I took a moment with everyone to confirm what we’d just learned. Now that Darshanna had pointed it out, I could feel the effects on the local mana flows. Even my magical effects were a little wobbly, the mana crashing forward then rushing away like storm surge waves on a beach.

I called up the Dragon of the Tower, to speak with her. She erupted from the æther coiled around me, and appeared to sniff at the air.

“Why have you called me to this place, Child of Æther? The currents here are poisoned, and I cannot give you guidance towards the next Key.” She spoke with a voice that was rumbling and yet warm and oddly comforting. The words however…

“Ah… I’d like to ask more about that Key you just mentioned, but I did actually call you to ask if you could help shield us from the turbulent streams of mana?”

She tilted her head to the side in curiosity. “You do not know of the Keys to the Vault? How interesting. And regrettable. My vows prevent me from telling you much about them, the security constraints are extremely stringent. But as to your second request…” she shifted her nose one way, then another, flicking out a tongue like a snake might. “Yes. I think I can help, at least a little. I will not be able to aid you in battle though while I do so.”

A shimmering silver glow spread out from her, then faded into nothingness. I felt the swirling currents of the local mana stop shoving me quite as hard. It was still turbulent, but more like rocking on a boat, than being pummeled by storm tossed whitecaps.

Darshanna gave an exclamation as Tower’s glow faded away. “Oh wow! Your… uh… friend, I guess? Nevermind! Look at the golem core!” She held it out and pointed.

I looked over and frowned, then shook my head. “I’m afraid I still don’t understand. It’s less colorful?”

She sighed, and looked like she was about to insult me again, but stopped, then said with care “The sparking and malfunctions have stopped. Mostly. Whatever your great big dragon friend is doing stopped the worst of the malfunctions.”

“Oh. So… could we maybe calm down the golems deeper in?”

“It’s possible, depending on how rough the currents are. But more importantly, now I can take this golem apart!” She produced a series of tools from her pouches with a grin.

“Uh… Will this… help?” I said.

“Are you kidding!?” She dove into the guts of the machine, and I heard her voice muffled by the hull of the golem. “The stuff in here is top tier! I’d have to spend weeks…! It’s really good stuff!” She backed out, holding a glowing bauble in her hand, another swirled mix of blue crystal and bronzegold metal. “Man, look at this! This is a primary flux capacitor! I’ve never seen one this large before!”

Eshaan crowded over and leaned in. “Oh wow, that is big, isn’t it?” He stroked his chin. “I didn’t think they’d released this model, no wonder they couldn’t stabilize the ether flow, there’s no backflow valve.”

Darshanna frowned at the hunk of metal in her hands, then looked closer. “You’re right?! Who designed this junk?!” She stuffed the piece in her bag and reached for the golem’s innards again.

I coughed politely. “Um, I can see that a craftswoman is at work but… about our plan to make a golem army?”

She looked up, then looked down at the golem laying in pieces in front of her, then around at the twitching fragments. “Hm. Tricky… But! I’ve done more with less!”

“We’re going to have to deal with more of them the deeper we go. We can probably just bring back scrap here, especially if it’s all this quality.” Eshaan said.

“Yeah! Let’s go scavenging!” Darshanna raised her wrench in the air like a general ordering a forward charge.

“Well.” I said. “I’m glad that’s settled then. Darshanna… you can leave the toys. I’m pretty sure that nobody’s coming after us. We’re doing something insanely dangerous.”

“Spirit shits yeah we are!” she agreed with a wild grin.

I gave her a glance. “You… don’t get out much, do you?”

She frowned. “Why do you say that? I’ve had plenty of adventures I’ll have you know!”

“Oh? Hm. My mistake.” I smiled at her. “Eshaan, would you be so good as to lead on? You make an excellent guide to Ancient ruins.”

“Ah heh heh.” He rubbed the back of his head again. “Thanks. Yeah, of course. Um…” he spun around, surveyed the tunnels carefully, then said “This way!” pointing the way down another tunnel.

We moved down the tunnels with Eshaan and Daniyel in the lead. The caverns wended deeper and deeper, spiraling staircases of Ancient bronze metal, delicate filigree with runes that none of us could read. I was surprised that Eshaan couldn’t understand them, but he shook his head and gave me a frustrated grimace.

“Where would I have learned how to read Ancient?” He said, gesturing at himself. “Just a fisherman. Couldn’t get into the academy.”

Darshanna gave a subtle wince, but nobody seemed to notice. I did see her staring at the pillars and inlays with fascination, running her hands slowly over the runes.

“The last Ancient location I was in, things were… strange.” I said. “Is this… a living installation?”

She looked at me quizzically. “I don’t know what you mean. It’s active? Everything’s going haywire because of the mana flows, but it’s at least a little active.”

“Ah. Hm. What do you think they removed from the dig?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. Something fascinating…” she said with an almost worshipful tone, gazing at the pulsing pipeworks. She blinked and shook her head. Her eyes went wide and then she added “I mean, valuable, right?! It’s got to be valuable!”

I blinked and then nodded. “So you’ve… studied the Ancients? To know what to steal, I mean.” I grimaced at the poor lie, but Darshanna snapped it up.

“Oh yeah! Yeah! You gotta know what to steal!”

I smiled at her. “You know, Eshaan wants to study the Ancients. I think you and him have a lot in common.”

