Mevi awoke in her soft bedsheets and found her mentor sleeping peacefully next to her. As if Kalesi had fallen asleep sitting up and rested against the backboard frame of the bed. The strong woman had her eyebrows furrowed in frustration even while asleep, and her fists were clenched shut tightly. Whatever dream she was having didn’t seem pleasant. On her arm was a silvery metallic gauntlet, not dissimilar to Murano’s black version. Yet instead of a gem in its palm, there was a small interface on the inner wrist and a glassy pearl on the outer portion. It was an interesting device with its strange markings, buttons, and symbols.
Mevi decided to allow her mentor to sleep, with all the trouble Mevi had caused Kalesi must’ve needed the rest. So Mevi carefully extradited herself from her soft and sleepy prison. She slowly made her way to Kalesi’s side of the bed and maneuvered the covers to blanket her body. Her frustrated face seemed to soften slightly, and her shoulders relaxed as she fell a few centimeters further into the bed’s embrace.
Mevi made her way out of her room, and into the dim light of the apartment. Kalesi’s door was swung open and some of her things haphazardly spread across the ground, but Mevi decided to leave her mentor’s things alone even if her room was unorganized. Mevi walked into the parlor, not sure exactly what she was even searching for. The room was much the same, mostly void of decorations beyond the lounge in the shallow pit and the balcony that was closed with heavy curtains. The dull drone of buzzing vehicles and the sound of the city still penetrated the apartment’s parlor, yet it was mostly muffled. Kalesi had shown the apartment’s layout to Mevi, but they had never gotten enough time to become adequately experienced with the place and its devices.
Wandering into the kitchen, Mevi decided to attempt to understand how the devices worked. Kalesi had shown how to operate most of the equipment, albeit a rushed education, so Mevi wondered if she could produce some kind of food for herself. Making her way inside she began to work, activating the synthesizers in the nearby room to produce materials and using the various equipment in the kitchen to stir, chop, and heat her production. She used all the devices Kalesi had shown her that were meant for cooking, and when she was done a plate of charred paste sat in front of her. Mevi had no idea how Kalesi could create food that had real substance, or if maybe Mevi was using the devices in the wrong order. Regardless, the plate of food was made and Mevi would never complain about sustenance.
With the bland food eaten, and the kitchen cleaned, Mevi now wondered what she should do. She still felt as if she should be useful to Kalesi in some way, yet the entire apartment was almost perfectly clean. Mevi spent several minutes fixing her mess, and cleaning the devices carefully, but once she was finished the parlor and hallways were without dust or grime. Supposedly all the rooms were available to her, so Mevi sought out the others to find duties to perform.
Mevi began her investigation of the various apartment doors. She first ensured she had properly cleaned the synthesizer room, but the recycling of waste was automatic so little escaped the solutions that dissolved and collected leftover substance. Within the synthesizer was also a collection of tools, equipment, and various types of cloth items. The room seemed used as additional storage for certain equipment that wasn’t suited for the other rooms or meant for personal use.
Making her way to the bathroom was much to be expected. Perfectly clean and without a single blemish. After its use Mevi had witnessed it automatically spraying a foamy substance that wiped away all imperfections, a very wasteful practice but Kalesi assured her the solution was easily made and recycled. Yet still, Mevi investigated every corner and crevice. She was beginning to realize how limited her skillset was in an environment that so perfectly maintained itself.
Finally Mevi made her way to the Charging Station. She hadn’t seen very much inside, as they were in a hurry when she was first introduced, but she remembered it being dark and dusty. Opening the door slowly Mevi was met with a dark and black interior, and even she could barely pierce the darkness. She had to turn on the hallway light just to peer properly inside and find a wall switch to activate an overhead light. The light struggled for a moment to come to life, but eventually illuminated the room inside. Most of the rooms were always kept at a dimness for ease of traversal, but this room seemed to have not been touched for a long time and so its light was strangely weak.
