“Welcome to Ravendale,” a neutral voice says, magical electronics installed in the ceiling carrying the sound throughout the train cars. “Due to high volume, the train will remain at this stop for three hours.”
“Ravendale!” Sierra exclaims. “It’s been too long.”
“Sierra, it’s been two weeks,” Adrian says.
“Shush,” the Blue Mage replies. “Two weeks is too long.”
“You’re from Ravendale?” I ask.
“I am not,” Sierra replies, riffling through a bag under her bed. She fishes out a dark blue skirt and coat, shrugging both of them on in an instant. “But I have grown to enjoy it a fair bit.”
“You just like big cities.” Adrian hasn’t even turned to look at me. It looks like petulant spite, which I don’t mind. I don’t need to get him on my side. At the moment, it’s just the level 18 Sierra I care about.
“I can’t lie about that,” the woman in question replies. She tilts her head back, making eye contact with me. “Sorry, Evelyn, I don’t have the proper clothes for a lady of your stature. None of my nice clothes will fit you. Are you okay with what you have right now?”
The ones she’s currently lending me fit just fine, though they’re a little tight. A grey top that leaves a strip of midriff bared and similarly colored pants don’t exactly constitute trendy fashion, but they’ll be easy to fight in.
“They’re fine,” I tell her. “Are you ready to go?”
“We’ll get you something in town,” she assures me, gesturing towards her bags. Blue energy outlines them, and they start to rise from the ground. “Let’s go, you two. I have a place that we can visit.”
I raise an eyebrow at the casual display of power. Sierra doesn’t seem to notice.
We make our way off the train without further incident. I worry for a bit that there’ll be other UCC guards that have made their way onto the train that can identify me, but the only issue we face on our way out is a bunch of people in varying styles of dress trying to exit at the same time. There’s a couple others who look armed and a scant few wearing clerical robes, but the majority are wearing standard summer clothes. After a few minutes of jostling past people, during which Sierra uses another spell to teleport us a short distance forwards, we’re out of the train station.
Ravendale is by far the largest city I’ve ever seen. To be fair, that’s not a high bar, but it still almost steals my breath away. The train station is elevated on a hill by the edge of the city. I can’t see everything from here, but it spans almost the entirety of my vision. Gleaming spires and sprawling plazas stretch as far as the eye can see, all revolving around a single massive river that cuts a lazy, winding path through the center of the city. Barges of all shapes and sizes make their way through the watery path, and I can hear the bustle of the city even from here.
“I have a boat on call,” Sierra says, looking like she’s bitten into a lemon. “We’ll get to our room in the city center and go from there.”
The river is only a couple of minutes away from the train station. Another building with a similar design to the one we just left awaits us there, and Sierra waves us past a steadily-growing group of lines, taking us straight to a waiting boat that looks like it could seat forty.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she grumbles when I ask how she got it. “You don’t ask a lady her secrets.”
“Her aunt helped,” Adrian supplies, finally speaking to me. Sierra shoots him a death-glare, and I acknowledge him with a nod. He returns the gesture, apparently having gotten over whatever latent irritation was pestering him.
While the boat propels us forward through some unknown magic, I try out my new skill. First, I use Locate Person on Adrian, who I know isn’t going to be able to detect magic I use.
After just a moment, a single burning dot sears itself into my mind’s eye right where he is. When I close my eyes and turn around, it stays there, an impression of where exactly I need to look. It’s not the brightest light, but it’s there.
I picture Sapphire, recalling her half-elf fangs, her white hair, the aura of power she wields, and I cast it again.
No dot appears this time. Not terribly surprising, given the size of this city. The magic cost of this skill is negligible with my expanded reserves. I put two of my nine available stat points into Magic (Regen) to help the process along, and I continue using Locate Self as Sierra indicates a dozen Ravendale monuments that I find difficulty in caring about.
Locate Person advanced to level 2!
Locate Person advanced to level 3!
Locate Person advanced to level 4!
Locate Person advanced to level 5!
By the time we reach our destination half an hour later, I’ve managed to increase the range of Locate Person from a hundred to five hundred feet, and I still have no leads on where Sapphire is.
She did tell me to find her in Ravendale, and everything I’ve seen from her so far has led me to believe that she’s not going to just abandon me. Saph’s too interested in what I have going on to send me on a wild goose chase.