What are you doing?! Stop throwing her at Eshaan!

Why not? They make a cute couple.

So would we! Otherme muttered.

Darshanna looked at him skeptically, then shook her head. “He’s earnest, but not very bright. Besides, it’s obvious you’re interested in him. I don’t poach.” She said very seriously.

I gaped at her, my mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. She burst into laughter, and ducked away before I could muster a response.

That… that…! We do not!

Oh yes, we do.

You do! Not me!

The tunnels wended deeper and deeper into the mountain, ancient pipes spraying vapors, pulsing runes and magitech. The deeper we went, the harsher and more ragged the mana flows became. I don’t know what I’d have done if I hadn’t had the Tower protecting us. The monsters did indeed act crazed, and without Darshanna disabling the golems deeper in, I don’t know how far we’d have gotten.

Darshanna seemed almost giddy with the quality of the parts she was scavenging .

“This is an AR810-Q! Do you know how hard it is to get pieces for this?!” she shook her head. “No what am I saying of course you don’t. This is premium stuff!”

“Hey, don’t just loot them for the best bits, we need them functional, remember! Golem army of distraction!?”

Darshanna pouted at me. “Ok, fiiiiiine.” She muttered. “But this is too good an opportunity to waste.” I saw her pocket several of the pieces. “We’ll need to drag the bits up to the upper levels to do repairs anyway.” She said.

I sighed and nodded. It was a better use for them than I would have been able to figure out. And as long as we could get a sufficient number of them operational again, our plan was still good.

At last we came to the bottom floor, a creaky steam elevator that was only barely repaired (by Darshanna again) and the rusty cage holding it rattled and shook ominously.

The leaking pipes and coiling rune patterns all seemed to flow towards one central location.

“Ok everyone!” I said, gripping my staff. “Be ready! We’ve got a boss fight coming!”

“Are you certain?” Daniyel asked. “I sense no ill intent here. Merely ancient machinery.”

Eshaan gripped his sword tightly. “You’d better listen to her. She’s been right every time so far.”

“Truly? What a fascinating gift you possess, Miss Lilyanna.”

I grimaced. “Thanks, but I’d rather it wasn’t needed.”

Eshaan stepped nervously out into the open area. Suddenly, over the hiss and roar of the pipes and the steady pulse of the mana surges, we heard a feminine voice swearing.

“Confounded son of a cracked mold made from debased metal! Let me go you rusted bucket of malformed plating!” The sounds of metal ringing on metal echoed through the chamber.

Eshaan turned to look at me with a puzzled expression on his face. I smiled broadly. “I think we just found the Commandant’s missing engineer. Let’s go rescue her.”

Eshaan nodded uncertainly, and we followed the continued stream of cursing. It was really quite amazing, the Monan’s breadth of vocabulary had me in awe. She hadn’t repeated herself once, she never used as single curse word, and yet my ears were growing pink from the vociferous verbiage she used.

As the far edge of the cavern came into sight, we finally saw the source of the cursing. A stout woman caught in one hand of a truly enormous bronze-gold golem with four arms, half buried in the wall and ground work. It juddered and twitched, it’s glowing eyes flickering intermittently as the mana flows surged through it. The dwarven…

Monan, darn it!

Monan woman was hammering fiercely at the metal fingers closed around her torso with a huge wrench. But the most bizarre thing of all, she wore a blatantly false beard which hung askew on her face, swinging wildly as she swung at the golem’s fingers with her wrench.

A pulse in the chaotic mana flow caused the golems four arms to twitch, and the Monan woman gave a pained grunt, her wrench tumbling from nerveless fingers to tumble through the air to the ground, where it bounced on the hard dirt floor.

“Oh no!” Eshaan cried out. “We have to help her! Come on, everyone!” He charged towards the golem, sword raised.

“Eshaan, you idiot!” I shouted after him, squeezing my staff till my knuckles went white. “What are you doing?! It’s 8 meters tall!!”

“The right thing!” he shouted back, leaping into the air and bringing his sword down in a flashing arc that hit one of the golem’s lower arms. The cavern rang with the sound of the strike, and the golem shuddered, its whole body twitching and jerking into slow motion.

“T-T-THHRR-RRR-RREA-T DE-DE-DE TEC-TEC-TECTED. ACT-VAT-VATING DEF-DEFENSIVE PROOOOOOOOOOOTOCOLS!!” A booming voice echoed from the chest of the bronze man. Steam hissed from vents on the golems body, shrouding it in mist, and the cavern shuddered as the half-buried golem tried to uncover itself.

Glowing red eyes pierced the mist and an enormous metal hand swung out of the cloud, backhanding Eshaan forcefully towards us. We scrambled out of the way just in time as Eshaan impacted the cavern wall behind us, a spray of blood coughed from his mouth.

“Eshsaan!” shouted Darshaana.

“The golem! Focus on the golem, Darshanna! You’re the only one who can stop it!” She shot me a worried glance and I nodded. “Go! I’ll help Eshaan! It’s what I do!”

I hurriedly chanted a {Heal}, the sparkling white motes of light swirling around Eshaan’s body, then let out a shriek as I had to hurl myself to one side, an open palmed slap from the golem nearly pounding me into the ground like a tent peg.

