Legacy of the Fallen

by Luke Chmilenko

  “Why is the Æther so important?” Sierra intervened, glancing between Donovan and Stanton before the argument escalated.

  “Because it can be used to power ancient Nafarrian technology,” Donovan declared, shifting his glance towards Sierra and me. “We have discovered countless Nafarrian artifacts as we’ve excavated and explored the ruins that Eberia was founded on, all of them inert and harmless. At least until a spark of Æther is applied, something we have precious little of available to us.

  “Based on our research, we’ve long since theorized that ages ago Eberia was once connected to a vast network of Ley Lines that spanned the entire continent, drawing Æther from the ground to use in all kinds of devices,” Donovan continued explaining. “But during the war with the Irovian Dynasty, the Ley Line to Eberia was somehow severed, and the Nafarr that once inhabited the city were quickly overrun and slaughtered when their magical defenses failed.”

  “Almost their entire culture and way of life depended on Æther, and the devices they had built to use it, from the mundane sort, like heatless lamps to light the city streets, to truly useful ones that could move mountains of earth in a heartbeat, to—”

  “To weapons that could turn the tide of a war,” Veronia finished, turning her head to look at Donovan. “Or serve as a deterrent to prevent one altogether.”

  “I won’t pretend that we have altruistic motivations for the use of Æther,” Stanton said, nodding with Ronia’s statement and ignoring Donovan’s scowl. “But with the inevitable conflict between Eberia and the Ascendancy building, we need to secure every single advantage we possibly can, and restoring Eberia’s access to the Ley Line network would be an incalculable benefit to either avoiding the war or giving us enough of an advantage to survive it.”

  “Fate, however, is a cruel mistress, and despite the seriousness of Eberia’s situation there is a much more immediate and pressing concern that I have come to warn you all about that directly concerns Aldford,” Stanton held up a hand to hold any questions. “Approximately one month ago, the Mages Guild began detecting a gradual, yet consistent, increase in the Ætheric energy permeating the surrounding region. The timing of which, I have just recently learned, coincides with the removal of an Irovian Annulment Sphere from a well set into the Ley Line.”

  “What does that mean exactly?” I asked, seeing the same expression of confusion on Sierra’s face that I had on mine.

  “It means that in addition to whatever its original purpose was, the Annulment Sphere has been serving as a stop-gap measure to keep the ruptured Ley Line in check.” Donovan’s face had turned pale. “The moment that it was removed, the Æther began flowing once more, at least up until whatever point where the Ley Line had ruptured.”

  “Then what would happen to it?” Aldwin demanded, his voice breaking as he glanced between all the mages at the table, including me.

  “It would just continue flowing,” Donovan replied. “Perhaps if the ground were soft enough, it would sink deeper into the earth and eventually dissipate, but it if wasn’t…”

  “It would accumulate, and continue accumulating until the Ætheric energy reaches a critical mass,” Stanton explained, staring directly at me as he spoke. “It is imperative that we determine where the rupture is, and attempt to seal the Ley Line and redirect it back towards its normal channels it as soon as possible, lest it ignites.”

  “What would the damage be if it did?” Aldwin whispered, his voice colored with disbelief.

  “Impossible to tell accurately,” Stanton answered quietly. “But I am certain that Aldford and the surrounding region wouldn’t survive it, and by extension, neither will Eberia.”

  Once again, silence took over the room, everyone looking at one another blankly as they absorbed Stanton’s latest bombshell. Sierra and I traded nervous looks, before nodding at one another in silent agreement.

  “We know where the rupture is…” Sierra broke the silence, all eyes focusing on her.

  “…it’s right here,” I finished while putting a hand across my face. “It’s right under Aldford.”

  Chapter 9

  “Based on what we’ve been able to determine from exploring the area, we think that there once was a Nafarrian city where Crater Lake is now,” I told Stanton and all the mages as we left the Town Hall and walked towards the Ætherwarped oak tree, outlining the damage that we had seen in the outlying regions surrounding Aldford. “And that it was catastrophically destroyed during the war with the Irovian Dynasty, wiping out nearly every trace that a city once stood here. All that we have been able to find so far are a pair of collapsed ruins, left buried under stone.”

