Crumblecity Tales

For all the stories, tales and extra stuff for Crumblecity Clashers!

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Crumblecity Tales are short stories related to an upcoming card game, Crumblecity Clashers!

Crumblecity Clashers created by Draudin and Darck

Writing by Darck

  • 5. Storm’s Eve

                    “I ask, Esmerela, that you understand why we’ve come to this.

    Why there is no choice but to end what you seek.

    Why we must break our oaths.

    Why I fear, more than anything, that you already understand...”

    “Good, now another. Behind you, don’t turn your head,” Aido instructed, as he strode around the small courtyard at the top of the spire, far above most of Delatryss. Ghost felt sweat cooling as it dripped through her fur, chilled in the thin air.

    Stranger still, she could feel a similar feeling, her awareness slightly fractured, as two additional copies of her, unmoving but exact, stood a slight distance away from her, one behind Aido, another to her right, just in her field of view.

    She concentrated, exhaustion gripping her, as she tried to create yet another copy behind her, her vision blurring with the effort. So close, so close…! She felt a flicker of awareness before the other two copies popped, disappearing into tatters before scattering into light and vanishing. Ghost slumped, catching herself on the stone wall, breathing heavy, wiping sweat from her brow.

    “Wonderful…” Aido said, the open awe in his voice giving Ghost a small breath of energy despite her weariness. “The aspect of reflection is rare, Ghost. With further practice you will do so much,” he offered her a flask, which she took gratefully, sipping at the water.

    Aido walked to join her at the wall, folding his scarred arms across the frigid stone, seemingly unaware of it’s bite on his cold flesh. He looked across the sea of green, the largest moon peaking over the horizon, beautiful, large, a yellow hue spreading across the forest below. Ghost turned, admiring the view, a rare one, unless you travel to the loftier heights of Delatryss, which she did often. Still, looking out at the moon, she could feel… something. A pull, maybe, or a song, just out of hearing. It had been there ever since that fateful night.

    The two sat in silence for a moment, as they often did during the first of the moonrise. “One year,” Aido said, and Ghost started, surprised, “it has been a full year since you joined us, Ghost.” Surprised, Ghost looked up at Aido, who was nearly two feet taller than she was. “You’ve done well, and you’ve progressed fast,” he rifled through a small bag he carried at his side as he talked, pulling out something that flashed briefly in the dark.

    Ghost’s breath caught in her throat as she recognized it. The kenkin held a small, square envelope in his hands, made of a deep, red color. It was sealed with a thin, silvery symbol. He ran his fingers along the sharp edges of it, contemplatively. She’d seen those letters before. A task. A target. She had seen Kira and Raid, the other two of their party, receive them. A life that was fated to end. A Red Letter.

    “I was given one year, you know.” Ghost looked askance at him, though her eyes never strayed from the envelope. “I was given one year to take you in, train you, teach you. A year to-“ he cut off, looking away and into the distance again. “A year to… prepare you. For this. A choice.” The wind fluttered the thin sheet. A flicker of memory- Ghost, a knife, a red line in the moonlight. Ghost battered the memory away and down, gone as fast as it came. Aido was looking at her. “It is that- you know. A choice.”

    Ghost’s mind was blank. She had known this was coming, for the better part of a year now. Aido had told her himself.

    “Do you know why I killed you?” he asked now, just as he did then, a year ago. They had been in a clearing then, the faintest of moonlight filtering through the thick canopy as they camped, traveling to the city. Ghost had frowned.

    [You were told to.] she said then, a year ago. They were assassins, obviously. It’s what assassins did- you paid a cost so that someone else also did. She was familiar with the concept; her family was wealthy and well known. They had taught her about the dangers. Aido had just smiled at her response, saying nothing. Ghosts learned much in the last year, though. She knew the correct answer.

    [Because you chose to.] she signed to him now, and Aido paused, then nodded. His fingers traced the edge of the letter again as he turned back towards the emerald ocean, and the moon, uncaring, shone across it.

    “Yes,” he said quietly. It could have been a cold statement, evil even, coming from anyone else, but Ghost understood. “You can always choose. There is always a choice.” The two sat quietly for a moment, before Aido held out the envelope. He didn’t need to say anything. Ghost paused, uncertain. After another moment, she took the opposite side of the letter.

    Later that night, she opened the letter, nervously, alone in her quarters. She read the name on it, then read it again, with the brief instructions. She had no idea who it was, but she had three days- the full reveal of the Reaping Moon.

    —

    “Do you think she knows?” said a voice in the dark, long after Ghost had fitfully fallen asleep.

    “What, why would she? Nah, it’ll work. This is my favorite part, you were terrible, that first time, by the way, I’m sure she’ll do better.” Said another, female voice. The male voice made a rude comment.

    “Keep an eye on her, please,” said a third voice. “You will both have to be here while I cannot.” The other two gave begrudging affirmation. “I shall return a week hence, if all goes as planned.” There was hesitation- then a noise of someone picking up a heavy pack, the movement of straps and small objects pocketed. “Be well.”

    A door opened, and closed, as they do, then silence.

    “You don’t have to be an ass in front of the boss,” said one voice, then a quiet laugh. Ghost slept through it all.

    —

    “Absolutely not, I’ve received nothing from Company 2 leadership. So, no.” The disgruntled red drakken said smugly from behind his wide dark mahogany desk. It was waxed, reflected on the ceiling, and was perfect for letting someone be a complete jerk to whoever was on the other side of it. Especially some up-start Company 2 nerd with a stupid hat. It had been a while since Larrinor had been allowed to just be rude, despite being basically in his job description as Front Librarian.

    “Please, we haven’t had the time to coordinate a message back, but it’s vital for a research proj-“ the nerd was saying, but Larrinor interrupted him.

    “I said no. Bring a Form 1880- you can get one from Communications two buildings down if they can squeeze you in, and I’ll reconsider, but Company 3 Library rights aren’t just granted because you feel like they should be,” Front Librarian Larrinor said, a smile creeping onto his face. He couldn’t help it; this was cathartic after the recent investigation teams from Company 4 the past few weeks. He was tired of higher ups sweeping past his desk, completely ignoring its spotless, dense defenses.

    The blue-scale drakken (why was he in Company 6 anyway?) threw up his claws in frustration. He paused, furrowing his brows, before suddenly glancing up across the small welcoming room. Larrinor glanced in that direction, it was just the two of them in the room. After a second the blue drakken started, correcting his stupid book hat. “I will be lodging a complaint with leadership about obstructing high value Company research.”

    “I look forward to reading it,” the Front Librarian said, his grin widening. The blue Drakken gave him a glare- he was better at it the second time- before he stalked out of the room. Larrinor watched him hold the door open for a few seconds, seeming to reconsider. Larrinor had a flutter of hope that he did come back, but the drakken eventually just left, the door clicking quietly behind him on well-oiled hinges. Leaning back in his chair, Larrinor let out a satisfied sigh. A job well done today!

    Sammarria gleefully slid next to Enno, who was mumbling some kind of obscenities under his breath, as they walked down the well-paved road. They were on Company grounds, a small area of the city set aside for Company business, just above the docks, so only a few drakken were scattered about the area at this time of morning. Sammarria happily crunched into her fried egg pocket- an egg omelet battered and fried, as they continued towards the large gates, the guards letting out Enno after another brief back and forth, Sammarria slipping through the gates behind him.

    “Why didn’t you say anything!?” Enno finally exclaimed once they were out of earshot, into the already busy early morning streets of the city proper. “You could’ve helped or done… something! I don’t know!”

    “I bib,” said Sammarria with a full mouth, wiping some egg from her face.

