《Clouds of Fauna》 Prologue - The Silver Sapling Lys awoke in a makeshift tent laying on a bed of soft leaves. Her bones creaked as she sat up. Stretching her arms, she looked over her olive toned skin finding a few cuts and bruises that had mostly healed. Running her slender fingers through her long brown hair, she snagged them on many tangles and knots. Clenching her teeth she groaned while slowly turning her body, and dangling her feet off the edge. She looked around and noticed a large hairy figure approaching. ¡°Good morning, ma¡¯am! Well, uh, it¡¯s nighttime now, but um¡­ good to see you¡¯re awake. You¡¯ve been asleep for almost two days.¡± ¡°Paouni, where is Ong?¡± ¡°Oh chief Ongjorni, he¡¯s running around holding this place together. He told me to keep watch over you and make sure you don¡¯t move too quickly. That was an amazing spell you cast, you saved us.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do it alone. How many did we lose?¡± ¡°Most survived but... all the elders except one, and the young children didn¡¯t make it. We recovered all the bodies. Well, almost all of them.¡± Lys swallowed hard and took a deep breath before speaking. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. All those innocent children. If it¡¯s Myorni¡¯s body you¡¯re looking for you can stop, there is no body to find.¡± ¡°Oh... um... well, where is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s gone Pao and did I hear you correctly? You said chief Ongjorni.¡± ¡°Uh... yeah, I mean, since most of the elders are gone he¡¯s been running the place, everyone¡¯s calling him chief.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Ong¡¯s always been one of the toughest. He¡¯s almost tougher than me, definitely smarter.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t give yourself enough credit. I knew you were the strongest among us. It¡¯s no surprise you have nary a scratch on you.¡± Lys moved to exit the tent. Pao jumped in front of her. Spreading his broad muscled arms and sticking out his bare tan chest. Filling the space with his expansive form and ever present funk of body odor and booze. ¡°Pao, please get out of my way. I need to see Ong.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get him for you, ma¡¯am but he gave me very specific instructions not let you leave and that you would try to force your way out.¡± Lys had a crippling headache and knew she was in no condition to subdue him else she would. ¡°Alright I¡¯ll stay here, but please fetch him quickly.¡± ¡°On it ma¡¯am¡± Pao turned and ran through the rows of tents. Once certain he was far enough away she reached under her shirt and touched a symbol tattooed under her breast, while reciting an incantation. Her body morphed into a large cat covered in orange fur and black spots. She stealthily moved out of the tent. Briefly looking around, she glimpsed the aftermath of their escape. Injured wrapped head to toe, mothers left destitute weeping over empty bundles and rising smoke from funeral pyres. Guilt gripped her throat; unable to bear the sight, she fled into the forest. She ran through the night until she arrived at the edge of the grove. Carefully she walked through the clearing, scanning every fallen tree, dead animal, piece of debris, searching. Then she saw it, a tiny silver sapling growing in a beam of moonlight. Lys reverted to her normal form and wearily collapsed by the sapling. The ground quaked under heavy footsteps. She forced herself up and turned. A large purple bull with a body full of stars stepped into the clearing. Its massive horns jutted out past its shoulders, then curved sharply inward, ending at dagger tipped points. The bull stopped and morphed into a man with a long, extravagant, finely braided brown beard, and muscular physique.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I figured I¡¯d find you around here.¡± ¡°Ongjorni! He who breathes life into my world.¡± ¡°Lysyntri, she who breathes life into my world.¡± Ong ran and took Lys into his arms. His bare grizzled chest, and tree trunk arms engulfed her, revitalized her. Lys had to put on a strong front; everyone looked up to her. But here, buried in his luxurious beard, created the one place where she didn¡¯t have to. For the first time in many years she wept. A steady stream of grief for the fallen, regret for the past, and the loss of a sister, all soaked up by Ong¡¯s beard. Once Lys she¡¯d cried enough, she looked up at him and he looked at her with a smile. ¡°So it¡¯s Chief Ongjorni the Bull now,¡± Lys said. ¡°You know that makes you Chieftess Lysyntri the Spider.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing new, my sister, and I were basically in charge, anyway. Though I¡¯ve no right to lead, I failed everyone.¡± ¡°My life, you didn¡¯t fail anyone. Your plan worked, were safe for now.¡± ¡°Ong, let¡¯s go somewhere quiet for a while. I¡¯m not ready to look anyone in the eye but you.¡± ¡°My life, anything you wish.¡± Ong cradled her and carried her off into the night, the sapling visibly growing in the moonlight. # After most of the wounded recovered, the tribe traveled deeper into the forest, until they came across a clearing surrounded by large densely packed trees. Lys declared that this would be the perfect spot to set up a more permanent settlement. The others followed her suggestion. Using stone, clay, and bits of foliage, they constructed a village that blended perfectly with the surrounding forest. Once they felt secure in their new surroundings, they held a meeting in the center of the village to discuss their next move. ¡°Thanks to Myorni¡¯s sacrifice we¡¯re safe here for a time. But that safety comes with no guarantee. Lysyntri has informed me that this spell is very experimental, and she is unsure how long it will last. The enemy is still searching for a way in; we must remain vigilant. All the little ones and most of the elders have perished, save for myself. The future of the Usgrat tribe is uncertain, and until we can secure a future, children will be a liability; I am a liability. Therefore, we are all to drink this tonic. It will sterilize us, the effects can be reversed later once we find a way to remove the malice that infects our souls.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± one female stood up and looked at Lys. ¡°I can smell it, you¡¯re pregnant, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ong stared wide eyed at Lys ¡°Is it true?¡± ¡°Yes darling, I only recently found out myself. I meant to tell you sooner, but we were all so busy. The elder and I already discussed it. I¡¯m keeping the baby. The child will not become a liability. I have a plan to keep him safe.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your plan?¡± Protested the female. ¡°I need not bore you with the details, just know that I can keep my child and this village safe. You know what I am capable of, I have more than proven myself.¡± ¡°Of course you have, the Spider always gets her way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Bellowed Ong. ¡°It¡¯s true that we have no guarantee of safety and it¡¯s likely that we do not have a future. But we have to keep some hope. That we will reclaim our homeland. This child, my child, shall be our one hope, that we have a future.¡± Pao stood and declared. ¡°I the strongest warrior of the Usgrat pledge my axe, in service to protecting our future.¡± ¡°Thank you, brother. The two of us will stand guard over the future, let us all march towards it together!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that!¡± Someone shouted, and the meeting degraded into a booze fest. Ong and Lys sneaked away to talk in private. ¡°You said you had a plan to keep him safe. How do you know it¡¯s a boy?¡± ¡°I just have a feeling.¡± Lys looked down while gently rubbing her belly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry my child. You will have a hard life. But I know you will find so much joy along the way. The good will always outweigh the bad, and as long as you keep living, things will get better. Be strong and never forget that you belong in this world. My little Ang.¡± 1 - There was a Spider He could hear the willow tree softly humming an enchanting song. After many visits, he taught himself how to perform this melody. Little Ang sat beneath its silver leaves, playing his ocarina. His round tan face already had a bit of dark stubble. He kept his black hair short to keep the leaves out and wore a brown, loose fitting tunic. As he played the thin branches began to weave and curl, he stopped and the branches fell limp. ¡°Did I do that?¡± He started to play again, and the branches danced with exuberance, he stopped and they rustled in the breeze. ¡°It¡¯s just like what mom can do when she sings.¡± He puffed out his cheeks and played as loud as he could. The tree¡¯s song had a power that entered his body and flowed through his veins. Urging him to jump and dance with the willow, laughing and playing the day away. A branch knocked the instrument out of his hands. Snapping out of his trance he looked up and saw the full moon. A shot of adrenaline cleared the music from his blood, as he realized how late it was and sprinted home. His mother would scold him for being out so late. He ran into the house. No one¡¯s home, the adults must be having another meeting. He heard footsteps approaching and swiftly ran into his room, jumped in bed and pulled the covers over his chest. His mother Lys, came into the room. He feigned sleep as she gently kissed his forehead and quietly left. ¡°How is he?¡± asked Ong. His thick stubbly legs barely reached the wood floor as he kicked his rocking chair back, brawny arms, and hands black with soot held a wide pipe. His trusted battle axe always strapped to his hip. ¡°Safe and sound,¡± answered Lys, as her slender form slid through the doorway. She swept her long brown hair back as she quietly closed the door behind her. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be playing out there. We don¡¯t know how much longer we¡¯ll remain hidden.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright Ong, he was playing beneath the Silver Willow. Honestly, he¡¯s safer under that tree than in this village.¡± ¡°And how do you know where he was?¡± ¡°Because a spider went along,¡± giggled Lys. ¡°She told me some very interesting things happened. I think it might be time for him to learn.¡± ¡°Already! But he¡¯s only nine.¡± ¡°Shh!¡± Whispered Lys holding a finger to her lips. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. He¡¯s already showing an aptitude for magic.¡± ¡°I think I was eleven when I started showing, you started at what eight?¡± ¡°Seven, my sister showed at eight. Were just early bloomers, which is good. The sooner he learns how to protect himself, the better.¡± Suddenly a large hairy man with a bare tanned chest kicked open the door. In his muscled arms he held several glass orbs filled with amber liquid. ¡°Brother! Lys! It¡¯s been a great day, we need to celebrate!¡± ¡°Paouni! Lower your voice, Ang is trying to sleep,¡± said Lys sharply. ¡°But I¡¯m cured and didn¡¯t die. We gotta celebrate with some Bubble Beer.¡± ¡°When did you get Bubble Beer?¡± asked Ong. ¡°Remember when Yoorei, Kiliyi, and me went to that pixie land. I won a drinking competition there, so they gave me all this beer.¡± ¡°That was years ago, you¡¯ve kept that beer for this long, I¡¯m shocked,¡± said Lys. ¡°Yeah, me too! Honestly, I forgot about it until I bumped the crate I had it in. Come on, have a drink with me.¡± He popped the tops off with his dusty thumbs. ¡°Pao! I just told you Ang is trying to sleep. Outside both of you.¡± ¡°Ah, let the boy join us,¡± said Pao. ¡°Yeah, you said so yourself he¡¯s starting to show, he¡¯s practically a man now,¡± said Ong. ¡°Out of the question. His first lesson starts tomorrow, and the last thing he needs is a hangover. Besides, I put some ensomnia on him so he¡¯ll sleep soundly. Now hurry on outside, and hand me one of those beers.¡± My first lesson starts tomorrow, Ang thought. He almost jumped out of bed, but his eyelids grew heavy and he drifted into a deep slumber. # The next morning he awoke early and well rested. He wiped the drool from his cheek and hopped out of bed. Outside, he could hear his mother humming and tending to her garden. Of all the gardens, hers was the most beautiful and bountiful. Lys was wearing her blue dress that day. Ang loved that dress. It had a divine hue. She seemed to blend in with the predominantly green landscape, as if she were an integral part of it. Like an irrigation stream, or the sky and she the sun, nourishing all things with her presence. While tending to a budding bush, she wove a tapestry of light in the air, and with a hand sign activated it, causing the whole plant to blossom. Noticing Ang watching her, she called out. ¡°Ang! You¡¯re awake, come I have something to show you.¡± Lys beckoned him with a sunny smile. He moved to stand next to his mother. ¡°Now close your eyes¡±. As he did, she placed a hand on his head. He felt his essence expanding, growing spiritually, becoming one with the surrounding nature. ¡°That feeling Ang, that¡¯s your Imdrina, your essence. Since you are my son, your Imdrina is like my own. Thus, it is easy to blend some of mine with yours. Now hold up one finger and focus all of your Imdrina into the tip of that finger.¡± He did as she instructed. He could feel the energy gathering at the tip of his finger. It was warm, like holding a mug of tea. ¡°Alright now hold the energy there until you make contact with the bud. Then envision the energy flowing into it.¡± Placing a finger on the bud, he felt the connection and let the energy flow. The bud opened only a little. Mother, detecting his disappointment, was ready with a suggestion. ¡°Let¡¯s try the same thing. This time focus the energy into your thumb.¡± Thus began Ang¡¯s first lesson in using magic. Placing his thumb on the bud, it began to blossom. Not as colorful and vibrant as mom could do, but it was a good start. In this state of heightened awareness, he could feel the movements of the worms beneath his feet. Something seemed off. He could sense frantic activity. As if they were attempting to burrow themselves deeper into the soil, as if they were trying to get away from something. Ang knelt down and felt the soil to coerce the worms to come out. The hairs on his neck stood up, as he sensed a sinister presence behind him. He spun around, his mother had vanished. In her place stood a giant figure clad in black armor so dark it seemed to suck in all the surrounding light and had wicked sharp thorns and edges. Its presence paralyzed him. The aura of this monster crushing his soul. Thorny vines shot up from the ground, entangling the giant. Its aura subsided, and the pressure lifted from his chest. A voice in his head whispered ¡°run¡±. Heeding the voice he got up and ran. He couldn¡¯t see any other villagers, but plenty more armored giants were around. In his haste he tripped, causing a giant to notice him. It gave chase with surprising speed, quickly closing the gap between them. Its strides shook the ground. The pressure stifled his movement. Claws scratching at his tunic. Then he heard a loud roar and a hammer strike metal. A black helmet flew over his head. landing several meters in front of him. On the edge of the forest. He stared at the empty helmet. He felt its hot acrid breath on his nap. Something big and deadly breathed heavily behind him. He slowly turned to find himself face to face with a colossal gray bear. Though the bear oozed of primal ferocity, it had an amicable presence. He heard the voice again. ¡°Keep running.¡± A figure clad in black robes shot an arrow encased in black aura. The arrow struck the bears rear left thigh. Wailing in pain, it turned to face the attacker. Ang noticed the arrow created an unnaturally large gash already gravely infected and spreading. Other robed figures on dark steeds set the village ablaze. The sky darkened. The bear faced down an army of giants and robed figures. Ang heeded the voice turned and ran. He didn¡¯t know how long he ran, what direction, or how far. He ran until he blacked out. When he awoke, he looked up. Mind hazy and vision blurred, but he still recognized her figure. She placed a hand on his head, and he floated to his feet. Vision clearing, he scanned his new surroundings. The trees were taller than any he¡¯d seen before, and the flowers were more diverse and colorful. What caught his eye was that blue; the divine blue that stood out amongst the foliage. A small piece of fabric caught in the web of a spider. He approached the web. Ang took the cloth in hand. He thought about his father and uncle, getting drunk and telling him stories of their adventures. He remembered how he had a bed in every hut, the village collectively raising him. He thought of his mother singing to him, with a voice that made the forest dance. A lump grew in his throat, tears blotted out his vision. He collapsed snuggling the fabric, a deluge of water flowing from his eyes. He cried all day until he fell asleep. The next day he awoke to find a small shelter constructed around him. A blue tarantula with red knee joints was there, standing next to a thick tome. Ang moved to pick up the tome and opened the hard wood cover to the first gold page. On it was a letter from his mother it read. ¡°My little Ang. If you¡¯re reading this, then I am most likely gone. I must apologize. You being the only child of the Usgrat, we placed the heavy burden of our future on your shoulders. Forget about that. Our tribe is gone, but you still have family out there. I want you to live for yourself. But to live and survive, you must learn to use magic. The spider Kiliyi is an old friend of mine. Don¡¯t let her looks deceive you, she is a powerful caster and has a lot to teach you. Use this book as a guide, and I know you will quickly master your talents. Love Mom Ang turned the page and read the passage. Basics of magic The key to using magic is harnessing and focusing Imdrina. Imdrina is the blood of life, and the fuel for all magic spells. All living things and many non-living things possess Imdrina. The age that any creature will exhibit the usage of Imdrina as magic varies. Some may use magic at birth, others can take several years, and many never display the ability. Imdrina is crafted into spells by channeling it in specific ways. Many creatures at birth still have under developed Imdrina channels and cannot focus it into magic. The methods of focusing Imdrina into spells are as follows. Runes Rune weaving is one of the most common ways of producing magic effects. Most creatures can use runes. The requirement for using runes is knowledge of the specific patterns necessary to produce the desired effect, a surface to write on, and something to write with. Often bipedal organisms use this form of casting by drawing the runes in the air with tracer light. Having dexterous fingers allows some to weave complex hand signs. The most common method is carving the desired runes into the dirt. Sound Creatures can channel Imdrina through sound. The methods of forming the proper channels using sound vary. Birds especially parrots are very adept at this method. Many birds can produce a wide range of sounds, but parrots and a few other species can also recite incantations. Organisms that cannot sing or do not possess the right vocal range can recite incantations. An infinite number of incantations can be made in any language. What makes Incantations work is not the actual words said, but the sounds produced. Because of this many incantations, are often strung together using words that make no sense, since the words only serve as guides to help one memorize and produce the correct sounds.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Music can produce powerful effects. Singing an incantation can sometimes provide a boost to the spell. By harmonizing sounds, the effects of magic can be amplified exponentially depending on the number or type of harmonies created. Instruments are inherently magical, though some more than others depending on the craftsmanship. Color and Patterns Coloring is the rarest form of casting. Only creatures capable of changing their color or texture can use it. The Chameleon is a prime example of this. By altering their skin color in various sequences, they can produce a vast number of magical effects. Additionally, the pattern on a creature¡¯s fur, scales, feathers, et cetera, may provide some innate magic. Innate Abilities Most things have a natural affinity to a certain element or specific magic. Their bodies are designed to leave these channels open. Because they are always being channeled, these abilities can be cast instantly and remain active almost indefinitely. The whale is a large creature of the ocean, known for its ability to control the tide and produce whale clouds. Zebras can make themselves invisible while moving because of their strip patterns. Turtles can make their bodies hard as diamond. A myriad of innate abilities exist. With training, one can make frequently used magic spells innate. Items It is possible to create items with colors, patterns or runes set to produce the desired magic. These can take many forms. Effects can be woven into clothing, carved into clay, or engraved into metal. One can also tattoo, brand, or scar patterns onto skin. Magic can also be braided into hair. Ardin are special kinds of items that can produce their own Imdrina. Casters can use this to supplement or cast spells without using their own Imdrina. Ardin are rare and difficult to create, often involving a sacrifice. These are most often crafted using glass or wood, since these materials are the easiest to imbue, but almost anything can be made into an Ardin. After reading the text, he looked up at Kiliyi. He noticed she had an intricate silver horizontal stripe pattern on her abdomen and an elaborate gold line running vertically down the center of her body. He whipped the crust from his eyes and asked, ¡°So you¡¯re Kiliyi. Are you why they sometimes call my mom The Spider?¡± Kiliyi swiveled her head from side-to-side. He looked around the space. ¡°Did you build this overnight?¡± She nodded. ¡°Do you know where we are? Did any of the villagers survive that attack? What were those things?¡± She shrugged and held up her front leg producing a faint glow at the tip. Ang recognized this as tracer light. ¡°Do you want me to do the same?¡± Kiliyi nodded. Remembering the first lesson with his mother, he closed his eyes and focused energy into the tip of his finger. He could feel the Imdrina gathering warming the tip. Then he imagined the energy igniting into light. His finger got a little warmer. Certain he had done it, he opened his eyes and saw no light shone. Kiliyi jumped onto his shoulder, and in a moment his finger lit up. She leapt off his shoulder; the light flickered and went out. They spent several hours practicing this spell. Kiliyi assisting with each of his attempts leaping onto and off of his shoulder to help focus his Imdrina. Finally, after many attempts, he could produce the tracer light on his own. The tome then opened to a certain page, with a picture of a rune he recognized. ¡°This is the protection rune that everyone drew above their doorways.¡± Kiliyi scuttled outside. ¡°Hey, Kiliyi where are you going?¡± He followed her to the side of the hut where she crawled above a web, with the protection rune spun into it. She then lit her front leg and waved it in the air. ¡°You want me to try drawing the rune with tracer light?¡± She nodded. Activating his tracer light, he used the web as a guide to draw the protection rune. A surge of energy surround him as the spell activated. Ang thought out loud. ¡°This rune is meant to provide protection, but it didn¡¯t do much good.¡± He went back into the hut and noticed the tome had already flipped to the appropriate page. This page detailed how runes are drawn. He learned that straight lines indicate strength, protection, or solid matter. Wavy lines were for manipulation of the elements. # He studied rune weaving for many days. At night going hunting with Kiliyi, practicing the runes he learned in his studies on their prey, while also weaving a few experimental signs of his own crafting. He was a fast learner, and within a few months gained enough of an understanding that he could draw improvements to the original protection rune. He grew accustomed to seeing Kiliyi first thing in the morning standing atop the open tome, prepared for the day¡¯s lesson. On this morning, both were missing. Ang quickly got up and stepped outside. On a branch just a few meters ahead hung his ocarina. Kiliyi rested on the trunk of the same tree, with the opened tome suspended in a web below. ¡°Kiliyi, you found my ocarina!¡± Seizing the instrument Ang played the willows song, and watched the forest danced. Kiliyi jumped onto his shoulder and motioned to the book. He picked it up and read the passage. Transformation Magic Transformation magic is complex. To use it properly, a caster must use two different channeling methods at once. For most casters this would mean drawing the proper rune and reciting an incantation. Coloring can be used in place of either the rune or incantation. It is impossible to transform into something smaller than oneself, since mass can only be added to the body, not subtracted. The more mass that is added the more difficult the transformation is to maintain. This means that smaller bodies have an advantage when using transformation spells. The number of things they can transform into is greater, and they can remain transformed longer. Transformation spells cannot be used to turn into another individual. For example, two casters can transform into wolves. However, they will be two distinctly different wolves. All physical deformities, scars, and quirks will carry over to the new form. If a caster is missing an arm, they will become a three legged wolf. If their eye is scarred closed, it shall remain so. To make oneself look like another individual, refer to the section on illusion magic. Below this text was a rune with the words ¡°deer¡± written below, followed by a series of musical notes. Ang took off his ragged shirt and using a nearby puddle of mud drew the rune on his belly. He picked up his ocarina and played the notes. The Imdrina flowed in and around his body. Upon playing the final note, his body morphed. Fur sprouted all over, his fingers turned to hooves, and it became difficult to stand on two legs. He successfully transformed into a young deer with dirty pants on. His legs trembled, and he toppled over into the mud. He got up and taught himself how to walk on four legs. Once he got the hang of it, he ran around the forest with Kiliyi until nightfall. Tired of being a deer, Ang looked to undo the spell. Kiliyi directed him back to the tome. Which opened to a page that listed several simple methods of undoing transformations. Ang panicked, he had no hands to handle the ocarina, nor could he use his tracer light. Remembering the basics of magic, he bleated a few notes and returned to his normal state. Exhausted, he retired to his hut. # For the next several months, Ang practiced using his ocarina to cast spells. After a long day of studying and practicing, Ang returned to his hut to find a special surprise. Kiliyi stood next a delectable treat with a wax candle burning in the center. ¡°Oh! I had completely forgotten, it''s my birthday today. And is that my favorite coco butter cake with strawberry jam on top? But¡­ how, Kiliyi how did you know? How did you know today was by birthday, and how did you know my favorite cake?¡± She shrugged and gestured for him to sit. He sat, blew out the candle picked up the small cake, and bit into it. ¡°Mmm, Kiliyi it¡¯s delicious.¡± He said with a mouth full of moist treat. The flavor took him home. It tasted exactly how mom prepared it every year. Kiliyi crawled onto his shoulder and whipped the tear from his cheek. He tore off a small piece and handed it to her. That night Ang had a lucid dream of sitting in the large meeting hall. His mother, father, uncle, and all the other villagers came to celebrate with a grand feast full of music, merriment and dancing all through the night. # While practicing his transformation spells, Ang developed a theory. ¡°Hey Kiliyi you know how the tome mentions innate abilities and how the patterns on fur or skin can grant those. Do you think maybe it¡¯s possible to add those kinds of abilities to my transformations?¡± Kiliyi nodded enthusiastically. He draws the rune for his dog transformation. ¡°Now if I add a line here, change this line and add a few dots. Hmm¡­ what do you think?¡± Kiliyi crawled over and made a few slight adjustments. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s great, now let¡¯s see if this works.¡± He picked up the ocarina and started playing the song that accompanied the rune allowing him to take the form of a black dog with jagged red fire strips. He pursed his lips to howl but a jet of fire came out, startling him out of his transformation. Falling back on his bum he exclaimed. ¡°Whoa! Kiliyi did you see that!¡± Kiliyi raised her front legs and clapped. Ang displayed a big toothy grin, jumped to his feet, and re-initiated the modified transformation. Spewing fire in all directions he accidentally set a flowering bush on fire. He quickly undid the transformation and ran to the bush. ¡°Oh, no! I¡¯m sorry, I got carried away. How do I put out the fire? Um¡­ I know.¡± Activating tracer light he started drawing a water rune, but drew one for wind fanning the flames. He desperately tried to pat out the flames. ¡°Ahh! Hot! Water, I need to find some water!¡± He ran in circles as the blaze engulfed the bush. A shower drizzled over it extinguishing the flame. In the canopy above Kiliyi spun a runed web. Ang raised his arms, placed his hands on his head, and exhaled. ¡°Oooh, thank you Kiliyi, but look what I did.¡± He inspects the damage. ¡°I killed it. I¡¯m so sorry bush, and you had such beautiful flowers.¡± He put his palms over his face. Kiliyi crawled over and tapped him on the ankle. Ang took a shaky breath, looked down at her, and sniffed. ¡°What? It¡¯s dead, and it''s all my fault.¡± She dug into the soil under the burned bush to reveal healthy roots. ¡°You''re saying it''s not dead, there¡¯s still a chance I can bring it back?¡± She nods. Placing his hands on the charred bush, he says. ¡°I¡¯m gonna practice my water runes and nurse you back to health. I¡¯ll make this all better I promise.¡± He immediately got to work pruning the burnt parts, then returned to the hut to study fervently. Experimenting with different notes and melodies. He realized that music is like using wavy lines in runes, but channeling is much faster and more dynamic. With his ocarina, he could easily cast spells that control the elements. Not only could he start a fire, he could manipulate it. Make the flames take the shape of an animal or spin into a cyclone. He played a song to start the rain, then a different song to clear the clouds. He summoned a gentle breeze that turned into a tornado. He caused many strange weather phenomena to occur in his small corner of the forest. In his transformation studies, he sought to recreate the giant gray bear that saved him from the giants. After many months of trying, he could take the form of a large gray bear, though he could only maintain the transformation for a short time. While Ang learned and practiced magic, Kiliyi was not idle. Using her nearly indestructible gold silk, she set up a complex network of trip wire and traps. All of which were connected to a single gold thread linked to the web she set up in a corner of the hut. It wasn¡¯t unusual to feel vibrations in the web from time to time, but on this morning her web jolted violently. Kiliyi sprung into action, jumping onto Ang¡¯s back, she firmly pricked him with a fang. ¡°Ouch! Kiliyi what was that fo.¡± She jumped onto his face and pointed to her web. His eyes widened, as he took shallow breaths. Something or several things were coming toward them. Then he realized, by practicing loud and flashy spells it was only a matter of time before someone would notice. He had compromised their position. Kiliyi jumped to the ground and carefully approached the entrance. Ang slowly crawling behind her. She made it to the corner of the doorway and crawled up the side. Ang slowly poked his head out. His heart sank when he saw three black armored giants approaching. ¡°Oh no, Kiliyi what do we do?¡± whispered Ang. The spider continued to climb higher. Thanks to the protection spell, the giants didn¡¯t notice him yet. He needed to work fast. He started drawing the rune for his gray bear transformation on the ground. Next he carved the runes for his black dog transformation. Looking up, the giants were almost upon him. He wouldn¡¯t have time to draw another rune. Ang grabbed his ocarina and hung it around his neck with a silk lanyard Kiliyi made. He stood up and readied his tracer light. As soon as he started to draw a rune, the giants rapidly closed the distance. They surrounded Ang. Their auras crushing him. He struggled against the pressure. Grabbing the ocarina he tried to lift it to his lips. The giants placed their black clawed hands on the barrier pushing through. Ang looked around Kiliyi was nowhere in sight. The giants were grasping for him. Kiliyi, mom, dad, uncle, someone, please help me. Ang thought tears rolling down his cheeks. It¡¯s hopeless; These things took out my whole village full of skilled casters and craftsmen. What can I do? What can one little spider do? They¡¯re going to crush me. I can¡¯t even fight back. Then she sprung her trap. A gold silk net fell from the sky, and simultaneously gold threads shot up from the ground. She ensnared all three monsters in her web. The pressure subsided. Ang looked around and noticed a long thread coming off one giant. It led high into a tree, at the end of the thread stood Kiliyi on the trunk. With a flick of her leg, she ignited the thread with blood red flame. Her gold web burst into red fire. The giants burned rapidly, their sickly black armor melting away into nothing. Ang stood there for what felt like an eternity. Kiliyi crawled onto his shoulder, and he exhaled. ¡°Wow, Kiliyi you¡¯re amazing. Looks like we¡¯re safe for now.¡± Ang sighed heavily and turned. ¡°We can¡¯t stay here anymore, can we?¡± Kiliyi scuttled off and beckoned for him to follow. She led him around to a tree and waved her tracer light before it, revealing a hollow filled with spider silk threads. Hanging in the center were a brown pair of trousers and a reddish brown shirt. Tucked neatly into the shirt pocket was a small piece of blue fabric. Ang bent down and gently cupped her into his hands. ¡°Did you make these for me?¡± Kiliyi responded by wiping a tear from his eye and pointing to his new outfit. He placed her back on the ground and began to take off his rags. The trousers felt thick and durable but light. The shirt felt the same. They were so comfortable he had to double check he put them on. The shirt created a deep v line that exposed the few hairs he was sprouting. His beard was starting to grow in, and he had put on a bit of muscle. Kiliyi pointed back to the hollow. Ang took another look and noticed a black pair of shoes and a bag. He didn¡¯t care for shoes; his feet were durable enough without them. He figured he will be walking for a while, so best to put them on. He still felt barefoot. Ang slung the ocarina around his neck, grabbed the tome and placed it in the bag, along with some food and magic items he was working on. Kiliyi rigged the hut, and they stood several meters away as she ignited a gold thread and burned it away. Ang with his mentor Kiliyi on his left shoulder. It was time to start the long journey to find a home. 2 - Indusium Veil 2.0 Angdraoni determined to get stronger wanted to learn how to use magic to fight. The tome turned to the page concerning magic combat. Magic combat basics. All magic is aligned with a certain element. There are five elements that can be categorized as wind, water, stone, death, and fire. Many unique spells are a mixture of two or more elements. When engaging in active combat, timing, knowledge, and observation are key. To counter properly, one must be able to identify the nature of the assault. Preferably before the spell is cast. Coloring while often cited as the fastest method suffers from flashiness and predictability. Rune weaving is the second fastest and harder to predict. Songs and Incantations are considered the slowest but least predictable. Creatures that can use coloring or possess items that allow for its use, benefit from its speed. However, based on what colors or patterns they flash, it is easy for a knowledgeable caster to predict the element of the attack. Red to orange indicates fire or heat based. Yellow to white is wind, gas, and air effects. Green to brown is stone, loam, and floral effects. Blue to indigo represents water or ice. Purple to black is death and decay. Runes are not as easy to predict. Multiple versions of a rune that cause similar effects exist, and an opponent can have unique runes. They can also draw runes with added lines or dots that make no change to the desired magic but are meant to confuse the opponent. In general, fire is represented by jagged and intersecting lines, wind by looping lines and figure eights, stone by triangles, squares, and straight lines. Water is the most complicated, runes can be drawn with wavy lines and shapes with five sides or more. Death is either spirals or circles. Songs and incantations are the most difficult to predict and block since language, sounds, and perception can vary from species to species. For this reason it is best to prevent the completion of the song or incantation all together. Skilled casters learn to use sound spells in conjunction with rune weaving or coloring, making prevention of the spell more difficult. Some may also use invisibility, perception dampening, or any number of tricks to complete sound spells. Fighting techniques Blocking is the art of cancelling an opponent¡¯s spell using the same element or state of matter. Wind spells can be cancelled out or blocked by other wind spells. Another stone projectile can block a solid stone projectile. Alternatively, it can also be blocked by a solid ice projectile. Piercing is the act of making one spell pass through another. The most common use of piercing is to break through an opponent¡¯s defensive barriers. Barriers of ice can be pierced with a concentrated fire projectile. Barriers of wind can be pierced with stone or ice projectiles, and so on. Counter piercing is piercing used against offensive assaults. An example of this is if an opponent flings a large fireball, one can pierce through the fireball with a stone projectile and due harm to the opposing caster. Though one would still need to either block or dodge the oncoming fireball. Backlogging is the art of concealing one spell behind the other. There are many ways to do this. With runes one can draw a rune cast it and then make a slight change to the rune and cast it again creating a backlogged spell. This is easily done with death and wind elements. The looping lines of wind rune, and the spirals of death can be cast in quick succession, changing very little of the rune. Because of how long it takes to cast a spell with songs or incantations backlogging is not often used; it would delay the spell or incantation further. Those who can use coloring champion this technique. Skilled Painters can rapid fire spells creating multiple backlogs. This is the greatest strength of coloring. An opponent may block the first spell but would not be prepared for the two or more spells that follow. Subjugation is the act of taking control of an opponent¡¯s magic effect, reversing the trajectory of a projectile, or using the effect to one¡¯s own advantage. A common example of this is a spiraling air ball can be used against a fireball. The wind will suck in the fire, reversing the trajectory of the fireball back at the assailant. Ice spells can freeze stone and launch the projectiles back. A firewall can catch a death spell, then be converted to a fireball and sent back. The number of potential subjugations is endless, and spells can be subjugated in ways one may not expect. Due to the dynamic nature of song casting, skilled musicians and songstress can excel at subjugation. One can alter a song spell during casting, allowing for greater improvisation and reduced predictability. Melding is the act of fusing two or more spells of different elements or states of nature. Wind is commonly mixed with other elements to bolster the effects, such as mixing a tornado and a fire spell to create a firenado. Rune weavers excel at melding. A caster can draw complex runes that cast multiple spells at once with effects that complement each other. This is harder for Painters to do, since they can cast only one spell at a time. To meld spells they would have to cast exceptionally fast. Songs and incantations can meld spells; however, this will lengthen casting time. Ang and Kiliyi spent several days wandering the forest, only stopping to camp for the night or practice combat. Whenever they stopped to practice, Kiliyi would spin a web then make twelve runes around it. After getting burned, frostbitten, and cut by Kiliyi¡¯s magic, Ang started to memorize what each rune did. Thankfully, Kiliyi¡¯s silk can heal wounds overnight. In his mind, Ang numbered the runes one through twelve and labeled the effect clockwise. By observing which rune she touched, Ang could prepare the proper spell to counter. He thought to himself. She touched rune nine, that¡¯s wind magic. I can block it with my wind spell but not completely, I still get hit by a big gust. Her wind spell always spirals to the right, maybe... Kiliyi fired her swirling wind ball just as Ang completed his own wind rune. As he thought by spiralling his wind ball in the opposite direction, he could completely cancel out the effect. ¡°Yes! Alright, what¡¯s next?¡± Ang observed Kiliyi and thought. Number two fauna magic. That rune acts like a distress beacon. According to the tome, you can¡¯t control the minds of others but you can offer suggestions, and a lot of things respond to Kiliyi¡¯s suggestions. Best use the ocarina, not sure what might be coming. As Ang readied his ocarina, he noticed Kiliyi crawl to the rune he numbered four. Flora magic, same as Fauna magic but with plants. A two pronged attack, now I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s about to happen. Ang began playing long looping wind notes, summoning a small tornado to shield himself. Then he played short fire notes. He can¡¯t hold them for long since the note itself becomes too hot. Spark by spark, he added fire to the tornado. A vine reached for him, but retracted from the flames. A hawk above came swooping down. Ang changed the song and sent a flair at the bird. Next, an Elk appeared, lowering its horns ready to charge. He manipulated his flames, shaping them into a large fiery bull. The elk backed up. Vines shot up and grabbed Ang¡¯s ankles . He fell over, dispelling his song. The elk walked over, and placed a hoof on his back, standing triumphantly. ¡°Get off of me! You were totally about to back down until that vine grabbed me.¡± The elk let out a defiant snort and victoriously trotted off. ¡°You barely got me Kiliyi. Alright, what¡¯s next?¡± Ang watched her touch runes number one and three. Number one is fire, three is rock, she¡¯s melding. Kiliyi launched her magma ball as Ang finished his ice wall rune, barley stopping the projectile. That was close, probably need to work on my water magic. Kiliyi touched number eight, nine and eleven. Even more melding. Let''s see, eight is mist, nine wind, eleven death. She is not holding back today. I have seen her use death bolts on our prey, small animals die instantly, larger ones get paralyzed depending on where it hits. She has combined it with mist and wind, in that case.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Just as Ang predicted, Kiliyi summoned a cloud of noxious fumes. He played long looping notes to summon a cyclone. This kept the fumes from reaching him. Then he added high melodies, forming a cold mist that clung to the poisonous vapors. Playing low melodies allowed him to call up bits of dirt, burying and neutralizing the toxins. ¡°Nice one Kiliyi! One more than we can take a break before we continue moving.¡± He noticed her moving to ten which he knew was decay magic, a subset of death magic, slower but more potent. ¡°Wait Kiliyi, I have a request. Whenever we spare you always draw these same twelve runes, I know what all of them do except for the one at the very top and the very bottom. I labeled them number twelve and number six. Mind showing me what they do? Kiliyi made a motion for him to step aside, he did so and she crawled down to number six. A bolt of electricity shot out of her web. ¡°I read that lightning is a combination of water and wind elements. It¡¯s the most complex type of casting. You¡¯re gonna have to teach me that sometime.¡± Kiliyi nodded in agreement then crawled up to number twelve. Upon activation, a blood red fireball shot out of the web. ¡°That red fire, it¡¯s unique to you isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m guessing the only way to defend against that would be to subjugate the fire with wind before it makes contact with anything. I¡¯ve seen what that fire does to solid matter.¡± She nodded in approval. ¡°Now I know what all of your runes do. I¡¯m ready, do your worst!¡± Kiliyi hesitated. Ang watched her carefully. He put on a strong front, but his heart pounded. I know how dangerous it is to ask Kiliyi to do her worst, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll still hold back and not try to harm me. Now I understand why she never used, number six or twelve against me. I never would be able to dodge or block a lightning bolt fast enough, and conventional means can not block that red fire; It has to be subjugated. Kiliyi started weaving her spell she touched, nine wind, eight mist, two fauna, six lightning, and twelve red fire. Ang picked up his ocarina and began playing a song, while drawing the runes he needed with his feet, focusing tracer light into his toes. He did not know what to prepare for, so he had to be as dynamic as possible. A vertical storm spiraled out of Kiliyi¡¯s web, forming the head of a snake. Ang responded with his flaming bull. The snake reared up and breathed dense mist, dispersing the bull. Ang changed his song to form a shield of wind above him. He drew a death bolt rune with his feet and kicked it at Kiliyi. The death bolt pierced the storm serpent''s body. Kiliyi blocked with a jet of red flame. At the last moment, she noticed the cleverly disguised backlog. A compressed ball of air melded with her red flame. She leapt out of the way as her web burned. ¡°Kiliyi! Are you alright? Where are you?¡± She crawled to Ang and gave him a reassuring wave. Ang jumped to the ground and spoke to her face to face. ¡°I got you good didn¡¯t I.¡± She raised her front leg, Ang extended his right index finger and tapped it on Kiliyi¡¯s leg. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡± They walked a short distance to a nearby stream. Ang reached into his satchel for a piece of jerked meat and a hard sun biscuit. He tore off a small piece of meat and bread for Kiliyi. ¡°You know it¡¯s been fun sparring with you, but I know how your magic works now. It¡¯s powerful but very predictable once you know what each rune does. If I¡¯m gonna get better, I need different opponents.¡± Ang looked down and saw her contently nibbling on her food. He took this as acknowledgement that she agreed. Something shimmered in the sky. Looking up, he saw a silver leaf floating down. He jumped and grabbed it. ¡°Kiliyi this is from the Silver Willow! That means the tree must be in this direction!¡± Kiliyi leapt onto Ang¡¯s shoulder and they ran through the forest. He was jubilant. If he can find the willow, he can find his way back home. Maybe there were a few survivors. Maybe he would get to see his family again. Everything whizzed past as he sprinted toward the tree with only the single hope of finally getting to go home. Finally he made it to the grove and stood at the edge of the clearing, tears welling up in his eyes. ¡°Kiliyi¡­ but how? The Silver Willow, that giant tree. It¡¯s it¡¯s just gone.¡± He fought back the tears and stepped into the clearing. Investigating the scene, he deduced that the tree did not uproot itself and crawl away, it would have left a trail. It just disappeared, leaving a large hole where the roots should be. He felt movement in his satchel. Rummaging through he noticed the movement coming from the tome trying to open. He pulled out the book, and it flopped open to the page concerning apparition magic. Apparition magic Apparition magic is used to transport something instantaneously from one location to a fixed point. To do this, a beacon or receiving point must be constructed at the destination. Because of the absurd amount of Imdrina required to cast an apparition spell, beacons are almost always Ardin. A caster could use their own Imdrina to complete the spell, but this will most likely result in the casters death. The larger an object is, the more difficult it is to teleport. Even successfully transporting a grain of sand could take weeks of preparation. The beacon must provide a space sufficiently large enough for the object in question to arrive in. Once the beacon is constructed and charged with Imdrina, one must create a focus. Often this is a rock charged with the energy of the beacon then split in half, but it can be almost anything. Half of the focus is left at the beacon. The other half is brought to the object to be teleported. The focus is then attached to the object and a series of complex runes drawn around it. If everything is correctly calibrated the teleportation should be successful. This will most likely drain the beacon of power and cause it to crumble. Even if the beacon is still intact, it is best not to use it a second time, since they are highly unstable. ¡°So teleporting that big tree away would be a huge undertaking, someone didn¡¯t do this feat alone. You would need the help of...a village! Mom is the only caster skilled enough to pull off something like that. There must be some survivors!¡± With renewed vigor he turned to run toward his village when he heard a noise coming from within the hole. Peering into the hole he saw what looked like a large white egg with a brown mushroom on top, a green tail on one end and flower bud on the other. ¡°What is that?¡± Kiliyi made her way down the steep walls of the hole and began inspecting the object. ¡°Tie a web around it and I can pull it up.¡± She wrapped her gold silk around the tail and crawled out of the hole. Ang grabbed the silk, pulled the object out and began to inspect it. The soft egg-shaped body reminded him more of puffball fungus. The brown mushroom cap had an indusium veil that reached the puffball body. The green tail ,more like a stem, ended with roots. Holding the object up the underside had a series of tiny suction cup appendages. The closed bud, positioned where a head might be. Focusing Imdrina into his finger he touched the bud. ¡°Meep!¡± Surprised, he looked at his left shoulder and Kiliyi shrugged. Ang then focused the energy into his thumb and touched the bud again. It opened to reveal a creature with a bird bill, soft brown fur, a curled feathery antenna, and a mane of multicolored flower petals. ¡°Meep!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ hi¡± ¡°Meep meep!¡± ¡°Um... what are you?¡± ¡°Meep meep.¡± He set the strange creature on the ground, and it began running circles around him. ¡°Those little legs of yours can really move.¡± Ang had a flashback to when he found a baby pig and named it Dungii. Unfortunately, his uncle Paouni got intoxicated and roasted his pet. He decided that would be a good name. ¡°I¡¯m gonna call you Dungii. Dungii I¡¯m Angdraoni I know it¡¯s kinda long so you can just call me Ang.¡± Dungii stopped running looked up at Ang and said ¡°Meep.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Well, my village should be just over there.¡± Ang, Kiliyi and now Dungii headed toward Ang¡¯s village. He was almost home. 3 - Whale Cloud 2.0 As they ran Dungii¡¯s curled feathery antennae extended, he detected something and took the lead. His suction cupped feet moving quickly with tiny ripples. ¡°Hey Dungii wait up!¡± Dungii stopped to let Ang catch up. Between heavy breaths, Ang said. ¡°Goodness you can really move.¡± ¡°Meep!¡± responded Dungii. Lifting his tail, he embedded the roots into the soil. A look of focused concentration came over his face as his puffball body started to vibrate. The mushroom top expanded, and the indusium veil grew. Then with a pop, Dungii¡¯s body inflated several times his original size. He took his roots out of the ground and turned to allow Ang to hop on. ¡°Whoa! Dungii that¡¯s amazing.¡± Ang climbed under the veil and sat on the large round body. The mushroom stem at the center had grooves, making it a perfect structure to hold on to for support. The mushroom top and indusium veil provided shade and gave the space a cozy feeling. ¡°Dungii you¡¯re like a mobile hut.¡± ¡°Murp Murp!¡± said Dungii, then they were off. Dungii¡¯s feather antenna extended following the scent, as he swiftly moved through the forest. Ang tightly gripping the mushroom, Kiliyi riding on his shoulder. Soon they reached the outskirts of the village. Ang slowly crawled out from under the veil, and stood at the edge of the clearing. He closed his eyes hard and wished to see his family again. He knew this had to be where he would find the survivors. When he opened his eyes nothing had changed. The once lush beautiful grove he and his family called home was gone. The stone building, the smithy, the homes made of foliage. There were no signs of a battle, fire, or that a whole tribe lived here, nothing. It was just an open grassy field. ¡°How could I have been so stupid.¡± he slumped to the ground. Something collided with Ang¡¯s head. ¡°Oww! What the..?¡± He looked down to see the tome opened to the first page with the letter from his mother. ¡°She wants me to live for myself, what does that even mean.¡± Kiliyi crawled onto his shoulder, he looked at her. ¡°Did you throw the book at me?¡± Kiliyi shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s alright, thank you for being with me. You too Dun..uh..Dungii where¡¯d you, oh there he is. What¡¯s he doing over there?¡± Dungii was out in the middle of the field. Using the roots at the end of his long tail, he dug into the soil, antennae fully extended. Ang put the tome in his bag and jogged over to Dungii just as he uncovered something shiny. Dungii twirled the object with his roots, and using his exceedingly long blue tongue, gave it a lick. Grimacing, he handed it over to Ang, who upon close inspection recognized it. ¡°This is Hue, my father¡¯s axe. Dungii how did you know this was here?¡± ¡°Murp!¡± Dungii wiggled his antennae. ¡°Hmm¡­ this is the axe my dad always carried around with him. There has to be something special about it. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me to find out it''s an Ardin. Which means you can detect Imdrina with that antennae.¡± ¡°Murp.¡± responded Dungii. ¡°You were able to sniff this out from several kilometers away that¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°Murp murp.¡± Ang rubbed the soft brown fur on Dungii¡¯s head. ¡°Dungii, with your senses do you think you can help me find my family? They¡¯ve gotta be around somewhere.¡± ¡°Murp murp.¡± Dungii wiggled his antenna. Ang smiled, ¡°thanks Dungii, I don¡¯t know why but you already seem really familiar to me.¡± ¡°Murp murp.¡± He looked at Kiliyi on his shoulder. ¡°What do you think Kiliyi? Dungii can help us find our family. We¡¯ll search the whole world if we have to.¡± Kiliyi nodded. Ang crawled under Dungii¡¯s veil and rested against the mushroom stalk. He spun the axe in his hand. It had an iridescent blade covered in faint, thin, detailed engravings, and a braided wood handle. The eye of the axe produced a faint glow, and the entire weapon seemed to pulse with a heartbeat. He drew a rune on the axe to sheath it in clay and put it in his bag. ¡°Where do we even start looking, Kiliyi?¡± Before she could react, they were off again. Ang nearly fell, quickly turning around to grab the stalk. ¡°Dungii, where are we going!?¡± Dungii¡¯s antenna fully extended, he was running at breakneck speed. Ang watched the trees blur past him. His depression left behind. He smiled with delight, enraptured in the thrill of the moment. It didn¡¯t matter where they were going, as long as he had his friends. They zoomed through the forest. Looking out through the holes in the veil he saw a massive waterfall that spanned the horizon. ¡°Kiliyi do you see that! What is it?¡± Ang felt the tome vibrating and pulled it out of his sack. It flipped open to the page about innate magical abilities. Kiliyi crawled across the text and pointed to the phrase ¡°whale cloud.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a whale cloud!¡± Exclaimed Ang. ¡°Whoa! It¡¯s huge, but how is it here? I thought whales live in the ocean.¡± His eyes threatened to pop out as they neared it. Past the last of the trees. The scene opened to a beautiful field of shining sand. In front of them a rising wall of water. Within, they could see different kinds of wildlife swimming in the tidal wall. Dungii made a sharp right as they ran across the sand. Ahead Ang noticed an animal lying on the beach, with a small rain cloud above it. The creature wailed. It¡¯s cry full of palpable pain. Dungii dashed to it and slide a short distance in the sand stopping by its side. Ang got off Dungii and walked over to the crying animal. He recognized from pictures in the tome that this must be a whale. Searching for the source of the whale¡¯s pain, he found several deep puncture wounds on its side, a steady stream of blood flowing from each hole. He noticed something blue next to him and realized it was Dungii¡¯s long tongue. Dungii used his tongue to lick each wound, leaving a glob of a clear sticky substance, this closed the wounds and stopped the bleeding. ¡°Good work Dungii. I think I can handle the rest.