Chapter 16

~<(0)>~

Ophelia was sitting in an antechamber, doing the mental equivalent of hyperventilating. The guard had escorted her to the entrance of a great fortress and explained to the guards there what was going on, and she’d been further escorted into the structure itself. It was within the antechamber, about as alone as she could get, in spite of the guards watching her, that the realization settled that she was going to be talking to someone quite important indeed.

“{You don’t need to panic. We can just switch over again. I know what I need to be asking for anyways.}” came the calm reassurances of Lyrei.

“(Are you sure it’ll be alright? We’re being watched, what if something goes wrong? I don’t want to give away what we are.)”

“{We’ve tried this multiple times without apparent issue. If something went wrong now, there would be more issues than simply giving away what we are. And even if there is a minor problem, I imagine most of the dwarves here have never personally interacted with an elf, considering the welcome we got. They are more likely to think it’s just some spell or bizarre quirk of being an elf. The fact that I imagine the Empire hasn’t spread the knowledge that they’re searching for us helps too.}”

“(You think they’re still searching for us?)” even as she asked the question, Ophelia sounded unsure.

“{I guarantee it. I lived as gilded cog within the machine that is the Empire for a long time; I know how it, and more importantly, how Almar Veiedon acts. Whether they think it’s actually me or if they are simply worried about a ‘dangerous slime’, they aren’t going to stop looking. Keeping the amount of thaumic energy we’re holding outside of your core to a miniscule fraction of your whole seems to be helping, as we just look like a normal person thaumically. There are certainly more advanced ways to tell that we aren’t an elf, such as with medical spells or even just by injuring us, but nothing that can be done from such a range as they’re looking.}”

“(I guess that makes sense. Alright, I’ll do the switch. Hold on and be ready to take control.)”

~<(0)>~

Lyrei took control with barely a shift in her movement from where she was sitting. “{All good in there, Ophelia?}”

“(Everything feels fine and normal. Or at least as normal as it is to be floating in my body while not being in control of it.)”

“{Good to hear.}” Lyrei looked around the room, at the guards and the doors. Unlike much of the other architecture in the city, the main path to what she presumed was the throne room and this antechamber was far larger. It made sense, considering aside from elves, the other races seemed more or less welcome. The city was called Val Dalrihm, which meant ‘Bounty of the depths’ in the dwarven tongue, at least according to the translation spell. Lyrei brought up the matrix with a thought, realizing it would have dropped on the transition of control. Not that there was anything to listen to. The guards were silently watching her with an air of distrust she could feel. “{It was fortuitous we ran into those dwarves in the mines. I just hope this good fortune doesn’t somehow turn on us. Time will tell I suppose.}”

“(I know what the Elven Empire did when they went to war, but that was over a thousand years ago, right? Has the Empire done more to cause issues with the rest of the world since then?)”

“{The Elven Empire has done a great many things over the years that other nations and races can hold against them. A large portion of it is well deserved, but I’ll share with you the memories of those in the future. They’d take too long to go through now. Or at least, I certainly Hope they’d take too long to go through just now.}”

As if on cue, the doors at the other end of the antechamber opened up and a dwarven official called for Lyrei to come in. She did so, entering into the throne room and following the guard. The guards flanking the walkway lowered their spears in front of her path, even as the official she’d been following made his way up to the side of the king.

“I see you have no respect for royalty. Perhaps not surprising considering what you are. Kneel before I order my guards to make you kneel.” The king spoke in the tone she was used to hearing from Almar, though unlike with Almar she obeyed without question.

“My Apologies, your Majesty, I have simply had no experience dealing with your customs.” She hoped she hadn’t already screwed things up.

“That much is quite clear. You are the first elf in Val Dalrihm in hundreds of years. I believe your Empire sent negotiators some time ago, though like much of the treaty, that has been forgotten by now. That is all far before my time.” He grunted and changed the topic, “Tell me, what are you doing here? My advisors want me to treat you as a spy and execute you. However, you did save the lives of three of my citizens, which is not something I’m going to overlook. As such, you have bought some of my time and attention. Prove to me that you are not a spy.”

