Amdirlain’s PoV - Vehtë - Mediterranean Sea
As the trio landed at the camp, Klipyl rested her head against Sarah. “I should have gotten Ammie to adopt me as her daughter.”
“Why? You ended up with two big sisters instead,” said Sarah.
Klipyl regarded her blankly. “How?”
“Sister-in-law is a concept where we come from,” explained Amdirlain, letting Universal Communication handle the translation.
“Hurray! I’ve got two big sisters,” cheered Klipyl, throwing her arms straight up.
A smile twitched on Kadaklan’s lips as the trio laughed together. The healer just slipped his hands inside the sleeves of his brightly coloured robes.
Jinfeng had risen from her spot near the fresh firepit. She quickly pushed her braided black hair back over her shoulder and brushed the dust from her simple tan outfit before she saluted Amdirlain. “Sifu, I didn’t know we would see you.”
“The surprise is mutual. I hope my alterations to appearance don’t put you off,” said Amdirlain.
“Your appearance is subtly different, but your personality shines through,” said Jinfeng.
“I wanted a change. I didn’t intend to contact you until later, but it seems your Jade Emperor had other plans,” said Amdirlain. “Should the five of us travel together?”
“It would be an honour to accompany you, Sifu. The scriptures that lead us here commented on various topics but did not mention travel companions,” said Jinfeng.
“It did? Would you care to share the message?” asked Amdirlain.
“I believe the message was primarily for myself,” hedged Jinfeng. “It was two proverbs. Learning without thought is deceptive; thought without learning is perilous. Those who lead do not teach, and those who blindly follow do not understand the journey.”
Does it apply to me as well? I’ve tried to understand myself better and overcome my fears.
“Could the puzzle have turned out differently?” enquired Sarah.
“It is hard to say the stable side was black and white, while the coloured side changed constantly,” explained Jinfeng. “When I had the scripture writing together, it locked into a solid plate. I turned it over and found the picture of this scene.”
Amdirlain smiled. “If you’d like, you can come with us, or do you think the Jade Emperor put you on our path for a different reason?”
“We once spoke about the journey to the west,” quipped Kadaklan. “It seems the Monkey rides the Dragon this time.”
“How do you figure that?” asked Amdirlain.
Kadaklan smiled slyly. “You’ve got the hardest head among all of us.”
“I’m sure the great sage will be interested in your criteria, Master Kadaklan,” noted Jinfeng. “Are you perhaps seeking to emulate Zhu Bajie’s conduct?”
“Since I’m the peaceful one among you all, I represent Tang Sanzang in this, assembly,” said Kadaklan.
Amdirlain rolled her eyes. “Since we’re not travelling to collect scriptures, comparing us is pointless. You’re hardly an innocent boy-priest.”
“What are your travel plans?” asked Kadaklan. “You mentioned the Jade Emperor’s puzzle boxes had given you some ideas.”
“There are some places I want to check between these lands and the oceans to the west, then we’ll take a northern route around the sea that lies north of our current location,” said Amdirlain. “I’m pretty sure it will be winter by then, so travelling won’t be pleasant.”
“What’s a little snow?” quipped Klipyl.
“It’s a lot of snow if I’m right about the weather patterns,” corrected Amdirlain. “Before we leave this area, I want to find traces of the Anar city. The forests they planted in these lands are all gone, but I don’t think Orhêthurin’s house would have been as easy to destroy as others.”
“Where do we look?” asked Klipyl.
Amdirlain looked at Sarah. “Your memories would be clearer.”
“As you pointed out, the forests are gone, and the coast is different,” said Sarah. “It’s been over half a million years. I hope you have a fallback plan other than using your surveyors.”
“It looks like the Clairsentience techniques Aitherlar was teaching me will get a workout,” said Amdirlain. “We’ll work things out as we go along. If it begins to feel like the search here is fruitless, we’ll move along.”
Jinfeng’s jade-green gaze sparkled with amusement. “You planned to adapt?”
“Something along those lines,”
“Should I have brought more camp gear?” asked Jinfeng.
“I’ve got the accommodations covered,” said Sarah. “Unless you’re set on camping here, let’s move more towards the coast. Ori’s house was closer to the water than we are now, and erosion has narrowed this stretch of land between the sea and the bay to the west.”
