1. The Dragon

On the 79th Face of the Estate, hidden between the Faces lies a home. Suspended high off the ground and secured by carbon vines within the canopies of a cluster of monstrously tall trees, Wysteria Restella was lying asleep, seemingly peacefully, in a nest of warm furs and feathers.

The home, built of thatched pods that grew out from the trees and connected to each other by swinging bridges, was so high above the ground that one could not even see the ground when peering down. It was spacious and tranquil, and numbingly quieter than she was used to. And, upon waking, Wysteria had almost forgotten where she was. With a few hours sleep, she had shed the obligations of climbing the Estate from her shoulders, as if she had never stepped foot inside the infinitely-sized construction. Before reality came crashing down on her as she knew it must, she felt free.

The feeling, however, was short lived as the dream that she had just awoken from came flooding into her mind. Waves of emotion swelled through her body as she remembered the details of what had happened. The challenge that had led her to this point, the people she had come with, the solitude and task she now found herself with. The original challenge itself hadn't been too difficult, compared to the ones they had passed before, but their issue hadn't been with the challenge, it had been with the Architect of the Face himself.

*

"Tell me again, exactly how is it our problem that you lost the artefact? We handed it in on time, and now you're saying we can't pass?" Wysteria asked, shaking her head.

The Architect, Imonso's eyes bulged, his face going red. "Insolence! The challenge was simple: bring the artefact to me and you all can pass. Do you see it anywhere? What possible reason would I have to let you pass?"

Yela, the muscular giant of the group, kissed her teeth in annoyance. "We gave. You lost."

Imonso laughed, the tendrils that hung from his chin shaking wildly. "You must be an idiot. You all must be idiots if you think this should count." He stroked the tendrils down, a smirk on his face. "I am, however, feeling generous today, so I will give you the opportunity to rectify the situation. Find me another, and I will let you pass."

Rynara sniffled, burying her face in Sion's neck. "I didn't lose it, Sion, I didn't. You believe me, don't you?" She tightened her arms around the sniper's waist in worry, and sighed in relief when she felt Sion pat her head.

"I believe you. There's no way we lost it." Sion said, his teeth clenched. "It must have been you." Pointing at Imonso with narrowed eyes, Sion continued. "Rynara doesn't forget anything. Either you misplaced it, or you're doing this for another."

Imonso coughed. "I can't believe this. You are accusing me! Of greed, no less. You know, as well as I, that we Architects have rules. We have a standard to uphold. This is absurd."

"This is absurd," Wysteria chimed in. Sitting on one of the boulders they had rolled out of the now collapsed cave, she lifted her head from where it was resting in her hand and jumped down. "We should never have doubted your honour as an Architect. We will find you another. Though, it is beyond the time you dedicated. I do hope that is alright?"

The Architect straightened up as Wysteria walked closer. Her skirt, made of such a flimsy material that he was sure leaping the way she did would allow him to accidentally see a flash of skin underneath, billowed in the wind without revealing anything, like magic. As an Architect, he was used to seeing all kinds, but Wysteria was a sight to behold. Her wistless onyx hair that curled around her face and down her back, tied behind with a white ribbon, framed the porcelain face of a doll.

As her team of five arrived on the shores of the 79th Face, Imonso was ready to turn away another boring group of hopeless hopefuls. After the centuries he had endured, watching and testing beings of all kinds, he had learned to have little expectations. They usually failed, and he was happy to bid them farewell as they descended back down to whatever Face they felt most comfortable staying on. This was his Face, and he ruled the way he wanted to.

But this group was different. Their leader was different. Gentle. Thoughtful. She had brought him a gift from the Face below, a gem that shined a million colours in the light. It was a small little thing, but Imonso's heart almost melted when she gave it to him. It was the first present he had received in a very long time.

"Wysteria," he cleared his throat. "Like I said, I am feeling generous, and will give you one more chance. Do not let me down. You have until sun-up." He said, before disappearing in a cloud of sand.

"Why'd you let that booger get away, Wyst? You know we gave it to him, he's just trying to make us fail." Sion huffed, trying to console the now crying eidetiker in his arms.

Wysteria gave Rynara a gentle pat on the head, giving them all a warm smile. "We have to abide by the rules, Si, or we'll never get any further. Now, do you want to hear my plan or should we just go back down and admit defeat?"

"Plan?" Yela grunted, leaning closer.

Wysteria sat down, her skirt spilling over the sandy beach that covered the 79th Face. "We know he took it, so we'll take it back. Simple, isn't it?"

Sion snorted. "That's your plan? Might as well pack up and leave now. How are we going to steal something from the Architect? On his Face? Where would we even start?"

Rynara lifted her head, eyes wide and blinking. "Well, I think I know where he keeps his stuff. I saw something over there that doesn't seem to fit in with the rest, but I couldn't guess what it was."

Wysteria gave her a thumbs up, and smiled when she saw Rynara beam back. "See. We're smart, strong, and motivated. What can't we do?"