  “I pray that whatever magic or technology their ancestors had that allowed them to create such destruction has long since been lost, and not inherited by the Ascendancy,” Stanton said with a worried note in his voice. “Else we might find ourselves looking at Eberia or Coldscar in a similar state one day.”

  “Hopefully,” I agreed wholeheartedly. The last thing we needed was having magic capable of destroying cities in the hands of Adventurers, the majority of which wouldn’t even hesitate to use it. “Given the extent of the devastation to the landscape, I’m fairly certain that whatever event destroyed the city, also caused the Ley Line to rupture.”

  “I agree with your logic,” Stanton replied his voice tinged with awe as he craned his head upwards while we approached the massive Ætherwarped tree. “In all my life, I have never seen, or read of anything like this. The wood at the base of the tree almost appears to be… crystalline, yet the further I look up the tree, the more it resembles natural if azure colored wood.”

  I nodded at the man while following his gaze towards the tree. It had come a long way since the tiny sapling that had sprouted from the glowing ichor of the Webwood Horror that had invaded the town several weeks ago, having grown easily seventy feet tall as it clawed its way into the sky, still continuing to grow a handful of inches every day that passed.

  More recently, a noticeable change began to take hold of the tree as it grew, its base gradually beginning to lose its wooden texture, appearing smoother, and as Stanton mentioned, almost crystalline in appearance. We had no frame of reference of what to expect during the tree’s lifetime, nor any idea if it would ever stop growing, but for the moment, it had become a very much-loved feature of Aldford, its constant azure glow a beacon of rest and safety.

  “Several weeks ago, I used an Eberian Ætherscope to look at the tree in the magical spectrum,” I told Stanton as Donovan opened a familiar looking case and pulled free two lengths of bone, offering one to both Stanton and myself. “I managed to see the tree’s entire root system, and the barest glimpse of the Ley Line, before the Ætherscope burned my hand to the bone.”

  “Really?” Stanton accepted the bone Ætherscope with great interest, looking over the intricate carvings carefully. “It should not have done that.”

  “He said the same thing,” I replied, motioning to Donovan with a thin smile.

  “Lyrian’s…Ætherwarping has given him a greater sensitivity to magic, and he is somehow able to push the boundaries we once thought were immutable,” Donovan explained to the other mage. “Unfortunately, that somehow created a feedback loop in the iron Ætherscope causing mana to build up in the device, until it quite literally seared the flesh from his hand.”

  “Interesting.” Stanton shifted his glance from the Ætherscope to me. “Samuel and Quincy had mentioned to me that your condition was the result of overexposure to Æther, the same with your familiar.”

  “There were…extenuating circumstances to both situations.” I didn’t quite know how to reply to Stanton’s statement. His direct approach to my warped appearance not something that I had been expecting.

  “Both situations?” The noble’s eyes widened in surprise. “I would like to hear how exactly they came about when the time presents itself; it seems I have not heard the full story of your adventures.”

  “Sure,” I replied hesitantly
, still not trusting the man and how quickly he had swooped into Aldford with his vague warnings.

  Despite everything that Stanton has told us, I feel like I’m missing something out of the big picture, I thought.

  “Excellent! Now, what of this bone Ætherscope I’m holding?” Stanton indicated the wand in his hand. “This is Irovian in origin, no?”

  “It is,” I replied, happy to be on more familiar ground. “We found them in a storage room within the Tower’s underground chamber, and it appears that they have an ever so slightly better range than the Eberian Ætherscopes, and do not overheat while being used.”

  “Useful,” Stanton commented while pointing the wand towards the base of the tree. “The image appears slightly more distinct too.”

  “It does,” Quincy agreed, having been offered a wand by Donovan while Stanton and I spoke.

  “This is quite remarkable,” I heard Samuel whisper from behind me. “We should have thought to use these earlier…”

  Turning towards the tree, I gripped the Ætherscope tightly and pointed it towards the ground. Taking a deep breath, I activated True Sight, instantly watching the shadows of the world vanish as my vision shifted into the magical spectrum.

