Chapter 10: New Beginnings 10
Heat rose in Elania's cheeks as she and Yolani scrambled off the bed, adjusting their clothes and trying to regain some semblance of composure.
The servant waited outside, politely averting their gaze as Elania exited the room.
Elania accepted the message with a nod, her blush still evident as she retreated inside. Handing the note to Yolani, she tried to banish the lingering embarrassment. She really needed to instruct Darius to add a rule that no one could enter their room without permission. Or at least require knocking!
Yolani looked at the note. After a glance, she handed it back to Elania with a sheepish smile. “I can’t read this, remember?”
Understanding blossomed on Elania’s face. “Oh. Sorry! Just…”
“Yeah. Oops,” Yolani said, knocking her own head with her knuckles. “Got a bit carried away there.”
“I liked it,” Elania responded without thinking, causing a new shade of red to appear on Yolani’s cheeks.
Elania scanned the message, the grin on her face replaced by a frown that deepened with each line. “The mushroohums are agitated,” she explained. “Arlois says it’s up to me to calm things down, or they will be disposed of. And soon. There will be no further tolerance, the message says.”
Yolani’s expression mirrored Elania’s. “We better hurry then.”
They got their equipment back on and hurried down the hall and the curved staircase. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Darius greeted them, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of their gear.
“I hope the message wasn’t anything too dire,” he said. “Your dinner is ready, by the way.”
Elania shook her head, her expression apologetic. “I’m afraid we’ll have to miss dinner. But if there’s a sandwich or something we could take with us, that would be great.”
Darius nodded, gesturing to a young cultist nearby. The man hurried off to the kitchen, eager to fulfill the request.
“The mushroohums are having some sort of trouble,” Elania explained. “We need to go and check on them.”
Darius’s expression turned thoughtful, and he nodded slowly. “I can imagine that such creatures would have difficulty adapting outside the caverns.”
Guilt twisted in Elania’s gut. “We should have visited them first. I doubt they really know what’s going on, and they can’t exactly speak with anyone that doesn’t have translation magic… or divine will.”
The cultist returned within a few minutes with two neatly wrapped sandwiches. Elania thanked him, watching his face light up with an almost reverent glow.
The connection between them visibly strengthened, and Elania shifted uncomfortably, feeling like a fraud. She didn’t comment on it, not wanting to draw attention to the unsettling dynamic.
They thanked Darius one last time before setting off, munching on their sandwiches as they navigated the winding streets of Contia.
Elania’s frown deepened with each bridge they crossed, the once vibrant neighborhoods giving way to increasingly desolate and abandoned areas, buildings crumbling upon eerily quiet streets. The contrast between the opulent city center and the outer regions was stark.
Finally, they reached a bridge guarded by a pair of Silver Soldiers. The Silvers waved them through. “Be careful out there,” one of them cautioned. “There are no patrols in the outer districts.”
Elania and Yolani crossed the bridge and stepped onto the other side. The dilapidated buildings, the streets empty yet flanked by the listless, and the palpable sense of despair in the air—they had arrived in a slum.
Everywhere Elania looked, faces of the poor and weak stared back, eyes hollow and spirits damaged.
The air grew colder.
Elania furled her wings, not wanting to draw attention to them, and found that the action also provided some warmth. Yolani slipped closer and held her arm, the contact bringing even more comfort in the chilly atmosphere.
“This is definitely a slum,” Yolani said.
Elania nodded, eyes scanning the surroundings warily. “We need to be alert.”
They made their way through the slum, navigating the narrow, winding streets. No one accosted them, perhaps due to Elania’s imposing presence.
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As they walked, they came upon a large hole in the center of the island.
Upon closer inspection, Elania realized it was a pit with a roof over it, the structure peppered with large open hatches at certain points to allow light to filter through. The massive shutters formed a grid pattern above the pit, with most of them currently closed.
This was the place they were looking for.
The arena.
Through one of the open shutters, mushroohums gathered on the sandy floor below, huddled in large groups, some standing on each other’s shoulders or backs. A few ran around in the shadows, javelins in hand.
Elania and Yolani turned to each other, speaking in unison. “What’s going on?” They shared a brief, humorless chuckle at their synchronicity before Elania’s expression grew serious.
“We need to find a way in,” she said, eyes searching for a way to descend.
They found a guarded staircase with two Silvers standing in the depression. The soldiers tensed, hands instinctively clenching their weapons before slowly relaxing. One of them nodded to Elania.
“Your name?” he asked.
“Elania,” she replied evenly. “I’m here to check on the mushroohums.”
“Excellent,” the soldier said, turning to open a metal door that swung inward. “When you’re ready to leave, just knock and call out.”
