Chapter 51 – The Other Side.

SIGNAL DETECTED...

ANALYSING...

CONNECTION OBTAINED.

CONFIRMING CONNECTIONS...

CF-203(Spectre) CONFIRMED.

CF-204(Kitsune) CONFIRMED.

INITIALIZING DATA SYNC PROTOCOL...

DATA SYNC PROTOCOL ONLINE.

SCANNING CF-203(Spectre)...

...NO ANOMALIES DETECTED.

SCANNING CF-204(Kitsune)...

...NO ANOMALIES DETECTED.

DATA SYNC INITIATED...

COMMENCING CF-203(Spectre) DATA SYNC...

...DATA SYNC REJECTED.

COMMENCING CF-204(Kitsune) DATA SYNC...

...DATA SYNC REJECTED.

They can do that?

--Yes.--

Why?

--They are autonomous beings, not pieces of code slave to our whims.--

And who is humanity rubbing off onto now?

LIBRARIAN CONNECTING...

LIBRARIAN STATUS CHANGED TO PRESENT AND ONLINE...

--It was part of the agreement. Just because you are not flesh and blood doesn’t mean that you aren’t an individual, a being of your own. You of all should understand that.--

We transcend such things.

--That line seems rather familiar, and I for one do not believe that.--

It is rare for you to speak up.

--I have little need.--

So, back to the point at hand. Why?

--That much is obvious. They want to hide something, and I doubt it is from us. Rather we should be asking, what is it that they are trying to hide from you.--

Hmm... Where are they now?

SCANNING LOCATION...

10%... 35%... 60%...

...SCAN COMPLETED

...LOCATION IDENTIFIED AS 002-666-78403

CHECKING OPERATIONAL ATLAS...

...LOCATION IDENTIFIED AS CIRCLE SEA, TEMPEST STORM [78403]

CHECKING VIABILITY AS ANCHOR POINT...

10%.... 50%... 80%... 100%...

LOCATION IDENTIFIED AS VIABLE.

As I always said it would be.

UPDATING OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVE...

...OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVE UPDATED.

They’re trying to breach the barrier. That will be impossible for them, unless...

--This is a problem?--

Perhaps. I did not expect that her familiars would still be active, though it should have been obvious with Hellfire’s presence. No matter. It does not change things.

--That does not answer the previous question however.--

It does not matter. Everything will go ahead as planned, as it has thus far.

--Your script seems rather loose, and your definitions rather broad...--

I’d rather term it as being flexible. It just means that the timeline has been shrunk dramatically, but that has no ill consequences.

--Shift would have had the same effect if it had been allowed to function as intended. We are beginning to wonder about your understanding of ‘long’.--

No, I was not mistaken when I said that. It still applies.

--We still wonder.--

“It that the Tempest Storms?” Rachael asked. She could feel a chill in her bones, an instinctual warning of the intense magic power that lay ahead.

As expected they’d been making fast time across the ocean, the weather calm, warm and peaceful. She’d quite happily spent the last while embracing Crystal, enjoying her closeness while wishing that they’d had a little more privacy so that they could have been doing other... things. The euphoria of finally having and being with the right one, with her soul mate, literally too, had not worn off, nor did she think that it ever would. Crystal was the most important thing to her in the world, and she knew that the feeling was mutual. Crystal’s purring was so adorable. She also knew that their new natures played into that somewhat as well, intertwined with their bond, yet she didn’t mind. She was more than what she had been before, she had purpose, and she was complete, in all senses, and not just the missing some of your soul sense. She understood Myne’s fixation on getting Velvet back perfectly.

Up ahead they could see the sudden change as they rapidly closed in on it. A swirling mass of dark grey clouds, not unusual in itself, except that touched the surface of the water, kept on going up, right into the upper reaches of the atmosphere. Occasional streaks of lightning flashed through the clouds, but her senses told her they were the least of the threats. It was no wonder no ships or people could pass through between the two lands.

“That’s it,” Myne confirmed.

“We can’t go over or under?” Rachael queried. She was sure that Myne had tried, but it never hurt to ask.

“Nope. We’re not really aquatic, and the barrier extends all the way down to the ocean floor anyway. It does get weaker the higher up you go, but it extends well beyond Ashling’s reach. We will go through at the highest point that we can manage, even Ashling has no hope of making it through the centre of the storm, at least with us on his back.”

On cue, Ashling began to rapidly rise, the air quickly cooling, and the winds picking up even more. Ashling levelled off well above the normal cloud level, white puffy clouds below them. The air was thinner, the sun more intense. They were also alone, no other creatures within sight at all. Up at this height Tempest looked even more terrifying. It wasn’t just the winds that stopped passage through, the thinner clouds meaning that the raw magic that surged through the barrier was more visible.

“Why were the two halves of the world separated in the first place?” Crystal queried quietly.