“We only remained here waiting for some sign of why the Jade Emperor sent me the puzzle,” advised Jinfeng.
“Five is an auspicious number, given that the Emperor set us on this path,” noted Kadaklan as the last item went into a storage bag on Jinfeng’s belt.
“Either that, or he ensured there were five of us to seem auspicious,” countered Sarah.
Kadaklan snorted. “Cynic.”
“Can’t wound me with the truth,” Sarah said, offering a relaxed smile.
“Shall we find a nice beach among the coves?” asked Amdirlain.
“There are huge crabs hidden in the soft sands and dark serpents in the caves close to the shore,” cautioned Jinfeng. “We camped so far away so they don’t disturb my meditations.”
Klipyl sighed teasingly. “She doesn’t trust me to protect them.”
“If there is a battle, all should take part,” said Jinfeng.
Sarah shrugged. “You need to get used to travelling with people that need far less sleep.”
“Or none,” offered Amdirlain. “Still, it’s good to be alert.”
“The house has protections, so all of us needing sleep can just relax,” said Sarah. “It is late in the day, so I’ll just set it up here, and we can start exploring for signs tomorrow.”
When the Dragon-footed house appeared nearby, one of its clawed feet scratched long furrows in the rocky earth. Kadaklan looked at Sarah with concern. “Please tell me there is nothing untoward involved.”
“It’s a variation of an old folktale from our world, where a witch had a house supported by giant Chicken legs,” explained Sarah. “Step back a bit from the top of the hill and I’ll set it in place. That way there aren’t any places for attackers to get cover.”
“How does it determine an attacker?”
“Anything that tries to break in,” said Sarah. “Didn’t want to waste its enchantments on anything that’s simply curious. Its appearance should turn most things off approaching.”
Kadaklan snorted. “Turn things off approaching? I believe most creatures would run the other way.”
“Never underestimate stupidity or pride,” said Sarah. “Some creatures get very territorial, especially dragons and Lizardfolk.”
“Voice of experience?” quipped Kadaklan lightly.
Sarah smiled and glanced at Amdirlain. “Only when I was still stabilising.”
“She was only a little catty towards Livia when she came visiting the limbo monastery,” said Amdirlain.
“It was more that she kept trying to hold my hand like a child,” huffed Sarah playfully. “Now let me show you the inside, and we can figure out where to put beds and drapes.”
The trio quickly disassembled their camp, with Klipyl filling in the fire pit while Jinfeng and Kadaklan took care of the lean-to before they ventured into the house. Kadaklan took the interior matter-of-factly, but Jinfeng and Klipyl seemed confused by the layout, which included large deep couches and a modern kitchen. The large crystal receiver display on one wall drew particular attention.
“Did you record more casters while on Qil Tris?” asked Kadaklan.
“Yes, but I also put in a repeater last visit. There is a Psi crystal currently filtering some news programs for topics of interest.”
“Oh, I get it. You’re spying to see how the adjustments to the training facilities are being received,” said Kadaklan. “Wise not to just take Mor’lmes word for it.”
Klipyl ran her fingers across the polished benchtop. “This looks like stone, but it’s not. I wouldn’t think you’d need a spot to cook anything. Can you teach me? Someone said that cooking for someone can be flirtatious, but I’ve never learnt.”
“Just don’t ask Amdirlain to teach you how to cook,” Kadaklan advised.
Amdirlain shrugged. “I can manage the basics, but nothing too fancy. The Catfolk just have a different reaction to spicy food.”
“The only one who actually needs to sleep is Jinfeng, correct?” asked Sarah.
“Immortal Spirit reduces my needs to a few hours,” defended Jinfeng.
Sarah pointed to a couch at the end of the arc in front of the receiver. “How about we push that one into a corner for you? We can set up a privacy ward.”
“This accommodation doesn’t really look like you intended it to be shared with anyone,” noted Kadaklan. “I feel like we’re intruding.”
“The Jade Emperor sent you along and, if he intends to help Amdirlain, I’m not turning you aside,” said Sarah. “I experienced a sense of relief from my precognition seeing the three of you, so I’m taking that as a good sign. When I’ve got time, I’ll expand the interior and make a second story with rooms for each of us.”
“You’re playing dimensional games like Am?” asked Kadaklan.