The interior of the strange room was covered in odd markings and peculiar symbols spreading across the walls. Lines of gold, amber, silver, bronze, and many other strange materials seemed to melt off the symbols and runes down the walls, and collected themselves in the middle of the room at a central pedestal. The pedestal was an obsidian black, and shone with a glassy texture as if it might very well be made of real obsidian. Atop the pedestal was a fist sized orb, a dark purple orb reminiscent of Murano’s gauntleted gem. Yet this device seemed flawed, or less refined. Instead of the clear crystal, it was opaque, and almost foggy inside. Several small cracks inside of the orb could be seen, even from the entryway of the room. The device seemed wholly flawed compared to the refined and perfect gemstone Murano displayed.
Mevi spent a few moments idling in the doorway, in awe of the strange aesthetic the room hosted. After her initial surprise of the strangeness of the room subsided, she set herself to clean. This room being the only one that seemed in need of a good dusting and cleaning her new goal was clear. Gathering some cloths and a bucket of water, Mevi set out to polish the metal surfaces and dust the room clean. As she began revealing one of the symbol’s surfaces to the light, and uncovering it from the dusty burial, Mevi could feel a pulse from the center of the room. Startled, she stood like a frightened doe with wide eyes at the pedestal. It made no effect to produce the same reaction, or to show it was activated in some way. After a few moments Mevi began to clean again, but was wary of the reaction.
A few more times the device would pulse, almost randomly, while Mevi cleaned the walls and polished the runes. Only after the seventh pulse did she understand what was happening. When she moved to clean one of the strange symbols carved into the walls, it reacted with the pulse. It almost seemed to slowly come back to life, the dark interior of the orb was clouded by fog and was slowly lightening. By the time she had fully cleaned the walls, the orb was holding a dull glow in its interior, producing a violet hue in the room. Mevi, for some reason, felt no worry towards this reaction but rather thought it good to reveal the orb to the air again. So she continued with her self-assigned duties.
Cleaning the floor, and using an elongated brush to reach the ceiling, Mevi cleaned every inch of the room. Only the pedestal and the orb itself remained untouched and blemished by dust. Carefully, Mevi began cleaning the pedestal from the bottom up. As she revealed its surface, small etched carvings of similar runes and symbols were becoming visible. As she carefully cleaned the surface, with a delicate hand, the pedestal’s carvings slowly began to glow as if lit aflame. An orange hue echoed from somewhere deep within the carvings, and the wisps of light reached out to greet those that viewed them. When she finished with the pedestal, it emanated the fiery glow of orange from the many hundreds of carvings faceted into the faces of the obsidian material.
The orb was all that remained. It was strange, Mevi could obviously see the strangeness of the situation and how these reactions could startle her but she continued diligently. For some reason she felt no fear towards the device, beyond the initial surprise. Almost as if she recognized it in some way, or that it felt familiar to her in a way she couldn’t explain to herself. The device seemed to react vibrantly as she approached the device, the purple glow having increased in potency enough to shine away the imperfections in the crystal. It was a small ball of light, contained strictly within the orb it was set in. This light reached out to her in an alien fashion, the streaking power within it almost bending in her direction as if anticipating her arrival. Mevi reached down and clasped her hand against the orb, and it engulfed the room in a prismatic display of color.
The room was suddenly engulfed in every color Mevi had ever seen, and many she could not possibly fathom. The realm she had brought back to life celebrated in reaction to her touch, the carvings against the wall and pedestal shook with excitement. Every facet of the relatively small room exploded in a bright show of color. As Mevi maintained her touch on the orb, the initial excitement slowed and began to eventually calm. The sheen settled in a calm swirling galactic show of stars and constellations. Twisting and winding around the room in a brilliant display of elegance of form. Mevi looked down at the orb, and saw it beginning to settle as well.
