“Is our plan going to work, Slava?” Kliss asked me, banking towards the blue ocean and the glittering, gold spires of the city of Agamemnon in the distance. "Weren't we going to lead the Inquisitor and the two legions into the Valley of Death?"

"Yes," I nodded. "That's the plan."

"I'm seeing a big problem here then," Kliss pointed out. "I am immune to the poison there but you... you're a human, Slava. You're going to get hurt if you go there with me."

"I have a solution for this," I said.

"Which is?" Kliss pressed.

"A bag," I said.

"A bag?" Kliss repeated. "I don't understand."

"You're going to carry me in a bag. A dimensional bag to be precise," I said. "They sell these in Agamemnon at the market. I checked. We're going to get the best bag available in Agamemnon and I'm going to modify it. You'll carry me into the Magogenic Fault inside of a bag."

"Uh, Slava. The Magogenic fault disrupts all magic," Kliss pointed out. "If you're inside a dimensional bag it's just going to fold in on you and crush you."

"I'll have to reinforce it so that this doesn't happen," I said.

Kliss made grumbling noises.

"It'll be fine," I said. "I'm not going to get crushed. Look, if anything you'll just carry a lead lined case on your back. I can buy lead plates at the market."

Kliss sighed heavily.

We descended into a mountain valley near Agamemnon, the glider's wings catching the updrafts to slow our descent. Kliss landed gracefully, her draconic strength easily absorbing the impact as we touched down on a grassy slope.

I unstrapped myself from the glider, my legs feeling somewhat wobbly after the long flight. We took a moment to stretch and pack away the glider before setting off towards the city on foot.

The valley that we landed in was quite lovely. Spring wildflowers dotted the lush green meadows, contrasting with the snow-capped glacier peaks above. A crystal-clear stream meandered through the center of the valley beginning at a distant mountain waterfall, the gentle rush of running water a soothing backdrop to our walk.

As we made our way down the path, Kliss turned to me with a concerned expression. "Slava, where are we staying in Agamemnon? The Inns will leave a paper trail and witnesses which the Imperial Scrutimancers might be able to pick up on."

"We're not staying at an Inn,” I said. “We're going to stay with my grandparents."

Kliss's eyes widened in surprise. "Your grandparents? I didn't know you had family in Agamemnon."

"Yes, my grandmother Jundaria Hellenia Agamemnon and grandfather Lem Hellen Agamemnon," I explained.

"Have you ever met them?" Kliss asked.

I shook my head. "No, I haven't. I only sent them a few introductory letters to them a year ago. I used the Agamemnon Librarium scribe to pen and send the letters through the voicecast orb in the Skyisle Overseer's office."

"So... we're going to stay with grandparents you've never met? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kliss asked. “Won’t they be suspicious of me?”

"It's the safest option we have. They're family, even if I've never met them in person. And it's less likely to raise suspicion than two teenagers checking into an Inn. As for you–we’ll introduce you as an Imperial scribe Elly Koperi , a lovely girl I met through a voicecast call and grew to like."

“Right,” Kliss blushed ever so slightly.

As we continued our walk towards the city, the golden spires and yellow stone walls grew ever closer on the horizon, I couldn't help but feel a pitch of nervousness about meeting my grandparents for the first time. I was hoping they would welcome us, and that our presence wouldn't put them in danger.

After a few minutes of silence, Kliss turned to me with a worried expression. "Slava, what are we going to do about my appearance? I'm not exactly inconspicuous with my sparkling skin and crystal hair."

I smiled, having anticipated this. "Don't worry, I've got it covered."

I led Kliss into a small forest patch just off the path. From my pack, I pulled out a bag filled with various brushes and paints.

"I created this makeup specifically for you," I explained as I began to apply it to her hands, face and neck. The cosmetic paint covered her shimmering, dragonglass-covered skin, giving her a more human-like, tanned complexion.

Next, I took out a wig net cap and carefully placed it over her crystalline hair, smooshing the soft crystals down. "And now for the finishing touch," I said as I pulled out a wig made of lush, curly, dark red hair.

