Morwen made her way back home after the short conversation with the strange man with the platinum white hair. She walked the white stone sidewalk thoughtfully. Something about the way he responded to her made her feel like he shared some idea of what she was going through. An odd notion for such an absolute stranger. Still, she’d always been a disconnected sort here in her home.
With her mother being an atypical mage working for the Guild, Arefhel left Morwen and her father when she was very young. Her father never was very capable as a parent. He did what he could, but she spent more time with the guard as a child. In retrospect, that was the source of her desire to join the Federation when she came of age.
She headed back home, curious about where Lucinda was. She felt bad about how they’d left things between them and wanted to make an attempt at awkwardly apologizing. However, when she reached their estate inside the grand temple, she found it empty.
“Bars.” she mused aloud.
So she began her rounds. The entertainment quarter was mercifully close by. Morwen suspected Lucinda had some hand in that. Because of her celebrity status or the amount of money she dumped into the establishments.
Within a few hours, though, she grew concerned when she turned up no sign of Lucinda. Pursing her lips, sat down on a bench mulling over how to find the elusive champion. It wasn’t like Lucinda to be so difficult to pin down unless she’d found a really lively party. When she’d checked and cleared the last bar, she knew Lucinda to have frequented; she gave up with a sigh and began weaving a seeker spell. It was a simple divination spell at its base. It sent a basic greeting missive from the caster.
She watched as the amber red fire runes collided with the pinkish lavender mind runes warping into a flaming sparrow. The sparrow hovered in front of her, flapping its wings as it chirped a few times before taking off towards Lucinda. Morwen stood up and raced after it, chasing the ember trails. The flaming sparrow flew fast enough that it forced Morwen into a jog to keep pace. She tracked the bird as it wove through streets until crashed into the wards of a large noble estate and her boost ground to a halt.
“Allosius Rayshe?” she asked. What was Lucinda doing here? Those two were done weren’t they?
She reached out and knocked, still unsure why she was doing this. All doubts were dispelled when Lucinda opened the door and her expression fell.
“Lucinda?”
“Morwen.”
“What are you doing here? Does father know you’re here?”
“No. I’m sorry. I got carried away last night.”
“Clearly. I have to go.” She turned and stormed off before Lucinda defended herself. She marched back into the street so hard she almost crashed right into her father. He caught her in his arms with a surprised look. His eyes were red, like he’d been crying. The dread about Lucinda formed a heavy weight in her gut that dragged down her will to say something.
“I’d ask what’s wrong, but doing so would be pointless.”
Morwen’s brow furrowed before she shook her head. “No. Nope. Huh uh. I’m not doing this again.”
Eaulmant’s mouth tilted downwards into a frown. “Come with me, child.”
She wanted to pout. To dig in and protest. The last time he sent out on some quest, she lost just about everything she cared about. Her father took several steps and turned expectantly. She huffed in protest, rolling her eyes as she stormed off after him. The disciplined veneer she’d cultivated as a commanding officer slipping as she fell into the role of put upon daughter.
Eaulmant led her back to the grand temple into his personal divination chamber. She could almost see the multilayered complex series of wards shielding the room. The security prevented unwanted scrying or divining. The CIC in the Crasher didn’t have wards as complex unless she wove them herself.
“I’ve brought you here because the circle of people I can trust has now dwindled to just to you.”
Morwen frowned her thoughts returned to Lucinda. She opened her mouth to speak, but her father interrupted her. His hands flew into a flurry of fire and mind signs, augmented by sketched glyphs and runes. The spell coalesced into a flaming window. She saw Eryn. Verdant and lush with life. The Light well below the pristine Grand Temple pulsed brightly. Astral aether shining like a beacon into the void.
“This is the thing you needed to come to about, isn’t it? Your second prophecy?”
Eaulmant nodded solemnly, pointing to the spell as it continued. “I poured over it for weeks deciphering it. I needed to be sure it was meant for you.”
Morwen watched as an explosion rocked the temple, at the same time several smaller explosions detonated around the capital. The ground below the market quarter darkened with corruption. The lush green life of Eryn shriveled and died. The world became a husk.
Morwen gasped, backing into her father. He rested a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. “There’s more.” he said softly.
The vision followed a vessel in the Umbral abyss through a portal beneath Eryn’s moon.The vision went black and she didn’t understand until she saw the outline of a planet in the void. Back lit by a dull lavender glow. She turned, confused to her father.
“I don’t understand?”
The divine glow in Eaulmant’s eyes faded, and he looked less like a powerful gatekeeper and more like her father. His expression was somber, and even a little pained. He took her hands in his. The gesture caught her off guard and she realized the gravity of his prophecy. Their home world was being targeted, and it and her father would perish if no one acted.
“Our world is in danger. I’m sure that much is plain. To defeat the threat, you must venture into the Umbral Realm. The answer to our salvation lies within. On a world at these coordinates.”
He wove several mind runes and a few soul. The spell darted into her breast, and she instantly knew where to go as though she always had. Her father smiled. There was pride in his expression. “Now go, and do what you do best.”
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“How? I have no crew. No ship even. How am I going to reach the Umbral realm without the Crasher?”
Eaulmant frowned. His puzzled expression made it plainly clear he hadn’t considered the problem till now. “You’ll figure something, I’m sure. Now go, time isn’t on our side.”
“What about you?”
“I’m going to see what I can do to prepare our world for this attack and set up some contingencies.”
Morwen nodded. That would have to do for now. Eaulmant gently pushed her towards the door. “Now go. And may the light favor you.”
