Oliver massages Willow’s shoulders, working out the knots in her muscles. “Have you heard about the festival in Vinayre?”
“No, what are they celebrating?”
“The six-month anniversary of the First Calamity. Apparently they want to commemorate all the losses and help everyone move forward. It’s a nice sentiment at least.”
Oliver can’t see her expression, but Willow’s tone is light when she responds. “It’s nice to take a break from worrying about the monsters all the time. Do you want to go? I heard Vinayre is only a two-and-a-half days away from here.”
His hands slow as he seriously considers it. They haven’t travelled outside the Nimble Outpost’s territory in a month, and it’s getting monotonous. However, the back of his mind urges him to stay here. It’s like he’s waiting for something to happen.
Willow notices his silence and reassures him, “I’m not dead-set on going. Vinayre is closer to the Outlands, so I’m fine with staying here.”
“Let’s sleep on it then.” His stomach churns at the mention of the Outlands. He’ll never forget the sickly crooning of those multi-coloured trees, beckoning them into the forests.
----------------------------------------
Elle sputters, “Wh-what just happened?! Geez, this is a mess. Is there a dustpan somewhere? Actually, no. I got this.” During her panicked babbling, she opens her inventory beneath the dust and lets the chalk powder fall into it. Now she has a cloud of dust somewhere in her inventory. Fantastic job.
Thermal observes, “It seems like the chalk had momentum when it teleported. I suppose that was not intentional?”
“I mean, I had to make the space spin so I had a teleportation portal instead of a storage portal. But no, I wasn’t trying to make the chalk non-existent.” She takes several deep breaths, shaking off her shock. “Maybe I should try spinning it slower.”
It takes several tries until she finds a speed which leaves the chalk usable and in the right location. Serena has fun handing her different-coloured chalks and grinning at the rainbow clouds of dust emerging from the other side of the room.
Thermal smiles when Elle succeeds. “Very good. You are a quick learner.”
She can’t help the warmth rising in her cheeks. “Thanks, but I still haven’t tried teleporting myself yet. That’s the real test.”
He shoots her a worried look. “Perhaps we could try increasing the size of objects first?”
How low is his opinion of her?! Then again, she did follow him into dangerous tunnels above her paygrade just to confirm a hunch. “Right, that’s a good plan.” She performs more tests with Pointy and Anne Bowlin’, taking special care with the latter. Elle doesn’t want to explain how a crater appeared in the training room to Tiami.
While Elle and Thermal experiment with her teleportation, Serena sets up training dummies on the mat-covered side of the room. Each one has a target emblazoned on its chest, and she lands the shot on all of them with her knives.
With each teleported object, Elle finds herself getting increasingly winded. Anne Bowlin’ is harder to teleport, taking a big chunk of her aura. After firing Pointy through the portal, she raises her hand and pants, “Okay, I need a break.”
Thermal says, “Take your time. I shall share a few of my observations. Although your portal does not access the In-Between, it does appear to create its own current towards your destination. Additionally, your limit of creating one portal at a time still applies. As soon as the portal on your end closes, the one at your destination opens. Perhaps that is a limitation you may be able to overcome in the future, but it is still good to have an attack which does not consume as much aura as your spatial rends.”
She smiles. “Yeah, that’ll be helpful. After my aura recovers, I want to try teleporting myself too. I’ve gotten a sense of how to warp space to fit the size of an object now.”
He hesitates, “...Alright, but be careful. If you sense something is about to go wrong, please alert us.”
Serena wanders back to them. “Hey, I saw your flying javelin! It’s wicked cool, but do you have another weapon on hand? Unless you’re confident in your hand-to-hand combat, you should have a second one so you’re entirely defenceless after throwing away your javelin.”
Elle tilts her head. “I can drop my javelin back into my inventory afterwards?”
“Doesn’t opening your inventory use up aura too? That second you take to get your javelin back could be the difference between life or death.”
She sees Serena’s serious expression and considers it. “I do have a small knife in my travelling kit. Is that enough, or would you recommend something else?”
Serena hands her a dagger. It’s about twenty-five centimetres long and a bit lighter than a kitchen knife. “How does this feel?”
Elle moves away from them and takes a few test-swings. The blade isn’t heavy enough to tire her arm quickly, and she likes the wider range of options in close-combat. While she doesn’t have Serena’s expertise, she thinks she can do enough damage to distract a monster. In the past, she avoided using a close-range weapon, but she is happy to use the dagger as a secondary option. “I like it. Not too heavy. Where in the marketplace can I purchase one?”
“Oh, you can just keep this one. I have plenty like it,” Serena says breezily.
Elle shakes her head quickly. “No way, it must be harder to craft things in Vinayre. At least let me pay you back.”
