downtowns-universe

[downtowns-universe]

The median

Character: Zian

Words: 6910

A follow-up to an older story you can read here: part 1 | part 2

- Now -

Zian had walked this particular street probably hundreds of times and so was paying more attention to his coffee than to his surroundings. Because of this, he couldn’t say for certain where the person now standing in front of him had come from – and perhaps wouldn’t even have noticed them at all, had they not audibly gasped at the sight of him.

A reaction he wasn’t unfamiliar with, per se – he supposed he did have a very recognisable face, and something that could be seen as fame, or perhaps notoriety, in the right circles. Circles that had gotten considerably smaller now that he was no longer in the public eye. Circles whose members would usually have the common decency to not gawk at people in the street. Who would definitely not address him with “Oh shit, it’s you.”

Glancing up, attempting to give them the most annoyed look he could muster, he observed the person bothering him: human – presumably –; tan skin; dark, half-long hair that was kind of greasy; wearing faded jeans and a hoodie; his dark eyes wide as he looked at Zian with a look of absolute terror.

“Do I know you?” Zian asked, raising an eyebrow.

The guy seemed taken aback for a moment, his mind going over possible answers.

“Uhh… nope,” he decided on, after too long of a pause. “Must have gotten you confused with someone else…” he muttered, turning on his heels and briskly starting to walk away. “So sorry to bother you…”

Zian stared at his back for a moment, wondering why this squirrely guy with the slight Italian accent seemed so familiar…

“Viv?” he tried, and the guy froze.

“Is that you?” Zian called after him, not yet fully convinced of what he was seeing – and what that would mean.

The guy started running.

- Then -

Zian looked up at the mountain in front of them, where but a day ago he’d been a prisoner. Now he’d returned – along with the person who’d gotten him captured.

“Back again,” he grinned, enjoying the irony of the situation.

“Back again…” Viviano concurred with a sigh.

Zian shot him a quick glance before they’d head up the path. The median was keeping his head down, his attention focused on the frayed hem of his shirt, using his fingers to pull it apart even further.

“Nervous?”

“Nervous? Magician, who do you take me for?”

Viv grinned broadly, then his expression darkened.

“Yes. Yes, I’m nervous.”

Zian suspected as much. The median didn’t strike him as the courageous type, knowing what he knew about him.

“Hey, it’ll be fine. No one’s up there anymore, remember? And I’ll be with you. We’ll figure this out together.”

“What about that friend of yours? The one you asked for help?”

“He’ll arrive somewhere in the next day or so. Probably with company.”

Viviano tried his best to keep up with him on the narrow path.

“What kind of company?” he asked, while pulling free his sleeve that had caught up in a branch.

“The helpful kind, I guess. Why?”

Viv sighed and gestured at nothing in particular.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I don’t like people – probably because they don’t like me either. And we’ll already have to deal with all of the medians… Don’t get me wrong, I like you plenty, it’s just- three’s a crowd, you know?”

“Four.”

“What?”

“There’ll be four of us. Not counting the dragons, of course.”

“I’m sorry, did you say dragons, plural?”

To be honest, Zian had no idea if Sion was even going to show, and even Rena was currently out hunting, but Viviano didn’t need to know that.

“Magician?” his worried voice sounded behind him. “What does that mean? Zian!”

Zian smiled, keeping his mouth shut as he quickened his pace.

- Now -

“You know that doesn’t work on me, pal,” Zian remarked as Viviano skidded to a halt on the pavement in front of him, right after Zian had released his grip on time.

His old “pal” looked up bewildered, wondering how the hell he’d gotten there. The answer, of course, was that he’d walked. Sauntered, even. He wasn’t in a hurry.

Zian took a sip of his coffee while studying him more closely. Viv looked about the same as when Zian had last seen him - approximately 200 years ago now, he estimated. And since medians usually lived normal human lifetimes, clearly something must have happened.

“We can play this game for a while, but you’re gonna get tired of running eventually. So why don’t I get you a coffee, hm?”

Viv bent down, resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath, as people pushed past them on the sidewalk. If any of them had noticed Zian appear from thin air, they didn’t react to it. Then again, they were Downtown; people did shit like that all the time.

“Please leave me alone,” Viv gasped.

“Don’t want to catch up with an old friend?”

Viv looked up. “I’m not supposed to.”

“Says who?”

“The emperor.”

Zian caught the little eyeroll accompanying the word.

“Did he now?”

So, Dai knew. To be fair, Zian couldn’t think of any scenario in which Viv would still be around that did not involve Dai in some way – but still, he’d assumed he would tell him these things. Perhaps naively so.

“Hey, I won’t tell him if you won’t. Besides, when was the last time he contacted you anyway?”

“…It’s been a while,” Viv admitted. “Not that I ever talk to the man himself, anyway. He’s very busy, I suppose.”

“That he is. So, coffee?”

- Then -

“I don’t like him,” Dai remarked, not looking up from the pile of papers he was sifting through.

“Who, Viv?” Zian asked, even though clarification wasn’t needed, the only other person here being Tharryn, and he liked him plenty.

He glanced over at the other end of the cave, where Viv was poking around in a pile of stuff, appearing bored out of his mind. Occasionally he shot a furtive glance at Tharryn, who he clearly tried to stay away from as far as physically possible. Zian couldn’t blame him: he suspected reaper magic wouldn’t exactly have a pleasant feel about it.

It had been entertaining to see Viviano’s reaction to the two of them while they’d been introduced. As a median, Viv could detect a person’s unique energy signature. Which meant he must have a pretty good idea what they were capable of – no demonstration needed. Because of this, Viv also tried to avoid Dai, which did not leave him with much space to move about the cave.

“I think the feeling is mutual,” Zian grinned. “But I wouldn’t take it too personal; he’s not a people person. I don’t think he likes anyone.”

“Exactly.” Dai gestured with a handful of papers. “So why does he keep following you around like a lost puppy?”

If Zian didn’t know any better, he’d think Dai were jealous.

“He’s stuck here,” he shrugged. “He needs help. All the medians do.”

“That may be part of it, but it’s not the whole story. There is something else, but I can’t put my finger on it. I know a lot of guys like him, and none of them can be trusted.”

“Well, good thing we don’t need to trust him. If he wants to be free, he’ll need to trust us.”

“Should we tell him?” Dai grinned. “That we have no idea what we’re doing?”

Zian looked up. “You don’t?”

He’d had his suspicions that Dai was just along for the ride, and the real solution to the problem would have to come from Tharryn, but if both of them were clueless…

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll have it figured out in no time,” Dai reassured him, staring at Tharryn fondly. “But right now? Just guesswork. He won’t admit it if you ask him, though. Give you some story about his hypothesis or whatever.”

“So, what exactly are we looking for in these papers?”

“Anything, really. Personally, I’m sorting them into things I understand and things I don’t.”

Zian glanced at the piles, one substantially larger than the other.

“Wanna take a guess?” Dai teased, following his eye.

He was saved from having to give an answer – and inadvertently calling his boss an idiot – by Tharryn getting up from where he’d been working.

“Median,” he said, looking around the cave, having lost track of him.

“I have a name, you know,” Viv snapped, trying to mask his unease with impertinence.

Tharryn cocked his head as if trying to remember.

��Vincent?”

Silence.

“…Would you please just come over here?”

Viv, who noticed both Zian and Dai looking at him when casting a glance their way, grumpily complied.

Tharryn placed a hand on his chest, causing him to freeze up at the sudden touch. He didn’t even dare to breathe, gasping for air when Tharryn eventually removed his hand.

“Exactly as I thought,” Tharryn mumbled absentmindedly, and continued what he was doing, not sparing Viv another thought.

Viviano just stood there for a moment, perplexed.

“…What?”

“If you were hoping for an explanation, it probably won’t come,” Zian pointed out. “Or maybe it will, a couple of hours from now, when you won’t expect it anymore – you never know with him.”

From the corner of his eye, Zian noticed that Dai was no longer next to him.

“What’s this, Vincent?” it sounded from a corner of the room.

“It’s Viviano!” the median snapped.

Dai – who knew perfectly well what his name was – just gestured towards the bag he was holding up, a curious eyebrow raised.

“Don’t touch my stuff!”

“Your stuff?” Dai procured a glowing capsule from the satchel, turning it over in his hand.

“You’re saying you’ve had this on you the entire time? If that’s true, we would need to have a serious conversation. I believe you’re familiar with Zian’s methods; mine are worse.”

Viv looked at him aghast, having turned so pale Zian thought he might faint.

“…Or perhaps it is, on second thought, not your stuff after all, and you’re out here pocketing things I specifically told you not to touch?”

Viv looked at the ground. “Finders keepers,” he mumbled.

“Well, I seem to have found this bag here, so I guess I’ll keep it, then.”

“But there’s stuff in there that’s actually mine!”

“You’re not needed here,” Dai said, ignoring his complaints. “Go back to town and start gathering all of the medians.”

His back was turned to him, so Zian couldn’t see the look that accompanied his request, but he had a pretty good idea of what it must be like.

For once, Viv was smart enough to not talk back, and he scurried towards the cave entrance.

- Now -

Viv was very jumpy, Zian noticed. Sounds made him flinch, and he cast suspicious looks over his shoulder any time the door opened.

“I hate this place,” he mumbled, both hands wrapped around his coffee to stop them from shaking.

“Sal’s?” Zian asked, wondering what could possibly be wrong about a small coffee franchise. “Or Kalerran?”

“This entire fucking dimension.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Work.”

“What kind of work? Assuming it’s not for Dai.”

Viv scoffed.

“Like I said, I’m pretty sure he forgot I exist. No, it’s a private job. Finding some guy. The usual.”

He winced as someone walked past their table.

“Which is absolutely impossible down here.”

Suddenly, his behaviour made sense to Zian. This would be a horrible place for a median. Their senses reacted to magic, and there was plenty of that to go around.

“Too many magical signatures?” he suggested.

“So fucking many. Like standing in a perfume store and they have like, five different songs playing at the same time. Also, there’s a guy with bagpipes in the corner for some reason, and you can’t figure out why.”

“Oh, he’s just there to buy Acqua di Giò, actually.”

“While playing bagpipes?”

“I feel like we’re getting off-topic here.”

“There was a topic?”

“Yes; you. I didn’t think I’d see you here – or anywhere, really. I didn’t know you were still around. He didn’t even tell me he recruited you…” Zian averted his eyes to hide the fact that this upset him.

“I mean, I think that was kind of the point.”

Viv nervously played with the lid of his cup, popping if off and putting it back on again, keeping his eyes on the task at hand so he didn’t have to look at Zian.

“What do you mean?”

“I was going to come with you, you know? After the whole median-rescue mission. Had my bags packed and everything. But he got to me first.”

