Ever since Landry had been plunged into the darkness below, the darkness around them had begun to gradually ease its clutch of the Lake Lugger with every root it passed, a soft yellow light penetrating from between the branches far above. However, he was as cold as when he had been submerged, if not colder, and had taken to huddling around his lantern with his sodden cloak tightly pulled around him in a desperate attempt not to freeze; the constant chattering of his teeth reminded everyone just how unsuccessful this was.

"We've only got a little while to go before we reach Virevale, Landry. We'll be able to get you dry there soon enough." Orryn reassured, "I've only seen paintings, but it's like a city of treehouses."

"How much longer?" asked Landry, his speech interrupted by deep breaths.

With a gruff cough, an answer came from the front of the ferry: "Why, I'd say we only got but few minutes before we reach the Lifts," answered Orryn's father, who was puffing a pipe between his teeth and quietly groaning as he pushed the large wheel that steered the ferry. For some reason, he now wore a large navy tricorn that looked like it had come from a dusty cupboard. Was he always wearing that? Landry thought to himself. Before he could explore that thought any longer, Mal hoisted him up by his shoulders until he was standing once again.

"You're only going to get colder if you stay sat in that puddle." She insisted, pointing a slender finger at the large dark collection of water that had leaked out of Landry's clothes. As he looked at it, it swirled as if it were alive until the water made the shape of the same rose insignia that had been on Lord Belrose's carriage, returning to its original form after he rubbed his eyes. Am I going crazy, or am I just that cold? It'll go away soon. He wasn't sure if it would, but surely if he convinced himself enough, it would become true.

"What exactly is our next step, Mal?" he whispered in her ear. Turning her head to face him, she'd put a finger to her lips and dart her eyes over to Orryn. She didn't want him overhearing. "We need to leave these two behind, they've been helpful but this is a sensitive task we're going to carry out." She answered, her eyes returning to meet his gaze intently. His last wish, I know. Why is she so defensive over it?

"Well, I knew his father wasn't coming, but we made a deal with Orryn; his expedition is what made this entire trip possible. We can't just go back on our word." He spoke with an ignited fire in his chest, seemingly acting against the cold of his skin, "You really haven't changed have you?"

Her eyes narrowed as she looked away, her hands at her sides balled into fists. Without a word, she let the silence answer on her behalf, looking at the soft yellow reflections of the water. Growing impatient, Landry decided to continue; "I'm trying to be reasonable, Mal. Orryn hasn't fallen short yet, can't you give him a chance?"

"Why give him a chance?" receiving her glare she also gripped his forearm tightly and hissed, "You have no idea what it was like. Nor what the stakes of this are; it's Varick's life." She paused, a rising redness in her face, "Get off your high horse." Varick's life? But his life was already spent on the other Continent. What does she mean? Was Elduira really that bad? She spoke of Varick like his life wasn't in question, but Landry couldn't shake the feeling that her real fear was something else—something she'd never share with him. Before he could ask, Orryn interrupted.

"You two all right?" With a quick glance to him and a final look, she released Landry's arm and they both slowly nodded, Mal quickly brushing past him to the front of the ferry. Landry himself though briefly looked to the ground, unsure of what to make of Maliah's behaviour, his sense of unease growing only to be pushed further down once he raised his gaze to Orryn.

"What's with her?" He asked, looking back as she started talking to his father.

"She's always been like that - quick-tempered - but she mellows out eventually." He chuckles, "An acquired taste, you could say."

"I was thinking we'd head to see the Duchess first, she was informed of my expedition by Saint Lucent's, so she'll help us with transport and all the resources I'll need to carry out my research." Before he could continue his seemingly practised to-do list, Landry put up his hand and he halted, his lip quivering as he was desperate to keep talking.

"The Duchess?" First a Lord, now another noble? I'm seeing a pattern here.

"Of course, the Duchess of Virevale? She was the original colonist, set up the entire city from a single ferry. She's one of the Trade Company's biggest suppliers of sap, but I don't think we'll have problems with her." Orryn walked over to the side of the ferry, leaning against it with his elbows propped up and began taking a deep breath, but before he could ask what was on his mind, Landry beat him to the question.