The room slowly calmed, the swirling stars retracted themselves back into their emitters, and the shining light slowly returned to its dull glow. The moment of freedom excited the spirits held within the light, but they eventually returned to their duties within their carvings and inside the orb. When the light settled, the orb had changed color completely. It was now a swirling silvery blue with a golden core. The Pedestal had shifted to a silvery hue as well, shining its new light brightly and with confidence. The runes and symbols against the walls now shone an array of blues, silver, and soft purples. After the amazing display had finished, and the room had settled in its evolution, Mevi recalled her purpose and finished polishing the orb. The orb was securely fastened to the pedestal, but still seemed as if it could be removed. Still Mevi polished the orb of dust. She thought to return later with more proper cleaning equipment, to give the room a better treatment than water and rags. She felt strangely endeared to the inanimate object and its small house.
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Mevi continued to diligently clean the Charging Station. After every visit, each time with a new cleaning solution or polish, the lights and color in the apartment seemed to get a degree brighter and more vibrant. The apartment itself seemed to be enjoying the attention. The devices Mevi operated, doors, lights, the synthesizer, and all seemed to run smooth and without error. Even the synthesizer seemed to operate almost automatically now, producing what she desired from it before she could impute the codes and terms. The vibrance and liveliness of the place had exploded in comparison to before, when it was mostly quiet and eerily empty.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
As she finished the cleaning, and had disposed of all her used devices and equipment, she stood proud in the hallway. As she did, a door slowly opened from further in the apartment, and Kalesi carefully walked out as if something was wrong. The tall and strong woman was slightly crouched as if expecting an ambush, and peered in Mevi’s direction. After the two noticed each other Kalesi’s demeanor shifted back to normal and she stood up fully in the hallway. Kalesi called out to Mevi as she looked around curiously, “Mevi. Did you adjust the lighting? Or clean? The space seems different, and the air seems fresh.”
Mevi was a little embarrassed to be almost caught in her ritual cleaning, “Oh! I did clean a bit. I also tidied the Charging Station, and that seemed to help fix up the apartment in some way.”
Kalesi reached the doorway of the Charging Station to look in, and seemed impressed, “So you did. I could never use this room so I mostly left it alone. Make sure you are careful here. With recent developments… Well I can explain that later.”
Mevi nodded and smiled at her mentor. They stood for a few moments, Kalesi seemed to be thinking about saying something, but preventing herself from speaking freely. Mevi waited patiently for her mentor to give her instructions of some kind. Eventually Kalesi spoke up again, gently placing a hand on Mevi’s shoulder, “I just received a message. Someone is coming to greet us, and we have a job offer if you would go with me.”
Mevi was curious who these people are, but was excited at the prospect of finally working with Kalesi, “Of course! I will go where you lead, I am eager to learn.”
Mevi’s reaction didn’t seem to be what Kalesi had hoped, but she gave a grim smile regardless. The two made their way back into the parlor and sat in the lounge. It was a while of silence, Mevi had been used to sitting in silence for a long time but she was becoming antsy. Kalesi seemed to be sleeping while sitting up, her legs crossed and eyes closed gently. Mevi decided to not bother her with her own boredom, and waited patiently while listening to the drum and hum muffled from outside.
After several hours passed a sudden loudness could be heard from outside, and at the clamor’s entrance Kalesi shot up startling Mevi. Kalesi motioned for Mevi to wait in the lounge as the loud barrage of sounds continued outside. Kalesi moved out of the pit and made her way to the balcony’s curtain, swinging the heavy curtains open, allowing the leakage of bright brilliance to penetrate the dimly lit apartment. Mevi had to shield her eyes from the brilliance as she had before, the sudden introduction of bright light causing her eyes to fog slightly with blips of bright spots.
As Mevi’s eyes cleared, on the balcony there was a strange vehicle. A sort of triangular box-like shape, some sort of ship with large devices meant for thrust on the four corners. The vehicle looked similar to a large storage container, simple in its base design with a triangular front. The sides were bare of insignia or markings, and it was colored a dull gray. As its thrusters calmed to a small red glow, the side parallel to the balcony entrance opened as it slid into the structure of the vehicle. Five figures exited from the vehicle, each wearing a dark gray hood that also used a cloth mask to cover most of their face.