    “Can’t you, like, read his mind or something? I don’t know! Why are you even here if you can’t get me into the Library. We don’t even know who you saw! We have three days left, Samm! Three! We’ve been here eleven days, and I have nothing to show for it- we’ve scoured the city, checked every resource I know- I can’t wait for Communications! They said it’d be two weeks before I could see a Chatter!”
    “I gob’t,” Sammarria said, mouth full again. She stared at her now-empty claws, breakfast finished. She swallowed, letting Enno whine, his tail swishing wildly in frustration. She let him continue, until he dropped into silence, shoulders dropped. “I said, I got it.” Sammarria said, now that he was in ‘sad boy mode’. Sammarria had started naming each of his moods- he never listened to anyone in half of them, so it was easier for her. She smiled as he whirled on her.

    “Go what,” he said, eyeing her suspiciously, flecks of anger still in his stare. “You just sat there, doing your stupid invisibility thing, while that asshole-“

    “Woah, hey,” Sammarria raised her claws defensively. “Down boy.  It’s not invisibility, and I got the information. Well, some kind of information. Relax, we’ll talk back at the inn.”

    Sammarria took a sick sense of glee at the emotions warring across Enno’s face, before he seemed to finally settle on the edges of hope. “Are you s- Is it what we’re looking for?”

    Sammarria rolled her eyes. Enno had been a decent enough working partner, but he was so pathetic sometimes. “I don’t know, it will take a bit of time for Vissero and I to parse it, but I think it’s what we’re looking for.”

    Enno didn’t look convinced; despite the desperate hope he started to feel. “You still never explained to me how any of your bond works. Is it even accurate? We’ve been at this for days and you still haven’t told me much,” Enno said, resigned.

    It was Sammarria’s turn to look uncomfortable, and she glanced away. “I promise it’s useful, just give me a bit. Vissero says it may take a few hours to… work it out. If you have another lead, though, please, be my guest.”

    Enno looked ready to complain, she could see it on his face, but he just bit his lip and looked away, before turning. “Let’s meet at lunch at the inn, then?” he said, and they agreed.

    –

    Late afternoon light filtered into the small café attached to the inn, warming their scales, as the two talked. Sammarria sipped from her tea to let her point drive home.

    “An assassination cult?” Enno breathed incredulously. To his credit, he didn’t glance around anymore after every sentence. He had at least started to trust Sammarria’s ability to keep them from being noticed. “What was it, the, uh, Reaper Moon?”
    “The Reaping Moon,” Sammarria corrected. “It’s an order that’s been around since long before most modern records, even. I wouldn’t say cult, though it does have some of that flavor. They supposedly have very strange powers, but they’re organized in disparate cells scattered across the three continents.”

    Enno stared out the window, processing the information. “And the person you saw the other day, the one you believe might be the holder of the item we’re looking for, is part of this ancient assassination group?” A strange look passed across his face, and he glanced sideways at Sammaria, full of suspicion. “You… do understand that seems… ah…”

    “Stupid?” Sammarria offered.

    “I was going to say ‘unlikely’,” Enno said, then sighed. He started to say something, then stopped. For a few seconds he just stared out the window, claw under his jaw, seemingly lost in thought. The two sat in silence, the busy sound of the café around them despite the privacy of their conversation.

    Sammarria watch Enno’s expression, and her mood soured as well. He didn’t trust her, of course. She sighed, putting her unfinished tea down. It was always like this. Every time it came down to it, drakken never trusted a serp-

    “So, how do we find them?” Enno said, interrupting her brooding.

    Sammarria blinked, trying to bring her thoughts back around. “What?”

    “How do we find this, uh, cult? If they want to stay hidden, that is.”
    “You believe me?” Sammarria breathed, incredulous. Enno suddenly looked confused.

    “Y- yes? Why wouldn’t I? It’s, like, what you’re good at, right? We’re here to do… well, you’re here to do what you’re good at. I just sort of floundered all week.” Enno said, glancing away. Sammarria just paused for a second, trying to parse the information.

    Suddenly, she realized something important. “Why are you here?” she asked Enno, putting her claws on the table and leaning forward. “What are you here for?”

    Enno, surprised, opened his mouth to say something, then closed it and narrowed his eyes. “Why ask now? I thought you were ready to leave me behind once your contract was done.”

    “What? I- okay, maybe a week ago… But answer my question.”

    “It’s… a project. Glenn, er, Engineer McReed-“ Enno glanced a Sammarria, and she rolled her eyes and wave a hand, “er, Glenn was responsible for even getting me into the Academy in the first place. He was a friend of my mother’s, and after they both passed, he brought me west and got me in, despite being a blue drakken. I didn’t have much left; I owe him everything.” Enno paused, reflecting for a moment, but Sammarria said nothing. “Anyway, after graduation, I joined his research Party. They’ve been working on rediscovering a form of travel, one that was lost years ago.”

    “Teleportation,” Sammarria said breathlessly, finding she was leaning forward on the table.

    Enno started. “You know if it?”
    “I paid some attention to history. Supposedly they could travel whole airships across the world in an instant. Glenn had some kind of lead- he was working with a wealthy family from the west, I think, from somewhere around here. But they were murdered.” Enno’s face darkened. Blood fingerprints on the wall. The memory scattered, and he continued. “The blueprints all insinuate some kind of energy device, something to power the engine, but we’ve never found it and can’t seem to reverse engineer it. It’s powerful, and the huge energy spike from this city is why we’re here. But, as you know, nobody seems to know where it was from, and, well, you know the rest.” Enno leaned back, looking at Sammarria thoughtfully.

    Sammarria stared at Enno, a strange look in her eye “Wow that is…”

    “Stupid?” Enno said with a scowl, but Sammarria only grinned.

    “Wonderful,” her tone shocked Enno. “That’s… wow. Teleportation… that’s big, huge even! Think about how much that would change, well, everything! Airships, anywhere in the world, instantly. Even…” suddenly she realized something.

    “Even through the Storm of Thorns, yes,” Enno met her gaze, surprised to find hers was honest.

     Sammarria suddenly leaned back, crossing her arms, her decision made. “It’s like a library, filled with string.”

    Enno scrunched up his face. “What is, teleportation?”

    Sammaria laughed, “no, Vision. When I use my bond.” An ‘O’ of surprise crossed Enno’s face, excitement jerking him out of his slump. “Woah, down boy. It’s sort of like that. I can see points, things that are connected, people and places and that they are related, but it’s difficult to parse exactly how they’re related, or when. It’s easier when it’s relating someone’s direct thoughts to an exact thing, though, if I’m being specific. It mostly relies on Vissero to parse the information; it gives me a headache if I try too hard.”

    “Information Scout,” Enno said, a smile across his face. “I’ve always wondered.”

    “Yeah, well you’ll need to know if we’re going to find our target. How it all works, if you want to trust my information.”

    “So, you haven’t just been wandering around,” Enno grinned, leaning back in his chair. “I kind of wondered.”
    “No, I’ve been looking for connections. That’s why the information was easier to parse. It can show opportunities, or events, and how to be a part of them… or not.”

    Enno glanced around, finally recognizing why nobody seemed to notice them.               “Seems powerful. You can read the future then?”

    “No. It’s hard to tell when things are related, and it takes awhile to figure out how it might be. But I traced the people, terms and information we’ve found so far. I’m confident this person has what you’re looking for, but I don’t know if it’s exactly the object you’re asking about. I can also see their connection to the Reaping Moon.”

    “Can you find them?” Enno asked excitedly. “Can you find the power source?”

    “No.” Sammarria said, crossing her arms. She took the briefest moment of joy in watching Enno deflate, but then she smiled. A deep, true smile. She was excited. It has been a long time since she had a mission that was interesting. If anyone else could see her, they’d likely be deeply unsettled. “But I can find out where they’ll be next.”

  • 4. Reflections in Blood

              “My Dearest Sister, Esmerela –

    I write this, knowing well that it will not reach you. Know that I do not ask forgiveness.”