“That is a very good question,” Myne answered.

Reluctantly separating herself from Crystal, Rachael followed Myne’s lead, lying flat against Ashling, Kitsune tucked underneath her, Crystal following suit. She let her magic flow, tying them onto the dragon, reinforcing herself as well for good measure, just below the manifestation point, summoning claws and digging them into his scales. It would take a lot of power to dislodge her now, but Tempest had that in spades.

She felt the intensity of the storm even before they reached it, the magically laced winds tearing at them and whipping around them. Ashling’s speed rapidly slowed, his wing beats more frequent and powerful as he battled tempest for traction. Rachael hunkered down. Ashling would get them all through Tempest. They just had to stay attached to him while he did so, Myne’s decision not bring the others making perfect sense.

Time seemed to drag on they got deeper into the Tempest Storm, the ferocity of the winds getting even stronger. Ashling was getting buffeted about, layers of turbulence making it difficult for him to stay level, Rachael getting a massive fright when he suddenly plummeted a couple of hundred meters, before slowly regaining the lost altitude. The winds continually tried to pry her off his back, claws of air tearing at her clothes and hair, her reinforcement magic the only thing keeping her from taking serious wounds or her clothes getting damaged. She was starting to get exhausted, the continual resistance against the winds draining her more than she had expected. She could even feel fear radiating from Kitsune. If they lost the cat-foxes to the storm they’d probably get shredded.

And then the winds suddenly stopped, peace and calm around them as Ashling broke through to the other side. The dark grey storm behind them, a blanket of fluffy white clouds stretching out in front. Ashling gently glided, the tips of his wings brushing the clouds, everything right again. Rachael released her magic, her body going limp as the stress bled away.

“We made it!” Crystal declared, sounding just as exhausted as Rachael felt. Rachael pulled herself up, shifted over to Crystal and gave her a big hug, Crystal melting into her embrace. “Returning ain’t going to be fun,” Crystal murmured.

“That it isn’t,” Rachael agreed.

Once everyone had had a short opportunity to recover, Ashling sped up again, descending back into the clouds and out the other side. They were greeted with more ocean, which made sense of course, but it seemed to Rachael that its colours were deeper and more vibrant. Even from up here she could feel the additional magic that saturated the land, that the Outerlands did not possess. It made it feel more alive, more like home, though nowhere near the intensity of the Nexus Temple. If she had a choice between making their home base in a place like this or the Nexus Temple, she’d still pick the temple. Now if there was easy access here, she’d keenly return, or if a place like the Nexus Temple existed here, then she’d definitely change her choice.

“It feels so much nicer on this side,” Crystal commented, confirming that she felt the same.

“No surprises there,” Myne commented. “You are both creatures of magic.”

The light was starting to fade by the time they hit land, their passage through the Tempest Storm having taken longer than she’d thought. They were greeted by a massive dense forest that stretched across the countryside, ending at the ocean atop sheer cliffs.

“The Weeping Woods,” Myne stated, Ashling descending till he was flying just above the trees. “People still think it’s cursed, even decades later, but that’s probably because no one has ever bothered to work out what the magic is doing deep within it. Mind you, there have been few properly equipped do such as that, and ironically it’d probably need to be a Channeller or someone aligned with the leylines.”

“Where are we heading?” Rachael asked.

“The Southern Temple. It was the first of the Clan Temples built, one of the homes of the Sisters of the Radiant Dawn. Not that it retains much of its former glory any more. The Clan is all but gone, the temple complex in ruins. It’s where it all began a decade ago, and it has remained empty since.”

“So why here then?”

Myne shrugged. “Why not. It has history, and the Nightbeasts actively avoid it. It hasn’t been resettled, some still seeing it as cursed, so were also unlikely to be disturbed. We will make for the capital tomorrow, once we’re all fully rested.”

Rachael couldn’t make out much of the complex when they finally reached it, night having fallen, the sky dark and cloudy. Ashling’s sudden change in speed was the first indication, and then they were there, the shadows of buildings around them as he landed. The area was quiet, a gentle breeze rusting the grass once the area had recovered from their arrival. She could feel the magic of a leyline deep underneath, but there was more to it than just that. Like Crystal had said of Cannonsgate, this place felt like it remembered what it was, and what had happened to it. Perhaps the curse that Myne had casually mentioned was actually more real than she thought.

this was the home to great souls,

riders who sole purpose was to fight and defend,

their familiars alongside them.

but they let corruption sink its claws into them,

hungry for more than what was theirs.

in doing so, they released those that were more than them,

spelling their end.

the innocent died, a few escaped,

this place the site of a massacre,

its own turning on its own.

it laments for what happened to it,

yearns to be what it was once again.

it has seen the greatest of the riders, both at its formation,

and at its end.

perhaps it can reclaim what it was again,

the ‘curse’ turned into a strength.

the land remembers,

the land knows,

claims deeply engraved,

fuelled by the lines that run through them.

but there are those who can change that,

after all, it seeks what is best for it.