Four of the figures bore heavy armor, styled in a tight way that showed carved muscles in the metal plates. They, oddly enough, wore long armored skirts of some kind, and every inch otherwise was covered in tight metallic sheen of armor. Their hands and legs seemed painted in metal or like their skin was made of metal, the ‘armor’ looked extremely tight against their body, but they moved as if unencumbered. The fifth figure wore a gray toga with a stripe of red hanging across their shoulders. This figure also wore a long hood with face bandages, their arms and legs showing past the heavy cloth, yet their skin wasn’t metallic but rather a shade of dark gray similar to their own clothes.
Kalesi opened the balcony door, the five figures waiting patiently. As she did so the figures moved to flank the cloth-wrapped individual as it entered. Two armored figures remained on the balcony, while two others entered behind the figure that seemed of some importance. One continued following the main figure, while the remaining guard moved to block the hallway to the device that was the only other entrance or exit.
Kalesi bowed slightly, and gestured to the lounge pit, and all three of them descended as Mevi watched with growing worry. Kalesi sat next to her pupil, and the important figure sat down while their guardian stood diligently beside the couch they chose. The air was tense and Kalesi looked on edge, her left hand flinching towards her gauntlet at the smallest sound. After a few moments the vehicle activated its thrusters and departed, after doing so the two guards outside moved to the interior and closed the balcony door behind them. The strange meeting had been set, and both parties remained silent.
After several moments of silence, and shifting in their seat, the clothed figure seemed comfortable. Positioning their hands across their lap, and sitting with their legs slightly to the side in a feminine way, they spoke with a stern and annoyed feminine tone, “I am glad to finally meet you. The one to cause such a stir.” Kalesi became defensive, and the gray woman’s gaze was directed at Mevi. The gray woman spoke up again, directing their attention to Kalesi, “I will be blunt. I come bearing a gift for your pupil, and a task we request the both of you complete. You will take the gift regardless of if you comply with our request.”
Kalesi seemed hesitant but spoke, “We thank you for the gift, may we know more about the task?”
The woman continued as if Kalesi hadn’t even spoken, “My name is inconsequential so do not attempt to ask me of it. We work for our lord Tukas Korius, Lord Councilor and Master of Artificers. We wish for your pupil to use the gift we have provided, and for the best results we have found a region of scum that must be eradicated from our territory.”
Kalesi seemed to wait for a few moments, neither Kalesi or Mevi were sure if the woman wanted a response, but Kalesi spoke after a few moments, “What is the device you are giving us?”
The gray emissary spoke again, “We have created a new type of Maige. Your pupil is in need of said device anyway, so we will give it to you. You needn’t ask how we know this, it is not important. Regardless of if you use it or not, or if you submit to our request, is not important. My Lord’s message has been given, and the details of your task will be sent later.”
Kalesi interjected as the woman started to rise from the seat as if to leave, “I must ask, how will either of us know to use the device or if it is safe? She hasn’t even received instruction from the Magicae.”
The woman spoke but still made her way out of the lounge with her guard following, “And she will not receive instruction, as things stand now. This is your only chance. The Maige we have created is a new model that will respond directly to the user without the need of an implant. So there is little danger involved with it. The rest is reliant on intuition. I must take my leave now, as other business requires me.”
Kalesi seemed defeated. The gray emissary of a new Magi deflected any reasonable question or attempt to understand. Kalesi began clenching her fist tightly, and looked after the woman’s steps with frustration. The gray woman exited with her retinue onto the balcony, and their transport returned to collect them. The wind blew inside from the powerful thrusters as the door to the balcony was left open. Kalesi’s hair billowed giving the illusion of a furious wildfire, and the emotion in her eyes could match the image the wind conjured.