    **One Year Ago**

                    The girl opened her eyes with a gasp, breathing heavily. With a soundless moan, she scrabbled at her clothing, her night dress tearing slightly as she felt at where she had, moments before, felt a sliver to steel slice into her. There was no pain, but she felt the memory of it, as she lay there on the floor, breathing, seeing nothing, feeling nothing, trying to keep down her roiling stomach, unsuccessfully.

    She didn’t want to, no, couldn’t move. Her thoughts swirled as she stared blankly at the floor. Was the killer still here? How did she survive? What about her parents? She should… she should warn them…

    She pushed herself up, quietly, slowly, her arms wildly trembling, as she took stock. The hall was bright, so bright. She could clearly see- her mind slipped again. Frozen. She stared at the figures in the hall, sprawled across the floor. Two bodies, not ten feet from her, one larger than the other. She recognized her maid, clearly, but the other…

    She found herself standing over the smaller body, looking down at it. She wasn’t sure when she moved. It was face-down, sitting in a large dark pool of crimson.

    Her shaking hands grabbed the form, dipping into the blood, but she rolled the form over and saw… She had seen that face, a thousand times, in the mirror every morning. It looked… peaceful, was all she could think. She had never seen herself sleep.

    She was sitting, again, in that dark hallway. Her feet and dress sitting in that slowly drying pool. She was still sitting like that when a head jauntily poked its head up the staircase. Spotting her, the tall figure slowly rounded the top of the staircase, stopping at the lower landing, nearly eye-level with the sitting girl.

    Finally, she looked up, and locked eyes with the figure. Terror gripped her as-

    “Ah. Hello… sister,” said the man. His large, circular glasses reflected the moonlight, as he dipped his head, his deep red feathers glinting. The daggers he had used to kill the girl were nowhere to be seen, but she sat there, locked in fear. “I… see. And I know,” he continued, gesturing to the deceased figures, sadly. His hands were rough, as most Kenkin were, but he had no feathers up his revealed forearms, his shirt rolled up at the sleeves, which gave him a rough, scarred appearance. He wore a simple cloth shirt and pants, tied with a sash at the waist, a sheath off to one side, all of it a dark maroon, almost the color of his feathers. His three-toed feet made no noise as he ascended the stairs, covered heavily in a similar fabric. He stopped at the top of the staircase, the girl just staring at him, unmoving. “I see you are… confused. But fear not, sister, for you are safe with the moon.”

    He paused, cocking his head, before another female voice yelled up from the stairs. “Hey, Aido, brother, you done up there?”

    As the other figure started up the stairs, Aido glanced at the girl and the same corpse, before putting a finger to his beak. “I am, Kira. I was checking to see if aught was amiss. All is well, for now.” The figure paused just below the top of the stairs, and the girl heard a sigh. “Please join the others outside, I wish to ensure our client’s needs are met.”

    “Sure, boss brother. I’ll get the others, we’ll be out the garden entrance when you’re done,” the figure said, before retreating through the house.

    Aido, face reflected in the moonlight, stared down at the girl, who hadn’t moved through the whole exchange. He signed at the girl, his fingers flicking quickly and confidently through the motions.

    [You are not safe here. You have few paths. You may join us, if you wish for answers. None will hurt you. A promise.]

    Shock. The girl couldn’t help it, so few had learned her language. Her hands moved through her own volition, shakily. [Who am I? What am I? What happened? Why did you-] her hands fell as tears joined them. Her vision grew blurry as the hot liquid fell down her cheeks, joining her- no, Kalia’s blood. She wasn’t…

    A finger touched her chin, and she threw herself back, only to find a deep sadness on the Kenkin’s face, a single, rough hand outstretched. He curled the scarred fingers together, standing and retreating at the girl’s response, the sadness vanishing to neutrality.

    “I have no answers for you, here. I will give you one hour to decide, but we must depart here, soon. We will give you safe bearing to Delatryss, and you may decide from there your next action,” he turned back towards the stairs, stepping down, before turning, “or you may find us there yourself, or not at all, if you choose. The moon does not dictate us, she just watches.” After a pause, the Kenkin glid down silently, vanishing into the darkness.

    The girl was unsure of how much time had passed before she recollected herself enough to form thoughts. There was a hole in her brain, and it kept filling, just to spill out again. She stared at Kalia’s corpse, unmoving in the pool nearly dry, and finally stood and approached it again. Ruffling through the dress, she found the small, concealed pocket, and the key within. She held it up, the moon catching on its edges. She knew where the door was- she always had. Or… Kalia had. She wasn’t sure.

    The girl stumbled down the stairs, leaving small slips of blood on the carpet and banister, before fumbling at the wall beneath the staircase. Finally, she found the small keyhole, bloody fingerprints across the wall, and inserted and turned, the clunk echoing down the silent hall. The fire had long since gone out, obscuring the room her parents had been in what felt like moments ago. She didn’t even glance down the hall as she opened the hidden door and stepped inside, pushing the heavy metal door aside.

    She could see clearly in the pitch-black room, as though it was outlined with a whiteish light. She glanced around; the room was filled with… paper. Huge papers, diagrams, piles of writings and notes and tools and things she didn’t understand. It was a workshop, or something like it, but she couldn’t make heads nor tails of it. She ran her fingers along the edges of tabletop in the center, gingerly touching each diagram. This is what her parents had left h- Kalia? Diagrams?

    Finally, something caught her eye, a strange, crystalline object, no longer than her palm, sitting in some strange device. As she eyed it, some odd light seemed to swirl in its center, a mix of colors she couldn’t describe. She touched it lightly – it was slightly warm to the touch, but otherwise unremarkable. Was this Kalia’s heritage? She picked it up out of the metal contraption that held it upright. It was light, and when she moved it, that strange light flickered through it again, but otherwise there was nothing special about it.

    She suddenly felt tired – so tired. Was this it? Just… a rock? It was pretty, but… was this all Kalia was worth? The girl glanced about the room, nothing of note standing out. For some reason, all her fear was gone, just confusion swirled in her head. Who… what was she? Was she just… a ghost? Nothing left? A ghost. She pocketed the crystal.

    Finally, feeling unsatisfied but unsure what to do, she left the room. Almost unbidden, she found herself stumbling upstairs and wandering into Kalia’s room. It seemed so familiar, but so… distant. The dim light made it feel alien, and she paused, uncertain. Still, she knew Kalia’s clothes fit her, and she changed quickly into something better for travel – the same clothing she had used for exercise days. Kalia’s parents had her practice with dueling swords often, though many thought it unladylike. Kalia had always liked it.

    She put the more form-fitting, rougher clothes on, ensuring the strange crystal was tucked away in an internal pocket, and, stepping over Kalia and the maid, found herself walking out the rear garden entrance.

    Two figures jumped up from their lounged position as she exited, the door clicking quietly closed behind her. She felt no fear. She felt, well, nothing.

    “Ah. Wonderful, here is our extra member,” the girl jumped as Aido stepped from behind a bush nearby.

    “That’s the daughter! We have to-“ Kira, the woman from earlier- a Drakken, crouched, drawing a dagger of her own.

    “Calm, Kira. She is one of us, don’t you see it?” said the other figure, relaxing. He was a large figure, with a heavy upper body, thick arms and wide shoulders, but shorter legs. The plates that lined the top of his head and forearms reflected the moonlight, which was bright and full overhead. A Gendu, Kalia had learned it, the girl remembered. An uncommon race to see in Tlaria, hailing from the thick forests of the continent to the east. He was soft-spoken, quiet in the even quieter garden, and moved with surprising ease despite his size.

    The woman, Kira, eyed the girl in the dark. “No, I don’t see how you see that, she looks just like a girl to me.”

    “And you look blind,” said the Gendu, and Kira gasped.

    “Raid- from you? How- how dare-“

    “Stop, please,” Aido said with a sigh, “We are long since overdue our departure. And I-“ he paused, awkwardly, approaching the girl. “I am glad you could join us, sister.”