¡± Ang took the blue fabric, made from Kiliyi¡¯s silk, and pressed it on the wound. Then he drew a rune over the fabric with tracer light, casting a healing spell over it. As Ang worked on healing the wounds he could reach, Kiliyi climbed higher onto the whale¡¯s body and spun silk over the wounds, drawing the healing rune as she did. With their combined teamwork, they significantly sped up the healing of the whale. The whale let out an invigorating song. The small rain cloud above its head dispersed into a bubble surrounding them. Dungii, Kiliyi, and Ang caught in the whale¡¯s tide floated up. They soared high into the sky. Ang looked around and took it all in. The sand curved all around the forest. The tall trees looked small. The two clearings where his village and the Silver Willow once stood were visible. He gazed at the vast horizon, and the tiny island he lived on for all these years. To his left Kiliyi, to his right Dungii, cross his chest, his satchel with all his possessions. The whale, next to Dungii, let out an inquisitive call. There was nothing left for them on that island, he turned to the cascading whale cloud. They braced themselves as the whale plunged them forward into the cloud. They rose higher and higher through the cloud. The viscosity like liquid water, but the density light as air. Ang choked at first but found that the cloud breathable. Something wrapped around his waist and pulled him in. He acknowledged Dungii¡¯s long green tail. Swimming through a hole in the veil, he grabbed hold of the mushroom. Looking to his left, Kiliyi was not present. He panicked and started scanning for her. A glint of gold caught his eye A silk thread led off him with Kiliyi clinging onto the end. He grabbed hold of the thread and pulled her in. She quickly crawled into his shirt pocket and strapped herself in with some silk.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Other creatures came and joined in the ascent, many Ang recognized from pictures in the tome, and stores his father and uncle told him. More whales joined the song in glorious harmony, making an enchanting and powerful spell. More powerful than the giants crushing aura, but with an uplifting effect. He could make out a bright sphere as they burst through the cloud and into the sky. Dungii flattened the appendages at the end of his tail and could use it to swim as gracefully as a dolphin. They leaped through the sea of clouds high in the sky, next to the sun. It did not matter where they were going. Ang knew this was the way he wanted to get there. A sound like passing gas interrupted the serenity of the moment. ¡°MMMUUURRRRRRPP!¡± Kiliyi quickly unstrapped herself and ran to Dungii¡¯s head. ¡°MMMUUURRRRRRP!¡± Kiliyi jumped onto Dungii¡¯s beak and gently patted the fur on his brow, communicating that song magic maybe isn¡¯t his thing. Dungii let out a disappointed sigh as he continued to swim in the cloud. Kiliyi crawled back to her spot in Ang¡¯s pocket. A large object shot out of the water in the middle of the whales. It had dark wood, and gray sails folded down and back, making the craft streamlined and submersible. Once the vessel breached the surface, its sails unfurled to reveal a deck full of men, weapons readied. The whale song changed, adding a low thrum, an ominous sound. Ang saw a projectile fire off the craft toward a whale. Dungii reacted fast, and moved to intercept. He placed his puffball body between the whale and the projectile. Ang started frantically drawing a rune to protect Dungii. The projectile coming in fast. It hit the veil and fell into the cloud. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a thin clear barrier enveloped Dungii¡¯s body, originating from the mushroom top. It encased them in a protective bubble, only Dungii¡¯s long tail extended outside the barrier. ¡°Good boy Dungii!¡± Kiliyi tethered a silk thread around the mushroom ready to dive after the object. ¡°Hey Dungii can you make an opening in your shield?¡± ¡°Murp!¡± responded Dungii. He made a small opening in the veil and Kiliyi dove into the cloud. A few seconds passed until she crawled up Dungii¡¯s side with the object attached to her thread. Ang pulled the projectile out of the cloud and scrutinized it. It had a long hollow metal shaft, with a sharp syringe point and thin engravings. ¡°This must be the weapon that left those puncture wounds on the other whale.¡± The men on the ship repositioned their weapon and fired at another whale. The harpoon pierced it, the whale moaned in pain. ¡°Dungii we gotta help!¡± ¡°Murp!¡± Dungii swam to the wounded whale. The whalers preparing another shot. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a round clay ball with a very detailed rune inscribed on it. ¡°I guess this would be a great time to test this out.¡± Ang threw the clay ball into the cloud just as the shot fired. A massive wall of ice rose out of the cloud, blocking the projectile and creating an obstacle for the attacking vessel. ¡°That was much more effective than I thought.¡± They swam next to the injured whale. The harpoon lodged deep in its body. The hollow shaft sucking out its blood. Smaller sea creatures, including a large octopus, climbed onto the whale and pulled out the harpoon. Dungii gave the wound a lick. Kiliyi grabbed the blue fabric. She tethered herself to Ang, leapt onto the whale and started casting the healing spell. The attacking ship smashed through the ice wall. Ang grabbed his ocarina and played a song that harmonized with the whales. The magic grew, starting out as a small whirlpool then shooting up into the sky in a colossal column of water. The waterspout moved in the vessel''s direction. The men aboard panicked as the spout engulfed them. There ship torn to shreds. They jumped overboard. Their fate left to the sea and its inhabitants. After dealing with the menace, they continued to travel on the whale cloud. As the sunset, the power of the whale¡¯s song waned and gradually the whale cloud sank into the ocean. Bringing into view an expansive craggy landmass . Upon reaching the shore, the giant octopus they saw helping to pull the harpoon out of the whale greeted them. In one of its tentacles was a small conch shell. It mesmerized Ang as he watched the octopus flash several colors and patterns across its body. After coloring the conch shell, the octopus passed it to Ang. Dungii waved goodbye with his tail, Kiliyi did the same from atop the mushroom. The octopus bowed its head, then turned and disappeared beneath the waves. He examined the shell, fumbling it around in his fingers, looking at it from every angle. It was pale yellow, with faint brown spots all around. The tip had a small opening, like a mouthpiece. He blew into the shell and the song of the whales echoed across the beach. In the distance, they could hear a faint song of gratitude. Ang placed the shell in his bag and turned to look at their new surroundings. Compared to his lush green forest home, this place was barren and dead, with brown jagged land, and a steep intimidating cliff looming over threatening to crumble at any moment. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can find a way around. Hey Dungii. Dungii, where are you going? And when did you get small again?¡± ¡°Meep!¡± Dungii had changed back to his original size and was already at work combing the beach. Ang with Kiliyi followed him. Dungii¡¯s magic detector fully extended, as he zigzagged across the rocky terrain. He would briefly stop and inspect everything he found. He meeped to a crab that scuttled away. He ran to a flock of birds that took flight. Finally, he saw a bunch of brown toadstools growing off a rotting log. He bounced over to them and started enthusiastically meeping, then paused for several minutes. Ang walked over and gently stroked him. ¡°Dungii, they''re not going to respond.¡± ¡°Meep?¡± ¡°You¡¯re different from them, they can¡¯t vocalize like you.¡± ¡°Meeeep.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, you have me and Kiliyi. We only just made it here. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find someone like you somewhere.¡± ¡°Meep Meep.¡± ¡°Did you hear that?¡± ¡°Meep.¡± They cautiously traveled in the sound''s direction. Rounding a boulder they spotted a cave. They heard a deep grated voice coming from the opening, followed by a quivering tenor. A third voice spoke with a speech impediment. ¡°Sounds like an argument is going on in there. Wish I had some alcohol to offer. Dad always said ¡®a bottle of booze can raise anyone¡¯s mood.¡¯ Why do adults like that stuff, tastes awful? Where¡¯d Kiliyi go? Oh, there you are. You going in? I¡¯ll come with you.¡± Kiliyi, at the entrance, turned around and made a motion for him to stay put. He complied, and she crawled inside. They waited outside the cave behind the boulder. The three voices inside continued their disagreement until the quivering tenor squealed. ¡°A Spider!¡± Dungii and Ang ran inside the shallow cave. They soon encountered the three men. Each of them had an unkempt and grimy look. Their clothes were dirty and tattered, and each man had scratches and circular bite marks covering their bodies. ¡°What the dragon! Who are you?¡± The man asked in his deep grated voice. ¡°Where¡¯s Kiliyi!¡± Ang shouted. ¡°The dragon are you talking about? Why¡¯s a kid all the way out here?¡± ¡°Hey, don he look sorta familiar?¡± Said the man with the lisp. ¡°And that thing next to him looks like the thing that blocked our harpoon,¡± said the tenor. ¡°Wait, you guys were on that ship?¡± asked Ang. ¡°So it was you? Did you sink our boat you little brat? Get most of my men killed? Was that you, kid? Answer me! How can a little brat like you know magic?¡± ¡°He¡¯s small but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a kid,¡± said the tenor. ¡°The dragon is he then?¡± ¡°Shut up! Where is the spider,¡± yelled Ang? ¡°You mean this thing¡± said the gruff voice. He lifted his boot to reveal the crushed remains. ¡°What¡¯s with that look? Did I step on your pet?¡± Ang¡¯s world spiraled out of focus, his mind went blank, jaw clenched stiff. He reached into his bag and threw the first clay ball he found. A thick cloud of dust billowed up where the ball landed, flinging rocks in all directions. Ang used the tome as a shield. Dungii turned on his barrier. Using his tail he sprung around the space, bashing the walls and the three men. The men didn¡¯t know from where or what was hitting them. They blindly flailed about, stumbling and tripping over one another. The tenor screamed as he fell over, followed shortly by the grated voice, and then the third man. The sounds of muffled struggle echoed through the space. The clay ball stopped flinging rocks, and Dungii stopped bouncing around. When the dust settled, thin gold threads bound the three men and a silk patch covered their mouths. To his left he felt something crawl onto his shoulder. ¡°KILIYI, You¡¯re alive! But then what did he step on?¡± Ang moved past the pile of muffled men and examined the crushed body. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could animate your exoskeletons. Don¡¯t scare me like that.¡± ¡°Meep¡± ¡°You were great too. I like how you beat them up with your barrier. So what should we do with them? They were a part of that crew that was bleeding out the whales with those cruel weapons. I say we leave them to the ocean.¡± Kiliyi nodded. Dungii changed into his large form and used his tail to drag the men outside. The men cursed as loudly as they could through the webbing, while being dragged to a large boulder by the sea. There Kiliyi tied them around the boulder. Ang took the conch shell out of his bag and played the whale song. The ocean swelled and produced long tendrils of water that creeped out of the sea. The men struggled as the tendrils grabbed them. The boulder torn from its foundation and they disappeared into the depths. Further inland, they could hear distant sounds moving toward them. ¡°Murp murp murp.¡± ¡°I heard that too. Let¡¯s take a look, but be quiet.¡± ¡°Murp.¡± Ang hopped on Dungii¡¯s back and they moved in the direction of the commotion. 4 - Storm Bird 2.0 They kept her locked away in a plush prison. However, this tiny girl with a sturdy frame, short dark hair, and covered in tattoos was a master of illusion and deception. She had a unique ability to communicate with flora and fauna. She made a habit of escaping from her cell almost every night. She would sneak around the fortress gathering information and sabotaging plans. On this evening she bore witness to a sight most foul. The birth of an atrocity. She¡¯d learned enough to know that these people needed to be stopped no matter what. That night, she fled. As she ran, she would touch the trees and plants she passed, asking for help. They assisted her as best they could, sprouting extra vines, releasing noxious fumes, or densely grouping together. When she put enough distance between herself and the fortress she hastily drew a rune in the soil and recited an incantation. Transforming herself into a fox. She sprinted across the rocky terrain. She could hear menacing snarls behind her. They¡¯ve caught up to me. The ocean must be this way, maybe I can catch a whale cloud. To her left and right bulky dogs appeared in her peripherals. Their long strides closing the distance. Her sleek form allowed her to slip past. She slid under a rotting log. One dog collided with the log, the other jumped over it. They ran until they reached a small river. Nimbly she leaped across the stones. The clumsy mutt splashed into the water. She continued to sprint toward the ocean. Looking up she saw the ravens overhead. They still have me in their sights. She dashed into a thicket of bushes. Where she emerged, several humans, armed and mounted on horseback, were running up from behind. Two men in front clad in black robes, ornate helmets, and holding glass balls. Four others, heavily battle scarred, brandished enchanted swords and crossbows. A wave of power flung her forward and forced back into her petite form. She grabbed at the loose gravelly soil and scrambled to her feet. The humans, on their twisted steeds, galloping after her. Hastily she ran to a low hanging vine. It pulled her up into the trees. She asked them to create obstacles as she climbed through the canopy. Stopping at the trees, the men realized they could not squeeze through. The orb wielders split the group, running around the densely packed trees to ensnare their prey. She put some distance between herself and the men. However, the flock of ravens overhead still had her in their sights. Not far behind and below, she could hear the dogs barking. If she climbed too high, the birds would snatch her. If she fell to the ground, the dogs would get her. Several of her markings flashed a turquoise glow. She reached the edge of the canopy, and a gust of wind carried her up into the air. She flailed about as she rose higher and higher. Dread flushed through her when she looked down. She had overshot her intended landing point, in a neighboring group of trees. She could see the ravens coming up from below. Twisting her body she narrowly dodged them. The birds began circling back around. She could see a small cluster of bushes below. It was not ideal, but she had no other landing options. She maneuvered herself over the bushes, just as the birds descended on her. Streamlining her body, she made a dive for it, hoping the bushes would be enough to break her fall. Suddenly, a giant brown mushroom popped up. She bounced off the soft mushroom top and rolled into the bushes. She shot up and patted herself down. Then she saw, by far the strangest creature she had ever seen. On its back, a bearded child. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Murp.¡± ¡°Hello, this is Dungii. He saw you falling and ran to help. My names Angdraoni, but I go by Ang. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°You¡¯re like me. Thank you, but we''re not safe. You have to get away before they find you too.¡± ¡°What do you mean, I¡¯m like you?¡± ¡°I can sense that you have highly active Imdrina channels. There are some awful men chasing me, and if they find you, they¡¯ll capture you and probably dissect Dungii.¡± ¡°We thought we heard some noise coming from that direction. I suppose that was you and whoever is after you?¡± ¡°Yeah, it probably was, did you get here on a whale cloud? We can escape that way.¡± ¡°We did but the whale¡¯s have been gone for some time now.¡± ¡°But I swear I just heard a whale song.¡± ¡°Oh, you must mean this.¡± Ang took out the conch shell and played the song. Causing a small rain cloud to appear above them. ¡°You idiot! Now they know where we are.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Dungii,s fast, and he has a protective veil, hop on. You never told me your name.¡± ¡°Call me Vlux.¡± She climbed under the veil, sat next to Ang and grabbed hold of the mushroom stalk. ¡°What are you smiling at?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯ve just never met anyone smaller than me.¡± ¡°You know there¡¯s a spider on your shoulder.¡± ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t introduce you. This is my long time guardian and mentor Kiliyi.¡± They could hear the thunderous rumble of horse hooves approaching. Dungii surrounded himself and his occupants with his veil. Unintentionally, the rain cloud provided cover from the ravens. Dungii charged forward, toward the horsemen. ¡°Why are we going this way?¡± ¡°Because running away isn¡¯t going to solve your problem.¡± The two men holding orbs took the vanguard, the other four men behind them. Several colors flashed over their orbs as they launched a volley of elemental projectiles. Vlux tightened her grip on the stalk and braced for the impact. Ang remained focused. The magic bolts bounced off the barrier. Dungii let out a battle cry and pushed forward. The horses faltered as the unstoppable tank advanced. One of the orb wielders summoned a wall of stone. Dungii smashed through it. The other four men charged forward. Dungii bulldozed two of them and wiped the other two off their mounts with his long thin tail. The orb wielder¡¯s steeds were much swifter and began circling Dungii. Kiliyi jumped onto Vlux¡¯s head, then Vlux asked. ¡°Ang, do you have a tome in that bag, can I see it?¡± ¡°Yeah, how did you know?¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°She just told me.¡± ¡°You can talk to spiders?¡± He asked as he handed over the tome. ¡°I can talk to a lot of things. I don¡¯t think you realize what you have here. This book is a well crafted Ardin. Kiliyi just told me how to use it. Have Dungii make an opening and watch this. Ascend.¡± The book started to take on a faint blue glow, as it floated just above Vlux¡¯s small hand. ¡°Target.¡± She pointed her finger to one of the circling men. The spine of the tome following his movements, ¡°Fly.¡± The tome spun through the opening. The hard wood cover impacting the man¡¯s head, causing him to fall off his steed. The tome flew back to Vlux. Ang sat there, mouth agape as she turned to attack the other man. The orb wielder cast a spell that encased them in ice. The man cautiously approached Dungii, as he wiped his tail around while emitting a shockingly loud cry. A blast of fire shot through an opening in the veil. Vlux emerged mounted atop a black dog with jagged red markings. The tome floating open in front of her. The orb wielder fired several magic blasts as they charged forward. The tome¡¯s hard cover moved to block every strike. When they were close enough, the dog let out a blast of fire. The man countered with a gust of wind that subjugated and sent the flames back. The tome blocked. The dog dashed to the side. Vlux launched the tome at the man¡¯s head. He blocked with his orb, shattering it. He discarded the broken glass, drew a white sword, and gave chase. Above the ravens swarmed and flew after the pair. Ahead of them the two pursuing dogs. Vlux turned around and multi targeted the ravens. Ang shot a blast of fire at the dogs. The tome took one raven out, the rest narrowly evaded it. Ang set the dogs on fire. They yelped and fled to the nearby stream. The man swung his sword, unleashing a blast that forced Ang out of his transformation, and flung them forward several meters. The man noticed the spider that had hitched a ride on the tome, sitting on his right shoulder. Kiliyi already tied a strand of her slicing silver silk around his sword arm. With a tug she cleanly severed it. He screamed in agony and fell off his steed. In his final moments perceiving the strand of silver coming off his neck. The tome continued to buzz around the ravens as Ang and Vlux got to their feet. The other orb wielder recovered and charged after them. Dungii escaped his ice prison. He slammed into the horse and trampled the man as he made his way to Ang and Vlux. The storm cloud still brewing above him. Vlux and Ang quickly crawled under the veil. ¡°Ang, play the whale song!¡± He seized conch shell from the bag he secured around the mushroom and played the song. The storm overhead started to grow. Vlux recalled the tome and read off an incantation. The ravens swarmed and pecked at the veil. Dungii swatted with his tail. The whale song and incantation melded, causing the storm to swell and lightning to strike the birds down. Just when they thought they were in the clear, several more orb wielding horseman came charging down a hill. They attempted to strengthen the storm, but it was no longer under their control. It swirled high into the sky, and between the clouds a colossal gray bird with one leg appeared. With a flap of its cyclone wings and sonic screech, it rained chunks of hail on the men. They responded with their magic bolts, but it forced them back with strong wind. The bird molded the storm into a twister, becoming the eye of the storm. It flew around Dungii and wreaked havoc on the fleeing men. ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± said Ang. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before more show up, or that giant bird comes after us.¡± ¡°No, that bird purposefully avoided hitting us. And I¡¯m not leaving without Kili, oh there you are.¡± ¡°My home is that way, hurry.¡± ¡°Murp.¡± They fled toward the hills, leaving the men to deal with the massive storm bird. ¡°So who were those people?¡± asked Ang. ¡°Their called the Koru-Ation, a despicable bunch of humans. They kill their own kind and exploit anything they view can further their ambitions. I agreed to work with them hoping they would leave my people alone. Now I realize nothing they say can be trusted. I made the dumb decision to try and escape with no real plan. I¡¯m lucky I bounced off this guy. I can¡¯t thank you enough.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me, that was amazing. You were amazing with the book. And that bird took our storm and wreaked those hunters. Where did it come from, and why did it help us out?¡± ¡°I have no clue. That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever seen a real storm bird. That could have just been an elaborate illusion. Either way, someone is looking out for you, me, or both of us.¡± ¡°What about Kiliyi and Dungii?¡± ¡°Them too. By the way, what is Dungii?¡± ¡°Dungii is Dungii, he just kind of popped out of a hole where a great big tree used to be. We naturally bonded, he and Kiliyi, their like my family.¡± ¡°What happened to this tree? Did the Koru come and cut it down?¡± ¡°You mean those hunters. I don¡¯t think so. At least it wasn¡¯t cut down and dragged off. It looked like an apparition spell was used on it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying a big tree just up and vanished. I didn¡¯t think apparition magic on something that big was even possible. I don¡¯t think humans would be capable of doing that, at least not on their own. Most humans suck at magic, which is why they enslave us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I think it had to have been my mother.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s your mother? ¡°Her name¡¯s Lysyntri.¡± ¡°Lysyntri the Spider of the Usgrat dwarven tribe! She¡¯s alive! And you¡¯re her son?¡± ¡°Yeah, you know her?¡± ¡°Everyone knows her, she revolutionized magic, she¡¯s a master rune weaver. That¡¯s why they call her, The Spider. I loved listening to stories about her and her sister the master healer Myorni.¡± ¡°I had no idea she was famous, no one told me anything.¡± ¡°It shows. I¡¯ve been told the Usgrat were master craftsmen. The best at making musical instruments and Ardin items. The Koru caught them and started using them to make weapons until Lysyntri freed them. But some horrible beast the Koru sent caught and ate them. I guess Lysyntri was able to defeat the monster and keep the Usgrat hidden, that sounds like her. And you¡¯re right, if anyone could cast an apparition spell on something like a tree it would be her. So tell me more about this tree, was there anything unique about it?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was a big silver weeping willow. When I would rest my head against it, I could hear a song, like someone humming. And the air felt like how it does under here, it¡¯s soothing.¡± ¡°So Dungii might be somehow related to that tree. Interesting, I wish I could go have a chat with it. I have a rare ability that allows me to communicate with most plants and animals. It works especially well with Kiliyi but I can¡¯t connect with Dungii.¡± ¡°What do you think that means?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, might be because he¡¯s neither plant nor animal. I mean look at this weird body. I¡¯ll have to do some investigating. You don¡¯t mind if I borrow this book for a while do ya?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a lot better with it than I ever was. Keep it, I think I learned everything I need to know from it. How is it you can talk to plants and animals? Can you teach me how to do that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afflicted with Elucidetris, it¡¯s not something you can teach, and not something you want. See usually Imdrina channels are directed internally; however mine are directed externally, closer to the surface. It allows me to readily make connections with other living things and communicate with them. The drawback is that my Imdrina would constantly leak out. If it wasn¡¯t for these markings all over my body, I would have already suffered a slow, painful death. So what happened to your tribe?¡± ¡°We were attacked, I¡¯m guessing by the Koru. The armor those men were wearing looked similar to the giants that attacked my village. Well, they seemed like giants at the time. They appeared out of nowhere, I ran and a big gray bear came and saved me. That¡¯s when I met Kiliyi and learned how to use magic. Later, after I found Dungii where that tree was. I found my way back but kind of like how the Silver Willow was just gone, my village was just gone.¡± ¡°Lysyntri is known for pulling off some amazing feats of magic, but teleporting a giant tree, and a whole village, that seems like a stretch. After we visit my home, we should go back to your village and see if we can find some clues.¡± ¡°I like that idea, where is home?¡± ¡°Brexcen, were not too far from it. I hope my people are still safe.¡± The party made their way over the craggy, sparsely green terrain toward Vlux¡¯s home. 5 - Invisible Threat 2.0 Dungii¡¯s antenna extended as he caught the scent of a many strong Imdrina signatures. Vlux surmised that he must be detecting the general location of Brexcen, but they were still many kilometers off, so she let Dungii navigate on autopilot. Kiliyi on Vlux¡¯s head, sat under the mushroom, reading through the tome. Ang sat on top of the mushroom, playing his ocarina and taking in the sights. Vegetation became more sparse as they traveled further inland. Patches of forest dotted the land, linked by dusty plains and jagged slopes. He felt a gentle tug on his shirt as Vlux climbed the mushroom. ¡°What are you doing up here?¡± ¡°Just practicing my music and looking around. How was studying with Kiliyi?¡± ¡°Wonderful, she¡¯s very knowledgeable and well traveled.¡± ¡°Well traveled, Kiliyi, a spider?¡± ¡°Oh yes, she was telling me stories about when she had a bird companion, and they traveled together doing research for Lysyntri and Myorni. That¡¯s how she knows so much about magic.¡± ¡°What happened to this bird companion?¡± ¡°She wouldn¡¯t say, seemed like a sore topic so I let it go.¡± ¡°What does she sound like when she talks to you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hear a voice. It¡¯s different with every creature. Kiliyi, can create very vivid images in my head. Most of the time, the message is vague. With plants, it¡¯s more like a feeling and you have to interpret what they mean. That¡¯s not the case with animals. Sometimes they don¡¯t want to talk at all. I can¡¯t force them.¡± ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°She said she had to check on something and would meet us at Brexcen. Apparently she¡¯s been there a few times. She left this with me.¡± ¡°Her exoskeleton, it¡¯s creepy how she can do that. Almost like reanimating a dead body.¡± ¡°Almost but, with some differences. It has no internal organs so it can¡¯t spin silk, but she can remotely see through it, since it was once her body. She also told me the fangs have a little venom left, enough for one bite.¡° ¡°Now I wonder how many times she left me with an exoskeleton and I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Possibly a few times.¡± ¡°So why did you work with the Koru?¡± ¡°A few years ago, when the Koru first arrived here they began enslaving the native humans, the Satke. My people, the pixies, had a close relationship with the Satke. The Koru is trying to gather as much Imdrina as it can, and they needed an Elucidator, someone with my abilities, to assist them. A Satke shaman revealed the existence of us pixies to them. A few of us, myself included, were on the outside monitoring the Koru¡¯s movements and purposefully throwing them off the trail. However, when it became clear that they would find us, I revealed myself and struck a bargain with them. I convinced them it was me they needed, and not the other pixies. But then I saw the horrible things they do.¡± She sighed. "Those humans have to be stopped. You are right Ang, running away isn¡¯t going to solve our problem.¡± They stopped in a vast green patch. Several boulders mixed in with the tall grass and loosely packed trees. ¡°Dungii why¡¯d you stop? Vlux are we at Brexcen? I don¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re still a little way off. Dungii I thought you knew where we were going?¡± ¡°Murp, murp murp murp.¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s saying there¡¯s someone here,¡± whispered Vlux. ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t connect with him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been interpreting for creatures my whole life. I can make a good guess. Plus you have to learn to recognize the signs. You feel that crackle in the air?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it. Yes, I do feel it.¡± ¡°Someone is readying a spell.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°We ready our own spells, act normal.¡± # It hovered around them silent and invisible. Detecting a sudden shift in the ether, it retaliated with a bolt of lighting. Ang, drawing his protection rune on the mushroom top, deflected the bolt. Vlux channeled Imdrina through her markings to stir up dirt. While undercover, they dove beneath the mushroom. The invisible assailant rose higher into the air. It could still detect the active Imdrina channels of its query. As it prepared another bolt, a small Dungii shot through the dust like a cannonball. Using his antennae for accuracy, he collided with the attacker. Briefly the attackers camouflage waned. Vlux targeted with the tome, knocking it out of the sky. It fell on top of a rune Ang drew that sealed it behind a barrier. Vlux and Ang carefully approached the creature and inspected it. ¡°What is that?¡± said Vlux her tiny face wrinkling with disgust. ¡°You¡¯re asking the dwarf who just found out about pixie¡¯s and humans.¡± ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°Meep meep meep.¡± ¡°For once no one is asking you that question,¡± giggled Ang. ¡°Meep.¡± ¡°Can we focus guys? We need to find out what this is, and what to do with it.¡± A gelatinous mass of flesh lay on the ground before them. It had a long tapered body, a ribboned tail, wings like a manta, several long filaments covering it, a smaller pair of wings in the middle, and an even smaller pair near the tail. The head had four eye stalks, two above and two below. Streams of neon blue pulsed through its mostly clear body. Ang tackled Vlux as a swath of fire passed over them. Dungii launched himself toward the new threat, but hit a boulder. The air buzzed with the sound of a hundred whip lashes. It assaulted Dungii from all sides with unrelenting force. He closed the flower petals around his head as the whips jostled him in the air and tossed him several meters away. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The dust, still too thick to see through. Ang picked up his ocarina compressed the dirt into a wall and blasted the attacker. He noticed a silhouette duck behind a boulder. Ang stomped his foot, activated his tracer light, and played a deep rolling rhythm as he molded the soil into a worm. The worm lashed out at the boulder, destroying it. Knocked back by a strong blast, a whip sliced the worm in half. Vlux shielded herself and Ang from the debris with the tome. They heard a cry and a thud. Slowly they peeked from behind the tome and looked at the attacker. She had dark brown skin, a toned frame, and wore a red and gold sarong with silk bindings across her breasts and shoulders exposing her well-defined abdomen. Her black hair fell over her in long thin perfect braids, each braid ending with a different colored bead. ¡°I remember her, she was brought into the Koru fortress recently.¡± ¡°Looks like she escaped just like you. Let¡¯s go help her.¡± ¡°Ang wait, you can¡¯t just be that trusting. We need to be cautious; it might be better to leave her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s wounded, alone, and scared, any of us would lash out.¡± Ang slowly approached her, when out of the corner of his eye he noticed movement from a few of her braids. He jumped back and rolled out of the way. Her long hair began to flail wildly, striking stone, and wood leaving deep gashes where it struck. ¡°She is literally lashing out. Now what? I still think we should leave her.¡± With a broad sweep of his tail, Dungii gathered up all the flailing braids and lifted the caster¡¯s head. ¡°Good job,¡± said Ang. ¡°Murp murp¡± ¡°Hey, I just want to talk, maybe I can help.¡± Ang said as he cautiously approached. She didn¡¯t move or speak, just lay there limp. If it was not for her flaming amber eyes, staring daggers at him, he would have thought her dead. He carefully looked over her bruised and battered body and noticed the exoskeleton by her leg and a slowly expanding dark purple area. He took out the blue cloth and wrapped it around her leg. ¡°Don¡¯t let go of her hair. The venom paralyzed her body, but her hair can still move. I¡¯m going to position her on your back so we can take her to Brexcen.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t agree with this. And we still don¡¯t know what that is.¡± She pointed to the creature in the barrier. ¡°Let¡¯s take it with us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so young and na?ve. You¡¯ll learn one day. Do what you want.¡± While still gripping her hair Dungii and Ang lifted her onto Dungii¡¯s back and secured her body around the mushroom with some silk rope, Ang also restrained her hair. Then he turned to the slimy creature in his barrier and pondered how he could transport it. ¡°Here let me help¡± Vlux used the tome to pick up the bubble barrier. Then carried it to the top of the mushroom. ¡°That¡¯s perfect, thanks.¡± ¡°If we''re all set let¡¯s move. We¡¯re not far.¡± Vlux and Ang crawled onto Dungii¡¯s back with their new companion menacingly staring at them. The slug like creature on top of the mushroom, behind a barrier. They continued to travel across the increasingly barren terrain. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about this. That venom isn¡¯t deadly it just paralyzes the muscles. I know the spider that bit you very well; she might have an antivenom. This is, uh¡­ it¡¯s a long story, but this isn¡¯t actually her. But we¡¯ll see her soon and get you moving again.¡± The caster glares at him. If she was staring with daggers before, she is now using spears. ¡°Vlux can you help me out here? Don¡¯t you know her?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know her. I¡¯ve only seen her before. She is from somewhere far away and I don¡¯t think she speaks our language. We were held in different parts of the fortress. I can try connecting with her.¡± ¡°Then do that. Ask her what her name is. I¡¯m Angdraoni by the way, but you can call me Ang and this is Vlux. You can talk through her.¡± Vlux reached out her hand and touched the caster¡¯s forehead, after a few moments she retracted her hand. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to talk, like I said, I can¡¯t force a connection.¡± ¡°Well, this is a little awkward.¡± ¡°You wanted to bring her.¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t just leave her there, what if the Koru found her again?¡± ¡°And what if the Koru finds us?¡± ¡°Well, maybe she¡¯ll make a great ally.¡± ¡°If she wants to be your ally after you blasted her face with dust and poisoned her.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t poison her, the sneaky carapace did.¡± He turned to the caster. ¡°I apologize for getting sand in your hair. Your magic is really neat, my dad used to weave magic into his beard.¡± Her javelin eyes retracted to rapiers. ¡°So um... I use this ocarina to cast my spells. I also know a lot of runes, and recently I got this.¡± He holds up the shell. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how it works, but it seems to produce effects relating to water. Vlux here has those markings, and Dungii can¡­¡± ¡°Will you stop giving her a rundown of our abilities?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to be friendly.¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t in the mood, and besides we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Are we back at the ocean?¡± ¡°No, this is a Lake Vondtross. See the mountains in the distance. Brexcen is here. Can Dungii swim?¡± ¡°Yes, he learned from the whales.¡± ¡°Murp¡± ¡°Excellent, we need to go out to the middle of the lake.¡± Lake Vondtross had opaque light green water. As Dungii swam, Kiliyi, skidding across the surface of the lake approached. ¡°Kiliyi You¡¯re back!¡± exclaimed Ang as Kiliyi scuttled onto Vlux¡¯s head. ¡°Ask her if she has an antivenom.¡± ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t, but there are plenty of skilled healers in Brexcen, she can work with them to craft one.¡± ¡°Where¡¯d she go, what¡¯d she do?¡± ¡°She says she had to go check on her daughters.¡± ¡°Daughters! She has daughters?¡± ¡°Did you think you were her only child?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never had siblings. I¡¯ve been an only child all my life.¡± ¡°Well, she has many daughters, and one son who gets into a lot of trouble.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny that. I¡¯d love to meet them one day.¡± ¡°She says you will.¡± They steadily travelled to the middle of the lake. Fog creeped around growing thicker and thicker the further they went. ¡°So... I still don¡¯t see where Brexcen is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s under the lake.¡± ¡°Underwater?¡± ¡°Not exactly you¡¯ll see¡± Vlux reached out her hands and began her incantation. As she did, the markings on her arms pulsated with turquoise light. The incantation took several minutes to recite, after which nothing happened. ¡°Um. Did you forget the words?¡± ¡°No, I think they changed the words, makes sense after all that happened. Ang why don¡¯t you try playing the whale song.¡± He took out the shell and played the song. As he did, the water rose above them, and they fell under. Slowly they descended. Looking around, he saw the most fantastic structures. Glowing spheres suspended all around. Floating spires that spiraled clockwise and counterclockwise, surged with energy. Schools of prismatic sea creatures swam in perfect symmetry. Gigantic sea kelp rose from the lake bed. Luminescent and enchantingly beautiful sea flower jellyfish, and the larger sea tree jellyfish, buoyed about. Everything is this space existed in perfect harmony. ¡°Woah this is Brexcen.¡± ¡°No, silly it¡¯s further down.¡± ¡°This space it¡¯s just like being in a whale cloud.¡± ¡°Yes, long ago we learned the magic from the creatures of the ocean and created our own version of it. All these spires and spheres, they emit a song that maintains this space. Where did you get that shell from?¡± ¡°A big octopus gave it to me after we helped the whales.¡± ¡°I suspected as much. That must have been Clo-Whu. I was once under his tutelage. His feats are on par with Lysyntri¡¯s, maybe even greater considering he lives in the vast ocean. Ordinarily I¡¯d be shocked that someone didn¡¯t know who he is, but then I remember who I¡¯m talking to.¡± The casters rapier eyes dulled to butter knives. Ang rolled his eyes and glanced at her. She quickly sharpened her gaze. Ang smiled warmly. ¡°Communicating with him was difficult, his thought process is significantly more complex than ours and difficult to comprehend. It¡¯s like he can predict the future,¡± said Vlux. ¡°So you think he gave this to me because he figured I would need it to find the Pixie¡¯s¡± ¡°He probably thought you were a lost Pixie. To him we all look the same. Dwarves are just slightly bigger, hairier, pixie¡¯s. Which is mostly accurate. A few of us have gotten captured by the Koru or lost in the chaos. The sea creatures were probably just trying to guide the little lost pixie back home. If they changed the incantation for getting into Brexcen Clo-Whu would know it. Come on, let¡¯s go down to the city.¡± ¡°Murp!¡± They descended the depths, into the home of the Pixie¡¯s. 6 - Elucidator 2.0 Finally, they could see the spectacular city below, surrounded by an iridescent bubble, and supported by a colossal coral structure. The only entrance, a circular platinum gate with an intricate design. ¡°It¡¯s amazing!¡± Gasped Ang. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty great.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem too enthusiastic about going back home.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lived here my whole life. I know it looks pretty to you but I was all too eager to leave. That¡¯s why I joined the scouting and diversion team. I wanted to get out and see the world.¡± ¡°What was so bad about being here?¡± ¡°Nothing, everyone just smothered me with attention. They all thought because of my ¡®condition¡¯, that like those before me I would just drop dead at any moment, but I¡¯ve survived longer than any Elucidator.¡± Before Ang could speak, they noticed the platinum gate beginning to turn, and an elaborate lock unbraid itself from the rest of the metal, moving in a spiral outward. Someone shot through the small opening screaming. ¡°Vluxcerin, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Is that your mother?¡± asked Ang. ¡°No, my sister.¡± Vlux¡¯s sister dashed into her. She looked almost exactly like Vlux with slightly longer hair and fewer markings. ¡°I thought you were gone forever. I am so happy you are back. I have to check your markings. No ones looked at them in a while have they.¡± ¡°Bassinee, it¡¯s good to see you. I¡¯ve had no need for new markings. I stopped growing a while ago.¡± ¡°But you never stop changing. Who are your companions? That girl does not look well, and what is this creature?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything later. This girl has been poisoned we need an antivenom,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Maybe this will work.¡± Bassinee pulls out a small vial. ¡°You carry antivenom around?¡± blurted Ang. ¡°Some sea flower jellyfish have a nasty sting, especially the rose kind. The poison can kill very quickly. Be mindful of them young dwarf. The prettier the more dangerous, like my little sister.¡± Vlux rolls her eyes. ¡°Stings are common, so I keep some antivenom on hand, now let me see the wound.¡± Ang untied the blue cloth around the casters leg. The wound looked the same, but once he removed the cloth it started to swell. Bassinee applied the ointment to the bite. ¡°Young dwarf, what is your name?¡± ¡°My name is Angdraoni, but I go by Ang.¡± ¡°You must be of the Usgrat. And is that you Kiliyi?¡± ¡°Yes, you know, Kiliyi?¡± ¡°Her and her companion Sprinli. They used to visit from time to time.¡± ¡°So you know my mom Lysyntri?¡± ¡°You are the son of The Spider! I did not know she had a child. I must tell everyone of your arrival. I knew your mother, but I had a closer relationship with your aunt Myorni. She and I developed the markings on Vluxcerin.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going on ahead into town. I¡¯m sure everyone is eager to see me. Bassinee, can I leave them in your care?¡± said Vlux. ¡°It is what I do, we shall come find you later.¡± said Bassinee Vlux swam through the small opening in the gate. ¡°I have not properly introduced myself. My name is Bassinee, I am a healer and Vluxcerin¡¯s older sister. It is very nice to meet you Angdraoni, and may I ask who these two are?¡± ¡°This is Dungii, and I¡¯m not sure who she is, we sort of found her along the way here. This thing that was protecting her attacked us.¡± ¡°Dungii is very interesting. I sense something familiar about him, and what is this thing that attacked you?¡± ¡°Actually, it¡¯s just up here.¡± Ang swam to the top of the mushroom. ¡°Ahh Where¡¯d it go?¡± ¡°Here maybe I can help.¡± Bassinee closed her eyes and began feeling the space. Then she reached out an arm, turquoise light pulsed through her markings as she closed her fist trapping the invisible creature in a bubble. The once again defeated slug revealed itself. Ang noted its elegant form of its movements, how the edges of its manta wings gracefully fluttered with a cyan glow. ¡°How¡¯d you do that?¡± ¡°I used my magic sense. Not everyone has it, but if you are Lysyntri¡¯s son, then there is a good chance you have an aptitude for it.¡± ¡°How did you know I¡¯m an Usgrat dwarf?¡± ¡°Broad frame, covered in hair, almost a full beard, skin like clay, it is very obvious. Now what have we caught? It looks like a Chimera worm. Rare creatures mostly found in the Land Behind the Sea. Which is where I would guess your captive caster is from. It may take a couple hours for her to regain movement and we can ask her.¡± ¡°You know about a lot of things miss Bassinee. What was my aunt like? The only thing I know is that she was a very skilled healer and made a great sacrifice so we could be safe.¡± ¡°I see, yes your aunt was a great healer, and an even greater friend. She and I were once close. Together, we created many cures and treatments, including the markings that can keep Elucidators alive. You must be exhausted, you are welcome to come to my home and get some food and rest. Tell me everything that happened and I will tell you all I know about your family.¡± They gradually made their way through the platinum gate and into the majestic city of Brexcen. Eyes stared and mouths flapped as they made the awkward stroll through the glittering town. They arrived at a large thick spire, with many branching protrusions. ¡°This is my home, welcome.¡± said Bassinee. ¡°Wow, you have a beautiful house,¡± said Ang. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I felt like everyone was staring at us on our way here.¡± ¡°We do not get many visitors. Without magic sense or previous knowledge of its location. This city is difficult to find. We can also change which lake the entrance to the city is in.¡± ¡°How do you do that?¡± ¡°This space exists at the source of all eight of the grand lakes. But Brexcen can only be reached through one at any time. At this time it is Lake Vondtross, but every eight years we can change the entrance to somewhere in one of the other seven. There is also an incantation that must be spoken, which we can change at anytime.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Vlux didn¡¯t know the new incantation, we got in when I played this.¡± Ang took out the whale song. ¡°Of course, I should have realized. I was so excited to see Vluxcerin again; I didn¡¯t consider how you all got in. That shell, may I see it.¡± ¡°Sure¡± He hands the shell over to Bassinee as they passed through the grand entrance of her home. ¡°This shell is an Ardin that contains a whale¡¯s song. A whale would have to give up their voice and Imdrina willingly to craft this. This looks like Clo-Whu¡¯s craftsmanship. You are very fortunate to have this.¡± ¡°So, a whale had to sacrifice itself to make this?¡± ¡°That is normally how Ardin¡¯s are made. The whale was most likely old or sick, and on the verge of death. They figure having their power preserved and used for the good of others is better than simply dying of disease or old age.¡± ¡°I also have this.¡± Ang takes out his father¡¯s axe and removes its clay sheath. ¡°Is this an Ardin, did someone have to die to make this?¡± Bassinee carefully scrutinized the axe. ¡°Yes, this is definitely an Ardin, but it is different from your shell. I know the Usgrat had some unique crafting techniques, but as you have told me, they may have gone deeper into hiding. I don¡¯t know how this axe was crafted, but I can sense exceptional power from it.¡± ¡°Well, now I feel weird having these items knowing that someone died to make them.¡± ¡°Not using an Ardin is a great disservice to those who sacrificed themselves to craft it. Use the tools your given.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to use this axe; I¡¯m not even sure how this whale song works.¡± ¡°Every Ardin is different, and they are somewhat sentient. You will just have to experiment with it, first let us get them accommodated. If you could follow me into this room, you can set her down there and I will put the chimera worm in this sphere.¡± Ang undid the ropes of the caster, as he did, she began to mumble. ¡°Bassinee looks like she¡¯s starting to regain some movement.¡± ¡°Well, that is sooner than expected.¡± Ang, Bassinee, and Dungii moved the caster onto the sea foam bed. ¡°She is trying to talk, perhaps an Elucidator could translate for us.¡± ¡°Vlux already tried to communicate with her, plus she¡¯s still somewhere in the city.¡± ¡°We have another Elucidator. Brekion!¡± She called out. ¡°Would you please come here, I could use your assistance¡± ¡°Coming Bassinee.¡± echoed a voice from afar. ¡°This is perfect, Brekion is about your age. It would be good for both of you to interact with someone your own age. Maybe you two can be friends.¡± The thought of meeting someone his own age made his heart race. He anxiously awaited Brekion¡¯s arrival. After a few moments, the young pixie swam through the doorway. He had short platinum blonde hair, thin marking all over his body, gentle eyes, and wore flowing sleeveless robes. ¡°How can I help?¡± He said with a divine smile. ¡°First, I would like you to meet Angdraoni. Angdraoni this is Brekion.¡± ¡°Is that Kiliyi on your shoulder?¡± Asked Brekion. Kiliyi swam from Ang¡¯s shoulder to his. ¡°It is you. I¡¯ve not seen you in a long time.¡± He swims over to Ang. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you Angdraoni.¡± He lifted his palm and presented it to Ang, who was unsure what to do. Ang tried to speak but only managed a few mumbles. ¡°So you go by Ang, sorry she just told me. It¡¯s very nice to meet you. I¡¯m Brekion, but I go by Brek. Here, this is our greeting.¡± He took Ang¡¯s right arm, pressed their palms together and intertwined their fingers. Where their hands touched, Ang felt a surge rush through his body. His blood quickened, and he couldn¡¯t form coherent thoughts. In that moment all his senses directed to Brek. Brek released his hand and turned. ¡°And you must be Dungii.¡± ¡°Meep meep.¡± ¡°Alright Kiliyi told me everything I need to know, let¡¯s take a look.¡± Brek placed a hand on the casters head. ¡°I would just like to know your name?¡± he asked. ¡°Bassinee, Ang, Dungii, Kiliyi, where are you guys?¡± Yelled Vlux from down the hall. ¡°We are in here Vluxcerin,¡± replied Bassinee. In a second Vlux appeared in the doorway. ¡°Thank goodness I found you. I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Everyone asking where and how I¡¯ve been. Wait, who is he? Is he also¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, Elucidators are now living longer than ever thanks to the marking Myorni and I developed. I meant to tell you about him sooner, but you were always away on missions. Vluxcerin, meet Brekion. You should remember his parents; they were part of the diversionary team with you. I took him in when they¡­ left.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you, call me Vlux.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to meet the captain of the diversionary team. It¡¯s an honor. I go by Brek. I would greet you properly, but I just need a few moments.¡± ¡°I already tried that she doesn¡¯t want to talk,¡± said Vlux. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s correct, she¡¯s trying to communicate, but something is blocking our connection.¡± said Brek. ¡°Let me see¡± Vlux swam over and inspected the caster, she closely looked at each braid of hair until she found one with a particular rune carved into the bead. ¡°I knew it! This is an Imdrina blocking rune, and I would bet it can also track her movements. I told you we shouldn¡¯t have brought her here.¡± Kiliyi swam on to the bead and bit it, dissolving it with her venom. ¡°They would still need to know the right incantation to get in. But you found what was blocking the connection,¡± said Brek. The caster shot up, her long braids stood on end as she yelled ¡°THRAMUNY!¡± Everyone gasped and jumped back a few centimeters. Brek remained calm. ¡°Is that your name?¡± he asked with a smile. The tips of his fingers still on her forehead. ¡°Yes, my apologies for shrieking. My name is Thramuny.¡± Her hair fell limp. ¡°I also apologize for attacking. Eio thought he saw a threat.¡± ¡°Eio, your Chimera Worm friend is Eio?¡± asked Brek. ¡°Yes, he is my soulmate, could you please set him free?¡± ¡°Yes, Bassinee can you release Eio.¡± She swam over to Eio and released him from the sphere barrier. Eio swiftly, yet gracefully swam to Thramuny, and floated over her, his four eye stalks extended, body surging with power. ¡°It is adequate Eio, If they wanted to harm us, they would have done so by now,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Yes, we would love to help you.¡± said Brek. ¡°I am most despondent, I have put all of you in peril. We showed the Koru-Ation where the portal is.¡± said Thramuny. ¡°It¡¯s alright they don¡¯t know the incantation to get into this space.¡± ¡°They know about the whales. I heard a pixie they caught tell them. They have been trying to make a key to get in,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Wait, I just thought of something,¡± said Ang. ¡°Before we got here, we saw some men hunting whales, but they were using a strange weapon.¡± ¡°Kiliyi, is telling me that what you¡¯re talking about had engravings on it similar to the Imdrina blocking rune she just destroyed,¡± said Brek. ¡°She has also seen similar markings on the white swords the Koru use, and we know those are designed to dispel magic effects.¡± For the first time, Brek¡¯s serene smile broke as a revelation dawned on him. ¡°Ang, may I see the shell you have?¡± ¡°Yeah sure.¡± ¡°Of course! The only way to get into this space is with the proper incantation or whale intonation. Only a few of us understand how this magic works. I happen to be part of the family that maintains the song. They don¡¯t know what the right intonation is, so they¡¯re capturing and harvesting as many whale voices as possible.¡± ¡°Wait, but miss Bassinee you said you can¡¯t make a whale song unless they willingly give their voice,¡± said Ang. ¡°With enough cruelty, any creature will beg for release.¡± replied Bassinee. ¡°How did you find the correct entrance?¡± asked Brek. ¡°You must have incredible magic sense.¡± ¡°It¡¯s he who has incredible senses.¡± Thramuny pointed to Eio. ¡°Once he found the location, the Koru left us to die. When I witnessed Eio strike, I thought they had come back to kill me and I fought.¡± ¡°Any of use would have done the same,¡± said Ang. ¡°This is bad, most pixie¡¯s aren¡¯t fighters, were better at illusions and diversions then combat. If they invade Brexcen directly, most won¡¯t be able to fight them off,¡± said Vlux. ¡°It will be a first but we have to try.¡± said Bassinee. ¡°Vlux, please make an announcement to warn everyone and gather anyone who has combat experience. A few of your old team members may still be in the city. Bassinee, please guide the non-combatants somewhere safe. Ang, Dungii, Kiliyi, the three of you will come with me.¡± Delegated Brek. ¡°Thramuny, Eio, what would you like to do? I would recommend rest and recovery, but we can¡¯t be sure anywhere is safe.¡± ¡°I acknowledge, and I wish to brawl,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Then I¡¯ll have someone bring you what provisions we have, please remain here in the meantime and recover strength will you can.¡± ¡°You are a charismatic leader. Let us hurry Vlux,¡± said Bassinee. She and Vlux swam out of the room. ¡°We should go too Ang, you all can be my escort. Kiliyi told me you¡¯re an excellent study.¡± Brek said with a smile that could cause a heart to skip. ¡°Y-yes.¡± mumbled Ang. ¡°Murp Murp.¡± ¡°Oh, you got bigger so all of us can ride on your back, that¡¯s very helpful.¡± Brek swam through the veil and took hold of the mushroom. ¡°Ang, we must hurry.¡± Ang snapped out of his trance, he swam through the veil and gripped the mushroom next to Brek. ¡°We all set, Dungii let¡¯s go,¡± said Brek. ¡°Murp.¡± They swam to protect the home of the pixie¡¯s. 7 - Defense Team 2.0 ¡°Thank you for rescuing Vlux.¡± said Brek. ¡°Well, uh... it was Dungii who found and caught her,¡± said Ang. ¡°But it was you who pushed forward and helped fight off the Koru-Ation. Kiliyi thought it was reckless, but she is proud of you. Vlux is very important to us. She created the diversionary team and kept the Koru from finding Brexcen for many years.