The two boys strolled through the village, heading towards their next destination. Each time they had to walk downhill, Airo would leap into the air and slowly float down, following Jin's slow and casual walk speed. The young farmer wouldn't admit it, but sometimes he envied the abilities the Cloudfolk possessed.

"Why did you even come at this hour?" Airo asked, his voice soft like the summer wind.

"Why not? Saw a poster, went to get you."

"But it's a work day. Did you run off again?"

"Well..."

"Jin!"

"What?"

Airo sighed. "You really need to become more responsible."

"Maybe. But not with cloud farming."

"Why not? This village is one of four in the entire world where cloud farming is possible! It's prestigious!"

"It's hard work, you are constantly wet, and it's always the same, so one month in and your brain is as smooth as a melon."

"Melons aren't always smooth."

"Smoother than a brain should be."

"Well, still–"

"Look, I just don't want to do it. I wanna study magic! But obviously, how could I ever afford a wizarding school with a farmer's money? But now, here's a perfect opportunity to become a wizard's apprentice!"

===============================================

The duo eventually arrived at the entrance to a house that looked as if it simply didn't belong there. Unlike most, which could be considered normal buildings, this one seemed more like a giant machine. Pipes and cogwheels were sticking out of the walls and steam was constantly rising from at least one of its five chimneys. Nevertheless, it wasn't all that big. The architects were more keen on building it tall, rather than wide, and so with its three floors and an attic, it looked more like a mechanical tower.

Jin approached the door and knocked.

"Who's there?!" a high-pitched voice came from the inside.

"Tax collectors," the boy replied.

The doors swung open and a tiny head, covered in grey-blue fur popped up from above the doorway, hanging upside down. "Hey! It's you guys!" the little imp smiled and invited them over with a quick gesture. The boys didn't wait one second to follow her.

"Wow, this place is a mess!" Jin said and he was absolutely right.

The short hallway they entered was probably the only clean place on the first floor. The two put their shoes off into the shoe rack and hung their coats onto the wall. Jin reached for his hat as well, but before he could grab it, a small, furry hand snatched it away.

"Hey!" he yelled out and looked up at her friend, walking on the ceiling.

"Wow, what even is this? Is that a cloud pot lid? Why the hell are you wearing that?"

"It's a helmet!"

"Pffff. A helmet? Hah! No. Want a helmet? I can make you one."

"No thanks, I'd prefer to not have my head blown off by another one of your inventions. Now give it back, you flatfoot!"

The imp walked across the wall, eventually reaching the floor once again. This was another thing Jin envied. Her three-clawed feet apparently had the ability to hold onto any surface like she was a spider. He died a little inside when he realized that almost every non-human species had some awesome biological ability, while all nature offered him was a bunch of freckles on his face.

"Here you go!" she reached up to hand him the pot lid.

"Thanks, runt," Jin said, took it from her, and teasingly pulled on her hair, tied into a pigtail, which was, just like her horns, sticking out of an improvised hole in her orange hooded cloak.

"Argh! You bastard!" she exclaimed and Jin barely managed to pull his hand back as he opened her fanged mouth. Although she was small, her mixed heritage made her far too "pointy", according to Jin. From her mother, a mountain imp, she got her wide climbing feet, as well as a set of sharp claws and straight horns, which almost seemed too long for her small head. Her father, a vampire imp, then passed on his fangs and a slightly cute, pointy, bat-like nose. Most importantly, however, he also passed on to her the ability to drink blood, while finding the taste quite appealing. Therefore, Jin knew not to stick any limbs near her mouth when she was agitated or distracted.

"Ah, I will have to turn off the machine soon!" she exclaimed and looked at a tiny measuring device, which she wore hanging around her neck like a large necklace. As she went to grab it, it clinked against the metal guards on her forearms.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The boys saw her run into the main room and followed her. The place looked like some abstract work of art. The stairway at the wall on the other side was leading up to the next floor and was most likely the only place that wouldn't be covered with all sorts of machine parts and tools. The rest of the room was then just a few tables with unknown machines, both assembled and disassembled, sitting on top of them. Tools, parts, cables, and pipes, were then scattered all over the place, covering the floor. The boys watched as she ran over to a small, smoking machine. She pulled a tiny metal stick out of a pocket in her blue shirt and stuck it into the panel on the device. It opened and a wave of vapour flew out just as she pulled out a small plate with a piece of bread sitting on it.

"Want a cheese sandwich?" she asked. Given the safety concerns around her inventions, they both shook their heads.

She shrugged and began enjoying her snack.

"Cia?" Airo asked and her large, almost purely orange eyes slid over to him, one staring at the Cloudfolk through a translucent eyepatch, with countless tiny symbols flashing across its glass surface.

"Hmm?"

"How's your hand?" he spoke, bringing attention to her bandaged left wrist, sporting a metal thumb replacement.

"Oh, it's fine. I've finally learned to grip things with it." She demonstrated her prowess with the prosthesis as she used her hands to tear the bread into several chunks.

