January 21, 2019, 11:03 am.

Beth barely gives me time to order breakfast before she starts our 'briefing.'

"Demo is going to accompany us as we try to 'level-up'," Beth starts, using air quotes while looking at Josh with a subtle lifting of her lips. "Rufka has decided that she's not going all the way to the enclave, so she'll be leaving us today. We'll be heading to the Lords of the Deep's enclave, Glimmering Sands," Beth says, pointing to a spot on the map south of the original enclave we were discussing while I look to Rufka. She doesn't say anything, but I imagine Demo ignoring her has hastened her desire to rescue her mum.

Rufka accepts my hand when I reach out to her, Tipan taking over the briefing after Beth signals her forward.

"This particular enclave isn't on any major Aetherium trade routes but they still have a small presence. If I remember correctly, they should be in the single digits. There will be a large number of unaffiliated K'tharn there, those who choose to live outside the Aetherium. There's a reasonable chance we'll run into outlanders as well. I wish I could be certain, but I've only been there once."

"What Tipan is certain of, is that we'll be able to find at least one captain who will be able to take us to the academy while guiding us to dungeons along the way," Beth interjects, Tipan nodding her agreement.

"And yeh think we'll be able to trust a random stranger? Not everyone is going to be as even-tailed as I am," Demo points out, his toothpick still present as he drops his feet to the floor, leaning forward.

Does he have an unlimited supply of those things? How funny would it be if that was one of his class abilities?

Summon toothpick.

…

Nah, that's too silly.

"We need dungeon locations, and we'd prefer to reach the academy as soon as possible. That means someone who knows where we're going and is willing to get us there. Our ability to trust them only matters so much," Beth counters meeting his level gaze with her own.

They continue back and forth for a bit, but I tune it out as I concentrate on my food. I don't know why Demo's making a big deal about it. It's not like we trust him either.

I think.

Eventually, we set out. Luckily, I had time for my second and third breakfasts while they debated. Smoulder spends almost as much time with Rufka as she does with me, clearly picking up on my desire to have Rufka stay and trying to entice her with extra Smoulder cuddles.

It's super effective.

But Rufka's still going to leave.

As I saw last night, Raz has provided Josh and Roberts with their new flight items which they're wearing now. Raz and Rufka even managed to repair the glider. Beth'll be using the glider for a little longer but she's put in an order with Raz. Apparently, that had been on the docket before we vacated the dungeon but she hadn't prioritized it.

Even as I'm watching everyone experiment with their flight items, Rufka elbows me, getting my attention.

"Hey, Lexi. I was going to tell you first, but you kind of slept in. I'll be back soon."

"Kay," I answer, a lump in my throat keeping me from saying more as I pull her in for a hug while I establish a link with her before she leaves. I'm hoping I'll be able to connect to her as I did with the others when they were captured. My ability hasn't been properly tested at long range yet.

"Oof," Rufka kids as she pretends to lose her balance, pulling us both to the floor. We tumble a bit, Smoulder landing on top of us when we finally come to a rest.

"I'm gonna miss this," I say as we sit there, looking out through the tangled roots of the Nexus tree.

"Yeah. Me too. Mum needs me though. Plus, yeh know," Rufka kids, mocking Demo's accent.

Sitting there, we watch Roberts gliding around in his fancy new jacket. The jacket itself looks like a nice durable travelling jacket. A rich brown leather. Out of that jacket, a pair of bat-like wings have unfurled. They grant him better maneuverability and freedom than gliders, but he's still not as good as me or Rufka.

Pretty badass looking when combined with his cloak though.

Josh is out there somewhere too. Raz and Josh discussed the mechanics of using a belt for thrust while Josh uses his own abilities for control. As a result, Josh is flying around in Full Petal armour, deadlier than any Rose that came before, his Petal wings taut.

Since I saw him don the armour, I know he's still wearing his pristine pink bathrobe underneath.

Even as I'm thinking about him, Josh darts past, Demo skating along behind helping Josh practice his aerial dodging.

Skating, because Demo has a pair of rocket-skate boots.

Okay, they're not actually rockets, but he has boots that let him fly. And they have a blue effect that shines from the bottom. The blue changes intensity based on his actions, so they appear rocketey. Demo says they're standard gear for any Phothen explorer, though he's made his own modifications. Which is also standard for any Phothen explorer.

While the others are each testing their new flying devices and Rufka and I are saying goodbye, Tipan is ensuring no one hurts themselves. She follows behind, preventing them from crashing into trees or each other.

"Okay people. I think that's enough practice. Time to head out," Beth calls five minutes later, gathering everyone together. Except Demo, who settles where he is, leaning against a faraway tree.

"Rufka. It's been an honour having you with us," Beth says as she clasps Rufka's hand. Josh and Roberts's goodbyes are respectful but muted. Then Rufka turns to Tipan.

"Skyborne," Rufka smirks at Tipan.