¡± ¡°She was the founder of that team?¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s considered one of the best sensory manipulators ever. She trained most of the team herself, including my parents.¡± ¡°So, what happened to the team?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t there so I don¡¯t know the details. All they told me was that the Koru got a new weapon that could dispel our most elaborate illusions. Most of the diversionary team got captured, or worse, so Vlux agreed to go with them if they let the rest of the team return home.¡± ¡°Your parents didn¡¯t come back?¡± ¡°No, the Koru captured them. That¡¯s something we have in common. We¡¯re both searching for our family. Honestly, I thought mine were dead until a moment ago.¡± ¡°What changed?¡± ¡°My parents were in charge of maintaining, and changing the entrance incantation. When Thramuny told us that the Koru knew about the whale song. I knew my parents were the only ones who could have given them that information.¡± ¡°Is that where we¡¯re going now?¡± ¡°Yes, since my parents left I have been in charge of maintaining the incantation. We need to see if we can alter it enough that the Koru won¡¯t be able to get in.¡± They swam lower to the base of the city size bubble. All along the edges, Ang could see the massive coral structure, like a tree supporting the bubble. Its expansive branches surrounding the lower half. A platform floated above the base, on which sat a large instrument. It had many pipes, strings, pedals, and fine engravings etched into it. Ang couldn''t figure out how one would operate such a contraption. ¡°By playing this instrument I can change the incantation. Can you keep a lookout while I perform,¡± said Brek. ¡°Sure thing.¡± responded Ang. Dungii, Kiliyi, and Ang posted themselves just above the platform as Brek swam to the instrument and began to expertly play the complex device. He used his mouth, hands, feet, and created several clear tendrils that could reach other parts of the instrument. As Ang watched, he suddenly felt a dull pressure. ¡°MMUUURRRPPP!!!¡± He swam from under the mushroom, and his body trembled with dread as the armored giants descended. ¡°We¡¯re too late! The Koru, they¡¯re here.¡± Long thin tendrils reached up and ensnared the monsters. ¡°Ang! I can restrain them, and suppress their auras, you have to defeat them,¡± hollered Brek from below. Ang¡¯s mind scrambled. He remembered how Kiliyi burned them before. Hastily he drew a fire rune with tracer light; upon activation the rune produced a brief glow. ¡°Ang quickly! You must destroy them, I cannot hold for long,¡± plead Brek. Heart pounding out of his chest unsure what to do, until he felt a spider crawl onto his shoulder. Vision narrowing, he could only see the six monsters. Activating tracer light on eight fingers, with blinding speed wove his runes; forming large icicles, he pierced their twisted black bodies. The monsters ceased to struggle and sunk. He missed one, but Dungii, balling up the ends of his tail, beat the monster with immense force. Forming dents and deep cracks in the armor, until it stopped moving. Ang watched the knights slowly sink and burn away. The Imdrina within them, dissolving the body. As the final armored monster sunk Ang could barely see, through the cracks, something like clay. ¡°That was impressive.¡± Ang turned to see Brek swimming up to him, his smile ever present. ¡°Backlogging multiple water runes, you must be the son of The Spider. I managed to change the incantation; it will take time for them to figure out the new one. We have to destroy the ones that got through. This¡¯ll work. Dungii can quickly fly us through the city, I can restrain the enemy, Ang you finish them off. Kiliyi you do your thing.¡± Kiliyi nodded and crawled away. ¡°You ready, Ang.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Dungii?¡± asked Brek. ¡°Murp!¡± Dungii swam through the city. From around some spires, four Black Knights emerged. Brek¡¯s tendrils reached out to ensnare them before their auras could take effect. Ang confidently wove his runes and took them out. ¡°Excellent, we keep this up we¡¯ll be able to force them out of here,¡± said Brek enthusiastically. Ang looked above and saw the Black Knights pouring through the smashed the platinum gate. He appreciated Brek¡¯s optimism, but the odds were not in their favor. Dungii rushed a pair of armored knights. ¡°Dungii wait!¡± yelled Ang. As Dungii slammed one knight and sideswiped the other with his tail. Brek subdued both of them with his tendrils. However, many more knights swarmed them, Ang felt the crushing sensation. ¡°No, not again.¡± He fought against the force. Brek lay prone. Dungii struggled to move. Ang flexed his muscles, and blew into the ocarina. He played a turbulent song that caused the water to swirl around them, dispersing the knights, but more set upon them. A shimmering cloth encircled the trio. Brek hastily got to his feet and restored his composure. ¡°This cloak is the Ardin Cascade, they¡¯re here,¡± said Brek. ¡°Who¡¯s here?¡± ¡°The diversionary team.¡± From behind the veil they heard voices yelling, and armor breaking. Once the veil lifted, the wrecked bodies of the monsters fell and dissolved. ¡°Excellent, we found you. We just passed Kiliyi, she pointed us in this direction,¡± said a monotone female pixie holding the cloak Cascade high enough to cover half her face. Her long hair created a black cape behind her. ¡°Sir Brek, you can¡¯t take any chances. You¡¯re the only one who knows how to play Crescendo,¡± said a gruff, dark male pixie. Several markings covered his bulky arms, and he held a long stick at least five times his height. ¡°What an intriguing specimen. If we survive this, I would love to get a blood sample. Or would it be a sap sample? What is in this thing? Can I just snip off a tiny piece?¡± Said an inquisitive female pixie. She had curly red hair, markings on her cheeks, and slung on her back, an hourglass-shaped handle with two glass balls stuck on the ends. ¡°Leave it alone Aletha.¡± Sternly said a small bald male pixie. Toned arms crossed, his body covered in many tiny, yet detailed swirls. On his back, a large dark metallic grey umbrella. ¡°Brek, you should go to the stem. Bassinee and Vlux are there with everyone.¡± Said a soft-spoken male with a long dark ponytail. His body, covered in looping lines and geometric shapes. On his hip hung an obsidian sickle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t go back. If we don¡¯t make a stand now, Brexcen is lost. Clo-Whu can teach another I¡¯m sure,¡± said Brek.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°On this I agree with Brek. It¡¯s better if he stays with us. Who is this dwarf and beast, can they fight?¡± Said the pixie holding the cloak. ¡°This is Angdraoni, he¡¯s Lysyntri¡¯s son, and a capable caster. And this is Dungii, he¡¯s fast, strong, and reliable.¡± ¡°He¡¯s fascinating,¡± said Aletha. ¡°You¡¯re the son of the Spider? It¡¯s good to meet you, names Haxx, your mother has saved my life more than I care to count,¡± said the gruff pixie. ¡°More are coming, brace yourselves,¡± said the small male as he opened his umbrella, forming a shield between them and the knights. ¡°Gron! point Phalanx this way,¡± yelled Vlux from below. Gron pointed his shield down, as Vlux swung a wooden rapier. Innumerable thorns flew up and pierced the oncoming knights. Gron¡¯s shield, Phalanx protecting the party. The knights became immobile. Vlux swung again, detonating the embedded thorns, defeating the first wave. ¡°I see you have Splinter back, who are your friends?¡± asked the obsidian wielder. ¡°Thanks for keeping Splinter safe Rux, this is Thramuny and Eio. I just seem to pick them up on my way elsewhere. They said they wanted to help, and right now we can use all of it. Is this the new defense team?¡± ¡°Indeed, it is,¡± said Brek. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again Thramuny, Eio.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, I am ready to melee,¡± said Thramuny. Eio surged with power, next to her. ¡°Isu cast your veil,¡± said Vlux ¡°On it,¡± Isu threw up her cloak. Just like its name, it gently cascaded around them. ¡°Here¡¯s the strategy,¡± deliberated Vlux. ¡°My sword Splinter will take a while to grow more thorns. Rux I assume you¡¯ve used Sluice¡¯s ability. The two of us will remain in the rear behind Isu¡¯s cloak and recharge our weapons. Melee combat is suicide against these things. Gron you will take the vanguard with Phalanx. Dungii I¡¯ll need you right behind him. Haxx, Aletha, you two can fight at long range with your Ardin¡¯s, behind Dungii¡¯s barrier. Brek, Bassinee informed me of your abilities, you¡¯ll be with them, be prepared to use your markings and fight mid range if the enemy gets too close. Thramuny, can you please give us a quick summary of yours and Eio¡¯s abilities?¡± ¡°Certainly, spells are woven into my mane and locked in with these beads. I can use it like a switch and scuffle at a distance. Eio is a Strober, he specializes in electric attacks, but the element alters with his color. He also has near flawless camouflage.¡± ¡°So what I hear is you¡¯re a mid range fighter, and Eio is a long range scout. Perfect, you¡¯ll be in the rear with me and will serve the same function as Brek, take them out before they get close. Eio since you can go invisible, we need you as a scout. Pick off what knights you can without getting detected. You can report new threats to Brek or myself, we can interpret for you.¡± ¡°Eio and I are soulmated, we can communicate directly with one another from afar,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Also, I am familiar with their magic and resistant to it. That¡¯s why they used that bead to weaken me. Where I come from, life is a constant fight.¡± ¡°Well, nevermind, that¡¯s a lot better. Ang do you remember how to use this.¡± Vlux takes the tome off her back and passes it to Ang. ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡± ¡°Good, just focus, give it the right commands and it pretty much works itself. You¡¯ll be with Haxx and Aletha using the tome for long range attacks. Kiliyi is also preparing her attack; she¡¯ll give the signal once she¡¯s ready. In the meantime, we stay in formation and fight from a distance. Rux and I will release our attacks when we can. Everyone ready?¡± Aletha, with glee, swam through Dungii¡¯s veil, followed by Haxx. Upon entering the space, Aletha began inspecting every centimeter of Dungii, as Haxx looked to Ang and asked. ¡°What¡¯s your Ardin called? Every Ardin has a name; it pays homage to those who sacrifice themselves to give it power.¡± Ang looked at the tome and blurted the first thing that came to mind. ¡°Home.¡± ¡°A tome called Home, I like it. This here is Boa, one of the eight Ardin of Brexcen. It can move like a snake, good for constricting,¡± said Haxx. ¡°Eight? but I only count six here,¡± said Ang. ¡°Technically, I¡¯m one of the Ardin wielders. The instrument I was playing Crescendo, is an Ardin,¡± said Brek. ¡°The last one is with Bassinee, the pen Quill. It¡¯s what we use to apply our markings.¡± ¡°You wanna see mine,¡± said Aletha. ¡°This is Binary. It¡¯s conjoined orbs allow me to use coloring and meld the effects in the center. It¡¯s extremely versatile. What can Home do?¡± ¡°It can uh... home in on targets,¡± said Ang with a nervous grin. ¡°Hmm¡­ well it¡¯s a book, so it must contain vast amounts of knowledge. I would theorize that Home could cast any spell that¡¯s written in it,¡± said Aletha. ¡°Everyone in position here they come,¡± shouted Vlux. Ang anxiously glanced over at Brek next to him, who gave him a reassuring smile that made his belly flutter. He shyly glanced down, then quickly turned his attention to the oncoming wave of Black Knights. They moved together as a unit. The rear concealed behind the cloak, Dungii and crew in the middle, the front guarded by Gron with Phalanx. Ang watched as Haxx activated Boa. ¡°Slither,¡± the staff began moving, ¡°strike.¡± The staff flew off into the swarm one by one it constricted and destroyed the knights. They tried to grab it, but Boa being too slick, snapped off fingers, crushed limbs, and popped off heads. Ang then turned his attention to Aletha, as she prepared Binary. ¡°Ice knife,¡± one orb creates thin ice daggers. ¡°Cyclone,¡± Binary spins rapidly, ¡°assault.¡± Binary becomes a razor sharp mini tornado and moves into the swarm. Few by few slicing the knight¡¯s to bits, as they tried to escape its deadly pull. Ang felt Brek¡¯s hand on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re up Ang,¡± he said. He swallowed hard and held up Home. ¡°Ascend¡± Home rose above his hand, Uh... target, target, target, target, target, target.¡± ¡°Ang, I think you can just say attack. Ardins are smarter than you think,¡± interrupted Brek. ¡°Oh¡­ uh, attack.¡± Home flew into the swarm and began bashing into the knights. It¡¯s attacks ineffective. He had to find a way to contribute. Though landing an attack at this distance would be difficult, he started to rune weave. As he drew he noticed Home stopped attacking, opened and began channeling. Realizing what Aletha meant by, ¡®it can cast any spell that¡¯s written in it,¡¯ he drew several ice shard runes in the air, channeling them through Home. Taking out several knights at once. He feverishly drew runes. Now he could keep up with Haxx, and Aletha. but it was not enough. However, the swarm steadily advanced. ¡°Eio says there is a group on the left.¡± said Thramuny. ¡°I think Sluice has charged up enough,¡± said Rux. ¡°Let me handle them.¡± Rux came out of the cloak. The knights emerged from behind the spires. He swung sluice and a dark flare erupted from the blade. The flare disabled the knights it passed over but missed a few. ¡°I¡¯ll take them,¡± Thramuny said as she tagged out Rux. ¡°I¡¯ll assist you,¡± said Brek. He reached out countless long tendrils and ensnared the remaining knights. Thramuny wiped her hair around and slicing them in half. Once they finished, they quickly caught up with the group. The team fought to keep the swarm at bay, but were losing ground. Then a faint red spark flew past them. ¡°That¡¯s the signal! Everyone evasive maneuvers. Oncoming, Kil Cannon,¡± warned Brek. ¡°What¡¯s a Kil Cannon?¡± Ang asked. Brek pointed up to a group of floating spires. Spun between them was a massive spider web with innumerable runes on it. Even from a distance, Ang could make out Kiliyi¡¯s red fire rune. Kiliyi activated her Kil Cannon, sending a legion of red fireballs into the oncoming knights. The fire rapidly spread through their ranks. Once started, they could not extinguish it. They burned away, as the defense team let out a triumphant shout. With renewed vigor, they pushed the swarm back through the platinum gates. Once outside the entire army of knights surrounded them. Vlux came out of the cloak and spun Splinter, sending a volley of thorns in all directions. With a reverse spin, she detonated the thorns. Destroying many knights but there were countless more closing in. The pressure building, they could no longer move. Until a colossal shark appeared from above. Devouring knights in droves. Missing a fin it thrashed about wildly. ¡°It¡¯s like the sharks from my homeland,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Is everything super-sized where you come from,¡± asked Isu? ¡°Affirmative.¡± Gron raised Phalanx to defend from the shark, but as the shark got closer it shrank, revealing the form of a brawny, furry, dwarf with a long beard and missing his left leg. ¡°Uncle Paouni!¡± exclaimed Ang as he swam into his Uncles thigh size arms. ¡°Ang! It¡¯s good to see you, we don¡¯t have time where¡¯s your father¡¯s axe?¡± ¡°It¡¯s right here,¡± he quickly fetches Hue and removes the sheath. ¡°Ang, the key to using Hue is to tell it who you are, now watch. I AM PAOUNI USGRAT!¡± He gave the axe a broad swing. Causing a violent storm to engulf the surrounding enemies. Lifting the axe straight up, he launched the storm and the rest of the enemies out of Brexcen. The team cried with joy at their miraculous victory. Ang held his uncle tight; he finally found his family. Pao gripped Ang in a bear hug, their embrace lasted, a moment but to Ang it could have been hours. ¡°Paouni, thank you, that was incredible,¡± said Brek. ¡°It¡¯s my brother who¡¯s incredible, but thanks,¡± said Paouni. ¡°Nonetheless, we would¡¯ve been doomed were it not for your timely intervention,¡± said Brek. ¡°However, I fear we¡¯re not in the clear. I can use Crescendo to change the location of the entrance point of Brexcen, but I¡¯ll need time. The Koru are probably still out there trying to get in. I apologize to ask this of you, but we will need a diversionary team. Those who volunteer please raise your hand.¡± With no hesitation, everyone raises their hand. Brek almost lost his composure at the sight of their camaraderie, even though they¡¯d just met. ¡°I will escort you back,¡± said Isu. ¡°Thank you, best of luck to all of you, please come back safe,¡± said Brek as he swam off under Isu¡¯s cloak. ¡°If it¡¯s alright with Dungii. Everyone grab on and let¡¯s charge,¡± said Vlux. ¡°MURP MURP!¡± The team grabbed hold of Dungii, who swam at breakneck speed until they breached the surface. Just as Brek had predicted, the mighty Koru fleet was waiting for them. 8 - Mission Possibly Impossible 2.0 The black ships surrounded them on all sides. Dungii an ant, the rest fleas in comparison. Before the Koru could react, a lighting bolt struck down a man from nowhere. Then another and another, spreading panic through their ranks. ¡°It¡¯s Eio he¡¯s distracting them, they may not have noticed us yet,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Aletha, let¡¯s cast our illusion,¡± said Vlux ¡°Already on it,¡± Aletha had Binary spinning above them. Vlux began chanting an incantation, making the form of a storm bird surround Binary. Using the twin orbs Aletha could create the effects of a storm. Making the intimidating illusion seem real. ¡°Great work, almost looks like my transformation, you missed one major detail.¡± Paouni said as he patted his peg leg. ¡°Uncle what happened to your leg,¡± asked Ang. ¡°You don¡¯t remember? They don¡¯t call me Paouni The Bear for nothing.¡± ¡°So where is everyone? Are my parents still alive? ¡°Your father is right here.¡± Paouni hands the axe back to Ang. ¡°Your mother can explain things better than I can. For now, I gotta make sure you¡¯re safe.¡± Paouni climbs to the top of the mushroom and begins singing while drawing many runes in the air. He assumes his storm bird form and joins the illusion. Uncle was the storm bird and the bear. My mom is alive. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s get up there and commandeer a ship,¡± said Haxx. Gron opened Phalanx and set it into the water. ¡°Hop on everyone.¡± ¡°What about Aletha and Vlux,¡± asked Ang? ¡°Vlux and Aletha have to maintain focus to keep their illusion up. Besides, Dungii will keep them safe, right?¡± said Gron. ¡°Murp.¡± They jumped onto Phalanx grabbing the long handle for support. Haxx put Boa in the water and used it like a rudder to propel them toward the closest ship. ¡°Everyone hold on we¡¯re going up,¡± said Gron. A few of his marking lit up, and he launched them into the air. The air snatched out of his lungs Ang couldn¡¯t scream. Thramuny had the same mortified expression. Haxx and Rux recklessly jumped off to the shock of the enemy crew. Rux swung Sluice sending out its dark disabling flair, rendering the crew comatose. Haxx sent Boa slithering after the rest. More men came climbing up from below deck. Gron stuck the landing, Ang rolled off. Thramuny immediately sprang into action. She fought ferociously. Her long hair swinging wildly as she blasted men overboard with concussive force from her hands. Ang heard a metal clink behind him. He pivoted to see Gron locked in combat, defending against a sword attack. ¡°Some help would be nice boy,¡± said Gron. Ang threw Home at the man¡¯s head, knocking him overboard. Once they defeated all the troops, Haxx sauntered up to the steering wheel. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to pilot one of these things,¡± said Haxx. He pulled a lever that folded the sails back, making the vessel streamlined and submersible. ¡°Brace yourselves we''re going under.¡± Ang grabbed hold of the rails as they plunged beneath the surface. The ship dove deeper and deeper. Ang held his breath, the water pressure steadily increasing. Then, Haxx steered the ship straight up. Ramming an enemy vessel from below, nearly splitting it in half. As the ship sank, the men jumped overboard. Dungii, with Vlux and Aletha secure on his back, swam over and begin pummeling them. Eio picked them off from above, and storm birds stirred the lake and sky. Suddenly a horrendous noise reverberated through the air. It pierced right to the bone, sending sharp pain through their bodies. All the pixie¡¯s collapsed, leaving only Ang and Thramuny barely standing. Ang witnessed his uncle fall out of the sky. They captured Dungii, Vlux, and Aletha in a net. Their ship sinking, Ang and Thramuny struggled to maintain consciousness. The last thing Ang saw, as he glanced to the shore, the hideous twisted form of the wailing beast. # Dungii barely escaped capture. He swam fast soon arriving at the opposite shore. He turned and watched as his friends were chained and loaded onto a prison wagon. He paced back and forth. How could he rescue his friends? Skimming across the surface of the lake, he noticed Kiliyi approaching. He ran to greet her, but upon reaching the shore she forced him back into the bushes. ¡°Meep! Meep meep meep, meep.¡± Kiliyi raised her front leg and gently stroked Dungii to calm him. A second Kiliyi appeared startling Dungii until he recognized this as Kiliyi¡¯s carapace. She wove a rune onto its back and sent the carapace off. They then cautiously made their way closer to the prison wagon. Dungii¡¯s antenna stood on end; someone was nearby. Kiliyi crawled out of the bush and waved into the air. The form of Eio appeared. Though he silent and only half visible, he displayed distress in the jagged way his wings fluttered. He lowered himself close to the ground. Kiliyi crawled on his back and turned invisible. ¡°Meep meep.¡± She crawled off and beckoned for Dungii to follow. Together they climbed on Eio¡¯s back, and all became imperceptible. Carefully they floated by the caravan. Through the bars of the wagons Dungii could see their friends. In the wagon closest to them, Ang, in a nervous sweat, sat next to Haxx. Haxx struggled against his restraints. Every now and again, when the wagon swayed, he saw the heads of the other two pixie¡¯s he assumed must be Gron and Rux. The rest must be in the other wagon. From their angle a huge black box obscured it, pulled by many large horned beasts of burden. Dungii knew that whatever made that horrible sound was in that black box. He hoped to never hear it again, let alone see it. Dungii grew evermore impatient as night fell. ¡°Meep meep, meep meep meep.¡± Kiliyi warned against revealing themselves too soon, she reassured him they had to do this carefully. Finally, they traveled over a ridge until they could see the fortress of the Koru-Ation. A dark and twisted, yet vibrant place, sleek towers grazed the sky, the streets full of humans, and creatures working alongside them. The caravan traversed the streets to a fork in the road, where they took the large black box in one direction and the wagons the other. They reached another fork where one wagon traveled right, the other left. Dungii kept his eyes and antenna focused on the wagon he knew held Ang. It turned closer to the center of the fortress. A large facility surrounded by many tall buildings, like a valley encircled by jagged peaks. Dungii wanted to leap off and bash through the walls when the wagon disappeared into the building, but Kiliyi again reassured him they would get them out. Cautiously they floated around the facility looking for an entry point. Then at the top of a corner tower he saw a crack in the ceiling they could squeeze through. ¡°Meep meep meep.¡± Eio positioned himself just above the opening. Kiliyi lowered herself through the hole and waited for Dungii to follow. He turned to Eio.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Meep Meep Meep.¡± Eio dimly surged and gave a competent flap. ¡°Meep Meep.¡± Dungii climbed down the thread through the hole and greeted Kiliyi on top of a stone gargoyle. Their mission, to save their friends, but first they had to locate them. They crawled along the stone wall, past two conversing troops. Many Imdrina signatures filled the fortress, making it difficult for Dungii to sift through them, but as they traveled further in, they heard a voice yelling. ¡°You fools should a killed me at the shore! When I get out of here, I¡¯m gonna bury all of you!¡± Dungii recognized the loud voice of Haxx.They found a hole where his voice could be heard yelling indiscernible curses at his captors. Kiliyi could barely squeeze through the hole. Dungii retracted his mushroom, compressed and elongated his body, and just barely fit into the opening. Fast as they could, they traveled the length of the wall following Haxx¡¯s booming voice. Once they got closer, Dungii could pick up their distinct signatures and now had a more accurate idea of their location. Finally, they reached a point where through the wall Dungii could detect Ang and the pixie¡¯s. ¡°Meep.¡± Kiliyi carefully traced her red fire rune on the wall. Upon activation, it produced a small spark that made a hole just big enough for them to squeeze through. Through the opening, they saw their friends chained to the wall. Dungii almost ran through, but Kiliyi grabbed his tail. Annoyed he turned around to see her making chopping, slashing and jabbing motions; it took him a minute, but then he understood what she meant. They would need their weapons to have any chance of escape. Dungii remembered the very strong and distinct signature Hue gave off. Focusing, he could faintly make out its approximate location somewhere just below them. ¡°Meep meep.¡± Dungii took the lead, traveling further down the walls of the fortress. They came out of an air duct where they saw, laid out on a large stone counter in a square room, the Ardin. Three armed men stood over the weapons examining and arguing over who would take which one. No way around it, Dungii and Kiliyi would have to take them out. Dungii readied to launch himself. Kiliyi anchored her silver silk to the wall. After a beat, they simultaneously flung themselves into the fray. Dungii bashed the head of one man. The other two looked to see what flew past. Kiliyi wrapped her silk around one man¡¯s neck and landed on Home. Activating it, she knocked out the remaining man. With the three men dispatched, they now had to figure out how to get the weapons through the thick wood door. From behind the door they heard muffled screams and the sound of a whiplash. The lock turned and in the doorway emerged the silhouette of Thramuny. ¡°Dungii, Kiliyi, I¡¯ve finally found you two. I have already cleared the way to our allies. Let us take their arms to them.¡± Dungii dug his roots into the ground and assumed his large form. Thramuny loaded the weapons onto his back. ¡°I fancy this one, I¡¯ll borrow it,¡± said Thramuny picking up Boa. Thramuny placed the last Ardin on his back. Ready to free his friends, Dungii smashed through the wall. A grisly scene lay before them, the bodies of men strewn about. ¡°It¡¯s acceptable if you are loud, I will defeat all that come. We must go up through that passage.¡± They ran up a wide tunnel, Dungii in the rear, Thramuny in front, with Kiliyi on her shoulder. Several men appeared at the end of the tunnel to halt their progress. ¡°Boa, Snake! Uh¡­ do snake things. What did he say? Strike!¡± Boa launched itself into the group of men and wrapped firmly around the front man¡¯s neck, threatening to pop his head off. The other men pulled as hard as they could to pry it off. Thramuny with a flurry of punches and kicks knocked them out. Once the last man asphyxiated Boa relinquished, its hold and went rigid. ¡°Yes, I very much like this staff, hurry this way.¡± They turned down the hall until they made it to the cell where Ang and the pixie¡¯s were being kept. Thramuny took out a key and opened the lock. ¡°Thramuny, Dungii, Kiliyi, damn it¡¯s good to see all of you, and you got the Ardin¡¯s, brilliant!¡± Boisterously exclaimed Haxx. Kiliyi got to work, carefully applying thread to the cuffs, and burning them off, starting with Ang. ¡°Thanks Kiliyi, I knew you were coming.¡± Ang walked over and hugged Dungii, he nodded to Thramuny and picked up Home and Hue. Gron picked up Phalanx, Rux took Sluice. ¡°This is a very nice weapon,¡± said Thramuny as she reluctantly handed Boa to Haxx. ¡°Maybe if you¡¯re good, I¡¯ll give it to you,¡± jested Haxx. Damn, who did all this.¡± ¡°I did,¡± responded Thramuny. ¡°Geez what did they do to piss you off. I might have to give you Boa for all this work,¡± said Haxx. ¡°You can¡¯t just give an Ardin away like that,¡± said Rux. ¡°I¡¯m sure Boa and Thramuny will get along just fine,¡± said Haxx. ¡°I think we do, anyway they deserved what they got,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan, do you know where we¡¯re going, and where¡¯s everyone else,¡± asked Gron. ¡°Eio is above us, using his perception to give me a rough idea of the layout of this fortress. Vlux, Aletha and Paouni are being held in another part. We must fight our way through,¡± said Thramuny. Once outside, they ran past the bodies of men beaten by Thramuny during her own infiltration. Soon they made it to the building where Eio was sure the others were being kept. ¡°This is my specialty, let me handle them,¡± said Rux. He stepped back and sliced a hole into the darkness. Ang swiveled his head, looking around for where he disappeared to. Gron directed his gaze up to the tower above, he saw the silhouette of a man fall over. When a nearby guard walked over to inspect, he too collapsed. Followed soon by the next man who went to investigate. Finally, the man in the opposite tower collapsed. The entrance clear, Rux reappeared from the point where he disappeared. ¡°Impressive what did you do,¡± asked Thramuny. ¡°I stepped into the night, it¡¯s like holding your breath can¡¯t stay there long.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon let¡¯s get the others and get back to Brexcen. Everyone¡¯s waiting for us,¡± said Gron. They made their way into the facility. Haxx and Gron eager to take the lead. Gron used Phalanx to block against the next group they encountered, while Haxx sent Boa to take them out. Thramuny yelled out directions as Eio fed them to her. Once they were close enough, Dungii could narrow down the location, and before long they were at the cell containing, Vlux, Aletha, Paouni and three other captives. ¡°You guys are here! Hurry get us out,¡± said Vlux. Kiliyi began burning their cuffs off. Ang ran to his uncle. ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re not allowed out of my sight. I have a ton of questions I need to ask you.¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m sure you do, boy. I¡¯ll tell you everything I can when we get back to whatever that pixie land is called.¡± ¡°Brexcen,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Dungii my saviour, when I saw your body crumble I knew you had escaped and would come for us,¡± said Aletha. ¡°Murp Murp.¡± ¡°Everyone got their weapons. Let¡¯s go,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Wait, what about them? We can¡¯t just leave them,¡± said Ang. ¡°I agree with Ang,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Ang remember when I told you about the Satke, and how they¡¯re the reason the Koru know about Brexcen,¡± said Vlux. ¡°And how did the Koru know to catch a whale song to invade Brexcen,¡± said Haxx. The Koru would have found out about us and found a way in one way or another Vlux. We can¡¯t keep blaming others for our decades of growing complacent in the security of Brexcen. We used to protect these lands until we hide ourselves away at the source of the Grand Lakes. I say it¡¯s about time we took a stand. No reason we can¡¯t all live in peace like in the old days, there¡¯s plenty of space for everyone.¡± ¡°You wanna save them too, fine. How do we get them and us out of here? There¡¯s only a handful of us and the Satke have been abused, tortured, and starved for years now. None of them will be in any condition to help fight; they¡¯ll just be dead weight.¡± ¡°They¡¯re using Rhinoceros to pull the wagons and do much of the heavy manual labor. I¡¯m sure they would like to be set free, you can convince them Vlux,¡± said Aletha. ¡°You know what, let¡¯s just bust out the whole prison. You guys realize how ridiculous you sound.¡± Kiliyi leapt onto Vlux¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Not you too...are you serious?¡± ¡°What is she saying,¡± asked Ang. ¡°That they¡¯re here.¡± They could hear several voices yelling down the hall. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about them, I¡¯m talking about them.¡± Vlux pointed to the wall. They emerged from every pipe, every crack, every crevice, of the entire facility. Innumerable, countess, they are the swarm, they are, the Daughters of Kiliyi. 9 - Great Escape 2.0 ¡°Crazy as it sounds we might be able to pull this off,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Ang meet your¡­ step, sisters.¡± Several of his sisters, gray spiders of varying sizes and shapes, each with a unique gold and silver design on their abdomen landed on him, ecstatic to meet them, he smiled with delight. ¡°So in case you haven¡¯t figured it out. These are a few of Kiliyi¡¯s many daughters. She¡¯s been gathering them up with her exoskeletons ever since you all came ashore. She¡¯s got daughters all over the world.¡± ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re a busy girl,¡± said Aletha. ¡°Eh, Gross,¡± said Vlux. ¡°What¡¯d she say?¡± asked Ang. ¡°She enjoys eating heads.¡± Kiliyi shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s brutal Kiliyi, I like it,¡± remarked Rux. ¡°Wait, listen the footsteps have stopped,¡± said Gron. ¡°Exactly, Kiliyi¡¯s daughters have infiltrated the entire facility. Using their venom and shed exoskeletons, they¡¯ve either killed or incapacitated most every guard. We can make a run for the exit, or take our chances trying to save everyone and bolster our numbers. You guys really wanna do this?¡± ¡°To me there isn¡¯t an option. We have to save these people. I don¡¯t see any difference between them and us, other than they¡¯re a bit longer. Dungii will help me, right,¡± said Ang. ¡°Murp!¡± ¡°And I have my sisters.¡± Kiliyi jumped onto his shoulder. ¡°You guys go on if you want, but I¡¯m taking everyone here with me.¡± Paouni let out a roaring laugh. ¡°Boy, you sound just like your father.¡± He wiped a tear from his cheek. ¡°He¡¯d be so proud of you. C¡¯mon let¡¯s get some rhinos!¡± ¡°Yes, this is a way to live! This is a way to die!¡± Declared Haxx, everyone cheered except Vlux, Thramuny, and Ang. Vlux placed a hand on Ang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°See what you did.¡± Thramuny placed a hand on his head. ¡°You did the right thing.¡± Ang smiled and led the way. They ran out of the facility to find the streets eerily quiet. ¡°Thramuny is Eio here,¡± asked Vlux. ¡°Yes, he has already told me about the layout. The Satke, and many other prisoners are being housed in the large building over there.¡± ¡°Dungii, can all the pixie¡¯s ride with you?¡± asked Ang. ¡°Murp,¡± all the pixie¡¯s climbed onto Dungii, Vlux climbed to the top of the mushroom. ¡°Uncle, watch this.¡± Ang started playing his ocarina and drawing runes with his toes, assuming his gray bear form. ¡°Ang! You¡¯ve recreated my bear transformation. You see that, Ong, haha!¡± Ang knelt and motioned for his one legged uncle to hop on. Paouni possessing only one leg struggled to climb onto Ang¡¯s bear form. ¡°Here I will assist,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Oh, my you are very dense.¡± She said struggling to get the bulky dwarf on the bear''s back. ¡°It¡¯s all muscle, and beard haha,¡± said Paouni. Thramuny jumped on behind Paouni. They raced down the streets through the disturbing scene. All around Ang saw people suffering from spider bites. Most lay still, making it difficult to tell if they were alive or paralyzed. Approximately every tenth person writhed in agony, faces contorted into a scream, though no sound emanated. The few who could move had severely swollen limbs where the spider bit them, making it difficult to treat themselves and the others around. Finally, they made it to a large sleek, menacing polygonal building, with a sharp look like touching it would slice you. It had only one entrance in or out, a large heavy metal door. ¡°Gron you¡¯re up,¡± said Vlux. He jumped off and brandished Phalanx. Opening it, he tensed his muscles as light pulsed through his markings. He drew the shield back, and with explosive force, bashed the entrance, sending the entire steel door flying several meters back. ¡°Here¡¯s the plan, we''re gonna rely heavily on Kiliyi¡¯s daughters to make this work,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Most of Kiliyi¡¯s daughters can spin gold thread that burns red. We only need to apply a spark to burn the locks and cuffs off. Prisoners who are healthy enough to help should do so. The daughters are also working on spinning silk along the ceiling to guide everyone to this exit. Gron, Rux, Paouni, and Dungii. I need the four of you posted out here to receive them. Everyone else, with me.¡± Thramuny assisted Paouni off Ang¡¯s back, then reverted to his dwarf form, exhausted, he collapsed. Paouni hoisted Ang up in a bear hug. ¡°Boy, you amaze me. Let me give you a piece of advice. To sustain a transformation, you have to truly believe what you¡¯re turning into. If you turn into a bear, you are a bear, got it.¡± Ang wearily nodded. ¡°Here let me help.¡± Aletha began spinning Binary above his head. He recognized this magic from when he awoke in the forest after the attack. Quickly he got up and recomposed himself remembering Brek¡¯s example.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Thanks Aletha, I¡¯m good, let¡¯s head in,¡± said Ang. They made their way into the building. Above Kiliyi¡¯s daughters spun blue bioluminescent directional silk. Several more security walls and gates blocked the way; however, the daughters had already wired these locks with gold thread. Ang could quickly draw his fire runes to burn through them. They ran the length of the building down the dark, crooked corridors. The brightest source of light, the gentle blue webbing above, which guided them to the first cage. A young boy and girl sat in a corner clutching each other, entranced by the glowing spider webs. Ang burned off the lock. Aletha used her recovery spell on everyone. ¡°Those two look healthy maybe they can help.¡± Vlux straightened her hair, brightened her eyes, and put on the most ridiculous smile Ang had ever seen. He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at her silly face. ¡°Shut up,¡± she said angrily, though her face remained unchanged, which only made everyone present giggle. Vlux shook her head and walked over to the young Satke. Still looking and pointing up at the webs, they didn''t notice tiny Vlux approach. She tapped them on the ankles, and pleasantly surprised they knelt, and stared with wonder at the pixie. Vlux reached out her hands and they gingerly took them. After a brief exchange, the boy stood up and raised his right hand. He pressed his middle finger and thumb together and slid them past one another producing a pop sound and a small flame. ¡°He can create fire that easily. I thought humans weren¡¯t that good with magic,¡± said Ang. ¡°There are always exceptions to the norm, and the Satke particularly excel at fire magic,¡± said Aletha. The boy and girl began helping their kin up and guiding them out of the cell. Pointing to the miraculous webs and the little people at the gate. They hurried the group down the hall to freedom. ¡°We keep up this pace we can have the place cleared out within the hour,¡± said Vlux. They worked as fast as possible running through the corridors freeing captive, humans, dwarfs, and pixies. Some of whom still had strength and useful magic abilities. Soon they had a small army working to free all the captives. Within less than an hour, the group reached the end of the long maze of cells and made it to the final cell. A large round vault door, with a smooth red and black swirled gem in the center. Faintly Ang could feel something similar, but more dangerous than the aura the black knights, like a knife being held to his throat. ¡°Fascinating, what could be housed in here?¡± said Aletha. ¡°No, we''re done, whatever is behind this door should stay there,¡± said Vlux. Everyone nodded in agreement, Vlux grabbed Aletha and they ran back to the exit where everyone was waiting. ¡°You¡¯re back, that was fast,¡± said Gron. ¡°Everyone has been working together, we got all the carts and steeds. We¡¯ve already loaded up most of the sick, wounded, and elderly. We''re about ready to roll out.¡± ¡°Great, now comes the fun part. We have to find the new entrance to Brexcen before these people drop dead on us,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Actually, that might not be as difficult as you think,¡± said Gron. ¡°While you were in there, that appeared.¡± They looked up and across the horizon, not too far in the distance; they saw the ocean in the sky. ¡°Unbelievable,¡± said Aletha. ¡°Whale clouds don¡¯t appear this far inland.¡± ¡°They do tonight,¡± said Gron. ¡°Kiliyi did you have something to do with this?¡± asked Vlux. Kiliyi shrugged. ¡°I guess we¡¯re just lucky. Let¡¯s have everyone make a break for the whale cloud.¡± ¡°How are we going to round up all these people and lead them out of here,¡± said Haxx ¡°I got em, ¡± said Paouni. He hobbled forward, and began drawing runes in the air while singing, taking on his storm bird form he flew into the sky and circled the fortress. With sparks of lightning and claps of thunder, he demanded everyone¡¯s attention and flew in the direction of the whale cloud. Dungii dug his roots deep into the ground and started sprouting fern leaves that lay across his body like feathers. ¡°Dungii what are you doing?¡± asked Ang. Dungii grew as large as an elephant. ¡°Morp!¡± ¡°Wow, now all of us and a few others can fit on Dungii,¡± said Ang. Everyone climbed the ferns onto Dungii¡¯s back. From behind his flower petal mane Vlux and Ang spotted the young boy and girl Satke they helped in the first cell. The two seemed to be natural leaders, so Vlux beckoned for them to climb up and lead the charge. Dungii used his tail and gently picked up a few other frail and elderly passengers and placed them behind his veil. The pixie¡¯s climbed to the top of the mushroom. Vlux, Ang, Thramuny, and the young boy and girl were position just behind Dungii¡¯s mane. With a loud, deep morp, Dungii lead them out of the prison. The massive stampede of steeds and wagons kicked up dirt as they raced across the rocky open field toward the whale cloud. The cloud just a kilometer out, when a dispel wave washed over them. The horde stumbled as the wave passed over. Looking back, Ang saw the dark silhouette of the horrid creatures in the distance. Oddly shaped masses with long uneven tentacles dangling below. Steadily they advanced. ¡°Crap those things again,¡± said Vlux. By the cloud, Ang saw his uncle crumpled on the ground. ¡°NO!¡± Screamed Ang, as he ran to his uncle¡¯s side. Paouni, used his peg leg to break the fall, shattering it, but wasn¡¯t enough; he had sustained grievous injuries. The rest of the team ran to assist. ¡°Aletha use your healing spell,¡± cried Ang. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ang, that spell really only tricks the mind into believing they¡¯re better. In any case, no amount of healing magic can save him from those injuries,¡± said Aletha. ¡°Uncle you weren¡¯t supposed to leave me again. I have too many things I need to ask, so many things to tell. I want to try drinking booze with you. I want things to be how they were. I want to go home.¡± ¡°I¡¯m real sorry Ang, but this is it for me. At least I can fulfill my duty and keep you safe.¡± Paouni used all is remaining strength to bring himself upright. ¡°Your mother is in Kyxichen. I was supposed to take you there, but you¡¯ll have to find your own way. You made some real good friends. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll help you find Lysyntri.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re about to do what I think you¡¯re about to do, I¡¯ll help you,¡± said Haxx. ¡°How do you know what I¡¯m about to do, you old pixie?¡± ¡°Because I helped develop that magic. It works best with two. Besides, I owe Lysyntri for my life more times than I care to count. Least I can do is give up what little life I have left for her son. Thramuny, here you earned it, take care of Boa, and she¡¯ll take care of you.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon Ang, we must hurry,¡± said Aletha, struggling to hold back tears. ¡°Wait no, what are they going to do. Please let me help.¡± Begged Ang as Vlux and Aletha dragged him away. He watched as Haxx and Paouni joined hands and began singing. Dungii picked them up and put them on his back. ¡°Go, Dungii!¡± Vlux yelled, choking down tears. ¡°Vlux what are they about to do?¡± ¡°Save us all.¡± ¡°MORP!¡± The horde continued the charge, leaving Haxx and Paouni behind. Ang looked back to see enormous beings, made of dirt and clay, rise from the ground. They moved on the wailing beasts, hurling massive stones and quaking the land. As they rose, a glowing aura encompassed Paouni and Haxx. To Ang¡¯s horror, he watched his uncle¡¯s body dissolve into the land, as Dungii plunged them into the whale cloud. 10 - The Land Behind the Sea 2.0 They floated into the cloud, many animals came to greet them. They guided the people and steeds up high through the cloud until they were born into the night sky. Next to the full moon, they found freedom. The song of the whales melded with the cries of the people, forming a healing spell, subtle, yet powerful. Then they fell beneath the waves into the space, the source of the Grand Lakes. Ang felt numb as the whales carried him down into the dazzling city. The memories of what he had lost, weighing heavily on him. When he saw Brexcen, everything became a little lighter. The memories of what he¡¯s found, and the friends he¡¯s gained came into focus. This is a place he could call home. ¡°Thank goodness you are back,¡± Bassinee snatched the reluctant Vlux into a vice grip hug. ¡°When you all did not return, I asked Clo-Whu for assistance.¡± The giant octopus, Isu, and Brek swam up behind Bassinee. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful to see you all back safe.¡± Brek swam to Ang and hugged him. Ang had no feeling, physical or emotional; autonomously, he hugged Brek back. Brek pulled away and studied Ang¡¯s face, then glanced behind him. ¡°Looks like we also have many new guests. We haven¡¯t finished repairs, but I¡¯m sure we can make accommodations for everyone. You must be exhausted, come let¡¯s get all of you some food and rest, then we can discuss the events.¡± Clo-Whu, Isu, and Bassinee got to work. They set up temporary encampments and began tending to the refugees. Brek led them back to Bassinee¡¯s estate. ¡°I apologize but there is something I must attend to,¡± said Aletha as she swam away. Everyone watched her leave, but no one objected. They continued their solemn parade. Once inside Brek placed them around a large sphere fire grill, where a chef prepared a lavish meal full of many kinds of fish fillet, hearty sea cucumber pie, and bubble kelp salad. Rux took a few pieces of fish fillets and quietly left. Vlux nibbled at her food unenthusiastically, Ang didn¡¯t eat at all. Thramuny devoured the portions everyone else did not eat, Eio sucked down the kelp salad. Gron, who still had a healthy appetite fist, bumped Ang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hey boy, you should eat. They¡¯ll be plenty of time to think about what happened out there later.¡± Ang nibbled down a fish fillet. Once he finished Brek led him down a hall to a door. ¡°This is your room, Ang, my room is just across the hall. Whenever you¡¯re ready to talk, I¡¯ll be just over there.¡± ¡°Wait, Brek, Haxx, he.¡± ¡°Yeah, I noticed as soon as you got back. Your uncle Paouni, and Haxx are unaccounted for.¡± Brek swam next to Ang. ¡°So what happened out there?¡± ¡°You want me to tell you the story?¡± ¡°We should have plenty of time now. Kiliyi told me some stuff already, but I would love to hear the story from you.¡± Ang took a deep breath. ¡°Well, after we popped out of the lake, the Koru fleet had us surrounded. Haxx had the crazy idea to board one of their ships, then he dove us under to ram another ship, ended up sinking both.¡± Brek giggled. ¡°Kiliyi didn¡¯t tell me that part. What happened next?¡± ¡°Then one of those monsters came out, used that scream on us. I lost consciousness. When I woke up, they had us loaded onto a wagon. It smelled awful, I think someone was dead in there, the rest didn¡¯t look far from it. We rode for what felt like forever in that stink until we got to their fortress. Then they dragged us through this hall. They had dwarfs and pixies chained up to walls, and I saw pieces of those Black Knights all around. Haxx screamed and fought the whole way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good thing. Kiliyi told me that¡¯s how Dungii was able to narrow down where you were,¡± said Brek. ¡°Yeah, we weren¡¯t there long when I heard scuffling outside. I knew help was on the way. Then Thramuny, Dungii, and Kiliyi busted in to free us. And I couldn¡¯t just leave all those people. I decided we should save everyone, but I don¡¯t feel good about my sister¡¯s biting all those people, some may have been innocent.¡± ¡°Yes, a few of whom you brought back had spider bites but nothing Bassinee couldn¡¯t treat. I¡¯m glad you saved all those people. We need all the allies we can get. Seems we will have no choice but to fight.¡± ¡°Did you find your parents, were they among the ones we freed?¡± ¡°No. No one has seen them yet, but you freed so many. I¡¯m sure there somewhere. Please, continue your retelling.¡± ¡°Right, well then we gathered everyone and ran for the whale cloud. But they sent more of those monsters after us. That¡¯s when my uncle and Haxx¡­ they used some powerful magic, and my uncle¡­ it looked like he.¡± ¡°Obnenio Colm Sceltdor¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s most likely what Paouni and Haxx used. I¡¯m not sure what the details are. I once overheard Haxx and Aletha argue about it. Haxx used the word forbidden, so obviously I had to know what it was. The only thing I caught is the name, and it¡¯s somehow related to Elucidators. We¡¯ll have to ask Aletha for more specifics.¡± ¡°But she swam off somewhere, she seemed really upset.¡± ¡°Well, she just lost her father. It has been some time since I last saw her. She loves answering questions, maybe we should go bother her.¡± ¡°You sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll find out.¡± They made their way through the spires and spheres of the city. Despite the recent invasion. The pixie¡¯s of Brexcen worked together with the refugees, graciously opening their homes, and sharing food and resources. The refugees helped with repairs and shared ideas for improvements. It reminded Ang of his own village. Finally, they made it to a crescent-shaped building, with a thin spire on top. ¡°This is Aletha¡¯s home, though laboratory might be more appropriate.¡± Brek slowly opened the front door. ¡°Aletha you home?¡± ¡°We''re in here,¡± said a voice down the hall. ¡°Come on, Ang.¡± He followed Brek through, what looked like an experimental laboratory or rehabilitation zoo. Spheres containing various kinds of life forms, Ang had never seen before lined the walls. The organisms had tentacles, eyes, and amorphous shapes, some looked like shouldn¡¯t be alive, and many had serious deformities or injuries. Fish with diverse colors and vertical strip patterns swam about. They had anglers with hand appendages, protruding from their foreheads, and busily, changed bandages, served food, and provided physical therapy. ¡°Aletha is probably the second most prominent healer after Bassinee. But I think the only reason she isn¡¯t the most prominent is because she prefers to use her talents on anything but pixie¡¯s. She says our anatomy is boring.¡± They swam past the creatures and nurse fish to a door that, after seeing the things in the previous room, could be mistaken for something living. Brek ran his finger along the door in a circle, slowly opening it. Within the large bedroom many more creatures in bubbles dotted the space and a few nurse fish, slightly larger and with a darker color scheme than in the previous room, swam about. Isu comforted a sobbing Aletha on top of a large half circle bubble bed. ¡°Oh, Ang,¡± said Aletha as she swam to him and held him in a motherly embrace. ¡°I¡¯ve been here sobbing, and yet I¡¯ve given no thought to your ordeal. How are you, child?¡± ¡°Thanks Aletha, I¡¯m doing alright, Brek¡¯s been with me.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. I love seeing you two get along. Brek deserves to have a good friend. And I know Brek will take care of those he cares about.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad most of you made it back. Sorry, I didn¡¯t go up with you. I¡¯m sure my cloak would have kept you from getting captured,¡± said Isu. ¡°Nonsense Isu, you were invaluable here. I don¡¯t know how I would have gotten rid of the remaining knights without you,¡± said Brek. ¡°You both have an inquisitive look. You came here because you want to know more about the magic you saw, correct. Obnenio Colm Sceltdor, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard that name mentioned before Brek,¡± smirked Aletha. ¡°Well, in order to explain what that magic is, you first have to understand that this world called Obnenio by many is alive. Nenio are the offspring of Obnenio, most every continent and island of this world is actually a Nenio. Colm Sceltdor is the art of communicating with the Nenio. Most can do this on a very basic level. Any magic that influences the minds of others or somehow alters your surroundings is a form of Colm Sceltdor. Elucidators naturally excel at this, but at the cost of having much shorter life spans, until recently. Obnenio Colm Sceltdor is the art of communicating with Obnenio itself. We have attempted it many times, but it was Lysyntri who figured out how to do it. However, she felt the cost was too great, and after the first successful experiment halted any further research on it. Many who took part in the research, including my father Haxx kept working independently. I assisted Haxx with a few tests, but he gave up on it, and forbade me from studying it further.¡± ¡°So what exactly does it do?¡± asked Brek. ¡°It allows one to communicate with the world itself and ask it for aid. What kind of aid it provides or if it even wants to provide aid is up to Obnenio. Reaching the core of the world is very difficult you must extend your Imdrina channels well beyond their limits, and then further. The first step is to bring all your channels to the surface, then you must return your body to Obnenio, and ride an ethereal stream to the core. Another person can act as an anchor and help facilitate the connection.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I saw happen to my uncle, it looked like he sunk into the ground,¡± said Ang. ¡°The spell first turns you into an Elucidator once you start there is no going back,¡± said Brek. ¡°Correct once altered your channels can never be set back.¡± ¡°So I guess that means Obnenio answered my uncle, that¡¯s good I suppose.¡± said Ang, a weary smile playing on his lips. ¡°Look at you, looking at things on the bright side.¡± Aletha embraced Ang. ¡°That¡¯s right I have something I need to show you this way.¡± They walked into the large bedroom and down a short hall. At the end of the hall a bubble sat on an ornate pedestal. It contained a small beige puff ball, with a mushroom on top surrounded by an indusium veil. ¡°Dungii!?¡± exclaimed Ang. ¡°Yes, I surmise he overexerted himself and reverted to this state,¡± said Aletha. ¡°Will he come back?¡± asked Ang. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m certain. I ran all the tests and there are definitely still signs of life. Almost two lives.¡± ¡°You mean Dungii has another creature living in him?¡± ¡°No more like a combination of at least two organisms. Chimeras are very rare but they do occur in our world. I have a few in the other room. Normally when a Chimera forms the creatures that compose it are at least both animals or plants. Mammals combine with mammals, birds with birds, plants with plants, and so on. Dungii completely subverts that. What is even more unusual is how complete Dungii¡¯s fusion is. Often you just have the front end of one animal, stuck to the back end of another. With Dungii, it seems the original life forms that now compose him split apart and rearranged in a way that works best for both. Like they meant to do it.¡± ¡°Well, I always knew he was something special. I wanted to search for my mother as soon as possible, but I have to wait for Dungii.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Paouni said your mother is in Kyxichen, or as we like to call it, The Land Behind the Sea,¡± said Aletha. ¡°Where is the Land Behind the Sea, and how do we get there?¡± ¡°I know who can help answer that,¡± said Isu. ¡°Thramuny has been staying with me. She is from Kyxichen. Here I¡¯ll take you to her.¡± ¡°Thanks Isu, and thanks Aletha, please take care of Dungii.¡± ¡°You have nothing to worry about. I¡¯ll inform you right away when he wakes up.¡± ¡°He is in the best place he could be,¡± said Brek. ¡°Let¡¯s go see Thramuny.