Nadia followed the strangely constructed tunnel seemingly for hours before finally reaching its destination. Whoever had built it had shaped its curvature to be slight enough that it was imperceptible from within, leaving one with the feeling that the path never rose, curved, or ended.

A heavy stone slab covered the far end of the tunnel, with a recessed switch set in the wall to release it. Passing through the doorway, Nadia found herself within what appeared to be some sort of crypt or cellar.

Switching from the Heavy Battle Suit to the Evo Suit, making use of Active Camouflage as she made her way up, curious to see where she was.

Above the cellar, she found herself in a wide stone room with a single door leading out and high ceilings. There were bits and pieces of aged furniture placed throughout the room. Old, but not abandoned. Nadia thought to herself as she investigated more closely.

Through the door, she found a narrow foyer, with a heavy steel door complete with a bar and bracket leading outside, and a narrow staircase leading higher up what she could only assume was a tower.

She made her way up the tower, carefully inspecting each room she passed on the way, but found many of them to be empty or holding nothing particularly useful to her search. When she did stop to look out the narrow windows, she could see that the tower was positioned somewhere in the Wildlands, but disguised in such a way that it wasn’t easily visible.

The higher up she went, the more she could see, and she realised a few details she’d initially missed. All the windows are on the same side of the structure… Maybe it’s built into a cliff? That would explain why I couldn’t spot it earlier. She thought to herself.

Nearer to the top of the tower, she started finding rooms that contained some more interesting items. One room was evidently a library, filled from floor to ceiling with bookshelves, which, thanks to Felix’s magic translating things for her, she was able to actually read.

Among the volumes present, she found a book called ‘Frontier Treasure: An encyclopedia of Wildlands flora and fauna’ which she decided was worth taking, as well as some others related to Artificia like Felix, ‘Notable Adepts Throughout Ariad’s History’, and ‘Index Artificium’. She picked out a few more books that discussed the production and enchantment of artifacts as well as alchemy before finally making her way onward.

On the next floor up, she found what she imagined was an alchemical laboratory based on the equipment present, and a gut-churning feeling went through her as she thought back to the crystalline tanks of dark fluid she’d seen in the temple below, all of which seemed to move of its own accord.

Thankfully, in the lab before her, she didn’t find anything like that present, but after looking through the various jars and beakers, spotted something almost equally alarming.

Contained in a small crystal jar covered in inscribed runes was a constantly churning fog that radiated cold. As Nadia looked at it more closely, she could felt a sense of dread trying to rise up in her, and she thought back to the encounter with Jake’s crew.

Nadia approached the jar to carefully inspect it, afraid that she’d meet the same fate as Alec if it were to somehow get loose.

Requesting material, Host.

Nadia nearly screamed as Felix spoke to her, her tension had been building up in the presence of the unnerving fog.

You want that stuff, Felix? Nadia thought for a moment, deciding she might as well agree, especially if it could give Felix some level of countermeasure against it if she encountered more in the future. Alright, might as well.

Extending her hand carefully, an indigo glow spread from her to the jar, enveloping it completely. Slowly, the jar and the fog within became less substantial, and Nadia felt as though her blood was freezing as the light melted back into her.

Get what you needed, Felix? Nadia asked uncertain.

Material is… intriguing. Full of uncertainty. Can be used, but growth remains insufficient. Dangerous for now.

Nadia shook her head. Well, just let me know if there’s anything else you need.

~

Nadia continued to make her way up from the lab, finding rooms that held crates of various materials, but none of which were particularly interesting, eventually making her way to the highest point in the tower.

In the uppermost chamber, she entered to find a standing needle-like device that was covered in runes, and that similar to the portal she’d encountered in the temple, seemed to cause the air itself to hum.

An antenna? Nadia thought to herself immediately. Maybe some kind of relay?

Connected to the device were threads of silver, linking it to crystalline containers filled with a dark fluid substance that gave her a feeling similar to the tanks lining the hall where she’d fought the sludge.

Felix, you getting anything from all of this?

Power resonates. Connection, transmission. A monitor.

So… this thing picks up power resonances and transmits them. Hmm…

Interception possible. Requires materials.

If I could intercept the signal, I might be able to trace it to the commander’s location… Alright.

With a plan of action in mind, Nadia descended the tower, arriving back at the heavy entrance door. The door, it turned out, was quite heavy and took Nadia a bit of effort to swing it open. The door opened into a narrow and dark crevice, hidden behind a boulder at the base of a cliff that disguised the entire structure from view.

Without wasting time, Nadia made her way away from the tower carefully following the trail that she had followed there from the temple. This ultimately proved quite fortunate for her, as she avoided tripping several means of intruder detection, allowing her trespass to go unnoticed.

The trail wound through the Wildlands, leading Nadia back to Falkirk over the course of the next day, where it vanished amongst the muddy streets as hundreds of different paths overlapped it.

Well, Felix needs more Essence to grow if I want to have a chance to get to John, not to mention materials… Guess I’ll check in at the Hall, see if Jake’s got another job ready.

At the hall, Nadia left messages for Jake and Rodney before making her way back outside of Falkirk to set up camp in a tree and read through the books she’d taken from the tower.

~

Early next morning, Nadia visited the Hunters’ Hall and was glad to see Jake and Rodney come to meet her.

“Hey, Nat. Glad to see you stuck around.” Said Jake. “We’ve got a big job if you’re interested. Working alongside another crew.” He explained.