"How is Saint Lucent's even connected to a Duchess?" He asked, finding the whole scenario rather odd.

"You're serious?" He asked, his blond-hair mimicking the yellow of the light around them - or vice versa. "Saint Lucent's is one of the eight High Colleges, they all compete on gathering as much knowledge as they can. It's sort of a diplomatic thing as well, the country the College represents funds them with hopes in proving their adversaries' incompetence." He cleared his throat, staring off into the water before finally getting to it, "Is something going on that I need to be aware of? I've seen the looks you two give each other around me, the uncertainty." His head drooped low, and Landry walked over to pat his back.

"We're in this together, Orryn." Taking a step to the side, eerily aware that another creature could simply rip him from the deck once more, he propped himself up besides Orryn. "You got us this far. I won't go sour on our deal." He declared as he extended his arm to him, his index finger pointed out, "I swear it."

With an arched brow Orryn looked down at the hand, "Are you pointing at something?"

"No. It's something me and Mal used to do, just point your finger out." As instructed, Orryn held his hand out with only his index finger pointing, until Landry clasped onto it with his - the two wrapped around each other. In truth, he wasn't entirely sure if he could trust him. In fact he was totally aware that Maliah could be correct, but he just had a feeling about him. He might have blond hair and golden eyes, but Landry saw a reflection of himself. Somebody who tended to remain alone, but could benefit from some company. He knew what it was like to be in the middle of everything, but isolated from it all at the same time; maybe a friend is what they both could use.

"I swear it." Landry repeated, "We'll go meet your Duchess, that is after I've found a dry set of clothes." He chuckles, and notices the edges of Orryn's mouth tug into a soft smile. Mal won't be happy about this - but she never is, is she? After letting go of his finger, something else stole Landry's attention, the quiet chatter of several people in the distance, and although it wasn't particularly loud it was clear that many were shouting. It must be the Lifts his father mentioned. Just as he had the thought, he was able to catch a glimpse of part of an elaborate and massive contraption through a clearing of the trees - a pulley system that creaked as it turned - pulling a thick rope attached to something that was just out of view. As quickly as the opening had come, his view was once again obstructed - yet he remained eager to see what awaited behind the trees. Nevertheless, just the fraction of what he saw had been the most impressive and by far the largest mechanism he had ever laid eyes on, he caught his breath, wondering at the true size of the city that awaited. If that was just part of the Lifts, how giant could Virevale actually be? Could it rival Cleon? Saint Lucent? What if it could even surpass Renna, the Elduirian capital... We'll take forever to get around.

The dampness of Landry's clothes gnawed at him still, despite the faint warmth of his lantern. His eyes kept on wandering to the surface of the water, half-expecting to see another apparition swirling in the depths below. Whatever magic he had witnessed - imagined or not - remained firmly in the back of his mind, yet the weight of exhaustion had finally caught up to him and began to pull at his limbs more intensely. Ahead, the soft creaks and groans of the pulleys grew ever louder, each pause in the noise a reminder of the complex machine that awaited as well as what resides above it. The air itself seemed to hum with anticipation, even Orryn's father had fallen silent, puffing his pipe as his eyes darted to the shadows stretching over the water.

It wasn't long until all four could see a clearing ahead of them - a space of open water, the only area that they had traversed through that wasn't dangerously cramped. Instead, it was as if they had found a pond within the lake, but it was soon clear to Landry that this wasn't a natural phenomenon. The stumps of roots below the surface could be seen, aggressively cut down by what looked to be a thousand slashes of axes, and even noticing evidence of charring. How did the fire burn below the water? Or did they drain this area somehow? As the Lugger drifted closer, the shouting had become unavoidable to notice and completely overshadowed the rustle of branches and scurrying of the smaller creatures that they had heard on their way, but it was the voice of a woman that boomed far louder than any others. "Get those boxes onto that ferry!", "don't talk back to me, you worm!", "pick up the pace!", "are you a fool or do you simply lack a brain!?" All were amongst the aggressive remarks made, and it wasn't until they had gotten closer that they noticed a particularly short woman standing on a barrel with her hands cupped around her mouth as if she hadn't been loud enough. She had ashy blonde hair with streaks of grey intertwined and wore the same navy tricorn that Orryn's father had put on, although even from a distance hers looked in better condition. It must be some sort of uniform.