“I’m not affiliated with the Elven Empire. If anything, I’ve been exiled from it, and am simply a traveller. On top of that, I have news that the Chimeric Abomination, which spawned from your mining machine and caused the collapse, has been disabled. Should you wish to collect the remains, I’d simply recommend following the swath of destruction. It is in the possession of the human settlement there, should you wish to purchase it back.”

“Hmmm, an unaffiliated traveller? What could the despicable Empire have possibly found you unsuitable for? Despite your race, I admit that I am tempted to accept your story right off the bat if the Empire exiled you. To more important matters though, you are telling me you found our Wyrm? I have heard the name ‘Chimeric Abomination’ once or twice in my rule, but I was unaware we had one so close to our city. You say it took over our Wyrm?”

“Not exactly, but close enough. Chimeric Abominations are still somewhat understood, and this is the first I’ve ever been able to track down to the source. That’s what led me here. In fact…” she summoned her pack from within Ophelia’s core and opened it, drawing from within one of the chunks of crystal that had been part of the thaumic battery that had powered the mining machine. “This is one of the pieces of the battery. It was destroyed, shattered, but anyone with the right equipment and expertise should be able to compare it to the signature the original battery would have had.” The official came forth and took the large chunk of softly glowing crystal up to the king. The king looked over it and gave some hushed instructions to the official, who left the throne room.

“We shall see if what you say is true. In the meantime, I will ask you again, for what reason were you exiled from the Empire?”

Lyrei could tell this wasn’t a casual question and was something he expected a satisfactory answer for. What could she say? The truth, while an accurate account of what happened, was both rather unbelievable and would also reveal information she wasn’t ready to share. Perhaps a modification of the truth would work. “I am Lyrei Araphine, mage and researcher, formerly for the Elven Empire. However, I have run into ethical and personal issues with the Empire. As such, it was made abundantly clear that I am no longer welcome within the borders of the Empire.” Her breath quickened, Lyrei falling into an icy coolness she had used previously, “In fact, your Majesty, I am disgusted at the actions of the Empire, especially in their lack of action in dealing with a Chimeric Abomination, simply because it was on the land of a human nation, at the potential cost of human lives. They allowed it to become a potential threat to the world at large. Were it not for my actions, it would have continued to gain power until it became unstoppable, and such inaction is not something I can stand behind.”

The king studied her thoughtfully. “I had heard of Elves being unaffiliated with the Empire before and dismissed it without a second thought. Lyrei… that name sounds familiar.”

“Respectfully, your Majesty, you may have read about me the same place you read about the Chimeric Abominations. Several Dwarven kingdoms assisted in the destruction of the first recorded Chimeric Abomination in the north, and many dwarves valiantly gave their lives to help put an end to it. I participated in the attack against the Chimeric Abomination then and the two since then.”

The king looked at her critically, eyes still full of thought. “I ought to have you killed for such preposterous lies. However, unless these” he tapped a pair of spectacles he was wearing, “are broken, what you are telling me is the truth. Not the full truth… but it will suffice. Why did you come here? From what it sounds like, you came simply to investigate the magma caverns. Yet you saved dwarves and came to my city.”

Finally. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to get to this point but was thankful she had been. “My investigations into the formation of the Chimeric Abomination led me to the magma caverns, but I was unfortunately unable to properly investigate the possible cause due to a lack of equipment. I was hoping I’d be able to come and purchase a set of thaumic scanning and analysis equipment, as I unfortunately wasn’t able to take mine with me when I left the Empire.”

The king laughed at that, “Is that all? We can be rid of you simply by letting you buy something? That is incredibly convenient, but I’m afraid I’ll have to turn you down.” Lyrei was about to protest but the king raised his hand to stop her, his expression firming again, “I will make sure you get what you came here for, but in exchange, you will need to do something for me and my kingdom. Your actions thus far may have gained my gratitude, but that only goes so far. I need you to take someone from Val Dalrihm to one of the more major human cities in the bordering human kingdom. If you do this, I will make sure you get the equipment you need.”