  Canting my head towards the ground to avoid the bright glare of the tree, the root system bloomed to life as snaking white lines appeared in my vision, gradually transitioning to a deep azure tint the deeper into the ground they descended. Eventually, it became impossible to determine the individual strands of roots, only seeing a single faint line as the roots began to blur together.

  As the Ætherscope began to reach the edge of its range, the Ley Line I remembered seeing before appeared. However, this time, it was thicker and brighter than I recalled, and now had a small kidney-shaped blob appearing just beside it.

  The rupture, I realized, swallowing hard as I compared its brightness to the Ley Line. It doesn’t look too bright just yet.

  “There is something just on the edge of my vision,” Stanton whispered, kneeling on the ground in the hope that the extra few feet would make a difference. “I can see the faintest hint something is there… just beyond the Ley Line.”

  “It’s there,” I told the group while deactivating True Sight, noticing that all the other mages had followed Stanton’s lead in kneeling to the ground. “I saw the rupture. Not as bright as the rest of the Ley Line, but it’s there.”

  Everyone’s heads snapped towards me and they quickly stood up from the ground, crowding around me.

  “Tell us exactly what you saw,” Quincy demanded, the concerned expression on his face doing much to alleviate his harsh tone. “Leave nothing out. It may be important.”

  “U.,” I took short step back as all the mages clustered around me, then attempted to explain what I saw. “…then there was this little blob just offset from the side of the Ley Line.”

  “You’re sure it was from the side of the Ley Line?” Stanton asked, watching my eyes intently as he asked the question. “Not the front of it?”

  “Hmm? Yeah, definitely the side,” I replied with a confused expression on my face. “Why does that matter?”

  “Because the channel the Ley Line used to travel may still be intact,” Samuel answered excitedly. “If it’s only ruptured on one side of the channel, then it may be possible to somehow patch it and allow the Æther to flow naturally once more.”

  “And if I’m wrong, and the channel has been destroyed?” I asked, seeing a look a panic cross everyone’s face.

  “Then we might as well flee back to Eberia, commandeer the fastest ship still floating in the city’s decrepit harbor then sail north around the coast,” Quincy answered bitterly.

  “There is no way of truly knowing until we see the Ley Line ourselves.” Stanton shot an unreadable look at Quincy, who winced in silent rebuke. “But since the rupture does not appear with the same intensity as the rest of the Ley Line, it seems that time may yet be on our side.”

  “How are we even going to get down to it?” Donovan asked, glancing between everyone. “Somehow swim through the Ley Line until we hit the rupture?”

  “Having already fallen into a Ley Line, I highly recommend against the swimming approach.” I couldn’t help but shake my head at Donovan’s suggestion, remembering the unending, searing pain I had experienced when I had fallen into the Ley Line. “You would be praying for death within seconds of entering the stream.”

  “And even if you somehow survived with your sanity intact,” I waved a hand to indicate my appearance. “You would likely end up warped like I was.”

  “It is clear that we need more information before we can decide on a course of action,” Stanton stated as he turned to face me and indicated the Ætherscope. “Would you allow us to examine the two Nafarrian ruins in the area? Perhaps we can discover a better way to approach this.”

  “Alright,” I replied slowly while nodding at the mage, hearing the now familiar quest alert chime echo in my ears. “Both of the ruins are fairly damaged. Do you really think you’ll find something in them?”

  New Quest! The Ruptured Ley Line! (World Event) (Multi-Group) (Evolving Quest)

  Lord Adrian Stanton of House Denarius, has arrived at Aldford bearing dire news that Ætheric energy is building up in the region due to a rupture in the Ley Line. He predicts that if something isn’t done to repair the Ley Line, the leaking Æther will eventually ignite and catastrophically destroy the region. Help Stanton find and seal the Ley Line before time runs out!