At least, that’s what I think. I could easily be wrong, and I need to plan around that. Part of me burns with the desire to see her again, to chase down the cryptic half-elf and see if I can learn anything more about her or myself—even to ally myself with her. Other, more pragmatic parts tell me that I can do that anyway while accomplishing other objectives.
Sierra guides us away from the docks that we arrive at, glossing over the fact that this one is apparently private, and she leads us to a small, well-kept inn.
“The Enchanted Rose,” I read. I suppose the red-and-pink gardens they’ve added to the front of their establishment lend themselves to the title.
“I have a permanent room here,” Sierra says. “Let me put my stuff down and we’ll be on our way.”
“Are we going straight after the enemies?” I ask. It’s already been a fair few hours since I’ve had a fight. I can’t deny that I appreciate the change of pace, but I’m already raring for more progression.
“Not dressed in that, you aren’t,” Sierra says. “I’m sure you’re strong, but a true lady needs to have a sense of style.”
I frown. Sierra’s said a few nonsensical things so far, but this one tops them all. “That… doesn’t sound right.”
“No, it’s totally correct,” she insists. “Come with me, I’ll show you!”
She leads us into the inn. The owner recognizes her, apparently, because he waves the three of us along.
The Blue Mage’s room is larger than I expected. Unlike the train car, it has a proper bathroom attached to it, and the closets here are already filled with clothes, weapons, and all manner of memorabilia. Sierra vanishes for a couple of seconds before reappearing with a colorful set of armor.
“Adrian, get out,” she says, utterly failing at subtly excluding me. “I’m going to change.”
The Warrior walks away with a huff. “I’m going to go grab a beer. Be back in fifteen.”
Sierra makes eye contact with me more than once while she’s changing. The first couple of times, she blushes, but the third time she catches me looking at her, she smiles.
I think Acting would prefer it if I return the slightly embarrassed gesture, since that would fit the non-platonic subtext that she’s been attempting to lay down, but I can’t muster up the awkwardness.
The armor she puts on does, to be fair, compliment her physique well. The forest green of the cloak matches her eyes, and her dyed-purple leather armor corset complements the tight leggings she’s chosen.
Well, it’s pleasing to my eyes, at least. When the researchers were making me, they clearly didn’t put much knowledge of fashion standards in mind. Not like I need it.
“See?” she says, practically preening. “It’s quite proper, isn’t it?”
“It is,” I reply.
“Then we can get you some,” she tells me. “We have plenty of time.”
“Weren’t there newborn dragons to fight?” I ask her.
“Do you see them tearing up the land around us?” she replies. “They were released into the underground. The issue isn’t that they’ll break out. The underground is sealed for that. No, the real problem is that they will grow to the point where they can break the seals, and that won’t happen for a while.”
“Won’t someone else beat you to hunting them down, then?” I ask. “I assume that the city guard will want to act on this for the reasons you just stated.”
“The city guard doesn’t know,” Sierra says, then winces. “Uhh… don’t tell them, okay?”
“I won’t,” I promise. It’s beneficial for me, anyway. “So long as we go down there to fight and kill them, anyway.”
“Of course, of course,” Sierra says, nodding. Her face lights up. “Let’s go! I’ll tell Adrian to wait for us.”
The Warrior is completely and totally unsurprised when his companion tells him that we’re going shopping. Sierra must do this a lot.
“I’ll still be here when you come back,” he says, taking a gulp from the foaming golden beer in front of him. “Take your time, I’ll keep spending your money.”
“Drink yourself under the table and we’ll see who levels up next,” Sierra fires back.
She leads, and I follow. We make out way through winding streets, passing by stalls and stores with all manner of storeowners shouting at passersby to peddle their wares. Sierra ignores them all, dragging me by the hand as if to keep me from drifting away.
Eventually, we arrive in front of a nondescript storefront with frosted windows. A simple sign in front of it declares it to be Alto’s Armory.
“This is my favorite tailor,” Sierra says. “It’s where I got this set of clothes from.”
We enter into another world. At least, that’s how it feels.
Since I was born, it’s been fight after fight after fight. I’ve had a few opportunities to rest, and I’ve seen some nice rooms, but none of them have been opulent in the same way that this place is. Suits of armor and cloth alike line the gold-trimmed walls, and the scent of soft vanilla floats through the dimly-lit room, candles burning in crevices.
“Alto!” Sierra shouts as soon as we get in, disrupting the serene atmosphere. “Lady Evelyn here needs a set of armor!”