“Just… transporting someone? I can do that for you, your Majesty. My apologies, but would I be able to get the equipment before taking this person to their destination? I was hoping to be able to finish my investigation before leaving the area. It would help to make sure that a Chimeric Abomination doesn’t spawn there again.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, just a really stretched out truth.

His eyes narrowed at her as he thought, “Hmmmph. Unfortunately, even so, I can’t let anyone through the main mine passage as it will take weeks to clear the rubble. Even if I’m willing to accept that you aren’t part of the Empire, I’m not willing to have an elf in my city for longer than absolutely necessary.”

“I understand your Majesty. However, I am capable of making my own way past the rubble. I could perform my checks and be done in an hour or two. If you wish, I could take someone with me to make sure I’m not simply running away.” She wasn’t completely comfortable with the idea of showing a dwarf the Leyline Reservoir, but it wasn’t as though it was strictly a secret. It was just important to the wellbeing of the world at large.

“There will be no need for that. If you will take the person I need you to transport with you, it doesn’t matter if you come back or not. If you do return I will simply have you escorted to the city gates and have you given the supplies you need to make the journey.”

Lyrei nodded, “Thank you Your Majesty, I will take your deal.”

The official came back into the throne room and went to the king, speaking to him softly. The king looked mildly surprised and then straightened up, “I have just received confirmation of crystal you brought me. I never thought I’d be thanking an elf but, thank you. I will make sure a team is dispatched to acquire any important pieces of the Wyrm that survived the process. Rest assured that, unlike the Empire, we will deal fairly with one of our allied nations.” He stood up and walked down the steps of the throne. “Onto other matters. The person you will be transporting is a human woman, a self-proclaimed alchemist, who has caused some level of trouble within my Kingdom. Frankly, I do not care if she reaches one of the human cities at all or alive, but it’s a show of good faith that I must send her towards one of the cities. What happens once she is in your care is not my responsibility. You understand that I am not asking you to kill her, I simply want her out of my city.”

“I understand, your Majesty, I will do as you require.” Answered Lyrei, looking down still.

“You may stand.” He turned to the official who was back by his throne, “go to my court mages and bring me one of their thaumic scanning devices.” He then spoke to one of the guards, “Bring me the prisoner.”

~<(0)>~

Lyrei looked to the black haired human woman the guards had brought to her after they had escorted her to the entrance of the great dwarven mine. One of the guards unlocked her manacles and she rubbed her wrists, wincing softly. The woman looked at the guard and complained, “Hey, where’s my stuff?”

“Your equipment will be returned to you at the entrance, king’s orders. If you want it, be sure to convince the elf to come back and get it for you.” Replied the dwarf gruffly.

Lyrei went back to looking over the scanner she’d been given. It was incredibly well made, to an even higher standard than her old one had been, and quite heavier and denser, likely due to the metal that was obvious on the casing. It was clearly newer than the one she had possessed previously but was most importantly functional to the standards she needed it to be. “If you’re done complaining, let’s get going.”

The woman looked up sharply, clearly seeing Lyrei properly for the first time. She seemed surprised at her appearance for a moment, before sidling closer, “Where are we going? The guards aren’t much fun to talk to. I don’t think they like me very much.”

Lyrei walked into the mine that had once again been opened for her, glancing back briefly to make sure the woman was following. “I can’t imagine why. You’re quite talkative.”

The woman, sensing her sarcasm, snapped her mouth shut. “Yeah, I get it,” she said after a bit. “I talk too much. My name is Tyvana Mizune, and I suppose you’re accompanying me to… somewhere. I wasn’t really told what’s going on.”

Lyrei sighed softly, “I’ll be taking you to a human city in a neighbouring country. That, however, will come after this. Right now, I need to go beyond the end of this shaft and analyse an anomaly, and you have to come with me. They don’t really seem to care what happens to you, as long as it isn’t in their city, and you are no longer their responsibility.”

The blockage realized itself ahead of them, basically untouched from where they had tunnelled through it. Lyrei glanced back at the entrance far behind, barely able to see it. She figured this would have to be good enough. “Alright, Miss Tyvana, don’t move from where you are standing unless you wish for a most painful death.”