I heard the sounds of Soriya’s chant, and the brilliant blue white bolt of a {Glacies} shot into the mist, the sound of ice crystalizing around the golem’s joints.

“Do that again, do that again!” Shouted Darshanna as she leapt towards the golem, a large wrench of her own in hand.

“Captain! Lookout!!” Daniyel blurred into motion, dashing forward, the glow of his gauntlets visible through the mist, a thundering SLAM echoing through the cavern as he stood over Darshanna, his arms crossed overhead to catch the massive fist in midair. I could hear the crunch shudder through his body, cracks radiated from the ground around his feet as he held the bronze fist off of Darshanna.

“Go!” He grunted to her. She scrambled back to her feet, leaping up onto the oncoming swing of an arm, running lightly up it towards the head.

She swung her wrench at the ice coated joint, and there was a tinkling crystalline sound as some of the ice flaked off, and the joint shuddered. “Wait, no!” She shouted down to us. “You!” She pointed at Soriya. “Not ice! Hit it with fire next! Right here!” Her bold proclamation was interrupted by a shriek of fear as one of the golems open palms slammed down onto the bronze work where she’d been standing a second ago. She flew backwards off the arm, tumbling bonelessly towards the ground, hitting it hard. I winced to hear the CRUMP of her body landing.

Eshaan shook his head woozily, pushing himself off the wall. He reached up and wiped a smear of blood from the corner of his lip, his expression serious. “Right.” He said. “Lily, give me a shield. Let’s show this thing some manners!” He charged into the mists around the body.

I gritted my teeth and cast a {Barrier} which flashed brilliant white as the golem slapped Eshaan to the side. He coughed another spray of blood, but twisted in midair, using the momentum of the slap to jam his sword deep into the pulsing core in the golem’s chest.

Thunder erupted from the golem, flashing strikes of uncontrolled mana flaring wildly around the cavern. A bolt of the mana surged into my staff and grounded through my body. It was like I’d been dipped in battery acid and fire all at once, and I screamed in agony.

“CRI-CRI-TIC-TICAL D-D-DAMAGE. S-SELF D-DEST-“

“Oh no you don’t, beastie.” Said Soriya, grinning a demon’s smile. The crackling shroud of ungrounded mana swirled around her, and through the haze of agony filling me I saw her focus, the mana pulling into her with flawless timing, matching the tides of mana in the cavern. Diaboli erupted with a brilliant glowing light, a blazing magical circle forming at its muzzle. Time seemed to stop.

“Repent your deeds in Hell, you bastard.” She said, and fired. The burning glare of a supercharged {Flare} swirled out of Diaboli’s muzzle, scoring a line of light so bright it burned afterimages into my eyes. The shot impacted the joint where the {Glacies} had hit, blowing it apart into crystalized metal shards, and then kept going, coring its way through the brilliant glowing heart of the golem, which exploded into a flare of uncontrolled mana. The arm fell to the ground with a shattering CLANG, followed by fragments of the golem’s outer shell and smaller pieces spattering down on the ground around us in a metallic rain.

Flares of mana exploded through the golem’s core, shooting out in jagged lines escaping from its body. It shuddered wildly, spasming, uncontrollably, and then fell limp, its eyes going dark, the mist of steam surrounding its body fading away. Secondary explosion within its body continued for a long time afterwards.

I coughed, feeling like acid was eating my lungs, clinging to my staff to stay upright. “Ow.” I managed to get out with a weak whimper. It hurt to breathe. I fumbled at my belt, pulling out a healing potion, uncorking it, and downing it in one go. The ache immediately receded, the tears and burns in my dress mending themselves as it did.

<{Spiritist} Advanced to level 5. {Bonds of Friendship}, unlocked. For defeating the Ancient’s malfunctioning guardian, you have advanced to {Spiritist:5}>

Hello again, world soul. Yaaay. I’m on an adventure.

“Is everyone alright?” I called out. “Who is in need of healing?”

Weak coughs from the various corners of the room served as my cue to head towards them. I almost stumbled over the Monan woman, who lolled unconscious, her ridiculous fake beard dangling from her chin.

I knelt down a moment to {Heal} her, stretching my hand out and resting it lightly on her stomach, the glowing white light flooding through her and myself.

I wish I’d thought of that mana trick Soriya used earlier. I grumbled to myself. Timing the mana pulse in the cavern to gain a boost to the spell effect is genius.

Soriya is very smart. Otherme agreed quietly. I’m very glad to be her friend.

The Monan woman was pretty, now that I had time to get a good look at her. Her long thick chestnut brown hair was done in an elaborate braid, woven with intricate ribbons of red and bronze. She wore what I could only categorize as “fantasy engineer” clothes. A leather and metal workman’s apron filled with pockets budging with tools, over a surprisingly beautiful geometric patterned dress of red and gold.

She stirred slightly and moaned. Satisfied that she was going to be ok, I stood up and hurried over to the next source of groans, working my way through my party members. By the time I was done, I could feel the drop in my mana levels. I pulled out another mana potion and chugged it, immediately feeling more alert and refreshed.

Dang, bottle this stuff and I’d never need caffeine again.

What’s caffeine?

Uh… it’s in tea?

Why didn’t you just say tea then?

It’s… you know what, here. I shared a memory with my otherself.

Oh how interesting. What an unusual world we come from!