Zian thought back to that day, when he’d last seen Viviano. Zian had invited Viv to travel with him – to Rena’s displeasure – but when the time had come to leave, he hadn’t shown. Zian had always assumed he’d chickened out, but it seemed he’d been wrong.

“Got to you how?”

“He came to my place. I thought it was weird since he didn’t exactly seem to like me – but he made it very clear very fast that he wasn’t there because he liked me.”

“He needed something,” Zian nodded.

“He offered me a job. All the benefits that came with it, too. You know,” – he gestured to nothing in particular – “recruitment.”

His eyes flitted back to his cup.

“On one condition.”

“…Which is?” Zian asked, getting impatient.

“I had to stay away from you. Really put a lot of emphasis on that part. Said I was a dead man if I ever were to go near you again.”

“That’s why you ran away just now? The wrath of a guy who seems to have forgotten you exist?”

Viv shrugged.

“What can I say, I like staying out of trouble. Never seems to work out for me, though.”

“You’re not in trouble for seeing me,” Zian reassured him. “I’ll tell Dai to ignore that part of the deal, if you want.”

“You wanna remind him of my existence? Not sure I’m into that. I like having a sense of freedom, you know? The guy already owns my soul – wasn’t planning to give him much more than that. Give me a fucking break.”

Zian smiled, then leaned in.

“Is that what your deal says? That he owns your soul? Like, specifically those words?”

“Fuck if I know. Was more of a verbal agreement, anyway.”

He glanced up.

“Why, do you know some kinda loophole?”

Zian studied his face for a moment. There was a glint of something there. Hope, maybe.

“Are you saying you want out?”

The hope turned into reservation. “I thought the only way out was death?”

“That’d be it, yeah,” Zian shrugged.

“Then no, thank you. I like my head where it is right now.”

Viviano showed him a grin, but Zian could tell something was bothering him. If there was something he wanted, staying under Dai’s radar wasn’t going to help him get it.

“I can’t help you get out, but he can be open to negotiation, in some cases. He listens to me; I might be able to get something done, if you want?”

Viv seemed to be unsure. “Like I said: I like the way he’s ignoring me right now.”

Then what do you want?

“…And I highly doubt whether he’d appreciate you arguing my case.”

Zian didn’t think he’d appreciate it much himself, either.

“Why did he want you to stay away from me, anyway? Did he say?”

Viviano shrugged.

“I think he was just pissed that I’d gotten you captured. Put you in danger or something. Which is absurd, really. I mean – I saw what you did to those guys. There’s no way you were ever really in danger.”

Zian shrugged, not feeling the need to debate whatever counted as dangerous, nor the part Viviano had played in it.

“I think the important part was the betrayal, not the danger.”

“Aw, shit, you’re still mad about that?”

“If I were mad – believe me, you’d know,” Zian grinned. “No, I meant important to Dai. He’s not too keen on people who can’t be trusted.”

“Then why recruit me at all? He could’ve just ignored me and taken his pick from amongst the other medians that were still around.”

He had a point there. But Zian was familiar with Dai’s tactics by now.

“Recruitment isn’t about trust; it’s about power. About using that power to bring unpredictable elements under your control. “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” – and keep your enemies away from your friends, it seems.”

Only Dai would never think of the likes of Viviano as an enemy, Zian thought, but decided not to add that fact. An annoyance, perhaps. He’d recruited many “annoyances” over the years. Usually, they served a purpose and were discarded when they’d outlived their use – or when Dai simply grew tired of them. In Viv’s case, he seemed to have forgotten about him completely. An indication of just how much of a threat he’d really considered him to be.

“Right…” Viviano mused.

Clearly, he didn’t think of it the same way. From the look on his face, Zian could tell that he currently imagined himself as some sort of rogue agent, the main character from a movie. Again, he chose not to comment on it; if by now this was still how Viv thought it worked, who was he to tell him otherwise? Perhaps ignorance was bliss, in his case.

“So, do you really think it’s…” Viv froze mid-sentence, pulling a face as if he’d tasted something gross. He sniffed the air, then glanced around, eyeing the other patrons until his attention was pulled to somewhere across the room.

“Son of a bitch,” he whispered.

- Then –

One by one, the medians entered the cave, led by Viviano. They kept to one corner, avoiding the space Dai and Tharryn had cleared for the ritual. A few of them had clearly been in here before, but most of them were nervously glancing around, taking in their surroundings.

As Zian understood it from his earlier encounter, the medians who had successfully brought in a victim were relocated elsewhere. They hadn’t been able to find any information regarding this secondary location yet, but there was still a lot to go through. They’d continue the search once the medians had moved on. He could imagine they’d be antsy to leave.

Now that all of them had gathered in the space, Zian noticed hushed whispers and pointed fingers in his direction. They were talking about him. Since Tharryn didn’t need him at the moment, he decided to take a closer look and see what the fuss was all about.

As he expected, the whispers died out as soon as he approached. Since he didn’t think he would get any kind of explanation out of them, he turned to Viv, who was standing by himself a little off to the side, looking miserable.

“That’s all of them?”

Viv nodded. “According to them, it is.”

Zian raised an eyebrow. “And according to you?”

“You think I know every single one of them? I’m not a people-person, remember?”

“So you keep reminding me,” Zian nodded. “Hey, why are they all staring at me?”

Viv looked at the group over his shoulder.

“Huh. I don’t know. Perhaps they’re starstruck?”

“…Starstruck? Viv, what did you tell them?”

“Oh, you know, just how you singlehandedly shut down their entire operation. That you apparently stopped time – which none of them knew was even possible, by the way. That you’re extremely powerful and tore all the bad guys to pieces. Of course, I also added how I bravely freed you so you could do all that. You know, just a little summary of what went down here.”

“You told them all that?” No wonder they were staring.

“You’re welcome.”

“And it’s just the medians you told this to, right? No one overheard?”

“Don’t think so. I know how to keep a low profile, magician.”

Zian raised an eyebrow. “Clearly.”

“I left out the dragon,” Viv confessed. “Figured we actually need them to want to go up here.”

His eyes flitted towards the mouth of the cave, scanning for movement.

“Where’d she go, anyway?”

“She’s out. We both thought it’d be better if she weren’t here for the ritual.”

“Good, good,” Viviano nodded. “Wouldn’t want the other medians to get scared.”

“Just them?” Zian grinned.

“I’m not scared,” Viv shrugged, but immediately tried to hide behind Zian when he noticed Dai walking up to them.

Dai pretended not to notice – or genuinely didn’t care.

“It’s time.”

- Now -

Zian knew better than to turn around and check what Viviano had seen.

“What is it?” he asked, leaning in.

“This guy, he’s one of them.”

“Them?” Zian prompted, when an explanation stayed out.

“The guys I’m tracking down. The guy I’m looking for, he’s been seen with this group. They’re the only lead I have right now, and they’ve been fucking hard to find.”

“Almost like they don’t want to be found?”

“Exactly.”

“But you reacted to his magic,” Zian observed, feeling like something was off. “You recognised his signature, which means you’ve seen this guy before.”

“I said they were hard to find, not that I hadn’t found them yet,” Viv clarified. He cast his eyes down at the table. “We, uh, had a run-in a couple of days ago.”

“I take it that didn’t go well,” Zian concluded from his reaction.

“It could have gone better,” Viv confirmed. He pulled up his sleeve to reveal some nasty-looking bruises.

“If that’s all you got to show for it, you were very lucky,” Zian remarked.

“It was a warning,” Viv replied, following the guy across the room with his eyes. “They said if I don’t leave them alone, they’d do worse next time.”

He downed the last of his coffee, then got up.

“Come on, he’s getting away.”

Zian, not feeling much for a foolish chase around town for business that ultimately didn’t concern him, remained in his seat.

“Really, magician?” Viv sighed over his shoulder. Then he shrugged. “Fine. I suppose you can catch up at your own pace anyway.”

Then he was out the door, pulling his hood over his head. He also pulled out a pair of sunglasses. To appear inconspicuous, Zian presumed. Like that ever worked.

Not to mention the fact that Kellan didn’t have a sun.

With a sigh, he got up from his chair and followed.

- Then -

“How are you feeling?”

Viv thought for a moment, staring at his hands.

“Not that much different, to be honest. I don’t feel the spell anymore, that’s true, but I’d expected to feel… lighter, somehow.”

“I’m sure you’ll feel better once we’re out of this cave.”

“You’re not wrong there, magician. The energies in this place make me nauseous.”

Viviano looked up at Zian, studying his face.

“Not a fan of caves yourself, are you?”

“I was a prisoner here,” Zian reminded him.

“But that’s not all, is it?” Viv observed. “You look like you really, really don’t want to be here.”

“Is it that obvious?” Zian sighed.

“Your hands are shaking.”

Zian held them up, then balled them into fists.

“Fine. You got me. I don’t like tight spaces.”

“This cave is huge, though,” Viv pointed out, gesturing at the open space around him.

“Shut up.”

Not wanting to be here any longer than necessary, Zian stepped out onto the plateau into the light of the late afternoon sun, which had almost disappeared behind the rocks. The ritual had taken a little longer than Zian had thought, which meant it was probably best to stay here for the night and head out tomorrow.

A gust of wind hit them as Rena landed on the plateau, back from a hunt. Zian had of course known she was coming, but Viv jumped. He glanced at her nervously.

“Hey magician, is she always with you? When you travel, I mean.”

“Not all the time. More often than not, she’s off by herself while I deal with people.”

“Oh, good,” he sighed.

“What?”

“Never mind.”

Before Zian could ask more, Viviano ran off towards the other medians, who had been slowly filtering out now that they were free again, heading down the mountain in small groups. The ones that remained on the plateau had frozen in place at the sight of Rena, considering whether to make a dash back for the caves.

“It’s okay, it’s okay! The dragon is with us!”

While Zian watched Viv try to convince them it was safe – while trying to dodge being pulled into conversation with them – Tharryn appeared from the cave, walking up to him.

“I didn’t think you’d still be here,” Zian remarked.

“Why would I not be here?” Tharryn asked, his voice flat. “Other places aren’t as interesting.”

“Won’t your boss get mad if you stay for too long?”

“Probably.”

Tharryn gave an uncaring shrug while holding up a capsule, letting the light play across its greenish, strangely glowing contents.

“Does this look contaminated to you?”

“…I don’t know how to answer that,” Zian confessed.

He noticed Tharryn was holding a box filled with similar capsules, which neatly slotted into grooves carved into the wood. The eerie glow made Zian a little uncomfortable. One of these things had broken the collar around his neck, but also given him some pretty nasty burns, so he preferred not to touch them again.

“What do you think they are?”

“Concentrated enveryn,” Tharryn replied. “Something similar is used Downtown, but the extraction methods are… different. These seem a lot more volatile. Usually, capsules of this size should hold a charge of about nine to ten taim. For these, the readings are all over the place. Some of these are overcharged, and dangerously so. It’s a miracle nothing has exploded yet.”

