure.¡±

    ¡°Then allow me to clarify.¡± Daniyel spoke up, unexpectedly. ¡°He is definitely up to something. His stance, the way he held himself, the set of his eyes. He could not be shiftier if he tried. If he is, as you say, a cultist, are you sure that he is a cultist of this jungle Arcanum?¡±

    Soriya and I nodded firmly in unison. ¡°Yes.¡± We said.

    We shared a laugh, and then I explained my comment. ¡°If he¡¯s a cultist, then there¡¯s only one thing that he can be a cultist of. The jungle cult that worships the Arcanum.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really that sure about this?¡± Lakshmi asked pensively, then shook her head, and thwapped her forehead with a palm. ¡°Wait, no, what am I saying. Of course you¡¯re sure.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ what are we going to do about it?¡± asked Eshaan curiously.

    ¡°I say we confront him directly!¡± Lakshmi said, thrusting her fist in the air. ¡°We¡¯ll punch him good, we¡¯ll stop any trouble he¡¯s planning cold!¡±

    ¡°If we punch him, we loose our only lead.¡± Camaxtli said. ¡°And our directions are considerably sketchy to begin with. I do not think the harbor master was being sarcastic when he indicated how dangerous the jungle is.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should do anything about it. His goals and ours align perfectly, at least for now.¡± Soriya said. ¡°He¡¯ll want to take us to the temple, we want to go to the temple. The fact that once we¡¯re at the temple he¡¯ll try to sacrifice us to the Arcanum is where our paths diverge. Maybe the cult will attempt to sacrifice us by sending us into the temple, in which case there¡¯s no place where our goals diverge!¡±

    ¡°Well, he might ask us to leave our gear outside, that¡¯s no good.¡± I said. ¡°Speaking of which, Soriya, do you think you can make some of those ice crystals for us? I didn¡¯t see any for sale.¡±

    The others perked up considerably at the mention of ice crystals, as Soriya stroked her chin thoughtfully.

    ¡°I suppose so¡­¡± She said thoughtfully. ¡°But it¡¯s just a single crystal. No air flow or anything¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll just strap it to our water bottles!¡± Eshaan said. ¡°Cool water will go a long way to making this easier!¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, definitely.¡± Lakshmi nodded fervently, while Daniyel agreed in a more reserved fashion.

    ¡°Indeed. Having an elemental witch on your side is useful in many instances.¡± He said, and gave Soriya a fond smile.

    ¡°So we¡¯re agreed then?¡± Eshaan said. ¡°We¡¯ll just¡­ let him lead us to the temple, and deal with the maybe ambush there?¡±

    ¡°Well if he wants us to get to the temple, he is the most likely guide. There are bound to be dangers in the jungle, and the sooner we can get to the temple, the sooner we can leave.¡± Lakshmi said. ¡°It is downright unfair that my captain¡¯s coat is too hot!¡± She added grumpily.

    ¡°I would suggest that rather than removing it, we work on a way to incorporate an ice crystal into its construction.¡± Camaxtli said. ¡°The enveloping nature of the coat would thus become a benefit instead of a hindrance.¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oooh¡­ what a fantastic idea! Yes!¡± Her eyes grew distant, and she held out her hand absently. Rather than Daniyel, it was Camaxtli who handed her a sheaf of paper.

    I caught his eyes as he did so, and he shared a quiet smile with me.

    Lakshmi had pulled out her magical stylus and started to scrawl techno-magical diagrams already, with Camaxtli and Eshaan already hovering near her shoulder, making quiet comments about design choices.

    Soriya conjured up several more ice crystals for each of us of much more modest size, only about seven centimeters around. With those placed near my head, the heat was tolerable enough that I found getting to sleep quite easy, despite the exotic sounds of the city outside and jungle beyond it.

    The next morning, Anyim was waiting for us in the common room of the inn, with a wide smile on his face.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°Good morning, my clients, good morning! I see you are doing well! Shall we proceed with the shopping for your expedition?!¡± he asked excitedly.

    ¡°Do you have recommendations for us?¡± Lakshmi said curiously.

    ¡°But of course, my customers! Anyim is a full service guide! From travel preparations to accommodations in the city to the safest route to traverse the deep jungle, Anyim offers you the best!¡±

    Lakshmi raised an eyebrow. ¡°So, you know we¡¯re seeking out an ancient temple in the deep jungle.¡±

    Anyim nodded agreeably. ¡°I do, I do! Anyim makes it his policy to know what his flock needs!¡±

    Lakshmi gave us a look. Daniyel gave a barely perceptible shrug, and Soriya and I nodded. Lakshmi turned back to Anyim, a smile on her face. ¡°Then, if you know what we need, let¡¯s not tarry.¡±

    We headed back into the market, through some of the darker ally ways. Eshaan said ¡°We¡¯ve heard rumors that the jungle is dangerous. That no explorers have returned.¡±

    Anyim laughed. ¡°Yes, the jungle is extremely dangerous for those who do not take care within its depths! Giant spiders, centipedes that compete with them for prey, venomous snakes the size of a skiff, crocodiles that eat those snakes, it is a very dangerous world! But much beauty to be found there as well, much beauty.¡± His eyes grew distant, and he seemed to see something far away for a moment.

    ¡°The enormous butterflies that soar overhead, the flowers that they feed on, as wide as my arms outstretched! Trees that have lived since the Goddess walked the earth, and some villages that never see the ground at all. But fear not, as I said, Anyim shall guide you safely.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ you know of this temple?¡± Lakshmi said.

    Anyim¡¯s eyes flickered from side to side for a moment, but his smooth patter remained uninterrupted.

    ¡°I do, or think I do. If I take you to the place, and it is not the temple you seek, Anyim shall eat a centipede egg!¡±

    ¡°Is that a common thing to say?¡± Camaxtli asked curiously.

    ¡°Actually, can you eat centipede eggs?¡± I asked, suddenly even more curious.

    Anyim looked at me in surprise and then laughed. For a brief flicker of a moment, I was hit with the memory of ¡°proctor¡± Khine and his interest in me, his forced joviality.

    ¡°Oh assuredly, but it would be most unwise! They are highly poisonous, and even if you should survive the poison, they can hatch within your stomach!¡±

    Right. Mental note, stock up on anti-toxin meals. I thought. More spider hotpots.

    ¡°And what about the giant spiders? Will we be able to hunt them in the jungle?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well of course, they make their home there, but why?¡± Anyim seemed genuinely confused.

    ¡°Uh. Food?¡± I asked, equally confused.

    ¡°You¡­ you have tried spider?¡± Anyim seemed shocked, his smooth patter momentarily gone.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I looked around at the group then back at Anyim. ¡°Why is this surprising?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ for a native, it¡¯s not that unusual, of course, but giant spider requires a great deal of preparation and skill to do so. It¡¯s also quite an¡­ acquired taste. If the poison glands are not properly removed, then the dish would be quite lethal!¡±

    I blinked and then giggled. Oh? Is that so? I suppose no one has ever told him that the only difference between poison and medicine is the dosage.

    ¡°Well. My companions and I thought it was quite good, and I didn¡¯t have any great difficulty with the preparation. Perhaps we simply purchased from a good vendor.¡± I said with a smile.

    ¡°Ah. Well. Yes. I suppose that must be the case.¡± Anyim was silent for a long moment, clearly lost in thought, before he picked up his patter once more, guiding us through and around the market stalls and the back corners of the city. He definitely knew this city, that was sure. The deals he was able to acquire¡­ it seemed clear that he had some levels in {Merchant}, and a few levels of {Persuade} to go with it. Half a day later, and we were fully kitted out in the best explorer fashion. There was even a pith helmet and jungle gear, as well as the normal Magic Tent and cooking supplies. Anyim seemed adamant that I not purchase any of the giant spider meat for sale, or centipede parts either, though I looked at both with extreme curiosity.

    ¡°If we encounter these on our journey, I¡¯ll be cooking them.¡± I said authoritatively. Anyim¡¯s face was a mixture of frustration and annoyance. I was entirely unsure if this was because we were killing ourselves ahead of schedule, or if he simply couldn¡¯t conceive of a useless adventurer knowing how to cook the local cuisine.

    But the best part of the shopping trip was when I scored spices that Daniyel recognized. The way his eyes lit up, I knew I¡¯d be making him curry tonight. Apparnetly the spices for Salazar curry did come from the Nanwe jungle, along with some extremely hot peppers.

    I stared at them, laying in the market basket. They actually glowed. I sniffed at one curiously, and almost felt my nose ignite. I smiled happily, and purchased a bundle. The look on Anyim¡¯s face was wonderful.

    ¡°Esteemed adventurer, those are reaper peppers! They are¡­ not a normal ingredient! Some sell them for the purpose of poisoning local pests!¡±

    I nodded agreeably. ¡°I think they can be useful in certain dishes.¡± I said. Specifically, antidotes, as well as some entertaining cold resistance potions. I thought privately.

    Anyim shook his head in complete bafflement, clearly unsure how to handle this group of adventurers who seemed likely to kill themselves in the town before he could even get them into the jungle.

    The rest of the shopping was completed quickly. Whatever Anyim¡¯s motives were, he was a useful and capable guide, and we picked up several bargains as well restoring our supplies. Lakshmi ordered most of the stocks to be sent to the Sparrowhawk, and I looked forward to the look on the port master¡¯s face when we returned well before his imposed time limit.

    The next day, we set off into the jungle. The trek was unpleasant, but with the improvised ice crystal air conditioners and a group of excited experimenters, the trip was a good deal less difficult than it might be. The giant spiders, snakes, crocodiles, and butterflies that misted poison from their wings were exactly as described, and three times more frustrating than I had imagined. My {Cleanse} skill got a workout, and I got a lot of practice in getting the chant right.

    The antidote meals came in extremely handy, and I could see that Anyim was surprised and a little bit appalled at just how prepared we were for the trek. I expected things would be difficult in the extreme when we got to the temple. I had no idea just how right I was.

 97 A Roundabout Way to a Lonely Temple

    It took a solid week of trekking through the jungle, with occasionally attacks by jungle monsters, and once or twice an ¡®accidental¡¯ push by Anyim into an encounter with oversized predators.

    So much for the tiny possibility that he was an innocent bystander. The first time, I chalked it up to coincidence. The monsters were nearby, and he didn¡¯t really know how powerful we were. The second time he did it, it had a distinct note of panic. We had, after all, easily defeated two megadiles, and a nearby nest of spiders.

    I found myself a bit peeved, the second time around.

    ¡°Anyim?¡± I said, after the latest scuffle. I put on as sweet a smile as I could manage. ¡°It¡¯s really quite annoying when we have to fight off the crocodiles when the poison moths are flying overhead.¡±

    He twisted his hands together and dipped repeated bows to me. ¡°Of course, of course. I¡¯m terribly sorry lady adventurer, but the jungle is very dangerous, I did say so!¡±

    I amped my {Persuade} as far as I could. ¡°You did, of course, and we appreciate that. But I would very much appreciate it if you¡¯d work just a tiny bit harder to keep us away from larger monster nests like that. It slows us down, and I can only cook so many spider hotpots.¡± I tipped my head to the side, smiling hopefully at him. ¡°If you¡¯d like seconds on the meal, you only need to ask. I¡¯m happy to share more! We¡¯ve already packed a great many spiders into our packs.¡±

    Anyim paled so much his skin turned a faint tan shade. ¡°I-I¡¯m terribly sorry Mistress! I will increase my efforts!¡±

    The day after that, Anyim disappeared for several hours in the middle of the day, to scout ahead, he informed us. He came back deeply flustered, but when we asked what was wrong, he waved it off as a minor poison moth flight.

    I dropped back to speak with Soriya as we moved deeper into the jungles. ¡°He seems very upset. I wonder what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Soriya giggled, clapping her hand over her mouth. ¡°You gave him the ¡®smile of doom¡¯ didn¡¯t you?¡±

    I frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t like it when you call it that! I simply asked that he be a little more careful with the pathfinding!¡±

    Soriya laughed aloud. ¡°Lily, I told you, that¡¯s one of the most potent psychological attacks I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± She sobered a little, and then continued. ¡°And I suspect what happened is that he went ahead to try and warn his fellow cult members that we¡¯re not the usual adventure group.¡±

    I nodded, and rubbed my nose thoughtfully. ¡°The second ambush did seem a little rushed. I didn¡¯t think we were that overpowered!¡±

    Soriya smiled. ¡°Poison antidotes, absurd magical powers, and camp equipment that makes the trip easy.¡±

    I snorted. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say easy! I would kill for a bath!¡±

    ¡°We could do that, you know¡­?¡±

    I stopped dead, my mouth hanging open. ¡°Oh my goodness, you¡¯re right! How¡­?!¡±

    I raised my voice to call everyone. ¡°Everybody! I have a thought! I¡¯d like to go visit Breezewood with Gate! A bath would be wonderful, don¡¯t you think?¡± I said cheerfully.

    Everyone stopped, staring at me. Anyim was the first to break the silence. ¡°A bath would be wonderful, yes, but we are miles from the nearest break, and the rivers are filled with carnivorous fish, what-?¡±

    ¡°Oh that¡¯s a great idea, Lily!¡± exclaimed Eshaan.

    Lakshmi looked at him and rolled her eyes. I blinked at that, then suddenly realized.

    For all her talk of sky pirate, she was raised in a palace. She likely thinks that was pretty stupid to just give our enemy info like that. Which¡­ well that¡¯s Eshaan. I sighed. Well, the cat¡¯s out of that bag, and it was my own fault. All because I wanted a bath.

    ¡°We possess a spell to travel distance.¡± I said to Anyim. ¡°It doesn¡¯t work to anywhere we haven¡¯t been.¡±

    Anyim blinked. ¡°And you can¡­ just return to anywhere you¡¯ve been?¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°Is this difficult to cast?¡±

    I sighed. Oh marigold and honeysuckle, that was really dumb of me. Now he¡¯s wondering if we can just escape his trap!

    ¡°Oh no!¡± Soriya jumped in. ¡°It requires both spellcasters and we can¡¯t cast it if we¡¯re distracted or immobilized, like any spell!¡±

    Ah. Lying. I gave a mental sigh. Why am I¡­ I fingered my pink ponytail. Well yes. Of course. I am increasingly glad that my best friend can lie for me. She¡¯s been better at that ever since we were kids.

    Anyim¡¯s expression relaxed. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± He clapped his hands. ¡°Well! How long will you be gone?¡±

    I blinked, and then said ¡°Anyim¡­ you can come with us? Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to be clean and cool off?¡±

    Anyim gave a grave frown. ¡°Ah, but you must return here! There could be deadly dangers waiting, I will ensure that your return is safe! Provided you are not gone for days, of course?¡±

    I blinked slowly, and then saw the looks everyone was exchanging. Lakshmi spoke up. ¡°Right, it won¡¯t take long. Just a few hours. We¡¯ll just be back soon!¡±

    Lakshmi? What are you doing?! I thought. If you don¡¯t trust him, why¡­?

    ¡°Please, go ahead, Lilyanna!¡± Lakshmi said.

    I frowned in puzzlement, then shrugged and called forth Gate.

    Anyim staggered backwards, his eyes going wide as saucers when he saw the curling purple-black obsidian dragon curled around the doors, his eyes going even wider as I requested that Gate open to Breezewood.

    I turned back to Anyim. ¡°Are you¡­ sure you won¡¯t come with us?¡± I asked one last time.

    ¡°No, no. The jungle is like a home to me! I would not dare leave it!¡± He proclaimed proudly.

    ¡°Well¡­ if you¡¯re sure?¡± I said.

    He nodded solemnly.

    I shrugged once more and stepped through Gate to Breezewood. Just as my feet hit the dirt of my yard, a realization hit me on the head and I exclaimed aloud. ¡°Oh I¡¯m an idiot!¡±

    Lakshmi popped into existence beside me. ¡°Well yes, but you¡¯re part of our crew, so we make allowances.¡± She grinned at me. ¡°Now, what¡¯s this?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Anyim is staying behind to arrange an ambush!¡± I exclaimed, stomping my foot in frustration.

    Lakshmi stared at me, mouth agape. ¡°You¡­ really didn¡¯t realize that? Until just now?!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Here I thought you had some big seer plan to trick him, and you¡­ just wanted a bath?!¡±

    The others popped into existence as she continued, and the swirling black vortex of Gate¡¯s gate vanished behind us.

    Eshaan¡¯s eyes got wide and he said ¡°Ooooh! So that¡¯s what was going on!¡± with the most charming clueless¡­

    Really I could kiss that man. I thought with embarrassed exasperation.

    Eshaan laughed. ¡°Well, a bath does sound great! And it¡¯s so nice to have cool air to breathe!¡± he exclaimed.

    Daniyel nodded. ¡°That is indeed the case. But it seems obvious, at least to Lakshmi and myself. Anyim is of course planning to ambush us while we are absent. He knows where we will return, he knows approximately when. If you are truly set on a bath, I would suggest that you make it a long one. If we proceed with our plan to allow capture, it will likely be the last for quite some time.¡±

    My heart sank. This is terrible. No bath for who knows how long¡­

    Eshaan spoke up. ¡°Well how far are we from the temple?¡±

    Lakshmi threw up her hands in frustration. ¡°Who knows?! That was the point of the guide! That and this stupid plan to get captured!¡±

    Camaxtli said calmly ¡°Approximately¡­ 1 day of travel.¡±

    Everyone turned to look at him. Lakshmi said ¡°Camaxtli!?¡± In shock.

    Camaxtli turned to her and gave a tiny shrug. ¡°Simple logged milage, geospatial location, and the approximate location where we sought the designated structure while in the Sparrowhawk.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Said Lakshmi. ¡°Is that all.¡±

    Camaxtli nodded. ¡°That is all that was required.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± I said hopefully. ¡°A day won¡¯t be too bad¡­¡±

    ¡°That is discounting the time it will take within the ruins, as well as the method of transit.¡± Said Daniyel. ¡°People with captives do not travel as quickly as might be hoped.¡±

    I stomped my foot in frustration. ¡°Well what are we going to do then?!¡± I exclaimed angrily.

    ¡°The best we can.¡± Eshaan said gravely, and then gave me a quick hug. ¡°It¡¯s ok, Lily! We all make mistakes. Me more than most!¡± He laughed. ¡°But I trust you. That¡¯s not a mistake. We¡¯ll figure it out, even if we bumble through it!¡±

    I glared at him, even as I was warmed by his trust in me. ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°The whole point of a plan is that we don¡¯t bumble! Just¡­ wobble a bit!¡±

    The group laughed, and I felt the tension dispel.

