by Dawn Chapman
Heck, I’d been in worse situations than this. This was a guild. A reputable place where many would come for work, friendship, support, and to live a happy life. I respected the whole of Puatera over.
Alia moved with graceful steps, and I watched as she took the handle of the door in her slender hands. She didn’t, however, open it. She pulled it inward, and the door shifted. There was a gust of wind, and she stepped forwards through the portal.
Steve’s mouth was agape when I glanced back, everything here telling me I shouldn’t do this.
You need to see this. Her voice came inside my mind. I know you don’t want to trust me. I mean you no harm.
I took that leap of faith and stepped through it with Alia.
Chapter 4
I wasn’t sure where the portal was going to take us, or if it would be inside or outside. I was feeling the wind blowing really cool air around me, and I shivered. It was outside.
I looked around and saw the outer settlements of a castle. Nothing like the Guild Hall.
“Where are we?”
“Honestly, Maddie. I have no idea. I just know that this is a place where no one else can hear or see us.”
I turned inward then and called for the only other person I knew that should be able to see this.
Tibex?
I am here, do not worry. She can’t know that there is someone almost always watching you.
I let out that inward sigh in a long breath I had been holding.
I watched as the beautiful, and lithe redhead’s body shimmered, and her suppressed aura now wasn’t. I could see everything that she had inside her.
It was hard to stand there and be in her presence without wanting to run. She, no doubt, could kill me in a heartbeat. Like a fair few people in Puatera could.
“You are not scared of me,” she almost whispered. “I like that from you, Maddie.”
“I don’t think I should be afraid just because you are powerful. Not everyone has what you have, but sometimes they have more in other ways.”
“Let me see who you are?” she asked.
I didn’t know what she meant.
“I will ask again. Let me see who you are?”
I rolled my eyes, I really didn’t know what she meant. “I’m sorry,” I said and shrugged with it. “I don’t know how.”
She stepped toward me with outstretched hands. “Here. Take them both. You’re no NPC, and you’re also no Visitor.”
How the hell did she know I wasn’t an NPC. For her to know that was she more than a program herself? I wasn’t going to lie to her, I hated that. And I didn’t think she’d believe me anyway. What is it with people around this part and wanting to be all touchy-feely? I wasn’t happy with it at the moment, and it showed. I crossed my arms instead of taking her hands.
Alia backed off with a smile. “Good. I am glad you were not that easily swayed. But I’ve been asked to trust you. I admit that I am finding that very hard without knowing who you are.”
“Who asked you to trust me?”
“I presume you’re working within the system as I am. It means for what we are about to tackle, you’ll do fine.”
“What are we going to tackle?”
“I am showing you this because you need to see it. Because he asked me too.”
He? I thought? Tibex?
And she continued on. “There’s no one else in my guild who knows this is here.” Alia moved away from where we stood and toward a slight hill. When she crested, she beckoned me further. I followed her and could then understand. I could see it.
It was monstrous.
I could barely believe what my eyes were seeing. Larger than a city, black and smoking, and tentacles, suckers, mouths. I dropped to my knees instantly. “What the hell is that?” I asked, even though I already knew.
Horrid and sickly, oozing blood, pus, the smell. I gagged with it too.
“This is, I believe, what is plaguing Puatera.” She crouched beside me. “Don’t worry. It can’t see you. And I’m very shocked at that. I’ve been watching it for months, and it has never known I was here.”
Tibex? What Alia is saying is the truth.
I watched the darkness, the creature that writhed and squirmed within. This wasn’t like a monster in our world. This was pure evil.
What you showed me, what it was doing through the portals?
Is exactly what you see being delivered here. It is feeding on Puatera, Tibex said.
I physically shivered. What is it?
It was like I knew what it was, I struggled to focus on the image of it before me. The memories that were trying to surface.
Of what it was capable of, what it was actually doing to Puatera. I knew. I not only felt it now but I could see it. It was drawing the very life force from her. All the energy that she was, the creatures that Puatera housed, those who had come to stay because they’d nowhere else to go, those like the Tromoal and Tibex and myself.
Our former enemy, Tibex said, but he hadn’t needed too. Maddie, it is searching for us.
I hoped what he said wasn’t the truth, but I felt it was. This was it. My time to set someone straight. That someone would be Alia.
“It’s looking for me,” I let out with a sigh.
Alia turned to me, and she didn’t flinch. “There was a reason you came to me today, I believe this is it. Thank you for your honesty.”
She’d told me everything, gone out on a limb for this, for me. I watched as the monster before us reached out with long spindly tentacles. They grabbed hold of anything they could that contained life, and that life then started to ebb, fade, the colour within being drained. Was it growing off the life it was taking or was it just using it to actually stay here?
“It doesn’t seem to belong. Like it’s struggling.”
“You’re correct. It doesn’t belong here. That’s why and it is struggling. It consumes more and more energy because it has to, to stay grounded.” She stared at me.
“You want to know my plan, right?”
