After a day of travel, Phee, Elwin and Blue had finally heard back from Effie who had been missing for nearly three days in Wraith’s Ravine. It seemed the temperamental mage was rather miffed upon hearing that her efforts in the haunted chasm were in vain, but she didn’t complain about the progress Blue and Elwin had made.

The next day, Rolynd finally succumbed to the growing unrest in Al Dherjza. It seemed that the local populace was fed up with inactivity, the mental pressures of seeing their supply lines cut off by Lucina’s forces were too much to bear for the city of brave souls. So, Rolynd had begun to direct military action against Lucina’s occupation. Small, tactical endeavours to impede Lucina’s work outside the city’s borders.

As such, Sophia was no longer available to help Phee, Blue and Elwin on their quest to open the Labyrinth, as she was the leader of the elite Al Dherjzan Knights, and Effie was also unavailable, as she had to stay and keep Al Dherjza’s Magical Corps organised.

Blue, Elwin and Phee would be on their own from here.

Tensions all around Apolaphia were rising. According to Al Dherjzan intelligence, even the hermitical dwarven inventors of Crassia far across The Endless Sea to the south were stirring.

What would war look like, if it broke out all at once? Elwin prayed that he wouldn’t have to find out.

The three of them had left the Mossy Highlands behind, and now walked through the Antalaya Plains, east of the Mossy Highlands. There were still a few days of travel before they would reach Sarigold City. Sunlight was once again a welcome addition to their travels, having left the ever-grey skies of the Mossy Highlands behind. Elwin picked his way along the dirt path embellished with large cracked, square stones.

After spending two days journeying across the Mossy Highlands, Blue, Phee and Elwin were now surrounded by acres of farmland and disparate wooded thickets. According to Blue, this area was graced with frequent heavy rains, making it ideal for farming. A most calming place to be, surrounded by endless fields of green crops and lazy cattle.

Yet as they travelled, Elwin could not help but notice an unusual black silhouette on the horizon, growing closer by the day.

It was not Sarigold City, which should be almost dead east. Rather, it was unmistakable that the bearing of this silhouette was to the southeast. As Phee, Elwin and Blue travelled further along the road, they could pick out distant black shapes, like a cloud of flies, floating about the jagged structure. It was huge, far, far bigger than any temporary base.

“What… is that?” Elwin asked with apprehension.

“A city,” Phee replied.

“A… city?” Elwin asked, utter flabbergasted.

“Yes, it is a city that Lucina has built to quell Sarigold City before it can send Al Dherjza any form of assistance,” Phee confirmed.

“Fascinating,” Blue commented. “It is also true that The Incandestine Empire is capable of terraforming an earth-sized planet in only a few months?”

“Yes, though I have only propaganda to believe but it wouldn’t surprise me based on how Rolynd talks about them.”

And of course, Lucina’s Capital Ship, the Intercessor, rested up in the skies. Despite over a week passing since its first appearance on Apolaphia, Elwin was still not used to it. It was so large and its appearance was so sudden that it didn’t seem real at all. Like a vision in a bad dream, Elwin was almost expecting it to disappear as suddenly as it had appeared.

Compared to the Incandestine, even the greatest dwarven inventors of Apolaphia were just children playing Crassian make-believe. Elwin’s heart trembled at the apparent might of the invaders.

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Just what were they going up against? Elwin had thought. And yet both Blue and Phee seemed so nonchalant about their quest. There was not even the slightest trace of hesitation visible in their step or their gaze.

Despite Elwin’s worries about the greater situation, Phee was an excellent travel companion, despite the fact that she was a few years younger than the elf. She seemed experienced, resourceful and well-connected. Besides being a capable hunter and forager, she was able to communicate with the leadership of Al Dherjza at a moment’s notice. Through her and Blue’s hacked communications, they were able to piece together the situation unfolding across the world.