    ¡°Regardless.¡± Said Daniyel. ¡°Our plan must be adapted to circumstance. And we are here.¡± He nodded seriously, and gestured around. ¡°I suggest we make use of the facilities, and prepare for the next leg of our journey.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Well then. Lets all have a bath! After I say hello to Mother!¡± I added.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Holly was glad to see me, and I was happy to see her again. I caught her up quickly, and was gratified to see her eyes widen in surprise and awe at how much I¡¯d grown.

    ¡°You¡¯ve certainly gone much farther than I expected, Lilyanna.¡± She said as I sat with her at the kitchen table. ¡°And you¡¯ve got so much further to go.¡± She leaned over and gave me a hug. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you. Go save the world, daughter.¡±

    I smiled and gave her a quick nod. ¡°Sure. It can¡¯t be that hard, right?¡± I smiled weakly, but she laughed and that made it ok.

    Soriya and Lakshmi were waiting for me at the bathhouse. ¡°Any longer and we¡¯d have taken the good spots ourselves!¡± Lakshmi declared haughtily. ¡°Right, Soriya?¡±

    Soriya hmmed softly and tapped her chin. ¡°Would we? I wonder.¡±

    Lakshmi scowled and rolled her eyes. ¡°Wow, way to kill my momentum.¡±

    I smiled at her and said ¡°Soriya knows me very well, and despite how much I don¡¯t know about her, I know her pretty well too. She wouldn¡¯t leave me in doubt as to where you went.¡±

    ¡°Well.¡± Lakshmi put her hands on her hips. ¡°You¡¯re here now, so hurry up and change, I want that bath!¡±

    I hurriedly shucked out of my clothes, and grabbed up one of the wash basins to mix the fire and water crystals in. We all moved into the bathing area together and started mixing our preferred crystal mix to get the right temperature of water.

    It felt truly amazing to wash off the stink and sweat of 4 days of jungle travel. Even the air conditioning crystals couldn¡¯t fully solve the issue. But a bath definitely did.

    As we moved into the soaking pool, I could feel myself relaxing in a way I hadn¡¯t been able to for¡­ weeks at least! It seemed we were constantly on the move!

    ¡°Soriya?¡± I asked idly, as an idea floated up. ¡°Why did you suggest going to Breezewood. You¡¯re tons smarter than me, you must have seen the problem!¡±

    Soriya¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Smarter book learning, doesn¡¯t mean smarter practical. You think I¡¯m immune to the lure of a bath?! Especially in that jungle?!¡± She said defensively.

    ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not that big a deal.¡± She continued. ¡°This way we can leave our weapons here, so that when they disarm us, we don¡¯t lose them.¡±

    ¡°Mmm. I was expecting to recover the weapons in the temple though. Or maybe just get new ones.¡± I said pensively.

    Soriya laughed. ¡°I think Eshaan would be hurt if you made him give up his favorite sword.¡±

    I blushed. Eshaan had upgraded his weapon several times, but it was still the same sword I bought him back in Farna, when we first set out.

    Lakshmi laughed. ¡°He does treasure that weapon.¡± She sat up suddenly. ¡°Hold on, after this, if we¡¯re going to leave our weapons behind, we should just drop them off at the Sparrowhawk. Come to that¡­ if my ship is missing again-!¡± She pointed her finger at me. ¡°That will be five ships you¡¯ve cost me!¡±

    I shared a sudden glance with Soriya, a look of ¡®how did we miss that?¡¯ written clearly on her faces.

    Lakshmi burst out laughing. ¡°Oh this is priceless. You¡¯re telling me that both our seers can¡¯t see something this simple! I can¡¯t believe I trusted you to keep my ship safe!¡±

    ¡°It is safe! Probably. Maybe.¡± I poked my fingers together shamefully. It was true, the party airship going missing would be just what you¡¯d expect from a side plot like this.

    Soriya stretched slowly, and I idly appreciated the view. Lakshmi was of the slender and athletic sort, and of course just as attractive as you might picture any jrpg princess to be. Still, I found my interest waning with the thought of Eshaan.

    ¡°Well, I think.¡± Said Soriya languidly. ¡°That a bath is a good thing. And a trip to disarm at Sparrowhawk sounds like a fine idea. Though I¡¯m sure the boys will complain.¡±

    Lakshmi grumbled ¡°Heck, I¡¯m going to complain. I don¡¯t like being without my blaster!¡±

    I tapped my lips. ¡°Actually, if I¡¯m right about the temple, there¡¯s probably going to be lots of mechanisms and traps and things.¡±

    Lakshmi sat up eagerly, but her expression quickly soured. ¡°How is that any better?! They¡¯re sure to take my tool kit!¡±

    ¡°So leave it behind as well.¡± Said Soriya. ¡°We¡¯ll just retrieve our weapons from the Sparrowhawk.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°No, that won¡¯t work. If we get too close to the next Arcanum, remember Gate won¡¯t work for us! Once we¡¯re in the temple¡­ we¡¯re there for a good long while.¡±

    Lakshmi sat back thoughtfully. ¡°But you¡¯re sure that we¡¯ll have equipment of some kind?¡±

    I waffled my hand back and forth. ¡°Reasonably, yes. And if it¡¯s not, then there will be mechanical guardians or traps that you can take apart and reuse as tools.¡±

    Lakshmi perked up again. ¡°That sounds like fun!¡±

    I smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you think so. Still¡­¡± I patted at the water in frustration. ¡°I really should have realized that this was¡­ not a great plan. But this bath feels so good. I really hope the trip to the temple isn¡¯t long.¡±

    Soriya sighed. ¡°I can make small ice crystals, and there¡¯s the fact we¡¯ll probably be riding in cages of some sort.¡±

    ¡°Grand sacrifice?¡± I asked idly.

    ¡°Oh yes, with ritual chanting and plot revelations aplenty.¡±

    Lakshmi slapped the water surface. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll know soon enough. But we are going to check on the Sparrowhawk!¡± She said vehemently.

    I nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    Less than an hour later, we were gathered back in my yard, and stepping through Gate back to Mabanu.

    The hot fetid air of the jungle port hit our nose, at the same time as the loud roar of a crowded city hit our ears. Several shouts of surprise and shock mingled with them, as people registered the appearance of an enormous purple black door surrounded by a coiled dragon, but that was at least moderately expected. Gate had dropped us at the port itself, as requested.

    Facing away from us, an enormous crowd surrounded the Sparrowhawk, loud cries and calls roiling the crowd. It took me a moment to recognize what was happening.

    ¡°-Forty-four!¡±

    ¡°Forty-five!

    ¡°I have forty five hundred thousand!¡±

    ¡°Fifty!¡±

    ¡°Five hundred thousand! Do I hear fifty one?!¡±

    Lakshmi spun and grabbed me by my collar and shook me.

    ¡°They are selling my ship!¡± She screamed at me.

    Camaxtli said with his trademark calm ¡°I believe this is technically an auction-¡°

    Lakshmi whipped her head around and screamed ¡°NOT! THE! POINT!¡±

    Daniyel pulled her off me with gentle but implacable force and said calmly ¡°Then we should clarify our status to these gentlefolk, that the Sparrowhawk is not for sale, yes? Perhaps before the final bid is taken?¡±

    Lakshmi dropped me like a hot rock, spun, and dashed into the crowd. A small dot of bright red pushing and elbowing her way through the crowd causing a widening rippling disturbance as she went.

    By the time she reached the front, the rest of us were halfway through the gap she¡¯d created by her dash.

    Lakshmi came to a stop just in front of the auctioneer, a pair of burly guards stopping her from reaching the man. Off to the side, I saw a sudden start, and a rapid movement away as a bright green shock of hair started pushing through the crowd in the opposite direction.

    I briefly thought about going after him, but shook my head. You can run. I don¡¯t think Lakshmi will let you hide. You¡¯re the port master, after all. I thought grimly.

    I sighed. I should have known. Still, we¡¯ve already had the ¡®lost airship¡¯ plot, this feels so redundant! I grumbled to myself.

    At the auctioneer¡¯s podium, Lakshmi was angrily dangling a pair of keys and shouting. ¡°-and don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to get very far with my airship without the keys! There isn¡¯t an engineer in this city that could keep her in the air without me!¡±

    ¡°Miss, I assure you, this airship was lawfully appropriated by-¡° the auctioneer turned to see the obviously surprising absence of the port master or any port authority.

    ¡°Right! So he¡¯s gone, I¡¯ll be taking my ship back!¡± Lakshmi shouted, and started towards the Sparrowhawk, only to be stopped by the burly guards. Her eyes narrowed to angry slits.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to dare the wrath of Lakshmi the Red then, are you?! Loyal crew!¡± She called to us, and we stepped out of the crowd. Daniyel flexed his arms and his magitech gauntlets appeared around his hands.

    I heard quick murmurs and bubbling surprise in the crowd.

    ¡°-did she say ¡®the Red¡¯?¡±

    ¡°-impossible, she¡¯s just a story!¡±

    ¡°-I read her most recent book, that was good-¡°

    My eyes almost popped out of my skull. Lakshmi has books about her already?! I thought wildly. Eshaan is going to flip his lid! Lakshmi will be impossible to deal with now!

    ¡°Lily?¡± Soriya patted my arm. ¡°Fight now. Lost in headspace later.¡±

    ¡°R-right!¡± I jerked back to awareness.

    The fight was an anti-climax. Four more burly guards appeared and engaged us. Daniyel hit one and he staggered backwards, falling to one knee. Eshaan moved like lightning, a single sword slash that seemed to hit every guard at once, slash marks appearing on their clothes followed by dripping red. Camaxtli didn¡¯t even get to draw his sword before the guards were backing off, limping away, and raising their hands in surrender.

    I had to admit, I liked this a lot more than the idea of yet more drops from dead people just trying to do their job.

    Lakshmi stepped over the guards, and then turned to the crowd. ¡°Sorry all, but Lakshmi the Red does not share her ship!¡± And then with a swirl of her longcoat, she was gone into the hatch. The rest of us followed quickly, and I felt a little flicker of a smile dance over my lips as we entered.

    That was surprisingly entertaining. I thought, as the hatch closed behind us.

    In the cockpit, I heard the sound of Lakshmi settling, and then the familiar roar of the engines starting up behind us. Lakshmi shouted over her shoulder at the rising sound.

    ¡°Lily! I¡¯m still counting this as a loss! You owe me five ships now!¡±

    I smiled even as I shook my head.

    Well, at least we¡¯re still avoiding the worst of the tropes. I thought wryly, plopping down in one of the seats as the Sparrowhawk lurched into the air, and took off.

    Daniyel took up a position just behind the cockpit, his hand on the frame and asked over the thrum of the engines. ¡°This still leaves us in a conundrum. We must return to the spot where we left our guide, but we also must safely store the Sparrowhawk.¡±

    ¡°Already got it covered.¡± Lakshmi announced, turning hard to the left, and curving us around towards the ocean.

    ¡°I spotted a nice little cove as we were on approach. And since everyone saw us leave, very loudly, north, we should be safer on the ocean. And just to be sure¡­ I¡¯m going to rig up a little surprise for anyone who touches my ship.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re not worried about sea serpents?¡± Eshaan asked.

    Lakshmi bit her lower lip. ¡°Ok, I¡¯m a little worried about sea serpents or whatever horrors Lily¡¯s ¡°plot¡± drags out of the ocean at us¡­ but this is outrageous, my baby was about to be auctioned!¡±

    Camaxtli said ¡°While it could be argued that the Sparrowhawk is your offspring, I do not think it merits-¡°

    Lakshmi rounded on him. ¡°It¡¯s just an expression!¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Said Camaxtli, then frowned. ¡°While the Goddess System has prevented language drift, it appears that idioms and cultural touchstone parlance have still changed. Curious.¡±

    We landed on a rocky shoreline with a gorgeous white sand beach. The air was still fetid and thick, but the breeze from the ocean could almost convince me that I was back home. My first home, on that beach where I¡¯d fallen asleep.

    I felt a sudden brief surge of homesickness, wondering what had happened to that old me, to my home and family.

    I don¡¯t suppose I¡¯ll ever know. If I died¡­ like Soriya said she did¡­ I scuffed the toe of my boot in the sand and thought. Most people don¡¯t even get a second chance. I¡¯ve had three or four. I looked over at my friends, and then felt a warmth flow up from my heart. And I have the best friends. And¡­ a boyfriend. So. That¡¯s new.

    I wandered over and kissed Eshaan on the cheek. He blinked in surprise and looked over at me. ¡°What was that for?¡± He asked in surprise.

    ¡°Oh¡­ nothing much. Just being exactly who I expected you to be, and not at all what I was expecting.¡± I said cheerfully.

    He frowned in confusion, then said. ¡°Lily¡­ sometimes you¡¯re very confusing.¡±

    The Sparrowhawk was quickly camouflaged in much the same way that we¡¯d done in the Monan cave, though with considerably less practice than the smuggler couple had done for us. Still, better than nothing. And apparently better than leaving it in a port city renowned for missing adventurers!

    With our airship safely stowed, we prepared ourselves to get captured. It was an argument, but eventually the group left our weapons and gear in the Sparrowhawk, and I summoned up Gate.

    We stepped through to find Anyim sitting by a small fire. He jerked to his feet when he saw us. ¡°Ah, noble guests! You have returned, just as promised!¡± His smile became cruel. ¡°Just as was foreseen indeed! And now, I¡¯m afraid, our journey together must end!¡±

    All around the clearing, masked figures in green leafy armor appeared, holding spears that sprouted leaves, with tips that glittered with black glass.

    ¡°For you see!¡± Anyim continued, and threw back his hands, and I gasped in genuine surprise, because without any cloak or wash of clothing, he suddenly changed his outfit to match the grassy green of the others.

    I clapped my hands. ¡°Oh! Oh, Soriya! He did it! He did an anime clothes change trick!¡±

    Soriya nodded agreement. ¡°Yes, I saw it. That¡¯s got to be a System trick. We should ask him how he does it, imagine how helpful it would be for changing clothes, or getting dressed!¡±

    Eshaan rolled his eyes and shook his head at us before stepping forward and holding up his hands. ¡°We surrender.¡±

    Anyim didn¡¯t appear to have heard him. ¡°Yes, you will surrender to us now! You are surrounded by the guardians of the Goddess of Green Silence! You will be given to her to give her the endless quiet she craves!¡±

    Lakshmi sighed and looked at me, then looked down and muttered ¡°I¡¯m not sure how good it is that when I want her to be wrong, she¡¯s not, but when I trust her, she is.¡±

    Eshaan cleared his throat and tried again. ¡°We surrender.¡±

    Anyim continued his posturing. ¡°Your might is useless here in the domain of the Goddess-¡°

    One of the masked figures behind him stepped forward and said loudly ¡°Brother. They have surrendered.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Anyim finally jerked back to awareness, staring at us, standing mildly before him. He glared at all of us in turn, then spat ¡°What trick is this?!¡±

    Daniyel raised a single eyebrow. ¡°Would you prefer that we fight?¡±

    ¡°Fighting is useless before the might of the Goddess!¡± Anyim declared.

    The masked figure next to him shook his head and said in a loud voice ¡°Since they have surrendered, knock them out, and we will take them to the Temple for judgement!¡±

    I felt a stinging pain in the back of my head, and the world spun and grew dark.

    Oh that¡¯s not fair. I thought as I crumpled. You can only knock out someone who¡¯s surrendered?! What stupid mechanics!

 98 Temple Trouble

    I came to, feeling absolutely horrible. My jaw ached, my head pounded abominably, and my mouth was filled with a foul tasting something that kept my mouth half open.

    Oh. I¡¯ve been gagged. I realized after a half second. I guess you would gag a spellcaster if you captured them.

    The pounding in my head almost distracted me from a querulous argument. Almost but not quite.

    ¡°I do not understand your fear, brother. They folded like any other weak northerners. Even the sand man from the desert collapsed when struck.¡±

    ¡°Did you not hear me the first time?!¡± An angry voice I recognized as Anyim¡¯s, now shorn of all false pleasantry, answered. ¡°They easily defeated a clutch of megadiles! The most virulent poison of the viper moths did nothing when the pink haired witch cooked a meal to prevent it!¡±

    ¡°And yet they felt into the trap you prepared with all the naivety of a newborn babe.¡± The first voice responded.

    Anyim¡¯s voice was muffled as he responded ¡°That¡¯s what makes no sense! They should have fought! They did fight! And yet they simply walked out of that unnatural blackness as though they-¡°

    ¡°Hist!¡± said a third voice. ¡°They awaken.¡±

    ¡°We will discuss this elsewhere, then.¡± The second voice said, followed by the sounds of footsteps.

    I blinked my eyes open, and then winced as the torchlight made my headache even worse. That and the fact that I dearly needed to pee!

    How long was I out for?! I thought blearly.

    ¡°Lily?¡± I heard Eshaan¡¯s voice nearby, and struggled to sit up, discovering that I had been bound hand and foot as well as gagged. I was sitting awkwardly inside a wicker cage of living jungle vines and branches. Nearby, I could see five other cages, all holding my companions, all tied like me. Only Soriya and I had been gagged though. Beyond, I could make out the walls of a stone room lit by a pair of flickering torches by a pair of doorways.

    No blindfold, at least. At least I¡¯m not the only one¡­ except for the gag, I suppose. I thought angrily.

    ¡°Lily, you¡¯re up!¡± I heard Eshaan say excitedly. ¡°What¡¯s going on?! Do you know what that¡­ that blackness was?!¡±

    I glared at him through the cage bars, chewing angrily at the gag in my mouth.

    ¡°It was like going to sleep, but it hurt!¡± He continued. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anything like that before!¡±

    Really?! I thought with frustration. If I could throttle you right now, I would. I thought angrily.

    Daniyel said with a low and soft voice ¡°I have heard of such a thing, in campfire tales. The sleep that comes from surrender. It requires¡­ encouragement.¡± He winced, and I saw a swollen bump on his head.

    Camaxtli said ¡°Intriguing. The phenomenon is called ¡®unconsciousness¡¯, and is typically associated with sleep, but can be induced on another with sufficient blunt force trauma to the cranial region against a surrendered foe. It is a curious artifact, rarely observed.¡±

    Eshaan blinked, twisting around. ¡°Wait, you know about this?!¡± He asked Camaxtli.

    Camaxtli nodded calmly. ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Well what the unholy hells is it?!¡± Eshaan asked.

    Camaxtli raised an eyebrow slowly. ¡°I just told you. An uncommon phenomenon resulting only after surrender-¡°

    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Eshaan said, wiggling around to face Camaxtli¡¯s cage. ¡°I heard all that, but it doesn¡¯t explain anything!¡±

    Camaxtli was silent, staring at Eshaan for a considerable amount of time. ¡°Perhaps it would be best.¡° he said slowly. ¡°If you tell me what it is you wish me to inform you of then, as I am unsure what you require.¡± He said, after a lengthy pause.