I ground my teeth. I come from. Not you.

As I finished the mana potion, the Monan woman staggered out of the mists, adjusting her fake beard. She couldn’t be more than four feet tall.

“Oy! Well, so it’s you I’ve got to thank for this mess then?” Hands on her hips she glared up at us.

Eshaan stood up, and gave her a formal bow. “We were commissioned to come look for you by the Commandant, miss…” he trailed off, suddenly realizing he had forgotten what her name was.

“Eideth.” I said, at exactly the same time as the Monan woman.

She glared up at me, then around at the rest of us. “Well! You’ve made a right mess of it down here, and no mistake! I had it all in hand, and then you had to go and blow the second most significant find of the modern era out of the ground!”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Second most?” Darshanna inquired, tilting her head to the side.

Eideth nodded firmly, then pointed to the wall behind the golem. Following her pointing finger, we could see a huge elaborate door made of the same strange Ancient bronzegold metal as the pipes and golem set into the living rock of the mountain itself.

“That door, of course. Was down here trying to open it, when the golem activated. Some ancient sentry protocol, no doubt. She scowled at the ruin of the golem. “Nothing left of it now, just scrap and fragments. Couldn’t you have been a little more careful!?”

To my surprise Darshanna spoke up, her voice apologetic, and her hands folded in front of her. She bowed repeatedly. “I’m so sorry, I really am. It was a matter of life and death! I’m sure we can salvage something from the fragments, the Ancient’s equipment was remarkably sturdy.” She said.

Huh. I guess she really does care about all this Ancient tech then! How interesting!

“Well.” Eideth seemed mollified by this. “I suppose I was in a bit of a pinch, and no mistake.” She straightened her fake beard. “I suppose for now it’s fine. So! The Commandant asked you to come get me, did he? Why, did his tea pot break again?” she said bitterly.

“Oh no, nothing like that, Miss Eideth.” Said Eshaan. “He seemed genuinely concerned about you. You were late reporting in, and the mana flows have destabilized quite severely.”

Eideth swelled up and shouted angrily “Well they bloody well wouldn’t have if he hadn’t removed the central modulator that the Ancients left behind! Bloody imperial scholars, shouting “priceless find” this and “lost knowledge” that! Hauled it off to Spyre without so much as a ‘by your leave’! It’s hardly a shock everything’s falling apart, now is it!?”

We stood there awkwardly for a moment, none of us sure what to say.

Suddenly Eshaan spoke up. “Miss Eideth? Why are you wearing a fake beard?”

Darshanna, otherme, and I all gasped in shock.

Eideth took a step backwards, her hands flying to her beard. “W-what are you saying?! This… this is a fine Monan beard! Like all Monanin!”

We all stared at her and eachother, unsure what to say. Eshaan opened his mouth, and Darshanna lunged forward, slapping her hand over his mouth.

“Ah hahaha! Please forgive my crew! He’s stupid and uncultured and has taken several!” She hit him on the head. “Blows!” She hit him again. “To the head! Lately!”

She grinned manically at Eideth.

Eideth stared back at Eshaan. “You… you really…?” She looked around at us, then slowly tugged at the fake beard pulling it off. The bedraggled clump of brown hung sadly in her hand. “You… you all knew?”

Eshaan coughed, and we all shuffled our feet awkwardly. Daniyel stepped forward. “We intended no disrespect to the Monan customs.” He said gravely. “Your ways are not ours.” He gestured to Eshaan. “He is from the outskirts of the empire; you must forgive him.”

Eshaan nodded gravely. “I’m really sorry, Miss Eideth. I didn’t know.”

Eideth started to laugh, looking down at the lump of hair in her hand. “You all know?!” She laughed even harder, slowly building up into a roaring guffaw that doubled her over.

She finally stood straight and hurled the beard at the smoking remains of the golem. It caught in a broken fragment of armor and promptly caught fire from a lingering explosion in the golem.

“By the spirits, do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that?!” She roared with laughter again, and turned back to us. “We wear the beards because it’s just… known that you humans don’t treat us like real engineers if we don’t have beards!” She wiped tears from her eyes and shook her head. “Unbelievable! Two hundred years of tradition, because of a misunderstanding! Why didn’t any of you say anything?!”

We stared at eachother, and shuffled our feet, and then otherme spoke hesitantly. “We… we didn’t want to be rude…” I/we said.

Somehow, that was the key to unlock it. First Eideth, then Darshanna, then Soriya, and finally Eshaan, I, and Daniyel burst into laughter. It was a good feeling. The tension of the fight slowly fading.

“Right.” Eideth wiped her eyes. “Well. Let me show you this door, before we all have to troop back upstairs again and explain to the Commandant that everything is fine actually, so he can send me back down here!” She stumped over to the doors and glared up at them.

“Damn things are a thousand years old if they’re a day, and not a mark on them! Utterly seamless, might as well have been cast in one piece!”

Darshanna and Eshaan both trailed behind her, moving up to examine the doors curiously.

“I’ve never seen these markings before.” Darshanna said.

Eideth turned to her. “Ho? Good eye you have there. You’re right. Nothing like these. Ancient work, but matching nothing we’ve ever seen before.”

Eshaan ran his hands slowly over the runes, a frown slowly appearing on his face.

“I have.” He finally said.

