February 6, 2019, 5:49 am. That special moment before you're really awake, floating on a cloud of possibility.

When I wake, I gently free myself from Rufka's arms with a careful combination of replacing myself with a sand-body double and a gentle wind to lift myself up. I can't help but stroke her chin before moving to start cooking breakfast. It's been a while since I made breakfast for everyone (ie. warmed up the food I bought from Raz's), but it doesn't take long before I have a pleasant aroma spreading through our camp. Beth is one of the first to join me, and she's got a smile on her face.

Hopefully that means their talk went well.

We go over the plans for the day, even though they boil down to 'Fly southeast, check out Builder City.' Genitha has her own plans, who she steals Rufka and Kellica for before breakfast is even over. Once Tipan is awake, she informs us her mom was able to get everything for the chamber. She even places an order for a de-condenser, just in case we can't find one.

After breakfast, it's not long before we've left the city and are flying over the nearby grasslands. As we approach the Outer Theslian Sea, I drift closer to Beth. "You think we're ready?"

She doesn't answer me immediately, her eyes fixed on the horizon as we soar along the coast. The way the sun glints off her hair, it's almost as if Smoulder had decided to light her on fire. But this fiery glory is all Beth.

Finally, Beth turns to me, and for the first time in a long time, I feel that familiar danger in her eyes as she smiles. "Kid, I think you and me are gonna reduce this guardian to spaghetti."

"Uh, spaghetti?" I ask, falling behind for a second as I try to imagine turning a giant guardian capable of defending a Builder city into… pasta. Nope, can't do it.

"Yep," Beth agrees without offering further explanation.

An hour later, we're floating at the edge of a valley that doesn't quite line up with the surroundings, the edge of the Builder's city protruding from the ground like an unevenly stacked plate from the top of the sink. If we didn't have the location from the first dungeon's maps, we would've flown past without realizing it was a Builder's City. There's no silver spire, and vegetation has covered most of the surface. I can still see the shapes of the buildings, but most of the great silver engines are missing as well. Only one on the far side of the city remains, fixed in place. But with how deep that side of the city is buried, it's gonna take even more earth-shaping than the first one to get at its entrance.

We move through the city with its mostly empty buildings. When we make it to where the tower once stood, we find a crumpled head staring at the sky, one side of its face caved in.

We float at the edge of the clearing as I Focus on it.

“Creature analyzed: Menas Sentinel. Mana seed: 1.

A Sentinel Construct deployed by the followers of the Creator Menas to prevent non-authorized Users from accessing the core functions of a Builder City. These Sentinels are incredibly durable and will destroy a Builder City rather than allow outside forces to capture one.

Name: Dominic the Vithwraner-MWVAE-20 (Rough translation: The Wrath of the Sea)

Attributes: Physical; Extreme, Mobility; None, Magic; High, Awareness; Extreme.

Attacks: Hurricane Aura, Slam, Menas’ Gaze, High Water manipulation.

Defences: Extreme physical resistance, Extreme magic resistance. Immunity to Water."

[Wyonna] "Dude's having a bad century, but he's still functional. Get too close and you're gonna get wet."

After I relay the information to everyone, Beth gets another of her dangerous grins.

"This is perfect. Kid, see if you can damage it with your teleportation. Then I'll take a few shots."

Nodding, I fly forward. Which is almost immediately met with a tug on the air around me. Deciding I shouldn't mess around, I teleport next to the face, then teleport away with my 'boundaries' pushed out. I manage to take a section of the face with me, but it's not a clean slice at the edge like it was with Ivicka. Instead, it's a thin layer of stone, almost a perfect shell of the left side of its face. A massive jet of water fills the air where I'd been standing, drilling a new hole into one of the surrounding buildings. And a couple buildings beyond.

Before it can track my new location, a ripple of darkness passes through the head.

Which isn't enough to stop it, but it does distract it from blasting at me again. It takes another dozen shots from Beth, two more teleport-cuts from me, and half the remaining city's infrastructure before it goes still. No rewards or quest progress though.