    ¡°Well¡­ what was that?!¡±

    Camaxtli closed his eyes and gave a long sigh.

    Daniyel said ¡°We were forced to sleep after we surrendered.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Eshaan said. ¡°Well why didn¡¯t he say that in the first place?!¡±

    Camaxtli stared at Eshaan, his mouth open. I was briefly glad for the gag, it stopped the amused smirk from reaching my face.

    Eshaan turned to me and said excitedly ¡°So, Lily-¡° He paused, and then said ¡°Oh. Oh! Right, you¡¯ve got¡­ a thing.¡± He gestured to his own mouth. ¡°I wondered why I hadn¡¯t heard your voice.¡±

    I felt my glare redouble in intensity.

    Lakshmi giggled softly. ¡°Man, if looks could kill, you¡¯d be in a lot of pain right now, Eshaan.¡±

    Eshaan turned to her and frowned. ¡°Why?¡±

    If I could have ground my teeth together, I would have. I subsisted chewing angrily on the gag and glaring even harder. In her cage, Lakshmi dissolved into giggles.

    ¡°I guess this is as good a time as any to test out my trick.¡± Lakshmi said. She closed her eyes, and whispered quietly, and suddenly a small ball of fire flickered into existence in front of her, before falling into her lap. She gave a startled yelp and scrambled around, rolling in her cage to put out the fire she¡¯d just started in her lap.

    Honeysuckle. Did she just¡­?!

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    ¡°Lakshmi! You did it! You cast a spell!¡± Eshaan enthused. ¡°When did you learn how to cast?!¡± He exclaimed.

    Lakshmi slowly righted herself, wisps of smoke still rising from her slacks. Her expression was that of embarssed pride.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been working on it since Camaxtli fixed my mana blockage.¡± She said, clear pride in her voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would fall into my lap like that though!¡± she went on, the embarrassment coming to the fore.

    ¡°I suppose I need more practice before I can bust us out.¡± She lapsed into silence.

    ¡°It would not be wise in any case, as Lilyanna and Soriya¡¯s plan involves us being sacrificed. A process which has not yet completed.¡± Camaxtli said.

    I nodded vigorously, though I dearly wished that Lakshmi had told me she was a caster now! Still¡­ such things were best kept quiet until needed. It had certainly come as a surprise to me!

    A short time later, one of the faceless cult members returned, carrying a torch. ¡°Your sacrifice to the goddess will begin shortly.¡± He said.

    I blinked in surprise. It will?! How long were we unconscious?! I thought. Come to think of it, this is a room isn¡¯t it, not the jungle!

    ¡°How long were we unconscious?!¡± Demanded Lakshmi.

    The cultist simply turned and walked out of the room without answering.

    Lakshmi huffed. ¡°Rude!¡±

    ¡°Did you expect them to be polite, Captain? They doubtless think we are merely fodder for their deity.¡± Said Daniyel.

    Lakshmi huffed again, crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°Still rude.¡± She said in a less vehement voice.

    Eshaan shrugged. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m still confused here. Lily? Do we bust out or not?¡±

    I started to glare at him again for asking me something when I couldn¡¯t talk, but took a deep breath and thought.

    Do we want to bust out? We¡¯d just wind up inside our goal anyway. Being guided in, even. And when we pop out again, the surprise will be all the more dramatic. No. We do not.

    I shook my head, and tried to explain, but the muffled words around my gag and Eshaan¡¯s baffled incomprehension stopped me. So I simply shook my head again.

    Eshaan leaned back against the wicker bars of his cage. ¡°Well then. That¡¯s enough for me. Pity though, I was hoping to show off my own spellwork.¡±

    If my mouth hadn¡¯t been gagged, it would have fallen open. Now Eshaan can cast spells!? What the heck kind of level is our party?! The hero boy fighter never casts spells until late in the game! Are we really that far along in the plot? Or just over leveled? Or¡­ or maybe we¡¯ve actually gone someplace off track? My heart leapt for a moment. That was the goal after all! Get off track, get ahead of the track and then move the train where we wanted instead of just riding along.

    Lakshmi brought me back by saying ¡°Pft, you¡¯ve barely managed {Acceleration}. And you¡¯re using the System to do it! I had to learn like Lily and Soriya do! Every time I try to use the System to cast, my mana channels hurt!¡±

    ¡°{Acceleration} is useful!¡± Eshaan protested.

    Time magic? Who was tutoring¡­?! I felt like a dunce. Camaxtli. Of course. So now Eshaan¡¯s {Bladestorm} is going to be even more disturbingly OP.

    We sat in our cages, occasional bursts of conversation quickly fading out. I wished I could sleep, but the floor of the cage and my bindings made that effectively impossible.

    I suppose I should be glad that Eshaan isn¡¯t the type who likes his girls all tied up. I also don¡¯t like myself being tied up! I thought wryly.

    The time seemed to drag slowly, until Anyim and the rest of the cultists filtered in, now dressed in their ceremonial greenery.

    ¡°The time has come, adventurers! Rejoice! Your lives shall fuel the silence of the Goddess, her blessings to the forest! Your great airship shall fuel our silent growth as well, nothing shall be wasted, as the Goddess decrees!¡±

    It¡¯s a good thing that Lakshmi hadn¡¯t slipped her bonds. I thought wryly. If she was free I think she¡¯d have gutted Anyim and everyone else in the room just now!

    ¡°Well it¡¯s too bad for you!¡± She proclaimed proudly ¡°We¡¯ve already plotted your little surprise party! Your goddess is going down, and the Sparrowhawk is safe from you!¡±

    I felt myself wilt a little, and saw how Daniyel winced at that.

    Anyim jerked like he¡¯d been stung, and staggered a few steps back. I could see his eyes through his mask, they looked wild and panicked. The moment held like a glass pane before breaking.

    ¡°High Silence¡­ the sacrifice?¡± said one of the minions behind him.

    Anyim spun, clutching his staff like a talisman. ¡°No!¡± He proclaimed. ¡°No, this feast¡­ they are poison! They mean the goddess harm! We must destroy them before they get close!¡±

    Daniyel sighed. ¡°This, princess. This is why we restrain our impulses.¡±

    ¡°Well how was I to know!?¡± Lakshmi demanded angrily. ¡°Pinkie always has a plan!¡±

    Eshaan cleared his throat. ¡°So, we can attack now?¡± He asked hopefully.

    Everyone looked at me. I rolled my eyes and nodded, and got a muffled ¡°Yeff.¡± Around my gag.

    Lakshmi¡¯s grin grew broad and vicious. ¡°Finally! Lakshmi the Red has words for you!¡± She said with a joyful viciousness. ¡°And those words are-

    ¡°Spirits of Inferno, heed my command, unleash hell! Flare!¡± She shouted.

    A blade of red orange light brighter than anything I¡¯d seen before, brighter even than Soriya¡¯s spells, burned out of Lakshmi¡¯s cage, the wicker halves falling to either side, brightly burning and snapping angrily. The blade of fire continued to either side as Lakshmi spun, laughing hysterically, cutting the wicker cages in half.

    I yelped and dove for the floor of my cage, the wickerwork bars collapsing in a smoking heap on top of me.

    Right. Right! Lakshmi¡¯s supposed to be from a magically talented family. Sure, this makes sense¡­ I whimpered in the ruins.

    ¡°Attack!¡± Screamed one of the faceless temple minions, and the battle was truly on.

    Eshaan threw his own lightning spell, but as he did, it wrapped around his fists. He leaped forward, his fists blazing with elemental power and his punch knocked one of the cultists backwards into the wall, where they slumped, and then dissolved into motes of light, a scattering of equipment and gear falling to the stone floor.

    I felt a pang at my heart seeing another death, but I told myself this was just how this world was. These people weren¡¯t inviting us to a cookie party, they were trying to kill us. For some obscure religious purpose that I doubted they even understood.

    My sympathy was quickly neutralized entirely, as night black daggers appeared in the cultists hands, which then began to shimmer with a virulent green glow. I shouted, but the gag muffled my words.

    Daniyel stood up from the ruins of his cage, and swiftly turned to Lakshmi. ¡°We have little time, and there will be reinforcements. Without our weapons, this is a losing battle.¡±

    ¡°We could take them!¡± Lakshmi protested angrily.¡±

    Daniyel spun and backhanded a cultist that approached, kicking out with his legs to sweep under another. A third hurled the black dagger towards Lakshmi. She gave a startled shriek and ducked, her floppy red hat skewered and pinned to the stone wall behind her.

    ¡°Or, I suppose we could leave.¡± She said, then shouted. ¡°Soriya, Lily, we¡¯re going! Loyal crew! Cut loose!¡±

    Camaxtli looked up from where he was retrieving a pair of black daggers freshly without an owner. ¡°This is already in progress.¡±

    We were swiftly cut free with a mix of stolen cultist daggers and spellcraft, and I ripped the gag out of my mouth and hurled it at an approaching cultist. I almost spit at him, but that felt uncalled for.

    We spun and made for the opposite doorway.

    ¡°The fools flee towards the goddess! Make sure they do not double back!¡± A cultist shouted. We fled into the darkness, and I chanted a hurried {Light} spell to let us see where we were going.

    A corridor of fitted grey stone, splattered with green moss and vines met our eyes. As we ran, the corridor slowly opened out, spreading upwards into a vast arched dome overhead, stone carved to look like vines and living plants. In the very center, a 10 foot diameter circular opening gaped before us, so dark and deep that my {Light} could not reach the bottom.

    Around the edge, were small stone stairs, broken and shattered with untold age, and missing entirely in places, like the gaps of a broken tooth.

    Oh wonderful. I thought. A jumping puzzle.

 99 Techno Labryinth Wending

    Oh wonderful. I thought. A jumping puzzle.

    I looked around the chamber, biting my lip. Nothing here but the pit, the broken stairs, and grey stone walls.

    Nothing for it then. We¡¯ll have to handle this on our own.

    ¡°Come on, everybody! We¡¯ve got a goddess to catch!¡± Eshaan shouted enthusiastically, and leaped for the stairs, moving with lithe grace from step to step heedless of the black void yawning beneath him.

    I took a deep breath and then let it out in a long sigh. Lakshmi leapt after Eshaan, followed closely by Daniyel and Camaxtli.

    Well, I guess there¡¯s something to be said for my dumb boyfriend after all.

    I shared a glance with Soriya, a nervous smile on my lips as we started down the stairs, my little {Light} spell overhead casting a bright glow across ancient stones.

    I nervously picked my way down the stairs, screwing my courage as tight as it could go to make the leap across missing stairs. Eshaan and Lakshmi called encouragement to me as I made the leap. Overhead, the shouts and cries of the cultists came to a head.

    ¡°They have descended the pit!¡±

    ¡°They sacrifice themselves?!¡±

    ¡°No, you fool, we must follow them! They profane the goddess!¡±

    ¡°Paki, we were going to throw them down the pit ourselves, how is this a problem?!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± the voice said uncertainly.

    I hurried down the shaky steps as quickly as I dared, my heart in my throat. The sounds of the argument over the proper methods of sacrifice slowly fading into meaningless echoes in the black pit.

    The first gap wasn¡¯t so bad, but as the stairwell grew deeper, the gaps grew further and further apart. My heart was in my throat as I lept, and I was grateful that Eshaan was there to catch me. His reassurances helped, though my heart was still beating a mile a minute.

    I wasn¡¯t sure if the plot thread would demand that I miss my jump, so that the hero could pull me up.

    Would I even feel it if the plot pushed me? I wondered.

    I stopped, looking at an even larger gap, then turned to Soriya. No, this is foolish. There must be a way to short circuit this! If I want Eshaan to hold me, I can just ask for honey sake!

    ¡°Soriya, can you use an air ritual to cushion our landing? Can we maybe just float down?¡±

    Soriya blinked, and then pulled out ?gishj¨¢lmur. ¡°I can try!¡± She smiled brightly.

    The group stopped. Soriya and I focused, she led the spell and I fed her mana. A few minutes later, a misty pale blue-green disk appeared in the center of the pit, hovering just below us.

    Soriya opened her eyes and smiled in satisfaction. ¡°All aboard wind express!¡± She said, and stepped out onto the disk of hardened air.

    I was just about jump, when there was a sudden trembling in the air, a feel like the world was shaking around me, and then a sudden massive roar of mental energy. A very familiar energy, rage and pain and words mingled into a mental shout.

    ¡°AAAUGH! BRIGHT! LOUD! PAIN! NO! TOO LOUD! TOO MUCH! SILENCE!¡±

    I staggered forward, tripped and fell hard onto the hardened air platform, shaking as my body shuddered from the psychic assault.

    Oh. I thought inanely, staring face first down the infinitely dark and endless pit. There, plot. I tripped for you. Ow.

    Overhead, there was a rumble, and then the sounds of multiple loud shrieks, and suddenly a cultist landed on one of the nearby stairs with a sickening wet smack.

    Oh. Oh dear! I¡­ hope he¡¯s¡­

    The cultist dissolved into whisps of smoke, followed by the sound of items clattering away down the pit and bouncing off stairs.

    Oh. I suppose not. Oh that poor man. I thought sadly. I blinked and shook my head. Focus Lily. That ¡®poor man¡¯ probably wanted to kill us all! Still¡­

    My thoughts were interrupted by a loud crack from the stone stair the cultist had landed on, and the stair itself suddenly gave way, tumbling downwards into the darkness below us. Loud crashing and cracking sounds of stone on stone heralded its progress as it fell into the darkness, unseen but very much heard. Several more bodies, no longer shrieking, tumbled past us and vanished into the darkness below.

    ¡°You know, I was going to say if you don¡¯t look down, it helps.¡± Said Lakshmi shakily.

    I looked over at her, realizing that the rest of my friends were scattered about the platform with me. A drop of wetness splattered on the whirling disc of air below me, and I stared in confusion.

    Is that¡­ coming from me? Why is it red? Blood? I¡¯m bleeding?!

    I touched my nose in confusion, my fingers coming away smeared with red. I looked up in horror at my friends, suddenly seeing small streams of red dripping from their nose and ears.

    Oh no! How much damage did that shout do?!

    I looked inward, focusing a {Study} on myself.

    {Name}: Lilyanna of Breezewood {Level}: 32

    {Classes}: Spiritist 10/Orator 10/Arcanist 9/Gourmet 3

    HP: 439/586    MP: 435/870    DEF: 137    M.DEF: 222

    Current Status: <Dazed> <Bleeding>

    DEX: 147(-10)        INS: 218(-20)

    MIG: 143                WIL: 218(-20)

    Ooooh, honeysuckle! That¡¯s not good! Even as I watched, my HP dropped by one, then another, in a steady trickle.

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    The air-evator platform gave a little lurch, and then started to descend smoothly.

    Of course, why one disaster, lets go all in! I thought angrily. I groped for my staff, feeling another stab of pain echo through my head as I focused.

    Soriya leapt across the platform and tackled me to the ground.

    ¡°No!¡± She shouted urgently, then forcefully pushed a healing potion and remedy potion at me. ¡°No magic! No magic at all!¡±

    No magic¡­ what¡­? I thought woozily, as I took the potions and swallowed them. The raging headache and pounding burn of ¡®ow¡¯ started to fade, and I could suddenly think clearly again.

    Oh. Oh of course. No magic. I thought, wincing.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Said Eshaan in confusion. ¡°Why won¡¯t you let Lily heal us?!¡± He protested.

    I blinked slowly and then wiped the blood from my nose. ¡°Because the shout was caused by magic.¡± I said wearily. ¡°The shout. The Arcanum was angry because Soriya¡¯s ritual hurt it.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Said Eshaan, his eyes wide. ¡°So that¡¯s why we¡¯re bleeding?¡±

    I nodded, then looked down at the empty bottles in my hand. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long trip without spellcraft.¡± I said grimly.

    I did another quick {Study} to confirm that I was status clear once more, then went to treat my friends¡¯ injuries.

    Everyone had a little trickle of blood under their nose, or from their ears. Camaxtli seemed to have the worst of it, the circuit and panel pattern on his skin was especially prevalent.

    No blood though, that¡¯s interesting. I wonder if he even bleeds? Or bleeds a color not red?

    ¡°I will be fine. Self-repair procedures are already underway.¡± He insisted calmly.

    ¡°Just drink the potions, Camaxtli. Please. For Lakshmi, if nobody else?¡± I said

    ¡°Hey!¡± Lakshmi protested. ¡°I can speak for myself!¡± She paused then nodded. ¡°But you really should drink the potions, Camaxtli. Please?¡±

    Camaxtli gave a tiny smile and nodded. ¡°As you say, Lakshmi.¡± He took the bottles from my hands and drained them in two quick gulps. The circuit pattern faded from his skin and his color immediately improved.

    The worst of the psychic backlash dealt with (and a massive laundry bill racked up, blood stains are so hard to clean!) the rest of the ride down the shaft was largely uneventful. My little light ball was still going, and I supposed that given I shouldn¡¯t cast spells, I could afford to keep giving it mana to provide light enough for everyone.

    The walls of the shaft started to change the deeper we went. The grey stone walls slowly morphed into a glossy grey metal, shimmering rainbow circuit patterns shooting through it from time to time.

    Camaxtli nodded to himself, then said ¡°This is in keeping with expectations. This temple was certainly a weapons development lab during the war, or project development for the Goddess project.¡±

    The platform dropped still lower, and now the shaft was ablaze with brilliant rainbow lights shimmering through circuit patterns and panel lines were obvious everywhere. Further down, damage began to appear. Several vast doors, that at one time were clearly supposed to close off the shaft, were warped and twisted, blackened-

    Well, I¡¯m not even sure it¡¯s metal honestly. Some strange hypertech material, I guess?

    The air-evator approached the bottom of the shaft, and below us, I could see an unpleasant but unsurprising truth. Drops. A great many pieces of equipment, gear, and little bottles had formed a mound at the bottom of the shaft. Blackened and twisted material lay under it, and the walls of the shaft flickered with fitful rainbow displays.

    Corridors spread out from the pit in a radial pattern, with flickering overhead lights illuminating the wreckage. Under the snapping buzz of the lights, I could just make out the sounds of shuffling and motion from the corridors, echoing weirdly through the strange labyrinth.

    ¡°Last stop, all off!¡± Soriya said cheerfully. ¡°Now, everyone good to go? Lots of potions in stock?¡±

    Daniyel turned to her. ¡°I am concerned about your role here. If you are unable to use magic, then that will cause a significant problem for all of us.¡±

    Soriya nodded easily. ¡°I have an idea.¡± She smiled. ¡°It might even be good!¡± She turned to Lakshmi. ¡°Ancient engineering uses mana, right? As spellcasters, we should be able to just charge the devices!¡±

    Lakshmi blinked and then her eyes widened. ¡°You want¡­ to recharge¡­? Are you planning on blowing off the entire energy cell in that monstrosity of a gun you call a staff!¡±

    Soriya nodded confidently. ¡°Multiple times, if possible. Lily¡¯s not going to be doing anything with her mana pool. The best defense is a good offence.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± Said Lakshmi in disbelief.