"I'm glad. Don't think I'll ever get the memory of that day out of my head," Jin replied and quivered. It was about two months since they suddenly heard the news of their friend getting injured. It wasn't the first time, but none of her accidents have ever been this permanent. The young farmer couldn't help but notice that the large machine that caused this was now nowhere to be found.

"So, what brings you boys to my evil lair?" she asked, her mouth stuffed with bread.

Jin didn't waste any time before delving right into explaining. He told her everything he already said to Airo, about the poster, the opportunity, and the fact that he didn't want to do it alone. As his explanation progressed, he began sounding more and more like some propaganda speaker. Unlike Airo, however, Cia didn't need much convincing. Whenever the boys would go on an adventure, she wouldn't be far behind.

"Oh course! That can be fun! And maybe I'll see what magical devices the guy uses!" She smiled and gulped down the last piece of the sandwich. Her hand holding the empty plate then reached back, giving it over to her hook-shaped tail, which grabbed it and placed it on the table behind her. Or, at least, that's what she wanted to do. Since she, just like everyone else, didn't have eyes on the back of her head, she misjudged the distance. When the tail let go of the plate, it fell to the ground, a few centimetres away from the edge of the table. Cia clenched her teeth when she heard it shatter against the floor.

"Cia? What was that?" her mother called to her from the second floor.

"Go! Go! Go!" the little imp whispered and almost pushed her friends into the hallway and out of the main entrance. Once outside, they ran away as fast as they could, heading up the hill to the south and towards a forest that grew there. Even though Cia's parents weren't known for any strict punishments, the talks about safety and the value of things were often so long and excruciatingly boring that Cia herself would rather be grounded than listen to their lectures all day.

The southern hill was so tall that from the top of it, one could see the entire village laid out beneath them in all its colourful glory. As the trio headed further into the woods, Jin's eyes slid over towards the north. There, in the distance, stood the wizard's tower, the final destination of their journey. It was a strange building that would most likely give any architect who would look at it countless nightmares and send him straight to a therapist's chair. Each floor of the tower was completely mismatched. Some were partially sitting atop the floors below, and some were hanging to the side, attached to the main body of the building by a mere rope bridge. Some parts even seemed to be bent and rotated. Rooms were round here and rectangular there, making the entire building completely random and openly mocking even the most vague definition of symmetry.

The tower, however, had to wait. There was still one more member of their group they had to fetch. If they bothered to gather as three, they would most certainly not be willing to leave out the fourth.

Their walk through the woods was brief and uneventful. In order to reach Solo Grove, one had to abandon regular roads for hikers and travellers and had to embrace the discomfort of a more overgrown pathway through the greenery. Cia, whose tiny legs could barely keep up with the two boys, did not hesitate for one moment when Jin offered to carry her on his back. She served as a navigator. With her excellent vision, she helped them not get lost among the endless trees and bushes.

It didn't take long until they finally found a clearing in the forest. It was a peaceful place. The treetops above it only allowed a few rays of sunlight to pass through, giving the entire place a pleasant and cool shade while still keeping it lit up. In the middle of the clearing was a tiny lake, with a surface so clean and calm that it almost looked like a perfect mirror. Behind it stood a modest wooden abode. A circular, single-floor structure made of crudely processed wood, with rounded windows, and covered by a plethora of moss and leaves, almost concealing it amidst all the nature around them, if it wasn't for the smoke leaving the chimney.

On the other side of the lake, closer to the group of friends stood... something. A series of paint splashes and brush strokes floated in the air, completely motionless, forming the loose shape of a massive ornate vase. A tall, young dryad was practically dancing around the hovering paints. As she moved, her cloak, covered by layers of leaves, rustled, just like the trees around them. The several canisters filled with paint, which she wore attached to her raggedy beige dress added a series of glass clinks to her every move. Her clothes were as simple as they could be. Aside from the rag sewn and cut into the shape of a gown, she wore a few more patches of brown cloth tied around her waist by a wide, murky green belt, which, in reality, was nothing more than just another strap of stay fabric tied into a knot. Her light green skin matched the tones of her apparel quite well. Countless vines were then emerging from the openings in her dress, wrapping around her paint-covered hands and bare feet. Similar plants then grew out of her head, serving as a dryad version of hair, which to someone like Jin looked like a series of bright-green seaweed. In complete contrast to her clothes and in an open violation of at least a common fashion sense, on her head, she wore a large purple mushroom cap with a few blue glowing spots. As she continued on her artwork, it seemed that the lack of brushes didn't bother her at all. She simply took off the lid of one of the paint containers and dipped her fingers in it, mixing the colours directly on her palms. Any stray or unwanted bits of paint were either left to dry and peel off, or she simply wiped them into her dress or the surrounding grass.

"Hey, Kaili!" Jin shouted as they were emerging from the bushes. The girl let out a brief shriek and stumbled forward, headfirst into her artwork, which melted and gooped to the ground as she lost her concentration. She turned around, her face completely covered in white paint, with only her bright yellow eyes standing out.

"Jin...!" she growled back at the boy.