She dodges Elle’s attempt to hand her lymm chips. “Nope, it’s metal which is Vinayre’s specialty. Think of it as a protection from you dying on the next part of the mission!”
Elle sighs, “Fine, thank you for your generosity. But let me know if you want anything in the future!”
Serena smiles. “Sure thing.”
Thermal watches this whole interaction, squinting slightly at them. When Elle glances at him questioningly, he looks away and clears his throat, “You might also want to consider investing in a sturdier javelin. I saw it bend a few times during the experiment. I fear it might break in battle some day.”
Serena lights up. “Oh yeah, that’s good idea! Elle, there’s this blacksmith called Hariann here who makes top-notch equipment. We can stop by his workshop later today or tomorrow.”
Elle replies with hesitance, “...Sure, we can take a look. I’m not sure I can afford anything high-quality though.”
She waves it off. “Don’t worry about it, I can cover whatever you can’t.”
Putting her hands up, the rift-diver shakes her head. “Absolutely not, that’s too much.”
Thermal adds, “Can you really cover the expenses for an expertly-crafted weapon?”
As Serena begins to scowl, Thermal apologises before she can respond, “My apologies, that was worded poorly. I meant that I am also willing to share the cost. Elle, if you feel uncomfortable with taking our money, you may think of it as a no-interest loan.”
Elle looks down at her feet. “I’ll think about it.” Taking a deep breath, she straightens and rolls back her shoulders. Since it was only a quick break, her aura hasn’t fully returned, but she thinks it’ll be enough. “Okay, I’m ready to try teleporting myself.”
The other two take large steps back from her, and she concentrates on forming the spinning portal. Recalling her previous attempts, Elle rotates the space fast enough to move away from the stable storage plane but slow enough to be safe. When she pictures the revolving-door opening right in front of her, she flares her aura and steps into it.
Reality yanks her forward through a black void. It tugs on her body with so much force that she can’t breathe for a millisecond. Before she can even register fear, the void disappears.
Elle sees a concrete wall coming towards her. She hits the wall with enough force to bounce backward from the impact, dropping her aura levels. Her aura doesn’t absorb all of the shock, so her nose still aches from the collision. If she didn’t summon her aura as a full-body shield, she would’ve broken her nose.
She hears polite clapping from behind her. Thermal remarks, “Congratulations on your teleport. That could have gone worse.”
***
After a few more tries, Elle almost drains her aura completely, so they agree to stop there for today. As they exit the gym, Thermal mentions that he needs to visit the Arcanist’s Guild privately. They plan to meet at the Hunter’s Guild tomorrow morning to share their findings.
Since she just left the hospital this morning, Elle decides to wait until tomorrow to visit the Head Alchemist Mirielle Durlani. This leaves her with only Tiami as her next viable lead, so she lingers in the lobby for a moment as she decides where to wait for the guild master’s return.
Her thoughts must be obvious, because Serena says, “Tiami probably won’t be back until late tonight if the Danglawan folks are here. She’ll be stuck in meetings for awhile.”
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Elle deflates. “Ah, okay. I guess I’ll go to the public library then.” She’s not in the mood for more reading, but there’s not much else to do.
“How about we go to the Crooning Loon and chat? We might overhear some interesting stuff there,” Serena offers. “Besides, shouldn’t you be taking a break? You just got out of the hospital this morning.”
She tilts her head in surprise. “You want to hang out with me?” Since the monsters appeared on Earth, Elle hasn’t casually talked with anyone besides Myra and Jay. Come to think of it, she hasn’t done a single fun thing outside of her childhood friend group since Bea broke up with her. She feels a little more pathetic now.
“Yeah, why not? It’ll be easier to work as a team if we know each other better.” Serena gives her a soft smile. “It’s okay if you don’t want to. I just thought it’d be fun.”
They got a lot done today already, and Elle likes talking with her. “Sure, I’m down. Lead the way.”
As they head down the streets, Elle admires the autumn-themed decorations hung from store-fronts. Contrasting the rocky landscape outside of the city, the reds and oranges brighten her mood. Since it’s the late afternoon, the early crowds of people leaving work fill the streets, reminding her of the commute from her campus after classes.
Elle asks, “Do the other cities in this world get as busy as this?”
Serena pulls her cloak tighter to her body so that people don’t walk into it. “Ballaturne did, but I haven’t been to any other cities. I heard Danglawan has even more people though, so it’s probably a pain to go anywhere around this time there. You don’t look too annoyed by it though.”
She shrugs. “I grew up in a city with a lot more people than Vinayre. Around 600,000 people if you don’t count the other cities in the greater metropolitan area.”
Serena mouths ‘600,000 people’ to herself in clear shock. “What was it like living there?”