“What?!” Both Eideth and Darshanna turned to look at him in astonishment.

“Where, boy, where!?” Eideth practically leapt at him in eagerness.

Instead of answering, he turned to me. “Lilyanna, could you come here for a second?”

I frowned at him, and approached. As I did, I felt a hum inside my body, slowly building. The world seemed to slow down in a haze, and I felt strangely numb. Otherme pushed gently forward, moved us closer, raised our hand to rest it lightly on the curling runes in the center of the door. I felt my entire mana pool suddenly drain out of me, all in one go, and I sagged to the ground abruptly exhausted. The runes on the door flared brilliant gold and white, and a thundering rumble echoed through the cavern, the seamless metal parting into four triangles of metal that slid aside, revealing technomagic wonderland pulsing and shimmering with gold light. Words I couldn’t understand echoed in the room, followed by a at once familiar and alien voice.

“Child of the æther, daughter of the goddess’s wish. We see you.” It… his voice was beautiful, melodic, and echoing. The exact same type of voice that Tower spoke in.

“What is the beyond Distance? What echoes when there are no walls?” His voice thundered softly.

And otherme spoke with my lips. ”The known unknowns.”

“Access code acknowledged. Transferring core.”

A tumbling mote of purple and blue light coalesced out of the air and floated forward. It burst outwards into a flower, blossoming into the glowing figure of a dragon coiled around an ornate and elaborate gate.

“We come to serve, your right to access acknowledged, your codes authenticated.” It… he continued. The coiling shape dipped its head to me, flared a brilliant light and collapsed into a mote of light darted towards my bosom, and vanished into my chest.

You may summon us at need, child of æther. We are Gate.

I sat here, calves splayed to either side of my hips, my mouth open in shock.

What… what?! I gaped inwardly. What just happened?! What did you do?!

I… I don’t know. It just… it just seemed the right thing say?

“Lilyanna! Lilyanna, are you ok?!” Eshaan knelt next to me, looking into my eyes. “Say something!”

I blinked a few times, and then giggled, a bubble of absurdity floating into my head.

I slowly focused on him and said “Something?” with a tentative smile.

He laughed in relief. “Yeah, that’s what I should have expected.”

Eideth pushed him aside roughly, and then poked her finger at me. “What did you do, human? What was that?!”

I rested a hand lightly on my chest, feeling an answer inside me. “That… that was an Arcanum. He calls himself Gate. He supervises Distance.”

“An arcanum!? One of the goddess’s servants?! They’re real?!” she spluttered.

“I… don’t know much more than you, actually.” I ventured.

“You know enough to open the door here! To manifest one! This is… this is bigger than …” she chortled. “Oh ho ho ho…! Just wait till I write up my paper for the elders!” She rubbed her hands together. “Oh they are all going to eat their words!”

“Excuse me, did you just say paper? Do you have an in with the imperial academy?” Soriya popped up to ask.

“Eh? Ah, well no. I mean, I suppose I do, technically, but not really, I was speaking of the council of elders in Hecate.” Eideth shook her head. “Some sort of non-compete clause, I understand, they don’t poach external researchers.” She clapped her hands together and looked up at us. “Anyway! That’s all very well and good, but I suppose we should be getting back to the surface now!” She grimaced. “The commandant will doubtless want my final report. It’s going to be a doozy!” She grinned.

Soriya nodded. “Yes, I think we should. I’d like to discuss some of your research actually.”

“Hey, no fair!” Darshanna jumped in. “You can’t just monopolize the only interesting person we’ve met yet!”

Eideth looked from Soriya to Darshanna and then threw her head back laughing loudly. “Well if this don’t take all the cake! I can’t find a decent conversation for love or zeni down here for thirteen months straight, and now I get two people who can’t get enough of me!”

Daniyel cleared his throat. “I hate to interrupt this lively discussion of natural philosophy, but I do believe we have prior engagements.” He gesturing meaningfully at the upper levels. “And weren’t we going to return some of the malfunctioning golems to the Commandant that we had managed to repair?” He asked, his eyebrow lifting suggestively.

Darshanna pushed her goggles higher on her head and scratched her temple. “What are you- oh! Oh yeeeah, that’s right!” She looked over at me and shrugged then grinned with embarrassment. “Right, sorry.” She turned to Eideth. “Yeah, the fluctuating mana currents were causing positive feedback in the reticulation capacitors at the secondary linkages.”

Eideth slapped her fist into her palm. “Those damn fools! I told ‘em they shouldn’t remove that Ancient artifact! Doubtless this is all the fault of that! Did you try reconfiguring the buffer flow control device?”

“Well I was going to, but instead I decided…”

I tuned them out, it was all magitechno babble to me. Soriya, Darshanna, and Eideth seemed to be bonding over it well, and Eshaan was listening avidly. I saw he had taken out a small notepad and was jotting down notes.

To her credit, Eideth didn’t seem annoyed at all. In fact, she seemed to be taking to the role of instructor on Ancients with great pleasure. I didn’t want to interrupt, but I did get everyone moving towards the lift to the upper levels.

Our little group headed back to the main elevator. Eideth exclaimed over the repairs that Darshanna had done, and they spent the next several minutes discussing the inner workings of lift mechanisms.

Daniyel shifted closer to me, and leaned down. I kept forgetting how short I was!