“I’m not sure if I can afford this,” I tell her mildly, looking around us. That’s a bit of an understatement, given that my current net worth is exactly zero silver.
“It’s fine,” she says, dismissing the worry with a wave of her hand. “You gave me blood magic. I am deeply in your debt. Unlike some people, I help those who help me.”
There’s a history behind that statement. I pry a little, trying to glean anything I can use. Sierra’s awfully trusting of me for some reason, and I’m intent on exploiting that. “Do you have an issue with someone?”
“You might know my aunt,” Sierra mutters, suddenly drawing into herself. “Her name is Marie Jade, and she’s one of the most powerful people in the Crowned Islands.”
That piques my interest, but then the titular Alto shows his face. From a quick Appraise, he’s a level 13 Seamster, which is a class I haven’t seen before. He’s a good deal older and bulkier than Sierra is, of course, which makes it all the more surprising when he rolls up his sleeves to reveal fine, delicate fingers.
“A fine specimen indeed,” he says, his voice practically booming. “Very good. Give me a few minutes to throw something together.”
“Marie Jade?” I ask Sierra as soon as the Seamster leaves, dipping through a door to fetch his materials.
“She—“ the Blue Mage twists her face. “Gods, I’ve said too much already. I’m sorry, I truly am, but I can’t say much more.”
That only inflames my interest more, but I am trying to build more trust with her. I desperately want more information about the lead of the team that created me. I’d thought that only Saph would be able provide that, and now I’ve found that Sierra is able to as well.
It’s so convenient that I can’t help being suspicious of it.
Those thoughts are whisked away when Alto returns, an entire wardrobe in one hand. He hands me a hanger that creaks under the weight of the outfit on it, then indicates the changing rooms in one corner of the facility.
“Thank you,” Sierra says, bowing. She reaches into one of her cloak’s pockets and fishes out a single gold coin. “Keep the change. Buy yourself something nice.”
Alto’s eyes open wide with gratitude, and he accepts the coin. “Thank you, miss Jade.”
“No problem,” Sierra says, taking my hand in hers once more to drag me towards the fitting room. “Let’s get you into something more ladylike, shall we?”
When I enter the changing room, Sierra joins me.
“Have you put on armor before?” she asks. I shake my head no, though I realize I did temporarily co-opt enemy armor for a few minutes. “Then let me help you with this.”
She sorts out the items from the hanger that Alto provided me. It’s quite similar to her style, though it’s a more dramatic red-and-black compared to Sierra’s softer color palette. Instead of leggings, Alto’s provided me with dark red greaves and thigh armor not dissimilar to the UCC’s.
Sierra starts by attaching said greaves, carefully strapping the first half to my shins before moving up to my thighs. Her hands linger longer than they need to, and she speaks to hide that little fact.
“I have a Locate Creature spell,” she tells me as she straps another piece of armor on, grazing my upper thigh with her hand as she does. “I’ll be using it to find the dragon babies.”
“How’d you get that one?” I ask.
“A tutor,” she admits, starting on the other thigh. “Aunt Marie provided a lot for me, I must say.”
“And yet you don’t like her?”
She wraps the corset around my torso and walks behind me. Her knuckles brush against my back as the Blue Mage slowly starts to lace the black-and-red corset up, though I can’t tell how much of that is intentional. “It’s… complicated. She provides a lot for me, but she’s not a good person. The things she’s made…”
I have to laugh a little inside at that. I’m a thing that Marie’s made, and Sierra seems plenty happy with me.
Sierra continues, wrapping the cloak around me and finding every excuse she can to lay her hands on me. I don’t mind. I get the idea that she’s a bit starved for any form of meaningful connection, which adds onto the list of personality traits I can exploit.
“We’ll head down right after this,” she says, stepping back to admire her handiwork. I look into the mirror.
It is, in all fairness, a striking image. I look fiercer than she does, and the outfit only serves to enhance that.
“You look fantastic,” Sierra says with a grin.
“Thank you,” I reply. “You as well.”
That increases the radiance of her smile to the point I worry I might take damage from it.
We leave after Sierra bids another thank-you to the Seamster, who I think she’s vastly overpaid based on his reaction.
Adrian is no longer at the Enchanted Rose’s tavern when we return, which surprises me and Sierra both. She leads us back up to the room, and we open the door to find the Warrior there, midway through a practiced swing of the sword.
Sierra sighs. “Good job practicing, Adrian. Can you not do it in my room?”
