《Gray Familiar》


 Ch 1: Two drops

    A scorching light shined the sand, tips of brittle and purple crystals of the barren land below, enveloping the ground into a spectacle of dancing sparkles. For a mere second, until a blob made out of blue liquid smashed like a falling meteorite.


    Instead of a crater, a puddle stretched over a large distance and small droplets bounced into the sky poured softly back, gently waking up the figure that stood in the middle of the crash. The disheveled girl groaned, feeling her body like it was trying to wrap her bones into a compact package. She spent her first few seconds awake trying to remember how to breathe, and the next minutes how joints bend. Her thin legs could barely hold her up straight, and her knees were shaking, almost ready to give out, while her head was pounding from a headache, and to make matters worse, the land was rude to her, spinning around like a wild tumbleweed.


    It took a while, but slowly and surely, her body recovered bit by bit, lowering the internal shaking from an earthquake to an old locomotive. After several attempts, she found a stable standing position, stretching her scratched hands to balance herself. Even her eyes stopped whirling frantically, and the girl could finally fixate her gaze on something. Unfortunately for her, the land had only a selection of only dunes, cracked lands, crystal constructs and the puddle she was in.


    A single attempt to step forward was enough to make her lose her minuscule tie with balance; enough to make her topple forward and just as she was about to plant face-first into the murky soil, the water moved on its own and caught her with a pair of gelatinous hands. It jiggled and waved frantically while trying to hold the girl steady. Soon after, the semblance of body started to form from the puddle, slowly building a shape.


    Liquid tendrils spiraled around in strings of helices, joining each other at points; after the construct had a design, the water became stiffer, going through a solidification process. It took only a few seconds, but it swiftly towered over the girl¡¯s height, being almost twice as big as her. After it formed what seemed like a gray skeleton made out of clay, the water started to replicate more parts of the body.


    From the bottom, clay and liquid wrapped around the skeleton, with two short, stubby legs materializing first, followed by a broad torso and chest. Two people side by side could almost cover the wide body of the creature. As soon as the hands started to form, its back hunched and the limbs didn¡¯t stop growing until they touched the ground. The creature could stay only arch forward from the base of the neck as if dragged down by the oversized arms, which grew larger and broader as it got to the palms.


    After it achieved its transformation, the creature took a few steps backward, trying to put some distance between itself and the girl, while hiding where its head should be with the right hand. All the remaining water gathered and traveled up to piece together the last part of the being: a neckless, hairless head, with elongated bumps to each side, and a yellow eye, shaped like a diamond, covering half of the face.


    The girl froze on the spot at the sight of the being, unable to comprehend what it was or what was happening. Before her mind could understand the situation, her body reacted without input, and she broke the tension with a harmless question.


    Redhead girl- ¡°Og¡­Ogda?¡±


    The creature she called Ogda continued to stare at her, without blinking, moving or making any noise from its mouthless head; a firm statue made out of clay and water. A nagging thought worm made her doubt her memory for a moment, and suspicion about the being. ¡°I¡­what did I say? A name? It¡¯s name?¡±, thought the young woman, whose mind was racing through scenario after scenario, food for a growing sentiment of uneasiness.


    Her self-inflicted panic paralysis was dispelled when a red, transparent, outline of her body separated from Lian. A hallucination, more than likely, but one that also seemed to know this ¡°Ogda¡±, as it gently petted his arm. The red outline disappeared after she scrubbed her eyes, but it left a lingering feeling inside her. ¡°Ogda¡­the name is familiar but also...incomplete¡­¡±


    Whatever it was, the girl knew its name, but not what it was, only that they possibly had a common history. Thoughts and facts in order, she gathered that Ogda was a being made of water, but somehow limited now. Once Lian came back from her trance, her ears perked up and finally managed to capture the muffled sounds coming to his head.


    ¡°Is he saying something?¡±, thought the girl, now trying to calm down Ogda, who started to panic and flail his arms around in very slow swings. That, combined with his lack of balance in his body, made his foreshadowed tumble a reality.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    While dropping, his rigid hands swiped both a rock and purple crystal, shattering both of them without a hinge; that didn¡¯t wake him from his statuesque condition, a clear sign that the creature wasn¡¯t in full control of his body. ¡°At least not at this stage in his lifespan¡±, came to mind as a smaller version of Ogda blinked in her head


    Redhead girl - ¡°You¡¯ve lost control of your rigidification, Ogda. Remember? Just blink if you understand what I¡¯m saying.¡±


    Ogda could only hear from the left side, but his partner''s voice brought him an immediate sense of nostalgia and discipline, which moved his attention back to her. He didn¡¯t know or need to know why, but his gut feeling was telling him that whatever she said, he was to follow, as the young woman was always right.


    ¡° Good, good¡±, she repeated in a mild succession, trying to praise him and bring him to a calm disposition. ¡°Now, stop squirming and try to liquefy your body. Can you focus on just one part?¡±


    He blinked once in agreement.


    Redhead girl- ¡°Focus on your head then, part by part, try to reverse the solidified parts a few steps backward, ok? Think of a wave, of how it hits the shore, then it slowly drags itself back into the ocean¡±. The metaphor hit close to home for Ogda, whose image of a tide mellowed his nerves and stiff head.


    Just as she asked, he started to change his body structure, from the top coursing down, slowly, until he sensed the tip of his hove-like legs. Now that he could use his gaze without panicked fear, Ogda¡¯s mind sprung into action and do what felt natural: sweep the surrounding area, checking for any kind of danger that might hurt the girl. It felt strange but to him, the main drive of his being was to keep her safe and sound, a command he felt throughout his entire body.


    Ogda- ¡°Lian¡­you are not hurt, are you?¡±, he asked, even though a mouth was still missing. As soon as both of them heard the question, bits and pieces of the answer came flooding into their minds, as if prepared when a trigger word or sentence was uttered. Three pieces of things were made clear to both.


    -They¡¯ve known each other for years now.


    -The question came from a being much larger than Ogda¡¯s, so it might that his appearance has changed somehow from how he was before they got here.


    -This was not their world.


    ¡°There were others. I remember shapes, hands, fingers¡±, added Lian with a dazed look on her face. ¡° I don¡¯t know if they were humans or beings like you.¡±


    ¡°Human? So you are a human?... Right¡±, Ogda acknowledged, as if trying to sort it out for himself. A few seconds of silence later, he asks, just to clear his mind of it: ¡° And I am not a human, correct?¡±


    Lian- ¡°I¡­don¡¯t think so. Humans aren¡¯t made out of water¡±, she added before realizing her mistake and swiftly snapped a correction,¡± Just out of water!... Let¡¯s leave it at I¡¯m the human and you¡¯re still a mystery, ok? And I do remember something else, though, you being bigger.¡±


    At which Ogda pondered for a bit, pointed towards Lian, and brought up how he already was bigger than her.


    Lian- ¡°Well, bigger than the current you¡±.


    The creature stretched his head to take a closer look at his body, feeling more inquisitive about it than what happened to them. Until a familiar snap of the fingers brought his attention back to the girl. While his memories lay dormant, his attachment and loyalty to his companion appeared as if they were imprinted into his being.


    -¡±Correct¡±, replied Ogda in a hurry.¡° So¡­what do we do now?¡±


    None of them had any clue about the barren wasteland they seemed to have appeared into. The mystery about the land was even weirder, as both had recollections about a world they lived in, but it was so much different from the one they found themselves in.


    ¡°Everything is not just different, but feels wrong¡±, remarked Lian. She scoured the horizon and investigated the cloudy, blue sky and it just gave her shivers down her spine. It was alien, everything about the place felt out of place.


    ¡­


    The first hypothesis was that they either appeared out of nowhere or fell from the sky. From where exactly, neither could tell nor why even they dropped from such a height. Lian proposed that maybe Ogda could fly; maybe he was capable of turning into vapors, perhaps some cloud form? But the creature wasn¡¯t thrilled to test out the theory- ¡± Truth be told, I¡¯m still having trouble keeping this form. I didn¡¯t want to say, but I lost a leg a minute ago¡­ It got too solid and cracked from my body¡­I¡¯m still trying to connect it back¡­¡±


    The second hypothesis was that something forced them to leave their world to this one, ¡°or an explosion thrust us here!¡± The girl was racking her head with countless scenarios, trying to remember anything about the last few hours, days or even months at least. But nothing; ¡± I mean, look at it¡±, Lian cried in fury, ¡°the sky isn¡¯t even right. It¡¯s blue, and it has flying things, clouds, and three moons.¡±


    -¡± Actually it¡¯s two moons and a submoon¡±, interjected Ogda.


    Lian -¡± Submoon¡­what are you talking about?¡±


    He used his second, middle finger to properly point towards his observation-¡± Yes, if you look closely, it has two big moons and the little one is the submoon of the right one. It¡¯s also called a moonmoon.¡±


    Lian¡¯s irritation gradually lowered, and she managed to calm down a bit-¡± Oh¡­a moonmoon¡±, she remarked quietly. ¡°That''s kinda cute. I remember our world having something similar, right?¡±


    Ogda was unsure about that and asked her if she was sure about it. Lian, a bit disappointed that there was a bit of discrepancy between their memories, decided to shrug the issue away for the time being.


    Their surveying of the sky brought their attention towards two birds flying very low past a dune nearby. ¡°Maybe towards a drinking source?¡±. So, for now, the two decided to pick that direction and move towards it.

 Ch 2: Transformation

    Ogda''s large figure was a hiking blessing for the duo, as he covered more ground, while insisting that Lian get a free ride on his back. ¡°You humans are very frail. I remember that¡±, he added with a look that wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer.


    -" So stretching limbs or your torso for more than a few centimeters is out of the picture? And what about pain or tiredness? Do you feel any of those?"


    The giant pinched different parts of his body, but his stolid face remained unchanging as always. He then tried to hit himself, both in solid and liquid forms. Pain, checked as nonexistent. Fear of death, though, was now a normally crippling concept for the being.


    -" I feel¡­weird. It''s not pain, like you described that feeling. It''s more like little shakes traveling across my body. It''s, uhm, making me feel not¡­linked? I don''t know how else to explain it, but if you hit me hard enough, I might crumble. Does that make any sense to you?" he asked, without hope for a clear answer.


    For the girl, some parts made sense, but there were still many more mysteries surrounding Ogda that Lian couldn''t wrap her mind around. He was of liquid matter, with the ability to change his body elements while retaining his mind. But at the same time, he wasn''t invulnerable; everything about him was peculiar, but he could be hurt, damaged. The girl, now trapped in her train of thought, automatically disregarded the world around her and conducted that ride without paying any attention to her surroundings.


    In turn, Ogda was leading his path toward the middle of an internal crisis, started by a combination of uneasiness and self-doubt about his abilities. Just because he could stretch easily, he became convinced that the rest of the body should be able to do the same. All the while, drums of angst were beating hard inside his mind- " What if I need to catch her from falling off a cliff¡­or from the sky again¡­or from being mauled by something weird¡­", he questioned himself, stretching his body back and forth.


    -" Ogda?", she asked calmly. But no response.


    -'''' Hey, Ogdaaa¡­", the girl tried a second, third, and fourth time, but the monster was trapped in imaginary scenarios. Recognizing the pattern, Lian tried several ways to grab his attention, waving at him, poking him with a stick, hurting her foot while trying to kick him.


    -" AmIuseless, canIdoanything, whatcanIdo?", repeated the monster inside his mind until another voice replied, from a void that Ogda never realized existed. "... You can¡­middle one¡­ Steady the meniscus and become still!" With a frozen look on his face, immediately came out of his trance and finally heard Lian''s yells, who was now on his back, trying desperately for a while to wake him up from his stupor. After her latest shout, she could feel his body wobbling, then faster, trembling now, making small waves appear all around. Until he suddenly stopped and crumbled back into a puddle.


    -" Ogda! Ogda, can you hear me? Are you¡­ Ogda¡­", she cried out with a break in her voice, then louder and faster, repeating his name in the water in front of her. She didn''t recognize the feeling at first, but it was familiar to her, as if meeting an old friend whose face you forgot.


    The red outline stretched a finger and swirled it in the puddle in front. Out of desperation, fear of remaining alone or other motifs, Lian quickly did as the outline indicated. She then felt a sting behind her cornea, and something invisible felt like it dropped from her finger.  Nothing then happened for ten eternal seconds.


    Before the darker thoughts could hit the surface, a tired growl brought her relief like she hadn''t felt in a while. Ogda''s head was the first that reformed from the puddle but looked a lot more translucent than before. A thin, gray, coating covered the outer layer of his body, while the interior was moving around, with small bubbles bursting from time to time.


    -" Oh¡­hi Lian," he claimed dejectedly, but even with his one eye, she could tell that he felt some type of pain. Lying about his well-being, he tried to reform to his previous form, but the girl stopped him and asked him to describe how his head felt. "My head?... A bit of lighter, I guess." He tilted it a bit to the left, then right. A memory came back to him, of a figure familiar to him. One he couldn''t mimic entirely, but it made him feel more at home. "How should I put it? It''s like¡­I no longer feel as though I have to keep on trying to hold on from falling apart."


    After he explained the figure from his memory, the two decided on how to proceed next. With help from his partner, Ogda formed the blurb in his mind, then applied it to his real body, while Lian described if the images matched. First, a thin skeletal frame from which to start the body. Most of the inner fillings should remain liquid, except from his legs, half of his arms and to wrap it all up in a thin layer.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    What resulted from it was a smaller version, a head at least, of his previous form, with thin, but sturdy legs, while his arms were still wide in the width of the palm, but less bulky. He was hunching forward, but he could stand upright without relying on his arm planted to the ground to keep him stable. However it seemed, he felt like he grew.