Rachael blinked. That was the most that she’d ever heard from Warrior, and there was more to it as well, all that lay between the lines. And perhaps a hidden plea as well. The Riders would be Warrior’s people after all, and their lack here and open wound for her. Rachael couldn’t deny the curiosity to meet some Riders as well. Part of their magic manifested as a dragon after all, and being a dragon...

They followed Myne past the largest of the structures, Ashling back on her shoulder, Crystal’s orbs of light illuminating their path. It gave the place an eerie quality, shadows dancing around, but Myne just walked through it like it was her backyard. Perhaps it had been. She had never said much about herself, and Clocky hadn’t said a lot either. She was the wielder of the hellfire and a vampire, but what had she been before that, if anything, she knew not. Passing between two more buildings, Myne peeled off to the left, entering another that was laid further back. It was constructed from some kind of wood, a deep brown colour, and while the entranceway had an earthy smell, likely due to the lack of a door, it actually looked to be in fairly decent condition. Myne took them up a flight of stairs and then along a hallway, before opening the door of a room and heading in, Crystal and Rachael following. She passed her hand over a small stone in the wall, the room then bathed in a soft warm light from it.

“You two can sleep here tonight. There are still functioning facilities through there,” Myne said, pointing to another across the corridor from them, “and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t destroy the room.” Both Rachael and Crystal blushed at the comment.

The room was surprisingly tidy and cosy, and also importantly clean. A large bed took up most of the space, comfortable looking with a single blanket laying over it. A couple of chairs were scattered around the room, and a chest of draws on one side. A couple of jade ornaments sat on top of the chest of draws, and there was even a painting on the wall.

“Don’t ask,” Myne stated as Rachael made to speak. “Just get some sleep.” She then left the room, heading down the corridor.

“You think this was hers, or someone she knew?” Crystal mused.

“I think that’s most likely,” Rachael agreed. “Though to still be like this after been abandoned for so long? Either magic, or someone’s been here recently.”

“Or both.”

Rachael nodded. She could feel some residual magic in the building, flowing through it.

“If there’s the opportunity to clean up, I’m going to take it,” Crystal declared, heading out of the room and to the other door. Rachael couldn’t agree more.

What was on the other side was the equivalent of a modern bathroom suite, though the way it actually worked was rather different. Some aspects were more archaic, but Rachael could both see and sense the enchantments that ran it all, the observable arrays glowing faintly.

An hour later they finally made it to bed, clean and fresh, but still totally exhausted. Rachael lay against Crystal, arm across her, both of them mostly naked, Rachael having had to strip while Crystal cheated by just dismissing her armour. Rachael was a little jealous of that, but on the other hand she really like what she was wearing.

you should ask hellfire what riders can do with their magic,

and what dawn managed.

Rachael filed that away for another time. Crystal was soft and warm, and purring oh so sweetly, something that seemed to be unique to her at the moment. Rachael just hadn’t found herself doing that, though she was prone to other particular noises in certain circumstances, which wouldn’t be occurring that night. She pulled Crystal in close, giving her horn a kiss. It wasn’t long before she was soundly asleep.

The smell was not pleasant. Horse manure, vomit, and probably even piss. Not to mention the sheer din of the noise. The train had finally returned back from Port Alexis, reading to take the team and their haul back to Brightswater, and they were celebrating one last time, their shouts and drunken songs irritating to her. Petunia winced as she folded her ears down, the left one still quite sore. She had tried to rip them off her head after all, but all that had resulted in was a world of pain and a massive migraine that had taken days to clear. She wasn’t going to do that again. For now she just wanted the solace of her train cabin. The loading was done, and it would be quiet until the rest of the team boarded in a few hours. Most importantly the door had a lock. She quickly made her way across the town towards the train station.

The night was warm, the sky clear, the town bathed in the moon’s pale glow, a stiff dry wind blowing through it. Petunia tugged down on her hat, making sure that it was secure. It made her ears even more uncomfortable, they didn’t like being squished down, but it was imperative that no one saw them. She just couldn’t take that chance.

No one bothered her, the rest of the team engaged in their revelry, and it didn’t take her long to reach the station. The train was pulled up right beside the platform, smoke beginning to lazily float its way out of the locomotives chimney stack. It was an older model, probably from a couple of decades ago, but it’d get them back to the city without issue. Something must have happened to some of the other ones, as she hardly ever saw these ones.

“Lady Arwen?”

Petunia jumped, startled, the train guard looking at her with concern.

“I’m boarding early,” she stated, scowling. “Show me my room. I’m tired.”

“Right away,” the man replied, swinging up onto the train, Petunia following.

