Yuriko glared at the drunk staggering away from her. Irritation, exhaustion, and the general stress of having found herself saddled with a fiance had made her temper more volatile. The unwelcome touch to her hair had simply been the breaking point.

She sniffed in derision, somehow knowing that the man wouldn’t bother her anymore. She looked for the server, finding the redhead staring at her with a strange look in her eye. The rest of the clientele had returned their attention to their food or to their drinks.

A platter filled high with slices of meat coated in something light brown. It was sliced thinly, allowing her to see the browned pork in between. Then came something she didn’t expect to see here. White rice. The utensils were the usual spoon, fork, and knife though, instead of the chopsticks the Lucentians used. There was also a side dish of shredded greens topped with something white and creamy.

“Thank you.”

The woman nodded and slipped into an easy grin. She also delivered a mug of foamy ale, as well as an identical platter that Yuriko had asked for.

Yuriko was halfway through her meal when she realised what she had done. She had commanded the man to leave. With her Mien. She could still feel it. Something deep within her Anima lashing out to touch and penetrate another’s Anima. It was remarkably easy and instinctive, and her touch easily bypassed whatever protection the man had. The words she spoke twisted him.

The food she was eating suddenly tasted of ashes and she could barely swallow. A room spun dizzyingly around her and she felt as though she’d throw up.

A man approached her, short-haired, chubby with a protruding belly. He wore a clean apron though. “Miss, you wish to rent a room for the night?”

Swallowing, Yuriko nodded.

“For just the night?”

“Yes.”

“A hundred and ten Sovereigns, please. Andrea mentioned you’d want a private room?”

“Yes, of course. With a bath, too, please.”

“Oh, the Wandering Woman doesn’t provide bath services. There’s a public bathhouse just down the road though.”

“It doesn’t?” Yuriko murmured. Why not? All of the inns in Rumiga provided it.

“Ah, you must be thinking of the mainlands,” the innkeeper, Hal, laughed. “Water is tightly regulated in the Fortress.” He placed a key on the table, attached to a wooden square with a number 3 inked on it. “Room 3 on the second floor.”

“Ah, thank you,” Yuriko said while she fumbled a couple of coins out of her coin purse, a silver crown and a silver mark.

“A pleasure. There’s a safe in the room, you can leave your things there or bring them with you.” With a short bow, Hal left.

Yuriko struggled to finish her food and ended up leaving a bit of the rice. She left five silver marks and a copper mark to pay for her food and went up to check her room, which was little more than a glorified closet. She wouldn’t even be able to stretch her hands without hitting either wall. At least there was a window, though the view outside was of the inn’s backyard. Nearly a dozen ropes stretched out across that yard, filled with drying laundry. Smoke from the kitchen wafted out and filled the air with the scent of cooking oil and spices.

She latched the door close and found the safe. It would barely fit her hip satchel, and there was no way she was leaving her remaining canister of Ambrosia. She sat on the bed and brooded. Her initial dismay had been sidelined by Hal’s arrival, but it came back to her in force once she was alone.

She had managed to use her Mien actively but the problem was that it was unintentional. She should probably look for that man and see if he was alright. Her command might have forced him to leave the Waypoint… oh no.

Yuriko practically ran out of the room, down into the common area and out into the streets. She hurried towards the gate, eyes searching. It wasn’t long before she spotted him, staggering with the help of a guard. His shirt was stained with vomit and ale. But, it didn’t look like he’d be in any trouble soon. Some of the guilt passed and Yuriko sighed in relief. She watched the guard bring the drunk into another building, the constabulary, and another spike of guilt went into her tummy. He’d probably be charged for disorderly conduct, or perhaps public drunkenness.

She debated going in there and trying to straighten things out but…

What’ll you tell them? That he touched you inappropriately and that you told him to get lost? Damien’s voice was definitely tinged with amusement, You’d probably get him in more trouble. Let it be.

‘Right.’

Feeling better, Yuriko hunted down the bathhouse, which was only a couple of blocks down another lane. It was a building that was nearly five times wider than the inn. Smoke and steam rose from a funnel above the building and she saw a sign outside.

Public Bath.

2 Sovereigns entrance fee.

2 Sovereigns soap and shampoo.

1 Sovereign extra time.

Seemed cheap enough until Yuriko remembered that a single Sovereign back in Rumiga was enough to buy her a parfait. Just like the Watchtower, prices here were far steeper. Strangely enough, she wasn’t all that bothered. But then again, her needs were easily met back in Realmheart.

She forked over an octagonal silver mark and received five round silver pennies back, as well as a locker key hanging from a bracelet, a small bar of soap and a small vial of shampoo. The women’s entrance was pointed out to her and she entered a dressing area which included lockers. There were about five other women in varied states of undress inside. A couple of them glanced at Yuriko when she entered and gave her an enticing smile. Yuriko stared back blankly until the woman’s expression shifted in discomfort. Yuriko just shook her head and looked for her locker where she deposited her things and undressed. After she was done, she slipped on the key bracelet and headed toward the wash area.

There was a connection from the women’s bathing area to a mixed bathing chamber, but she steered clear of it. Even while she lathered herself up, Yuriko could hear giggles and moans through the thin curtain separating the chambers. It didn’t take much imagination to know what was happening there. Even so, she could feel herself turning red as she couldn’t help but listen.