Scanning the head with Focus and Facet, I'm not able to find anything else of interest, and my codex doesn't get updated either. Shame.

Guess that just leaves the engine.

When we arrive, I start working my way down from the surface immediately. Thanks to our studies in the other city, I know the doors all face towards the centre of the city. At least, when the engine isn't torn loose of its mounts. After only a few minutes, I've built a shaft that runs adjacent to the engine, complete with a little roof to keep the rain off. And a few small Smoulder statuettes, of course.

While it's nice not having to make stairs now that we can all fly, it does mean the entrance is a little less interesting.

Despite the state of the rest of the city, the door on the engine slides open smoothly once it confirms our Citizen status. There's no skeletons just inside either, just an empty hall. We search the engine, starting from the top, but it's mostly empty. The consoles on the top floor don't even respond. When we get to the engineering deck, we discover the engine isn't as intact as it looks. Something sheared off the bottom, leaving nothing behind except a few conduits leading upwards. And a few spare parts that Rufka salvages for enchanting.

"This... was disappointing," Josh says as we make our way back to the surface.

"Indeed," Roberts agrees as everyone waits for me to reseal the passage down to the door. No point in leaving tripping hazards. "Though this close to the Aetherium, perhaps it was to be expected."

I find myself nodding, even as I look at the half-buried engine. This was supposed to be one of the cities we were going to bring to Earth. And it's useless. A ship big enough for millions of people, and it's just... dead. Are we going to find any that will help? What if they're all like this. How are we going-

A gentle headbutt against my leg draws me out of my thoughts, and I look down to find Smoulder sitting next to me. When I reach down to pick her up, she drops something into my hand. With only a small bit of char on the corner, it's not hard to recognize it as the front cover of one of the lunchboxes. Though this one has a different cover. A picture of an elvenoid girl and her pet bunny, skipping down a road.

I almost snort, but decide to give Smoulder some head-scritches instead.

She's definitely earned them.

Our return to Glimmering Sands is quiet, the light banter we'd maintained on our way out completely absent. Kellica and Rufka are waiting for us when we arrive, with no sign of Genitha. As the rest of us settle in, the surrounding celebratory atmosphere almost feels stifling. I can't help but wonder if this is how the Fallen are feeling.

We don't pick up any of our usual games, and instead sit around silently. Rufka and Kellica seem to pick up on our mood, Rufka coming over and taking my hand as she settles in the sand beside me. We remain like that for a few minutes until Beth claps her hands.

"Okay. That was... less than ideal. But we knew there'd be problems. And besides. We showed that we can disable one of their Sentinels,"

"You mean you and Lexi can. I wasn't able to dent the thing. And it was only a head," Josh says, throwing a braided strand of thorns he was holding towards the ocean.

"We're a team. A tribe!" Beth declares, though I can't help but notice a bit of an edge to her words. "None of us can do this alone."

"I'm not saying... it's..." Josh grumbles before shrugging. "We're trying to save the world. Do you even hear how arrogant that sounds? We should just try to get home as soon as possible and warn people."

Yeah, cause that'd go great. Hello officer, the world is ending on a Tuesday. Do I have proof? Uh… I saw it in a vision? I don't say any of this, frowning at the sand instead.

"Even if we could convince people of what is coming, what would you suggest we do? We still need a way to return home." Roberts reminds us, sitting down beside Josh.

"I don't know. But... there's gotta be a better plan than salvaging ancient cities that can't even fly anymore."

"Mum did mention that the cities close to the Aetherium have received a great deal of scrutiny. And the one you visited is within their borders. Not surprising they'd break it."

A soft cough draws everyone's attention, and Kellica's ear folds back for a second when we all look at her. Then she straightens herself out, clearing her throat again. "The Taken have records of extracting large amounts of machinery from one of the Builder's Cities, as you call them. Though we call them Sanctuaries. The Aetherium only ever stripped one, at least according to the histories I've read. So the others should be intact. Probably."