Elania glanced at Yolani, who mirrored her confused expression.
They shared a nod before proceeding through the doorway. As soon as they crossed the threshold, the metal door slammed shut behind them, followed by the metallic clank of a bolt sliding into place, locking them in.
That was sort of ominous, but nothing suggested the building was demi-divine proof, and at worst, she’d just crack the island in half… or something.
They descended a blocky spiral staircase, their footsteps echoing in the confined space.
As they reached the main arena floor, the evening sky filtered through the open hatches above. A musky smell permeated the area, but it was weak, especially considering her heightened darkwalker senses. She had expected a far more pungent odor.
The moment they stepped out into the open, a large group of mushroohums spotted them, and a wave of shouts filled the air. There was no hesitation. A wave of fungal javelins hurtled through the air, aimed directly at Elania and Yolani.
Elania unfurled her wings and stepped forward. Eziel’s light flared to life, filling the arena with a radiant glow as her [Divine Power] surged around them.
With a swift, decisive swing of Eziel, the fungal javelins disintegrated in a burst of flame, reduced to nothing more than ash in the wind.
The mushroohums let out a chorus of “glua-glaa” sounds, their voices echoing through the arena before collapsing en masse.
Elania glanced at Yolani, who had her wand out at the ready. Yolani shook her head, indicating that she hadn’t struck the mushroohums.
Cautiously, they approached the fallen creatures.
Most of the mushroohums had huddled together in a gigantic pile, while the warriors had launched the attack. The pungent smell of rotting fungus assaulted Elania’s nose, and a sense of unease settled in her gut.
“They might be sick,” Elania said.
Yolani’s gaze drifted upward, eyes widening as she looked at one of the open hatches above. “Elania, remember our flight earlier?” she asked urgently. “When you went high, you were afraid of the thin air. What if the mushroohums can’t stand it here?”
Realization dawned on Elania, and she nodded slowly. “You’re right. They were always in a closed space back in the caverns. Maybe the breeze and air composition are messing with them, especially their spores.”
Taking a deep breath, Elania closed her eyes for a moment, collecting her thoughts.
When she had a clear idea of what she wanted, Elania raised her hands, focusing on the hatches above.
She channeled her [Demonic Aura], spreading it wide enough to encompass the entire building. With a surge of [Power], the few open hatches slammed shut, the massive bang echoing through the chamber.
The constant breeze slowed and then cut off entirely, leaving the air still and stagnant.
Next, she turned her focus to the air itself.
Drawing in more air into the newly enclosed chamber, her senses attuned to the various issues that plagued the space. Holes in the seals and other imperfections became clear, the task of fixing everything feeling incredibly complex.
Too complex. Her mind recoiled as she grappled with it.
That hurt in a non-physical way, and her expression must have been visible because a gentle touch on her arm interrupted. Her eyes snapped open, meeting Yolani’s concerned gaze. A silent understanding passed between them, and Elania knew she didn’t have to face this challenge alone.
“Help me,” Elania said.
Yolani nodded, her expression determined. Their connection was strong enough that words were unnecessary. They worked together seamlessly, minds and hearts in perfect sync.
Elania’s [Divine Power] combined with Yolani’s artifice, weaving together in a beautiful dance of magic. Seams and holes in the chamber sealed themselves, the imperfections vanishing as the building modified itself at their direction.
The air grew denser and more suitable for the mushroohums as soon as the leaks were closed. When the work was done, all that was left was to wait.
They watched the mushroohums for nearly ten minutes without results, but then, the warriors slowly regained their feet. They shuffled around aimlessly, but after a few more minutes, their movements became more coordinated.
One of them let out a loud “gluu-glaa!”
The smell hit the air almost immediately, and Elania winced. Yep, they were getting better. And stinkier.
“I think it worked,” Elania said.
Yolani nodded, a small smile playing on her lips as she surveyed the scene.
They continued to watch until a resounding bang echoed through the chamber, causing Elania to snap her head upward.
The metal hatch slammed shut, and Arlois glided down towards them, an annoyed expression etched on her face. Elania felt a twinge of apprehension, realizing their actions might have overstepped some boundaries.
Arlois landed gracefully before them. “It looks like you’ve made your first working in the city, Elania,” she said. “Would you like to know the price to purchase the arena, or are you planning to undo the changes later?”
Elania tensed. They had made permanent alterations without seeking permission.
Yolani addressed Arlois directly without missing a beat. “It was an emergency. The mushroohums were dying. We apologize for not seeking proper authorization beforehand, but we had to act immediately to prevent further harm. No changes to any of the city’s artifice were performed.”
Yes! Perfect diplomacy.
Elania smiled.
She was so very lucky to have Yolani with her.