Sion rolled his eyes, his fingers caught in Rynara's hair. "You always say that."

"And, am I ever wrong?" Wysteria retorted, as she fell back into the sand.

The sand stretched off far into the distance, and the shimmering sea blurred into the orange-hued sky. Other than the mountain they had emerged from and the rocks that they had found the artefact in, the beach was barren and empty. The sea, though it glistened as it ebbed and flowed against the shore, was also quiet and devoid of life.

It hadn't sounded like a difficult challenge, but Wysteria should have expected things to go awry. For the 79th Face, a simple find-and-collect mission was bound to have its obstacles. Even if the collection part hadn't been as easy as described, it had been easy enough. They had been through worse.

"Only when you're playing cards. Then, you're always wrong." A deeper voice approached from behind, and the group turned to greet Holison, the last member of their party.

"Tell me you found something, Hols." Wysteria moaned. "You can degrade my card skills however much you want, if you have good news."

The group sat in a circle, knees touching, and put their heads close. Since this was the Architect's domain, it was better to be cautious of how much they gave away.

"I went back down to the 70th's, and apparently they've been getting serious complaints about this guy for a while now. Not many Passers make it to the 80th, so it's been worrying them." Holison said in a hushed voice. "We have the Architect's permission to do something about it."

"Something?" Rynara piped up. "Like what?"

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Sion pinched her cheek jokingly, leaving his hand on her knee. "Like take him out, Ry."

"How?" Yela asked, her huge frame leaning on fists as her elbows sank into the sand. "Trap?"

Holison rummaged for something in his pockets, nodding at Yela's question. "Delisa said we can't kill him unless we want to get booted down to the 1st Face, so we need to catch him with this." He pulled out a coiled string, made from gold and silver thread, and held it in his palm. "She said something about being really careful, otherwise we'd get stuck with him for such a long time, we'd wish we were back on 1st."

In his hand, the thin little string seemed harmless. It definitely did not seem like it was capable of holding down an Architect, but none of them had seen enough to know of weapons that worked against them. The ones they were given or had bought didn't have any effect, or so they had heard. Passers that went against Architects never had good stories to tell, mostly because they were either thrown out of the Estate or forced to stay on one of the lower Faces, unable to leave. Those that scampered their way up were too busy focusing on their own challenges to bother with the sob stories of rebellious individuals.

Wysteria picked up the threaded band, weighing it cautiously. "Did she say how to use it?"

"As long as it's put on a part of his body, it should work." Holison scratched his chin. "Question is, how do we do that? I'm sure he'll know what it is before we even get the chance."

He was right. The gold and silver band emitted an aura that pulsed with energy, making it obvious that it wasn't a simple accessory. Imonso would need a reason to put it on, or he'd know what they were planning.

"Well," Wysteria said, yawning as she stretched. "We still need to get him something as bait. Is anyone up for another swim, or are we checking out whatever Ry found?"

Rynara rubbed her eyes and nodded in the direction behind Yela. "It's over there, by the line between the sea and sand."

Following her gaze, Sion squinted. "I don't see anything, Ry. Where?"

Rynara stood up, pulling Sion up with a grunt as she struggled. "Over there," she whispered. "Between the sand and water. A glimmer that doesn't look right."

Everyone stood up and faced the direction Rynara had failed to inconspicuously point to. It was better to be cautious, they knew, but it was unlikely that Imonso had surveillance everywhere. As an Architect, they were primarily in charge of challenges, but also had other matters to attend to. For all they knew, Imonso could be taking a nap, which would make their plans that much easier.

As they followed Rynara, who was pulling on Sion's arm, Wysteria looked out at the orange-yolk sun as it dissolved into the horizon. The salty sea air washed over her face, travelling through the slits of her sleeves, causing her hair to tickle her skin. Holison slowed down as he walked beside her, watching her, breathing her in.

"Soon," he whispered. "We'll reach the top. Together. Trust us, Wyst."

The smile on Wysteria's face was bitter and forced, but Holison saw it as a smile nevertheless. She didn't say a word, just giving him a nod before running off to catch up with the others.

*

The sun was just starting to filter through the leaves as Wysteria finished breakfast. The last vague flashes of her memory disappearing into the rays of the morning sun as she stepped out. A handful of berries and a few strips of mushroom-bark was all she had time for, before the sound of a gong echoed through the forest, letting her know that Imonso was ready to start the day.

It was the first day of their deal, the reason she was now alone, trapped in this tangle of earth. Wysteria sighed as she untied her hair, letting it flow over her shoulders. She began to make her way towards the largest pod in the wooden structure, leaping with help from one vine to the next, careful not to miss a step or else plummet to her death.

"Sleep well, my dear?" Imonso said, his voice drifting from the entrance.

As Wysteria approached, she noticed him standing in front of the open arch, and an unfamiliar figure leaning against it. "As well as expected, Imonso. And, your friend here?"

Imonso looked back. "Ah, yes. Well, I don't want to say I don't trust you, but she's here as a guarantee. Two heads are better than one, as they say."

