Leviathans

The ceiling of the cavern loomed above them. Ahead of them, a small cleft of ground, just barely wide enough for their carts, crossed a ravine into the depths below. Their lantern-light glittered off the slick walls, and the sound of a waterfall they had passed some hours ago echoed around them. They had been underground for about half a day. The space they now found themselves in was the third they had encountered. “Hmm. Leaving civilization behind. Thought the point was to find artifacts” Batari commented, an orb of heatless flame floating above his shoulder. He had winced in pain when he cast the spell.

“We’re not leaving it behind” Rayne answered him, looking back towards him. “No?” Batari raised an eyebrow. Rayne shook her head and pointed at the ground. “look at the edges of this pathway. they’re inscribed with words. granted, it’s not a language I understand” she began. The technomage paused for a moment, considering the letters. She had seen them before, hadn’t she?

Rayne shook her head, brushing aside the thought, then pointed up at the ceiling. “It’s also hard to see from down here, but there are conduits running suspended along the stalactites. It’s a pretty good idea. No need to build a framework. Just tie the conduits to the stone.” Rayne continued. Batari followed her gaze. He cocked his head upward, and the ball of flame leapt high into the air. Many of the mercenaries behind them uttered words of surprise. Some reached for their weapons before they were calmed.

As Rayne had said, the ball illuminated the conduits. Their metal glint now clear in the light. “I see. Interesting” Batari said. “Batari, please try not to draw undue attention” Richard chided him. Batari frowned, and called back his light. Rayne stared at him for a few moments. She felt bad for the way she had revealed they had lied to him.

Rayne also found, much to her surprise, that she missed their conversations. She shook her head, and opened her mouth. “Batari” she called, and he looked back at her. The curiosity in his expression fading to a careful neutrality. He raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry we lied to you” Rayne said. Batari’s brow furrowed. He paused for a moment, and nodded slowly. Rayne got the impression that all was certainly not well, but that she had taken a step in the right direction.

Their group continued, walking side by side across the ravine. Lucy looked down over the side, and dry swallowed. Even if she was used to heights, this reminded her too much of the chasm in her hometown. The deep, seemingly unending darkness below. It was easy for her mind to fill it with monsters.

Conversation slowly broke the silence once the ravine was behind them. The strangely distorted echoes of the waterfall had faded into nothing, and the clattering of their supply carts had replaced it. They began to see more evidence of construction. Heavy stone columns, long since collapsed. Walls, crumbled nearly to dust. Conduits came down from the top of the cavern, hanging down and spewing clouds of icy raw magic. Each time they passed one Batari’s flame grew large, as if absorbing the excess of magic in the air. Their first encounter with one of the conduits had brought forth more expressions of surprise from their party. Batari’s expression had grown dark. “Evidence of their crimes” he muttered to himself. Rayne had wanted to ask him about what he meant, but his expression told her it was a bad idea.

The words inscribed in the floor guided them onwards and whenever there were multiple paths Richard chose to follow them. At one point, Rayne paused to examine them, crouching close to the floor. She lightly brushed dust away from the lettering as she brought her lantern closer. The letters seemed to swim in front of her eyes in the light, and then it struck her. The letters were remarkably similar to the ones in the ruins from their first delve. Rayne smiled to herself. One of the mercenaries accidentally pushed her as he passed, knocking her sprawling onto the floor. Before Rayne could even get her bearings, Aria was standing in front of the man with her teeth bared.

“No no, it’s okay Aria, It was an accident. I wasn’t paying attention either” Rayne explained to her. The fire in her eyes abated somewhat as the man apologized and Rayne assured him it was alright. From then on, all of the mercenaries gave their small group an even wider berth than before. As far as Rayne was concerned, that was alright. She wasn’t interested in talking to any of them. Or at least, not as interested as she was in what surrounded them. People tended to be boring. What they made though? that was a different story. The further they went, the clearer it became that the city above had been built over something. What that was, Rayne couldn’t begin to guess.