“Not to the same extent and, unless we want it to be walking us around the countryside, I’ll need to store the house daily,” said Sarah. “That means there is a limit on what it can contain, as I didn’t set the initial enchantment to eliminate the internal weight.”
“I’m going to enjoy the sunset while you sort out details and fill them in,” Amdirlain said, slipping outside at Sarah’s nod.
A couple of months of lazy honeymooning with monsters steering clear. I guess it’s time to get back to work.
Amdirlain perched on the rocks a distance from the house to stare off a cliff towards the sea. Contentment and fear clashed lightly, niggling at the back of her mind; Amdirlain centred herself and breathed out slowly, enjoying the vibrant colours as sunset crept across the landscape.
What was I afraid of just then? It doesn’t feel like there is anything dangerous around here, just some minor critters monitoring me and the house.
A moment of listening with normal hearing let her catch the murmur of the continued conversation from the house. A light smile twitched across Amdirlain’s lips.
Sarah’s giving me alone time to adjust and think. I should have made myself a stack of drawing paper to improve that Skill in quiet moments.
Movement among some bushes caught Amdirlain’s attention out of the corner of her eye, but she kept facing the sea as other small reptilian figures took up position. As a brave individual crept past the first she’d spotted to get a better view, Amdirlain took in their attire as they crossed the gap in the bushes. Hunched over, their posture reduced their small stature even further, but he was maybe a metre tall with dark red scales and murky green reptilian eyes. A broad tail stuck out from behind him, and he wore patchy rawhide goat skins studded with metal as rough armour. The two short spears he clutched in one hand looked made of knapped flint and dried fish guts for sinew. Overall, he looked like someone had crossed a German Shepherd with a gecko and taught the result to walk on hind legs, though his upright stance looked delicate with his gangly limbs.
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Soul Sight showed a rough-natured Soul within him rather than the emptiness and blackness of a monster that she’d expected. The Soul’s presence changed Amdirlain’s mind about the course to take, and she considered the tenuous existence shown through the Scout’s life events.
“I see you, Kobold. Come here and talk, it’ll be easier for both of us,” said Amdirlain calmly, pointing a finger towards him.
“No want to talk to the tall invader,” hissed the scout. “You need to leave the tribe’s lands.”
“I intend to, but I’m looking for something,” said Amdirlain. “If you help with my search, I’ll reward your tribe.”
The Scout swayed in an agitated fashion behind the scrub, causing the leaves to bob. “You no look for things on our lands. You leave.”
“Is that your place to decide? Maybe you should ask your leader,” said Amdirlain.
With a snarl, the Scout retreated directly away from Amdirlain, keeping the scrub between them.
“Your tribe mates are still hiding,” said Amdirlain, and she pointed to the scrubs that had rustled earlier. “The one with the bow won’t be helpful if you charge.”
“You go,” hissed another.
A minor Spell rose an earthen wall beneath the three of the scouts; with a squeak and a hiss, they jumped down, and all scampered away.
“I can find your tribe just as easily, so have someone talk to me,” ordered Amdirlain, her hard tone rattling the six that fled. One more obstinate threw himself into a ditch and kept watch on her from higher ground.
If they do a lot of tunnelling around here, they might have run into crystal barriers they can’t get through, which will reduce the time isolating where the city’s located.
I should have checked the surveyors, but given the poem the Jade Emperor sent, it felt like a cheat.
A few hours later, a hunched Kobold came out of the undergrowth, wearing thin hides and a necklace of feathers and shells. His lips curled back, and his eyes bulged at the sight of Amdirlain, but despite his emotions, he walked closer.
[Name: Dess
Species: Kobold
Class: Adept/Shaman/Scout
Level: 29/29/27
Defence: 64
Health: 935
Faith: 42
Magic: 45
Mana: 957
Melee Attack Power: 52
Combat Skills: Bite [J] (23), Claw [M] (10), Spear [Ad] (23), Knife [M] (2), Mana Formation [M] (12), Affinities: Earth and Fire. Spells - Tier I and 2 spells related to Earth and Fire. Minor blessings that are empowered by personal belief.
Details: He’s served his tribe since he gained the Shaman Class at twelve. Thirty years on, in his twilight years, he holds the most magical strength of the region’s shamans.]