With a quiet creaking after Orryn's father pulled back the lever and the mechanism within the ferry stopped they continued to gradually get closer and closer to the enormous wooden dock before them, going towards the only space they could see as every other seemed to be occupied by at least a thousand other ferries. It was hard for Landry to hear his own thoughts amongst the constant loud chatter of those around, let alone the directions that were being told to the three of them. This was short-lived however, as the hard footsteps of the same short woman from before could be heard getting louder and louder, until there was only one noise. Her shrieking voice; "What on Aurum have you done to your uniform, Ossilian!" With a huff she clambered onto the side of the ferry, her balance surprisingly good for someone so angry, and it meant she was eye-level with Orryn's father, albeit with her finger wagging in front of his face. "How many times have I told you to get that damned hat washed? Not to mention your utter lack of the rest of your attire?" All eyes had been on them for a mere moment, until they instantly darted away with a glance from the woman - they knew better than to pry else they might feel her wrath as well.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Well, I hadn't the time-", he was quickly stopped.

"Hadn't the time!? You've had all the time, Orvus!" What is she talking about? Glancing over to Orryn expecting the same confused face he had, he only saw his palm pressed against his face.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Nera. Had unexpected visitors." With a smile and his eyes speaking volumes, Landry realised who she was.

"Mother, must you always make a scene?" Orryn pleaded, desperate to get away from the attention as although all eyes were averted, hundreds of ears were listening.

"Oh, hush, you silly boy!" She insisted, breaking her character of the demon lady and leaning in for a quick peck with her husband, "Now here I was thinking I'd have to cancel our reservation at Gerar's again, you're lucky you made it in time."

"Yes, dear."

"Now I hope you've packed some better clothes than those rags, hm?"

"Yes, dear."

"You'd have best cleared that forsaken warehouse like I asked."

He paused, the images of the mess from before flashing in his mind, "Yes, dear."

With a pat on his cheek she hopped off the railing and made her way towards Orryn, beckoning him down with a flick of her hand. "Down here, you big oaf." She said with a chuckle, and as requested he leant down, met with the clench of her hand on his chin as she tilted his head this way and that to get a good look at him. "How's school, darling? They treating you well?"

"Yes, mother."

"What monstrosity is this on your chin?" She queried as she pulled at his blond goatee, "You look like a goat!"

With a roll of his eyes, it seemed to Landry that he had learnt that arguing with his mother was a battle fated to lose, so he played the safe strategy: "Yes, mother."

"Oh, but I love your clothes! I always did say that those apprentices were all so bland with their white robes." With a gleeful smile, she admired his ornate green cloak that was tucked into his belt, and felt where he had removed the sleeves to give it a more streamline appearance. "And you used to complain so much when I taught you to sew, who's the fool now, hm?"

"Me." Despite Orryn's previous discomfort, his gaze had softened and Landry recognised that he was now more comfortable than he had probably ever been. He had missed his mother, and although things might be complicated with his father, the endearing smile on Orvus' face reassured him that they were just another family. Another family. He had yearned for the warmth of one for so long, the closest thing he had within the last decade being Varick. Despite his envy of Orryn and his parents, he was glad for him as well. After a few more words between Orryn and his mother, she looked over at Maliah and himself.

"Have you finally made some friends?" Yet, before he could answer she made her way over to Mal, "Aren't you just gorgeous!"

Her face going a slight shade of pink, Mal smiled, "Thank you, ma'am."

"Oh, there's no need for any of that, you can call me Nera. Short for Nerami."

Raising her brows in slight shock, Mal couldn't contain herself, "That's an elvish name! You're an elf, too?"

"Half." Nera answered, tucking her wild hair behind her slightly pointed ear, "Virevale isn't a stranger to our kind, y'know. We're a whole melting pot here. What was your name?"

