Leviathans

Rayne’s eyes opened to darkness. She took a breath, and she coughed up a lungful of dust. Groans of pain began to filter through the ringing in Rayne’s ears as she sat up. Her heart hammered in her chest. She didn’t know who had fallen where, or if anyone was hurt. The best idea, she thought, was to remain silent. Rayne gathered her legs close, ears attuned to any sound. To her left, came the sound of a lantern being swung. Rayne tensed, body tight as a coiled spring. She closed her eyes

A small grunt of frustration filled the silence, and then light. Rayne opened her eyes, the light blinding her less than she expected. Before her, stood Richard, lantern in one hand and Runestone in the other. His clothes were covered in a brown-gray coat of powdered stone, and he coughed some of the stuff up, disturbing even more of it. Rayne relaxed slightly, shifting her weight and sending a small rock rolling. The small sound was gigantic in the space around them, and Richard whirled to face her.

He straightened once he identified it was her, the sudden fear of the unknown fleeing from his face. “Ah, Rayne, good to see you’re unharmed” he said. Rayne nodded, stepping towards him. As she approached, others made their appearance from underneath overturned pieces of stone, and shadowy corners. Lucy ran to Rayne, stepping gingerly over the corpse of one of the mercenaries, her face full of relief. Aria loped towards them both, a grin on her face. “Well that was one way to do it, I guess” she said, as Batari emerged from a pile of rock in a shower of dust, wincing from the effort of channeling magic to keep himself safe.

They gathered, with Richard at their center. “Heinric always was a showman” He commented, looking around for the Alchemist. “Aye” came an answering voice, followed by a groan of pain. “Ah’m afraid Ah won’t be walkin’ out of this one, Richard” Heinric said, from behind a portion of the collapsed room. Lucy ran past the corner, the look of worry on her face turning to despair “no no no” she pleaded quickly, panic in her voice. After a moment’s pause, the others followed her as quickly as they could.

They found Heinric, crushed from his lower stomach down underneath chunks of stone. He coughed, spitting up wells of blood. Lucy was next to him, tears streaming down her cheeks. He brushed the hair away from her face with a gentle finger, and gave her a small smile, muttering consolations to her under his breath. Richard fell to his knees in front of Heinric, his face filled with horror. “I’m so sorry” he said, and Heinric shook his head. “Not yer fault. It was mah decision” the alchemist said, coughing up more blood. “Ah’m just lucky Ah can’t feel anythin’ Righ’ now” he said lightly.

Rayne watched, and tears began to well up in her eyes as she realized there was nothing they could do. Aria hugged her close, the woman’s touch a comfort. “What do we do? How can we help?” Lucy asked desperately. “Ye can’t” Heinric answered, his voice tender. “No! Batari can lift up the rocks! we can get you out of there!” She argued, turning to face the others. “That wouldn’t be a mercy, Lucy” Richard answered, his hat to his heart.

“What are you talking about? you can’t be serious! he saved us! you saved us!” Lucy shouted, grabbing Heinric’s hand frantically. her fingers looked like a child’s against his palm. “Crushed lower body. No way to save him. Not here” Batari told her, his voice softer than Rayne had ever heard it. “Shut up!” Lucy yelled at him, sobbing. Heinric pat her head with one hand, and pulled her close for a gentle hug. “Et’s alrigh’ Lucy. Ah lived a long life. Ah even got to meet you!” Heinric told her. She cried, and Rayne pulled her slowly away. Heinric coughed again, shakes wracking his frame.

“Ye know what ye need ta do, Richard” Heinric told the man seriously. “Ye can’ leave me here ta suffer” he continued. Richard swallowed dry, his eyes wet. A quick nod. Richard opened his medical pack and pulled out a vial. “Wait” Heinric said, gesturing towards Lucy. Richard stepped aside. “Take mah recipe book. Et’s yours” He told the girl. Lucy nodded, biting her lip so hard she drew blood. She grabbed the book from the pack at his side. “All mah research is there. ye take care of it, okay?” He told her, and Lucy nodded. She stepped to the side.

Richard came forward, and held the vial out to Heinric. “A poison. It’ll end it fast, and soft. You won’t feel it” the doctor said, his voice husky. Heinric grabbed the vial, and grimaced. “At least et’s the las’ time Ah’ll drink yer medicine. Et doesn’t taste good Richard” Heinric complained, and Richard laughed despite himself, wiping away a tear.