“Beautiful.” Presented with a rare listening ear, Elle feels compelled to be honest. “But lonely. It felt like everyone was in their own little bubble. Besides that, we were close to nature, so we had great views of the sea and mountains. What about you?”
“I lived in a medium-sized city, but I have noticed that folks in bigger ones like to keep to themselves more. Sometimes they’re colder than the Ice Shield.” Serena glances at her. “What was it like living there with no magic?”
“Less interesting, but at least we had technology to make up for it. In a way, it felt like we could do anything given the time to research and implement it. I think it was more wishful thinking than completely true given the limits of science, but we still had hope to improve things.” Elle looks up at the clear sky, admiring the blue for the first time in Sinkpoint. “Magic makes me feel like we’ve got infinite possibilities to try. What was it like living with it?”
Serena shrugs. “Most people around me couldn’t use it. Outside of nobility, there’d only be a few humans who could make even a spark. If you’re part-nature-spirit like me, then you got an affinity for nature magic which made things a bit easier. But the noble folks turn up their noses at it, so don’t expect anyone to call me a mage.”
Hearing the bitterness of her tone, Elle struggles to find the right thing to say. “I know Thermal has been …rude towards you. Would you like me to talk to him about it?”
Serena blinks and stares at her for a long moment. Before it can get awkward, she turns her attention back to the road ahead of them. “...He did already apologise for fighting with me over stupid shit, but he’s got a long ways to go. If he keeps being annoying, feel free to tell him off.”
“Alright, I’ll keep it in mind.” Elle hopes that conversation never has to happen because she’s the worst at those. “What did you do as a job before the Calamities?”
“A bit of this and that. I was an adventurer, so I’d take what commissions were up on the board.”
They arrive at the Crooning Loon, and Elle feels a pang of homesickness when it reminds her of a pub she used to frequently pass. “Did you travel much as an adventurer?”
Serena replies, “I mostly stuck to my hometown, but sometimes we’d need to track monsters out in the woods so we’d do a bit of camping. Besides that, most of the big missions were snatched up by the more experienced adventurer teams.”
Elle tilts her head. “Were you part of a team?”
Before the half-nymph can answer, a server greets and guides them to a table in the corner. Swept up by the process of ordering drinks, she forgets about her question.
After they order, Serena folds her hands on top of the table. “What was your job before arriving here?”
“Oh, I was a barista at a cafe. Not a super big fan of coffee myself, but I liked having mochas occasionally and making latte art.”
Serena looks curious. “Coffee?”
Elle smiles, thinking back to the smell of roasted coffee beans and warmed pastries. “It’s this bitter drink that’s good at waking you up. You can add sugar, milk, and other flavourings to it so it doesn’t taste overly bitter. The cafe’s specialty was their latte art which are drawings done in foam on top of the coffee. If we ever find beans like it here, I’ll make some for you to try.”
“Sounds fun; I’ll hold you to that.” Serena gives her a wink in good humour. “Did you like working there?”
“Yeah, it was close to campus, so I could commute to classes easily. My coworkers were all very nice and friendly. I hope they’re still doing okay.” Her expression dims as she remembers the state of Vancouver when she left.
The traveller declares, “If they’re not here, they’re probably in a safer place. Don’t think about it too hard; you can’t really do anything about it. What were you studying?”
“Architecture. I liked the idea of building things. To me, it was the best way of using those maths and physics skills so they wouldn’t go to waste.” Elle barely manages to hold herself back from making a face. Despite studying a variety of fields beyond the sciences, she still feels useless at life.
Serena’s hazel eyes widen. “Wow, you’re pretty educated. Do you think you’ll continue with architecture here?”
Now it’s Elle’s turn to be caught off guard. “Uh… I’m not sure. Architecture just seemed like the best path forward given what I had. I don’t know what I want to do now. What about you and adventuring?”
Her smile dims a little. “I guess I am. Don’t really know what I want to do either.”
The server returns with their drinks, carrying two mugs of brightly coloured liquid. About to take a sip, Elle tips the mug towards her mouth but freezes as she smells the drink. “Wait, does this have alcohol in it?”
Serena raises her eyebrows, having already taken a big gulp from her mug. “Yeah, it’s a tavern.”
“But I haven’t turned nineteen yet? Actually, what’s the legal drinking age here?”
She snorts, “Your country had a legal drinking age? There technically isn’t one here, but first-worlders might refuse to serve you if you’re below eighteen.”
Elle feels the need to defend it. “Well, it’s to prevent damage from developing brains.” She pauses. “...but I guess we do have aura to protect ourselves.” Curiosity bubbles inside of her, and Elle takes a small sip.
It’s not as bitter as she expected, likely hidden by sugar and fruit juice. Elle has a sweet tooth, so she happily says, “Oh, this is pretty good!”