"Maliah."

"Beautiful. Rolls off the tongue, doesn't it, Orv?" She turned to her husband for his agreement, to which he absentmindedly nodded his head. She then turned her attention to Landry himself, looking him up and down with a confused face, "My, my. Did you decide to go swimming? It's dangerous water y'know."

"Well-"

"He was plucked by a Mirebark, dear." Orvus called out.

"A Mirebark!? And you lived?" She was utterly dumbfounded to Landry's shock.

"Is that... Rare?" He asked, her surprise already answering it for him. She had a large smile on her face, and patted him on the forearm, "Boy, I haven't met anyone who's actually fought one of those beasts off. That's damn impressive, I couldn't imagine having to fight one off while it drags you down."

"Well, I must have been lucky." However she wasn't having that reasoning.

"Luck's one thing, but your luck is already sour if you get snagged by one of 'em. Give yourself some credit, kid. Either way, I'm glad you're with my boy - gods know how clumsy and unaware he is. All his brains went to his academics, where that came from I have no idea."

"I'll make sure he's all right. I'm Landry, by the way."

"Landry, hm? Not a name I've heard before, and with all the people I deal with that's quite a surprise. Where are you from?"

He paused. He wasn't entirely sure what to answer with. He knew the answer, that although he had been raised in a slum city, it wasn't truly where he was from. However, where he was from no longer existed, and he hadn't truly approached the memory of it. He didn't want to. It was easier to pretend like it wasn't true. Larune. He hadn't thought of that name for years, and he couldn't remember the last time he actually spoke it aloud. Orryn and Mal were looking at him, so was Nera. They must have been wondering why he was taking so long to answer such a simple question, but they had no idea how complex it really was.

"We're from Morden." Answered Maliah, coming to Landry's aid. "It's in the Jaws." The Jaws. The jagged mountain range that acted as a border between The Northern Kingdom, Cleonth and Zalafold. It was about as hospitable as the name suggested, the images of fang-like mountains flashed in Landry's mind, the tips coated in snow like a wolves' after a hunt.

"Oh, you poor things. I know all about those under-cities. You've both done well to leave it behind." She gave Landry a final comforting nudge before walking back onto the dock, "Come now, the next Lift will be in a couple minutes, and I hate being smushed in. Let's get some good spots." Spots? What kind of lift was this?

As Orvus began tying the ferry to a large stone post, his wife gave him a final kiss on the cheek before walking back onto the dock and adjusting her tricorn, as if to get into costume. Without missing a beat, she hopped up onto her barrel and began bellowing once more: "Did I say you could take a break, maggots?! The Duchess isn't paying you unless the sap gets on the ferries! Now, get a move on!" The Duchess. I'd almost forgot about her. He tried not to dwell on it, having faith in Orryn and his school. Instead, he was tugged at the wrist by the eager apprentice and dragged off of the ferry, Maliah following after them with her own haste. "Just wait 'til you see the full extent of the Lifts! I've never been up them, only able to visit mother on the docks." They were headed towards a small crowd who were standing before a large crescent shaped hole in the ground that seemed to wrap around a portion of the trunk of the gigantic tree they were at the foot of. Several cranks, large gears, ropes and other mechanisms resided at the side, dwarfing the bystanders.

"We're just in time, the descent hasn't started yet." Orryn informed the two, possessing an excited anticipation coupled with his notebook and pencil in his hands, ready to sketch what he was about to see. As if waiting on his cue, the large mechanisms at the side of the crescent began to come to life, whirring loudly and spurting green sap as they started up. There must have been a dozen wheels that as they rotated pulled down several lines of rope, the other end being pulled upwards by what Landry presumed to be a similar machine above them. With his attention captured, he was quite surprised when he noticed the large horde of people who had gathered by them, a minimum of fifty that all seemed entirely different from eachother. He saw what looked to be a rich noble, clothed in fine red fabrics with a feathered hat and just besides him was a dock worker and besides him was a knight clad in armour. It was entirely random, and it was only as Landry was looking to the sides of him that he noticed this wasn't the only Lift. On either side of them, there were many other Lifts which had their own crowds waiting to board, so many so that they didn't visibly stop as they went around the trunk of the tree. If this is just the docks... He looked up above - the only thing other than the enormous tree canopy above that he could see being the descending Lifts - large crescent shapes that looked to have similar wheel pulleys on the side of it to what was below. How big is the actual city?