"Okay, so we're still good. And we have another of these Sanctuaries near our next dungeon. We'll be able to investigate it after we've finished."

"Speaking of the next dungeon, have we heard any news of our ship?" Roberts asks.

Beth's eyes go blank for a second before she responds, "The captain wants her deposit tonight, though she won't be ready to leave until the morning."

"I'd like to meet her," I say while lifting myself from the sand. Better than sitting around stewing in the impossibility of our task.

"Hmm. I think... I think I shall return to the healers. If we're to be setting out again, it'd be best to make the most of our remaining time," Roberts says while looking towards the tower.

"Mind if I join you?" Tipan asks him, to which, he nods in assent.

Josh and Rose decide to stay behind, and when Rufka sees them starting a game of Astra's Stride she gives me a peck on the cheek and tells me to have fun before moving to join them. And before Kellica can make up her mind, Rufka insists she join the game as well. Before we leave, Beth retrieves a small sack she had hidden within a cubby that is only accessible by stoneshaping the pillar supporting her hammock. I tilt my head as she fastens it to her waist but Beth just gives me a half-smile in response as she ties it to her belt instead of putting it in storage.

We make our way to the tower, with the crowd having thinned enough there's a clear line of sight. But not thin enough we don't have to push our way through on occasion. As soon as we're inside, Tipan and Roberts step into the water tube and are whisked up and away. Beth leads me to a set of stairs leading down a single level, passing by several guards clumped at the bottom. I meet the eyes of one of them, and she gives me a grin before patting her lap.

Blushing, I turn away quickly at her invitation. I follow Beth as she pushes through a shimmering curtain of... something that looks like silk, but when I brush my hand on it, the feeling is more like rough linen. I analyze it, then read the notification as I jog to catch up to Beth.

"Object Analyzed: Roughspun Trika Webbing."

"This durable material is produced by ovulating Trikas in vast quantities to protect their eggs while signaling to their mates that the eggs are ready for fertilization. The beauty and durability have led to it being a popular material throughout the M'tari Ascendancy, leading to large Trika hatcheries being established throughout the lesser Depths."

Huh. Neat. Wonder what a Trika looks like.

I don't have long to ponder the beautiful material before we pass through a second curtain. Before I can take in the room, I stagger from the stench. It's like someone took a barrel of fish and dumped it in cow manure. But only half as pleasant. With a light application of wind magic, I clear my face of the smell, before deciding to extend it to encompass my entire body. And Beth too, after I hear her muttered curse.

"Thanks kid," Beth says, her hand clasping my shoulder for a second before we both turn to take in the room. Along the left is a mostly open bay, with a hanging scaffold stretching between the two-skied ship we spied earlier. On our right, rows upon rows of fish hang from the ceiling, which seem to be the source of the smell. Despite the stench, they appear to be in perfect condition. In fact, if they weren't hanging so still, I'd believe they were still alive. Beneath them are long grates, and unless I'm mistaken, the worst of the odor is coming from beneath.

Through where the forest of fish meets the edge of the harbor, I can just make out a pair of K'tharn arguing. The bigger one, leaning over the desk is complaining about not being paid in hard essence, while the smaller one, who's sitting at the desk seems to be repeating what sounds like a canned apology. With no direct path, Beth and I zig-zag our way through the fish forest just in time for the larger K'tharn to turn away in a huff.

When she sees us, she stops, all four arms crossed over her chest as she takes us in. So, I decide to do the same.

“User analyzed: K'tharn. Female. Gene seed D. The secondary sapient species on Akilo. See K'tharn codex for more information.

Name: Tlugla e'Tell.

Attributes: Physical; Comparable, Mobility; High, Magic; Low, Awareness; Comparable.

Attacks: Swagger based abilities.

Defences: Medium physical resistance, medium magic resistance, poison immunity, disease resistance."

"Would you like to know more? Obtain the codex on the Swagger resource for 0.1 Focus and 0.1 Facet."