    ¡­.


    A few hours have passed since they started this long walk, and the landscape barely changed from their leaving point. Lands filled with cracks and maybe some wilted wild plants here and there, covered by a blanket of dust, which sparkled in thousands of colors. And no beings both on land or in the sky, just rocks of different pastels, minerals rising like flowers from the earth.


    At first, they did it as a jest, something to do to pass the time, but after taking a gulp, Ogda found that he could "eat" the crystals, or dissolve them inside him somehow. If he concentrated hard enough, the rocks would just slip through his hand and travel until they reached his belly. But while one hunger pang was solved, Lian struggled with hers. "Maybe¡­one bite", she thought, longingly staring at a crimson pebble. " Or maybe don''t", replied Ogda, after catching her eyeing the rock for too long.


    To their luck, a few hours later a cousin of Lady Luck gave them a small reprise in the form of a little pond, just as they hoped. The oasis was hidden between the dunes, shielded by the wind and prying eyes, except for the few flying critters.


    At the pond, they found some clean water, carcasses of dead birds, and some shellfish creatures munching on them. In a different life, or time, the girl might have been squeamish at the sight of the slimy creatures, but this wasn¡¯t then. After boiling and frying some of them, Lian remembered the taste of fish, and it wasn¡¯t anything like it. Just sour, dry, and crunchy from being overcooked. The feast brought other thoughts to mind, though. She realized that old smells were  a mystery, anything that could be sweet or bitter, nothing as simple as a soup even. Whatever her life was beforehand, it was a passing world right now. But the same could be said about her current existence.


    After the break, the two thought about hatching a plan on how to move onward. Ogda dissolved the interior of some of the rocks and used them to carry water. Lian filled the new containers with everything she deemed useful, like plants, sharp rocks, and water from the pond. That was also the first time she finally managed to see the stranger she was, green eyes to green eyes.


    The pond¡¯s surface wasn¡¯t crystal clear, but it was enough for her to see her face, her bruised cheeks, forehead, how her crimson bangs reached her shoulders, but the rest of her hair was ravished, oily, and parts of it randomly ripped probably at the crash. She also mirrored the rest of her body, seeing her ragged clothes from different angles, the long, white shirt and pants reaching her knees, covered with dirt and holes. ¡° I¡¯ll need something tougher¡­and with more colors¡±. She repeated the names of the clothes several times, adding new remembered ones as well with each repetition, but that¡¯s about all she gained from the fabrics. Nothing else triggered like before.


    To their surprise, sundown caught up to them in just a few minutes, and the sky''s blue hue became darker in tone like it was dialed in. Both of them agreed without even talking to start up a camp and spend the night there. The day was harsh, but the night in the desert was much more dangerous and colder than any could imagine. Beasts that preserved their energy for the nightly hunt started now to roam the rocky wasteland for their next meal. The girl was a bit chilly, but she tried to fight it at the fire they prepared. Neither, though, felt tired enough to beat the anxiety they felt about their surroundings. And it was well founded, as just as the last rays of light hit the tip of the opposite dune of the oasis, a sudden wave of sand came rushing down from it. Their eyesight was still adjusting, but they caught three figures on top of it, sliding downwards.


    -¡± Hide!¡±, commanded Ogda in a harsh, grave tone, unused until then. Even though he lacked a mouth, his body imitated the growl and cry of a monster preparing for battle.


    Lian, while objecting under her breath, knew that whatever plan she might concoct, or attempt to fight back was meaningless. She was far too weak, Ogda¡¯s memory far too broken and the figures far too unknown. Nothing that could ensure their survival came quickly enough, and she just hid. At the same time, a rogue thought of running on her own brushed by, something that left her with a deep shame afterward.


    Ogda, crouched over on fours, tried to make himself look bigger by arching his back like a giant cat. If they were wild creatures, maybe appealing to their instinct would scare them away. But he also prepared himself for battle. As one of the shadows reached the bottom, they stopped in their tracks when they saw Ogda on the other side. A second later the other two crouched next to the first, and slowly moved towards him. But their target stood steadfast, trying to keep an eye on all of them. He tried a loud growl, which landed on deaf ears, but then something weird happened.


    Two of them split alongside the bank of the oasis, while the third dived into it. They were coordinating. Planning. ¡°But so do many wild packs'''', thought Lian. Still, what if though?


    The girl clutched her hands together and saw how easily the attackers dodged the rocks Ogda threw at them. Same with his attempt at hitting them with his elongated arms. The creatures were not just adept at fighting, hunting, or whatever else, but experts, way out of their league. Lian knew that her next move was a gamble, but either way, both could be killed in a second. She got on her feet and ran as fast as she could, yelling out ¡° Wait, wait!¡±.


    The two figures stopped, surprised and unsure of what to do next. The pleas from the girl missed the third one though, who couldn¡¯t hear anything from underwater. As soon as he got to the edge of the water, he jumped out of it and tried to strike Ogda at the base of his neck. Or that was his plan until a yellow chain grabbed his striking hand.


    -¡± Stop! That isn¡¯t our target. It¡¯s not the wild one!¡±


    The man clad in weird armor took a better look at Ogda, and then at Lian as well. He sighted and retracted his claws back into his gauntlets, and without even addressing what just happened, drops nonchalantly in front of the two and asks a simple, but also convoluted, question.


    -¡± So, have you seen a giant creature with 4, I mean it when I say, ginormous legs around here?¡±

 Ch 3: Titan hunt

    Veiled under the care of night, and with only the bonfire¡¯s light to illuminate the intruders, Lian mistook the attacker for another human for a brief moment. After a second glance, though, they were more than just though; the one with a dagger next to Ogda¡¯s head had thin, bony arms, veiled in a bandage of gray fabrics and straps. They dangled to the ground, and covered parts of the brown leather armor on his torso. But then she noticed his legs, which bent forward at the knees without him crouching. The attacker''s suit ended with a helmet, elongated like a bird''s beak.


    His associates, who kept their distance, were probably similar to him, or at least that¡¯s what Lian¡¯s hunches told her. She got her answer the moment the one with the chains made them disappear in thin air.


    Stranger 1 -¡± Goidel, let¡¯s mind our manners first and properly greet these strangers¡±, proposed the feline helmeted warrior. ¡°Also remember to put your weapon away this time.¡± He was the shortest of three, wider in frame and had a puffy, short tail; a somewhat ¡°cute¡± detail that the duo noticed about him.


    After the remark, the beaked attacker changed his stance as easily as one changes socks and mellowed out instantly. His angry frown quickly flat lined, and his words again quickened with each one that came out.


    -¡± Oh right. Mymistake Captain.¡± replied Goidel. Afterward, he tried to apologize to the duo, but from his quick barrage of sentences, only the first one was understandable. ¡°Sorryyoutwo. I¡¯m still a, uhm. Right. Also, sorry, fortryingtoattack you... big guy.¡±


    -¡±No¡­problem¡­¡± Ogda said while turning his head towards Lian for help. The girl could only shrug, as she also barely understood a word.


    The two were more at ease now, a bit confused, but still, the liquid guardian kept his guard up just in case. The third member presented himself in a hurry as Blitz, not even bothering to wait for their reply. He seemed more eager to return to the dune than to chit-chat, as he fidgeted around with gauntlets and metallic plates on his back. The Captain raised his neck to talk with him and after what seemed like a short, but intense exchange, he flew back from where he came.


    Captain -¡± Sorry for Blitz, he¡¯s more of a straight-laced kind of guy when we are on a mission. When it comes to stuff like this, head¡¯s always in a cloud with him. So, anyway, what brings a little human girl and uhm¡­¡±


    Ogda -¡± Hello. I¡¯m Ogda.¡±


    Captain -¡± Ogda. Are you two lost or¡­what? How did you even enter this layer? The Captain tried to maintain a friendly tone, but he was definitely interrogating the two. Unbeknownst to them, it looks like they somehow managed to trespass in this somewhere besides getting lost.


    Lian was a bit weirded out about how direct yet pleasant the stranger tried to be; it was clear that he had experience with similar situations. ¡°But he still has more information¡­ How much should we say and how much can he hide?¡±


    The feline warrior, after giving them some moments to reply, tried another approach: to guess their deal. ¡°Or are you another fresh batch of a Fetch pair that¡¯s too eager to go on an ¡°adventure¡± ?¡±, with heavy quotation marks at the end.


    Both of them shared confused glances between them, still unsure of the trio. Lian was prepared to invent a whole story out of the blue, but Ogda took a leap of faith with the Captain.


    Ogda -¡± No, we¡¯re not. We don¡¯t even know what that is, to be honest. It¡¯s just that we woke up in this desert a while ago and¡­¡±, he pauses to see if Lian wanted to intervene, but she kept a pressuring gaze on the interrogator- ¡°and that¡¯s about it. We were just trying to find a way out of here.¡±


    -¡± Hmm, weird¡±, replied the Captain, scratching his chin while caught in thought. ¡° Little girl, is that right?¡±


    But Lian kept quiet, racking her brain about everything. More weird creatures, more foreign terms, more that¡¯s out of the ordinary. ¡° I¡¯m uhm¡­ I guess I agree¡±, her stumbling words made the beaked warrior scribble down furiously some notes, a raise of suspicion on his part and the girl caught on to it. He appeared absent from the conversation, but in truth paid a lot of attention to their reactions. So the girl took a deep breath to calm down and tried to replicate a projection of confidence. ¡° Sorry for that, just a bit jittery from the¡­attack, I guess. So before we say anything, can you tell us who you are?¡±


    The Captain''s polite smile broke for a bit, jolted from her sudden change, but right away got back to his jolly self; ¡± Right, looks like I¡¯m catching some of Goidel¡¯s and Blitz¡¯s people skills. ¡°


    -¡± It¡¯s always easier this way¡±, chipped in his colleague with a friendly snark.


    Captain -¡± The name¡¯s Krass, and I¡¯m the elected Captain for this mission. We are members of a little rescue and exploration team from a group from the eastern continental layer. Are you at least familiar with that?¡±


    -¡± Krass¡­ Captain¡­sir? Which do you prefer?¡±, asked Ogda.


    -¡± All of them at once if possible¡±, replied Krass in jest.


    -¡± I guess Captain is proper¡±, said Goidel earnestly.


    -¡± INTERIM IS THE CORRECT ONE!¡± yelled Blitz from far away, to which Krass replied by chucking a bone fragment thrown at the speed of a flying bullet. For them, it was a normal interaction, but seen from the outside it was way over the top and a bit disturbing. Which the Captain realized after seeing the looks on their faces.


    Captain -¡± Wait, don¡¯t be frightened! He¡¯s got fancy radar and super hearing, he can easily dodge that. It¡¯s a normal thing between us.¡±


    Goidel, with a trembling smirk, tried to appease their worries, but he at the same time seemed kinda tired of having this task on his plate besides everything else.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    -¡± Ooook¡±, said Lian in an unwilling, high-pitched tone. ¡° So, I¡¯m Lian, and as you guessed I¡¯m a human. At the moment, I¡¯m looking for more like me, and Ogda is helping me out. Do you know if there are other people, humans, in this¡­layer?¡± The girl finally caught on to the weirdness of the word used to describe the land. Is that how these people separated the borders between places?


    Captain -¡± Yeah, you could say that. We¡¯ve got two humans in our group. A lady who helped us form the Platinum Union, and her son is a member...in training. A trainee; If you want, you could meet them...in exchange for some answers. So, do you mind if we go back to my first question? Can you explain now how you entered this quarantined layer?¡±


    Lian wanted to take Ogda aside and hatch a story, but they were already set up in the roles of travelers who just met in the desert.¡± And, to be honest, I¡¯m not sure why I want to beat around the bush that much¡±, the girl admonished herself. ¡° I should follow Ogda on this one and be a little more trusting¡­in measured bites, though.¡±


    As the girl gained the needed confidence to explain her situation, a loud yell from the ridge of the dune replaced the gathered tension with another concern now. Blitz finally found their real target.


    ¡­


    Captain -¡± Huh. The lucky bells do seem to toll for the patient. We¡¯ll continue this later on. For now, we¡¯ve got work to do. And try to run, or not, I don¡¯t mind either way. Goidel, let¡¯s move!¡±


    The quiet fighter nodded a short goodbye and followed his Captain, leaving the two unsure of what to do. They could flee in the direction they came from¡­but guessed that Blitz would catch up with them in flight. And whatever minuscule dialogue and connection they built, would be thrown out the window in the blink of an eye.


    -¡± I think we can, well, not trust them entirely, but at least give them a chance?¡±, mentioned Ogda, sheepishly trying to convince Lian. And to his surprise, the young woman agreed with him with a burst that surprised him.


    Lian- ¡° Ugh, I almost blew our chance with my paranoia, buddy. Sorry, by the way¡±, she said, in a tired, remorseful tone.


    Ogda-  ¡°Not true, you were right to be suspicious. No mistakes on your end¡±, he quickly retorted, feeling a bit of hurt by her apologies. Before either could add more, a roar came from where the warrior went toward.


    Unbeknownst to Lian and Ogda, the dune was steeper on the other side, forming a valley of ten meters in height, at least. More than enough to destroy a falling vehicle. Krass and Goidel leaped with no hesitation in their feet, landing about halfway down and sliding the rest of the way. Blitz followed them in a way that surprised Lian.