"And they're safe, right?" Maliah asked, the uncertainty of her unfamiliar environment clearly gnawing at her nerves.

"Well, one hasn't broken in years. Normally it's every five or ten, so I think it's actually overdue another breakdown soon-" He paused, noticing Mal's clenched fists, her knuckles white from the force she was exerting. "But I'm sure they've improved the design! Totally safe!" He nervously chuckled.

"When are we meeting this Duchess?" Landry decided to change the subject, Mal clearly wasn't convinced.

"Soon. In fact, we might actually be a little late, I'm not sure." He didn't seem particularly stressed about missing the deadline of their scheduled meeting, something Landry found rather out of character for an apprentice. They were usually so precise, Orryn was anything but.

Same as before, the creaking began again - except this time it was exceptionally loud, causing many of the crowd including Landry himself to wince at the incessant noise. However, it did mean that the Lift was almost all the way down, and as it got closer and closer he could hear the chatter of those already aboard it. Yet no one seemed especially bothered to move out of the way. Oh great. This is going to be a squeeze. Round and round the pulleys went, turning great lengths of rope each minute until the Lift was almost to the ground. As it got closer, it slowed down and two large men at either side used hooks to direct it into the crescent hole. It fit like a glove, only a foot or so between the contraption and the deck everybody was stood on.

In closer view the Lift was a marvel, it had six pulleys on either side with ornate bronze fixings. The ropes themselves were far thicker than Landry had realised, most being thicker than his arm but one looking almost as thick as his head. Makes more sense, these must weigh loads. It had dark wood flooring, with a glossy finish despite the thousands of boots that had likely trodden on it. At the centre of the Lift was a man with a green tricorn, who pulled a lever that caused the front section of the Lift to fall onto the ground which acted as a walkway.

To the three's surprise, everybody started walking as soon as the opportunity presented itself, finding themselves being pushed and squeezed against the chests, backs and shoulders of everybody around them. With a fiery determination, Landry pushed through the crowd until he was stood at the side of the crescent, where he was soon joined by Mal and Orryn.

"Where's your mother?" Landry asked, looking around.

"If she's not here then she'll have to catch the next one, there's no more room." It was true, there was quite literally zero space for anyone to stand, in fact many of them were standing on each others feet or laying between their legs. It was entirely bizarre. Why couldn't they have waited for the next one? Why is everybody in such a rush?

"The city itself better be less cramped." Complained Maliah, who was squished behind Landry and Orryn's shoulders, "Otherwise somebody's going to get hurt. It won't be me."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Landry answered, before he noticed the man in the green tricorn push the lever once more and the front of the Lift closed. After a few moments the whole thing underwent a violent thump, knocking everybody into everybody else.

"Sorry!" Yelled the man at the lever, before pulling a cord and causing the Lift to ascend, the pulleys creaking as they rotated. It was a smoother experience than Landry had expected, leaning over the side and watching as the dock slowly got smaller and smaller. When he turned his heads upwards however, he was met with lights between the canopy that he hadn't noticed before, a subtle hint at the city that lay above him.

"Isn't it amazing?" Orryn said, his mouth agape as he gazed at the views between the tree trunks around them.

"It sure is something." Answered Landry, still looking above.

"Hmph. Something." Maliah sarcastically retorted, leaning further back against the edge of the Lift.

The three fell silent, as although they had differing opinions they were each captured by the sights around them. Maliah however was more focussed on the ropes themselves, her nerves rising as she anticipated them to snap. Orryn was desperate to sketch what he was seeing, but due to the woman pressed against him he wasn't actually able to. Landry though couldn't keep his eyes of the lights above, his curiosity and imagination taking over and picturing the treehouses like Orryn had mentioned. Yet, he would soon realise that they were far from treehouses. This was Virevale.