¡± They swam through the busy city. There were still a few cracks, scratches, and chips in the architecture, but the city still looked brilliant. Finally, they made it to a spire that appeared bland compared to the glowing city around it . One could easily overlook Isu¡¯s home. They went inside to find Thramuny and Eio sparing. Thramuny brandishing her newly acquired weapon Boa. ¡°Isu you¡¯re back, and you brought the friend boys,¡± said Thramuny. Brek and Ang exchanged awkward but amused glances. ¡°Were all just friends Thramuny. You¡¯ve made a fast recovery, you look well,¡± said Brek. ¡°The food was toothsome, I appreciate it. Angdraoni, when are we going to look for your mother?¡± ¡°Actually, that¡¯s why we¡¯re here, you¡¯re from Kyxichen aren¡¯t you,¡± said Ang. ¡°Affirmative, I have not seen my family for a long time. Kyxichen is not like this land. Imdrina flows in abundance, and the living things are much larger and more dangerous. Death is certain and swift for those unfamiliar with the land.¡± ¡°Do you know how to get there?¡± asked Ang. ¡°No, but Eio can navigate.¡± ¡°Kyxichen, is a big place, how are you going to find your mother once you get there,¡± asked Isu. ¡°We just have to find an Imdrina signature that¡¯s like mine, we¡¯ll have to wait until Dungii wakes up before we can leave.¡± ¡°Eio, also has powerful senses. Additionally, if your mother is there, I¡¯m sure my people would know about it. Once we find them, we can ask if they know her whereabouts. I will be here training, you should do the same.¡± ¡°I do need some to practice using my axe.¡± ¡°We should ask Clo-Whu for lessons while he¡¯s here,¡± said Brek. ¡°I saw him just outside the gate,¡± said Isu. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you there Brek I have to grab my axe.¡± Ang retrieved his axe and met with Brek and Clo-Whu outside the gate. Brek had his tendrils out, with Clo-Whu instructing him on how to infuse them with elemental energy. ¡°Ang, there you are.Clo-Whu says he would like to inspect your axe.¡± Ang gives the axe to Clo-Whu, who curiously inspects it. He then starts rapidly changing colors, the blade of the axe matching him. ¡°Hue allows you to use the coloring technique. This is perfect. I don¡¯t think you could ask for a better teacher on coloring than Clo-Whu,¡± said Brek. Clo-Whu then turns and swings Hue, causing a crescent of energy to erupt from the blade. ¡°Looks like it also has a special attack. Similar to Splinter, or Sluice, though it seemed much more powerful when Paouni used it. Hue is probably picky about who wields it,¡± said Brek. Clo-Whu gives Hue back to Ang, who gives it a swing, but nothing happens. ¡°It needs time to recharge, but while it charges, you can practice casting with coloring. I¡¯ll continue to translate for Clo-Whu.¡± # Ang and Brek spent the next few days exploring the city and training with Clo-Whu. After this day''s training session, they leisurely strolled back to Bassinee¡¯s house. ¡°Hey, Brek I just wanted to say thank you for being with me the past couple days. There was no one else my age in my home village, so I¡¯ve never really had someone to just hang out with.¡± Brek smiled, more brightly than usual. ¡°The same to you, Ang. You¡¯re my first proper friend.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about that. You¡¯re always so kind, and you seem to get along well with everyone. Why are you so lonely?¡± ¡°The other children don¡¯t want to get near me. They think if they touch me they¡¯ll die, or I¡¯ll steal all their memories and secrets. Silly stuff like that.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s their loss.¡± Ang¡¯s smile matched Brek¡¯s. ¡°Meep meep meep meep!¡± ¡°Dungii! You¡¯re awake,¡± said Ang. Dungii swam into Ang, tail wagging with delight. Aletha came up behind out of breath. ¡°Goodness, he¡¯s fast. Well, as you can see, Dungii just woke up and immediately went to find you,¡± said Aletha. ¡°Perfect, let¡¯s go tell Thramuny so we can start making preparations to leave,¡± said Ang. They swam to Isu¡¯s place to inform Thramuny and Eio, who were eager to depart. After a few hours, they met with everyone outside the gate. ¡°Clo-Whu says the whales often migrate near there and would be happy to carry you guys most of the way,¡± said Brek. ¡°Brek you should come with us,¡± said Ang. ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t leave. I have recently come to terms with the fact that I am the only one who knows how to play Crescendo.¡± He looked away, to hide the hurt. ¡°I understand, where¡¯s Kiliyi?¡± ¡°She¡¯s been with me and don¡¯t think you¡¯re leaving without me. You¡¯ll need an Elucidator out there, and maybe we can recruit more strong fighters like Thramuny.¡± Vlux swam to the group, with Kiliyi on top of her head, wearing a sack as big as she. ¡°Yes, it will be good to have Vlux with us,¡± agreed Thramuny. They said their goodbyes and hopped on the back of a whale. Making their way to Thramuny¡¯s home, The Land Behind the Sea. 11 - The Great Barrier 2.0 The group rode on the back of a whale enjoying the leisurely cruise to Kyxichen. Eio flew high above and far below the whale cloud, ensuring they¡¯re going in the right direction. Dungii, now larger than before, retained some sparsely placed fern feathers. He happily and almost gracefully flopped about, making friends with a group of dolphins. Kiliyi kept the party entertained with stories of her many adventures through Vlux. While interpreting a tale, Vlux laughs uncontrollably. ¡°Then what happened,¡± said Ang, caught in the gusto of uncontainable laughter, though he had yet to hear the punch line. ¡°Yes, I must know how the tale ends,¡± said Thramuny grinning, the laughter contagious. ¡°Well, turns out the only thing she discovered was ancient and powerful, smelling poop!¡± They roared with laughter. ¡°You¡¯re very fecaltious Kiliyi¡± said Thramuny. Ang and Vlux exchange amused glances and start laughing all over again. ¡°Did I say something odd?¡± asked Thramuny. ¡°Well, you say a lot of odd things,¡± said Vlux. ¡°It¡¯s part of your charm.¡± ¡°I do? My apologies, I only learned your language from reading, the one book they gave me.¡± ¡°What book was that?¡± asked Vlux. ¡°I think it was called the dictionary. I really enjoy learning about different words,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°How did you get captured by the Koru?¡± asked Ang. ¡°You have no tact,¡± remarked Vlux. ¡°They could never capture me. I went willingly; it was the best, well, my only option at the time. I got separated from my home and was guided to your land.¡± ¡°You mean the whales carried you, that¡¯s the same thing that happened to me,¡± said Ang. ¡°No, Eio guided me there. He didn¡¯t know about the Koru and how they treat people like us, people with greater magic potential. At first they were kind. Offered me food and a satisfying place to sleep. I should have been more cautious. They deceived me into putting that bead into my hair, and then they stopped pretending to be nice. They started calling me Elf and forced me to use Eio to find more creatures with high magic potential.¡± ¡°And they desired us pixie¡¯s above all others.¡± ¡°Yes, they did, they found a way to duplicate the magic sense of Eio. Once they confirmed that it worked, they left us to die. We were out there for a few days before you found us.¡± ¡°How did you get separated,¡± asked Ang. ¡°My tribe and a neighboring one were fighting. A territorial dispute happens from time to time. A strong attack tossed me out into The Great Barrier. The barrier then flung me out further. Eio, found me in the ocean and carried me to what he thought was the safest place.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the Great Barrier,¡± asked Ang. ¡°Kyxichen, is surrounded by a wall of waterspouts and whirlpools, caused by the sea creatures surrounding it. We call it The Great Barrier, or you could call it the seawall.¡± ¡°It¡¯s why Kyxichen is known to us as, The Land Behind the Sea,¡± said Vlux. ¡°I know many of the Koru humans think it¡¯s a myth that land even exists behind that sea wall. I¡¯ve always wanted to go there. This is gonna be great. Hm, what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Who are you talking to,¡± asked Ang. ¡°The whale, he¡¯s telling me this is about as close as they dare get to the Great Barrier.¡± ¡°This is good, you see that mist across the horizon, that is the Great Barrier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s awesome,¡± exclaimed Vlux. ¡°So how do we get passed it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know one does not usually cross a barrier. I suppose you could fly over it, but that doesn¡¯t appear to be an option for us,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Hey Ang, can I see Home,¡± asked Vlux. ¡°Sure,¡± he hands her the tome, she placed it on the whale''s back, jumped on and said. ¡°Let¡¯s fly.¡± She started surfing through the air on the thick book. Ang and Thramuny looking on in jealous astonishment. After making a few loops around, she glided back. ¡°I¡¯ve got my way in,¡± Vlux said with a convincing smile. ¡°No fair, you¡¯re the only one small enough to do that,¡± said Ang. Kiliyi jumped from his shoulder to Vlux¡¯s head. ¡°Kiliyi is gonna ride with me. What are you two going to do?¡± ¡°I can propel myself through the air with short bursts of force, on my own I¡¯m certain I can navigate the barrier, Eio will assist me. But Angdraoni, how will you get across?¡± ¡°Dungii and I can make it. I¡¯ll stay safe in Dungii¡¯s veil. I trained with Clo-Whu, so now I can use coloring with Hue. I got my ocarina, the whale song, a bunch of clay balls with runes on them. Yea, we¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Alright, Eio is high above us surveying the terrain. There is a mountain with pink sand on top; it¡¯s very distinct. We can gather there once we are past the barrier.¡± ¡°Ang get Dungii¡¯s attention,¡± said Vlux. Ang blew a shrill note on his Ocarina, and Dungii came bounding over. Once they briefed him on the details, Ang and Thramuny got on his back. Vlux and Kiliyi sat on top of the mushroom, Eio flew nearby. The whales gently guided them down, just in front of a towering waterspout, and swirling whirlpool. A thick haze covered the area. Sunlight reflected off it creating rainbow bridges between each spout. Ang¡¯s heart jolted, he honestly had no idea how he would get through this.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Everyone prepared,¡± said Vlux. ¡°See you at the pink peak.¡± Vlux with Kiliyi on her head flew off into the barrier. She weaved between the waterspouts, riding on Home. ¡°Good luck, and be careful,¡± said Thramuny. She climbed to the top of the mushroom, and moving her hands under her braids, flicked her hair back forming a cape behind her. She pointed her palms, down and behind, jumped from the mushroom, and created a burst of force from her palms that propelled her forward into a waterspout. Ang watched as she gracefully spiraled up the spout. Then at the top propelled herself to the next one. This inspired him. ¡°We¡¯re falling behind Dungii, swim for that water tornado.¡± ¡°Murp.¡± Dungii swam to the nearest waterspout, they spiraled up chaotically. Thramuny made the assent look easy. Ang gripped the mushroom. Holding on for life as the spout forcibly ejected them. Ang grabbed his axe and flashing many shades of yellow, the blade summoned a burst of wind to propel them forward into the next spout. It violently jostled and flung them out the side. Ang, disoriented tried to use the axe to propel them forward, but accidently pointed his axe up, forcing them down toward a whirlpool. Luckily, Vlux came down and using her markings, stopped their fall and flung them high up, above the barrier. Dungii flailed about in the sky until Ang played his ocarina to create a stable cushion of air beneath them. Vlux flew next to them, while they slowly descended. ¡°Good thing I was there to catch you,¡± laughed Vlux. ¡°It¡¯s not funny. You can use my book to fly.¡± ¡°About that, this Ardin only has so much Imdrina, so I will have to land soon. You see, the pink peak over there, that¡¯s where we¡¯re headed, you sure you¡¯re gonna make it? I won¡¯t be able to assist you again.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think with my ocarina and my axe I can maintain this altitude until we get to land.¡± ¡°Good, see you there.¡± Before Vlux could race ahead, a large fish with jagged teeth, and fins like wings, flew from a nearby spout and nearly bit her. ¡°Flaming phoenixes! What was that a shark? They can fly around here.¡± ¡°Vlux watch out, more are coming!¡± Below them, several flying sharks lunged from the waterspouts. Vlux shot up through the air. Ang used his Axe to do the same, but a large shark collided against Dungii¡¯s barrier. They fell out of the sky. More sharks raining down on them. Ang used the ocarina to stabilize Dungii, then switched to the axe to launch them back up. More sharks leaped from the water, but lightning shot them out of the sky before they could make contact. Eio appeared flying just above them. ¡°Eio, thanks.¡± Eio escorted Dungii and Ang shooting down any sharks that jumped out. Ang used his axe and ocarina to create wind and stabilize it. Progress was going smoothly until a colossal tentacle reached out of the ocean. It narrowly missed, but a crashing wall of water doused them. Dungii going down screamed, but the scream resonated like a song. It carried them up into the sky. The paddle tentacle rose from the sea, with many more sharks. Before the tentacle smashed them, Thramuny came out of a nearby sprout and slashed it with her hair. Injured it fell back into the sea. She launched herself high into the sky and danced on the wind created by Dungii¡¯s song until she landed on top of the mushroom. ¡°Are you doing well, Ang, Dungii?¡± ¡°Dungii can use song magic now, we''re doing great.¡± ¡°Good, let me scare this beast off. You¡¯re almost at the mountain, keep going.¡± Another tentacle rose from the other side. Thramuny danced into the wind and propelled herself toward it. She twirled and slashed at the tentacle forcing it to retreat beneath the water. Dungii¡¯s magic thrusts them up and forward. Looking down Ang saw the pink peak below. ¡°Dungii, stop your spell, the mountain is below us.¡± ¡°Murp Murp.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know how, let me try then.¡± Ang tried to use the axe to make them stop. The bursts of wind only adding to Dungii¡¯s spell, hastening their ascent. He desperately played his ocarina but it too only added propulsion. In a panic he grabbed the last thing that might have the power to stop them, the whale song. Blowing it caused a bubble to form around them cutting off their air propulsion. They fell out of the sky. Ang gripped the mushroom, closed his eyes, and braced for impact. Their landing surprisingly soft, he opened his eyes to see tall, thick trees surrounding them, huge wild flowers, and vibrant colors. Drawing a water rune Ang popped the bubble. ¡°We way overshot the intended meeting place.¡± ¡°Murp murp.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright Dungii, now we know you can use your voice to channel wind, you just need some practice. Let¡¯s make our way back. I¡¯m sure everyone will be waiting for us.¡± Dungii started running back the way they came. The trees had thick trunks, short branches, and large expansive leaves. The flowers came in a variety of shapes and sizes ranging from glamourous bouquets to intricate single petals. Some had thorns and carnivorous jaws, they crept along the ground and floated in the breeze. Even the rocks had a color and character all their own. Everything about this place was vehemently alive. Abruptly Dungii halted and started backing up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Dungii?¡± He looked up and saw them coming. They moved like the wind and the leaves, their sound blending with the environment. Long, thin, and reptilian, they slithered through the thick canopy, across the trunks and along the ground. Surrounded, Dungii had no choice but to turn and run. The legion of monstrous reptiles chasing them. They jumped onto Dungii, who tried to swat them off with his tail. Their long fangs pierced his veil. Ang chopped at their fangs with his axe, causing the assailants to flee. Dungii zoomed through the forest putting distance between himself and the reptiles. Ang climbed to the top of the mushroom and brandished his axe, giving it a broad swing. Sending a powerful gust of wind, strong enough to throw off several of the monstrous reptiles, but more came to close the gap. Then in front, they heard a loud ruckus. Ang crawled back under the veil as giant muscular, leaping, simians landed all around. They roared and grabbed the reptiles, beating them against trees and tearing them apart. The reptiles swarmed the simians and sunk their long fangs into their thick muscles. A battle, primal and brutal ensued, with Ang and Dungii caught in the middle. Dungii made a break, for the surest way out. Once Ang thought they had made it far enough, he climbed back on top of the mushroom in time to see the fiery storm birds descend on the simians and reptiles. ¡°This place is crazy. Let¡¯s take shelter over there.¡± They took refuge in a shallow cave on the side of a boulder. ¡°Now we¡¯re way far off track. I don¡¯t suppose you remember which way we came from do you?¡± ¡°Murp murp.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s just take a breather here, then we can figure things out.¡± After taking a minute to recuperate, they started cautiously trekking through the exotic forest. Dungii stopped, his antennae erect. ¡°What is it? Something else coming our way?¡± ¡°Murp.¡± ¡°Did you find the others?¡± ¡°Murp.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± ¡°Murp murp, murp murp.¡± ¡°Are you pointing your antenna at me, you found me? Wait, you found an Imdrina signature like mine. You found mom!¡± ¡°Murp!¡± ¡°Well, we have to follow it, this is the whole reason we came here. I¡¯m sure mom will have a map of this place. We can find the others after we find her.¡± ¡°Murp.¡± Dungii followed the scent. Ang growing increasingly anxious by the second. He was so close, his mother couldn¡¯t be more than a few kilometers away, and most likely the rest of his family. Through the trees they came into a clearing, stone ruins and crumbling towers dotted the terrain. In the center of the overgrown ruins stood a majestic blossoming tree. Even amongst the colorful and exotic flora, this tree stood out as unique. Dungii ambled into the clearing. As they approached the tree, Ang heard a voice in his head. It asked one thing. ¡°Lysyntri?¡± 12 - Like the Breeze 2.0 Thramuny glided across the waterspouts. She missed this feeling, the energy in the air, the electricity in the water, it set off all her nerve endings. This land, her homeland, teemed with life, and restored her power. She launched herself from the top of a waterspout, below she saw the pink sand of the beach. Above, the mountain with a pink peak like a blooming flower. Eio arrived and clung to her back. He gently guided her decent to the beach. Up, way above the mountain, she saw the shape of Dungii flying off into the distance. ¡°Where are they going? Thank you Eio, I¡¯ll be fine on my own. Please go help Dungii and Ang.¡± After placing her on the soft sand. Eio flew off after Dungii and Ang. As she expected, the sand crabs uncovered themselves, a claw rose by her ankle, but Boa wrapped around it crushing it. The rest of the blue crabs rose out of the sand. They brandished their serrated claws and made the mistake of attacking Thramuny. She swung her hair, slicing the claws that reached for her. Taking Boa and gripping it with both hands, she jumped and smashed a crab¡¯s exoskeleton. The other crabs tried to pounce on her, but her hair flailed wildly, beating them back. More crabs uncovered from the sand, scuttling her way. Huge hawks descended from the sky. They tore at the crabs with their razor claws. ¡°I have been wanting to try this, ANACONDA!¡± She threw her staff into the air, as the form a gigantic serpent enveloped it. Its body made of emerald tendrils. It had eyes of fire and fangs of thunder. The staff at its core. It flew through the air biting and constricting the hawks. Thramuny fought below, swinging her hair and slicing the crabs to pieces. Between herself and the snake above, they were able to dispatch all the assailants. Thramuny stood firm on the bodies as the ground shook. An enormous sand worm erupted from the beach Boa¡¯s anaconda form tiny in comparison. ¡°Anaconda, strike.¡± The staff thrust upward as the worm came down. Rows of vicious teeth on display, dripping with hot phlegm. The snake shot straight into its mouth and hollowed out its body. Popping out of the ground beside Thramuny. The worm fell over dead, adding to the pile of crabs and hawks. She basked in the glory of a challenge overcome and reminisced about the days when she undertook pest control missions. ¡°It seems a few populations have grown unchecked in my absence.¡± Out of energy, the snake became a hardwood staff. She retrieved it and made her way up the hillside, nimbly climbing the sheer cliffs, in only a few short minutes she reached the top of the mountain. A tiny pale pink paradise, a few thin trees dotted the terrain, their branches drooping with the weight of exotic fruits. In the center a clear lake, teeming with rainbow fish. Vlux stood at the edge of the lake, surrounded by the bodies of rodents. ¡°There you are Thramuny, so funny story, on my way here literally everything tried to kill me. I swear that cloud looked at me mean, that tree swung at me, and I swear that rock has been getting closer. Also, I have some news about Dungii and Ang.¡± Thramuny giggled. ¡°Yes, I saw Dungii fly way over there. I already sent Eio after them.¡± ¡°I should have stayed with him. We both messed up Kiliyi.¡± ¡°Eio will find them soon, when he does I will know. Once we find my people, we can organize a rescue.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about them. I mean they¡¯re strong and resourceful, but will that be enough?¡± ¡°It has to be. Eio will find them much faster on his own. I had us meet here because my home should be just over that ridge.¡± They walked through the soft cool sand to the far side of the summit. Thramuny barely recognized her home. The once gold pyramids turning brown, the statues crumbling, and smoke rising. Her people engaged in combat with hairy bipedal monsters. Wyverns fought with her tribe, some on land, some in the air, breathing down a fiery assault. The battle seemed at a deadlock. ¡°We must help them,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°We¡¯re ready to go if you are.¡± Together they raced down the summit. Vlux surfed down the sand on the tome, Splinter ready in hand. Thramuny jumped down the mountain in great bounds, propelling herself with palm blasts. As they closed the distance, Thramuny could get a clearer picture of the monsters attacking. They had long lean muscular limbs covered in orange fur, with black stripes, claws like swords, and sickle teeth. They attacked without control or restraint, cutting down trees, tribesmen, and each other. ¡°Vlux. Please try not to harm these beasts. They are not themselves.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Splinter is perfect for disabling.¡± Thramuny leaped into the fray. Spinning her hair, she rendered numerous beasts unconscious. Using a slanted rock to ramp up, Vlux swung Splinter, raining thorns on the beasts. Having immobilized one mob, they ran to the next. ¡°Thramuny you¡¯re back. We thought you were dead,¡± said a young man, wielding a spear. He wore forearm braces, a red and gold shoulder piece, exposed midriff, and loose sarong. A red reptilian companion fought next to him, spewing fire. She responded with action. Putting her hands together, she charged power between her palms. Then she opened her arms and spread a superb wave through the monster ranks, knocking them against trees and buildings. Vlux jumped over her shoulder and used Splinter¡¯s thorns to ensure the beasts couldn¡¯t get back up without severe pain. The scales now tipped in their favor, the tribesmen gained the upper hand, forcing the monsters to sound the horn of retreat. Thramuny turned her attention to the monsters who did not get away and watched as they turned from beast to person. ¡°Thramuny, you¡¯ve returned,¡± exclaimed a young female.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Thramuny the Breeze.¡± said a middle-aged male. ¡°Thramuny we haven¡¯t seen you in so long, where have you been?¡± asked the male with the reptilian companion. ¡°Drumya, my apologies for making you worry, what has happened here?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been gone a long time, a lot has changed. These are members of the Oskien tribe. Their nest beast has taken ill and isn¡¯t producing as many young.¡± ¡°So they have resorted to doing this. This is not a solution; they are destroying themselves.¡± ¡°Actually, all the nest beasts have fallen ill, including Tial-Meh. And they seem unable to produce the hormone that creates an heir.¡± ¡°This is terrible.¡± ¡°Yes, even the once benevolent phoenix¡¯s have been ferociously territorial. Between them and the more frequent attacks from opposing tribes, things have not been good. But, Thramuny the Breeze is back, you can help. Where is Eio?¡± ¡°Eio is here. I just sent him to do some scouting. I need to speak with the chief where is he?¡± ¡°It¡¯s she now, remember Frumy, she¡¯s the chief now. Oskien killed her father in a raid.¡± ¡°I see, where is she?¡± ¡°She should be in the temple over there.¡± ¡°Vlux, follow me.¡± They walked along the cracked stone road. People were putting out fires, tending to injuries, and beholding the returned Thramuny and her little companion. Thramuny could hear people whisper her name, but she paid them no mind. ¡°So, I caught some of what you and that boy said, but I¡¯m not fluent in your language just yet. You mind explaining the situation to me,¡± asked Vlux. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed, this land is savage and unforgiving. The tribes across Kyxichen have come up with many ways of surviving and making life easier. Our method is to soulmate with a wyvern. By mating souls, we gain the ability to see through each other''s eyes and communicate at a distance. Survival is much easier with an inseparable ally. These attacking tribesman, they are our neighbors and adopted a similar method, but they use Saberfang tigers. Now it seems they are using a different method; it¡¯s driving them berserk.¡± ¡°So I gather, this nest beast is the creature that spawns the new potential familiars for your people, like a mother wyvern.¡± ¡°Yes, my tribe, the Pyoxien, have a close relationship with dragons. Our nest beast is a great dragon who births wyverns that partake in the soul mating ritual with us.¡± ¡°Um..but aren¡¯t you soulmated with Eio? Cause he is definitely not a wyvern.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll explain that later, we''re here, and I need to speak with Frumy.¡± They stood before a large curved gold pyramid, etched with vivid runes, and an unpolished dragon statue. A thick red intricately embroidered curtain draped the entrance, flanked by two wyverns. They bowed respectfully, Thramuny returned the gesture and they moved to allow passage. She approached the heavy curtain which opened into a large domed chamber, all around were young children, elderly, and those unable to fight. All faces turned to Thramuny as she walked through the space, and down a large pathway, into a grand chamber with more people. Looking around, she spotted Frumy wearing the extravagant dragon headdress of the chief. She was tending to the wounded when Thramuny approached. ¡°Chief Frumy, may I speak with you.¡± ¡°Thramuny the Breeze, they told me you were back. I have been wanting to speak with you, where have you been all this time?¡± ¡°I was being held captive in a foreign land, but this pixie and her friends saved me, her name is Vlux.¡± ¡°She is very pukoo,¡± said Frumy with a smile, Vlux glared back. ¡°Frumy, please tell me what happened while I was away. How did things get this bad?¡± ¡°It started awhile ago. The nest beasts of all the neighboring tribes became ill and infertile. The tribes that did not rely on nest beasts took advantage of our weakness and started conquering the other tribes. The scouts tell me that the Triphu, have been the main dominating force, and only us and the Oskien have yet to fall to them. The Oskien have been trying to fight back. They asked us to join, but I do not agree with their methods.¡± ¡°So they¡¯ve been weakening us with constant raids until we give in.¡± ¡°Yes, and I am almost at wits'' end. They appointed me chief only a few months ago. I¡¯m ashamed you¡¯ve returned to see this. We are dying, the beasts are sick, our city is crumbling, survival is getting more difficult by the hour. The animals have been more vicious, many species have been wiped out, while others flourish. Something has disrupted the balance. Their method may be the only way left.¡± ¡°They are fusing their souls with the souls of tigers. Two beings cannot inhabit one body; they will destroy each other.¡± ¡°I know that, so do the Oskien, but they think they can perfect the ritual and merge the souls into one being.¡± ¡°That could turn them into actual monsters. I will put a stop to this at once.¡± ¡°Thramuny wait, there are many who would love to see you alive and well.¡± ¡°Please tell them I am alive and well for me. I cannot rest until I restore equilibrium.¡± ¡°I will tell them the Breeze blew in and then blew off to find trouble.¡± ¡°Thank you pukoo Frumy, I know you were suddenly thrown into this position, but you¡¯re doing a fine job. Please keep doing your best.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t call me that, I¡¯m the chief now,¡± pouted Frumy. Thramuny laughed as she left the temple with Vlux in tow ¡°That word, pukoo what does it mean?¡± Asked Vlux. ¡°I guess the best translation would be cute or little.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, I hate being called cute. So what¡¯s your plan?¡± ¡°I am not good at planning like you are, what I am good at is infiltration and information gathering. We need to find out what¡¯s going on with the Oskien, I have a close friend among them who will tell me all I need to know. I was afraid he would be among them, but I have yet to see him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t want to harm them too much, you thought your friend might be with them.¡± ¡°Exactly, it seems they have tied up all the survivors, but your thorns are still causing them excruciating pain. Is there anyway you can get rid of them without detonating them?¡± ¡°Yes, but it still hurts, wouldn¡¯t it be better to leave them in, aren¡¯t they the enemy?¡± ¡°No, they are our neighbors. Something has misguided them. The tribes have always fought on and off, its normal behavior. But we do not have prisons or cages in Kyxichen. We return all captives mostly unharmed.¡± ¡°Well, here goes.¡± She lifts Splinter straight up, and a collective scream echoed through the city as she burned away the thorns, causing minor injury. ¡°Thramuny are you leaving already,¡± said the young man as he approached with his red wyvern. ¡°You know I cannot sit idle.¡± ¡°I know, you¡¯re going to see the doctor aren¡¯t you. Here you can take¡­ Pukoo, he will fly you there, it will be much faster and safer.¡± ¡°And that way you can keep an eye on me,¡± teased Thramuny. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that, and Pukoo can prevent me from seeing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very generous Drumya, and if it¡¯s alright with Pukoo, I accept your offer. Pukoo let out a gracious roar and lowered himself so Thramuny and Vlux could climb on. Then he flew off into the sky toward the Oskien¡¯s home. 13 - Longing For Her Embrace 2.0 The tree had gold bark, a thick trunk, long thick branches that reached for the sky, with tall roots that traveled far, creating a labyrinth of wood walls. It blossomed with beautiful white flower petals and shimmered in the shade. ¡°No, I¡¯m not Lysyntri, I¡¯m her son.¡± Responded Ang to the voice. ¡°Her son,¡± said the voice in his head. ¡°You must be Angdraoni, she talks about you often. The one thing she has left.¡± ¡°Where is my mother? Is she nearby?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know who the voice in your head is?¡± ¡°Oh um, who are you? Are you a tree?¡± He heard a low gravelly laugh, like stone grating against stone. ¡°Now that I am a tree the name I go by is unpronounceable to you. However, I was originally a dwarf. My name was Yoorei. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. My apologies but I initially mistook you for Lysyntri, you have similar auras.¡± ¡°What happened to you?¡± ¡°I paid a heavy price to use magic that we have no business using.¡± ¡°And the price was getting turned into a tree?¡± ¡°I returned my body to the land. And the land in its great mercy returned me as a tree.¡± ¡°You spoke to Obnenio, you used Obnenio Colm Sceltdor, it turned you into this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re familiar with it?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve seen it used before, don¡¯t you need a partner for it to work, what happened to them, did they also become a tree?¡± ¡°No, The Spider is lurking, somewhere.¡± ¡°My mom was your partner? She didn¡¯t have to sacrifice her body?¡± ¡°She had to sacrifice something. She has had to sacrifice a great number of things. She will go to great lengths to keep those she cares for safe. It¡¯s one of her few redeeming qualities.¡± ¡°Are you upset with my mother because now you¡¯re a tree?¡± ¡°Oh no, this form has given me a new perspective on life. I have been born again and will probably live for many more millennia. I have grown a deep connection with the Nenio. The flora and fauna can become my eyes and ears. Whole generations have pledged themselves to service me, as my branches provide a home for them. The neighboring trees envy my beauty and desire my seed. I am well loved here, and I have Lysyntri to thank for that. Though sometimes I do miss my original body. You could make a pact with me. I will share all my knowledge and experience with you, in turn I will be able to see through your eyes, don¡¯t worry you can always block me out when you please. What say you?¡± ¡°Murp Murp.¡± ¡°Right Dungii, I¡¯m not making any sort of pact with you. Could you please just tell me where my mother is.¡± ¡°What a peculiar creature.¡± ¡°Says the talking tree.¡± Ang heard the laugh again, louder, and harsher this time, full of something other than amusement. ¡°Fair enough, your mother is probably tending to the great dragon. She¡¯s been ill for sometime now. The path is just beyond these ruins.¡± ¡°Well thanks Yoorei, maybe we¡¯ll talk again after I¡¯ve found my mom.¡± They started to walk past the tree when a sharp root shot out of the ground piercing Dungii¡¯s body. Ang rolled to the ground. He recovered quickly and drew his axe. He ran to assist Dungii, but a small vine grabbed his ankle. He fell and hacked the vine away. Clawing to his feet he scrambled to his friend. Dungii¡¯s body dissolved into dirt. Something broke within Ang, he got up and slowly turned to Yoorei, with a bright knuckle grip on Hue. ¡°Why would you harm my friend?¡± ¡°My root slipped, I meant to get you. It¡¯s a reflex. I don¡¯t take well to rejection.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t take well to anything that hurts my friend.¡± ¡°You call that thing a friend?¡± ¡°Yes, I DO!¡± He swung Hue, summoning a strong gust that shred leaves and flower petals off the gold tree. It tore plants from the soil, eroded the stone, and forced the animals to flee. ¡°Impressive, so young and already able to harness that much power.¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± spat Ang. Hue¡¯s blade turned black, as he swung again, sending a crescent of pure death. Yoorei flicked his root, flinging his own black crescent, cancelling them out. Hue flashed red. Ang readied another swing. He rushed the malicious tree. A root lashed at him. He dodged and swung, generating a vortex of flame. He took his ocarina and manipulated the flame, standing at the center of the inferno, burning with rage. He formed a beast of fire around himself and lashed out with searing claws leaving deep gashes in the golden wood. Burning away a section of leaves and petals. The tree flashed brown, producing a six finger hand of mud to smother the flaming beast. The beast struggled against the hand but could not contend with the opposing elements. Before the mud reached Ang he swung the axe. The blade flashing dark blue, freezing the hand above him. He drew a rune into the palm causing the frozen mud to turn and slap its maker, breaking more branches and shattering the hand. The tree flashed red, launching a fireball back. Ang easily flicked it away with his axe, revealing a thin glass shard of ice. His axe still in mid-swing, he had no time to react. The shard about to pierce his skull, when.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Meep,¡± Dungii jumped and deflected the shard. ¡°Dungii you¡¯re alive!¡± ¡°Meep meep.¡± ¡°What is that thing?¡± demanded Yoorei. ¡°He¡¯s Dungii.¡± ¡°Meep.¡± ¡°No, Dungii is something else, and you, you¡¯re going to be my new body until you expire.¡± ¡°Not before I use yours for tinder.¡± ¡°Meet the animals that call my branches home.¡± Snarling critters with dark fur, crooked fangs, and bent snouts climbed down the canopy all around. Their eyes bloodshot red, needle tip claws, and long thin hairless tails. One of them crept on Ang from behind and lunged. Dungii sprung and mushroom bunted the attacker. Ang ran and dodged as the creatures lunged for him. While evading, he drew a rune in the air, and flashing a complex sequence of colors in Hue¡¯s blade, assumed his grey bear form. He pivoted on his hind legs and swatted the grotesque creatures. Dungii bounced around, colliding into objects and assailants with deadly force. A tree tripped Ang¡¯s bear form, giving the beasts an opportunity to pile on him. They dug their jagged fangs into his fur, but could only graze the skin. Ang jumped back and smashed the brutes against a tree, toppling it. Vines entangled him, and a sharp root stabbed him in the side. Before more roots could pierce him, he turned back into a dwarf, falling between the roots. They pointed down about to strike when Dungii, bulldozed the roots, snapping them like twigs. He stood over Ang as he struggled to get to his feet, blood seeping from the wound in his side. Dungii licked the wound closed picked him up and placed him on his back behind the protective veil. Ang tied the blue cloth around his waist, as Dungii frantically ran around the tree. Yoorei, completely uprooting himself stabbed at them. Dungii ran around too fast for Yoorei to strike. Then a storm swirled around, tearing the trees from the ground and lifting them into the air. Ang and Dungii, caught in the storm spiraled helplessly around with the debris. Yoorei at the center, roots flailing. ¡°I will kill you child of the Spider.¡± A root promptly reached up for them, only for Ang to slice it off with sharp wind. Dungii let out his song, subjugating the storm to him, he spiraled the storm and debris higher into the sky. Then floating over Yoorei, dispersed the wind and dropped the debris on him. They gilded safely to the ground. ¡°That¡¯s great Dungii you¡¯re already so good at controlling your song.¡± ¡°Murp.¡± The debris burst off the tree. Dungii braced against the impact, Ang grabbed the mushroom. ¡°Die Die Die Die Die.¡± screamed Yoorei. He flung debris at Dungii, who bat it away with his tail. Ang climbed to the top of the mushroom, charged his axe and drew runes with tracer light. He swung Hue, dispersing a thick cloud of fog. Yoorei, couldn''t see the large stone spike, Ang impaled him with. It nearly split Yoorei in half. The tree stopped moving; the roots fell limp. ¡°Is he finally dead?¡± ¡°Murp murp,¡± Dungii moved back. A pale emerald lichen spread rapidly across the gold bark. The wood twisted and braided up, forming a long, slender body. At the top the wood warped into a head with a long jaw full of rows of sharp thorns. Two thick trunks sprouted and curled like horns. Mouth agape, breath full of toxins, it bit down on Dungii¡¯s veil and threw them high into the air. Ang swung his axe and shot a sickle of ice through the monster''s jaw. Dungii sang, guiding them through the air. Ang played the whale song, causing the sickle of ice to grow. The bottom jutted out, piercing the monsters lower jaw. The upper jaw nearly torn in half by the expanding ice. The monster lunged at the pair, but Ang continued to play the whale song. Another extension jutted out of the sickle. Piercing the back of the monster''s mouth and poking out the back of its head. In its attempts to break the ice it tore its jaw in half. Ang climbed the mushroom as Dungii¡¯s song took them higher. He raised the axe. It crackled with electricity. He brought thunder down on Yoorei¡¯s monster. The blast so intense, it melted the ice and burned its body black and rigid. ¡°It''s dead now right.¡± ¡°Murp!¡± Ang fell as the fiend lunged and caught Dungii swallowing him. Below he saw the stone spike still embedded in its body. He raised the axe over his head and struck the spike, severing the body of the serpent from the roots. The force of the impact sent him flying back and rolling to the ground. The beast fell over and from the base of the neck a beige puffball inflated. A rainbow blossom budded, tubulous feet sprung, and a generous helping of fern leaves lay on the body like feathers. A brown mushroom popped out opposite the feet, and the form of Dungii lay on his side. The flower bloomed and he let out a. ¡°Morp.¡± ¡°Dungii behind you,¡± warned Ang. The monster attempted to attack Dungii, but missing half its jaw, could only bump against the veil. Dungii frantically ran, but the serpent had taken the place of his tail. Ang hobbled to his feet and swung his axe, encasing Dungii¡¯s new tail in clay. ¡°Morp morp morp morp.¡± ¡°Relax Dungii.¡± Ang walked with a limp to Dungii to inspect his new appendage. ¡°It looks good on you.¡± ¡°Morp morp.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to figure out how to get it to not bite you. Maybe Vlux can help, if not her, then I¡¯m sure Aletha can do something.¡± ¡°An excellent fight.¡± said the stump. ¡°You¡¯re still alive!¡± The stump laughed with its stoney voice, but lacked the harshness from before. ¡°The moment I uprooted myself, I was already dead. I had grown complacent with my life here in this jungle. Seeing a young sturdy dwarf like yourself. It made me long for those days. Honestly, I thought it would be easy to subdue you. But who would have thought the old bull would come back to beat me.¡± ¡°Who are you talking to? I defeated you.¡± ¡°You did, with the help of your father.¡± ¡°How do you know who my father is?¡± ¡°You look an awful lot like Ongjorni the Bull, and I would recognize his greatest work Hue. He poured his blood, sweat, and soul into that axe, quite literally. I thought myself a skilled caster. I thought in this form, I had grown even more powerful. Now I see my mistake. Bested by the young son of the Spider and the Bull. You didn¡¯t even draw the full power of that axe.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t need to, you weren¡¯t worth it.¡± ¡°Ha, fair enough, you see the red mountain over there, your mother should be there, in a cave near the top. Tread carefully young one, always keep your guard up, your wits sharp, and question everything.¡± All life from the stump extinguished, it quickly rotted and turned to dirt. He turned and saw the same thing happening to Dungii. He nearly fell over trying to reach him but then remembered Dungii doing this before. He sifted through the pile of loose soil and found the beige puffball body with a small serpent on the end ready to strike. Ang grabbed the snake''s head, tied a piece of silk rope around its jaw, and placed the puffball in his bag with the snake head poking out. He looked himself over and inspected the gash in his side. Thanks to the blue cloth it already healed some. He also had a few scratches, bruises, and a twisted ankle. Too close to stop now, he took a strong, thin gold branch and used it for support as he limped through the forest to the mountain where he knew his mother¡¯s embrace awaited him. 14 - City of Sabers 2.0 ¡°You poor wyvern, why did he have to name you Pukoo. What, you like that name,¡± said Vlux. ¡°I think Pukoo is a great name,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to tell me the story of why you don¡¯t have a wyvern.¡± ¡°Oh yes, you see in my tribe, when you become of age, we go through the soulmating ritual with a wyvern from the great dragon. The wyvern chosen for me to soulmate with, happened to be afflicted by a chimera worm. Once the ritual was complete, the wyvern dropped dead and Eio rose from the corpse.¡± ¡°So everyone else gets to soulmate with these awesome wyverns, and you ended up with Eio. You didn¡¯t just pull the short straw; you got a limp noodle. Weren¡¯t you mad, weren¡¯t you embarrassed, I know I would have been?¡± ¡°Yes, I was all of those things and more. I was the best and the brightest; I showed the most promise. Everyone looked to me to do great things. That day devastated me, I hated everyone, I hated myself, and most of all I hated Eio. Where everyone once praised me, they mocked me. They said I was bad luck, a curse, a worm.¡± ¡°But everyone seemed to revere you back there. And you and Eio get along great.¡± ¡°I had to work hard to earn their respect. Eio is not strong like the wyvern, but he is much more versatile. With his invisibility we were the only team that could use stealth, and take out leaders, or thwart possible raids. I started to become known as Thramuny the Breeze.¡± ¡°So working together, you two were able to make a name for yourselves. That¡¯s real pukoo and all, but I¡¯d still want a dragon. No, I wasn¡¯t talking to you. I was just using the word. We need to make up a better name for you.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trade Eio, I consider myself very fortunate to have him. He is much more capable than you realize.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we call you Draco, or Bahamut, or Ifrit, or¡­ What, those are cool names. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d rather be called Pukoo, sounds like something I hacked up.¡± ¡°You really hate being called cute.¡± ¡°Everyone always called me ¡®cute little Vluxcerin,¡¯ and treated me like a fragile doll, and I hated it. This is what I always wanted to do, explore, travel, see the world. They told me I didn¡¯t have long to live. My sister showed me the outside world when no one else would. After I got that taste, I wanted more. She regrets doing that, but I thank her for it. Not out loud of course, and don¡¯t you dare tell her I said that.¡± A low ominous sound quaked the air. ¡°Uh... Thramuny, what is that?¡± ¡°Sounds like some kind of insect.¡± ¡°Thramuny it¡¯s getting louder, how big are the insects here?¡± ¡°Well, to me their normal, to you they are like jumbo gargantuan.¡± ¡°I see them they¡¯re humongous ginormous, Pukoo their as big as you, quick go up.¡± They soared higher into the twilight sky as the black and yellow insects closed in on them. Vlux swung Splinter flinging thorns, then detonating them. More insects swarmed in. Kiliyi jumped from Vlux¡¯s head onto an ascending bug. She attached her gold silk to it and leaped from bug to bug applying her gold silk as she went down. ¡°We cannot go much higher,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Kiliyi has an idea, make yourself as streamlined as possible. Pukoo your move.¡± Thramuny and Vlux pressed themselves against Pukoo¡¯s back as he tilted up vertically and rolled back to face the oncoming swarm. He let out a jet of flame that set several bugs alight. The gold thread Kiliyi wove carried the flame through their ranks. Pukoo then rolled to avoid the burning bugs and nosedived into the jungle. The remaining insects following. Pukoo skillfully maneuvered on the ground and through the trees. Ahead Kiliyi made a hasty web but left an opening just big enough for Pukoo to get through. ¡°You got this Pukoo,¡± said Vlux. He jumped for the opening, flattening his wings making himself as thin as possible, Thramuny and Vlux doing the same. They narrowly corkscrewed through the hole. Once they cleared it, Kiliyi dropped the flap and jumped on his tail. They took off straight into the sky as much of the swarm got trapped in the web. A dense flock of big black birds hovered above, drawn by the smell of cooked bugs. The team on a collision course with them. Pukoo lifted his head, just before he body slammed against a bird, knocking everyone off. Thramuny maneuvered herself onto the back of another bird. She looked around to see where the others ended up. The birds started cawing in unison and flew to the trapped insects. Landing, they found the ground littered with the delectable seared bodies. The birds dined lavishly on the finely prepared buffet. Paying Thramuny no mind as she slid off the bird''s back and walked around to find her friends. Perched atop a tall bird was the tiny form of Vlux with Kiliyi on her head. ¡°Good, you¡¯re safe. I just happened to land on the loudest bird, and I told him we caught and cooked some bugs for them already. Long as you feed them, they aren¡¯t too difficult to get along with,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Where is Pukoo,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Let¡¯s look for him.¡± As they began their search, they heard panicked cawing amongst the birds, followed by ferocious growls. A pack of dire wolves ambushed them, from all sides. They tore through the preoccupied birds, dark feathers littering the forest floors. The birds tried to fly away, but the wolves had amazing jumping ability and snatched them of the sky. ¡°Oh, come on! Guess I gotta use this.¡± Vlux stuck her sword in the ground, where it grew rapidly. The blade became roots as the handle became thorny branches. They reached out quick as a whip in all directions, grabbing and crushing the wolves. The green vines turned brown and petrified in place. The birds returned to peck at the wolves. A second later, Pukoo landed at their location unharmed and eager to move on.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry Vlux before something else comes.¡± ¡°Hang on I have to wait for my sword to come back.¡± From the center of the newly formed tree a flower grew and blossomed, Splinter emerged from its core, sleek and thornless. She drew the sword and placed it in the sheath on her hip. ¡°Now I¡¯ve completely exhausted both Splinter and Home, I won¡¯t be able to use either of them until tomorrow. I noticed you haven¡¯t been using Boa, you already used the Anaconda form didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I may have been a bit eager to use it in a fight.¡± ¡°Great, how are we supposed to continue on without our Ardin abilities. I think it would be best if we made camp.¡± ¡°This is not a safe place to camp, we must continue.¡± ¡°And what if we get attacked by another swarm of giant mosquitoes, or belly flopped by birds, wolves jump out of nowhere and snatch us out of the sky? We may be in way over our heads. Honestly, we should head back to your village, recharge our weapons, get some sleep, and get some assistance. Has Eio found Ang and Dungii yet? If we¡¯re having this much trouble, then I cringe to think what those two are going through.¡± ¡°He hasn¡¯t found them yet. If he was here, this would be much easier. We could travel through the forest silent and unseen. ¡± ¡°I can cast a sensory dampening spell. The only issue with illusion type magic is you have to keep chanting to maintain it.¡± ¡°Then that will be our way to travel there without getting attacked again, we are not far away.¡± ¡°But we still don¡¯t have our weapons.¡± ¡°If you would like to go back, I will not blame you. I am sure I can make it on my own.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a very convincing liar. You know if you try to go alone, you¡¯ll end up dead. But you also know I won¡¯t abandon you. Alright, we¡¯ll take things slow I¡¯ll begin the chant that will make us harder to detect until we get to the settlement.¡± ¡°Thank you Vlux, you¡¯re my friend with benefits.¡± ¡°Um... no I¡¯m not. We¡¯ll talk about that later, c¡¯mon let¡¯s get going.¡± They left the gruesome feast and soared under the guise of Vlux¡¯s spell until they reached the outskirts Oskien territory. The city mirrored Thramuny¡¯s home. Where the Pyoxien used gold, the Oskien used silver. Where there would be statues of dragons, they had tigers. They perched high in a tall tree overlooking the crumbling city. The smell of disease and death wafting through the air. ¡°This is much worse than I thought,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°I will have to go down there alone. If I¡¯m not back by sunrise, please fly back and tell the others what happened.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going down there by yourself. Kiliyi is going with you. She¡¯s something of an expert at espionage. She also has an idea but needs a moment to get ready.¡± Thramuny smiled. ¡°alright I¡¯ll wait for Kiliyi.¡± Kiliyi hide behind some leaves, after a few minute she emerged with a newly animated exoskeleton. ¡°Here¡¯s how this is going to work, Kiliyi will assist you in the infiltration. She can relay information to me through this exoskeleton.¡± Vlux takes out a small acorn, with a clip attached to it. ¡°This is an ACORN.¡± ¡°Yes, I know what an acorn is.¡± ¡°No, I mean it¡¯s an Acoustic, Communication, Ossicle, Reception, Network. My team used them to communicate over a distance. I could only grab this pair, wear it in your hair, and I can whisper to you from here.¡± ¡°This will be just like having Eio with me.¡± ¡°Oh, and Pukoo says he has excellent vision, so if he sees something I can relay that to you. Basically, you¡¯re not doing this alone we got your back.¡± ¡°You¡¯re all very kind. Kiliyi let¡¯s make haste.¡± Vlux with the exoskeleton on her head and Pukoo took a position higher in the tree, as Thramuny and Kiliyi climbed down and quietly skulked into the city, using the surrounding vegetation as cover. Armed men patrolled the streets wearing their fang blades, a pair of long thin curved daggers, and companion tigers by their side. They placed hastily constructed watch towers all around. Thramuny spotted the building she needed to enter. ¡°Thramuny, can you hear me, how are you?¡± Came Vlux¡¯s voice from the ACORN in her hair. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s like you¡¯re next to me.¡± ¡°Good, so do you know where your informant is?¡± ¡°Yes, do you see the building with the purple roof, that¡¯s his house.¡± ¡°Well, I hope he¡¯s home. There seems to be an awful lot of warriors patrolling his place, who is this guy?¡± ¡°A scholar and a doctor. He¡¯s constantly researching new ways to use Imdrina and survive in these harsh lands. Many think he¡¯s eccentric.¡± ¡°I mean look at that house, it has wispy decor, oddly shaped windows, colors that clash, and what is that a statue of?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to know.¡± ¡°Fair enough, anyway the guards aren¡¯t looking cross the street now.¡± She tiptoed onto the stone pavement and slipped into the alleyway, where two guards conversed in front of the alleyway that led to the house. ¡°Hang on Kiliyi says she can help with this one.¡± Thramuny waited in the shadows until she heard one guard say. ¡°Hey, what happened you alright friend. You¡¯re usually better at holding your alco¡­¡± Thramuny heard a thud, peeking around the corner. She saw the warriors piled on top of one another, Kiliyi on the ground next to them. ¡°Kiliyi says to grab that jug and place it next to them, looks like they just passed out drunk. She can make adjustments to her venom; they¡¯ll wake up with a nasty hangover.¡± ¡°Good thinking Kiliyi you¡¯ve done this before haven¡¯t you?¡± Asked Thramuny, Kiliyi nodded. ¡°Security on this side is pretty lax, just keep going forward, then make a right, then left and you¡¯ll be on the side of the purple building, it doesn¡¯t look guarded.¡± She proceeded as instructed through the dark streets soon arriving at the side of the building. She climbed over the wall onto the elevated platform and proceeded around to the back of the house. Before turning the corner, she heard an alarming, squeaky growl. Pivoting she saw the tiny kitten. She gripped the staff. If it roared, she would have to silence it fast. ¡°Wait, Thramuny you can¡¯t hurt the kitten let me try something.¡± ¡°Please hurry, I don¡¯t want to hurt the kitten.¡± Kiliyi positioned herself on the wall above the kitten. Vlux focused her illusion magic through the exoskeleton, then through Kiliyi. Using her eyes, Kiliyi could project the image of a ball before the kitten. She rolled her eyes, which flung the ball out and over the wall, the kitten bounding after it. ¡°Wow that actually worked,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Very impressive, now do you see a way I can get in.¡± ¡°There is a crescent-shaped opening on top, you might be able to squeeze through it.¡± She nimbly climbed the roof where she saw the opening. Sliding on her back she slipped through the hole and spryly landed on all fours. Slowly, she lifted her head to meet the yellow, bloodshot eyes of a fanged monster. 15 - He Who Breathes Life into My World 2.0 ¡°We should come up with a good name for you.¡± Ang said to the tiny horned, muzzled, serpent in the bag. ¡°Why don¡¯t we call you Rungii.¡± Rungii remained indifferent to the conversation. It lacked visible eyes, but still had a sense for its surroundings. It stuck its white frayed tongue, in and out taking air samples. After walking a short distance using the branch for support, Ang¡¯s ankle throbed, his stab would twinged with every step. He had to take a break. Plopping himself against a tree, he reached into his bag for a snack, tearing off a small piece of jerked meat for Rungii. He removed his shoe, and rolled up his pant leg to inspect the ankle. It had swollen almost twice its normal size and turned a shade of bluish purple. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be walking on this ankle, and I need the cloth for my side wound. I guess it shouldn¡¯t take too much longer to heal, then I can use the cloth on my ankle. He got me good. So Rungii, were you a part of that tree, or was the tree a part of you? Eh it doesn¡¯t matter, you¡¯re here now, and you''re a part of Dungii, so you¡¯re a part of the family. Just don¡¯t try to eat us again.