"Reacher," Tipan replies, her face blank.

"Take care of these cubs," Rufka declares as she pulls Tipan in for a hug. It takes Tipan a moment to process before she hugs Rufka back.

"I'll try," she says in response, her voice choking up and coming out a little broken. I catch Beth's eye, who's looking at them with an amused smile.

Rufka and I wave back and forth as we fly in opposite directions, not stopping until we're out of sight.

We settle into a comfortable rhythm as we go, racing, hunting, experimenting then racing again. When I complete the next stage of the racing quest, I realize why the Aetherium isn't full of users who've maxed their stats through this system.

"Quest objective completed: Hell yeah! We're going to race! Rewards: 5 iron rank integration points.

"Quest updated: Hell yeah! We're going to race! Requirements: Win ninety-nine Aetherium Challenge Races using nothing but your own spells and skills, 0/99 races won. Rewards: Five iron rank integration points. Time: unlimited.

When I relay this discovery to the others, Tipan shrugs, "most users don't have easy access to flight until they're close to their cap. The challenge is mostly for fun or bragging rights."

After that, the day's travels are mostly uneventful. We do come across a few packs of mana-borne creatures that we decimate with ease.

Beth's actually making us use combination attacks, trying to get everyone used to working together.

Except Demo. He watches but doesn't contribute.

It's not like we need the help. Our biggest challenge is finding targets that can hold up to more than a couple hits at this point.

We don't have access to a Nexus when we stop for the night, so it's another underground chamber. Beth gets me to dig it deeper while only setting a single person watch.

"Okay, Alexis has first watch tonight. I'd rather not risk anyone losing their head while attempting to wake her up," Beth says while setting the watches.

"I wouldn't do that," I object, staring at Beth in shock.

"Kid, you almost did last time. You put a bolt of lightning into the wall over my head, doused half the room in flame then froze that half over before cursing your mother for interrupting your sleep."

Huh. I remember being grumpy, but I didn't realize I'd manifested several elements in response to her shaking me awake. No wonder Smoulder was sleeping in the nook instead of on top of me.

"Sorry. I really didn't mean to do… Any of that," I apologize to Beth, who definitely deserves the apology. I'm officially more hazardous to wake than my mom. That's a little worrying.

"No harm done. But, I think it's best to let you wake on your own," Beth replies before heading to bed with the others.

My watch is quiet and Tipan is awake before I can rouse her for the second watch.

Heading to my 'room', my eyes play over what should prove to be a much comfier bed. While we were at Raz's, I picked up some cotton fabric to make impromptu cots. Sitting on the edge, I reach through the connection to Rufka contacting her which doesn't surprise her at all. She's still in range, but the cost is already high enough to eat up my entire facet pool in ten minutes. I ask her about what I should do with my ability point as I'm feeling some decision paralysis. She recommends cascade since I like to use everything anyway.

With her input, I decide to invest the point right then. Unlike with IFF and Restoration, I don't feel any different but the point is definitely invested.

Thanking her, I settle into my cot as Smoulder snuggles on my chest while I continue chatting with Rufka idly, a perfect end to the day.

It's the little things.

We continue in a similar manner the next two days, though I'm also trying to experiment with my magic. I'm still not having much luck with invisibility. I do manage to create a sort of magma arrow though. It's neat but not as quick as my other spells. I feel like I could do something interesting with magma if I could use it with my Cloying Earth ability though.

Tipan spends time with us before we turn in each day, teaching us the basics of infusing objects with essence. Without proper facilities, she only guides us through the basics, explaining that it's ridiculously expensive to craft without them. That doesn't stop Josh and I from creating several lawn chairs out of his petals and stems reinforced with my metal.

It's our third day since we've split from Rufka when Tipan brings us to a stop, turning in place. There's been a kind of static feeling building in the air that I haven't been able to place, but Tipan's next words identify the source.

"There's a mana-storm coming," she explains once we're gathered together, her hand raised over her lower eyes as she squints into the distance behind us.

Following her gaze, I cover my eyes in twilight, magnifying my view. I discover a roiling mass of clouds full of flashes of lightning filling the horizon. It's still a long way away, but it seems to be coming towards us quickly.

"We need to get underground," she states, pointing at the ground.

"It's so beautiful," I mumble, watching it play across the sky for another second. Then I notice the others are already descending. I'm turning to follow when I receive a notification.

"Quest received: It's so Beautiful. Immerse yourself in a mana-storm and survive. Requirements: 0/1 mana-storms survived. Rewards: 5 iron rank integration points. Time: 36/36 hours remaining."

As soon as the words appear, I connect to Beth.

"Beth, did you just get a quest to immerse yourself in the storm?" I ask, still following them down. The rewards honestly don't feel sufficient compared to the risk. Rufka's mentioned people disappearing for centuries when they get caught in a mana-storm. Or coming out insane. Or just plain dying.

Point is, they're dangerous. Even for fully upgraded copper ranks.