“And what’s up with that one?” a voice interjected.

Zian hadn’t noticed Viv joining them – also, he hadn’t expected him to dare coming this close to Tharryn again. But here he was, and pointing at the capsule Tharryn had just been studying.

“What do you think is “up” with that one?” Tharryn asked, an eyebrow raised.

“I don’t know,” Viv shrugged. “It’s just different. Smells fae.”

“Hmm.” Tharryn held the capsule against the light again. “Contaminated, then.”

He held it out to Zian.

“Here. You enjoy breaking things.”

“…What?” Zian hesitated to take it from him – in case it would explode, or something. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s contaminated, which makes it unusable – assuming these unstable things had any use to begin with. Go smash it against a rock or something. I know you derive pleasure from such activities.”

Zian, who had to begrudgingly admit that he was right, took the capsule and threw it as hard as he could towards the opposite wall, where it erupted in green flames.

“Nice.”

“You know,” Viv pondered, looking at the scorch mark with unease, “I’ve changed my mind: you guys can keep the ones I found, no big deal.”

“I’m sure we can find you some non-volatile things to keep,” Zian grinned.

“How about one of those collars?” Viv tried.

“Absolutely not. I don’t want those things anywhere near me.”

“Near you? I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

“Well, I was thinking, why don’t you tag along with me for a while? You’ve got a good eye for magic; I’m sure you’ll be able to help me out.”

“And you’ll help me out? With your magic?”

“If there’s anything you need help with, sure.”

He gestured towards Rena, who was patiently waiting for him.

“Of course, we’ll be traveling by dragon – so if you’re fine with that, meet me here in the morning.”

Viv looked hesitant, but grinned.

“See you in the morning, magician.”

- Now -

“Do you even have a plan?” Zian asked, unfreezing time after having caught up with him.

Viviano, clearly startled by his sudden appearance, took a deep breath to calm down.

“I hate it when you do that, magician.”

“Shouldn’t have left me behind, then.”

“Touché.”

Viv peered around the corner to check on his target’s progress.

“You think you could make us invisible?”

“What’s the plan, Viv?” Zian asked again.

“The plan is to follow him, of course.”

“And then?”

“Then he will lead me to the guy I’m looking for. Or to his headquarters, or something.”

Zian suddenly wondered how the hell this guy had managed to survive this long.

“And what if your guy isn’t there?”

Viv darted across the street when the coast was clear.

“Then we make them talk, I suppose,” he shrugged when Zian had joined him.

“…We?”

Viv laughed sheepishly.

“Well, I suppose you will, magician,” he confessed.

“I most definitely will not.”

A panicked look.

“You won’t?”

“This isn’t my mess, Viv.”

“It’s not a mess! It’s a job,” the median protested.

“…Are you sure? I think you’re a little in over your head with this one. People who don’t want to be found down here don’t get found. Especially not by just a median.”

“Just a median, huh? Do you have any idea what I’ve pulled off over the years? The things I’ve done to keep my head above the water?”

“I don’t,” Zian admitted. “But I’m telling you: if that guy is who I think he is, you’ll want to stay out of this.”

“You’d better listen to him,” a voice sounded behind them.

Viv let out a small yelp, and even Zian had to admit he had not noticed anyone approach them.

Behind them stood a demon with greyish-blue skin and a smirk on his face. A golden charm dangled from one of his polished horns. He was dressed inconspicuously in jeans and a t-shirt, but Zian knew he must be part of the same group as the one they’d been following.

From a quick glance around, Zian learned that their target had clearly been aware he’d been followed and had now turned around to head back their way. One of his friends was just across the street, a challenging grin on her face.

“I hadn’t expected to see you here, general Reményi,” the first guy nodded.

“I hadn’t expected to be here,” Zian shrugged.

The two of them shared a look, both aware of the unspoken agreement they were a part of. An agreement that ensured the peace on the streets of Kalerran. An agreement Viv remained blissfully unaware of, as he crossed his arms and stared at the gang defiantly.

“This weasel a friend of yours?” the demon asked, nodding in Viv’s direction.

“Yes,” Viv answered before Zian could even open his mouth. “So you’d better think twice before calling me any names!”

Zian, who was starting to see why Dai had put so much effort into keeping Viv away from him, sent a glare in his direction.

“Keep your mouth shut or I’ll leave you here with them,” he hissed.

He turned his attention back to the one he assumed to be their leader.

“My-” – he hesitated on the word – “…friend here is looking for someone. But he made a mistake, he’s got your guy mixed up with someone else. Don’t you, Viv?”

If Viv even had any idea of what he was trying to accomplish, he didn’t show it. Instead, he doubled down.

“Where’s Magar? I know you have him.”

Zian sighed. The gang closed in.

“You think we’re just going to tell you where he is?” the leader grinned. “Invite you over for tea?”

“We told you to stay the fuck away from us,” another joined in. “You think we’re the types to issue empty threats, hm?”

“That would be why I brought back-up,” Viv said confidently.

The gang glanced at Zian, a mix of unease and confusion on their faces.

“Whoah, hold on,” Zian replied, holding up his hands in a calming gesture. “Let’s not jump to conclusions here.” He turned to the leader. “Could you give us a minute?”

“Don’t you have all the time in the world? You hardly need to ask for permission.”

“It’s polite to ask,” Zian shrugged. And with a side-eye to Viv: “Some of us still have manners.”

“By all means, general,” the demon gestured.

Zian grabbed Viv by the arm, not even bothering to drag him out of earshot of the group. They could listen in for all he cared.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“My job? I told you-”

“Do you have any idea just how stupid a move this is? What’s at stake here?”

Viv shrugged. “It’s just one guy, but a lot of money. We could split it? If you could just do that thing you do-”

Zian grabbed him by the shirt, resisting the urge to choke the life out of him. Instead, he pulled him in close.

“You only went after him because I’m here, didn’t you? You want me to do your dirty work for you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, magician…”

“Stop calling me that!”

This seemed to shut him up for a moment.

Zian sighed.

“I can’t get involved in this,” he explained. “There are powers at play here that you don’t understand. Things you don’t need to concern yourself with. But I do. I can’t just do whatever I want, because actions have consequences, and if by now you still don’t understand that, then perhaps it’s time you learned.”

“You’re going to leave me here? With them?”

“I’m going to leave, and you can either do the same or take your chances with these fine people, but either way I’m going to tell Dai about what you’ve been doing behind his back.”

“Is it really behind his back if he doesn’t give a fuck about what I’m doing?” Viv pointed out.

“If you really think he doesn’t give a fuck, why do you care so much about whether I tell him or not?”

Viv was quiet for a moment.

“You’re not going to help me, then?”

“…No, Viv. I thought I’d made that clear by now. You got yourself into this mess – find your own way out of it. I’m done.”

He turned towards the gang, who were still patiently waiting – while clearly eavesdropping.

“Thank you for your patience. He’s all yours,” Zian gestured towards them. “I want nothing to do with this.”

He took a step back, to see if they would allow him to leave.

He hoped that by now he’d made it clear enough that he wasn’t working with Viviano, and that Viv wasn’t acting in Dai’s interests in the slightest. As long as Zian didn’t get involved, this wouldn’t hurt the agreement – and whatever they would do to Viv wouldn’t either. Zian could only hope that they would see it that way too.

He took another step.

“General.”

Here we go.

Zian gathered some energy at his fingertips, ready for whatever came next. Interestingly, the gang’s demeanour didn’t appear threatening – or at least not any more so than it had a minute ago. The leader even appeared slightly nervous, as if he were uncertain about his next move.

“There’s another matter we’d like to discuss with you.”

Zian detected a glance; a brief moment where the two other members made eye contact. The hesitation in those looks told him that this was not part of the original plan.

Zian eyed the leader suspiciously. The gangs and Dai’s people never talked. Staying out of each other’s way was the entire point of the agreement. Live and let live.

“Is that so? And what makes you think I want to talk?”

“Believe me, you’ll want to hear what we have to say. It’s important for either side.”

Zian glanced at the faces around him. Earlier, the other members had thrown menacing looks in their direction; they were just playing around, but ready to throw down if needed. Right now, their faces were stoic and serious. They also seemed to have completely forgotten about Viv for the moment, collectively holding their breath while waiting for his answer.

“…Alright, I’ll bite. What’s so important?”

“There’s a new player in town,” the leader explained, seeming relieved at his cooperation. “Encroaching on our business. We want to make sure he isn’t one of yours.”

“Well, I don’t know every single person in the emperor’s employ,” Zian considered. “I’d have to ask around.”

“Fair point,” the demon nodded.

“What can you tell me about this guy? What does he look like? What has he done to you that’s got you so worried?”

“I’ll get to that in a moment,” the leader promised. “First, we might want to get off the street. We wouldn’t want people of either side to know we’ve talked. Not yet.”

Zian wasn’t particularly eager to go anywhere with them.

“You think someone’s watching?” he asked, acting casual while looking out for any signs that this might be a trap – wouldn’t be the first time Viv had led him into one.

The leader shrugged. “There’s always someone watching. Who it is – that’s the real question. In our line of work, we’ve gotten pretty good at avoiding the eyes, though."

He made an inviting gesture.

“Let me show you. No tricks, I swear. Why would I be here if I didn’t honour the agreement?”

Zian just stared at him for a moment. Truth be told, the whole thing intrigued him, and he was curious to see where it would lead – but you shouldn’t appear too eager to these types.

The leader crossed his arms. “You know what, I’d be willing to let the weasel go. Call it a show of good faith.”

“I basically just left the weasel for dead,” Zian retorted. “Why do you think I care?”

“Magician?” Viv asked nervously – after having been surprisingly quiet up to now. “…I mean- Zian.”

“Shut up, Viv.”

Zian looked from the squirming median to the gang leader and back, then sighed.

“If they really mean it, I’d start walking if I were you.”

“What if they don’t mean it, though…” Viv mumbled.

 “We’ll find out, won’t we?”

“I…”

“Get out of here before I kill you myself!”

Scared by his sudden outburst, Viv started running, almost tripping over his own feet. The four of them watched as he disappeared around the corner, after a quick glance over his shoulder.

The gang leader turned to Zian. “You think I should’ve told him not to come around here again, or do you think he got the message this time?”

“Hard to tell with that guy,” Zian shrugged. “If he does come back, feel free to do with him as you please. We won’t care.”

The demon nodded.

“So, let me show you a place where we can talk.”

- Later -

Viviano waited at the entrance to the station, hoping to slip inside along with someone else. He had a card, but knew it could be used to track him – which wasn’t ideal for someone wanting to skip town.

He hadn’t been able to complete his job, and figured staying here might not be the best of options, with the gang and Zian – and possibly Dai? – knowing his whereabouts. Moreover, his employer might come looking for him, demanding back the advance he’d been paid. Well, shouldn’t have given me any money before getting results then. He’d spent it a long time ago.