    The girl didn’t retreat this time, and was instead surprised as he bowed slightly, more so when the other two figures did the same. She didn’t know what to say.

    “We welcome you under clear skies. I hope your travels bring answers, sister,” Aido said, with a tone stated this was some form of ritual, or phrase. The girl found herself bowing. Her thoughts were still racing- all direction but no control. She was drowning, and felt tears forming again, her confusion working its way out of her head. If this was the best she got for answers, then…

    “And what shall we call you, sister?” the Gendu man, Raid, asked quietly.

    The girl paused, unsure, and like a single light through dark clouds, only one thing came to her. She signed something quickly, fumbling with her shaking hands, and she watched Aido’s face form a strange smile, and nod slightly in approval.

    “We welcome you, Sister Ghost,” he said, bowing again.

    Ghost followed the other three as they slipped into the thick, rolling woods, beginning their long trek to the city.

    **One Year Later**

    “And how many Serpentian are selling wares from eastern Tlaria?”

    Ghost scowled at Aido, who sitting straight-backed in a chair, his dark red feathers reflecting warmly in the noon sun. They were sitting in a fairly busy café in Lower Evening Merchant Square, called so for the side of the mountain illuminated by the evening sun, six stories down from the wealthier Upper Evening Merchant Square. Ghost hated how busy and crowded it was down here, but it never seemed to bother her mentor. He idly scratched at his scarred hands as he sipped at his tea, piercing her with a gaze over his glasses.

    She scowled at him again, thinking.

    [Three. The one with light-blue scales nearer the entrance selling desert spinefruit, and there’s a pair selling leather clothing together after Second Street,] she signed, face deadpan, watching Aido’s reaction, which was none, as usual.

    “Final answer? And stop making that face, it sticks that way.”

    Ghost twisted her face up worse. [Yes, final answer.]

    “Very good. I’m surprised you noticed the pair wasn’t competing, given they were a street away acting as competitors. Wonderful,” he said, leaning back to let the sun warm his feathers as Ghost relaxed. She hated this game, but it was very useful for her observational skills. She far preferred their sparring practice, however- she much more appreciated hitting things, even if it was her mentor, whom she never landed a scratch on.

    “We’re done for today,” Aido said, interrupting her musing. “You can have the rest of the day off, but I want you to meet me at the top of Western Spires by moonrise,” he said, pushing back and placing some coins on the table, nodding to the waitress. “I have some business this afternoon, don’t get into trouble.”

    As she watched Aido vanish into the crowd, she sipped lightly at her drink, a flowery tea with an overwhelming amount of honey, just as she liked it, wondering what to do. She felt lightly at the hidden pouch in her clothes, feeling the stone warm against her chest, wondering if she should keep it there.

    She thought back to the incident last week as she stalked into an alley, quickly using the many cracks and crevices that frequented the buildings and walls of Lower Delatryss until she found herself overwatching Market Street. She mused as she watched the people move below, enjoying the warm afternoon breeze, which smelled of loam and late summer growth off of the forest sea.

    She had been following a Ratkin, as they were notoriously jumpy, so she figured it would be decent practice. They were surprisingly well-dressed in green silks, a sign of nobility in the southwestern part of Tlaria, so she wanted to see where they were going. Simple, really- but she had underestimated the rain from that morning and its effect on some of the more worn stone of the city. She had slipped in a puddle on the thin windowsills she was creeping across and fallen into the space below with a wordless shriek.

    That was it! That was all! She just slipped! She scowled in the present again before catching herself; maybe Aido was right about her doing it too often. However, that embarrassment had quickly turned to terror as she bounced painfully off the stones and fell off the city. The space below opened, the stone having cracked and fallen away with age, revealing a sheer cliff face below. As she rolled down, she scrabbled to find purchase, claws finding no purchase against the rain-slicked stone and instead bounced painfully again before finding herself in the air.

    She had one moment to gasp as she flailed- she could only see the green, and the mountain, looming above her. Wind whipped as she gained speed, as her mind raced. She saw the streets far below, the lowest streets of Delatryss, but she had been in the upper reaches on the flat face of the mountain. There was nothing she could reach as she fell, spiraling in the air. She saw the mountain whipping past and could hear nothing as the wind filled her ears.

    I die, again, she thought, as she watched the street approach, as a brilliant light flashed. She felt a searing heat near her heart, and the world lurched around her. She vomited, finding herself, crouched, wiping her mouth. She looked around wildly, her brain still catching up to the movement shift- everything felt like it was still whirling about her, but she saw everyone staring at her.

    “Are you okay, miss?” someone asked, but she couldn’t make out the face in her swimming vision. “There was a flash…”

    She could hear the murmuring around her, as she tried to stand and stumbled. Finally, she tried to walk off quickly as others asked about her, each step becoming surer.

    Ghost lost them quickly in the crowd soon after but couldn’t catch her breath, the burning on her chest unceasing, a strange smell in the air. She felt at it and gasped as she felt at a hole in her clothes- the source of the burning smell- blackened and charred, her chest already starting to bubble from the heat as she touched the searing area gently. The crystal had burned through her hidden pocket and fallen to where they were tucked into her pants, just warm.

    Back in the present, Ghost mused idly, watching the forest turn auburn colors in the orange, dipping sun. She still wasn’t sure what happened, but obviously the crystal had done something. She had tossed away the burned clothes, and still had not told Aido, even a week later. More than once the topic had almost come up, but she felt against it. Despite everything he’d done for her this last year, he had still…

    An uneasy feeling washed over the Foxen, and Ghosty surveyed the street before her eyes met with a, well, eye. She tilted her head at the massive eyeball, sitting atop slimy, thick meaty stalks, in the middle of Market Street. The other people on the street flowed around it, as though they didn’t even see the horror in their midst. She stared at it, the uncomfortable feeling slithering up her back as she realized it was staring back at her. Jumping up, she backed away from the edge of the rooftop, watching with horror as it shifted and tilted to keep her in sight, before she turned and fled.

    Scurrying along back alleys, she couldn’t shake the feeling it was still staring at her, as she worked her way up the city to the towers to meet with Aido.

    —–

    “Hmm?” Sammarria mumbled, enjoying a fried meat pocket she had bought from her new favorite stand, today, at least. She tried a new one every day and was on the fourth. Street food was her weakness. “Something up, Vissero?” she eyed her companion eye. Information passed between their bond as he stared at her, a gentle itch in Sammarria’s mind, and her eyes widened. She quickly finished the meat pocket, making painful noises as she burnt her tongue, before she slipped off through the crowd, parting around her without notice.

  • 3. City in the Sea of Green

    Enno frowned at his traveling partner. Maybe he was just tired, or annoyed that his uniform was slightly tighter than when he had graduated, but he couldn’t help but be irked by their… presence. They were so…

    Sammarria cracked open one eye. “Can I help you.” It wasn’t a question. She was stretched out across her bench, propped up against her Bond, her long tail wound up into a pile at the far end. Enno was… being a Drakken, she noted, shifting from foot to foot, something she struggled to relate with. “No, seriously, you look like you need help.”

      “I do not need help, but I’m also not going to… just lay out, like this. We’re on official business, Scout Sammarria,” Enno whispered at her, wringing his hands, which made raspy noises that annoyed Sammarria to no end.

    “So?” Sammarria just stared at him, and he just stared back. She blinked her inner eyelids, and he looked away, which made her laugh to herself. Outwardly, she rolled her eyes then closed them again, leaning back into her Bond’s pillowy softness. “It’s literally an 8-hour flight, Enno, what are you worried about. Sit down. The mana source isn’t going anywhere, I’m sure, and we’ll be done with this business sooner if you just relax.”