"No kid. I definitely did not get a quest to go into the storm," she replies, slowing so she's gliding beside me instead of ahead.

"Weird. Cause I just did," I inform her, reading the prompt to her.

"Agreed, that is weird. Not a risk I'd want to take," Beth notes, as we get closer to the ground. I'm inclined to agree with her.

Tipan's already starting work on the shelter. Her earth manipulation is still weak, but she's been working at it ever since she unlocked it with Rufka's board game. Her growth is at best a tenth of mine but she's adamant that her current improvement is incredible compared to what she's used to.

Joining my efforts to hers, we create a deep bunker, twenty metres beneath the surface. Unlike the last few days, Tipan instructs me to seal us in, leaving no access to the outside. She then sets up a device that purifies the air, powering it with an iron rank wind essence. It kind of looks like a Christmas tree, glowing with sparkling green coloured lights as it works.

The storm rages outside as we play a lesser version of Astra's Stride, Rufka having the original safely stored in her inventory.

Between Josh and me, it was easy enough to create a replica. It doesn't give skill gains like Rufka's, but my elemental skills are maxed and everyone else has unlocked the skills they're interested in, so it's not a huge loss.

As Demo finishes his move, for the third time in as many days, I find myself inspecting the Phothen we've been travelling with.

He's not rude, but I've noticed there's a lot of things he won't talk about. Pretty much the only things he will talk about, are things that happened after he landed here. Or general statements about Phothen explorers.

Even as I'm watching him, he turns, meeting my gaze with his own.

"Bold move," I comment, in regards to his play.

"I live on the edge," he replies as Beth uses his last move to cross most of the board with one of her pieces.

"Might want to give some thought to moving off the edge," Roberts chuckles, as he likewise takes advantage of Demo's play.

"Oh, like maybe somewhere in the middle?" Josh asks as he places his piece, causing both him and Roberts to break into laughter.

I feel like I missed something.

Even as they're laughing, Tipan starts her turn. Then she stops, her hand frozen in place over the board as she looks up. She doesn't say anything, but her brows are furrowed in concern as I feel that familiar static.

A moment later I hear creaking. Creaking that is particularly ominous considering we're twenty metres below the surface. Reaching out with my magic, I find several new weak spots in the structure and start reinforcing them, drawing earth up from below. Tipan's working on the other side of our shelter as the creaking gets louder.

To my horror, a crack forms in the ceiling directly over the table.

"Alexis, it needs support," Tipan yells at me.

In response, I pause time while creating a pillar where our game table is, connecting it to the roof in a thunderous roar of rapidly moving dirt and stone. I'm burning mana like crazy, not restricting myself as I reinforce the pillar that now dominates our space.

The pillar reduces the creaking to a gentle cricking. Tipan and I remain vigilant, reinforcing anything that we notice weakening. I feel a headache growing as we keep working.

Finally, a couple of minutes after the creaking started, the changes stop.

Tipan and I both collapse onto the uneven ground, neither of us having any mana or focus left. My mana must have reach zero a while ago, as it's currently at negative two hundred. This is far worse than what Josh and Roberts went through but I'm in better shape. Not that I'm doing great. It feels like I wrenched something important inside myself. Not only has my mana edge been reduced to a mere ten, my body feels sluggish, my head still aches and it's hard to concentrate.

"Yeh know, that's one way to get out of a losing game," Demo remarks. Looking around through bleary eyes, I see I've destroyed the table, scattered the game pieces and the board itself is ruined. I feel a twinge of regret at the sight of the board. Josh and I worked on that together and we'd both been proud of it.

Luckily, the rest of the storm passes with little trouble, but no one relaxes until we're back on the surface. Tipan was in better shape, so she led the way, pushing the new tunnel to the surface. By abusing my pause mode as much as possible, I have positive mana by the time we breach the surface. It's only a mere five points, I have a lingering headache and my body's still sluggish but it's better than it was.

The nearby flora seems mostly untouched, but the ambient magic is almost painful to walk through. I'm not certain if this is because of my overdraw or a result of the passing storm.

Testing my flight, I find it works well enough. Not going to be up to experimenting though.

"That was rather unpleasant," Roberts notes, which reminds me to ask him for healing. A moment later his energy flows through me, wiping the headache and sluggishness away.

I must have been more out of it than I realized to wait so long to ask for relief.

Now that I'm restored, we take to the sky. Ahead of us the storm continues, receding into the distance as quickly as it came.

"Would yeh look at that. For all its faults, the system has some of the most incredible phenomena," Demo comments, watching the storm.

I mumble my agreement as the storm disappears from sight and we continue on our way. Beautiful as it is, I'm glad I chose not to throw myself into its heart.

Who knows how that would have ended.

As I'm following the retreating storm with my magnified vision, I make out the coastline a long way ahead. Not too much longer and we'll finally be there.

The enclave that Tipan's been leading us towards.

Glimmering Sands.