He has the decency to look embarrassed. “Sorry. I don’t like doing it in public.”
The Blue Mage summons a belt of knives from a closet by simply holding her hands out, palms facing up, and gesturing. “Well, I don’t like it when you do it in my room.”
And just like that, we’re off.
Once again, Sierra leads us through the city with the self-assuredness of someone who’s lived here her entire life.
“How long did you say the two of you have been living here?” I discretely ask Adrian at one point. I really don’t care about him, but keeping his distrust of me at a minimum could be helpful in maintaining my alliance with his powerful companion. Also, I sort of lack a reason to be rude.
“Just a couple of months,” he replies. “I don’t know how she does it either.”
We make our way through rich villas and dirty slums, over a bridge that cross the river and under a series of houses elevated on stilts that Sierra explains belongs to a group of skyfolk.
Ravendale is a true melting pot, I realize. Whereas the lab was a sterile, unpopulated environment and the outposts were small, self-contained communities, Ravendale is a hundred communities smashed together, each one of them interacting with the next. It’s more like a living organism than any of the previous location’s I’ve visited, and I’m tempted to stop at least twice—once at a fight club, once at an elvish archer range—to explore potential opportunities to advance.
The Blue Mage in charge of our party keeps us going all the while, never hesitating despite the complexity of the man-made labyrinth.
Eventually, we find ourselves in front of a steep set of stairs that descend into darkness. Though the entrance is a solid forty feet wide, light doesn’t penetrate past the first ten or so steps, and so I can’t see anything down below.
“Here we are,” Sierra says, her confidence completely unshaken. “Ground rules: don’t die, and stay away from the holes. You don’t want to fall into dweller territory.”
Adrian’s white-knuckle grip on his sword gives away his anxiousness. That makes a single one of us genuinely worried about this.
“Is your spell active?” I ask the Blue Mage.
She snaps her fingers. “It is now.”
The two of us descend, Adrian following shortly behind.
Objective: Eat the babies
Kill and devour the dragons.
Targets killed: [0/6]
Reward: 500 XP + Trait
Targets devoured: [0/6]
Reward: 1200 XP
Slifer274 Last of the burst! How did you like these last four chapters? Are you excited for more?
“Welcome to Ravendale,” a neutral voice says, magical electronics installed in the ceiling carrying the sound throughout the train cars. “Due to high volume, the train will remain at this stop for three hours.”
“Ravendale!” Sierra exclaims. “It’s been too long.”
“Sierra, it’s been two weeks,” Adrian says.
“Shush,” the Blue Mage replies. “Two weeks is too long.”
“You’re from Ravendale?” I ask.
“I am not,” Sierra replies, riffling through a bag under her bed. She fishes out a dark blue skirt and coat, shrugging both of them on in an instant. “But I have grown to enjoy it a fair bit.”
“You just like big cities.” Adrian hasn’t even turned to look at me. It looks like petulant spite, which I don’t mind. I don’t need to get him on my side. At the moment, it’s just the level 18 Sierra I care about.
“I can’t lie about that,” the woman in question replies. She tilts her head back, making eye contact with me. “Sorry, Evelyn, I don’t have the proper clothes for a lady of your stature. None of my nice clothes will fit you. Are you okay with what you have right now?”
The ones she’s currently lending me fit just fine, though they’re a little tight. A grey top that leaves a strip of midriff bared and similarly colored pants don’t exactly constitute trendy fashion, but they’ll be easy to fight in.
“They’re fine,” I tell her. “Are you ready to go?”
“We’ll get you something in town,” she assures me, gesturing towards her bags. Blue energy outlines them, and they start to rise from the ground. “Let’s go, you two. I have a place that we can visit.”
I raise an eyebrow at the casual display of power. Sierra doesn’t seem to notice.
We make our way off the train without further incident. I worry for a bit that there’ll be other UCC guards that have made their way onto the train that can identify me, but the only issue we face on our way out is a bunch of people in varying styles of dress trying to exit at the same time. There’s a couple others who look armed and a scant few wearing clerical robes, but the majority are wearing standard summer clothes. After a few minutes of jostling past people, during which Sierra uses another spell to teleport us a short distance forwards, we’re out of the train station.