  Escort Stanton to the Ancient Transport Hub: 0/1

  Escort Stanton to the Crater Lake Ruins: 0/1

  Ley Line Sealed: 0/1

  Difficulty: Legendary

  Reward: Experience & Renown

  Penalty for Failure: Aldford and the surrounding region will be destroyed.

  As if we needed more problems to deal with! I mentally cursed while scanning over the quest details as they appeared in my vision, my heart tightening as it read the penalty for failing the quest and there being no clear timeline visible. I should have been more careful in what I wished for when Peter and I visited Ætherworld Productions. I wanted something reasonably exciting, not a complete catastrophe in the making!

  “It is too early to say—” Stanton began to reply when several loud shouts of anger echoed through the morning air.

  As we instinctively turned our heads towards the noise, I saw a flash of pale light just outside the Town Hall, the sign that an Adventurer had just respawned. The shouting began to grow louder, and I immediately realized it was coming from the direction of the Training Grounds, where we were holding tryouts for Virtus.

  “Oh fuck,” I gasped, already moving towards the noise.

  Someone had just killed another person in Aldford.

  W

  The shouting continued to grow in volume as I jogged towards the Training Grounds, not wasting time to stop and talk to the respawned Adventurer. While running, Amaranth and several other Adventurers joined me to find out what all the commotion was about.

  As I approached the Training Grounds, I saw dozens of Adventurers crowding together, blocking the drilling yard from sight. Wheeling my way around the bulk of the crowd, Amaranth and I pushed our way through the thinnest section of the group, the Adventurers moving out of the way the moment they saw me.

  Stepping out onto what we had begun to call ‘The Arena’, a twenty by twenty field of loosely packed dirt designated for drills and training, I wasn’t quite prepared for the sight before me.

  Blood was splattered everywhere across the center of the Arena, still soaking slowly into the ground. A glance around the field told me that the body the blood belonged to had long since dissolved, part of the game world’s way of cleaning up after the dead.

  An unfamiliar group of five Adventurers stood defiantly a short distance away from the carnage, all of them holding their weapons in hand. A dark elf Adventurer dressed in tan leather armor, stood a half a step ahead of the group, his dark skin shining with the sw
eat of recent battle. In his hands he held a gleaming iron sword, dripping with blood.

  In the center of the field, facing the group, were the two familiar forms of Freya and Theia, the former’s sharp voice piercing through the angry murmurs echoing out from the crowd.

  “—for the last time, Mozter, you killed an applicant!” Freya roared at the man holding the bloody sword as she gripped her own weapon, a spear, tightly. “You are disqualified, now get off the field!”

  “You still think I’m here for that bullshit?” Mozter smirked while glaring at Freya. “I, we, never had any real intention to join your guild.”

  “Then you have two reasonsss not to be on this field,” Theia growled angrily. “Now be gone, before we have you removed.”

  “I would like to see you try, Lizard,” I heard Mozter snort as I stomped out onto the field, his blood red eyes snapping onto me. “Ah, finally, the Guildmaster shows his face!”

  my familiar warned me as he let out a low growl.

  “What is going on here?” I called out as Amaranth and I crossed the field, murmurs breaking out throughout the watching crowd as they recognized who I was. Stopping beside Freya, I exchanged quick glances with her and Theia before turning back towards Mozter.

  “This group is trouble, Lyr,” Freya shifted closer to me, whispering softly. “I don’t know what their goal is, but they’ve been pushing the boundaries ever since they got here. Now they just crossed it.”

  “Now, now! There’s no need for whispers among friends!” Mozter’s face pouted as he saw the blonde-haired woman lean in close to me. “I can’t have you telling him lies about me and ruining my first impression!”

  “Oh, I don’t think that will be a problem,” I said bluntly letting my growing annoyance seep into my voice, the Dark Elf’s eyes never leaving mine as I spoke. With the news that Stanton had just brought now hanging over my head and the sheer quantity of work I already had to do, I didn’t have the time, or desire, to be dealing with troublesome Adventurers. “Tell me why the hell you thought it was a good idea to kill one of my applicants, so I can proceed straight to telling you to go fuck yourself.”