Despite Phee’s beliefs, it seemed that the unthinkable had happened. Rolynd’s invincible barrier had been destroyed somehow. It seemed like a logical contradiction.
“Wh-what about me?” Phee asked. She put on a strong face, but Blue’s sensors and algorithms detected a strong emotional disturbance in the girl.
“You are exactly where you need to be right now. Just lift the last seal on ADAM’s Labyrinth as soon as possible.” Rolynd replied.
“Okay…” Phee replied as lowered her arm slowly. “…Yeah, no pressure.” She muttered to herself.
“Come now, the war is not lost yet. It is just beginning. Do not lose your spirit so quickly.” Blue said in reassurance.
“You’re right. You’re right.” Phee sighed, psyching herself back up. “Everyone is doing their job. I need to do mine. How can I help you?”
“Well, fetch Elwin, to begin with. That lazy trout should know better than to sleep in on a day like this.”
Elwin soon appeared, stretching like a cat.
Incandestine aircraft soared noiselessly overhead, far in the upper atmosphere, headed towards Al Dherjza from the Incandestine city outside Sarigold.
They filled him in on everything that he had missed. His face bore a look of mild regret afterwards.
“It’s too early for this.” The elf sighed.
“That is not how a hero speaks. Do not make me regret shapeshifting into an inanimate object for you. You are an accomplished enchanter, aren’t you, Elwin? Do you have any ideas for something that may aid in our search?”
“Hmm…” Elwin mused, falling into thought. His eyes tracked a distant leviathan off the port side of the skiff. “As you know, enchantment is a craft that redirects and refines existing energy to achieve its effects. Unlike magic, it requires no reagents.”
“Yes, we are all quite aware of how enchantment works. Where are you going with this?” Phee asked impatiently.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Elwin cast a sideways glance at Phee. “Rude.” He pulled his flask from his belt, unclipping it and taking a sip before continuing. “Blue, you said that it's likely that the wyrms are attracted to their duty by something, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Likely by some kind of energy field or transmission. Many biological organisms like birds use magnetic fields to navigate, and though we do not know much about the exact nature of the leviathans, robots would use similar mechanisms too.” Blue replied affirmatively.
Elwin’s proposition was beginning to fall into place in Phee’s mind.
“It may be possible for me to enchant an object that taps into the same energy that guides the wyrms. Then, we would be able to track the island bearing the Labyrinth Trial just as they do. I know it should be possible; enchanters in Crassia have made similar devices to predict the migrations of birds.”
“Great. You can get on that right away then. I’ll help!” Phee said.
“It… might not be that easy.” Elwin hesitated to say. “I need to know vaguely what the vivatic microstructure of their bodies is like. It can be seen in a piece of hair, a feather, a patch of its skin… from any part of it’s body really. According to the Crassian Artisan’s Guild, the vivatic microstructure indicates the basic pattern that the enchantment should emulate. The patterns are deeply complex and can differ greatly… it would be impossible to guess it by brute force alone.”
“So you’re saying we need to get ourselves a chunk of a leviathan for you?” Phee asked sceptically.
“To be frank, yes. We do.” Elwin replied.
“And how are we going to do that? Do you expect us just to sail up to one and ask nicely for a pound of flesh? Those things are HUGE. Just going near one is dangerous enough. Just a graze and this skiff could be reduced to splinters.”
“It may be pertinent for me to remind you both that our plan from the very beginning was to hitch a ride on one of these creatures. There’s no room for cowardice.” Blue chimed in. “This barren desert is large enough that we could wander around it for months without finding the right island. We going to need something more than good intuition if we are to have any reasonable hope of lifting the final Labyrinth Seal before it's too late.”
Phee sighed, pacing back and forth along the deck.
“I understand your concerns, young Bloodstone. This vessel is our lifeline. Trust my piloting, I can bring us alongside a wyrm safely. But, you have the most practical experience as an adventurer out of all of us. And, experience as an acrobat in The Masquerade, do you not? You are the perfect person to get Elwin what he needs for his enchantment.” Blue said sympathetically.
It was beginning to annoy Phee how the electronic elf was right all the time. Nevertheless, she was forced to concede.
“Fine. Bring us close to one of those metal wyrms, and I’ll get Elwin what he needs. But if you trash the skiff, I swear to all that is holy, I’ll haunt you for the rest of my life.”