I turned my back on the monster not wanting to see it anymore, knowing it was hurting Puatera more than any of the wars and factions were. I looked up into her eyes, her fiery red hair floating around her almost serenely. I wanted to do right by her and all of this wonderful digital land.
“Then, honestly, I don’t have a clue what to do.”
Alia sat beside me. She didn’t say anything, only allowed me to sit there. Sit in the silence of the world, knowing what was behind me, what was back through the portal. Travoy’s Guild Hall.
It was as if something started to happen inside my mind and that something moved me in many ways. I would come back. Whatever that thing was in there, I would beat its ass, and it would not take Puatera or the people I cared for.
“One thing at a time,” I said. I pushed myself back up and took the few steps down back toward the portal. “One step at a time.”
“Maddie, what do you mean?
“It means, I need to concentrate on one issue at a time, the first being Lila. She’s trapped in your city somewhere, and I need to find her and get her home.”
“The city is huge,” Alia said.
I looked back out to the darkening sky beyond the hill. “Yes, but you said it yourself that everyone eventually makes it to your guild. I believe she will come.”
“Then what do we do?”
“I take her back to Maicreol, and we go from there.”
“That won’t help my city.” She frowned, and I paused to look at her before the portal doorway.
“I will help you with this city as much as I can.”
It wasn’t the answer she was looking for, but she nodded. “I just want it to be safe for all of us. There was a balance. Now there isn’t. Without balance, certain things will win, and the people we love won’t survive.”
I touched the side of her arm. “Alia, you don’t know me. But I want you to know, I have everyone’s best interests at heart. Puatera will survive the coming stages. And you
know why?”
She shook her head.
“Because of people like you. We need to pull together, not just me. There will not be just one saviour of this world—there will be many.”
Alia smiled and her eyes filled with tears. “Thank you.”
“Come, we have a young girl to watch for. And while we do that, I wish to get to know your city more.”
Together, we stepped back through the portal and back into the main living space where we’d left Steve and Noc. They were deep in conversation and were also now looking over a 3D hologram of the city.
Steve smiled at me. “Everything okay?”
I could only nod. “Please fill me in.”
It was easy to see how large their city was when it was laid out like this. There wasn’t any space left for it to grow anymore within the lands around it—mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. It was almost cut off, and I’d no idea where in Puatera it actually was. What main island? Steve managed to fill me in on that when Noc and his mother had moved away to talk about personal business. He informed me this place was indeed still part of Puatera but was cut off from a section that no one visited much and part of Egerou.
This interested me a lot, and it was a place I would love to explore even more. Maybe these portals weren’t a really bad thing. They got us into places we might never see that much of otherwise, and this was a great thing.
“How do people here survive?” I asked Steve.
“Mostly trade from other cities. They come in through the seas and even some from the mountain pass. They grow a lot of their own stuff, and they also manage and breed their own animals.”
This was interesting.
“Where do you think we should concentrate our efforts?”
“I think here and here.” He pointed to a couple of areas. “These are the furthest from the portals that we came in from, but Noc seems to think that anyone coming into the city would spawn or join at either of these. So, I think we can start to ask around if nothing else.”
“Okay, do you want to split up?”
“Honestly, no, but I think it’s for the best. Noc said he’d take me to this one, and that he’s also got someone he can ask to escort you.”
I laughed. “No, thank you. I’d sooner do this on my own.”
He pulled a face, but I held his gaze with mine. “Seriously, I don’t want an escort. I want to be able to move freely about the people here, and I think someone from the guild will really cramp my style.”
Steve laughed, and I wanted to punch him when he looked over my figure. “Yeah speaking of such, Noc said he’d also ask their tailors to look over your clothes if you can’t bear to part with them or wear anything else.”
I glanced down to my tiny protruding extra skin and let out a sigh. I couldn’t fight like this without the thought of splitting my trousers wide open for everyone to get a good eyeful of my underwear.
“I think that’s a really good idea before I do anything else.”
Steve waved Noc back. “We’ll take your help with her clothes, then we’ll go out while Maddie does her own thing.”
He shrugged and watched as his mother left the room. “She’s got guild business for the rest of the day but has given me permission to help you both out as much as I see fit.”
Noc pushed a button on the side of the desk. “Send in Tal. She can then take you to the fabric rooms.”
I really wasn’t so happy with having to be stuck in here for the day, but letting Noc and Steve out to do something at least felt productive.
Tal entered the room just as they were leaving, and she then escorted me down into the real building and working side of the guild.
There were a lot of people here, and she filled my mind with the chatter of clothes fabrics and more. Her excitement at looking over my attire was a little daunting.
When we reached the main sewing rooms. She pushed me to a cordoned-off section of the room, asking me to strip. She then threw over some new trousers and clothes for me to try on. “Oh, and if you don’t mind, step back outside, and I’ll measure you for a bra.”
Oh no. I really wasn’t happy with this, but I did as she asked, putting the trousers and other items on first. I knew I was blushing.
“Lift your arms.”