Ravendale is by far the largest city I’ve ever seen. To be fair, that’s not a high bar, but it still almost steals my breath away. The train station is elevated on a hill by the edge of the city. I can’t see everything from here, but it spans almost the entirety of my vision. Gleaming spires and sprawling plazas stretch as far as the eye can see, all revolving around a single massive river that cuts a lazy, winding path through the center of the city. Barges of all shapes and sizes make their way through the watery path, and I can hear the bustle of the city even from here.
“I have a boat on call,” Sierra says, looking like she’s bitten into a lemon. “We’ll get to our room in the city center and go from there.”
The river is only a couple of minutes away from the train station. Another building with a similar design to the one we just left awaits us there, and Sierra waves us past a steadily-growing group of lines, taking us straight to a waiting boat that looks like it could seat forty.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she grumbles when I ask how she got it. “You don’t ask a lady her secrets.”
“Her aunt helped,” Adrian supplies, finally speaking to me. Sierra shoots him a death-glare, and I acknowledge him with a nod. He returns the gesture, apparently having gotten over whatever latent irritation was pestering him.
While the boat propels us forward through some unknown magic, I try out my new skill. First, I use Locate Person on Adrian, who I know isn’t going to be able to detect magic I use.
After just a moment, a single burning dot sears itself into my mind’s eye right where he is. When I close my eyes and turn around, it stays there, an impression of where exactly I need to look. It’s not the brightest light, but it’s there.
I picture Sapphire, recalling her half-elf fangs, her white hair, the aura of power she wields, and I cast it again.
No dot appears this time. Not terribly surprising, given the size of this city. The magic cost of this skill is negligible with my expanded reserves. I put two of my nine available stat points into Magic (Regen) to help the process along, and I continue using Locate Self as Sierra indicates a dozen Ravendale monuments that I find difficulty in caring about.
Locate Person advanced to level 2!
Locate Person advanced to level 3!
Locate Person advanced to level 4!
Locate Person advanced to level 5!
By the time we reach our destination half an hour later, I’ve managed to increase the range of Locate Person from a hundred to five hundred feet, and I still have no leads on where Sapphire is.
She did tell me to find her in Ravendale, and everything I’ve seen from her so far has led me to believe that she’s not going to just abandon me. Saph’s too interested in what I have going on to send me on a wild goose chase.
At least, that’s what I think. I could easily be wrong, and I need to plan around that. Part of me burns with the desire to see her again, to chase down the cryptic half-elf and see if I can learn anything more about her or myself—even to ally myself with her. Other, more pragmatic parts tell me that I can do that anyway while accomplishing other objectives.
Sierra guides us away from the docks that we arrive at, glossing over the fact that this one is apparently private, and she leads us to a small, well-kept inn.
“The Enchanted Rose,” I read. I suppose the red-and-pink gardens they’ve added to the front of their establishment lend themselves to the title.
“I have a permanent room here,” Sierra says. “Let me put my stuff down and we’ll be on our way.”
“Are we going straight after the enemies?” I ask. It’s already been a fair few hours since I’ve had a fight. I can’t deny that I appreciate the change of pace, but I’m already raring for more progression.
“Not dressed in that, you aren’t,” Sierra says. “I’m sure you’re strong, but a true lady needs to have a sense of style.”
I frown. Sierra’s said a few nonsensical things so far, but this one tops them all. “That… doesn’t sound right.”
“No, it’s totally correct,” she insists. “Come with me, I’ll show you!”
She leads us into the inn. The owner recognizes her, apparently, because he waves the three of us along.
The Blue Mage’s room is larger than I expected. Unlike the train car, it has a proper bathroom attached to it, and the closets here are already filled with clothes, weapons, and all manner of memorabilia. Sierra vanishes for a couple of seconds before reappearing with a colorful set of armor.
“Adrian, get out,” she says, utterly failing at subtly excluding me. “I’m going to change.”
The Warrior walks away with a huff. “I’m going to go grab a beer. Be back in fifteen.”
Sierra makes eye contact with me more than once while she’s changing. The first couple of times, she blushes, but the third time she catches me looking at her, she smiles.
I think Acting would prefer it if I return the slightly embarrassed gesture, since that would fit the non-platonic subtext that she’s been attempting to lay down, but I can’t muster up the awkwardness.
The armor she puts on does, to be fair, compliment her physique well. The forest green of the cloak matches her eyes, and her dyed-purple leather armor corset complements the tight leggings she’s chosen.
Well, it’s pleasing to my eyes, at least. When the researchers were making me, they clearly didn’t put much knowledge of fashion standards in mind. Not like I need it.