“H-hey Nat.” Rodney greeted her slightly bashfully.

“What’s the job?” She asked, curious.

“There’s an alchemist who wants some materials that are only found near a Convergence. Now, naturally that’s a dangerous place for anyone to go, so he’s hiring two crews to do the job. One to scout, one to guard camp and serve as backup if and when everything goes tits up.”

“The alchemist is Atheneum trained, so at the very least we won’t have to worry about medicine for injuries or illness.” Rodney added, glancing between Jake and Nat.

“What about the other crew? Know them well?” She asked, eliciting a slight wince from Jake as he nodded. “The other crew is a group of guards that he’s brought with him from the Atheneum. See their sort around Falkirk all the time. They’re not from around here, but they’re at least professionals.”

“Trustworthy?” Nadia asked warily, to which Jake shrugged. “Not entirely, but this is the Wildlands. Trusting strangers on the frontier is always a gamble.”

“Alright, fair enough. Can either of you point me to someone who’d sell me decent a bow or crossbow? I could use an alternative to my rifle.” Rodney’s eyes lit up at the question. “I know a fellow who can kit you out no problem, Nat. If you like, I could introduce you?”

Nadia smiled appreciatively. “Thanks, Rodney. Guess we’ll see you in a bit, Jake. Shouldn’t take me long.” She said, heading out with Rodney.

The duo made their way through the damp streets. Rodney chatted lightly as he led her to a well maintained shop on a broad commercial street that Nadia was surprised to find had an attempt at paving done to it.

Entering the shop, Nadia’s nose was filled with the scents of resin, oils and lacquer. The shop had a large work bench to one side, with a rack mounted to the wall behind it displaying bows of various shapes and materials, each one well, if simply, made.

Sitting on the far side of the work bench was a rugged and grizzled man with a bushy grey beard and hair, whose eyes had a sleepy appearance. “Hey, Roland.” Rodney greeted the man. “This is Nat. She’s in the market for a weapon.”

The old man by the workbench grunted, rising from his work. “What type of bow are you looking for?” He asked.

“I’m looking for a short or medium recurve bow, and a compact crossbow that hopefully doesn’t lose too much in terms of power.” The old man walked off into the storage room for a moment, returning with a compact and sturdy bow made from carved horn and wood, and a sleek and compact crossbow with limbs of dark wood instead of metal.

“Aren’t likely to find a crossbow smaller than this. People start getting ideas about assassins and murder at that point. As for the recurve, this one should suit you well in cramped environments. Just don’t leave it strung in the wet like an idiot. It’ll be 18 silvers for both, plus your arrows and bolts.”

Nadia paid the old man, who placed the weapons into leather cases for her, and placed both of them ‘within her pack’, disguising the fact that she’d placed them into Felix’s internal storage space with the act, where they could be conveniently absorbed into her Wavecaster Armament.

~

Nadia and Rodney found Jake waiting with Jonas and Georgie near the gate without much trouble, who led them to meet the other crew and the alchemist who’d hired the group nearby.

“Ah, Jake, you’re here. Good, good. I’m eager to be off if you’ve collected your people. ‘Time waits for now man,’ you know.” A rather excitable fellow with a small stature and thick spectacles greeted him.

He wore a dark green wool coat over well made clothes, with sturdy leather boots, a walking stick, and a leather bound log or journal hanging from his hip by a chain, sealed by a lock and key. His personality was bright, but he gave off an air of skittishness, which did a lot to explain why the man felt he needed additional personnel for his expedition.

Jake nodded with a grunt, and along with the alchemist, a group of five men in matching uniforms, each one carrying a spear, a heavy pack, and an additional weapon that varied from man to man.

The group of eleven made their way out of Falkirk, and headed into the Wildlands.

Nadia ranged ahead of the column, deploying her survey drone discreetly to serve as an additional set of eyes, making her task of scouting ahead much easier to accomplish.

The first night passed simply enough, although both the alchemist and the additional guards were surprised to see Nadia spend the night up a tree, and to see arrows precisely pierce anything that strayed too close to the camp from an unseen position overhead.

“That’s quite a scout your team has, Jake.” The alchemist, Frederick mentioned on the second day. “It can’t be too common to find someone like that out here in the Wildlands. Where did you cross paths?”

“You’ve seen her armour?” He asked, receiving a nod. “Bone Stalker. Not just the hide. All of it. I spotted her looking at job postings in the hall when my crew picked up a job to hunt an Iron Bear. I figured anyone who can bring down a Bone Stalker and wear it would be worth having along, and I was right.” He concluded with a chuckle.

“A Bone Stalker? I’m not familiar with those, I'm afraid.” Frederick began. “It’s a large jungle cat with bony ridges and tail. Heavy, powerful, durable, and none of it matters. They’ll catch you with their stare, and you’ll just stand there like an idiot until they kill you.” Jake replied. “Four, eyes, mind you. Two up front and one on either side, so you can’t sneak up on them.”

“Surely a simple beast can’t be that bad.” Frederick replied with a scoff.

“Spoken like every person who ever tried to hunt one and died for their trouble.” Jake retorted with a laugh.

Niraada

Here we are in Arc 2! Nadia's back with more questions than answers, and she's rejoined Jake and his crew for a new job! I hope you're all having a great weekend. Don't forget to leave a comment and a rating if you like the story!

As always, thanks for reading.