Finally, after they had trekked for the day, Richard called for them to rest. They settled into the various crumbling structures whose walls still stood. Rayne opened her bedroll next to Lucy, with Aria flanking her on the other side. The others dispersed, each to their own activities. Heinric promptly fell asleep. Lynn stood leaning against a column, his eyes intense. Rayne shivered briefly as they rested on her. Batari had disappeared, muttering to himself about finding a way to return the magic. Rayne had briefly considered what he meant, but realized that she was too hungry to care.

Richard had gone into the camp setup by the mercenaries. The thirty or so men and women clustered around a series of bonfires they had lit to heat up their rations. Aria had followed their example, and was tending to a fire of her own. Rayne watched as she hung a pot over the fire and began to cook. “you guys want any?” Aria asked, turning to Rayne and Lucy. Both of the technomages nodded yes, and Aria acknowledged their answer with a nod of her own. Aria grabbed a pot of salt pork, and began to cut it into pieces “it’ll be a little salty” she warned, as she dropped the meat into the pot.

“It’ll surprise me if it’s too salty for Lucy” Rayne answered, and Lucy glared at her in mock anger. “it’s not my fault I drink too much water” she replied, and Aria laughed. “Who else’s fault is it?” Rayne prodded, and Lucy shrugged “I blame the journeymen talking about how good it was for your skin.” Rayne shook her head and turned to watch as Aria poured a series of chopped vegetables into the pot. “Where’d you get those?” Rayne asked, and Aria gestured back along the path. “There’ve been some roots and mushrooms growing right next to us most of the way. I just picked them” she explained, following the vegetables with a series of spices.

The smell was intoxicating, the sweet and savory scent of the spices filling the air until Rayne’s mouth watered. It had been at least eight hours since she had last eaten, and this smelled much better than the bowl of nuts and fruit she had that afternoon. Just as Rayne was going to ask if it was ready yet, Aria pulled out a small pouch with what looked like small strips of dark leather in it. She grabbed one of the pieces and dropped it into the soup, stirring slowly. “Just a few minutes now. The instant soup just needs to dissolve” she explained.

Rayne and Lucy, who had never heard of instant soup, asked Aria what it was. She stared at them strangely for a moment. “How is it that you two even left a city by yourselves?” Aria asked, shaking her head. She explained that if you reduced down bone broth from certain cuts of meat, it turned into a stiff dry gelatin after drying. “Lots of flavor” she finished, handing out bowls to the two of them and ladling some of the soup out for herself.

The three ate, and talked, and laughed. The soup was delicious, just as Rayne had expected. The pork, as Aria had warned, was in fact somewhat salty. It wasn’t at all a problem however, and Rayne quickly asked for seconds and then thirds. Rayne watched as Lucy poked fun at Aria’s eating habits. It was incredible how seamlessly Aria had become a part of her life now. How the absence of this woman, just as with Lucy’s, would be painful. Aria caught Rayne looking at her, and smiled. She was laughing at Lucy’s imitation of her, but Rayne hadn’t been paying attention. The three finished eating, and decided it was time for bed. They didn’t quite know what time it was, but they were tired. That was enough.

They lay on their bedrolls, whispering goodnight to each other. Aria grabbed Rayne’s hand, intertwining their fingers. Rayne looked at her, and saw Aria blush and look away. It was the first time she had seen Aria embarrassed. it was cute. “Sorry” Aria whispered, pulling away. Rayne tightened her grip to keep their hands together, and wordlessly shook her head. “Thank you, Rayne” Aria said. Rayne wasn’t sure how to answer. I’m the one that needs to be thankful she thought. Rayne fell asleep with the warmth in her stomach and a new warmth blossoming in her chest.

Rayne awoke to Aria gently shaking her. “Time to go. I let you sleep as long as I could” she whispered. Rayne blinked slowly, still half asleep. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. A yawn escaped her lips as she stretched. Rayne made a noise that was half way between a moan and a whine. Aria shook her head. “Told you” Lucy said from the door to the building they had slept in. “Inhuman noises” Lucy finished, her voice serious but her face playful. Aria stretched out a hand and helped Rayne to her feet. “You’re lucky the only things in arms reach are large rocks. or I’d throw something at you” Rayne complained, trying to shake off the grogginess of sleep.