“My apologies for our intrusion on your tribe’s lands,” said Amdirlain. “I would just like to talk, and if you have the information I’m after, I’d reward you.”
“What you after?” grumbled Dess.
Amdirlain presented some crystal blocks from her inventory. “Walls that glimmer like these crystals that you can’t chip.”
Dess’s eyes narrowed as he considered the blocks, and Amdirlain caught his furtive gaze towards the north. “I might know where some are.”
“Would this location you were going to share happen to be near a rival tribe?” asked Amdirlain. “If you tell me a location that proves false, I will not be so friendly.”
“I don’t know all their tunnels like ours, just heard tales. Can’t hold me at fault if they lie,” rumbled Dess unhappily.
“Dess,” said Amdirlain firmly.
Her flat intonation of his name caused his eyes to bulge from his head. “Who told you my name?”
“A powerful spirit,” said Amdirlain.
“If it is so strong, why can’t it find shiny rocks for you?”
“Do you want me to churn up the earth?” asked Amdirlain. “I might collapse tunnels or even entire dens by taking that approach.”
A growl of frustration rumbled in Dess’s throat, and his ears lay back against his scaled skull. “We have no bright rocks in our den. Those who go near those places die.”
“What places are they?” asked Amdirlain.
“Tales say a place in the south is not safe for tribes because of rocks like solid water,” said Dess unhappily.
Amdirlain smiled, and Dess shied back from her display of white teeth. “Why not tell me that from the start?”
“Wanted to get rid of the other tribe. They’ve blocked us from goat packs in the north,” huffed Dess.
“What about the shiny rock that causes kobolds to die?” asked Amdirlain.
“Shiny figure with your flat face. It step away from shining rocks and chop them into pieces,” said Dess.
“I’ll be right back with your reward,” said Amdirlain. Dess hopped back from her as she rose, eyeing her with undisguised suspicion.
She blurred into the house and returned, suddenly standing before Dess with a sheathed knife offered to him.
“What this?” asked Dess, nervously looking at the leather-wrapped hilt.
“A very sharp knife. Keep it clean, and it will stay sharp for a long time,” said Amdirlain.
It’s a trinket Sarah made for the kitchen, but the +10 attack power is significantly higher than a flint knife.
“Clean?”
“Wipe it clean of meat, blood, and filth. Do your best to get it looking the same each time you use it,” instructed Amdirlain.
The Kobold nervously drew the dagger from the sheath Amdirlain held and chirped in surprise at the silvery steel.
“How did you put magic in this? I can feel it along my skin,” said Dess.
“That’s a reward for simple information, but there is more I want to know,” said Amdirlain. “How old are these tales of the shiny figure?”
“Many shamans past,” huffed Dess. “I’m the best of shamans. No one else would remember the tale.”
Amdirlain listened to the account aloud and felt his mental struggles with her restrained presence inspiring honesty. The warriors who had reported had been frantic that he come to calm the spirit whose words rattled their bones.
It seems I pushed a bit too hard with Muse’s Insight
When he was done, Amdirlain nodded politely. “Do you have a Spell to heat stone?”
“Yes, dragons taught us long ago,” boasted Dess.
“Demonstrate it, and I’ll help you improve it,” said Amdirlain.
“What you want?”
“You didn’t lie to me while you were telling your tale, and once I’ve taught you to heat stone faster. I’ll teach you about the rocks that will let you make items better than flint,” said Amdirlain.
The night was halfway done before Amdirlain sent the exhausted Dess home, with his Mana Formation having evolved to Mana Manipulation and tricks to smelt copper from the local rocks.
“Teaching kobolds,” murmured Sarah as she came outside, her gaze fixed on Dess’s back. His warriors moved to escort him away and shot concerned glances between them both.
“They’ve got a tough existence,” said Amdirlain.
The door closed with a clack that startled the kobolds, who practically threw Dess onto their shoulders and sprinted away.
“Are you going to check out those caves in his tale alone?” asked Sarah.
“Two days’ travel for a Kobold. I can be there and back before sunrise,” said Amdirlain. “Of course, that assumes I don’t embarrass myself by getting killed.”
“Try to avoid that,” said Sarah drily as she strolled over to where Amdirlain sat. “You don’t seem in a rush to head off.”
