Vlux looked up at their captors. Their wore metallic white and gray garbs, and brandished various glowing weapons. The men had long black beards, the women thick silky hair tied back in elaborate buns or braids. They had narrow almond-shaped eyes and light brown skin. Behind each stood, or hovered, a kind of stone construct, each different and diverse. She could tell their captors were dwarfs.

A large organic domed structure with blinking lights coming from within descended. One dwarf approached the group and spoke. This being the first time she’d ever heard this language didn’t understand all the words, but her abilities allowed her to understand the gist. Either they get up and go willingly, or they would force them to. Vlux took it upon herself to set the example. As long as she could keep everyone alive, they could find a way out of this. She picked herself up with all the dignity she could muster, glanced back and nodded for her friends to do the same. Stepping forward toward the large floating life form. A long thin tendril descended and wrapped around her. She fought the urge to scream, and didn’t flinch as it pulled her into the creature. Inside she noted the surprisingly large space gently lit by bioluminescence. More dwarfs dutifully greeted her. Guiding her down a narrow hall they took her to a small chamber where they sat her down against the soft fleshy wall. One by one, they brought each of her friends in and propped against the wall. Vlux kept her gaze down, avoiding eye contact. With all their captives brought onboard, the dwarfs sealed the chamber with a clear film, and the vessel began to ascend. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Swallowing hard, Vlux said.

“Everyone… I.”

“No, Vlux,” interrupted Drumya to everyone’s surprise. “We don’t need an apology. You couldn’t have foreseen this. We need you to be smart, you can find a way out of this.”

“Pukuto is finally putting his new dragon balls to use,” smirked Azurumene. They burst into laughter, easing the tension.

“What are they going to do with Eio and Tial-Meh, she can’t fit in this vessel,” said Thramuny.

“I wouldn’t worry too much, they don’t seem overly hostile,” said Azurumene. “And if this vessel indicates anything, it shows they have a close affinity with other living things. I’m sure Eio is fine.”

“But Tial-Meh cannot be away from the Pyoxien for too long, what if another attack happens, they will surely be defeated,” said Thramuny.

“The immediate threat to the Pyoxien is over, and the Oskien are in no condition to attack. Your people should be safe for a time pukuta.”

“Azurumene is right, these dwarfs don’t seem like they want to harm us,” said Vlux. “I’m more concerned about finding our other four members. Once we find them, I’m sure finding Eio and Tial-Meh will be much easier.”

“It’s interesting that they had the foresight to not put our captives in here with us,” said Azurumene.

“I’m sure they could tell, those were not our friends. Smarter to keep us separated so we don’t kill each other,” said Vlux. Azurumene’s restraints dropped, he stood up and started walking the space.

“How did you get free?” asked Drumya. Azurumene extended a long thin claw.

“Azurumene loosen up all our restraints and sit back down,” said Vlux.

“Yes, Ma’am.” He loosened all their restraints, and once finished tied his own bola’s around himself and sat down.

“Where are your informants?” asked Vlux.

“I sent them away to find help.”

“Good, that gives us something to hope for, but we're not sure who, if anyone will come. Also, what’s your take on those stone creatures they each have following them.”

“Looks like soul sealing. Not a problem for me, I can easily sever the connecting cord. That will disable the golem.”

“Just as I thought, thanks Azurumene. Drumya, I need you to be my muscle, just stand behind me, push out your chest, flex your arms, and look mean, you’ll do great.” Drumya pushed out his chest, squared his shoulders, flexed his arms, and puffed out his cheeks. Thramuny gigged, as she undid her bonds, and pressed his cheeks to deflate them. He looked quite intimidating.

“Vlux chuckled, good job Drumya. Thramuny, you know what to do. Remember, we have to play it safe for now. Only act if I give the signal, which will be this.” A small bead of light traced down the markings under her eyes, everyone smiled.

“We’ve gotten through worse. I’ll make sure we survive this,” said Thramuny.