Perhaps sensing Elwin’s anxiety after spending a few days together, Phee explained that Lucina’s objective was to capture Al Dherjza’s leadership, or rather, those like her that had escaped Lucina’s grasp. Apparently, Rolynd, Sophia and several others had grown up among the stars, in a different world.

Elwin found the concept quite hard to grasp, but Phee explained that the escapees were known to Lucina as Chimaeras.

“Chimaeras? Like the lion-headed, eagle-winged, snake-tailed monsters of The Tempest Archipelago?” Elwin had asked.

“Not quite, but you have the right idea. We are monsters, fusions of human and gemstone.” Phee answered.

“Gemstone?” Blue interjected. “What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t really know… We have these tiny gem-like organisms floating through our blood that strengthen us and give us special powers… Wait, maybe I shouldn’t have shared that. If Sophia asks, can you tell her I didn’t say that just now?”

“Gemstones… are you telling the truth? I do not have any knowledge about such organisms as you describe. And does Rolynd not refer to you as ‘Bloodstones’? I have never heard the moniker of ‘Chimaera’ from him before.” Blue asked.

“I’m telling the truth! You’ve never heard of gemstones because they’re top secret information… And Rolynd calls us Bloodstones because he doesn’t like the fact that the Incandestine named us after monsters. He said that it was… um… dehabilitating?” Phee protested.

“Do you mean, ‘dehumanising’?” Elwin asked.

“Dehumanising. That one.” Phee confirmed.

After finally having a few days without finding his life in danger, Elwin finally felt like things might’ve been returning to some semblance of normal. He let himself breathe a sigh of relief that he had been holding without even realising.

Blue inquired as to why Phee didn’t hide all the time as she might expect from someone whom Empress Lucina was expressly hunting.

Phee explained that she had escaped before her gemstones had fully matured. Therefore, the Incandestine were unaware of the characteristic energy signature that Phee’s gemstones emitted. Phee explained that it was the energy signatures of the Bloodstones that the Incandestine used to locate them across the stars. Phee explained that this meant that she was relatively free to travel Apolaphia during the invasion, compared to the other Bloodstones who would constantly find themselves in harm’s way.

The Incandestine were also unaware of the nature of Phee’s unique power, something that the seemingly careless and friendly Phee refused to divulge with an unexpected staunchness. She did tell them that her prior invisibility from their first meeting was a quirk of her enchanted robes, woven from a unique mystical fibre.

Unlike those born under ADAM’s providence, the Bloodstones could manipulate all objects around them, rather than just one substance, in addition to whatever idiosyncratic power they had. Most strangely to Elwin, his conversation with Phee implied that people Phee knew were born without a Gift. It was difficult for him to imagine a world where people lacked the natural powers that were so commonplace in this world.

Though Elwin asked about the wellbeing of the Al Dherjzan knights, wanting to find out more about Lumie, Phee was unfortunately unfamiliar with them.

“But I’m sure Lumie will appreciate you coming all this way to see her.” She had said encouragingly.

Elwin blushed at this, causing Phee to laugh at his bashfulness.

As the questing trio approached Sarigold’s gates and saw the presence of Lucina’s Angels intensifying, Phee realised that Blue would have to disguise herself. For when Phee had learned that Blue’s body was comprised of morphic metal, her expression betrayed great concern for the elven priestess’ safety.

Morphic metal was extremely rare and valuable. It didn’t need to be said, but for the Incandestine forces and other such unsavoury figures like Apolaphian bandits, even harvesting Blue’s body for its simple material value wasn’t out of the question. This was especially true of Sarigold, infamous for its black markets where anything had a price. In that city of commerce, only the wealthy were safe.

“The Angels will be all over us with you walking around like that,” Phee warned. “Not to mention, Sarigold’s customs officers will be looking for suspicious persons and items.”

It was fortunate that Blue could shapeshift, then. But what was the best form for her to take?

“I have an idea that might suit our little hero here,” Blue replied.