Heinric stared at the vial, and hesitated for a moment before downing the contents in one gulp. he wiped the liquid off his mouth. He looked over at Lucy, his eyes bright “Lucy, ye remind me of mah daughter. Thank ye fer givin’ me a secon’ chance” he said. She nodded, crying softly. He looked over at the others. “Goodbye, friends. Good luck. Punch Lynn if he survived, fer me” The alchemist said, the light from his eyes beginning to fade.

“I will, you crazy bastard” Aria said, resting a hand on his shoulder as he closed his eyes and began to hum a lullaby under his breath. Lucy picked up on the old song, and begun to hum along with him, holding tight to his hand as the last of Heinric’s breath escaped his lips.

They waited another few minutes, each of them lost in their own thoughts, before walking away. Aria examined their surroundings, waving a hand in front of her face to try and clear away some of the stone. “How do we even get out of here?” she asked quietly. Lucy walked towards one of the remaining windows, the beautiful stained glass that had once sat within having been blown outwards by the collapsing ceiling. She clutched the book Heinric had given her close to her chest, sticking her head outside the window.

“We could try climbing down the outside” she suggested, pulling at one of the lantern fixtures to test if it would hold her weight. Aria stuck her head out next to Lucy’s, and looked down. “That’s a hell of a drop” the woman said skeptically. “Could you make a hole for us to drop down into Batari?” Rayne asked, looking over at the Elementalist. The man considered the question for a moment, closing his eyes and tapping his feet against the floor. “No. Tower is too unstable. It might collapse in full in the attempt” he said.

Richard cautiously approached the window that Aria and Lucy were near, and looked outside. “It appears we don’t have much choice” he said, the worry clear in his voice. “Guess not. I’ll go first, just in case” Aria said hopping nimbly onto the windowsill. “Wait” Rayne said, opening her pack and searching inside of it. After a few moments, she found what she was looking for and uncoiled a short piece of rope, throwing one end to Aria. “Just so you can test the lanterns without falling to your death” the technomage told her as Aria tied a loop around her waist.

Rayne and Lucy held firmly to the rope as Aria leaned outside and grabbed one of the metal fixtures. “Wish me luck” the warrior said, letting the metal take her full weight. It creaked, and for a moment Rayne was certain Aria would fall, but the fixture held. Rayne let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding as Aria disappeared from sight. The rope in her hands slowly straigthened, and Aria called for it to be released. Rayne and Lucy both let go, and Rayne watched as the rope dipped past the ledge. Rayne stuck her head out of the window and watched as Aria clambered down the wall. A few minutes later she waved from the bottom, letting them all know she was safe.

Lucy swallowed hard, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “My turn I guess” she said. Lucy took a few seconds to secure her crossbow to her backpack, and carefully put away the recipe book before climbing onto the windowsill. “Just like climbing the towers” Lucy mumbled, grabbing onto the same metal fixture as Aria had. “Except with nothing to catch me if I mess up” she continued, slowly descending out of sight. Richard and Rayne waited in silence for a few minutes as Lucy scaled down the tower. Finally, she had arrived at the bottom. Rayne looked over at Richard, who was nervously wiping his forehead with a handkerchief.

“I’ll go first” Rayne suggested, “Yes, very good” Richard responded with a fearful smile. Rayne clambered outside and grabbed the same handholds as Lucy and Aria had before her. Her feet found easy purchase on the worn stone of the tower, and the lanterns were clustered close enough together that she could reach down for the next. The cool metal bit into the leather of her gloves, and her muscles strained as she continued her descent. When she was about half-way down, she began to hear the metallic sounds of fighting. Rayne began to sweat inside her jacket, and did her best to move downwards as quickly as possible.

As Rayne continued, she began to hear shouts. Her arms and legs burned as she drove herself harder to reach the bottom floor. Once she was close enough to the ground, she threw herself off the tower and sprinted towards where the sounds of fighting were coming from, only to find Aria finishing off the final guard Lynn had left behind while Lucy watched from a distance. “God dammit” she yelled in frustration. “Why the hell didn’t they just let us walk away?” Aria said furiously, blood dripping from her weapons onto the stone below her feet.

Aria looked up to see Rayne, and her expression softened. Rayne looked down at the bodies at Aria’s feet before meeting her eyes. “Did you know Lynn was going to do this?” Rayne asked. “Good question” Lucy said, her eyes hard. Aria shook her head, “Lynn only told me he wanted Richard to give him the Runestone so that he could go back to Altressa. He said it was safer. That people would be after Richard and the rest of us if we didn’t give it to him” She explained, her expression that of someone desperate to be believed. “I swear to you that I didn’t know he was going to start that stupid stand off” She added, voice strained.