She measured over my breasts and then under them to get a good idea of what size I was, then she vanished to pull out several items from a wall of stunning coloured underwear. I was actually shocked at the sheer number of things she threw down before me.
Picking out a light coloured and intricately patterned design. “Here. I think this would suit you a lot.”
I kind of knew what to do with it, but when I tried to put it on, she laughed at me.
“Never had the need before,” I said. Holding it out and pulling a face.
“Here,” she said, moving over toward me. This is the best way to do it. Inside out and upside down.” She attempted to see what I was doing, then showed me doing it herself. “Spin it around and then arms through and up, pull it secure over yourself and wiggle till you feel comfortable.”
I did so, and I was surprised that it actually did feel good. She moved behind me again and slid a finger under the material. “That gives you enough room to move about just a little.”
I liked it, not sure how I’d fight in it, but probably better than I did without at the moment.
“Thank you,” I said.
She beamed at me and moved away, then threw me some new shirts. “That should be everything you need. I’ll be able to alter the jacket. The material’s pretty decent.”
I let out a sigh. I’d only just got that from the market before this whole journey had started. “Good, I really like that one,” I said.
“Give me an hour or so. I’ll get it back to your room. Is that okay?”
“I didn’t even know we had a room.”
“Ahh, Alia’s assigned you both somewhere to stay while you’re here, room 17 and 18. You’ll be comfortable in those. They’re nice.”
I nodded. “Then thank you again.”
Tal moved to start unpicking the jacket, and when I didn’t move, she shooed me to the door. “Go explore the guild halls, talk to anyone you wish to. Just be sure you’re back in time for dinner later tonight. Alia will be expecting you then.”
“Okay,” I said, and she closed the door on me.
So, I had free rein, this was good. I moved quietly through the halls, noting lots of different places, dorm rooms, and I even found my own, noting, indeed, how nice they were.
I then went to the kitchens, moved around, got myself a drink, something to eat, and I went and sat outside in the gardens.
There were people who came and went, sitting to eat, talk and enjoy the sun. It was nice to watch, and soon, I realised there was darkening to the clouds. Had I really been out here all afternoon?
I pushed myself up, stretching sore muscles. I still couldn’t quite believe that my hip wasn’t sore anymore. But the truth of it was, it wasn’t. It felt better than it ever had before. Healed, and when I stretched, it moved with me.
I found a nice place in the gardens to pull out my daggers, and then I began to test them, to move with the new clothes, to draw, slice, and play against myself.
A cough behind me drew my attention. Alia. The beautiful blues and gold of her guild now drew my attention. With the clothes she wore, she truly was a stunning woman. It matched and perfected the persona she carried. A true leader.
“Would you mind if I sparred with you?”
There was a glint in her eye. How could I refuse? I motioned for her to step forwards. I hadn’t really had a decent sparring partner since I used to practice with Dail. I cringed inwardly at the thought of what I’d recently done to him. Alia saw this and yet didn’t say anything.
She withdrew two daggers for herself, and I bowed to her just the once before I took a stance. This time, the fighting was for fun, for the nature of learning and improving, nothing more.
/> She surprised me with how easily she anticipated my moves and matched them. Then as we circled and each of us started to attempt different techniques. It soon became clear that even though we differed in abilities, we were pretty evenly matched.
As I started to see how she was moving and reacting to each of my attack lunges, I predicted how and where she was going to strike. She wanted to win, but this was about gauging my strengths and weaknesses just as much as her wanting to best me. Or was it? Every now and then, I thought she was going to try something, and she switched again to something new.
Before long, I was sweating and panting. I had the stamina to fight but not sure how long at this intense level. The two of us had neither got in a killing blow nor been able to pause long enough to talk. Overall my years as top runner, I had only ever fought out of two situations with my daggers. One when I had first started training with them and the other where I’d been ambushed good style on a terrible job back in Port Troli.
“Where did you get your daggers?” I asked. I had many other questions, but these might help determine the origin or how trained she might be.
She grinned at me, taking a step back to hold one up so that I could see the hilt. “These are made in the Rexous Mountains, by the clan Ferroush. I have no doubt you’ve never heard of them, but this here…” she pointed to the tiny mark that circled the hilt, “this tells most people around here that these are of high quality and that only a skilled master should wield them.”
I wasn’t going to argue with that. “You are indeed very skilled.”
“Trained by the Ekshar of Tridon.” Alia lunged forward, and I dodged, and our daggers sparked off each other. “And yourself?”
I glanced to the hilt of mine. “Nothing special. I found them in a dungeon on Maicreol a few years ago. They’re bound to me, I’ve learned more recently.”
She cocked her head at me, and her eyes sparkled. “Would you mind letting me see?”
I took a step back, lowered my daggers, and then held one out to her. Alia sheathed hers and tentatively tested the weight and handling of mine. She tried a few spins and cuts. Then she stopped before me, both hands on the hilt in a beautiful maneuverer that could easily have sliced my flesh. I could do nothing but smile at her.