“It won’t be Ori’s house. I’m more inclined to let Roher know there is a construct still in place here and let him collect it,” said Amdirlain. “I think there is something closer to this spot.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I felt afraid earlier,” admitted Amdirlain. “Just sitting here, there was a wave of fear and anticipation pressing against Mental Hardening. Does this view look familiar at all?”
“The landscape is unfamiliar. The wood elves kept it heavily forested,” said Sarah.
Amdirlain cast successive scrying spells and found the cave Dess had described through the landmarks in his tale. She cast a last Spell to conjure a movable viewing eye made of Mana and sent it into the cave’s depths; the connection let her True Sight carry through the Spell.
“What are you casting?”
“I’ve learnt some new tricks while you were sleeping,” said Amdirlain. “Given I’m not using True Song on this trip, I wanted more options.”
“How many new spell lists have you learned?”
“Only three non-Affinity ones to gain some flexibility in areas my techniques don’t cover,” said Amdirlain. “Clairsentience covers only part of the new scrying one I learnt.”
The figure that Dess’s tale included was indeed present, and Amdirlain grunted in surprise.
“What’s up?”
“The house markings on the construct belonged to a southern neighbour,” muttered Amdirlain. “We’ll see after you store the house in the morning.”
“He didn’t,” breathed Sarah.
“I think the Jade Emperor did exactly that,” said Amdirlain. “We were going to head right past the spot, as it was off the line of the game trail we’d been following. He may well have sent them here so I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Jinfeng is awake, so we don’t have to wait for dawn,” said Sarah.
I’m so used to knowing what is going on around me.
Amdirlain nodded. “Let’s get them out.”
While Sarah headed back inside to usher them out, Amdirlain set spells to illuminate the area around the knoll. When the others were standing beside Amdirlain, Sarah ordered the house to shift to the next hill instead of storing it. The house straightened its legs, the stairs folded up, and then, with gliding steps, it delicately strode northwards. Once it was well clear of the hilltop, Amdirlain’s spells ripped the ground apart, burrowing towards bedrock. She eventually exposed the jagged tops of shattered crystal walls within the pit. A cracked archway in front of the dirt-covered house showed the Lady of the Dawn’s crest.
“Looted,” spat Amdirlain. A rush of rage and bitter disappointment rose from her Soulscape, and Amdirlain froze on the spot.
“You won’t know until you expose it all,” observed Sarah.
“He saved me time hunting for ruins. If the songbook was in Ori’s house, it ended up in a Dragon’s hoard,” sighed Amdirlain.
Sarah frowned. “You’ve only got the top of the building exposed. Though the roof collapsed, there was a cellar, and her place didn’t look elaborate. It’s a tiny cottage compared to other grand manors.”
“Fine, I’ll keep digging,” said Amdirlain. “Remind me again, who is the cynic between us?”
More dirt dropped onto the mound she’d created before a long, gleaming white feather spun free of the moving materials. The arm-length feather shone with an internal illumination that spread shadow outwards among the streaming debris.
[Celestial Feather
Details: Part of the celestial wings that were ripped off for daring to demand items from Orhêthurin’s guardian.
Note: Rahka, formerly a senior servant to a lost god of justice. Rahka did more than support from a distance; among other things, she came looking for tools to aid Balnérith.]
“You still want Mother only to provide her mental healing?” asked Sarah.
Amdirlain grinned tightly. “Do you think Aitherlar doesn’t already know? Rahka will still need to follow the Redemption’s Path to earn her restoration.”
“You have a point,” said Sarah. “It also explains why Rahka was in a twist when she thought you were Orhêthurin.”
“I’ll finish this clean-up, and we’ll see if they got to whatever Ori was protecting,” said Amdirlain. A sudden surge of satisfaction washed away the anger upon sighting the destruction.
Sarah frowned and held up a finger to wait. “Without your True Song, it might be better to cover it and return later. Or get Gilorn to remove it all to somewhere safe.”
“My brain is telling me to grab whatever is in there,” said Amdirlain. “I don’t know if it’s my Precognition or something else.”
“Stop and meditate, let the feeling subside and see what you decide,” suggested Jinfeng, and she nodded to the glowing feather. “Should we leave that lying about?”
“It comes from a big Celestial,” offered Klipyl. “I take it someone you know from the cloister before their fall?”