Tyvana looked startled, but didn’t move, “Hey now, I don’t respond very well to threats. We can be civil here, I’ll talk less.”

In a flash, both appeared in the magma caverns just in front of the blockage. Lyrei cast the temperature regulation spell on both herself and Tyvana, “I apologize. That was not a threat, but a warning. Perhaps I should have made that clearer. Are you okay?”

Tyvana was somewhat shaken, looking around the magma caverns, clearly appreciating that she was no longer feeling the searing heat she had so briefly felt. “I’m… shaken but fine. You don’t intend to kill me out here, right?”

“I don’t intend to kill you whatsoever. That said, I won’t necessarily be able to stop you from falling into magma, so please be careful if close to the edge. I said what I mean. There is something in here, or more accurately, beyond here, that I intend to properly investigate, and you coming along is simply the deal I had to make to get the equipment early.”

“Oh, okay.” Tyvana looked thoughtful, then opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something more, before closing it again, apparently having changed her mind.

The trip across the magma cavern was uneventful, and eventually they ended up at the patch of cavern wall that Lyrei had traced the influx to earlier. Lyrei turned to Tyvana, “I’m going to teleport us again, so please stay still.” Tyvana responded with a quick salute, and after a few moments of coordinate calibration the pair appeared in the Leyline Reservoir. Lyrei started fiddling with her scanner, adjusting the ranges she was looking at and taking readings. Tyvana started to poke around the cavern, creeping over to the glowing pool of gelid thaumic energy. Lyrei looked up and warned, “be careful around the edge. I’m not entirely sure what concentrated thaumic energy will do to humans, but I can’t imagine drowning in it would be a pleasant experience.”

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Tyvana backed away a bit but continued to observe the fluid in the pool, “Do you think I could get a bottle of this stuff?”

Lyrei looked up from the readings she was taking, “If you had a bottle, probably. I imagine it would evaporate quickly though, unless you had it warded properly.”

Tyvana’s face fell, “Ah, I’m sure I have something that would work in my equipment, but that isn’t here. I don’t suppose you could-“

“No, I don’t have any thaumically warded class bottles, vials, or jars, or anything of the sort. That said, once I’ve finished escorting you, I’m sure I could be convinced to direct you to another such reservoir so you can gather a sample or… whatever it is that you intend to do with it.” She kept her eyes on the thaumic analyser, making mental notes and calculations as she went.

“Do you… mind if I ask what you’re doing? I don’t really want to bother you, and I can be quiet if you want. I’m just curious… this place looks familiar for some reason.”

“This is a Leyline reservoir, meant to handle irregularities in the leyline network’s energy flow by being a buffer. It- I’m sorry, that probably makes no sense to you, does it?”

Tyvana shook her head, “Not all of it makes sense, but I understand the idea to some degree. Is something wrong with it, or are you just checking it or… performing maintenance?”

“Well…” started Lyrei, “I’m unsure as to how long you’ve been here, or what you may or may not have heard, but something big spawned in the magma caverns adjacent to the reservoir. A Chimeric Abomination if the name means anything to you, though I wouldn’t expect it to mean much to a human. The Reservoir is shedding thaumic energy into the magma cavern, which should be fine, but I’m trying to figure out if it has anything to do with the Chimeric Abomination spawning here. Chimeric Abominations are thaumic entities that seem to subsist off of thaumic energy and tend to contain a considerable amount inside their form which is why I assume the energy leakage from the reservoir had something to do with it spawning here.”

“Have you found anything specific?”

“Unfortunately, nothing conclusive yet. I’d like to compare the readings here to some other reservoirs if given the chance, just to check if anything stands out here specifically.” She shakes her head slowly, “Regardless, I think I’m done here. If you would come over here, I’ll take us back to the magma caverns.”

~<(0)>~

The trip through the magma caverns was uneventful, as was the teleportation and trip through the central mine shaft. The guards at the door did little to hide their feelings about seeing the pair again, but escorted them throughout the city nonetheless. It was night time and the city was mostly quiet, with few but the guards being active. Even the forges lay silently dormant, the glow of their fires being the only sign they were alive at all.