Lucy’s eyes narrowed, and her hand drifted closer to her crossbow. Rayne grabbed Lucy’s arm and shook her head forcefully. “You have to believe me” Aria pleaded. “I just didn’t want any of us to get hurt over a rock” she continued. “Please, Lucy” Rayne whispered, and Lucy sighed as she relaxed. “Fine”

Rayne turned as the sound of cursing, in a multitude of languages, reached her ears. Richard was climbing down the last ten or so feet to the ground, but his pack had gotten caught on one of the lantern fixtures. He struggled to get it unhooked, nearly falling the remaining distance before catching himself on the metal. “You okay?” Aria asked, glad for the interruption. Richard looked over at her, his hat askew and his hair unkempt. He paused, as if considering how to answer. “No” he finally said, reaching downwards to grab onto another lantern. another minute or so later and he dropped to the ground, wiping sweat from his brow. “Remind me never to do that again, please” he told Aria, who nodded.

They all watched as Batari made the climb next. He was even less agile than Richard, and at more than one point Rayne had become certain he would fall to his death. She and Lucy watched breathlessly, while Richard had a heated argument with Aria that was too low for them to hear. Rayne had tried to eavesdrop at first, but Aria had quickly waved her away. As Aria and Richard finished their argument, Batari made it down to the ground. He looked at the bodies of the mercenaries, and sighed. “Not unexpected. This was planned” He said, brushing dust off his clothes.

“We need to leave. If Lynn survived, he’ll be finding a way out of that tower soon enough” Richard said, urging them all towards the exit. The small group didn’t hesitate to follow his instructions, and they quickly moved back through the city. As they passed the scenes of their short skirmishes with constructs, Rayne found herself wondering if the automaton they had encountered in the tower had controlled them, or if it was some sort of prisoner instead. She shook her head. It didn’t matter anymore. So long as they followed the same path out as they followed in, they should be able to avoid any more unexpected encounters.

Thankfully, it turned out that Rayne was correct. They passed the site of their first encounter with the constructs, muscles aching from exertion. Richard urged them forward, distributing a series of medicines to keep them going. “We must make it out before Lynn does. Should he leave before we do, we may not be able to make it out of the ruins at all” Richard explained to them as they stopped for a short rest in the same spot that they had camped, what felt like days ago.

Their escape was cloaked in a haze of exhaustion. Each of them was alone with their thoughts as they forced themselves to put one foot in front of the other. Too tired to even talk to each other, they kept moving forward, eventually arriving at the entrance to the ruins. The group collapsed in a heap in the cold night air, passing around the two canteens of water that were magically refilling themselves. Even Batari, who only a few days ago had gone on a tirade about how he refused to drink from it, took greedy gulps.

Richard looked around as they took their rest, carefully examining their surroundings. “If we move quickly, we can make it to our airship while it’s still dark. It’s small and fast enough that we may be able to outmaneuver the Altressans and escape towards the south” he said, fanning himself with his hat. “Why not ask for their help?” Rayne asked before taking another long drink from the canteen. Richard glanced back, and placed his hat back on his head. “Because we’ve no way to be certain that all the Altressan’s weren’t a part of Lynn plan” he explained. Rayne’s eyes widened, and she nodded.

“We should get moving” Aria said, looking up at the twin moons hanging up in the sky. “Yes. Based on the positions of the moons, we have at most four hours before dawn” Batari said, holding out his hand for more water. Lucy adjusted the strap on her backpack, and stretched her back. “Let’s go then”

They trudged onward, and as the beginnings of light began to filter over the horizon, they arrived at their airship. Aria had guided them through skirting the scant perimeter the remaining Altressan soldiers had set up, and with Batari to magical shroud them and any sounds they made, they managed to sneak past unnoticed.

Rayne stood on the deck of the airship, and ran her hand along the wooden railing. Lucy was at the helm, her mouth a grim line. The rest had distributed themselves along the deck, readying themselves in case anything happened. Batari, who had used the last of the medicine Richard had provided him to cloak their approach, sat to one side with his eyes closed and his ears covered.

Richard waved for Lucy to take off, and she was quick to follow his instructions. The airship shuddered underneath Rayne’s feet as the engines began to spin. Rayne heard shouts in Altressan for a few moments, before they were cut off by the thrum of the propellers. “They know we’re here!” Aria shouted, the wood of the airship groaning and straining as Lucy pulled them rapidly into the air.