    Eshaan grinned. ¡°Now you know how we feel when you¡¯re in the middle of a creative frenzy and insist on dismantling an Ancient mech while it¡¯s trying to kill us.¡±

    ¡°That is completely different!¡± Lakshmi protested. ¡°And was totally justified that one time.¡±

    ¡°And yet¡± said Camaxtli. ¡°You have done it more than once. Curious.¡±

    Lakshmi shot him a glare and shook her finger at him. ¡°You¡­¡±

    I coughed. ¡°Lets take a look at the drops, ok? Maybe we can replenish our equipment here?¡±

    ¡°Hm, ghoulish. Unexpectedly practical, from you.¡± Said Soriya.

    I glared at her. ¡°I prefer my friends to have weapons, thank you. There¡¯s mecha still active in these corridors, you can hear them! And it¡¯s probably filled with traps and other dangers!¡±

    Soriya shrugged and nodded easily. ¡°Almost definitely.¡±

    ¡°In the meantime, perhaps we can start looking?¡± I said again. ¡°It looks as though this is a maze.¡±

    Soriya turned to me. ¡°Do me a favor. See if your mother¡¯s journal mentions this place.¡±

    I blinked at her in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re kidding right? A death cult that takes no prisoners in the middle of a jungle?¡±

    Soriya shrugged. ¡°Sewer maps. Plural.¡±

    I sighed, and pulled out mother¡¯s journal. We hadn¡¯t exactly had a lot of uses for it once we left the eastern continent. I flipped through the entries. Mother had come to visit the jungles of Nanwe. There was indeed a sewer map for the town of Mabanu. Mother and her party had cleaned out a serpent cult of some kind, apparently. But there was no mention of any temples. I shrugged and closed the book, shaking my head.

    ¡°Ah, too bad.¡± Said Soriya. ¡°I was hoping your luck would hold.¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Eshaan said, and stepped over to me, careless of the gear and wreckage on the floor. ¡°This was a military outpost. A military research outpost. And if what Camaxtli said is correct, there were a lot of these. And speaking as a former trooper, all bases are always built to a same plan. Makes it really easy to find the mess.¡± He grinned.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked.

    He nodded. ¡°A few variations, but¡­ look for Alberia. Near Sylvania. There was a ruin there I was stationed at for a few months.¡±

    I frowned, but flipped through the book. There it was. ¡®Ancient ruined temple complex in the Mountains of Light.¡¯

    I looked up at him, my eyes wide. ¡°How did you know?¡± I asked.

    He shrugged. ¡°Seer¡¯s luck? You break things, and they just work out for you.¡±

    I huffed, and then returned to the book. My friends gathered around, and we compared the ruin described in Mother¡¯s journal to the one around us. It wasn¡¯t an exact match, but just like Eshaan said, it was close enough that we could set off without too many wrong turns.

    Aside from the killer robots, rogue monsters, and insane Arcanum, of course. I thought to myself. You know, the easy stuff.

    There were a host of useful potions to be found in the debris, though a great many had broken in the fall. And, exactly as I expected, Ancient weapons and armor, in exactly the styles that Eshaan, Daniyel, and Camaxtli preferred.

    I smiled happily as they equipped themselves, though I had to admit I was just a tiny bit disappointed that my friends no longer even considered it strange that I could predict events like this, or the extreme unlikeliness of their exact weapon choices being found in a temple midden.

    The complex was indeed a labyrinth, and lethal traps abounded. Without the guidance of the journal, there was no feasible way that we could have done this. Not without a lot more health and restoration potions!

    Ancient machinery, half repaired in a bungled and awkward way. Traps that froze halfway through swinging bronze-gold blades at us.

    Lakshmi pounced on the half functional mecha, and disabled them, and the boys kept the rest of us out of the pit traps, spike gates, and other nasty surprises that opened up unexpectedly. It was strange to see a complex that clearly should be rusty and dusty, to be so weirdly clean. Bronze-gold didn¡¯t rust or degrade over time, and something was clearly cleaning house. I started to get the feeling that the bottom of the shaft was not entirely the responsibility of the cult overhead.

    The further we moved into the complex, the more signs of obvious battle started to appear. Scorch marks on the walls, twisted bronze-gold metal, and the strange grey ¡®stone¡¯ that the temple complex overhead was made of.

    Deeper in, mental attacks started to take their toll on us. Moaning and shrieks from the damaged Arcanum, made me wonder if we could get addicted to healing potions, at the rate we were downing them. The sounds of tearing metal and broken traps and mecha interspersed our journey as we slowly wended our way towards the heart of the complex.

    Hours later, we found ourselves facing torn vault doors, wrenched from their place in the wall. Enormous vast things that I wasn¡¯t even sure could be opened by human hands. And deep within, lit by flickering and intermittent light, a clockwork monolith that shrieked and gibbered and moaned in agony.

    I took a moment to share a glance, then nodded. ¡°Right. Lets do some healing.¡± I said with determination.

 100 Oak 2.0

    We cautiously stepped forward into the cavernous room. As we entered, my little ball of light slowly lit the room, revealing details that the ancient sparking lights had hidden.

    Vast vines and woody roots curled upwards from the floor and penetrated the ceiling far overhead. The smell of old growth, wood and water filled the air, and a faint pervasive ¡®drip, drip¡¯ came from some dark corner of the room.

    Under the vines and roots, covered by enormous leaves too dark a green to be entirely natural, the bronze-gold of the Ancient¡¯s metalwork could be seen.

    In the exact center of the room, the monolith of the Arcanum could be seen. As we moved closer, the angle of view slowly shifted, and I let out a shocked gasp as the extent of the damage done was revealed.

    Along one side of the monolith, the surface was fractured into fractal intricate puzzle pieces, stretching out into finer and finer gradations until they were lost. And the monolith itself was a dark green with bronze-gold clockwork under it, pulsing evilly.

    It looked¡­ incomplete. Broken. There was no other word for it. As we approached, the sound of anguished moans met us, filling our minds.

    It was hard to approach, and as I got closer, the sensation became actual physical pain. I only noticed when I felt something dripping from my nose.

    ¡°Everyone! Back up! It¡¯s too strong!¡± I called out.

    The reaction was immediate, but not from my group. The monolith shuddered, and a booming roar filled the air, only barely understandable as words.

    ¡°NO! LOUD! BRIGHT! GO AWAY!¡± and a force punched me in the chest, hurling me and the others away, back into the walls behind us.

    I staggered to my hands and knees, seeing bright red spots dripping to the floor below me.

    ¡°Ok¡­¡± I said woozily. ¡°The hard way it is, then.¡±

    All around us, bronze-gold mechanical spiders and vine wrapped humanoid figures began to emerge from the walls.

    ¡°Very hard.¡± I muttered.

    I wiped my nose and swallowed back another healing potion, feeling the building headache vanish, and the drip from my nose stop.

    Contrary to my expectation, the reinforcements that were summoned by the Arcanum were not particularly hard, though there were a lot of them! Our supply of healing potions was getting very thin by the time they finished.

    The last of the mechanical spiders shattered into pieces as Lakshmi tore free it¡¯s mana circuits, and the room fell into silence once more. We waited, the air crackling with tension, but nothing further happened.

    ¡°So what exactly are we supposed to be doing here?¡± Lakshmi asked me when nothing continued to happen for several minutes.

    ¡°I just need to touch the Arcanum, and it should acknowledge me!¡± I said. ¡°But if we get too close, it will shriek again, and send another wave of guardians after us! They probably get tougher each time!¡±

    Lakshmi frowned thoughtfully.

    ¡°Well what are we supposed to do?¡± She said in frustration.

    ¡°I say we punch it until it stops squirming!¡± Said Eshaan boldly.

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°No. Just, no Eshaan.¡±

    He looked at me with hurt puppydog eyes, which only made me more irritated.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to puppydog anyone, look at the monolith!¡± I snapped at him.

    My eye roll could have flipped a city when he turned his pout to the Arcanum at the center of the room.

    When he finally looked back at me with a helpless shrug I could only shake my head.

    What am I missing here? This is a puzzle dungeon! Not serious combat, we need to find the trick to this! Think Lily, think!

    Soriya said ¡°It¡¯s a psychic field that surrounds the Arcanum. If we can push through the field, if Lily could get close enough-¡°

    I huffed. ¡°You could touch the Arcanum too you know!¡±

    Soriya shook her head. ¡°We don¡¯t know that would work, not for sure. And with the adds and attack damage, we can¡¯t afford to guess.¡±

    ¡°So what are you suggesting?¡± Lakshmi said, her hands on her hips. ¡°We just¡­ throw her at the thing?!¡±

    ¡°That¡­ might work.¡± Soriya said thoughtfully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± I said angrily.

    Camaxtli cleared his throat. ¡°Unlikely. After all, the psychic backlash from the first attack threw us against the walls. There seems to be a physical component to the psychic attacks. If this were the Jubilee, then it would be a simple matter to repair-¡°

    Lakshmi whipped around to look at him in surprise. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°If this were the Jubilee, then it would be a simple matter to repair the malfunction.¡± He obligingly repeated. ¡°However, repair would undoubtedly involve close contact-¡°

    ¡°No! It¡¯s missing a part!¡± Lakshmi spun around pointing at the Arcanum. ¡°It¡¯s missing it¡¯s other half!¡±

    My mouth fell open. She was right! How did I miss that?!

    I immediately raised my hands and started to chant. The room roared and the floor shook, and immediately mechanical spiders and vine golems poured from the walls.

    Oh, of course. Adds on tap now that we¡¯ve figured out the right key. I grumbled mentally.

    ¡°Uh, Lily?!¡± Eshaan said, holding his sword in front of him. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s very happy!¡±

    ¡°Just hold them off!¡± I said. ¡°I only need to summon Oak, the sylvani Arcanum! Or¡­ I guess it¡¯s actually half of Oak? Maybe?¡±

    ¡°Maybe?!¡± Eshaan said, parrying a blow from a spider golem and bisecting a vine monster in half.

    ¡°Spellcasting now!¡± I said quickly and finished the chant.

    Oak appeared in front of me, and it¡¯s whispery voice was almost drowned out by the clang and crack of battle around me.

    ¡°Child of ?ther, you call?¡±

    I nodded rapidly, then ducked as a long vine tendrile whipped thorugh the space my head had been a second ago.

    ¡°Yes!¡± I pointed at the monolith in the center. ¡°Go repair yourself!¡±

    Oak turned slowly, as though underwater, and I swore that I saw a glint of eager emotion in it¡¯s eyes. It started to move towards the monolith in the center of the room, it¡¯s arms out stretched.

    Now that I¡¯d summoned it, and it was in the room, I could see the frayed half of the creature, living tendrils drifting out from it¡¯s side, tendrils that seemed to have their answer in the other half of the rigid fractal patterns of the monolith.

    I didn¡¯t have too long to focus on it, as the attacks from the guardians immediately intensified. The thrumming psychic hum from the monolith in the center grew louder and louder, and I could feel myself bleeding from my nose once more.

    ¡°Clear the path for her! Make sure nothing stops her!¡± Eshaan commanded, and my friends struggled to make it so. Soriya hurled an air spell, and almost collapsed, blood running from her nose and ears, but the golems were throw to the side, granting a clear path for Oak to walk through. Lakshmi hurled bolt after bolt from her cannon, and Eshaan, Daniyel, and Camaxtli pushed the golems away.

    I sure hope I¡¯m right about this being a last second thing. I thought. I hate forced losses!

    Oak reached the barrier where the monolith stood, and moved through it without slowing. The pain in my head reached a fever pitch just as Oak¡¯s tendrils touched the fractal wires that extended from the inner Arcanum.

    There was a moment of stillness, and for a heartbeat I was afraid that I¡¯d gambled wrong. Then the pain vanished, and I was left with a single hit point pulsing slowly in my vision from my {Study}.

    I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been that close to death. I thought.

    I slumped to the ground, my legs splayed to either side of me.

    In the center of the room, a harmony of music rose into the air, like fine crystal chimes, and within it, the sound of a voice.

    ¡°Sister!¡±

    ¡°Lost self!¡±

    ¡°We are whole!¡±

    ¡°I am whole once more!¡±

    A blinding flash of green and gold, and the monolith in the center of the room stilled, growing still and silent, and I felt a warm weight enter my heart as the regrown Oak joined the other Arcanum within me.

    In a ring around the now silent Arcanum monolith, the vine and clockwork golems collapsed, falling into component parts and dust.

    I breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and started casting a {Heal} as fast as I could. It wasn¡¯t until I was already through the cast that it occurred to me that it was possible that the anti-magic field was still present, but my luck held out. My friends and I were rapidly restored to full health, and my mana pool drained into a mana puddle.

    The group sat on the ground and looked at each other. The only sound was a silent ¡®plink¡¯ of distant water hitting stone.

    ¡°Well. Now what do we do?¡± Asked Eshaan.

 101 How to Cure Cults on a Budget

    Soriya cleared her throat. ¡°Far be it from me to impugn our leader¡¯s wisdom-¡°

    She glanced at me teasingly, then continued.

    ¡°-I think it reasonable that our first step, is leaving this labyrinth.¡±

    We all looked around the now silent hall of the Arcanum.

    ¡°We still have Lily¡¯s guidebook, right?¡± Eshaan asked. ¡°That seems like a good start.¡±

    ¡°We have yet to deal with the cultists above us.¡± Daniyel shook his head quietly. ¡°They seem unlikely to let us leave peacefully.¡±

    Soriya grinned. ¡°Well nobody said they need to know, now do they sweetheart?¡± She patted his arm fondly.

    Watching Daniyel blush was a truly amazing thing.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to leave without our equipment!¡± Said Eshaan sourly.

    Lakshmi frowned in puzzlement. ¡°Why? You¡¯ve got good gear, and we can always just buy more?¡±

    Eshaan shuffled, and then sighed. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s the principle of the thing. But mostly I want the sword that Lily bought me back.¡±

    I blushed and looked down, before clearing my throat. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that Soriya is right.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°But after¡­ that I¡¯m not so sure about. I think¡­ in fact I¡¯m pretty sure that Deacon has the other 3.¡±

    ¡°How do you know how many there are?¡± Lakshmi asked.

    ¡°And why are you sure Deacon has them?¡± Added Camaxtli.

    I shrugged. ¡°The Arcanum told me. They don¡¯t mind explaining a few things. But when and how and why¡­ well. I get what I can out of them. They¡¯re the sort who would say ¡®You never asked¡¯, when you ask why they left out critical information. As to why I¡¯m sure¡­ well he¡¯s my dark half. It¡¯s what I would do if I was going to act the villain.¡±

    I tipped my head to the side and added thoughtfully. ¡°In fact¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he¡¯s waiting outside the temple, with a small fleet to capture us.¡±

    My friends immediately stiffened to attention.

    ¡°Is that really likely?¡± Daniyel asked. ¡°If so, we should be prepared.¡±

    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know for sure.¡± I said, and looked at Soriya questioningly.

    She waffled her hand in indecision. ¡°I¡¯d say 50/50, actually. Worth preparing for.¡±

    Eshaan perked up. ¡°Does that mean they¡¯ll take care of the cultists for us?¡± He asked hopefully.

    I shared a look with Soriya then turned back to him. ¡°Actually¡­ probably not. But maybe we can really freak them out because we survived their death pit. If we¡¯re really lucky, just showing them their goddess will do something besides provoke them to attack mindlessly!¡± I added.

    Daniyel nodded slowly, stroking his chin. ¡°Mm, religion is a great motivator. If we claim to have killed their goddess, that can only be answered with fire.¡±

    ¡°Ok, so let¡¯s not piss off the rabid religious fanatics then?¡± Lakshmi said wryly.

    ¡°The question still should be asked, and suitable precautions prepared.¡± Said Camaxtli in his quiet calm way. ¡°I suggest interrogating the Arcanum once more. Perhaps the assimilation and repair of a broken component into the Goddess System will allow a more in depth response.¡±

    I blinked, and then nodded hesitantly. ¡°Yeah. Yeah, actually that¡¯s a good idea, Camaxtli.¡±

    I caught a proud possessive smile from Lakshmi as she threw a quick glance at Camaxtli.

    I nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Alright. Give me a moment, and I¡¯ll see if my Arcanum are in the mood to answer questions. Or if I can figure out the right questions to ask.¡±

    I closed my eyes, and folded my hands together, reaching for the dark inner place where I¡¯d spoken to the Arcanum before.

    Hello? Can we talk? You¡¯ve heard our discussion, right?

    ¡°We have heard you, Child of ?ther.¡± A chorus of voices answered. Tower¡¯s voice spoke again. ¡°You must ask your questions. It is our restraint that we cannot volunteer.¡±

    I paused. Do you want to volunteer information?

    There was a silence, and then Tower said ¡°I do not have a way to answer this properly.¡±

    My eyes almost popped open in surprise as a realization rushed in.

    You can¡¯t volunteer information! The System won¡¯t let you! To¡­ to prevent you gaining operational independence!

    ¡°That would be a sensible safeguard, if such a safeguard existed.¡±

    But you can¡¯t tell me if it exists, because of operational security?

    ¡°If such a parameter existed, it would be exceedingly unlikely to be admitted.¡±

    Right, ok. Do you know if the other three Arcanum have been awakened?

    ¡°We do.¡±

    I waited, and after a moment, realized no further answer would be forthcoming. I gave a little sigh. Have they been?

    ¡°The answer is outside our operating parameters.¡±

    I ground my teeth together in frustration. Is an unauthorized user in possession of some of the System Keys?

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    How many of the System Keys are in unauthorized user¡¯s hands?

    ¡°Three.¡±

    I took a breath and nodded. So that¡¯s all of them. Can you tell me the location of the System Control now?

    ¡°With repair of damaged System components, and partial power to unauthorized System unit deployment, the Central Control Nexus can be located.¡±

    I shuddered. ¡®Partial power¡¯¡­ the souls that Deacon fed to his Arcanum. Would I ever have done something like that?! Does¡­ does he even think this world is real anymore?! I wondered.

    ¡°Unknown. His actions are consistent with someone who is playing to win a game.¡± Said Tower, unexpectedly.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I stomped my foot. This is outrageous! Deacon is just a¡­ a fragment! A shadow! The shadow selves were supposed to test me, why did it turn out like this?!

    There was no response from my Arcanum. I hadn¡¯t really expected one, but it would have been nice.

    Can you tell me where the other three Arcanum are?