“If I may inquire, Miss Lilyanna.” He raised his eyebrows. “Gate? Arcanum?”

I huffed in frustration. “I don’t know! They just… showed up!” I gave him an extremely abbreviated and abridged version of my bonding with Tower, omitting… well pretty much everything except a bare outline. Not that I lied… and I could tell from the lift of his eyebrow that Daniyel was not fooled that there was a lot missing to the story.

At the end of my tale, Daniyel stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Intriguing. Clearly connected with the Ancients somehow. Have you spoken with them?”

I blushed. “Um. No. It’s just… everything seems to be happening at once, and I just… didn’t think of it?”

He nodded. “That is understandable. Perhaps you should consider trying?”

“Well I would, but each time I summon them, it costs me almost all of my mana, and opening that door back there drained me almost completely. I don’t think we have enough mana potions to go around right now.”

“Hm. Yes, that could be a problem if we wish to summon them repeatedly. Especially since… can you speak to them without summoning them?”

“Um, well kind of? I can get vague impressions… they seem to be able to talk to me without problem, but when I reach for them, they don’t respond unless I’m specifically summoning them.”

Daniyel nodded again. “Then I would request that attempt communion with this newest one. You called him ‘Gate’ I believe. Try to divine if he is willing to let us bridge distances.”

My eyes widened. “You mean… like a teleport?!”

“Tele… port. What an intriguing word construct.” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Yes… yes, that would fit the term very well.” He nodded again.

I glanced over to where the others had clustered around a component that Darshanna had pulled out of her inventory, talking excitedly, and pointing. They didn’t seem like they were going anywhere for a while. I smiled a little fondly, seeing my friends so excited and happy. This was probably the first time in… forever, that Eshaan had had someone to talk to about his passion, who wouldn’t just brush him off.

I closed my eyes and focused inwards, trying to ‘ask’ if Gate would let us teleport. It wasn’t speech precisely, but I did feel an awareness, a sense of… vague ‘yesness’ floated back and a jumble of mental images and emotions that felt related to space and mana.

Not as convenient as speaking with you. I said to otherme.

Well that’s because we’re the same person. Of course we can speak.

I pinched my lips together, and replied with her prim retort. That is a point on which we disagree.

I opened my eyes and looked up at Daniyel. “Yes. I mean, I think so. It was … strange. But I think… I think he said that he can take me anywhere I’ve been before, but the further away it is, the more spiritual power it requires. So, I think distance equals mana?”

Daniyel nodded; his eyes sharp. “Interesting indeed. And potentially quite useful if, as your prophecy indicates, there is an ambush waiting for us outside.”

My eyes widened. “Oh spirits… I hadn’t even thought of that! You’re right! And… and I… I could just go home! I could go home right now if I can chug enough mana potions!”

Daniyel smiled. “I don’t think Miss Eideth would be quite so appreciative of that. Does the number of people you carry with you not affect the price?”

I ‘felt’ around for an answer, then shook my head. “No, he… well “said” that he can take around 10 people.”

“Ah. Potentially very useful. A pity you have not been to as many places as… the Captain and I. But interesting. Can you essay a transit to the surface? Perhaps to the airship landing pads?”

I licked my lips and felt around. “I mean… you pour enough mana potions in me, and I can go pretty much anywhere.”

He nodded and dug into his inventory. “I’m afraid I have none.”

“Hm.” I fished around in my inventory. “I have one.” I looked up. “Everyone? I’m sorry to interrupt.” I had to fight off the urge of otherme to have us bow repeatedly in apology “Does anyone have any mana potions left?”

They dug around for a bit, and then Eshaan offered me one. Soriya and Darshanna both shook their heads. I took the potion from Eshaan with a smile and a soft ‘thank you.’ I turned back to Daniyel.

“Well, with these, yes I think so!”

“Hm, we had best wait then. My captain is many things, but a good pilot is not yet one of them.”

“Hey! I got us here!” Darshanna protested.

Daniyel bowed to her with that funny steepled fingertip gesture. “Apologies captain, but flying a straight line with an airship, and the skills to modify an airship, are not the same as the… antics, we have gotten up to recently.” Darshanna turned pink and abruptly went back to arguing with Eideth about some arcane principle.

I looked down at the potions then tucked them away in my pouches. “If it’s just as I am now…” I twisted my lips. “Then only if I’m standing in the mouth of the dig entrance.”

He smiled broadly. “Then I believe our plan of a ‘golem revolt’ may have an interesting new angle to it.”

I stared up at that smile, and felt my knees go a little weak. I suddenly understand why Soriya is so interested in him…

I shook my head to clear the daze. “Yes! Right!”

The elevator finally reached the upper floor. I had to smile. The fast track back to the surface, but the slow way down. We’d been gone for hours!

Eideth headed straight for the entrance, but stopped as we hung back. “What’s going on?” she asked.

Eshaan stepped up. “Oh the Commandant asked us to do what we could to repair the machinery here, so we’ve been stockpiling golem parts. We’re going to do some repair work, and then have them walk out. Saves a lot of money and manpower you know!”

He’s getting better at this. I thought with a smile.

Eideth brightened up. “Ach, that’s right. You did mention that! You really are folks after my own heart! Come on then, many hands make light work!” she pulled out her wrench and followed us towards the side cavern where we’d been stockpiling the golem parts.