As the airship cleared the buildings, Lucy ted the wheel, and the airship nimbly followed. They soared through the sky, while below them the Altressans mustered to attempt to catch up. “Too late, assholes!” Aria yelled at them, laughing from above. “Please be quiet” Batari begged her, head in his hands. “I can hear you through the earplugs”

Aria continued to laugh, and Rayne felt her spirits rising as well. It would be twice now, that she escaped on this same airship. She felt as if she was being carried to freedom on winds of magic as they flew through the sky. For a moment, Rayne searched the sky around them for signs of the bubble of magic that they had crossed on the way in, and found nothing.

Whatever it had been, it seemed to have been tied to the Runestone Richard now examined in his hands. Rayne considered for a moment that Heinric had died for Richard to keep it. That Lynn had betrayed them for it. She found herself hoping that the gem was worth what had been sacrificed for it. Rayne looked over at Lucy, who’s face had been set in anger since they had left the tower. She hoped the wounds would heal.

Before Rayne could turn back to face the front of the airship, Aria crashed into her and pulled her in for a hard kiss. “We’re going into one of the bedrooms. Now” Aria demanded. Rayne couldn’t help but laugh and when she looked back at Lucy the girl was waving her away. “Go. I’ll take the second shift” Richard told them. Rayne let Aria drag her through the door and down the stairs. It was a good idea, Rayne thought, as Aria ran her hands through Rayne’s hair. This would be a celebration. This would let them forget, even if for a few moments.

Hours later, they emerged from below the decks of the airship. After their burst of physical activity, Rayne and Aria had fallen asleep in a tangled pile of limbs. Sleep and a shower had done wonders for them both, and Rayne now wanted to give Richard that same opportunity. They had woken up and found Lucy sleeping on the bed next to theirs, the dust that still caked her face criss cross with lighter furrows. Heinric’s book was gripped tightly in her arms.

Richard now stood at the helm, keeping the airship steady as he checked their course against a map and compass. He looked down, dark circles beneath his eyes. “Your turn to get some sleep” Aria called up at Richard, who slowly nodded his head. “Where are we going?” Rayne asked him as she moved towards the helm herself. “Back to the Jewel of the Desert” he told her. “What?” She asked, and he shook his head. “I believe you referred to it as ‘the beetle city’” Richard explained, and Rayne’s mouth opened up in realization.

They would be close to her city. Close to where this had all started. To Master Ethan, and the home she had been forced to run away from. Rayne made a decision. “Richard, I want to take the airship when we get back” the man looked at her for a few long moments, and then nodded. “As you wish.”

They had flown as quickly as they could without stopping. Lucy had spoken very little since they had escaped, barely responding to Rayne when they spoke. Rayne had told Lucy what she wanted to do, and her friend had readily agreed. They both wanted answers. Rayne wanted to know what the Runestone was, and how it was connected to the Leviathans. Lucy wanted to know if it had been worth a life. Either way, they both hoped Master Ethan could answer their questions.

They slowly formulated a plan. Aria and Richard would stay behind at the Jewel of the Desert. They would keep their eyes and ears out for any mention of their travels, and would await Rayne and Lucy’s return. They would gather supplies, and Richard would prepare what they needed for another journey. He needed to take the Runestone somewhere, he had said without elaboration. From there, they were unsure. Those decisions could be made when their group arrived at them. For now, their exhausted bodies and minds were just glad for the period of extended rest as they crossed back over the rolling Altressan hills towards Nekas.

Batari had decided to return to the Arcane college. He told Rayne that he had much to think about, and that thinking was better done when one didn’t need to fear for their lives. He was certain that he would be safe enough at the college, and they all wished him well as he descended from the Airship to return to his studies.

It had been weeks now, since the events in the ruins. Rayne would occasionally wake in the middle of the night, convinced that she was trapped in the rubble of the tower. Aria would calm her down, assure her that all was well. Lucy was slowly starting to act more like herself, but there was a hard edge to her speech that Rayne was scared would never go away.

Eventually, they reached the desert. The smell of sand and heat buffeted them. Rayne found herself smiling despite herself, even as she lowered the temperature in her jacket. She and Lucy stood at the Airship’s prow, looking outward towards the horizon as they neared the great beetle that hosted an entire city. The city glittered in the night, and it was just as full of other airships coming and going as it had been the first time they had arrived.