“Shameless…” one of the other women in the baths, a middle-aged woman, grumbled.

Yuriko did her best to ignore the sounds and ended up just scrubbing herself clean and forgoing her stay in the hot water pool. She was out as soon as she dried herself, dressed, and retrieved her gear. In a few minutes, she was back in her room. She plopped down on her bed after making sure the door and windows were secure. She was asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillows. But it was strange, why did she feel as if someone was watching her?

The next morning, Yuriko felt much better, especially after she did a few conditioning exercises in the small room. More flexibility training than anything else though. She went down to the common room and ate breakfast, which cost another twenty-five Sovereigns. She wondered where all of the gold and silver went for the inn. It certainly didn’t spend much on upkeep and appearances.

As she was halfway through her rasher of bacon, a teenager in legionnaire uniform ran into the common and hurried up to Hal.

“Derek, son, what’s the rush?”

“Dad! Grave news!” The boy gushed out. “The news dispatch just came in the barracks early today, and it’s terrible. Witton Hold fell! The tether between Delovine and one of our frontier planes, Rumiga, is in tatters!”

Hal scratched the back of his head and hummed, “I suppose that means legions moving in from Delovine and other Stable planes headed towards there, eh?”

“Yes, I think so. I think I’ll be reassigned. Into an assault force, I hope!”

“No, lad, you shouldn’t ask for that!” Hal wrung his hands, “Maybe you’ll stay here in the defence units.”

“Or maybe Coltherstone will get attacked!”

“Bite your tongue!” Hal scolded, “Don’t speak of ill things!”

“Sorry, Dad.” Derek hung his head.

Yuriko’s bacon strip fell off her fork, jolting her out of her trance. Witton Hold? It was one of the chains of fortified Waypoints between Delovine and Rumiga, right? What did that mean for home?

Certainly, traffic between Delovine and Rumiga would be heavier, and perhaps there would be a battle zone between the two planes. Something attacked, after all, but who? The Chaos Lords, probably. Unless it was the Xylarchy? No, they’re too far from Rumiga, Yuriko thought. But then again, she got swept into a plane that was near the Xylarchy border by a Chaos Storm, so maybe a new pathway had been made?

It could also be the Coalition since the Federation of City-States was affiliated with them. She didn’t know and what she feared was that it would be much more difficult to reach Rumiga now. Perhaps she would need to hone her Intent and head there directly. It would be difficult, but she could probably do it for a couple of days before taking a break inside a Waypoint. As long as she exited the same way she entered, she shouldn’t be thrown too far off course.

‘I could also try to join an assault force.’

But she didn’t know if they would take her, and even if they did, who knew if they would dispatch her there. It was the Season of Fire and it occurred to her that she could probably set her Internship as part of an assault force.

No, who was she kidding? She’s a student of Sharom. Even if her records were updated to the Academy in Delovine, being on the Sorcery Track would forbid her from joining. She’d probably get stuck in a workshop like Ysserys to etch runescript lines on a Chaos ship. Or she may be designated to fill denatured Animus into jade cartridges instead. Both roles were distinctly non-combat and they wouldn’t bring her to the battlefront.

She had few options, but it was clear she still needed to go out on her own. She finished her bacon and eggs, gathered her things and left. She needed a resupply of ration bars and bought them from a logistical supply station. At least the ration bars were marked up to triple what they were worth.

Satisfied with her things, she exited Coltherstone and dove into the Chaos Sea. Right outside, she could see that the area around the Delovine-Ulmira Channel was crowded with Legion ships. There was no way she’d make it through immigration any time soon, so there was only one choice. She’d have to make her way around Delovine in the Chaos Sea.

She could either circle around while keeping Delovine’s Veil in sight, or she could dive down deeper into the Sea and create a passage through it. The first would take time, between ten to thirty days, while the second was much faster but also riskier. Any Waypoints she entered while diving would contain a higher iarvesh and would harbour stronger dwellers. But, it probably wouldn’t take more than five days to get around Delovine. Afterwards, she’d just need six or seven days to find her way to Rumiga.

She should probably avoid the Rumiga-Delovine passage as that would be a warzone. Perhaps she could try to circle Rumiga and enter through the Faron’s Crossing Tidelands? There was probably a Channel connecting the Federation to the rest of the Coalition planes but she’d enter into hostile territory that way.

Time. She needed as much as she could save. She’d succeeded in surviving Kogasi which had a three iarvesh environment. She lived through the Pure Lands which was around five iarvesh. She could risk taking a dip.

Mind made up, Yuriko focused on her need. Instead of stone blocks laid out in a path, she created stone steps that descended towards the Abyss. She followed it, and in short order, Delovine plane disappeared from sight. The Chaos flows grew wilder and oddly, more vivid. The colours were brighter, and the shadows deeper. The pressure pushing against her Anima grew stronger. Huh, her maximum flare distance grew shorter by a bit. She lost a couple of inches or so.

However, the remaining Anima grew denser. She could see tiny fractures at the edges, but then, nothing. They cracked, then healed over in a matter of seconds. Considering her Anima hadn’t grown stronger since the trials, perhaps this was a good sign that she could grow stronger again. After all, there were more stages to advance to.

But why did she suddenly feel as if something was watching her? She glanced around, above and below. But there was nothing.