The gates were probably quite impressive from the outside, though it was hard to tell from the inside of the city. Tyvana’s equipment was brought over, consisting mainly of a large pack with various bottles arranged all over it filled with multicoloured fluids and powders. They were led just outside the gates and told in no uncertain terms that they were no longer welcome within Val Dalrihm, and to please leave and never come back.

Tyvana seemed rather happy for someone who had just gotten wholesale banned from an entire city, turning and walking backwards, waving at the guards and chatting, mainly to herself, about how grand the city gates looked from the outside. Lyrei mostly tuned her out, mentally complaining to Ophelia, who found her mother’s current predicament rather amusing.

A few hours down the road, Lyrei called for a stop for the rest of the night. Despite still, presumably, being human, Tyvana didn’t seem to be tired at all, still full of energy as though she’d just woken up. She didn’t complain about setting up the camp, however, and soon the tent was pitched, and a fire was lit in a cleared space on the ground. Tyvana it turned out, didn’t have much in the way of proper traveling supplies, and so Lyrei shared some of what she had. It wasn’t as though she needed it herself, though she still ate to keep up the appearance.

“You seemed rather interested in the Reservoir earlier.” Lyrei began, looking across the flickering flames at her temporary traveling companion.

Tyvana quickly took up the line of conversation, “Oh, yes. It seemed really familiar, though I can’t quite put my finger on why. You personally seem to be quite invested in it too. I mean, big scary monster is a pretty good reason to be interested in it, I suppose.”

“The Leyline Network hasn’t been my responsibility for over a thousand years, but present changes have necessitated my personal involvement.” Lyrei gestured vaguely into the air. It was time to get to the point. “I had mentioned I’d perhaps be willing to direct you to another such reservoir so you could collect some of the gelid thaumic energy. I was thinking however, of changing that offer. This road takes us relatively close to one of the Leyline Node and reservoir sites, and we could take a detour to it.”

“Is that an offer or asking if I’m okay with making a detour? I’m definitely fine with it either way. Maybe I can figure out why it feels so familiar then.” Tyvana smiled in that stupidly enthusiastic way she seemed to use far too often. “So, this would be a tomorrow thing, I assume?”

“Yes, tomorrow. We’ll be staying here for the night, at least until dawn.”

“Cool, Do you want me to take first watch?” asked the alchemist, looking at Lyrei with interest.

“No,” responded the elf apparent, “There’s no need for watches. I can use a spell to sustain myself for the rest of the night.” A minor lie, but what did it matter? “You can sleep as much as you need.” She looked up at the sky, gauging the moon as it hung high above, “I imagine we still have a few hours before dawn.”

Tyvana gave a thumbs up and went into her tent to sleep.

~<(0)>~

The sun was just cresting over the mountain range to the east and Lyrei and Tyvana were on the road again. Tyvana, boundless supply of energy she seemed to possess, woke up easily and helped pack up the campsite, making the morning a breeze. Lyrei found her exuberant personality quite annoying, but she had to admit the woman was growing on her a bit. She had a sort of abrasive charisma that rubbed like sandpaper and talked you up the whole time she was doing it.

On the flip side of things though, anything Tyvana did she did VERY well, with practiced ease. As such, they’d gotten moving quite quickly and were currently making good progress. Lyrei hadn’t been to any of the various network points in a long time. It was incredible how much changed over a thousand years, and inversely what stayed the same, or at least close enough to the same, that it was still recognizable. It didn’t matter how long it had been though; The landscape may have changed, plants and erosion shifting the surface feel of the land, but Lyrei could still recognize the location of the leyline node. While reservoirs were frequently stored in deep places that were difficult to access, they required very little maintenance over the long term. Nodes on the other hand, were far more integral to the system, and if something went wrong with them the network could suffer catastrophic damage, not to mention damage that could be done to the environment near a problem.

The structure was hardly visible amidst the various vines and other structures that had completely overgrown it. Lyrei wouldn’t have been able to find it if she didn’t know exactly what she was looking for. “Tsk, it seems the Leyline Management team really let their job slide, worthless elves.”