Aria and Richard had helped them gather supplies and this time they were prepared for the trip, even though it would be short. A scant few days between them and what they wanted to know. Aria had wanted to go with them, to make sure they would be okay. Rayne however, had tried to convinced her otherwise.

Rayne and Lucy knew the city like the back of their hands. They could go wherever they needed to, and blend in wherever they found themselves. Aria was striking, Rayne had explained. She would draw attention. Besides, she had said as Richard wasn’t paying attention. Somebody needed to make sure Richard was safe while carrying the Runestone. Eventually, Aria relented, telling Rayne that she’d hunt her down if she went missing. Aria had kissed her, then, standing on the docs as they loaded supplies.

Rayne and Lucy waved at Richard and Aria from the Airship as they piloted it up and away the next morning. “It feels like forever ago, doesn’t it?” Lucy said, two days after the beetle had disappeared behind them. “Yeah” Rayne agreed, clutching the runestones through her pocket. As Lucy checked their position on the map and corrected their course Rayne cocked her head to the side, suddenly struck by a thought.

“How did the Haralam even know I had said anything about the Leviathans? I only told two people” Rayne voiced the question aloud, and Lucy raised an eyebrow. “Well it wasn’t me. Who else did you tell?” the girl asked, glancing back down at the compass. “Just Master Ethan” Rayne answered, her hands tightening around the railing as she realized what that meant. “It looks like he has some other questions to answer then, doesn’t he?” Lucy said.

The alsamari, the skyfish that filled the skies they had known from their childhoods, passed flying above them in a great mass. “What…?” Rayne said, as the glittering scaled fish tore towards them like a whirling gale. The women began to scream as the alsamari drew closer, whipping past them so closely that Rayne was certain one of them would be struck. Rayne threw herself to the deck, hands over her head, as the chittering from the alsamari filled her ears.

After what felt like hours, though it must have been less than a full minute, the alsamari were gone. Rayne opened her eyes, and slowly rose to her feet. Many of the creatures flopped on the ship’s deck, stunned or dead from striking the airship. Rayne turned to Lucy, who had stood up as well. Her eyes were wide, her hair a tangled mess. “What just happened” Lucy asked, looking around at the deck, and then up at the sky. Her eyes went even wider.

“Uh, Ray?” Lucy said, her voice small. “What?” Rayne asked, walking towards her. “You know how I told you that I believed you about the leviathan?” Lucy continued, and Rayne nodded, wondering where this train of thought was going to lead. “Well, I believed that you saw something you thought was a leviathan” Lucy explained, eyes still on the sky.

“Oh. Okay. So?” Rayne answered, sad that Lucy hadn’t really believed her. “Not anymore” Lucy told her, pointing a trembling finger towards the heavens, nearly directly above them. Rayne spun to face the direction Lucy was pointing at, her mouth working in small circles as she tried to process what she was seeing.

One of the great Leviathans hung in the air far above them, it’s colossal stone body twisting in the air. The Luminescent wings on its back shone in the light of the sun, glittering like they were made of hundreds of thousands of perfectly cut gems. It crashed through a small cloud, blowing it apart.

The Leviathan roared. An inhuman sound that was more of an incomprehensible vibration than a proper sound. Rayne’s bones shook, and pain lanced up her legs as she was forced to her knees. Her mouth was open in a scream, but it was impossible to hear anything but the desperate cries of a dying myth.

Rayne and Lucy held on to each other, eyes turned skyward. Their airship, tiny when compared to the gargantuan proportions of the Leviathan, was buffeted by a wall of wind as the creature fell towards them. They were thrown off their feet, clutching wildly at the rails as the Airship shook like a leaf in a storm.

Rayne held onto the railing with one of her hands for dear life. A desperate strength filling her as she pulled herself close enough to wrap a leg around as well. Lucy held onto Rayne with a vice grip, locking an elbow around the wood of the ship. Splinters crashed against their skin, and Rayne was certain that if she could hear anything but the wind, she would hear the ship tearing itself apart against it.

The two women looked up, one last time. The Leviathan, that had once appeared far away, now blotted out the blue sky. It’s shadow fell over them, thrusting them into an artificial twilight as it fell. Rayne and Lucy held onto each other as it came at them with all the force of a hurricane, threatening to shatter them against the desert below. Sand rose to meet the Leviathan like a grasping hand. Rayne twisted, thrown backwards by the sudden blast of sand, and struck her head against the deck. The last thing Rayne saw before the world faded to black was Lucy stretching out a hand to grab her.