    The metallic fighter had a peculiar armor and gear on his back, which at first seemed a cosmetic accessory from afar. But once activated, the gear appeared way too advanced for what the rest were sporting: Blitz had a sort of propulsion jet grafted into his back and thin-bladed wings, which he used to glide and fly around with.


    Lian -¡± Ogda, do you recognize that?¡±, not really expecting a clear answer. He shook his head but did mention that it seemed familiar. ¡° So do I buddy.¡±


    Curiosity was still ingrained in the two, and they settled to get a better view from the top of the dune; ¡° I think it¡¯s actually called a-¡±, Ogda remembered and tried to remark before his word being stolen by Lian ¡°Parabolic dune? I knew this one, point for me¡±, she smirked cheekily before her nose was stung by a putrid smell. It stung her nostrils from that high up and almost knocked on her back from the surprise hit.


    At the base the situation wasn¡¯t rosier, the soil was blanketed by a shade of dark green, emptied of sand or rocks. The pungent smell came from deep underneath it, through cracks that split the festering land. Krass and Goidel were using metal bars dropped by Blitz to poke and search for something. In the meantime, he was surveying the area, keeping a bird''s eye on the surroundings. And it didn¡¯t take him long to notice sudden shifts in the ground, with the cracks becoming wider at breakneck speed.


    Short tremors soon followed, and the fighters on the ground ran away on opposite sides, waiting to enact their plan. A beastly leg broke the upper crust, spreading dirt around as if it was blown away by a geyser. A monster was slowly rising from its slumber, showing first its thin legs that arched at where an elbow should be. But there didn¡¯t seem to be any bones in this creature, just four elongated worm-like attachments, which lifted a rocky, mound-like- body. Except at its curvature, where it was perfectly disc-like.


    It didn¡¯t make any guttural noises, and it seemed to lack eyes, or a mouth, or anything that could make you guess where its face was. Or if it even had one. But weird sounds did come out of it. Whenever an arm moved, it creaked like an old, unoiled machine. By the time it finished lifting, its shadow covered up the middle point of the large dune.


    ¡­


    Blitz was the first to draw blood, to Krass'' annoyance. The flier pointed his gauntlets at the being and shot it with small projectiles, fired from tips of his weapons. Unlike the rest, his gauntlets were much thicker, with holes in them, and he could modify their form to whatever projectile launcher he wanted, as his next attack was a barrage of cannons to cripple the legs.


    With the spring-like shape of his legs, Goidel launched himself into a large leap right on top of the monster and used his daggers to slice off pieces of the rocky skin. Underneath all of this, Krass was keeping the foe distracted and confused with his speed and agility to dodge all of its attacks. Whatever properties his golden chain had, it looked like it put a spell on the beast at the beginning of the fight.


    His arms were folded and chains started to emanate from his body while he whispered a hushed chant. The golden bonds flew right into the monster while linking the two together, and ever since, the foe completely ignored the other two team members. Every stump it did was in an attempt to crush the small runner. Every swipe that missed him, and every turn was to keep up with him, while the warrior was distracting it with small slices to the appendices.


    At some point, Goidel yelled out as loudly as he could, letting them know that he found something and used the metal rod from the beginning to mark a spot. Afterward, all three chose the nearest leg and attacked its joint. A trio attack formed by an explosion, clean slice and the finishing touch, Krass punching it off entirely.


    With that, the beast fell to the ground. The three then converged at the point made by Goidel and started to dig deeper into the layers of its body. While they were quite far away, both Ogda and Lian were a bit surprised to see no traces of blood or meat being thrown out, mostly just pieces of a shell of stone and crystals. Goidel was the first to find what they were looking for, violently pulling out of the carcass.


    It was a pod or cocoon made out of blue minerals, with vines that pulsated like veins traveling alongside its outer parts.


    Blitz grabbed the cocoon and brought it back to the oasis for something from their traveling equipment: a timely-prepared metallic box to deposit the cocoon into. After which, as blas¨¦ as possible, Krass tried to return to his questioning of the two spectators. Unfortunately for him, their spectacle left quite an impression on the duo.


    Lian -¡± What was that? Did you ju¡­how did you fight it off so easily? Did you kill it?¡± The girl¡¯s reserved nature from before evaporated and her curious nature started to act up.


    Captain -¡± Yeah, hold on, give me a moment. That was the target we thought your friend over here was at first¡±, he mentioned, pointing towards Ogda. ¡° We fight these kinds of beasts from time to time. Not to brag or anything, but we are professionals, you know.¡± Krass paused for a second to catch his breath. He then eyed the two, unsure of them anymore. Both behaved too mysterious for his liking but were also way too curious and naive about everything, like it was their first day at, well, everything.


    Goidel seemed to harbor the same suspicions and even glanced back at Krass to ask what they should do. The Captain was pondering, scratching his chin while attempting to put his thoughts in order.


    Captain -¡± Listen, before I answer more of your questions, I gotta ask something from you. Can you be a bit more cooperative? I would like to help you out, but I need to trust you, at least for a little. I need some truths out of you. Not your life story, nothing too in-depth, but just something."


    Ogda was unsure if Lian would want to cover for this with another lie, but, to his surprise, the girl took the initiative and explained their situation.


    Captain -¡± Memory loss? Both of you?¡±


    Ogda -¡± Uhm¡­yeah. We don¡¯t know how or why, but it seems that way.¡±


    The Captain contemplated her story for a bit, but for the first time, he felt like Lian was finally not playing a cat-and-mouse game. ¡°I never heard of it, but it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if there is memory-altering stuff out there.¡±


    He then left the two to talk with the team about it.


    Captain -¡± We¡¯ve decided to bring you back with us. So, to make it official, would you like to visit our home base¡­as guests?¡±

 Vol 1 Ch 4: Portals made for walking

    Lian -"Where are we going?¡±, she asked after hours of watching the same barren vistas and weirdly slow rising sun.


    Blitz scoffed at her question and sent angry scowls at the rest to make the duo less chatty. The Captain was almost ready to bite back until Goidel gently elbowed him. - ¡°He is kinda right, you know? I understand that you want to play your games with them, but she is also in the right to be curious.¡±


    Krass -¡± Well, miss, I don¡¯t get the opportunity that often to wow people with what comes next, so what do you say we play a traveling game to pass the time ?¡± He then used his cat characteristics to charm the duo with his big, round eyes.


    Ogda was immediately persuaded and agreed. Lian, yawning from a night of barely sleeping, lazily waved her palm up and down.


    Krass -¡± Questions then! You get to ask one, and we serve it back. Alright?¡±, to which both nodded. ¡°And none about our current destination. You first.¡±


    Lian -¡± Bastard¡±, groaned the redhead. She knew what her question should be, and almost asked it, but then stopped. After which she asked Ogda to stretch down to a whispering distance -¡± What do you say, should we ask about the pact thing?¡±


    Ogda -¡± Well, whatever you say is fine by me.¡° Ogda didn¡¯t even take a moment to think things out this time, which made Lian feel weirdly content for a second. Followed by a slight twist in her stomach and an irritation with both the water monster, and herself.


    Lian -¡± I guess that¡¯s what I want. But what do you think we should ask?


    The monster was a bit confused by the occasional acidity in her voice and wasn¡¯t sure why she insisted on it. ¡° Are you feeling ok? Are you tired?¡± he asked insistently, while his unblinking eye got closer and closer to her face.


    Lian -¡± No...I¡¯m fine. Just tired¡­maybe¡±, she shrugged, then addressed the hunters. ¡° You mentioned something about a pact. Between humans and your kind?¡±


    -¡± Firgs, not your kind¡±, replied with venom Blitz, which concerned both of his colleagues. The Captain took him aside while leaving Goidel to answer the question.


    Krass -¡± You¡¯ve got this, boy¡±, which did not encourage the bird-masked warrior.


    Goidel -¡± Right¡­¡± Goidel paused for a few seconds. ¡° Sorry for Blitz. He¡¯s been a bit woozy¡­for a while now. And when Krass was chosen as Captain for this mission, it¡­spurned something. They¡¯ve been kinda equal in the Union, but now that his rival¡¯s a rank over him, well¡­¡±


    Ogda -¡± I don¡¯t get it¡±, replied Ogda naively, not really comprehending the issue between them.


    Goidel -¡± Anyway, the pact. Yes¡­ So, I read all the books in our library about it, but to keep this brief, it¡¯s just like it sounds. A human and a firg pick or make a totem to create a bond between them. After which they can share their powers to aid each other. And by the look on your face, I¡¯m guessing you have no idea what I¡¯m talking about, miss? Girly?¡±


    Lian -¡± Lian is fine. So, power? What are you¡­¡± she tried to ask before being interrupted by Krass and a visibly dejected Blitz. Who then, somewhat sincerely, apologized to them¡­in a monotonous voice, repeating a verse like a bored child.


    Blitz -¡° I let my animosity get the better of me and I shouldn¡¯t have acted so rude to you¡­Is that ok?¡± he dejectedly asked Krass at the end.


    Krass -¡± Perfect. Now, back to the game. It¡¯s our turn, right? So then¡­you¡±, he intentionally pressed the last letter when addressing Ogda. ¡° I know some elementals, but none are transmuted by their element like you are. And you are still able to think. Curious¡­ So then, my question is¡±, he paused for dramatic effect, ¡°Where do you see yourself in the next five years?¡±


    Lian was bewildered by the question, but then even more by Ogda¡¯s serious response- ¡° By Lian¡¯s side, as her guardian and probable pact partner.¡± He was sternly convinced that this was his path in life, while the girl was unsure what the next day would bring. Still, it brought a bit of assurance knowing that he would be there for her, but also a bit of concern about how quickly he attached his loyalties to her.


    Then, an intrusive thought went out of her mouth without her permission-¡±¡­but what if I turn out to be a bad person?¡±


    The water firg scratched the tip of his smooth head, confused by the ¡®silly question¡¯.


    Ogda- ¡± That¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t think it would bother me that much.¡±


    Lian -¡± But¡­¡±, but she stopped. It was just a passing thought, nothing to be concerned about- ¡° Ok¡­I¡¯m just probably jinxing myself, let¡¯s forget it. Our turn then. Ogda?¡±


    Ogda -¡± Right. So, what are those weapons you¡¯ve got? From what I can tell, some look like they''re part of your body¡°, he remarked, pointing towards Blitz¡¯s gauntlets.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Blitz and Goidel, for the first time, had the same annoyed look and shouted in unison to ¡° Keep it brief¡± towards a surprised Krass.


    Krass -¡± Fine, fine. So¡­our God¡±, to which his colleagues mumbled under their breath, while Krass ignored them, ¡° Made the world. Probably. And we, the firgs all rose from a primordial source they brought or created; the scriptures are still vague about that-¡±


    The girl¡¯s ears perked at the mythology, as it was eerily familiar; more than, though, it already started like most creation myths she read about¡­before. ¡°Huh¡­guess I found an old interest of mine¡±.


    Krass- ¡°Unlike Terra¡¯s creations, we¡¯re not entirely¡­solid? It¡¯s a weird way to put it, but we firgs are still malleable, capable of changing forms at certain points in our lives. It takes multiple elements put together to trigger this, like: age, experience, materials and personal inspiration; We can¡¯t directly choose how to change, but we can guide it. Blitz, for example, is a fan of humans flying inventions. Which is how, after years of obsessing over, gathering parts, building tons of models¡­his body copied characteristics of them and made him into this ugly block of steel and flesh.¡±


    Blitz -¡± Says the zealous cat lover. I¡¯ll buy the fact that there¡¯s a flying city of a beast out there, but the God thing is way too much. Probably also just an overtly powerful firg; I still don¡¯t understand how that tale made you into a believer, though. You weren¡¯t¡­¡±


    Before the two could devolve into a shouting match, they reached the tail end of the world. Literally. Goidel jumped ahead of everyone and, with his index finger, he touched the horizon.


    Goidel -¡± Ta da¡­¡±, he proclaimed awkwardly like he was a performer. Fortunately for him, the act was good enough to leave the duo dumbfounded. ¡°WHAT?!¡±, they asked in sheer surprise, while Krass snorted angrily as he wanted to present it.


    The world, after all, has an end, where the skies can be touched. Or, as Goidel tried to academically explain it, ¡°A layer covers it, the land, everything around here. A shell, let¡¯s say, that mimics types of skies and weather patterns¡­ randomly, is my guess for now.¡± He then stopped to take a break and relax his breathing from too much talking.


    Krass -¡± Also, there are multiple biomes like this. Or layers, as we call them. Divided by a space which can¡¯t be easily crossed. I did find some descriptions of it in Goidel¡¯s library back home. The few firgs that can travel it tell of a colorless void, stagnant in its lack of motion or rhythm. There is no sound, no light or energy, just a lack of anything.¡±


    Blitz tried to add his bits of knowledge to add to what his traveling companions were lacking. He was short in his words, but his loud tone made up for the lack of the usual arrogance. They learned that each layer is of different sizes, they are either stacked on one another, parallel to each other, or like in their current one, which-


    -¡° it''s like a satellite, around the size of a medium country in the human world. And right now it¡¯s hovering around a large layer, a continental one the size of those Americas from Earth. Can¡¯t remember which one.¡± Blitz then ended with a pointy-¡° Do you get it?¡±


    Lian was now wondering how they made the proverbial jump from their land to this one. Krass, as if replying to her thoughts, pointed towards an assembled stone formation in the middle of an empty field. It wasn¡¯t natural, that was clear, but now came the question of who built it like that.