After several quick moments the transport left with its collected crew. Kalesi went to close the door, and after doing so sat down with her back against the glass. Mevi collected herself from the lounge and sat next to her mentor, not having the words to comfort or help. The two sat in silence for several minutes, Kalesi contemplating something with her eyes closed while Mevi sat still confused from the interaction. The demanding attitude of the Magi and their representatives seemed to cause no end of trouble for Kalesi, and by extension Mevi. Mevi wondered what they would do, or if they would take the task offered to them.
After several minutes of sitting against the balcony window, Kalesi got up and helped Mevi to her feet. The two closed the curtains to resume the dimness of the apartment and hide from the searing light that constantly attempted to penetrate their domain. As they collected themselves, Kalesi let out a deep sigh. Almost immediately after a sound from the end of the hall that held the building transport device. The door leading into the box, that could transport them around the building, opened. Inside there was a small metallic container.
Both Kalesi and Mevi approached, and Kalesi retrieved the container carefully. The two brought the small box to the lounge, and Kalesi didn’t hesitate to open it. Within was a velvet lined interior, sitting on the soft velvet cushions was an elegant necklace along with two blue gloves. Set within the centerpiece of the necklace was a pure white gem, and a matching gem was set on the backside of the gloves rather than within the palm like Murano’s. The necklace was a simple silvery cord, with the central gem being only a few centimeters in diameter, held within a silvery setting.
Kalesi looked down carefully at the three devices, almost like she was hoping there would be more. Then she suddenly looked up, as she sometimes does when receiving a message or notification. Kalesi looked conflicted after the information she was receiving was analyzed. She then took out the devices and inspected them, in and out thoroughly. She was searching for something, and Mevi patiently waited for her mentor to decide what they were doing. Kalesi eventually gave up on her investigation and set them back down, then looked to Mevi to speak, “Well… The request has come in from the office of Lord Tukas Korius. So the representative spoke true. There has been an infestation of an affliction called Rust… I am conflicted about taking you with me, especially without any sort of proper training. Yet the details state that we won’t be alone, several other Socialites and their pupils will be assisting in the operation. In addition to the Lord Councilor’s own warriors…”
Kalesi seemed tired, as she so often does recently, and Mevi moved to reassure her, “Kalesi, I will do whatever you think is best. If we should test my abilities, with whatever these devices are, maybe it would allow me to learn how to harness what power you think I have. If there are others there with us, we could probably escape if needed.”
Kalesi smiled at the retort of her pupil, “You are right, if needed we can escape. And I will ensure our safety. The affliction is not difficult to deal with, it seems that it has simply spread farther than expected… Well it would be a good enough introduction to our work as any. So I think you may be right.”
Mevi smiled, and Kalesi returned the gesture with some effort. Kalesi decided that they should rest and recuperate before leaving. That night they had a grand feast, and Mevi even watched Kalesi’s methods to create their food. She had some way with the synthesizer that let her create mostly solid food in certain shapes and quantities that she could then prepare in different ways. The both of them eventually calmed down and enjoyed an illusion of what could be considered a ‘normal’ day’s end.
They both returned to their bedrooms early, Mevi taking the metallic case with her into her own room. Deciding to leave the investigation of the devices to another day. Gathering her small stuffed mouse, and blanket, she positioned herself in bed and quickly fell asleep. By her own volition this time, rather than exhaustion or some spell. It felt strange, and nice, to sleep in such a luxurious room. Every time she recalled that it was ‘her’ room Mevi grinned to herself. Many troubles and issues lay around her but she realized that she was still happier here than where she came from. She hoped to spread her confidence and optimism to Kalesi soon, and that the two could work on jobs together without end.
Mevi was eventually stolen away by her dreams, and the comfort of her bed. Falling into a deep sleep, and within her dreams anticipating the strange new world she would explore with Kalesi upon awakening.