Honestly, it’s not really a wrench, you know? It’s more like a multitool than a real wrench… a lot like Darshanna’s tool actually!

What’s a multitool?

I shared a memory of the idea. Otherme laughed. Oh! A whole toolkit?! Oh my, how silly! One tool that can be all those tools makes so much more sense! But that’s a wrench in this world!

A few hours later, our semi functional golem ‘army’ was shuddering and twitching in the wild mana flows of the dig, but they would at least march! I slipped up next to Darshanna while Eideth was absorbed in tweaking something in the guts of a golem.

“Alright. We’ve got our army and a Monan engineer. I… I think we should tell her the truth here. She would likely be trouble if she’s surprised when they try to arrest us.”

“IF they try to arrest us. I’m still not entirely sold on this prophecy of yours!”

I sighed. “Alright, remember what I said in the bunkhouse? Treat this as planning for a contingency.”

Darshanna grumbled but nodded. “Fine. You’re Miss goody two-shoes, you can tell her.”

I swallowed back a sharp retort and gave her what I hoped was a suitable glare. She twitched so I hoped that meant it had worked. I stalked over to where Eideth was half in and out of a golem.

“Miss Eideth-”

“Ach, just Eideth is fine, honestly! My clan name is Dûnhark, but that’s no nevermind outside of Galgados. What can I do for you, dear?”

“I-” I stopped, unsure how to continue. What could I say, really? Maybe…

Help?

Don’t look to me for help, you let a lie get you this far, you know we’re no good with that!

I took a deep breath and tried again. “I’m afraid our reception at the entrance may not be all that welcoming.” I said, my hands bunched up in my skirts.

Eideth pulled herself out of the golem, and landed on the floor with a thump. She put her hands on her hips and looked up at me. “Well now this is a surprise. Didn’t expect you to come clean before things had gone completely south!”

I gaped at her. “You… you knew?!”

She shrugged. “I suspected. Folk like you? Just showing up here, this deep in the mines? You’re Imperials, right enough, but there’s no way you’re troopers, or even in any squad at all.” She paused, then pointed her wrench at Eshaan. “’cept for that fellow, he’s got the air about him at least.” She rested the wrench on her shoulder and looked up at me. “So now what?”

I opened and closed my mouth a few times.

Now I know how Eshaan felt… I thought.

“I… we…” I heaved a sigh and squeezed my skirts tightly. “We’re planning to steal an airship.”

Eideth’s eyebrows jumped to her hairline. “Airship?! There’s no airship scheduled for a month! And I doubt you’ll get much use out of a cargo hauler!” Her eyes narrowed. “Sky pirates you might be, but you don’t look stupid. Who are you?”

“Um… would you accept… adventurers?”

Eideth’s eyes cleared up immediately and she threw back her head and laughed. “Well, now that I would believe! And that explains a right lot, including maybe not being all that popular to the empire!” She looked me up and down, then gestured to the others. “You look alright to me. Nothing wrong with a little good trouble.” She grinned. “And I like that Darshanna girl, she’s got a good head on her shoulders.” She climbed back up to the opening in the golem. “You can count on me I won’t cause trouble for you.” She wiggled back into the guts of the machine.

Eshaan came up and said “Miss Dûnhark? Do you want to come with us?”

Her head popped out again. “Goodness me, no! I’ve got research papers to write! I’ve got issues and all sorts of maintenance logs to handle here! I don’t have time to go haring off on some damn fool adventure! No, you young folks have your fun. Come visit me in Galgados sometime.” She ducked her head back inside the machinery and resumed muttering.

And that appeared to be that. I shared a glance with Eshaan, and the others, then shrugged a half smile on my face.

“Well. Seems we’re not as clever as we think we are.” I said, my cheeks heating.

Soriya smiled. “We never are, but it seems to work out for us anyway. Just like real adventurers.”

An hour after that, we were finally ready. The golems shuddered and clanked and groaned in a great metal mass in front of us, marching with jerky rhythm and we followed behind. As we neared the dig entrance, brilliant sunlight shone from the entrance, dazzling with white on white of new snow.

“Looks like the blizzard stopped at least!” Eshaan said.

From outside the cavern, shouts of alarm and the sound of an alert klaxon started sounding. I grinned and glanced over at Darshanna. She was looking at me, her eyes narrowed. She turned her head away.

“Humh! Doesn’t prove there’s a squad out there, it could just be-”

“It’s the fugitives! They’ve got a golem army! Damn you, pink hair! You won’t get away from me this time!” came the triumphant shout of lt. Isha from outside.

My lips split into a wide smile that I did a very poor job of controlling. I looked down at the ground, to keep from rubbing Darshanna’s face in it.

“Now would be a good time to execute our plan, Miss Lilyanna.” Daniyel said.

“What? Oh! Yes, right! Hold still everyone!”

I called up Gate. He erupted from the æther around me in a brilliant swirl of purple and blue, coalescing into his form of a dragon twined around an elaborate arched gateway.

“I hear your plea, child of æther. Where do you wish to travel?”

I closed my eyes, and pictured it. The formerly empty field of snow inside the compound outside, pictured it and thought There. Send us there.

Gate’s voice was surprised. “There? A trivial task, it requires barely a toll at all. But very well. I take my payment.”