One of the mercenaries walked next to Lucy. “Perin says to tell you we’re heading out” The man said, the gleam of his metal armor dulled by the dust in the air. All three women nodded their understanding. Lucy handed Rayne her pack. “I got all your things together already. otherwise we’d be here until tomorrow” She joked. Rayne glared at her for a moment before smiling. “Thanks.”

The three followed at the back of the convoy, the mercenaries ahead of them. It was another few uneventful hours. What changed the most was their surrounding. The cavern they were in crew smaller, and the buildings increased in size. Finally, they passed into what were man-made passageways. Rayne looked around, reminded of the crypt they had been through on their first delve.

It was similar, but the square passage was larger than the one they had encountered then. Much larger. The ceiling stood easily some thirty feet above and the walls were that same distance apart, at least. The walls were decrepit. The once bright colors that must have decorated them fading into gray. Pillars reached into the air to hold the ceiling above them. Rayne stared up at the gigantic blocks that the pillars held up. They passed doors and side passages, but Richard must have some idea of where they were going, as most of them were ignored. Ultimately, Rayne had the impression that they were in some gigantic underground citadel.

Lucy gestured at the mercenaries ahead during a lull in their conversation. “I feel safer with them here with us” Lucy said, adjusting the strap that held her crossbow against her pack. “You shouldn’t” Aria said lightly. “Why not?” Rayne asked, “They seem experienced enough to handle whatever we find.” Aria shrugged, pausing for a moment to stretch her neck. “I’ve been delving with Richard for a long time. He’s never been worried enough to hire this many. Whatever he thinks we’ll find down here, it’s dangerous” Aria explained, seeming excited at the prospect.

“Do you want it to be?” Lucy asked in surprise, and Aria looked at her in confusion. “Don’t you? where’s the fun if it’s not?” Lucy shook her head. Only a few weeks ago, she wouldn’t have believed what Aria had said. Now though? “If you say so” came her answer. Before Aria could say anything in return, Rayne pointed ahead of them. “Why are we stopping?”

The three of them pushed slowly passed the small mass of mercenaries to the front of the convoy. Richard and the others stared at a chasm splitting the path ahead. “Get your elementalist to conjure up a path for us” The man who was the leader of the mercenaries said. Batari, dark circles under his eyes and lines of annoyance on his face shook his head. “For some to cross? yes. For all? With supplies? outside the scope of my abilities” Batari admitted dryly, staring out at the empty space in front of them. Rayne looked over at the twenty or thirty foot gap in the path.

“Send scouts to either side while we attempt to solve this problem, please” Lynn told the mercenary leader. The man looked as if he was about to argue, but paused as his eyes fell on Lynn. Lynn had already looked away, but his posture was of absolute confidence that his orders would be followed. The mercenary commander called over two groups of men and sent them out to do as Lynn had commanded. “Don’t presume to give me orders, Astavos. I was hired by Perin, not some exile.” The man said dryly. His accent, Rayne noticed, was Altressan. Lynn turned to face him, innocent surprise on his face. “Never, Karm. I seek only to provide intelligent council. Besides, we are both men that do as we must. Isn’t that right, mercenary?” Lynn responded, his words dripping with acid. Karm grit his teeth, and walked away. Richard sighed.

“Could we knock down one of the pillars, perhaps? they seem large enough to bridge the gap if we use one of the closer ones. What do you think Heinric?” Richard asked, eying one of the objects nearby. Heinric shook his head. “Aye. we could. If ye want tae bring down the ceiling on us. settin’ off an explosion tha’ large underground… Best not consider it an option” The alchemist answered. Rayne stared across the chasm. It looked like at some point a bridge had gone across it, but for whatever reason that bridge was no longer there. Lucy followed her gaze. The path that continued along the other side passed underneath an arch set into a sheer wall and took a sharp turn. It was impossible to see what was beyond it.

“Wait look at that” Lucy said, dropping her pack carefully on the floor and digging around inside it for a few moments to find her goggles. She pulled them on and adjusted the optics to zoom in her view on the opposite side. “Ray take a look. It’s mechanical, right?” Lucy asked.