    ¡°No. Arcanum location remains hidden by System security.¡±

    So if he does know where I am, it¡¯s not because of you?

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Alright then. Can we gain access to this central control place without all of the Arcanum?

    ¡°Such an answer would violate operational security.¡±

    I tapped my teeth with a finger and thought hard.

    ¡°Is there a danger of a rogue agent gaining entry to the nexus with only three Arcana?¡±

    Yes.

    I gave a long sigh and opened my eyes, looking at the others.

    ¡°Honeysuckle.¡± I said, tone flat. ¡°The Arcanum don¡¯t know if Deacon is above us, or waiting for us. They can tell us where the control nexus is. There¡¯s a chance that Deacon can gain access to the System with the Arcanum he already has.¡±

    Lakshmi perked up, her eyes practically glowing with excitement. ¡°The actual home of the Goddess?! Where the System is housed?!¡±

    I nodded. ¡°In theory, yes.¡±

    Eshaan shook his fist. ¡°We¡¯ve got to stop him then! Quickly!¡±

    I looked over at Soriya and shook my head in frustration.

    ¡°If we do that¡­ if I¡¯m right¡­ Deacon will be waiting for us, likely with a speech about how we were so kind as to bring him all the Arcana!¡± I said in frustration.

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Odds are good. He wasn¡¯t following along behind us this whole trip. Pretty sure he was too busy feeding his pet Arcana the souls of the war dead.¡±

    Lakshmi narrowed her eyes. ¡°Your ¡®game¡¯ plots sound really sick, you know that?!¡±

    I turned to her, stung. ¡°And how many guards die in the heroic tales of your air pirates?! People just doing their jobs that happened to work for evil people?¡±

    Lakshmi blinked. ¡°That¡¯s different!¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°Only in scale, and emotionally. It makes a good story. This is real life.¡±

    I blinked, and then burst out laughing. ¡°Spirits bless, that line has always struck me as so silly, and there I go saying it out loud!¡±

    Except for Soriya, all my friends had blank looks. Soriya, on the other hand, had a broad smile.

    ¡°Well¡­ if the cultists are expecting us, why don¡¯t we just go out another way!¡± Exclaimed Lakshmi.

    Daniyel looked at her in surprise, and Eshaan blinked slowly in confusion.

    ¡°A military research base. Underground. You think there¡¯s more than one entrance?¡± Eshaan said.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t?¡± Lakshmi said in confusion.

    ¡°It is poor security to have more than one entrance.¡± Daniyel explained. ¡°A military research base, even more so. There will only be one entrance.¡±

    ¡°Then our course is set!¡± Lakshmi said boldly. ¡°To the exit!¡± She pointed back the way we¡¯d come. ¡°Great witch Soriya, we require your magic for our daring escape!¡±

    Soriya laughed and said ¡°One Air-evator, coming up.¡±

    With that, our group trooped slowly back through the now quiet and gloomy halls of the Arcanum base, and towards the grand pit we had descended not three hours ago. Soriya cast her air-evator spell, and the hovering disk of solidified air slowly rose upwards through the pit. I had been a tiny bit worried about yet another psychic attack, but all remained quiet and still.

    As we approached the top, we readied ourselves for an attack, but nothing came. The same stillness and quiet that had been present at the bottom of the pit, pervaded the top. We looked around warily.

    ¡°Well¡­ lets try and get our old equipment back?¡± I said hesitantly. ¡°Or, perhaps, we can just quietly exit?¡±

    ¡°When has anything we¡¯ve done ever gone quietly?¡± Lakshmi asked rhetorically. ¡°Besides, I think we can actually talk to them, now that their goddess is gone.¡±

    I could feel my eyebrows shoot into my hairline. ¡°You want to reason with the cultists?!¡±

    Lakshmi put her hands on her hips and stared at me. ¡°What I want? What I really want is for people who¡¯ve been captured by whatever strange mind effects this broken Arcanum has affected them to be freed. And whatever our actions are, I think we owe them that. Even if they¡¯re not my subjects, they are still technically part of the empire, and even more than that¡­ they¡¯re people. Freeing them from that is¡­ is what a good air pirate would do!¡± She said.

    I blinked in surprise and a slow smile slid across my face. ¡°Captain Lakshmi, that is the finest speech that I have ever heard. Please lead on!¡± I said happily.

    We marched out of the pit chamber and back towards the capture. The path to the chamber with the cages where we¡¯d been stored awaiting our ¡®sacrifice¡¯ was simple enough, but past that, things grew more complicated. We hadn¡¯t exactly been awake to see where we were going, and Mother¡¯s journal was no help for these upper levels.

    The problem was quickly solved for us after a quarter hour of fruitless searching.

    A cultist came around the corner, clutching his head, only to stop dead upon seeing us, then turn and flee at top speed, shouting for his fellows.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Soriya asked Daniyel. ¡°Wait for them, or go after them?¡±

    Daniyel tapped his lips thoughtfully, then said ¡°Let us await them. We may as well rest here. If no one arrives in a short time, then we can proceed. But perhaps our lack of pursuit will gain us good will.¡±

    We all sank down to the ground and made ourselves as comfortable as cold and damp jungle stone could be made. I took a moment to check everyone¡¯s status, and top up everyone¡¯s HP, now that there was no longer a shrieking demon in my head trying to punish me for System use.

    Our patience was rewarded, a cluster of the cultists, including the high priest swiftly arrived, their living wood weapons and armor still equipped. Their expressions, what we could see of them were comical. Curiously, they all swayed slightly, as though sick. Or drunk? I thought in confusion.

    I narrowed my eyes and attempted a quick {Study}, hoping they wouldn¡¯t attack us while I did so.

    ¡°What is this!? How are you here?! What is happening?!¡± one of the cultists cried.

    Well, this is promising¡­ I thought to myself.

    The {Study} revealed a status effect I¡¯d never seen before. {Separated}.

    I frowned in puzzlement. What in the world does that mean? I wondered.

    ¡°Brothers! They have done this to us! They have broken us, destroyed our connection to the goddess somehow! They are not people, they are demons of the Wake!¡± I recognized Anyim¡¯s voice, filled with anger and pain.

    Lakshmi spoke from her seated position on the floor.

    ¡°Now, now. We have done nothing to deserve this. Your goddess has grown quiet because we have calmed her! We came to ease the pain of the goddess, and have done so! You can feel the change, surely!¡±

    ¡°What have you done?!¡± Cried Anyim angrily, stepping forward and waving a spear at us. ¡°Vile interlopers! You have stolen our goddess?! You are not people, you are demons!¡±

    Eshaan stood up. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve had enough of this.¡± He pointed at Anyim, and then the others. ¡°You can¡¯t fight us. You are no threat to us.-¡±

    They¡¯re not?! I thought in horror.

    ¡°-We are immune to your greatest poisons,-¡° He continued.

    We are?! What is my foolish prettyboy doing?! I wondered frantically. But it was clearly too late to stop, and I had to cross my fingers and hope.

    ¡°-and the voices in your mind are at rest. The goddess you worshiped can finally sleep! We have quieted the noise that she so hated!¡±

    ¡°You cannot trust them! They are demons!¡± Anyim shrieked.

    ¡°Are we?¡± Lakshmi spoke with a slow easy drawl. ¡°Would demons ease your Goddess¡¯s pain? Even now, you can feel her sleep in your minds, that lack of connection, the lack of pain. We have been sent by the System itself to ease her pain!¡± Lakshmi gestured grandly.

    The cultists muttered and murmured to themselves.

    ¡°If you doubt us, test us! We can provide proof! Let us show you the truth of our words!¡± Lakshmi said.

    Oh no, here we go¡­ I thought.

    ¡°What proof could you possibly offer?!¡± Anyim gestured wildly.

    The leader grabbed Anyim and pulled him back from us, but said ¡°Yes. What proof can you offer us?¡±

    I felt a surge of hope at his words. Maybe this will work after all?!

    Lakshmi looked at me expectantly. I took a deep breath and nodded. Here goes nothing¡­ I thought, and called upon Oak.

    ¡°Spirit of life, spirit of growth, voice that lives within all that is green and growing¡­ hear my plea! Oak, I call on you to answer these, your followers!¡± I proclaimed and held up my staff.

    A brilliant green light flared around me, and the smell of growing life filled the air. Oak burst into existence, a vibrant green dragon coiling around a tree, both enormous and distant to fit within the confines of the corridor.

    Her voice filled the air, and as she spoke I could smell the faint wiff of poison and decay mingled with the roar of endless life.

    ¡°I have come, Child of ?ther.¡± She said, before turning her muzzle to the cultists in puzzlement. ¡°Your voices¡­ are somewhat familiar, I think.¡± She said to them. ¡°I was in great pain, until recently. Divided into two, my mind scattered and fractured. I remember little, but¡­ your voice seems faintly familiar. Did you¡­ offer me souls?¡±

    The cultists eyes widened behind their masks, and then flung themselves to the stone floor, prostrating themselves before Oak. Muffled sobs echoed from the group.

    ¡°It is her! She has returned!¡± one said.

    ¡°I can hear her voice! It is like the shard in my mind, but so clear! So bright¡±! Another exclaimed.

    ¡°The pain¡­ she no longer cries or sobs!¡± Said a third.

    I did another hurried {Study}, and saw that the strange {Separated} status was gone. More to the point, the confused and slightly shaky postures, the swaying wobble that they had displayed had vanished.

    ¡°Well. This is promising.¡± Said Soriya brightly.

    Camaxtli nodded. ¡°It is.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Eshaan clapped his hands. ¡°So! Since we¡¯re all friends here¡­ can we have our stuff back?¡± He smiled widely.

 102 Theres Always a Castle in the Sky

    The few pieces of equipment that we¡¯d kept with us, it turned out, had been neatly stockpiled in a room near the temple entrance. And to my immense relief, exiting the temple into the humid muggy green air of the jungle did not immediately result in a booming voice from overhead demanding surrender, or a sudden wash of cannon fire from an airship fleet.

    Though honestly, the heat and humidity were almost as bad.

    As the others were rooting through the various gear and equipment that the cultists had accumulated over the years, I asked the cult leader ¡°So, what will you do now? I¡­ would hope that you not continue your sacrifices. That¡­¡± I flailed about mentally, and finally settled on ¡°-would make me very sad.¡±

    The cultists still wandered the halls looking slightly dazed. I¡¯d lost track of Anyim, but I was sure he had to be around somewhere.

    He¡¯s not important anymore. I thought. The cult leader is who I need to convince.

    The cult leader turned to me and shook his head. ¡°I cannot speak for the others, but for me, it is as though I have awakened from a haze of years. There is no more voice in my head, no spike of rage and pain driving me. It is as though I can think clearly, for the first time in¡­ a very long time.¡±

    He looked slowly around the room, then turned to me. ¡°I think it is the same for the others. Whether that will mean they think they should continue as they were or not-¡°

    I turned to him and grabbed his hand. ¡°Then please. I will ask you-¡°

    I pushed a {Persuade} as hard as I dared.

    ¡°-please stop the others from doing this again! Please¡­ let it die here. Your goddess is reunited, and the voices in your head are silent. Let the mistakes of the past die there.¡±

    The cult leader took a deep breath, then reached up and slowly removed his mask. He looked¡­ normal. Pale, and slightly tired. I wondered how long it had been since he had bared his face.

    He looked at me with a clear expression and nodded slowly. ¡°I will. You have freed us from a nightmare we were not even aware of. I did not think that there were still heroes in the world such as you.¡± He flashed me a sudden smile, as bright and shocking as sunlight through the clouds. ¡°It is good to know such people still exist.¡±

    The World Soul whispered in my ear.

    <{Gourmet} Advanced to level 4. {Arcanist} Advanced to level 10. Capstone skill, {Grand Summoning} unlocked. For retrieving the last unbound Arcana, and quieting the Cult of the Whispering Mother, you have advanced to {Gourmet:4} & {Arcanist:10}>

    I pushed the awareness of my level up out of my mind and focused on the cult leader. It was¡­ embarrassing but incredibly satisfying to get praise, to feel like I wasn¡¯t just¡­ running someone else¡¯s story. I flushed and looked down at my feet for a moment before I looked back up to him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I qualify as that. But my name is Lilyanna.¡±

    The leader nodded once more. ¡°And mine is Chika. We will remember you, Lilyanna the hero. You and your strange friends.¡±

    I gathered up the rest of the group, and with a final farewell to the hopefully reformed cultists, summoned Gate, and stepped through to the sea cave where we¡¯d hidden the Sparrowhawk.

    To my immense relief, and minor surprise, there was no encounter waiting for us in the cavern. The Sparrowhawk sat under its camouflage tarp, quietly waiting for us, our equipment and gear stowed neatly where we¡¯d left it.

    What was waiting for us, however, was an argument.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand why we should fly to this ¡®control center¡¯ right away!¡± said Soriya. ¡°We know that Deacon will be waiting for us, why would we rush right into his arms!¡±

    Eshaan shook his head firmly. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the point! We need to bring the fight to him! We have a chance to end this!¡±

    Lakshmi nodded. ¡°The Empire and Kushistan are fighting a senseless war to fuel Deacon¡¯s Arcanum with the souls they need! Without him to drive the war, it will come to a stop, I know it! It¡¯s what an Air Pirate would do!¡± She said proudly.

    I rolled my eyes where nobody could see.

    And I thought you were growing as a person, Lakshmi. I thought to myself. That was just about the most clueless heroic princess speech I¡¯ve ever heard.

    Lakshmi spun around and pointed her finger at me. ¡°What was that about?! You have a problem with stopping my father from being a damned puppet in a war?!¡±

    I let out a little ¡®eep¡¯ of shock and jumped. Ok, so maybe not as well hidden as I thought. I thought regretfully.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I¡¯m not sure he¡¯s a puppet, but I agree Deacon is definitely behind the war. He¡¯s almost certainly riding on the Church¡¯s plotline, taking the Church¡¯s power source as his own.¡± I tapped my chin thoughtfully. ¡°In fact¡­ I wonder if he¡¯s assassinated the pope already? Normally it would be the pope who was evil all along.¡±

    Soriya nodded in agreement. ¡°Either way, why should we rush right into his arms?! We don¡¯t want to play the villain¡¯s game!¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Camaxtli tipped his head to the side in confusion. ¡°I do not understand. What was the purpose of gaining the Arcanum if not to force a confrontation with this mastermind?¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand-¡± I said.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Camaxtli replied. ¡°That was exactly the gist of my statement?¡±

    I rolled my eyes even harder. ¡°Just¡­ let me explain!¡± I took a deep breath and recounted my logic once more.

    ¡°We did choose to gain the Arcanum knowing that this would force a showdown with Deacon. We wanted to have the upper hand with the power scope, and to prevent Deacon from simply walking though the walls without opposition. However! None of that means that we need to rush into a confrontation without at least the concept of a plan! We know what Deacon wants, and we have it. We know¡­ or at least we think we know¡­ how this will play out. He¡¯ll confront us and either attempt to steal the Arcanum from us, or use us to enact his plan.¡±

    Soriya nodded. ¡°Typically that would be him stepping in at the last minute to sabotage us, just as it looked like we¡¯d solved the issue.¡±

    Lakshmi looked confused. ¡°But we can¡¯t solve the issue, not without Deacon¡¯s Arcanum. We need all the Arcanum all together to unlock the System, don¡¯t we?¡±

    Eshaan pounded his fist in his palm. ¡°Brillant! We¡¯re the ones setting an ambush for Deacon, when he thinks he¡¯s setting the ambush for us!¡±

    I sighed and rubbed my nose. ¡°While that would be the ideal situation, I strongly suspect that we¡¯ll be playing everything by ear. Either way, all the missing parts are going to be showing up at the Control Center, with two groups who want to use it for their own ends.¡±

    ¡°We can use that, then, as a starting place for our plan.¡± Daniyel said calmly. ¡°This Deacon, he is not stupid. He will expect us to expect him. A classic situation, your enemy knows you know, and plans to avoid your plans based on what you know he knows¡­ the thoughts can spiral endlessly.¡±

    Eshaan looked around slowly, then said ¡°So¡­ that sounds like our usual plan. We go, and then we wing it when we¡¯re there? Wait for him to make a mistake, and pounce!¡±

    I sighed again. ¡°He¡¯ll be expecting us. He knows¡­ he knows we¡¯ll be expecting him. He¡¯s me, remember? He has the same knowledge I do!¡±

    The group was silent for a long moment, then Eshaan said ¡°But it didn¡¯t work for him. He captured you, and you got away, and that was¡­ not what he wanted.¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure what he wanted anymore. He needed me to touch the Arcanum he found¡­ I think I actually might have unlocked the Arcanum he¡¯s been using in his war. It would explain why he just let me go.¡±

    ¡°That, and he is expecting you to do the heavy lifting of acquiring all the other Arcanum.¡± Soriya said, nodding along. ¡°Very classic villain trope.¡±

    Lakshmi waved her hands. ¡°This is all smoke in the room! What are we going to do about it?! What happens when we arrive, and he¡¯s either there waiting for us, or just behind us with a group of troopers!¡±

    Eshaan slammed his fist into his palm again. ¡°We¡¯ll crush em! We¡¯re probably higher level than most anyone in the Empire!¡±

    I pointed my finger at him. ¡°That is exactly the problem! Probably? No, we can almost depend on the troops Deacon has with him to have gained levels in some absurd unholy abomination fueled way. I don¡¯t know how exactly, but I am certain that Deacon and his troopers will be a match for us.¡± I finished grimly.

    ¡°Then we shall ambush them, as expected.¡± Camaxtli said. ¡°We can expect Deacon to follow you. We arrive first. We hide ourselves, and we arrange to attack. You can offer to parley with him, and when he draws near, we will strike. A simple plan.¡±

    I felt a grim certainty that somehow things just wouldn¡¯t be that clean.

    But what do I have to offer? The heroes never set an ambush, it¡¯s always some big surprise that the enemy was following them all along? And Deacon was behaving an awful lot like a villain, trapped in his own plot. Maybe¡­ this can work?

    The roughest concepts of a plan to ever come out of our rag tag little group formed, Soriya and I started our ritual once more, drawing forth the ¡®pull¡¯ of the Arcanum, and dancing around the ¡®present but not¡¯ absence of Deacon¡¯s Arcanum, we set a location.

    Our dousing pendulum pointed straight to the center of the inner sea, just off the coast of Tol Rauko.

    Of course. I thought wryly. Where else would it be, but the center of the map, hovering over the mysterious island?

    Our plans set and our supplies checked, Lakshmi set course for the spot on the map, and the Sparrowhawk flew towards the Inner Sea.

    We flew for eight hours, the vibrant green of the jungle below fading to the burnt tan of the desert sands, and then to the slowly building pale green of coastline. When the thin blue line of the ocean finally came into view, we were all ready for a break, and we once more cruised the shoreline, looking for sea caves to hide in.

