ocean-life WM [69] Making a Good Team
WM [69] Making a Good Team
WM [69] Making a Good Team
Muninn stood at the edge of the observation deck, her gaze fixed on the endless horizon of the world below. Once, she might have believed she was among the heavens, the sacred realm where stars sang their eternal hymns alongside the Trues, but she knew better now. This was no divine domain, no celestial sanctuary. She was adrift in a silent void, the whispers called it ‘space’. She was in an ancient station orbiting high above the planet, far removed from the divine song of the stars.
Each day, her mind brimmed with the thoughts and memories of the Forest Father. His essence coursed through her, granting her glimpses into the world's very fabric and revealing truths far deeper than magic. These were the laws that governed existence, the immutable underpinnings of the Lower Planes.
The station itself was a relic, a high-orbital fortress once crafted by the Divines of Man. It had been their bastion in the final days, a citadel of steel and silence that became their tomb. It was here that the Forest Father had sought refuge when his life force teetered on the brink of oblivion. She did not know what force had nearly extinguished the ancient being who had shaped her existence, nor what calamity had wiped out the Divines of Man. Such knowledge, the Forest Father had deemed irrelevant for her to know.
With a mere thought, Muninn commanded the station. The air in the room vanished in an instant, the atmosphere sucked away with a mechanical hiss. The thick observation window slid open, revealing the infinite expanse of space. She stepped forward and drifted into the void, her form unbound by gravity.
The knowledge implanted in her mind whispered warnings of what should have been her fate. The searing touch of unfiltered sunlight, capable of boiling flesh in seconds. The icy grip of the vacuum, freezing and burning in tandem, rupturing cells and extinguishing life. She was beyond such vulnerabilities now.
The Forest Father had remade her and stripped away the frailties of the flesh. She no longer aged, hungered, or thirsted. Air was meaningless to her lungs, sleep an impossibility. She had mourned these losses once, the small comforts of mortal life, but that sorrow had been fleeting. She understood now: she was chosen. An extension of her master’s will, in body and soul. No druid could hope for a greater purpose.
Muninn extended her arms, a quiet reverence in her gaze as she beheld the world beneath her. If she still possessed the capacity for tears, they would have fallen in rivers of joy. Tendrils of black lightning arced from her body, anchoring her to the station. Slowly, they reeled her back inside. Once within, the observation window sealed shut with a soft hum. The station groaned and hissed as air returned, filling the chamber.
She turned from the observation deck back into the hallway. Her bare feet patterns against the metal walkway causing her to look down. She was nude, as she had been since her body was remade. Her body looked like it was flesh and blood but it was a coating that hid the true mechanics beneath the surface. The thought of being labeled the “crazy naked lady” running through villages amused her, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. No, she would need to blend in.
Her eyes lifted, following a single blue line etched into the floor. It pulsed faintly, guiding her deeper into the heart of the station. Other lines crisscrossed the corridor, each glowing in its own hue—red, green, yellow, and more—each leading to a different wing. The blue line beckoned her toward the fabrication wing, where the ancient systems could weave materials not from mundane cloth but from the very threads of magic that bound the Plane.
A small, knowing smile played across her lips as she quickened her pace. Soon, she would descend to the world below, ready to carry out her purpose.
***
The night air was sharp, biting into Bjorn’s thick hide as he stirred. His senses flared to life, his heads rising one after the other, nostrils flaring as they tasted the air. Something was wrong. The scent of the quicksilver river had changed—no longer the static, metallic tang from before. It was mixed now, laced with the unmistakable taste of monster magic. Fuyumi seemed to be aware as well, her gaze locked on to the river. They were some thirty feet away as quicksilver was toxic to everyone but perhaps Tanisha. Bjorn didn’t want to risk being exposed to find out his immunity levels.
He rose slowly, his massive frame tense. His instincts screamed at him to prepare, but he took a measured step closer to Tanisha, who was curled against his side, seeking warmth in the frigid night. The temperature here was brutal, a paradox of freezing nights following even colder days.
“Everyone up,” Fuyumi’s calm but urgent tone cut through the stillness.
Bjorn nudged Tanisha gently awake, his breath clouding in the frosty air. She stirred, blinking blearily, her hand brushing over his nearest snout as she pulled herself upright. Aurelius, however, was already awake—or at least, in a state of deep meditation. Chaos mana pulsed faintly around him as he smoothly stood, his sword already in hand.