"Where did you even get this?" Kliss asked as she ran her fingers through the soft strands.

"I bought it from Eluerra, the Skyisle barber, for a gold coin," I replied, adjusting the wig on her head to fully cover her shiny mane.

Kliss admired herself in a small mirror I handed her, her eyes widening in surprise. "Wow, I look... human," she said, turning her head this way and that.

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"We're not done yet," I said, taking out a small bottle and a pair of tweezers. "These are contact lenses. They'll change your eye color."

"Contact what?" Kliss asked.

"Soft, thin lenses that go directly on your eyes," I explained. "I made them myself using microscopic spell weaving controlled by my Infoscopes. They’re going to change your rather distinctive eye colours and pupil shapes."

Kliss looked somewhat perturbed by the notion of me putting something into her eyes, but allowed me to carefully place the lenses in. She blinked rapidly, adjusting to the strange sensation.

"Incroyable," she commented, staring at her now human-looking brown eyes in the mirror once again. "Did you invent these?"

"No," I smiled. "We had these on Earth. German ophthalmologist Adolf Gaston Eugen Fick fabricated the first successful afocal scleral contact lens in 1888.They were fully blown-glass shells that could be worn only a few hours."

"I see," she replied.

While Kliss continued to admire her transformation, I quickly applied a bit of makeup to my own face and donned a dark brown wig and contact lenses that made me look more like my father. The change definitely wasn't as dramatic as Kliss's, but it was enough to alter my appearance significantly. Then we quickly changed clothes.

"I see you're going for the rugged peasant look," she commented on my new appearance.

I grinned back at her. "Thanks. Now, shall we head into the city, my perfectly ordinary human… fiancee?"

“Fiancee?” Kliss sputtered. “When did we even… what?!"

“Here,” I handed her a simple gold ring I had made in the forge from one of melted gold coins.

Kliss choked as I slipped the ring on her finger.

“We got engaged a week ago in Skyisle,” I said. “Got it?”

“Uhhh,” Kliss looked at the ring with wide brown eyes. “Yeah…. Sure. Why not just…. a girlfriend?”

“Grandmother Juni is a tough cookie, at least from what dad said. She absolutely wouldn’t let a mere girlfriend stay at their place,” I shrugged.

“Right,” Kliss nodded, looking far too stunned by the unexpected week-ago engagement. She linked her arm with mine as we walked back onto the path towards Agamemnon.

As the forest path connected with a bustling road leading from the South to Agamemnon, I was immediately struck by the whimsical array of magical carts and beasts surrounding us. It was a far cry from the modest village life of Skyisle, featuring colorful carts and creatures I'd only read about in books from the small library of the Church of Equality.

To blend in with the crowd at the great gate, I decided that it would be best to travel on a merchant's cart.

There were quite a few carts to choose from, so as we walked on the side of the road I sent my Infoscopes to scan all of the carts.

I couldn’t help but focus my magic eyes at a particularly eye-catching, colorful cart pulled by what appeared to be an oversized winged dinosaur clad in rainbow feathers.

The 1st Infoscope defined the dinosaur as a [Rainbow Therisorarinosaurus LV 49]. The whimsically-painted cart featured a gold sign ‘Sestii’s Critter Managerie’ and was piled high with large, vibrant, shimmering eggs filling the inside of the wooden sleigh with wheels. At the reins sat a cheeky-looking foxgirl with bright orange hair which the 2nd Infoscope ID’d as a [Vulfix Arcanicx - LV 87 Merchant].

The cart was defined as [Arcanicx Cascade Justim Magellanum Sleigh LV 411].

I choked mentally at the absurd level number, checking it twice and nearly tripping over my feet.

My Infoscopes rapidly spun around other carts, identifying their levels. Most carts had no level to them whatsoever. None of the other carts heading into the city were anywhere as magical or high level. This thing was monstrously magical, possibly the most magical thing I’ve encountered so far on Novazem.