    Krass - ¡°Ah, the magnificent workings of God¡¯s Divine Beast¡±, Krass yelled out proudly. ¡° At least I had time to wow you with this one. But yes, this little thing here was built by something out there, somewhere, A Deity and its Enormous Beast¡±, he enunciated loudly, to the groans of his colleagues -¡°, a giant with golden scales covering its body, and crystal tips at the end of its fingers. Or at the tail, people are still arguing about that.¡±


    Lian -¡± Not to sound rude, but how do you know if that¡¯s real? I mean, from what I can tell, you all believe that the monster is real, but not the god. Why is that?¡±, the girl tried to ask as politely and skeptically as possible.


    Krass -¡±  Yes, even our malleable world is filled with skeptics. I was one of them.¡±, " remarked the Captain, glancing sadly at his teammates. ¡° Years ago I met the survivors of a certain incident. We all did, but they left a real impression on me. Before they were survivors, they were witnesses. Of the Beast rushing through the shell of their world. A second, clear sky and the next, it just flew by, casting its shadow over half of the layer before disappearing. Then, a ball of blinding light shined in the distance, followed by a shriek of unimaginable proportions, heard by hundreds of layers.


    Goidel -'''' I read some records of that incident. It said that the shriek sounded like it was talking¡±, added Goidel. ¡°But that was never confirmed because everyone close to it lost their hearing or passed out instantly from the noise. Over 600 thousand victims was a rough estimation, I think.¡±


    -¡± That¡¯s horrible¡±, was the only thing the two could reply with.


    Krass -¡± No one found out the source of the light, or the shriek, but there was a sort of happy ending though.¡±, smirked Krass as if he won a gold medal. ¡° The Divine Beast brought with it¡­ God.  A small being as some said, but mighty enough to command the enormous creature. When it talked in its weird language, the Beast did as instructed. No one could see itself, only hear their words. ¡°


    Ogda -¡± Hear? But didn¡¯t you say¡± wanted Ogda to interject, but then realized what happened.


    Krass -¡± Yap¡±, quickly added the Captain. ¡°It healed one village, then moved on to the other, and so on for all the affected layers. That was the day we learned more about those above us. And I saw that they are caring, which in turn made me¡­happy.¡± He tried to hide his proud remark, but Lian could tell that the Captain wasn¡¯t just a true believer, but a devoted one as well.


    The girl didn¡¯t know how to reply to that, so in turn tried to change the subject -¡± So they put together these rocks? Are they connected somehow to another formation like this? Is that how you travel?¡±


    Blitz -¡± Oh, I¡¯ll give it to ya girl, except for manners, you catch on quickly¡±. Blitz¡¯s attitude towards them still seemed to waver between first impressions and current image of them. But Lian wasn¡¯t interested in keeping a long-term friendship with him anyway, and Ogda only really valued the girl¡¯s opinion over most anyway. ¡° By the way, zealous Captain, can we go already? The cocoon has been a bit skiddly for a while now¡±, he added, a bit concerned.


    Krass slowly and carefully approached one of the stones, shaped like a pillar, as if concerned that he might wake it up. A whispered word covered every step, and for each one, a sliver of blue, red, green, and white streaks would appear on the side of the pillar. When he got closer, he gently pressed on one of them, and with the tip of his finger moved a tinted line. There were no striations on the rock, but somehow his fingertip grabbed the color and guided it on his demanded path.


    Lian -¡± Is this really the only way to travel?¡± asked Lian, bewildered by the method required. Goidel waved his palm to indicate that there were others, but this was probably the best way for now. ¡°Those methods are a bit out of reach. For now, hopefully.¡±


    A sudden static change in the air let them know that Krass finished his ritual. The portal he created was a small one, considering their group, but was still good enough to fit all of them if they entered it one by one. As a show of good faith, the Captain was the first one to pass through it, with their spoils from the hunt as well. Blitz, mostly forced by the former, followed secondly and Ogda insisted that he should be the one to enter next. ¡° I need to make sure that it¡¯s safe for you, ok?¡±


    Lian -¡± But I¡¯ll be right after you, so you¡¯ll only be a second, or two ahead of me? Right?... Goidel, how long does it take to teleport to the other side?¡±


    Goidel -¡± Teleport? Oh no, you got it all wrong. Sorry, I didn¡¯t¡­I mean the Captain¡­I mean¡±, he stopped, grabbing his breath after fumbling his words. ¡°The portal forms a physical tunnel to the other layer, made out of rocks and dirt and other minerals. We¡¯ll be walking.¡±


    With that information on board, Ogda gave up on hiding his abilities and bent his body to create a space where Lian could sit on his back. Goidel was surprised by this, and even felt panicked for a second, before brushing it aside as his usual paranoia. After which he posed a brazen request.


    Goidel -¡± Can you make space for one more?¡±

 Vol 1 Ch 5: The somber forest

    Goidel -" Tunnel activation sequence? Checked and working¡­Pathways formed in their usual patterns?¡­Check."


    When left partaking in works he finds fulfilling, the lanky fighter would start to murmur, doing check-ups and listing memorized facts, in this case, about how to inspect the passageway through the void. To the amnesia duo, it was a familiar feeling, without doubt having practiced this calming ritual before.


    Goidel-" Oh¡­a ritual? Yes, yes, that¡¯s a great way of describing it-¡°, he realized after catching them following his every move like little chicks.


    During brief pauses from his inspections, the beaked warrior''s inquisitive mind would wonder again and again about how the amnesiacs even got in the layer. "Did they break in somehow? Teleportation? No, that''s not possible because of the shell. Duplication¡­Maybe? Can they mess with the stones and they just act surprised when they see them?" However devious he built them in his mind, though, it didn''t sway him from not finding them a bit endearing.


    Goidel- " I hope I don''t sound too weird saying it, but you two are an odd pair, you know?", he tried to compliment them, and to his luck, they understood that''s how he meant to make it sound like.


    Lian -" Thanks, I won''t argue about that. Still, from my perspective you and your companions are a bit of oddballs, you know?", to which he blushed, tucking his head down, but then also thanked the girl. "Anyways", she added to change the subject, after noticing how he reacted; "I''m guessing that the path has something to do with the stones?"


    Goidel -'''' Yes. It''s a bit of a secret of how, but we know more about how they work than most firgs. It''s a perk our group gained." Lian''s brow tinged a bit to that and got her thinking about what it could mean. " Does he mean that they learned it by themselves or someone taught it to them?" Before she could ponder on it more, a bright light absorbed all of their attention toward the end of the tunnel.


    ¡­..


    On the other side, they confirmed the portrait with which the hunter group tried to engross them: an entirely different biome than the one they landed on. The passageway through the void brought them to a land that was just waking up from nighttime. The rays of the morning sun weren''t shining on a lifeless soil, but on green and purple hills, at the base of which grew small patches of forests, and pastures. The only recurring formations were the crystal mounds and crystal towers, which Lian just noticed that didn''t reflect or refract light, to her it looked like they were absorbing it. Their hues were brighter and nothing reflected off them.


    The changes in the landscape didn''t end there, as right beside the pillars of gems there were other towers, made out of steel and copper wires, covered in rust and a rough casing, battered by a thousand-year-old wind. They sparked from time to time when a ball of energy was flung from the top of one to another. Before they could ask where its destination was, they saw it as the sphere''s journey ended at a wall connecting two hills.


    Krass -" That, you two, is our end of the road. The city of Caer Sidi", declared the Captain with a big smirk rounding the orange beard on his chin.


    ¡­


    Until the city could welcome them, the crew had to traverse through the dense forest in front of it. The closer they got to it, the darker the paved road ahead became, blanketed from the light by the thick foliage.


    -" Oh, a hardwood forest?", asked Ogda in wonder.


    -" Kinda", replied in a monotone manner Blitz. " It does mimic the ecosystem found on Earth, but this forest mixes all of them into one. It''s got ashtrees, maples, oaks, and multiple types of pines!..."


    -"Oh..his sickly tone does get more energized when he wants to explain stuff", remarked Ogda, safely, in his thoughts.


    Lian, on the other hand, was busy trying to keep an eye on the wall. From a distance, it looked quite big, enough to strike her senses a bit, but the closer she got, the faster she understood the kind of tricks perspective could play. The forest wasn''t the actual culprit for the lack of light in the area.


    The "sun", or whatever light source there was, couldn''t get past the tip of the wall until later in the day, enough to charge the crystal towers around," which probably feed the land and plant life", guessed Lian.


    Krass- ¡° Bingo¡±, having catched the redhead¡¯s mumbles.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    This, unfortunately, left the path mired in unsettling dread and chilly air; but not for long, as they arrived at the gate, signs of the bath of light shimmered beneath the giant entrance.


    Several wicket doors of increasing sizes adorned the gate; Blitz, being the tallest, opened the third of the smaller ones, which gave enough space for the sun to pass through and the brightness to raise tenfold.


    Lian imagined then what would happen when the entire entrance would open; it also explained why the flora caught in the brief cone of radiance was much greener than the rest of the forest.


    The blinding light hit them, incapacitating the amnesiacs for a second, and the duo forgot about their worries. No strange lands, no memory loss, nothing except the excitement of a new place. One filled with unknown creatures of unknown sizes and unknown everything.


    A step inward and their concept of this world was already altered. Thin colossi were carrying basket-containers on their heads and saluting another titan who was working on some construction work on the wall. Then there were the colors. Creatures that seemed related in appearance had a different skin color from each other, or spots and markers that separated them from one another.


    Dresses. Just like Blitz and Goidel, each dressed citizen looked like a townie either from a Medieval era or a futuristic one. There was no consistent fashion sense among them, or as Lian suspected, some might not even wear anything at all.


    -" Huh. So it does seem like some of the clothes and tools are stitched into their bodies, while other pieces seem like wearables ... .Incredibly, Krass wasn''t lying about firgs!", she thought. The wonder of the place was exciting to her, but not enough to hinder from trying to make some mental observations.


    Ogda, on the other hand, was curious to find out more from the people up close and personal, stretching his head in everyone¡¯s personal space. Blitz, sensing their growing enthusiasm, made up an expedient excuse and grabbed all their equipment back to their base. Krass, having the same tingling senses, "jokingly" used his Captain privilege to run away in a flash, around a building and reappear right behind them.


    Krass -" Seriously now, though," he said, after giggling at his own joke, "it was a pleasure to meet you two, but I do have real duties to attend to. Goidel¡­"


    Goidel -" But, my notes¡­and the library¡­I''ve been outside of it much longer than we even originally agreed on", he responded sheepishly, with his voice slowing down in both volume and speed with each word.


    -" Goidel, please", asked the Captain, nicely. "We can''t just leave them unattended, and besides, Feth is taking care of that collection of dusty tomes. You trust him, don''t you?"


    Krass -" I do, yes, he''s much more clever and careful than I, but still¡­Can''t you ask someone else? Nizzio is right there¡­", he tried to argue back, pointing toward the titan who was repairing the wall.


    -" And she is working, and so are others¡­", Krass sighed, after trying to not raise his voice.


    Goidel-" But¡­but", he staggered, trying to find another way out. He looked, then turned to Krass, then back to the two, then back at him, until something clicked: "Human! Arim! He is human, just like her. They would have more in common, wouldn''t you say?"


    Krass, who imagined how long the discussion would take if it continued like this, instantly got tired of it and decided on a compromise. "Ok, fine¡­At least he''s a tad more of a people person than you. Take the two to a visitor''s center, get them a temporary visa, and then take them to the FitforaBit shop and get them some clothes. I''ll tell Arim to meet you there, ok?" After which he sprinted like a man chased by misfortune, disappearing from their sight in seconds.


    ¡­..


    Following the still timorous, but also bitter firg, the duo went on a silent tour, unsure of how the apparent librarian would react to more questions. Ogda was fine with this arrangement, though, as he was more interested in discovering the town than being told about it.


    The wide street passage was covered in multiple bricklayers, strong enough to sustain all kinds of weights crossing over it. He also took notice of the size of each building, each covered with multiple types of doors and windows, made for as many types of firgs as possible.


    -"Three¡­Seven¡­doors. Is it reinforced somehow on the inside?" Ogda''s list of curiosities grew with each new building they passed by. His one eye was ogling at everything that caught his attention, and unbeknownst to him, he also caught some back. It seems like even among these natives, someone with peculiarities like him was still a rarity. "Is this leading somewhere? But it looks blocked at the end¡­except for those handles. Is that a ladder? Oh, and about this? Why does it spin like that?" In his excitement, he kept stretching his neck and limbs, a bit too much for Lian.


    Lian -" I''m glad you''re having fun Ogda, but I think you should be a bit more careful with the stretching."


    Ogda -" What?" he asked, a bit confused, until he noticed his elongated, and brittle, body. "Oh, right. My bad, I''ll try to keep it down".


    Lian -" No, no, I didn''t mean it like that. I don''t mind it, it''s just that we don''t know the limits of your powers yet". But even with that remark, she still felt like she was admonished for nothing. " I have an idea! I''m a bit curious about this place as well, you know. Can you give me a lift so I can take a look around?"


    He swiftly, and happily agreed. Up, from his high, Lian understood a bit more why he was acting so ecstatic. The city was a jumble of different extremes and sizes, but it had symmetry and beauty in its seemingly anachronistic design. She didn''t know why, but the way it was built made her feel warm inside, proud even. And a joyful smile finally caught up to her.