    Enno looked around the near-empty cabin again, nervously. “You can’t just… you can’t say those- this is a mission!” his voice worked up a notch, “We don’t have to tell everybody- we only have two weeks, and you’re just… just… laying there!” he spluttered, waving his hands, tail swishing in agitation.

    Sammarria sighed and shifted to sit up, pulling her coiled tail closer. Serpentians never fit well on the benches built for other races, and she hated to sit so unnaturally. “Look, uh, Enno, was it? Engineer Enno? I’m here to help you with the information stuff. We are, that is,” she said, patting her Bond. It had originally unnerved Enno, when she first summoned it. It was a single, massive eyeball standing atop a thick, fleshy-looking stalk of tendrils. The eye freely swung about, not connected to anything, and did so non-stop. It looked far slimier than it was. “I owe Glenn a huge favor, so, while me and Vissero are at your disposal, I’m not under your command, do you understand?” she said, ignoring Enno’s muttered ‘Engineer Glenn’ correction. Instead, she glared, with her bond, Vissero, the giant eyeball, doing the same. He was good at that.

    “I… er… never intended, to say… that,” Enno mumbled under the burning observation, “just, that I think we should look… I don’t know, professional… when traveling in the name of Company 2’s board…”

    Sammarria couldn’t help but roll her eyes again, why were Drakken always like this. “Keeping a low profile is also important, not that it’s possible with you wearing, uh, that hat.”

    Enno gaped, grabbing at the tips of his hat and pulling it down. “It showcases my success at the Academy as an honorable graduate! It’s… it’s, uh…” he glanced around, but the other five people in the cabin were either napping or staring listlessly. It was early, far too early to be traveling, and Enno had yet to sleep at all. He and Glenn had stayed up making plans all night, and Sammarria had been called in last-second, but she was used to that, or so she said. Enno suddenly felt exhausted.

    “It’s special,” Enno finished feebly. His hat was a leather cattleman hat, with special embroidering to resemble a book, complete with the honorable graduation star. The Academy created unique headwear for the top graduate of every class, and, if Enno was being honest, it reminded him of home, more than anything.

    “Well it isn’t going to go undercover anywhere, kind of by design. Wear it if you want, but know it doesn’t help.” Sammarria said, leaning back against Vissero and closing her eyes. “Also, get some sleep, you look as exhausted as you’re being.”

    Enno looked around guiltily, before meeting Vissero’s eye, who was staring at him. It continued to, making him feel completely naked despite the hat, as he took the bench adjacent to Sammarria. “You know,” he said, before yawning, “this airship is a Class A personnel ship, but surprisingly comes with a new Glasson Verde-band Mark 2.2 engine. You can tell by the vibration rate-“

    “SLEEP, ENNO,” Sammarria groaned, but after a moment of silence her only response was a gentle snore. She looked up at Vissero, who was staring down at her, lidless eye unmoving. “Don’t give me that.” Vissero quickly stared out the window, and she smirked, dozing off again.

    **

    “Would you look at dat…” said the feathered, black Kenkin, not moving from their leaned back position. “A coll-ege grad-u-ate, Maurice,” he sounded out the words, dripping with toxin. His feathered hands were behind his head as he spotted the… vibrant… Drakken walking down the ramp from the airship to the landing dock. “And all alone, too…”

    His partner, a small gray Ratkin, stared nervously, twitching, at the enraptured figure, his toothy mouth dropped open in wonder. Delatryss was perfect for causing that exact reaction, Maurice thought.

    Delatryss! One of the oldest cities on the continent, it wasn’t just built on a mountain, it was the mountain. The total mass of buildings, constructed on top of each other for thousands of years, likely far outweighed the mountain it threaded through. The forest below, The Green Sea, was an undulating mass of thick, ropy green, spread out as far as the eye could see, with naught but a few roads dotting through its roiling canopy.

    Delatryss! A center of life, politics, and art, an island amongst a deadly forest. It withstood the Dragon’s Rise, weathered the Death of Roses, and flourished even when not two, but three wars ravaged the continent, causing sweeping famine that barely touched it’s evergreen shores.

    Delatryss! There was so much to see! And none of it was two men following twenty paces behind.

    Delatryss! Absolutely perfect for bewildering and distracting a young graduate Drakken, as he wandered off the docks, and into the packed city streets. Enno couldn’t help but stare- every species, Drakken, Crocodilians, Ratkin, Serpentians, Ango, Kenkin, and more! He wandered through the market street, just outside the docks, and stared at every stall, their owners offering everything from street food to magical artifacts, as they called and crowed to him, trying to fight for his attention and purse.

    A Serpentian, with psionic purple arms resembling mechanized claws, had almost convinced him to buy a meticulously crafted watch when Sammarria pulled on his sleeve gently, distracting him and annoying the salesman.

    “I hate this city,” Sammarria said, eyeballing the salesman, who seemed to ignore her. ”We should go down there,” she said, idly pointing to a nearby alley, off the main street.

    “What, why!?” Enno found himself shouting over the pressing noise of the street. Sammarria was just half slumped, Vissero slithering beside her.

    She just shrugged. “I just feel like we should, yeah? Just do it, call it a hunch.”

    Enno eyed her but relented. They were here for business… “I… alright, but we’re coming back here later. Or I will, if you just want to stay at the hotel, or whatever. This place is crazy, we don’t have anything like this back where I’m from…”

    As they stepped off the main road and into the smaller alley, it wound further down into the mountain. Small manalights glowed faintly, illuminating a poorly-kept path. Rough doors and boarded windows lined alley. “Why down here? Is this the way to the Bronze Coin?” Enno asked, his voice echoing oddly. “It seems odd there’d be such a rundown alley so close to the merchant’s road. I thought Delatryss was supposed to be a wealthy capital…” he found himself chatting idly, feeling his nerves rise. As he rounded a corner, he found himself in near darkness, the stone path moving into darkness. “Sammarria…?” he asked, turning to her, but there was no one there.

    He briefly panicked before he heard clicking footsteps echoing from the darkness. “Oh! There you a-“ he paused, heartrate spiking as he remembered something important- Sammarria was a Serpentian. No feet.

    A man stepped in the flickering manalight, black feathers seeming to reflect the shadows behind him. He had on loose, dark blue garments, with wraps around his bird-like talons. “Well hello there, grad-u-ate,” he spit. “Fine evening, dat is.”

    Enno could hear his heart thundering in his chest but could help but touch his hat. “I… er… yeah… top of my… class. Thank you. I was just looking for my f-“ as he took a step back, he heard smaller, faster footsteps behind him, a short ratkin standing in the alley.

    “Well, ‘top of my… class’,” the Kenkin said, his voice creating an exact copy of Enno’s own. Enno could hear how nervous he sounded as the Kenkin parroted him, stepping to put his back to the wall. His self-defense classes from the Academy flew into memory, and he found them… blank. He felt despair mix with his nerves, as he looked around wildly for Sammarria, nowhere to be found. He hadn’t paid much attention to combat classes, he was an Engineer, he wasn’t supposed to be on the front lines, that’s now how this worked!

    “If you just leave your lil’… stuff… here, maybe we can be on our way, ‘top of my… class’,” the Kenkin mocked him again, as Enno felt at his belt, the holding bag tied to it. He saw the Kenkin glance at the movement, and step forward with his mouth open in an awkward sort of grin. He pulled out a dagger, longer than Enno’s palm, as he stepped up to the Drakken, nearly a head taller than Enno was. “And leave the hat, too.”

    Enno was about to agree as he felt a flash of pain down his arm as a small, vibrant purple lightning bolt bursting from the Bond engraved on his shoulder. It immediately flared- the dark alley brightening to daylight briefly, making the Ratkin and Kenkin step back and cover their eyes. Elio, the lightning elemental, shot towards the Kenkin as he flinched. “A Bonded!” he cried, stepping back lightly to dodge the living electricity. “Well, well, ‘top of my-“ he didn’t finish his sentence as a spear of ice made him lunge to the left. His eyes went wide as stared at the shield of ice forming down the Drakken’s arm, the temperature in the alley starting to drop.