What the hell? How could a Sleigh be twice the level of Dragon Aradria?

The Infoscopes identified the material comprising the Sleigh as Moonwood. Wooden carvings all over its surface featured scantily clad females with animal-ish features standing atop of stairwells formed from naked men.

"What's going on?" Kliss asked, noticing that I was staring at the cart.

[Hold on,] I replied mentally. [I think that I found something absurd.]

[Absurd?] She pressed.

[Follow,] I said simply, heading towards the sleigh.

"Hiya there!" the foxgirl called out cheerfully as her sleigh drew near us. "Need a lift to the city?"

"Thank you, we'd appreciate that!” I nodded eagerly, helping Kliss climb aboard before joining her.

“Lovely,” the orange-maned girl grinned, her bushy tail swishing behind her. "Name's Ciaori Sestii. And you two lovebirds are?"

"I'm Slava, and this is my fiancee Elly," I replied. "We're visiting Agamemnon from Osk."

Ciaori's eyes lit up. "Ooh, Osk! Never been there myself. Small village North of here, yeah? How's the weather up in those mountains?"

“Cold, snowy and wet,” I replied. “And where are you from?”

“Born and raised in Stormfall Fault, Cascade Citadel," Ciaori replied, waving a glove-covered paw at her eggs. “Live in Agamemnon now though. Have a shop near the central market selling critters. You interested?”

“What kind of critters?” I asked, most of my mind preoccupied with scanning the sleigh.

“All sorts,” Ciaori grinned with sharp chompers. “Plenty of lovely beasties from all over Novazem. You should totally stop by my shop, I’ll give you two a discount on your first familiar!”

As the dinosaur trotted along the cobblestone road, I found myself captivated by our new acquaintance, three of my Infoscopes scanning her entire body. Her soul was completely different from that of a mundane human, covered in porous hollows, reminding me of Swiss cheese.

Violet-silver magic tendrils danced outside of her body, probing at absolutely everything. It was decidedly some kind of magic, but utterly different from anything I’ve encountered so far. There was no linearity to it, just pure chaos of a thousand constantly wriggling soul-threads. Negatively-charged magic constantly poured from her body in violet-silver waves as if she was a fountain of magrad that constantly pulled power from the Astral Ocean.

"Ciaori, did you say you're from Stormfall Fault?” I asked.

“Yeppers,” she nodded. “Is why I look like a fusion of human and fox.”

“So magic is capable of changing people this much?” I asked.

“Mhmm,” Ciaori replied. “Let me guess, it’s your first time seeing an Arcanicx?”

I nodded.

“I thought that Magogenic Faults are too dangerous to live in,” I added. "The one closest to Osk is called Valley of Death. It messes up people's levels, and harms whatever is nearby, that's about it."

“Oh they're dangerous,” Cioari shrugged. “I wouldn't go into the centre of our fault for example, that place is packed with flying leviathans which like chomping on everything. I was born in one of the Ring cities.”

"So, what's it like living in a ‘Ring city’? How deep into the fault are they? Do you have any special abilities due to your Arcanicx nature?" The questions tumbled out of me in rapid succession.

Ciaori laughed, her large fox ears twitching. "Whoa there, curious kitten! One at a time. Living in a Ring city is... interesting. We're right on the edge of the abyss, about 300 hexa-clicks from the fault's Centre, close enough to see the flying leviathans but not so close we get eaten. As for abilities, well..." She winked mischievously. "I can do this."

Suddenly, her fur shimmered and shifted, and in the blink of an eye, her mane changed from orange to blue-black.

My Infoscopes went wild flooding my mind with information, time slowing as I observed her magic. Each of her fur strands twisted its edges like the wings of a butterfly observed through a microscope.

It reminded me of an undersea octopus changing its color.

I felt Kliss shift beside me, her arm tightening around mine. I glanced at her through Infoscope 5, noticing a deep frown on her face, but my attention was quickly drawn back to Ciaori as she began boasting of her whimsical, color-shifting ability, cycling through various colors one by one.