    ¡­


    With a stride in his pace, a young man was muttering in his gauntlet as if arguing with someone on the other side of a phone. Frustrated mostly, as the two had different plans on what to do that evening.


    Young man -'''' Yeah but, Zinc, I can literally feel when you''re lying, I know you just want to try the game Tommen brought from the human world", he remarked in a laid-back, but victorious tone. The voice in the gauntlet stopped for a second, caught off-guard by the remark. He wanted to say something in return, but the boy knew exactly what his counter-argument would be" No, she is also doing a tour for a visitor, so as fellow trainees, we can do the same. But, if you are in such a rush, do you want to try something?"


    The boy whispered an idea to the gauntlet, and a second later, the glove expanded. A thin, crimson armor covered his legs, from the tip of the neck, over the spine and part of his torso, but left the rest of the body free. Along with the protection, the armor enhanced the boy''s speed, agility, and jumping height, far outclassing anything an Olympic gold medalist could achieve.


    Their sprint left a trail of dust behind, and his jumping height brought them from one rooftop to another. Still, as both surmised, the young man was still leagues behind the capabilities of Krass or Goidel.


    Young man-" Hey, Zinc¡­you still want to become a full-fledged Union member with me?", he asked after stopping briefly to admire the view over the wall.


    The gauntlet stayed silent, but the boy smiled. He received his message, one only he could hear.


    Young man -" Understood. Then, let''s not keep our visitors waiting. Or Mister Goidel; I''m guessing he''s getting a bit weary from being so long away from the library."

 Vol 1 Ch 6: Caer Sidi

    Lian- ¡°I¡¯m still not sure if it¡¯s a perk of the city, or if it¡¯s because we¡¯re with a local celebrity, but this went surprisingly fast¡±, thought Lian about the quickness with which they received their official visitor status.  Her latter guess was probably closer to the truth, but it was also factual that the paper lane set in place for extradimensional guests was a swift one.


    Clerk -¡± That¡¯s also because we don¡¯t get that often people like you¡±, answered a clerk goat lady with whom the girl was making small talk, passing time while waiting for Ogda¡¯s procedures. ¡° Wish our world could match rotation points more often, I so desperately want to meet one of your earthlings'' social stars.¡±


    Lian -¡± Oh¡­is that like a painter, or big screen actor?¡±, the girl asked with a small, polite smile. Her body slowly remembered, among other small gestures, how she acted doing simple, breezy things like gossip.


    Clerk -¡± Well, I would put it to age, but the only other 20-ish-year-old who came last time was also aloof when it came to celebrities. ¡° Lian didn¡¯t even think about her age, but the goat had a keen eye when it came to guessing specifics about others. Goidel also confirmed that¡¯s the same bracket they put her in as well. ¡° We can only compare you to Arim, to be fair, but yeah.¡± A snap from the clerks'' hooves would bring the attention back to her, who was now holding a small, reflecting device in her hand.


    Clerk -'''' The human matron of the Union gave it to me¡±, she added proudly. ¡° It¡¯s not working like in the human world, apparently, something about signals, but I can still take photos and watch videos on it! I got one of the visitors to doown¡¯lod my favorite¡¯s latest video and I wanted to show it to you!¡±


    Lian¡¯s next hour was spent browsing the old goat¡¯s catalog of videos, learning more and more about Earth and what the showbiz stage was like. She would find some of them amusing, others gave her second-embarrassment, and a few left her void from boredom. ¡° That¡¯s more people than I thought¡±, she remarked at the end. ¡° Some of them had no schooling in the arts, but they still tried¡­huh. Earth seems¡­a bit less frightening now¡±.


    Sometimes aware, other times ignorant, Lian had many nerves eating at her confidence. One of which sprung because of her possible home, Earth. A place she knew nothing about, with humans she didn¡¯t know. Besides the language, she would probably have to relearn everything: culture, social interactions, history¡­


    Lian -¡± Thanks for showing me those¡±, the girl added while sipping from the tea provided by the clerk.


    Clerk -¡± It¡¯s no problem, hun. I didn¡¯t know you were that homesick, getting all teary-eyed from my silly videos.¡±


    Lian -'''' Oh no, that¡¯s not why¡­can I tell you something?¡±, she asked, cowering her head a bit as if someone was listening in. The goat lady hunched over and got closer with her left ear. -¡± I don¡¯t think I¡¯m from¡­¡±, but she stopped herself, unsure of the repercussions, especially if her hunch was wrong; ¡°...the same country as the one from the videos. They don¡¯t have an accent I feel familiar with.¡±


    Clerk -¡± Oh¡­and what¡¯s the problem with that?¡± asked the bewildered old goat, who was expecting bigger gossip than that. Lian then tried to add more grievances than she had, just to convince her, and luckily, the woman was swayed enough to take the conversation in another direction.


    ¡­.


    Clerk- ¡° And done!... Almost¡±, exclaimed the goat lady while stamping Ogda¡¯s card.¡± You¡¯re now visitors in our lovely city, with the same rights, temporary of course, as any other citizen has.¡± Lian wanted to believe their rights were applied universally, but she suspected that the approval from a Union member helped raise their lot. ¡°These sweet boys helped us more than a few times, hun. If they say you are good, then that¡¯s all we need '''', remarked the old goat lady, while signing their visitors'' badges, leaving the ¡®last name¡¯ section empty.


    Their next stop around the center was a storeroom, where Lian picked up fresh, plain clothes, followed by a quick cleanup session and finally, a cantina with proper food for the emaciated girl.


    Cook -¡° What about you?'''' Ogda was asked by the bored, short service cook, to which he didn¡¯t know how to respond except for ¡°... Rocks?¡±. The cook squinted his rectangular eyes, as the reply kindled some curiosity in him.


    Cook- ¡°It¡¯s a rare taste, I¡¯ll give ya, but not unheard of. But just to be sure, can I ask you some things?¡±


    Ogda-¡± I don¡¯t mind.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Cook -¡± Good. So besides rocks, have you tried anything else beforehand?¡±


    It took the water creature a few moments to remember all the delicacies the desert had to offer for him -¡± I started with sand, then some mud, tried regular rocks afterward, dried branches, some bones and I finally found that I like¡­digest¡­ the crystals.¡±


    Cook -¡± Aha, knew it. You¡¯re one of those energy suckers! It¡¯s not the crystals themselves that you eat, but I¡¯m betting it¡¯s the juice they store.¡±


    Lian -¡± Huh¡­you might be right. How did you know?¡±


    Cook -'''' Years of experience boy. Served and talked with lots of firgs while working here, and learned a thing or two about the foods people enjoy. Now, if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m guessing you could get your pangs stuffed by the sun. But, you¡¯re in our kitchen and I can¡¯t let a visitor leave without his taste buds (wherever they are) unfulfilled. So, how about this?¡±, he then handed him a fruit enveloped in a black, hard shell. It didn¡¯t look very appetizing to Ogda, and he wanted to ask Lian''s opinion on it, but before he could even turn his head towards her, the small server pointed something out-


    Cook -¡± Listen, I know what I¡¯m talking about, just take a small bite and see if you like it. If not, well at least you tried¡±.


    Ogda -¡± I¡­ I guess it isn¡¯t important enough to bother¡­ Ok! I¡¯ll try it!¡± To his surprise, the fruit didn¡¯t just give him the same boost, but left him with the joy of taste, something the crystals never showed him. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s bitter¡±, he mumbled after eating the entire fruit.


    ¡­


    Both -¡± What do I do now?¡±, they had the same thought.


    Their next stop on the trip was something Lian also insisted upon: ¡° I¡¯m glad to be wearing clean clothes, but this is a potato sack. I would prefer not to wear a potato sack.¡±


    The shop they stopped by had the same stone building block, with two extra floors and a round rooftop. Many other facilities had the same rundown, as a lot of local business owners lived and worked in the same building.


    The FitforaBit shop had the same pattern, being run by a family of three large dogs, each from a different race, except that all of them were covered in glittering fish scales and had an extra pair of arms growing from the back. The moment they saw Goidel, all three started to wiggle their tails and be as courteous as possible.


    Vendors -¡±  Always a pleasure to welcome a Union member¡±, the trio exclaimed in unison, with a posh accent. Goidel¡¯s anxiety spikes when the spotlight is put on him, and through pauses and voice-cracking stutters, he explained why they were there. In the meantime, Lian and Ogda started browsing around for something to wear.


    -¡± I didn¡¯t think about this, but do I need to wear clothes?¡± asked a bewildered Ogda after just realizing he was naked in the eyes of others. ¡° I shouldn¡¯t, right? Since I can just change my shape at will¡­right?¡±


    Lian -¡± True¡±, replied the young woman humorously. ¡° I also didn¡¯t consider it, but I don¡¯t see you as ¡®naked¡¯, somehow. Is there any rule regarding stuff like this?¡±, to which Goidel and the dogs pondered for a moment. One of the trio, a dalmatian, pointed out how they sometimes get customers like Ogda, ones who get a feeling of imposed shame ¡°and every single time it¡¯s elemental or floral types¡­ or delusional ones who only have lots of body hair. I guess we¡¯re all accustomed to nature being very naked, I guess.¡±


    Vendor 1 -¡± As my brother explained, my good (and former) customer, there are firgs which are much closer to a primordial state with which we are accustomed. Water is everywhere, earth is all around us, so if I encounter a rock firg, I wouldn¡¯t question his lack of clothing at all.¡±


    Vendor 3 -¡± Of course¡±, quickly chimed in the third dog, ¡° but you can still use garments for self-expression. Maybe a pair of pantalones are not suited for you, but even a being like yourself would look more dashing with a gorra¡±, he tried to market the products, true to his profession.


    Goidel tried to help the amnesiacs by adding more context: ¡± A lot of the Caer Sidi¡¯s rules, social and administrative, are influenced by human society¡±, he explained, a bit dejected, before quickly resuming his summary. ¡° As the Captain explained, our world works on inspirations and how we integrate them¡­¡±


    Lian -¡± Integration? Right, since you¡¯re much more malleable, I¡¯m guessing that also applies to your world?  ¡±, asked Lian while checking some t-shirts with more than two sleeves.


    Goidel -¡± Yes and no. It depends on a lot of factors. As firgs grow, they can go through multiple transformations. I think the Captain shortened it to:  we grow through inspiration, right?  Well, to add to that, some just grow old like humans, others can change forms entirely, have different stages, etc. It¡¯s also a matter of time, environment and what¡¯s around that affects you. For example, most of the Union¡¯s members grew up in the same small village, surrounded by the same hills filled with a special metal. And we used to mine it using special tools¡­¡±


    Lian -¡± The gauntlets?¡± Lian asked, trying to guess some parts of his story.


    Goidel -¡± Yap. Afterward, as we grew up, we were kinda thrust into fights. Other firgs, wild beasts¡­monsters like the one under the sand. So we adapted¡­the gauntlets integrated with us, and from there each branched out their growth from different inspirations. And so did the helmets, and parts of our armor. But we don¡¯t just limit ourselves to this process¡±, he mentioned while pointing towards his breastplate,¡° This was made from hides, then other, stronger materials. So over time, I kept on replacing it with newer, better ones. Without integrating them...It all depends, in the end.¡±


    The world became even more chaotic than expected, but that wasn¡¯t surprising at this point. This made Lian wonder about Ogda, was he still in a growing process? He only showed any signs of peculiarities after his second transformation, so for now it all fell into speculation.


    For now, though, they came with a purpose in mind, and after browsing for several tens of minutes, mostly because of how many clothes fitted tens of body types, Lian decided to go with a simple combo of jeans, a shirt, and a red sports jacket.


    Lian -¡± Works for now, but I might come back to check out other clothes another time. It¡¯s surprisingly exhausting to find something nice that fits, but the challenge isn¡¯t welcomed.¡±


    Goidel has been periodically, and frantically, checking the door for a while now. His impatience for his replacement grew minute by minute, then immediately bursted from his seat when Arim, covered in his crimson exoskeleton, politely knocked on the shop¡¯s door.  He greeted the shopkeepers with a laid-back smile, then respectfully shook Goidel¡¯s hand.


    Arim -¡± Sorry to make you wait, I know you¡¯re probably eager to get back to the library¡±, he added.


    With the pleasantries done, he took a glance at the two strangers. The first one was Ogda, who was measured from top to bottom with a stern look, followed by Lian, who took the boy by surprise. While the girl knew another human would replace Goidel, she was still struck to see another of her kind.

 Vol 1 Ch 7: The Rapier washed ashore

    A yawning figure was passing through the creeping shadows of the forest, procedurally taking the right turns through the meadow, with his head bobbing up and down while prancing over a hole in the road, and narrowly avoiding the thick, old branches of the timely trees. The firg was clad in a light armor, with metal scales sewn into the chain mail, and little plates covering the exposed pieces. His scaly, mint-colored mask went way over the face, elongated in a manner not too similar to that of a reptile, and shaggy, silver hair flew from behind the tight grip. Unlike the other members of his group, the Platinum Union, his path of growing took a turn, relinquishing his gauntlets to sport a duel set formed from his trusted rapier and a dagger, chained together.


    The warrior known as Perren was returning from his solo mission, which took him away from his home for over a month. He scoured over seven layers in his search for a broken canister, a peculiar vase formed through unknown means, and while rare, many found no use for the items. Except for his client.