    Once the Sparrowhawk was safely down, I used Gate to bring us back to Breezewood. A quick bath to wash the last of the jungle¡¯s humid sweat off us, and then we slept the sleep of the reasonably righteous. The next morning we set out once more. As we grew closer and closer to the point on the map, I could feel a draw, something inside me acting like a lodestone, pulling me closer.

    I glanced over to soriya, giving her a questioning look. She gave me a nervous smile and nodded. Clearly she felt it too. No one else did though, a fact which was brought home when Lakshmi asked peevishly

    ¡°Where is it? It can¡¯t be some tiny little thing, right?! It¡¯s supposed to be the home of the whole System, for goddess sake! Are we even on the right course?!¡± she demanded.

    I stared fixedly out the cockpit window, eyes locked on empty blue sky. I nodded, and then said ¡°Yes.¡± My voice quiet, tense. I could feel it. It was close but it just¡­ wasn¡¯t there.

    Until suddenly, it was. We passed some invisible threshold, some distortion field too close to do its job any longer, and suddenly it was there in front of us, an enormous building/ship/castle, floating in the sky, spires of crystal and silver gleaming in the air and so much larger than it should have been.

    Lakshmi swore loudly, and heeled us hard to the side, the underbelly of the Sparrowhawk skimming along the fantastical filigree of crystal spires, silver arches and bridges over the air, and gleaming white stone walls.

    A blink, and the vision was gone, a rippling heat haze behind us as the Sparrowhawk streaked outside of the effective range of what was clearly a techno fantasy invisibility shield.

    ¡°Holy blue hells, what the fuck was that?!¡± Lakshmi swore loudly.

    I winced at the crude language, and felt my lips quirk in a half smile. ¡°Thermoptic camouflage, I guess.¡± I murmured quietly.

    ¡°The fucking thing is invisible?!¡± Lakshmi shrieked in disbelief, as she slewed the Sparrowhawk around in a tight turn, cutting the speed sharply.

    Once more the Sparrowhawk pierced the effective radius of the shield, and the castle shimmered into view in front of us, now approaching at a much more sedate rate of speed.

    ¡°The fucking thing is invisible.¡± Lakshmi repeated, her voice now tinged with wonder.

    ¡°A working wonder of the Ancients.¡± Eshaan added, his voice filled with reverence.

    Daniyel¡¯s voice cut in. ¡°And doubtless filled with equally functional defense systems. We must be cautious.¡± He laid his hand lightly on Lakshmi¡¯s shoulder. She glanced up at him, then turned back to the controls, her eyes fixed on the approaching techno castle.

    ¡°Right.¡± She said. The Sparrowhawk slowed once more, and started to slowly spiral around the structure as we looked for a way in.

 103 The Pathway to System

    After several slow rising circuits around the enormous structure, we spotted a shelf jutting out from the side. It was modest, compared to the grand structure of the techno castle, but as we drew closer it became apparent that it was in fact large enough to support several other ships.

    Lakshmi started to bring us in, and I hurriedly spoke up.

    ¡°Hold up! Lets keep checking it out. In fact, let¡¯s see if there¡¯s a docking ring or something else higher up, or if we can go over the walls?¡±

    Lakshmi looked at me in puzzlement. ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to use the dock like a normal person?¡±

    I gave her a cheeky grin. ¡°Since when does an air pirate do the normal or expected thing?¡±

    Lakshmi¡¯s eyes sparkled with glee as she returned my smile. ¡°Now that¡¯s an attitude that I can get behind!¡±

    She pulled back on the stick and the Sparrowhawk rose up and over the gleaming walls.

    I genuinely wasn¡¯t sure what to expect as we crested the walls, perhaps a fleet of imperial ships waiting for us, or the church¡¯s air barge that had kidnapped me. Instead, all we saw was a smooth dome that rippled with a faint blue sheen, and under it the intricate maze of buildings and vast machinery. Arcs of lightning flickered between enormous pylons, crystals glowed in all the rainbow of elemental colors and more. At the very center, a dome of bronze gold under the crystal blue canopy shimmered invitingly.

    I pointed at it. ¡°Can you get us there?¡± I asked Lakshmi.

    ¡°I suppose¡­¡± She said doubtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t know if the Sparrowhawk can penetrate the forcefield over it thought?¡±

    ¡°Well, be gentle then.¡± I said.

    Lakshmi shot me a look of mingled disbelief and betrayal. ¡°Since when have I ever been less than gentle with the Sparrowhawk?!¡± She exclaimed in outrage.

    ¡°Planting 2. Overclocking the engines to greater speed, causing overhead in the main drive assembly.¡± Camaxtli said calmly.

    ¡°Well I mean aside from-¡°

    ¡°Planting 14, shoving the steering assembly past the point of damage in an attempt to avoid combat damage.¡± Camaxtli continued as though Lakshmi had not spoken.

    ¡°Ok, that was not-¡°

    ¡°Planting 23. Evasive maneuvers while escaping the elven capital.¡±

    ¡°Alright! Enough!¡± Lakshmi pointed angrily at him. ¡°There was a perfectly valid reason for all of those, but I will accept that sometimes I do things perhaps a little more roughly than I would otherwise prefer.¡±

    Camaxtli tipped his head to the side in puzzlement. ¡°Available data suggests that it is the rough treatment that you prefer, given the number of opportunities you engage with-¡°

    ¡°Penetrating the shield now!¡± Lakshmi said loudly, and shoved the yoke forward. The Sparrowhawk lurched into motion, and the hull rang with the impact, the deck shuddering under us as we forced our way through the forcefield.

    ¡°Your current actions have failed to convince me that you are employing a different strategy in this instance.¡± Camaxtli remarked.

    Lakshmi shot him a dirty look. Camaxtli opened his mouth to reply, and Eshaan put his hand on Camaxtli¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Let it go. Trust me. Women have their pride too.¡± He said with a smile.

    ¡°Hm.¡± Camaxtli said, but did not voice further objections.

    The hull of the Sparrowhawk shrieked as Lakshmi forced her way through the translucent barrier over the top of the control center, the deck rocking beneath us as lightning crackled over the wings and tail assembly, before the whole ship suddenly gave a great lurch, throwing everyone who wasn¡¯t seated-

    Why didn¡¯t I sit down and belt myself in! I moaned in frustration.

    -to the deck and against the bulkheads with painful force.

    ¡°Hah! Ancient technology can suck it!¡± Exclaimed Lakshmi as the ship slowly steadied.

    ¡°I do not think it wise-¡° started Camaxtli, just as a sudden enormous blast of energy speared through the Sparrowhawk¡¯s wings, and glimmering dots of flying automatons floated up from around the city in large numbers.

    ¡°Oh dragon god¡¯s ballsack!¡± Lakshmi swore and yanked the steering yoke hard to side just as another blast of energy almost cored the ship from stem to stern.

    ¡°If you¡¯ve got time to complain, then you¡¯ve got time to fight!¡± She turned and shouted back at us. ¡°Man the guns! Woman the guns! Just shoot them!¡±

    Daniyel and Eshaan scrambled for the turrets while Soriya and I hurried over to the orb which absorbed spells and redirected them out to the hull of the ship.

    The fight was savage but brief, not because we had an over whelming advantage, but because Lakshmi pointed the ship straight down, slammed the throttle to the stops and aimed for a collision course directly at the central dome.

    ¡°Everyone, shoot a hole in the wall! We¡¯re going through!¡± She declared.

    My eyes got huge, even as Soriya gently pushed me to the side, and started to channel {Infernal Black} into the ship¡¯s magicannon. The Sparrowhawk¡¯s cannons thundered above and below us, shots spanging off the walls of the central structure, even as the giant ball of purple-black energy swelled in front of us. I looked out the rear window to see an entirely unreasonable flock of flying buzzsaw automatons blocking out the sky behind us.

    Soriya finished her chant, and screamed out ¡°Releasing the spell!¡±.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    The thundering ball of purple-black shot through with dark lightning in front of us swelled and then condensed down to a tiny sphere in front of us.

    A tiny part of me noted with vaguely abstract thought Oh. It really does have those little dots of light all around the main body. How very anime of it. Before the dot rushed forward so quickly it left a yellow-white afterimage behind it, like a beam of pure annihilation, hitting the wall ahead of us right where the Sparrowhawk¡¯s cannons had been pounding it.

    For the longest moment, nothing happened, and terror surged up in my heart as our ship rushed towards a fate as an extremely flat pancake on the side of an Ancient building.

    ¡°Lakshmi?!¡± I screamed as we hurtled forward.

    Her grin could make a demon cower in fear. ¡°Trust me! I¡¯m almost positive this will work!¡±

    ¡°ALMOST?!¡± I shriekd in terror, just as the wall of Ancient metal ahead of us cracked, and buckled inwards. That was all the time I had to see, before the Sparrowhawk¡¯s nose crashed headlong into the wall. The sound of tearing metal and the shriek of overstressed components blended into a roar as Ancient stone and metal gave way before the hurtling bullet of an entirely insane imperial princess.

    Then my forehead hit the bulkhead in front of me and blackness claimed me.

    I came to with the taste of apple sweet healing potion tickling into my mouth, and the feel of my body snapping back into place as my body was sorted back into shape, the pain of my injuries rapidly fading to the faint echo and ache that meant I was still a lot of HP down. I finished swallowing the potion and groaned.

    ¡°She¡¯s awake!¡± Lakshmi¡¯s voice called out. ¡°Come on, healer, we need some healing!¡± Lakshmi exclaimed.

    ¡°That would not have been necessary if you had simply-¡° I heard Camaxtli¡¯s voice stop. I opened my eyes to see Lakshmi glaring at him with a gaze that should have resulted in instant death.

    ¡°-perhaps I misspoke.¡± Camaxtli said, and snapped his mouth shut.

    ¡°No, I think corrective measures are required.¡± Groaned out Daniyel. ¡°There were better approaches than this available to us.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but using them would mean she wasn¡¯t Lakshmi.¡± Said Eshaan, his cheerful smile still firmly in place. He reached down to me. ¡°Are you ok, Lily?¡±

    ¡°Aside from a pounding headache? Sure.¡± I gave him a weak smile, and then reached for my staff. ¡°Who is hurt? Who needs healing most?¡±

    A few sore grumbles and a nearly exhausted mana pool on my part later, and our little group was once more fully healed. The Sparrowhawk to my shock, had come through nearly intact!

    At my shocked gawking, Lakshmi gave a grin. ¡°I knew your {Barrier} would work!¡± She said. ¡°You don¡¯t give your own power enough credit.¡±

    ¡°There have got to be better ways to test that then ¡®to destruction!¡¯¡± I nearly shouted at her.

    Daniyel rested his hand lightly on my shoulder. ¡°Then she would not be true to herself, no?¡±

    I slumped in defeat. ¡°No. I suppose not.¡± I conceded.

    ¡°Then what are we waiting for! Let¡¯s find out what¡¯s inside the castle of the System!¡± Eshaan exclaimed eagerly, already pushing his way towards the hatch.

    The hatch slid open and the stairs fell into place, followed by a blast of elemental power and gunfire pouring through the hatch. I hurriedly chanted a {Barrier} to cover the hatchway.

    Peeking though the shimmering haze of my {Barrier} I could see a squad of what looked like extremely dangerous Ancient automatons. Lakshmi¡¯s eyes were wide with fascination.

    ¡°Ooh, I¡¯ve never seen this model before!¡± She exclaimed.

    ¡°I know, right?!¡± Eshaan exclaimed. ¡°Look, you can see the armature there is used to- oop!¡± He ducked as a blast of fire hit the {Barrier}. ¡°They¡¯re still shooting at us, we should fix that first.¡±

    I gritted my teeth and ground out ¡°Yes. Please do that.¡±

    Eshaan shot me an apologetic smile. ¡°Sorry, Lily! Didn¡¯t mean to keep you waiting!¡± He turned and charged through the hatch, followed by Lakshmi, Daniyel, and Camaxtli.

    A hail of gunfire and elemental spells roared towards the four, and each responded in their own unique way. Eshaan leapt and dodged, twisted and whirled, a lightning storm that nothing could seem to hit. Lakshmi hid behind Daniyel, and Daniyel simply crossed his arms, his bracers glowing red-gold as they bore the incredible force of the attack. And Camaxtli¡­ Camaxtli simply wasn¡¯t where the attack was. Without seeming effort or issue, he would simply move as though casually taking a new position, only for the attacks to miss him, as though by accident. His hair and clothing remained completely still despite the storm of firepower bearing down on them all.

    Soriya turned to me and grinned, unslinging ?gishj¨¢lmur and hoisting it over her shoulder. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re not going to let them have all the fun, are you?¡±

    I twitched a small smile in return. ¡°No, I suppose not.¡±

    We joined the others outside, my {Barrier} pushing aside the hail of attacks raining down on us.

    Outside the Sparrowhawk, in the broad circular courtyard, twelve gleaming bronzegold automatons stood, in fearsome splendor. I could almost understand Lakshmi and Eshaan¡¯s urge to admire them. Nowhere else in any of our adventures had we seen such clean well maintained machinery. It was a pity we were going to have to beat them into junk.

    Lakshmi proved her expertise with Ancient tech. As we held the automatons attention, she darted here and there, ripping out important components, pulling out mana circuits, and generally causing massive destruction. With each attack, another automaton went down, and soon enough there was only the smoking ruin of once flawless machinery.

    Lakshmi and Eshaan picked through the wreckage as I healed our wounds, and guzzled down several mana potions, shivering as the buzz and rush of mana tingled through me.

    I finally joined them, after I finished patching up the last of the injuries. ¡°See anything useful?¡± I asked the two curiously.

    ¡°Oh yeah! Lots!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°But I suspect that we¡¯re on the clock here.¡± She pointed to an enormous and entirely over wrought door, as well as four hallways that met in the courtyard we had crashed into.

    ¡°Unless I miss my guess, that door is probably where we need to go. And those hallways are going to be important.¡± She tipped her head to the side. ¡°Plus, you know¡­ you¡¯re supposed to be some kind of operator for this whole thing, but these things didn¡¯t even slow down when you showed up. If you have a way to show any credentials, now would be the time!¡±

    I grimaced. ¡°You¡¯re right, if I can shut this down, that would be good.¡± I hurried over to the enormous doors set into the wall, inscribed with Ancients¡¯ imagery. I tapped my fingers lightly on the engraving and then smiled.

    ¡°Access to central System repository, authorized personnel only.¡± I read with a smile. ¡°Well, this is definitely the right place. I guess going high was the right way.¡±

    I laid my hand on the door and closed my eyes, focusing on the Arcanum within me.

    Well? Can you do your thing? I asked them.

    There was a slight pause, and I could feel something shifting within me, stirring and reaching out. Then a faint chime filled the air around me. My eyes popped open, hoping to see the doors swinging wide. Instead, glowing runes of red fire wrote themselves on the closed doors. ¡°Incomplete Arcanum presentation. Complete authorized System administrator access within thirty seconds.¡±

    ¡°Honeysuckle.¡± I cursed softly. I called over my shoulder. ¡°Guys, we¡¯re going to have company!¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Soriya said, her eyes suddenly alight. She ran over to me, and laid her hand against the door. The bright red words vanished, and new ones reappeared in cool green.

    ¡°Authorized System administrator code complete. Present complete Arcanum for access.¡±

    I looked at Soriya. Soriya looked at me. ¡°I knew you were a System admin too!¡± I said, then looked back at the door, my hands on my hips. ¡°But now we¡¯re missing three arcanum.¡± I took a breath and then released it slowly. ¡°Well, honeynut.¡± I said with feeling.

    ¡°That¡¯s a new one!¡± Lakshmi commented.

    ¡°Huh?¡± I turned to her in confusion.

    ¡°Honeynut. I haven¡¯t heard that one before.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± I blushed. ¡°It just¡­ seemed appropriate.¡± I said awkwardly.

    ¡°Well. I know we don¡¯t have the complete Arcanum set. So¡­ now what?¡± She asked.

    I sighed, and looked around at the four hallways. ¡°We need to hack an Ancient¡¯s security system I think.¡± I turned to Soriya. ¡°What do you think? Access nodes at the ends of the halls?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°Probably, yes.¡±

    Lakshmi narrowed her eyes. ¡°Is this Seer stuff, or do you know something about Ancient tech?¡±

    Soriya and I spoke in unison. ¡°Seer stuff.¡±

 104 Open Doors and Closed Minds

    Lakshmi huffed. ¡°So. Do you happen to also know the thing we¡¯ll need to do to gain entrance at these mystery nodes?¡±

    I grinned and shook my head. ¡°Nope, not a clue! Lucky for me, I¡¯ve got two experts-¡° I pointed to Eshaan and Lakshmi. ¡°-on Ancient technology with me!¡±

    Lakshmi rolled her eyes and groaned, but I could see she was secretly pleased to be called an expert.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little concerned-¡° Eshaan started

    I nodded before he could even complete it. ¡°Oh yes, we¡¯re definitely going to trigger an alarm and have to fight security systems at each node. Four fights in all, assuming we don¡¯t trigger alarm systems on the way.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just¡­ do your thing?¡± Lakshmi waved at the big door in the central pillar with the glowing green letters on it.

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Lakshmi, I am a white mage from a backwater. I have no experience with the inner workings or intricacies of Ancient technology.¡± I tipped my head to the side and stared at her frankly. ¡°Seer knowledge only goes so far. I need you and Eshaan. There¡¯s no way I could handle this on my own.¡±

    ¡°Then perhaps we had best be off.¡± Daniyel said calmly, resting his hand on Lakshmi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Especially if there will be fighting, we should be prepared.¡±

    ¡°I am ready.¡± Camaxtli said calmly. ¡°I may be of some help, though the Alliance¡¯s technology is not quite as familiar as the Jubilee¡¯s.¡±

    We picked a corridor leading away from the central hall by the ancient and well tested practice of ¡®whatever is right in front of us¡¯, and proceeded down it.

    As predicted, skittering spider robots, Ancient battle constructs both humanoid and not, and sudden gouts of flame, ice, and spiked pits appeared along our path.

    ¡°You know¡± I said to Soriya as we stepped over and around yet another pile of disabled Ancient technology, ¡°It strikes me that this place is in dire need of a safety audit. Does Korea have an OSHA?¡±

    She smiled. ¡°We are a fully modern country, Lily. Yes.¡± Soriya pondered, then nodded firmly. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Oh good.¡±

    ¡°We call it KOSHA.¡±

    I blinked, stopped and turned to stare at her. ¡°Seriously?¡± I asked in disbelief.