Tyvana looked up at Lyrei, “Is it who is supposed to be responsible for these nodes and reservoirs?”

Lyrei pulled out her machete, hacking at the plants growth that had completely overgrown what quickly turned out to be the entrance. “I turned over responsibility of the Leyline network to a group of elves who I personally trained and assured myself would be able to manage things appropriately. I’m unsure whether it is due to the changing of the guard, or perhaps they simply became incompetent over the centuries, but this is simply unacceptable.” She was finally able to push into the structure properly, cutting down stray roots and vines.

Tyvana followed, ducking into the structure, looking around curiously. “You talk as though you personally managed the network previously.”

Lyrei brushed various plant detritus off of some thaumic machinery, dumping everything to the floor. “That isn’t inaccurate. I was the sole caretaker of the Leyline Network for a thousand years. There were others that helped with it, but none after the project was activated. I left my personal notebook detailing the global map, as well as instructions and protocols for management of the network.” She pushed a bit of magic into the thaumic equipment, and the device powered up. She tapped several runes and circles on the slanted face, and a spell circle activated on the floor.

Tyvana stepped back, off of the circle, and there was a pulse of magic, revealing a staircase leading into the ground below the floor. “Woah, I’d have never guessed there was a passageway under there.”

“These sites are designed with that in mind.” She started walking down the stairs into the curving passageway. “The Leyline network is quite robust, as we can see by the fact it is clearly still functioning this long, being completely unmaintained. That said, those with ill intentions could cause issues with the nodes, which is why each of these sites is protected in various ways.” A thought occurred to her, “I’m honestly not sure why I’m revealing all of this to you, as this is an important system to the state of our world.”

“Ah, I’m sorry about that. It’s part of an innate ability of mine.”

“I thought humans didn’t possess those kinds of abilities.”

“We don’t. I’m an alchemist and… I’ve done a lot of experimentation with various techniques, elixirs, potions, and the like. As a result of one such experiment, I’m more or less permanently imbued with an insatiable charisma. It doesn’t work on everyone, and those that it doesn’t work on find me downright unbearable. Beyond that, it has a sort of… mild compulsion that comes with it. I just feel the need to talk a lot, to make conversation… to flirt and seduce.” Tyvana had the decency to look a bit embarrassed at that when Lyrei looked back at her, eyebrow raised.

“I think I’m starting to see why you ran into trouble in the dwarven kingdom.” Responded Lyrei drolly. “I think it’s working on me, although I don’t feel any compulsion to obey, so I don’t think it’s messing with my mind or anything like that. And I certainly don’t feel the desire to sleep with you.”

“Ah, heh. To be honest, that’s probably for the best. You said you don’t have any intentions to kill me, and I’d like to keep it that way. You seem like the type of person who would kill me for taking advantage of you. Believe me though, I have no ill intentions. I’m just an alchemist trying to increase her knowledge of the world around her.”

The pair moved into a cavern that widened out considerably compared to the somewhat cramped tunnel. “That’s good to hear,” responded Lyrei, “because if you were to mess with the stabilization runework you would, at best, have the rift collapse, and at worse have it spread. Speaking of the rift, don’t approach it, it’s a naked hole in the Veil directly to the Ethereal plane and the energy would tear you apart on an atomic level if you fell into it.”

The rift in question hovered in the middle of the room, surrounded by a multilayered spell circle that seemed to pulse in time with the rift itself. “This is fascinating. And you say you have these all over the world?”

“It’s an entire system of nodes tied together via directed leylines and buffer reservoirs. It’s all fed and self-stabilized by the energy drawn from the nodes themselves. The network sustains itself. The only major maintenance is making sure reservoirs don’t get filled up and the occasional… once every few centuries check to make sure the spell circles are holding up properly. It’s an incredibly complicated system, designed to bring thaumic energy in abundance to a world that formerly lacked it.” Lyrei couldn’t help but let a bit of pride slip into her voice. She had helped build the network after all.

“A global, artificially triggered leyline system…” Tyvana looked at Lyrei with eyes filled with sheer wonder and admiration, “This… this is nothing short of awe inspiring. I had no idea that thi- the world had been so radically altered.”