    On his journey, he encountered a few familiar faces, but more than often he shared a meal with strangers, who only saw him as a fellow traveler. Perren didn¡¯t dislike the company of people, but he always considered that traveling should be done alone, to see things at his pace and talk with wanderers at his volition.


    The chats did help him, though, to learn about other realms, what the firgs there were like, and the stories they had. This time, most common were the little rumors here and there, spoken again and again; they quickly turned with observed events, tales told by villagers cast out from their home, who were running from a torrent unlike anything they had ever seen.


    ??? - ¡° It was, ugh, like it had a mind! It, it, it¡­¡± screamed a barely coherent man, trying to recount the attack. ¡° ! The waves, they¡­there were eyes, and mouths in them!¡±, chimed in other frightened villagers. ¡° That putrid water, it came after us! Wanted to drown us, drag us into it!¡±, despaired in unison many of the voices.


    To Perren, they weren¡¯t telling anything of novelty. More and more firgs were leaving their homes, fleeing a threat. He tried to investigate one of the sites, but just like a case he witnessed years ago, the torrent disappeared after the attack. In its wake, barely anything remained: no buildings, roads, foliage or living beings. It was all gone, leaving only a desolate land, destined for sand and cracked rocks.


    ¡­.


    As Perren approached the city of Caer Sidi, he slowly unsheathed his weapons, as if preparing for an attack. Not a surprise one, though, he knew his suitor hated that kind of approach.


    Perren -¡± Victor?" he yelled while munching on a mint leaf to wake himself up. ¡° I know you¡¯ve gotten bored, with me being away for so long. Just come out already and let¡¯s finish this dance.¡± Nothing happened for a few seconds, which felt like an eternity for his tired mind, who only yearned to be in his bed, eating a meal cooked by his partner.


    On the top of the wall sat another tired warrior from failing to sleep, laying stiff as a statue. He¡¯s been sitting and waiting for hours, his mind half racing with anticipation and the other tired from failing at meditating to conserve his energy for his fated duel. The two had for years now become colloquially known as the Silver Pair, stuck in a rivalry of strength, one they¡¯d been trying to resolve with old-fashioned duels for two decades.


    The yawned yells thrown by Perren steadily rose to the top and awoke him from his half-slumber. It took Victor only to lay his eyes upon him to get a boost of energy in his overgrown body. If ancient painters tried to portray him, they would use Achilles or Heracles for inspiration, cover him in as little armor as possible, and hide his face under a helmet made to resemble a metal iguana. Many would call his physique a natural work of art, which he casually dropped from the top of the wall, followed by his trusty poleaxe.


    A tremor shook the sector of the city closest to the wall, but by this point, the inhabitants recognized what it meant and went on with their lives.


    -¡± Perren!¡±, spewed Victor with a large smile on his face and wide open, red-shot eyes, while pointing his poleaxe at him.


    Perren -¡± Victor!¡±, he smirked back at the hulking warrior, while his eyelids were working overtime to stay up. ¡° I don¡¯t want to upset you, but I¡¯m not in the best condition to fight you now. See?¡±


    Instead of showing his tired self, though, Perren thought of another excuse, and then lifted his mail, showing a massive bruise on his right side. ¡° Besides, I asked to take over training the others for me. Wasn¡¯t that enough to entertain you?¡±


    The giant figure, clenching his teeth, slammed the tip of his weapon into the ground, generating a second tremor. His eyes were bitter at first, but quickly changed to concern and disappointment. He approached Perren to have a better look at his bruise. ¡° Are you hurt somewhere else?¡± he asked through growls.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Perren -¡± Nah, just here, and I was the only one to blame¡­ I kinda forgot how tough a granite door was¡­Heh.¡±


    Victor squatted so the two could be at the same eye level. He sighed in relief, happy to see his companion safe and sound, but still a bit chagrined at him. ¡° Perren¡­are you sure you want to continue like this? Work alone on these missions?¡±


    The warrior clenched the grip of his rapier, unsure if to admit that he also felt a bit lonely.


    Perren -¡± It¡¯s fine, nothing for you to be worried about. And besides, who could I take? You aren¡¯t suited for the more subtle type of tasks; which I like about you, don¡¯t misunderstand me; but not for my missions. And not be rude, but I don¡¯t want to babysit¡­¡±


    -¡± Babysit?¡± Victor reacted with surprised annoyance at his remark. ¡° I sparred with everyone over the last month, they have grown Perren, they are more capable than you give them credit for. Especially your little students.¡±


    Up until now, the rapier wielder tried to keep a cool and collected figure on his face, replied only with benign avoidance, and then rested his tired body. Until the last part left his face paralyzed in a mask of shock and fright. ¡° You¡­fought my students!? Why did you¡­ I told you to put them through the regular training regiment¡­¡± he then stopped and growled in his deepest voice yet: ¡°Victor¡­are they fine?!¡±


    The entire shift of atmosphere flew over the bulky warrior¡¯s head, sensing only a portion of the animosity Perren was emanating.


    Victor -¡± Oh, they¡¯re fine, we only played around a little: Arim only got a broken arm, I chipped one of Zinc¡¯s horns, and Brigit lost a tooth or two. But after they ate some of my exquisite borscht, filled with healing nutrients, they were good as new.¡±, he said, with a prideful smirk on his face. Which Perren wanted to punch now, but was more worried about the three. ¡° Hey, what¡¯s the rush? I thought you were too tired to run around.¡±


    Perren -¡± I¡¯m going to check on my students, what do you think? And let Ashen know I got his thing!¡±, he yelled back while sprinting at his top speed.


    Victor waved his left hand and shouted in reply-¡± Alright. I¡¯ll also cook something nice for you to heal up as well!¡±


    ¡­..


    -¡± Oh, it¡¯s actually another human.¡± said Lian after snapping from her daze. She was aware that there would be an encounter with another of her kind and thought it wouldn¡¯t be much of a surprise, but seeing the boy left a deeper impact on her than she expected.


    -¡± I know, I¡¯m surprised to find that out about myself as well¡±, Arim replied jokingly. Just like the girl, he also fought a stack full of nerves, which eased considerably after she remarked on her deep observation. ¡° Right, ugh, introductions are next in line, right Goidel?¡±


    The firg, who was half away from the exit from his last position, got spooked by the intrusive question.


    Goidel -¡± Why do you ask me?¡± he thought in desperation. ¡°Correct. At least that¡¯s what the Captain and Feth always tell me¡­anyway Arim, Zinc, I trust you, you are my rock in this unsteady sea¡±, he replied in a normal tone, to Lian and Ogda¡¯s surprise. When he addressed them, though, the slowly fading voice returned. ¡° You were a nice riffle, but if I stay too long I might start seeing you as a tidal wave and begin to despise you¡­ Farewell!¡±


    Goidel''s weird exit left everyone stunned for a few moments, except for Arim who shook his head with a smile as if he found him inspiring. ¡° Someday¡­¡± he muttered to himself, turning his attention back to the duo.


    Arim -¡± Anyway, my name is Arim, and this here¡±, he pointed towards his crimson gauntlet, ¡° is my, ugh, pact partner, Zinc. Krass only told me about your memory problems, and that I should help you settle in.


    The amnesiacs took a look at each other, unsure of what to say. They never planned on staying in this settlement, but there also never was a plan B, they just went with the flow.


    Lian -¡± I¡¯m Lian, and that¡¯s Ogda¡­ Uhm, so I don¡¯t know what Krass was thinking, but we only came here to find help for our amnesia problem. He said we could find it here, so¡­¡±


    -¡± So what do you mean by settling in?¡±, asked Ogda a bit aggressively, taking a step forward, making Arim flinch for a second.


    Arim -¡± I, well¡­ We have medical help here, yes. But in case that¡¯s not sufficient, you might have to go to the human world, and the rift closed a week ago, while the next rotation window will be in two, maybe three months.¡± The boy huffed, trying to find the right way to convince them of what the rules are.


    Zinc then pinched him and made some weird sounds, which seemed to have been a pep-talk that worked on Arim. The boy put on a smile, followed by his hands on his waist as if to keep himself straight, but still ducked part of his head in his shirt¡¯s turtleneck.


    Arim -¡± We kinda understand, you¡¯re in a weird place, with people and creatures you don¡¯t know, and it¡¯s confusing. Trust us, both I and Zinc get it. I¡¯ve been living here since I was six, and my partner has a problem similar to yours, he¡¯s also a bit far from home at the moment. But while you¡¯re here, we¡¯ll shelter you, help, and do anything else we can. In return, you two will have to undertake our integration program¡­in the community, not the firg thing.¡±


    Lian -¡± As in, work and do some activities with the locals?¡±, guessed the redhead. ¡° That¡¯s no problem, but what if we plan on leaving after those months?¡±


    Lian -¡± Not our business to intervene. I do hope you¡¯ll enjoy your time here, though¡±, he said a bit coyly. ¡°Also, it¡¯s not going to be anything too strenuous, or dangerous¡­unless your friend Ogda wants to do some combat training on the side.¡±


    The water monster¡¯s visage perked at that idea. Until then, even though he felt like his mission was to protect the girl, he didn¡¯t stand up to the standard. ¡°If the trio in the desert were just bandits, I would have died right there and then. If the monster woke up while we were in the oasis, we would have perished¡­¡±, thought Ogda. He then jumped to the occasion and accepted the offer, to Lian¡¯s surprise.


    Lian -¡± I¡­right. Before any of that, though, how about you help us with that Fect Pact I keep hearing about, and then we¡¯ll see what to do next¡±, added the girl after she felt that the situation was getting a bit out of cozy control.


    Arim -¡± That¡¯s¡­possible. Just surprised you two weren¡¯t in one already, I guess. Do you want to do that now?¡±


    Duo -¡± Sure¡±, replied the two at the same time.


    Arim -¡± Alright, I guess you are¡­sure.¡± The boy then talked with the shop owners and invited the guests to follow him. ¡° We should find some space for this¡±, he added ominously.

 Vol 1 Ch 8: Permits for street fights

    While Krass held the gold for speed among his colleagues, Perren was in the top three contenders; his nimble hare-like feet barely touched the street, but he still left a dust cloud in his wake, gunning it like a madman on the run.


    His eyes were scattering like crazy, dashing from left to right, grabbing on the slightest clue to help him distinguish the strangers from his students. Any woman with an emerald cloak and a sheathed weapon, or boy with shaggy hair and a sleeveless shirt on. The search brought him to a remote part of the town, where yells and bellows of excitement guided him toward a small park hidden between buildings. A crowd was surrounding something, an event of sorts, cheering on and talking about a fight.


    Perren''s ears perked at that, and after groaning about having to choose between his civic duty or teacher responsibility, the former won and figured he should probably intervene.


    -¡± Excuse me, what fight?¡±, Perren asked, hoping that the minuscule percent of his worst fear wasn¡¯t about to come to life.


    Two of the bystanders were ready to jovially explain the situation until they met the deadly stare of the annoyed asker.


    -¡± Oh crap, you¡¯re one of the Union guys. Listen, pal¡­¡± then quickly changed it to sir after getting a better look at the interrogator, ¡° The guys got the ok from the local peacekeepers and have supervisors present. Paper¡¯s bolted right there¡±. The bystander then sheepishly stepped aside, pointing toward a wall.


    In the middle of the crowd, two firgs were slowly doing circles around each other, prodding, checking each other''s movements. On the right was a lanky one, with large, thin legs, that would bend into a squat with each arched side-step. His hands were wide open, while his claws were itching for when they could strike his opponent, who hadn¡¯t unsheathed her weapon yet, only keeping a tight grip on the scabbard.


    The audience was placing bets, sharing their ¡°professional¡± opinions on the winning rates, most of them in favor of their local star, an infamous cutter in the area for how many victories his claws brought him. About his opponent, though, they weren¡¯t so sure about her chances;


    -¡°Look at that silly cloak, she¡¯s totally blind with it, right?¡±, the audience added in scoff. Except for one person, a human girl with wild, long cashew hair. While the shortest one among the public, her shouts of encouragement were loud enough to breach the chorus . ¡° C¡¯mon Brigit, you said you can take him down, show that creep who¡¯s who!¡±, yelled the human girl while shadowboxing and kicking the air.


    After noticing her, a horrified Perren started to push everyone aside to get her. ¡°Little girl!¡±, he cried, desperately trying to get her attention. The closer he got, the more his shadow covered her. When she noticed the dark patch in front of her, the girl turned around with ire, followed by a confused terror at the sight of the scowling masked duelist.


    -¡° Hello¡­¡±, Perren angrily voiced under his breath. ¡° I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re part of the human visitors we got recently, right?¡±, to which the girl felt a paralyzing fear she would only get when being admonished by an angry teacher. Worse, though, as she knew trouble wouldn¡¯t fall on her head alone.