He was conflicted about seeing Zian again. Even though Dai had forbidden Viv to see him, he’d always considered him a friend, someone who would be on his side when it mattered.

What a friend he’d turned out to be.

Perhaps Dai had been right to keep the two of them apart. Working alone had kept him sharp, required him to think of creative solutions. And the moment he’d asked for help, everything had started to go downhill.

Perhaps this was a sign. Perhaps he needed to get the hell out of here and focus all of his activities Topside from now. Screw this place.

A woman entered the station, holding a child by the hand. Her attention was fully focused on the young boy, who wasn’t particularly well-behaved.

Perfect. She’d be too distracted to notice she was being followed.

He rounded the corner and almost collided with someone in his path.

“Excuse me,” he mumbled, slipping past them to not let the woman out of his sight.

He didn’t get far, as a hand closed around his arm, holding him in an iron grip.

“Ow, what the-”

Viviano froze.

It had been a while since he had seen this face in person, and yet it was everywhere: in papers, magazines, on tv – and even if it hadn’t been, Viv didn’t think he’d ever be able to forget it.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Dai asked.

“Away,” Viv squeaked, trying to squirm out of his grip while knowing it was pointless. “Please, I- I’ll stay away from Zian, I won’t come back here ever again!”

“I don’t think so.” Dai tightened his grip. “For some reason, Zian still has a soft spot for you. No matter what you do, he won’t see you for the snake that you are – won’t do what needs to be done. I guess I’ll just have to do it for him.”

“Wait- no!”

The emperor ignored the median as he dragged him away.

[downtowns-universe]

tag the oc who's a mermaid

[downtowns-universe]

OC-tober day 29

Mirror

*

Jack approached the mirror, a little nervous to look into its shiny surface. He paused right next to it.

“Do you really think this will work? Do I need to do anything special?”

The diviner shot a nervous glance at Tharryn next to them and fidgeted with the edge of their robe before answering.

“The mirror can be of help with divination magic, but it isn’t guaranteed to work. Not everyone goes about things the same way, and what may be helpful for one might be useless to another.”

They gestured at the mirror.

“For now, just try to look into it and call upon your abilities like you usually would. Since you’re not a student here, I’m afraid I can’t give more specific instructions, since I don’t know how you usually work.”

“Heh. That makes two of us.”

Jack stepped up to the mirror – which definitely looked like a regular mirror. It wasn’t even all fancy and antique-looking, like one would expect from a magical mirror. Just an oval shape in a black frame, with his own face looking back at him.

He tried to look for anything weird, any way his reflection would be different from him, or perhaps something unusual hiding in the background of the room. It all looked exactly as it should be.

Just do what you usually do. Easier said than done. He never really… did anything. The thoughts just came to him. He could try to focus them on a specific topic, push them in a certain direction, but it mostly went its own way after that. It was like sending a paper boat into a fast-flowing river: when he’d released it, it would go along with the current and there would be nothing he could do about it – and more often than not it simply went under, not to be seen again.

Jack let his mind wander, trying to gather interesting facts about the institute and the hallway he was standing in right now, just to see if engaging his powers would elicit a reaction from the mirror.

To be fair, he didn’t have a lot of faith in it. Tharryn had promised to help him figure out how to use and improve his abilities, since it was what Dai expected of him, and had started by simply visiting some people he knew and objects he’d heard about. But by now, Jack had realised that wherever they went, two things were the same. One: he’d be told to take classes or work with a tutor in order to understand his powers better, and two: whatever they tried wouldn’t work.

He was starting to think he was a lost cause. What use would he have to Dai if his powers were so damn unpredictable? If one day they’d give him something great, only to be followed by headaches for the next three weeks? If he couldn’t distinguish between the many voices, or make them shut up?

The Society hadn’t been able to help him, and neither had his family. His grandmother was the only one who’d shared the same ability, and even then, she only had a fraction of his power. There’d been no voices, she’d just learned to trust her intuition.

Well, his intuition told him this was a waste of time. His ability wasn’t even sight-based. What the fuck was he doing staring into a magic mirror?

He turned back to Tharryn and the diviner and shrugged.

“I don’t think this is working.”

“Well, we could…” the diviner started, their voice sounding nervous as they eyed Tharryn again. They were definitely afraid of him, Jack thought.

“Don’t bother,” he sighed. “I’m done with this.”

He started to walk away, when a single, crystal-clear thought entered his mind and reverberated like a musical note. It was a sound of certainty, one he’d heard before, and he knew he could trust it.

He paused, then slowly turned around, looking at the diviner.

“…What do I have to do to get a tutor here?”

[downtowns-universe]

OC-tober day 27 & 28

Found / isolate

*

As Dai looked down at the city stretching out beneath him, he could feel eyes watching him. He wasn’t alone anymore; someone had found him up here. Dai didn’t need to look up to know it was Tharryn, but he did so anyway.

Tharryn’s hood was down, allowing Dai to detect the slightest hint of a smile on his face.

“I thought I’d find you here.”

Dai raised an eyebrow.

“…You did?”

Not even he thought this was a logical place for him to be. Did his partner know something he didn’t?

“To be fair, it wasn’t the first place I thought to look. …Or the tenth.”

He crossed his arms.

“Okay, fine, I gave up and used a tracking spell. Happy now?”

Dai grinned.

“Very. I was worried I was getting predictable. Can’t have that now. Got a reputation to uphold.”

Tharryn sent him an enigmatic look. While Dai could read him better than anyone, he still hadn’t mastered interpreting all of his expressions. On his end, Tharryn struggled to interpret just about any social cues. But Dai was sure he’d picked up on the sarcasm this time around. Right?

“Your reputation remains undamaged. But unfortunately for you, I know exactly why you’re up here.”

“…You do?”

Tharryn came to sit next to him, his feet dangling over the edge of the building. Together, they looked at Kalerran stretching out around them, an endless tangle of streets interspersed with plazas and parks and people. Everyone looked so small from up here, like ants scurrying around their colony, unaware of what was happening in the world at large. And like ants, they were easy to squash. He wouldn’t, though: these were his ants. But someone else might.

“Do you think you’d survive falling down from here?” Tharryn asked, leaning dangerously far over the edge.

Dai had gotten used to the random topic changes. He’d come around to it eventually, he knew from experience. So, he leaned forward to look down as well.

“Me? Probably. Some random demon? Unlikely.”

He cast a look to the side.

“Don’t tell me you want to try it.”

Tharryn shook his head.

“Not today. Besides, we know how that ends already,” he shrugged.

“Good. I am not scraping you off the sidewalk.”

The comment even earned him a smile. A rare treat – although he got to see them more often these days.

“Better get away from that edge, then. This is giving me vertigo.”

Tharryn pulled up his legs and hopped off of the low wall surrounding the edge of the roof, moving back towards the centre a little.

“It’s a nice view, though. You can see all the way to Nyos from here,” Dai pointed out.

“Sure, but you didn’t come here for the view.”

Dai leaned back to look at him.

“Then what do you think I’m doing here?”

“You’re hiding.”

“Hiding?”

Tharryn nodded.

“Hiding, self-isolating, needing some space to think – however you wanna call it.”

“Well, I suppose I did pick this place because no one would find me here – you not included, clearly.”

Tharryn looked at the ground, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

“Do you want me to leave?” he asked.

“Why would I want that?”

“You want to be alone. When I’m here, you’re not alone,” Tharryn explained, a small hint of confusion showing on his face about having to explain something so obvious.

“I wanted to get away from people. You’re not people.”

Tharryn considered this for a moment, then sighed.

“You lost me. You want me to stay …because I’m not a person? That’s not true and you know it. So, what am I missing?”

Dai couldn’t help but laugh. For someone so smart he could be pretty clueless at times.

“You know when you spend time with people, and at some point you grow tired of them, or annoyed by them, or just want them to leave for any other reason?”

Tharryn nodded. He knew it all too well, often reaching that point long before others would.

“You’re the exception to that. I’d never grow tired of you.”

Another pause as Tharryn considered this. When he looked up, there was a twinkle in his eye.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Absolutely.”

“You’ll regret saying that the next time I’ll talk your ear off about some spell, or whatever.”

“Hmm, nope! I love seeing you being passionate about things.”

Tharryn approached the edge of the building again, but didn’t join him on the wall. Instead, he leaned on it with his elbows, looking out over the city.

“You know that works two ways, right? I’d never get tired of you either. No matter how many stories you tell about the council’s terrible plans, or their infuriating incompetence…”

Ah. So he did know why he was up here.

“Would throwing them down the roof make you feel better?” Tharryn suggested, only half-joking.

Dai smiled.

“However tempting: you being here is enough.”

He leaned in, as if anyone would be able to overhear them up here.

“…Also, I may have thrown some rocks at people earlier.”

Tharryn smiled and shook his head, then rested it against Dai’s shoulder.

“Well, I’m not going anywhere.”

[downtowns-universe]

OC-tober day 25

Glimpse

*

You are not the ones I’ve met before.

Zian opened his eyes as he heard the voice – something he perhaps shouldn’t have done. A bright light greeted him, reminding him of the fact that his head hurt – why did it hurt again? He couldn’t remember. The rest of his body hurt too, but at the same time it felt distant and numb, like he was floating.

When he closed his eyes again, he saw strange, elongated shapes twisting and turning, melding into each other to later separate again.

But you feel like them, the strange voice continued.

Zian realised whoever was here with him wasn’t speaking words; instead, he felt sensations being pushed into his mind, much like the way dragons communicated. But this was unlike any dragon language he’d ever encountered. Still, he understood the intention behind them just fine.

“Who are you?” he asked, opening his eyes again and squinting against the light.

His voice sounded raspy, and seemed to echo in the space, which felt big and small at the same time. The only other sound here was a steady ticking noise, which overlapped perfectly with the one in his head. Now that he’d noticed it, it grew increasingly louder until it filled the entirety of his mind.

“Please, make it stop!” he gasped, feeling like his head was going to explode.

A descendant, perhaps?

Wherever this voice came from, it did not seem to have heard him and continued musing to itself.

He tried to move his body but couldn’t seem to remember how to do so. Everything here felt blurry, like his senses got all scrambled. The strange shapes seemed to curl around him, but at the same time looked like they were miles away. He couldn’t move and he couldn’t tell up from down. It was almost as if distance didn’t matter here, like the space he was in wasn’t anything he could comprehend. Or perhaps it wasn’t a real, tangible place at all. He had never encountered anything like this before – but why then did it feel so familiar?