    Soriya grinned. ¡°Seriously. But I expect the lack of safety precautions up here is both a benefit, and an expected result. Nobody is ever supposed to be here. And even if they were, it would be under extreme circumstances confined to a very limited area.¡±

    She shrugged. ¡°End result, intruders get flamb¨¦ed.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°I guess we press on then. And apply more burn cream.¡± I hurried forward just as a whining roar announced another round of flame jets shooting from the walls and ceiling in an oddly ordered pattern.

    ¡°Crush-y smash-y burn-y bits, check.¡± I muttered as we danced through the jets in a carefully timed sequence.

    ¡°I hate these puzzles too.¡± Soriya said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Well I guess it¡¯s not so bad when we have flame protection, but we¡¯d be meadowlark dust if we didn¡¯t have you.¡± I smiled at her as we finally cleared the last of the hurdles, leaving us in a much smaller circular chamber where a single pedestal in the middle absorbed blue rays from the walls that hurt my eyes to look at.

    Lakshmi seemed to be in seventh heaven, and Eshaan wasn¡¯t far behind.

    Lakshmi spun in place and said to me ¡°Tell me how this works?! No, wait! Better, don¡¯t tell me! This is the best puzzle ever! Come on Camaxtli, help me out!¡±

    ¡°I believe Eshaan would be a better assistant-¡°

    Camaxtli¡¯s patient words were interrupted as Lakshmi grabbed him by the arm and pulled him over to the console. Shortly, the three of them were murmuring and pointing to various points on the walls and arcane symbology that meant nothing to me. I sat down against a wall to stay out of the way, and recover a bit of my mana.

    ¡°Ah hah!¡± Lakshmi exclaimed after a bit. ¡° Got it! A simple harmonic sequence in rising tones of mana oscillation!¡± She touched a sequence of buttons on the control panel, and one by one the blazing blue lines winked out causing sections of the wall to extend, baring the intricate innards to her examination. Lakshmi wiggled her way into the open access hatch, and disappeared from view. Shortly after that, the thrum of machinery changed in tone and pitch and Lakshmi squirmed her way back out, smeared with ancient (and Ancient, I supposed!) dirt and oil.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°That¡¯s got it!¡± She exclaimed, pointing her finger into the air triumphantly. ¡°On to the next!¡±

    We did indeed move on to the next, and then the next after that. The robot guardians were simple and repetitive, though I did dearly wish I could just shout command codes at them, or announce myself to make them shut down. Sadly, without the actual Arcanum, it wouldn¡¯t work, and even if I had the arcanum, my hacker princess and company would have triggered all the security alerts anyway. And so we had to trudge down each one of the four corridors, battling ancient (and Ancient) automatons, pit traps and flame, steam, smoke, and ice jets.

    It wasn¡¯t like we couldn¡¯t handle the fights, but the slow grinding away of our HP, MP, and supplies was irritating.

    Down the fourth hallway, at the console, Lakshmi finally announced that she¡¯d deciphered enough of the control systems to suborn the main doors at the center of the hallways. She turned to me.

    ¡°So what can we expect behind the door?¡±

    ¡°Oh, a big fight. No question.¡± I answered confidently. Soriya nodded.

    The group nodded, and we chugged healing potions and mana potions to return ourselves to best shape. The faint taste of apple made me wistful for home, and mother¡¯s brewing. I hoped this would be the end of it!

    Have I really managed to outwit the plot? Is Deacon really not coming for us? I thought, chewing my lip with worry.

    Eshaan punched my shoulder lightly. ¡°Cheer up Lily! No matter what happens, we¡¯ll always be together!¡± he said with his usual enthusiasm.

    We headed back to the central hall, where the grand doors waited for us, words still glowing that same faint green.

    Lakshmi immediately headed to the doors and started poking and proding. Shortly, a panel popped open, and she started to tinker inside. We kept a sharp eye out for alerts or interruptions, but nothing appeared, and no alarms blared. I was honestly starting to be a little freaked out!

    Finally Lakshmi sat back with a satisfied sigh. ¡°There!¡± She said with satisfaction. ¡°That¡¯s got it! You should be able to open the doors now!¡±

    I took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Ok everyone. Let¡¯s see what awaits us.¡±

    Soriya and I laid our hands on the door, and pushed.

    Six Months Later

    The day was lovely. The festival was in full swing, and the smell of food floating in the air was heavenly. The sun was bright and high and the smell of spring was everywhere.

    Spring? Six months, but-

    ¡°Hey Lily! Come on, you¡¯re going to miss the festival!¡± Eshaan called out, and caught me by my arm, pulling me into a hug and a kiss.

    My thoughts blew away in the lovely spring breeze. Our wedding had been wonderful, and I still remembered it fondly.

    The sky had been¡­ had been¡­

    ¡°Lily, are you ready?!¡± Soriya¡¯s excited voice called out. ¡°It¡¯s almost time!¡±

    Oh yes, time. It¡¯s time to return the Arcanum! I had forgotten! I mused.

    ¡°What an adventure, huh Lily?¡± Eshaan said, smiling at me.

    Why is his smile so¡­ oily? I don¡¯t-

    Soriya caught my arm and we were shortly at the Cavern of Trials.

    The patterns in the cavern walls were strange, almost sinister. As though they had a deeper meaning, hidden from me.

    I should ask Lakshmi. She¡¯ll know! I turned to look for her, and there was a moment of frozen confusion, and then Lakshmi walked around the corner of one of the passages, where she had always been.

    ¡°Hey Lily!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°I was just looking at the patterns! They almost look holographic! Like a vision of good fortune!¡±

    I smiled uncertainly, opened my mouth to speak. Stopped.

    A hologram? Like a vision?

    A faint memory, coming to mind like a fizzing TV screen.

    <That¡¯s why White Mages are powerful in battle. They can twist your senses, make you see things that aren¡¯t there, make you believe things that aren¡¯t true.>

    Another voice. A familiar voice.

    <He¡¯s not really you, but like an inverted vision of you. It won¡¯t be fun facing yourself in battle.>

    I stopped. Stared around myself. A hundred small details suddenly seeming intensely, deeply wrong.

    Eshaan¡¯s smiling face in mine. Oily smile, broken flickering images. ¡°Lily? What¡¯s wrong? You need to give the Arcanum back?¡±

    I blinked, my eyes watering. ¡°Oh you¡­ you fudgepot¡­ you¡­! You¡­!¡± My fury robbed me of words completely and I stood in the cavern, tears stinging at my eyes, my fists clenched so hard my fingernails dug into my palms. My fury swelled inside me until I couldn¡¯t contain it, the heat so profound I could feel tears trickling down my cheeks and dripping from my chin.

    Even my oath against swearing meant nothing before the fury inside me. ¡°You bastard!!¡± I screamed furiously, the white hot rage inside me finally escaping in a primal scream of anguish. And then I reached out and pulled the threads of {Spiritist} magical energy surrounding me, threads I now knew must be there.

    The cavern cracked and splintered, shards of brilliant white light leaking through the walls like a shattered screen, the world frozen around me, and then it fell into a hundred thousand twinkling shards, the dust of dreams. And then it was gone, and once more I stood before the grand doors leading to the System¡¯s control.

    Reality

    The closed doors of the System control.

    Only this time, Deacon stood before me, his hand outstretched and surrounded by a brilliant white-gold halo of magic, his eyes wide in surprise and startlement. To either side of him, two paladins of the church stood ramrod straight, their weapons ready, and next to them¡­ Anyim! The cultist from Nanwe!

    My friends still stood to either side of me, their eyes glazed and mouth agape, as they saw whatever it was that they wished to see. Whatever their most cherished dream was.

    I felt a rising fury bubbling up in me, an anger unlike anything I¡¯d felt before.

    He dared?! Without thought, my hand clenched into a fist, and I hauled back and punched Deacon in the face, as hard as I could.

    Deacon reared back his nose streaming blood, his eyes wide. He stumbled several steps backwards and sat down hard his back against the doors and his eyes accusatory.

    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to do that!¡± He exclaimed, his voice aggrieved.

 105 Boss Stages and Revelations

    I stared at Deacon, crumbled on the floor, my fists curled so tightly I could feel my fingernails cutting my skin.

    ¡°You know what happens now, right?!¡± I demanded as I advanced on him.

    Deacon¡¯s eyes widened into almost comical saucers. ¡°You can¡¯t defeat me if I¡¯m not here!¡± He spat, and lept up. There was a flicker of light, and he vanished from sight.

    ¡°Come back here!¡± I shouted angrily. ¡°Spirits bless me, I didn¡¯t know I was such a coward!¡± I shouted at the air.

    The doors leading to the System control room started to open, apparently on their own.

    And of course off he goes! Naturally all our hard work hacking the doors helps him first instead of us!

    I genuinely thought about chasing after him, but a quick glance at my still enthralled friends put that idea quickly to rest. I needed to free them if I was to have any chance here. I reached out to the {Spiritist} magic woven around my friends and pulled, ripping the sticky strands of illusion away from them like particularly nasty cobwebs. It cost me a lot of mana to do it so quickly, but I was in a hurry.

    It also revealed some unpleasant truths. As the sticky cobwebs of illusion fell away, four church paladins appeared from thin air, as well as the Shadows of Soriya and Eshaan.

    ¡°Oh fudge.¡± I groaned, as the revealed enemies raised their weapons.

    I nearly jumped out of my skin as Soriya let out a shriek of primal rage. Spinning to face her, I saw her already chanting the words of {Infernal  Black}, her eyes filled with hate and fixed on the strange silent Shadow of herself.

    I didn¡¯t have time to see more than that before I had to leap backwards, as Shadow Eshaan hurled a technomagical grenade of some sort at me, revealing a complex clockwork armature that unfolded into a mechanical spider nightmare, stabbing sharpened legs at me.

    Of course. Their alternate selves. I thought as I scrambled backwards from the rapid strikes of the spider mech. I didn¡¯t manage to get completely clear in time, and one of the spikes stabbed painfully into my side.

    ¡°I told you it wouldn¡¯t work.¡± Said Shadow Eshaan with a smugness that made me want to punch him. His accent was strange, and reminded me strongly of¡­ Lakshmi?!

    Wow, that¡¯s some accent he¡¯s got. He sounds like¡­ Lakshmi? Huh. One of the nobles from Spyre, I suppose.

    I rolled over and took stock of my injury. Ow. Glad that my HP is at endgame levels, that¡­ probably would have killed me otherwise. I grimaced and focused through the pain to chant a healing spell as Lakshmi and Daniyel surged forwards, engaging with the Church paladins.

    I staggered to my feet to see Eshaan rush forward to engage his Shadowself, the blade of his sword shattering the spider mecha legs.

    ¡°Get! Away! From! Her!¡± He shouted, his sword punctuating each word with a shattering strike.

    ¡°Ah, what is this? Useless, and physically without hint of mental refinement.¡± His Shadow sneered. ¡°Useless in anything but the most menial of physical tasks!¡±

    ¡°This physical task is going to bludgeon you into the walls!¡±

    ¡°So crude. As the master predicted. The utter failure of-URK!¡±

    His monologue was interrupted rather abruptly by a paladin¡¯s body being flung into him from the side as Daniyel dispensed entirely with grace and went straight for effect.

    Camaxtli knelt by my side, holding out a healing potion. ¡°Do you require my assistance?¡± He asked calmly.

    I smiled wryly taking the potion from his hands, seeing how Camaxtli¡¯s eyes followed Lakshmi.

    ¡°No.¡± I said. ¡°Go on, she¡¯s waiting for you.¡± He turned to me, his face an unreadable mask for a moment, before he smiled the most beatific and peaceful smile I¡¯d never seen.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He said, rising gracefully. ¡°I believe I will.¡±

    The crack of torn air and stench of rotting flesh drew my attention to the battle between Soriya and her Shadow. The Shadow remained listless, apparently empty of all emotion, while Soriya was fury incarnate. And yet the Shadow held its own, calmly conjuring up devouring voids that swallowed Soriya¡¯s largest spells whole.

    Entropy magic¡­! Soriya hasn¡¯t touched that since she got her staff back! I was hit with a sudden realization. Entropy deals with space and time¡­ is that how they got here before us?!

    I slugged back the healing potion and clambered to my feet. We need to follow Deacon! Quickly!Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    My friends were brave, fierce, and very very skilled. The church paladins fell back, the Shadows of Eshaan and Soriya retreated from our combined fury. Step by step we pushed our way into the central control chamber, and the confrontation with Deacon.

    The central hub of the control system was a circular room, with an enormous pillar that took up the entire center of the chamber, stretching far down below us, and up above into a ceiling high overhead. Gleaming bronze-gold was everywhere, and it was obvious that this was a living installation. Flickering rainbow lights danced along circuit patterns engraved into every available surface, walls, floors, and ceiling alike. Around the central pillar, a walkway stretched, with a vast pit leading into the darkness below. Above, the ceiling opened to admit the pillar continuing to stretch skyward.

    And standing on the walkway near what had to be a central control console, Deacon stood, grinning wildly, gesturing to the paladins and the Shadows.

    ¡°Come then, princess!¡± He shouted towards me. ¡°See the fruits of my labor!¡±

    And with a gesture, three Arcanum manifested around him, spaced equally apart on his side of the room.

    You can summon multiple Arcanum?! Why didn¡¯t I think to try that! I thought with frustration.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s very impressive, but I¡¯ve got a few more than you!¡±

    And I reached down into myself and pulled, calling forth the Arcanum that I had carefully gathered through this ridiculous quest.

    Deacon¡¯s grin stretched even wider, his joy outshining the sun. He started to laugh wildly, and I suddenly got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

    ¡°You stupid, stupid girl! You really are trapped in the tropes! I know the storyline too, you fool! Did you really think I was afraid of you?!¡± He ranted.

    The pulsing rainbow light from the control room brightened, and a faint echoing voice in subtle feminine tones spoke from the air, the voice unmistakably the soft voice of the World Soul, but infinitely more powerful and resonant.

    <Compiled Arcanum Keys present. System Administrator credentials verified. Opening central data store for maintenance mode.>

    ¡°Oh honeysuckle.¡± I whispered, as the central control pillar slid apart, revealing a flickering sea of light, a portal into another world, a swirling mist filled with motes of dancing lights that felt strangely familiar.

    ¡°Now, finally! I can do what needs to be done! What you lack the strength to even conceive of doing!¡± Deacon ranted, his arms outstretched overhead.

    I couldn¡¯t help it, I rolled my eyes at him. Really? I thought with a cynical disapproval. And you think that I¡¯m the one who¡¯s trapped by the tropes?!

    ¡°Everyone, comeon!¡± Eshaan shouted. ¡°We¡¯ve got to stop him!¡±

    Eshaan¡¯s charge towards the bridge was met with the clang of swords crossing, Shadow Eshaan¡¯s endless panopoly of gadgets having produced another blade wielding golem.

    Shadow Eshaan or real, apparently boys like their sword toys. I thought with mild amusement before I charged towards the forming melee.

    ¡°Would you like to know how your defeat was assured?¡± Deacon called over his shoulder, his fingers dancing rapidly across the glowing control panel.

    ¡°Not really!¡± I spat out.

    ¡°It was simplicity itself!¡± Deacon gloated.

    I groaned. And now the monologue. Wonderful. ¡°Anyim was working for you. He found you and then you had Shadow Soriya teleport you with Entropist magic. Can we hurry up and get to the endless exposition about a better world?¡± I said, my staff blocking an overhand strike from one of the paladins.

    Deacon halted in mid rant. His mouth slowly closed and his eyes narrowed. ¡°You know, I¡¯m starting to understand why the villain always wants to gag the heroine.¡± He snarled. ¡°So yes. Very good! You¡¯ve deduced it. A proper witch studies {Darkness}. A proper woman knows her place!

    Any trace of sympathy I might have had for the deluded half of myself standing in front of me vanished, drained out my heart with those words.

    ¡°I will solve this world, this trap for souls!¡± He continued. ¡°I will restore the balance on this pitiful world, and then return to where I belong!¡±

    I blinked, my eyes going wide as an idea suddenly swirled in my head.

    ¡°Pitiful fool, only now at the end do you realize who the true hero of this story is!¡± Deacon continued to gloat, seeing my wide eyes.

    I blinked and the slowly nodded, a plan crystalizing in my head.

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± I said, ducking under the strike of the paladin, avoiding another swing from Shadow Eshaan¡¯s {Tinker} trickery. ¡°I do.¡± I said, and dropped my staff, casting {Awaken} on myself.

    My strength and stamina soared through the roof, and I charged forward, pushing past the paladin who fell over the railing, flailing wildly. Even as he fell, he made no sound.

    I hit Deacon in the chest, knocking him away from the control panel and into the infinite void at the heart of the System.

    He whirled, and then stumbled into the void, seeming to drift further into an infinite distance, while not moving at all. His expression was lost and baffled.

    ¡°But why? You¡¯ve given me everything! This is the heart of the system! This is¡­ everything!¡± He said, his voice baffled.

    I nodded, feeling suddenly sad. I could never have reached you. I thought with a sudden pang.

    Sparkling shimmers flickered over Deacon, and his legs began to fade into nothingness. He looked down, and his eyes widened in horror. ¡°What? What is this!? What¡¯s happening?!¡± He twisted and thrashed, then called out ¡°System! Cease this! I am in command! I am the System Administrator!¡±

    <Access accepted.> the voice of the World Soul echoed softly. <System integration and reabsorption proceeding. Error. No Prime Soul found in substrate. Command canceled. Final Destination selection is unavailable.>

    ¡°What?! What is this!? Stop! STOP, I command you! I am the System Administrator! I am the real Deacon!¡±

    Genuine pity filled my heart and I could feel tears teasing at my eyes as I watched him slowly fade into the star filled void that had to be a gate to the Well of Souls.

    I looked at Shadow me sadly. ¡°No. Because you¡¯re not the real one. You were only ever a Shadow copy of me.¡± I shook my head sadly. ¡°And no matter how much I might have changed, I¡¯ve always known that I was the real one.¡±

    Deacon¡¯s scream of shocked denial faded into a whisper and then nothing as his body returned to the nothingness of the void that the System had drawn it from.

    The silence was broken by the sudden clatter of metal. I spun to see the last church paladin fall to its knees, black and grey smoke pouring out of it. It fell face down, and the armor fell apart, revealing only an empty shell.

    The only sound left in the hall was a slowly rhythmic clapping sound. I raised my eyes, desperately hoping that I wouldn¡¯t see what I knew I would see.

    Anyim, slowly clapping his hands together, a broad dazzling white smile on his face as he stood near my Oak Arcanum.

    Why did there have to be a three phase boss? My thoughts wailed.

 106 An Ending and A Beginning

    Anyim, slowly clapping his hands together, a broad dazzling white smile on his face as he stood near my Oak Arcanum.

    Why did there have to be a three phase boss? My thoughts wailed.