“What’s wrong?” Tanisha questioned as the small group readied themselves.
“Something is hunting us.” Fuyumi said. “Try to keep your magic contained and use physical weapons as much as possible.”
“There.” Aurelius pointed. “Something is happening to the river.”
Aurelius pointed toward the river, where the liquid quicksilver bulged unnaturally. The once-smooth flow stilled, forming a growing mass that seemed to pulse with a dark, alien energy. The aura of the creature became undeniable, an oppressive force that rolled over them like a suffocating wave of monster magic. Bjorn tried to use Identify but it didn’t work. The metal ball or whatever it was was not the monster itself.
“That doesn’t look good,” Aurelius muttered, his shield snapping into position as he stepped in front of Tanisha. “Bjorn, Tanisha—behind me, now.”
The group silently agreed and quickly vacated the area. It was a good thing to as not more than a few minutes after they fled they heard the crash of monsters fighting over the scraps left behind. They also heard things diving into the liquid metal to consume the dead monster. It was a horrible sound.
***
As dawn broke, the air grew sharper, the cold biting deeper than before. They had left the river far behind, its toxic quicksilver glow now a distant memory. The jungle around them was thinning, its dense canopy giving way to scattered patches of gnarled trees and jagged undergrowth. Eventually, they emerged from the treeline, stepping into a vast valley flanked by looming mountain ranges.
The terrain shifted dramatically. Blackened stone stretched out before them, cracked and scarred as though from ancient battles. Towering rock formations jutted from the ground like the spines of some great beast. Shadows danced unnervingly across the landscape, moving as though they had a mind of their own. Heat wafted from fissures in the ground, carrying with it the faint smell of sulfur.
“We can find another way around, this place is going to leave us exposed to potential flying monsters.” Fuyumi said although it was obvious she just didn’t like the heat.
“Is this the fastest way?” Tanisha asked. “Are flying monsters a big problem? I haven't seen any of them.”
“They’re rare, especially right after a shift,” Aurelius said, stepping up beside them. His voice was steady, but his sharp eyes were already scanning the horizon. “Still, we should stay cautious. This is the fastest route through the valley, and if we stick close to the rock formations, we’ll have cover. We just need to avoid resting out in the open.”
Fuyumi crossed her arms, clearly not thrilled with the plan. “You’d better be right. I’d prefer not to fight something with the high ground. Especially in all of this heat.”
As they began to move again, Aurelius walked alongside Tanisha. “I’ve got to say, your fighting style is impressive. Makes me wonder even more why I was hired.”
Tanisha looked over, slightly surprised by the compliment. “Thanks. It’s mostly practice and training. Your style though, I haven’t seen anyone move that fast and be so controlled with that kind of speed. Who taught you?”
Aurelius chuckled, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword. “Self-taught, mostly. Growing up, there weren’t many mentors around. My adoptive family have some good warriors but none of them were great teachers.”
“Self-taught?” Tanisha raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed.
“Not many people know how to teach me. Chaos magic like mine is apparently extremely rare.” He looked off into the distance. “But travelers would pass through every now and then. They’d spar with me, offer pointers, sometimes share techniques from far-off places. I picked up what I could.”
“You have good instinct but your technique can use some work.” Fuyumi interjected. “While we travel I would be more than happy to assist you in fixing some of your shortcomings.”
“Coming from you, that means a lot,” Aurelius said, his tone sincere. “You’ve got a way of reading the battlefield, anticipating moves before they happen. When I met her brother a while back he said the same thing. He helped me with my sword fighting and suggested I get a shield.”
“That sounds like him.” Fuyumi agreed. “Good to see you took his advice.”
“If you’re going to be helping Aurelius can you help me too? I can’t slack on my training and honestly I don’t think I have met someone with weapon skills like you before.”
“I think that is a good idea.” Fuyumi agreed as she rubbed her chin. “We should coordinate our battle strategy as well. We are sure to encounter more monsters on this route.”
“Well going from that fight with the quicksilver reaver we make a good team.” Tanisha said.
Aurelius agreed, his eyes flicking back to the horizon. “Let’s just make sure we keep it that way. This valley isn’t going to give us any easy fights.”