As soon as he pushed her past the edge of the doorway, she couldn’t see her father, or even see inside. She gently brushed the wards and could feel the crackling power that lay within. She knew if she pressed even a fraction harder, the doorway would fry her where she stood.
She turned on her heel, her military bearing returning with each step. Now that she had a mission again, everything else was just an obstacle and a detail to be overcome. She needed a ship, otherwise a crew would be useless. That meant she’d need financing. Something she’d sorely lacked.
Then an idea hit her. She found it detestable. A plan of action she found lacking in any morality. Thankfully, her chose victim was worthy of it.
She wove any simple missive and followed the flaming sparrow. She followed her magical sniffing bird to the markets. The sun was in its late afternoon zenith and most merchants were doing their best to move the last of their wares. One vendor offered her a golden mythril staff. Another held out a pretty amulet with intricate glyphs and runes. Several made competing attempts to offer her food. Morwen politely declined all of them.
Morwen found Lucinda in a potions store after braving the gauntlet of market stalls and vendors. The former champion was just wrapping up a purchase and tucked a vial of something into her jacket as she turned to face Morwen. The color drained from Lucindas face and Morwen enjoyed every second of it. Her relationship with her father was strained at best, but he was still her father all the same. Lucinda’s casual disregard for his emotions burned Morwen in a way that made her quietly seethe.
“Morwen.” she said softly.
“Lucinda.” Morwen replied. “Let’s cut to the heart of it then. I know you were at Allosius Rayshe’s. I know you were likely indulging your whims. And you probably don’t want my father to find out what you’ve been doing behind his back.”
Lucinda’s eyes pleaded with Morwen, but she caught the former champions body posture adjust to her thinly veild threat. Lucinda’s hand rested on the hilt of her spell blade. Not menacingly. Just a statement. After a tense moment, Lucinda nodded. “That would be correct. What do you have in mind.”
Morwen blinked. Lucinda’s casual business like demeanor caught her off guard. She’d expected some measure of pleading or at the minimum a request for understanding. But there was none of that here. Lucinda shifted smoothly into a transaction mentality. Guarded and seeking the quick out.
“Your lack of shame is vile.” Morwen said. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She knew she couldn’t beat Lucinda. But she’d sure like to try.
Lucinda’s lips twitched. “Name your price Morwen.”
“I need a ship. One with a spell drive, preferably.”
“You’re leaving?” Lucinda asked. Was that hope in her voice?
“For a short spell. I’ve some leave banked from my various campaigns, and since I lack a ship or crew in the Federation, I have no pending assignments. Figured I’d go explore. Find myself.”
It was a loose lie based mostly on the truth. Lucinda’s brow arched, but the champion focused on her unnaturally. Morwen had never seen Lucinda eye her like this. It was like watching someone else walk around in her skin.
“Well. I hope you find what you’re looking for. Does your father know you’re leaving?”
“Yes.”
“Does he know where to?”
“Not exactly. It’s about the journey, not the destination kind of thing.”
Lucinda nodded, an empty half smile of understanding. “Ah. So. What do you need from me before your sojourn?”
“Money. Enough to afford a vessel. The Crasher is inaccessible to me.”
Lucinda nodded stiffly. “That seems fair. I’ll arrange for something to be delivered on my way home. You’ll have your vessel.”
“Thank you.”
“When do you leave?”
“As soon as I put my crew together.”
Lucinda nodded a little too eagerly, and Morwen challenged her on it. “Eager to see me leave?”
She shook her head, a genuine expression of grief passing her features. “No, it’s not that. I just think you could use some time out to let your hair down. You’ve spent so much of your life in service to the Federation. Go. Explore. Find yourself. Truly. Forget this place and its troubles for a while.”
For a moment, Morwen almost let the speech fool her. It sounded just like Lucinda used to. But the last bit sounded off. Maybe it was the prophecy. Maybe she was too untrusting. Both? Both.
Morwen nodded crisply. “That’s the plan. Thank you for patronage.” She turned to leave Lucinda still in the potion shop. Strange that she would come to the exotic potion shop and not the regular vendor further up the market, closer to the Arena. What could she have purchased from here? She couldn’t get there?
She shook the worry free of her mind when the warm summer air kissed her skin outside. Now that she had a ship in theory, she needed a crew to run it. And she had a list of names. She began with her XO, seeing him as the lynchpin of this little adventure. His word would determine if the others came with him. If she couldn’t win him over, the rest would be futile to try.
Gathering up her resolve, she redirected herself to the campus quarter. This mission had to be done, and she was confident Akamori would feel the same way. None of them may have strong feelings for Eryn, but they all valued protecting innocent people from Sauridius onslaught.
She paused at the mouth of the campus quarter. The marble sidewalk taking a winding path as it looped in front of all the magic schools. Akamori’s scorn over her earlier behavior still burned at her. She’d finally come out of her stupor, as he’d said she should. He deserved to be the first to know.
“You were right after all.” She mused aloud.
The warm summer air teased at her cheeks, knocking look at some stray strands of hair. She diligently replaced them within her severe pony tail. Preferring to keep her hair clear of her face. Her shoulders arched back, spine ramrod straight. She marched ahead to meet the next step of her destiny. Whatever that may be. She just hoped she hadn’t soured Akamori off of serving with her so badly that he’d reject her request outright.
He was a reluctant ally. Making clear how poorly he felt about the Federation’s conscription process. Yet it was his heart that kept him in the fight. The need to protect was a powerful one when properly motivated. All she needed to do was cater to that need.