¡± Rungii nibbled contently on the piece of meat. It seemed calm enough so Ang undid the muzzle, making it easier for it to eat. Rungii took little notice of Ang¡¯s hand. It¡¯s only interest the food, as he untied the knot. Its jaw free, Rungii consumed the meat in a single chomp. Ang broke off another larger piece of meat and handed it to Rungii who snatched it out of his hand. ¡°Hey, be gentle now.¡± Rungii scarfed down the meat, then continued to scan its surroundings, taking samples of air. ¡°I hope Dungii comes back soon this time.¡± Ang took out another piece of jerked meat, Rungii quickly turned its attention to the meat and extended his body toward it. Ang tore the meat in half, handing it to Rungii, who gingerly took it from his hand. ¡°See that¡¯s much better.¡± Resting against the tree he promptly dozed off. He awoke in the late afternoon to the disturbing scene of the dark creatures Yoorei sent after them strewn all around. Next to him, Rungii extending its body, consumed the fresh meat. ¡°Rungii did you¡­ did you protect me or were you just hungry?¡± Rungii continued to munch on the carcass. ¡°I¡¯m just gonna say it was a little of one, and a lot of the other.¡± Reaching out his hand he gently stroked Rungii down its spine. Rungii briefly stopped, then carried on, ignoring his hand. It had a tough body, hard like wood. Its emerald green lichen scales reminiscent of rubber and velvet. ¡°Thanks Rungii.¡± Suddenly the mushroom top popped out, the veil spread, the flower bloomed, and Dungii¡¯s head emerged. Rungii immediately started attacking the mushroom. Its mouth still full of food. It continuously beat Dungii with its horns. Dungii in a panic, zigzagged between the bodies in a futile attempt to escape Rungii. Ang played a shrill note on his ocarina. Dungii stopped and turned in attention. Rungii continued to beat against the mushroom. Ang hobbled over and grabbed Rungii¡¯s horns between his thumb and index finger. ¡°Quit it Rungii, Dungii this is Rungii. You two are stuck together now, so you¡¯re going to have to get along.¡± ¡°Meep meep meep.¡± ¡°I know Dungii, but this is the situation now. I¡¯m not sure what happened. Maybe Aletha can separate you two later, or Mom might be able to once we find her. Now Rungii stop hitting Dungii.¡± He let go of the head and it immediately continued beating Dungii. ¡°RUNGII!¡± ¡°MEEP MEEP MEEP!¡± Ang took out another piece of jerked meat and handed it to Rungii. Who quickly chewed and swallowed the meat. Finally content, Rungii idly scanned the environment and sampled the air. ¡°Well, at least it stopped hitting you.¡± ¡°Meep meep,¡± Dungii side eyed Rungii. ¡°Uh... my ankle still hurts, can you grow bigger?¡± ¡°Meep meep,¡± he looks back at his new tail. ¡°You draw material from the soil with your tail to grow bigger. I know, take Rungii around and have him eat. I bet if he eats enough, you should be able to grow big.¡± ¡°Meep meep,¡± Dungii carried Rungii next to the carcasses, chunk by chunk Rungii began to devour them. Dungii wore a disgusted unhappy expression. Ang sat under the tree while they gathered the material to transform. He untied the cloth and inspected his side wound. During his nap, it had almost completely healed. He removed the cloth and wrapped it around his ankle. After consuming almost all the bodies, Dungii attempted his transformation. He was overall bigger than before, with Rungii growing proportional to him. Rungii swallowed the remaining bodies whole, and stretched its head above the canopy, tongue flicking. ¡°Great, see this¡¯ll work out. Rungii will look out for danger as we move.¡± ¡°Murp murp,¡± said Dungii with a tone of sarcasm. ¡°He protected us while we were both asleep.¡± ¡°Murp murp murp.¡± ¡°Well, yeah he¡¯s a glutton, but this place is very much eat or be eaten, so if he eats them first, then that¡¯s good for us.¡± ¡°Murp Murp.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll try to train him on our way to the mountain, you two can practice working together.¡± ¡°Murp.¡± He took another glance at Rungii as It did its thing, uninterested in any conversation. Ang walked over to Dungii, but with his ankle still swollen and Dungii¡¯s bigger body, he had trouble climbing onto his back.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Hey Dungii could you, oh nevermind.¡± ¡°Murp.¡± ¡°Hey Rungii, can you help me? Can you even hear?¡± ¡°Murp murp.¡± He tore off another piece of jerky and held it up for Rungii, who immediately turned attention to. When it came down to take the food, Ang put the meat behind his back and placed a hand on Rungii¡¯s snout.¡± ¡°Before I give you this meat, do you mind helping me up?¡± Rungii froze for a minute, then using its snout scooped him up, and gently placed him on the mushroom, Ang handed the meat to Rungii. ¡°Hm, Rungii doesn¡¯t have any eyes or ears. You¡¯ll have to be his eyes and ears.¡± ¡°Murp murp murp.¡± ¡°Just try communicating with him. It seems he can sense meaning, since he¡¯s attached to you, you shouldn¡¯t have an issue communicating. Just think nice things to him.¡± ¡°Murp,¡± Dungii closed his eyes and thought. Ang noticed Rungii¡¯s action change. It stopped moving and the tongue instead of flicking in and out hung out the side of its jaw. ¡°There you go, not sure what you sent him, but he¡¯s reacting to it.¡± ¡°Murp murp.¡± ¡°Just keep practicing, let¡¯s get going. I can¡¯t wait to see Mom again. She¡¯s gonna love you. She always loved and cared for all living things.¡± ¡°Murp.¡± Ang carefully climbed through the veil and bounced of Dungii¡¯s soft back. Once he got situated, they sped off toward the mountain. As Ang predicted, having Rungii around made traveling easier. It snatched large insects and birds out of the sky, and maintained a silent vigil. ¡°See this is working out great.¡± ¡°Murp murp.¡± Night fell as they approached the base of the mountain. The moon illuminating the path. A bright flash with a deafening roar resonated above. Dungii saw the approaching fireball and rolled landing on his side. Ang held onto the mushroom. Dungii¡¯s legs wiggled frantically in the air as he struggled to right himself. ¡°Dungii ask Rungii to help you up.¡± ¡°Murp murp.¡± The flying reptile coming back around. Dungii closed his eyes to focus on communing with Rungii. The wyverns mouth seethed with fire as it prepared another strike. Rungii struck first, breathing a stream of deadly spores. The wyvern spun to dodge. On its back, Ang noticed a person. Rungii rammed the ground, setting Dungii upright, who immediately took off as more wyvern riders circled. Rungii kept them at bay with spore blasts. Ang reached out to Rungii and said. ¡°Hey hold off a bit, there¡¯s someone riding on that reptile maybe we can reason with them.¡± Rungii stopped firing spores, but reared its head back, prepared to lash out. Four wyvern riders were conducting a pincer attack on the team as they traveled up the steep incline of the red dirt mountain. The loose soil making footing difficult for Dungii. Two riders came up from below, while two came from above. Maintaining contact with Rungii Ang said. ¡°Defend the rear, I¡¯ll take the front.¡± The wyverns below expelled a blast of fire. Rungii¡¯s spore breath effectively blocked them. Ang swung Hue at the two riders coming from above. A strong gust of wind flung dust and rocks into the air, obscuring their vision. Ang disturbed the loose gravel starting a landslide. Dungii struggled for footing. A huge slab of rock came loose. Rungii launched its segmented body forward and rammed the stone, smashing it to pebbles. Turning Rungii slammed the ground with explosive force launching them up, over the debris. Upon landing, Dungii struggled to find footing as his many legs scrambled up the slope. They continued their assent. The four wyverns flying up to them. They caught up and together discharged a wall of fire. Rungii breathed his own wall of spores blocking the attack. The wyverns dispersed in different directions then came back around in an omnidirectional assault. ¡°Let''s try something,¡± said Ang. He climbed to the top of the mushroom and swung the axe, creating a rainbow. The riders circled their prey, and released an inescapable ring of fire. Ang dove under the mushroom. The fire engulfed them, the only thing left a pile of black soil. Confident in their victory, they turned and flew around the mountain, searching for other trespassers. Once certain they had left Ang, Dungii, and Rungii uncovered themselves. ¡°I guess rainbows aren¡¯t the universal sign of peace I assumed they were. At least we tricked them into leaving. Rungii you were great, right Dungii.¡± ¡°Meep meep,¡± responded Dungii in approval. They turned to beam on Rungii, only to find him eating the soil. ¡°Oh, Rungii that¡¯s gross, don¡¯t eat that, we¡¯ll find something else, here have the last piece of jerky.¡± ¡°Meeeep.¡± ¡°Those people with those flying reptiles are still buzzing around, we need to get moving. Look there¡¯s the cave, that¡¯s where Mom should be.¡± Ang crawled up the steep slope on all fours, Dungii keeping pace next to him. They reached the opening of the vast cavern with walls of smooth obsidian. Marble tiles paved the ground, and columns etched with foreign runes lined the walls. They couldn¡¯t see far into the space, but a gentle warm breeze blew from inside. Ang gripped his axe and carefully tiptoed into the cavern. They walked a short distance in when they heard the flapping of wings and turned to see two wyverns at the entrance. They hide behind a pillar, as the men approached. Their soft feathery, ankle high sandals making barley a sound on the marble. They held a conversation in their native tongue as they strode down the path. Once they were far down the hall, Ang turned to the exit when out of the air materialized a floating electric blue creature. ¡°Eio,¡± Blurted Ang. Fast and silent, the riders advanced upon them. Spears pointed toward the intruders. They yelled words Ang couldn¡¯t understand, but he caught the tone in which they both said ¡®Eio¡¯. Eio floated closer to Ang. ¡°You know Eio? I know Eio, see he¡¯s my friend.¡± Said Ang with a nervous grin. Then faster than anyone could react Rungii rammed a man, in the nose. Ang and grabbed Rungii. ¡°Meep meep.¡± ¡°Rungii stop.¡± Eio floated closer to Rungii, his head slightly cocked to one side. ¡°Meep.¡± ¡°Eio this is Rungii, he¡¯s Dungii¡¯s new¡­ extension. He still needs a little work, but he¡¯s been real helpful so far. I think even Dungii is starting to like him.¡± ¡°Meep.¡± The other rider still had his spear pointed to the group yelling unpleasantries. ¡°What¡¯s going on down here?¡± Said a voice from down the hall. Ang¡¯s ears perked up at the sound. He ran from behind the pillar. She held a torch with a soft blue glow. Strange markings covered her arms and face. She had wild and stringy hair, and looked worse for wear, but Ang still recognized her. She stared back and gasped in astonishment, pointing her torch at Ang, with a shaky weary voice she asked. ¡°Ongjorni?¡± 16 - I Am the Alpha 2.0 ¡°Thramuny?¡± growled the fanged monster. ¡°Druid Azurumene it is good to see you,¡± said Thramuny. The form of the fanged monster dissolved, in its place stood a tall lanky older male, wearing flamboyant robes. In stark contrast to his monstrous form, he had smooth dark skin with a hint of sheen. The only hair remaining on his body, his long eyelashes and perfectly arched eyebrows. ¡°Oh my goodness, pukuta where have you been, I haven¡¯t seen you in forever. Look at you, just dropping in. They were saying you were dead, but I knew better. You still look gorgeous, a little skinny. I just made a roast, here take a seat, we have a lot to catch up on.¡± ¡°Yes, we do, but I cannot stay long. I have some friends waiting for me.¡± ¡°I understand, you saw the state of our clan outside. And since you used the back entrance, I can also assume you know the Oskien and Pyoxien are fighting¡­ again.¡± ¡°Yes, actually I made it just in time to partake in the latest raid.¡± ¡°That''s unfortunate for them. You didn¡¯t slap them around too much did you?¡± ¡°They should only have a few minor burns.¡± ¡°Perfect, I have some new ointments I need to test. So what would you like to know? They keep me confined to my house so I don¡¯t have all the answers, but I¡¯ll tell you what I can.¡± ¡°Why is your tribe experimenting with soul merging?¡± ¡°To answer that, first let me ask, do you know what makes someone a druid?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it your advanced transformation abilities?¡± ¡°Not exactly, you see druids are actually Vacuoles. Vacuoles that filled the space with some other creature''s soul, and then overtime assimilated that soul completely into themselves.¡± ¡°Wait what is a Vacuole,¡± asked Vlux through the ACORN. ¡°Who else is here?¡± ¡°It''s my friend''s voice coming through on this thing. Her name is Vlux.¡± ¡°I love this little hair piece, so she can hear me through this.¡± ¡°Yes, I can hear you, nice to meet you Azurumene.¡± ¡°Pleasure, now you asked about Vacuoles. A Vacuole is someone born with extra space in their soul containers. If that space is not filled, something malicious might move in. The way to treat this is to transplant a piece of another¡¯s soul into the space. Then hope the Vacuole succeeds in assimilating that piece into their own soul. It works best if the Vacuole has a close bond with whoever they are receiving the soul transplant from. If the souls aren¡¯t compatible, the transplanted soul will end up dismantling the body, destroying all. But in rare cases if a Vacuole is successful in assimilating a soul outside their species, they gain the ability to transform into said species no channeling required.¡± ¡°So there are dragon druids?¡± Said Vlux, with palpable excitement. ¡°No, dragons have dominating souls. We try to make druids, but it always fails,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°So druids are people called Vacuole, with the extra capacity to soulmerge, who successfully do with something of a different species,¡± said Vlux. ¡°So what about the rest of us who don¡¯t have that capacity. You can¡¯t stuff more soul into a full soul container. I¡¯d be like stuffing a full glass jar, you¡¯d break it and all the contents would spill out. How does your tribe think it can pull this off?¡± ¡°Because they claim to have found a way to increase one¡¯s soul capacity.¡± ¡°How can they do that?¡± asked Thramuny. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I have been adamantly against the whole thing. Those men posted outside aren¡¯t there for my protection.¡± ¡°Sounds like a scam to me,¡± said Vlux. ¡°I agree, but our chief is convinced it can be done.¡± ¡°Seems I¡¯ll need to have a sit down with your chief next,¡± said Thramuny. Suddenly they heard a loud commotion outside. ¡°That idiot,¡± said Vlux. ¡°What happened, are you alright?¡± asked Thramuny. ¡°Its Drumya he followed us here and now he¡¯s got himself caught.¡± ¡°That fool, I thought if we took Pukoo he wouldn¡¯t try something like this.¡± ¡°Drumya, the clumsy pukoo boy, who always follows you around. He was looking fine last I saw him. He got all tall and muscular and ooh; you need to get him as soon as possible. They¡¯ll probably try the experiment on him, the results have not been good,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re dragging him into one of the larger temples on the far side of the city,¡± said Vlux. ¡°It¡¯s the same temple the chief should be in,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°You can rescue Drumya and have your little sit down, but you aren¡¯t getting in there easily. Even Eio¡¯s invisibility wouldn¡¯t help you infiltrate that place, but I have an Idea.¡± He walks over to a drawer and takes out a pink collar. ¡°I had plans to use this if I ever needed to escape, but I think it will look much better on you. The chiefs¡¯ own Saberfang tiger comes to visit me from time to time. If I put this collar on you and say a few words, it will change you into an exact copy of her for about an hour. Hopefully, you don¡¯t bump into her, and no one notices. The only issue would be your scent.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°I can help with that,¡± said Vlux. ¡°After you turn into a tiger Kiliyi can hide in your fur. I can then cast a smell perception dampening field around you. It will contain your scent within a small radius, but don¡¯t get too close to anyone or they might smell you.¡± ¡°What about the guards outside?¡± asked Thramuny. ¡°I love being an attraction. I¡¯ll get them out of the way pukuta.¡± ¡°Thank you Azurumene, I¡¯m ready.¡± He put the collar on Thramuny and said an incantation turning her into a large white tiger. Kiliyi buried herself in the scruff, just below her neck. Vlux began her chant. Once they had everything ready, Azurumene lit the stove, quickly mixing a few chemicals he caused a colorful explosion. Then he grabbed a handful of dirt and kicked open the door, a cloud of glitter billowing around him. Thramuny easily slipped passed and into the streets. People crazed and malnourished covered in fang and claw marks, young and old wandered the muddy streets. Families huddled together, sleeping with their gaunt tigers. As much as she wanted to reach out, Thramuny kept her distance from everyone. The citizens seemed to know to keep away from the chiefs¡¯ tiger. ¡°When did she get a pink collar,¡± she heard someone whisper. Thramuny suspected the color choice was Azurumene¡¯s own personal touch. She made it to the entrance of the temple where two guards and their Saberfangs were stationed outside. She couldn¡¯t see any way past them without the tigers getting a noseful of her scent. Then a dark shadow moved in overhead. Looking up, she saw the black birds descending on them. The guards left their posts and scattered around the city to defend it. The tigers at an obvious disadvantage against flying enemies. Thramuny used the opportunity to slip in through the thick black curtain unnoticed. She entered the large space. A grand throne embroidered with every conceivable predatory animal made up the centerpiece. Various taxidermied animals lines the edge of the room. A thoroughly grotesque sight. A large man creeped around sniffing like a dog on all fours. He had midnight black skin, and barely covered himself in a tattered patchwork fur cloak made of various animal skins, with a tiger head for a hood. He wore segmented metal braces imbued with long retractable claws. When she appeared in the doorway, he bounded over to her, a long line of drool hanging from his mouth. She stepped to the side and bit him on the cheek. ¡°Pukuta what¡¯s wrong with you,¡± he snuffed. Thramuny, crouched and snarled, ready to pounce on the disgusting man. He made an awful sound between a snarl and a snort, and jumped with his tongue hanging out. Thramuny jumped over him, and putting extra force into her back legs, slammed his face onto the dirty floor. He shot up and turned, a small bit of blood trickling down his forehead. He let out an ethereal howl that animated many of the taxidermied animals. Kiliyi cut Thramuny¡¯s collar, changing her back. She took her staff in hand and twirled it skillfully. ¡°You¡¯re not a tiger, you¡¯re a dragon,¡± he said. ¡°Kill her!¡± The taxidermied animals attacked, Thramuny whacked the beasts near her and dodge rolled to a better position. Kiliyi jumped on a beast with the front half of a lion and the rear half of a donkey. She wrapped her silk around its neck and subjugated it, this magic similar to how she animates her exoskeletons. A jackal tried to pounce from above. She tackled it and tore its head off, finding it stuffed with black curly hair. A griffon came down on Thramuny. She stuck her staff up to defend. It grabbed the staff and carried her up. She swung around the staff onto the griffons back. Boa slithered out of its grasp and bound the hind legs. Thramuny grabbed the griffon''s head and steered it down. She jumped off and used a palm blast to impale it on the tusks of a mammoth. The griffon clawed at the mammoths face. The mammoth thrashed about the room, squashing the other animals, black stuffing spreading everywhere. Kiliyi now faced off against a hyena, panther, and bear. The hyena lunged. Kiliyi swatted it. The panther pounced and bit close to the jugular. Kiliyi rammed it into the ugly throne, and dug her claws where its guts should be. The bear, got a firm bite on the lion¡¯s neck, and thrashed violently, tearing it off. Kiliyi wrapped her silk around the bear and hijacked it. Thramuny landed near the man. He stood up and extended his claws. She fired a palm blast. He countered with his own. The mammoth ran between them. Thramuny jumped on its back. She jumped off with Boa overhead for a strike. The deceptively fast man sidestepped her staff. Thramuny narrowly blocked his slash with Boa. She used a palm blast to jump back, but it placed her in front of an inanimate jaguar. The man howled and the second wave of taxidermied beasts animated. The jaguar prepared to pounce on Thramuny but Kiliyi pounced first, tearing the stuffing out of the jaguar. The man charged Thramuny. Next to him ran a monster with the jaws of a crocodile and the body of a hippo. ¡°Thramuny jump high,¡± came Vlux¡¯s voice over the ACORN. She blasted herself up, as Vlux and Pukoo dug through the ceiling. With a burst of blame, they flew into the scene just in time to catch Thramuny. The taxidermied fliers, gave chase but Pukoo out maneuvered them, somersaulting and setting fur and tail feathers ablaze. Below they overwhelmed Kiliyi¡¯s bear. She abandoned it just before the man slashed it in two. The carapace met her on the wall, and she attached a silver thread to it. With perfect synchronization Kiliyi and the carapace jumped back into the fray. Like bola they wrapped silver thread around arms, heads, torsos, slicing the black stuffing out of the beasts. Thramuny and Vlux landed near the man. Vlux used the straps on Home to hold it like a shield, wielding Splinter in her other hand. The man charged, but Thramuny swung her hair around his legs, tripping him flat on his face. A giant scorpion approached from behind. Vlux turned in time to block its stinger with Home¡¯s hard cover. The stinger lodged in the book, Vlux cut off the tip of the tail. The scorpion reared back but Vlux kept on. Jumping on its back, she slashed the head open and stuck Splinter where the brain would be. It tried to grab her with its claw but she slashed those off too. The scorpion fell limp as more taxidermied animals closed in. Pukoo made a flaming pass and landed next to Vlux. ¡°We got this Thramuny. Make that sicko, sit.¡± Thramuny watched the man on the ground sprout hair all over his body. He grew actual claws that broke off his gauntlets. His head became a Saberfang tiger, but the rest of him turned into a nightmarish amalgamation of predatory beasts. His teeth, far too long, claws like curved needles, and fur a grotesque calico. ¡°I am the alpha predator,¡± he snarled, as he lunged for her, with rabid speed. Thramuny dodged his clumsy assault and slapped his wrist with Boa. It wrapped around his arm, holding it rigid, threatening to break it. He grabbed at Boa with his other arm and roared in pain. Thramuny spun her electric hair and shocked him, burning off most of his fur. She withdrew her braids and cautiously approached. He lunged, she punched his snout, breaking his long fangs. Turning back into a man, he fell back clutching his broken nose and teeth. Boa moved to ensnare both his arms like cuffs. ¡°But I am the alpha predator, not even a dragon can beat me,¡± he screamed. ¡°I am not a dragon. I am the breeze.¡± He jumped to his feet and attempted another charge, but a white tiger pounced on him from behind and bit deep into his neck. He fell to the ground dying in a pool of blood. ¡°Well we can¡¯t question him now, but even if we could, I don¡¯t think we would have gotten any straight answers, he was far too gone, but maybe she knows something.¡± Vlux approached the tiger, she snarled at Vlux but then quickly composed herself before the friendly pixie, and allowed Vlux to commune. After a brief exchange, Vlux said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know too much, but she heard a rumor that the Triphu may be planning to attack at dawn. I also know where Drumya is, we need to get him and get out of here to warn your village.¡± ¡°Right, where is Drumya?¡± ¡°Follow me.¡± They ran behind another curtain and down a flight of stairs. At the base of the stairs they found Drumya unconscious and chained to the wall, with a strange rune drawn below him. Vlux approached and placed a hand on him. ¡°Just as I thought. There is no way to increase one''s soul capacity. They¡¯ve torn out a piece of his soul. That crazy chief, he tore his own soul apart and filled it with bits of other animals, Kiliyi.¡± She had already rigged the room and hopped onto Vlux¡¯s head. They cut down Drumya, set the room ablaze, and ran for the exit where Pukoo eagerly awaited. They placed Drumya on his back, jumped on themselves and flew off through the hole in the ceiling. The birds still wreaking havoc on the city, made it was easy for them to fly off into the night, back to Thramuny¡¯s home to warn her people. 17 - The Great Dragon 2.0 ¡°Mom, I¡¯m your son Angdraoni.¡± Lysyntri stumbled back, her voice quivering as she asked. ¡°But how, how did you get here, where is Paouni, Kiliyi should be with you as well?¡± ¡°I got separated from Kiliyi on the way here, and Paouni¡­ he might be a tree.¡± ¡°I see, he did what was necessary to keep you safe,¡± she said as a matter of fact. ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve missed you. I¡¯ve been looking all over for you.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve missed you too, come my son tell me all about your journey.¡± She smiled warmly, her face creasing with numerous lines and wrinkles. She held out her arms, instinctively he ran to them. She had the same soft embrace, but a cold body amidst the warm air of the cavern. He wanted to tell her everything about his adventures leading up to now, he thought hard about his journey, wondering where he should start. She gently pulled away, and placed her cool hands on his cheeks, analyzing his face. ¡°You look just like your father.¡± ¡°Mom, so much has happened. I have so much to tell you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already told me. Not everything, but I can tell, you¡¯ve had quite the journey. I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯ve made so many friends. Especially this Brek, I can tell you have strong feelings for him.¡± Ang¡¯s face warmed and sweat trickled his brow. ¡°Those markings are you an Elucidator, have you always been an Elucidator?¡± ¡°Yes, the symptoms manifest slowly in some, later in life I had to add a few more markings.¡± ¡°What is this place, where is everyone else?¡± ¡°This is the nesting ground of the Great Dragon Tial-Meh, she has not been well, so these people have asked me to come here and treat her. Though it hasn''t been going well.¡± ¡°Has anyone been helping you, Where is the rest of our family, our village, they escaped too right.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ they are in hiding in a faraway land. I came here on my own to help these people and gain allies in the process.¡± ¡°There are lands even further away than this?¡± ¡°Ang, you still have so much to see. The world is a very big place.¡± ¡°What about the Silver Willow, did you move that too?¡± ¡°No, it¡­ must have. You mean it¡¯s not there?¡± ¡°No, when I found the grove it stood in it was gone, the only thing there were some leaves and a hole where I found Dungii.¡± ¡°Meep.¡± ¡°What a peculiar creature.¡± ¡°He gets that a lot.¡± ¡°And this, is that a chimera worm?¡± ¡°Yes, this is Eio.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t normally see chimera worms just floating around, you keep unique company.¡± ¡°Where do you normally see them?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t, they live within other organisms, and steer their evolution. Their mating habits are how chimeras are formed.¡± She said something in a foreign language, producing sounds that would be impossible for an ordinary individual to produce. Eio responded by flashing a red, which quickly softened to pink, purple, and back to electric blue. Lysyntri placed the tips of her fingers on Eio¡¯s wing, after a moment she removed them, and gave Eio an inquisitive look. ¡°What did you say to him?¡± ¡°I just asked for permission to commune with him. But he communicates in a way that is difficult to comprehend. Eio is a mature chimera worm; they can take centuries to reach this state.¡± She looks down at Dungii. ¡°That tail, it looks sentient.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Rungii, he¡¯s the newest addition.¡± ¡°May I have a closer look?¡± ¡°If they¡¯re alright with it. Be careful though, Rungii is still learning not to attack everything.¡± ¡°Meep meep.¡± She knelt down and carefully scrutinized Dungii and Rungii. Dungii gave a sideways glance to Ang. She reached out a finger toward Rungii. Ang flinched when Rungii made a motion toward it, but he flicked his tongue and continued on as usual. Lysyntri pet him getting no retort. ¡°Amazing, I have never actually seen one of these.¡± ¡°What, do you know what Rungii is?¡± ¡°You know of the spell I developed to speak to Obnenio our world. Obnenio may respond in many ways, and this is one. Rungii is a sort of guardian sent to those who have communed and gained favor with Obnenio.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t commune with Obnenio.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t saying, you did. Did you encounter Yoorei on your way here?¡± ¡°Yeah, and he didn¡¯t have very nice things to say about you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not surprising, we had an arrangement that ended on poor terms. He was an early volunteer for my spell. And as a result he... well you saw. I suspect he gave you some trouble?¡± ¡°Oh no, father helped me.¡± He takes out Hue. Lysyntri¡¯s eyes grew wide and watery at the sight of it. ¡°May I see it?¡± She asked with a slight quaver. ¡°Of course.¡± She reached out and timidly took the axe. She beheld it, gently caressing it, from the blade down to the braided handle. ¡°Is he really in there?¡±Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Yes, this Ardin is exceptional in that it gained its power, both from his life, and through his sacrifice. He wanted you to have it, I¡¯m glad you found it.¡± With slight reluctance, she hands it back to Ang. ¡°Actually, it was Dungii who found it.¡± ¡°Meep.¡± ¡°Is that right.¡± she scrutinizes Dungii again, and almost whispers. ¡°How did Rungii get attached to Dungii?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Suddenly they heard a deafening roar and a blast of heat. The other men in the cave ran to the source, yelling in their native tongue. ¡°Meep meep.¡± ¡°Is that her?¡± Ang asked. ¡°Yes, My apologies Ang but I must assist, please wait outside.¡± ¡°No, you and everyone else left me in the middle of a forest, on a tiny island, with only a spider for years. I¡¯m not mad. I understand why you did it, and I hope you understand why I won¡¯t leave.¡± He boldly stepped in front of his mother. Another roar, and blast of hot air. He stood before it, strong and unwavering. Glancing over his shoulder, he coughed. ¡°That, that was nasty. Maybe you should go first.¡± They followed Lys down the cavern. As they traveled, the cave became less ornate. The walls a mix of stone and obsidian. They arrived at a vast space surrounded by tall pillars topped with blue flame. Countless fleshy sacks filled a massive nest in the center, each covered in dark bulbous growths, and held in place with many long tendrils. Something moved within them. At the core of all this, breathed a colossal beast at least twice the size of a whale. Her head covered in extravagant feathers, going down half the length of her body, where the feathers became sparse and turned to shimmering scales. She had two pairs of wings folded close to her body, an upper and lower pair. The bulbous growths blemished her sublime form. The two wyvern riders attempted to calm her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± asked Ang. ¡°She has the sickness of the land. This land, this Nenio is suffering from a malignancy. She is a creature closely tied to the Nenio. The malignancy congeals Imdrina channels and forms these dark growths. She represents a physical form of this sickness, but it manifests in other ways. This has always been a wild land, but the malignancy has caused some species to prosper, others to extinction, the rest are crazed.¡± ¡°Yeah, I noticed that on my way here. So how do we treat her?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve tried many things, cutting, burning, freezing, tonics. It seems all my attempts have only served to progress this toxin.¡± Suddenly the dragon shot up and threw the men into the dark. The long feathers down her neck unfurled into a vibrant and deadly display of color. Even in the relative darkness of the cavern she shined with an inner glow, dark blotches obscuring some of her luster. She lifts her head and let out a cry full of pain, power, and defiance. Her breath, a blue thundercloud of fire and electricity. They braced against the force, Lysyntri casting a shield rune. ¡°MEEP! Meep meep.¡± They turned to see the unpleasant sight of Rungii latched onto a nearby growth on a flesh sack with its frayed tongue. Dungii in protest, attempting to pull it away from the grotesque mass. ¡°Wait Dungii, it seems to be working,¡± said Ang. ¡°Yes, it seems Rungii can consume the toxin with no ill effects.¡± ¡°Dungii, let Rungii do his thing for now.¡± ¡°Meep.¡± They moved slowly spiralling closer to Tial-Meh, Rungii consuming nearby dark blotches, Lysyntri maintaining her barrier, as the dragon continued to let out plums of electric fire. Finally, Rungii consumed enough to grow into their larger form. Ang grabbed Lys¡¯s hand and pulled her under the veil. ¡°This is amazing; they can change size and use protection spells.¡± ¡°Yeah, Dungii get closer to her so Rungii can consume the ick.¡± ¡°Murp¡± Dungii. Ran closer to Tial-Meh, Rungii using its tongue to shrink the growths. Once close enough, Rungii extended its body and frayed tongue as far as possible and began syphoning off the malevolent illness. Tial-Meh turned her attention down and expelled her breath of fire and storm. Lys wove a rune to deflect the oncoming force. Her rune proved insufficient. Quickly, Ang made adjustments to the rune strengthening it and ensuring their safety. ¡°You¡¯ve become very adept with rune weaving.¡± ¡°I learned from Kiliyi and the book she gave me.¡± ¡°Yes, the tome we made, where is it?¡± ¡°I let a friend borrow it. You two made that book?¡± ¡°I wrote the text, the pages are made of Kiliyi¡¯s silk.¡± ¡°What is its hard cover made from?¡± Before she could answer, another blast came at them. Lys didn¡¯t have time to draw her rune. Ang took charge and swung the axe deflecting most of the blast. Dungii let out his song diffusing the rest. Once the storm cleared, they saw the immense dragon take off running deeper into the cavern. They gave chase, but had difficulty catching up to Tial-Meh, with her expansive stride. Rungii extended itself and its tongue as far as possible and could barely lap at a dark spot on her hind leg. Then, Tial-Meh jumped into a deep wide hole. The dragon unfurling her lepidopteran wings, more than twice the size of her body, dove into the pit. They watched from the edge as she flew further into the roots of the mountain, a beautiful catastrophe, a dark blue storm stirring around her. ¡°What do we do now?¡± asked Ang. ¡°We have to go down there and bring her back up. I have an Idea, but it will only work with Dungii¡¯s cooperation.¡± ¡°Murp! Murp.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best Dungii,¡± said Ang. ¡°Eio I¡¯ll need your assistance. Dungii we¡¯ll attempt to adapt your body, this may be a little uncomfortable.¡± ¡°Murp.¡± Eio placed himself on top of the mushroom, as Lysyntri wove her runes on Dungii. He grew larger, leaves covering him like feathers, and innumerable thin twisting vines sprouted all around his body. Buds grew on the vines that popped open into white clouds of fluff. Dungii¡¯s lower half became covered in a half sphere of wispy white cotton. Two large leaves sprouted out of his sides, forming wings. ¡°Morp. Morp.¡± ¡°Whoa, you¡¯re all fluffy,¡± said Ang. ¡°He should be able to float now, we¡¯ll just have to direct the air,¡± said Lysyntri. Some marking on her arm began to glow as she swirled the air beneath Dungii, lifting them up and into the pit. They floated down the wide shaft, the walls lined with glowing rocks and veins, and entered a vast underground space, lit like a starry night. Rivers of light ran, above and below. Bioluminescent creatures of all shapes and sizes, scurried across the ceiling, flew between the mountain roots, or swam in the glowing lakes and rivers. Within this space it was easy to spot the immense dragon, breathing her blue storm. Dungii began his song, manipulating the air beneath his cotton cloud body. Using his wing leafs for control, they flew towards the dragon. Once they got close, the storm swirling around caused violent turbulence, making flight difficult. To ease this, Ang played his ocarina, stabilizing them enough to get in close for Rungii continue treatment. With a flap of her enormous wings a gust blew them away, they slowly descended. ¡°We have to get her to stop,¡± said Lysyntri. ¡°Dungii, let¡¯s try to lure her near one of those floating rivers.¡± ¡°Morp.¡± ¡°What are you going to do,¡± asked Lysyntri. ¡°Hopefully get her to land softly. Please trust me and help Dungii with maneuvering.¡± She smirked proudly, and turned all her focus to stabilizing the air beneath them, with Dungii¡¯s song. They caught up with the rampaging dragon and flew beside her as she erratically spewed her electric fire breath, Rungii defended with his own spore breath. They flew parallel to one another until Tial-Meh pivoted, cutting in front of Dungii. Rungii bit down on the edge of her wing, and she dragged them through the air. Lysyntri and Ang clung to the mushroom, as they bobbed up and down, left and right. Ang saw his opportunity as they neared a river of glowing water. He played the whale song, drawing the river water around them and the dragon causing them to fall out of the air. Before they hit the ground, Tial-Meh used her breath to break the bubble and escape, leaving the group still trapped in a slow, watery free fall. Realizing his plan failed, he blew the whale song to disperse the bubble. He looked up to see Tial-Meh flying faster and faster, higher and higher until she crashed into the ceiling. Lys attempted to propel them forward, but Tial-Meh was too far away for them to catch her. The dragon crashed to the ground. The impact sent shockwaves through the space blasting the party back. Lys quickly stabilized them. Dungii flapped his leaf wings and flew them near Tial-Meh. As the dust cleared, her massive form lay crumpled on the ground. Her inner glow faded. She lay dark, and still. Soon as they landed, Lysyntri ran to her side. ¡°Is is she alright,¡± Ang asked as he slowly approached. ¡°No Ang, without producing an heiress, the Great Dragon Tial-Meh is dead.¡± 18 - Mother Tiger 2.0 In the distance, they saw a blue plume erupt from a red mountain. ¡°What is that?¡± asked Vlux. ¡°That is the tempest breath of our nest beast, the Great Dragon Tial-Meh. It¡¯s rare to see her activity on the surface. She normally remains in her domain,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°What¡¯s tempest breath? Is it better than fire breath?¡± ¡°Most wyverns breathe fire. Tial-Meh is unique among dragons. Her tempest breath is a perfect blend of lighting and fire.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing! Can you take me to see her someday?¡± ¡°Unfortunately no, only a select few may approach the base of that mountain.¡± ¡°Bummer, look I think Drumya is coming around.¡± ¡°Thramuny, I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Drumya wearily. ¡°It¡¯s alright Drumya, I¡¯m just glad we found you.¡± ¡°You were away so long, and now you¡¯re finally back, I couldn¡¯t stand to see you leave. I didn¡¯t mean to get caught. I didn¡¯t mean to be a burden to you.¡± ¡°Drumya, no one means to get captured,¡± said Vlux. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you¡¯re soul bonded to Pukoo, he told me right away when you were in danger. He¡¯s real loyal to you. Did a good job hiding the fact that you were following us?¡± ¡°Yes, I am lucky to have found a true soulmate in Pukoo.¡± Drumya abruptly lost consciousness as Vlux clutched her skull, crumpled over and rolled off the side. Thramuny narrowly caught her and instructed Pukoo to land. ¡°Vlux are you alright, what¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Thramuny. ¡°I don¡¯t know, the forest is screaming, the land is screaming, everything is screaming.¡± Thramuny propped Vlux against a tree. As soon as Vlux made contact the tree, the forest screamed through her. A horrid sound, a cry of loss, a cry of agony, a cry of death. Thramuny pulled her away and noticed that Kiliyi had created a patch of silk on the ground and motioned for Thramuny to place her there. ¡°What happened to your friend?¡± asked Azurumene as he emerged from behind a tree with his late chiefs tiger in tow. ¡°You¡¯ve been following us? I don¡¯t know what is happening to her. Drumya isn¡¯t doing well either,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°I was bored being stuck at home. And unexpected things always happen around you pukuta. Like a flock of mad birds suddenly coming down on the whole tribe. Tigers have trouble dealing with flying enemies. That¡¯s why things are better when our people work together. I saw your wyvern take off. Euyene here came straight to me and told me what happened. I assume they¡¯ll name me one of the prime suspects, so I figured it best to turn tiger and follow you. Good thing I did. Here let me have a look at your friend. Hmm, is she an Elucidator?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s sensitive to changes in the ether, something terrible has happened. Here, place your hand on this tree and listen closely.¡± Thramuny placed her hand on the tree and closed her eyes. She could faintly hear a muffled cry ring through her head. ¡°I can hear it, do you know what has happened?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m a druid not an Elucidator, I can only speak fluently to felines and my own kind. The best thing may be to take them to see our nest beast, the mother cat Lun-Fenren. Her den is not far from here. Whatever is happening she should know, she might also know what we can do for Drumya. Flying is probably a bad idea. We¡¯ll travel on foot. Euyene likes Vlux, you can secure her on her back.¡± Vlux was sweating and shaking violently as Thramuny wrapped the silk around her like a cocoon and picked her up. It seemed to provide some comfort. She stopped shaking but still breathed heavily. She strapped Vlux to the tiger Euyene¡¯s back, as Kiliyi secured Drumya on Pukoo¡¯s back. Azurumene assumed his exceptionally large gray Saberfang form, and motioned for Thramuny to climb on, she did so and off they went toward the mother tiger¡¯s den. ¡°Where did all those birds come from?¡± Asked Azurumene, his voice resonating in Thramuny¡¯s head. ¡°Vlux fed them twice, Kiliyi did the cooking, and they followed us.¡± ¡°Those birds don¡¯t forget the hand that feeds them. They¡¯ll probably continue to follow you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with that. I never got the chance to ask you, what do you know about the Triphu tribe?¡± ¡°They¡¯re a large and powerful tribe from the far eastern side of Kyxichen. They¡¯ve started conquering their neighboring tribes and over the past few years have greatly expanded their territory. They use a different method to create companions. Where our tribes practice soul mating, they practice soul leashing.¡± ¡°What is soul leashing?¡± ¡°Soul leashing is extracting one¡¯s soul and tethering it to the body with a strong ethereal cord, crafted using the umbilical cord. Then they place the soul into an incubator, and over the course of the individuals first year in life, it turns into their spirit companion.¡± ¡°So their souls live outside the body and protect them. That sounds risky, what if the cord gets severed?¡± ¡°Exactly, there are a few risks with using that method. For one, the soul cannot move far away from the body or it will retract into the cord, leaving them vulnerable. If you can detect and copy the exact elemental composition of the cord, you can cut it quite easily, killing both. Also, having the soul outside the living body can cause defects in one¡¯s mental state and leaves them more susceptible to manipulation.¡± ¡°You think something is manipulating the Triphu into acting this way?¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Oh, most certainly. We¡¯ve always known they were rather barbaric, but they have been perfectly content roaming and hunting the vast eastern plains and swamps for centuries, and just now they decide to cross the Prism Peaks, and attack our neighboring tribes. Something has definitely changed.¡± ¡°Do you have any idea who could be pulling the strings?¡± ¡°I haven''t been receiving much information from my spies lately, but there has been a war going on for a while in an archipelago just off the southeastern coast. I suspect that conflict may have spread to the mainland, starting in the east.¡± ¡°Do other methods of creating companions exist?¡± ¡°Pukuta they didn¡¯t teach you any of this?¡± ¡°No, my tribe stays focused on fighting and being like a dragon. We only learn what is necessary for survival. I have never seen the lands over the Prism Peaks, nor did anyone talk about them.¡± ¡°You were always hungry for knowledge. That¡¯s why you clung to me when you were little, after I gave you that story book.¡± ¡°Yes, I followed you back to your hut with Eio¡¯s abilities. I remember how I screamed when you snuck up behind me in your half tiger form,¡± giggled Thramuny. ¡°Pukuta you surprised me. I only knew you were following when we were almost at the door to my house. I¡¯m proud of how you¡¯ve improved.¡± ¡°You were a great teacher. Now tell me about the other methods.¡± ¡°Most of the islanders to the south practice soul symbiosis. Similar to soul leashing, the main difference is that the soul doesn¡¯t actually leave the body but becomes a semi-sentient being that lives just under the skin. Obviously, the range of the companion is extremely limited, but at least there is no risk of getting the cord cut, and their mental state remains intact. The last method I know of is soul sealing. That involves sealing another¡¯s soul into an artificial body or recently vacant body, then tethering that soul and body to you with a cord, like in soul leashing. The cord is much longer but more easily severed; however, severing only results in deactivation of the companion, and can be easily reconnected.¡± ¡°Has anyone tried using a combination of these methods?¡± ¡°Many have tried, and all have died. Each of these methods tampers with the soul, which is always risky. Though soulmating involves the least amount of risk, you have to trust your soulmate, others can manipulate you through them. Where is Eio by the way?¡± ¡°He has been searching for another friend of mine. That¡¯s odd, I can¡¯t seem to make a clear connection with him, something is interfering.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably related to whatever is affecting your friend and the jungle. We may get some answers soon, we''re here.¡± They came to a large cavernous opening in the side of a gray mountain covered with vegetation. Two men and tigers stood guard at the entrance with unwelcoming looks. ¡°Let me talk to them. I¡¯m a doctor and a druid they¡¯ll let us pass.¡± He turned back into his normal form and walked with elegance and broad gestures toward the men. ¡°Good evening, how is everyone? I¡¯m sure you all know who I am.¡± ¡°Doctor Azurumene, you¡¯re supposed to remain within your hut, you¡¯re under suspicion of spying.¡± Said the taller man, with the gray tiger. ¡°Pukuto I have eyes and ears everywhere. Someone needs to be in on all the gossip. I do it for us. Now please, I need to get in there and see Lun-Fenren, I hear she isn¡¯t producing as many kittens.¡± ¡°Another step and we¡¯ll have to cut you down.¡± Said the shorter man with the brown tiger, he drew his long twin daggers. ¡°No pukuto, I¡¯m not getting cut, but you¡¯re getting scratched.¡± As he said this, his nails became long sparkling claws. The gray tiger lunged at him, but Azurumene crouched down, and shallowly scratched the tiger''s neck. The short man barely noticed when Azurumene reached his side. He parried his claws with his daggers, but Azurumene side stepped and spun scratching the man on the arm. The brown tiger lunged, continuing his spin he easily dodged the Saberfang and scratched its side. Finally, the tall man drew his daggers, but he was much too slow, as Azurumene scratched the back of his neck, he collapsed. ¡°That was awesome! What¡¯d you do to them?¡± ¡°Vlux! You¡¯re fine now.¡± Said a surprised Thramuny. ¡°Yeah, Kiliyi cut me loose. Sorry about what happened.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re well now.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re up, then the jungle must have stopped sobbing. It¡¯s nice to finally meet you in person Vlux, I¡¯m Azurumene. I would greet you properly, but I don¡¯t want to risk scratching you. I coated my claws with Moondust Gloss, a little scratch and it puts them right to sleep.¡± ¡°Yes, that awful noise in my head has stopped, it¡¯s like everything is back to normal, and none of these trees want to tell me what happened.¡± ¡°Well, how fortunate? One problem has solved itself, we still need to fix Drumya somehow,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°He¡¯s still unconscious, let¡¯s hurry and ask the mother cat for aid,¡± said Thramuny. They walked through the entrance into a vast cave dimly lit by stones embedded in the ceiling, casting a pale glow. Statues of tigers with twin dagger wielding warriors lined the walls, along with many runes, and engravings. They could hear deep and menacing growls coming from the darkness. Gradually they came into view, a large pack of saberfang tigers, teeth bared. Azurumene assumed his larger and more imposing tiger form. He roared, and the tigers sheathed their fangs and walked back into the den. He turned and beckoned for them to follow into the mother tigers chamber. She was large as a whale, with white fur that gave off an inner light, small dark spots blotted her body. A few kittens lie around her, and the tigers that greeted them earlier lay along the edges of the space. Slowly she lifted her head and turned to her guests. She looked directly at Azurumene and through an imperceivable transaction they discussed the current state of affairs. After a few moments, he changed back and turned to his friends. ¡°She has a funny way of talking, but basically she said that one of her kind has departed, but another has taken her place. So everything is good for now.¡± ¡°No offense but, why would the death of a tiger cause the whole jungle to sob?¡± asked Vlux. ¡°When Lun-Fenren says one of her kind, I think she is referring to her status as a Zan-Weia, or Mother of Nature. They are powerful creatures that have grown close to the land. They¡¯re like guardians and balance keepers, with great influence over their domains. We use them as nest beasts, because they are exceptionally fertile, and produce strong offspring.¡± ¡°What about Drumya, does she know how we can fix him?¡± said Thramuny. Azurumene looked solemnly at Drumya. ¡°His condition is deteriorating he will need a compatible soul transplant to survive.¡± ¡°Then I will volunteer,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Then you will both die,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°I must do something. Drumya was my only friend when everyone else shunned me for not having a wyvern. I probably would¡¯ve willingly thrown myself into the Great Barrier were it not for him. I realize now that I have taken him for granted.¡± ¡°Pukuta, the only individuals that would be compatible for this would be a parent, a sibling, or a child, and if what I¡¯ve heard is correct. I don¡¯t think he has any of those.¡± ¡°Wait Pukoo, what are you saying,¡± said Vlux. ¡°You.. you¡¯re willing to do that for him, but you know what that means for you, right?¡± ¡°Someone he¡¯s soul mated with will probably also work. If you¡¯re sure about it, Lun-Fenren can assist me with the procedure,¡± without hesitation Pukoo stepped forward with Drumya strapped to his back, ready to give himself body and soul to save his true soulmate. Vlux stood next to Thramuny. ¡°You know, Pukoo isn¡¯t his real name. Those two bonded over their shared admiration and respect for whom they consider, and look up to, as the greatest warrior they¡¯ve ever known. They were embarrassed to say it, so they just went with Pukoo, but his real name is Vyranya.¡± Thramuny walked to the wyvern, as Azurumene prepared the runes with Lun-Fenren¡¯s instruction. She gently took the wyverns face in her hands and tenderly kissed his snout. With glossy eyes she looked up at him and said. ¡°Thank you, Breeze.¡± 19 - Juggernaut 2.0 While watching Azurumene and Lun-Fenren make the preparations, Thramuny fell asleep. She opened her eyes after what seemed like only a moment to find that in the center of the large rune where Vyranya and Drumya once lay, now only Drumya lay. Azurumene sat next to Lun-Fenren sweating and exhausted. ¡°You sleep well, pukuta? I think the procedure was successful, but I don¡¯t know what the side effects might be from using a dragon soul.¡± Thramuny got up and moved to Drumya¡¯s side. Kneeling she gently touched his forehead and tenderly moved her hand down his lightly bearded cheek. His eyes shot open. ¡°Thramuny!¡± ¡°Drumya, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°A little dizzy and nauseous, where is Vy..ah Pukoo?¡± ¡°Vyranya¡­ he.¡± ¡°You know!¡± exclaimed Drumya. ¡°Yes, he told me.¡± ¡°How did he tell you?¡± ¡°He told me first,¡± said Vlux just waking up. ¡°You know too!¡± ¡°Pukuto, we all know.¡± ¡°I can hear him, where are you, why would you tell them?¡± ¡°You can still communicate with him¡­ but how?¡± said Thramuny. Drumya¡¯s arm turned red and scaly. He looked at it as it moved independently from the rest of him. ¡°Because he is here, were still soulmates, but he lives in me now, just under the surface.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s sort of like soul symbiosis, but that still doesn¡¯t make sense. I¡¯m going to have to do a very thorough study on you pukuto.¡± ¡°Wait what time is it,¡± asked Vlux. ¡°It¡¯s early morning. If you¡¯re worried about the possible Triphu attack, I already sent a parrot to relay the message. I told everyone the attack would happen at dawn so they will be prepared. But I¡¯ve been observing the Triphu¡¯s behavior for some time. They love a good fight, so it¡¯s more likely the attack would happen around noon.¡± ¡°Regardless we must make our way there at once,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Wait Thramuny, did we ever find Angdraoni?¡± ¡°Something is disturbing my connection to Eio, but I did briefly catch an image of him. Eio has found him, so I know he will take them back to my tribe.¡± ¡°Good, that¡¯s a relief. Our weapons are fully charged, we just need a way to get there quickly.¡± ¡°Euyene, says she will be happy to take you and Thramuny there,¡± translated Azurumene. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m going with you.¡± said Drumya. ¡°Euyene says ¡®not on my back.¡¯¡± Drumya¡¯s arms, shoulders, and back grew red scales, he sprouted a spined reptilian tail, expansive leathery wings, and from the nap of his neck grew the head of Vryanya. ¡°Whoa! there you are, we are truly bonded, like a chimera.¡± ¡°I never thought something like this could happen,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°Dragon souls and bodies are different; they don¡¯t mesh well with others. Their souls burn hot, and if you place another soul next to it, it becomes kindling, starting a fire that burns them both. The fact that you two haven¡¯t combusted yet proves the procedure was successful. You¡¯re both sharing parts of your soul and bodies with one another. Making an odd chimera arrangement.¡± Everyone else stood, mouth a gap looking at their new form until Vlux said. ¡°Hey uh, Drumya, Vyranya..Druvyranya? Whatever you two are now. Are you going to fly back to the Pyoxien, cause if so, can I ride with you..please?¡± Euyene whimpered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Euyene, but dragon, man, thing is awesome.¡± Drumya chuckled. ¡°I think we need to practice moving in this form first. Best if you ride with Euyene, we¡¯ll be right behind you.¡± Thramuny approached and took Vryanya¡¯s hand, inspecting it. As she did, it turned into Drumya¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you friend,¡± said Drumya. ¡°He gave me control of the arm.¡± ¡°Interesting, you¡¯re so hot,¡± said Thramuny gently rubbing his hand. ¡°You think so?¡± smirked Drumya. ¡°Yes, are you sure you¡¯re alright.¡± Said Thramuny still touching his muscled forearm arm until Azurumene hip bumped her out of the way. ¡°Pukuta he¡¯s in good hands hurry back to your people. Come pukuto we have to make sure you¡¯re stable enough to go out there.