“See?” she says, practically preening. “It’s quite proper, isn’t it?”
“It is,” I reply.
“Then we can get you some,” she tells me. “We have plenty of time.”
“Weren’t there newborn dragons to fight?” I ask her.
“Do you see them tearing up the land around us?” she replies. “They were released into the underground. The issue isn’t that they’ll break out. The underground is sealed for that. No, the real problem is that they will grow to the point where they can break the seals, and that won’t happen for a while.”
“Won’t someone else beat you to hunting them down, then?” I ask. “I assume that the city guard will want to act on this for the reasons you just stated.”
“The city guard doesn’t know,” Sierra says, then winces. “Uhh… don’t tell them, okay?”
“I won’t,” I promise. It’s beneficial for me, anyway. “So long as we go down there to fight and kill them, anyway.”
“Of course, of course,” Sierra says, nodding. Her face lights up. “Let’s go! I’ll tell Adrian to wait for us.”
The Warrior is completely and totally unsurprised when his companion tells him that we’re going shopping. Sierra must do this a lot.
“I’ll still be here when you come back,” he says, taking a gulp from the foaming golden beer in front of him. “Take your time, I’ll keep spending your money.”
“Drink yourself under the table and we’ll see who levels up next,” Sierra fires back.
She leads, and I follow. We make out way through winding streets, passing by stalls and stores with all manner of storeowners shouting at passersby to peddle their wares. Sierra ignores them all, dragging me by the hand as if to keep me from drifting away.
Eventually, we arrive in front of a nondescript storefront with frosted windows. A simple sign in front of it declares it to be Alto’s Armory.
“This is my favorite tailor,” Sierra says. “It’s where I got this set of clothes from.”
We enter into another world. At least, that’s how it feels.
Since I was born, it’s been fight after fight after fight. I’ve had a few opportunities to rest, and I’ve seen some nice rooms, but none of them have been opulent in the same way that this place is. Suits of armor and cloth alike line the gold-trimmed walls, and the scent of soft vanilla floats through the dimly-lit room, candles burning in crevices.
“Alto!” Sierra shouts as soon as we get in, disrupting the serene atmosphere. “Lady Evelyn here needs a set of armor!”
“I’m not sure if I can afford this,” I tell her mildly, looking around us. That’s a bit of an understatement, given that my current net worth is exactly zero silver.
“It’s fine,” she says, dismissing the worry with a wave of her hand. “You gave me blood magic. I am deeply in your debt. Unlike some people, I help those who help me.”
There’s a history behind that statement. I pry a little, trying to glean anything I can use. Sierra’s awfully trusting of me for some reason, and I’m intent on exploiting that. “Do you have an issue with someone?”
“You might know my aunt,” Sierra mutters, suddenly drawing into herself. “Her name is Marie Jade, and she’s one of the most powerful people in the Crowned Islands.”
That piques my interest, but then the titular Alto shows his face. From a quick Appraise, he’s a level 13 Seamster, which is a class I haven’t seen before. He’s a good deal older and bulkier than Sierra is, of course, which makes it all the more surprising when he rolls up his sleeves to reveal fine, delicate fingers.
“A fine specimen indeed,” he says, his voice practically booming. “Very good. Give me a few minutes to throw something together.”
“Marie Jade?” I ask Sierra as soon as the Seamster leaves, dipping through a door to fetch his materials.
“She—“ the Blue Mage twists her face. “Gods, I’ve said too much already. I’m sorry, I truly am, but I can’t say much more.”
That only inflames my interest more, but I am trying to build more trust with her. I desperately want more information about the lead of the team that created me. I’d thought that only Saph would be able provide that, and now I’ve found that Sierra is able to as well.
It’s so convenient that I can’t help being suspicious of it.
Those thoughts are whisked away when Alto returns, an entire wardrobe in one hand. He hands me a hanger that creaks under the weight of the outfit on it, then indicates the changing rooms in one corner of the facility.
“Thank you,” Sierra says, bowing. She reaches into one of her cloak’s pockets and fishes out a single gold coin. “Keep the change. Buy yourself something nice.”
Alto’s eyes open wide with gratitude, and he accepts the coin. “Thank you, miss Jade.”
“No problem,” Sierra says, taking my hand in hers once more to drag me towards the fitting room. “Let’s get you into something more ladylike, shall we?”
When I enter the changing room, Sierra joins me.