The figure stepped out from the shadows of the arch, and stood next to Imonso. Almost a head taller than the both of them, this woman was built like dried meat; her limbs long and taut, wrapped in muscles. Her hair was short and loose, as if she had cut it with a blade in a hurry. She raised her arm, waving her fingers at Wysteria.

"I'm Minth." The woman said, in an unremarkably monotone voice. "Imon said he needed some help, and I owe him a favour. Try not to get on my bad side, and you won't even know I'm here."

Wysteria waved back. "I'm Wyst. Any idea what we're dealing with?"

Minth shook her head, as Imonso gestured for them to enter. The pod was empty, except for crystals that circled a large, white-silver box that was wrapped in a black chain. From each link hung a small pendant, the size of a coin. Wysteria knew them to be restraining tokens, but had never seen so many for one beast before.

"Must be one hell of a treasure you've got here, Imonso." Wysteria said, walking up to the box. When she walked past the crystals, a pulse of light beamed, then dissipated. Whatever was in the box must be dangerous, for even an Architect to place so many kinds of wards to keep it inside.

"One of the grandest. Nothing but the best for the Founder." Imonso said, grinning arrogantly.

Wysteria couldn't help but scoff at the comment. "Easy, now, there's no need to be so eager. I'm sure the Founder would be just as happy with a feather, if it was from you."

Imonso's face flushed, unsure of how to respond as she winked at him. "Yes, well... Better let you get to work. You have one month to complete your task. Do you remember what I require?"

Wysteria rubbed the back of her neck, before lacing her fingers together and cracking her wrists. "I'm sure you'll tell me again."

"You are to tame this creature for the Founder." Imonso said, clearing his throat. "To do so, first, make the creature speak our language. It would be a bother if it could not understand us. Once you have completed that, I will tell you the next requirement."

"And, how many requirements do you have? Better say it now, with a witness, so you don't falsely add to my indenture." Wysteria said, letting the tokens slip through her fingers. As she touched them, a low rumble shook from the box, surprising them all.

However many requirements he had, Wysteria knew it was already going to be difficult. Despite being trapped in a lockbox made of precious material, chained with black ore and wrapped in enchanted tokens, the beast inside was still capable of sensing her presence.

Imonso coughed. "Three requirements. Once those are complete, and the beast is loyal to the Founder and to the Estate, you can go straight to the 90th Face. If you can't-"

Wysteria jumped in, not waiting for him to finish his sentence. "There's no need. This, I can do." She waved her hand, not taking her eyes off the box. "You must be busy, right? I'm sure you won't want to just sit around and watch."

"On the contrary, I'd love to see you open it. The chains and tokens were crafted by the most sought after blacksmiths, the Founder's personal friends. There's no way you can open it without me." Imonso smirked.

But, Wysteria wasn't listening anymore. Her focus had been sucked into the box, her eyes drifting over as much as she could see. As she scanned the tokens, she noticed one that looked a little different to the others. Dimmer, less polished. She grabbed it between two fingers and yanked it off. With a snap, the rest of the tokens fell from the chain and scattered across the ground, some falling through the gaps of the branches.

Both onlookers made a sound as the box started to shake. Minth, looking impressed, took a step closer towards the box and nodded at Wysteria. Imonso, on the other hand, took two steps back. The chains started to rattle against the box, humming violently because of the energy that seemed to be bursting from inside. Despite the suppressing tokens being released, the beast was still unable to escape until the chain was broken.

Minth put a hand on Wysteria's shoulder and pushed her back. "Let me handle this." She said, as she swung the scimitar from her hip and slammed it onto the box.

When her blade made contact with the white-silver, the pod shook like a leaf. From the centre of the lid, cracks broke through the barrier that separated the beast from the outside world, and even the air quivered.

In that split-second, Wysteria kicked Minth's legs out from under her and dropped to the floor as well, narrowly missing the immense force of energy that erupted from the box. Light spilled out and immediately concentrated into a single beam, tearing a hole straight through the pod ceiling and the canopies above.

"That's enough of that." Imonso said, clapping his hands. On the first clap, the beam dissipated, clearing the pod of scattered debris. Bits of twigs and leaves rained down on top of them, as they started to get to their feet.

On the second clap, a figure floated through the hole. Bound by a dull aura and struggling furiously, the beast hung there, suspended above the now shattered box.

His bloodshot eyes tensed into slits, showing only a sliver of bright purple. Although he had a human form, a stripe of skin on his arms and legs were covered in scales, shimmering in a violet hue. From his chin and upper lip dangled a long, pale beard that thinned at its end, nearly the full length of his body. His hair, twice as long. He had appeared in front of them, naked, but none of the women batted an eye.

Instead, Wysteria couldn't take her eyes off his face. Sharp features that pulled into two antlers at the top of his forehead. He had a beauty that Wysteria had never seen before, despite being distressed and angry. Over the years, she had seen many people and creatures, but this was the first time she had ever laid eyes on a dragon.