    Snow began to form in the air, melting as quickly as it formed, as the lightning creature circled around Enno. He could only hear the hammering in his heart as he felt Iilia form down his arm, the cold biting into his scales. His fear… he was…

    “He’s corrupted!” the Ratkin said breathily, hatred in his voice. He drew two small daggers, dancing nervously from foot to foot. “He’s corrupted, Don!”

    Silence hung in the air as all three men paused.

    “Kill himmm!” screeched the Ratkin, breaking the silence and dashing forward – so fast! Enno barely managed to raise a thin sheet of ice in time along the floor, causing the Ratkin to fumble, his daggers swinging wildly. Despite that, small shards of metal flew from the knives, slicing the bottom of Enno’s coat and pants, drawing blood. Just a nick-

    “Suffer,” the Kenkin said, and shadows in the alley stretched, pulling at the wound, and Enno gasped and stepped back, the small cut’s pain flaring as though he lost his leg. The Ratkin lunged again, going for his legs, and he jumped back, directly into the wall. A sheet of ice rose from the floor, sealing his legs to the wall as he felt Iilia shift.

    Elio took the offensive, striking with a violent flash and shock, two quick hits against the Ratkin who cried out, his hand going numb as he dropped the dagger. Elio struck again, driving the Ratkin back. “ENOUGH!” the gravely voice echoed down the hall, as Enno saw the shadows leap off the wall, the manalight dimming, and they grasped Elio in a series of black threads. The elemental struggled, but the darkness help him fast, his movements growing panicked as he failed to move, before he finally shrieked and burst into small sparks, which faded quickly.

    The only sounds in the alley were Enno and the Ratkin breathing heavily, Enno still sealed with ice against the wall. He couldn’t even run, Iilia was just trying her best to defend him, he knew. Not that it mattered, as he heard the clicking steps approach. The shadows seemed to warp and stretch around Don as he approached, malice lingering in the air with the snow.

    “I was just gonna steal from ya,” he threatened, stalking forward. “But a corrupted… you’re worth more dead, aint’cha.” Enno saw the gleam of the dagger, reflecting the dark more than the light, and felt Iilia shift, her cold moving to his torso- to protect his heart, he realized. “And boy do I love ki-“

    He was interrupted once again as he twisted, an arrow blooming from his shoulder blade.  He paused, mouth open, staring at it, and Enno heard the Ratkin gasp, scrambling around. He suddenly lunged, and Enno’s heart jumped, but it was just to dodge forward, an arrow clattering down the alley into the darkness. “Another!” the Ratkin exclaimed. “Where?”

    “Shit…” was all Enno heard before another arrow missed the Kenkin, who rolled backwards, surprisingly lithe.

    “Well, well…” the Kenkin retreated into the shadows quickly, voice echoing in the freezing air. “I guess I’ll see ya later, ‘top of my… class’.”

    Enno stared into the darkness, feeling ill. His heart wouldn’t stop. It was… he was… bodies. They were only bodies now. The blood had left them, why had it left them. If only he could…

    “Hey you okay?” a voice asked, and Enno gasped, realizing he hadn’t been breathing. He looked around wildly, finally seeing Sammarria in front of him. She was leaned against Vissero, two massive arms behind her holding a bow almost as long as she was. Her psionic limbs- every Serpentian had them, but hers were… odd… they were… they vanished in a puff of mana, the bow along with it. “Sorry about that,” she said. “I kinda wanted to see how you fought.”

    Enno tried to say something, but nothing came out, his heart wouldn’t stop. “Urk… me…”

    “You didn’t, by the way. Fight, that is. Very, ah, top of your class moves. The hat definitely helped.” She said, smirking, her thin arms crossed over her nondescript leather coat. Her tail flicked idly behind her as Enno regained his breath. She seemed relaxed, which annoyed Enno.
    “Th- thank you,” he said, swallowing what little pride he had left. He was wet, his ice elemental’s ice having melted, and his leg hurt, but he was mostly unharmed. He limped and put out a hand, and Sammarria eyed it, warier than she seemed to be about the fight. “For saving me…” Enno explained, and she rolled her eyes, before shaking it. “Where, ah, were you…”

    “Right here, actually,” she pointed idly to a doorway nearby. “I… had wanted to see how you dealt with them. They’d been following us since-“
    “You WHAT?? I almost died! I could’ve died!” Enno’s temper exploded, burning away the nothing he had left. “What do you mean right there– I can’t- I’m not…!” he spluttered, trying to explain, but Sammarria just stared idly, picking at one claw.

    “You were fine, Vissero and I would’ve protected you. It’s what we’re here for, after all. I just wanted to see if you could defend yourself,” she explained as Enno just expressed wordless rage. “You can’t, by the way,” she sighed, “which makes my job harder. Anyway, let’s get to the hotel. It’s this way.”
    “You-! You don’t…! What if…” Enno finally felt the anger fizzling off, like a broken manalight. “I… well, thank you.” He just felt empty, his heartrate finally returning to normal. “You, ah, don’t think they’ll be back, do you…?” he said, glancing nervously down the alley, neither Ratkin nor Kenkin in sight.

    “Nah, they ran two streets down that way before encountering the Watch- I don’t think we’ll see any more of them for a bit. Anyway, let’s go,” Sammarria said, before striding, er, sliding down the alley.

    “How do you know that?” Enno said, catching up to her. He was taller than she was, unless she stretched all the way out, but she moved quicker than his normal gait, which surprised him.

    She patted the eye beside her. “Vissero is a vision elemental, so he’s a pretty cool bond.”

    Enno stopped suddenly in the alley, the entire encounter forgotten. He could hear the merchant’s street raucous hawking, but he only had one thought. “Did you… did you say vision elemental? Scout Sammarria- S- Sam, can I call you Sam? Those are rare, I never- wait- Sam!”
    “Don’t call me Sam!” she said, picking up pace. “And no questions!”
    “No- wait, S- Samma- wait!” he chased her, as she wound into the merchant’s street, into the fabric of the city itself.

    Delatryss! A city of wonder, a city of ancient mysteries, a city of shadows. A shadow that pointed long- long even in the mid-day sun. A city that, while it may be the height of society today, was once dwarfed by another.

    While some stories may end here, in Delatryss, others are just beginning, as the corrupted and the pure will meet for the first time.

  • 2. Clockwork Skies

                    “WHAT??”

    The taller, thinner Drakken shouted, hopelessly. The shorter, rounder Drakken mouthed something inaudible before shrugging and giving up.

    The two stood awkwardly, their slick, gray suits whipping wildly in the wind, as they watched the mechanics, engineers and dock workers run about with purpose and direction. The air rippled in a deafening, reverberating drumbeat as the massive blades, five times taller than even the two men standing atop each other’s shoulders, spun at a blistering pace, far too close for either of them to be comfortable. The two were waiting for the blades to cease, but eventually grew bored, and the taller Drakken pointed with a light-green scaled hand to the only building on the docks, more of a tent, really. The other shrugged his portly shoulders, gleaming red scales catching the evening sun, and wordlessly followed.

    At the far end of the air docks, the slowing steel fan was only slightly deafening.

    “Is the engine ready, then, Engineer McCreed?” the shorter drake asked, as they entered the tent, a nearby guard dressed in sharp company greens pulling aside the flap.

    Inside the tent already was a thin, roughly dressed Drakken, wearing engineer overalls, with Company 2 tags, and another with “McReed”. Glenn McCreed was busy, however, attempting to massage his tired eyes as he poured over a series of complex, light-blue design sheets filled with scribbles, calculations and graphs. The two well-dressed drakes glanced at it briefly before ignoring it entirely.

    The taller gentledrake coughed lightly.