Their ascension slowed to a stop. They sat, quiet, focused, ready to move at Vlux’s signal. They heard footsteps approach on the hard-shelled floor. The soft hum of the constructs, and voices speaking a foreign tongue; another in the familiar. Vlux perked her ears and squinted carefully at the clear film. Several figures appeared, the film distorting their details, but one she surely recognized. They raised the film. As she suspected, she threw her bola restraints at him. Thramuny reacted first, firing two powerful palm blasts. Knocking the two remaining dwarfs and constructs into the far fleshy wall. Azurumene, jumped through the opening, and readied his claws, Vlux right behind him when.

“STOP!” yelled Ang, tied up on the floor.

“Ang! We are trying to rescue you! You’d better have a better excuse than, ‘Dungii could detect their niceness!’”

“I mean...”

“Angdraoni!”

“Dungii could detect that their Imdrina signatures are like my own, and they told me they're my relatives,” said Ang quickly. Kiliyi descended on a silk thread and landed on Vlux’s head. “Also, Kiliyi knows them.”

“Alright, if you say so Kiliyi. Come on Muscle, help me get them up.” Drumya ducked under the doorway, stood to his full imposing height, flexed his muscles, and puffed out his cheeks. Ang burst out laughing.

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“What’s wrong with his face!”

“Yeah, we're uh… we’re working on that. It’s fine Drumya just help them up,” said Vlux patting him on the shin. She walked over to Ang and undid the restraints.

As Drumya helped him up the old dwarf spoke. “I suppose we had that coming, good thing the walls aren’t shelled. My apologies for your treatment. We don’t often take visitors here, so the young ones don’t know how to treat guests. I am Zurtegus, this is my grandson Kartegus. My mecha companion is Heniptera, my grandson’s is Nantidae.” Zurtegus, an old dwarf, with a long white beard, and long hair tied back in a bun, wore flowy white robes, with looping lines of silver throughout. His mecha Heniptera softly hummed in the air behind him. It took the form of a giant four eyed yellow-brown cicada, it’s body almost double his size. Kartegus had to be about the same age as Angdraoni, he had a short jet black beard and a long braid of hair. He wore a mostly gray sleeveless shirt, that had silver lines looping through it, with matching capris and sandals. His mecha, Nantidae appeared as a sleek dark blue mantis with fuchsia wings. Its body length over twice his height. “We are of the Xisgrett dwarfs, who live on the flying Nenio, Goblesues, in Kebv, a city in the sky. We are distant relatives of the Usgrat. We detected a great disturbance from the Nenio, Kyxichen, and came to investigate. However, upon our arrival, it appears someone already corrected the disturbance. Then we saw young Angdraoni, seemingly abandoned in a tree, with a spider, a tiger, and a...”

“Dungii,” Ang reminded him. “They picked me up, and I told them I was with you guys, so they agreed to pick you up as well.”

“Were on a flying Nenio, in a city, in the sky,” said a bright-eyed Vlux.

“It’s nice to meet you Zurtegus, Kartegus, I’m Azurumene, this is Thramuny, Drumya, and Vlux.”

“Vluxcerin, the prodigious Elucidator,” said Zurtegus.

“What! How do you know my name?”

“Myorni told me about a young pixie she saved, using the knowledge of Imdrina channels I bestowed upon her, and an Ardin pen. She said, the child was tiny, but her soul overflowed with energy. Due to your large reserves of Imdrina energy, Myorni had time to trace your markings. She loved telling stories about how mischievous you were. You may be the longest living Elucidator yet.”

“Then I owe you my life.”

“You owe your life to yourself. You fought, and you survived, as all things living must do. Follow me, your other friends are outside.” They followed Zurtegus down the living hallway at a slow pace, but Vlux didn’t mind. She could see the blue blood pumping through the walls. They walked past working organs, rooms adorned with both organic and inorganic apparatus, and other dwarfs with their mechas’ and inquisitive gawks’. Finally, they made it to a large horizontal opening and stepped out into Kebv; a living city in constant motion. It pulsed with life, undulated with breath, and moved with flagellum, the crisp air swaddled like a warm hug. The Nenio connected the buildings and structures with bridges of hollowed cartilage and a clear gelatinous wall surrounded the whole city. More living vessels of varying sizes and shapes floated about; some oval, some round, with thick arms, wavy tails, and long tendrils. Swooping in from above, Tial-Meh landed across from them, followed by a ball of cloud floating down after her.

“Murp murp!”