    Girl -¡± Qu/ Yess¡­sir? Are you in the Union with Brigit?¡°, she gulped, trying to drown her fear. ¡± I met/saw most of the members by now, so I¡¯m guessing you''re the last one I haven¡¯t seen; uhm, Brigit teacher?¡±


    Perren -¡± Correct. So what are you and Brigantia doing here? Why are YOU here, to be more specific!¡±


    Girl -¡± Well, you see, Brigi¡­Brigantia?¡±, she stumbled around the name, unsure which one to use ¡°was honestly just showing me around, giving me a normal, honest, boring tour, as her stuffy dad told her. And we just looked around, honest to God, minding our own business, until that guy!¡±, pointing toward Brigit¡¯s foe, ¡°just jumped out of a back alley, stole my glove and ran off with it. ¡°


    Her attempts at playing the naive, innocent puppy dog didn¡¯t seem to work on Perren, who was now more focused on stopping the supposed thief.  Before he could make a move, though, he was stopped by a tight tug from the girl. ¡° Wait, please! Please let her fight.¡±


    Perren -¡± Listen, miss, I know this seems exciting to you, but this entire ordeal seems sketchy. If I intervene, then¡­¡±


    Girl -¡± But then I won¡¯t see how strong she is. Brigit said that if she can win this in two minutes, then she¡¯ll feel worthy of entering a pact with me.¡±


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    Perren -¡± She wants to do what?¡±, replied Perren in shock. Besides Arim, the rest of his students plans were a mystery to him, but he wasn¡¯t expecting Brigit to try and enter a pact so soon. He wasn¡¯t sure of what to even say to the girl, so instead he started counting backward and followed their lead. ¡° Alright, miss, two minutes then. For now, I do think it¡¯s a good idea for her to get actual combat experience.¡°


    Right then, though, a sound like two metal bars clashing flew through the gathering. A claw was parried by the sheath of Brigit¡¯s weapon. A second later, the same happened to the second one. The thin firg then started a barrage of strikes and swipes, aiming at any weak point he could conceive. He had a height advantage over her, but he never found an opportunity to use that leverage over her. Any time he tried to move in a more favorable position, Brigit would slightly tilt her body in his direction, switch the scabbard between her arms and enter a pose for a parry. When he picked a fight with her, he wasn¡¯t expecting to be against someone with such training.


    Still, he had other tricks up his sleeve. Using a faint kick, he successfully tricked her to make a jump backward, during which he launched his real strike. He quickly stretched his left leg into a wide arch backwards, then launched it into the air forwards and brought it down into an axe kick. The momentum gained by the large distance and speed pushed Brigit over her limit when she tried to shield herself from the strike, forcing her to drop the scabbard while defending. But before it could hit the ground, something made it fly towards his face, far too fast for him to dodge it. In a moment spurred by intuition, Brigit kicked the sheet as hard as he could, freeing her from the grip of the kick, and she was now on the counterattack.


    A quick burst from the spot made her sprinting look like that of an animal, launching itself towards its prey, making the viewers unsure if there was something wrong with their vision. She caught the scabbard once more, and with a swift turn around, she hit him another time, putting all of her might into the blow, making him spin around from the hit and landing face-first into the ground.


    With that, she declared herself ¡° The winner!¡± But before she could gloat and celebrate her victory, a harsh and angry voice from the public made her cower in sweat. ¡° Ahhh¡­damn it. Morning street cleanings for a month, probably. If I¡¯m lucky.¡± murmured the champion.


    -¡± Teacher!¡± exclaimed Brigit in a forced surprised tone, attempting to mediate the situation. ¡° I¡¯m so glad to see you back. And here¡­right now¡­¡±


    Perren, tapping his fingers rhythmically into furred biceps, used fake joviality for his next question -¡± Brigantia, who is this girl?¡±


    She didn¡¯t know if that was a trick question or a genuine one, so she wasn¡¯t sure what the right answer was. ¡° Uh¡­that¡¯s Maci, the human I¡¯m taking care of whil¡­¡±


    Perren -¡± Exactly, she is supposed to be under your care and supervision!¡±. His yell turned the previously brash fighter into a small jelly of a person now. She was expecting a long lecture about the fight, but she wasn¡¯t expecting this kind of explosive reprimand from Perren. For the next two to three minutes, he repeated to a silent Brigit all about the responsibilities when tasked with taking care of others.


    -¡± But she seemed serious to me¡±, replied Maci in her defense. ¡° I told you, that guy tried to steal my glove, Brigit only tried to help me.¡±


    Perren -¡± I thought you said that he stole the glove, not tried to¡±.


    Brigit -¡± Thanks for the assist, goalie, I appreciate it. But Perren is kind of right, I did promise to keep you safe.¡± She sighed, turning now toward her teacher. ¡° I wanted to show her some fun places around here, and one thing led to another¡­then I kinda irked into a fight. It was all my fault, teacher.¡±


    Perren could only reply with long, exasperated puffs, and while still miffed by the situation, he did feel a slight sense of pride seeing his student winning with his teachings. ¡° We¡¯ll talk about this later. And your punishment. Of which your parents will agree, trust me!¡±


    Brigit -¡± I know¡±, she acknowledged, knowing that appealing to her father wasn¡¯t going to help her out.


    Perren -¡± Now, can you open your mouth for me? I had a worrying discussion with Victor before I even got into the city.¡±


    Catching to what he meant, she did as requested and pointed to her new molars, explaining afterward how Victor¡¯s food helped her out in the end. ¡° I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re so worried about, to be honest. He kinda trashed us, but we managed to hold our ground this time!¡±


    Perren -¡± No, that just means he was just playing around. Trust me, Victor is not the kind to be holding back when wants to ¡®trash around¡¯. Ugh, that looks fine enough. I¡¯m guessing that Arim and Zinc are also healed up as well?¡±


    Brigit -¡± Yap.¡±


    Perren -¡± Alright, I think I won¡¯t check up on them then until later then. I still need to bring Ashen the cracked container for his ritual. Oh, and Brigantia, don¡¯t make that pact yet; we¡¯ll talk about it later!¡±


    Brigit then stood up, facing her teacher with a hone look on her face and straight, upward back. ¡°No offense, sir, but this is not your decision to make. I¡¯m of the same age as Arim and he and Zinc made a pact without any fuss from you.¡± Her red cheeks shined even brighter on her greenish skin, and with each word she tried to restrain her irritation.


    Perren -¡± Trueeee¡°, he replied with a long emphasis, as if trying to find an excuse-¡± but Arim has more experience than you. ¡± Perren tried to think of something more, but his tiredness stopped him from formulating a more reasonable response.


    Brigit -¡± And how did that turn¡­¡± but then the girl clenched her fist, lowered her head, and apologized to him. ¡° I understand, sir, but I know what I¡¯m doing. Trust me on this¡­¡±


    Perren -¡± Fine¡­Little girl, were you educated about the Pact?¡±, to which the teen nodded back with a serious scowl, trying to imitate Brigit¡¯s posture at the same time.


    The teacher massaged the bridge of his nose under his helmet and gave up on his endeavor. ¡° You guys always make my homecomings filled with ¡®pleasant¡¯ surprises. Alright, I give up. Do what you want. Little miss, it was a pleasure meeting you. And stay out of more trouble for the day, ok?¡±


    Brigit -¡± Alright teacher¡±, waved back Brigit.


    -¡± Nice meeting you as well¡±, yelled Maci. ¡° You were right, he is a nice guy.¡±


    Brigit -¡± Told ya¡°, she replied, mussing the teen¡¯s hair. ¡±Well, that was enough excitement for the evening. Let¡¯s meet up with Arim and the others.¡±


    The girl, intentionally, then showed her obvious dislike of Arim with a large frown above a pair of biddy eyes. ¡° Ugh, he seems really boring and overbearing.¡±


    Brigit -¡± At a first impression, though. On a second one, you¡¯ll find him to be a relaxed, serious and very eager over-bearer. But he¡¯s family and a good guy¡­ You trust me, right?


    -¡±... Yeah, fiinee, I trust you. Whatever you say.¡±

 Vol 1 Ch 9: Ripples in the bucket

    Lian and Arim were a step in front of him, sharing a lengthy and informative conversation about the history of the city, Caer Sidi, and one of its founding groups, the Platinum Union; but to Ogda, for some reason it all sounded like rubbish, white noise covering a barely visible transmission.


    To the one-eyed firg, usually this kind of stuff would have made him ignore the outside world and bask in the ancient stories of such a place; how the trio that helped them out in the desert were more impressive than they let on; how the young man, Arim, grew up more among firgs than humans, even considering many of them family, but to Ogda all that passed through were bits and pieces.


    And all because the human annoyed him for no good reason. There was nothing that he said or done that would explain his annoyance with the young man. ¡°He does talk kinda funny; and what¡¯s with that neck collar, is he a turtle, always hiding his face in it?!¡±


    A dent in the road stretched out his left foot for a second, but he didn¡¯t notice, not even when it whipped right back into the main body. ¡° Lian¡­did yo-¡±, but when the three turned around to stare up at him, Ogda felt a clog in his brain.


    Lian- ¡° Know what, buddy?¡±


    Ogda- ¡°Nothing, actually. I forgot¡­¡± He turned his diamond eye to the side, trying to not make contact. The redhead felt something was wrong, but not how to address it;


    ¡°Why is she smiling at him like that? It looks weird on Lian¡¯s face /I don¡¯t know why, but my entire being is saying that he''s trouble; a blockage that would tamper my miss¡­ion?¡± Something then clicked. What was he even talking about? A mission? Was the water firg entrusted with a task, something related to Lian?


    Ogda thought that all of his ramblings were in his head, but snapped back to reality when he noticed someone watching him. Two sets of minuscule eyes attached to Arim¡¯s gauntlet have been following him without blinking. It then made a weird sound, getting the young man to turn around to Ogda.


    Arim- ¡° Ugh, Zinc says that you want, no, need to spar with us right now?¡± He hoped that it was just another prank of his little partner, but something from the girl¡¯s companion''s undisturbed posture indicated that Zinc wasn¡¯t lying.


    Lian- ¡° What? No? Ogda , what are you talking about? Why would you want to do that now?¡±


    The one-eyed firg didn¡¯t know what to say to her, and only addressed his future opponents: ¡°¡­ Is Goidel strong? In comparison with the other guys from the Union, like the Captain or Blitz?¡±


    A bit taken by surprise, Arim held the response up in the air. For now, he had to finish his stretches while Zinc was handing an already completed form to a pair of local peacekeepers. The young man saluted the two uniformed officers and asked them if ¡°the usual place is available for today as well?¡±


    For the first time since the two landed here, Lian grabbed on Ogda with a tight hand and tried to grip on whatever she was able to. Her veins pulsated from the grab and anger, making her blood travel faster all over her body.


    Lian- ¡° EXPLAIN, NOW! What are you up to?¡± a raised voice escaped her throat without her willingness, leading to the firg to cower his head in response. He remained on mute, though, still unsure of what to say.


    Lian- ¡° Listen, I didn¡¯t mean to yell at you, I¡¯m s-¡± , but then the red outline of her hand flashed before her eyes. And it tried to smack Ogda over the head, passing right through him, as a possible punishment. Instead, though, Lian was stupefied that it could even suggest that.


    The girl turned to her right hand, a bit shaken by everything happening in such a fast manner. ¡° I¡¯m sorry Ogda¡­ I¡­ Can you promise me that you have a good reason?¡±


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    He hastened his head upright, shocked by her question. ¡° Ye-¡± but that was a lie. He didn¡¯t have a good reason, in fact. Or felt like it. ¡° I¡­the city looks fascinating, but with so many people here¡­also dangerous. I want to know if I can protect us, you know?¡± He then left out a forced laugh, something very out character for him.


    Lian- ¡°Right¡­ Sure, whatever¡­let¡¯s leave it like that¡±, she replied, halfheartedly.


    ¡­.


    Arim- ¡° So, you wanted to know about Goidel ?¡±, asked the young man, taking a fighting stance.


    Ogda- ¡°¡­ Yes. He almost cut me with a dagger, but my body wouldn¡¯t be easily damaged by that¡­yet, I still feel like I would have lost the fight. Or more¡±, dreaded the water firg. To his surprise, the boy and his armor partner took the opportunity while he was distracted and struck first with a right kick that sent shock waves all over his left part of the body.


    Arim- ¡° Goidel is the weakest of the official Union members, but among the top when it comes to analyzing the opponent. At least that¡¯s what I figured from his lessons.¡±


    Zinc split his gauntlet form apart, and moved his parts to match Arim¡¯s limbs positions, protecting his weak, human flesh while the young man defended against Ogda¡¯s whip-like attacks. Their coordination started to annoy the striker, who tried to increase his rhythm, but the two managed to keep up. Easily.


    Ogda- ¡° ¡­ So, he would have figured out my weakness?¡±


    Arim- ¡° After a while, yes? Probably. But he already has some experience with¡­ugh, liquid beings, and already found a counter. All of them know.¡± The boy then coordinated Zinc to his feet and the two zipped right in front of Ogda, dealing quick strikes that from a distance looked like lightning-fast pats. But to their opponent it felt differently.


    Ogda staggered a few steps backward, feeling his body trembling from the attacks. He stared back, with fear now, at the two, unsure of what to do next. Another few hits like those, and he was more than sure to be beaten.


    Lian- ¡° What are you doing, Ogda, taking so many easy kicks?¡±


    The water monster turned, a bit dizzy in his view, his thoughts mixed around by the whole fight from the previous and current one. ¡° I can¡¯t defend against them¡­ I¡­ I¡±


    Lian- ¡° Then avoid them, you scatterbrain. You have a malleable body, remember?¡± A simple observation, but one that he truly forgot about for a moment. Zinc chipped once more, looking a bit disappointed.


    Arim- ¡° No, it¡¯s fine. The two are going to be Fect members, they need to have some sort of report. Still, I guess this means Ogda will finally use his body with more efficiency. Can you split around enough for that?¡±


    Without saying a word, Zinc¡¯s body divided into multiple small parts, covering multiple areas of Arim¡¯s body. And just like he envisioned, Ogda finally started to employ other methods of attacks.


