Chapter 1: New Beginnings 1

Elania watched as Contia’s Silver Soldiers escorted the civilians to the refugee camps provided by Arlois and the city. The promise of shelter, food, and water was a welcome relief after their harrowing journey from Neftasu.

Yolani stood beside her, a comforting presence. The other girl’s jaw was set with determination, a glint of steel in her green eyes. Despite the challenges they had faced, Yolani remained steadfast and strong.

As the last group of the refugees began to disappear from view, a heavy sigh escaped her. Responsibility weighed on her shoulders like a physical burden. These were her people now, and their well-being rested partly in her hands.

"What now?" Yolani asked.

Her gaze fell on the pile of muskets and other advanced firearms confiscated from the Neftasu Guard. The weapons represented a significant investment of resources and craftsmanship, and the idea of simply handing them over without compensation didn't sit well with her.

Yolani eyed the pile with a calculating look. "She said the law prevents their possession, but nothing about us selling them."

Elania nodded. "That might work. Maybe we can negotiate compensation."

Arlois approached, purple wings flaring out behind her. Her expression was unreadable as she passed the darkwalker cub, currently being placed into a cage to be carried from the Celestial Engine chamber.

“The cub will be well cared for,” Arlois said. “You’ll be able to check on it later once things have settled down.”

Elania nodded and gestured to the pile of weapons. “About these—”

Arlois held up a hand, cutting her off. “The law is clear. No advanced weapons are allowed within the city limits.”

Elania exchanged a glance with Yolani, who gave her a subtle nod.

“We understand we must surrender them,” Elania said. “But I expect compensation if you’re taking possession.”

Arlois stared at her for what felt like an entire minute before finally inclining her head. “We can discuss the specifics later. In the meantime, I wanted to let you know that we’ve found a suitable space for the mushroohums. They’ll be housed in a segregated area within one of the city’s arena buildings, where they’ll be paroled and restricted to at all times.”

Yolani’s brow furrowed as the mushroohums were herded toward a different exit than the refugees. “Is it really necessary to lock them up like that?”

Arlois met Yolani’s gaze. “It’s that or throw them off the city. I will not make exceptions for them. They are barely civilized as it is.”

Elania placed a hand on Yolani’s shoulder. “That’s fine for now. The mushroohums can be touchy, and we don’t want to risk any incidents. After things have settled, I’ll do my best to see what they want to do.”

Arlois nodded, her purple wings rustling behind her. “There’s something else you should know. None of the refugees, including the mushroohums, will be given space for free for more than a month. I’m personally paying for the costs. After the time is up, either you will have to pay as their patron to maintain their living spaces and board, or they will need to pay themselves.”

Elania’s heart sank. Their situation was precarious, but the reality of financial constraints was daunting. “I understand. We’ll figure something out.”

Yolani bit her lip and turned to Arlois. “What happens if they can’t pay?”

Arlois fixed Yolani with a hard stare. “If they can’t pay, they must leave the city. They can either pay for a ride down to the ground—which is expensive—or jump.”

Elania’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Jump? Are you serious? These people have been through enough already. They should be given a trip down for free as part of their refugee status.”

Arlois shook her head. “Transport to the ground is expensive and requires an airship. Dimensional magic is banned outright and normally blocked by anti-magic fields around the city’s exterior. The cost of moving everyone to the ground would be exceedingly high, and I’m not willing to pay for that.”

Elania narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute. How can airships be more expensive than a month’s room and board for thousands of people? Why can’t we just lower them down with a rope?”

Arlois sighed as she shifted her weight. “Airships take a large amount of arcane [Power] to operate. Simple passage is more than rent. The air cushions that propel the island would tear a rope apart—if you could find one long enough to reach the surface.”

Yolani pulled out a piece of metal from her pack. The metal began to glow with a golden light, and Elania felt a slight tug on her [Power] as Yolani used the ability.

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It was the first time she noticed Yolani’s usage of their conduit draining her. A flicker of concern crossed Elania’s face. Would her powers be reduced if they were away from Neftasu and the remnants of the Celestial Engine? She had wielded incredible abilities there, but if they were now fading, they would need to consider things carefully.

Especially if she grew weaker when there were combatants like Arlois and potentially the three other “Towers,” even if she didn’t know who or what they were.

Yolani turned the metal into a gold ingot and smirked at Arlois. “Would this pay for anything?”

Arlois raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “It’s a nice ingot of gold, but Contia has survived its share of ‘Priestesses of Wealth,’ much less an artificer. I’m not impressed. We have more than enough ‘precious’ metals.”

Elania frowned. “What’s the currency then?”

Arlois gestured to the necklace Elania wore, the mana shard embedded in its center glinting in the light. “That shard would be worth a considerable amount,” Arlois said, her eyes fixed on the necklace. “If you have more hidden away, they could be exchanged for value.”

Elania reached into her bag and pulled out a shock crystal, holding it up for Arlois to see. “What about this?”

Arlois took the crystal, inspecting it. “This would be worth a little. Approximately one scrit, which is Contia’s smaller denomination of value, written on arcane paper by the Bank of Contia.” She handed the crystal back and pointed to the mana shard in Elania’s necklace. “That shard, on the other hand, would be worth a crit, which is approximately one hundred scrit.”