Zian took a deep breath – ignoring the way his body screamed at him that something was wrong – and attempted to reach out to whatever was out there as if it were a dragon. He wasn’t sure what kind of feelings he was projecting – confusion, most likely; he just needed them to hear him. He reached out blindly, trying to do what Rena had taught him, but this was not a dragon’s mind-space. There was nothing to project onto, just the ongoing ticking noise, every beat feeling like the inside of his skull was being hit with a hammer.

Then he realised he did not know what time it was, or how long he’d been here. These were things his abilities had always supplied him with. No matter if he was drunk or had recently been unconscious – he always knew the time.

But not in here.

Thinking there must be a connection there, he called his powers to him. Although he couldn’t quite remember what had happened before he’d ended up here, he knew he’d pushed himself to the limit, using up all that he had at his disposal. While the state of his body told him that he couldn’t have recovered much, he didn’t know what else to try anymore.

He conjured up the last wisps of energy and sent out a weak little thread into the void around him. It wasn’t long until he felt it latch onto something.

Colours exploded in every direction. An energy rushed through him with such a force that Zian was sure it would rip him apart. It felt as if every single one of his nerves was on fire, and yet he still couldn’t manage to move a muscle. All he could do was let it happen.

Oh good, I was starting to think you’d died, the voice sounded when the energy started to die down.

Who are you? What is this place?

Zian realised he didn’t need to put conscious effort into communicating now: it just happened.

An answer came, but his mind failed to grasp its meaning as he was hit with another splitting headache. “Time”, was all he could make of it.

A presence surrounded him; white-hot but still comforting. Zian felt connected to it: the energy flowing through him also passed through it – seemed to originate from it, even.

You should not be here, the voice continued. Zian could tell it was picking its words carefully now, to not cause him any further pain. This place is not good for your kind – even one with my blessing.

Your blessing? My abilities come from you? From this place?

The presence replied affirmative.

I was once pulled into your world. Three of your kind aided me. I have shared with them my blessing, so that I could return home. It seems like my blessing has passed down to their descendants.

This story sounded familiar to him. Well, not the part about the otherworldly being, but he knew there were three influential Natural families who possessed the talent for time manipulation. He’d been trying to find a trace of the others, but so far, he hadn’t succeeded yet.

Zian felt the energy swirl around him, as if the entity examined him with long fingers. It rushed through every fibre of his being, flooding him with power. His nerves were screaming, telling him it was too much, but at the same time it felt so, so good.

Interesting…

Something about the way the words were spoken unnerved him.

What is it?

The entity was quiet for a moment, seemingly looking for the right words.

No one like you has been here before. The others who received my blessing stayed on their side as I passed through. I had to split the blessing across the three of them as to not drive them insane with it. And here you are, on this side, where the energy is many times stronger – and somehow, you’re still alive.

I’m a special case, I guess.

Zian tried to grin, but his body still wasn’t cooperating. Apart from the energy rushing through it, it was like it wasn’t even there. Should he be worried?

Not special enough to stop this place from eventually driving you mad and ripping you apart, I’m afraid.

That doesn't sound good, Zian had to admit.

I don’t know how you’ve managed to make your way here, but I can put you back. However, the connection with your body is weakening, so I don’t have much time.

Zian chuckled. Ironic.

He gasped as the entity tightened its grip on him.

Believe me, I’m pulling enough strings as it is to allow you to exist here. On top of that, your body is in a poor condition from whatever you did before you got here. Forces on the other side are fighting to save it, much like I am. If we wait any longer, returning may not be possible.

Alright, alright, send me back!

I need a moment to prepare. Sit still.

Couldn’t move if I tried, Zian pointed out.

He fixed his eyes on his surroundings once more as he felt the entity pulling threads of energy and weaving them together. The shapes in the distance twisted and folded in their strange patterns, moving to the beat of the ticking noise – and, for a split second, Zian felt like he could understand them.

Then something blocked his line of sight. A glowing entity, almost human-shaped, appeared in front of him. It seemed surprised to see him look back at it.

Your mind is starting to make sense of this place, it spoke. That’s bad. We need to hurry.

Will we meet again? Zian asked.

I’m not sure. But I will always be here.

It touched a long finger to his chest, which, Zian noticed now, was completely covered in intricate patterns of glowing lines.

The entity brought its face closer to Zian’s and looked him in the eyes.

This is going to hurt.

Zian wanted to comment that he’d had his fair share of pain, and it couldn’t possibly be that bad, but he didn’t get the chance to. Perhaps it was a good thing, because he would have been gravely mistaken. Nothing he’d ever felt in his entire life compared to this. The energy built up inside of him until he felt like it was going to tear him apart, and then it kept going. Something tore into him, something in between fire and acid, burning away inside his chest, moving to his limbs, his head… until everything turned black.

He'd been drifting for what could have been seconds or years, likely something in between. Sometimes he’d see the twisting shapes dancing before his eyes, sometimes there was only a stark white, accompanied by the smell of disinfectant.

Today was different, though. He could see dirt and rocks, the red and black of uniforms, accompanied by the sounds of hundreds of marching feet. Then, a feeling hit him; a feeling of unease, of something not being right. A familiar feeling.

Right as he wondered when and where he’d felt like this before, the sky split open. A thundercrack, followed by a wave of reddish-purple energy washing down the mountainside. Zian didn’t hesitate, throwing his arms out to catch the oncoming wave with his energy. He met it just a few metres above the heads of his men, bringing it to a halt. He’d caught the entire valley into his bubble, freezing all of it in time.

He looked around, groaning under the weight of it. Some of his men had started to run away, others stared at the oncoming storm, frozen in fear. Frozen in time, now. Safe, but unmoving. He tried to shift the bubble away from them, but even the slightest movement would destabilise it. If he let it slip, they would all die.

And so, he held it up, calling on his connection to Dai for more power. He will notice, and he will come check on me, Zian kept telling himself. If I can keep this up, he’ll come and fix this. I can save them.

His muscles strained as he kept pulling more and more power towards himself. He could feel the seconds ticking by; the sound reverberating inside his mind. Strange shapes started to dance before his eyes.

I can do this. I have to do this.

Then the world turned black.

Zian gasped as he shot upright, trying to shake the memories.

He immediately regretted doing so, as every single fibre of his body seemed to protest, and he let himself fall back down into the pillows.

He was in a bed in an all-white room. A hospital? How had he ended up here? How long had he been here? And why couldn’t he tell?

At that moment, the door was thrown open and Rena burst in, in her human form. She looked ready to throw herself on top of him, and Zian braced himself for impact, but she seemed to stop herself at the last moment and grabbed his hand instead, squeezing it so hard it hurt. The images she sent into his mind were a little overwhelming.

“We leave for two minutes, and he wakes up,” a different voice sounded.

Zian looked over to see Dai standing in the doorway, a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” he grinned. “…Well, sort of.”

Zian’s mind was teeming with questions, but all he could manage was a weak “Hey…”.

“You had us worried there for a bit, but according to the doctors you’re going to be just fine.”

Dai’s face turned serious as he joined Rena at the edge of the bed.

“We’ll fill you in on everything when you’re ready, but first you need to rest, alright?”

“Hmm, sounds good.”

Zian felt his eyes getting heavy. Even though it was very likely he spent the last couple of days in bed, he was so, so tired…

He closed his eyes and listened for the familiar tick-tock noise in his mind. It was faint, but it was still there. Listening to its steady rhythm, he dozed off to sleep.

[these are the same events referred to in We'll talk later]

[downtowns-universe]

OC-tober day 22 & 23

Treasure / Riddle

*

Ari smiled when the island became visible in the distance. It was as she remembered: the elongated shape with cliffs on one end and a rounded hill in the middle. She'd passed by it a couple of times when she was still sailing on her father's ship, and he'd always joked its hills looked like a guy taking a nap.

Her heart ached at the memory. She would never see that smile again, she realised. They hadn't always seen eye to eye and hadn't talked much during the last couple of years, but he'd still been her father, who'd taught her everything she knew. And now he was gone.

She took the note he'd left her from her coat pocket and read it again:

Find me where the giant sleeps Where the sea your ship will keep Towards the sunrise you will go 'Til what is up you see below The twins that guard, they groan and creak Venus hides the thing you seek

She’d read it hundreds of times, understanding that there was something he wanted her to find – and only her. The first clue was in the island; an inside joke between the two of them, unintelligible for anyone whose hands the note might end up in. So, she’d gathered a small crew she could trust and made her way over there.

She had a pretty good idea about the second clue. Just off the island’s southwest coast were dangerous reefs that could cut open a ship and spill its contents onto the razor-sharp rocks. She’d have to anchor somewhere else, but the southwest beach would be the place to start looking.

As they were rowing the dinghy to shore, Seb was uncharacteristically quiet. Perhaps he could sense she didn’t feel much like talking. She’d wanted to go alone, originally, but he’d insisted on coming with her. To keep her from getting into trouble, he’d said. From experience, she knew they were much more likely to run into trouble this way, but she’d kept her mouth shut. She was grateful anyway.

“So, what now?” he asked as soon as their boots had hit the sand. “The sunrise, do we just go east?”

He’d been the only one she had allowed to read the instructions, not wanting to get any rumours started amongst the crew. Even with men she trusted you could never be too careful.

“I suppose.”

Without a starting point, “east” seemed like a pretty vague instruction. She squinted at the tree line, searching for an area where the vegetation seemed less dense, perhaps for a path? It was unlikely they’d find one, considering the island was uninhabited. But she knew smugglers occasionally had their hideouts in places like this.

“Over here!” Seb called, a little to her right.

He was standing next to a large rock at the edge of the beach. When she approached, she could see a symbol carved into it. A sun.

“Nice catch.”

She took out her compass and started making her way east, cutting away vegetation with her sword as she went. Seb followed closely behind.

“Now what would the next hint mean... ‘Til what is up you see below. Up is down? Perhaps something that’s fallen down? Something upside down?”

Ari only half listened to what he was saying. Involuntarily, her mind focused on her father again.

His passing had caught her by surprise. Or, more accurately: his capture had. He'd quit, hadn't he? He’d disappeared to live a quiet life with her mother. How could they have found him? Someone must have tipped them off.

In the end, the fact that he was retired didn’t matter much. The only good pirate was a dead pirate, in their eyes. They’d made a spectacle of it. Some said his body was still there for the crowd to see. She had no interest in verifying the rumours.

After a while, the trees thinned as they reached the top of a hill. The slope on the other side was covered in gravel, a steady decline that ended up at a small lake, its surface smooth like a mirror, reflecting the clouds lazily drifting by.

She gasped.

“That’s it! The lake!”

Seb came standing next to her, also peering down.

“What is up you see below... Oh, I see.”

“Now how do we get down?” she mused, kicking a rock down the slope, which caused a miniature rockslide down into the lake.

“Perhaps we don’t have to,” Seb suggested.

He pointed at something at the opposite slope, behind the lake.

“Does that look like twin guardians to you?”