“May I try it?” Serena takes Elle’s offered drink and tastes it. “...Hmm, pretty sweet. Be careful with these types of drinks, it’s easy to overdrink when the alcohol is covered up by the sugar.”
She frowns. “Huh, I never thought about that. Thanks for the warning.”
“Aw, don’t get too down about it. It’s fine to like sugary stuff. We didn’t have much sweet stuff for cheap.” Serena looks off to the side.
Elle tilts her head, taking a swig of her drink. “Oh, interesting. Junk food back home was cheaper for us which is a big argument against sugar taxes. It will disproportionately affect the lower class.”
“Sugar taxes?” It’s Serena’s turn to look utterly baffled. “Your world sounds so different than mine. Do you miss it?”
“I miss my best friends and all the greenery there. Vancouver has so many trails and nice weather. It only snowed a few times per year.” She smiles slightly, remembering her walks with Jay and Myra along Jericho Beach. Reflecting the peaceful sky, the ocean glimmered a deep blue beside them as they chatted. “Didn’t know what I had until I got to Vinayre.”
Serena chuckles, “Yeah, nature isn’t Vinayre’s strong point. I miss not having pebbles stuck in my shoes all the time.” Her expression softens. “If you ever want to talk about home, I’m always happy to listen. It must be tough being away from what you know.”
Her mind wandering out of warm memories into colder ones, Elle pauses. “...Thank you, that’s nice of you to offer. But I think I’m okay. It’s not like I had anything there besides my friends.”
She frowns. “What do you mean? You were a student and had a job. Didn’t you want to graduate?”
“I mean, sure. I guess. But I didn’t really know what I wanted to do after graduation. Architecture just seemed like the best option, but I wasn’t super passionate about it.” Elle stares into her mug at her murky reflection. “If anything, me coming here was the best case scenario. I don’t have to worry about paying off student loans or the job search after grad. Since I don’t even have to worry about food or water anymore, I can go anywhere or do anything.”
After Elle finishes her rant, Serena stays quiet. The silence stretches out for so long that Elle regrets saying anything. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. Your home fell to pieces, so me complaining about my life isn’t great. So sorry.”
“No, I understand how you feel.”
Hearing a change in the traveller’s tone, Elle looks up from her mug. Serena looks back at her, mouth slightly parted. Despite the tavern’s dim lighting, Elle can clearly see the warm brown mixing with a gentle green in the half-nymph’s eyes. Her cheek are a bit gaunt, but the former student thinks it balances the traveller’s more cheery nature. Sitting close to her, Elle can see a faint scar on her jaw, barely noticeable. Serena stares at Elle like she’s seeing her properly for the first time.
“You do?” It comes out huskier than intended, and Elle’s face immediately warms. She hopes she can pass off her blush as an effect from the alcohol.
The tips of Serena’s ears flush, and she breaks the eye contact. “Yeah. It wasn’t easy as an adventurer since you need to have some equipment to start off. All I had was my speed and a dull knife, so I couldn’t take well-paying jobs. Over time, I slowly saved up enough to buy better armour and weapons, but I’d also need to spend money when they broke down. But now that we have aura, it’s so much easier to cut down on costs. I finally feel like a proper adventurer.”
Elle smiles, relieved she didn’t screw up earlier. “Yeah, you were pretty cool out there. Out-did me and Thermal by a long shot.”
Serena gives her a cocky grin. “Well, I’ll be training you soon, so you’ll get there too. Then we can both baby-sit him in the future.”
They laugh and toast their drinks. After savouring the fruity sweetness, Elle feels kind of light-headed. Almost …spacey. Heh. She blurts out, “You mentioned ‘we’ earlier. Were you part of an adventuring team?”
She freezes for a second before replying, “Oh. Yeah, I was. But they didn’t make it through the Calamities.”
“Oh. I’m sorry for your loss.” Elle wants to smack herself on the forehead. She was doing so well!
“It’s fine. I’m sure that you lost people too.”
Elle tugs at her collar. “Ah. Maybe some classmates. Jay and Myra were fine before I left Earth. Haven’t spoken to my parents in awhile, but they threw me out of the house so I couldn’t care less. Don’t know about my coworkers. I’ve never been good at making friends.”
“Well!” Serena claps her hands together, startling her. “We can change that. I’d like to be your friend. How about that?” She extends a hand towards Elle.
For a moment, she stares at that hand, shocked speechless. Beyond Jay and Myra, she hasn’t found anyone who said they understood her beyond a surface level. Before their breakup, she hoped to connect more emotionally with Bea, but the warmth fizzled out too soon. Yet, here is someone who has seen her fuck up and still wants to be friends with her.
Elle smiles and shakes Serena’s hand. “Yeah, I’d like that.”