“Your getting better at flying,” said Ang.

“Murp Murp,” he flapped his leaf wings, soaring high into the air and floating back down.

“Azurumene, it's like in the books you gave me,” said Thramuny.

“Yes, but I didn’t think it was true though. If Nenio live up here and float on the sea, some must also live below the water, perhaps even beyond.”

“You are correct,” said Zurtegus. “Obnenio is far larger, and the Nenio more diverse and abundant than any of us truly realize. I have long theorized that the largest and oldest Nenio is that.”

“The moon,” said Vlux.

“Yes, I believe that most Nenio, after their long life is spent, return to Obnenio to be born again. But on rare occasions, one grows large enough to launch itself into the great void, or they gradually float away. Perhaps they eventually grow into their own worlds and find a new star to orbit, or perhaps some worlds produce Imdrina without starlight, who knows. But I have rambled on enough, you all must be hungry.” While Zurtegus spoke, Vlux, Ang, Kiliyi, and Kartegus, loaded up on Dungii, with the mecha Nantidae on top of the mushroom, while Thramuny and Drumya jumped on Tial-Meh.

“We're going to take a trip around the city first,” said Vlux.

“Azurumene, are you coming?” asked Thramuny.

“No, Euyene and I have done enough flying today, were going on a walk with Zurtegus, I need to pick his brain.” Azurumene took Zurtegus by the hand, and they strolled off at a leisurely pace, with Euyene examining the terrain ahead of them. Tial-Meh flew through the sky city, attracting many onlookers who admired her majestic form. In the trail of her updrafts, Dungii sailed gracefully through the sky city. Kartegus pointed and said something in his native tongue.

“Kartegus was showing me around the city before you got here, but we don’t speak the same language,” said Ang.

“I can help with that.” Vlux took Kartegus’s hand, he turned and glanced down with mild surprise, but quickly understood the context, and smiled. “He says we need to check out the Cyclone Fountain, the Sponge Garden, and the Tails.”

“Where are we going first?” asked Ang.

“He says we’re closest to the Sponge Gardens.” They veered off from Tial-Meh, and descended into a vast circular space, surrounded by a gray membrane, with holes throughout to allow light and air in. Below and creeping up the sides were colorful tubular animals. Color changing amphibians with feathery gills lived within the sponges, and platform plants with twirling leaves danced through the air.

“He says that the sponges keep the air clean and moist. And to be careful of the salamanders, their very poisonous.” Kartegus, made his body rigid, feigned gasping for breath, and fell limp to make his point. “He says the Tails are the next closest things.” Kartegus guided Dungii up through an opening and back toward the tails of Goblesues. The gargantuan flat tails waved like ribbons in the wind, propelling the creature and the city with all its inhabitants through the sky. Then they swooped down into the spiral of clouds below. There they saw a wide twisting fountain, spewing, swirling clouds. “He says every Nenio has a purpose, this one creates clouds.”

“So can Goblesues, fly anywhere?” asked Ang.

“Yes and no, Kyxichen is host to countless small organisms that Goblesues sucks up and consumes. In turn Goblesues brings the rain and cleans the air. It’s beneficial for both of them to stay close,” translated Vlux.

“This is amazing! I already knew the world was a big place, but this puts things into perspective. We’ve got a lot more exploring to do, right Vlux?”

“Right… but we need to defeat the Koru-Ation first. Oh, that’s right, our captives!”

“You mean those men in the room next to all of you,” said Ang.

“Kartegus, can you guide us back there?” He nodded and guided Dungii back to where they started their tour. Azurumene and Zurtegus stood there deep in intellectual conversation.

“Did you all have fun?” asked Azurumene.

“We did, but I completely lost track, we still need to question the guys we caught.”

“Yes, we have been waiting for you prodigious Elucidator. We’ve been trying to communicate with them over food, but there is a bit of a language gap,” said Zurtegus.

“Food!” said Ang as he, with Kiliyi on his shoulder, and Kartegus, with Nantidae behind him ran past.

“Vlux where are you?” said Thramuny over the ACORN.

“Were back where we arrived.”

“We will meet you there, Drumya and I are getting hungry.”

Vlux felt her stomach rumble. “Let's get some food. Then, get some answers.”