“Leaving so soon?” Levain asked while she brushed her short-cropped hair with her long slender fingers.

“I’m afraid so,” Yuriko said easily. “We’ve a long journey ahead, and I’m eager to return.” The two of them had returned to the longhouse next to the main gates and had been met by the woman guard commander.

“Those supplies would barely last you a day.” Levain pointed out.

Yuriko and Tiernan exchanged glances and the cadet officer shook his head. “Prices were more dear than expected.”

It was true, unfortunately. While on their walk back, Tiernan pointed out that they’d still need water no matter what. A single notch of water condensed after an hour would barely even wet her tongue. Of course, she could drink her Ambrosia stash, but using such a precious resource just to slake her thirst felt such a waste. If she had no other choice then she would do it, but otherwise, it was better to save it.

It was at this point that she asked one of the food stall owners where to find drinking water.

The man gave them a strange look then pointed back at the Temple. “You can get as much to drink there as you want. Or you buy ale in the tavern.”

“Ah, no, for the journey.”

“You’re leaving? Huh, unfortunately, I can’t help you there. I haven’t left Euphoril since I came here.”

“Thank you,” Yuriko said and walked away.

She had been skittish about returning to the Temple, so she and Tiernan headed to a tavern. But a single whiff of the raw sewage they called ale convinced her otherwise. Not that she knew much about such beverages. Her only experience came from the Harvest Moon drink, the incredibly sweet wine during the cotillon, and the mead Otlaca and the Lucentians had plied her…

Anyway, these ones had a foul stink that made her eyes water. Oddly enough, Tiernan didn’t seem to mind it, but he followed her outside.

There were only a couple more taverns along the main road, and with each visit, Yuriko was repelled by the scent. Worse, even when Tiernan went in alone, and asked for supplies, the proprietors refused to sell water, offering only small kegs of their foul brew. Tiernan brought one, and a woven knapsack to put travel rations in, then they left.

“Tranquility is four days’ walk from here, while Serenity is seven,” Levain said. “You won’t last long in the grey plains on those.”

“We’ll take our chances, I guess,” Yuriko answered.

“No, you must really be new in the Pure Lands.” Levain sighed. “There is no food, or water, out there.”

“None?”

“You’d be lucky if you even find a single drop of water that isn’t in your body,” she answered grimly. “No, the only sources of sustenance in the Pure Lands are from the Roots of the Holy One.” Her expression changed from grim resolve to wide-eyed admiration. “You will only be risking your lives without water, or, well, ale works just as fine.” She tapped her fingers on her desk. “If you don’t have coins for proper supplies, why don’t you stay here long enough to earn it? There’s always a need for hands at the Harvest.”

“No, I’m afraid I must decline,” Yuriko said. “We’ll take our chances.”

Levain stared at Yuriko’s eyes for a long moment, before nodding. “Very well. If you would present your tokens?”

The two of them reached into their purses to retrieve the tokens. Levain returned their weapons in the same condition as before, despite Yuriko’s misgivings.

“As for the robes, you may keep them after you pay a processing fee of ten Denari each, or an equivalent sum in other minted coin.” She held out a hand before they could say anything. “I strongly suggest you pay for it, especially for you, young man. It will help you weather the ravages of Chaos. For a time.”

“Let me guess, just long enough to get to the next town?” Yuriko asked sardonically.

“Why yes, of course,” Levain grinned.

Yuriko reached into her coin purse and retrieved a silver mark. Ten Sovereigns which was roughly the equivalent of twenty Denari. The exchange rate here was abysmal, but there was no other choice.

“Thank you, and may your trip be safe and fruitful.”

Yuriko and Tiernan nodded and waved goodbye. Once they were out the gates, Yuriko flared her Anima slightly, a fraction of an inch beyond her skin. As she suspected, the grey robe did nothing for her. After all, the Blessing didn’t take hold.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how she looked at things, it allowed Tiernan to stand outside of the town’s ever-present blue light without crumpling to the ambient Chaos’ density.

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“Lead the way,” Yuriko said. Tiernan nodded wordlessly and followed the subtle road that led from Euphoril to the town of Serenity.

The road was something another guard had pointed out to them when they came out of the walls. It was practically indistinguishable from the grey stone around them, except for the marks and notches carved on it. It wasn’t as obvious as an arrow or even words, but a simple loopy pattern that almost looked like something the wind carved on the rocks. Still, it was distinct enough, and the pattern repeated every dozen paces or so.

Still, the road towards Serenity wouldn’t lead them to the Ebon Horizon. They would have to get off it eventually.

They set up camp just off the road. Yuriko and Tiernan shared the food that the cadet officer bought. In terms of taste, it was better than Imperial ration bars, but only just. In terms of texture, she felt as if she had gnawed a piece of bark from a tree. Still, it was filling enough, even though a single portion was barely enough to keep her from starvation. She’d no more redbones, er, Ivory, to cook, and no spare water to stew it with either. She slept with her throat dry and a powerful urge to guzzle down the rest of her condenser canteen’s contents.