¡± Thramuny turned to Euyene and jumped on her back, Vlux followed with Kiliyi on her head. Together they raced off toward the Pyoxien village. Suddenly Euyene stopped, her muscles tensed, fangs bared. Vlux stood still, listening for something. Upon closer observation, Thramuny could see the tracks on the ground. The markings on Vlux¡¯s arm began to glow, she lifted her hand and closed her fist, trapping their stalker in a bubble. He shot the barrier with a dart, popping it. Thramuny rushed him, jamming her staff into his belly and pinning him on his back. Vlux called vines out of the ground to restrain him. He had lean bare arms, olive skin, and brown eyes barely visible under the shawl he wore to hide his features. Thramuny noticed tiny jaws rise under his skin. They snipped the vines, freeing him. She brought the staff down on him again, but the point of impact hardened like stone. Taking advantage of her moment¡¯s hesitation. He kicked her legs from under her, then spun and kicked her away. Vlux threw the book which collided and harmlessly bounced off his hardened head. He turned to flee but tripped on a gold thread. Euyene pounced, pinning him on his stomach, teeth dripping with saliva, prepared to take off his head. Boa slithered under his feet and restrained his legs. Vlux cautiously came around with Home and Splinter at the ready.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Who are you?¡± demanded Vlux. The man mumbled something indiscernible into the ground. Thramuny approached and lifted his head with her foot. ¡°We can¡¯t hear you,¡± she said. The man spoke, fast and shaky, in an unfamiliar language. Vlux put her weapons away, brightened her eyes, put on her best smile, and knelt next to him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡± she reached out and touched his arm. ¡°What¡¯s he saying?¡± ¡°He¡¯s says we should move, that they''re coming with their unstoppable familiars.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s coming?¡± Then they felt the ground tremble. Thramuny climbed up into a tree and surveyed the terrain. She soon spotted the massive stampede coming down the orange peaked mountain, trampling the trees and anything in their path. They rode on large ethereal creatures Thramuny had never seen before. She jumped back to the ground. ¡°He¡¯s right we need to move.¡± She summoned Boa back to herself, and hopped on Euyene¡¯s back still standing on the man. Vlux jumped on after her with Kiliyi. ¡°What should we do with him?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time to properly restrain him, and he doesn¡¯t seem to be our most immediate threat, let him go for now.¡± Euyene took off faster than before, the rumbling steadily growing closer and louder. ¡°They''re still gaining on us, this isn¡¯t good Thramuny, they easily outnumber your tribe ten to one, probably more. We may have to just grab as many people as possible and flee.¡± ¡°No, my people won¡¯t give up, we just have to get there fast and help.¡± Thramuny said this knowing full well Vlux might be correct. This large and calculated horde is a moving juggernaut, the likes of which she had never known before. Only a day has passed since the last raid. Her people were not in peak form. Vlux and Thramuny pressed themselves against the tiger¡¯s back as Euyene sprinted with all her might. They could hear the crashing of the trees behind them, feel the rumble of the land, and just ahead they saw the village. The Pyoxien built a hasty fortification, warriors and wyverns lined up behind it. They emerged from the jungle the horde gaining on them, leveling the trees. Thramuny glanced back, and saw beasts the size of temples, with horns chromed in armor. Vlux was right, they didn¡¯t stand a chance. She screamed for her people, her family to run. The war cries, and thunderous stampede only a few meters behind drowned out her voice when suddenly. ¡°I AM ANGDRAONI USGRAT!¡± A colossal wall of clay erupted from the ground, separating Euyene from the stampede. The horde crashed into the wall tearing down layers of rock, causing debris to bury the first wave. The horde stopped and began flinging projectiles at the growing wall, but a cloud of spores fell on them spawning green bulbs to grow and pop producing a sticky substance that mixed with the dirt, making the terrain difficult to traverse. They saw a blue plume light up the clouds. Tial-Meh roared from the pink peak. A mighty dragon of the sky, and next to her a dragon made of flora. The sight rallied the Pyoxien to action. They mounted their wyverns and flew over the enemy. The horde no match for the flying and highly maneuverable wyverns. They quickly drove the invaders back. They trampled over one another as they fled the onslaught from the sky. Once the invading force was several kilometers away, the wyvern riders flew to the pink peak. They landed and bowed their heads in reverence to the two great dragons and the dwarf between them. With a gust of wind, Euyene landed on the summit with Thramuny, Vlux and Kiliyi. ¡°Hey, we finally found you. Sorry we got separated, but Eio found us, and led us back here just in time to help. Why is everyone all silent and kneeling like that? Is that a greeting? Should I be doing the same?¡± ¡°Ang, you wonderful righteous fool. Only you would show up at the eleventh hour, flanked by two huge dragons, summon a massive wall of clay, turn the tide of a losing battle, and then question why people are bowing. If I didn¡¯t recognize your little bearded butt from down there I would be bowing too.¡± Thramuny got off Euyene¡¯s back and bowed. ¡°Tial-Meh, but why is she here, how did you get her to come with you Angdraoni?¡± ¡°I just followed his lead, you don¡¯t recognize him?¡± ¡°Wait is that Eio, Eio are you inside of Tial-Meh? That is why I cannot hear you. How did this happen?¡± ¡°Is that you Dungii? You¡¯re almost as big as Tial-Meh, and did your tail grow a head with horns and thorns,¡± said Vlux. ¡°That¡¯s Rungii, he¡¯s Dungii¡¯s new addition. They''re getting along really well now. How Eio ended up in Tial-Meh is a long story, but we did kind of cure her illness. What is that?¡± A man with dragon arms, shoulders, and back complete with a tail, flew in and landed on the pink sand next to Thramuny. Another person riding on his back jumped off and said. ¡°Wonderful the Pyoxien miraculously fought the Triphu back. Pukuta is this your nest beast Tial-Meh, I¡¯ve never seen her up close before. What¡¯s this strange creature, a peculiar fusion of plant, animal and fungus?¡± ¡°Morp Morp.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with these guys, does he have a dragon stuck to his back?¡± asked Ang. ¡°Angdraoni, this is Azurumene, Drumya, and now merged with him, his wyvern, Vyranya.¡± said Thramuny. Vryanya¡¯s head sprouted from Drumya¡¯s nap and let out a greeting roar. Drumya shy and self conscious in his new form remained quiet. ¡°How did that happen?¡± ¡°Alright, we have a lot to catch each other up on but first, it looked like the Triphu were headed back toward the Oskien,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Actually, they¡¯re headed further toward the east. I don¡¯t think they are going after another tribe with how rough their forces looked,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°Then I think it would be best for us to follow our other lead. I could hear your conversation with Thramuny last night. We encountered a guy who had some abilities I¡¯ve never seen before, like hardening skin and forming tiny jaws. His body seemed to do those things with no channeling at all. Is that soul symbiosis?¡± ¡°Yes, it sounds like it,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°Then he must be from the south-eastern islands. The ones who may have started this. If we go back to where we encountered him, we might be able to track him,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Pukuta the Triphu have trampled over everything.¡± ¡°Then we must follow the Triphu¡¯s path, and comb through the destruction,¡± said Thramuny, ¡°Not to worry, Kiliyi planted her carapace on the man. We can track him anywhere he goes,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Good thinking, Kiliyi,¡± said Ang, as she took her place on his shoulder. ¡°Yes, this is the best day ever! C¡¯mon everyone there¡¯s plenty of room.¡± Said Vlux from atop Tial-Meh¡¯s head, her smile and bright eyes genuine. ¡°Vlux! How did you get up there. You can¡¯t just ride on Tial-Meh,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Eio seems alright with it, and flying will be the fastest way to catch up to our query.¡± ¡°What about Dungii? Looks like he can fly.¡± said Thramuny. ¡°He can but he can¡¯t fly very well, he needs wind magic to fly properly. Also, I don¡¯t think he can maintain this form for too much longer,¡± said Ang. ¡°Morp morp¡± Dungii shed his form, ¡°Meep meep.¡± Ang and Dungii climbed aboard Tial-Meh with Vlux. ¡°Um¡­ Thramuny, I think I¡¯ve got flying figured out, you can fly with me,¡± said Drumya.¡± ¡°I see how it is. Pukuta go on ahead and ride with him, Euyene c¡¯mon we¡¯re taking the dragon.¡± Azurumene and Euyene, joined Vlux, Ang, Dungii and Kiliyi on Tial-Meh¡¯s back, with Thramuny riding on Vyranya and Drumya¡¯s. Finally reunited, the group had a lot to discuss as they flew off toward the east, leaving the Pyoxien awestruck. 20 - Fractured Soul 2.0 ¡°Whatever you do you cannot tell any of the Pyoxien about their nest beast,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°We should at least tell them.¡± Ang gestures to Thramuny and Druvyranya flying next to them engaged in their own conversation. ¡°We especially can¡¯t tell them. I¡¯d hate to upset Thramuny,¡± said Vlux. ¡°They¡¯ll find out eventually,¡± said Ang. ¡°Give me some time. I may be able to come up with some alternative. Honestly, we need to rethink our whole nest beast system,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°We rely too heavily on using one type of companion, and most have fallen ill.¡± ¡°But Rungii can cure them.¡± ¡°Ang, you can¡¯t use Rungii to consume the malignancy on a dead body, reanimate it with a chimera worm, and call that a cure,¡± said Vlux. ¡°I told you it was an accident, Rungii was helping, but she already had it real bad. She went crazy, hit her head and fell. But her remaining eggs should be clear of the disease.¡± ¡°That¡¯s at least one bit of good news. The Pyoxien can continue their soul mating rituals for now,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°Ang, why did you go into that cave? After your encounter with that tree, you should have walked back toward us. You know Kiliyi was worried about you.¡± ¡°I know I just, Dungii could detect that Tial-Meh was in trouble and we had to help.¡± ¡°Meep meep.¡± ¡°And the wyvern riders just let you pass?¡± said Azurumene. ¡°No, we had to trick them to get in.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this later, we should land soon. Kiliyi says we¡¯re close.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get their attention.¡± Azurumene produced a small bit of sparkly sand, and threw it into the air. Eio guided the reanimated Tial-Meh to the ground, Druvyranya followed. After flying over the Prism Peaks the land became an open savannah. Few large trees dotted the terrain, and expansive herds of horned, antlered, and tusked beasts filled the vast plains. They landed next to a tree just slightly taller than the great dragon. ¡°Is he here?¡± Asked Thramuny. Kiliyi crawled to a spot under the tree and dug up her crumpled exoskeleton. ¡°He found the carapace but he couldn¡¯t have gotten too far. We should be able to track him in this open plain,¡± said Vlux. Azurumene changed to his full Saberfang form, and he and Euyene began inspecting the area. After they sniffed around for a few minutes, Azurumene changed his head back and said. ¡°It smells like there was more than one person here, and they seem to have split off in a few directions.¡± ¡°Then we need to work fast,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Eio can you turn Tial-Meh invisible?¡± The great dragon disappeared and reappeared. ¡°Excellent, stay invisible and scan the skies. Drumya can you turn full Vyranya.¡± Gradually, red scales creeped over his dark skin. Vyranya¡¯s head emerged from the nap, and absorbed Drumya¡¯s head. ¡°Well done, Thramuny you¡¯re going to fly with him, a wyvern and its rider shouldn¡¯t attract too much attention. Remember to use that hair piece to communicate with me if either of you spot anything. Azurumene were going to search out there on foot. Dungii, I¡¯ll need you to stay here and keep scanning the area in case they come back. If we don¡¯t find our query within the hour, then we will all meet up at this tree. Euyene, Ang, Kiliyi, stay here with Dungii.¡± ¡°My, she¡¯s good at this. I just have one thing to add,¡± said Azurumene. He changed back to his original form and reached his hand into the air. A large and predominantly blue parrot flew to him, on its back two gray spiders. ¡°These are two of my informants. This spider is real, while this one is an exoskeleton, hopefully you can use it in the same way you use Kiliyi¡¯s.¡± ¡°Wait is that one of my sisters.¡± ¡°Your sisters?¡± questioned Azurumene. ¡°That¡¯s one of Kiliyi¡¯s daughters, her exoskeleton should work the same as hers. She also adopted this preteen.¡± ¡°I see, I know a few of these beauties. Shockingly intelligent spiders. They leave me messages using special symbols. The parrot also knows the symbols and can say what they mean.¡± The spider jumped off the parrot and quickly drew a rune on the tree. ¡°Four men, five men.¡± said the parrot. ¡°We saw four men here.¡± ¡°Which is it, four or five?¡± asked Thramuny. ¡°Their great at gathering information, just not perfect at relaying it.¡± said Azurumene. ¡°They''re good enough, have them fly near us, that way if they spot anything they can communicate directly with me. We¡¯ll have her exoskeleton stay here with you Kiliyi, if anything happens, you can get the message to me right away. Is everyone ready, let¡¯s move.¡± They split up into their assigned groupings and started searching. Vlux and Azurumene in full tiger form ran for a few minutes to get out of earshot. ¡°Hey Vlux about your dwarf friend,¡± started Azurumene, his voice resonating in Vlux¡¯s mind. ¡°You noticed didn¡¯t you? That¡¯s why I wanted to pair up with you. I don¡¯t think Ang lied, but he certainly isn¡¯t telling the whole truth. Something else happened in that cave.¡± ¡°Do you think he may have killed Tial-Meh on purpose?¡± ¡°No way, Ang would never do that. Besides, the only thing he has with enough power to harm a being like Tial-Meh would be his axe, and we saw him use its power to create that wall. An ability like that would take at least a couple of days to recharge.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Yes, that was fabulously impressive. He¡¯s very young and blissfully unaware of what he accomplished back there. Their probably building a shrine to him as we speak.¡± ¡°He¡¯s too good for his own good. I also wanted to know your thoughts on Drumya¡¯s condition. He seems to have transformation skills like you, but as you stated previously, Vyranya has not completely merged with Drumya. I feel that may be a problem later.¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct, they cannot remain like that forever. Either Drumya successfully assimilates Vyranya¡¯s soul into himself, or they will slowly burn away from the inside out.¡± ¡°How did it work for you?¡± ¡°I was born with a gaping hole in my being. They say the only reason I survived is because on my way out I fractured off a piece of my mother¡¯s soul and took it for myself.¡± ¡°How did you do that as a baby? Fracturing a soul requires a huge amount of energy, and it¡¯s difficult to do without outright destroying the soul completely.¡± ¡°In the process of giving birth a mother¡¯s soul becomes very brittle. If the child has a strong will to live, they can end up taking a piece of their mother''s soul on the way out.¡± ¡°What happened to your mom?¡± ¡°She died, and I should have followed. Lucky for me, my father had passed away some time before my birth, leaving his soulmate tiger alone. He willingly gave himself to save me and in the process turned me into a druid.¡± ¡°So your soul is actually part female, and part tiger. That explains so much.¡± ¡°Tell me about it. What about you? Elucidators rarely make it to adulthood. I¡¯ve delivered many babies, and the ones I¡¯ve diagnosed as Elucidators are usually stillborn or die very young.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m probably the oldest Elucidator ever. I was really fortunate. When I was born two sisters with incredible magic, just happened to be passing thru. My parents took me to them and begged them for help. They carefully traced these markings over my Imdrina channels. It stabilized my condition, but my parents were very protective of me; they didn¡¯t let me go out or do anything. My sister taught me how to manipulate perception and gave me books so I could pretend like I was in some far off land. She didn¡¯t anticipate how good I would get at it. I started fooling them into thinking I was home, as I snuck out of the house. Were they ever mad when they found out.¡± ¡°Are your parents still around?¡± ¡°No, my dad died in his bed a few years ago, and my mom shortly after that. Before she went, she told me to make every day I have count, cause you never know when death will come. I told her death has always been by my side, and I don¡¯t fear her. Now I can die happy. Coming here, to the Land Behind the Sea, it¡¯s what I¡¯ve always wanted.¡± ¡°Is it everything you dreamed of?¡± ¡°Everything and more. This place is invorgating, challenging, a constant rush, way more alive than Devdedek¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of Devdedek. It¡¯s been on a decline since a faction of humans invaded a few decades ago.¡± ¡°Yeah, the Koru-Ation, that¡¯s also why I came here. To gather strong allies to help fight the back before it¡¯s too late for Brexcen, or me. ¡°I¡¯m sure you still have many years to come. Once we have a moment, would you mind if I studied your markings? Perhaps I can learn to save those babies.¡± ¡°My markings are a bit crud. I know another Elucidator who has more refined markings. You should study his. You can come back to Brexcen with us and I¡¯ll introduce you.¡± ¡°That sounds lovely. Wait, I think I sense them. They''re hiding somewhere amongst that herd.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll use my own transformation.¡± Vlux jumped off and found a soft patch of soil recently trodden on by large antelope. She drew her rune and said the incantation, changing herself into a red fox. Together they moved through the herd carefully scouting for their prey, when out of the corner of her eye she saw a bipedal form dart behind an antelope. She creeped low to the grass, barely visible. Azurumene observed her behavior and took a position not too far behind. She extended her senses. The signature she detected was different, but similar to the man they encountered before the Triphu stampede came in. Then a dart whizzed past, and she saw two grassy figures take off running. She gave chase with Azurumene right behind. The figures jumped on the mammals who bucked and panicked. The whole herd reacted. Causing complete chaos, with beasts running in all different directions. Vlux avoided their hooves while trying to keep the figures in sight. She abandoned her fox form and jumped on a deer. She saw the grassy figures jumping from creature to creature. ¡°I¡¯ll get him,¡± came Thramuny¡¯s voice over the ACORN. She and Vyranya swooped in. The man blew a dart. Thramuny deflected with a palm blast. She threw boa. The nimble man jumped to another antelope. Boa ensnared the wrong query. She recalled her weapon and continued to pursue as the man slyly evaded them. ¡°Go that way you stupid deer,¡± said Vlux. The herbivore would not listen and continued to run in the wrong direction. Azurumene came up next to her, and she jumped from the deer to the tiger, barely catching his fur. He turned and jumped over several antelope in pursuit. Pointing Splinter at the figure, she fired a direct volley. The thorns pierced him, but were pushed back out. ¡°My weapons don¡¯t work against their soul symbiosis.¡± ¡°I have an idea, call down the parrot.¡± Vlux raised her hand, and the parrot landed on Azurumene and laid a sparkling egg. ¡°What am I supposed to do with this?¡± ¡°Throw it at him.¡± Vlux picked up the egg and threw it at the man. A cloud of glitter swirled around him, his mount bucked and fell over. The man scrambled to his feet and continued fleeing. Suddenly, the imposing figure of Tial-Meh appeared. Wings fully extended, her mighty presence struck fear into the herd. They froze, allowing Azurumene to pounce and pin the man. Slashing him with his midnight dust coated claws and the man fell into a deep slumber. Thramuny and Drumya walked over with the other man slung over Drumya¡¯s shoulder, bound by Boa. ¡°He was very difficult to catch,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Yeah, this one gave us a lot of trouble, too. Looks like this is the same one that tried to ambush us in the jungle. Too bad you had to put him to sleep, how long before he wakes up?¡± ¡°I have morning powder as well, we can wake him up anytime once we properly secure him.¡± He raised his hand to call down the parrot and spider. Who got to work wrapping gold silk around the men. Once properly secured, Vlux prepared to interrogate them when the parrot started saying. ¡°Trouble trouble, we''re in trouble.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s in trouble?¡± asked Vlux. The parrot flew down, and the spider landed on Vlux¡¯s head. ¡°Darn it Ang, why can¡¯t you stay out of trouble.¡± ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± asked Azurumene. ¡°Kiliyi says they got surrounded and are being taken somewhere, then the connection got cut off.¡± ¡°It must be the other men, maybe we shouldn¡¯t have left them back there,¡± said Thramuny.¡± ¡°I thought they would be safe as long as Kiliyi and Euyene were with them. C¡¯mon we have to get to them.¡± ¡°Wait Vlux, if we just rush over there we¡¯ll likely get surrounded ourselves.¡± said Azurumene. ¡°We have Tial-Meh and Eio, let¡¯s load these guys on and fly under Eio¡¯s invisibility field. We can catch them by surprise and use their own men as bargaining chips if we have to.¡± Drumya picked up both men up and everyone climbed aboard Tial-Meh, they flew back to the tree but saw no one there. A thick mist clung around the tree. They landed and cautiously climbed off the dragons back. Scanning their surroundings they found no signs of a struggle, or their friends. Suddenly, large glowing chains descended from the sky, restraining Tial-Meh. Bola restraints wrapped around each of them. They fell to the ground as the mist cleared, revealing their captors. Greatly outnumbered, they had no chance of escape. 21 - The Prodigious One 2.0 Vlux looked up at their captors. Their wore metallic white and gray garbs, and brandished various glowing weapons. The men had long black beards, the women thick silky hair tied back in elaborate buns or braids. They had narrow almond-shaped eyes and light brown skin. Behind each stood, or hovered, a kind of stone construct, each different and diverse. She could tell their captors were dwarfs. A large organic domed structure with blinking lights coming from within descended. One dwarf approached the group and spoke. This being the first time she¡¯d ever heard this language didn¡¯t understand all the words, but her abilities allowed her to understand the gist. Either they get up and go willingly, or they would force them to. Vlux took it upon herself to set the example. As long as she could keep everyone alive, they could find a way out of this. She picked herself up with all the dignity she could muster, glanced back and nodded for her friends to do the same. Stepping forward toward the large floating life form. A long thin tendril descended and wrapped around her. She fought the urge to scream, and didn¡¯t flinch as it pulled her into the creature. Inside she noted the surprisingly large space gently lit by bioluminescence. More dwarfs dutifully greeted her. Guiding her down a narrow hall they took her to a small chamber where they sat her down against the soft fleshy wall. One by one, they brought each of her friends in and propped against the wall. Vlux kept her gaze down, avoiding eye contact. With all their captives brought onboard, the dwarfs sealed the chamber with a clear film, and the vessel began to ascend. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Swallowing hard, Vlux said. ¡°Everyone¡­ I.¡± ¡°No, Vlux,¡± interrupted Drumya to everyone¡¯s surprise. ¡°We don¡¯t need an apology. You couldn¡¯t have foreseen this. We need you to be smart, you can find a way out of this.¡± ¡°Pukuto is finally putting his new dragon balls to use,¡± smirked Azurumene. They burst into laughter, easing the tension. ¡°What are they going to do with Eio and Tial-Meh, she can¡¯t fit in this vessel,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry too much, they don¡¯t seem overly hostile,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°And if this vessel indicates anything, it shows they have a close affinity with other living things. I¡¯m sure Eio is fine.¡± ¡°But Tial-Meh cannot be away from the Pyoxien for too long, what if another attack happens, they will surely be defeated,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°The immediate threat to the Pyoxien is over, and the Oskien are in no condition to attack. Your people should be safe for a time pukuta.¡± ¡°Azurumene is right, these dwarfs don¡¯t seem like they want to harm us,¡± said Vlux. ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about finding our other four members. Once we find them, I¡¯m sure finding Eio and Tial-Meh will be much easier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s interesting that they had the foresight to not put our captives in here with us,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°I¡¯m sure they could tell, those were not our friends. Smarter to keep us separated so we don¡¯t kill each other,¡± said Vlux. Azurumene¡¯s restraints dropped, he stood up and started walking the space. ¡°How did you get free?¡± asked Drumya. Azurumene extended a long thin claw. ¡°Azurumene loosen up all our restraints and sit back down,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡± He loosened all their restraints, and once finished tied his own bola¡¯s around himself and sat down. ¡°Where are your informants?¡± asked Vlux. ¡°I sent them away to find help.¡± ¡°Good, that gives us something to hope for, but we''re not sure who, if anyone will come. Also, what¡¯s your take on those stone creatures they each have following them.¡± ¡°Looks like soul sealing. Not a problem for me, I can easily sever the connecting cord. That will disable the golem.¡± ¡°Just as I thought, thanks Azurumene. Drumya, I need you to be my muscle, just stand behind me, push out your chest, flex your arms, and look mean, you¡¯ll do great.¡± Drumya pushed out his chest, squared his shoulders, flexed his arms, and puffed out his cheeks. Thramuny gigged, as she undid her bonds, and pressed his cheeks to deflate them. He looked quite intimidating. ¡°Vlux chuckled, good job Drumya. Thramuny, you know what to do. Remember, we have to play it safe for now. Only act if I give the signal, which will be this.¡± A small bead of light traced down the markings under her eyes, everyone smiled. ¡°We¡¯ve gotten through worse. I¡¯ll make sure we survive this,¡± said Thramuny. Their ascension slowed to a stop. They sat, quiet, focused, ready to move at Vlux¡¯s signal. They heard footsteps approach on the hard-shelled floor. The soft hum of the constructs, and voices speaking a foreign tongue; another in the familiar. Vlux perked her ears and squinted carefully at the clear film. Several figures appeared, the film distorting their details, but one she surely recognized. They raised the film. As she suspected, she threw her bola restraints at him. Thramuny reacted first, firing two powerful palm blasts. Knocking the two remaining dwarfs and constructs into the far fleshy wall. Azurumene, jumped through the opening, and readied his claws, Vlux right behind him when. ¡°STOP!¡± yelled Ang, tied up on the floor. ¡°Ang! We are trying to rescue you! You¡¯d better have a better excuse than, ¡®Dungii could detect their niceness!¡¯¡± ¡°I mean...¡± ¡°Angdraoni!¡± ¡°Dungii could detect that their Imdrina signatures are like my own, and they told me they''re my relatives,¡± said Ang quickly. Kiliyi descended on a silk thread and landed on Vlux¡¯s head. ¡°Also, Kiliyi knows them.¡± ¡°Alright, if you say so Kiliyi. Come on Muscle, help me get them up.¡± Drumya ducked under the doorway, stood to his full imposing height, flexed his muscles, and puffed out his cheeks. Ang burst out laughing.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with his face!¡± ¡°Yeah, we''re uh¡­ we¡¯re working on that. It¡¯s fine Drumya just help them up,¡± said Vlux patting him on the shin. She walked over to Ang and undid the restraints. As Drumya helped him up the old dwarf spoke. ¡°I suppose we had that coming, good thing the walls aren¡¯t shelled. My apologies for your treatment. We don¡¯t often take visitors here, so the young ones don¡¯t know how to treat guests. I am Zurtegus, this is my grandson Kartegus. My mecha companion is Heniptera, my grandson¡¯s is Nantidae.¡± Zurtegus, an old dwarf, with a long white beard, and long hair tied back in a bun, wore flowy white robes, with looping lines of silver throughout. His mecha Heniptera softly hummed in the air behind him. It took the form of a giant four eyed yellow-brown cicada, it¡¯s body almost double his size. Kartegus had to be about the same age as Angdraoni, he had a short jet black beard and a long braid of hair. He wore a mostly gray sleeveless shirt, that had silver lines looping through it, with matching capris and sandals. His mecha, Nantidae appeared as a sleek dark blue mantis with fuchsia wings. Its body length over twice his height. ¡°We are of the Xisgrett dwarfs, who live on the flying Nenio, Goblesues, in Kebv, a city in the sky. We are distant relatives of the Usgrat. We detected a great disturbance from the Nenio, Kyxichen, and came to investigate. However, upon our arrival, it appears someone already corrected the disturbance. Then we saw young Angdraoni, seemingly abandoned in a tree, with a spider, a tiger, and a...¡± ¡°Dungii,¡± Ang reminded him. ¡°They picked me up, and I told them I was with you guys, so they agreed to pick you up as well.¡± ¡°Were on a flying Nenio, in a city, in the sky,¡± said a bright-eyed Vlux. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you Zurtegus, Kartegus, I¡¯m Azurumene, this is Thramuny, Drumya, and Vlux.¡± ¡°Vluxcerin, the prodigious Elucidator,¡± said Zurtegus. ¡°What! How do you know my name?¡± ¡°Myorni told me about a young pixie she saved, using the knowledge of Imdrina channels I bestowed upon her, and an Ardin pen. She said, the child was tiny, but her soul overflowed with energy. Due to your large reserves of Imdrina energy, Myorni had time to trace your markings. She loved telling stories about how mischievous you were. You may be the longest living Elucidator yet.¡± ¡°Then I owe you my life.¡± ¡°You owe your life to yourself. You fought, and you survived, as all things living must do. Follow me, your other friends are outside.¡± They followed Zurtegus down the living hallway at a slow pace, but Vlux didn¡¯t mind. She could see the blue blood pumping through the walls. They walked past working organs, rooms adorned with both organic and inorganic apparatus, and other dwarfs with their mechas¡¯ and inquisitive gawks¡¯. Finally, they made it to a large horizontal opening and stepped out into Kebv; a living city in constant motion. It pulsed with life, undulated with breath, and moved with flagellum, the crisp air swaddled like a warm hug. The Nenio connected the buildings and structures with bridges of hollowed cartilage and a clear gelatinous wall surrounded the whole city. More living vessels of varying sizes and shapes floated about; some oval, some round, with thick arms, wavy tails, and long tendrils. Swooping in from above, Tial-Meh landed across from them, followed by a ball of cloud floating down after her. ¡°Murp murp!¡± ¡°Your getting better at flying,¡± said Ang. ¡°Murp Murp,¡± he flapped his leaf wings, soaring high into the air and floating back down. ¡°Azurumene, it''s like in the books you gave me,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Yes, but I didn¡¯t think it was true though. If Nenio live up here and float on the sea, some must also live below the water, perhaps even beyond.¡± ¡°You are correct,¡± said Zurtegus. ¡°Obnenio is far larger, and the Nenio more diverse and abundant than any of us truly realize. I have long theorized that the largest and oldest Nenio is that.¡± ¡°The moon,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Yes, I believe that most Nenio, after their long life is spent, return to Obnenio to be born again. But on rare occasions, one grows large enough to launch itself into the great void, or they gradually float away. Perhaps they eventually grow into their own worlds and find a new star to orbit, or perhaps some worlds produce Imdrina without starlight, who knows. But I have rambled on enough, you all must be hungry.¡± While Zurtegus spoke, Vlux, Ang, Kiliyi, and Kartegus, loaded up on Dungii, with the mecha Nantidae on top of the mushroom, while Thramuny and Drumya jumped on Tial-Meh. ¡°We''re going to take a trip around the city first,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Azurumene, are you coming?¡± asked Thramuny. ¡°No, Euyene and I have done enough flying today, were going on a walk with Zurtegus, I need to pick his brain.¡± Azurumene took Zurtegus by the hand, and they strolled off at a leisurely pace, with Euyene examining the terrain ahead of them. Tial-Meh flew through the sky city, attracting many onlookers who admired her majestic form. In the trail of her updrafts, Dungii sailed gracefully through the sky city. Kartegus pointed and said something in his native tongue. ¡°Kartegus was showing me around the city before you got here, but we don¡¯t speak the same language,¡± said Ang. ¡°I can help with that.¡± Vlux took Kartegus¡¯s hand, he turned and glanced down with mild surprise, but quickly understood the context, and smiled. ¡°He says we need to check out the Cyclone Fountain, the Sponge Garden, and the Tails.¡± ¡°Where are we going first?¡± asked Ang. ¡°He says we¡¯re closest to the Sponge Gardens.¡± They veered off from Tial-Meh, and descended into a vast circular space, surrounded by a gray membrane, with holes throughout to allow light and air in. Below and creeping up the sides were colorful tubular animals. Color changing amphibians with feathery gills lived within the sponges, and platform plants with twirling leaves danced through the air. ¡°He says that the sponges keep the air clean and moist. And to be careful of the salamanders, their very poisonous.¡± Kartegus, made his body rigid, feigned gasping for breath, and fell limp to make his point. ¡°He says the Tails are the next closest things.¡± Kartegus guided Dungii up through an opening and back toward the tails of Goblesues. The gargantuan flat tails waved like ribbons in the wind, propelling the creature and the city with all its inhabitants through the sky. Then they swooped down into the spiral of clouds below. There they saw a wide twisting fountain, spewing, swirling clouds. ¡°He says every Nenio has a purpose, this one creates clouds.¡± ¡°So can Goblesues, fly anywhere?¡± asked Ang. ¡°Yes and no, Kyxichen is host to countless small organisms that Goblesues sucks up and consumes. In turn Goblesues brings the rain and cleans the air. It¡¯s beneficial for both of them to stay close,¡± translated Vlux. ¡°This is amazing! I already knew the world was a big place, but this puts things into perspective. We¡¯ve got a lot more exploring to do, right Vlux?¡± ¡°Right¡­ but we need to defeat the Koru-Ation first. Oh, that¡¯s right, our captives!¡± ¡°You mean those men in the room next to all of you,¡± said Ang. ¡°Kartegus, can you guide us back there?¡± He nodded and guided Dungii back to where they started their tour. Azurumene and Zurtegus stood there deep in intellectual conversation. ¡°Did you all have fun?¡± asked Azurumene. ¡°We did, but I completely lost track, we still need to question the guys we caught.¡± ¡°Yes, we have been waiting for you prodigious Elucidator. We¡¯ve been trying to communicate with them over food, but there is a bit of a language gap,¡± said Zurtegus. ¡°Food!¡± said Ang as he, with Kiliyi on his shoulder, and Kartegus, with Nantidae behind him ran past. ¡°Vlux where are you?¡± said Thramuny over the ACORN. ¡°Were back where we arrived.¡± ¡°We will meet you there, Drumya and I are getting hungry.¡± Vlux felt her stomach rumble. ¡°Let''s get some food. Then, get some answers.¡± 22 - Grand Dragon Master 2.0 Vlux stepped into the large dining space where the Xisgrett laid out a lavish feast for them. The two men they had previously caught were sitting at the far end of the oval table, eating a roast bird. She climbed on a stool and sniffed a fragrant half eaten dish. ¡°Ooh what¡¯s this?¡± she said while scooping up a handful. ¡°Flying greens, and pinwheel flowers with sponge flakes. We simmer the greens in bird broth for hours, making them nice and tender, then the¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s this,¡± said Vlux, cutting off Zurtegus. ¡°Those are salamander eggs, you have to gather them soon as they¡¯re laid, before they develop the poison sacs. They go really well with¡­¡± ¡°Oh, this is delicious,¡± loudly proclaimed Vlux. Thramuny and Drumya showed up and Azurumene gestured for them to take a seat next to him. He had long caught on to Vlux¡¯s skeem and watched in amusement. Thramuny soon caught on and quietly chuckled with Azurumene. Drumya joined Ang and everyone else on the other end of the table voraciously dining. Vlux was now only a few dishes away from the two cautiously eating men, keeping a suspicious eye on the pixie. They both had olive skin, young faces with light stubble, dusty hair, and dark sleeveless garbs with beige shawls dropped below their chins. The man they encountered before had brown eyes, but his partner had bright blue eyes. They briefly turned back to their meal, then looked back to see the pixie gone. Vlux appeared between them eating a drumstick as large as she. The men panicked and fell out of their stools as they scrambled for the door. Brown eyes tripped on Boa, while blue eyes encountered a snarling beast at the entrance, who broadly gestured for him to return to his seat. Vlux sat at the end of the table, with a comically broad smile, and patted the stool on either side of her. Boa released the brown-eyed man. He watched as it slithered back to Thramuny, who smiled and pointed for him to follow his partner. They both gingerly sat down with Vlux grinning between them, she placed a tiny hand on their sides and spoke directly into their minds. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Vlux, what should I call you?¡± The men looked at each other, then the brown-eyed man said. ¡°I told you she is a Tree Speaker.¡± ¡°But the Tree Speaker died recently, could another have been born this soon?¡± said the blue-eyed man. ¡°Who knows how the gift truly works. Look at how small she is. Like a baby, but maybe the power grants her wisdom beyond her years.¡± ¡°She cannot be from our tribe, all that tattooing right along her Imdrina channels would disrupt her soul symbiosis.¡± ¡°Again, who are you guys, and what do you mean by Tree Speaker?¡± ¡°Apologies, I am Sujun, he is Gunjin,¡± said the blue-eyed man. ¡°You are what we call a Tree Speaker. A child born with the power to speak to plants, and directly into the minds of others. Our practice of soul symbiosis slightly shortens one¡¯s lifespan, but it serves to increase the potential life span of our Tree Speakers. We should take you back to our village and have those markings removed so you can engage in soul symbiosis, else you will not live long.¡± ¡°These markings are what keep me alive. How long do your Tree Speakers usually live?¡± ¡°The oldest lived to be twenty, the last just passed away a few weeks ago at seventeen,¡± said Gunjin. ¡°Well, I may look like a babe, but I am much older because I have eternal youth, for I am the, Grand Master, Tree Speaker.. Dragon Pukar!¡± The men¡¯s eyes grew wide with enlightenment. ¡°Then this is your palace in the sky?¡± asked Sujun. ¡°Are these people your subjects? Why were you on the ground chasing us? Are we your chosen ones? Is that Great Dragon under your command?¡± asked Gunjin. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, I have been searching for you my chosen ones. I have brought both of you to my palace, and have let you dine at my table, because you both have a special duty to fulfill. Alas, I have been asleep for many eons and have only recently awakened, so I need you to tell me everything you know about the current state of the eastern islands before I can assign you your special task.¡± ¡°How do we know this is not a trick? How can one so small command a Great Dragon?¡± questioned Sujun. ¡°You dare doubt my power. Did you not run into my tiger beast, I also have dragon warriors, an elite fighting force, and the power to bend the sky to my will!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll believe it once you prove it. If you can do all those things, then I will tell you anything you wish to know,¡± said Sujun. ¡°Yes, we cannot just see it, we must experience your power to know it is real,¡± said Gunjin. ¡°Fine, if I take you on a trip around the city on my dragon will you believe me then?¡± ¡°YES, we¡¯ll tell you everything!¡± Blurted Gunjin unable to contain his excitement. ¡°My dragon warriors shall escort us of course, follow me.¡± Vlux jumped off the stool, stuck out her chin, straightened her back, and walked with a stately gait. She gave off an air of pompuse regality, something she has always wanted to imitate. She appeared, revered, focused, as if all were beneath her, but the child in her jumped with delight. Once she neared Thramuny without looking up, she raised her palm, Thramuny took it and Vlux quickly transferred the information that she needs her and Drumya to play along. Thramuny turned a giggle to a grunt and stood at attention.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Yes, Grand¡­ Pukar, I shall inform your other elite dragon warrior.¡± They glanced over at Drumya, stuffing his face with the other boys. ¡°Make sure his face isn¡¯t stuffed,¡± she said, while regretting that Pukar was the first word she could think of. She pivoted on her heel and walked to the entrance where, Azurumene still in monstrous form, bowed extravagantly. Either he caught on to the charade, or he is just being his usual self. Regardless his grand gestures as she walked under him, and his subsequent snarl at the men passed helped to sell the image. She smiled to herself when she heard them scuttle past her tiger beast. She led them down the hall and outside, where the dragon was nowhere in sight. She turned to the men behind her and looked beyond them to Thramuny and an intimidating Drumya, Thramuny winked. Vlux turned back on her heel and waited, after a dramatic beat Tial-Meh flew up from below, flapping her lower wings as she passed giving them a nice blast of warm air. Her presence eclipsed the sun, as her tempest breath filled the sky. Her breathe changed atmospheric pressure, crackled with lightning, and projected intense heat. Many onlookers watched the spectacle from their balconies. She nose-dived at frightening speed. Vlux nearly flinched, but held firm as the dragon stopped just a few meters from the ground. She spread her enormous wings, delivering a hot, powerful downward draft. For such a massive form, she landed like a drifting flower petal. Vlux glanced at the men cowering on the ground, certain they must be wet with fear. As many times as she pictured being in this scenario, she never thought it would actually happen exactly as she imagined. She approached the great dragon as Tial-Meh lowered her head. Vlux placed a hand on her snout, and within a second sent Eio a thousand thank you''s, she took her seat on the dragon¡¯s crown. ¡°Well, are you two coming?¡± She said pompously. Drumya and Thramuny stood behind and herded them forward toward the dragon. Then Drumya picked them up with his thick arms and placed them on the dragon''s back. The men watched in astonishment as he turned into Vyranya, Thramuny boarded ready to play escort. ¡°Grand Pukar, I believe you, I¡¯ll tell you everything we know, I don¡¯t want to go on a flight.¡± said Sujun. ¡°Are you crazy, when will you ever get a chance like this again? I¡¯m ready,¡± said Gunjin. ¡°I am the Grand Master Dragon Elucidator Pukar...Tree Speaker! Now let us tour my sky city of Kebv! Great dragon Tial-Meh fly!¡± Off they went flying through the city, the people, by instinct bowed as Tial-Meh passed. First, they arrived at the Sponge Gardens. ¡°Behold! My gardens that grow food and cleanse the air,¡± declared Vlux. The men frenetically gazed upon the vast gardens attempting to commit all to memory. Tial-Meh swooped down and corkscrewed up through an opening, into the sky, Vyranya and Thramuny coming up behind. She directed Tial-Meh toward the setting sun, where the many tails fluttered and glinted in the orange-pink twilight. They turned around to look upon dazzling Kebv, sparkling like rising bubbles of carbon in a glass. They slowly glided down the side of Goblesues, the child inside Vlux almost jumping through her skin, Thramuny and Vyranya gliding next to her. Vlux knew she had the most ridiculous smile on her face but she did not care. This was a fantasy made real. They drifted through the vortex clouds to the Cyclone Fountain. ¡°It is from here, with my Cyclone Fountain that I craft the sky, and control the rains.¡± ¡°Grand Pukar! Please help us, please bring the rains back to Buwahutee,¡± begged Sujun. ¡°Yes, please help, with your power surely you can wash the poison from the land, and restore the archipelago,¡± added Gunjin. ¡°Poison? Explain.¡± ¡°Grand Pukar, I offer you my hand, that I might most effectively recite the events to a Tree Speaker,¡± said Sujun. Vlux maintaining her air of regality, walked down the length of Tial-Meh¡¯s neck in no particular rush, and keeping her chin held high, lightly touched Sujun¡¯s palm. She saw the archipelago; one island in the center burst into a fountain of toxin, turning the island into a dark eerie blemish. A large caldera filled to the brim with poisonous waste was all that remained. The many tribes of the archipelago were very territorial of their respective islands. They constantly fought and refused to share space. The fighting lasted for so many generations they had forgotten the reason it started and simply killed a person wearing the wrong colors in the wrong territory. One tribe started using the poison from the caldera to ruin the harvest of their neighboring island, but in the process, poisoned the Nenio itself, killing and sinking the island below the sea. They found that the poison can be cleansed with pure water or burned away. However, it was not enough. Land became more scarce, the fighting intensified, and one by one they sunk the islands below the waves. The people of the archipelago had no choice but to move to the big land. Where large wild animals or marauding tribes picked them off. They found that the poison from the caldera could alter the minds of the tribes that practice soul leashing. Using small teams like Sujun and Gunjin¡¯s group, they would apply small amounts of the toxin to their crops, then they whispered lies and rumors to the loudest members of the tribes. Exciting them into a frenzy to cross the Prism Peaks and conquer the land. Their team accomplished their mission, and the pair stayed to observe the Triphu. they sent the other members back to the remaining islands to report. Vlux withdrew her hand. ¡°Now I understand you brought this infection on by poisoning Kyxichen to make room for your people to live.¡± ¡°Yes, we beg your forgiveness. I know we are undeserving but would you help us? Maybe the blue breath of your dragon can cleanse the archipelago,¡± said Gunjin. ¡°Or you can bring the rain to wash the poison from the islands,¡± said Sujun. ¡°I will have to discuss this with my inner circle. Let us return.¡± They floated back up to their starting point, Tial-Meh landed and lowered her head for Vlux to step off, the two men eager to be back on solid footing. ¡°Seize them,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Wait, Grand Pukar, please don¡¯t kill us. We''re sorry we didn¡¯t have a choice,¡± begged Sujun. ¡°You always have a choice,¡± responded Vlux. Drumya and Thramuny bound their wrists with gold silk and led them down the hall, back into their sealed room. The charade over, the child inside Vlux burst forth, she leapt into the air with glee. ¡°THAT WAS AWESOME! it was just as I always pictured it. Eio you were amazing! I loved how you went, Woosh! And Graaa! Tempest breath! And then down like whoosh and everything was awesome!¡± Zurtegus and Azurumene came out nearly doubling over with laughter. ¡°Brilliant! What a fantastic show,¡± Zurtegus said while holding his knee. ¡°Being a Grand Pukar suits you, what did you learn?¡± asked Azurumene. ¡°Everything,¡± said Vlux, with the biggest, brightest, most genuine smile. She caught her reflection in a puddle and quickly wiped the grin from her face. She reclaimed her persona and strode past Zurtegus and Azurumene. ¡°Gather everyone, we have a lot to discuss.¡± 23 - Malignancy 2.0 ¡°It sounds like something we call a Vaspdor,¡± explained Zurtegus. ¡°They''re rare. It¡¯s what happens when a malignancy is born within the Nenio and takes over its body. Usually, the Nenio is able to fight it off or dies before the malignancy fully takes hold. Unless some outside force has compromised the Nenio¡¯s constitution.¡± ¡°We just need to cleanse the islands with a deluge of pure water, what if we lead Goblesues to the eastern islands,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, pukuta. Zurtegus, do you think it would be possible to lead the Nenio off its usual path?¡± ¡°Goblesues¡¯s migratory course has remained unchanged for thousands of years. We would have to change the season, alter air currents, gather its food source.¡± ¡°If we can also burn the toxin away, then Tial-Meh¡¯s tempest breath should be the perfect thing to purify the Vaspdor,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°What about the tribes still there? If they¡¯re using this poison as a weapon, then I don¡¯t think they would just let us burn it away,¡± said Vlux. ¡°If the malignancy is as bad as you¡¯ve described then for the sake of our world, we may have no choice but to burn it all away,¡± said Zurtegus grimly. ¡°We¡¯ll need to investigate the site of the Vaspdor, to properly diagnose the situation.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll ride Tial-Meh there, everyone else can fly with Dungii,¡± said Vlux. ¡°We don¡¯t want to exhaust Tial-Meh and Dungii,¡± said Drumya. ¡°True, Zurtegus what do you call those living vessels we came here in? Do you have one big enough to accommodate Tial-Meh?¡± asked Vlux. ¡°They are Nebzulu, Kartegus tends to a splendid garden of them.¡± ¡°Is that right Kartegus? Do you have one fit for a Grand Pukar?¡± Vlux said with a head tilt and a wide smile. Kartegus chuckled, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve grown the biggest most beautiful Nebzulu yet, I can have it ready in a few minutes, Grand Pukar. Does Ang want to come with me?¡± Vlux was getting used to being called Grand Pukar. ¡°Yes please do that. Ang go with your cousin, he wants to show you where he grows the Nebzulu.¡± ¡°You mean those big floating things, those are cool.¡± Ang and Kartegus jumped from their stools and raced out of the room, Kiliyi on Ang¡¯s shoulder and the mecha Nantidae right behind. ¡°Good, now that the children are gone we need to have a serious discussion,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Do these people really deserve to be saved? They just keep fighting, and they¡¯re spreading this malignance around.¡± ¡°Everyone deserves a chance for salvation, maybe we can teach them how to live peacefully,¡± said Drumya. ¡°Pukuto our tribes can barely get along with one another. Getting people to look past their prejudice and cohabitate is difficult. We tend to forget what we all have in common.¡± ¡°Then we need to remind them, make a statement, spread a message, we can lead by example,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Zurtegus, how do the Xisgrett maintain peace, here in the sky?¡± asked Vlux. ¡°We are united under a shared principle that Obnenio has granted us a home, and we must do everything in our power to protect our home. You see, the key to uniting people, is to help them understand what they all have in common, and it is an undeniable truth that we all share the same world.¡±. ¡°We can write it in the sky. One world, One Bubuhootee, I¡¯ll use my best effects,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°Its Buwahutee,¡± corrected Vlux. ¡°And that¡¯s very optimistic, but we can¡¯t just write peace, love and happiness, in a sparkling rainbow in the sky.¡± ¡°Vlux, you know me, we had a moment, you threw a glitter bomb I had a parrot lay.¡± ¡°Yeah, how did you¡­ never mind. I¡¯m not doubting you can do it. I¡¯m just saying it¡¯s going to take more than that.¡± ¡°What about Dungii and Tial-Meh? Seeing them side by side was very impressive. We fooled those two men into believing that you are a Grand Pukar. Maybe we can get all the islanders to believe it,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°The islands don¡¯t get much rain. We¡¯ll create a huge storm and fly Tial-Meh and Dungii through the sky, and they¡¯ll leave a trail of glitter that spells One Archipelago, One Booteehootee.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Buwahutee, And how are we going to create this rainstorm, it sounds like getting Goblesues over there isn¡¯t a viable option.¡± ¡°I know a few spells to create storm clouds,¡± said Zurtegus. ¡°Ang has a whale song. We can use that to boost the effects,¡± said Vlux. ¡°And those boys Sujun and Gunjin can be your prophets. They¡¯ll spread the word that the Grand Pukar brought the rains,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°I like where this is going, but Zurtegus is right, we need to see how bad this Vaspdor is before we make any final plans,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the Nebzulu garden then.¡± They followed Zurtegus down the passage and into a small Nebzulu. It had a single large chamber, with a clear, domed, gelatinous roof. It distorted the light coming through, but Vlux could make out many more Nebzulu and luminescent objects floating throughout the city. They were only moving for a few seconds when they slowed and docked. Zurtegus led them off the small vessel into an immense round space. Bridges of thick beige tissue snaked through it. Attached to the tissue were countless capsules. The more mature capsules grew a stem, newly hatched Nebzulu had a flexible cord. Floating above all of them toward the back of the space, by the opening floated a vessel of daunting scale. It was round, with a flat top and bottom, and bulging sides divided into vertical sections. In between each section a long elegant, feathery, tendril flowed through the air. Every other tendril would flow up while the rest flowed down, as if it constantly danced. Long antenna, with orbs at the ends circled the top like a crown, and at its center Tial-Meh rested, the grand space befitting her sovereign form. Ang, Dungii, and Kartegus moved to the edge of the platform to greet them. ¡°Hey everyone! We¡¯re just about ready to take off. This thing is huge; everyone can have their own room. Kartegus and I think we¡¯ve come up with a good name for it, we call it Couraderi.¡± ¡°I approve, you were right Kartegus its gorgeous,¡± said Vlux. ¡°I¡¯m glad you approve, Grand Pukar,¡± The way Kartegus said ¡®Grand Pukar¡¯ prompted Ang to laugh. Vlux admired Ang¡¯s ability to make friends. No matter how they look, sound, or what language they speak, he doesn¡¯t see differences, only attributes that make up an individual. ¡°Murp murp,¡± Dungii smoothly sailed over, ready to whisk the group up to Couraderi. Drumya sprouted wings and Thramuny clung to his back, while everyone else climbed under the mushroom. With a note Dungii created lift, and they flew off to the vessel.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oh, this is nice,¡± remarked Azurumene. Euyene curiously sniffed the space, Vlux noticed Zurtegus had an equally curious look. ¡°You smell something funny, Zurtegus?¡± ¡°Oh no, just this Dungii and Rungii are very unique creatures.¡± ¡°Murp murp.¡± ¡°He takes that as a compliment,¡± said Vlux. ¡°As he should. Few can claim to be truly one of a kind.¡± They landed between the large antennae, Drumya and Thramuny landing just a few meters ahead. Tial-Meh greeted them and shifted her weight to reveal a round indentation with a bud that opened into a bouquet of red arms. The arms spread and lay flat, creating a leathery royal surface. Two thin flaps came up and interlocked, forming an opulent entrance. As Vlux stepped onto the soft surface, she couldn¡¯t help but feel like a deity. She panicked as the entrance unexpectedly swallowed her and she slid down a tongue into the large bioluminescent space. She exited the central structure and stepped into the area. Chair shaped organs clustered around the central structure; with a complex pattern to their arrangement but Vlux couldn¡¯t quite make it out. A short ridge surrounded these organs and beyond that, many more organs of various shapes and sizes studded the terrain and ceiling. Numerous entranceways covered in more duel flaps lined the outer walls. ¡°Wooo!¡± came Thramuny¡¯s voice as she spiralled down the tongue and through the opening. ¡°That was delicious.¡± ¡°The word you¡¯re looking for is ¡®fun ''. But I think Couraderi agrees with you. I¡¯m feeling positive vibes.¡± Drumya came flailing down the tongue, crashing into Thramuny, Vlux narrowly dodged. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was not expecting that.¡± said Drumya laying on top of Thramuny, who starts laughing under him. Azurumene steps through the entrance and approaches. ¡°Oh my, you two should go ahead and pick out a room.¡± ¡°No no, it wasn¡¯t like that, I just..¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright Drumya, he¡¯s just teasing.¡± Said Thramuny between giggles, as she gently pushed him off. ¡°Pukuta I¡¯m not the one teasing.