Wow. I haven't gotten that option in a while. Wait... could I have been expanding my codex by scanning random K'tharn? Damn.

For the moment, I hold off on accepting or declining the prompt. As I've learned, that's best done when I'm headed to bed for the night, not when meeting our potential captain.

Her inspection of us comes to an end with a huff, apparently no more impressed with us than the K'tharn she'd been arguing with when we arrived. "Are you the outlanders that want to try the dungeon in the Crown of Vaus?"

"That's right," Beth replies, her tone flat. "Are you captain of the Twice Scuttled?"

"Hmm. Might be. Or, might be I'm an honest merchant who-"

Her declaration is interrupted by a roar of laughter from the K'tharn she'd just been dealing with. "You're as honest as a Barge-rat, e'Tell. Get your dealings out of here. Our business is done."

With a rude gesture in the direction of the other K'tharn, Captain e'Tell smiles at us with a shrug before waving us towards the ship. "Come, we'll talk aboard my ship where we don't have to be surrounded by fish offal."

Beth and I settle in behind her as I exert extra effort not to step in any of the gunk on the floor. We've made it halfway across the room when she stops, raising a hand. We match her, my feet carefully placed to avoid stepping in any of the fish-gunk. Once we've halted, I hear a low rustle behind us. When I look over my shoulder, I see entire sections of fish disappearing at a time. It's so rapid it's causing a faint whooshing as the disturbance sweeps across the room. And then the fish we're standing beside vanish too.

Just like that, we're left in an empty room. Where we entered, I can make out the brown fur of the other K'tharn as they pass through the curtain. With the fish gone, I consider dropping the wind barrier, but a glance at the grates and the still present gunk makes me think I'd regret that. A lot.

There's a pressure when we cross the gangplank, (I think that's what they're called. Is it still a gangplank if it's suspended by magic?). The pressure seems to press against my sphere of pure air. Instead of trying to fight it, I let my spell drop and the pressure disappears. So does our perfectly clean air, but luckily, the ship doesn't smell like fish gunk. Just wet-K'tharn.

On the deck of the Twice-Scuttled, a table has been set out with three chairs. Two of them are simple wooden chairs, but the third is more akin to a throne, with more gems embedded in it than a royal dowry. I can't bring myself to call it pretty. It's too blatantly gaudy for that. But it is shiny. I'm not surprised, and even a little relieved, when the captain takes the throne for herself.

Beth and I sit in the wooden chairs, and I'm tempted to use a bit of earth magic to make it more comfortable. But we're guests, and that'd be rude, I think.

"Thought there'd be more of you," the captain says while hooking a leg over one arm of her chair-throne. "Not giving you a discount just cause some of your users got dry feet."

"Oh, they'll be here. But you made it clear you wanted half your payment today. And you did say we wouldn't be leaving until morning." Beth replies.

"Might not be leaving till morning, but having your team onboard tonight would make for smoother departure once we get our clearance."

"Won't be a problem," Beth states while my attention wanders to the runes carved into the mast of the ship. The entire thing seems to be a continuous enchantment, though I can't tell what it does. Even the sails seem to have runes woven into them, a special thread having been used that is only visible to my mana-sense.

My attention is drawn back to the table when Beth plops the sack she retrieved on the table. I'm surprised at the tinkling sound from within. It doesn't sound like Essence. And when captain e'Tell opens the bag, I see that there's a large number of coins with gems set in the centre inside.

"Good. None of that System garbage," e'Tell says as she takes out one of the coins before pulling a mask out of her storage.

I analyze the mask while she does the same to our payment.

"Object analyzed: Mask of Analysis. These rare constructs are highly valued for their improved ability to analyze magical objects."

[Wyonna] "It's not as good as your Facet-net, but it's on the higher end of equipment we'll see on this backwater."

When I shift my Focus to the coin, I discover they're a currency used by the Thenite Consortium, referred to as an Aurum. And they can be used for Integration points, but their worth is generally much higher than the equivalent Essence.