She followed his gaze and noticed two gnarly old trees. Behind them the mountainside rose up, they appeared to be growing from between the rocks.

“Guardians that groan and creak – I think you’re right.”

That just left Venus. She had thought about this hint on the way here. It could have something to do with planets, or perhaps with gods. Since it was the last clue, it seemed to be the most important one, guiding her to where the treasure would be.

Because treasure is what she expected. Her father had always been a clever man, hiding away whatever part of his share he didn’t need. Most of the crews she’d sailed with preferred to spend their earnings immediately, drinking and gambling until they’d ended up as poor as they’d been before, but not him. Whatever he didn’t spend on his ship or his family was stashed away for later use. He’d had multiple of these hiding places, since he liked to spread the risk.

So when she’d found out he’d left her a note, she understood that there was more to it than one might think. He’d set this up in advance, knowing that something might happen to him one day. Well, he hadn’t been wrong.

The trees turned out to be placed on opposite sides of a cave entrance, that was just big enough for the two of them to crawl into. It was pitch-black inside, but she’d come prepared and lit a torch. They carefully ventured further into the cave, their heads down because of its low ceiling. Ari kept her eyes open for anything that could point her towards the last clue.

Then she ran into a wall. A dead end. This was all there was – they must have missed something. She held the torch closer to the left wall, as she scanned the rock for any signs. Back at the entrance, she did the same to the right wall. Seb stayed close by her side, only able to look at the spot the torch was lighting.

“Wait, what’s that?”

This part of the rock wall looked irregular, like loose rocks stacked on top of each other to block something off. When she moved the torch closer, a small shimmer caught her eye.

She picked it up and turned it over in her hand.

“A Venus shell... We’ve found it!”

They quickly but carefully started to remove rocks, slowly revealing a chest covered in dust and rubble. It didn’t take long for Seb to pry it open.

Their mouths fell open. It was filled with gold and jewels, objects inlaid with gems, artifacts the origin of which she wasn’t sure of...

And there was a bottle. A sealed bottle with a piece of paper inside.

She didn’t need to open it to know it contained a message. A message for her.

She pocketed it, making sure it wouldn’t break on the way back. She wasn’t going to read it just yet, for that she needed to be alone in her cabin, probably with a good bottle of wine.

For now, the two of them just needed to figure out how the hell they were going to get this thing out of here.

[downtowns-universe]

OC-tober day 21

Wander

*

Finding out he had a reputation had taken Eyrian by surprise. The Wanderer, they called him. It was an accurate name, he supposed. He had spent the last couple of years aimlessly wandering, after all. Losing Melenna had sent him adrift, literally and figuratively. He'd been the sage's protector, but without a sage to protect, what was his purpose?

He'd been trying to find out, by travelling between pods and some other contacts they'd visited together, seeing if any of them would need his help. Aside from an errand here and there, he hadn't found anything substantial yet, nothing that would make him stay. The merfolk were doing fine without him, as they had always done.

Stories about him seemed to have reached merfolk all over the place, as there was quite a crowd gathered to meet him, even though he was unfamiliar with this particular pod. He smiled politely as they greeted him, and winked at the group of children admiring his sword from a distance. People grasped his hands and touched the tattoo wrapped around his upper arm with reverence. All of it made him feel a little awkward, and he was glad when the crowd parted for two women in their fifties, one covered in scars and bearing the same tattoo he did, the other wearing pearls in her hair and a smile on her face. The sage and her protector.

“Come,” she gestured. “We need to talk.”

Eyrian nodded and followed the two of them to the sage’s home.

The crowd respectfully parted for the protector who cleared the way for them. It reminded him of the time when this had been his job, and he’d never felt further from home.

The merfolk were his people, this was true - but ultimately, they were Melenna’s people. It hadn’t been the people or the location that had made him feel like home, she had been his home, and without her he just felt like a stranger in a place he didn’t belong.

“Why are you here?” the sage asked once they were inside.

Straight to the point. Alright.

“I came to ask whether you need help with anything.”

“It seems to me like you are the one in need of help.”

“I’m…”

“You’re adrift, without purpose. Letting the current drag you along. If you let it have its way, it will drag you down.”

Eyrian stayed quiet. The sage was right, of course. They usually were – he’d experienced it often enough to know.

“She wouldn’t want you to chase a ghost.”

“Then what would she have me do, huh? What would you have me do?”

The sage cast her eyes downward.

“I’m afraid only you will have the answer to that. I can offer Danala’s guidance, but ultimately this is a road you will need to walk on your own.”

“…How do I do that?”

“Stay a while. Sit and listen. Allow the sands to settle down, and the water ahead will be clearer.”

Eyrian sighed.

“Why do you all have to be so damn cryptic?”

A small smile played at the corner of the sage’s mouth.

“The truth is never straightforward or easy. If it were, we wouldn’t need sages, now, would we?”

She reminded him so much of Melenna it hurt.

He realised he was tired. Really, really tired.

“…Fine, I’ll stay.”

[downtowns-universe]

OC-tober day 14-17

Hollow

Necromancy is looked down upon in just about all of Kellan. There are no official classes being given on the subject, but teachers can be found if one knows where to look.

Endryn is the energy type associated with necromancy. It can be obtained from recently dead bodies, as the energy builds up there after a reaper has visited. Reapers themselves do not possess endryn, and are generally against the use of it, be it for necromancy or for other purposes.

While necromancy can reanimate dead bodies, it cannot restore a soul. The body is simply an empty shell without memories and will do whatever its master tells it to do. It is impossible to retrieve a soul from the afterlife after a reaper has taken it away, and any past attempts to do so have ended catastrophically. This, of course, does not stop people from trying.

While reanimating, a fresher body will be easier to handle than an older one. Anything that is no longer there (like muscles) will have to be recreated with magic. So, while it is technically possible to reanimate a skeleton, it costs a lot of energy, and you would have to ask yourself whether you really want to do this.

City

I've done this prompt before

Vine

Everything in the Fae world is connected by energy, which flows from the Nexus towards every living creature. All creatures are connected in this way. The Fae can tap into this energy by using the vines on their body, extracting it to sustain them. They can also use their vines to attack enemies with. They are weakened if their access to energy is blocked off, for example by severing vines with an iron blade or energy weapons, or when they are on earth and not surrounded by nature.

The Fae can use their energy to manipulate or control plants in their immediate surroundings, most importantly kelwor, which are vines resembling their own, increasing their reach. By themselves, the Fae are capable of detecting energy of living creatures close to them up to twenty to thirty metres. Kelwor increases this range up to a hundred metres.

Kelwor grows in abundance in Fae settlements. The fairies’ own vines constantly reach out for it, intertwining whenever they touch. Within their homes, they use them as extensions of their own limbs.

Rite

The use of rituals is important while practicing magic. A ritual is a practice or pattern of behaviour regularly performed in a set manner. It is important to execute the steps in the right order and with the right materials or movements. The most common ritual is spell drawing.

Spell drawing can be done using physical means, like chalk or ink, as well as energy. The energy is also used to activate spells, meaning that people without it will need some kind of substitute to supply the energy. This is referred to as an energy source, or (when one wants to be dramatic and perhaps scare a human a little) a sacrifice. The size of this sacrifice depends on the energy needed to perform the spell. Energy can be drawn from plants/organic matter, small creatures or blood. Dangerous spells demand a life, but are rarely performed.

While a drawn spell is a ritual to bring about something specific, there are other practices that could be considered rituals, which are used in a much broader sense. Small rituals are often used to lock or seal something, and only with the right steps do they open again. These days, users of technomancy use modern mechanisms like passcodes or unlock swipe-codes for this as well.

[downtowns-universe]

Pinned post/mobile header

Welcome to my writing blog where I post stuff about my OCs when I feel like it.

Status: I currently have no ongoing challenges. I'm also working on a different wip which I will not be posting here for the time being.

Relevant tags:

All stories are tagged #story

Everything else is tagged #not a story for convenience and blocking purposes

#tag an oc for tagging memes

#oc-tober for OC-tober short stories

#worldbuilding for lore dumps

characters are tagged in any stories they appear in

Links to my blog pages:

All stories

Everything about the world

Character pages

I also made a timeline of important story events

My main blog: Tharryn

[downtowns-universe]

Character page: Zian

Pronouns: he/him

Year of birth: 1659

Species: human (Natural, recruited)

Magic type: enveryn, time manipulation

Profession:

*

Zian was born to a Natural family with the talent for time manipulation. This ability used to be something prestigious, but has gotten rarer over the years. Zian left his home after a fight and travelled to find answers about his powers his family couldn’t give him. When he is shipwrecked in a remote place he meets Rena, his dragon. At some point in his travels he meets Dai, who introduces him further into the magical world and teaches him a thing or two. Later he joins Ari’s crew as a pirate, and is recruited when Dai comes to visit him. As the first human Dai had recruited they share a special connection. Zian starts to help build Dai’s network on earth, and when the rebellion came he led the operation on earth. He served as a general for a while, but wanted a break after losing his men and falling into a depressive spiral. This is when Dai got him his island, and he lived alone for some time. Over the years more people start to live on his island, including Aya, who he marries.

[downtowns-universe]

OC-tober day 13

Forget

*

There were holes in his memory.

Some were simply from having been alive this long; his head could only hold so many things, so stuff he deemed less important had gotten blurry over time, details forgotten. There were certain things he’d wanted to remember, so he’d used journals to write them down. The ones he still had, Tharryn didn’t read very often, since he didn’t like the person who’d written them. Still, there were memories attached to them.

There were also parts of his mind where whole stretches of time had simply been erased, leaving only a black void, a gaping hole where they had once been. Trying to investigate felt like standing at the edge of an abyss; jumping in had only ever caused him pain, never results.

Dai had been able to fill in some of the gaps for him, for things that he’d been present for, adventures they’d had together back in the day. Other things Tharryn had only told him about, and he had tried to recount them as accurately as possible. During the later years he hadn’t had any more memory lapses, so the gaps had become more of a background noise in his mind. But occasionally, they’d still run into situations where Dai would refer to something from the past and the both of them would realise Tharryn had no memory of it.

It gave him a certain comfort to know that something like that would never happen again, the person who’d caused him to forget having been removed from his life – and this world, more accurately.

His former boss had wanted to keep Tharryn on task, and his frequent trips to all kinds of interesting places, plus his friendship with a demon didn’t exactly help to achieve that. At some point, though, he must have realised that his efforts were in vain, since even without his memories, Tharryn would never become the obedient reaper he’d envisioned him to be. And that pesky demon would always find his way back to him somehow.

And now he would never be able to hurt them again.

[downtowns-universe]

OC-tober day 12

Hide

*

Tin had always found it easy to disappear, even before she’d gotten her powers. Just stick to the shadows and stay still, and you’d be surprised how many people simply overlook you. Of course, once people had become aware of her presence, it became an entirely different story. She needed her powers then: get out of sight, create a pocket of darkness to slip into – and if that didn’t work, to defend herself.