Amdirlain nodded and considered a niggling sensation crawling up the back of her neck, only for coolness to sheath her body. “There might be something important here. Someone?”
“How are you going to approach without risking traps?”
“The same way I got Gilorn and the Orrery to wake up,” said Amdirlain. “Let me expose the remains of the ground floor.”
As the layers of dirt flowed away, the interior of the cottage walls were uncovered. A flight of stairs into a cellar became visible along the inside of one shattered wall, and Amdirlain focused on pulling the dirt free from it. She was only a metre down when a patch of inky blackness showed beneath the dirt, and Sarah hissed a warning. “Move.”
Klipyl vanished with the others as the blackness extended into a sluggishly moving tendril. Klipyl’s disappearance triggered a reaction, and a blazing iris at its end patterned into a Spell’s formation that Amdirlain recognised. She threw up a Mana Barrier even as a blast of lightning leapt across the space between them.
[Name: Lutu
Species: Primal Gorgon
Class: Stellar Behemoth / Timeless Guardian / Stalwart Guardian / Orhêthurin’s Caretaker
Level: 117 / 97 / 98 / 98 / 45
Defence: 4,742
Health: 8,203,806
Magic: 3,612
Mana: 37,137,312
Melee Attack Power: 5,2976
Combat Skills: Devourer-King [GM] (34), Protean-Emperor [GM] (279), A few thousand different gaze attacks.
Note: Her original name translates to ‘it waits in the darkness between stars’. Have fun getting reacquainted!]
The sides of Sarah’s house bloomed into dozens of cannons that fired blasts of Primordial flame, and a defensive barrier sprung into place before the staircase.
Amdirlain activated Phoenix’s Rapture, and the aura extended past her Mana Barrier to obliterate a tendril that shot towards her. Its defensive bulwark wrapped around her and Sarah and shrugged spells aside.
‘Stop, Lutu. I meant no harm,’ Amdirlain projected towards a sleepy awareness she felt within the mass. Though the awareness roused further, the ground above the house gave way, and the entity consumed the earth and broken crystal alike.
More earth along the pit's edge slipped smoothly into blackness, and Amdirlain recognised Lutu’s Protean was gathering bulk to allow it to expand its form.
Why was a demoness Hidden so much less trouble to calm?
‘Secure the house,’ Amdirlain sent to Sarah as she threw up another defensive barrier. The dome leapt into place ahead of blasts of flames and arcs of lightning that sought to destroy the guns.
A vast oily column rose from the ground, with a writhing snake’s nest of tendrils sheathing it.
The bony claws crushed rocks and gouged furrows; as blasts undercut the barrier, the house disappeared into Sarah’s inventory. Spells continued to rain down on the barrier despite the building’s disappearance. Amdirlain threw up more barriers around the pit as scores of lightning bolts forced her aura back. Waves of ooze ripped at the ground, burrowed into the hillside and her footing plummeted away, but Amdirlain and Sara floated in place.
‘Lutu’s mind is asleep and responding instinctively,’ reported Sarah. ‘We’d better get clear.’
Can I calm her without resorting to True Song?
Amdirlain felt the shifting mental energies rising with each additional effect the tendril unleashed. ‘Jump to the others. I’ll ride out its attacks and see if I can calm the situation. She feels like a sleeping child thrashing from a nightmare.’
She? Is that a memory fragment providing a gender?
‘I’ll stay with you,’ returned Sarah. ‘It seems Orhêthurin had secrets even from me.’
Mithril plates appeared around Sarah, projecting an energy shield beyond the aura’s edge and manifesting layered barriers. Their buffer allowed the aura to regrow, and Amdirlain overlapped their protections. A stream of floating orbs sprung from Sarah’s hand and rose in a spiral, spreading out as they gained height. As the assaults from the tendrils shifted direction again, the orbs dive-bombed to bring them up short. The first blast from one caught multiple spheres, each exploding into a cloud of thick smoke. Amdirlain renewed barriers as Sarah’s telekinesis drove the smoke across the flailing limbs. Where the residue landed, it sucked Mana out through Lutu’s skin.
The energy shift stirred anger within the mind, and Amdirlain projected an update to Sarah. ‘Lutu’s getting enraged, and I don’t want to hurt her.’
As Sarah teleported them away, Amdirlain slid a thread into Lutu’s thoughts.