¡± The remaining members slid down the tongue. ¡°Kartegus this is the finest Nebzulu I have ever seen.¡± said Zurtegus while paternally patting Kartegus on the back. ¡°How long will it take to reach the islands?¡± asked Vlux. ¡°Several hours from our current location in the sky. The fastest vessel could probably make it in half a day, but I have a good feeling about this one,¡± said Zurtegus. ¡°Several hours! You sure we shouldn¡¯t just fly Tial-Meh there?¡± ¡°The islands are several thousand kilometers out, and what if we need to relocate some plants and animals,¡± said Kartegus. ¡°What about Sujun and Gunjin we need to get them,¡± said Vlux. ¡°We already brought them aboard, their in that room. Is that everything, everyone ready to leave?¡± asked Ang. ¡°I¡¯m going to pick out a room,¡± said Azurumene as he sauntered off. ¡°Yes, I think we¡¯re all set,¡± responded Vlux. Ang and Kartegus glanced at each other, nodded and ran into an organ that connected to the ceiling, with several smaller organs. ¡°I think I¡¯ll go back up to watch Couraderi fly,¡± said Zurtegus. ¡°I¡¯m coming with you,¡± said Vlux. They walked onto the tongue, which carried them up and spat them back outside. Zurtegus despite his age, skillfully landed on his feet, Vlux landed on her bum. The dragon rested along the edge, while Dungii enjoyed flying all around the garden and jumping from cloud to cloud. ¡°That¡¯s going to take some getting used to,¡± said Vlux standing up while rubbing her bum. Zurtegus laughed. ¡°Yes, it does take some adjusting to.¡± His mecha flew over to help Vlux up. ¡°I¡¯m good, Heniptera thanks.¡± She walked to the edge with Zurtegus. They watched as the cord disconnected and flayed into multiple tendrils. They sailed out of the garden. The vessel floated down past the city and through the giant opening at the base of Goblesues encompassing gelatinous wall into the open sky. Couraderi gently turned, as its delicate feathered arms waved through the air, giving Vlux and Zurtegus a splendid view. It surprised Vlux how fast the vessel moved away from Goblesues, and how little wind resistance she felt. The ride was incredibly smooth. ¡°Zurtegus, how are we going to find Kebv again?¡± ¡°Not to worry, all Nebzulu have a natural connection to the garden that spawned them. You see, Nebzulu go through constant metamorphosis. This form we use for transportation is the blimp stage. When their cycle is drawing to an end or they suffer extensive damage, they instinctively return to their garden of origin and return to the polyp stage. From there they grow out into the anemone stage, then from there..¡± ¡°Thanks Zurtegus, but I just wanted to know that we can find Kebv again.¡± ¡°Very well, now that we are alone, there is something I need to ask.¡± ¡°About Tial-Meh right?¡± ¡°Yes, I was shocked when the young ones brought her up and nearly killed over when she broke her restraints. I immediately got on my knees and pleaded to her that we meant no harm. Then the strangest thing happened. She paused and listened to me, or it could have been that she saw Dungii and Ang coming up behind me. Either way, that behavior is extremely unusual for a dragon, especially a great dragon. However, she has continued to exhibit uncharacteristic traits. She is docile, tame, responsive, and has yet to burn down all of Kebv. This leads me to two conclusions. Either you have somehow done what no one has done before and conquered the unconquerable dragon soul, or the far more likely answer, there is no dragon soul in that body.¡± Vlux huffed and plopped herself on the edge of the vessel. ¡°You figured it out, Tial-Meh¡¯s soul has departed. A chimera worm named Eio is currently occupying that body. Angdraoni, and Dungii were there and saw it happen. He said the malignancy that¡¯s spread around affected her real bad. Rungii is able to consume it with no ill effects, but they were too late, she went berserk and died.¡± ¡°She is a Zan-Weia then, or at least she was. Her unexpected death must have been the disturbance we felt. If she died without producing an heiress, that would upset the Nenio and the nature within the domain she protects. The only way to right that imbalance is to have the Nenio choose a suitable replacement. It can take many days or even years for a Nenio to choose a replacement on its own. We attempt to aid them in this process and seek out organisms we think have the potential aptitude to be Zan-Weia. But whether the Nenio will choose any of our candidates, or exactly what the criteria are for choosing a new Zan-Weia is a mystery. The fastest I have ever gotten a Nenio to choose a new Zan-Weia is two hours. Angdraoni was able to find a replacement within a few minutes. I can¡¯t believe he did that without someone who is highly skilled at Sceltdor.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t believe it either. But Dungii¡¯s vocabulary is limited, Eio has trouble sending messages in his current state, and Ang isn¡¯t telling the whole story.¡± ¡°I have often pondered about the abilities of Elucidators. Elucidators are children born with a defect that grants them, what I call, the power of Babel. I often wondered if an Elucidator made it to adulthood, could they learn to use their powers in reverse?¡± ¡°What are you getting at?¡± ¡°I have a proposition for you.¡± Before Zurtegus could elaborate Dungii zoomed over. ¡°Murp, murp murp murp.¡± ¡°What is he saying?¡± Asked Zurtegus. ¡°I don¡¯t know for certain, ¡®Babel¡¯ doesn¡¯t work on him. But if you¡¯re around him enough, it¡¯s easy to guess what he¡¯s saying. In this case I think he¡¯s saying he found something.¡± ¡°Murp murp.¡± ¡°He saw the Vaspdor, were close, hmm¡­ curious,¡± said Zurtegus, his face scrunched in a look of inquisitive surprise. ¡°See what I mean.¡± Abruptly one by one the rest of the group spat out of the entrance. Kartegus and Nantidae came first and stuck the landing, Ang with Kiliyi on his shoulder came second, landing with only a slight stumble. Next came Drumya, flying out with no control, and nearly crashing into Kartegus were it not for Nantidae using the blunt side of its claws to stop his roll. Thramuny shot into the sky and danced to the platform, Azurumene in tiger form landed squarely on all fours and changed back. ¡°Couraderi says we''re close,¡± said Kartegus while walking past Drumya as he stumbled to his feet. ¡°Yeah, Dungii just told me. Alright everyone I¡¯ll scout ahead with Tial-Meh, Zurtegus and Azurumene, you two are coming with me.¡± ¡°Murp murp.¡± ¡°Kartegus, and I will ride with Dungii,¡± said Ang. ¡°Someone needs to stay here and protect Couraderi,¡± said Vlux. ¡°We¡¯ll stay here, our captives are still down there with Euyene,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Good, Ang your whale song, we may need to use it to create a storm.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± ¡°Alright let¡¯s head out.¡± Vlux, Azurumene, and Zurtegus flew off on Tial-Meh with Heniptera flying beside them. Ang, Kartegus, and Kiliyi sat under the mushroom, while Nantidae perched on top. They flew into a dark green miasma thick, warm, and suffocating like smoke, it reeked of acidic disease. Once they breached the miasma, they beheld the terrible sight of the blighted land. A Vaspdor far worse than any ever imagined. 24 - One World, One Sky, One People 2.0 Thramuny and Drumya sat on the edge of Couraderi, floating just outside the miasma. They could barely make out the distant islands with the polluted air forming a haze across the horizon. ¡°It¡¯s kind of nice,¡± said Drumya. Thramuny turned and looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Well, the air isn¡¯t nice but being up here is nice, and this vessel is nice, and the view is nice and...¡± ¡°Sitting here with you is nice,¡± interjected Thramuny with a smile. She turned her gaze back to the ocean. Drumya didn¡¯t know how to react, so he didn¡¯t. He sat there with blood rushing to his face and stared at Thramuny¡¯s profile. Her ever immaculate braids blowing in the wind, some moving with it. He surmised those must be the braids dedicated to wind element. He felt Vyranya groan within his being, and a small white hot spark flicked up into his sternum. He grabbed his chest and lurched forward in pain. ¡°Are you alright Drumya?¡± asked Thramuny. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine, happens from time to time.¡± Thramuny placed a hand on his forehead. ¡°You¡¯re very hot, but you look fine.¡± Drumya smirked. ¡°I¡¯m glad you think so.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think, I know, I can feel your heat. Has Azurumene said anything?¡± Drumya looked into the cloud of miasma as they slowly rotated. ¡°He said that Vyranya and I can¡¯t exist like this for long. I must fully assimilate his soul into mine.¡± ¡°Yet he¡¯s a dragon, and all attempts to make a dragon druid have ended in immolation.¡± ¡°Yes, and to be honest that¡¯s not what scares us the most.¡± ¡°What does?¡± ¡°Leaving our loved ones alone.¡± ¡°Who are you afraid of leaving alone?¡± ¡°No one, the person I care about has plenty of friends. I¡¯m afraid of being alone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not alone, Vlux thinks you¡¯re awesome, Azurumene likes you, and Angdraoni and Kartegus think you¡¯re funny.¡± ¡°Vlux likes Vyranya, Azurumene likes¡­ me, and the children are just laughing at me, but I¡¯m used to that by now. I suppose it¡¯s a good thing I can¡¯t understand what they¡¯re saying.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t say anything bad, they laugh at me too, and I laugh at them. Were friends it¡¯s what we do.¡± ¡°But they¡¯re not my friends. I don¡¯t know how to communicate with them.¡± ¡°Vlux can translate for you, maybe she can teach you. You don¡¯t want me to teach you. I¡¯m bad with words.¡± Drumya chuckled, Thramuny playfully pushed him away, they both started laughing. ¡°See now you¡¯re laughing at me.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m laughing with you.¡± Abruptly Drumya felt his arms severe, he lost feeling in his back, and from the nap of his neck sprouted Vyranya. This was the only aspect of their new circumstances he didn¡¯t like. The feeling of control being wrenched from his body. Thramuny stood up and took a battle stance. Drumya followed her gaze and saw people dressed similar to Sujun and Gunjin riding reddish brown bats with two camel humps. They flew from the direction of the other islands. To their mutual surprise, the glowing orbs at the tip of each of Couraderi¡¯s thirty antennae detached and started orbiting the vessel. One assailant came too close. An orb deviated and bashed him off his mount. The assailant plummeted into the ocean, his mount dove after. The other attackers maintained their distance circling the vessel just out of range of the orbs. ¡°Drumya we have to fly and help Couraderi.¡± ¡°Yes, hold on to me and don¡¯t fall.¡± ¡°I am the breeze. I will not fall.¡± ¡°Then let me be the wings that hold you aloft.¡± They flew past the orbs which moved to make way for them. The nearest attackers shot darts coated in a dark aura, Thramuny deflected with a palm blast as Vyranya breathed fire making them scatter. One came in range of Couraderi, who pummeled him and his mount with orbs. Thramuny threw Boa which coiled around a man, as he struggled to get the staff off he slipped off his mount. Boa flew back. Upon retrieval, Thramuny looked up to see a black dart coming toward her. She narrowly dodged, but the dart became lodged in a braid. Her black hair gradually turning a pale white, she twisted and yanked it out. A bold assailant attacked directly, coming up from below and colliding with Druvyranya, knocking Thramuny off. Druvyranya struggled against the attacker, punching, kicking and biting as they fell. Thramuny danced on the air currents and wiped her hair at a nearby attacker knocking him off, and propelling herself, narrowly clinging to the camelbat. She situated herself between the humps and directed the creature down, after Druvyranya. Vyranya blew fire onto the rider, and slashed the camelbat. Drumya kicked it in the gut, and pushed them away. Falling fast with only a few meters between himself and the water, he noticed a massive shadow moving beneath the surface. Drumya knew this was it. His entire life flashed before his eyes. He saw the kids who made fun of him. He saw Thramuny, the young prodigal warrior stand up for him. He met Vyranya the runt, whom together they trained to be strong warriors. He saw a shimmering scale being carried by the breeze and instinctively reached out for it, only to find it was him. ¡°I¡¯ve got you Drumya.¡± He pulled himself onto the camelbat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡­ " ¡°Stop apologizing, the Dragon needs the Breeze to fly, now fight!¡± With renewed vigor, the Dragon took flight next to the Breeze. As they ascended, they saw Couraderi defend itself against the black darts. Using at least three orbs it created several malleable shields that would block, enclose, turn, and fling the projectiles back with added velocity. The vessel took out two men before, Druvyranya and Thramuny caught up. Vyranya breathed a torrent of fire, but the camelbats were too swift to get scorched. Drumya felt the fire in his soul, and through sheer force of will extinguished it, and took control of his arms. Focusing power into his palm, the time had come for him to use his training. His palm blast, while more narrow than Thramuny¡¯s, traveled a longer distance. This technique, viewed as weak by the Pyoxien, proved exceedingly advantageous for air-to-air combat. With Vyranya handling flying and assisting with aim, while also breathing fire. They became deadly effective, knocking riders out of the sky. With only a few attackers left, victory was in sight. Thramuny on her camelbat flew up next to them and pointed to a large group of reinforcements. Seeing no other option, she activated Boa¡¯s Anaconda form. The giant snake slithered through the sky, flying faster than the camelbats. It tail swiped a large chunk of the reinforcements out of the sky. Capturing an assailant in its mouth it returned to Thramuny, having successfully deterred the remaining attackers. They returned to Couraderi, where she had the Anaconda regurgitate their new captives a rider and camelbat. The rider turned out to be a young woman, with olive skin and short dusty brown hair. She yelled obscenities in her native language, as Thramuny and Drumya threw her down the tongue, where Euyene waited for her. Drumya came behind and restrained her as Thramuny retrieved some silk rope to bind her wrists and ankles. They threw her into a room next to where Sujun and Gunjin were being held.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait for Vlux to come back to interrogate her,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°Let¡¯s go back up, we have to be ready in case more come. I hope everyone else is doing alright.¡± # Universally disgusted by the sight of the Vaspdor, the team aimed to cleanse it. A land horribly crooked. Tall, thin syringe peaks thrust into the sky impaling the clouds, deep black cavities carved through the land, and dark malignance oozed from welts, while the awful miasma rose into the sky. The aroma of sulfuric disease struck their senses as they drew near. ¡°What have they done? I¡¯ve never seen one this bad. They must have continued to poke and prod at this wound until it grew to this seething abomination,¡± said Zurtegus. Zurtegus¡¯s words confirmed what everyone thought. They had to purge this now. Eio guided Tial-Meh down so she could blast her purifying breath on the corrupt land. When she burned away the malignancy, It created marbled sand. They flew half the length of the island, when Vlux looked behind and noticed the corruption gradually overtaking the purified land. She heard Ang play his whale song as Zurtegus drew his runes with tracer light. A large storm brewed around them and through the combined effects of the runes and song grew to cyclonic proportions. ¡°Looks like the natives are here,¡± said Azurumene, pointing to a group of camelbats flying toward them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since I had a good brawl. Ang keep playing your whalesong! Kartegus are you ready to show them how to sky fight!¡± ¡°Yes Gupa!¡± Zurtegus jumped onto Heniptera, Kartegus boarded Nantidae. Together they flew toward the opposition. They took out spheres that upon saying an activation incantation transformed into weapons. Zurtegus brandished a crescent blade that resided between rails above and below it, with a long coil attached in the back above the handle and trigger. Kartegus brandished a circular blade with a single rail below it, and a long coil in the back above the handle and trigger. The natives fired their corrupt darts. Heniptera and Nantidae, far too swift, easily dodged the attacks and maneuvered behind. Zurtegus and Kartegus combined the coils of their firearms forming a net they spread across the sky. It engulf the natives and their mounts. They closed the net, did a barrel roll, and dropped them into the murky brine. More natives came through the miasma. Zurtegus and Kartegus shot spheres of electricity from their weapons with practiced aim. They knocked riders out of the sky while the mecha easily out maneuvered the camelbats. ¡°They¡¯re spectacular,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°Yeah, looks like they got things covered, we need to figure out how to purge this thing, Ang blow harder and have Rungii eat this stuff,¡± said Vlux. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯ve been doing but I¡¯m not getting anymore power from the song. I think this is the best we can do.¡± Kiliyi jumped from his shoulder, onto the conch shell and bit down. Her sharp fangs and venom cracking the shell wide. From it a small blue ethereal whale rose out. It flew further and further up into the clouds becoming larger and larger, igniting the sky with color and song. It swam over the Vaspdor cleansing the land it passed over, leaving dark toxic clay that Tial-Meh burned away. They spiraled around the land leaving a burning blue trail, as Rungii consumed the sharp peaks. Though the natives fell from great heights, the krakens are friends to their people and with their many tentacles caught the falling, while the giant sea turtles provided a surface for them to recover and witness. They watched as the whale purified the land, the great dragon recreated it, and the floral beast propagated the soil. Lichen, moss, ferns, and other plant life soon dotted the new terrain. The whale swirled the sky, the clouds, the miasma into a ball of wind that it purified. Its purpose fulfilled, its body dispersed into white clouds. Azurumene reached into his bag and threw a cylinder into the sky it burst into a spectrum of light and ideograms Vlux didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Azurumene what does that say?¡± asked Vlux skeptically. ¡°Well, according to Sujun and Gunjin it says. ¡®The rains of peace have come. Let us rejoice. One world, one sky, one archipelago, Buwahutee¡¯ and I¡¯m sure they spelled it right. It goes along with a legend they have.¡± ¡°How did you convince them to help you with this?¡± ¡°It really didn¡¯t take much. They already believed in you. I¡¯m just better at speaking than writing.¡± Dungii flew up next to them. ¡°That was amazing, Kiliyi broke the whale song, but we didn¡¯t really need it anymore. Not like it can get us into Brexcen since Brek changed the incantation,¡± said Ang. ¡°Morp morp.¡± Zurtegus and Kartegus approached. ¡°We used non-lethal fighting methods. The natives are all floating in the water and saw everything.¡± ¡°The Vaspdor is gone and now they have new land to settle on,¡± said Kartegus. ¡°Look there¡¯s Couraderi, and I think that¡¯s Drumya and Thramuny waving,¡± said Ang. Together they flew back to the vessel. ¡°Thank you, friends for purging it right away. I hope this restores peace to the islands and Kyxichen,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°We all knew right when we saw it, we couldn¡¯t let it go on like that for a second longer,¡± said Vlux. ¡°How were things here, did you have any trouble?¡± ¡°A few natives attacked us, but Couraderi has a defense system, and Drumya is the deftest at air combat,¡± gloated Thramuny. ¡°Is that so, I¡¯d love to ask about your technique sometime,¡± said Zurtegus. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not just me there¡¯s a¡­ uh,¡± started Drumya. ¡°I put a dragon in him. What? Don¡¯t give me that look. It¡¯s a long story. I¡¯ll tell you all about it later,¡± finished Azurumene. ¡°Wait, Couraderi has a defense system?¡± asked Vlux. ¡°Yeah, I forgot to mention it,¡± said Kartegus. ¡°Those balls are attached to the stalks by with an ethereal cord. Similar to how our mecha are attached to us. They can orbit around the vessel at a limited range and do all sorts of stuff. They can work together to shield the whole vessel, make small shields that can catch and throw back projectiles. If something flies too close, they can collide with it; they''re very hard. It can also use the tentacles below, like if..¡± ¡°Alright Kartegus, goodness you¡¯re just like your Gupa,¡± said Vlux. ¡°I took a native in so you can question her,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, whoever they are would have any useful information,¡± said Vlux pointing to the camelbats next to Thramuny. ¡°Not them, I put her in a room below next to the other two, but I made sure they all still had a view of your message,¡± she said winking to Azurumene. ¡°Perfect, I¡¯ll go have a chat with them and then we¡¯ll have these uh...¡± ¡°They¡¯re camelbats, native to these desert islands. Strong fliers adept at traversing between the islands, but not the most agile,¡± said Zurtegus. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll have these camelbats take them home.¡± They went into the vessel, took the captives from their rooms, removed the restraints, and sat them down. After Vlux had a brief exchange with each of them. The young women, who happened to be from the same island, agreed to fly them back home. Vlux saw them off from the edge of the vessel, while Druvyranya patrolled the skies. ¡°What did you say to them?¡± Asked Drumya slightly stumbling his landing next to Vlux. ¡°Nothing really, I just showed them a story. How they interpret and share it is up to them. I just hope they¡¯ll inspire a better future. What¡¯s going on? You look like you wanna ask me something.¡± ¡°I was wondering, could you teach me how to speak a language.¡± ¡°Your timing is perfect,¡± said Zurtegus emerging from the dark. ¡°Says the old man who appeared out of nowhere,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t mean to startle you. Vlux do you recall the conversation we were having earlier.¡± ¡°Yeah, you were about to propose something, and I think I know what.¡± She took Drumya¡¯s hand. ¡°Now close your eyes, open your mind, and focus on me. Let¡¯s see if this works.¡± Drumya did just that, he could feel the channels opening, see the rush of words, feel his mind expanding. After a minute of this exchange, he slumped over and collapsed. 25 - Soulmates 2.0 ¡°Drumya hey you awake,¡± said Ang, poking at him. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m awake. My head hurts, what happened?¡± ¡°My Gupa thinks your mind got stretched too much too quickly, so you passed out. Ang and I just got a little dizzy,¡± said Kartegus appearing in his peripheral. ¡°Wait, we can all understand each other,¡± said Drumya blinking hard and swiveling his eyes between the boys. ¡°Yeah, Thramuny tried it after you since Gupa and Azurumene already speak a bunch of languages. She didn¡¯t experience any side effects, so me and Ang went next.¡± Drumya sat up. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°Were back in Kebv, in the Nebzulu garden. We''re just here for some supplies and then we''re going to check on Kyxichen to make sure all the malignance is gone,¡± said Kartegus. ¡°Guess what, Kartegus and Zurtegus are coming with us to Brexcen, and were taking Couraderi, you should come too,¡± said Ang. ¡°Morp Morp.¡± Dungii came flying in with everyone else. ¡°Drumya you¡¯re awake, we¡¯re about to return home,¡± said Thramuny jumping off Dungii. Tial-Meh lay just on the other edge. ¡°Pukuto come help me with this bag.¡± Drumya approached, and he threw a large bag down to him. ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± ¡°Just some memorabilia from visiting a land in the sky. If you could follow me to my room. It¡¯s time for a checkup.¡± He went into the vessel with Drumya close behind him. While the others prepared for departure and supper. ¡°How have you been, are you still having fire flashes?¡± Asked Azurumene once they were alone in his room. ¡°Yes, I still get them.¡± ¡°How frequently are they getting worse?¡± ¡°They happen every few hours, but I think they are becoming more frequent and painful. I managed to suppress one while we were defending Couraderi. I even took back control of my arms from Vyranya.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good start. How is Vyranya?¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine he¡¯s trying to assimilate, but he also wants to protect me.¡± ¡°You and your dragon have a deep connection and actually care for one another. That¡¯s probably the only reason you¡¯ve lasted this long, and why you have a chance of succeeding.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you, what was your tribe trying to do by tearing apart people¡¯s souls?¡± ¡°They were trying to make more druids like myself, and hopefully you. Chief Onagumene took care of me and my mother¡¯s tiger Euyene after she passed away giving birth to me, but I suspect the real reason was because of my rare abilities. He was a brilliant man and teacher, but also a bit envious of me. He wanted to find a way to replicate my abilities and bestow them upon everyone. He figured it would make us better, stronger, safer. See, a damaged soul like mine is unfit for soulmating, but I don¡¯t need a familiar to survive. I believe his intentions started out honorable, but then he started experimenting, on kin, on himself, on me. He tore his own soul and mind apart trying to become the Alpha beast to rival even the dragons.¡± ¡°Why do we have this nest beast system? Why can¡¯t we just choose whatever method we want to use to survive?¡± ¡°You know pukuto that would make sense, but our people are rooted in rivalry and tradition, and stuck in their ways. Things used to be more liberal a long time ago. Our ancestors experimented with many different methods of survival and found that surviving is much easier when you have a familiar. Then someone got it in their head that their method, or beast was superior to all the rest and they started fighting over it. Travumuny the founder of the Pyoxien was the first to make a pact with the coveted dragons; to this day no one knows exactly how he did it. His brother Uagamene the founder of the Oskien, made a pact with Saberfang tigers, and working together they were unstoppable, on land and in the sky. They conquered most of Kyxichen and forced the lesser tribes to work under their ¡®protection.¡¯ There was peace for a time until the oppressed grew tired of working the fields and not getting a fair share of the harvest. They started tearing out their own souls and began the practice of soul leashing. Which has a lot of drawbacks, but as you witnessed can create strong and versatile familiars that can be as big as temples, or as small as spiders.¡± ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s time we changed that, let everyone decide how they want to survive and live. You know I just thought of this, how is Eio able to tame Tial-Meh? I thought he was just clinging to her somewhere and staying invisible while casting some illusion to calm her, but he has been maintaining that for a long time now.¡± ¡°Well, you know, if he stopped casting, she might kill us all.¡± ¡°But he must be near his limit, shouldn¡¯t we be in more of a hurry to get back?¡± ¡°Chimera worms don¡¯t tire easily. You¡¯re right pukuto we should try to convince our tribes to give up the whole nest beast system. Trouble is, how are we going to do that? I¡¯ve been juggling a few ideas in my head, but what do you think?¡± ¡°What if we exploit the faults of relying on one type of creature as familiars? Like how the Saberfangs are weak to air attacks, and if dragons fall in the water they can be easily subdued.¡± ¡°How are we going to do that? Have Tial-Meh scorch the Oskien and say ¡®This is why you need flying familiars.¡¯ Then borrow a Kraken and hope it can spit a few wyverns out of the sky so we can say ¡®see dragons aren¡¯t the apex predator.¡¯ I don¡¯t see that working without pissing off a lot of people.¡± ¡°What if we showed them how other people survive? Like how Xisgrett use those golems. Zurtegus and Kartegus can demonstrate for them.¡± ¡°For soul sealing to work, you first need to craft an ethereal cord using one''s umbilical cord, which unfortunately everyone except newborns have lost. There is also the issue of, if the golem moves too far away, or if the cord is severed, it will lose power and deactivate until reconnected. Also, the Pyoxien, I¡¯m certain, would want to battle with either Kartegus or Zurtegus as proof of strength. While they are both capable. The Pyoxien have produced some fearsome warriors. Imagine Zurtegus fighting Thramuny. I¡¯d rather not put them through that.¡± ¡°What about Dungii and Angdraoni? They already have a close bond, if we convince them to partake in the soul mating ritual, maybe they¡¯ll see that even being soulmated with a strange creature like Dungii can be beneficial.¡± ¡°They would probably take offense if they heard you say that, but I see your point. Actually, that just might work! We¡¯ll tell them the wall and spores were created by Dungii, and Ang befriended him and together they survived for years in the jungle. The only hard part will be convincing Ang and Dungii to go along with the idea.¡± ¡°Their bond is like the one Vyranya and I share. I think I know how to convince them.¡± ¡°Eager to put your new language skills to use. If you¡¯re confident, then I¡¯ll leave it to you pukuto.¡± As Drumya exited the room, he saw Thramuny approaching. ¡°Hey, I came to tell you guys that we¡¯re ready to depart and we¡¯re having food up there.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m done checking in with Azurumene, I think he¡¯s still organizing his things.¡± ¡°What did he say? I told him about your fire flash and asked him to check on you when you woke up.¡± ¡°He said I¡¯m making good progress, unlike other dragons Vyranya is trying to help. I¡¯ll be the first dragon druid,¡± said Drumya flexing his biceps. Thramuny turned her head and lowered it so her braids fell over her face, but Drumya saw two glints fall. ¡°Thramuny are you?¡± With a quick motion, she swept her hair away, revealing a smiling face with damp eyes. She took his hand. ¡°Let''s go before they eat all the food.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his broad chest. He could feel the warmth of her fire braids and the cool of her water ones. ¡°I will not burn away.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better not, now let¡¯s hurry.¡± They went up the tongue and together stuck the landing. She pulled him to where everyone gathered sitting in a circle laughing and passing bowls of food, while Tial-Meh and Dungii played in the sky. # They descended to Kyxichen, followed by the cleansing rains that washed away the last of the malignancy, gradually restoring balance to the land. As the vessel passed over the Prism Peaks, Drumya went to meet with Ang in his room. He found him sitting with Dungii playing his ocarina in harmony with his song, as Rungii swayed from side to side. Drumya could feel the air matching its snake like sway. He cleared his throat. Ang stopped playing and turned to greet him. ¡°Big man! You came to visit me. Did you wanna hear the song we¡¯ve been practicing?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ no¡­ well, I mean yes but¡­ actually, I wanted to¡­ uh¡­ ask you something.¡± Ang grabbed his knees and spun around on his bum. ¡°Ask away,¡± he said with a jovial smile. ¡°Well¡­ uh, you know you and Dungii seem really close, and¡­ uh I have a really close¡­ well especially close relationship with Vyranya. And¡­ uh, before my accident we were soulmates. That bond kept us safe. So Azurumene and I were talking and we...¡± ¡°Meep meep.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ well we¡­ or, I think it would be good for the two of you to...¡± ¡°He said we¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ what you will? But I didn¡¯t explain.¡± ¡°You were going to ask if we would partake in the soulmating ritual and we both say yes. Why wouldn¡¯t we? I see how it works with Thramuny and Eio and I think it would only be beneficial for us.¡± ¡°Meep meep.¡± ¡°Oh, alright then, I¡¯ll ask the chief to prepare everything once we arrive.¡± ¡°Great! So you wanna hear the song we¡¯ve been practicing?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Drumya sat down and listened to their enchanting song. ¡°Hey Ang! That¡¯s a really pretty song. Oh Drumya you¡¯re here.¡± said Kartegus appearing in the doorway. ¡°Kar! Want to join us.¡± ¡°Sure, I know how to play a few notes.¡± He sat, Ang handed him the ocarina and he played a different yet equally enchanting song. ¡°That¡¯s very nice, who taught you how to play?¡± ¡°My father did.¡± ¡°I learned from my dad too. Is your dad back in Kebv?¡± ¡°No he¡¯s always travelling the world fixing any disturbances they come across. It''s what Gupa used to do and what I am going to do when I get a little older. Gupa retired from that work a while back ago, but he¡¯s looking forward to this trip to Devdedek and so am I. Drumya do you wanna have a turn?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know how to play any instruments.¡± ¡°That¡¯s sad, no one even taught you how to sing?¡± Asked Ang. ¡°Well as part of our training we¡¯re supposed to learn some song magic but um¡­ my instructor didn¡¯t like my voice. He told me it¡¯s impossible to harmonize with a voice that sounds somewhere between a buzzing mosquito and a pig fart.¡± Kar and Ang held their bellies and falling over in delightful glee. ¡°I know, go ahead and laugh at me.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t laughing at you, we¡¯re laughing because of you, you¡¯re funny,¡± said Kar. ¡°I am¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah you¡¯re always really funny. I¡¯m sure your voice can¡¯t be that bad. Here try harmonizing with my song,¡± said Ang. ¡°But what if i sound bad.¡± ¡°Then only the two of us will hear it,¡± said Kar. ¡°Meep, meep¡± ¡°I mean the three of us.¡± ¡°Meep.¡± ¡°Four of us, only the four of us will hear.¡± ¡°Dungii only recently learned how to use song magic himself he¡¯ll sing with you right?¡± asked Ang. ¡°Meep.¡± ¡°Alright I will try.¡± Ang played his song. Rungii swayed with the melody, as Dungii harmonized his voice with the song. After a measure Drumya worked up the courage to join. When the song finished Kar and Ang clapped. ¡°See your voice isn¡¯t bad at all,¡± said Ang. ¡°You liked it?¡± ¡°Yeah you¡¯re great, a little pitchy here and there but we can all practice until we land,¡± said Kar. The three sat around playing music together until Couraderi arrived at the Pyoxien¡¯s city. Drumya told Azurumene that Ang agreed, so they commenced with the plan. Azurumene dispatched his agents, spreading propaganda and whispers of the exploits of Dungii the Floral Dragon, and his rider the young Angdraoni. Who made a pact with a Great Dragon just like the first chief Travumuny. They promptly prepared the soulmating ritual. Which is held beneath the largest pyramid, in a space reminiscent of Tial-Meh¡¯s cave, but much smaller. Six short thick pillars supported the room, with engravings all around them. They permitted only the most important and high ranking of the Pyoxien and his friends to observe. The rest of the populace eagerly waited outside. ¡°Please remove your clothes,¡± instructed Chief Frumy. Ang did so with no hesitation. He liked the clothes Kiliyi made him, but always preferred to go natural. A few gasps echoed through the chamber, as the onlookers questioned how someone so small and young could have so much hair covering their chest, back, and face. ¡°Step into the circle.¡± ¡°Meep,¡± They walked into the circle. ¡°Now you might feel a funny sensation and your head may get foggy, but that¡¯s normal. Now close your eyes, relax, take a deep breath, and we will begin,¡± said Frumy. He closed his eyes and heard her chanting. He could see a bright light through his eyelids. The sound of Frumy¡¯s chanting grew distant. His heart raced, blood rushed through his body, tingling his nerves. He gasped for breath, his knees buckled. He let out a low moan. The light faded. His nerves ceased firing. His body went limp. ¡°Oh, my!¡± he heard Azurumene say as he fell into his arms. ¡°What happened, did I soulmate?¡± ¡°You did something, but I wouldn¡¯t call it soulmating or mating.¡± Ang felt something moist on his hands and looked down. ¡°What is this, what is that, what¡¯s happening to me, is this normal?¡± ¡°Child, this is way more normal than what we were intending. Here, take this rag, wipe yourself off and put your clothes back on. Looks like the ones that soulmated were Dungii and Rungii.¡± Ang looked up and saw that the flower petals around Dungii¡¯s head were closed, and Rungii had green glowing eyes. ¡°Meep meep meep,¡± said the voice from Rungii¡¯s jaw. ¡°Dungii, are you there?¡± asked Ang. Rungii¡¯s green eyes closed, the flower petals opened, and there was Dungii¡¯s face. ¡°Meep Meep,¡± the petals closed and the green eyes opened, ¡°meep meep.¡± ¡°Seems we forgot to factor Rungii into the equation,¡± said an amused Zurtegus. ¡°How do we convince them now?¡± asked Drumya. ¡°Convince who of what?¡± asked Ang. ¡°We have a confession to make. We had an ulterior motive to having you soulmate with Dungii,¡± confessed Azurumene. ¡°The idea was to use you two as an example, that we can survive by soulmating with different creatures, not just dragons and Saberfangs.¡± ¡°If that was your intention you could have just spoken with me,¡± said Frumy ¡°But you¡¯re the chief, you¡¯re supposed to uphold our traditions,¡± said Drumya ¡°I am the chief and I will change those traditions,¡± said Frumy in a commanding tone. ¡°I¡¯ve long questioned those traditions, for years my father convinced me that dragons were the fiercest predator. That we all must strive to be dragons. Yet the Triphu would have trampled us were it not for Dungii¡¯s intervention. We see phoenixes and storm birds churn the sky, and krakens dominate the shore, yet we scoff at their power because we¡¯re convinced the dragon way is the only way. Tial-Meh has stopped laying eggs for us and left her domain. She and her children do not need our protection; we needed theirs. Well, not anymore from here on out, our children will play with the creatures of the jungle, and whatever creature they form a bond with shall be their soul mating partner once they come of age.¡± ¡°A bold decision, I¡¯m proud of you Frumy,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°You know I was wondering why you stuck with one animal when there are plenty of dangerous ones out there,¡± said Ang. ¡°Ang, I can still see your dwarfling. Put your clothes on.¡± said Azurumene. ¡°Alright alright.¡± After he got dressed, they walked outside. Vlux, and Kartegus waited out there, surrounded by a flock of giant birds with gray spiders on their backs. Next to Vlux stood the blue parrot.¡± ¡°So our reinforcements finally caught up to us,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Well, I guess better late than never. Though we never needed them,¡± said Azurumene. ¡°We do need them. My home is still under siege, and these birds will help, for food, which I can easily provide¡­ I hope. So how did the ritual go?¡± ¡°Not quite as expected, but I think it still worked out for the best,¡± said Azurumene. Dungii demonstrates his new trick with Rungii. ¡°You know I¡¯m not even surprised. Why do you think I stayed out here? I half expected some kind of magical cataclysm to ensue,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Looks like they can function more like a single being, good for them. Are we ready to say our goodbyes and headout?¡± ¡°Wait, Ang did you ever find your mother?¡± asked Thramuny. ¡°Uh¡­ no but it¡¯s alright,¡± said Ang. ¡°You know that reminds me, a dwarf healer came through not too long ago. She treated many of the wounded and sick here, so I permitted her to treat Tial-Meh. Looks like she was successful. I owe her my gratitude. Could that have been your mother?¡± asked Frumy. ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ no it couldn¡¯t have been¡­ she.¡± ¡°Hey if he says it¡¯s alright he didn¡¯t find her it¡¯s alright. We found his other family, and you have dear friends waiting for you in Brexcen,¡± said Vlux with a wink. Their business concluded in the Land Behind the Sea. They boarded Couraderi, the top packed with an army of birds and spiders, alongside a great dragon. They flew back with powerful reinforcements to liberate the home of the pixie¡¯s. 26 - Black Sails 2.0 Brek and Isu sat in a tree peering out into the ocean while the young male and female Satke, who helped lead the escape from the Koru¡¯s facility, sparred with their magic on the beach. The boy had short dark hair and wore form fitting pants, a dark tank top, and tight slippers. He had jagged fire markings across his amber arms. His sister had complex water runes drawn across her arms, shoulders, and cheeks. She held her dark hair in a tight bun and wore a similar skin tight garb, with a halter top. Skillfully she created a shield of ice to block her brothers fireballs. Then cleverly activated an ice spike rune on her arm to form a thin, clear shard barely visible in the bright sun. She braced against his fiery onslaught with the shield, then using the smoke as cover, discreetly threw the shard. The boy narrowly saw it, and with no time to dodge focused heat into his palm and blocked. ¡°Ah, Clesio! are you seriously trying to kill me! The tip of that shard stabbed my hand, could have been my heart!¡± Shouted the boy. ¡°Your hearts of the other side. And you were flinging fireballs like you were trying to kill me! Try using something different next time, you¡¯re too predictable,¡± retorted Clesio. ¡°She has a point Sperio, but that was a nice block,¡± said Brek kicking his legs and clapping with glee. ¡°It¡¯s not funny Brek, look at my hand, she almost put a hole through it. I barely melted it.¡± ¡°Quite being a baby, let me see,¡± She took his hand between hers, and started chanting, several of her runes began to glow a deep blue, and pure water gathered in the space between their palms washing over the wound. Then she flattened her palm into his gently pressing the water into a clear gelatinous bandage over the puncture. He flexed his palm and pressed at the mold curiously. ¡°Don¡¯t mess with it, and it¡¯ll heal fast, won¡¯t even leave a scar.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of going through all this pain if it doesn¡¯t leave a scar to tell a story by later?¡± ¡°Shut up, I know it doesn¡¯t hurt, Bassinee taught me that spell.¡± ¡°Hey everyone something¡¯s coming,¡± said Isu pointing. ¡°About time Clo-Whu got here,¡± said Sperio. ¡°No, look where I¡¯m pointing, it¡¯s coming from the sky.¡± ¡°Wait is that?¡± Brek squinted against the glare of the sun, he could hardly make out the shape, but he knew what it had to be. ¡°It¡¯s Dungii!¡± ¡°What are you sure?¡± asked Isu. ¡°What other thing has a giant mushroom like that?¡± ¡°The Great Silokbin! It can fly too.¡± Said Sperio. ¡°What did you call him?¡± asked Brek. ¡°The Great Silokbin. It¡¯s what our people call the giant mushroom creature that lead us to the cloud,¡± said Clesio. ¡°The Great Silokbin,¡± chuckled Brek. "Well, his actual name is Dungii, which means they''re back.¡± Brek jumped from the branch and ran to the shore. As Dungii flew in closer, he recognized the passengers waving back, along with a giant praying mantis perched on top, and a carnivores looking tail. ¡°He looks different, but it¡¯s definitely him, and I see Ang and Vlux.¡± ¡°Murp murp!¡± ¡°Were back!¡± hollered Ang as they landed. He jumped off and Brek took notice of how he¡¯d grown broader, his beard bushier, and his skin darker, but his smile remained the same. He ran to him and Ang swept him up in a big bear hug. ¡°I missed you,¡± said Brek. ¡°I missed you too. They let you out of the city?¡± ¡°I taught Aletha and Bassinee how to play Crescendo, so now I¡¯m free to leave and apply my skills out here. How was your trip? Did you find Lysyntri?¡± ¡°Next time you¡¯re coming with me. I found my relatives, this is my cousin Kartegus, his grandfather also came with us. I¡¯ll introduce you to them once they catch up.¡± ¡°I take it your mission was a success?¡± asked Isu. ¡°Oh yeah, we have a huge living vessel, an army of giant birds, a dragon, a man dragon, a Saberfang tiger, a manish tiger doctor, and an old guy who knows things. Hey, I think I recognize you two,¡± said Vlux. ¡°You were the pixie that reached out and helped us escape. I¡¯m Clesio.¡± ¡°Thank you so much for freeing us. We¡¯ve been working to drive the Koru from Brexcen and find a way to defeat them, I¡¯m Sperio.¡± He said kneeling with respect. ¡°You should really thank him and the spider, he convinced the team to free everyone and we couldn¡¯t have done it without her daughters. You two still only speak your native language. Hey Brek I have a new trick I need to show you.¡± She walked over to him and touched his shoulder. ¡°Really, we can do that?¡± ¡°Yup, go ahead and try it on them.¡± Brek approached the twins. ¡°If you both trust me, please take my hand, close your eyes, open your mind, and focus on me.¡± They both took his hand without question and did as he instructed. After a moment they began to sway. Clesio started to fall but Nantidae ran and caught her. Sperio stumbled back and leaned against a tree. ¡°Whoa that was weird,¡± he said. ¡°Makes your head feel bloated doesn¡¯t it,¡± said Kartegus. ¡°What! how am I? Oh this is great! I¡¯ve been trying to learn your language.¡± ¡°Is Clesio alright?¡± Asked Brek. ¡°Yeah sorry I didn¡¯t warn you, it makes some people pass out, most just get dizzy,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Everyone look! It¡¯s Clo-Whu, but something is not right.¡± said Isu. They turned and saw the giant octopus skimming the surface, jet propelling himself toward the shore. Then one after another the watercraft broke through the waves, their sleek black sails unfurled, becoming the menacing Koru ships. ¡°This isn¡¯t good. Clo-Whu¡¯s got a whole fleet after him, we can¡¯t handle that many,¡± said Brek. ¡°Yes we can, hey Thramuny can you hear me?¡± said Vlux touching the ACORN in her hair. ¡°Yes, I can hear you. And we¡¯ve already spotted the ships. Azurumene really wants to test the thing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he does, go ahead and do it.¡± ¡°Vlux you have to say it,¡± came Azurumene¡¯s voice. ¡°Why? Just do it.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel right unless you say it.¡± ¡°Why do I have to say it?¡± ¡°Cause you¡¯re the Grand Pukar.¡± Vlux sighed. ¡°COMMENCE EGG DROP.¡± From within the looming cloud, a murder of big black birds emerged. They swooped down and above the Koru ships dropping their special eggs. The eggs burst into red fire that swiftly consumed the vessels. Desperately the troops retracted the sails and dove beneath the waves. The fire continued to burn. Many of the smaller ships avoided the bombardment and turned their armaments up. They used crystal ball loaded cannons to launch an elemental counter attack that the birds easily avoided. They retreated into the cloud. The bombing gave Clo-Whu a chance to get away and make it to shore. Brek noticed that he was missing an arm. He walked over and touched Clo-Whu. ¡°Everyone it looks like the Koru have adapted their ships and made better weapons. Things will get much more difficult for us if we don¡¯t acquire more force.¡± ¡°Hey did I mention we have a dragon,¡± said Vlux. On cue Tial-Meh her magnificence parted the cloud, Couraderi behind her, spheres orbiting. She descended on the ships expelling her blue fire that spread fast and wide across the surface of the water, extinguishing any remnants of red fire and destroying the remaining ships from the bottom up. Her fire didn¡¯t burn long but wrought irreparable damage, sinking most of the remaining vessels. It left only a few small escape craft. Tial-Meh circled back around. ¡°Vlux call off the dragon, we¡¯ve won,¡± said Brek. ¡°No, they¡¯ll report back that we have a dragon.¡± ¡°Exactly! We have a dragon. Maybe that¡¯ll be enough to scare them away.¡± ¡°Brek, they''re just going to come back at us with more weapons and corrupt creatures. They don¡¯t deserve mercy you haven¡¯t seen the things they do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen what they do, and I¡¯ve seen what we¡¯ve done. One side has to show mercy, or we¡¯ll keep fighting forever just like the people in Buwahutee, and Kyxichen.¡± said Ang. ¡°You two bleeding hearts belong together, but you have a point. Thramuny tell Eio to back off.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Just do it fast. I have a plan.¡± ¡°Alright I trust you, it¡¯s done,¡± Tial-Meh ascended back to Couraderi, allowing the survivors to escape. ¡°Everyone listen, if those soldiers make it back their going to report what they saw here. That will frighten the Koru into devoting all their resources to finding a countermeasure. If we''re going to take advantage of their shock, then we need to mobilize soon. Is this the new diversionary team?¡± ¡°Yes it is,¡± confirmed Isu. ¡°I see the team has gotten smaller and younger,¡± remarked Vlux. ¡°But we are efficient and capable. I¡¯ve been training every moment of every day. I¡¯ve honed my skills. We have destroyed outposts, redirected troops, and sabotaged facilities,¡± said Sperio. ¡°These twins are exceptional in their element, Isu can use Cascade so we need her to get in and out of the city, and move unnoticed, and I have developed an effective technique to fight,¡± said Brek.¡± ¡°Pixies generally aren¡¯t fighters, and there are still many Satke that are sick and malnourished, Aletha and Bassinee have been working to treat them. Bassinee has also been conducting elemental affinity tests and applying marking based on one''s affinity. Sperio shows a strong affinity to fire, Clesio has a strong water affinity. The pixies and Satke who are healthy have been partaking in DUSTT sessions led by Gron and Rux.¡± briefed Isu. ¡°What do you mean by DUSTT sessions?¡± asked Kartegus. ¡°The training course I developed, it stands for Diversionary Utility Special Tactics Training,¡± said Vlux. Couraderi dispersed its cloud cover and descended close enough that its long central tentacles brushed the ground. Drumya with Thramuny flew down first, followed by Zurtegus on Heniptera, and finally Azurumene and Euyene on Tial-Meh. ¡°Everyone this is Brek, Isu, Sperio, and the unconscious one is Clesio. I taught Brek how to gift Babel. D team this is our reinforcements from The Land Behind the Sea and The Sky City of Kebv. ¡°So this is the other Elucidator you mentioned. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± Azurumene got uncomfortably close to Brek and began examining his marking. ¡°You must be the tiger doctor, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you,¡± responded Brek with a forced but pleasant smile. ¡°Who drew your eloquent markings?¡± ¡°Or resident physician Bassinee did.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± questioned Vlux. ¡°Yes, who else? She does all the markings.¡± ¡°Look at Isu, Clesio and Sperio¡¯s markings, now look at mine. Mine look different because Myorni drew them. Yours are different from all of ours.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I never took notice of that.¡± ¡°Well, you can ask her when we get back, ready to take a ride on our Nebzulu Couraderi.¡± ¡°I want to, but something that big and pretty will be spotted right away,¡± said Sperio. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Couraderi can disguise itself as a passing cloud, it can¡¯t move as fast but it won¡¯t be seen,¡± said Kartegus. ¡°Or I can shroud this, Couraderi in Cascade and we can move at whatever the normal pace is for a Nebzulu.¡± ¡°Couraderi can move at hundreds of kilometers an hour, like super fast,¡± boasted Kartegus, while Zurtegus chuckled next to him. ¡°You can shroud something as big as this,¡± said Thramuny. ¡°I could shroud all of Brexcen.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s get a move on, Muscle, go pick up Clesio.¡± Drumya put on his intimidating ¡®Muscle¡¯ scowl and moved toward Clesio. Brek almost thought this large muscular man with leathery wings meant to harm her, were it not for Thramuny giggling behind him. ¡°It must have been quite a trip, you found some interesting ally¡¯s. Would there also be room for our Highhorns?¡± asked Brek. ¡°You have Highhorns?¡± asked Zurtegus. ¡°Yes, It¡¯s how we¡¯ve been getting around,¡± said Isu. ¡°What¡¯s a Highhorn?¡± asked Ang. ¡°Their creatures from a land very far from here. It is to us, what Kyxichen and Goblesues is to you. How did you acquire them?¡± asked Zurtegus. ¡°Our resident veterinary doctor Aletha found them,¡± said Brek. As they spoke, Sperio ran behind a bush and came out leading the two Highhorns. Large regal creatures with gold fur, white feathered hooves, and two large horns that intertwined, the ends curving up like elaborate headwear. ¡°Their pulchritudinous,¡± said Thramuny. Brek chuckled. ¡°Thramuny your choice in words always amused me.¡± ¡°Did I say the wrong thing?¡± ¡°That word wouldn¡¯t apply to them. You can say they''re handsome,¡± corrected Drumya. ¡°Seems Babel gifting is more effective than I theorized,¡± said Zurtegus. ¡°Yeah, Muscles here already has a firmer grasp on the language than someone who read the dictionary,¡± laughed Vlux. ¡°Couraderi has plenty of room, we can use the tentacles to pick up the Highhorns and bring them in that way,¡± said Kartegus. ¡°What about Clo-Whu?¡± asked Ang. ¡°He¡¯s going back into the ocean, he says he has a lot of work to do,¡± said Brek. ¡°Will he be alright, that was an awfully close call. And about the whale song you gave me, we sorta had to break it.¡± Brek translates for Clo-Whu. ¡°I already know of your deeds. You made a valiant effort to save her and helped me save her family. Thus, destined to die, she put her soul in my care to give to you, so she may continue traveling and aiding you on your journey home. That wound in the land was first opened by the Koru, though made worse by the strife. In being released at the opportune time, her final act saw her ascend beyond Zan-Weia. The sea knows and is eternally grateful.¡± With that Clo-Whu turned and disappeared beneath the waves.¡± ¡°The whale we saved on the beach. That whale became the Whalesong and wanted to thank me by seeing that I made it home. What she really did was help me find a new home and save the home of so many. I wish Clo-Whu would have told me her name,¡± said Ang. ¡°Whales don¡¯t have the same concept of names that we do, their song is their name,¡± said Brek. ¡°We and the people of Buwahutee won¡¯t forget her song. Now let¡¯s get everyone loaded up I¡¯m eager to get home,¡± said Vlux. The dwarfs and pixies climbed under the mushroom. Drumya placed Clesio on Tial-Meh between Sperio and Azurumene. They flew to the top of the vessel, which now served as a giant nest and brought up the Highhorns. Isu stepped to the edge where she spread Cascade all around the vessel concealing it. They sped off to Brexcen. Once they were above the location of the entrance, floating high in the sky, Couraderi formed its cloud cover, Isu retrieved Cascade. ¡°Everyone we¡¯re going to leave Couraderi parked here and make a careful descent into the city. I need to examine how well Gron and Rux have been conducting DUSTT. Since Tial-Meh can go invisible I need all the big people, looking at you Drumya, to ride with Tial-Meh under her guise.¡± ¡°Wait if she can turn invisible, why didn¡¯t you have her do that before blowing fire on the fleet,¡± asked Isu. ¡°Because she can¡¯t blow fire and remain invisible at the same time. The rest of use will ride on Dungii, and use Cascade for cover. We''re also taking a few of the daughters with us to gather intelligence, Tial-Meh is going to disperse them.¡± The dwarfs and pixies climbed under the mushroom, with the two mecha perched on top, Isu cast her veil over Dungii. Everyone else rode with Tial-Meh and Eio under his invisibility field. As they descended Brek saw the black sails skimming the neighboring lake. Tial-Meh circled the area as Dungii softly landed in the water, where Brek could recite the new incantation to open the path to the source of the lakes. The area began to glow softly just under the surface, Tial-Meh circled back and spun upside down over the spot dropping her passengers into the entrance, before flying back to Couraderi, Dungii shed his form and they swam into the city. 27 - Protection Rune 2.0 Brek went to find Bassinee. After asking around for a bit he figured out she had to be in her home. He went to her opulent house to find her lounging in a plush red chair sipping bubble beer. ¡°Brek, I thought you would still be out on the field, a pleasant surprise. What brings you back so soon? Its been a long day, so I am taking some time to relax.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it has been, you deserve time to relax, more than anyone else here. I don¡¯t want to take up too much of your time. I just have a question, one I probably should have asked a long time ago.¡± ¡°Well, you are wasting more time skirting around it. What is it, ask me anything?¡± ¡°Who drew my markings?¡± Bassinee let out a hearty laugh ¡°That is a question you should have asked some time ago. Where do I begin? It was a short time after you were born.