Lyrei shook her head gently, rolling her eyes a bit. “It is no small wonder that a human would be impressed by the design of an elf. That said, your words are accurate, and this is likely the greatest project this world has ever seen, one that is still functioning well within parameters three thousand years later.” She pointed towards a passageway leading elsewhere in the cavern, “The Reservoir is down there. Feel free to take what you like from it. I doubt that you’d be able to take enough bottles to cause issues.”

Tyvana took the bite to her species in stride, laughing in response, “Thank you. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure not to fall in.” she started off towards the reservoir, leaving Lyrei to herself for the moment.

“(I like her.)” spoke Ophelia suddenly.

“{Hmmm, you would, wouldn’t you? I suppose she seems nice enough. She has an obnoxious way of prying information out of me though. And I’m almost certain there is much more to that damned woman than she is letting on.}”

“(Is that not also true for us? Besides, what if she is? Is the Saturation project really so secretive you don’t want to share it with someone who seems so enthusiastic and receptive to learning about it?)”

“{I just worry that something might happen to the Network. The world has gotten so used to the thaumic energy from the network, that it would cause literal world changing effects if it were to vanish. Not that it would all disappear overnight if the Network were to suddenly cease to exist. Not that it matters though, the Leyline Network was never designed to be shut down. The entire system is stable because there are hundreds of different parts all stabilizing each other.}”

“(It sounds like you don’t really need to worry then. I suppose since the Leyline Management team isn’t checking on the network though, you’ll have to fix any issues yourself.)”

“{I’ll admit, that is part of what I’m presently worried about. The Leyline Network relies on itself to be stable. Certain changes can be spread through the network by the simple fact that everything is shared between every node and reservoir. If something is affecting one part of the network, it will likely affect every part of the network eventually.}”

“(Do you think that is what happened with the Chimeric Abomination?)”

“{Heh, quite perceptive. I still don’t have anything conclusive. I’d like to check more leyline points and gather more data before forming any sort of true hypothesis. And also, now that I have the scanner, I’d like to take a closer look at the thaumic battery fragments I pulled out of the mining machine that was part of the Chimeric Abomination. Later though, when we have finished traveling with Tyvana. Even if she may not be intentionally drawing information out of me, I’d prefer to not share too much regardless.}”

“I hope you haven’t been having too much fun without me!” Tyvana shouted as she entered the room, waving enthusiastically at the elf apparent. “I got what I wanted.” She patted a pouch at her side which clinked slightly. “Thank you.”

“You hardly have anything to thank me for. I’m just about finished up here, so we can move on soon.” Lyrei took a few more measurements on the scanner and then packed it away.

“Good to hear. I’ll admit, I’ll be glad to get out into the sunlight and fresh air again. Been stuck underground too much recently.”

“That sounds like an entirely self-inflicted problem.” Replied Lyrei sarcastically, moving towards the staircase they had entered from. “Come on, let’s get moving.”

Tyvana shrugged, “Maybe it is. I end up in all sorts of places quite often. Places I don’t even mean to sometimes. Seems like the story of my life if I’m being honest. I just go with the flow of things, I suppose.”

“Do you not have a home?” asked Lyrei.

“Heh, getting right to the point.” The woman gave an odd, wistful smile. “I used to, once. A long time ago. I haven’t had one for a while though. I keep moving, my alchemy keeps me busy, and there is always more to learn.” She appeared to ponder over something for a bit, “Truth be told, I’m looking for something, or someone. I’m not sure I’ll find what I’m looking for at this point, but I can’t stop.”

“(That is one odd woman…)” murmured the slime inside Lyrei’s mind.

“{You’re telling me…}” responded Lyrei.

~<(0)>~

The journey proceeded rather smoothly, the sun creeping across the sky until it started to drift down towards the horizon. Tyvana had been oddly quiet, and Lyrei, content to keep the silence, hadn’t pushed the conversation at all, at least not outside her own head. The pair had set up camp again, prepping a fire and setting up the tent. They watched each other across the fire.