Rayne pulled her own goggles onto her face and looked across. a pedestal of some sort was next to the bridge foundation. As her gaze fell downwards towards the empty space the bridge should’ve inhabited, she found what looked like a rectangular block set into the chasm wall. As she watched, she began to see the flow of magic in hidden conduits, overgrown with mossy vegetation. Rayne shook her head, to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. Still, they remained. Surreal, wispy copies. “It’s definitely mechanical. We just need someone on the other side to activate it” Rayne said. She closed her eyes and felt the pounding in her chest. what was happening? She took a shaky breath.

“Batari, could you get one of us across?” Lucy asked, and Batari nodded. “Ten minutes to prepare. Then, yes. Certainly” he answered. He grabbed a notebook from a pocket in his cloak, and began to scribble while muttering to himself. After a few minutes he looked frowned and looked at Richard. “A pot of hot water. Please. Not boiling. Painful to touch, however.” he requested. Richard left quickly to procure it while Batari set down a series of blank pieces of paper. He penned a single symbol onto each, chanting under his breath. Richard arrived with the pot, and Batari had him set it carefully aside.

Batari looked over his work slowly, checking that it was all correct. He nodded to himself, satisfied. He rolled up his left sleeve until it was above his elbow and then stacked three of the pieces of paper together in front of the bridge. “Wait!” Lucy called, and Batari looked at her in annoyance. “Broke my concentration. have to start over. what?” he complained, and Lucy pointed at the pieces of paper. “Whatever you’re going to do, do it away from the bridge. say, ten or fifteen feet. we don’t want the machinery to be affected.” she pointed out. Batari sighed, grumbling to himself as he moved the pieces of paper away.

He began again, stacking the three pieces. He looked over at Lucy, who nodded her head. Batari closed his eyes. Rayne watched in fascination as she saw wisps of magic gather around Batari in a cloud. Their impossible colors shifted as he moved, drawing into him. He crouched down and touched the three stacked pieces of paper, and in Rayne’s sight the symbols on them began to glow brightly in the darkness. She squinted, watching as a spectral bridge formed suddenly in front of Batari. Sweat began to bead on his forehead and he winced. Rayne watched as he tapped the other papers in turn, infusing them with the magic he held inside of him.

The inscribed pieces of paper sunk into the ground as if they’d suddenly gained immense amounts of weight, cracking the stone in front of Batari. Shouts of surprise sounded, but he ignored them. With another deft movement he threw two of the pieces of paper into the chasm. They sliced through the air and came to a stop. There were more sounds of surprise from behind them as they floated, seemingly suspended over the nothingness. Rayne saw them rest on the spectral bridge Batari had created. He extended his hands outwards, and the cracked pieces of stone floated to arrange themselves over the chasm like a makeshift bridge.

“Water. Now.” He said, eyes still closed. His brow was creased in pain, and he was gritting his teeth so hard that Rayne found it remarkable they didn’t crack. Richard rushed over with the water, which had now cooled somewhat but was still easily hot enough to be painful. Batari opened his eyes to glance at it, and after a brief moment and a sharp breath dunked his left arm into the water. He groaned in pain, but there was some small measure of relief on his face. “Cross quickly” he commanded, closing his eyes again.

Lucy looked at Rayne, unsure. Rayne grabbed Lucy’s arm and nodded. They ran across the small bridge as quickly as they could, and once they were past, Batari released the spell. The stones he had been suspending tumbled away into the darkness, and Rayne watched as the magic faded. Batari pulled his arm out of the water and grabbed at it. The sweat on his forehead shone in the light of the lanterns. Richard rushed to his side, but Rayne and Lucy couldn’t hear the words properly. “Here’s to hoping we were right, because it looks like we’ll be stuck here for a while if we’re not” Lucy commented, the tension clear in her voice.

“come on” Rayne said, walking towards the pedestal. The two technomages stared at it, and then at each other. The pedestal itself was a large rectangular prism, sticking out of the ground. Part of it had crumbled away, revealing a series of exposed conduits. atop the pedestal, sat a single square button. “No way it’s this easy” Lucy said in answer to Rayne’s questioning gaze. Rayne shrugged. She pulled on her goggles, just in case. Lucy followed her example. Rayne pressed down on the raised square. The button caught for a moment, but instead of something to cross the gap, they were rewarded with a blast of raw magic erupting from the conduits to their side. Both technomages stepped back in surprise, and quickly adjusted the temperature in their jackets.