    “What do you- Oh! Oh, it’s you. Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in,” Glenn quickly cleared what was left of his dinner and three coffee cups off his table, organizing the papers slightly. “My sincerest apologies, sir, er, sirs. Director… Carhn? And Director Orynn, if my memory serves me.” Director Carhn, the taller, green drake, nodded congenially, pretending to look through the documentation scattered across the desk. Director Orynn was busy frowning at the leftover steak from the mess hall below. “I’m sorry, what was the question?”

    “Is the engine ready, Glenn?” Director Orynn asked again, dropping the formality.

    Glenn winced at the jab but just continued. “Well… in accordance with what we have from the schematics. It works, that much is certain- and it’s absolutely a major improvement over our current engine designs. You see, even Class 4a Freighters don’t have the pull of this new design! We believe it has an upper capacity almost 238% greater than-“

    “Oh, good, good,” Director Orynn said, putting his claws over the schematics. “But is it ready.” He looked pointedly at Glenn, who had paused with his mouth open.

    “I… er… well…” Glenn started, and Director Orynn just sighed.
                    “It’s very impressive work, so far. I can see our investment has, well, showed some fruit…” Director Carhn started, spreading his hands wide. He left the end off, the quiet threat, and Glenn adjusted his collar, feeling suddenly warm.

    “We’re still have mana conservation issues,” Glenn explained, pointing to a complex series of diagrams on his schematics. “We know full-well what is intended to go here- it’s just an Elemental Mana Battery, same as we use on all of our designs, but even with our current, highest quality batteries- er, provided by yours truly of course, we’re truly grateful for all your-“

    Director Carhn waved for him to continue. “Er, well, you provided us two S-class batteries, with near 98% cross conduit capabilities and the largest capacity on the market, and they’re still unable to keep this unusual engine design running for more than… well…” he waved outside, the thudding of the engine had died down, no more than ten minutes after it began. “The only hint we have is that somehow these designs were based on a new energy source, something… not different, but somehow more capable or powerful than what we have currently. The ship design seems centered on that, I’m afraid…” Glenn grew quiet as his thoughts trailed off.

    Director Orynn had long-since lost interest, so he tossed out an “Ah” to help the uncomfortable silence. He had already known this artifact or whatnot was not something they had.

    Director Carhn, as the head for Research and Development, however, filled the gaps. “So, it is all about this missing relic, the one described in the documentation, correct?” Glenn nodded his head rapidly, pointing to the same spot. “You are certain, Engineer McReed, that the Enoír manor was fully scoured?”

    Glenn nodded again. “I have requested the reconnaissance unit scan the entire perimeter multiple times. Only the room behind the first-floor stairs contained any documentation or reference to these designs. They’re still not sure why the room was unlocked, however… It’s possible the assassins, or even a thief later found the item in question. Why they wouldn’t have taken any of these schematics, though…”

    Placing his clawtips together, Director Carhn tried hard to swallow his disappointment. “Unfortunately, not every thief may care about some papers, however complex. We were fortunate to recover any of the Enoír estate designs before the other companies, especially an as-yet tested engine. The board is well aware of the potential for-“

    “Sorry, Glenn, I tried the new modulation for the batteries, but Elio doesn’t think-“ the tent flaps paused, open, letting in a cooling, salty, and thankfully quiet breeze, as a shorter Drakken stood in the door, frozen. He looked nervously between Glenn and the two other men, noting their grey suits and lack of company décor, before licking his lips. “Ah… am I… er…”

    “Please, come in, Engineer Enno. We were just discussing the mi-er, new… battery.” Glenn said, casting a nervous glance outside of the tent. With the door open the sound wards wouldn’t function, so he shooed the Drakken in. Director Orynn stared at him appraisingly- it wasn’t often a blue-scaled drake joined one of the engineer units, much less as an Engineer.

    Once the flapped had closed, the four men shuffled to make space, the tent barely being large enough for all four. “Ah, you were saying, Engineer Enno, about the battery. Any further luck on the new configurations?” Glenn said pointedly to the new drake, trying to stop him from looking so nervously at the other two men.

    Enno started, before collecting his thoughts. “I… We tested the new configurations, though we’re approaching modifications that may… impact the capabilities of the Mana Crystals, and…” Enno glanced at Director Carhn, who was listening intently, while Director Orynn had already become enamored with the tools lining the wall. “And… we will not be doing anything that might impact the crystal’s integrity, of course.” Enno finished, looking askance at Glenn.

    “Ah, wonderful- well, may I introduce you to Director Carhn and Director Orynn,” Glenn introduced the tall and short drakes in order, which Enno grasped claws with briefly each. “They are here to determine our current success… I believe? And this is my current assistant and apprentice, Engineer Enno. Just the one name- you know blue drake families. He passed the Academy with high honors, a directive in Elemental Bindings, and assisted greatly in decoding the Enoír estate documents, having of located them in the manor himself.”

    The directors asked him for some updates, and Enno answered automatically, but for some reason that brought him briefly back to a year prior. The empty manor, the stains on the mahogany floors both upstairs and down. Though when he arrived the bodies had been cleared, but he remembered following the bloody footprints, saw the small handprint on the wall, just below a small nook at the bottom of the stairs. Inside the secret door, Enno had found the documentation he knew Lead Engineer Glenn had been searching for, and the small, bloody pawprint, scraped and sliding on the corner of the desk. Right where some small item could have been sitting…

    “Yes, despite the best efforts of my current bindings, we are unable to find a mana-lattice configuration that functions similarly to what is missing…” Enno found himself explaining, coming up from the memory.

    Director Carhn had been nodding his head the entire time, though seemed distracted by thought. “Well,” he said, straightening his coat and standing upright. “It seems we find ourselves at an impasse. However, I have some fortunate news for you, gentleman,” the Director said, drawing a small envelope from his jacket. It was sealed with a red mark, his own, personal mark. “I came personally to deliver this new information that may assist you. A… most unusual mana spike within the confines of Delatryss- a city not 20 miles from the Enoír estate, you may recall. Our Reconnaissance team retrieved the information yesterday, and stated you may find it of interest.”

    Engineer Glenn cracked the seal, making a sharp pop in the small tent, and read through it quickly, his claws beginning to tremble as his eyes shifted to the bottom of the page. “Is this… is this true? These numbers are… correct?” Director Carhn spread his claws and shrugged, while Director Orynn picked at his with a screwdriver. “This is… these numbers don’t…” he passed the paper to Enno, who felt his heart racing as he saw the estimated values at the bottom.

    “There’s… there’s no way, this is purely theoretical, or a catastrophe…” Enno jabbered excitedly. “But, no, we’d have heard if an entire city exploded… 1850%… that’s over ten times higher than fire-attuned…” as he talked, a small, purple light glimmered over his shoulder, quaking and shimmering in tent, which was now only lit by a single lamp hanging from a hook. The light shot forward, rapidly tapping the paper as Enno yelped. “Elio NO!” he yelled, making Director Orynn jump, cutting himself lightly on the screwdriver.

    The purple creature was living lightning, and did what lightning does. It struck the paper as it went up in a flash of fire and light, falling to the floor as it burned. The creature wriggled in the air happily as Enno failed to grab it. “Stupid elemental, stupid lightning beast!”

    “Well, I think we’ve seen enough,” Director Orynn said, sucking on his sliced finger. He waved away Glenn trying to get him bandages. “We expect a report within two weeks hearing your success in capturing the source of that mana.”

    Glenn paused, digging through his supply bags for a bandage. “Two weeks? Us? But we’re… I…”

    “You are the High Engineer of Company 2,” the squat director said irritably. “One we have invested far too much money and interest in, if my opinion stands. You were promoted due to finding and deciphering these wishful dreams”, he said, waving towards the scattered papers. “The Board agreed to give this endeavor a try, and so it’s just that. Your endeavor, Engineer.” He glanced between the stricken Glenn and Enno still struggling to keep the Lightning Elemental bound. “You have, as I said, two weeks to prove to us this investment was not wasted, beyond some over-sized fan. Now, we’ll take our leave.”