Tyvana was the one to break the silence. “I spent a lot of time thinking today. The Reservoir looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why. I’d certainly never been in that chamber before. It didn’t come to me right away when we visited the other location, with the node and the reservoir both. But on the road I really thought about it, especially with the timelines you told me, and I realized something.”

Lyrei, somewhat curious about what had managed to shut up her temporary travelling companion for the better part of a day, raised an eyebrow. “Do tell.”

“You looked, or rather do look, familiar. It took me so long to realize why, as it’s been a long time. I’m bad with hard dates… but it would have to have been at least two and a half thousand years.” Tyvana looked a bit thoughtful, as though clarifying things in her head.

“You are a madwoman. Humans only live the better part of a century, yet you claim to have seen me over two thousand years ago.”

Tyvana laughed in response. “Mad, yes, but truthful, nonetheless. I am quite skilled with alchemy and have multiple methods to extend my lifespan indefinitely. I know that you do not believe me, so I’ll prove it to you. I travel a lot, but more than just across this world. There are other worlds out there, universes separate to this one, that require crossing the Ethereal Plane to access. I came to this world long ago, and it was magicless, or very nearly so. Many worlds are like this, which is why I keep a stock of magically active ingredients, should I need them in a world I can’t resupply. I spent time in some town, the name is unimportant and lost to time, but I remember an elf, one who wanted to hire me. I would have refused, but she seemed so desperate, so I gave in. Her instructions were simple, to go into a nearby cave and… watch to make sure that some sort of magic spell completed properly. She gave me a date, months in the future, and promised that she’d repay me somehow. Up to this point I hadn’t seen so much as a scrap of magic in this world, so this intrigued me enough I actually stayed in this world long enough to follow through with her instructions. And do you know what happened on that day? In that darkened cave, with nothing but me and the carved circles on the floor, the room was filled with light and the Veil tore, a rift opening up and then the circles stabilized it. It was a matter of days before I realized that the elf likely wasn’t coming back to repay me, but honestly, I could feel the change in the air. It was as though I had witnessed the birth of a brand-new world, and that was payment enough for me.” She stood up and laughed again, “That elf was you. You may have had blonde hair back then, but I recognize you all the same. I didn’t realize this was the same world at first upon coming back here, but you sparked my memories of the Leyline Network. Your world is the first artificially awakened world I’ve seen, and the fact that you did it basically all by yourself-“

“I’m going to stop you there, madwoman.” Lyrei cut Tyvana off sharply, “I may have worked on the Saturation Project, but I had an entire team of elves working with me. And besides, why would I have stooped to hire a human of all people to handle such a delicate matter such as this?”

“I’ll have to disagree with that. You showed me your notes, all designs you personally had come up with for a massive project you were working on in secret. You didn’t have money to pay me in advance, and yet you still managed to convince me to help you. But even if you believe nothing else, I promise you that I watched the final node of your Leyline Network, of the Saturation Project, flare to life. And I suppose in the end you did get me out of that Dwarven City, so I suppose it took a couple millennia but you ended up paying me back at some point. You also let me take some of that condensed magic, which I also appreciate. I suppose that means we’re even.” Tyvana started to walk away from the circle of light cast by the fire.

“Where are you going?” asked Lyrei, bewildered and quite confused.

“This is enough, isn’t it? Surely you don’t have to take me all the way to the nearest human city, it’ll just be a waste of both of our time, and I know at least you have the Leyline Network you need to investigate more. The Dwarves have plausible deniability now, we’re far enough away from them. I think it’s time that I took my leave.”

“What are you talking about? What do you mean leave? Do you just intend to make the rest of the journey yourself?” Lyrei was quite lost.

Tyvana turned back and laughed, smiling her bright, stupidly infectious smile. “Oh Ophelia, I told you. I have my ways to bridge the gap between worlds, and I’ve decided my time in this world is done, at least for now. I do think the pink hair suits you now though. I hope you figure out whatever the issue is. Maybe we’ll meet again in the future.” With that, she walked out of the firelight and into the dark of the forest.

Lyrei sat stunned, mind trying to comprehend what had just happened. Ophelia was the one to break the silence, “(Did she just say my name?)”