"Hmm. Authentic. These really are Consortium standard. Or good enough facsimiles not to matter. No trace of Spatial-stress either," captain e'Tell says, plucking the bag off the table and securing it to her waist. "And the rest is...?"

"Held by Glimmering Sands, to be released on our return."

"Then I think we're done here. Unless you'd like to be shown to your bunks?"

Beth declines, and we are soon making our way off the ship. I turn back in time to see one of the other K'tharn come out to retrieve the table and chairs. I chuckle when I see them lift the throne instead of storing it in their inventory. Seems the captain doesn't like to have her treasures put in storage for some reason.

Beth messages the others to rendezvous with us at the tower, then we head up to wait for Roberts and Tipan outside the healers. Turns out that if we're not injured or actively apprenticing, they prefer we remain outside. The rest of our crew show up, Josh and Rose arguing about a tv show again while Rufka is explaining — something about enchanting, I think — to Kellica. There's definitely mention of mana-regulation.

It's only a few minutes before Roberts and Tipan join us, then we head back to the ship together. By the time we return, the floors have been cleaned, and the grates are no longer visible. I still keep up my wind barrier though. Rather not take chances with that smell.

When we return to the ship, we're greeted by another K'tharn, who introduces herself as Second Vul'lel. Her analysis reveals that she's also an e'Tell. When she shows us to our rooms, I'm surprised when they're not bigger on the inside. There are four bunks to a room, with only enough space to squeeze between them and the bunks themselves are barely big enough for Josh to lay inside. Which is plenty of room for me, but I'm still surprised about the lack of Spatial magic. When I ask Vul'tel about it, her response is brief.

"Spatial compression is... unreliable when exposed to mana-storms. We don't use it."

With a quick glance over our group she shakes her head. "If you need anything else... ask the captain." Then she turns and leaves.

"This is so cool," Josh says with a hand on his bunk. "I always wanted to be a pirate."

"But... we're not-" I start, but Beth squeezes my shoulder.

"Let him have this," she whispers, her eyes soft as she gazes at Josh's excitement.

I nod, deciding to head up on deck, Rufka right behind me. I let Smoulder out, suspecting she's not going to have as much space to play as we've gotten used to once we're underway. As Smoulder bounces around her course, which I had to create off the side of the ship past the gangplank to escape interference, we're approached by the Captain.

"That's quite the spectacle," Captain e'Tell says as she comes up beside where Rufka and I are sitting with our legs dangling over the edge. "Not often you see such a small creature bound as a pet."

"Smoulder's a lot tougher than your average mana-hare," I reply.

"As pets tend to be. Will your pet require this sort of.... diversion, regularly?"

"Uhm... if we can?"

"While it wouldn't be advisable while underway, there should be some opportunities to... exercise, along the way."

"How much," Rufka asks, pulling away just enough to look up at Captain e'Tell.

Captain e'Tell grins. "If we were delaying for it, I'd charge ya three Aurum an hour."

Rufka snorts and I can't help but roll my eyes in agreement. I saw how much Beth paid her, and there were only eighteen Aurum. Besides, I've been testing the boundaries of the ship's 'pressure' and I think I'll be able to construct obstacles for Smoulder alongside. It'll just mean she runs around the ship instead of above the deck. And it'll only be a couple dozen obstacles. Better than nothing though.

"Tis an impressive display though. You working together on that?" the captain asks, turning back to the obstacle course.

I blink at her for a second before turning to Rufka. "You wanna?"

The way Rufka narrows her eyes, with just a small twist of her lips tells me that I should've asked her this earlier. Cause she's clearly looking forward to helping me put Smoulder through her paces.

An hour later, a rather exhausted mana-hare sleeps snuggly in my pocket. With Rufka's help, we were able to incorporate a lot more moving elements in the design. But it also made me realize how much is involved in working with others. If we're not careful, it's easy for our magic to cancel or merge with each other, when it's that far away from us.

We return to our bunks, Rufka and I deciding to cuddle despite the limited space.

Thus, snugly entombed within my bunk, I dream of magic.