¡± This cued Brek to sit and make himself comfortable. Bassinee loved telling stories, especially when she was inebriated, and she had consumed almost all her jumbo bubble beer. ¡°Your parents came to me saying you were displaying the symptoms of Elucidetris, lack of crying, sluggish movement, seizures, low body temperature, that sort of thing. Fortunately, at the time two dwarfs were here seeking the notes Myorni left on Obnenio Colm Sceltdor and the markings to keep Elucidators alive. I gave them a copy of the notes she made, however while I have drawn plenty of markings, I did not yet have the skill to draw the markings for Elucidators. It requires being able to see an individual¡¯s Imdrina flow and properly trace over it, a skill I lacked at the time. Luckily, one of our Usgrat visitors happened to be a former student of Myorni¡¯s. I gave him the notes she left, and it was he who drew your markings.¡± ¡°And his name?¡± ¡°Well, the big brawny one was Paouni, I know you met him. The one that did your markings was¡­ Oh what was his name. I am sorry Brek but I can¡¯t remember. You know, Kiliyi was there, I am sure she would know.¡± ¡°Thanks Bassinee, I¡¯ll go find her, enjoy your drink.¡± ¡°Oh I am, actually could you fetch me another, I store them in the cabinet back there.¡± Brek went to retrieve another beer. He wasn¡¯t sure which cabinet she meant, so he rummaged through a few of them before finding the one in the corner so full of bubble beer that they came rolling out when he opened it. It took him a few minutes to stuff all the bubbles back into the cabinet without popping any. He closed the door and went back into the main room, where he found Bassinee fast asleep in her chair. Next to her lay an ornate curled yellow feather, with a fine tip. He reached for it while keeping an eye on Bassinee. She showed no signs of stirring, so he grabbed the feather and left. He went to the DUSTT training grounds, an area densely packed with structures and obstacles. The trainees were playing a game of Deceive and Thieve. Where the goal is to use guerilla tactics and perception manipulation to steal all the other teams¡¯ ¡®treasure.¡¯ Players also had tassels around their wrists and neck, if one has all their tassels stolen they are removed from play. It was Brek¡¯s favorite part of DUSTT. Vlux took on a whole squad of pixies and Satke by herself. She had already tasseled out most everyone except three remaining players. They had her surrounded as she casually waited in front of her treasure chest. He watched as the trainees coordinated their movements with gestures, while attempting to hide from Vlux. They moved in close , then simultaneously lunged for the chest each taking a sack full of coins, emptying the chest. They swam back to their chest to deposit the coins and assure their victory. ¡°We beat Vlux!¡± cheered the trainees. ¡°You sure about that,¡± she said, holding up some tassels. They looked down and noticed that all of theirs were missing. ¡°Showing off,¡± said Brek. ¡°Just assessing our battle readiness. Gron and Rux have done a great job over the short time they had. The trainees still have a lot to learn, but at least they know how to coordinate tactics. What¡¯s up, did you ask Bassinee about your markings?¡± ¡°I tried, but she was indisposed.¡± ¡°She passed out drunk didn¡¯t she. Can¡¯t say I blame her. I heard about all that she¡¯s been doing, and despite her efforts many Satke children and elderly still died.¡± ¡°Since the invasion we¡¯ve all been on edge. The Koru have shattered the illusion of safety we once had. She did tell me that Kiliyi was there. I assume she¡¯s with Ang. Do you know where he¡¯s at?¡± ¡°He was showing Kartegus around but I¡¯m not sure where they ended up. Maybe ask Azurumene and Zurtegus, their with Aletha. That¡¯s the tall one wearing every other color of the rainbow, and the deceptively nimble old guy. But you know Kiliyi isn¡¯t with Ang, she¡¯s on the field with her daughters gathering intelligence for us.¡± ¡°I remember them, Azurumene made quite an impression.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a spectacle and wealth of knowledge.¡± ¡°I need to make a trip to the surface, anyway. Did you have the Highhorns brought down?¡± ¡°Yeah, Tial-Meh went back up and brought them down. How do you plan to find a spider?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, she¡¯ll find me, especially if Ang is with me.¡± ¡°Well, you know to be careful up there, the Koru is getting close, and we¡¯ll be preparing to make our move real soon.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t be gone long, thanks Vlux.¡± He swam to Aletha¡¯s place whereupon entering he found Aletha, Isu, Zurtegus and Azurumene obsessing over Dungii¡¯s new traits. ¡°So after the soul mating ritual, he can freely transfer his sight to Rungii. He¡¯s a conglomerate, an enigma, an amalgamation of completely different life-forms functioning as a single being, this is truly fascinating,¡± said Aletha. ¡°Meep, meep.¡± ¡°Um, excuse me I don¡¯t mean to interrupt.¡± ¡°Brek, a fine young subject like yourself is never an interruption. Are you ready to let me trace your marking? I was hoping to learn how to draw them so I can treat other children with Elucidetris.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very noble of you Azurumene, but I¡¯m afraid just tracing my markings won¡¯t be enough. Everyone requires different markings so you have to be able to see their Imdrina channels. Bassinee could show you how to do it, but she¡¯s very busy at the moment.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so. I can teach you how to do that. I practically invented the technique,¡± said Zurtegus. ¡°That¡¯s marvelous, but I still need to learn how to draw them, and of all the markings I¡¯ve seen yours are the most eloquent. Did you ever confirm who your artist was?¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely not Bassinee, she couldn¡¯t remember the persons name, but she said Kiliyi should know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m looking for Ang so I can find her.¡± ¡°He was here to answer some questions about Dungii and Rungii, then he left with Kartegus. I think they went to the jellyflower garden,¡± said Aletha. ¡°Are you going to show Ang what we found?¡± asked Isu. ¡°Yeah, I feel it¡¯s important for him to see it.¡± ¡°Do you want me to come with you?¡± ¡°No, if we take the Highhorns we¡¯ll be fine. Besides as soon as we get out there, Kiliyi and her daughters will be watching us, and she won¡¯t let anything bad happen to Ang.¡± ¡®If you aren¡¯t back by nightfall, I¡¯m coming to find you.¡± ¡°Thanks Isu, I hope everyone is enjoying their stay here.¡± ¡°I most certainly am. This Nenio is very reminiscent of Goblesues.¡± ¡°Vlux mentioned you¡¯re from a sky city, Kebv was it. I honestly didn¡¯t think they were real,¡± said Brek. ¡°We are swimming in a Nenio at the bottom of a lake. That conceals the path to it by producing multiple lakes that only certain creatures can produce the right tone or recite the correct incantation to get to. Yet a city on a land mass that flies through the sky and creates clouds is too far-fetched?¡± said Zurtegus.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°You¡¯re saying Brexcen itself is a Nenio?¡± asked Brek. ¡°Oh yes, it¡¯s a Nenio within a Nenio. It produces clean water and provides us with this unique space. The Ardin Crescendo is actually an organ we fitted with crafted parts to allow us to manually modify the entrance,¡± said Aletha. ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t know that. Well this has been very enlightening but I need to find Ang as soon as possible. Nice chatting with you Zurtegus, and Azurumene I look forward to when we next meet.¡± He left and swam down to a far corner of the city densely packed with small, vibrant flowerfish. Gracefully they blossomed and closed, while aimlessly floating. Though mostly harmless, touching their tentacles felt like getting shocked with static, more uncomfortable than painful. Thankfully, the fish clear a path when they detect someone nearby. They aren¡¯t fast or efficient swimmers, so moving through the garden is slow. ¡°Ang, are you out here.¡± called Brek. ¡°Brek is that you? We''re over here.¡± He heard Ang¡¯s voice reply. He moved toward the voice, the flowerfish becoming so dense he couldn¡¯t see but a few centimeters in front of himself. Finally, the fish parted like a colorful curtain, and he bumped into Ang, who right away grabbed him in another bear hug, his beard tickling his forehead. ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d find us here.¡± ¡°I should have guessed, everyone avoids this place but you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my favorite spot. I love the city, but sometimes it¡¯s nice to get away from it.¡± ¡°Ouch, Ang, where are you, how do we get out of here?¡± called Kartegus. ¡°Were over here Kartegus. I don¡¯t think he likes it here.¡± ¡°Ouch, Ahh, darn it, I hate this. I¡¯m going back to Couraderi. Ang help me get out of here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Kartegus, how have you been enjoying your stay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not enjoying it, water resistance makes everything too slow, these flower fish keep stinging me, and I really need to go flying with Nantidae.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry but travel in and out is restricted unless you can cast invisibility,¡± said Brek. ¡°Well, where¡¯s the lady with the cloth?¡± ¡°Isu and her cloth Cascade are at Aletha¡¯s place, your grandfather is also there.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we just leave their Ang?¡± ¡°Yeah, but Isu wasn¡¯t there.¡± ¡°She¡¯s there now let¡¯s hurry through this,¡± Brek produced his fine clear threads, which gently pushed the flowerfish away making a path. ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s a neat trick, how do you do that?¡± asked Kartegus. ¡°The theory is that it¡¯s a side effect of my special markings.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s only a theory, meaning no one really knows. Could I have a closer look?¡± ¡°Thank you for asking. Yes, you may have a closer look.¡± Kartegus closely scrutinized Brek¡¯s markings and threads. ¡°These are an extension of your Imdrina channels. Your markings are such that they can keep your Imdrina contained but you can still squeeze some through to produce these threads. Be careful of how you use this, if someone grabs these and pulls in just the right way they can literally rip out your energy, maybe even kill you.¡± ¡°Thank you for the word of warning, how can you be so sure of all that?¡± ¡°My grandfather is an expert in this field. Plus, the basic concept of your threads is similar to how I¡¯m connected to Nantidae here.¡± ¡°Your grandfather is certainly a smart man. I feel wiser after our brief interaction.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my Gupa. Ouch! That¡¯s enough I¡¯m getting out of here.¡± They hurriedly swam out of the garden. ¡°Will you be alright finding your way back from here?¡± said Brek. ¡°Yeah, I know the way back. See you later.¡± said Kartegus as he swam off. ¡°Finally, I¡¯ve been trying to get you alone,¡± said Brek. ¡°Oh yeah, whatever for?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something you need to see. Also, I need to ask Kiliyi about my markings, and I need your help to find her.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll find us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m counting on.¡± ¡°But you just said we need invisibility to move in and out of the city.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the Highhorns are for, follow me.¡± They moved up close to the city gate where a large oval shaped stable floated, the Highhorns idled within, oddly still with their chins turned up. ¡°Once they get moving they become invisible.¡± ¡°Where did Aletha find them?¡± ¡°She took them from the Koru. That¡¯s how she acquired many of the creatures she has.¡± ¡°Makes sense, so where are we going?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see, the Highhorns know where to go, just enjoy the ride.¡± They dashed forward quick as the wind, swimming horns first, the water seemed to part for them. Without a splash they surfaced the lake and losing no momentum they ran across the water to the shore. They left no tracks, produced no sound, and their horns pierced through any wind resistance. Rather than galloping, they flew across the land. They came to an abrupt halt in a familiar field. Before them stood a small jade tree with bronze leaves. ¡°Ang this is..¡± ¡°I know, it¡¯s Paouni.¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± Ang jumped off his steed, Brek mimicked him and they met in the middle. ¡°You¡¯ll wanna see this.¡± Ang placed a hand on his cheek, Brek tilted his head into it as Ang shared the encounter with him. ¡°Wow! you had one epic fight with Yoorei. I like how you turned the hand back on him, it¡¯s a good thing Dungii was there.¡± ¡°Yeah, I would be dead if it wasn¡¯t for him. Did I ever tell you about the Silver Willow?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe you did.¡± ¡°Here let me show you.¡± ¡°You should actually just tell me this time. I miss chatting with you, and we still have time before sundown.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s sit under Paouni¡¯s branches.¡± They sat under the tree, the trunk too narrow to sit side by side, so they sat back to back, looking up at the lustrous leaves that glinted in the setting sun. ¡°On my home island, grew a tree not too far outside the village that was a lot like this one, but a Silver Willow. It was my favorite place to sit and play my ocarina. My own little safe place where no one could hear me play the wrong notes. Under that tree the air always felt, calm and comforting, like nothing could harm me. Sometimes when I leaned my head against it, I heard a song. That¡¯s what really inspired me to ask my dad for an instrument. My mother used to tell me about aunt Myorni. That she made a great sacrifice to keep us all safe. Now I understand. That tree is actually my aunt. That¡¯s why my mom transported her somewhere safe. She transported all the Usgrat somewhere safe; she wouldn¡¯t even tell me where they were. She said it was dangerous for me to have that knowledge.¡± ¡°So you did find your mother.¡± ¡°Yes I did, sorry I didn¡¯t answer you earlier. My mom told me to keep it a secret that I saw her. She said that if I tell too many people, she may not be able to make it back here, but I can tell one close friend, that the spider is coming to help us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s wonderful! The Master Rune Weaver Lysyntri the Spider, she¡¯s a legendary magical combatant. I can see why she told you to keep meeting her a secret, she¡¯s been fighting a tough fight, and probably made a lot of enemies.¡± ¡°I never thought of her as a fighter. To me she always seemed gentle and peaceful. But when I saw her she looked worse for wear. Hey Brek, is it possible for Elucidetris symptoms to show up later in life?¡± ¡°No, as soon as an Elucidator exits the womb, our exposed channels start leaking Imdrina, and the condition normally worsens from there, why do you ask?¡± ¡°Cause my mom had Elucidator marks like yours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s odd, with what we know about Obnenio Colm Sceltdor, the first step is to have your channels flipped, but once that happens you¡¯re too far into the spell to stop it. Lysyntri probably found a way to do it and had someone with her who knew how to draw the right markings.¡± ¡°And that same person drew your markings.¡± ¡°I hope Kiliyi shows up soon. I need to figure out this riddle. If nothing else I¡¯ll try asking Bassinee again when she¡¯s sober.¡± Ang laughed. ¡°She and Paouni would have been great friends.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve met before, could you imagine the epic drinking challenges they had?¡± ¡°I could, they used to happen almost every night in my village. My dad or my uncle usually won.¡± ¡°Well, since you shared a secret with me, I have something I want to share with you.¡± He pulls out the curled yellow feather. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Quill, Bassinee has been teaching me how to draw markings so I¡­ borrowed it for practice.¡± ¡°Brek you bad boy. You took it while she was passed out.¡± ¡°If I put it right back, even if she doesn¡¯t know about it, it¡¯s still only borrowing.¡± ¡°What would people think if they knew Brek took Quill out here,¡± jested Ang. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s our secret. Now would you mind lifting up your shirt?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Ang took his shirt off, exposing his now well defined musculature, visible under a thick coat of hair. Brek felt blood rushing to his face and sweat trickle at his brow. ¡°No wonder dwarfs don¡¯t typically use markings, you¡¯re too hairy.¡± ¡°Here let me clear a spot for you.¡± Ang picked up his axe and used the blade to shave off a small patch of hair on his chest. ¡°Is that good?¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfect.¡± Brek wipes the sweat from his brow and activated Quill with a whistle, the yellow feather extended. Revealing a detailed pattern, with what resembled an eye in the center. ¡°What are you going to draw?¡± ¡°A protection rune. To keep you safe in the coming fight.¡± Brek knelt down close enough to Ang¡¯s bare chest that he could feel the steam rising from his skin. Slowly and carefully, he drew the rune, knowing that once a line is drawn he cannot erase it. Once finished, he looked up at him. ¡°It¡¯s done how do you like it?¡± Ang pressed his chin to his chest to get a look at it, his lips almost brushing Brek¡¯s forehead. ¡°It¡¯s very different from the one I know but I love it.¡± Kiliyi crawled onto his shoulder. ¡°Kiliyi we¡¯ve been waiting for you to show up. Brek has a question for you.¡± She jumped onto his shoulder and after a moment Brek¡¯s expression went from joyful to mild shock. ¡°What is it, who drew your markings?¡± ¡°It was Yoorei.¡± 28 - Spinning the Web 2.0 Kiliyi showed up to warn them that the Koru were nearby, and they needed to return to Brexcen, so after the revelation that Yoorei drew Brek¡¯s and Lysyntri¡¯s markings they jumped on the Highhorns and ran back to the city. Once back Ang went with Brek to Bassinee¡¯s house to return Quill, upon nearing the house they found Gron and Rux at the entrance, with Bassinee inside panicking, crying, and tearing through her home yelling. ¡°Where is it? I always keep it next to me. Why now of all times has it decided to fly away from me. It must be here somewhere.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± asked Brek. ¡°Vlux had a seizure and fell unconscious, so we brought her here. Bassinee says she needs to add more markings to Vlux, but she got drunk and misplaced Quill,¡± said Gron. Ang and Brek exchanged ominous looks and entered the house. ¡°We¡¯ll help you Bassinee, if we spread out we¡¯ll find it. Did you check the back room, maybe move some furniture?¡± Said Ang. ¡°No, it should be here somewhere. Or maybe I did wander in there and drop it. Oh dear, I must quit drinking.¡± ¡°Let''s go have a look. Brek will keep searching in here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll holler if I find anything,¡± said Brek. ¡°Oh, thank you both.¡± Ang took Bassinee into the back room and feigned helping her search. ¡°I found it!¡± Came Brek¡¯s voice. Bassinee dashed back to the main room. ¡°Here, it was just under there,¡± said Brek handing Quill over. ¡°Oh, thank you, Brek. I swear I checked that corner a hundred times. Guess I just needed a fresh pair of young eyes to see it. Now I must attend to Vlux, please wait outside.¡± They left the house, shut the door, turned to each other and snickered. ¡°What a rush, thanks for distracting her.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let your perfect reputation get tarnished. But in all seriousness I hope Vlux is alright.¡± ¡°Yeah me too, Gron and Rux must have gone back to the training area. Ang you haven¡¯t gone through DUSTT have you?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°I bet you¡¯d be a natural at it, c¡¯mon let¡¯s see if we can get a team together to play Deceive and Thieve.¡± # After the boys left Kiliyi waited in the branches of the jade tree for her query to arrive. As the sun set, a figure clad in a deep dark hood crept over the hill and approached the tree. Laying a marked hand on the trunk, the figure spoke. ¡°Paouni, so it came to this did it. I wanted to thank you in person, but I suppose this must suffice. Thank you for everything Paouni. Hmm, I guess you haven¡¯t learned to speak in your new form, or you just don¡¯t want to talk to me. I don¡¯t blame you, I¡¯m not a good person. I¡¯ve done terrible things and deceived so many. Because of me, you, Myorni, Yoorei, even the love of my life. You¡¯re all gone or changed forever. I¡¯ve condemned so many. I convinced everyone that it was for the sake of protecting the future. But in truth it was all for the sake of protecting my future. Nothing will make up for the things I¡¯ve done, but I promise, I will destroy those humans for everything they took from us. All the pieces are in place. Now in order to assure victory, I need only spin my web.¡± With that the figure walked away and disappeared into the night. Kiliyi stood amongst the rustling bronze leaves, prepared to do what she must.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. # At the DUSTT training grounds Ang, Clesio, Thramuny, Rux, and Euyene formed one team, while Brek, Sperio, Drumya, Gron, and Dungii formed the other. It seemed everyone in the city came to watch this match of Deceive and Thieve, full of newcomers. Isu acting as referee announced the match. ¡°The rules are simple, the goal is to either tassel out all the opposing team members or steal all the treasure in their chest and take it to your team¡¯s chest. You cannot use any items, only your own innate skills and abilities. The use of magic and deception is encouraged. Players please find your starting position.¡± They each took up positions on their respective halves of the playing sphere. ¡°Everyone set, on your mark and,¡± Isu blew the horn. Gron jumped onto Sperio¡¯s back, as he activated his fire markings. Though he could not produce fire, he could still provide ample heat and propulsion. Combined with Gron¡¯s incantation they became a barely perceivable blur, that jumped from point to point. Clesio familiar with this strategy countered by predicting where they would jump next and swirled the water at that location fast enough to toss them to opposite ends of the playing sphere. Rux moved from shadow to shadow, chopping at the dark with his hands to cut into the night. He popped out of a shadow, but Dungii surprised him, hiting him in the gut and snatching the tassel off his wrist while Rungii snatched the tassel off his neck. ¡°Meep Meep.¡± ¡°Darn, now I only have one tassel left. Is that even fair? Dungii and Rungii are like a two for one,¡± said Rux. ¡°After many tests and deliberations, we determined that Dungii and Rungii function as one being, and should be counted as one player. Though to make things more fair, Dungii has one tassel and Rungii has one tassel,¡± said Isu. ¡°You need to keep your head in the game Rux,¡± said Brek next to him dangling a tassel from a clear thread. ¡°Looks like Rux is the first one to be tasseled out,¡± called Isu. Thramuny and Clesio synchronize their movements. Clesio in her element, darted through the space like a dolphin, while Thramuny used her natural grace and palm blasts. They made a pincer attack for the chest guarded by Drumya. He hit Clesio with a well-aimed blast, and Vyranya popped out to defend against Thramuny, though found he could not breathe fire. Thramuny grabbed a bag full of coins and dashed back to deposit them. ¡°That guy has an extra dragon head popping out,¡± said Rux. ¡°Same rules as Dungii apply to them, they are two beings functioning as one therefore they each get one tassel,¡± said Isu. Brek, Sperio, and Gron made a coordinated effort on the chest, Thramuny and Clesio were defending. Thramuny knocked Brek¡¯s threads away by swinging her braids. Clesio lowered the temperature around Sperio to negate his abilities. Gron made a dash for the chest only to block a punch from Thramuny and get knocked back a few meters. As this happened, Ang rode on Euyene¡¯s back. Moveing shockingly fast toward the chest guarded by Drumya and Vyranya. A gigantic fanged beast appeared before Druvyranya. The beast nearly swallowed him whole but he quickly moved out of the way. This left the chest unguarded for Ang to grab the whole thing. He and Euyene began swimming back to their base when Dungii whizzed passed. Ang noticed the tassels on his wrist and neck missing, and Dungii winding up for another pass. The fanged monster appeared to swallow Dungii, but showing no fear he swam into the monster''s mouth, colliding with Euyene¡¯s head and stopping her from roaring her illusion to life. Still too late Ang had almost to his teams chest when Vlux showed up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry everyone but the game is over. It¡¯s time for us to make our move.¡± ¡°What so soon? But I was about to win,¡± said Ang. ¡°No, I won, said Vlux holding up everyone¡¯s tassels.¡± ¡°What? how did you get them!¡± said Thramuny. ¡°The game is called Deceive and Thieve, and she invented it,¡± said Isu. ¡°Everyone I have been looking over the intelligence we¡¯ve been gathering and have been informed that a large portion of the Koru are gathering in a field not far from here. This will be the perfect time to strike. All combatants must prepare to meet on Couraderi immediately. Dungii we¡¯ll need you in your largest form to help ferry people up to the vessel. ¡°Vlux are you sure you¡¯re alright, you gave us quite a scare, and you look exhausted,¡± said Gron. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine, Bassinee just had to adjust my marking a little but I¡¯m good, let¡¯s get moving.¡± Rungii consumed a plethora of flowerfish allowing Dungii to grow as big as Tial-Meh, who assisted him in getting all the combatants on Couraderi. Once aboard Vlux briefed everyone. After the briefing Kartegus instructed Couraderi ,still in cloud cover, to move over the field where members of the Koru gathered. The friends stood at the edge of the vessel. The time had finally come for them to drive the Koru off the land. 29 - Fire of the Forge 2.0 ¡°This is it, everyone in position. AZURUMENE, COMMENCE EGG DROP!¡± The black birds filled the sky descending on the army of Black Knights gathered in the field surrounded by orb wielding overlords. The birds dropped their eggs, unleashing a pestilence of red fire over the black knights. The fire rapidly spread, consuming the army. The masters swung their white swords. Sending multiple dispel waves to quell the flames. They destroyed more than half of the Black Knights. Next the dragons took to the field. Rungii, The Dragon of Flora, and Tial-Meh The Dragon of Tempest circled the remaining army. Desperately the masters swung their dispel blades, but they were no illusions. The dragons unleashed their powerful breath attacks. The properties of Tial-Meh¡¯s tempest melding with Rungii¡¯s spore breath forming the green fire of creation. It burned the remaining Black Knights to soil and caused the masters to flee on their steeds. The dragons flew off to ready another attack. Clesio paired with Aletha, and Sperio paired with Gron, mounted the Highhorns, and with their superior speed easily caught up with the fleeing masters. They ran circles around them, corralling them into a tight space. The overlords used their crystal balls to form walls of clay and ice to stop the Highhorns, but their horns pierced right through. Sperio and Clesio bombarded them with ice and fire. From somewhere in the dark a horrid wail crashed over them sending all tumbling off their steeds. Zurtegus and Kartegus watched from aboard Couraderi as the large tendriled monstrosities arose. # ¡°Gupa those look like.¡± ¡°Yes, Kartegus those are twisted Nebzulu infected with malignancy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s horrible, how can they live like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but those abominations stand as evidence that these humans are beyond redemption. Kartegus it is time.¡± ¡°Yes Gupa.¡± Zurtegus and Kartegus mounted their mechs Nantidae and Heniptera. ¡°I¡¯m coming with you,¡± said Drumya turning part wyvern. ¡°All of you be careful of the dispel wave, sink them fast,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Couraderi is eager to help,¡± said Kartegus as the spheres began orbiting. That dispel wave is a perversion of a Nebzulu¡¯s natural ability.¡± ¡°What else can this thing do?¡± asked Vlux. ¡°I¡¯ll let Couraderi show you.¡± The spheres formed a staggered circle in front of the vessel. Some spheres moved clockwise the rest counter clockwise. They generated a singularity in the center, pulling in one of the wailing beasts and crushing its body. The spheres reversed motion, moving many times faster. Couraderi shot the husk like a bullet knocking out another beast, though plenty more continued progressing. ¡°When this is over, I need you to write a manual on Nebzulu,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Honestly, that surprised me. All Nebzulu have a way of drawing things in. But launching it back with that much force, Couraderi you¡¯re amazing.¡± ¡°Here comes another wave everyone brace,¡± said Vlux. ¡°Couraderi will protect us,¡± said Zurtegus, as the spheres moved to circle the vessel establishing a shield that blocked the wave. Kartegus knelt and placed a hand on the vessel. ¡°Good work Couraderi, keep everyone safe, we¡¯ll handle things from here.¡± Zurtegus, Kartegus and Druvyranya, flew out to engage in air-to-air combat. From behind the corrupt Nebzulu came several overlords, mounted on feathered beasts with lizard heads and noxious breath. ¡°They also have wyverns,¡± said Zurtegus. ¡°No those are cockatrice, they''re related to dragons but more vicious, with a death element breathe,¡± said Drumya. # Back on the ground, Gron deployed his shield Phalanx, protecting himself and those near him from most of the dispel wave. He quickly ran and revived Aletha, who used Binary to revive the twins. The overlords got to their feet. Aletha created a sharp point of ice on Binary and spinning it like a drill, dug into the soil. She churned the surface forming a pit of quicksand that sucked in some overlords. They retaliated with a barrage of elemental bolts. The friends took cover behind Gron¡¯s shield. Waiting for an opening to attack, they felt a breeze blur past. Thramuny and Rux riding Euyene caught up. Rux jumped off and used Sluice to slice into the night. One by one he defeated several overlords. They turned their attention to him. One overlord could see his next exit point and shot a fireball at the opening setting Rux ablaze. The barrage lifted, Sperio and Clesio jumped from behind cover. Sperio summoned a wall of fire to keep the masters at bay while Clesio tended to Rux. She extinguished the flames and cooled his body. A soul piercing roar echoed through the night as a fanged beast of primal terror suddenly appeared. Its jaws opening impossibly wide consuming the overlords in a void of darkness. Thramuny bashed them with Boa. Over a large hill, they could see a line of Koru troops ready to descend. # In the sky, the aerial combatants engaged the corrupt Nebzulu and cockatrice. Scattering to avoid a dispel wave. Kartegus confronted a group of cockatrice and riders. He activated the circular blade of his weapon and swung it around, slashing one cockatrice out of the sky, and diverting the rest. Zurtegus charged his crescent blade and fired a sharp half-moon blast slicing a wailing beast in half. Druvyranya flew around the beasts. He set their malignancy covered bodies aflame and shot down riders with palm blasts. Kartegus took a direct hit from a dispel wave, the sheer force sending him and Nantidae plummeting from the sky. Zurtegus seeing his grandson falling dove after him. Kartegus activated the runes on his wardrobe. They slowed his descent to a feather fall, but Nantidae, having moved too far away deactivated and crashed to the ground. Kartegus saw the two cockatrice riders coming for him, when Tial-Meh came up from below. She blasted them with blue fire and caught Kartegus. Rungii above rained debilitating spores on the Nebzulu, causing them to sprout debilitating mushrooms all over their bodies. # On the ground, Koru troops rushed down the hill, quaking the land. The friends retreated behind Gron¡¯s shield which he made as large as possible, although against such overwhelming force it would not last. ¡°ISU NOW!¡± said Vlux through her ACORN. On the opposite hill Isu lifted her veil, revealing an army of Satke mounted on Rhinos led by Brek, with Ang next to him. ¡°CHARGE!¡± yelled Brek as they flanked the enemy, catching them off-guard. The Rhino¡¯s bulldozed the twisted steeds. Seizing the opportunity Clesio called down a bird to evacuate Rux. Gron with Thramuny and Sperio with Aletha mounted the Highhorns, Euyene close behind. Gron took point and used his shield to break the Koru¡¯s front cavalry line, scattering them. Thramuny whacked a rider of his steed and leaped onto it. Another charged her, spear pointed ready to impale the steeds made a head on collision. Thramuny, spun Boa, knocking the spear out of the troops hand, and bashing his head. She launched herself high over the battlefield landing perfectly on Euyene¡¯s back. Aletha spun Binary into a tornado full of debris. Sperio added his fire to it, creating a tornado of magma, that ravaged the field, scattering all remaining cavalry. ¡°Vlux, the Koru ships are on Lake Censelbon,¡± reported Bassinee from within Couraderi. ¡°Crap, they must know the entrance is there. It¡¯s only a matter of time before they play the correct notes to get in. And all our best fighters are out here. I¡¯m taking some birds to intercept,¡± said Vlux. ¡°No Vlux,¡± said Azurumene jumping out of the Couraderi. ¡°You¡¯re our leader. We need you here. I¡¯ll intercept them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming with you, water is my element.¡± said Clesio. ¡°I¡¯m not out of this fight yet.¡± said a heavily bandaged Rux. ¡°Rux you get back down here, your wounds are still fresh.¡± scolded Bassinee over Vlux¡¯s ACORN. ¡°I¡¯m covered in Kiliyi¡¯s silk bandages, my wounds will heal as I fight.¡± ¡°Sorry Bassinee, Rux I trust your judgment, just be careful.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t get me a second time.¡± ¡°Better not, Clesio keep an eye on him.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Clesio, Azurumene, Rux, and most of the big bird army flew to lake Censelbon. The black ships scouring the lake looking for the access point. They dropped red fire eggs, burning a few of the ships, but only sinking one. Clesio dove into the water, while Azurumene and Rux boarded the largest ship.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Can you fight Azurumene?¡± asked Rux. ¡°You¡¯re gonna learn about me.¡± He assumed his monstrous form. Rux shocked and terrified backed away, the troops aboard mirroring his reaction. Azurumene devastated his foes, slashing and tossing men overboard. Some jumped into the water. Clesio confronted them, freezing the troops. Once the ship was clear, Rux took the helm. ¡°This is for you Haxx.¡± He pulled a lever, folding the sails down and submerging the vessel. The enemy ships also dove under and fired their syringe harpoons. Clesio deflected a few but several harpoons impaled their hull. Rux steered the vessel into another destroying both. Clesio froze the ship. Azurumene grabbed Rux and began swimming up. Clesio encased them in a bubble and brought them to the surface. Bursting out of the water the enemy ships surrounded them. The birds flew over dropping the daughters on the ships. Then together the birds and daughters ravaged the crew, tossing men over so Clesio could freeze them. The daughter''s bit and incapacitated soldiers. Azurumene called a bird down to pull him and Rux out of the water and circle the ships. # Above the battle ground a few cockatrice mounted overlords attacked Couraderi directly. Couraderi bashed them out of the sky but a few evaded the spheres and jump to the vessel. They drew their white blades, as Vlux readied her weapons, Splinter and Home. They sent dispel waves at Vlux who remained on the defensive, blocking with Home¡¯s hard cover. Suddenly a man was blown off the vessel, another set on fire, a third hit by a rock, the fourth encased in ice and shattered. Vlux looked back to see her sister slowly approaching with a terrifying look on her face trembling with rage and oozing a black aura. ¡°How dare you attack my sister!¡± She said as she blasted the remaining overlords with a wave of darkness reducing them to dust. She bent over breathing heavily. ¡°Woo, I have never used that much power.¡± ¡°Whoa! Bassinee what element are your markings?¡± ¡°All-elemental, I created these markings so I would have the power to get you back. I swore to mom on her deathbed I would watch over you. I failed as a sister once and let them take you away. I will never let that happen again. Now, turn your attention there. Everyone is looking up to little Vluxcerin, I¡¯ve got your back.¡± Vlux briefly closed her eyes to fight back the tears welling up, and the urge to hug her big sister. She turned and looked into the distance. ¡°Oh, no,¡± she touched the ACORN. ¡°Brek how are things going on the ground?¡± ¡°Excellent the fight is in our favor.¡± ¡°Good cause we¡¯ve got company coming over the east ridge. Thramuny what do you make of those large creatures?¡± ¡°Their dragons, Great ones like Tial-Meh, probably tamed in the same manner Eio managed.¡± ¡°Wait, you know about that?¡± ¡°I figured it out, in Kebv, don¡¯t worry I¡¯m not upset. Our dragons have neutered the floating screamers, I¡¯ll call them over.¡± ¡°I think you mean neutralized, but yeah do that. Brek get everyone back in formation.¡± ¡°I¡¯m on it.¡± Brek shot fiery tendrils into the sky to rally the Satke to him. They formed up and watched with dread as the massive army of Black Knights, mounted overlords, and dragons advanced. There were five imposing dragons three in the air two on the ground. The three fliers comprised of a winged serpent with a black body and multicolor feathery wings. Flying next to it a dark green dragon with four legs and two wings, and beside that a long bodied dark blue dragon with four legs and several sets of wings running the length of its body gradually getting smaller. One dragon on the ground had a dark brown long body, four short legs, and long thick claws. The last one had dark purple scales, with four legs and two heads. A horn blew, and the army stopped advancing. The brown dragon dug into the ground. The ground rumbled beneath the allies growing progressively stronger. ¡°EVERYONE SCATTER!¡± yelled Thramuny, but it was too late. The dragon popped up in the middle of their ranks. It flung Rhino¡¯s and Satke in all directions, causing complete chaos. The long blue dragon, and the black serpent veered off toward Couraderi circling the vessel. Vlux and Bassinee stood back to back behind the shield. Tial-Meh, Druvyranya, Zurtegus, Kartegus, who recovered Nantidae, and a few birds came flying over to help. Tial-Meh loosed a tempest on the black serpent, but the serpent countered with its own black breath. Druvyranya tried to burn the beast, but its scales were impervious to normal fire. Tial-Meh bit its tail. The serpent wrapped its body around her and bit down on her wing tearing it out. She struggled with her three remaining wings to stay aloft and fight. Finally, grabbing the serpent in her jaws she dove to the ground. Zurtegus and Kartegus slashed at the blue dragon. They cut off a few of its wings and maimed its body. Their weapons running dangerously low on energy and becoming ineffective. Couraderi disengaged its shield and began pummeling the dragon with its spheres. The dragon started falling but blasted the vessel with a ball of concussive force that tore out a chunk. Couraderi struggled to maintain altitude, tilting to one side and falling. Vlux and Bassinee jumped on Druvyranya and vacated the crashing vessel. Zurtegus and Kartegus did what they could to save Couraderi. ¡°Clesio, what¡¯s your status at the lake,¡± asked Vlux. ¡°We¡¯ve sunk their ships and are heading back.¡± ¡°Good, we need to lay down a defensive line, fall back and regroup.¡± ¡°Vlux, it might be best to order a retreat for now,¡± said Drumya. ¡°Retreat where? They know where the city entrance is. Nowhere is safe, not even Kyxichen. What happened there started with them. This is an all-or-nothing fight.¡± # In the sky Rungii, fought with the green dragon. His spore breathe inadequate against an opponent that can surround itself with lighting. The dragon fired a powerful plasma blast that fried Rungii. They switched to Dungii¡¯s side, and with no other option flung themselves into the dragon, mushroom first. They shed their body and flew to regroup with their allies. The dragon crashed to the ground wings broken, but still active. # In the chaos, Ang¡¯s rhino ran near the two headed purple dragon. The beast loosed a concussive combination of ash and fire, forming a rolling cloud that obliterated everything in its path. He attempted a shield rune, but the force sent him flying several meters. A cushion of air caught him and gently placed him on the ground. A volley of elemental bolts bombarded the beast. He looked back to see a cloaked figure with a web of light in front of it. Ang recognized the runes as the same ones Kiliyi would spin. ¡°Mom is that you?¡± Lysyntri lowered her hood and ran to her son. ¡°Ang, the axe, now is the time to unleash its full power.¡± She helped her son to his feet and placed a hand on the handle. ¡°We¡¯ll do it together, WE ARE.¡± ¡°USGRAT!¡± they said in unison. A dark twinkling mass burst from Hue and formed a titanic bull, with large thick horns and a body full of stars. The bull charged the dragon impaling it and slamming it to the ground. ¡°Dad?¡± questioned Ang. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s leave this to him, your friends need help.¡± # On Druvyranya¡¯s back Bassinee pointed, ¡°Look there, that technique, it¡¯s Lysyntri.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s here, then our chances of winning just got a little better,¡± said Vlux. Dungii came flying over. ¡°Meep meep.¡± ¡°Hey Dungii, you did nice work on that dragon, we¡¯ll help you finish it.¡± ¡°Meep meep.¡± They flew to the crippled dragon. It tried to blast them with plasma, but Druvyranya narrowly dodged. Dungii flew right into the beast¡¯s eye, momentarily blinding it, giving them time to land. Vlux stabbed splinter into the ground, growing the thorny tree that latched onto the dragon''s limbs and slammed it to a rock. Drumya charged a powerful palm blast, as Bassinee charged an all-elemental blast. They fired at once, the dragon¡¯s head crushed in the middle, the body disintegrated. # The land wyrm wrought havoc on their remaining forces, tossing boulders and debris everywhere. The overlords blew the horn and continued to advance the Black Knights. Marching close enough that some suffered the effects of the knights crushing auras. A blackbird flew over, laying a thick line of gold silk in front of the army. Azurumene dropped a spark of fire, setting the line ablaze, briefly halting their advance. The birds landed and started evacuating the increasing number of casualties. Thramuny activated Boa¡¯s Anaconda form. The snake wrestled with the wyrm. They dove underground and erupted in a new location, their struggle causing increasing collateral damage. She deactivated, retrieved Boa, and stood before the beast, realizing she had to slay the dragon herself. Eio showed up and clung to her back. ¡°Eio, finally you¡¯re back. I see Tial-Meh¡¯s body is crushed, at least you took the serpent with you.¡± A volley of elemental bolts stunned the wyrm. She looked back to see Ang with an unfamiliar woman. ¡°You have my gratitude, are you the one they call Lysyntri the Spider?¡± ¡°Yes, are you Thramuny the Breeze?¡± ¡°I am and this is Eio the Thunder.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re a storm, the perfect thing to defeat a land wyrm. I¡¯m here to assist.¡± Lysyntri raised her arms and wove hand signs over the top rune of her web of light. She cast a ball of red fire. The beast exhaled a powerful gust, sending it right back. She wove hand signs over another rune deflecting it with a puff of air. ¡°Now I understand why they call you the Spider. I thought only Kiliyi could cast that red fire,¡± said Ang. ¡°The Forge Fire is unique to the Usgrat. It¡¯s difficult to control and dangerous to cast. That¡¯s why I told Kiliyi to only teach it once you grew more skillful.¡± Thramuny and Eio jumped high into the air, her hair standing on end crackling with power. The wyrm swung its long thick tail. Thramuny swung her long piercing braids, shocking and lacerating the beast. Dark energy oozed from the wound. It turned to slash with its long claws but Lysyntri stuck an icicle through it, leaving the claw limp. Thramuny raised Boa and came down on the beast''s skull, cracking it. The dragon screamed as it collapsed, Lysyntri cast Forge Fire, burning its body. The dragons slayed, they turned their attention to the Black knights. The Overlords caught up to the line and began extinguishing the Forge Fire stalling their advance. Lysyntri reactivated and strengthened the wall of fire. All the remaining fighters regrouped. Beaten, bruised, and exhausted, they looked to one another for conviction. Finding it in the eyes of their friends, they stood firm, the small and mighty against overwhelming odds. Abruptly the black knight army parted down the middle and a large black vault rolled down the hill. Even from a distance they all experienced the petrifying horror of a dagger being held to their throats. The masters undid the lock, and the embodiment of terror manifest before them. It squirmed, writhed and crawled forward, wailing with agonizing intensity, extinguishing the wall. Some crumpled over in fear unable to stand. They picked up one another, struggling to support their brethren, to remain strong in the face of malice itself. Then they saw the sign, a small red flair arc across the sky. They turned to see Couraderi suspending its remaining spheres, allowing Kiliyi and her daughters to weave a mass of Forge Fire runes. With a flick of her leg, Kiliyi ignited the Kil cannon sending a wave of red fire that crashed over the Black Knights. The horror¡¯s wail deflected some fire, but it annihilated the rest of the army. The star filled bull charged, gored, and lifted the horror into the air, slamming it down again and again and again. The affront to nature pathetically crying out. A horn of defeat echoed through the night, as the friends made a final push forward, driving the remaining Koru-Ation overlords back to their fortress. 30 - Skies of Fauna 2.0 They won the battle and decimated the Koru¡¯s forces. However, their own forces suffered heavy losses. Using their hard won reprieve to assess damages before attempting a final attack on the fortress. No one except Ang and Dungii noticed Lysyntri fade into the dark and run off, they nodded in mutual agreement and followed her. Dungii used his antennae to track her moving uphill between patches of forest and gravel. Along the way, Ang noticed vaguely familiar runes carved into trees and rocks. They spotted her at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Koru-Ation¡¯s stronghold, drawing a rune on the ground while chanting and holding a glowing orb. At the center of the rune bound to a wood stake idled an unconscious Haxx. ¡°Mom, what are you doing?¡± asked Ang. ¡°Ang! What are you doing here. How did you find me?¡± ¡°Meep.¡± ¡°I see, your friend has potent magic sense.¡± ¡°Mom, can you answer my question, what are you doing?¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to see this. To see this side of me.¡± ¡°MOM! What¡­ are¡­ you¡­ doing? ¡°I can¡¯t stop now. Not after everything I did to prepare for this. You shouldn¡¯t have come here. No one is suppose to be here. I chose to harbor this burden. ¡°What are you doing!¡± demanded Ang. ¡°I¡¯m casting an Oblete spell, it will destroy everything within the circle of runes I¡¯ve drawn. This will put an end to the tyranny of the Koru-Ation. We will be free, this war will end. The pixies and the Satke will reclaim this land, and I know you will be safe to live however you choose.¡± ¡°And what does Haxx have to do with this?¡± ¡°The spell requires a living catalyst to activate. I released Haxx from the Koru¡¯s servitude, but they have already modified his soul, he asked for this. Now please, Ang I must do this. Your friends fought well, and the dragon proved useful, but they don¡¯t have enough power to end this.¡± ¡°So, those runes are for this Oblete spell... I have another question. Why do those runes look like the ones you drew around our village? The ones you told me were for protection.¡± Lysyntri¡¯s voice trembled as she spoke. ¡°Ang, they¡­ they were for protection, they were for your protection. Everything I¡¯ve done was for your protection.¡± He turned to a nearby tree and tore off a sheet of bark. He held it up, eyes wet with anger and betrayal, he shouted. ¡°This rune, first you tell me this rune was for protection, now you tell me it''s for an Oblete spell. You lied to me, you¡¯ve been lying to me.¡± Ang cried out, ¡°Where are the Usgrat!? Where is my family!? What have you done!?¡± ¡°You want to know what I¡¯ve done, here look.¡± Lysyntri waved a glowing hand over Haxx while reciting a short incantation. Black smoky tendrils wove around his body expanding out until the twisted form of a Black Knight appeared. Ang¡¯s knees buckled slightly under the force of the aura but he stood firm, his mother seemed unaffected. ¡°You see, Ang.¡± She drew another rune and returned Haxx to his previous state. ¡°Before you were born, the Usgrat lived on this land. It was a ripe and fertile place until the Koru arrived. They started cutting down forests, enslaving our people, and poisoned the soil, with no provocation. We were captured and injected with malice. It allows them to turn us into those Black Knights with a simple spell. However, I created a rune that could suppress the effects temporarily, allowing us to escape and flee to that island. Those horrid creatures pursued us, but my sister, your aunt, used Obnenio Colm Sceltdor to defeat them and hide our presence. There is no easy way to remove the malice. I tried with many, but most died in the process. The only ones I was successful with were myself, Ongjorni, Yoorei, and Paouni. I knew the Koru would eventually find us and trigger the transformation. So with you on the way, I devised a plan. I enlisted the help of my old friend Kiliyi, and while giving birth to you fractured off a piece of my soul to gift to her. Making her an oversoul¡¯d being, a living Ardin. I set the runes around the village and Ongjorni agreed that should the need arise, I would use his body as the catalyst for Oblete and seal the remainder of his soul within Hue.¡± ¡°So the Usgrat, my family, their...¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Dead, and I killed them.¡± ¡°And the Silver Willow, your sister..?¡± ¡°I foolishly thought I could apparat a tree, but I destroyed her too. You see now, Ang. I¡¯m a terrible person who has done terrible things. I¡¯ve taken so many lives, but it was all for this.¡± She holds up the glowing orb. ¡°All so I could gather the Imdrina to cast this final spell, after that battle, I have everything I need. I¡¯ve failed everyone dear to me, except you. I can save you. I can secure a better future for you. You might hate me but that¡¯s fine, because I love you, and I¡¯ll shoulder this burden, so you don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°No, no mom this isn¡¯t right. This isn¡¯t what I want. The killing has to stop.¡± ¡°And it will with their destruction.¡± ¡°But why can¡¯t we negotiate peace with them?¡± ¡°The Koru-Ation, aren¡¯t just a tribe of humans. They¡¯re a fanatic organization united by a dangerous belief.¡± ¡°We can change people¡¯s beliefs!¡± ¡°Angdraoni, when are you going to learn that life isn¡¯t that simple! Now away with you and that thing!¡± Lysyntri moved to activate the rune. Angdraoni threw a clay ball at her. Reflexively, Lysyntri flicked a bolt of Forge Fire. It passed through the clay ball and on to Ang¡¯s heart. It struck him in the chest. Lysyntri screamed and collapsed. Brek¡¯s protection rune absorbed the red fire and burned away, leaving Ang unscathed. He ran to his mother¡¯s side to find Kiliyi perched beside her neck. ¡°Kiliyi did you poison her?¡± ¡°She did it to protect you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, we¡¯ll just have Bassinee use some antivenom and¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s better this way. I¡­ I almost killed you.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t, we¡­¡± # Her son¡¯s voice grew distant, and her vision became hazy, but she saw a recognizable figure next to her son. ¡°You¡¯re here, and Sprinli too, I see that now.¡± ¡°Yes, mom I¡¯m here, I¡¯m not leaving.¡± ¡°Meep, meep¡± ¡°I thought that I shattered your soul, but you reassembled the pieces, and have been with him all this time, protecting him with your veil. Thank you so much My¡­ no that¡¯s not who you are anymore. Please continue to protect your friend¡­ Dungii.¡± ¡°Meep meep.¡± She saw many shapes emerge from behind the trees. ¡°Everyone, you¡¯re all still here, protecting my son.¡± ¡°Mom, these are Kiliyi¡¯s daughters, my stepsisters.¡± ¡°I see now, I didn¡¯t fail. Your family is much closer than you realize. Together we kept you safe, even from me. Ang lay Hue on my body.¡± Tears streaming down his face, Ang sets the axe on his mother''s belly. ¡°He who breathes life into the world, I¡¯m coming to you. Kiliyi, thank you for always watching over him, you know what you must do. Ang, I¡¯m sorry for not being the mother you knew. Now I¡¯m going to restore the power of this axe. Don¡¯t live a life full of malice. Be happy in whatever you choose to do, and whoever you choose to call friend. I love you. Remember you are the child of the Usgrat.¡± Lysyntri¡¯s body dissolved into light that entered the axe, traveled through the braided handle, and materialized into another blade, making Hue a double-edged axe. Ang picked it up, closed his eyes, and held it close to his chest. He could see his mother in the blue dress, his father, uncle, his whole family, and though he had never seen her before, he knew exactly who the lady with the magpie on her shoulder was. ¡°Meep meep.¡± He opened his eyes, to see Kiliyi poised to activate the rune. ¡°Wait.¡± He grabbed the glowing orb, stood up, and walked over to Haxx. He observed, his ragged shallow breaths, gaunt face, and frail state. He knew what needed to be done. Ang placed the orb in the center of the rune, stepped out of the circle, and nodded to Kiliyi. # They solemnly made their way back to the others. Brek ran up to Ang, their expressions almost identical. ¡°Ang, I¡¯ve been looking for you, it''s Vlux she...¡± Ang pushed passed him and ran to where everyone gathered. They saw him coming and moved aside to show Vlux laying on the ground, her body shaking, hands clutching the tome. ¡°Ang, I have to return Home to you.¡± Ang knelt next to her and delicately received the book. ¡°Brek, here take Splinter, you¡¯re in charge now.¡± ¡°Vlux, it¡¯s done, we¡¯ve won. My mom saw an end to it. The land is ours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. I knew she was coming. I saw it when I used Gift Babel on you. Why do you have that look on your face? Where¡¯s that stupid smile I learned to love? Their, that¡¯s better, that¡¯s the Ang I remember. The one that saved me from the Koru, took me across the ocean to the Land Behind the Sea, got me captured and brought to a city in the sky, and found a freaking dragon for me to ride. Thank you, everyone for being my friend. I leave the rest to you.¡± Vlux went limp, Bassinee screamed and held her body close. The pixies gathered around, trying to console her. Ang placed the tome in his satchel, stood up and walked away with no more tears left to cry. Thramuny saw Drumya sitting alone clutching himself. She walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Drumya?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel him anymore. I¡¯m all alone. I have no more family left.¡± She crouched in front of him. ¡°That isn¡¯t true, look there, you have plenty of friends. And maybe when we get back to Kyxichen we can start a new family, Drumya the Dragon.¡± Thramuny the Breeze, and Drumya the Dragon looked into each other¡¯s eyes and shared a kiss as the sun rose on a greener land. Epilogue - Our World Alive Kartegus and Zurtegus, patched up Couraderi as best they could. The vessel, having suffered extensive damage needed to return to its garden. It was at least flight worthy. So having said their goodbye¡¯s, those from Kyxichen and Kebv, including the birds loaded up on the vessel and flew across the ocean. Azurumene armed with new knowledge was able to treat a newborn afflicted with Elucidetris. Thramuny and Drumya ventured into Tial-Meh¡¯s old domain and found an egg floating on a luminescent underground lake. Angdraoni decided to return to his island of origin with Brek, Dungii, and Kiliyi. They flew to the grove where the Silver Willow once stood, and searched the area. Ang picked up half a purple crystal.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Brek do you think this is it?¡± he called. ¡°Yes, that looks like the focus, let me see it.¡± Ang passed it to him. "Hmm, I''ve never seen anything like this before." "Azurumene might know something about a purple crystal. If not him then maybe Zurtegus." "We just got here let''s look around a little more. Maybe your mom left a clue about where she was trying to take the Silver Willow." They continued to search the area until night fell. Then moved to the clearing, where Ang''s village once stood. They sat on top of the mushroom, while Dungii sang a song, Ang didn''t remember teaching him. Stretching his arm over Brek''s shoulders, they gazed up at the moon where Ang swore he saw a little blue whale swimming across the sky.