    He stormed out of the tent, still nursing his scratched hand, despite the lack of bleeding. Director Carhn paused as the guard held the tent flap open, seeming to have a thought, then shook his head and departed silently.

    As the two Directors strolled across the massive, wood and steel dock, the overly large engine prototype a shadow at its end, they both heard the noise and shouting from the tent, despite its A-class privacy bindings.

    “I am confident that these stories are related, aren’t you?” Director Carhn asked quietly, but Director Orynn just grunted. “Do you believe they’ll manage to find the source of that mana-burst? I believe they’re related, or so Director Lorrna does.” Director Carhn glanced sideways at his companion, who said nothing, ambling forward.

    Carhn looked out to the horizon, and breathed deep of the ocean air, the docks they walked extending out over the waves over 200 feet below. From this height, he could see various airships arriving and departing from the nearby city of Lo’Vignette – a respectable distance from Company 2’s Engineering Dock. He knew there was already rumor spreading about the massive engine they were constructing, it was easy to see from even the city, however… he wanted them to see it. The world to see it.

    Carhn remembered the meeting, convincing the Board, to give him a chance. “An engine that could probably even pass through the Storm of the Thorns…” that’s what Engineer McCreed had said. The tall, green drake’s mind was awhirl with the thought, the ancient mysteries, the value.

    As Director Orynn complained about the long, metal stairwell winding up the cliff-face back to the upper airship landing, for the first time since arriving in this gods-forsaken continent, Carhn let a sharp smile slip onto his face.

  • 1. Shadows in the Hall

    “Lit by the pond’s moonlight.”

    • Tlarian saying, indicating an object stolen, then stolen again in turn

    Two long shadows fought in the hall where a smaller, lighter shadow hid.

    “I told you, Esmerela, time and again, we cannot ignore their summons forever. You must-!”
                    “No,” Esmerela, sighed. “If I attend to their demands… it’s so… small! I, no, we cannot just bend to their every whim, or they’ll never stop. Never leave us alone. We owe them nothing and still they make these…” she indicated the small collection of pages on the desk in front of the fire, “threats. We can’t let these continue, we have a child now, Gregoire! I don’t want Kalia involved…”

    “I know, sweet, but…” Gregoire stopped.

    The white shadow in the hall had stirred, hearing them refer to her. Both parents glanced suddenly at the hall, and sighed in tandem. Kalia stepped into the yawning doorway, blinking in the fireplace’s brilliance. It provided no warmth.

    “Kalia…” her mother said, looking tired. She never seemed to age, to Kalia, her white fur showed no signs Foxen usually exhibited, but her eyes betrayed her exhaustion. “We sent you to bed… How did you manage to get past Leena?”

    Kalia shook her head, saying nothing, the most she could.

    “You know how she is, dear. It’s no surprise a child of ours had no problem evading a maid, after all…” Gregoire chuckled as Esmerela shot the older, brown and grey Foxen an acidic glare.

    She laid a single hand upon the papers. “Now’s not the time, dear. We may have guests, after all.”

    “Ah-“ Kalia’s father started, then paused. “Perhaps… no. Leena! Leena…” he called to the maid, and Kalia gave the same poisonous glare as her mother. Or tried to, as she heard the exclamations and shuffling from down the hall. Her parents ignored her angry stare, as they always did.

    So Kalia stomped her foot, ferociously signing her complaints, but her father just raised a single finger. “Your mother is right, now is not the time… Hm… However…” he glanced at his wife, who rolled her eyes, before he strode across the floor, polished boots clicking on the mahogany, particularly loud in the massive reception room.

    As the sounds of the concerned maid grew closer, Gregoire leaned down and gave a conspiratorial wink to his daughter, who was still trying to sign her defense, and placed a small, silver key into her hands, silencing her. She emitted a small gasp of anger, before that indignance turned to confusion, then interest, then suspicion, faster than the clouds could flicker across the moon.

    “This, you see…” her father tapped it in her hands, “is perhaps one of our family’s biggest, most important secrets. I might share more details in the morning with a young Foxen if she does as she was asked by her parents…” He winked again, and Kalia just glared. Gregoire just chuckled and turned his back, knowing full-well he had won this bout.

    As Kalia turned the key in her hands, the maid burst into the hall. “You! You scoundrel!” She grabbed Kalia’s arm, turning her slightly as Kalia grunted in annoyance. “You were supposed to stay in your room! I’m so sorry, Ma’am, Sir, I’ll have her to bed soundly.”

    Kalia briefly debated slipping out the window in the hall, which was letting in the cool, early-spring breeze, but as the key bit into her fist, she decided against it. She could play along this time, at least. Her father showed her at least a small amount of respect, she may as well repay it. This once, at least, she thought, a small smile creeping onto her face.

                    The maid dragged her down the hall – not physically, but more as a fish caught in an eddy. Kalia didn’t mind. Her parents had always been so… annoying. She had seen the papers earlier in the day, though perhaps not read the contents. The wax seal consisted of two crossed daggers, and more than a few had been delivered within the past week. Every time she saw the mysterious sigil, Kalia’s fur tingled, and her parents never answered or explained once. In fact, they always just seemed… well, Kalia didn’t know. Tired? Annoyed? Her parents were always so stoic, so seemingly self-assured, but that seemed to fade around the overlaid daggers, so she found herself dropping the subject.

                    But the mystery was right there. And they were discussing it! She’d become very proficient at sneaking around the house of late, which she felt… well, maybe bad. She was fifteen, and her parents still treated her as though she was a child. Next year she’d be expected to begin fulfilling her role in their house, and here she was, sneaking about the manor and being told off with a key, like being given a late-night sweet.

    She fingered the cool metal before slipping it into a small, hidden pocket in her nightgown. Finally, as they rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, Leena turned, and Kalia cringed at the incoming words, but the red slash across the maid’s throat made it hard for her to speak over the gargled blood. Kalia moaned an incomprehensible sound, stumbling back as the corpse hit the floor with a thump. She took another as the darkness in the hall shifted, revealing a tall, thin man, highlighted by two slices of moonlight.

    “Ah, the daughter. I see-” he said, stepping towards Kalia, who felt the world shift and slow. Her eyes wild- the growing pool around her feet, the small, silver pin of crossed daggers pinned upon the stranger’s clean coat, the moon perfectly framed in the window. She saw a whisper of light, as the dagger swept towards her. She tried to turn, move, do anything, but she was so slow.

    Pain filled her chest, then quiet in her mind. Red stained her short white fur, the dagger trailing drops of her life as it silently slipped back into the shadows in the hall, the man with it. The world was slow. She was quiet.

    As the daughter’s vision rippled, she could only look unto the face of the distant, cold moon. As her head hit the floor, she could only seem to think one thought.

    Who left the window open? How strange…

    Nobody had ever heard Kalia speak.

    And still nobody heard the small figure as it died.

  • 0. A Tale of a City in Ruin

    0. A Tale of a City in Ruin

    Deep in the once grassy, emerald eyes

    of the world, what a country you’d find!

    An ancient, elden, tragic, folk

    crafted miracles with arcana intwined!

    They rose to the gods!

    Delved darkness’s maw!

    Even claimed fealty to the Fields of Sleep!

    …Yet eventually heights all

    must succumb to the fall,

    and pay for hubris most steep.

    Now naught does remain

    but the bones and the frames

    of those who could claim they Knew.

    … however…

    As the sands erode

    the cracks and the folds,

    lost echoes now yearn for the dreamers.

    Those ill-fated tread

    through the long-dusted dread:

    the strong, weak, cruel and witty.

    For they seek the cry

    of history’s rise-

    The silent hopes of Crumblecity!