“Have you put on armor before?” she asks. I shake my head no, though I realize I did temporarily co-opt enemy armor for a few minutes. “Then let me help you with this.”
She sorts out the items from the hanger that Alto provided me. It’s quite similar to her style, though it’s a more dramatic red-and-black compared to Sierra’s softer color palette. Instead of leggings, Alto’s provided me with dark red greaves and thigh armor not dissimilar to the UCC’s.
Sierra starts by attaching said greaves, carefully strapping the first half to my shins before moving up to my thighs. Her hands linger longer than they need to, and she speaks to hide that little fact.
“I have a Locate Creature spell,” she tells me as she straps another piece of armor on, grazing my upper thigh with her hand as she does. “I’ll be using it to find the dragon babies.”
“How’d you get that one?” I ask.
“A tutor,” she admits, starting on the other thigh. “Aunt Marie provided a lot for me, I must say.”
“And yet you don’t like her?”
She wraps the corset around my torso and walks behind me. Her knuckles brush against my back as the Blue Mage slowly starts to lace the black-and-red corset up, though I can’t tell how much of that is intentional. “It’s… complicated. She provides a lot for me, but she’s not a good person. The things she’s made…”
I have to laugh a little inside at that. I’m a thing that Marie’s made, and Sierra seems plenty happy with me.
Sierra continues, wrapping the cloak around me and finding every excuse she can to lay her hands on me. I don’t mind. I get the idea that she’s a bit starved for any form of meaningful connection, which adds onto the list of personality traits I can exploit.
“We’ll head down right after this,” she says, stepping back to admire her handiwork. I look into the mirror.
It is, in all fairness, a striking image. I look fiercer than she does, and the outfit only serves to enhance that.
“You look fantastic,” Sierra says with a grin.
“Thank you,” I reply. “You as well.”
That increases the radiance of her smile to the point I worry I might take damage from it.
We leave after Sierra bids another thank-you to the Seamster, who I think she’s vastly overpaid based on his reaction.
Adrian is no longer at the Enchanted Rose’s tavern when we return, which surprises me and Sierra both. She leads us back up to the room, and we open the door to find the Warrior there, midway through a practiced swing of the sword.
Sierra sighs. “Good job practicing, Adrian. Can you not do it in my room?”
He has the decency to look embarrassed. “Sorry. I don’t like doing it in public.”
The Blue Mage summons a belt of knives from a closet by simply holding her hands out, palms facing up, and gesturing. “Well, I don’t like it when you do it in my room.”
And just like that, we’re off.
Once again, Sierra leads us through the city with the self-assuredness of someone who’s lived here her entire life.
“How long did you say the two of you have been living here?” I discretely ask Adrian at one point. I really don’t care about him, but keeping his distrust of me at a minimum could be helpful in maintaining my alliance with his powerful companion. Also, I sort of lack a reason to be rude.
“Just a couple of months,” he replies. “I don’t know how she does it either.”
We make our way through rich villas and dirty slums, over a bridge that cross the river and under a series of houses elevated on stilts that Sierra explains belongs to a group of skyfolk.
Ravendale is a true melting pot, I realize. Whereas the lab was a sterile, unpopulated environment and the outposts were small, self-contained communities, Ravendale is a hundred communities smashed together, each one of them interacting with the next. It’s more like a living organism than any of the previous location’s I’ve visited, and I’m tempted to stop at least twice—once at a fight club, once at an elvish archer range—to explore potential opportunities to advance.
The Blue Mage in charge of our party keeps us going all the while, never hesitating despite the complexity of the man-made labyrinth.
Eventually, we find ourselves in front of a steep set of stairs that descend into darkness. Though the entrance is a solid forty feet wide, light doesn’t penetrate past the first ten or so steps, and so I can’t see anything down below.
“Here we are,” Sierra says, her confidence completely unshaken. “Ground rules: don’t die, and stay away from the holes. You don’t want to fall into dweller territory.”
Adrian’s white-knuckle grip on his sword gives away his anxiousness. That makes a single one of us genuinely worried about this.
“Is your spell active?” I ask the Blue Mage.
She snaps her fingers. “It is now.”
The two of us descend, Adrian following shortly behind.
Objective: Eat the babies
Kill and devour the dragons.
Targets killed: [0/6]
Reward: 500 XP + Trait
Targets devoured: [0/6]
Reward: 1200 XP
Slifer274 Last of the burst! How did you like these last four chapters? Are you excited for more?