The gears in Elania’s head spun quickly as she tried to figure out the potential value of the ammunition and mana shards they had brought. Before she could do the math, she noticed a large cage being carted away, containing a familiar figure… and a bunch of chickens.

Tessa, the cannibal-elf demoness, was curled up inside the cage, still sleeping. Arlois’ expression darkened as she watched it being wheeled away.

“Demons are illegal in Contia,” she said. “They must be contained within a Tower, and only the divine may hold demon livestock. Any outside that purview is illegal.”

Elania stared at Arlois, opening her mouth to speak, but Yolani beat her to it.

“Is that going to be a problem for Elania?” Yolani asked.

Arlois turned to Elania. “Your status as a demi-divine overrides any consideration of race.”

Tessa’s cage disappeared and a frown creased Elania’s face. “What will the conditions of Tessa’s imprisonment be?”

Arlois gave her a concise explanation: Tessa and her chicken demons would be locked on a floor inside her tower. They would then be provided food and have excess [Power] extracted from them via mana shard.

Elania’s lips pressed into a thin line as she processed Arlois’ words. It was a common theme, and one that she found deeply unsettling. The idea of Tessa being used as a resource, her [Power] drained to charge what were essentially magical batteries, made her skin crawl.

“Tessa doesn’t belong to you,” Elania said. “When I find other arrangements for her, she will have to be returned to my custody.”

Arlois raised an eyebrow. “There are no other arrangements possible, not on Contia.”

Elania’s jaw clenched. “Then maybe I’ll find arrangements elsewhere,” she said. “But the point stands. Tessa is not yours to keep forever. Nor are the chicken demons.”

Arlois studied Elania for a long moment before finally inclining her head. “I understand your demand,” she said coolly. “I accept it.”

Yolani stepped forward. “Are there any other laws we need to be aware of?” she asked. “Anything that could get us into trouble?”

“While the people of Contia are accustomed to the Four Towers, they are not used to random demi-divine roving the city,” Arlois said. “Although we have had visiting demi-divine or their clergy as guests at various times, there are certain rules you must follow.”

Arlois fixed Elania with a stern gaze. “You are forbidden from converting new followers from the Four Towers’ faithful. You are forbidden from creating a temple without the express permission of the council. You are forbidden from stirring discontent or using any coercion—divine or arcane, and you must follow the laws of the average citizen. However, certain dispensations for your status are granted.”

Elania met Arlois’ eyes without flinching. That was a lot of forbiddens in a row. She hadn’t exactly had missionary work or temple raising on her mind…

Arlois turned to Yolani. “Manipulating or damaging the artifice that maintains the city, whether on purpose or by accident, is expressly forbidden. It is the first law of Contia, and there is no defense or appeal. The sentence is death by submersion in the Celestial Engine with no mitigation permitted.”

A chill ran down Elania’s spine at Arlois’ words. She glanced at Yolani, who looked back at her with the same worry she felt.

“That’s extreme, don’t you think?” Yolani said.

Arlois shrugged. “Some fools have damaged the city over the millennia, and this law prevents it from happening more often. The Theotechnician Guild maintains the city’s function.”

Elania glanced at the remaining refugees waiting to be escorted out of the Celestial Engine chamber. The process was moving faster.

Arlois seemed to notice as well. “The estate house I’ve prepared for you should be ready,” she said, crisp and businesslike. “I’ll escort you there myself. Bring your clergy as well.”

Confusion flickered across Elania’s face. She glanced at Yolani, then nodded to Arlois. “Of course, I was going to bring Yolani.”

Arlois shook her head. “No, I mean bring all of them.”

Elania did a double take. “What do you mean?”

Arlois nodded across the room to the Black Candle cultists, who were meditating in a large group. Elania spotted Darius among them, his eyes closed and hands clasped before him.

“I don’t really know much about them,” Elania admitted hesitantly.

“They worship you,” Arlois said, her tone matter-of-fact. “I can clearly see the links between you and them.”

Unease washed over her. She had been aware of the Black Candle cultists’ presence but had given little thought to their connection to her. The idea of being worshipped made her uncomfortable.

She glanced at Yolani again, but her partner looked just as uncertain as she felt. When she focused on the cultists, golden threads shimmered into existence, stretching from her to each person who had come from Neftasu.

Most of the connections were thin strands, slightly more substantial than she remembered seeing in the city. Perhaps it was because she had saved them, and that act strengthened their bonds. The second-largest connections belonged to the cultists, just as Arlois had pointed out. Of course, all of these threads paled compared to the massive, glowing conduit linking her to Yolani.

Elania sighed. “I guess they can come too.”

Arlois fixed Elania with a stern gaze. “There is no guessing,” she said. “It is illegal for your clergy to spread your faith across the city. They must remain sequestered and not engage in any missionary work.”

Elania held up her hands. “I’m not really one for being worshipped or anything.”

Arlois stared at her with an expression of disbelief and exasperation. “You really are new at this.”