She sometimes envied magic users who could turn invisible. While her powers allowed her to do something similar, she had to stay in place to not be noticed, unless she was in a place that was already dark – and how much of a difference did it really make, then?

Imagine being able to simply enter a building unseen, do whatever you wanted in there and leave, without anyone noticing. It would make things in her line of work so much easier. Unless they had shields or other means of protection, of course. Which was very likely Downtown. Topside, not so much.

On the other hand, she could imagine that possessing such powers would mean she would be less creative; simply get in and get out, don’t worry about the specifics. Preparation was part of the process, just as important as the execution, perhaps even more. Would she really be able to enjoy having pulled off a heist if she hadn’t been smart about it? She wouldn’t deny there was a certain level of pride involved. To do things others couldn’t.

When she looked at it that way, there was no one who could do what she could. Not that she knew of, at least. The First Reaper had indicated that there were more like her, but she wasn’t ready to open that can of worms. She wasn’t very likely to run into them, anyway.

Besides, she had better things to do with her time. Like studying the schematics she’d just gotten her hands on. Preparation was key, after all.

She picked up her cup of tea and went back to work.

[downtowns-universe]

OC-tober day 10 & 11

Pulse / fragment

*

It was vibrating. Strange.

Tharryn studied the shard on his desk a little closer, not removing it from its container just yet.

There were lines etched into it, but since he only had but a small fragment it would be impossible to determine what they represented. But, judging from its behaviour, it had to be something magical.

He’d gotten the shard from a friend, an archaeologist who occasionally shared his findings with Tharryn when they concerned anything to do with death or funerary practices. Sometimes Tharryn would be able to clarify things, having witnessed these practices himself back in the day – but mostly he just wanted to learn about things, to talk about death with someone who wouldn’t think the subject too depressing.

This fragment hadn’t come from any burial site – for as far as they knew – and had instead come into Tharryn’s hands because it was clearly magical. His friend could have sent it to any of the established magical academies, and the fact he hadn’t, told Tharryn that perhaps there was something going on here that they weren’t supposed to know about.

He turned the container over in his hands. It was made of glass with runes of protection etched into it: a standard procedure with any unfamiliar magical energies. It shouldn’t be opened until it was determined safe. Tharryn thought the chance that it was cursed very small – items usually tended to be intact for that – but there could be other harmful energies present, so he kept it in its box for now, while he ran his tests.

He could sense the energy present was not enveryn or nydra, no test needed for that. He pulled out his chalk and drew some simple identification circles. If they would react to the shard’s presence, he’d know a little more about what he was dealing with.

The third circle started to faintly glow when he placed the box in it. Strange. Usually, he could detect traces of endryn without needing tools. But the circle didn’t lie. Which meant there was necromancy involved somehow.

He didn’t like dealing with necromancy, the antithesis of everything he’d been trained to do, a disruption of the natural order. The afterlife was a force beyond anyone’s understanding – even his – and should not be meddled with. Usually, he tried to stay far from it. But endryn being present in this little shard could mean that there would be more of it at whatever place his friend was digging around this time. Combined with the secrecy, it didn’t sit right with him.

He gathered some of his things into a bag, carefully put the shard into a side pocket, and walked out the door.

It was time to go pay his friend a visit.

[downtowns-universe]

OC-tober day 8 & 9

Charm / Harmony

*

He felt the pull as soon as he’d stepped through the portal, but Jack could tell its strength was muted, somehow. Must be the blocker. Now that he was Topside, he felt it tighten around his arm, as if it had to work harder up here. It was still enough to be able to resist the fae calling on him. For now, he decided a nap was in order. Just a little one.

He woke up from the sun shining into his eyes, peeping out just over the edge of his windowsill.

Fuck, what time was it?

The blocker felt painful around his arm, and he could see bruising starting to form. He clicked the two points like Dai had shown him and it loosened, its barbs retracting from his skin. He tried not to squirm too much as it happened.

-

Half-asleep, he stumbled through the woods, leaves crunching under his feet. People walking their dogs greeted him, then apologised for their dog’s strange behaviour towards him. Jack was used to it. Luckily, no one was around when he’d reached the portal. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he stepped through.

Melli looked up from what they’d been doing when they heard him arrive.

“Look who finally decided to show up!”

They paused, looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain himself.

“Something came up,” he shrugged, “I told you: I belong to someone else already, and he always comes first.”

“Well, I hope you enjoyed yourself,” they spat.

Their eyes shot to his arm. Jack winced when they grabbed it. A hissing sound escaped Melli’s throat as they studied the punctures and bruises.

“Absolutely barbaric,” they muttered. “Hold on, I’ve got something for that.”

They rummaged through a satchel they brought, then started mixing some herbs together.

Jack took the opportunity to look at his surroundings. He’d walked here in a daze, something in the back of his mind calling him to this place. He didn’t even remember what portal he’d taken. As it was happening, he hadn’t questioned it, but now it started to scare him a little. Was this how the fae lured in unsuspecting victims? Should he be worried? Dai had assured him they wouldn’t be able to mess with his mind, but there was clearly some form of magic going on here.

Melli had finished grinding the herbs into a sticky paste, that they now applied to his arm. It stung a little, but Jack immediately noticed a soothing effect.

“There we go. You shouldn’t be using items like that too often,” they warned.

“I wasn’t planning to.”

“Did they make you wear this to keep you from us?”

“No, he just needed me to be able to use my… talents.”

“And on a full moon too…”

They shook their head disapprovingly.

“So, why am I here?” Jack asked, deciding to get straight to the point.

“Because I called you here.”

Yeah, obviously.

“To do what?”

“To listen.”

“Listen to what?”

“Will you stop with the questions already?”

“Fine.”

Melli put their herbs away and sat across from him.

“I simply need you to sit here and listen. Listen to the sounds around you. Slow your breathing and close your eyes.”

“Are we meditating? I should warn you: I’m really bad at that.”

“…I can tell,” they sighed.

“Hey, you called me here,” Jack grinned. “I could just go.”

“No. Now shut up.”

Jack copied their pose, crossing his legs. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was true: he was really bad at meditating. Tharryn had tried to teach him once, but he’d been too impatient, and eventually he’d given up. It was just incredibly hard for him to sit still and not let his mind wander. He didn’t quite understand how people did that, just not having thoughts.

He focused on the sounds he heard to try to distract him from his thoughts. They were regular forest sounds, like the ones he’d heard whenever he spent time as a wolf. The wind in the trees, birdsong, small animals digging around in the leaves – with in the background the deep rumble he’d grown accustomed to by now: the Nexus. The centre of everything.

Whatever magic Melli had used to get him here had faded by now, but he could still feel the Nexus pull on him. Even though he had no idea where he was right now, he knew it resided east of him; he estimated it to be about an hour’s walk away. Its roots spread across the forest for miles and miles, and Jack knew that he could tap into this network if he wanted. He just wasn’t sure how to, yet. Frankly, it scared him a little, too.

He soon noticed he was timing his breathing to the rumble’s rise and fall, as if they were breathing in harmony. He felt the breeze on his face, the earth underneath his body. The forest around him had grown quiet, there was only the Nexus’ breath, in and out and in and out…

Then, something within him shifted, hitting him with a sudden wave of vertigo. He became aware of things in his periphery; grass, roots, bugs – little things that he hadn’t paid much mind to before, but which now no longer felt separate from him. They were all part of the same organism; the Nexus being the root of it all.

He’d felt something similar before, when he’d been initiated after the ritual. Back then it had felt like a raging river, powerful and overwhelming, threatening to drag him under. It had filled his entire being, washing away everything else until he’d come to his senses. This time wasn’t like that at all. He was still himself, could still think, still feel; there was just more of it. Like something in his mind had been unlocked – now that he thought about it, it was kind of like being high.

“Finally,” something interrupted his train of thought.

His eyes opened. Melli was still sitting across from him but had clearly grown bored. Strange. This had been their idea, hadn’t it?

He looked around to see twilight had started to set in.

“Wait, what? How long have we been sitting here?”

“Too long,” they sighed. “I thought it would never happen.”

“What did happen, exactly?"

“Progress,” they simply stated, apparently not going to explain further. “Now we’ll finally be able to move on with the next step.”

“And what would that be?”

“Again with the questions!” they sighed while getting up. “Just shut up and come with me.”

Not knowing what else to do, Jack stretched his legs and followed them into the darkening forest.

[downtowns-universe]

OC-tober day 7

Sea

posting a poem today instead of anything OC-related bc inspiration struck me and I do what I want lol

*

they say you can hear the ocean in a conch shell pressed to your ear you take in the sound of their longing for a place once called home

people will trip over themselves to tell you this isn't true - it's simply blood rushing through your veins

how foolish they sound when saying there's no room for passion in facts that stories are in fact just that

as if blood does not flow like water as if the heart is not made for longing

when you put your ear to my chest does it not beat for you, for you, for you

[downtowns-universe]

OC-tober day 5 & 6

Secret / Veil

*

Melenna reached out her hand and pulled Eyrian upright. Most of the pain had subsided by now, but his legs felt a little shaky. He took a moment to stretch them a little, while holding on to his wife for support.

“You good?” she asked him.

He nodded, letting go of her to brush away some of the sand he was coated in. Perhaps it would be quicker to rinse it off and dry in the sun before they moved further inland. Melenna must have done so earlier, since she was already dressed and ready to go. Having been born merfolk, she generally had an easier time transforming, being able to do so more smoothly and painlessly.

Eyrian had gotten better at transforming, but it wasn’t something he enjoyed doing. But if he wanted to stay by his sage’s side, like he was supposed to, he’d have to. She had places to be, and she needed his protection. And it wasn’t as if he hated being on the surface. On the contrary: he still regarded the coast as his home, and being among his people and the bustle of a market or tavern always felt like a breath of fresh air, no matter the risk.

Eyrian kept his eyes peeled and a hand on the hilt of his sword as they entered the small harbour town. Their clothing obscured their merfolk features, but they could never be careful enough. They hadn’t visited this town before, and some places weren’t very keen on strangers, even if they were human. And although Eyrian would probably be fine on his own, he had a responsibility now, to his sage and to his wife.

Still, the sight of ships docked in the harbour, the creaking of planks and canvas flapping in the wind was a welcome and familiar sight, which put his mind at ease slightly. It also filled him with longing, but he pushed that feeling away, very deep down. This was not his life anymore. Besides, what good would a ship do him if he wouldn’t have Melenna by his side? When given the choice, he would choose her, always.

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” he asked when Melenna led them into a suspicious-looking alley between some warehouses that had seen better days. “Why can’t your contacts ever run a cosy little shop with flower boxes in the windows, or something?”

