Date: March 5th, year 1286 Location: Southern wilderness, Kingdom of Specta
They had been flying on the back of the harpy eagle for two days now, only stopping to sleep or sustain themselves. Nyx was really enjoying her time, with her hair flying in the wind as she looked down at the forests and rivers hundreds of meters below them. The robed man, who Nyx had learned was named Thaddeus, boasted impressive cooking skills and kept them fed during that time with meals that Nyx found much tastier than Alice's. Nyx often saw Agnes painstakingly trying to navigate using a colored map, constantly complaining about the lack of detail. This day was no different, only that Thaddeus started admonishing her in response to her complaints.
- "I told you that you should've allocated your funds more optimally upon leaving the capital. We did not need that much food, salt, or other things like card games. A more detailed map would've saved us a tremendous amount of time." He says.
- "I know, you already gave me an earful on the way there…" Agnes replies, defeated. "I still can't believe I let that happen!"
- "It's fine, you are new to the Arcane Guard after all. Mistakes are an effective way to learn long term."
- "What's the Arcane Guard?" Nyx asks.
- "We are the main law enforcement organization in the kingdom of Specta!" Agnes proudly replied. "Basically, we beat up bad guys and help people in need, like you!"
- "Oh I see ! Every big human group has people like you, to make sure everyone doesn't tear each other apart and ruin the fun!"
- "That's… one way to put it I guess?..."
- "I have a question!" Nyx raises her hand.
- "Ask away!"
- "When did the landmass change shape again? I know that it's supposed to take time, and last time I checked they weren't here." Nyx starts pointing at different spots on Agnes' map.
- "The landmass changing shape?..." Agnes repeats, confused. "I don't think the continent is supposed to change shape, unless the gods suddenly decided to give it a relooking."
- "It does change though! Even before the other gods, the landmasses would move around without me wishing them to! Plus I think I told them not to mess with the geography too much, it really disturbs the humans when it happens too quickly. It makes for unique stories though!"
- "...Yes Nyx! You're very right!" Agnes replies with a smile. "Anything else?"
- "Yes, what about all these places written down on the map?"
- "Oh, the kingdoms and other places? I can explain what they are to you if you want, you did behave after all!"
- "Yay!"
Agnes starts patiently explaining to Nyx what she knows about every area marked down on the map ( for anyone interested, it's in post chapter notes ). Meanwhile, Thaddeus was staring at them completely still, which was odd given that he was usually looking around to monitor their surroundings. At some point, when Nyx brings up the landmasses again and Agnes deflects it once more, he snaps.
- "No." Thaddeus cuts, turning towards the both of them. "She is correct, I learned about this phenomenon in one of the books I read in the Cosmic Library. It detailed a theory on how there might be gigantic creatures under the major landmasses, moving at speeds so slow they are unnoticeable in even an elf's lifetime. Getting access to it required the full reach of my credentials, which makes me wonder how a teenager in a lost southern village got her hands on this knowledge."
- "I saw it happen multiple times!" Nyx replies.
- "Her information is too accurate to be accidental. Something is amiss here."
- "What do you mean?..." Agnes asks, looking back and forth between Nyx and Thaddeus.
- "We know the universe was created by the four gods, and that there was only void before them. But she referred to a time period that came before even that, which at first doesn't make sense, but I remember reading about that in the Library too. The work of scholars that doubted the creation myth, due to the few inconsistencies present within the version we have." Thaddeus gets up on his feet. "Again, how would a farm girl be aware of that? This is-"
He is interrupted by a loud crackling sound coming from the clouds above. Then, as he looks up, a large bolt of blue lightning appears out of nowhere and strikes him directly. He then falls forward, his robes smoking due to the heat created by the lightning. The harpy eagle shrieks as the electricity propagates through it, and starts slowing down.
- "Thaddeus!" Agnes yells as she jumps up.
- "...I'm fine." They hear Thaddeus say as he gets up from the back of the harpy eagle, not without difficulty. "This wasn't natural lightning, or that would've probably stung a lot more than it did. It was a spell devised to incapacitate anyone hit."
- "You mean!..."
- "We're being attacked. Get ready."
Agnes kneels and places her hand on the back on the eagle, and her hand glows as threads of white light erupt from it. From them, a flock of black swallows forms, with feathers as sharp as daggers. Thaddeus raises his right hand in the air, and a ten meter long spear made of blue ice form above his head.
- "Attacked?" Nyx asks. "By what?"
- "Get behind me, Nyx." Agnes says as she grabs her shoulder while Thaddeus looks around. He stops after seemingly noticing something, which causes him to frown.
- "Mage traffickers." He says. "Agnes, please remain calm."
- "...I'm asking for authorization to use lethal force." Agnes whispers in between her teeth, as the number of black swallows starts to slowly increase. Her hands were shining so brightly that they reminded Nyx of twin stars.
- "Granted, but only kill if necessary."
- "Yeah, sure."
- "Mage traffickers ?" Nyx asks as she glances in the direction that Thaddeus was looking in.
What she sees is a giant reptilian beast with bat-like wings, that she quickly recognizes as a dragon, flying towards them. It had white scales, was slightly larger than the harpy eagle, and had crystalline spikes protruding from its back that were crackling with electricity. On its back, lodged in between said spikes, were four figures obscured by leather traveling capes complete with black hoods. The dragon roars, and another lightning bolt forms above their mount. This time, Thaddeus raises his hand and a solid sphere of ice forms around the entire harpy eagle, deflecting the attack. By the time it crumbles, the dragon is right next to them, and the figures jump from its back and start attacking Thaddeus and Agnes. Spells of various elements start flying all over the place, and the black swallows furiously fly around the battlefield, preventing the four figures from gaining any ground while Thaddeus pushes them back with a continuous onslaught of smaller ice spears created from the larger one. While she was peacefully watching, Nyx is suddenly lifted from the ground by an invisible force. She felt like she was being held by someone, but she couldn't see them. When she focuses, she manages to see threads of multicolored light intricately woven around a humanoïd figure, rendering them invisible to anyone incapable of perceiving them.
- "Well I didn't expect that!" Nyx exclaims with a wide grin.
- "What?" Agnes shouts back while briefly turning towards Nyx. Her eyes widen as she realizes that she's seemingly floating above the ground. "Thaddeus, the others are a distraction! They-"
She doesn't have the time to finish her sentence before the invisible figure jumps off the harpy eagle, and Nyx can't hear her anymore over the wind howling around her. She then senses something that feels like a tissue with a very powerful smell being applied on her nose, and she quickly loses consciousness. Her last vision is that of Agnes yelling something in her direction, before the large dragon seizes the harpy eagle with its claws and begins discharging electricity into it. This forces Agnes and Thaddeus to attack it with some of their more powerful spells, shifting their attention away from Nyx. She then hears the person carrying him, who sounded like a woman:
- "Mission complete! Man, this catch's going to be worth a lot!"