“You two okay over there?” Heinric shouted the question. “We’re fine, just a small complication” Lucy shouted back. After a few moments the rush of magic faded away, and the girls approached the conduits. Ice had spread along the conduits and the floor in front of it. “Let’s get to work, shall we?” Rayne asked, tapping the side of her goggles to zoom in on the conduit. Lucy nodded, and the two began a flurry of activity. They passed each other tools and equipment. They began by carefully knocking the ice away from the conduits so that they could see. Spools of thin metal wire, and the rubberized coating Rayne had used to fix her generator were used in earnest.

Eventually, they stopped, satisfied with their work. “Let’s give it another shot” Lucy said, standing up. “Ready?” she asked Rayne. “Ready” Rayne nodded, and Lucy pressed the button. They both heard the rush of magic through the conduits, and a dull rumbling sounded. the ground beneath them vibrated. For a few tense moments, nothing happened. Then, what they had been waiting for. The rectangular block that Rayne had seen extended outwards, towards the people waiting on the other side. “Nice” Rayne said, giving Lucy a small high five. “Using the coating to glue together the ends of the wire was inspired” Lucy commended Rayne, as the rumbling stopped and the bridge found its foundation on the other side of the chasm.

The two technomages stepped aside as the convoy slowly advanced across the newly created platform. Thankfully, the bridge was more than wide enough to accommodate their supply carts. Rayne watched as they passed. The mercenaries had brought the mechanized carts, and Rayne could certainly see the advantages as they moved along. One person sat in the driver’s seat of each of the four, driving the vehicle much like she piloted the airship. They went by near-silently, only the hum of the magic generators in them giving away that they were powered.

Aria and Lynn followed the mercenaries across afterwards at a command from Richard, but Heinric and Richard remained behind with Batari. Rayne and Lucy rushed over to them when they saw Batari was on the floor. They found him lying on the floor. His breath was laboured, and he was covering his eyes with his right hand. His arm, still red from having been in the hot water, lay outstretched to one side covered in a moist cloth. A worried Richard searched through his medical supplies while Heinric wet another cloth with cool water and strained it.

“I’ve never seen someone with a reaction this severe. Why didn’t you tell me?” Richard asked, his hands moving quickly across vials until he found what he was looking for. “What’s happening, is he okay?” Lucy asked, keeping her distance so as to not interfere. “He’ll be fine. When Elementalists and Arcanists use magic it strains their bodies” Richard explained, dripping some of the contents from the vial into a small cup. “No talking please” Batari begged, wincing as he spoke. Richard ignored him, dissolving a white powder into the contents of the cup, stirring slowly. “This will taste terrible. Swallow anyway” he commanded before pouring the medicine into Batari’s mouth.

Batari swallowed without complaint, and Heinric carefully replaced the cloth on his arm. Richard tore two pieces of cotton off of a small sheet, and after rolling them up stuffed them carefully into Batari’s ears. Batari whimpered. Richard motioned for Heinric to pick the man up off the ground. “You’ll have to carry him Heinric, I’m sorry. He’s in no shape to move. Try not to jostle him” Richard said, and Heinric nodded. “Aye, no problem”

“Strains their bodies?” Rayne asked as Heinric slowly lifted Batari’s limp form off the floor and carried him across the bridge. Richard looked at her for a moment and began putting away his supplies. “As far as I’ve gathered, the channeling of magic damages the body. The effects vary from person to person” He said, cursing under his breath as the pair of scissors he was putting away slipped from his hands. “Generally, the effects are relatively minor. A nosebleed. A small tear in the skin. Some pain in the joints” He said, hefting the bag with one hand and gesturing for them to continue across the bridge.

“The effects grow more extreme based on the intensity and complexity of the task attempted” Richard continued. Rayne and Lucy followed him, listening intently. “In his case, it seems that the effects are extreme to begin with. Migraines. In order to keep from being distracted by the pain in his head, he used the hot water to cause a competing sensation. The sheer insanity of it” Richard finished with a shake of his head.