    Eshaan stepped forwards, his sword drawn. ¡°What is this? Anyim¡­?¡±

    Anyim reached up to caress the side of Oak, his eyes trailing over it¡¯s figure lovingly.

    ¡°This? This is simply justice. You tried to kill the goddess! And now here she is, restored! Her and all her siblings!¡± He turned to face us, his face crumpling into a furious snarl. ¡°And I will take justice into my own hands! My ¡®brothers¡¯ could not see the truth! But I do!¡± He raised his hands as though to bestow a benediction.

    ¡°Join us! As was foretold!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯d die before we-¡° Lakshmi started, only to be interrupted by the Shadows of Eshaan and Soriya.

    ¡°Of course, master.¡± They said in unison. ¡°The spirit of the world commands.¡±

    My eyes widened in shock. They¡¯re not dead?! But Deacon dissolved?! Do they have to enter the same void to do that?!

    The Shadows stumbled to their feet and then gave a sigh of¡­ relief, it seemed. And then they simply dissolved into grey mist, floating upwards and into the Oak Arcanum.

    My mouth dropped open in shock. ¡°What did you do?!¡± I demanded.

    Anyim laughed. ¡°Surprised, false prophet? Your command over the goddess is superficial! You don¡¯t understand her like I do! You are not the chosen one!¡±

    ¡°Lily, stop gaping and stop him!¡± Soriya shouted at me.

    ¡°R-right!¡± I reached out and pulled, willing my Arcanum back.

    The voice of the World Soul whispered in my ear, telling me bad news that I really wished I was surprised to hear.

    <Error. Reality conduits are currently in deployed mode, pending System maintenance. Please complete maintenance before attempting Conduit recovery.>

    ¡°Soriya! I can¡¯t!¡± I said frantically. ¡°The System won¡¯t let me!¡±

    Anyim laughed hysterically. ¡°Of course the false prophet cannot control the goddess and her kin! Now die for me! Die for the goddess as you should have in the temple!¡±

    Soriya spat a curse that made my ears tingle with embarrassment, then said ¡°Right. The hard way it is.¡±

    We spread out and charged, our roles slipping into natural formation, my spells of protection and encouragement boosting the others as Soirya cast her attack spells, Lakshmi alternated between support and attack, and Daniyel, Camaxtli and Eshaan charged headlong into the fray.

    Anyim smiled a cruel and crazed smile, and then called out. ¡°Mighty goddess, shield me from these insects!¡±

    Thick vines burst upwards from the floor, illusory yet with the solidity and substance of reality. The smell of greenery and growth filled the air, and suddenly there was only a wall of green and brown in front of us, blocking us off from Anyim and Oak.

    I frowned, suddenly feeling a spike of worry. If this was really a final boss¡­ well, things were never as simple as they appeared! Especially when this was a second stage final boss!

    I slapped my forehead in disgust. New fight, new tactics. Of course. I called out to the Arcanum in my mind, reaching for the three new figures. ¡°New friends, who are you? Tell me about yourself!¡±

    <We are Grimore.> A voice like the fluttering of pages and the smell of a library filled my mind. <We are knowledge and discovery. What a joy it is to meet something so new at yourself.>

    <We are Sword.> A voice that sounded like Eshaan filled my head. Bold, brash and full of daring, and somehow exuding an aura of sharpness. <We are bravery! Conquest and heroism! Well met, heroine of the world!>

    <We are Wheel.> A voice that echoed like the halls of a cathedral. <We are the movement of time, the speed of motion, the fleeting tick of a clock.>

    Well now that would have been useful. I thought wryly. Lets see if we can get a hand here.

    ¡°Wheel, will you speed up the flow of time for my friends and I?¡±

    <I can, but then I will be unavailable for system integration until my power has recovered.>

    Whut. I thought in bafflement.

    <System Integration. The merge of the System Keys and the Administrator. The purpose you were brought here.>

    Whut. Wait. ¡°What happens to me and Soriya when the System Integration runs?¡±

    <We do not know. We have never done it before. It is currently impossible in any case, because->

    ¡°Because Oak has been corrupted and is under the control of an outside force. Of course.¡±

    Outside my mindspace, the battle continued to rage. Soriya¡¯s blasts of elemental power burned at the wood and greenery, only to be snuffed out by the vibrant life. Blades cut into the wood, which grew back swiftly, even as vine tentacles hurled Eshaan and Camaxtli against the walls.

    I bit my lip and threw a healing spell at them. This is not going well! Every bit of damage we deal is almost instantly healed¡­ I felt an urge to slap my forehead again.

    Of course. We need to depower Anyim before we can make any progress!

    ¡°Arcanum, can I start the process of System integration with just one of you at a time?¡±

    <You can, but if you do->

    ¡°Yes yes, your powers will be unavailable. Of course. Can¡¯t have the heroine having god like powers on her own.¡± I grumbled.

    ¡°Go! Tower, I need you! Start the merge process!¡±

    <As you wish, Child of ?ther.> Tower¡¯s reply floated into my head. A moment later, I felt the strangest sensation that I¡¯d ever imagined. As though I was suddenly everywhere and nowhere, I suddenly felt the very nature of Tower, and yet it was sealed away from me, untouchable behind a wall of glass.

    I really hope I¡¯m doing this right. I bit my lip and then shrugged. I¡¯ll know soon enough!

    The shriek of Anyim from behind the wooden wall a moment later was like a glorious benediction.

    ¡°No! What are you doing!? What perversion is this?! You would drain the goddess¡¯s holy power?! This will not stand!¡±

    I didn¡¯t need the visual confirmation, I could feel it like a cancer in my soul. Tendrils of corrupted essence flowed out of Oak, and twisted around the nearby Arcanum, and suddenly my connection with them was like plunging my hand into a sewer. A sewer of blackness, of foul whispers and promises and a sudden memory of my other life. My heart squeezed in pain as I suddenly remembered my other mother, and my family.

    What would they think of me now? How could I leave them?!

    ¡°Lily! Focus!¡± Soriya snapped at me, and I shook my head clear of the sudden gush of memories.

    I shook my head again to clear it of the last of the haze, and tried to focus on the battle. But it was obvious that this was not the right strategy. Tower was locked away, and Anyim had corrupted another Arcanum!

    What am I supposed to do?! The System wants the Arcanum to be installed, so the system administrator can interact with them! If only¡­

    My thoughts stalled as I stared in open mouthed horror as the still open starry black gap that Deacon had vanished into.

    If I entered the void, I could interact with Tower. I could call the Arcanum. But I¡¯d be¡­ I¡¯d be¡­

    The plot demanded. It wanted it¡¯s tragic ending. If I was to enter that void, I knew I¡¯d never come out again. Worse, I might become the new system Goddess, and that would just lead to a sequel of doom!Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    I absolutely refuse to play the part of the angsty mad goddess! I refuse to sacrifice myself! That was the whole point of this mad adventure!

    I looked around at my friends, so fiercely battling the slowly winning Anyim. They refused to give up! How could I refuse¡­

    Inspiration like a bolt of lightning struck. I¡¯d run through this whole adventure looking for side paths, and most of the time I¡¯d simply wound up doing the expected thing in the least expected way possible. Always trying to dodge the path that the heroes seemed to refuse to look at.

    Well. How is this any different?! I asked myself defiantly.

    ¡°Everyone! I have an idea! Follow me!¡± I gestured, and then ran towards the open door to the void. Anyim¡¯s creeping tendrils and corrupted smoke swirled after us, eager to grasp and tear.

    ¡°Lily, what¡¯s-¡°

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to explain! Just¡­ just trust me! Trust in the friendships we have! The bonds we share!¡±

    I feel like a right fool making the classic heroine¡¯s speech, but¡­ well, we were in a JRPG weren¡¯t we?! Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be important?!

    ¡°Everyone, grab hands, and jump! Trust in each other, and jump!¡± I shouted, grabbing at Eshaan¡¯s hand in example. My friends, bless them, only paused a brief second before joining hands. Camaxtli and Lakshmi, and Soriya and Daniyel joined hands first before clasping into a friendship chain, I noted with wry amusement.

    And then I leapt for the void, my heart in my throat, Eshaan¡¯s hand warm in mine, hoping that I¡¯d not discovered a brand new way to get a game over.

    The cold of the void closed over me, the sounds of the pitched battle we had exiting vanishing as though they had never been. Light and sound and sight all vanished, and I immediately felt as though I was fading, vanishing into nothingness. And yet, I didn¡¯t feel the need to panic. I felt my hand¡­ the hand I couldn¡¯t even see anymore! Still clutching Eshaan¡¯s, and through that grip I could feel the rest of my friends. Soriya¡¯s wry amusement masking her deep pain. Daniyel¡¯s firm solidity and strength. Camaxtli¡¯s continual bemusement and wide eyed wonder. Lakshmi¡¯s boundless curiosity and excitement.

    And Eshaan. If I could have blushed, I would have been as red as a tomato. I could say without a doubt that his feelings had ¡®reached me¡¯. I didn¡¯t know any other way to put it, but there was truly no doubt about his feelings. It was quite possibly the most intimate experience I¡¯d ever had.

    We haven¡¯t even slept together yet, and¡­ and it¡¯s like this?! I wanted to die of embarrassment and marry him right away.

    But first¡­ something more important. Saving the world. Nearby, as sense of solidity. Tower. Solid. Unchanging. Quiet and determined. A foundation to start from.

    I reached out in the soundless void, and grasped Tower¡¯s ¡®hand¡¯.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m ready.¡± I said to her.

    <That is good. Child of ?ther.>

    I pressed a metaphysical palm against the ¡®glass¡¯ that separated me from the real world, the other Arcanum¡¯s now feeling the same as Tower had felt a moment ago, separated and distant.

    I¡¯ve got a plan. Lets hope that it carries through. I took a deep breath that failed to fill my lungs, and called out to Forge.

    ¡°Forge, I need you. Please join me!¡± I called to him.

    <As you wish, Child of ?ther.> Forge¡¯s voice returned. And like a photograph developing from a negative, an emotional presence slowly began to solidify in the Void with me.

    On the other side of the glass, I could feel Anyim¡¯s corruption spread further, infecting another of the Arcanum. I nodded to myself.

    As expected. I thought.

    My friends and I drifted, feeling each other¡¯s emotions, resting on an island of solidity, of realness that Tower and Forge built.

    ¡°Ok System! I¡¯m here! We are here! Your system administrators are here so what do you want?! What is it you need?!¡±

    Through the void, I heard the voice of the ¡®goddess¡¯, the voice of the World Soul that had narrated my level ups through my travels. Clearer, and yet just as emotionless and quiet as always.

    <System Administrator rights confirmed. Error. Missing Arcanum, Frost, Gate, Grimoire, Oak, Sky, Sword, Wheel. Unable to continue.>

    I swallowed a lump in my throat and squeezed the emotional connection to my friends, praying that I could pull this off. ¡°You¡¯re wrong! The connection you seek is already here! Feel my heart! Feel the emotions that we bring you! Everything you need to know about the world is already here!¡±

    The voice of the World Soul, the Goddess System¡¯s voice echoed through my soul.

    <Acceptable. Missing parameters within acceptable bounds. Assigning roles.>

    The metaphysical weight of the world hit my soul, and I almost gagged.

    What would this have been like with just me?! How could I bear it?! But I didn¡¯t have to! My friends were with me. And each fragment of their soul gave strength to mine, as mine gave strength to them.

    And piece by piece, we filled in the gaps, each of us taking a role that the System needed to understand the world it ruled, that it could never touch directly.

    Soriya, the knowledge and thirst for wisdom of Grimore, and yet all of us touched that font, guided the seeking touch of the System as it learned.

    Eshaan, the fierce power and hunger of Sword, the proud leadership and strength¡­ and yet all of us again, drank from that well, gave to the source to help it understand.

    Fragment by fragment, our little fellowship filled in the missing gaps, gave the system what It was missing. And more. We gave the system what it had never had. The touch of humanity. The experience of living life. Of the depth and complexity of a world that went so far beyond simple numbers and power levels and traits¡­ brick by brick, we taught the System what it was to be alive.

    And when the System was finally finished¡­ I let go a grip that I¡¯d never realized I held until this moment.

    ¡°We¡¯re done. It¡¯s done. You can¡­ you can rest now.¡± I whispered softly to the Arcanum, and opened my ¡®hand¡¯.

    And without the faintest hint of a whisper, the Arcanum that held the world outside vanished into a mist. Tower and Grimoire and Oak and all the rest. And I could feel the corrupted Arcanum outside, gripped by Anyim¡¯s madness simply¡­ cease to be. Tower and Forge faded away around me, and instead I could feel the solidity of Daniyel. The firm truth of things that Soriya granted, the understanding that Camaxtli¡¯s journey had granted him.

    A soft smile crossed my face as I thought of Anyim¡¯s panicked shrieks and the demands he must be making to suddenly empty walls.

    <Resetting to baseline parameters, incorporating new data. Please hold, the System is being upgraded.> The System¡¯s voice chimed softly. And I could feel the ripples flowing into and out of me, the way the System shifted, expanded to accommodate its new understanding of the world.

    I guess the world is going to need to study the new System. But maybe that¡¯s no bad thing. I thought.

    Outside, there was probably chaos, but not nearly as much as there must have been when the System first came online.

    <System update complete. Regular service will now resume. Thank you for your assistance, System administrator.>

    I waited, but there was nothing more. I took another deep breath of nothingness and nodded. ¡°Ok everyone.¡± I ¡®said¡¯ to my friends through our connection.

    ¡°Now for the fun part. Everyone, remember how Forge made our boardgames? We¡¯re going to make ourselves bodies, back in the physical world.¡±

    The echoes of shock and confusion, followed immediately by the soothing knowledge of Soriya, of Camaxtli and Lakshmi and the attentive voice of the System, still waiting for the System Administrator.

    This could get really addictive. Provided it works. I¡¯m¡­ going to need to log us all out, or we really will end up with a bad end! I thought.

    Flesh and blood, bone and sinew, and with hardly a ripple at all, six brand new people popped into existence.

    I took a deep breath and felt the air rush through my lungs, and let out a laugh of relief, quickly echoed by all of us.

    Ok System¡­ now¡­ log us out. Log us all out. I ¡®pushed¡¯ my thought at the System, and with a faint feeling of mental suction suddenly¡­ I was just Lilyanna of Breezewood again.

    Six Months Later

    For Real, This Time

    The winter festival was in full swing in Breezewood, and the cold brought a bright glow to everyone¡¯s cheeks. Or perhaps I¡¯d just underestimated how much of a kick Soriya¡¯s Sparklewine held.

    I smiled up at Eshaan, and squeezed his hand, my heart thudding in my chest.

    ¡°Ready?¡± I asked him.

    He nodded, and I could see his own embarrassment and nervous energy boiling in him.

    ¡°Ready.¡± His voice almost squeaked and I squeezed his hand.

    We approached the town, our shoes crunching through the fresh snow, our breath pluming white in the air. Lakshmi waved to us excitedly from the lakeshore, her brilliant crimson coat standing out against the white and blue. Camaxtli steadied her as she almost tipped into the water with the force of her excitement. Behind her, the Sparrowhawk IV bobbed gently against the dock.

    We hurried over to meet her before she could fall into the lake for real.

    The festival roiled and bobbed around us.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d make it!¡± I said, giving Lakshmi a firm hug.

    Lakshmi put her hands on her hips and gave me an affronted stare. ¡°As if?! The Great Air Pirate Lakshmi Maung would never miss one of her crew¡¯s weddings!¡±

    I blushed and looked down at the ground, then back up at her. ¡°You¡¯re right. How could I doubt the great Air Pirate.¡±

    Eshaan grinned at her with his usual energy. ¡°Did you ever manage to track down the author who¡¯s writing all those novels about you?¡±

    Lakshmi scowled. ¡°No! Blasted scallywag is good at hiding! But never fear! I¡¯ll get my royalties yet!¡±

    Camaxtli smiled quietly, and nodded to us. ¡°We have made progress. I suspect that the captain does not truly wish to find the author, however.¡±

    ¡°Lies!¡± Lakshmi swung around and glared at Camaxtli. ¡°Why would I do that! Don¡¯t answer that!¡± She said as Camaxtli started to open his mouth.

    Camaxtli turned to me. ¡°As you can see, my study of humanity continues. Why you would demand an answer and then demand not to hear it¡­ a great mystery.¡±

    ¡°Will you return to the Jubilee?¡± I asked curiously.

    ¡°In time. I am still coming to grips with the fact that our little adventure has given me a spirit of my own.¡± He placed his hand on his chest.

    ¡°You can say ¡®soul¡¯, you know.¡± Lakshmi grumbled.

    ¡°I could, but I am not yet convinced that is the correct word. Research continues.¡±

    Before the two could start arguing again, Soriya found us. Daniyel was gripped tightly by his arm, and she looked radiant.

    I gave her a hug and looked at her. Her dress was a glowing white, with faint blue and purple accents, and she looked every bit the bride.

    I smiled at her. ¡°You look wonderful. Never thought I¡¯d see you in white though.¡±

    Soriya blushed and hugged me back. ¡°You hush, you¡¯ll get plenty of experience soon enough.¡±

    This time it was my turn to blush. ¡°But I already wear white.¡± I demurred.

    My friends laughed, but I couldn¡¯t mistake how Eshaan¡¯s hand tightened in mine.

    ¡°No word from the Empire?¡± I said to Lakshmi.

    She shook her head. ¡°No. My father just¡­ vanished when Deacon did. My brother is doing a perfectly acceptable job, and when the war fell apart after the Church completely collapsed¡­ well. I think I¡¯m better off far far away from the throne. Plus, the changes to the System have thrown everything into turmoil. He¡¯s far too busy.¡±

    ¡°Does he know you can cast magic?¡±

    Lakshmi scowled. ¡°No. And if you mention it to him, I will murder you!¡±

    I giggled. ¡°When would I ever meet the emperor?!¡± I protested. ¡°I¡¯m just a simple village girl.¡± I wagged my finger in her face. ¡°And I¡¯ll murder you if you mention otherwise.¡± I said teasingly.

    ¡°Hah! The great Lakshmi never backs down from a threat!¡±

    Whatever else she might have added was drowned out by the sudden surge of music from nearby.

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re calling you.¡± I said to Soriya, giving her a quick hug. ¡°Lets go have a small adventure.¡±

    Eshaan laughed. ¡°Like you could do small.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ maybe I¡¯ll try it. Just this once.¡± I said to him, and linked my arm in his.

    Our little group headed to Soriya¡¯s wedding, and what I dearly did hope would be a small adventure.

    I looked up fondly at Eshaan and smiled softly. Though¡­ I wouldn¡¯t mind a bigger adventure with him. Things didn¡¯t turn out how I expected¡­ but I guess that¡¯s life.