I felt the draw of mana leave me, taking me almost to exhaustion, and then a globe of pitch blackness swallowed us entirely. I felt movement without movement, the sensation of living space folding around me, glittering stars that were billions of points of existence, and then the bubble collapsed in a rush, and we were standing behind the sleek bulk of several light scout airships, their bronzegold metal work and swirling blue ætherdrives blocking off most (but not entirely all) of our sight of the squad of troopers led by lt. Isha, and the Commandant.

“Fire! FIRE!” shouted lt. Isha. His troopers cocked their rifles and started firing wildly into the crowd.

“No, no! STOP!” shouted the Commandant, tugging futilely at Isha’s arms. “You fool you’ll-”

The fragile pieces of cobbled together machinery we had managed to jury rig started breaking, and with them, any semblance of order vanished. The golems perceived a threat, their own internal alarm shrieks clashing with the alarms from the base. The battle of the golem army was well underway.

“Time to leave now!” Darshanna hurried over to the side of a scoutship and started hammering at it with her tools.

Eideth just stood and stared at the wreckage occurring. Her expression was shocked, and I could see her eyes were bright. “Not the golems?” She murmured under the wreckage and roar of the battle. “They were naught harmful…?”

“People! We are leaving!” Darshanna shouted, the hatch on the scoutship folding down. She suited action to words by hurriedly clambering into the scoutship. “That army won’t last long against sustained trooper fire!”

We all piled in, Darshanna making her way to the cramped cockpit at the front. The whole ship was crowded, honestly. Even the Pelican had better space than this, and the seats… well, at least being tiny was an advantage in here. Poor Daniyel had to fold himself almost double to fit anywhere.

And then to my surprise Eideth leapt into the ship behind us!

“Miss Dûnhark?!” Daniyel’s usual unperturbable voice was broken with surprise.

“They’re destroying my machines! They take the most precious artifact I’ve ever seen, they ignore my work, they destroy my effects, the greatest mystery I’ve ever found in my life is flying off, and they never said a word about me beard! I’m done here!” She leaned over Darshanna’s shoulder and pressed a switch. The thundering rumble and whine of the ship’s ætherdrive filled the air, overwhelming even the sound of massed gunfire.

“Oh dear.”

I think I have a plan for you.

You do?

Things are not going to go well, and we must keep our friends safe.

You’re right. I’m so far off the script now… but what-

This.

And we grabbed the two vials of mana potion and swallowed them in one go.

I felt a fizzing thud as they hit, like the best caffeine buzz I’d ever had.

“Darshanna, I’m afraid they’re going to follow us.” Otherme spoke with her sweet shyness. I saw Soriya’s eyes snap to me at the uncharacteristic tone of my voice. “But if you’ll allow me, I think we should fly that way as far as we can. When they follow us, and try to shoot us down, I’ll take us all somewhere safe.”

Darshanna looked up at me in surprise, as the airship started to rise off the field, the shouts of the troops below and the sound of gunfire echoing off our hull.

“But what about the airship!?” She sounded almost pleading.

“I’m so sorry…” otherme clasped our hands in front of our bosom, and I could feel our features fill with genuine sorrow. “They’re going to destroy it.”

Eshaan laughed suddenly and hugged me tight. “Lily! That’s brilliant! The airship crashes and they’ll think we died in the wreck! It’s genius!”

“But… but my airship!” Darshanna’s voice was almost broken, and her eyes were shining.

Daniyel said “Captain. We can get another ship. But we cannot get another you. Live to fight another day.”

Darshanna looked down at the yoke, and a single tear dripped onto the console in front of her. “My airship…” she said sadly.

“Lass, I’ll build ye a new airship, if that’s what it takes to get us moving!” Eideth lunged forward and pushed the throttle stops to the max. We tumbled backwards and some very uncomfortable and pointy bits of the interior made themselves known as we shot away from the dig site at speed.

I pushed forward through the tangle of bodies, apologizing every second. “Please, I need to see outside.” I slipped into the co-pilots seat. I glanced over to Darshanna who looked heartbroken.

“Do we really…?”

The sound of unfortunately familiar thundering roar and explosions rocked our ship around us. I didn’t say anything, only squeezed one of her hands in sympathy.

“I didn’t even get to name her…” she said forlornly, as several amber and red lights appeared on the console.

I glanced outside the window, trying to burn the passing scenery into my mind. We were rapidly leaving the Tol Jaegren range, the lowland hills, spreading out, and then a vast inland sea. I focused as hard as I could, trying to remember where we were passing.

“There, what’s that?” Eshaan pointed out the window towards a grey brown smudge on the coastline.

“That would be the Port of Eien.” Said Soriya. “Reputed to be a haunted place inhabited by ghosts and those who cannot leave them behind.”

A thunderous BOOM shook the craft and tossed us inside it like eggs in a blender.

“Now, I think would be a good time, Miss Lilyanna.” Said Daniyel.

“Right!”

I closed my eyes and folded my hands in front of me. Please, Gate hear my plea. I focused on home with every fiber of my heart. The smell of mother’s garden, the sunlight in my room, the fountain square in town, the shout of the children by the lakeshore.

A swirling flash of purple and blue surrounded the scoutship. “It is done.” Echoed in the cockpit, and an empty scoutship exploded into fire and wreckage over the hills just outside Port Eien.