She smiled at him over her shoulder.

“Have some trust in Danala’s guidance.”

“You know I don’t,” he shrugged, “…but I trust you.”

Being the colony’s sage, Melenna stood in close contact with the ocean goddess, Danala. Eyrian, having seen his fair share of gods – or rather, hadn’t seen – had always been wary of this connection, but even he couldn’t deny that she could do things others would think impossible. She possessed a form of magic, much like his sword granted him certain powers. But just because it was real didn’t mean the gods were, or that he had to like them.

Melenna was well aware of his opinions, but had never pushed him about it, unlike his family back home. Being the sage’s protector, he would still be by her side during whatever ceremony she performed, since it was expected of him. He usually kept his opinions to himself and would never speak ill of the goddess, as long as she’d leave him alone. He liked to think they had an understanding in that department, simply tolerating each other – if she were even real, that was. Something he still wasn’t convinced about.

Melenna lead them to a shack – it definitely couldn’t be called a house, in Eyrian’s opinion – which was strangely covered in moss. Makeshift curtains made out of fishnets and sailcloth obscured the windows.

The inside was dark and smelled musty and swampy. A couple of crooked shelves lined the wall, filled with knick-knacks and things in jars that Eyrian decided to not give a closer look. Whatever was in there, he figured he’d be better of not knowing.

On the other side of the singular room stood a bed and dresser, hidden by a tattered curtain. Remains of a fire smouldered in the hearth in the corner; accompanied by an oil lamp, it provided the only light in the interior.

At a glance, Eyrian assumed the shack to be empty, until movement behind a desk in the opposite corner startled him. The shape behind it turned out to be a person, mostly hidden from view by a hooded cloak and a veil in front of their face.

“Welcome, travellers from the sea,” a voice croaked, leading Eyrian to believe the person must be an older woman. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“Good day to you,” Melenna nodded her head. “We’ve come to trade. I’ve been told I could find what I needed here.”

“You’ve come to the right place, child. Please, come in.”

Eyrian glanced at his wife, raising an eyebrow. Weren’t they already inside? Had this old crone lost her marbles?

The old woman got up from behind the desk with visible difficulty and pulled aside a curtain hanging on the wall behind her. To Eyrian’s surprise, there wasn’t a blank wall behind it, but a shimmering, water-like surface. She gestured for them to follow, then stepped through it, sending ripples across the surface.

“Are we sure about this?” Eyrian whispered.

“Don’t worry, I’ve done this before,” Melenna reassured him.

Eyrian wasn’t so sure.

“This looks fae…”

“We’re technically fae, remember?”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

“It will be okay, I promise.”

They stepped through the portal together. Eyrian felt a wave of vertigo, followed by tiny needles stinging him all over. Then they stepped out on the other side.

They were in a coastal landscape, surrounded by thorny bushes and low trees, beach grass brushing against their legs. At a short distance, Eyrian could see the coastline, which was an exact copy of the one they’d just seen, except without the town on it. The sun shone down on them and there was a gentle breeze. Even though it looked the same, Eyrian knew this wasn’t the world they knew. This was the fae world.

They were at a small clearing surrounded by bushes that provided some cover. There were more shelves with strange objects here, along with some strange devices. One of them resembled a spinning wheel, Eyrian noticed. In a circle stood a couple of chairs that looked like they had sprouted from the ground and grown into that shape. The old woman hobbled towards one of them and sat down, then gestured for them to do the same.

Once they’d done so, she removed the veil from her face. Whatever Eyrian had expected, this wasn’t it. What they were seeing wasn’t an old woman at all: her face appeared young, with dark, wavy hair; smooth, olive-hued skin and emerald-green eyes. Well – half of it, that was. The other half was darker and rough-textured, like tree bark. There was no hair on this side of her head: instead, twigs and leaves sprouted from it. Eyrian now noticed that one of her hands was gnarled like tree branches as well, and moved more slowly than the other. She only wore one boot, her other leg ended in roots that had started to dig into the soil once she’d sat down.

Eyrian had seen some things in his days, but never anything like this. He wondered if this could be a curse, but didn’t dare to ask. He couldn’t be disrespectful when Melenna still had trading to do. Besides, if he insulted her, how were they ever going to get out of here again?

She smiled while observing their reactions, then extended a gnarled hand towards the other chairs.

“Please, sit. We have a lot to discuss.”

[downtowns-universe]

OC-tober day 3 & 4

Guardian / Frost

*

The side of the mountain had a door in it, just like the book had said. It was a massive door, hewn out of the rock, and Chris wasn’t sure how on earth they were going to get it open. Perhaps Jack would know.

The steep mountainside was covered in snow and ice, but an overhang protected the door from the weather so the rock around it was still visible. Good, since this meant it was still accessible.

When they approached, a loud rumbling sound made them stop in their tracks. The ground shook and pieces of ice and rock came tumbling down the side of the mountain in front of them. For a second, Chris thought it must be an earthquake, until he noticed movement on either side of the door. Cracks formed in the snow-covered banks, until the snow burst outward, and something appeared from beneath. Something big.

Blocks of ice grinded against each other as two creatures pushed themselves out of their resting places inside alcoves on either side of the door. They seemed to be made entirely out of ice: rough-hewn blocks stacked on top of each other, animated by magic, he presumed. They had a humanoid shape, but no faces. One of them was missing a part of its head, like the ice block it had been made out of had split in half. They were about three times as tall as him and looked like they could pack heavy hits with their hammer-like fists.

Chris instinctively took off his backpack to grab something to fight them with – but let’s be honest, what was he going to do against these giants? They didn’t seem to be very fast, perhaps they could simply evade them? But the door was still closed, and it was going to take some time to figure out how to get it open.

“Any ideas?” he asked Jack, who seemed strangely calm next to him.

His partner sized up his opponents, then nodded.

“I got this.”

Jack took a step toward the giants – who by now had gotten a little too close to Chris’ liking – and thrust his arms forward. A blast of fire burst from his outstretched palms, engulfing their opponents in flames. Chris had to shield his eyes from the heat, and instinctually took another step back. Jack kept the fire blazing for ten seconds or so, and just when Chris started to wonder how long he would be able to keep this up exactly, the flames flickered out.

Immediately, Jack had to duck out of the way to avoid the massive fist being swung in his direction.

“Oh, come on!” he yelled, assessing the damage done after he’d scrambled back onto his feet.

The creatures had been briefly slowed down by the flames, and their chests and arms showed some signs of melting, but the damage wasn’t severe enough to take them out or stop them from coming towards them. The water running off of them simply froze back onto their bodies, forming a network of snaking trails running down.

“That was your plan?” Chris asked, retreating alongside Jack. “You didn’t really think that would do the trick, did you?

“They’re literally made of ice! …I thought they’d melt faster,” he added sheepishly.

“If we want to melt them, we’re going to need a lot more firepower, which we don’t have. I think we’d better come up with something else.”

Jack nodded, visibly irritated at his plan having failed.

“They’re not very fast,” Chris observed.

They didn’t have to put in a lot of effort to keep away from the lumbering creatures: walking at a brisk pace did the trick.

“Perhaps we don’t have to beat them. What about that door? How do you think it opens – and more importantly: how fast?”

“Should be a switch of some kind, that I can activate with magic. And for something that big, I can’t imagine it opens very fast.”

Chris nodded.

“That’s what I was afraid of. One more question: do you think these guys can see?”

“They’re heading right for us, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, but they don’t have faces. Perhaps they’re going off of sound, or vibrations or something.”

“There’s one way to find out,” Jack shrugged, and he vanished. Only a set of footprints in the snow betrayed where he was going.

A moment later, one of the creatures changed its trajectory, veering off slightly to the right, while its companion kept heading for Chris.

“Well, that answers that question,” Jack said, reappearing a bit further away.

He took a short sprint away from the giant, then stood as still as he could manage. When the giant approached, he sent a blast of magic into a nearby tree. The creature slowed, seeming to hesitate.

“Hey! Over here!” Chris yelled, realising what he was doing.

He stomped his feet on the ground and jumped up and down. And, even though he knew it would not do much damage, he fired his gun at it for good measure. The angered giant turned to him now, having completely lost track of Jack.

“Get to the door, I’ll keep them here!” he called to Jack, assuming these monsters couldn’t understand him anyway.

He led them further and further away from their lair, while Jack moved towards it as quietly as he could. This seemed to be going well, until the creatures seemed to start to hesitate. Perhaps he’d moved back far enough that they didn’t consider him a threat anymore, Chris figured. He started moving to the side instead, looping around them to get them to keep chasing him.

He’d led them back and forth three times when he heard a deep rumble coming from within the mountain. The giants froze, and immediately lost all interest in their quarry, returning to the door. Chris sprinted ahead of them to rejoin Jack. Even at their fastest, he could still manage to overtake them and it wasn’t long before he was back at the door.

“Come on, hurry up…” Jack mumbled, looking up at the massive stone door, which was moving ever so slightly.

He put his back to it and started pushing, as if this would make it go faster. Chris did the same, even though he knew it likely didn’t matter. At least it felt like he was doing something.

The giants were getting closer, the ground shaking with every footfall. Chris tried the gap between the door. He could almost squeeze through it – just a little more…

“Move it, you stupid door,” Jack growled.

The lumbering creatures had caught up to them: they weren’t going to make it. The giants towered over them; Chris could feel the cold radiate off of their bodies. He closed his eyes as they raised their icy fists…

A sickening crunching noise sounded, but to his surprise, they remained unharmed. A shimmering barrier surrounded them, taking the brunt of the impacts as the creatures repeatedly hammered their fists against it. Jack’s shield was holding for now, but Chris could tell it cost him a lot of energy to keep it up. After each blow it briefly flickered, before new threads of energy flowed into it, reinforcing its structure. But its glow was getting duller.

Chris pushed himself into the gap once more, squeezing all the air out of his lungs in an attempt to flatten himself. Then, suddenly, he popped through.

“Come on!”

Jack now also went for the gap, while keeping his shield up with the other hand. He was bigger than Chris, and struggled to fit through, so Chris took his arm and started pulling. Just when he was afraid he’d pull it out of the socket, Jack managed to slip through, a split second before the crash of a fist against the door showered them in ice chips.

Catching his breath, Chris cast a quick glance around to inspect the interior, but it was pitch black in here. Jack, with his heightened senses, didn’t seem to have as much trouble and lunged for something on the wall beside them.

Another rumble sounded, and the door began to close again ever so slightly. Jack summoned a flame, and Chris now also noticed the small panel on the wall, similar to the one he’d activated on the outside.

“How are we going to get out?” Chris asked, suppressing a shiver. It was freezing cold in here.

“I don’t know,” Jack confessed, still panting from the exertion. “I suppose we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

He started walking deeper into the cave, then looked back at Chris.

“But I know one thing: we are never doing that again.”