Ambient Chaos was in abundance, and even distilled Chaos practically flooded her Anima. Her sleepy thoughts jumped from place to place. Imagining herself diving into a lake of water. A river, or even the salty sea. For some reason, she suddenly remembered the Tidelands she crossed between Kogasi and Bella. The first one was a beach and the sea, wasn’t it?

Tidelands. What were they except places shaped by Chaos.

Shaped by Chaos.

“I’m an idiot!” she yelled as she sat up.

“Huh? What? Miss Davar, are you alright?” Tiernan jumped to his feet where he had been dozing instead of keeping watch.

Yuriko shushed him with a sharp gesture.

What were Tidelands but places shaped by Chaos? And what did she have in abundance within her? Distilled Chaos motes. Something with the capacity to turn into anything it needed to be.

With a thought, she summoned Fri’Avgi out of her Anima and commanded the artefact to release a single mote of distilled Chaos. Yuriko grabbed her condenser canteen, popped the lid off and held it out. She willed the green mote from her weapon, forcing it to hover above the canteen, then filled it with her Will and Intent.

“I want fresh water.”

The air reverberated with her Will, making the air ripple as though viewed from behind a haze of smoke. The mote of distilled Chaos quivered for a moment, then burst like a bubble.

Whoosh!

More water than was needed to fill a bathtub materialized in the air and splashed down, spreading across the parched earth. She also got herself, and Tiernan, completely soaked.

“Ah.”

“Water!” Tiernan gasped as he grabbed his condenser canteen and filled the runescript with his Animus. The container glowed with excess, then began to draw the water from the ground. He didn’t seem to mind the wet, but considering the dryness in the air, she was pretty sure they’d get dry soon.

All that water from a single mote of distilled Chaos. A single mote would take her a few minutes of refining if she didn’t use Fri’Avgi. She guzzled down the water from her canteen then supercharged the runescript to retrieve as much moisture from their surroundings as she could. Most of it had been wasted, of course, but she now had an embarrassment of riches.

Once the two of them were satisfied, they returned to their rest, though…

“Please don’t nod off during your watch,” Yuriko said sternly.

“I’m sorry!” Tiernan said while kneeling. “It won’t happen again!”

“Right,” Yuriko muttered. “Since you’re sleepy, I’ll take the watch instead and I’ll wake you later.”

“But, Miss Davar!”

“Sleep!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He curled up inside his robes and used his arm as a pillow. The ground was uncomfortably hard, but there really weren’t any other choices.

Yuriko created an Animus blade and dug at the rock, creating a jagged piece as wide as her palm She then polished the edges until they were smooth. Afterwards, she started to carve runescript words across the surface. Alarm stones.

They were practically identical to what she used in Kogasi and Bella, though maybe a bit more efficient in how it consumed Animus. Perhaps it would last seventy minutes on a single lumen rather than sixty. It took the rest of her watch to finish carving a full set of five. Afterwards, she deployed them, woke Tiernan, then went to sleep.

_______

Levain suppressed a yawn. Guard duty was always boring. But any kind of excitement wasn’t good either. The wrong kind led to dead guards, while the good kind of excitement, well, not when a guard did things properly.

Technically, she shouldn’t even have to be at the main gates, or any gate, since she was the guard commander, but she liked to remind herself what the rest of her corps experienced everyday.

Her thoughts lingered to the two travellers that passed through Euphoril a day ago. The girl had been remarkably beautiful and looking at her had been like looking at a piece of art. It had been decades since she’d seen any splash of colour other than people’s hair.

Their coins had also come from the Verdanian Empire. A seed of anger, rage, threatened to burn within her, but Levain took a deep breath then hummed the Song and everything returned to peace. It was not yet time.

She wondered how those kids made it to the Pure Lands though. Most who did so by accident turned up dead, while those who sought it out, came with a clear purpose. Which, she supposed, meant that they came by accident.

They barely knew anything and were brave as toddlers who knew not that fire was hot and would burn. Imagine, running off into the wilds without proper supplies? Madness.

But forcing people to stay was not the Way. Everyone in Euphoril had chosen to stay here. Most came fleeing something or someone.

Thoughts of revenge had once filled Levain’s mind, but the Holy One gave her peace. Now, whenever she felt anger, she merely had to sing, and the fires of her rage would quench. Peace.

The mists that hid everything stirred, and Levain perked up. Looked like they were about to have more visitors. How rare. They usually had travellers once a week or so, but this made two in as many days.

Levain blinked when the mists cleared up enough for her to see…a floating island? She blinked at it then shook her head. Ah, it was only the Storm’s Deceit.

She prodded her nearly dozing guards who grunted and started. “The Deceit is back. Warn the Temple.”

“I think the priests have already seen them,” Markil grumbled.

The lazy, middle-aged warrior made to return to his interrupted nap. He could always catch a wink even while standing upright, a skill that Levain envied. It was just something he could do, apparently, nothing he trained for.

“Follow protocol anyway,” Levain insisted.

He yawned widely, “Aye ma’am.”