    More water whips striking at more perceived weak points, which unfortunately were protected by the little gauntlet firg, who stuck a tongue out for each successful defense. Still, the strategy went both ways, as Ogda learned how to manipulate his body to avoid more and more strikes. It was difficult enough to maintain his form, so the water monster only shrunk small parts of his body.


    The three were in a stalemate for a couple of minutes, gaining an audience in the meantime; most of the people were impressed to see that someone could keep up with Arim and Zinc; even Lian started to believe that Ogda might have a chance; until, all of a sudden, he stopped in a weird position and the girl realized the issue.


    Lian- ¡° Ah, not again.¡± She ran toward him and helped him return from his rigidification once more.


    Arim- ¡° Well, I guess we should pack it for today, then. Still, that was quite impressive, right Zinc?¡± The gauntlet only grunted a chip and returned to scowl at the newcomers for now.


    Arim- ¡° So¡­is this a recurring issue for him?¡±


    Lian- ¡° ¡­ Maybe. It¡¯s the second time I saw it, but I think so. Do you k-¡±


    Ogda then intervened, managing to untangle his body¡¯s chemistry a bit faster this time. -¡°¡­ My apologies¡­for how I behaved. I¡­ I think I¡¯ll take you up on your training ... .if you¡¯ll still have me?¡±


    Arim- ¡° Oh¡­OH, you will?! Did you hear that, Zinc, we¡¯re getting a new sparring partner!¡±, to which the gauntlet only puffed back. ¡° Yes, of course, definitely. Welcome aboard!¡±


    ¡­..


    A concrete arch behind a small restaurant started to shatter while a set of stairs opened beneath them. Blitz, carrying the cocoon, paces the dimly lit underground staircase, mumbling and complaining about the lack of maintenance to the entrance. Once the door closes behind him, the arch reassembles itself back to normal.


    Blitz- ¡° I¡¯ll ask Nizzio to train these slackers more rigorously this time.¡±


    It took the metallic firg a couple of minutes to spiral down into an underground facility filled with countless rooms and corridors covered in speckled white ceramic, which were continuously cleaned by small, wood-like automatons.


    Before he could even take a few steps inside, the Union member was already surrounded by four-to five firgs in white lab coats, gloves and protective glasses.


    Scientist 1- ¡° Director, just a -¡±


    Blitz- ¡°Not the director anymore, I quit that post already. What do you want?¡±


    S3- ¡° Nice, you got him to reply! I still only get grunts¡±, to which Blitz scowled and grunted back.


    S1- ¡° Can you go over my paper on the abilities of the human psyche? I think the negative effects on their brains from the powers they gain from the Layered Domain are more dangerous than estimated.¡±


    Blitz- ¡° Are you still trying to find an alternative to the pact?¡±


    S1- ¡° Yes dir¡­sir. The Fetch is a working solution, but it relies too much on chance. And considering that humans don¡¯t have the luxury of choice when it comes to gaining the abilities, it¡¯s still a serious matter for them.¡±


    Blitz-¡° ¡° Sure, I¡¯ll take a look over it after I check this¡±, he then points toward his container.


    S4- ¡° Another infected?¡±


    Blitz- ¡° So it seems. I¡¯ll start my analysis on it, see if I can get another clue. Has anyone managed to go over my notes from my previous examination?¡±, he asked, unknowing that most of the staff takes a break from their own research to comb over Blitz¡¯s notes every single time.


    S6 - ¡° Yes sir, I left you my, and everyone else''s feedback in your office.¡±


    The metallic firg nodded and shut the door behind him; a cold sign for anyone who wasn¡¯t familiar with him, but researchers there knew that he was excited to start poking the cocoon.


    Blitz- ¡° Now, let¡¯s see what squirms around there.¡±

 Vol 1 Ch 10: The clover of dances and strife

    Caer Sidi housed many buildings that towered over others, either by their size, their mishmash of colors, or how out of time they felt besides the rest. A few, though, stood out from the rest; and none glossed so cleverly like the Clover Arena, a colosseum stacked on daily cleaned green and yellow bricks, divided on the inside into four open-air locations, separated by high, vines covered walls and stone pillars. A refugee from the stress of civilized living.


    The visitors, unwillingly, divided it into four sectors for all kinds of activities, the two most popular being filled with lunch tables, food stands, and open dance floors. The second was identical, except it also had open bars, where groups would hang out to drink and share their dirty secrets. The Sidians knew them exclusively as the ¡°Picnic Leaf¡± and the ¡°Tipsy Paradise¡±.


    Sectors three and four lagged in the number of daily guests, but they overcame that deficit with the most loyal base of recurring visitors. Many fans of the third area, ¡°The Real Arena¡± considered themselves people with either: A. a bottomless amount of gut or B. a complete lack of it, to return there day by day. Tens of painters, designers, singers, sculptors, writers, etc. mushed together in open arenas to practice their art in front of thousands of onlookers.


    While their neighbors of the fourth sector, the ¡°Crafts Spiral¡± trained in small fields, crafting their bodies, gadgets, or anything else that required a good hammering or a sharp cut.


    ¡­


    Arim thought to bring Lian and Ogda through the nicer part first, as a small bumper before the ride, hoping that locations filled with firgs sharing a meal and a laugh, would alleviate from the aura of awkwardness that felt over since the spar. To his luck, it worked, at least for one half of the duo.


    -¡± Oh my, it¡¯s quite lively here¡±, remarked a giddy Lian, whose face brightened seeing the party atmosphere of the place. Then the instruments changed, and her heart stopped in place. Lian''s ears perked and listened closely, tuning out everything else to catch the song that felt like an old acquaintance. Soon after, her fingers snapped in tandem with the fiddle, then her hands slowly clapped with each drum beat.


    -¡± Lian, are you ok?¡±, asked Ogda, who for a moment returned to his usual self. For him, the place was a bit too lively, but thought he could at least ¡°stand¡± the music. Seeing her enjoying it, though, filled him with a drop of dread. ¡°Does¡­does she not have a musical ear?¡±


    Arim tucked half of his face deep inside his collar, trying to hide it from the crowd, but whenever someone called out to him, he tried to be polite and wave back. Zinc, on the other hand, was chirping to the tune.


    People were beating spoons to the tune, and two dropped in front of the Lian, which something awoke inside of her. She started to bang one another, quickly learning the cadence of the drums. When the fiddle came, she stopped, listened to the cords, and followed them with a childfull smile on her face.


    All the fun brought another flicker of the past to the excited young redhead. Her hands were tiny and puffy, and they were banging spoons without following the rhythm of the song. Around her, humans were dancing around an open fire. Then another set of clings drew her attention to her left, catching a pair of even smaller hands, clumsily trying to imitate her. The music stopped, and she remembered; ¡° I knew her.¡±


    ¡­


    The teen with the cashew hair and her cowl wearing guide arrived in the third sector, dodging pencils, pens and flying sparks, friendly shouts and taunts. The ¡°Real Arena¡±, as it was called, was where critics and artists embodied the same fiery beast. If you were a newcomer, you stood near the pillars; it was an unwritten rule to help them avoid getting crushed by the harsh tones of stressed-out artisans, who would call out anything they considered a mistake.


    Firg artist-¡± Why are you using bolts for that statue, you moron?! Nails, my sister from another mother, use the damn nails!¡±


    Firg sculptor-¡± Ah, shove it, you half-baked painter! I didn¡¯t smack you over the head when you used the red chalk, even though I knew it wouldn¡¯t mix well with the rest! I have my way of doing it, and you have your system!¡±


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    Tommen -'''' Hey guys, let¡¯s calm down, we all have a method, no need to be so aggressive¡±. Among the rowdy artists was a young human, lanky in stature and a skeletal build around his waist. His facial features made him look much older than he was though, as a brown-braided beard hid all his late pimples, while his hair had long reached his belly. Still, among his peers, his looks didn¡¯t help him stand out, but his equipment certainly did. A type of parchment was floating in front of him, tilting and following the command of his left hand, while his right one was penciling a portrait.


    -¡± Shut the hell up Tommen and check your line work, you went over the angle on the left side¡±, shouted from the back, another firg painter. The boy glanced at the mistake, and after making a surprised ¡°Ah¡±, he nicely thanked his critique. ¡° NO PROBLEM!¡±, the firg replied.


    Just then, though, the familiar voice of Brigit caught his attention and greeted her with a soft smile.


    Tommen -¡° It¡¯s so nice to see you around these parts. Welcome, welcome.  And who is this little kin of mine that is with you?¡± The boy''s relaxed voice confused the girl for a moment, but a second later mistook it for condescension, completely the opposite understanding Tommen wanted to convey.


    Maci -¡± Little? I¡¯m the biggest player in my team, you paper bear! My powerful kicks brought us tens of goals, and I can prove it immediately if you want!¡±


    Brigit then put her palm over her mouth and pushed the girl''s cap over her eyes. ¡°This is Maci Decelle, and she is under my supervision for now. Listen, you told me that you and Giol want to try the Fect pact again, right?¡±


    Tommen -¡± Yeah, we are still trying to find out why it¡¯s not working for us¡­ Wait, did you say Decelle?¡±


    Maci -¡± Qui, je suis fran?ais, qu¡¯est-ce que c¡¯est pour toi?¡±, replied the teen angrily before being muted by Brigit''s palm again.


    Tommen glanced at the girl, then back at Brigit, and saw how she motioned him to cut it. ¡°Right. Anyway, my brother is in the Crafts Spiral, working on the ritual space¡­wait, are you two also planning on making a pact?¡±


    -¡± Of course we are!¡± shouted a muffled Maci, after which Brigit let her free from the shackles of her hand.


    Tommen -¡± Brigit, is this ok?¡± asked with concern the Nordic illustrator, who was ignoring the rowdy teen. ¡°I mean¡­¡±, he wanted to ask a more direct question, but didn¡¯t know how to hide it from Maci.


    Brigit -¡±  Yes. I already talked this over with everyone, and even convinced Perren. And besides, who wouldn¡¯t want to be partners with this ball of energy? She and I will make a great team, ok?¡±


    While not entirely convinced, Tommen gave up on arguing with her and started packing his gear. ¡° Eh, c¡¯est comma ca. Let¡¯s see if Giol is done. If we¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll meet up with Arim and his guests before the whole shebang.¡± Maci groaned at the young man¡¯s attempt of butchering the French, but moved on, in fear of another muzzle.


    Brigit-¡± Wait, more people? Fantastic, if we¡¯re lucky we¡¯ll see another pact today! I¡¯m more excited now. C¡¯mon, Maci, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡­.


    -¡± Heellou?¡±, asked a honey-toned voice, followed by a small knock on a semi-open door. Krass stuck part of his head to check the unkempt room, looking for a person and, preferably, a response. None was given, but still, that didn¡¯t mean that the room was empty.


    For the past four months since he took on the reins of the Platinum Union by his lonesome self, its leader found out that the ins and outs of dealing with all the paperwork wasn¡¯t a walk in the park. The numbers went up and down when they should have been equal, notations differed from file to file, and learning how to read different handwriting should be a mandatory course in schools. The other members noticed his mood changes from one day to another, along with his eye bags.


    -¡± Should I wake him? Hmmm, has he just fallen asleep or is he just passed out?¡± While none of the options were healthy for the sleepy leader, Krass was happy enough knowing that he got some shut eyes. He slowly backed out to the door, until a sudden slapping sound made him quickly turn around to see that the leader accidentally smacked himself over the face with a tome.


    ??? -¡± Who¡¯s there?¡±, yelled the deep sleeper with half a mouth.


    -¡± Masso¡­are you ok? It¡¯s me, Krass¡­ Did you have a nice nap?¡±


    Masso -¡± Who? Show yorslf!¡± He then grabbed a glass of water from a nearby table and splashed himself half-awake, enough for him to wiggle his numb hand on the floor, looking for something. A lantern of sorts, with tubes pointing in four directions, which could open and close with an individual switch. And the light it emitted at full strength could ignite a candlestick, as Krass¡¯s eyes found out when they got blinded by it.


    ¡­.


    Krass -¡± It¡¯s good to see¡­find you sleeping, uhm¡­ should I call you Leader now or do you still hate it?¡±


    Masso -¡± Just keep it to my name. It still weirds me out to hear you guys call me leader. What about you, do you want me to call you Captain now that you have led a few missions?¡±


    Krass -¡± YES! Oh, it¡¯s exhilarating, especially since I can boss Blitz around. Seeing his annoyed face after all the years of him being a little pranking shi¡­¡± Krass then stopped, as Masso¡¯s face muscles were contorting into a mask of worry and concern. ¡° Sorry¡­old grudges die hard and all. But I do promise to smother them¡­in time¡±.


    -¡± Right¡­¡± replied his dormant leader with half a mouth. ¡°Next problem I need is you two bickering. Maybe another time, sure, but not now. So, regarding the hunt, give me the details after I hear your opinion on it. Was it the black water?¡±


    The room¡¯s dark atmosphere got pitcher than when it was unlit. Both of their postures were tense, with Krass crossing his arms tight to his chest, trying to find the right phrase to not raise alarms, but he knew he couldn¡¯t.


    Krass - ¡° Yes.¡±, he replied shortly. ¡° Don¡¯t know if the reports for the other attacks are 100% correct, and the cocoon we retried is unbroken, but I do think it¡¯s the same substance that wiped out Brigit¡¯s village so many years ago. ¡°