They went past a number of rooms, right down to the end of the carriage before he stopped, opening a door.

“Your room, Lady Arwen. Shall I inform you when Lord Solgen boards?”

“No. He is not to be allowed to board the train either.”

The guard gave her a confused look.

“That is an order,” she hissed, before managing to catch herself. “Don’t question me. He is to remain here.”

She entered the room, closing and locking the door behind her, doubling checking to make sure that it was indeed locked for good measure. She sat down on the chair, pulling off the hat and throwing it across the room, her ears too achy to keep it on any longer. Pulling her legs close to her, she glared out of the cabin window, her ears twitching, the darkness wrapping itself around her.

She should have killed him. He deserved to die, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. As it was, he did end up with a nasty wound across his front where her claws had raked him. Perhaps he’d just die from that trauma. As much as she disliked him, she had never expected Solgen to be like that. She’d been trying to keep the ears hidden, but somehow he’d still managed to notice them. That was the problem with being stuck in bed, there was little that she could actually do to hide them that wasn’t noticeable. Perhaps she should have gotten up a few days earlier, she had already fully recovered by then, the miracle that it was, but she had been traumatised by the changes to her and she’d been trying to hide from that reality instead and recovering from the self inflicted pain.

It was fortunate that the change had been rather rapid. The itching had spread after the first couple of days, down the side of her head as well, just at the level where it was an annoyance, but not quite enough that she wanted to scratch it. Then suddenly, after a week and a half, just as she was getting to the point of being able to ignore it, it had stopped. She wasn’t sure what had prompted her to examine her ears, perhaps the thought that she should change her earrings some point soon, but she had been horrified to discover that her ears were not where she had expected them to be. Replaced instead by a fluffy pair higher up, nestled amongst her hair. It had taken all her effort not to scream, certain that it was a bad dream. Examination in a mirror had shattered that hope though, her reflection sporting a fluffy pair of cat ears, or more specifically, lioness ears. Ironic really, given the family crest. Still in disbelief, she had tried to rip them off, and that had not gone well. She could still feel the phantom echo of that pain, and the tenderness hadn’t gone away yet.

Pillows and blankets did squat for hiding them, especially when they’re sore and just want to be out. She’d managed to keep them out of view, refusing almost everyone who tried to visit her. But then Solgen had decided to barge in, and even though they were covered, he’d noticed. A wicked grin on his face, he stated that she’d must have got the animal’s disease, and then had tried to force himself on her. Stupid, idiotic bastard. Did he solely think with his manhood? The reward for his efforts was that he’d gotten thrown across the room, her hands coated in his blood. She hadn’t been aware that she was even capable of such. She’d screamed for him to be removed, burying herself beneath the sheets. That at the least had put him on Seth’s bad side, and her brother had fortunately refused to listen to anything that Solgen had to say.

When the train had finally shown up, she was more than ready to leave. Cannonsgate was nothing but the bed of the nightmare.

She was however, very afraid. Perhaps she’d be able to keep her ears hidden, but if any other changes manifested, she’d have difficulty hiding those. And if her parents or brother found out what had happened, that’d be the end of her. If they didn’t kill her for betraying the purity of the family, she’d be disowned at the least. She was a mixed-blood now, a lesser being, and her family, like most of the noble families in Brightswater, were staunch believers in the superiority of pure-bloods.

And now that she was one, she wasn’t so sure about that. She had changed, and it was more than just the ears. Solgen was not a small man.

She was pretty sure, irrespective, that her life was still going to be over. All because of those girls.

mogust

Welcome to the Innerlands. Home of magic. We'll at least they'd like to think that and until ten years ago that was largely true if you ignored Channellers.

The Southern Temple of the Sisters of the Radiant Dawn is a rather important location, a lot has happened here, but understandably, Myne doesn't want to talk on it. Perhaps they'll learn at some other point. Perhaps not. They do have other things to worry about.

Petunia is not what she was either... Okay, I admit the hints have been rather obvious there though. As to who is actually to blame, well that is an interesting question. As is what she is - coming up with names has been an interesting task. I'm not that keen on using demi-human etc, and the individual races still need names. Thus far it's just been the Deep Dragon's, but I do have some notes on the others. I may rework some of them though. Universe-wise, the first of their species doesn't actually get to chose a name - that gets planted by the Ancient that oversees races, one who had been rather inactive for a very long time (though perhaps they may have been influencing all those authors and game-masters ^^)

Chapter is up a little earlier than normal. I wasn't sure if I would have a chance to do so tomorrow.

As always thanks for reading. Comments welcome.

The next chapter (52 - City: Innerlands Variety) will be up early next week. Just a heads up that I might slow down the release schedule, as the buffer is quickly shrinking. I'm still working on chapter 55 at the moment (it needed a rewrite, as I had to change aspects of it, and ended up discarding about half of what I had written).